A worthy mirror, wherein you may marke, an excellent discourse of a breeding Larke: By reading whereof, perceiue well you may, what trust is in friends or in kinsfolke to stay.
To the tune of Rogero.
A Larke some time did bréed,
wi
[...]hin a field of corne:
And had increase when as the grains
was ready to be shorne,
She wary of the time,
and carefull of her nest:
Debated wisely with her selfe,
what thing to do were best.
For to abide the rage,
of cruell reapers hand:
[...] was to perillous,
with safety for to stand.
And to dislodge her brood,
vnable yet to flye:
Not knowing whether to remoue,
great harme might hap thereby.
Therefore she meant to stay,
till force constraind her fléete:
And in the while for to prouide,
some other place as méete.
The better to prouide,
the purpose of her minde:
Shée would forthwith go séek abroad
and leaue her yong behinde.
But first shée
[...]ad them all,
attend their Mothers will:
Which carefull was for to eschew,
each likely-hood of ill.
This Corne is ripe quoth she,
wherin we ne
[...]ly dare:
The which if
[...]eads preuent not harme
might cause our mortall care.
Therefore to sence with skill,
the sequell of mishaps:
We will prouide some other place,
for feare of after cla
[...]s.
Whilst I for this and food,
am flowen hence away:
With héedfull eares attentiue be,
what commers by do say.
Thus said, shée vaunst her selfe,
vpon her longest toe:
And mounted vp into the sky,
still singing as shée
[...]low.
Anon shée home return
[...],
full fraught with choise of meate:
But loe a suddaine chance, hir birds
for feare could nothing eate.
Therewith agast she cride,
what hoe, what meaneth this:
I charge you on my blessing tell,
what thing hath chanst amisse.
Is this the welcome home,
or thankes for food I haue:
You wonted were with chirping théere
to gape before I gaue.
But now such qualmes oppresse,
your former quiet
[...]ind
[...]:
That quite transform'd
[...]m mo
[...]e things
[...] soules I
[...]e.
The
[...] and eldest bird,
thus chirpt began to say:
Alas
[...] dame, such news we herd
since you were flowne away
That were it not the trust,
that we repose in you:
Our liues were lost remedilesse,
we know it well enough.
The owner of the plot,
came hither with his sonne:
And said to him this Corne must
[...]
tis more then time twere done.
Goe get thée to my friends,
and bid them come to morne:
And tell them that I traue their
[...]
to reape a péece of corne.
The Larke that was the Dame,
stood in a dump a while,
And after said, his friends quoth she
and then began to smile.
Tush, friends are hard to finde,
true friendship
[...] appeares:
A man may misse to haue a friend,
that liues old
Nestors yeares,
True
Damond and his friend,
long ere our time were dead:
It was in Gréece a great way he
[...]
where such true loue was bred.
Our countrey is too cold,
to
[...] vp a friend:
Till proofe be made each one w
[...]
still yours vnto the end.
But trie in time of néed,
and all your friends are flowne
Such fruitlesse séeds, such
[...]ckle
[...]
in faithlesse friends be s
[...]wen.
The second part of the breeding Larke.
To the same tune.
Therefore be of good cheere,
[...]ea
[...]e your dulled spirits:
[...] the care that caus
[...]es thus,
bercanes you of delights:
Let not
[...] feare,
depriue your eyes of sleepe.
My selfe will be amo
[...]gst you still,
th
[...] safely will you keepe.
And sweare euen by the
[...],
that growes vpon my Crowne:
If al his trust be in his frends,
this corne shall not goe downe.
The young assa
[...]ed by her,
that such an oth did sweare:
Did passe the night in wonted sléepe,
and banisht former feare.
And when the drousy night,
was fled from gladsome day:
She had them wake and looke about
for she must goe her way.
And said I warrant you,
his friends will not come heare:
Yet not withstanding listen wel,
and tell me what you heare.
Anon the farmer came,
me
[...]ged wel
[...]y mad:
And said who so dep
[...]nds on friends,
his case is worse then bad.
I must go fetch my kin,
to help me with this geare:
In things of greater waight then this
their kindred shall appeare.
The Larkes their dame returnd:
informed her of all:
and how that he himselfe was gone:
his kindred for to call.
But when she heard of kin,
she laughing cryd amaine:
A pin for kin a figge for fre
[...]nds,
yet kin the worst of thtwaine.
This man himselfe is poore,
though wealthy kin he haue:
And kindred now a dayes doth faile,
when néed compells to craue.
No no he shall returne,
with ill contented mind:
His pains shal yéeld but losse of time
no comfort shall he find.
They all are so adi
[...]t,
Vnto their priuat gaine:
That if you lack power to requite,
your suites are all in vaine.
My selfe a
[...] o
[...]charg'd,
with haruest as you sée:
And nearer is my skin then shirt,
thus shall their answer be.
Therfore as erst of frends,
so say I now of kin:
We shall receiue no hurt by this,
nor he no profit winne.
Yet listen once againe,
what now his refuge is:
For kindred shall be like to friends,
be wel assurd of this.
I must goe furnish vp,
a nest I haue begun:
I will returne and bring you meat,
as soone as I haue done.
Then vp she came the clay,
with such a lusty lay:
That it reioyc'd her yonglings harts
as in their nest they lay.
And much they did commend,
their lusty mothers gate:
And thought it long till time had brought
themselues to such a state.
Thus as their twinckling eyes,
were roving to and fro:
They saw whereas the farmer came
who was their mortall foe.
Who after due complaints,
thus said he in the end:
I will from henceforth
[...]trust my selfe
and not to kin or frends.
Who giues me glossing words,
and failes me at my néed:
May in my pater noster be,
but neuer in my créed.
My selfe will haue it done,
sith it must néeds be so:
For proofe hath taught me so much witt
to trust to any moe.
The birds that listning lay,
attentiue to the same:
Informed their mother of the whole,
as soone as ere she came.
Yea Marry then quoth she,
the case now altred is:
We will no longer heere abide,
I alwaies feared this.
But out she got them all,
and trudgd away apace,
And through the Corne she brought them al
vnto another place.
God send her luck to scape,
the hauk
[...] and foulers g
[...]e:
And me the hap to haue no néed,
of neither friend nor kin,
Finis.
Imprinted at London for I. W.