For honeste women shoulde stycke to honestye,
And upholde no harlottes guyse,
But amende and rebuke all wanton lewdnesse,
And learne to be sadde and wyse.

Our lyght is oute, oure example is wycked,
And stynckes before Goddes face,

Because thee1 devell wythin us doethe dwell,
And resystithe bothe vertue and grace.

Nowe, fye upon proude strumpery,
And all vaine devyllyshe stuffe!

Away wyth it, good people all,

150

Or loke for greate vengeaunce & sorow ynoughe. 160

And beware also, prety one,

And see that you amende this gere,

Or have ye shall as many mookes,

But come home agayne to sadnesse,

And I wyll saye no more;

For yf you do not shortlye,
My pen must vexe you sore.

And now,

ryght worthy and sadde women all, With you no faulte I fynde,

For your good honestye and sadde demeanor

Doeth well shewe your godly mynde.

170

And I speake not agaynste no playne women,

As walke in godlye wyse;

But agaynst such wanton dyssemblers,
As doeth Goddes truthe despyse.

And therefore, I truste, no honest women

Herewyth wyl be offended,

But suche as lyve ungracyously,

And lyst not to be amended.

We wonder moche at these nyppynge plages,

That daylie on us doo fall;

But nothynge we wonder at oure synfull fashions,

That are chefe cause of all.

Wherfore reformacyon wyll come shortlye,

And put you to more shame,

180

And teache you to knowe gods lawes and your kinges, And to walke in better frame.

For

your

bwyll be better bounst at,

Or it will be verye longe,

And make suche lustye bounsyng ones

To syng a playner songe.

For thoughe some take the matter hylye,
And sore be offended here wythall,

Yet maye I not spare to speake the truthe,
Howe pryde wyll have a fall.

190

Rubbe a galde horse on thee1 backe,

And he wyll kicke and wynse; And so wyll wanton wylyons

When they have anye snaper or twynche.

But kycke & wynche, clatter and chatter,

At the truthe, as moche as you lyste,

Your pryde wyll come downe wyth shame ynoughe, Beware of had I wyste.2

For preachyng and teachyng we ar never the better,
But rather worse and worse:

The heathen lyve farre better then we,
And therefore have we Goddes curse.

We trust and beleve, we can not tell howe,
Even as we lyste oure selves;

But that trust and fayth muste we amende,
Or hell fyre shall we posses.

To presume on Goddes mercye is as greate a faute,
As too dyspayre therein :

For yf thy faythe bee not perfecte good,

Thy truste is not worthe a pyn.

200

210

1i. e. the. Had Bansley in his recollection the title of Ramsey's tract, "A Plaister for a Galled Horse," when he wrote this line? If so, as Ramsey's book was not published till 1548, the present tract must have appeared after that year. We may be sure that it was not printed till the accession of Edward VI.

2 See Add. Notes.

Remember that hell is a wofull place,

Full of all cruell paynes and tormentes, And it is not thy wavering fayned fayth That can delyver the from thens.

O foole, foole! more then starke madde,
Not sure to lyve one houre!

How darest thou so proudely offend thy Lorde God,
Of soche almyghty power?

Lyve godly, and do good worckes,
And spend thy shorte tyme well:
For a wanton lyfe and vycyous

Is the very ryghte waye to hell.

And thus God sende us grace everychone,

In vertue and sadnes to remayne, And for oure sad & honest playnes, A joyefull place in heaven.

God save kyng Edward, and his noble counsail al,

And sende us peace and reste,

And of thys pryde and devylyshe folye

Full soone to have redresse.

220

231

Finis. Quod Charles Bansley.

Imprinted at London in Paules Church yearde at thee Sygne of the Starre. By Thomas Raynalde.

Q

Duippes

UIPPES for Upstart Newfangled Gentlewomen.

Or, a

Glasse to view the Pride of vainglorious Women. Containing a Pleasant invective against the Fantastical Forreigne Toyes dayly vsed in Womens Apparell. Imprinted at London by Richard Jhones, at the Signe of the Rose and Crowne, near to S. Andrewes Church in Holbourne. 1595, 4to, 7 leaves.

Pleasant Quippes for Upstart Newfangled Gentlewomen. Woodcut on title. Imprinted at London by Richard Jhones. 1596, 4to.

Reprinted for the Percy Society, 1841, 8vo. Again, from the private press of Great Totham, Essex, 1847, 8vo.

Although the grossness of this misogynic invective deterred the Council of the Percy Society from sanctioning the circulation among the members, it seemed to the editor too curious a piece to be excluded from the present collection, especially as its omission would have left a gap in the series of poetical treatises of a similar kind now reproduced. No one can soberly pretend that a disservice is rendered to the cause of virtue and morality by these revivals of forgotten literature: for those, who view such matters in a proper light, will only value these early satirical attempts for the illustrations which they casually supply of ancient manners, while it is too well known that such as are so unhappily constituted as to esteem them solely on account of