with yonge and olde That man may leade the world well in a bande For eche man to him geueth and sayeth good mayster holde Who so hath De quibus hath pleasures manyfolde Him nedeth not to care for children ne for wife For trouble or vexacion for hunger or for colde He taketh no thought but leadeth a mery life Man The more we dispute the falser doo I fynde Thy wordes peuish peny for man without measure Hath payne for thy sake though his desirous mynde Bothe nyght and daye with all his busie cure Ouer hylles and dales alas poore creature He rydeth he runneth and ouer sea he sayleth He dyggeth he delueth and dolour doth endure For peny yet his peine sumtime him nought auaileth If man would marke wel how peny him preuayleth A mer'uaylous thyng it wer for to consider To serue hys maker both nyght and day he faylâ—th But mynde of money hym draweth he careth not whyder He renneth for money now hyther and now thyder More daungerous in dede thou arte and poysonable Than is the venym of serpent toade or spyder Through mynde of money is man made myserable Money IF man woulde be content with suffisaunce Of worldly substaunce hauiour and ryches He shoulde for certayne lyue without greuaunce Without suthe trauayle peyne and busines Happy shoulde he bee me peny to posses To lyue for euer in ioy disporte and pleasure And yf hym lyst so gouerne hym doutles To be without all rancour and displeasure But sith he cannot be content with measure Much trauaile and payne behoueth it him to take Pennies to purchase with riche substaunce and treasure Quietnes and rest for me he doth forsake with trauaile and paine he is content to wake Because he knoweth my puissaunt excellence Me to assemble with meanes that he can make He doeth him endeuour with all his diligence Man HE that on money so fixeth his entent More wicked he is than euer was Iudas Leading his life in sorow and tourment And euer a bydyng a miserable caas Of viâ—es an heape he hath both more and lasse As couetise and pride with clasping nygardy Trechery also him shall not ouerpas Enuy nor wrath nor wretthed vsury In him is neyther law prudence nor pollicy To do a good dede he neuer can haue leasure All grace and goodnes haue leaue to passe by His mynde is set hollie of riches to haue seasure In detestable vites is set his only pleasure And goodes for to assemble in great aboundaunce Wherof he hath no mynde againe to make disseasure But poore men to punishe vnto the ouâ—traunce Money TO heare thee speake it semeth plaine in dede That man without me with sinne is neuer blent That is not so nowe take vnto me hede Whan SathaÌ„ with subtiltie doeth mannes mynde preuent And than of his lyghtnes inclineth his entent Aduertence to geue vnto his false temptacion And after doeth the dede with foule and vile consent Shall I beare the blame for his abhominacion Nowe marke well my saying after the worldes creacion First was made Adam as father of mankinde Who fell not long after to preuaricacion His makers commaundement as creature vnkinde Right sinfully he transgressed so pride made him blynde Cain after mourdered Abel the meane tyme was not long That tyme was I vncoyned therfore man chaunge thy mind To blame me of all euils in dede thou dost great wrong Money This is a faire excuse if it might be so taken Yet infinite euils thou causest and offence Goddes high commaundement for thee is oft forsaken His lawes be broken by disobedience Men drawe to them Money with all their diligence By barat by subtiltie by rapine and deceyt The poore thou defoulest by forse and violence That beg must he nedes thou holdest him so straite Enuy thou raisest among them that be great That many Royalmes therby decay and be destroyed Slaine are the CaptayneÌ„s and wrath lyeth in awayte Til cities and townes are perished and annoyed On misery and mischief thus money is employed For money man applieth him to all abhominacion Grace and good maners for thee he doeth auoyde No reason can be layed to this nor replication Money If I lacked reason against thee to reply My matter wer lyke ful porely to be stayed Yf all these euilles and wretched misery Myght be founde in me that thou hast to me layed In thee wer than the ryght it myght not be denayed But man of his nature he is so myserable with all the worldes wealth he can not be appayed His mynde euermbreis so insaciable The deuylles temptation to him is acceptable That Cresus the kyng was not so couetous In all his dedes than is he varyable A brawler a baratour and oft sedicious And yet wurst of all he is so letherous That he 〈…〉 consumeth in fowle fornication Beware yet I aduise him for pockes be perylous Least theyr vnclenly corrosgues hym cal to consummation Man YF I of my lyghtnes would to thee condescende Thou wouldest blase thyself as creture good and true Nay glutton the wynde standeth in an other ende Thou makest women wanton and to auoyd vertue For thee they sell theyr bodyes and so they do ensue With vicious lyuyng theyr sensuall appetite Yet lechery at last theyr bale sumtyme doeth brue That oft they lyue in dolour after theyr foule delyte Spouseâ—reche with sum is counted not a myte So money may be gotten they care not how or what Fyne keuerchefes as silke and smockes as snow so white Hattes kyrtles gounes gyrdles this geat must nedes be gat With brouches beades and ringes and who shal pay for that The husbandes be so poore they lacke both golde and gages To â—inde therfore sum frendship where florens be more fat Oft fall they to aduoutry and breake theyr mariages Money ANd I make aunswere apertly yet agayne That thy woordes be neyther true nor stable I am in no wise cause â–ª I tell it thee for certayne Though woman by her wit and mynde that is mutable Doe otherwise than right as frayle and variable Two thinges in women make hourely theyr inuasion Enducinge them euer to warkes vituperable For of all vertue these two be chief abrasion The fyrst may be called the false perswasion Of Sathanas that neuer ceaseth them to assayle The other is ambition these two be the chief occasion That man nor woman in vertue can preuayle And womens heartes of nature be so frayle Light as the leaf and mouyng as the wynde Redy to consent to thinges of none auayle That they of afterclaps haue no thought nor mynde Man FVll cursed art thou money and muche vnfortunate And founden wast thou fyrst in euyll time and tyde The kardes the dice and other plaies inordinate By thee ben vp brought wherby God is renyed And newly with blasphemies and othes crucified By thee are committed vices out of numbre His poore soule to perysh to man thou art a gyde And death with euill ende at last him doth obumbre Thou teachest him
the maner his soule to encombre Wherby he renieth God and wilfully offendeth For thee by night and daye withouten slepe or slombre All vices he auaunceth no vertue he entendeth The poore for all his pouertie by thee his porcion spendeth The world goeth to wretchednes by thee and to destruction By thee to fowle enormitie all goeth and there it endeth For to all wretched wickednes thou art induction Money THou speakest I perceyue without consideracion So cruelly to blame me of all enormitie Mine armes in dede thou blasest in an homely fashion Marke well my wurdes a whyle now I pray thee Where seest thou any man that is of grauitie Blaspheming his God or swearing by his name Neuer in thy life this lesson take of me But riotours and rybaldes that haue no dread of shame The wise man that loueth his honour and good fame Blasphemyng his maker thou shalt hym neuer here In play disporte and pastyme in gladnes and in grame He hath respect to sadnes his reason is so nere But baratours and brayneles brybours met in fere Theyr maker they dismember and on his name they wunder At table at tauerne at churche and euery where Great horror is to hear howe they rent hym asunder Man THou myghtest be a minion to kepe good company For tounge thou hast ynough thy matter to susteyne If I vnto thy purpose consent woulde or applie Thou wouldest say here that Iesus our kyng and souerayne Is not by thee offended yes yes I tell the plaine By night of tunes a million and muche more by the daie Who woulde to thee geue credence a foole he wer certaine For thou art full of ficcion thy wurdes be false alwaie But answer nowe my question penie I thee praie That thinkest thee so myghty so sterne so gay and stoute Yelde me a solucion to this that I shall saie Concerning a matter wherof I stande in doute Thou sayest that by thy maistrie thou bringest muche aboute And of thy wurthie valour great â—ost doest thou blowe What is thy puissaunt power I praie thee speake it oute For this is all the matter that I woulde of thee know Money WEll doe I vnderstand thy purpose and intention And also perceiue theffect of thy demaunde It is not so harde nor of so high inuencion But yf thou wer in Tems in midwarde of the sande I shoulde full well assayle it ere thou mightest cum to land â–ª My valour and power thy question is to knowe It is no littel matter thou shalt it vnderstande I am of noble fame beloued with high and lowe Vpon the churche of God great substance I bestowe The ministers that seuer hym be all at my wages The poore haue my succour in hunger frost and snowe I feede both horse and man in holy pilgrimages For faier yong lusty maydens I purchase mariages Whan Churches and chapels be falling in dekay I must make reparacion with masters and with pages My helpe must nedes be had or els there is no pay Man WIth wordes thou wouldest susteine that no good dede Is doen without thee thine aide or assistens Which all I denye and shall it proue for nede That euer been thy wordes vnworthy of credence Vntrue art thou euer and by thy false pretens Doest teache men the trace of all iniquitie Prouoking him euen to inconueniens And plounging his heart in great perplexitie Affirme wouldest thou faine by thy peruersitiâ— That man cannot be saued from endles paine Without thy fauour thine aide and amitie Wherin I say no reason doeth remaine Full many a soule more pitie it is certaine Is damned by thee to euerlasting fire And many one moe in ioye should euer raigne If they should leaue thy loue in hote desier Money REgarde man and consider as reason wil discerne How I as of my selfe can nothing doe ne say In thee lieth al the dede that hast me to gouerne Wherfore if thou of thy lightnes thee list by night or day To leade me that am blinde no streite but croked way The fault if we fall is thine not mine in dede To order me aright it is no childes play Looke therfore ere thou leape the better shalt thou spede I am the post and piller vnto all Adams seede The father of the faith sumtime is made by me The Pope I meane Gods vicar and captaine of his crede Great Emperours and Kinges I crowne in magestie Duke Marquise earle baron and Lordes of eche degree Riche Cardinals Archbishops the bishop and his Deane Abbot Priour prouest the bailife with his fee All that haue promocion may thanke me and my meane Man O Money full of vanitie thou makest me all dismayed Considering and knowyng thy fraude and faculties Wherwith full nere the worlde is destroyed and decayed Men be I graunt full of vice and vanities In townes in boroughes in castels and cities But this notwithstandyng at last Atropos kerueth A sunder theyr heartes as she that without pitie is So goeth the corps to earth the soule as it deserueth By arrogance oultrageous thy tounge on vanting swerueth Saving that by money be pourchased high estates Bothe Emperour and Kyng at last by death he sterueth That auayleth it then theyr floreyns and ducates Eche prince and prelate the darte of death chekmates Record may be taken of Ceasar and Pompeus Of Alexander of Arthure and Hector past theyr dates Of Charlemayn gentle Iosue and Iudas Machabeus Money THy wysedome to redresse and spirites to reuiue And of thy troubled reason to make a reformacion Of Adam thy fyrst father sumwhat I shall discryue Immortall was he made by God at his creation But after that by Sathanas subtyl instigacion He fed hym with the frute therwith he dyd transgression And so becam he mortal for death tooke dominacion And mortall still continueth of man the hole succession Sith death on father Adam thus tooke his fyrst possession He proudely executeth his priuilege eche houre On prelate prince and poore man he vseth his oppression Indifferently he dealeth as wel with ryche as poure As soone the young as olde he dayly doeth deuour To caytyfes he is comfort for al disease he cureth Aboue all kynges and Capitanes he is a conqueront His pryde shall neuer perish whyle the worlde endureth Man O money all thy wurdes I do well vnderstand But nothyng to my pourpose doe I in them espy Thy sayinges to deny styll will I take in hand And sum what on thy backe of charge yet lay shall I. I knowe to thyne opinion eche person will applye For al men are glad to haue thyne alliaunce The poore is deceyued the ryche hath gaynes therby Men fauoure thy faulse fygure and haue therin affiaunce The rychman oppresseth the pore by his puissaunce And whan the poore fyndeth hym self at indigence Wrongfully intreated and dryuen to penaunce His reason than he leaseth his wit and intelligence Turmentyng hymself by great impacience His maker he blasphemeth all halowes he despyteth And who causeth all this inconuenience
But mony that euer to mischyfe men encyteth Mony THe ryche peraduenture oppresseth nowe and than The pore man in dede but who is cause of this Couetise and auarice the daughters of Sathan Euermore entising a man to wâ—cke amis The Church they despoyle the poore the poste may kis For nothyng they leaue hym to plaine hym nought auayleth Shal I than beare the blame no lay it where it is Laye the blame on rapine that so vniustly dealeth I knowe it of trouth whan drede mannes mynde assayleth When he draweth in age to fall in pouerty Considering howe peny in purse hym much preuaileth As neybour that is necessary in eche necessity His fauour and affection enclyneth muche to me And good reason why for who that may not haue To helpe hym in his age in carefull case is he An hundred tymes a day he wysheth for his graue Man INough hast thou pronounced nowe shal I thee confounde By thee as I haue sayde was lost the worlde of golde But no we marke wel the wurdes that I shal tel thee rounde By thee the gentyll Iesus vnto the Iewes was solde Whych after his great paynes and passions manyfolde Was stretched on a tree and naked therto nayled Best aied he was by Iudas for thyrty penies tolde Thy cursed coyne with couetise so strongly him assayleth Great cause hath now the Sâ—aâ—â—ot to wepe to bewaile it That euer thou wast founden or fro the erth out tried For to haue been vnborne it had hym more auayled Than to haue â—eought the treason wherby his master died But where is now the traytour the thefe the homicide â–ª With Sathan and his feres in the infernall glede In perdurable paynes behoueth him to abyde For loue of thee faulse money loe thus he hath his mede Money I Se thy hart is great with wurdes thou woldest defame me Reproching me that Iesus should be by me betrayed With helpe of cursed Iscariot vniustly doest thou blame me Thou doest mistake the matter vntruly hast thou sayed Thou layest on me the blame but holde thee man appayed The trouth of the maâ—ter I shal to thee expres Three causes of his death in dede there may be layed That he was soulde by treason as fyrst I wyll confes The Iewes wer much disdaynous and ful of wickednes Al soubtilties they searched they set their false intent To death to haue him iudged they brought their false witnes Vnto their Prouost â—ylate their prince they dyd present Who to his condemnacion dyd finally consent For drede to be depriued and put out from his office Though sound were none occasion on Christ he gaue sentence Great crymes are thus committed by meane of auarice Man SO perfitely dispute agaynst thee can not I But thou doest assoyle the same incontinent To all my wurdes full wel thou doest reply With apprebacion right conuenient And so I do perceyue as by mine owne iudgement â–ª If man with his money would be so reasonable To vse it in vertue and with a good entent The vsage therof shuld neuer be dampnable But when man of him selfe is so insaciable To couet worldly goodes without reason or measure Ful wretched is he doubtles and more than miserable Of his abhominacion it is a great displeasure A man to haue money welth and worldly treasure In vertue to auaunce him and vices to auoyde Of his welth and welfare all other may haue pleasure So he him crosse from couetise for doubte to be acloyde Money THree thinges there be to man as venim poysonable Whan they be all assembled the man for to assayle The fyrst is age the croked with stouping limmes vnstable On man he daily crepeth no watching may auayle And sicknes is the second that doeth the strength to fayle The colour he consumeth all pleasure he subdueth The thyrde is paynfull pouertie these thre be shreude catayle Whan these be met in man theyr metyng sore he rueth I say for my conclusion all solace him ensueth That hath of pence plentie to take whan time requireth He may lyue out of daunger for euer his ioye renueth But poore men that be penyles melancholy them fyreth The poore opprest with pouertie ful of this death desyreth So dulleth him his dolour of God taketh he no hede That after all his misery he wretchedly expireth To steale to beg or borow man is compelled for nede Man VVorldly goodes by suffisaunce to man is necessary To take them at his nede and serue him in goodnes But yet he must regarde for drede his welth miscary That all his goodes be got by way of rightousnes Let God alwayes be serued before all busines In gatheryng of his goodes man may not vse deceate Goodes kept agaynst al right fy fy on such ryches The pore must be relyued with clothyng drinke and meate Pride maye not bee exalted because the goodes be greate In sumptousnes of clothing let measure be a mean Let reason shape the fashion not ouer large ne strayte All prodigall expences is wisedome to refrayne For he that is excessiue a caytyfe shal remayne Whan Right hath gadered riches let Reason than expende it In vertue to the honour of God our soueraine So order we our money that God be not offended Finis The Author REgarde well all my Lordes that shall this treatise reade Of man and his money this is the disputacion Great reasoÌ„ make they both who to the same taketh hede Euer him boasteth money as high in reputacion Recording vp his valour but man makâ—â— deâ—egaâ—ion Vnto all men my reason I say as I haue thought Solas is most in season whan siluer is vnsought By penny to preferment many a man is brought In borough towne and citie all men of eche estate Enforce them selfe to please him the poore is sette at nought Succour he seketh but siluer and he be at debate Therfore to make conclusion I say now at my gate Of great good dedes my Money full manye be done doubtles Neuertheles yet is it cause of many a wyckednes Explicit nomen authoris Good Counsayle GEt thy goods truly Spende them precisely Set thy goods duly Lende thou them wisely True getting Cise spending Due setting Wise lending Haue â—e little or much Kepeth a manne full rutche Vntyll hys endyng Finis