VOLUPTAS

¶Why sir I never gave you cause of offence, ¶O blame us not sir I pray you, your talk I trow was of love, And hearing your arguments your wits did us move, To speak to you bree ely for feeling that pain, Your Arguments said you could help us again. ¶That you will sir I hope verily. ¶Marry sir love is my sickness. ¶God save your goodness worthy sir, God still augment your days, ¶And reason good forsooth it is, for every man to do, In some thing as his wife shall will, his willing heart unto. ¶What wight in all this world hath fortune so faunde on, As she hath done on Joachims side, in truth I think of none, A wife quoth a: No, no, I think and Angel sure she be, Why all this world, nor ten world's more, have any such as she. The fewter of her formed face, the glistering of her eyes, Her shoulders that are quadrant to, her nose that is so fine. Her cheeks that are so cheery read, her lips so read and thin, Her smiling cheer which often shows the pits upon her chin. Her breasts that are so round and fair, her arms that are so long, Her fingers straight with vains beset, of blue and white among. Her middle small, her body long, her buttocks broad and round, Her legs so straight, her foot so small, the Like treads not on ground I think that Nature which made her, cannot make Like again, Or else that she a Goddess is, I think I tell you plain, A Judge quoth a: A Juggler Lord, I would thou madste of me, So that I had to Juggle with, such juggling staff as she. ¶You know your self no Nicromancie, but yet of Leg rdimayne, A cast or two but secretly would right well please us twain, ¶You say I do assum e you, as I my self do think, The time that we have here to live, it lasteth but a wink, And when that we are dead and gone, then rest we in the ground, And out of doubt beside this life, none other life is found, Therefore I do assure you, I mente and do mean still, By right or wrong, by force or fraud, to live and have my will, To eat and drink to quaff and play, I care not in what sort, To lead my life full merrily in every kind of sport. And for to have the company of such a one as she, I will oppress a thousand fools to give her gold and fee. Mar always in our Garments sad and graven we must us show, And that shall still our lightness hide, that no man shall it know, But yet our enterprise seems great, that we do mean to do, For Susan is a secret Dame, report me unto you. And eake her credit is so great, that if she do deny, The most and least in all the world, believe her by and by. And therefore let us seek and know eke danger still afore And so our ship shall safely sail and we may keep on shore. And therefore if we could by craft, some slander on her raise, It might help well our credit when, we seek our lust to please. ¶No, art not thou a Physician? ¶No, I trow we two gave thee ten pound, ¶Why friend shall we loose our Money? ¶I will say no more of it, but do remit the same, But I pray thee tell me what is thy name? ¶Well then I will be short unto Thee man, We burn both with lust to Susan. ¶Why sir, why say you so, ¶No sir, no, I speak of Susanna. ¶We talk of Joachims wife, whose name in Latten is Susan ¶True Sir, yea true in deed, I would there were no cause, For Joachim her husbands sake, to punish her with laws. ¶No God shall judge Thee. ¶Soft I pray Thee yet a while, I pray Thee hold thy hands, And suffer us to call on God, upon us now it stands. And Lord receive us yet at last, that erst did never know, Thy goodness nor thy mighty hand, our wealth did blind us so, I have be given in all my time, my flesh to follow still, Now Lord forgive my senses all, I leave me to thy will. My sins are more then I can tell, my sorrows passing great, The shivering passion of my bones, does cause my flesh to sweat. Now Lord into thy hands I leave, my sobbing sorrowful spirit, Receive it Lord and from the Fiend defend me with thy might. ¶Yea when you will. ¶Come in Master Sensualitas I pray thee, Reche me thy hand and I will help Thee. ¶Mark his tale. ¶My friend God speed, ¶Yes Master Doctor here is five pound. ¶And here is as much see it falls to the ground, Take it up Master Doctor, to provide your drugs, And to buy the same I would you would trudge. ¶Alas Sir will it be two days First. ¶Yet will we follow your counsel, ¶God be with you. ¶Your if does well, but if your if, do miss in any case, How should we end our journey straight, and have a crooked raze. But reply on words with words, does vainly spend the time, And time ill spent you know right well, is eake a grievous crime, What things we have to do you know, what matters to discuss, The number of them Lord thou knowest, I think to much for us, Well it is our charge you know, and therefore do you two, Peruse eke plaint with such effect, as Judges ought to do, And when you have with dil igence, done it with good advice, I will you aid to cut of doubts, if any do arise. ¶If he speak not his thought Madam, I dare beshrew his heart, For as he said I think in deed, and shall do for my part. ¶I warrant you we will not be long, ¶Now Master Sensuality I would master Doctor were here ¶O Venus that hath suffered me, to quench my youthful fire, With love of those from time to time, that I did most desire. And Cupid to that never erst didst seek to quench the heart. Of her to whom thou gavest might to mitigate my smart, Continue still your friendly guise, to me your ancient man, And now with point of piercing dart, do cause that fair Susan, May love again those that love her, grant this you Gods to me, and pull away even what you will, I crave no more but she. ¶What act thou a man, and haste a woman's name? ¶Nay I pray thee jest not but tell me thy name. ¶ go that upon crooches I pray thee tell, ¶Thou art a merry fellow, I ask Thee thy name? ¶If thou werte gentle, thou wouldst not send me so far, But f iendly declare and show what you are. ¶What plain Ill Report, no master at all, in faith for all your bloody gown, I will ray you on the scall. ¶Let us leave now master Ill Report, ¶And to be short as much again to you. ¶Sensualitas my friend, you know as well as I, How First we found by secret means Susanna's haunt to spy, She goes each day when she hath dynde, unto a certain spring, Within here Orchard her to wash, which is a wholesome thing. There were we sure at the least, our eyes to fill and please, Be quiet then, that may perhaps, our sorrows partly ease. ¶Well let us go and hide our selves, within that Orchard then, For after dinner she comes there, I know her wonted when, And Ill Report us promised, what so we say or do, That he would sense us of the fault, and blame Susanna to. ¶Peace friend, consider well your state, and let your sorrow slake, For I it is that must and will this matter on me take, if you do this with languishing our presence here descry, Before that we lay hands on her then were we near the nigh. Peace I say. I say be still, I will to her alone, And follow you as you see time, as soon as I am gone, ¶Fair Lady be you not afraid that you do see us hear, We both be come to do you good, and not to yield you fear, You see the Orchard doors are fast, the wails are close and joust, In all this world none can us see, we may do what we lust, I say again in all this world none can see what we do, We burn toward thee with fervent lust consent us therefore to, We are but men, and of that kind, that thou thy self art made Come lie with us, we love Thee well, Susan be not afraid, For if thou wilt not then we shall, a testimonial lay, Against thee of a maruai ous force, and thus both we will say, A youngman with Thee here we found, in very secret sport, Which caused Thee away to send thy maids in such a sort. ¶It was our chance in ending things, which we have for to end, Secretly to common here, where none should here our mind, And lying close and secret still, we shame to much to show, But what we saw, we keep it close, till Joachim may it know. ¶Come away, come away, in faith Madame, you are a secret whore Full long have I mistrusted it, though I took you not before. ¶My Lord Susanna is the wight, whose fault we must accuse, And what she is that stands there, we can do nought but muse. She is so muffled about the face, we think it is not she, A crafty Dame may compass so to have us go awry. ¶What peace whoreson. My Lord under correction, I mean to see her face, And know if it be she or no, before I speak in place. ¶Here my Lord. ¶Well friend I would not have Thee prate, nor place thy words awry For all the world does know right well, thou art as ill as I. ¶Under a pomgranate tree, she used filthy sport, And take her partly that takes it list, it was in shameful sort. ¶Why God if I most sinful wight, might reason once with Thee, Canst thou permit and suffer still, these wicked thus to lie? My sorrows all and some I send, them to thy heavenly throne, Receive my sobbing tears o Lord, and ease me that do moan. ¶No Judex, I have done Gods will, proceed you in your charge, And give them sentence to the death, do you your self discharge.