text_original: Sternhold, an enthusiast for the Reformation, was much offended, says Warton, at the lascivious ballads which prevailed among the courtiers, and, with a laudable design to check these indecencies, he undertook to be our Marot  without his genius: "thinking thereby," says our cynical literary historian, Antony Wood, "that the courtiers would sing them instead of their sonnets, _but did not_, only some few excepted."
text_transcription: STERNHOLD AN ENTHUSIAST FOR THE REFORMATION WAS MUCH OFFENDED SAYS WHARTON AT THE LASCIVIOUS BALLADS WHICH PREVAILED AMONG THE COURTIERS AND WITH A LAUDABLE DESIGN TO CHECK THESE INDECENCIES HE UNDERTOOK TO BE OUR MORAL WITHOUT HIS GENIUS THINKING THEREBY SAYS OUR CYNICAL LITERARY HISTORIAN ANTONY WOOD THAT THE COURTIERS WOULD SING THEM INSTEAD OF THEIR SONNETS BUT DID NOT ONLY SOME FEW EXCEPT I
phonemes: stˈɜːnhoʊld, ɐn ɛnθˈuːziˌæst fɚðə ɹᵻfɔːɹmˈeɪʃən, wʌz mˈʌtʃ əfˈɛndᵻd, sˈɛz wˈɔːɹtən, æt ðə lɐsˈɪviəs bˈælədz wˌɪtʃ pɹɪvˈeɪld ɐmˌʌŋ ðə kˈɔːɹɾɪɹz, ænd, wɪð ɐ lˈɔːdəbəl dɪzˈaɪn tə tʃˈɛk ðiːz ˌɪndˈiːsənsiz, hiː ˌʌndɚtˈʊk təbi ˌaʊɚ mˈæɹɑːt wɪðˌaʊt hɪz dʒˈiːnɪəs: "θˈɪŋkɪŋ ðɛɹbˈaɪ," sˈɛz ˌaʊɚ sˈɪnɪkəl lˈɪɾɚɹˌɛɹi hɪstˈɔːɹiən, ˈæntəni wˈʊd, "ðætðə kˈɔːɹɾɪɹz wʊd sˈɪŋ ðˌɛm ɪnstˈɛd ʌv ðɛɹ sˈɑːnɪts, bˌʌt dɪdnˈɑːt, ˈoʊnli sˌʌm fjˈuː ɛksˈɛptᵻd."