The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown — Robert Crowley

The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown · Robert Crowley

The womans leſſon.

WWho ſo thou be of woman kinde

That lokeſt for ſaluation.

Se y^u hauehave euer in thy mynde.

To walke in thy vocacion

If thy ſtate be virginitie

And haſt none houſband for to pleaſe

Then ſe thou do thy ſelfe applie

i. Cor. vii.In chriſten maners to encreaſe

If thou be vnderunder a meſties

Se thou learne hir good qualities

And ſerue hir wyth all redines

Haueyng goddes feare before thine eies

If thou ſe hir wanton and wylde

Then ſe thou call vponupon god ſtyll

That he wyll kepe the vndefylde

And kepe from the all maners yll

Auoyde idle and wanton talke

Auoyde nyce lokes and daliaunce

And when thou doeſt in the ſtretes walk

Se thou ſhewe no light contenaunce.

Let thyne apparayle be honeſte

Be not decked paſte thy degre

Neither let thou thyne hede be dreſte

Otherwiſe then beſemeth thei. Timo. ii

Let thine heare beare the ſame colour

That nature gaue it to endure

Laye it not out as doeth an whore

That would mens fantacies allure

Paynt not thy face in any wiſe

But make thy maners for to ſhyne

And thou ſhalt pleaſe all ſuch mens eies

As do to godlines enclyne.

Be thou modeſte, ſober and wiſe

And learne the poyntes of houſwyfry

And men ſhal hauehave the in ſuch price

That thou ſhalt not nede a dowry

Studye to pleaſe the lorde aboue

Walkynge in thy callyng vpright

And god wil ſome good mans hert moue

To ſet on the his whole delyte.

Now when thou arte become a wife

And haſt an houſbande to thy minde

Se thou prouoke him not to ſtryfe

Leſt haply he do proue vnkynde

Acknowledge that he is thyne headei. Co…. xi.

And hath of the, the gouernaunce

And that thou muſt of him be led

Accordyng to goddes ordinaunce

Do all thy buſynes quietly

And delyte not Idle to ſtand

But do thy ſelfe euer apply

To hauehave ſome honeſt worcke in hand

And in no caſe thou maiſte ſuffer

Thy ſeruauntes or children to playe

For ther is nought tha… may ſoner

Make them deſyre to tenne awaye

Se thou kepe them ſtyll occupyed

From morne tyll it be nyght agayne

And if thou ſe they growe in pryde

Then laye hand on the brydle rayne

But be thou not to them bytter

Wyth wordes lacking diſcretion

For thyne houſband it is fytter

To geue them due correction

But if thou be of ſuch degre

That it is not for the ſemely

Emonge thy maydens for to be

Yet do thy ſelfe ſtyll occupye

Do thy ſelfe occupy I ſaye

In readynge or heary…g ſome thynge

Or talkynge of the godly waye

Wherin is great edifiynge

Se thy children wel nurtered

Se them broughte vp in the lordes feare

And if theyr maners be wycked

In no caſe do thou wyth them beare.

And if thyne houſbande do outrage

In any thinge what ſo it be

Admoniſh him of his laſte age

Wyth wordes mylde as becometh the.

And if he do refuſe to heare

Thy gentle admonition

Yet ſe if thou can cauſe him feare

Goddes terreble puniſſion

Do what thou canſte him to allure

To ſeke god by godly lyueynge

And certenly thou ſhalt be ſure

Of lyfe that is euerlaſtynge

For though the fyrſte woman did falli Timo. ii.

And was the chiefe occaſion

That ſynne hath pearſed through vsus all

Yet ſhalt thou hauehave ſalluation

Thou ſhalt be falſe I ſay, if thou

Kepe thy ſelfe in obedience

To thyne houſband, as thou dydſte vow

And ſhewe to hym d…e reuerence

But in fayth muſt all this be done

Or elſe it doe…h nothynge auayle

For wythout fay…h nought can be woneHebr. xi.

Take tho… neuer ſo greate trauayle.

Thou muſt beleue and hope that he

Tha… bade the be obedient

Wyll be ryghte well …leaſed wyth the

Becauſe thou holdeſt the content

Nowe, if thyne houſband be godly

And hauehave knowledge be…ter then …hou

Then learne of him all thy dutie

And to his doctryne ſe thou bowe

Se thou talke with him ſecretly

Of ſuch thynges as do the behoue

And ſe thou obſerue thorowlye

All ſuch thynges as he ſhall aproue

Seke to pleaſe hym in thyne araye

And let not newe tryckes delyte the

For that becometh the alwaye

That wyth hys mynde doth beſte agre

Delyte not in vayne tatyllars

That do vſe falſe rumours to ſowe

For ſuch as be greate babbelars

Wyll in no caſe theyr duetie knowe

Theyr commynge is alwaye to tell

Some falſe lye by ſome honeſt man

They are wroſſe then the deuell of hell

If a man would them throughly ſcanne

They wyl fynde faute at thyne araye

And ſaye it is for the to baſe

And haply ere they go awaye

They wyll teach the to paynt thy face

Yea if all other talke do fayle

Before the idle tyme be ſpent

They wyll teach the howe to aſſayle

Thyne houſbande with wordes vehemēt

Thou maſte ſwere by goddes paſſion

That longe before thou ſaweſt his heade

Thou hadeſt ech gallant faſſion

And wylt agayne when he is deade

Thou muſt tell him that he may heare

Wyth a lowd voyce & eke words plaine

That y^u wilt ſome time make good chere

With ryght good felows one or twaine.

I am aſhamed for to wryte

The talke that theſe goſſepes do vſe

Wherfore, if thou wylt walke vpright

Do theyr cōpanie quyte refuſe

For they are the deuelles miniſtres

Sent to deſtroye all honeſtie

In ſuch as wyl be theyr hearars

And to theyr wycked reade applye

But thou that arte Sarais daughteri. Pet. iii.

And lokeſte for ſaluation

Se thou learne thy doctrine at hir.

And walke in thy vocacion.

She was alwaye obedient

To hir houſband, and calde hym lorde

As the boke of goddes teſtamentGene. xviii.

Doeth in moſt open wyſe recorde.

Folow hir, and thou ſhalt be ſure

To hauehave as ſhe had in the ende

The lyfe that ſhal euer endure

VntoUnto the whych, the lorde the ſende

Amen.

The Boke to the Reader,

☞ It pleaſed mine Autor to geue me to name

The voice of the laſte trumpe (as Sainct Ihon doth write)

Thinking therby to auoide al the blame

That cōmunely chaunſeth to ſuche m… write

Plainly to ſuch mē as walk not vpright

For truth getteth hatered of ſuch as be il

And wyl ſuffer nothing that bridleth theyr wyll

I ſought do diſpleaſe you, let me beare the wyre

For I am the doer of that which is done

I barcke at your faultes, but loth I am to byte

If by this barking ought might be won

And for this entent I was firſte begon

That hearing your faultes ye might thē emende

And reigne with your maiſter Chriſte at the ende.

¶ Imprinted at London by Robert Crowley dwelling in Elie rentes in Holburne. The yere of oure Lorde God. M.D.XLIX. the .xxix. daie of Nouembre.

☞ Auiore eodem Roberto Croleo

¶ Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum ſolum.

End of the text · Robert Crowley, The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown (1549)

The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown, Lesson 13

The womans leſſon.

The Boke to the Reader,