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<ETS>
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<DATE>2008-12-03</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>tcpstaff</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B081019.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B04417">
<STC T="W">M2909B</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">47012548</BIBNO>
<VID>174506</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="ballad">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 17 -->
<HEAD>A mo&s;t notable Example of an Ungracious Son, who in pride of his heart denyed his own Father, and how God for his offence turned his meat into loath&s;om Toads.</HEAD>
<OPENER>To the Tune of, Lord Derby.</OPENER>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<LG>
<L>IN &s;earching famous Chronicles,</L>
<L>it was my change to read,</L>
<L>A worthy &s;tory &s;trange and true,</L>
<L>whereto I took Good heed;</L>
<L>Betwixt a Father and a Son</L>
<L>this rare example &s;tands,</L>
<L>Which well may move the harde&s;t hearts</L>
<L>to weep and wring their hands.</L>
<L>A Farmer in the Country liv'd</L>
<L>who&s;e &s;ub&s;tance did excel,</L>
<L>He &s;ent therefore his elde&s;t Son</L>
<L>in <HI>Paris</HI> for to dwell:</L>
<L>Where he became a Merchant man,</L>
<L>and Traffique Great he u&s;ed,</L>
<L>So that he was exceeding rich</L>
<L>till he him&s;elf abu&s;ed.</L>
<L>For having now the world at will</L>
<L>his mind was fully bent.</L>
<L>To Gaming, wine, and wantonne&s;s,</L>
<L>till all his Goods were &s;pent.</L>
<L>Yet &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive riotou&s;ne&s;s,</L>
<L>by him was &s;hewed forth,</L>
<L>That he was three times more in debt</L>
<L>than all his Wealth was worth.</L>
<L>At length his credit clean was crackt,</L>
<L>and he in pri&s;on ca&s;t,</L>
<L>And every man again&s;t him then,</L>
<L>did &s;et his action fa&s;t:</L>
<L>Then he lay lockt in Irons &s;trong</L>
<L>for ever and for aye,</L>
<L>Unable while his life did la&s;t</L>
<L>this grievous debt to pay.</L>
<L>And living in this woful ca&s;e,</L>
<L>his eyes with tears he &s;pent.</L>
<L>The lewdne&s;s of his former life</L>
<L>too late he did repent:</L>
<L>And being void of all relief,</L>
<L>of help and comfort quite,</L>
<L>Unto his Father at the la&s;t,</L>
<L>he thus began to write.</L>
<L>Bow down a while your heedful ear,</L>
<L>my loving father dear,</L>
<L>And grant I pray in gracious &s;ort,</L>
<L>my piteous plaint to hear:</L>
<L>Forgive the &s;oul offences all</L>
<L>of our unworthy Son,</L>
<L>Which through the lewdne&s;s of his life</L>
<L>hath now him&s;elf undone.</L>
<L>O my good father take remor&s;e,</L>
<L>on this my extream need,</L>
<L>And &s;uccour his di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;tate</L>
<L>who&s;e heart for woe doth bleed,</L>
<L>In direful dungeon here I lye,</L>
<L>my feet in fetters fa&s;t,</L>
<L>Where my mo&s;t cruel Creditors,</L>
<L>in pri&s;on have me ca&s;t.</L>
<L>Let pity therefore pierce your brea&s;t</L>
<L>and mercy move your mind,</L>
<L>And to relea&s;e my mi&s;ery</L>
<L>&s;ome &s;hift dear father find,</L>
<L>My chiefe&s;t Chear is bread full brown</L>
<L>the boards my &s;ofte&s;t bed,</L>
<L>And flinty &s;tones my pillow &s;erve</L>
<L>to re&s;t my troubled head.</L>
</LG>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<LG>
<L>MY Garments all are worn to rags,</L>
<L>my body &s;tarves with cold,</L>
<L>And cr&eacute;eping ve<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">mine eat my fle&s;h,</L>
<L>mo&s;t grievous to behold:</L>
<L>Dear father come therefore with &s;p&eacute;ed,</L>
<L>and rid me out of thrall,</L>
<L>And let me not in pri&s;on dye,</L>
<L>&s;ith for your help I call.</L>
<L>The Good old man no &s;ooner had</L>
<L>perus'd this written &s;crowl,</L>
<L>But trickling tears along his cheeks</L>
<L>mo&s;t plentiou&s;ly did rowl.</L>
<L>Alas my &s;on, my &s;on quoth he,</L>
<L>in whom I joyed mo&s;t,</L>
<L>Thou &s;halt not long in pri&s;on be,</L>
<L>what ever it me co&s;t.</L>
<L>Two hundred head of well fed bea&s;ts</L>
<L>he changed into Gold,</L>
<L>Four hundred quarters of Good corn,</L>
<L>for &s;ilver eke he &s;old,</L>
<L>But all the &s;ame could not &s;uffice</L>
<L>this hanious fact to pay,</L>
<L>Till at the la&s;t con&s;trained was</L>
<L>to &s;ell his Land away.</L>
<L>Then was his Son relea&s;ed quite,</L>
<L>his debts di&s;charged clean,</L>
<L>And he like as well to Live,</L>
<L>as he before had b&eacute;en.</L>
<L>Then went his Loving Father home</L>
<L>who for to help his Son</L>
<L>Had &s;old his Living quite away,</L>
<L>and eke him&s;elf undone.</L>
<L>So that he Lived poor and bare</L>
<L>and in &s;uch extream need,</L>
<L>That many times he wanted food</L>
<L>his hungry corps to f&eacute;ed.</L>
<L>His &s;on mean time in wealth did &s;wim,</L>
<L>who&s;e &s;ub&s;tance now was &s;uch,</L>
<L>That &s;ure within the City then</L>
<L>few men were found &s;o rich.</L>
<L>But as his Goods did &s;till increa&s;e,</L>
<L>and Riches it did &s;lide,</L>
<L>So more and more his hardned heart</L>
<L>did &s;well in hateful pride.</L>
<L>But it fell out upon a time,</L>
<L>when ten years woe was pa&s;t,</L>
<L>Unto his Son he did repair</L>
<L>for &s;ome relief at la&s;t.</L>
<L>And being come unto his hou&s;e</L>
<L>in very poor array,</L>
<L>It chanced &s;o that with his Son</L>
<L>great &s;tore &s;hould dine that day:</L>
<L>The poor old man with hat in hand,</L>
<L>did then the Porter pray,</L>
<L>To &s;hew his &s;on that at the Gate</L>
<L>his Father there did &s;tay.</L>
<L>Whereat this proud di&s;dainful w<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">etch</L>
<L>with taunting &s;p&eacute;eches &s;aid,</L>
<L>That long ago his Fathers bones</L>
<L>within the Grave was laid.</L>
<L>What Ra&s;cal then is that quoth he,</L>
<L>that &s;taineth thus my &s;tate:</L>
<L>I charge th&eacute;e Porter pre&s;enty</L>
<L>to drive him from my Gate.</L>
<L>Which an&s;wer when the old man heard</L>
<L>he was in mind di&s;maid,</L>
<L>He wept, he wail'd, he wrung his hands,</L>
<L>and thus at length he &s;aid,</L>
<L>O cur&s;ed wretch, and mo&s;t unkind,</L>
<L>and worker of my woe,</L>
<L>Thou mon&s;ter of humanity,</L>
<L>and eke thy fathers foe.</L>
<L>Have I been careful of thy ca&s;e,</L>
<L>maintaining &s;till thy &s;tate,</L>
<L>And do&s;t thou now mo&s;t doggedly</L>
<L>enforce me from thy Gate:</L>
<L>And have I wrong'd thy breathren all,</L>
<L>from thrall to &s;et thee free,</L>
<L>And brought my &s;elf to beggars &s;tate,</L>
<L>and all to &s;uccour th&eacute;e.</L>
<L>Wo worth the time that fir&s;t of all</L>
<L>thy body I e&s;py'd:</L>
<L>Which hath in hardne&s;s of thy heart</L>
<L>thy fathers face deny'd.</L>
<L>But now behold how God that time</L>
<L>did &s;hew a wonder Great,</L>
<L>Even when his &s;on and all his friends,</L>
<L>were &s;etting down to meat.</L>
<L>For when the faire&s;t pye was cut</L>
<L>a &s;trange and dreadful ca&s;e,</L>
<L>Mo&s;t ugly Toads came crawling out</L>
<L>and leaped in his face:</L>
<L>Then did this wretch his fault confe&s;s,</L>
<L>and for his father &s;ent,</L>
<L>And for his Great ingratitude</L>
<L>full &s;ore he did repent.</L>
<L>All vertuous Children Learn by this</L>
<L>obedient hearts to &s;how,</L>
<L>And honour &s;till your parents dear,</L>
<L>for God commanded &s;o:</L>
<L>And think how he did turn his meat</L>
<L>to poy&s;onous Toads ind&eacute;ed,</L>
<L>Which did his fathers face deny</L>
<L>becau&s;e he &s;tood in n&eacute;ed.</L>
</LG>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>F. Coles, T. Vere,</HI> and <HI>I. Wright.</HI></HI></P>
</DIV1>
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