¶Here begynneth a dialogue betwene the comen Secretary and Ielowsy touchynge the vnstablenes of harlottes.
¶Ielowsy.
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WHat a world is this / I trow it be a curst
Fayne wold I marye / yf y
t I durst
But I trow syth y
e time y
t god was born
So many honest mē neuer held of y
e horn
¶Secretary.
¶What is the mater / be ye in ony doubte
Pacyfye your mode / let it come oute
Dyscharge your stomake / avoyde it forth
Sorowes in store be nothynge worth
¶Ielowsy.
¶Trouth it is / I trust ye wyll not be greued
To a small questyon be to you moued
In a mater / to me doubtfull and defuse
Whiche I suppose ye haue had in experyence & vse
¶Secretary.
That ꝑauenture / but I wyll not ꝓmyse you p̄sysely
To assoyle your questyon very wysely
Howe be it that ye say / I am of experyence
So ye wyll be close / ye shall here my sentence
¶ Ielowsy.
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¶Then thus / she that hath a rollynge ey
And doth conuey it / well and wysely
And therto hath a waueryng thought
Trowe ye this trull wyll not be bought.
¶Secretary.
¶Yes / but take hede by the pryce ye haue noo losse
A made marchaunt y
t wyll gyue .v. m̄ke for a goose
Beware a rollyng ey w
t wauerynge thought m̄ke y
t
And for suche stuffe passe not / a dandy pratt
¶Ielowsy.
¶She that is very wanton and nyse
Thynkyng her self maruaylous wyse
And wyll come to hym that doth her call
Wyll she not wrastell for a fall
¶Secretary.
¶Yes suerly / for a fall flat as a cake
And cares not howe many falles she doth take
There is noo fall can make her lame
For she wyll be sure of the best game.
¶Ielowsy.
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¶She that doth make it all straunge and quaynt
And lokyth as she were a very saynte
If a man in the darke doo hyr assay
Hath she any power to holde owte nay / nay
¶Secretary.
¶Holde oute / yes / or it is pyttye she was borne
A horse a whele barowe and a Rammys horne
It the other thynge come ye Wott what I mene
For all her holly lookes she wyll conuey it clene
¶Ielowsy.
¶She that doth loue moche dallyng
With dyuerse men for fayre spekynge
And thynkys not on her owne shame
Wyll not this wylde foule be made tame
¶Secretary.
¶Yes with good handlynge as Iayme
Euen by and by ye shall her reclayme
And make her tame as euer was Turtyll
To suffre kyssyng and tyklyng vnder the kyrtell
¶Ielowsy.
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¶She that is sum what lyght of credence
And to make her freshe / large of expence
Howe say you and her mony doo fayle
Wyll she not lay too pledge her tayle
¶Secretary.
¶Yes and yf she be of that appetyte
She wyll pledge and sell oute ryght
Hede pece / tayle pece / and all .iiii. quarters
To one or other / rather then fayle to carters
¶Ielowsy.
¶She that louys to sytte and muse
And craftly can her selfe excuse
When she is taken with a faulte
Wyll she not be wonne with a small saulte
¶Secretary.
¶What nedys a saulte / I dare say she wyll consent
That ye shall enter by a reasonable poyntment
And thē take hede for ī kepynge of this warde & hold
Is more daunger thē in gettynge a thousande folde
¶Ielowsy▪
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¶ She that is of mynde sum what rechelles
Gyuynge her selfe all to ydelnes
And louys to lye longe in her bed
Who wayteth his tyme shall he not be sped
¶Secretary.
¶Tyme nay nay wayte / yf she be in good mode
For out of chyrche all tymes be goode
But passe not theron / though she say nay
For so she wyll whan she hath best lust to play
¶Ielowsy.
¶She that can no counsayll kepe
And lyghtly wyll sobbe and wepe
Laughe agayne and wote not why
Wyll she not be sone tysed to foly
¶Secretary
The teares be token a gracyous corage
And laugh
[...]nge doth all malyce aswage
Whan she is in that takynge marke well marke
Let slyp / spare not for one course in her parke
¶Ielowsy.
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¶She that is fayre and lusty yonge
And can comyn in termes with fyled tonge
And wyll byde whysperynge in the eare
Thynke ye her tayle is not
[...]yght of the seare
¶Secretary·
¶By all these symblytudes me thynkes suerly
Her owne tayle she shulde occupy
Somtyme for nede her honeste saued
She wyll wasshe often or she be ones shaued
¶Ielowsy.
¶She y
t paynteth her in starynge apparell
Use hote wynes and dayly to farewell
And loues to slepe at after none tyde
Who lyst stryke trowe ye she wyll not stryde
¶Secretary.
¶I can not say yf she wyll stryke
But yf reason be offered nothynge shall fall besyde
For of a trouth as frost engendereth hayle
Ease and ranke fedynge doth cause a lycorous tayle.
¶Finis