NEITHER LOVER NOR LOVED

Now God you good even master woodcock Come whereof it shall you come of such stock That God you good even master woodcock. Nay nay master woodcock not a whyt I have known you for a woodcock or this Or else like a woodcock I take you a my But though for a woodcock you deny the same yet shall your wit witness you meet for that name. Thus lo. I do perceive by your formare proces. That you be a lover whereto you confess your self beloved in as loving wise As by wit and will you can wish to devise C ncludyng therein determinately That of all pleasures Pleasant to the body The highest pleasure that man may obtain Is to be a lover beloved again In which conclusion before all this flock I shall prove you plain as wise as a woodcock well sins it is so that you be dyscontent To be called foal or further matter be spent will you gyve me leave to call you foal anon when your self perceiveth that I have proved you one. Now by my father's soul then will we even forth That part rehearsed of your sing or this Of all our debate the only cause is For where you afore have fastly affirmed That such as be lovers again beloved Stand in most pleasure that to man may move That tale to be false truth shall truly prove what folk marry even such folk as am I No lover no by God I warrant you I am no lover in such manner meant As does appear in this purpose present For as touching women go where I shall I am at one point with women all. The smothest the myrkest the smallest Thetrewest / the trymest / the tallest / The wisest / the wylyest / the wyldest / The m ryest / the manerlyest / the myldest / The strangest / the straightest / the strongest / The lustyest / the lest / or the longest / The rashest / the ruddiest / the roundest / The sagest / the salowest / the soundest / The coyest / the cursedest / the coldest / The bysyest / the bryghtest / the boldest / The thankfullest / the thynest / the thickest / The sayntlyest / the sewrest / the syckest / Take these with all the rest and of everyone So God be my help I love never one. Sir as I be saved by ought I can prove I am beloved even like as I love Norther lover nor beloved that is even true My part for most Pleasant may soon be gest By my continual quyetyd rest Nay being a lover what man is he That is Quiet Marry you lie Say what thou will and I therein protest To believe no word thou sayest most nor lest Marry go thou and be and inquerer And if thou canst bring one any thing lyckly He shall be admitted for my part quickly Find the best and next way thy wit can ges And except your nobs for malous do need you Make brief return a felyshyp speed you. My merueyll is no more then my care is small what knave this fool shall bring being not perciall And yet be he false and afolyshe knave to So that it be not to much a do To bring a daw to here and speak right I force for no man the worth of a myte And sins my doubt is so small in good speed what should my study be more then my need Till time I perceive this woodcock coming My part hereof should pass even in mumming Saving for pastime sins I consider He being a lover and all his mater To depend on love and contrary I No lover, by which all such standing by As favour my part, may fear me to weyke Against the loving of this lover to speyke I shall for your Comfort declare such a story As shall perfectly plant in your memory That I have knowledge in lovers laws As deep as some dosyn of those doting daws which told all you whose fansyes styck never me Shall know it causeless in this case to fear me For though as I show I am no lover now Nor never have been yet shall I show you Now that I ones chanced to take in hand To fain my self a lover you shall understand Toward such a sweating as by sweet sent savour I know not the like in fashion and favour And to Begin At setting in First was her skin Whyt smooth & thine And every vain So blew seen plain Her golden hear To see her wear Her wearing gere Alas I fere To tell all to you I shall undo you Her eye so rolling Each heart continued ̄ trolling Her nose not long Nor stood not wrong Her finger typs So clean she clyps Her rosy lips Her cheeks gossyps So fair so ruddy It axeth study The hold to tell It did excel It was so made That even the shade At every glade would hearts invade The paps so small And round with all The wast not myckyll But it was tyckyll The thigh the kne As they should be But such a leg A lover would beg To set eye on But it is gone Then sight of the foot Ryft hearts to the rote And last of all sent katheryns wheel was never so round, as was her he'll Asawt her heart and who could win it As for her he'll no hold in it yet over that her beauty was so much In pleasant qualities her graces were such For dalyaunt pastaunce pass where she should No greater difference between lede and gold Then between the rest and her, and such a wit That no wight I ween might match her in it If she had not wit to set wise men to scole Then shall my tale prove me a stark foal But in this matter to make you meet to ges you shall understand that I with this masters Fill late acquainted and for love no whyt But for my pleasure to approve my wit Now I could love to this trycker dyssymble who in dyssymelyng was perfect and nimble For where or when she list to gyve a mock She could and would do it beyond the nock wherein I thought that if I trysed her I should thereby like my wit the better And if she chanced to tryp or tryse me It should to learn wit a good lesson be Thus for my passed time I did determine To mock or be mocked of this mocking vermin For which her presens I did First obtain And that obtained forth with fell we twain In great acquaintance and made as good cheer As we had been acquainted twenty year And I through fair flattering behaviour Seemed anon so deep in her favour That though the time then so far passed was That time required us asunder to pass yet could I no passport get of my swettynge Till I was full wooed for the next days meeting For sewrauns whereof I must as she bade Gyve her in gage best jewel I there had And after Much mirth as our wits could devise we parted and I the next morn did arise In time not to timely such time as I could I allow no love where sleep is not allowed I was or I entered this journey vowed Decked very cleanly but not very proud But trim must I be, for slovenly lobers Have you wot well no place among lovers But I thus decked at all points point deuyce At door were this trull was I was at a trice whereat I knocked her presens to win wherewith it was opened and I was let than And at my First coming my Minion seemed Very merry, but anon she mysdemed That I was not merrily disposed And so might she think, for I disclosed No word nor look, but such as showed as sadly As I in deed inwardly thought madly And so must I show for lovers be in rate Sometimes merry but most times passyonate In giving thanks to her of over night we set us down and heavy couple in sight And therewithal I fetched a sygh such one As made the form shake which we both sat on whereupon she without more words spoken Fell in weeping as her heart should have broken And I in secret laughing so heartily That from mine eyes cam water plenteously Anon I turned with look sadly that she My weeping as watery as hers might see which done these words anon to me she spoke Alas dear heart what wight might undertake To she we one so sad as you this Morning Being so merry as you last evening I so far then the meryer for you And without desert thus far the sadder now. The self thing quoth I which made me then glad The self same is thing that makes me now sad The love that I owe you is origynale Ground of my late toy and present pain all And by this mean, love is evermore lad Between two angels one good and one bade Hope and dread which two be always at strife which one of them both with love shall rule most rife And hope that good angel First part of last night Draw dread that bade angel out of place quyght Hope sware I should Straight have your love at ones And dread this bade angel sware blood and bones That if I won your love all in one hour I should loose it all again in three or four wherein this good angel hath lost the mastery And I by this bade angel wone this agony And be you sewer I stand now in such case That if I lack your continued grace In heaven / hell / or earth / there is not that he Save only God that knoweth what shall come on me I love not in rate all the common flock I am no fainer nor I can not mock wherefore I beseech you that your reward May witness that you do my truth regard Sir as touching mocking quoth she I am sewer you be to wise to put that here in use For neither gyve I cause why you so should do Nor nought could you win that way wurth and old sho For who so that mocks shall surely stir This old proverb mockum moccabitur But as for you I think my self assewred That very love hath you hither alewred For which quoth she let hope hop up again And vaynquysh dreaded so that it be in vain To dreaded or to doubt but I in every thing As cause gyveth cause willbe your own derlyng Sweet heart quoth I after stormy cold smertes warm words I warm lovers bring lovers warm hearts And so have your words warmed my heart even now That dredles and doubtless now must I love you Anon there was I love you and I love you Lovely we lovers love eke other I love you and I for love love you My lovely loving loved brother Love me, love the, love we, love he, love she, Depper love apparent in no twain can be Duyte over the ears in love and felt no ground Had not swimming help in love I had been drowned But I swam by the shore the bauntage to keep To mock her in love see ing to swim more deep Thus contynull we day by day Till time that was passed away In all the which tya she took That by mean set one look Upon any But Straight way she set the y er in the eye And by that same apt es in jealousy I thought sewer she loved me perfectly And I to show my self in like loving Dyssimyled like cheer in all herlyke looking By this and other like things then in hand I gane her kes me thought above a thousand whereby I thought her own tale like a burr Stack to her own back mockum moccabitur And upon this I felt in devising To bring to end this Idle dysgysyng whereupon suddenly I stale away And when I had en absent half a day My heart mysgaue me by God that bought me That if she mist me where I thought she sought me She be by love that she ought me wherein not love, ught me That to a one I bethought me And so returned to that brought me To and I knocked kn ck sofrequ that n oh h fame unlocked And who was never From is say out about her ever Moths that I oath ydere darling Worser de tch by thine absenting And without re to her she shyt I without of my wit In that this woman die in my fault But I could to y ne assault To he I got about To see at the lest way laid out And there in blessed mother I saw the another In me to scorn As as before The which when I then rememb ed The word that another B rendered And also he thing he ed in this to love betokening My self to see served thus tely To my self I laughed even heartily with my self considering to have had like speed If my self had been a lover in deed. But now to make some matter whereby I may take my leave of my love honestly Sweet heart quoth I you take to much upon you No more then becomes me know thou well quoth she But thou hast taken to much upon the In taking that thou took in hand to mock me wherein from beginning I have seen the jet Like as a fool might have iettyd in a net Believing himself save of him self only To be perceived of no living body But well saw I thine intent at beginning was to bestow a mock on me at ending when thou laughedest dyssymulyng a weeping hare Then I with weeping eyes played even the like partly wherewith I brought in moccum moccabitur And yet thou being a long snouted cur Could no whyt smell that all my meaning was To gyve mock for mock as now is come to pass which now thus passed if thy wit be handsome May defend the from mocks in time to come By clapping fast to thy snout every day More rum moccabitur for a nosegay whetwith shestart up and shyt her window to which done I had no more to say nor do But think my self or any man else a fool In mocks or wiles to set women to scoole But now to purpose wherefore I began All though I were made a foal by this woman Concerning mocking yet does this tale approve That I am well seen in the art of love For I intending no love but to mock yet could no lover of all the hold flock Ctrcumstaunce of love disclose more nor better Then did I the substance being no greater And by this tale afore you all may see All though a lover as well loved be As love can devise him for pleasant speed yet two displeasures telousy and dread Is mixed with love whereby love is a drink meet To gyve babes for worms for it drynkth bitter sweet And as for this babe our lover in whose head By a frantyk worm his opinion is bred After one draught of this medsyn mynystryd In to his brain by my brain appointed Reason shall so temper his opinion That he shall see it not worth and onion And if he have any other thing to lay I have to conuynse him every way And sins my part now does thus well appear Be you my partners now all of good cheer But silence every man upon a pain For master woodcock is now come again. Come they a horse back By iys and yet see I thou blind bald coat That one of those twain might ride if he list Marry for he ledyth a nag on his his fist Masters you are welcome, and welcome you be you have been here before me before now And now I am here before you And now I am here behind you And no we you be here behind me And now we be here even both to gether And now be we welcome even both hither Sins now you find me here with curtsy I may Bid you welcome hither as I may say But setting this aside, let us set a broche The mater wherefore you hither approach wherein I have hope that you both will be Good unto me, and especially you For I have a mind that every good face Hath ever some pity of a poor men case Being as mine is a mater so right That a foal may judge it right at First sight I think well that dear heart but tell me how That promise to perform I not disdain For touching right as I am a righteous man I will gyve you as much right as I can Nay in my conscyens I think by this book your conscyens will take nothing that comes a croak For as in conscyens what ever you do you nothing do but as you would be done to Oh hope of good end, oh Marry mother Masters one of us may now help a neither But sir I pray you some mater declare whereby I may know in what grief you are A lover not loved have you knit that knot Forsooth you be the more sot Now masters I heartily beseech you Tell me what manner case your case may be Is this your tormentor God turn him to good you think them both mad and so do I by iys So mote I thrive but who that list to mark shall perceive here a praty piece of work Let us fallen somewhat in these parts to ska nyng Loving not loved, loved not loving Loved and loving, not loving nor loved will you see these four parts well joined Loving not loved, and loved not loving Those parts can join in no manner reckoning Loving and loved, loved nor lover These parts in joining in likewise differ But in that you love you twain joined be And being not loved you join with me And being no lover with me joineth she And being beloved with her join you Had I a joiner with me joined jointly we joiners should join joint to joint quickly For First I would part these parts in fleses And ones departed these parted peses Part and part with part I would so partlyke part That eke part should part with Quiet heart I never fit in justice but ever more I use to be shryuen a little before And now sins that my confession is done I will depart and come take penance soon when continued ̄ scyens prycketh conscyens must be sercht by God In dyschargyng of conscyens or else gods forbad which makes me meet when conscye ̄ S must come in place To be a judge in every come case But who may like me his auaunsement avant Now am I a judge and never was seriaunt which you regard not much by ought that I see By any reverence that you do to me Nay yet I praise women when great men go by They crouch to the ground look here how they lie They shall have a beck by Saint Antony But alas good masters I cry you mercy That you are unanswered but you may see Though two tales at ones by two ears hard may be yet can not one mouth two tales at ones answer which makes you tarry but in your mater Sins you by hast in having ferdest home would First be sped of that for which you come I grant as he granted your will to fulfil you twain to be harden First, Begin when you will yes by Saint Marry so the case may stand That some woman had lever take in hand To ride on your errand on hundredth mile Then to say nay one Pater noster while your pain is most if she say nay and take it But if that she say nay and forsake it Then is her pain a great way the greater By the mass it is so plain Nay never one in his life byr lady And I contrary with this Minion Then be you come from a woodcock to a daw And by God it is no small conning brother For me to turn one wild fool to a neither Cold hight most dry all in all places at ones Marry sir this is and ague for the nonce But or we gyve judgement I must search to view whither this euydens be false or true Nay stand Still your partly shall prove never the wars Foe by Saint savour here is a hot ars Let me feel your nose, nay fere not man be bold well though this ars be warm and this nose cold yet these twain by attorney brought in one place Are as he sayeth cold and hot both in like case Oh what pain drought is see how his dry lips Smake for more moister of his warm moist hyps Breath out. these eyes are dull but this nose is quicker Here is most moister, your breath smelleth of lycker A torde to his nose Tarry you be to greedy Men be not like women always ready Sins I look but for Winning Gyve me the end and take you the beginning yes two manner pleasures you must needs confe First I have the pleasure of quietness And the second is I am contented Then show your wit for proof of this in hand These two examples by ought that I see Be no thing the things that any thing touch me with death of my child my being contented Or pain with my friend willingly assented Is not contentation voluntary For that contentation comes forceably But my contentation stands in such thing As I would First wish if it went by wishing By this I perceive well you make reckoning That love is a goodly and a good thing yes I shall prove this love at this time meant here In this men case as ill as is the devil And in your case I shall prove love more evil what tormentry could all the devils in hell Devise to his pain that he does not tell what pain bringeth that body those devils in that head which myny sters always by love are led He frysyth in fire he drowneth in drought Eke part of his body love hath brought abought where eke to help other should be diligent They martyr eke other the man to torment without stint of rage his pains be so soar That no fend may torment man in hell more And as in your case to prove that love is wurs than the devil my meaning is this Love dystempereth him by torment in pain And love dystempereth you as far in joy plain your own confession declareth that you Eat, drink, or sleep even as little as he And he that lacketh any one of those three Be it by joy or by pain clear you see Death must be sequel how ever it be And thus are you both brought by loves induccyon By pain or by joy to like point of dystruccyon which point aproueth love in this case passed Beyond the devil in turmentry to have a cast For I trow you find not that the devil can find To turment man in hell by any pleasant mind whereby as I said I say of love Still Of the deayll and love, love is the more ill And at beginning I may say to you If God had seen as much as I say now Love had been Lucyfer and doubt you no whyt But experyens now hath taught God such wit That if ought come at Lucyfer other then good To whip souls on the brech love shall be the blood And sewer he is one that can not live long For aged folk you wot well can not be strong And and other thing his phisicyou does ges That he is infect with the black iawndes For proof of my part, no but it touches The dysprofe of yours for where you alleged your part above mine to be compared By pleasures in which your displeasures are such That you eat, drink, nor sleep, or at most not much In lack whereof my tale proves plainly Eke part of your pleasure a turmentry whereby your good love I have proved so evil That love is apparauntly worse then the devil And as touching my part there can arise No manner displeasures nor tormentryes In that I love not, nor am not loved I move no displeasures nor none to me moved But all displeasures of love from me absent By absens whereof I quietly content Is not absens of displeasure a pleasure Sir though the effect of your pleasure present Be more pleasant then displeasure absent yet how compare you with mine absent pain By present displeasures in which you remain Know you no pain by love little nor much Then shall I show such a thing in this purs As shortly shall show herein your part the wurs Now I pray God the devil in hell blind me By the mass I have left my book behind me I beseech our lord I never go hens If I would not rather have spent forty pens But sins it is thus I must go fetch it I will not tarry, a sir the devil stretch it Farewell woodcock Nay water for fire I mean Sir as I was going To fetched my book for which was my departing There chanced in my way a house hereby To fire which is burned piteously But marvelously the people do moan For a woman they say a goodly one A ioner who e in this house burned is And sho ting of the people for help in this Made me thither to have done some good And at a window thereof as I stood I thrust in my head and even at a flush Fire lashed in my face and so took my bush A house painted with read ochre The owner whereof they say is a broker what man fit down and be of good cheer Gods body master woodcock is gone clear Oh master woodcock fair mote be fallen you Of right master woodcock I must now call you Masters stand you here afore and rub him And I will stand here behind and dub him Nay the child is a steep you need not rock Master woodcock master wood wood woodcock where folk be far within a man must knock Is not this a pang trow you beyond the nock Speak master woodcock, speak parot I pray you My leman your lady ey will you see My lady your leman one vntertakes To be safe from fyreby styppyng through a takes No more do I master woodcock our lord wot well you may burn to together for all this And do well enough for ought that is yet amys For gods fake one run after and baste him It were great pity the fire should wast him For being fat your knowledge must record A woodcock well rost is a dish for a lord And for a woodcock you all must now know him By mater of record that so does show him And brevely to bring you all out of doubt All this have I feigned to bring about Them self to conuynce him self even by act Is he hath done here in doing this fact He takes more thought for this one woman now Then could I for all in the world I ma we which hath so shamefully defaced his part That to return neither hath he face nor heart which fene, whiles he and she less time in kissing Gyve you with me judgement a gods blessing what had my lie done if you had not loved By these two questions it seemeth we may make your love and my lie to part evenly the stake Loving and lying have we brought now hither Lovers and liars to lay both to together But put case my lie of her death were true what excuse for your love could then ensue The hold fault in fortune by my sheth well that God send your fortune better then your wit Then fortune in like case with love now join you As I with loving joined lying even now And well they may join all by ought that I see For eke of all three I take like vanity But sins you confess that your partly of such pain Comes half by love, and that it is certain That certain pains to loved lovers do move In which the fault in nothing save only love As dreaded and jealousy eke of which with more To your estate of love is a daily foe And I clear out of love declaring such show As in my case no pain to me can grow I say this considered hath pyth sufficient In proof of my part to drive you to judgement when the Horse must to labour by our lady But ho e when he refreth and filleth his gorge But what if he must needs ke to the tone which were then best by the mass I can name none Be it so By the mass and I come best or wurst Contented with that and by ought I espy we may in this mater take end quickly Stan we their cases as she did apply them That we may perceive what is meant by them He loves unloved a goodly one She is loved not loving of and ugly one Or in his eye his lover seemeth goodly And in her eye her lober seemeth as ugly Her most desired angels face he can not see His most loathly hell hounds face she can not flee He loves, she abhorreth whereby presens is His life, her death whereby I say even this Be his feeling pains in every degree As great and as many as he say they be yet in my judgement by these cases hath she As great and as many feeling pains as he Womanly spoken masters by the roods mother Nor I but masters though I say nought in this May I not think my pleasure more than his And I with mine as well content as you So lo make you low curtsy to me now And Straight I will make as low curtsy to you Nay stand you never the upper end I pray you For the neither end is good enough for me your cases which enclude your grief eke whyt Shall dwell in this head Byr lady sir and I desire the same Nay for a time love may puff up a thing But lacking food and sleep death is the ending Sin I beseech you of all your dysmaying what other cause can you lay then your loving