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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How Venus thaught him what he shal dooun, And of hir .ij. sonys Deduyt and Cupido. |
 | Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte |  |
How Venus thaught him what he shal dooun, And of hir .ij. sonys Deduyt and Cupido.
“I ha two sonys of high degre,And gret of ther Auctoryte,
Bothe redy of entent
To doon at my comandement,
What so that me lyst devise
To acheve in my seruise,
Gentil, fre, and debonaire,
Which shal be ryght necessaire
Vn-to the and gret Refuit.
The toon callyd ys Deduit,
Yong, fresh, and lusty on to se,
And ryght gentil in his degre,
To al[le] folke benigne of port;
And of solace and dysport
He ys the god most auctorised,
And al[le] pley[e]s be deuysed
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For ther kan no man, in no place,
Of vnkouth pleyes tel[le] noon
But he kan hem euerychon:
Touche be crafte, and nat be rote,
Harpe and lute, fythel and Rote,
And synge songes of plesaunce,
Maisterly revel and Daunce,
Pipe and floyte lustely.
And also eke ful konyngly
In al the crafte and melody
Of musyke and of Armony,
What tyme that hit shal be do,
He ys expert; and eke also
At al[le] pleyes delytables:
At mereles, dees, and tables
He kan pley[en] passyngly;
But best and most specialy
At the Chesse he dooth excelle
That philomestor, soth to telle,
For to make comparyson,
Ne was nat lyke him of renoun,
That first founde this play notable,
With him to play[e] was not able.
And I dar also specefie,
The play he kan of Ryghtmathye,
Which dulle wittis doth encombre,
For thys play stant al by novmbre,
And hath al his conclusions
Chefly in proporsions
By so sotil ordynaunce,
As hyt ys put in remembraunce
By thise Philosophurs olde.
Also my sone, of whom I tolde,
Amonge ladyes honourable
Is, in soth, ryght acceptable,
Lych to her oppinions,
For tassoyle questions,
And demaundes on euery part
That longen vn-to lowes art,
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That to ansuere vn-to echon
Is noon, to rekne al[le] thing,
Save he that hath therto konnyng;
For ther ys nought, I dar wel say,
That longeth vnto merthe and play,
To reherse compendiously,
But that he kan hyt perfytly.
| Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte | |