The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown, Lesson 10

The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown · Lesson 10

¶ The Marchauntes leſſon.

NOwe marcke my wordes thou

Marchaunte man,

Thou y^t doſt vſe to bye and ſel,

I wyl enſtruct the if I can,

How thou maieſt vſe thy callynge wel.

Fyrſt ſe tho… cal to memory

The ende wherfore al men are made

And then endeuour buſily

To the ſame ende to vſe thy trade.

The ende why all men be create

As men of wiſdome do agre

Is to main…ayne the publike ſtate

In the contrey where they ſhal be.

Apply thy trade therfore I ſay

To profit thy contrey wythal:

And let conſcience be thy ſtaye

That to pollynge thou do not fal.

If thou venter into ſtraunge landes,

And brynge home thinges profitable:

Let pore mē hauehave them at thine handes.

VponUpon a price reaſonable.

Though y^u maiſt thy money forbeare

Til other mens ſtore be quire ſpente

Yet if thou do ſo that thy ware

May beare high price, y^u ſhalt be ſhente

Thou ſhalt be ſhent of him I ſay

That on the ſeas did proſpere the

And was thy guide in al the way

That thou wenteſt in great ieopardye.

For he gaue the not thy richeſſe,

To hurt thy contrey with all,

Neither gaue he the good ſucceſſe

That thou ſholdſt therbi make mē thral

But thy richeſſe was geuen to the

That thou mighteſt make prouiſion:

In farre contreys for thinges that be

Nedefull for thine owne nation.

And whē by Gods helpe y^u haſt brought

Home to thy cōtry am good thing

Thē ſhouldſt y^u thāke him that al wrought

For thy proſperouſe returnyng.

Which thing thou cāſt not do in dede,

Vnles thou walke in thy callyng

And for his ſake th…t was thy ſpede

Content thy ſelfe with a liuynge

But oh me thinke I write in vayne,

To marchaunte men of this our time

For they wil take no maner paine.

But onelyonly vponupon hope to clime.

So ſone as they hauehave ought to ſpare,

Beſide their ſtocke that muſt remaine:

To purchaſe landes is all theyr care

And all the ſtudye of their braine.

Ther can be none vnthrifty heyre

Whō they wil not ſmel out anon

And handle him w^t wordes ful faire

Til al his landes is from him gone

The fermes, the woddes, and paſture

That do lye roūd about Lōdon

Are hedged in within their mowndes, groūds

Or elſe ſhall be ere they hauehave done

They hauehave their ſpyes vponupon eche ſide

To ſe when ought is lyke to fall:

And as ſone as ought can be ſpied,

They are ready at the fyrſt call.

I can not tell what it doeth meane

But white mea…e beareth a greate price

Which ſome mē thinke is by the meane

That fermes be found ſuch marchādice

For what is it when the pore man

That erſte was wont to pay but lite

Muſt now nedes learne (do what he cā)

To playe eyther double or quite?

If ye aſke of the coliar

Why he ſelleth hys coles ſo dere:

And ryght ſo of the wodmongar

They ſay marchaūtes hauehave all in fere.

The wod (ſay thei) y^t we hauehave bought

In tymes paſt for a crowne of golde

We can not hauehave if it be ought:

VnderUnder ten ſhyllynges ready told

I am aſhamed for to tell,

Halfe the abuſe that all men ſee:

In ſuch men as do by and ſell,

They be ſo bad in eche degre.

I wyll therfore do what I can

To make plaine declaration

How thou that arte a marchaunt man,

Maiſt walke in thy vocation,

Apply thy trade as I hauehave tolde,

To the profit of thy contrey

And then thou maiſt euer be bolde,

That thy Lord God wil guide thy way

Thou ſhalt not nede to purchaſe lāds

Neither to take leaſes in groundes

That whē thou haſt thē in thine handes

Thou maiſt for ſhyllinges gather poundes

Thou ſhalt nor nede to bye or ſel

Benefices which ſhould be fre:

To true preachers of Gods goſpel

To helpe thē wyth that hel…les be.

No more ſhalt thou nede for to lende,

Thy goodes out fo… vnlawfull gayne

In ſuche ſorte that by the yeres ende,

Thou maiſt of one ſhilling make twainLuke. v…Luke 5

Thou ſhalt aye hauehave inough in ſtore

For the and thine in thy degree:

And what ſhouldeſt thou deſire more,

Or of hygher eſtate to be?

Let it ſuffice the to marye

Thy daughter to one of thy trade:

Why ſhouldſt thou make hir a Lady

Or bye for hyr a noble warde?

And let thy ſonnes euerychone

Be bounde prentiſe yeres nine or ten

To learne ſome art to liue vponupon

For why ſholde they be gentilmen?

There be already men mowe

That beare the name of gentil bloude

Tel thou me then, what nede haſt thou,

So vainely to beſtowe thy good?

…or thou canſt not promote thy ſōne

But thou m…ſt bye him lande & rent

Wherby ſome muſte neades be vndone

To bring to paſſe thy fonde entent.

Some man perchaunce, nede doth cōpell

To morgage hys land for money

And wilt thou cauſe him for to ſell,

The liuelode of his progenie?

Tel me if y^u wouldſt hauehave thy ſonne,

(If haply he ſhould ſtande in nede)

To be ſo ſerued when thou art gone

Of marchauntes that ſhal the ſucced?

Do thou as thou wouldſt be done by

As very nature doeth the reach

Math. vii.Matt 7And let thy louelove and charitye

VntoUnto all the Lordes creatures reache.

And if any man ſtande in nede

Lende him frely that thou maiſte ſpare

Luke. vi.Luke 6And doubtles god wil be thy mede

And recompence the in thy ware

Math. v.Matt 5Be iuſt, plaine, and not deceitfull,

And ſhew mercy vntounto the pore:

And God that is moſt merciful

Shal euermore encreaſe thy ſtore.

And in the ende when nature ſhall,

Ende thy peregrination:

Thou ſhalt hauehave Ioye emong them all,

That walke in their vocation.

But if thou do refuſe to walke,

In thy callynge as I hauehave tolde

Thy wyſdome ſhalbe but vayne talke,

Though thou be boeth auncient & olde

Say what thou wylt for to defende

Thy walkynge inordinately:

Thou ſhalt be certayne in the end

To be damned eternally.Mat. vii.Matt 7

For in the worlde there can not be

More greate abhomination

To thy Lord God, then is in the

Forſakynge thy vocation.