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<DATE>2009-01-03</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B081116.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B00777">
<STC T="S">23631</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99892887</BIBNO>
<VID>182337</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="ballad">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 2 -->
<HEAD>&para;A mery balade, how a wife entreated her Hu&s;band, to haue her owne wyll.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>_IN May when floures &s;wetely &s;mel</L>
<L>The people romyng abrode ful ryfe</L>
<L>A mery tale I &s;hal you tel</L>
<L>y^t then was herd, but no great &s;trife</L>
<L>In clo&s;e, a yong man and his wife</L>
<L>Sate rea&s;onyng &s;ore, but for none yl,</L>
<L>She &s;aid, I am wery of this lyfe</L>
<L>Good hu&s;band let me haue mine owne will.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Wyfe (quoth he) then mu&s;t I nedes know</L>
<L>What is your wyll then for to haue,</L>
<L>At me you mu&s;t neither mocke nor mow</L>
<L>Nor yet loute me, nor call me knaue:</L>
<L>Nor <HI>VENVS</HI> game vpon me craue</L>
<L>Nor yet your hone&s;tye for to &s;pill,</L>
<L>And make me neyther boy nor &s;laue</L>
<L>But do good, and therin take your owne wyl.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Tu&s;h (quoth &s;he) &s;ir as for that</L>
<L>I wyll be hone&s;t, to dye therefore,</L>
<L>But hu&s;band hu&s;band, wot ye what?</L>
<L>I haue bene your wyfe this month and more:</L>
<L>And haue not gone but to the dore</L>
<L>Such keping in, my heart doth &s;pyll,</L>
<L>By hou&s;e kepers, neighbours &s;et no &s;tore</L>
<L>Good hu&s;band let me haue mine owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Wyfe (quoth he) be you content</L>
<L>You &s;hall to Church and to market go,</L>
<L>And to neighbours to, at time conuenient</L>
<L>But not to go&s;&s;ip, the truth is &s;o:</L>
<L>Tauernes to haunt? no wyfe, no no</L>
<L>Nor yet alehou&s;es, with Iacke nor Gyll,</L>
<L>You know my mynd for friend or fo</L>
<L>Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Hu&s;band (quoth &s;he) you be to blame</L>
<L>To kepe me in, and &s;o playne withall,</L>
<L>Me thinke I &s;huld be a fyne dame</L>
<L>Whereby great pray&s;e to you might fall:</L>
<L>I being fayre, nice, and &s;mall</L>
<L>Yf I had gay clothes my body to hyll,</L>
<L>Then gentlewomen for me wold call</L>
<L>Good hu&s;band let me haue myne owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;No wyfe (quoth he) it wyll not be borne</L>
<L>For you to go fyne, and gayly clad,</L>
<L>To go as I will haue you, thinke ye no &s;corne</L>
<L>That is, comely and cleane, &s;ober and &s;ad:</L>
<L>Wherefore, be you neyther &s;icke nor yet mad</L>
<L>Becau&s;e ye may not your mynd fulfyll,</L>
<L>For your de&s;yre is wicked and bad</L>
<L>Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Not mad (quoth &s;he) alas good man</L>
<L>What woman culd your wordes abyde?</L>
<L>I entreatyng you, as fayre as I can</L>
<L>And yet my wordes you &s;et a&s;yde:</L>
<L>Though I be fayre, I loue no pryde</L>
<L>For I &s;erue your &s;wyne with draffe and &s;wyl,</L>
<L>Vnto my friendes I wold fayne ryde</L>
<L>Good hu&s;band let me haue myne owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Wyfe (quoth he) what nedeth all this?</L>
<L>You craue a great deale more then neede,</L>
<L>Your friendes haue no need of vs I wis</L>
<L>Wherefore be &s;tayed good gentle Beede:</L>
<L>Now let vs plow, and &s;ow our &s;eede</L>
<L>Our wynter land is yet to tyll,</L>
<L>How to thryue, let vs fir&s;t take heede</L>
<L>And do good, and therin take your owne wyl.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Oh hu&s;band (quoth &s;he) I am but yong</L>
<L>Wherefore I pray you graunt me one thyng,</L>
<L>At libertie let me haue my toung</L>
<L>Eyther to chyde, or els to &s;yng:</L>
<L>To daunce, to ky&s;&s;e, not ouer workyng</L>
<L>But once a weke to go to myll,</L>
<L>My time is &s;hort, my death is cumming</L>
<L>Good hu&s;band let me haue mine owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;No wyfe (quoth he) I am your head</L>
<L>Wherefore I pray you, my coun&s;ell take,</L>
<L>And let &s;uch tricks in you be dead</L>
<L>Lea&s;t that for it, your bones doe ake:</L>
<L>Therefore learne betime to brue and bake</L>
<L>And liue no longer in ydlene&s;&s;e &s;tyll,</L>
<L>Wherefore for your owne ea&s;e &s;ake</L>
<L>Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;Alas (quoth &s;he) what chaunce haue I</L>
<L>To couple my &s;elfe with &s;uch a one,</L>
<L>That had rather to &s;ee me dye</L>
<L>Then to decke me gay, as I wold haue gone:</L>
<L>To chyde, nor &s;yng, nor to daunce alone</L>
<L>I wold I had maried Iohn Goo&s;e quyll,</L>
<L>Then nede I not to haue made this mone</L>
<L>For by him, I might haue had all my wyll.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&para;No more of the&s;e twayne culd be hard</L>
<L>But home they went together playne,</L>
<L>But let no wyues, this wyfe regard</L>
<L>For her reque&s;t was all in vayne:</L>
<L>And yet with &s;hrewes &s;ome men take payne</L>
<L>And abydeth the iob of the Deuylles byll,</L>
<L>From the which all good wyues refrayne</L>
<L>God geue vs all grace to doe his wyll. Amen.</L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>&para;<HI>FINIS.</HI></TRAILER>
<BYLINE>quod <HI>T. VV. T.</HI></BYLINE>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>&para;Imprinted at Lon|don by Alexander Lacy.</P>
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</DIV1>
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