A worthy Myrrour, wherin ye may marke,
An excellent Discourse of a breeding Larke:
By readyng wherof, perceyve well ye may:
What trust is Freendes, or on Kinsfolkes to stay.
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A LARKE somtimes did breed,
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within a field of Corne:
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And had increase whenas the Grayne
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was redy to be shorne.
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Shee wary of the tyme:
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and carefull for her nest,
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Debated wisely with herselfe,
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what thynge to doo were best.
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For to abyde the rage,
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of cruell Reapers hande,
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Shee knew it was to perillous,
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with safetie for to stande:
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And to dislodge her Broode,
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unable yet to flye:
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(Not knowing whither to remove,)
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great harmes might hap therby
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Therfore shee ment to staye,
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tyll Force constraynd to fleete:
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And in the whyle for to provyde,
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some other place as meete.
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The better to provyde,
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the purpose of her mynde:
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She would forthwith go seeke abroad,
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and leave her Yong behind:
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But first, shee bad them all
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attend their Mothers wyll,
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Which carefull was for to eschewe
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each likelyhood of yll:
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This Corne is ripe (quoth shee,)
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wherein we nestled are:
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The which (if heede prevents not harmes,)
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may cause our mortall care.
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Therfore to fence with skyll,
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the sequeall of mishappes:
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I wyll provyde some other place,
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for feare of afterclappes:
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Whilste I for this and Foode,
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am flowen hence awaye:
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With heedefull eares attentive bee,
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what commers by doo saye.
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Thus sayde, shee vaunste herselfe,
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upon her longest Toe:
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And mounted up into the Skies,
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styll singing as shee flowe:
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Anone shee home returnde,
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full fraught with choyce of meate:
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But loe, (a suddaine change) her Byrdes
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for feare could nothyng eate.
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Therwith agast, she cryed:
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what how? what meaneth this?
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I charge ye on my blessyng, tell:
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what thyng hath chaunst amis?
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Are these my welcomes home,
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or thankes for Foode I have?
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Ye wonted were with chirping cheare,
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to gape before I gave:
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But now such Quawmes oppresse
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your former quiet kynde:
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That (quite transformd) dumb mute things
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and Senselesse Soules I finde:
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The Prime and eldest Birde,
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(thus checkt) began to say,
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Alas deare Dame, such news we hard,
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sence ye were flowen awaye.
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That were it not the truste
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that we repose in you,
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Our lives were lost remediles,
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we know it well ynow:
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The Owner of this Plot,
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came hither with his Sonne,
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And sayd to him, this wheat must down
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t'is more then time t'were don:
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Go get thee to my friendes,
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and byd them come to morne,
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And tell them that I crave their helpes,
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to reape a peece of Corne:
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The Larke that was the Dam,
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stood in a dump a whyle,
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And after said, his frindes (quod hee)
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and then began to smile.
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Tush, Friendes are hard to finde,
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true friendship seild appeares:
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A man misse to have a Friend,
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that lives olde NESTORS yeares,
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True DAMON and his Friend,
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long ere our time were dead:
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It was in Greece, a great way hence
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where such two friends were bred:
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Our Country is to colde,
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to foster up a Friende:
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Tyll proofe be made, eche one wyll say,
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styll yours unto the ende.
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But trye in time of neede,
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and all your friends are flowen,
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Suche fruitlesse Seede, suche fickle stay
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in faithlesse Friendes, is sowen:
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Therfore be of good cheere,
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revive your dulled Sprites,
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Expell the Care, that causelesse thus,
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bereaves you of delightes:
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Let no surmised feare,
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deprive your eyes of sleepe,
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Myselfe wyll be amongst ye styll,
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that safely shall ye keepe.
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And sweare eene by the Tufte,
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that growes upon my Crowne:
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If all his helpe be in his Freendes,
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this Corne shall not goe downe.
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The Yong assured by her,
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That such an Othe dyd sweare:
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Dyd passe the time with wonted sleepe,
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and banisht former feare.
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And when the drowsie Night,
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was fled from gladsome Daye:
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Shee bad them wake and looke about
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for she must go her way.
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And saide, I warrant you,
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these friendes wyll not come heere:
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Yet notwithstandyng, listen well,
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and tell me what you heare.
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Anone, the Farmer came,
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enraged wellnie madde:
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And sware, who so depends on friends
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his case is worse then badde.
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I wyll go fet my Kinne,
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to help mee with this geare,
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In things of greater weight than this,
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their kindred shall appeare,
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The Larkes, their Dam returnd,
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informed her of all,
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And how, that he hymselfe was gone,
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his kindred for to call:
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But when she hard of Kinne,
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shee laughinge, cried amayne:
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A Pin for Kin: a Figge for Friendes,
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yet Kinne the worste of twayne.
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This man himselfe is poore,
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though wealthy Kine he have:
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And kindred nowadayes doth quaile,
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when neede compelles to crave.
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No, no: he shall returne,
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with yll contented mynts:
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His paynes shall yeald but losse of time,
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no succoure he shall finde.
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They all are so addicte
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unto their private gayne,
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That if ye lacke power to requite,
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your Sutes are all in vayne.
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Myselfe am overchardgde,
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with Harvest ye maye see,
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And neerer is my Skin, then Shirte,
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this shall their Answere bee.
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Therfore, as earste of Friendes,
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so saye I nowe of Kin:
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Wee shall receyve no hurte by them,
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nor he no profite win.
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Yet listen once agayne,
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what now is Refuge is,
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For kinred shal be lyke to Friendes.
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be well assured of this:
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I must go furnish up,
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a Neast I have begone:
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And wyll returne and bring ye meate,
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as soone as it is don.
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Then up she clam the Clowdes,
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with such a lusty Laye:
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That it rejoyste her Yonglinges hartes
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as in their Neast they laye:
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And muche they did commende,
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their Mothers lofty gate,
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And thought it long til time had brought
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themselves to such estate.
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Thus whilste their twinkelynge eyes,
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were rovyng to and fro:
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They saw where as the Farmer came.
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that was their mortall Foe.
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Who after due complaintes,
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Thus said in the ende:
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I wyll from hencefoorth trust myselfe,
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and not to kinne nor Friende.
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Who geves me glosing wordes,
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and fayles me at my neede:
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May in my PATER NOSTER bee
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but never in my CREEDE,
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Myselfe wyll have it downe,
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since needes it must be so,
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For proofe hath taught me too mutch wit
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to trust to any mo.
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The Birdes that listenyng laye,
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attentive to the same:
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Informde their Mother of the whole,
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as soone as ere she came.
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Yee mary then quoth shee,
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the case now altered is:
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We wyll no longer heare abyde,
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I alwayes feared this,
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But out she got them all,
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and trudged away apace,
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And through the Corn she brought them safe,
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into another place.
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God send her lucke to shun
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both Hauke and Fowlers Gin,
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And mee the hap to have no neede,
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of Friende, nor yet of Kin,
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