❧ Doctor double ale.   

ALthough I lack intelligence  
and can not skill of eloquence  
Yet will I do my diligence  
To say something or I go hence  
wherein I may demonstrate  
the figure gesture and estate  
Of one that is a curate  
that hard is and endurate  
and earnest in the cause  
Of pivish popish laws  
that are not worth two straws  
Except it be with daws  
that knoweth not good from evils  
Nor God's word from the Devils  
Nor will in no wise hear  
the word of god so clear  
but popishnes uprear  
and make the pope God's pear  
and so themselves they lad  
with babbles that he made  
and still will hold his trade  
No man can them persuade  
and yet I dare say  
there is no day  
but that they may  
Hear sincerily  
and right truly  
God's word to be taught  
If they would have sought  
but they set at nought  
Christ's true doctrine  
and themselves decline  
to men's ordinance  
which they enhance  
and take in estimation.  
above Christ's passion  
and so this foolish nation  
Esteem their own ration  
and all dumb ceremonies  
before the sanctimonies  
O● Christ's holy writ  
and think their own win  
so be far above it  
that the scripture to them teachis  
Or honest men preachis  
¶ they follow perlowes lechiss  
and doctors dulpatis  
that falsely to them pratis  
and bring them to the gates  
Of hell and utter darkness  
and all by stubborn starkenes  
Putting their full trust  
In things that rot and rust  
and papistical provisions  
which are the devils dirisions  
Now let us go about  
to tell the tale out  
Of this good fellow stout  
that for no man will doubt  
but keep his old conditions  
For all the new comyssyons  
And use his superstitions  
And also men's traditions  
And sing for dead folks souls  
And read his bead rolls  
And all such things will use  
As honest men refuse  
But take him for a cruse  
And ye will tell me news.  
For if he once begin  
He leaveth nought therein  
He careth not a pin  
How much there be within  
So he the pot may win  
He will it make full thine  
And where the drink doth please  
There will he take his ease  
And drink there of his fill  
Till ruddy be his bill  
And fill both cup and can  
Who is so glad a man  
As is our curate than/?  
I would ye knew it a curate  
Not far without newgate  
Of a parish large  
The man hath mikle charge  
And none within this border  
That keepeth such order  
Nor one a this side Naverne  
loveth better the ale tavern  
¶ But if the drink be small  
He may not well withal  
Tush cast it on the wall  
It fretteth out his gall  
Then seek an other house  
This is not worth a louse  
As drunken as a mouse  
Mon sire gybet a vous  
And there will byb and bouse  
Till heavy be his browse  
Good ale he doth so haunt  
And drink a due taunt  
That ale wives make there vaunt  
Of many a penny round  
That sum of them hath found  
And sometime mikle strife is  
Among the ale wives  
And sure I blame them not  
For wrong it is God wots  
when this good drunken sot  
Helpeth not to empty the pot  
For sometime he will go  
To one and to no more  
¶ Then will the hole rout  
Upon that one cry out  
and say she doth them wrong  
To keep him all day long  
From coming them among  
wherefore I g●ue council  
to them that good drink sell  
To take in of the best  
Or else they lose their gest  
For he is ready and priest  
Where good ale is to rest  
And drink till he be dressed  
When he his book should study  
He sitteth there full ruddy  
Till half the day be gone  
Crying fill the pot jone  
And will not be alone  
But call sum other one  
at window or at fen●stre  
that is an idle ministre  
as he himself is  
Ye know full well this  
the kind of carrion crows  
ye may be sure grows  
the more for carrion stinking  
and so do these in drinking  
this man to sum men's thinking  
Doth stay him much upon the king  
as in the due demanding  
Or that he calleth an head penny  
and of the paskall halfpenny.  
for the cloth of corpus Christy  
four pens he clay mith swiftly  
for which the sexton and he truly  
Did tog by the ears earnestly  
Sa●ing he can not the king well pay  
If all such drivellers be take away  
Is not this a gentle tale  
Of our doctor double ale  
Whose countenance is never pale  
So well good drink he can uphale  
¶ A man of learning great  
For if his brain he would beat  
He could within days fourteen  
make such a sermon as never was seen  
I wots not whether he spoke in drink  
Or drink in him how do ye think?  
I never heard him preach God wots  
But it were in the good ale pot  
Also he saith that fain he would  
Come before the council if he could  
For to declare his learning  
And other things concerning  
Goodly counsels that he could give  
beyond all measure ye may me believe  
His learning is exceeding  
ye may know by his reading  
yet could a cobblers boy him tell  
That he read a wrong gospel,  
wherefore in deed he served him well  
He turned himself as round as a bell  
And with loud voice began to call  
Is there no constable among you all,  
to take this knave that doth me trouble?  
with that all was on a hubble shubble  
There was drawing and dragging  
There was lugging and lagging  
and snitching and snatching  
and catching and catching  
and so the poor lad  
To the Counter they had  
Some would he should be hanged  
Or else he should be wronged  
Some said it were a good turn  
Such an heretic to burn  
Some said this and some said that  
and some did prate they witted not what  
some did curse and some did ban  
For chafing of our curate than  
He was worthy no less  
for vexing with his pertness  
a gemman going to Mess,  
Did it become a cobblers boy  
To show a gemman such a toy?  
¶ but if it were well weighed  
ye should find I am afraid  
that the boy were worthy  
for his reading and sobriety  
and judgement in the verity  
among honest folk to be  
A curate rather than he.  
for this is known for certainty  
the boy doth love no papistry  
and our Curate is called no doubt  
a papist london throughout.  
and truth is it they do not lie,  
It may be seen with half an eye.  
for if there come a preacher,  
Or any godly teacher  
to speak against his trumpery  
to the alehouse goth he by & by▪  
and there he will so much drink  
till of ale he doth so stink,  
that whether he go before or behind/  
Ye shall him smell without the wind  
for when he goeth to it he is no hafter  
He drinketh drunk for two days after  
Wi●h fill the cup jone,  
for all this is gone  
Here is ale alone  
I say for my drinking  
tush, let the pot be clinking  
and let us merry make,  
No thought will I take/  
for though these fellows crack  
I trust to see them slake  
and some of them to bake  
In smithfield at a stake  
and in my parish be some/  
that if the time come  
I fear not will remember  
(be it august or september  
October or November  
Or month of December)  
to find both wood and timber  
to burn them every member  
and goth to board and bed  
At the sign of the kings head.  
¶ And let these heretics preach  
And teach what they can teach  
My parish I know well  
Against them will rebel  
If I but once them tell  
Or give them any warning  
That they were of the new learning.  
For with a word or twain  
I can them call again  
And yet by the Mess  
forgetful I was  
Or else in a slumber  
there is a shrewd number  
that curstly do cumber  
And my patience prove  
And daily me move  
¶ for some of them still  
Continue will  
In this new way  
whatsoever I say  
¶ It is not long ago  
sins it chanced so  
that a burial here was  
Without dirige or Mass  
but at the burial  
they sung a christmas carall  
by the Mass they will mar all  
If they continue shall/  
Some said it was a godly hearing  
 
Some of them fell on weeping  
In my church I make no leasing  
They hard never the like thing  
Do ye think that I will consent  
to these heretics intent  
to have any sacrament  
Ministered in English?  
by them I set not a rysh  
So long as my name is Harry George  
I will not do it spite of their gorge.  
Oh Dankester Dancastre  
None between this and Lancaster.  
Knoweth so much my mind.  
As thou my special friend  
It would do the much good  
To wash thy hands in the blood  
Of them that hate the mess▪  
thou covetest no less  
So much they us oppress  
Poor priests doubtless  
And yet what than  
there is not a man  
that sooner can,  
Persuade his parishons  
From such conditions  
than I pierce I  
for by and by  
I can them convert  
to take my part  
Except a few  
that hack and hue/  
and against me show  
What they may do  
To put me to  
Some hindrance  
And ye● may chance  
The bishops visitor,  
Will show me favour  
and therefore I  
Care not a fly,  
for oft have they/  
Sought by some way  
To bring me to blame  
and open shame/  
but I will bear them out  
In spite of their snout  
and will not cease  
To drink a pot the less  
Of ale that is big  
Nor pass not a fig  
for all their malice  
away the mare qd walis/  
I set not a w●●●●ge  
by all their writing,  
for yet I deny not  
The Masses private  
Nor yet forsake  
that I of a cake  
My maker may make  
¶ but hark a little hark/  
and a few words mark,  
How this calvish clerk/  
for his purpose could work  
there is an honest man:  
that kept an old woman  
Of alms in her bed  
lying daily beddered  
which man could not I say  
with popishnes a way  
but fain this woman old  
would have Mess if she could  
the which this priest was told  
He hearing this anon  
as the goodman was gone  
abroad about his business  
before the woman he said Mess  
and showed his pretty popishnes  
against the goodman's will  
wherefore it is my skill  
that he should him indite  
for doing such despite  
as by his popish wile  
His house with Mass defile  
¶ Thus may ye behold  
this man is very bold/  
and in his learning old  
Intendeth for to sit  
I blame him not a whit  
for it would vex his wit  
and clean against his earning  
to follow such learning  
as now a days is taught  
It would soon bring to nought  
His old popish brain  
for then he must again  
apply him to the school  
and come away a fool:  
for nothing should he get  
His brain hath been to het  
and with good ale so wet  
Wherefore he may now set  
In fields and in medes  
and pray upon his beads  
for yet he hath a pair  
O● beads that be right fair  
Of coral agete, or ambre  
at home within his chamber  
tor in matins or Mass,  
Primar and portas  
and pots and beads  
His life he leads  
¶ But this I wota  
that if ye nota  
How this idiota  
Doth follow the pota  
I hold you a grota  
Ye will read by rota  
that he may were a ●ota  
In cock lose●s bota  
¶ thus the dirty doctor  
the pope's own proctor  
will brag and boast  
with ale and a toost  
and like a rutter  
His latin will utter  
and turn and toss him  
with tu non possum  
Loquere latinum  
this alum finum  
Is bonus then vinum  
Ego volo quare  
Cum tu drinkare  
Pro tuum caput,  
quia apud  
te propiciacio  
tu non potes facio  
tot quam ego  
quam librum tu lego,  
Caue de me  
apponere te  
juro per deum  
Hoc est lifum meum  
quia drinkum stalum  
Non sacere malum  
☞ thus our dominus dodkin  
with ita vera bodkin  
Doth lead his life  
which to the alewife  
is very profitable  
it is pity he is not able  
To maintain a table  
For beggars and tinkers  
And all lusty drinkers  
Or captain or beddle  
with drunkards to meddle  
ye cannot I am sure/  
for keeping of a cure  
find such a one well  
If ye should rake hell  
¶ and therefore now  
No more to you/  
Sed perlegas ista,  
Si velis Papista,  
far well and a dew  
with a whirlary whewe  
and a tirlary tip  
Beware of the whip.  
Finis.  
Take this till more come.