The Wilful Fall of the Blacksmith and the Foolish End of the Lord Audley

Who is more bolde then is the blinde beard?
Where is more craft than in the clouted shone?
Who catch more harme than such as nothing feard?
Where is more guile then where mistrust in none?
No plaisters helpe before the griefe be knowen,
So seemes by mee who could no wisdome lere,
Untill such time I bought my wit too deare.

Who, being boystrous, stout, and braynlesse bolde,
Puft vp with pride, with fire and furyes fret,
Incenst with tales so rude and playnly tolde,
Wherein deceit with double knot was knit,
I trapped was as seely fishe in net,
Who swift in swimming, not doubtfull of deceit,
Is caught in gin wherein is layde no bayt.

Such force and vertue hath this dolefull playnt,
Set forth with sighes and teares of crocodile,
Who seemes in sight as simple as a saynt,
Hath layde a bayte the wareles to begyle,
And as they wepe they worke deceit the while,
Whose rufull cheare the rulers so relent,
To worke in haste that they at last repent.

Take heede therefore ye rulers of the land,
Be blinde in sight, and stop your other eare:
In sentence slow, till skill the truth hath scand,
In all your doomes both loue and hate forbeare,
So shall your iudgement iust and right appeare:
It was a southfast sentence long agoe,
That hasty men shall neuer lacke much woe.

Is it not truth? Baldwine, what sayest thou?
Say on thy minde: I pray thee muse no more:
Me thinke thou star’st and look’st I wot not howe,
As though thou neuer saw’st a man before:
Belike thou musest why I teach this lore,
Els what I am, that here so bouldly dare,
Among the prease of princes to compare.

Though I bee bolde I pray the blame not mee,
Like as men sowe, such corne nedes must they reape,
And nature hath so planted in eche degree,
That crabs like crabs will kindly crall and crepe:
The suttle foxe vnlike the sely shepe:
It is according to my education,
Forward to prease in rout and congregation.

Behold my coate burnt with the sparkes of fire,
My lether apron fylde with the horse shoe nayles,
Beholde my hammer and my pinsers here,
Beholde my lookes, a marke that seldom fayles,
My cheekes declare I was not fed with quayles,
My face, my cloathes, my tooles, with all my fashion,
Declare full well a prince of rude creation.

A prince I sayde, a prince, I say agayne,
Though not by byrth, by crafty vsurpation:
Who doubts but some men princehood do obtayne,
By open force, and wrongfull domination?
Yet while they rule are had in reputation:
Euen so by mee, the while I wrought my feate
I was a prince, at least in my conceyte.

I dare the bolder take on mee the name,
Because of him whom here I leade in hand,
Tychet lord Awdley, a lorde of byrth and fame,
Which with his strength and powre serude in my band,
I was a prince while that I was so mande:
His butterfly still vnderneath my shielde
Displayed was, from Welles to Blackeheath fielde.

But now beholde hee doth bewayle the same:
Thus after wits theyr rashnes do depraue:
Beholde dismayde hee dare not speake for shame,
He lookes like one that late came from the graue,
Or one that came forth of Trophonius caue,
For that in wit hee had so litle pith,
As he a lord to serue a traytour smith.

Such is the courage of the noble hart,
Which doth despise the vile and baser sort,
Hee may not touch that sauers of the cart,
Him listeth not with ech jacke lout to sport,
Hee lets him passe for payring of his porte:
The iolly egles catch not litle flees,
The courtly silkes match seelde with homely frees.

But surely, Baldwine, if I were allowde
To say the troth, I could somewhat declare:
But clarkes will say: “This smith doth waxe to prowde,
Thus in precepts of wisedome to compare:”
But smiths must speake that clarkes for feare ne dare:
It is a thing that all men may lament,
When clarkes keepe close the truth lest they be shent.

The hostler, barber, miller, and the smith,
Heare of the sawes of such as wisdom ken,
And learne some wit, although they want the pith
That clarkes pretend: and yet, both now and then,
The greatest clarkes proue not the wisest men:
It is not right that men forbid should bee
To speake the truth, all were hee bond or free.

And for because I [haue] vsed to fret and fome,
Not passing greatly whom I should displease,
I dare be bolde a while to play the mome,
Out of my sacke some other’s faults to lease,
And let mine owne behinde my backe to peyse:
For hee that hath his owne before his eye,
Shall not so quicke another’s fault espye.

I say was neuer no such wofull case,
As is when honour doth it selfe abuse:
The noble man that vertue doth embrace,
Represseth pride, and humblenes doth vse,
By wisdome workes, and rashnes doth refuse:
His wanton will and lust that bridle can
In deede, is gentill, both to God and man.

But where the nobles want both wit and grace,
Regarde no rede, care not but for theyr lust,
Oppresse the poore, set will in reason’s place,
And in theyr wordes and doomes bee found vniust,
Wealth goeth to wracke till all lye in the dust:
There fortune frownes, and spite begins to growe,
Till high, and lowe, and all be ouerthrowe.

Then sith that vertue hath so good rewarde,
And after vice so duly wayteth shame,
How hapth that princes haue no more regarde,
Theyr tender youth with vertue to enflame?
For lacke whereof theyr wit and will is lame,
Infect with folly, prone to lust and pryde,
Not knowing how themselues or theyrs to guyde.

Whereby it hapneth to the wanton wight,
As to a ship vpon the stormy seas,
Which lacking sterne to guide it selfe aright,
From shore to shore the winde and tyde to teese,
Fynding no place to rest or take his ease,
Till at the last it sinke vpon the sande:
So fare they all that haue no vertue cand.

The plowman first his land doth dresse and tourne,
And makes it apt or ere the seede hee sowe,
Whereby hee is full like to reape good corne,
Where otherwise no seede but weede would growe:
By which ensample men may easely knowe,
When youth haue welth before they can well vse it,
It is no wonder though they do abuse it.

How can hee rule well in a common wealth,
Which knoweth not himselfe in rule to frame?
How should hee rule himselfe in ghostly health,
Which neuer learnde one lesson for the same?
If such catch harme theyr parents are too blame:
For needes must they be blinde, and blindly led,
Where no good lesson can be taught or read.

Some thinke theyr youth discret and wisely taught,
That brag, and boast, and weare theyr fether braue,
Can royst, and rout, both lowre, and looke aloft,
Can sweare, and stare, and call theyr fellowes knaue,
Can pill, and poll, and catch before they craue,
Can carde and dice, both cog and foyste at fare,
Play on vnthrifty, till theyr purse bee bare.

Some teach theyr youth to pype, to sing, and daunce,
To hauke, to hunt, to choose and kill theyr game,
To winde theyr horne, and with theyr horse to praunce,
To play at tenis, set the lute in frame,
Run at the ring, and vse such other game:
Which feats although they be not all vnfit,
Yet cannot they the marke of vertue hit.

For noble youth, there is nothing so meete
As learning is, to knowe the good from yll:
To knowe the toungs and perfectly endyte,
And of the lawes to haue a perfect skill,
Things to reforme as right and iustice will:
For honour is ordeyned for no cause,
But to see right mayntayned by the lawes.

It spites my heart to heare when noble men
Cannot disclose their secrets to t’ire frend
In sauegarde sure, with paper, inke, and pen,
But first they must a secretary fynde,
To whome they shewe the bottome of theire mynde:
And bee hee false or true, a blab or close,
To him they must theyr counsayle needs disclose.

And where they rule that haue of lawe no skill,
There is no boote, they needes must seeke for ayde:
Then rulde are they, and rule as others will,
As hee that on a stage his part hath playde:
But hee was taught, nought hath hee done or sayde:
Such youth therfore seeke science of the sage,
As thinke to rule when that ye come to age.

Where youth is brought vp in feare and obedience,
Kept from yll company, brydled of theyr lust,
Do serue God duly and know theire allegiaunce,
Learne godly wisdome which tyme nor age can rust:
Theire prince, people, and peers needes prosper must:
For happy are the people, and blessed is that land,
Where truth and vertue haue got the ouer hand.

I speake this, Baldwine, of this rufull lord,
Whome I, perforce, do here present to thee,
He faynts so sore hee may not speake a word:
I pleade his cause without rewarde or fee,
And am enforc’d to speake for him and mee:
If in his youth hee had bene wisely tought,
Hee should not now his wit so deare haue bought.

For what is hee that hath but halfe a wit,
But may well know that rebelles cannot speede:
Marke well my tale, and take good heede to it,
Recount it well, and take it for good reede,
If it proue vntrue I will not trust my creede:
Was neuer rebell before the world, nor since,
That could or shall preuayle agaynst his prince.

For ere the subiect beginneth to rebell,
Within him selfe let him consider well,
Foresee the daunger, and beate [well] in his brayne,
How hard it is his purpose to obtayne:
For if hee once bee entred to the brears,
Hee hath a raging wolfe fast by the ears.

And when hee is once entred to rule the [beastly] rout,
Although hee would, he can no way get out:
Hee may bee sure none will to him resorte,
But such as are the vile and rascall sorte:
All honest men, as well the most as lest,
To tast of treason will vtterly detest.

Then let him way how long hee can bee sure,
Where fayth nor frendship may no while endure:
Hee whom hee trusteth most, to gayne a grote
Will fall him from, and assay to cut his throate:
Among the knaues and slaues where vice is rooted,
There is no other frendship to bee looked.

With slashers, slaues, and snuffers so falshode is in price,
The simple fayth is deadly sinne, and vertue counted vice:
And where the quarell is so vile and bad,
What hope of ayde then is there to bee had?
Thinks hee that men will run at this or that,
To do a thing they knowe not how or what?

Nor yet what daunger may thereof betyde,
Where wisdome would they should at home abyde,
Rather then seeke, and knowe not what to fynde:
Wise men will fyrst debate this in their minde:
Full suer they are if that they goe to wrecke,
Without all grace they loose both head and necke.

They lose their lands and goods, their childe and wife
With sorrowe and shame shall leade a wofull lyfe:
If hee bee slayne in fielde hee dyeth accurst,
Which of all wrecks wee should accompt the worst:
And hee that dyeth defending his liege lord
Is blist, and blist agayne by God’s owne worde.

And where the souldiers wages is vnpayde,
There is the captayne slenderly obayde:
And where the souldier is out of feare and dreede,
Hee will bee lacke when that there is most neede,
And priuatly hee seekes his ease and leasure,
And will bee ruled but at his will and pleasure.

And where some drawe forth, [and] other doe drawe backe,
There in the end must nedes bee woe and wracke:
To hope for ayde of lords it is but vayne,
Whose foretaught wit of treason knoweth the payne:
They knowe what powre a prince hath in his hand,
And what it is with rebells for to stand.

They knowe by treason honour is defaced,
Their ofspring and their progeny disgraced:
They knowe to honour is not so worthy a thing,
As to bee true and faythfull to their king:
Aboue cognisaunce or armes, or pedigrewe a far,
An vnspotted coate is lyke a blasing star:

Therefore the rebell is accurst and mad,
That hopeth for that which rebell neuer had:
Who trusting still to tales doth hang in hope,
Tyll at the last hee hang fast by the rope,
For though that tales bee tolde that hope might feede,
Such foolishe hope hath still vnhappy speede.

It is a custome [that] neuer will be broken,
In broyles the bag of lyes is euer open:
Such lying newes men dayly will inuent,
As can the hearer’s fancy best content:
And as the newes do runne and neuer cease,
So more and more they dayly do encrease.

And as they encrease, they multiply as fast,
That ten is ten hundred, ten thousand at the last:
And though the rebell had once got the fielde,
Thinks hee therby to make his prince to yeelde?
A prince’s power, within his owne region,
Is not so soone brought vnto confusion.

For kings by God are strong and stoutly harted,
That they of subiects will not bee subuerted:
If kings would yeelde, yet God would them restrayne,
Of whom the prince hath grace and power to raygne:
Who straytly chargeth vs aboue all thing,
That no man should resist agaynst his king.

Who that resisteth his dreade soueraign lorde,
Doth dampne his soule, by God’s owne very worde,
A christian subiect shoulde with honour due
Obay his souerayne, though hee were a Jewe:
Wherby assured when subiects do rebell,
God’s wrath is kindled, and threatneth fire and hell.

It is soone knowne when God’s wrath is kindled,
How they shall speede with whom hee is offended:
If God gieue victory to whom hee liketh best,
Why looke they for it whom God doth most detest?
For treason is hatefull, and abhord in God’s sight,
Example of Iudas that most wicked wight:

Which is the chiefe cause no treason preuayles,
For yll must hee spede whom God’s wrath assayles:
Let traytours and rebelles looke to speede then,
When God’s mighty power is subiect to men:
Much might bee sayde that goeth more nere the pith:
But this sufficeth for a rurall smith.

Baldwine, when thou hearest my reason in this case,
Belike thou thinkest I was not very wise,
And that I was accurst, or else wanted grace,
Which knowing the end of my fond enterprise,
Would thus presume agaynst my prince to rise:
But as there is a cause that moueth euery woe,
Somewhat there was whereof this sore did growe.

And to bee playne and simple in this case,
The cause why I such matter tooke in hand,
Was nothing els but pryde and lacke of grace,
Vayne hope of helpe, and tales both false and fond:
By meane whereof I did my prince withstand,
Denied the taxe assest by conuocation,
To mayntaine war agaynst the Scottishe nation.

Whereat the Cornish men did much repine,
For they of golde and siluer were full bare,
And liued hardly, digging in the myne,
They sayd they had no money for to spare:
Began first to grudge, and then to sweare and stare,
Forgot theyr due obeysaunce, and rashly fell to rauing,
And sayd they would not beare such polling and such shauing.

They fyrst accusde the king as authour of their greife,
And then the bishop Moreton, and sir Reinold Bray:
For they then were about the king most cheife,
Because they thought the whole fault in them lay:
They dyd protest to rid them out of the way:
Such thanke haue they that rule aboue a prince,
They beare the blame of other men’s offence.

When I perceiude the commons in a roare,
Then I and Flamoke consulted both together,
To whom the people resorted more and more,
Lamenting and crying, help vs now or neuer,
Breake this yoake of bondage, then are wee free for euer:
Wherat [wee] inflamed in hope to haue a fame,
To bee their captaynes tooke on vs the name.

Then might you heare the people make a shout,
[And cry] “God saue the captaynes, and send vs all good speede:”
Then hee that fainted was counted but a lout,
The ruffians ran [abroade] to sowe seditious seede:
To call for company [then] there was no neede,
For euery man laboured another to entice,
To bee partaker of his wicked vice.

Then all such newes as made for our auayle,
Was brought to me, but such as sounded ill,
Was none so bould to speake or yet bewayle:
Euerich was so wedded vnto his will,
That foorth they cryed with bowes, sword, and byll:
And what the rufler spake the lout tooke for a verdite,
For there the best was worst, [the] worst [was] best regarded.

For when men goe a madding, there still the viler part
Conspyre together, and will haue all the sway:
And bee it well or yll, they must haue all the porte,
As they will do, the rest must nedes obay:
They prattle and prate as doth the popingaye:
They crye and commaund the rest to kepe th’array,
Whiles they may raunge and rob for spoyle and pray.

And when wee had prepared euery thing,
Wee went to Tawnton with all our prouision,
And there we slewe the prouost of Penryn,
For that on the subsedy hee sate in commission:
Hee was not wise, nor yet of great discretion,
That durst approche his enmies in their rage,
When wit nor reason coulde their yre asswage.

From thence wee went to Wels, where wee were receiued
Of this lorde Awdeley as [of] our chiefe captayne,
And so had the name, but yet hee was deceiued,
For I indeede did rule the clubbish trayne,
My cartly knights true honour did disdayne:
For like doth loue his like, it will bee none other,
A chorle will loue a chorle, before hee will his brother.

[Then] from Wels to Winchester, [and so] to Blackheath field,
And there [wee] enchamped looking for more ayde,
But when none came, wee thought our selues begild:
Such Cornishmen as knew they were betrayde,
From their fellowes by night away they strayde:
There might wee learne how vayne it is to trust
Our fayned frends, in quarels so vniust.

But wee [the sturdy captaynes] that thought our power was strong,
Were bent to try [our fortune] what euer should betyde:
Wee were the bolder, for [that] the king so long
Deferred battayle: which so increast our pryde,
That sure wee thought the king himselfe did hyde
Within the cyty, therfore with courage hault,
Wee did determine the cyty to assault.

But hee [working] contrary to our expectation,
Was fully mynded to let vs run our race,
Till wee were from our domesticall habitation,
Where that of ayde or succour was no place,
And then [to] bee plaged as it should please his grace:
[But] all doubtfull playnts, how euer they did sound,
To our best vayle wee alway did expound.

When that the king sawe time, with courage bolde
Hee sent a powre to circumuent vs all:
Where wee enclosde as simple sheepe in folde,
Were slaine and murdred as beasts in butcher’s stall:
The king himselfe, what euer [chaunce] might fall,
Was strongly encamped within Saynt George’s fielde,
And there abode tyll that hee hearde vs yeelde.

Then downe wee kneelde, and cryde to saue our life,
It was to late our folly to bewayle:
There were wee spoyide of armour, coate, and knife:
And wee, which thought [with pride] the citye to assaile,
Were led in prisoners, naked as my nayle:
[But] of vs two thousand they had slayne before,
And wee of them three hundred and no more.

[This] my lorde and wee the captaynes of the west,
Tooke [our] inne at Newgate, fast in fetters tide,
Where after tryall wee had but litle rest:
My lorde through London was drawne on a slide,
To Tower hill, where with an axe hee dyde,
Clad in his [coate] armour painted all in paper,
Torne and reuersed in spite of his behauer.

And I with Thomas Flamoke, and other of our bent,
As traytours at Tiburne our iudgment did obay:
The people looked I should my fault lament,
To whom I [boldly] spake, that for my fond assaye
I was sure of fame, that neuer should decaye:
Wherby ye may perceiue vayne glory doth enflame
As well the meaner sort, as men of greater name.

But as the fickle patient, sometyme hath desyre
To tast the things that phisicke hath denide,
And hath both payne and sorrowe for his hyre:
The same to mee right well may bee applide,
Which while I raught for fame on shame did slide:
And seeking fame, brought forth my bitter bane,
As hee that fyred the temple of Diane.

I tell thee, Baldwine, I muse [right] oft, to see
How euery man for wealth and honour gapeth,
How euery man would climbe aboue the skye,
How euery man th’assured meane so hateth,
How froward fortune oft their purpose mateth:
And if they hap theire purpose to obtayne,
Their wealth is woe, their honour care and payne.

Wee see the seruant more happy then his lord,
Wee see him lyue when that his lorde is dead,
Hee slepeth sounde, is mery at his boorde,
No sorrowe in his harte doth vexe his head:
Happy [then] is he that pouerty can wed:
What gayne the mighty conquerours when they be dead,
By all the spoyle, and bloud that they haue shed?

The terrible towre where honour hath his seate,
Is hye on rockes more slipper then the yse,
Where still the whorleing wynde doth roare and beate,
Where sodayne qualmes and periles still aryse,
And is beset with many sundry vice,
So straunge to men when first they come thereat,
They bee amased, and do they wot not what.

Hee that preuailes, and to the towre can clyme,
With trouble and care must needes abridge his dayes:
And hee that slydes may curse the howre and tyme,
Hee did attempt to geue so fond assayes,
And all his lyfe to sorrowe and shame obayes:
Thus slyde he downe, or to the top ascend,
Assure himselfe repentaunce is the end.

Wherefore, good Baldwine, do thou record my name,
To bee ensample to such as credit lyes,
Or thrist to sucke the sugred cup of fame,
Or doe attempt agaynst their prince to ryse:
And charge them all to keepe within their syse:
Who doth assay to wrest beyond his strength,
Let him be sure hee shall repent at length.

[And] at my request admonishe thou all men,
To spend well the talent which God [to them] hath lent,
[And] hee that hath [but] one, let him not toile for ten,
For one is too much, vnlesse it bee well spent:
I haue had the proofe, therefore I now repent,
And happy are those men, and blist and blist is hee,
As can bee well content to serue in his degree.