A pleasant new Song,
Of the backes complaint, for bellies wrong:
Or a farwell to good fellowship.
To the tune of A, B, C.
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G Ood fellowes all to you I send,
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These verses which in love I pend:
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Desiring you will compasse keepe,
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and bid farwell good fellowship.
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I once did beare a good fellowes name,
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And still am counted for the same:
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But now my vow in ingaged deepe,
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to bid farwell good fellowship.
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I have beene of that sett so long,
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Till backe complaines of bellies wrong:
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With great exclaimes in every street,
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to make me leave good fellowship.
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Me thinkes I oft doe heare it say,
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Mongst drunkards thou consum'd away:
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Thy monny memory and witt,
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all wasted by good fellowship.
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Of me thou takest but little care,
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Though bellies full yet backe is bare:
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And frostie winter will thee nipe,
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unles thou leave good fellowship.
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Thou thinkest good fellowes be thy friends
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And what thou hast on them thou spends:
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What thou by worke gainst all the weeke,
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consumeth by good fellowship.
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But when that all the money is gone,
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And score nor credit thou hast none:
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These friends from thee away will slipe,
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and farewell all good fellowship.
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When being gon, at thee they'l laugh,
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Tis bad to trust a broaken staffe:
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For feare thou fall in danger deepe,
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give over in time good fellowship.
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For dayly doth attend the same,
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Too sisters, call'd begery, and shame:
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Whose hands & heart full fast are knit,
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and joyned to good fellowship.
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Besides deseases that doth flow,
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From drunkennes as many know:
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Who to their smart, have felt the whipe
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that followeth good fellowship.
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Surfetes, dropsies, and divers paines,
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Ach of the head, breach of the braines:
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Like festred fistolles, foule and deepe,
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attendeth on good fellowship.
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Ten thousand misseries alacke,
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Fail's both on bodie and on backe:
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As ancient writters, large have write,
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to warne us from good fellowship.
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The second part, wherein is declared,
The backes complaint, hath the bellie reformed:
To bid farwell good fellowship. To the same tune.
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T His sad complaint when I did heare
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Vewing my back, I see it was beare:
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And cheifest cause I knew of it,
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was keeping of good fellowship.
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Being much moved at the same,
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A solemne oath then did I frame:
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This hainious wrong, for to aquite,
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to bid farwell good fellowship.
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And therefore here I bid farwell,
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To that which once I lov'd to well:
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Henceforth I will in compasse keepe,
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therefore farwell good fellowship.
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Farwell all such as take delight,
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To drinke and gousell day and night:
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Their sole sicke healths, & healthles whiff
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and causes the same good fellowship.
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Farwell all such that dayly use,
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Themselves and others to abuse:
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Inciting all that they do meete,
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with them to keepe good fellowship.
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Farwell all such that well are knowne,
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To have a charge to keepe at home:
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As wife, and child, yet from them flitt
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and fly out to good fellowship.
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Farwell good fellowes more and lesse,
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No tongue is able to expresse,
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The wofull wants that dayly hitte,
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on them that keepe good fellowship.
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Some that were famous throw all parts,
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For workmanship and skill in Arts:
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Hath beggery cought upon the hippe,
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for keeping of good fellowship.
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Some that have had possessions store,
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Lands, goods, and cattell, few had more:
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But lands, & goods, oxe, horse, and sheepe,
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were wasted by good fellowship.
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Many examples are dayly seene,
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Of such that have good fellowes beene,
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Bacchus brave souldiers, stout and stiffe,
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which now lament good fellowship.
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And to conclud the sin is such,
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The wise man sayes, none shall be ritch
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Except he shun that bitter sweete,
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which drunkards call, good fellowship.
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Then learne this vice for to refraine,
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The onely cause of griefe and paine:
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Least yee like me in sorrow sit,
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lamenting of good fellowship.
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