And this verse in disprayse of the Courtiers life following the Court of
Rome.
  Vita palatina dura est animaque ruina.

And these written by a noble learned man.
  Ire redire fequi regum sublimia castra
  Eximiius status est, sed non sic itur ad astra.

And this other which to the great injurie of all women was written (no
doubt by some forlorne lover, or else some old malicious Monke) for one
woman’s sake blemishing the whole sex.
  Fallere stere nere mentari nilque tacere
  Haec qumque vere statuit Deus in muliere.

If I might have bene his Iudge, I would have had him for his labour serued as Orpheus was by the women of Thrace.  His eyes to be picket out with pinnes for his so deadly belying of them, or worse handled if worse could be deuised.  But will ye see how God raised a revenger for the silly innocent women, for about the same ryming age came an honest civill Courtier somewhat bookish, and wrate these verses against the whole rable of Monkes.
  O Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphor a Bacchi
  Vos estos Deis est restes turpissima pestis.

Anon after came your secular Priestes as jolly rymers as the rest, who
being sore agreeued with their Pope Calixtus, for that he had enjoyned
them from their wives,& railed as fast against him.
  O bone Calixte totus mundus perodit te
  Quondam Presbiteri, poterant vxoribus vti
  Hoc destruxisti, postquam tu Papa fursti.

Thus what in writing of rymes and registring of lyes was the Clergy of that fabulous age wholly occupied.

We finde some but very few of these ryming verses among the Latines of the
ciuiller ages, and those rather hapning by chaunce then of any purpose in
the writer, as this Distick among the disportes of Ouid.
  Quot coem stellas tot habet tua Roma puellas
  Pascua quotque haedos tot habet tua Roma Cynedos,

The posteritie taking pleasure in this manner of Simphonie had leasure as it seemes to deuise many other knackes in their versifying that the auncient and ciuill Poets had not vfed before, whereof one was to make euery word of a verse to begin with the same letter, as did Hugobald the Monke who made a large poeme to the honour of Carolus Caluus, euery word beginning with C. which was the first letter of the king’s name thus.
  Carmina clarisona Caluis cantate camenae.

And this was thought no small peece of cunning, being in deed a matter of some difficultie to finde out so many wordes beginning with one letter as might make a iust volume, though in truth it were but a phantasticall deuise and to no purpose at all more then to make them harmonicall to the rude eares of those barbarous ages.

Another of their pretie inuentions was to make a verse of such wordes as by their nature and manner of construction and situation might be turned backward word by word, and make another perfit verse, but of quite contrary sence as the gibing Monke that wrote of Pope Alexander these two verses.
  Laus tua non tua fraus, virtus non copia rerum,
  Scandere te faciunt hoc decus eximium.