[ Index entry by William Hazlitt (1875), pp. xvi-xvii : ]
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Desiring thee to knoe : Baldwins straunge faschions And if in aunsering : I appere sum what quick, Thinke it not with out cause, his taunts be rive & thick Where as ther is a boke, called : be ware the cat, The veri truith is so, that Stremer made not that, Nor no such false fabels : fell ever from his pen, Nor from his hart or mouth : as knoe mani honest men But wil ye gladli knoe, who made that boke in dede, One Wylliam Baldewine. God graunt him wel to spede God graunt him mani new yeres, prosperite and helth As he hath in this thing : farderd the Comonwelth With large lesure, browne studi : he musing all alone Devised by what meanes : he might win the whetstone Every thing almost : in that boke is as tru, As that at Midsomer : in London it doth snu. Every thing almost : in that boke is as tru As that his nose to my dock : is ioyned fast with glu, Put up your pipes Baldewine : if you can make no better, Many talk more wittili : that knoe not one letter, Put on your cap Baldewine : & kepe your brayn pan warme Least ye go to Bedlem : if suche toyes in you swarme Rede this litel short Rime : Baldewinken, til more cum : And with Stremers excrements : be bold to noint your gum In stede of Diaglum, in stede of Coloquintida In stede of ru barbarum, or casia fistula If the maker hereof : had bid at more lesure. Ye had had from his hande : a more precious tresure But in the meane season : content your selfe with this For your Bagagical boke, a warme a. r. s. you may kys. |
Or els a payre of stockes : if officers do wel, You hurt a harmeles man : which no such tales did tel, As ye were disposed : loude lyes on him to make Which many witti things : writes for his countreys sake. Alas I wolde to God : your boke were halfe so good, I wysh you no more harme ; nor to your swete hart bloud The pith of this paper (if any man in it loke) Is to deni utterli, that Stremer made that boke The boke (of ten leaves) was printed every worde Er Stremer saw any pece, to wipe away a t. o . r. d. Tergendis natibus, som thought his boke was good Or to cari spiceri, to cherische a sick mans bloud. Therfore ientyl reder : beware what credence thou ghive The truth here conteyned : thou mayst boldly belive Baldwins toyes do belong : to thee or any other As well as they do touche Stremer, his pore brother. And now Iuge good hirers : whether he be a good man Of whom I write these things : as truli as I can. If that be not a grete faute, so to hurt a mans name, Without sufficient cause : what crime shuld a man blame ? Omni si perdas : famam servare memento : Qua semel amissa [ postea nullus eris,
If thou lese all (sayth he) yet reserve honest fameIf that be ones clene gon : go home and suck thy dame. I am loth for to rayle, as Baldwin hath begun For so betwine us both : a fayre threde shuld be spun This miche I have writen : that the truth shuld be knowen And that the falsitie : shuld quite be overthrowen. FINIS.
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