A lesson for Dairy Maid Cisley

of 10 toppings gest

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From April beginning, till Andrew be past,         Dairie matters

so long with good huswif, hir dairie doth last.

Good milchcow and pasture, good husbands provide,

the resdue good huswives knowes best how to guide.

 

Ill huswife unskilful to make her own chees,         Ill huswferie

through trusting of others hath this for hir fees.

Her milk pan and creame pot, so slabbered and sost,

that butter is wanting and cheese is half lost.

 

Where some of a cow doo raise yeerlie a pound,

with such sellie huswives no penie is found.

Then dairie maid (Cisley) hir fault being known,

away apace trudgeth, with more than hir own.

 

Then neighbour, for Gods sake, if any you see,

good servant for dairie house, waine her to mee.

Such maister such man, and such mistress such maid,

such husband and huswife, such houses araid,

 

A LESSON FOR

DAIRY MAID CISLEY

OF TEN TOPPINGS GESTS

 

As wife that will                So Cisse that serves

  good husband plese,          must marke this note

Must shun with skill           What fault deserves

  such gests as these.              a brushed cote.

 

Gehezie, Lots wife, and Argusses eies,                               Ten toppings gests unsent for

Tom piper, poore Cobler, and Lazerus thies,

Rough Esau, with Mawdlin, and Gentils that scall,

With Bishop that burneth, thus knowe ye them all.

 

These toppingly gests be in number but ten,

As welcome in dairie as Beares among men.

Which being descried, take heede of you shall,

For danger of after claps, after that fall.

 

Gehezie his sickness was whiteish and drie,                       White not drie

such cheeses, good Cisley, ye floated too nie.

 

Lease Lot with her pliier (good Cisley) alone,                     Too salt

much saltnes in whitemeat is ill for the stone.

 

If cheeses in the dairie have Argusses eies                          Full of eies

tell Cicily the fault in hir huswiferie lies.

 

Tom Piper hath hoven and puffed up cheekes                     Hoven

if cheese be so hoven, make Cissie to seeke creekes.

 

Poore Cobler he tugged his leatherlie trash,                        Tough

if cheese abide tugging, tug Cisley a crash.

 

If Lazer so lothsome in cheese be espied                            Full of spots

let baies amend Cisley, or shift hir aside.

 

Rough Esau was hearie from top to the fut,                        Full of heares.

if cheese so appeareth, call Cisley a slut.

 

As Mawdlin wept, so would Cisley be drest,                     Full of Whey

for whey in hir cheese, not hald enough prest.

 

If gentils be scrauling, call magget the pt,                            Full of gentils

if cheeses have gentils, at Cissie by and by.

 

Blesse Cissie (good mistres) that Bishop doth ban,             Burnt to the pan.

for burning the milk of hir cheese to the pan.

 

It thou (so oft beaten)         I will no more threaten,

  amendest by this:                 I promise thee Cis.

 

Thus dairie maid Cisley, rehersed ye see,

what faults with ill huswife, in dairie house bee.

of market abhorred, to household a griefe,

to maister and mistris, as ill as a thiefe.