As furious force of fiery flashing fame, With cinders brought my body to decay, So smulderyng smokes of euerlasting shame Reude[1189] my renowne, and wipte my fame away: What may I more of my misfortune say? I sigh to see, I silent ceasse to tell What me destroied, and drownd my soule in hel. 5. Here to repeate the partes that I haue playd, Were to vnrippe a trusse of trumpery, For me to shew how I aloft was stayde, Were to erect a schoole of trechery: Silence is best, let no man learne by me Nor by my meanes, how they by wicked waies, From low estate, aloft themselues may rayse. 6. As good men can by wicked workes beware, So wicked men by wicked workes be wise, If ill men reade my deedes which wicked were, They by my meanes will compassse their surmise: For wicked workers dayly do deuise, To make examples vile and vicious, To stand in stead, to serue their lawlesse lust. 7. The serpent thence his venym vile dooth drawe, From whence the bee her honny sweete dooth get, Leawd liuers learne to breake the written lawe, By that, whereby good men doo learne much wit: For wicked men eche fetche is thought most fyt, To serue their turne: therefore I compt it best, To leaue my faultes and follyes vnconfest. 8. “Giue leaue therefore, good _Memory_, I may Not here repeate my tedious tragedy, _Inquiry_, let me nowe departe away. My common weale subuerted was by me, I leawdly liude, and dyde in misery, And for my faultes I felt disdayneful smarte, Let this suffice, and let me nowe departe.” 9. With that he seemde as on[1190] that would away, But _Memory_: “Stay, stay thy steppes,” quoth she, “Let wicked men procure their owne decay, We recke it not, if warned once they be: Let that suffice, and let thy misery Make iust report, how vayne and vile a thing It is, to liue as a vsurping king.” 10. Sith needes I must repented faultes forerunne Repeat, and tel the fal and foyle I felt, Patience perforce, to speake shame bids me shunne, To thinke thereof dooth make my harte to melte: But sith I needes must shewe howe here I delt, I am contente to tell the truth of al, Let wise men learne to stande, which reade my fal. 11.