Alas thus al states of Chrysten men declynes. And of wymen also disfourmynge theyr fygure. Wors than the Turkes, Jewes, or Sarazyns. A Englonde Englonde amende or be thou sure Thy noble name and fame can nat endure Amende lyst god do greuously chastyce. Bothe the begynners and folowes of this vyce. THE ENUOY OF ALEXANDER BARCLAY YE TRANSLATOUR. Reduce courters clerly vnto your rembrance From whens this disgysyng was brought wherein ye go As I remember it was brought out of France. This is to your plesour. But payne ye had also. As French Pockes hote ylles with other paynes mo. Take ye in good worth the swetnes with the Sour. For often plesour endeth with sorowe and dolour. But ye proude Galaundes that thus yourselfe disgise Be ye asshamed. beholde vnto your Prynce. Consyder his sadnes: His honestye deuyse His clothynge expresseth his inwarde prudence Ye se no Example of suche Inconuenyence In his hyghnes: but godly wyt and grauyte. Ensue hym: and sorowe for your enormyte. Away with this pryde, this statelynes let be Rede of the Prophetis clothynge or vesture And of Adam firste of your ancestrye Of Johnn the Prophete, theyr clothynge was obscure Uyle and homly, but nowe what creature Wyll then eusue, sothly fewe by theyr wyll Therfore suche folys my nauy shall fulfyll * * * * * Of old folys that is to say the longer they lyue the more they ar gyuen to foly. [Illustration: Howe beit I stoup, and fast declyne Dayly to my graue, and sepulture And though my lyfe fast do enclyne To pay the trybute of nature Yet styll remayne I and endure In my olde synnes, and them nat hate Nought yonge, wors olde, suche is my state.] The madnes of my youthe rotyd in my age And the blynde foly of my iniquite Wyll me nat suffer to leue myne old vsage Nor my fore lyuynge full of enormyte Lame ar his lymmys, and also I can nat se I am a childe and yet lyuyd haue I An hundreth wynter, encresynge my foly. But though I myght lerne my wyll is nat therto But besy I am and fully set my thought To gyue example to children to mysdo By my lewde doctryne bryngynge them to nought And whan they ar onys into my daunce brought I teche them my foly wysdome set asyde My selfe example, begynner, and theyr gyde. My lewde lyfe, my foly and my selfwyllyd mynde Whiche I haue styll kept hytherto in this lyfe In my testament I leue wryten behynde Bequethyng parte both to man childe and wyfe I am the actour of myschefe and of stryfe The foly of my youth and the inconuenyence In age I practyse, techynge by experyence I am a fole and glad am of that name Desyrynge lawde for eche vngracious dede And of my foly to spred abrode the same To showe my vyce and synne, as voyde of drede Of heuen or hell. therfore I take no hede But as some stryue disputynge of theyr cunnynge Right so do I in lewdnes and myslyuynge.