The wofull lamentation of Mistris Jane 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 Live with me.
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IF Rosamond that was so faire,
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Had cause her sorrowes to declare,
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[t]hen let Jane Shore with sorrow sing,
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[t]hat was beloved of a King:
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[T]hen wanton wives in time amend,
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[For] love and beauty will have end.
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[In Maid]en yeeres my beauty bright,
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[Was l]oved deare of Lord & Knight:
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But yet the love that they required,
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then was not as my friends desired.
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My Parents they for thirst of gaine,
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A husband for me did obtaine:
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and I their pleasure to fufill,
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was forc'd to wed against my will.
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[T]o Mathew Shore I was a wife,
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[T]ill Lust brought ruine to my life:
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[a]nd then my life so lewdly spent,
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now makes my soule for to lament.
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[I]n Lumbardstreet I once did dwell,
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[As] London yet can witnesse well:
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[wh]ere many Gallants did behold
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[my b]eauty in a shop of gold.
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[I sprea]d my plumes as wantons doe,
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[Som]e sweet and secret friend to woo,
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[bec]ause my love I did not find,
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agreeing to my wanton mind.
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At last my name at Court did ring,
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Into the eares of Englands King,
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who came and lik'd, & love required,
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but I made coy what he desired
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[Yet] Mistris Blage a neighbour neere,
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[Who]se friendship I e[st]eemed deare,
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[did sa]y it was a gal[l]ant thing,
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[to be] beloved of a King.
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[By he]r perswasions I was led,
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[For t]o defile my marriage bed,
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[& wr]ong my wedded husband Shore,
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[Whom I had lov'd] ten yeeres before.
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In heart and mind I did rejoyce,
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That I had made so sweet a choise:
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and therefore did my state resigne,
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to be King Edwards Concubine.
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From Citie then to Court I went,
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And reapt the pleasures of content:
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I had the joyes that love did bring,
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and knew the secrets of a King.
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When I was thus advanc'd on high,
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Commanding Edward with mine eye
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for Mistris Blage I in short space,
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obtain'd a living of his Grace.
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No friend I had but in short time,
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I made unto promotion clime:
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but yet for all this costly pride,
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my husband could not me abide.
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His bed though wronged by a King,
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His hart with griefe did deadly sting:
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from England soone he goes his way,
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to end his life upon the Sea.
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He could not live to see his fame,
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Empaired by my wanton shame:
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although a Prince of peerlesse might
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did reape the pleasures of his right.
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Long time I lived in the Court,
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With Lords & Ladies of great port:
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for when I smil'd all men were glad,
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and when I mourn'd my prince grew sad,
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But yet an honest mind I bore,
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To helplesse people that were poore:
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I still redrest the Orphans cry,
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& saved their lives condemn'd to die.
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I still had ruth on widdowes teares,
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I succour'd babes of tender yeeres:
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and never lookt for other gaine,
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but love and thanks for all my pain.
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At last my Royall King did dye,
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And then my dayes of wo drew dye;
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for when K. Richard got the crowne,
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sweet Edwards friends were soon put downe.
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I was then punisht for the sin,
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That I so long had lived in:
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yea everyone that was my friend,
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that tyrant brought to timelesse end.
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Then for my lewd and wanton life,
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Who made a Strumpet of a Wife:
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I penance did in London street,
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in shamefull manner in a sheet.
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Where many thousands did me view
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That late in Court my credit knew:
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which made the teares run downe my face
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to think upon my foule disgrace.
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Not thus content, they tooke from me,
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My goods, my livings, and my fee:
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& charg'd that none should me relieve
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nor any succour to me give.
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Then unto Mistris Blage I went,
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To whom my Jewels I had sent,
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in hope thereby to ease my want,
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when riches fail'd, & love grew scant
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But she denyed me the same,
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When in my need for them I came:
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to recompense my former love,
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out of the doores she did me shove.
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Thus love did vanish with my state,
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Which now my soule repents too late:
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therefore example take by me,
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that friendship parts in poverty.
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But yet a friend amongst the rest,
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Whom I before had seene distrest,
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and sav'd his life being judg'd to die,
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did give me food to succour me.
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For which by Law it was decreed,
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That he was hang'd for his good deed:
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his death did grieve me ten times more,
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then I had dyed myselfe therefore.
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Then those to whom I had done good,
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Durst not restore me any food:
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whereby in vaine I beg'd all day,
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and still in street by night I lay.
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My gowns beset with pearle and gold,
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Were turn'd to simple garments cold:
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my chaines, and gems, & golden rings,
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to filthy rags and lothsome things.
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Thus was I scornd of maid and wife,
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For leading such a wicked life:
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both sucking babes, and children small,
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did make a pastime of my fall.
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I could no[t] get one bit of bread,
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Whereby my hunger might be fed:
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nor drinke but such as kennell yeelds,
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or stinking ditches in the fields.
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Thus weary of my life at length,
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I yeelded up my vitall strength:
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within a ditch of lothsome sent,
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where carrion dogs do much frequent.
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Which Ditch now since my dying day,
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Is Shore-ditch cald, as Writers say,
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which is a witnesse for my sinne,
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for being Concubine to a King.
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You wanton wives that fall to lust,
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Be you assured that God is just,
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whoredome shall not escape his hand,
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nor bide unpunisht in the Land.
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If God to me such shame did bring,
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That yeelded onely to a King,
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how shall they scape that dayly run
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to practise s[in]ne with every man,
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You husbands match not but for love
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Lest some misliking after prove:
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women be warnd when you are wi[ves]
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what plagues are due to lustfull livess.
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Then wanton wives in time amend,
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For love and beauty will have end.
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The second part of Jane Shore: wherein he[r] sorrowfull husband bewaileth his owne estate, h[is]
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wives wantonnesse, the wrongs of marriage, and the fall of pride: a warning for all
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wanton women to take heed by. To the tune of Live with me.
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IF she that was faire Londons pride,
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For beauty fam'd both far and wide,
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With Swan-like song in sadnesse told
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Her deepe distresses manifold:
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then in the same let me also,
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now beare a part of such like woe.
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Kind Mathew Shore men called me,
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A Goldsmith once of good degree,
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And might have lived long therein,
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Had not my Wife been wooed to sinne:
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ah gentle Jane thy wanton race,
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hath brought us both to this disgrace.
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Thou hadst all things at wish and will,
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Thy wanton fancy to fulfill;
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No London Dame or Merchants wife,
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Did leade so sweet and brave a life:
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then gentle Jane the truth report,
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why leftst thou me to live in Court?
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Thou hadst both gold and jewels store,
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No wife in London then had more:
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And once a weeke to walke the field,
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To see what pleasure it would yeeld:
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but woe to me, that liberty
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hath brought us both to misery,
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I wedded thee whilst thou wert yong,
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Before thou knewst what did belong
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To husbands love, or marriage state,
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Which brings repentance now too late:
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thus wanton pride made thee unjust,
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and so deceived was my trust.
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But when the King possest my roome,
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And cropt the gallant Rosie bloome,
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Faire Londons blossome and my joy,
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My heart was drownd in deepe annoy:
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to thinke how unto publike shame,
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thy wanton love brought my good name.
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And then methought each man & wife,
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In jesting sort accus'd my life,
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And everyone to other said,
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that Shores faire wife had wanton plaid:
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whereby I grew in mind to change
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my dwelling in some country strange
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Then lands and goods I sold away,
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And so from England went to sea,
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Opprest with griefe and wofull minde,
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But left my cause of griefe behinde:
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my loving wife whom once I thought
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would never be to lewdnesse brought.
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But women now I well espy,
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Are subject to inconstancy,
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And few there be so true of love,
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But by long suite will wanton prove:
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for flesh is fraile and women weake,
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when kings for love great suit do make
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But yet from England my depart,
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Was with a sad and heavy heart,
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Whereof when as my leave I tooke,
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I sent backe many a heavy looke,
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desiring God if it might be,
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to send one sigh sweet Jane to thee.
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For if thou hadst but constant beene,
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These dayes of woe I ne're had seene:
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But yet I grieve and mourne full sore,
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To think what plagues are kept in store
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for such as carelesse tread awry
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the modest steps of constancy.
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Ah gentle Jane, if thou didst know
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The uncouth pathes I daily goe,
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And wofull teares for thee I shed,
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For wronging thus our marriage bed:
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then sure, I know, thou wouldst confesse
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my love was true, though in distresse.
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Both Flanders, France & Spaine I past,
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And came to Turky at the last,
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And then within that mighty Court,
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I lived long in honest sort:
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desiring God that sits in heaven,
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that lovers sinnes might be forgiven.
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And there advanc'd thy lovely name,
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Of living wights the fairest Dame,
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The praise of Englands beauties stain,
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All which thy Husband did maintaine:
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and set thy picture there in gold,
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for Kings and Princes to behold.
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But when I thought upon the sinne,
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Thy wanton thoughts delighted in,
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I griev'd that such a comely face,
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Should hold true honour in disgrace:
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And counted it a lucklesse day,
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wherein thou first didst goe astray.
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Desirous then some newes to heare,
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Of her my soule did love so deare,
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My secrets then I did impart
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To one well skild in Magike Art,
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who in a glasse did truely show[,]
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such things as I desired to kn[ow,]
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I there beheld thy Courtly state[,]
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Thy pompe, thy pride, thy glor[y great]
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And likewise there I did beho[ld]
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My Jane in Edwards armes [infold.]
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thy secret love I there espie[d,]
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thy rise, thy fall, and how tho[u died,]
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Thy naked beauty in the street,
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I saw doe penance in a sheet,
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Barefoote before a Beadles wand,
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With burning Tapers in thy hand:
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and babes not having use of tongue,
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stood pointing as thou past along.
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Thus ended was this shame of thine,
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Though God gave yet no end to mine.
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When I suppos'd thy name forgot,
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And time had washt away the blot:
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then in anothers Princes raigne,
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I came to England backe againe.
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But finding here my friends decaid,
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The Princes lawes I disobaid,
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And by true justice judg'd to dye,
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For clipping gold in secrecie:
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by gold was my best living made;
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and so by gold my life decaid.
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Thus have you heard the wofull strife,
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That came by my unconstant wife:
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Her fall, my death, wherein is shew['d]
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The Story of a Strumpet lew[d.]
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in hope thereby all wome[n may,]
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take heed how they the [wanton play.]
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The descrip-
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tion of Jane
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Shore.
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This womans
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beauty hath
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beene highly
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praised by a
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famous Writer
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that lived in
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her time, na-
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med Sr Tho-
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mas Moore, who
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described her
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in this maner:
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before her
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death she was
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poore & aged,
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her stature was
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meane, her
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haire of a dark
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yellow, her
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face round &
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full, her eyes
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gray, her body
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fat, white and
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smooth, her
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countenance
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cheerefull like
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to her condi-
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tion. There is
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a Picture of
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hers now to
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bee seene in
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London, it is
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such as she was
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when she rose
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out of her bed
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in the mor-
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ning, having
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nothing on
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but a rich
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Mantle ca[s]t
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under one arm
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over her shoul-
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der, and sitting
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in a Chaire, on
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which her na-
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ked arme did
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lye. What her
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Fathers name
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was, or where
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she was borne,
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is not certain-
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ly known, but
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her Husband
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Mathew Shore, a
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yong man of
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right good
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parentage,
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wealth and be-
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haviour, aban-
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doned her bed
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after the King
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had made her
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his Concu-
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bine.
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