WHer Dicar hath dreamed of things out of frame,
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And Churchyard by writing affirmeth the same,
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And Camell contendeth, the same to deface,
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And therfore hath put hys doynges in place,
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Sythe both of those twayne hath set foorth in myter
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The wordes of the Authour, the skyl of the wryghter
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And runne in thys race, styl chaffyng the bytte
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I thynke in thys case much more then is fytte.
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I myndyng as much as lyeth in me
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To make them both, as in one to agree
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Have taken in hande the dreame to defende
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And so to recite theyr race to the ende.
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Not so to approve my learning or skyll
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But onely because it becommeth them yll
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From rymyng to raylyng so ofte to dygresse,
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Wheras reason and wyt doth wil nothing lesse.
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As Dicar hath dreamed so tyme out of mynde,
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Some thynges were amys, that some men dyd fynde,
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If al thynges were wel, as I woulde God they were,
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We shoulde not be plaged from yeare unto yeare,
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If all men do ryght, what nedeth the lawe,
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What nede any justice to hange and to drawe,
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If no man be wronged nor wydowe oppressed,
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Then needeth no care to have it redressed,
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If no man wyll venter to robbe or to steale,
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O England thou hast a good commonweale.
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If no man do hurde nor hydeth in store,
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Then England shal have no dearth anymore
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If no man offend by way of excesse.
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Then grace doth abound, the fault is the lesse,
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If the lustes of the fleshe be putte oute of ure
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The world is amended the people be pure.
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If the poore and the nedye be daylye relyved,
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What man is so mad, therat to be greved?
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If no man do slaunder nor styrre up debate,
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Then Dicar I thynke hath dreamed to late.
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If no man do flatter, nor fawne for agayne,
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Then may it appeare this dreame is but vain.
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If all thyng be well, and in the ryght waye,
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Why do they not use good lawes to obey.
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If no man defraude in bying nor sellyng
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Then happy is Englande, for ther is best dwellyng.
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If fayth be unfayned, and wordes do once bynde,
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The dreame is all false, and so ye may fynde.
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If truth do take place and in al thynges encreasse,
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Dreame no more Dicar, but lette thy dreame ceasse.
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If thys be not so then Camel to you,
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I feare me thys dreame wyll prove to be true.
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For it is not so geeson wyth us for to heare,
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But the effect of the dreame doth dayly appeare.
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And every man is now in such takynge,
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It passeth a dreame, they fynde it out wakyng.
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If you be suche a one as never had peere,
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Then are you fauty in none of thys geere.
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But seyng your writyng doth seme somewhat quycke,
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You seme that ye smarted because ye dyd kycke.
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Yet when the dreame was to pryntyng dyrected,
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I thyncke of the dreamer ye were not suspected.
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And where as you contende it doth not belonge,
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For Dicar to dreame of ryght or of wronge.
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In dede you do well yf you have done amys,
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To shewe hym hys faulte and saye thus it is.
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And if you so wel know what doth Dycar behove,
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Then ought you to shewe the same to approve.
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But me thyncketh you want a frendly goodwyll,
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To deface a good matter though the author wer yll.
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