Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte Edited from the Fairfax MS. 16 (Bodleian) and the additional MS. 29,729 (Brit. Mus.) by Ernst Sieper |
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The two Rokys on hir partye. |
 | Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte |  |
The two Rokys on hir partye.
Hyr Rokys, at eche corner oon,
Wer makyd of a ryche stoon,
Of a Thopas wonder fyne,
Which of colour ys citryne,
A stoon of grete worthynesse,
Lyke as clerkys bere wytnesse
And expressen in her bokys.
And the namys of thise Rokys:
Bialocoil and Doulz Regarde,
As I loked thiderwarde,
They wer callyd so of ryght,
Whos names ben of ful gret myght
To maat a man, or he be war.
And they vpon her sheldes bare:
The toon, lyke as I koude se,
A Meremayden of the se,
Whos songe ys most souereyne
To bryng[e] folkys in-to a treyne,
It is so ful of armonye,
For the soote melodye
Bryngeth folkys in gret sklaunder;
The tother roke had a calaundre
Vpon his shelde him self to assure,
A bridde of merveylous nature,
The whiche kan, as clerkys seye,
Shewe a man yif he shal deye;
Yif he withdrawe and tourne away,
Of deth ther ys no more delay,
And yif he look vpon hys face,
Of lyf he shal haue lenger space.
Ryght so, in sooth, doth Doulz Regarde:
Whan a womman hath no rewarde
With her eyen of pite
Vpon hir servant for to se,
Ther ys vnto hys maladye
But deth with-out[e] remedye.
And as syrenes with her song
Make a man to saylle a-wrong,
Tyl he be drovnyd and y-slawe
With ouer-tournyng of somme wawe:
So bialacoil or fair semblavnt
For a seson ful plesavnt
In womanhede falsely feyned
Hath ful many man constreyned
In the se of doublenesse,
Y-plonged in ful gret distresse,
That he neuer was socouryd,
Karibdys hath him so devourid
That ther myght helpe him no lech.
Duo Roci in bello amoris ex parte mulieris fuerunt Doulz Regarde and Bialacoil / primus per Caladrium designatur quia totus albus / certificat de morte et vitam egrotantis / Secundus Bialacoil multum proprie designatur per sirenam quia suo cantu dulcissimo suoque aspectu grato nautas allicit et attrahit inexpertes ita vt ob dulcedinem dormiant et finaliter deuorentur / Applica ad propositum.
Wer makyd of a ryche stoon,
Of a Thopas wonder fyne,
Which of colour ys citryne,
A stoon of grete worthynesse,
Lyke as clerkys bere wytnesse
And expressen in her bokys.
And the namys of thise Rokys:
Bialocoil and Doulz Regarde,
As I loked thiderwarde,
They wer callyd so of ryght,
Whos names ben of ful gret myght
To maat a man, or he be war.
And they vpon her sheldes bare:
The toon, lyke as I koude se,
A Meremayden of the se,
Whos songe ys most souereyne
To bryng[e] folkys in-to a treyne,
It is so ful of armonye,
For the soote melodye
Bryngeth folkys in gret sklaunder;
The tother roke had a calaundre
Vpon his shelde him self to assure,
A bridde of merveylous nature,
The whiche kan, as clerkys seye,
Shewe a man yif he shal deye;
Yif he withdrawe and tourne away,
Of deth ther ys no more delay,
And yif he look vpon hys face,
Of lyf he shal haue lenger space.
Ryght so, in sooth, doth Doulz Regarde:
Whan a womman hath no rewarde
With her eyen of pite
Vpon hir servant for to se,
177
But deth with-out[e] remedye.
And as syrenes with her song
Make a man to saylle a-wrong,
Tyl he be drovnyd and y-slawe
With ouer-tournyng of somme wawe:
So bialacoil or fair semblavnt
For a seson ful plesavnt
In womanhede falsely feyned
Hath ful many man constreyned
In the se of doublenesse,
Y-plonged in ful gret distresse,
That he neuer was socouryd,
Karibdys hath him so devourid
That ther myght helpe him no lech.
Thus lyst somme folke wommen apech,
I mene swich as hem delyte
To put on wommen al the wite
Hem to diffame wrongfully.
In sooth, they synne ful gretly
That wommen put in suche trespace.
I prey, god yive hem sory grace,
Al tho that be bolde to seyn
That women ar nat hool nor pleyn.
I mene swich as hem delyte
To put on wommen al the wite
Hem to diffame wrongfully.
In sooth, they synne ful gretly
That wommen put in suche trespace.
I prey, god yive hem sory grace,
Al tho that be bolde to seyn
That women ar nat hool nor pleyn.
| Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte | |