SENSUALITAS

¶Nor to do it is our pretence, ¶Love to good Gentleman. ¶Nay good Master Doctor let us have your help. ¶Why Sir are you a Juggler now, I pray you answer me, What is the juggling staff you crave, if granted it may be. ¶By God I would spend my best coat to fish within her pool, And yet my father in fishers art was never but a fool. But what for that it forceth not, if we might spy a place, And time that well may serve the turn, I will put forth the case, But we are counted Elders here, and do the people guide, And that we do must secret be, least that we be espied, For God, or for his threatenings, I pass it not a straw, But for mine honour in this world, is it I stand in awe. ¶Why friend know you not me? ¶Master Voluptas for the Money force not, he is a good fellow, And will otherwise deserve it, I do right well know, ¶O excellent wit, and friendship irrecompens ble, We will requit you with the like, I ever we be able. ¶As we two in the Orchard walkte, and none but we alone, In came this woman with two maids, but straight she sent them home. And wayghty charge she gave them both, we could but muse wherefore In any case that they should shut, and spar the Orchard door, With that a young man straight slept forth, that hidden secret lay. And came to her right shamefully, and found her Venus play. For us to see the end of this, in secret corner stood, The open sighed of this fowl deed, appalde our ancient blood. And when we saw with both our eyes, that they had lyen together, Pretending for to take the wretch, our selves we did discover. But when we laid our hands of him, we could not hold him still, His strength was of much fortitude, and ours very ill, This done, he hide him to the gate, and so from thence away, For reason say one usty blood, two weak men cannot stay. Now when this woman thus we took, Dame (quoth we) what is he, That thus your husbands bed hath fyld, as we with sorrow see, But she because that time would help, to frame a lie full well, And craftily then could hold her peace, and spared that to tell. So this the matter is in deed, and both we witness be, And as we mean to answer it, we say but what we see. ¶Under a Mulberry tree I saw their conference, And under that tree she committed her offence, And meaning not for to conceal that fault, but it to tell, We mark the order and the tree, we also marked it well. ¶And to me Lord do not account, the number of my sins, Reject the same and hear me now, for now my plaint begins. And though the falsehood of the flesh, in wealth would let me know, Yet in this my extremity, do thou thy mercy show. The whole do need no medicine, it is bought for Thee sick, So mercy Lord do help the froward, and those against the kick. Not justice Lord, but mercy we do crave to ease our bands. And by thy mercy both we yield our souls into thy hands. ¶God send you Nestor's time to reign, with help in all assays, ¶Why Sir me thinks you do offend, because you thus repine, Against the doings of that God, whose works are all divine, He hath placed you for chiefest here, and us to be your aid, We may not shrink like fearful ones, but bear the burden laid, We may not think the burden great, nor yet the time to long, That God shall keep us in this state, but see we do no wrong. (alas) who lives now and does the people guide, But that against his will, Oh Lord, his foot shall sometime slide, The matters are so croockt and vile, that comes forth each day, As how to end without some wrong, I know not well the way. ¶No sir, but we have weighty Master's to discus, And for your wisdoms sake we account you chief of us, And because it concern h women's kind, I know you as good as any man may find. ¶Nay, nay Madame, we mean not so, we mean to have our will, Do you consent you shall us find both sure and secret still, And so we may have company, no wigh can us correct, And this I know assuredly, no man will us suspect, This do, or else I swear for troth we shall declare at large, as this my friend hath said afore, which were to great a charge, Therefore consent we might have done, while we have used this talk If not do you assure you, our evidence shall walk. ¶By my truth Voluptas I have need of thy aid, Such is my secret sorrow, my senses are dismayed. ¶Trouble him not. ¶I think sure we are both accursed. ¶God be with you with all my heart, ¶You speak it well in very deed, but it were harden to find, If both your words and heart did gree in uttering this your mind, ¶If we should, we should do you wrong. ¶I had rather talk with him, then hear of this gear. ¶Or if you Gods have any power, as ancient Poets fain, Mark well my words which from the heart proceed I tell you plain. If any man in all the world have cause for to reply, I must confess and thank you to, the same is very I, I never yet did fancy her, I thank you of your grace, But you vouchsafte to give her me, with time as meet as place. Now those which in felicity by your good grace have be, That you will here thus cast them of, let not those days be seen, Grant to us now that Susan may grant love for love again, Thrice happy then shall be our days, we shall be void of pain. ¶I promise thee I must account, thy wits to be divine, Thy senses are of such effect, how f r do they pass mine. I know a ma e full meet for this, if I knew his resort, A fellow for this to alone, his name is Ill Report Why see how good our fortune is, see how he comes yond And we to see his entrance now, in Corner here will stand. ¶I will rid the strife, and tell in plainer sort, His name as I told you, is Ill Report, ¶Why gentle Master Ill Report it is a friendly part, With plain words to salute a friend, proceeding from the heart, And I dare speak in your behalf, although you seem to swear, That friendly you do take his words, as we do friendship bear. ¶Heu mihi quod nullis amor est medicabilis herbis, Woe to me wretch, woe once again, woe to this day and hour, Wherein my heat of ard n love, will cool with herb nor flower, Woe to the God that sends the love, woe to him the Dart, And can so strike as will not heal, by herb or medicines art, Woe to my self that fyxt my heart, where I cannot revoke, Woe to that blind boy once again, that gave my heart the stroke. if I may find a time and place, to cool this my desire I will do it to spite the Gods, I care not for their ire. ¶You say full well, and I think sure, if we could closely hide, Our selves within some covert place, a time there might be spied, Wherein we might take her alone, and then through love or might, We would have both our pleasure there, to void this sorrowful plighted ¶Have with you then with all my heart, Oh Lord that the were there, Away apace, go on afore, me think she comes here. ¶The greatest scourge that may be given, to any living wight, I feel it now, alas, alas, that she is in my sighed. Why Cupid's flames do burn my heart, why see my torments here, And you to ease my hugy smart, I dare not prove for fear. Now is the time and let it go, we never find the leek, And yet to heal my secret woe, my heart is now to seek. ¶I will. ¶A whore, yea vile and filthy whore, fie on it filthy act, I think a thousand of her toys, the vyldest whore does lack. ¶Thou sayest as well as heart can think, for though we could not touch Yet pleasing our eyes with this her sighed shall serve our lust as much.