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For euery whyt, By his owne wyt,

And toke an other way:
First fayre and wele,
Therof much dele,

Be dygged it in a pot,
But then him thought,
That way was nought,

And there he left it not.
So was he faine,
From thence agayne,
To put it in a cup,
And by and by,
Couerously,

He supped it fayre vp,
In his owne brest,
He thought it best,

His money to enclose,
Then wist he well,
What euer fell,

He could it neuer lose.

He borrowed then,
Of other men,

Money and marchaundise:

Neuer payd it,

Up he laid it,

In like maner wyse.

Yet on the gere,
That he would were,

He reight not what he spent,

So it were nyce,

As for the price,

Could him not miscontent.

With lusty sporte,

And with resort,

Of ioly company,

In mirth and play,
Full many a day,

He liued merely.
And men had sworne,
Some man is borne,

To have a lucky howre,

And so was he,
For such degre,

He gat and suche honour,
That without dout,
Whan he went out,

A sergeaunt well and fayre,
Was redy strayte,
On him to wayte,

As sone as on the mayre.

But he doubtlesse,

Of his mekenesse,

Hated such pompe and pride, And would not go,

Companied so,

But drewe himself a side, To saint Katharine,

Streight as a line,

He gate him at a tyde,

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Depart againe,

But that he wist not whither. Than after this,

To a frende of his,

He went and there abode,
Where as he lay,
So sick alway,

He myght not come abrode.

It happed than,

A marchant man,

That he ought money to,

Of an officere,

That gan enquere,

What him was best to do.

And he answerde,

Be not aferde,

Take an accion therfore,

I you beheste,

I shall hym reste,

And than care for no more.

I feare quod he,

It wyll not be,

For he wyll not come out,
The sergeaunt said,
Be not afrayd,

It shall be brought about.
In many a game,
Lyke to the same,

Haue I bene well in vre,
And for your sake,

Let me be bake,

But yf I do this cure. Thus part they both, And foorth then goth, A pace this officere, And for a day,

All his array,

He chaunged with a freze.
So was he dight,

That no man might,
Hym for a frere deny,
He dopped and dooked,
He spake and looked,
So religiously.
Yet in a glasse,
Or he would passe,

He toted and he peered,
His harte for pryde,
Lepte in his syde,

To see how well he freered.
Than forth a pace,

Unto the place,

He goeth withouten shame

To do this dede,

But now take hede,

For here begynneth the game...

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But I would now,

Comen with you,

In counsayle yf you please, Or ellys nat

Of matters that

Shall set your heart at ease.
Downe went the mayd,
The marchaunt sayd,

No say on gentle frere,
Of thys tydyng,
That ye me bryng,

I long full sore to here.
Whan there was none,
But they alone,

The frere with euyll grace, Sayd, I rest the,

Come on with me,

And out he toke his mace:

Thou shalt obay,

Come on thy way,

I have the in my clouche, Thou goest not hence,

For all the pense,

The mayre hath in his pouche. This marchaunt there,

For wrath and fere,

He waxyng welnygh wood,

Sayd horson thefe,
With a mischefe,

Who hath taught the thy good. And with his fist

Vpon the lyst,

He gaue hym such a blow, That backward downe, Almost in sowne,

The frere is ouerthrow.

Yet was this man,

Well fearder than,

Lest he the frere had slayne,

Till with good rappes,
And heuy clappes,

He dawde hym vp agayne.
The frere took harte,

And vp he starte,

And well he layde about,
And so there goth,
Betwene them both,
Many a lusty clout.
They rent and tere,
Eche others here,

And claue togyder fast,
Tyll with luggyng,
And with tuggyng,

They fell downe bothe at last.
Than on the grounde,
Togyder rounde,

With many a sadde stroke,
They roll and rumble,

They turne and tumble,
As pygges do in a poke.
So long aboue,
They heue and shoue,
Togider that at last,
The mayd and wyfe,
To breake the strife,
Hyed them vpward fast.

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Fast by her syde doth wery labour stand,
Pale fere also, and sorow all bewept,
Disdayn and hatred on that other hand,
Eke restles watche fro slepe with trauayle
kept,

His eyes drowsy and Ickyng as he slept.
Before her standeth daunger and enuy,
Flattery, dysceyt, mischiefe and tiranny.
About her commeth all the world to begge.
He asketh lande, and he to pas would bryng,
This toye and that, and all not worth an egge:
He would in loue prosper aboue all thyng:
He kneleth downe and would be made a
kyng:

He forceth not so he may money haue,
Though all the worlde accompte hym for a
knaue.

Lo thus ye see diuers heddes, diuers wittes.
Fortune alone as diuers as they all,
Vnstable here and there among them flittes:
And at auenture downe her giftes fall,
Catch who so may she throweth great and
small

Not to all men, as commeth sonne or dewe,
But for the most part, all among a fowe.

And yet her brotell gifts long may not last. He that she gaue them, loketh prowde and hye.

She whirlth about and pluckth away as fast,
And geueth them to an other by and by.
And thus from man to man continually,
She vseth to geue and take, and slily tosse,
One man to wynnyng of an others losse.
And when she robbeth one, down goth his
pryde.

He wepeth and wayleth and curseth her full

sore.

But he that receueth it, on that other syde,
Is glad, and blesth her often tymes therefore.
But in a whyle when she loueth him no more,
She glydeth from hym, and her giftes to,
And he her curseth, as other fooks do.

Alas the folysh people can not cease,

In chaungyng of her course, the chaunge shewin this,

Vp startth a knaue, and downe there falth a
knight,

The beggar ryche, and the ryche man pore is.
Hatred is turned to loue, loue to despyght.
This is her sport, thus proueth she her
myght.

Great beste she maketh yf one be by her
power,

Welthy and wretched both within an howre.
Pouertee that of her giftes wyl nothing

take,

Wyth mery chere, looketh vppon the prece,
And seeth how fortunes houshold goeth to
wrake.

Fast by her standeth the wyse Socrates,
Arristippus, Pythagoras, and many a lese
Of olde philosophers. And eke agaynst the

sonne

Bekyth hym poore Diogenes in his tonne.

With her is Byas, whose countrey lackt de-
fence,

And whylom of their foes støde so in dout,
That eche man hastely gan to cary thence,
And asked hym why he nought caryed out.
I bere quod he all myne with me about:
Wisedom he ment, not fortunes brotle fees.
For nought he counted his that he might leese,
Heraclitus eke, lyst felowship to kepe
With glade pouertee, Democritus also:
Of which the fyrst can neuer cease but wepe,
To see how thicke the blynded people go,
With labour great to purchase care and wo.
That other laugheth to see the foolysh apes,
How earnestly they walk about theyr capes.

Of this poore sect, it is comen vsage,
Onely to take that nature may sustayne,
Banishing cleane all other surplusage,
They be content, and of nothy ng complayne.
No nygarde cke is of his good so fayne.
But they more pleasure haue a thousande
folde,

Ne voyd her trayne, tyil they the harme do The secrete draughtes of nature to beholde.

fele.

About her alway, besely they preace.

But lord how he doth thynk hym self full
wele,

That may set once his hande vppon her whele.
He holdeth fast but vpward as he flieth,
She whippeth her whele about, and there he
lyeth.

Thus fell Julius from his mighty power.
Thus fell Darius the worthy kyng of Perse.
Thus fell Alexander the great conquerour.
Thus many mo than I may well reherse.
Thus double fortune, when she lyst reuerse
Her slipper fauour fro them that in her trust,
She fleeth her wey and leyeth them in the
dust.

She sodeinly enhaunceth them aloft.
And sodeynly mischeueth all the flocke.
The head that late lay easily and full soft,
In stede of pylows lyeth after on the blocke.
And yet alas the most cruell proude mocke:
The deynty mowth that ladyes kissed haue,
She bryngeth in the case to kysse a knaue.

Set fortunes servauntes by them and ye
well,

That one is free, that other euer thrall,
That one content, that other neuer fuli,
That one in suretye, that other lyketo fall.
Who lyst to aduise them bothe, parceyue he

shall,

As great difference between them as we see,
Betwixte wretchednes and felicite.

Now haue I shewed you bothe: these

whiche ye lyst,

Stately fortune, or humble pouertee:
That is to say, nowe lyeth it in your fyst,
To take here bondage, or free libertee.
But in thys poynte and ye do after me,
Draw you to fortune, and labour her to
please,

If that ye thynke your selfe to well at ease.

And fyrst vppon the louely shall she smile, And frendly on the cast her wandering eyes, Embrace the in her armes, and for a whyle, Put the and kepe the in a fooles paradise: And foorth with all what so thou lyst deuise,

She wyll the graunt it liberally perhappes: But for all that beware of after clappes.

Recken you neuer of her fauoure sure: Ye may in clowds as easily trace an hare, Or in drye lande cause fishes to endure, And make the burnyng fyre his heate to spare,

And all thys worlde in compace to forfare, As her to make by craft or engine stable, That of her nature is euer variable.

Serue her day and nyght as reuerently, Vppon thy knees as any seruaunt may, And in conclusion, that thou shalt winne thereby

Shall not be worth thy servyce I dare say. And looke yet what she geueth the to day, With labour wonne she shall happly to

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RICHARDE the third sonne, of whom we nowe entreate, was in witte and courage egall with either of them, in bodye and prowesse farre vnder them bothe, little of stature, ill fetured of limmes, croke backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right, hard fauoured of visage, and such as is in states called warlye, in other nenne otherwise, he was malicious, wrathfull, enuious, and from afore his birth, euer frowarde. It is for trouth reported, that the duches his mother had so much a due in her trauaile, that shee coulde not bee deliuered of hvm vncutte: and that he came into the world with the feete forwarde, as menne bee borne outwarde, and (as the fame runneth) also not vntothed, whither menne of hatred reporte aboue the trouthe, or ells that nature chaurged

her course in hys, beginninge, whiche in the course of his lyfe many thinges vnnaturallye committed. None euill captaine was hee in the warre, as to whiche his disposicion was more metely then for peace. Sundrye victories hadde hee, and sommetime ouerthrowes, but neuer in defaulte as for his owne parsone, either of hardinesse or polytike order, free was hee called of dyspence, and sommewhat aboue hys power liberall, with large giftes hee get him vnstedfaste frendeshippe, for whiche hee was fain to pil and spoyle in other places, and get him stedfast hatred. Hee was close and secrete, a deepe dissimuler, lowlye of counteynaunce, arrogant of heart, outwardly coumpinable where he inwardely hated, not letting to kisse whome hee thoughte to kyll: dispitious and cruell, not for euill will alway, but after for ambicion, and either for the suretie and encrease of his estate. Frende and foo was muche what indifferent, where his adnauntage grew, he spared no mans deathe, whose life withstoode his purpose. He slewe with his owne handes king Henry the sixt, being prisoner in the Tower, as menne constantly saye, and that without commaundement or knoweledge of the king, whiche woulde vndoubtedly yf he had entended that thinge, haue appointed that boocherly office, to some other then his owne borne brother.

Somme wise menne also weene, that his drift couertly conuayde, lacked not in helping furth his brother of Clarence to his death: whiche hee resisted openly, how beit somwhat (as menne deme) more faintly then he that wer hartely minded to his welth. And they that thus deme, think that he long time in king Edwardes life, forethought to be king in that case the king his brother (whose life hee looked that euil dyete shoulde shorten) shoulde happen to decease (as in dede he did) while his children wer yonge. And thei deme, that for thys intente he was gladde of his brothers death the duke of Clarence, whose life must nedes haue hindered hym so entendynge, whither the same duke of Clarence hadde kepte him true to his nephew the yonge king, or enterprised to be kyng himselfe. But of al this pointe, is there no certaintie, and whoso diuineth vppon coniectures, maye as wel shote to farre as to short. Howbeit this haue I by credible informacion learned, that the selfe nighte in whyche kynge

Edwarde died, one Mystlebrooke longe ere mornynge, came in greate haste to the house of one Pottyer dwellyng in Reddecrosse strete without Crepulgate : and when he was with hastye rappyng quickly letten in, hee shewed vnto Pottyer that kynge Edwarde was departed. By my trouthe manne quod Pottyer them wyll my mayster the duke of Gloucester bee kynge. What cause hee hadde soo to thynke harde it is to saye, whyther hee being toward him, anye thynge knewe that hee suche thynge purposed, or otherwyse had anye inkelynge thereof: for hee was not likelye to speake it of noughte.

But nowe to returne to the course of this bystorye, were it that the duke of Gloucester hadde of old foreminded this conclusion, or was nowe at erste thereunto moued, and putte in hope by the occasion of the tender age of the younge princes, his nephues (as opportunitye and lykelyhoode of spede, putteth a manne in courage of that hee neuer entended) certayn is it that hee contriued theyr destruccion, with the vsurpacion of the regal dignitye vppon hymselfe. And for as muche as hee well wiste and holpe to mayntayn, a long continued grudge and hearte brennynge betwene the quenes kinred and the kinges blood eyther partye enuying others authoritye, he nowe thought that their deuision shoulde bee (as it was in dede) a fortherlye begynnynge to the pursuite of his intente, and a sure ground for the foundacion of al his building yf he might firste vnder the pretext of reuengynge of olde displeasure, abuse the anger and ygnoraunce the tone partie, to the destruccion of the tother: and then wynne to this purpose as manye as he coulde: and those that coulde not be wonne, myght be loste ere they looked therefore. For of one thynge was hee certayne, that if his entente were perceiued, he shold soone haue made peace beetwene the bothe parties, with his owne bloude.

of

Kynge Edwarde in his life, albeit that this discencion beetwene hys frendes sommewhat yrked hym: yet in his good health he sommewhat the lesse regarded it, because hee thought whatsoeuer busines shoulde falle betwene them, hymselfe should alwaye bee hable to rule bothe the parties.

But in his last sicknesse, when hee receiued his naturall strengthe soo sore entebled, that hee dyspayred all recouerye,

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