1 Wrangle.

Yet must us work for oure meat;
Or elles shall we none get

Meat nor drink to our hond."

The lord said: "Why flyte1 ye two?
I trow ye will work or ye go,
If it be as I understond."

About he goes twice or thrice:
They eat and drink in such wise
That they give him right nought.

The proctor said: "Think ye no shame ?
Give me some meat (ye be to blame!)
Of that the wife ye brought."

The steward said: "Evil speed the sop,
If any morsel come in thy throat,

But thou with us hadst wrought!"

The proctor stood in a study
Whether he might work hem by :
And so, to turn his thought,

To the lord he drewe near,
And to him said with mild cheer,
"That Mary mot thee speed!"

The proctor began to knock :
The goodwife raught him a rock,
For thereto had she need.

She said: "When I was maid at home,
Other work could I do none,

My life therewith to lead."

She gave him in hand a rocke-hynd,
And badè hem 3 fast for to wind,
Or else to let-be his deed.

"Yes, dame," he said, "so have I hele,
I shall it work both fair and well,

As ye have taughte me."

He waved up a strick of line;
And he span well and fine
Before the swingle-tree.

The lord said: "Thou spinnest too great;
Therefore thou shalt have no meat-
That thou shalt well see."

Thus they sat and wrought fast
Till the weeke-days were past:
Then the wright home came he.

2 Reached.

Hem = them; but I think it should be "him, 4 A strike; as much as is heckled at one handful.

And, as he came by his house side,
He heard noise that was not ryde,1
Of persons two or three :-
One of hem knocked line;
Another swingled good and fine
Before the swingle-tree;

The third did reel and spin,
Meat and drink therewith to win-
Great need thereof had he.
Thus the wright stood hearkening:
His wife was ware of his coming,
And against him went she.

“ 'Dame," he said, "what is this din?
I hear great noise here within:
Tell me, so God thee speed."

Sir," said she, "workmen three
Be come to helpe you and me :

Thereof we have great need."

"Fain would I weet what they were!"
But when he saw his lord there,
His heart began to drede.
To see his lord in that place,
He thought it was a strange case,
And said, so God him speed!

"What do ye here, my lord and knight?
Tell me now, for Goddes might,
How came this unto.'

The knight said: "What is best rede? Mercy I ask for my misdeed!

My heart is wonder woe!"

"So is minè, verament;

To see you among this flex and hemp,
Full sore it rueth me;

To see you in such heaviness,
Full sore mine heart it doth oppress,
By God in trinity!"

The wright bade his wife let hem out.-
Nay then, sorrow come on my snout
If they pass hence to-day,
Till that my lady come and see
How they would have done with me!
But now late me say."

Anon she sent after the lady bright
For to fett home her lord and knight:

1 Slight.

Thereto she said nought.

She told her what they had meant,
And of their purpose and their intent
That they would have wrought.
Glad was that lady of that tiding,
When she wist her lord was living:
Thereof she was full fain.

Whan she came unto the stair aboun,
She looked unto the cellar down,
And said (this is not to layn):
"Good sirs, what do ye here?"
"Dame, we buy our meat full dear,
With great travail and pain.
I pray you help that we were out;
And I will swear withouten doubt
Never to come here again."

The lady spake the wife until,

And said: "Dame, if it be your will,

What do these meyne here?

The carpenter's wife her answered sickerly:
"All they would have lain me by,
Everich in their manneer:
Gold and silver they me brought,
And forsook it and would it nought,
The rich gifts so clear.

Willing they were to do me shame :
I took their gifts withouten blame,
And there they be all three."

The lady answered her anon:
"I have things to do at home
Mo than two or three.

I wist my lord never do right nought
Of no thing that should be wrought
Such as falleth to me."

The lady laughed and made good game
Whan they came out, all in same,
From the swingle-tree.

The knight said: "Fellows in fere,
I am glad that we be here,

By Goddes dear pity.

Dame, and ye had been with us,

Ye would have wrought, by sweet Jesus,
As well as did we.'

And, when they came up aboun,
They turned about and looked down.

The lord said: "So God save me,

I Grace.

Yet had I never such a fytt
As I have had in that low pit-
So Mary so mut me speed!"

The knight and this lady bright,
How they would home that night,-
For nothing they would abide.
And so they went home:

This said Adam of Cobsam.

By the way as they rode

Through a wood in their playing,
For to hear the fowles sing

They hoved still, and bode.
The steward sware by Goddes ore,1
And so did the proctor much more,
That never in their life

Would they no more come in that wonne,2
Whan they were ones thence come,

This forty year and five.
Of the treasure that they brought
The lady would give them right nought,
But gave it to the wright's wife.

Thus the wright's garland was fair of hue,
And his wife both good and true :

Thereof was he full blithe.

I take witness at great and small,
Thus true been good women all
That now been on live:
So come thryst on their heads,
Whan they mumble on their beds
Their paternoster rive.3

Here is written a geste of the wright
That had a garland well ydight-
The colour will never fade.
Now God that is heaven King
Grant us all his dear blessing
Our heartes for to glad!

And all tho that do her husbands right,
Pray we to Jesu full of might

That fair mot hem befall,

And that they may come to heaven bliss,

For thy dear moder's love thereof not to miss,
All good wives all!

Now all tho that this treatise have hard,
Jesu grant hem for her reward

As true lovers to be

As was the wright unto his wife,

2 Dwelling.

3 Rife, abundantly.

And she to him during her life:
Amen, for charity.

Here endeth the wright's process true,
With his garland fair of hue

That never did fade the colour.

It was made by the avise

Of his wive's moder, witty and wise,
Of flowers most of honour,-
Of roses white that will not fade;
Which flower all Englond doth glad

With true-loves meddled in sight;

Unto the which flower, I wis,

The love of God and of the commenys 2
Subdued been of right.

ANDREW BORDE.

[Born towards 1485, died in 1549. Became a Carthusian Monk at an early age, but was released from his vows, and practised physic. Borde was a great traveller, for his time; a man of wit, sense, and learning, author of various books of a substantial kind: others which show him in the light of a "Merry Andrew" (and it has been said that that term took its origin from him) have been attributed to him with little apparent reason-such as the Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham, Accusations of incontinence were brought against hin both in early and in late life: finally he was confined in the Fleet Prison, probably on a charge of this kind, and soon afterwards died,--some say that he poisoned himself. Our extracts are taken from The First Book of the Introduction of Knowledge, wherein Borde puts into the mouths of the natives of various countries some characteristic particulars regarding themselves.]

AN IRISHMAN AND A LOMBARD.

I AM an Irishman, in Ireland I was born;

I love to wear a saffron shirt, although it be to-torn.
My anger and my hastiness doth hurt me full sore;

I cannot leave it, it creaseth more and more;
And, although I be poor, I have an angry heart.
I can keep a hobby, a garden, and a cart;

I can make good mantles, and good Irish fryce; 3
I can make aqua vitæ, and good square dice.
Pediculus otherwhile do bite me by the back,
Wherefore divers times I make their bones crack.
I do love to eat my meat, sitting upon the ground,
And do lie in oaten straw, sleeping full sound.
I care not for riches, but for meat and drink ;

And divers times I wake when other men do wink.

1 I.e., mingled with true-loves. The question remains whether "true-loves" are to be understood as figures like true-lovers'-knots (which I should rather suppose), or as the herb true-love, a sort of quatrefoil otherwise termed Herb Paris.

2 Commons. The reader will recognize in this whole passage the Yorkist sympathies of its writer. 3 Frieze.