HODGE

SEe so cham arrayed with dabbling in the dirt She that set me to ditching, ich would she had the squrt Was never poor soul that such a life had? Gogs bones this vylthy glaye hase dressed me to bade Gods soul, see how this stuff tears Iche were better to be a Bearward and set to keep Bears By the Mass here is a gash, a shameful hold in dead And one stytch tear further, a man may thrust in his head. ¶ Gogs soul man, 'tis not yet two days fully ended Since my dame Gurton ( hem sure) these breeches amended, But cham made suce a drudge to trudge at every need Chwold rend it though it were stitched what sturdy pacthreede, ¶ Tush man thart deceived, is their daily look, They coure so over y e coals, their eyes be bleared with smoke, ¶ Now iche bes eke our Lord they never better agree. ¶ Gogs heart, I durst have laid my cap to a crown Chwould learn of some prancome as soon as ich came to town. ¶ Nay, but ich saw such a wonder as ich saw nat this vii. year Tome Tannkards Cow (be gogs bones) she set me up her sail And flinging about his half aker fysking with her tail, As though there had been in her ars a swarm of Bees, And chad not cried tphrowh hoore, shed leapt out of his Lees. ¶ Well ich chaue hard some say such tokens do not fail, But cast y u not till in faith Diccon, why she frowns or where at Hath no man stolen her Ducks or Henes, or gelded gyb her Cat ¶ Iche can not Still but muse, what marvelous thing it is Chyll in and know my self what matters are amys. CHam aghast by the mass, ich wot not what to do Chad need bless me well before ich go them to Perchance some felon spirit may haunt our house indeed, And then chwere but at noddy to venture where cham no need ¶ I say Tyb, if thou be Tyb, as I trow sure thou be, What devil make a do is this, between our dame and thee. ¶ La e cham not very glad, to see her in this dump Cholde a noble er stole hath fallen, & she hath broke her rumpe ¶ Gogs wounds Tyb, my gammer has never lost her Needle? ¶ Her Needle? ¶ Gogs sacrament, I would she had lost, tharte out of her belli The Devil or else his dame, they ought her sure a shame How a murry n came this chance, (say Tib) unto our dame? ¶ And is ot the ̄ my breeches sewed up, to morrow y to I should were ¶ Now a we ̄ g ance light on all y e sort, y better should have kept it, The cat the house, and to b our maid, y better should have swept it S where we continued ̄ meth crawling, come on in twenty devils way You have made a fair days work, have you not pray you say. ¶ Might would kept it when you had it, but fools will be fools scyll. Loose that is vast in your hands, you need not but you will. ¶Here is a pretty matter, to see this gere how it goes By gogs soul I thenk you would loes your ars, and it were lose Your needle lost, it is pity you should lack care and endless sorrow Gogs death how shall my breeches be sewed, shall I go thus to more row ¶ Whereto served your hands & eyes, but this your needle to keep What devil had you else to do you kept ich wot no sheep Cham feign a broad to dyg and deal e in water mire and clay Sossing and possing in the dirt, Still from ay to day A hundred things that b abroad, cham set to see them weel And our of you fit le at home, and can not k pe . ¶ The Devil e burst both gib, and that all the rest Cham alwa es sure of the worst end, wh ever have the b st Where would the been flaging abr de, since you your eel l to ¶ Set me a candle et me seek and grope where eve it Gogs heart you be so foolish (ich think) you kn w it n to when you see ¶ Cum away you horson boy, are you a sleep: you must have a crier. ¶ Chil hold the a penny chil make y to come if y ich may catch thine ears Art deffe thou horson boy cock I say, why canst not hears. ¶ Gogs heart, help and come up, Gyb in her tail hath fire. And is Like to burn all if shes get a little hire: Cum down (quoth you,) nay then you might count me a patch, The oule comes down on your eads if it take ons y to thatch. ¶ Hath the Cat do you think in every eye a spark. ¶ y the mass and she burn all, you h hear the blame for me ¶ Now a vengea nce on light, on gyb and gybs mother And all the generation oh Cats both far and never Look on the ground orson think though the needle is here. ¶ Break it oo e with thy hand and see and thou canst find it. ¶ ogs ydes, fie it styncks it is a Cats to rd, to were well done to make thee ear it by the mass. ¶Chym goodly rewarded, cham I not, do you think? Chad a goodly dinner for all my sweat and swyncke, Neither butter cheese, milk onions flesh nor Fish Save this poor piece of barley bred, 'tis a pleasant costly dish. ¶Daintrels dicco ̄ (gogs soul ma ̄ (save this piece of dry horsbred, Cham bit no bit this live long day, no crome come in my head My guts they yawle crawl and all my belly rumbleth The puddings can not lie still, each one over other tumbleth By gogs heart cham so for e, and in my belly pende Chould one piece were at the spittlehouse another at y e castles end. ¶ Godg bred Diccon ich came to late, was nothing there to get G b (a owl fiend might on her light (licked y e milk pan so clean See Diccon, it not so well washed this .vii. year as ich we e A pestilence light on all ill luck, chad thought yet for all his Of a morsel of bacon behind the do at worst should not miss, But when ich sought a slip to cut, as ich was wont to do Gogs soul Diccon, gyb our Cat had the bacon to. Which bacon Diccon stole, as is declared before. ¶ Nay, nay, there was a fouler fa to, my Gam ̄ mere game y dog e Seest not how cham ̄ rend & torn, my heels, my knees & my breech Chad thought as ich sat by the fire, help here & there a stitch, But there ich was powpte indeed. ¶ Boots not man to tell, Cham so dressed amongst a sort of fools, chad better be in hell, My gammer (cham ashamed to say) by God served me not weel ¶ Hase she not gone trowest now and lost her needle. ¶ Tush tush, her needle, her needle, her needle man. (tys neither flesh nor Fish. A little thing with and hold in the end, as bright as any syller, Small, long, sharp at the point, & straight as any pyller. ¶ Knowest not w to what tom tailors ma ̄ , fits broaching through a clout A needle, needle, a needle, my gammers needle is gone. ¶ Gogs soul man chould give a crown chad it but iii. stitches. ¶ Gem vathers soul, and chad it chould give him a new grot. ¶Else chwold my thong were out. ¶Chyll run, chyll ride, chyll dig, chyl , (chill toil, chill trudge shalt see: Chill hold chil draw, chil pull, chill pinch (chill kneel on my bore knee. Chill scrape, chill scratch, chill syfte chyll seek, (chill bow, chill bend, chill sweat. Chil sto p, chil stir, chil cap chil knee, chil creep on would ̄ ds & feet Chil be thy bondman Diccon, ich swear by sun and moon And channot sum what to stop this gap, cham utterly undone Pointing behind to his torn kreeches. ¶Kirstian Clack Tom simsons maid, bithe mass coms hither to morrow Cham not able to say, between us what may hap, She smiled on me the last Sunday when ich put of my cap, ¶ Chyll Diccon. ¶ Cham no book I. ¶ I Hodge breethelesse, Swear to Diccon rechelesse By the cross that I shall kiss, To keep his counsel close And always me to dispose To work that his pleasure is. ¶Here he kyssech Diccons breech. ¶What the great devil Diccon I say? ¶Soft Diccon be not to hasty yet, By the mass for ich Begin to sweat Cham afraid of syme harm. ¶And shall ich be here safe from their claws: ¶I say Diccon, hear me, hear: Go softly to this matter. ¶Canst not tarry a little thought Till ich make a courtesy of water. ¶ Gogs sides Diccon, me think ich hear him And tarry chal mare all. ¶ By the mass cham able no longer to old it, To bade iche must beray the hall. ¶ Hold him fast Diccon, cham gone, cham gone Chyll not be at that fray. ¶ Yea gogs soul, art alive yet? what Diccon dare ich come? ¶ Tush man, is gammers needle found, that chould gladly weet ¶ Gogs heart, & cold h tell nothing where the needle might be found ¶ Then ich see well something was said, chope one day yet to have it, But diccon, diccon, did not the devil cry ho, ho, ho, ¶ Durst swear of a book, chard him roar, straight after ich was gone But tell me diccon what said y e knave: let me here it anon. ¶Canst not learn to night man, seest not what is here, ¶ Alas Diccon then chaue no shift, but least ich tarry to long High me to Sym glovers shop, there to seek for a Thong, There with this breech to tatch and tie as ich may. SYm glover yet gramercy, cham meetly well sped now, Thart e en as good a fellow as ever kyste a cow, Here is a thing in deed, by y e mass though ich speak it Tom tankard great bald cortal, I think could not break it And when he spied my need, to be so straight and hard, Hays lent me here his naull, to set the ed forward, As for my Gammers needle, the lying feyud go we to, Chill no now go to the oore again with it to meet: Chould make shift good enough and chad a candles e, The chee e hold in my breech, with these two chil amend. ¶ The devil thou does, hast hard gammer in deed, or dost but jest ¶ Why, knowest well where didst lose it? ¶ Gods mother dear, if that be true, farewell both naule and thong But who hais it gammer say on: chould feign here it disclosed. ¶ Who told you so: ¶ Diccon: it is a vengeable knave gammer, 'tis a bonable horso ̄ , Can do more things then that else cham deceived evil: By the mass ich saw him of late call up a great black devil, Oh the knave cried ho ho, he roared and he thundered, And yede be here, cham sure yould murrenly would wondered. ¶ No, and chad come to me, chould have laid him on the face, Chould have promised him. ¶ As long as your two arms, saw you never Fryer Rush Painted on a cloth, with a side long cows tail: And crooked cloven feet, and many a hoked nail? For all the world (if I should judge) chould reckon him his brother Look even what face Friar Rush had, the devil had such another ¶ Nay gammer (hear me speak) chil to you a greater thing, The devil (when diccon had him, ich hard him wondrous weel) Said plainly (here before us, that dame chat had your needle. ¶ Go to a ̄ mere see you not where she stands in her doors Bid her give you the needle, tys none of hers but yours. ¶ Stick to her gammer, take her by the head, chil warrant you this feast. Sm to I say gammer, I lay gammer, I trow you will one: Where by your ill ? claw her by the jaws, pull me out both her eyes, Gogs bones gammer, hold up your head, ¶ Where is the strong stued hoar, chil gear a hores mark, Stand out ones way, that ich kill none in the dark: Up gammer and you be alive, chil feygh now for us both, Come no never me thou called allet, to kill the ich were loath. ¶ Chill broche thee with this, him father soul, (chyll conjure that foul sprete: Let der stand Cock, why come in deed? keep door y u horson boy. ¶ G gs wounds hoar, chil make the avaunt, (take heed Cock, pull in the latch, ¶ Well said gammer by my soul, Hoist her, souse her, bounce her, trounce her, pull out her throat boul ¶ Up gammer stand on your feet, where is the old hoar Faith would chad her by the face (choulde crack her allet crown ¶ By the mass Gammer, but for my staff (Chat had gone nigh to spyl you Ich think the harlot had not cared, and chad not come to kill you But shall well cost our needle thus? ¶ Chold yet this fray were well take up & our own needle at home 'Twill be my chance ls some to kill, where ever it be or whom ¶ You marry gammer, y ich think best: will you now for him end The sooner Doctor Rat be here, the sooner was would and end, And here gammer Dyccons devil, (as iche remember well) Of Cat, and Chat, and Doctor Rat: a felloneus tale did tell, Chold you forty pound, that is the way your needle to et again. ¶ What coke I say, come out what devil canst not e e. ¶ Hold hither, ichould twenty pound, your needle is in her throat Grope her ich say, me thinks ich feel it, does not prick your hand? ¶ No, ich know thars not within this land A muryner Cat then Gyb is, betwixt the tems and Tyne, Shase as much wit in her head almost as chaue in mine. ¶ Tyb, your needle woman, I say: gags soul give me a knife And chil have it out of her maw, or else chal loose my life. ¶ By the mass dame Chat bays me so moved, (iche care not what I kill, ma God a vow: Go to then Tyb to this gear, hold up har tail and take her, Chil see what devil is in her guts chil take y u pains to rake her. ¶ What thinckst that cham not able? Did not Tom Lankard rake his Curtal toore day standing in the stable. 1 line ¶ Bym say sir that you shall, What matter so ever here was done, ich can fell your mashly My Gammer gurton hear see now, sat her down at this door see now: And as she began to stir her, see now, her needle fell in the floor, see now, And whi e her staff she took, see now, at Gyb her Cat to fling, see now, Her needle was lost in the floor, see now is not this a wondrous thing, see now? Then came the quean Dame Chat see now to ask for his black cup, see now: And even here at this gate, see now: she took that needle up see now: My Gammer then she yeede, see now his needle again to bring, see now And was caught by the head see now is not this a wondrous thing, see now She tear my Gammers coat see now and scratched his by the face, see now Chad thought shad stopped his throat, see now is not this a wondrous case, see now When ich saw this, ich was worth see now and start between them twain, see now Else ich durst take a book oath, see now my Gammer had be slain, see now. ¶ Carry so much good master Doctor of your gentleness. ¶ Ich defy them all that dare it say, cham as true as the best. ¶ Take there? no master chold not dot, for a house full of gold. ¶ Bet me? gogs blessed body, chold first ich trow have burst the Ich think and chad my hands lose callet chould have crust that . ¶ Hold thy chat whore y u criest so loud, man else be hard ¶ Is my head whole? ich warra ̄ to you, 'tis neither scurvy nor sealed What you foul beast, does think 'tis either pil or bald. Nay ich thank God: chil not for all that thou mayest sp and That chad one scab on my narse, as broad as thy fingers end. ¶ Yes That iche dare. ¶A plague both on thy hens & the, a cart wh re, a cart, Chould I were would ̄ ged as High as a tree, & chware as false as y u art Give my Gam ̄ mere again her washi all, y u stole away in thy lap. ¶ Was not well blessed Gam ̄ mere, to escape y e coure & chad been there The ̄ chad been dressed be Like, as ill by the mass, as Gam ar vicar. ¶ Cham meetly well sped already amongst, cham dressed Like a coult And chad not had the better wit, chad be made a oul . ¶ Thou liar lickdis , didst not say the needle would be gitten? ¶ Come on fellow Diccon chalbe even with thee now. ¶Gogs heart thou false villain dost thou bite me ¶ He thrust me into the buttock, with a bodkin or a pin, I say Gammer, Gammer? ¶ Gods ma to Gammer gurton. ¶ Will you see the devil Gammer. ¶ Chould iche were hanged Gammer. ¶ have it by the mass Gammer ¶Your Needle Gammer, your needle. ¶ Cham owned our needle Gammer, here in my hand be it. ¶ Soft ich say, tarry a while. ¶ Cham sure on it ich warrant you: it goes no more a stray ¶ Go near the ight gammer this well in faith good luck: Chwas almost undone: it so far in my buttock ¶ Cham I not a good son gammer, cham I not, ¶ Ich knew that ich must find it, else choud a had it never ;What is the matter, say on Tib whereat she takes so on. ¶ Shalt see that shall be here anon, else let me have one the dock ¶ Now gammer shall we two go in, and tarry for high coming What devil w man pluck up your heart, & leave of all this glow ̄ mi ̄ g Though she were stronger first, as ich think you did find her ¶ Soft Gammer.