WATER-MILLER

❧ What y e devil should skill though all y e world were worser ̄ Sins in all our speaking we never be harden We cry our for rain the devil sped drop will Come We water millers be nothing in regard No water have we to grynde at any stint The wind is so strong the rain can nat fallen Which keepeth our myldams as dry as a flyn We are undone we grynde nothing at all The greater is the pity as thinketh me For what availeth to eke man his corn Till it be ground by such men as we be There is the lose if we be forbonre For tourhynge our selves we are but drudges And very beggars save only our tole Which is right small and yet many grudges For grynden of a bushel to gyve a quart bole Yet were nat reparations we might do wele Our mylstons, our wheel, with her kogges, & our tryndyl Our floodgate, our mylpole, our water wheel Our hopper, our extre, our iron spyndell In this and much more so great is our charge That we would not reck though no water beware Save only it touches eke man so large And eke for our neighbour Christ biddeth us care Wherefore my conscience hath pricked me hither In this to sew according to the cry For Plenty of rain to the God Iupyter To whose presence I will go even boldly. ¶All you bear record what favour I have Herke how familearly he calls me knave Doubtless the gentleman is universal But mark this lesson sir you should never call Your fellow knave nor your brother whoreson For nought can you get by it when you have done. ¶Nay by my troth nor with none other man Yet I saw you well when I First began How be it so help me God and holydam I took you but for a knave as I am But marry now syus I know what you be I must and will obey your authorytie And if I may nat speak with Iupyter. I beseech you be my solyciter, ¶Amitte in this place a tree here to grow And thereat the wind in great tage to blow When it hath all blown this is a clear case The tree removeth no hear bred from his place No more would the shype blows the best it could All though it would blow down both mast & shroud Except the shype fleet upon the water The wind can right nought do a plain mater Yet may you on water without any wind Row forth your vessel where men will have her synde Nothing more rejoices the mariner Then mean cools of wind and Plenty of water For commonly the cause of every wrache Is excess of wind where water does lack In rage of these storms the peril is such That better were no wind then so far to much. ¶On my faith I think the moon be at the full For franty ke tansyes be then most Plenty full Which are at the pride of their Spring in your head So far from our mater he is now fled As for the wind in any instrument It is no percell of our argument We spoke of wind that comes naturally And that is wind forced artyfycyally Which is nat to purpose but if it were And water indeed right nought could do there Yet I think organs no such comodite Whereby the water should banished be And for your bagpyppes I take them as nyfuls Your mater is all in fansyes and tryfuls. ¶Thou speakest of all and consyderest nat half In boast of thy gryste thou art wise as a calf For though above us your mills grynde far faster What help to those From whom you be much farther And of two sorts if the tone should be conserved I think you meet the most number be served In vales and weldes where most commodities is There is most people you must grant me this On Hills and downs which parts are most varain There must be fewyt can no more sustain I dare well say if it were tried even now That there is ten of us to one of you And where should chiefly and necessaries be But there as people are most in Plenty More reason that you come. vii. mile to mill Then all we of the vale shode climb the hill If rain came rasonable as I require it We should of your wind mills have need no whyt. ¶The corn at receipt happily is nat good ☜So will she be thought you should bruste your bones Except you be perfect in setting of stones Fere nat the lydger beware your conner Yet this for the lydger or you have won her Perchance your lydger doth lack good pecking ¶I pray you heartily remember me. ❧ Sir I pray the spare me a lyteell season And I shall privily conclude the with reason Put case on some day without wind to be And ragious wind in Winter days two or three Much more shall dry that one calm day in Summer Then shall those three wyndy days in winter Whom shall we thank for this when all is done The thank to wind nay thank chiefly the son And so for drought of corn thereby encres The son does comfort and ripe all doubtless And oft the wind so leyth the corn God wot That never after can it ripe but rot If drought took place as you say yet may you see Little helpeth the wind in this commodity But now sir I deny your principal If drought ever were it were impossybyll To have any grain for, or it can grow You must plow your land harro we and sow Which will not be except you may have rain To temper the ground and after again For springing and plumynge all manner corn Yet must you have water or all is forlorn If you take water for no commodity Yet must you take it for things of necessity For washing for showrynge all filth cleansing Where water lacketh what beastly being In brewing, in baking, in dressing of meat It you lack water what could you drink or eat Without water could live neither man nor beast For water preserveth both most and jest For water could I say a thousand things more Saving as now the time will not serve so And as for that wind that you do sew before Is good for your wyndemyll and for no more Sir sith all this in experience is tried I say this mater stands clear on my side. ¶By mean of your craft we may be brother's But whiles we live shall we never be lovers We be of one craft but nat of one kind I live by water, and you by the wind. And sir as you desire wind continual So would I have rain ever more to fallen Which two in experience right well you see Right selde or never together can be For as long as the wind ruleth it is plain Twynty to one you get no drope of rain And when the Element is to far oppressed Down comes the rain and sets the wind at rest By this you see we can nat both obtain For you must lack wind or I must lack rain Wherefore I think good before this audiens Eke for our self to lay or we go hens And whom is though weyken when we have fynysht Leave of his suit and content to be banished. ¶Troth it is for it blows so aloft We never have rain or at the most nat oft Wherefore I pray you put the God in mind Clearly for ever to banish the wind. ¶Nat one myte for the thing self to no man. ☜Well I can no more but for our water We shall gyve your lordship our ladies sauter