The wofull lamentation of Mistris Iane Shore a Goldsmiths wife of London, sometimes K. Edwards Concubine, who for her wanton life came to a most miserable end.
Set forth for an example to all lewd women.

To the tune of Liue with me.
[depiction of Jane Shore]
IF Rosamond that was so faire,
Had cause her sorrowes to declare,
[...]hen let Iane Shore with sorrow sing,
[...]hat was beloued of a King:
[...]hen wanton wiues in time amend,
[...] loue and beauty will haue end.
[...] [...] den yeeres my beauty bright,
[...] [...]oued deare of Lord & Knight:
[...]ut yet the loue that they required,
[...] then was not as my friends desired.
My Parents they for thirst of gaine,
A husband for me did obtaine:
and I their pleasure to fulfill,
[...]as forc'd to wed against my will.
[...] Mathew Shore I was a wife,
[...]ill Lust brought ruine to my life:
[...]nd then my life so lewdly spent,
now makes my soule for to lament.
[...]n Lumbardstreet I once did dwell,
[...] London yet can witnesse well:
[...]ere many Gallants did behold
[...] [...]eauty in a shop of gold.
[...] my plumes as wantons doe,
[...]e sweet and secret friend to woo,
[...]ause my loue I did not find,
agreeing to my wanton mind.
At last my name at Court did ring,
Into the eares of Englands King,
who came and lik'd, & loue required,
[...]ut I made coy what he desired
[...] Mistris Blage a neighbour néere,
[...]e friendship I e [...]eemed deare,
[...] [...]y it was a ga [...]nt t [...]ing,
[...] beloued of a King.
[...] [...]r perswasions I was led,
[...] [...]o d [...] my marriage bed,
[...] my wed [...]ed [...]usband Shore,
[...] [...]s befo [...]e
In heart and mind I did reioyce,
That I had made so sweet a choise:
and therefore did my state resigne,
to be King Edwards Concubine.
From Citie then to Court I went,
And reapt the pleasures of content:
I had the ioyes that loue did bring,
and knew the secrets of a King.
When I was thus aduanc'd on high,
Commanding Edward with mine eye
for Mistris Blage I in short space,
obtain'd a liuing of his Grace.
No friend I had but in short time,
I made vnto promotion clime:
but yet for all this costly pride,
my husband could not me abide.
His bed though wronged by a King,
His hart with griefe did deadly sting:
from England soone he goes his way,
to end his life vpon the Sea.
He could not liue to see his fame,
Empaired by my wanton shame:
although a Prince of péerlesse might
did reape the pleasures of his right.
Long time I liued in the Court,
With Lords & Ladies of great port:
for when I smil'd all men were glad▪
and when I mourn'd my prince grew sad,
But yet an honest mind I bore,
To helplesse people that were poore:
I still redrest the Orphans cry,
& saued their liues condemn'd to die.
I still had ruth on widdowes teares,
I succour'd babes of tender yeeres:
and neuer lookt for other gaine,
but loue and thanks for all my pain.
At last my Royall King did dye,
And then my dayes of wo drew dye;
for when K. Richard got the crowne,
swéet Edwards friends were soon put downe.
I was then punisht for y e sin,
That I so long had liued in:
yea euery one that was my friend,
that tyrant brought to timelesse end.
Then for my lewd and wanton life,
Who made a Strumpet of a Wife:
I penance did in London street,
in shamefull manner in a sheet.
Where many thousands did me vi [...]
That late in Court my credit knew:
which made y e teares run downe my face
to think vpō my foule disgrace.
Not thus content, they tooke from me,
My goods, my liuings, and my fee:
& charg'd that none should me relieue
nor any succour to me giue.
Then vnto Mistris Blage I went,
To [...]hom my Ie [...]els I had sent,
in hope thereby to ease my want,
when riches fail'd, & loue grew scant
But she denyed me the same,
When in my néed for them I came:
to recompence my former loue,
out of the doores she did me shoue.
Thus loue did vanish with my state,
Which now my soule repents too late▪
therefore example take by me,
that friendship parts in pouerty.
But yet a friend amongst the rest,
Whom I before had seene distrest,
and sau'd his life being iudg'd to di [...] ▪
did giue me food to succour me.
For which by Law it was decreed,
That he was hang'd for his good deed:
his death did grieue me ten times more,
then I had dyed my selfe therefore.
Then those to whom I had done good,
Durst not restore me any food:
whereby in vaine I beg'd all day,
and still in street by night I lay.
My gowns beset with pearle and gold,
Were turn'd to simple garments cold:
my chaines, and gems, & golden rings,
to filthy rags and lothsome things.
Thus was I scornd of maid and wife,
For leading s [...] a wicked life:
both sucking babes, and children smal▪
did make a pastime of my fall.
I could no [...] get one bit of bread,
Whereby my hunger might be fed:
nor drinke but such as kennell yeelds,
or stinking ditches in the fields.
Thus weary of my life at length,
I yeelded vp my vitall strength:
within a ditch of lothsome sent,
where carrion dogs do much frequent▪
Which Ditch now since my dying day,
Is Shore-ditch cald, as Writers say,
which is a witnesse for my sinne,
for being Concubine to a King.
You wanton wiues that fall to lust,
Be you assured that God is iust,
whoredome shall not escape his hand,
nor bide vnpunisht in the Land.
If God to me such shame did bring,
That yeelded onely to a King,
how shall they scape that dayly run
to practise s [...]ne with euery man.
You husbands match not but for loue
Lest some misliking after proue:
women be warnd whē you are [...]
what plagues are due to lustfull liuers.
Then wanton wiues in time amend,
For loue and beauty will haue end.
FINIS.

At London printed by [...]

The second part of Iane Shore: wherein h [...] sorrowfull husband bewaileth his owne esta [...], [...] wiues wantonnesse, the wrongs of m [...]rriage, and the fall of pride: a warning for all wanton women to take heed by.

To the tune of Liue with me.
IF she that was faire Londons pride,
For beauty fam'd both far and wide,
With Swan-like song in sadnesse told
Her deepe distresses manifold:
then in the same let me also,
now beare a part of such like woe.

The descrip­tion of Iane Shore. This womans beauty hath beene highly praised by a famous Writer that liued in her time, na­med S r Tho­mas Moore, who described her in this maner: before her death she was poore & aged, her stature was meane, her haire of a dark yellow, her face round & full, her eyes gray, her body fat, white and smooth, her countenance cheerefull like to her condi­tion. There is a Picture of hers now to bee seene in London, it is such as she was when she rose out of her bed in the mor­ning, hauing nothing on but a rich Mantle cast vnder one arm ouer her shoul­der, and sitting in a Chaire, on which her na­ked arme did lye. What her Fathers name was, or where she was borne, is not certain­ly known, but her Husband Mathew Shore, a yong man of right good parentage, wealth and be­hauiour, aban­doned her bed after the King had made her his Concu­bine.

Kind Mathew Shore men called me,
A Goldsmith once of good degrée,
And might haue liued long therein,
Had not my Wife been wooed to sinne▪
ah gentle Iane thy wanton race,
hath brought vs both to this disgrace.
Thou hadst all things at wish and will,
Thy wanton fancy to fulfill;
No London Dame or Merchants wife,
Did leade so sweet and braue a life:
then gentle Iane the truth report,
why leftst thou me to liue in Court?
Thou hadst both gold and iewels store,
No wife in London then had more:
And once a weeke to walke the field,
To see what pleasure it would yeeld:
but woe to me, that liberty
hath brought vs both to misery,
I wedded thee whilst thou wert yong,
Before thou knewst what did belong
To husbands loue, or marriage state,
Which brings repentance now too late:
thus wanton pride made thée vniust,
and so deceiued was my trust.
But when the King possest my roome,
And cropt the gallant Rosie bloome,
Faire Londons blossome and my ioy,
My heart was drownd in deepe annoy:
to thinke how vnto publike shame,
thy wantō loue brought my good name.
And then me thought each man & wife,
In iesting sort accus'd my life,
And euery one to other said,
that Shores faire wife had wanton plaid▪
whereby I grew in mind to change
my dwelling in some country strange.
Then lands and goods I sold away,
And so from England went to sea,
Opprest with griefe and wofull minde,
But left my cause of griefe behinde:
my louing wife whom once I thought
would neuer be to lewdnesse brought.
But women now I well espy,
Are subiect to inconstancy,
And few there be so true of loue,
But by long suite will wanton proue:
for flesh is fraile and women weake,
when kings for loue great suit do make
But yet from England my depart,
Was with a sad and heauy heart,
Whereof when as my leaue I tooke,
I sent backe many a heauy looke,
desiring God if it might be,
to send one sigh swéet Iane to thee.
For if thou hadst but constant beene,
These dayes of woe I ne're had seene:
But yet I grieue [...]d mourne full sore,
To think what plagues are kept in store
for such as carelesse tread awry
the modest steps of constancy.
Ah gentle Iane, if thou didst know
The vncouth paths I daily goe,
And wofull teares for thee I shed,
For wronging thus our marriage bed:
then sure, I know, thou wouldst cōfesse
my loue was true, though in distresse.
Both Flanders, France & Spaine I past,
And came to Turky at the last,
And then within that mighty Court,
I liued long in honest sort:
desiring God that sits in heauen,
that louers sinnes might be forgiuen.
And there aduanc'd thy louely name,
Of liuing wights the fairest Dame,
The praise of Englands beauties stain,
All which thy Husband did maintaine:
and set thy picture there in gold,
for Kings and Princes to behold.
But when I thought vpon the sinne,
Thy wanton thoughts delighted in,
I grieu'd that such a comely face,
Should hold true honour in disgrace:
And counted it a lucklesse day,
wherein thou first didst goe astray.
Desirous then some newes to heare,
Of her my soule did loue so deare,
My secrets then I did impart
To one well skild in Magike Art,
who in a glasse did true [...] show
such things as I desired to kn [...]
I there beheld thy Courtly stat [...]
Thy pompe, thy pride, thy glor [...] [...]
And likewise there I did beh [...]
My Iane in Edwards armes [...]
thy secret loue I there espie [...]
thy rise, thy fall, and how th [...] [...]
Thy naked beauty in the street,
I saw doe penance in a sheet,
Barefoote before a Beadles wand,
With burning Tapers in thy hand:
and babes not hauing vse of tongue,
stood pointing as thou past along.
Thus ended was this shame of thine,
Though God gaue yet no end to mine▪
When I suppos'd thy name forgot,
And time had washt away the blot:
then in anothers Princes raigne,
I came to England backe againe.
But finding here my friends decaid▪
The Princes lawes I disobaid,
And by true iustice iudg'd to dye,
For clipping gold in secrecie:
by gold was my best liuing made▪
and so by gold my life decaid.
Thus haue you heard the wofull strife,
That came by my vnconstant wife:
Her fall, my death, wherein is she [...]
The Story of a Strumpet le [...]
in hope thereby all wome [...] [...]
take héed how they the [...]
FINIS.

At London printed by G. [...].

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