University of Virginia Library

Reson and sensuallyte compylid by John Lydgat.

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[MS. Fairfax 16 (Bodleian Library), leaf 202.]

Cy comence Lauctour son trayte.

Cy parle Lauctour de prime temps.

Here sheweth thauctour how natu[r]e appered vn-to hym.

How the Lady nature gouerneth the Worlde.

Here speketh thauctour of the beaute of Nature.

Touching the beaute and fayrenesse
Of [t]his honourabill goddesse,
Ther was no man her alyve
That konnyng hadde to discryve
The excellence of hir beaute,
Nor comprehende in no degre
Hyr semelynesse, hyr womanhede,
For al beaute hyt dyd excede.
For she was, shortly for to telle,
Verray exaumple and eke the welle
Of al beaute in this worlde here,
For douteles, withoute were,
Yf she shal shortly be commended,
There was no thing to be amended.
For she sempte, by hir vysage
To be but yonge and tendir of age.
For in the face of this quene
Ther was no spoote nor frovnce sene.
For this no nay, as yt is kouthe,
Though she sempt flouryng in youthe
Th[r]ogh freshnesse of hir visage,
She was ful fer y-ronne in age,
That no man koude nor myght anon
Noumbre hir yeres euerychon,
Nor covnte hem alle in hys devys,
Nat Aristotle that was so wys.
And hyt sat wel, as by reson,
Vn-to her condicion
For to be fal[le] fer in age.
She was so prudent and so sage,
In al hir werkys ferme and stable,
And neuer founde variable.

Now, after descripcioun of hir beaute, I shall declare the maner of hir clothyng.

Of tharray of natures hede.

How the goddesse nature spake vnto the Auctour.

This noble goddesse honurable,
Debonayre, and amyable,
Fressh of hewe as eny Rose,
Gan to me for to vnclose
And to discure hir talent
And the somme of hir entent.
And tho, as I reherse kan,
Her tale anoon thus she began:
“My childe,” quod she, “thou art to blame,
And vn-to the yt is gret shame,
Thy self so longe to encombre,
Thus to slepe and to slombre
This glade morwe fresh and lyght,
Whan Phebus with his bemys bryght
Ys reysed vp so hygh alofte,
And on the herbes tendre and softe
The bawmy dropes siluer fair
Vapoured hath vp in the ayr;
And ther leves white and rede
Doth vpon her stalke to sprede,
And herest, how the briddes synge
For gladnesse of the morwenynge,
Preysing god, as they best may,
Syngyng ther hourys of the day;
And thou, of slouthe and necligence,
Dost vnto kynde grete offence,
Of verray wilful ydelnesse,
The which ys lady and maistresse
Of vicys al[le], this no drede.
Wherfore arys and take good hede,
Of wyt and of discrecion,
To do somme occupacion,
And draw the first to somme place,
For thyn encrese, oonly of grace,
Wher as vertu doth habounde,
Slouthe and vices to confounde.”

How the Auctour ansuerde to Nature.

How nature Declareth to the Auctour hir entent.

How the Auctour answerde to nature.

“Lady,” quod I, “and maistresse
And vnder god cheffe goddesse
Of al this worlde, as semeth me,
Hyt is a ful grete dignite
The whiche is yoven vn-to man,
Yf he by vertu siwe kan
To be lyke in condicion,
As god hath yove to him reson.
And yf he haue therin delyte,
He shal deserve ful gret merite,
Thorgh the werkes honourable,
To his noblesse covenable,
And gret guerdon, whan he hath do,
And I acorde wel therto.

Auctor.

But hyt is harde, who kan discerne,
“A man him self so to governe,
And for to do hys bysy peyne
For to acheve and atteyne
Vnto so high perfeccion,
And yit haue y affeccion
Wyth al my hool[e] wyt and mynde
Therto a way[e] for to fynde.”

Nature.

“Certys and thou wilt nat feyne,
Thow shalt mowe wel the wey atteyne,
And fynally the pathe acheve,
Of whiche no man the shal repreve;
Yf thou lyst wyrken as the sage,
Begynne anoone thy viage,
As I ha seyde the ther to forne,
Lyst thy travayle be nat lorne.
For in thy bed thus to soiourne
To gret harme hyt wil the tourne.
And fyrst considre well in thy syght
Too goo the wey[e] that is ryght,
And haue in mynde euer amonge
In thy passage thou goo nat wronge,
Nor erre nat in thin entent.
For in thys worlde here present
Be so many dyuers thynges,
Wonderful in ther werkynges,
And weyes, somme freysh and feyre,
And somme also that be contreyre,
The whiche, in soth, who taketh hede,
Ful dyuersely a man kan lede;
For which I wil that thou be wyse,
And that thou goo be good avyse,
That in the fyn thou erre nought.
But cast profoundly in thy thought,
As thou gost in thys worlde here,
To erre nat in no manere.”

The Auctour ansuerde vn-to nature.

“Ha, lady myn,” tho quod I,
“For goddys sake hath mercy
To teche me, and sey nat nay,
Which ys the verray ryghte way,
Vnto me most profitable!
This prey y yow, of hert[e] stable.”

Nature.

And she ne lyst no lenger duelle,
But in al hast[e] gan me telle
And seyde: “thou shalt fynde trewe,
Ther be ful many weyes newe,
Wonderful and ryght dyuers,
Bothe good and eke pervers,
Of which, yif I shal nat feyne,
In especial ther be tweyne,
And thou mayst chese[n], in substaunce,
Whiche ys most to thy plesaunce:
The toon gyneth in thorient

Oriens significat celestia et diuina / et occidens temporalia et terrena / et ideo prima via que incipit ab oriente et tandem reuertitur ibidem est via racionis que incipit

And gooth towarde thoccident,
And lenger ther lyst nat soiourne
But ageyn warde doth retourne,
Takyng hys gynnyng of entent
By exaumple of the firmament.
The tother from the west certeyn

a consideracione celestium et eternorum et leuiter transeundo per ista terrena semper redit et finaliter se conuertit ad eterna / Alia vero via que incipit ab occidente significat viam sensus qui adheret communiter magis temporalibus et terrenis.

Towarde the est tourneth ageyn,
The ryghte wey, but then anoon,
Whan that he hath hys cours [y]-goon,
By a maner ful contraire
Ageyn westwarde he doth repaire.
But vnderstond and take good hede,
Which thou shalt sywe[n] in dede
And mayntene with al thy myght,
As the way that ys most ryght.
For fynally, in sentence,
Of hem thys ys the difference:
Thorient, which ys so bryght
And casteth forth so clere a lyght,
Betokeneth in especiall
Thinges that be celestiall

Verba expositoris in latino et translatoris in anglico.

And thinges, as I kan diffyne,
“That be verrely dyvyne.
For which, in conclusyon,
This is the wey[e] of Reson
Which causeth man, thys no nay,
For to goo the ryghte way
Which hath his gynnyng in the Est.
But the tother of the west
Ys, who that kan beholde and se,
The wey of sensualyte,
Which set his entente in al
To thinges that be temporal,
Passynge and transytorie,
And fulfylled of veyn glorie.

Now speketh the auctour of the two vertues that nature hath yive to man.

“God the which of hys goodnesse,
As to forne y dyd expresse,
As he that bothe may and kan,
Hath yove and graunted vnto man
Many vertu in substaunce,
Throgh hys myghty purveyaunce,
Twoo maners of knowlychynge,
As he that is most souereyn kynge,
And thys myghty lorde also
Hath graunted hym vertues two,
That ben in pris of gret noblesse,
Which conveye him and eke dresse
And conduyte him, out of drede,
In euery thing, whan he hath nede.
The first, without[e] werre or stryf,

Virtus sensitiua per quam homo grosso modo cognoscit et sentit.

Called the vertu sensytif,
By which he feleth and doth knowe
Thinges, bothen high and lowe,
Which to forn him be present,
Conceyvynge in hys entent
Foreyn thinges accidental:
I mene thus, in special,
As is recorded in scriptures,
As ben colours and figures
“And many sondry eke sauours,
Hoot and colde in storm and shours,
And, shortly also to compyle,
Other formes that be sotyle,
Naturely, as hyt ys dywe,
Of hys kynde to pursywe
Thinges that be to his plesaunce,
And eschewe hem that do greuaunce,
And flen fro hem that ben odible;
Whiche vertu namyd ys sensible,
And is, as y reherse kan,
Yove to beste and eke to man,
But vn-to man him to governe
More perfytly, who kan discerne.
The tother vertu, out of drede,
Myn ovne frende, who taketh hede,
Ys called, in conclusion,
Vnderstondyng and reson,

Intellectus et racio.

By whiche of ryght, with-out[e] shame,
Of a man he bereth the name,
And throgh clere intelligence
Fro bestes bereth the difference,
And of nature ys resemblable
To goddys that be pardurable;
Knowynge throgh hys dignite
Many thinges that be secre;
Wher sensityf, this is certeyn,
Is in knowynge but foreyn,
As of the barke which is withoute
For-derked with a maner doute,
Of thinges which by accident
Ne ben but out-warde (but) apparent,
And ne kan no ferther wynne
To know the prevy pithe withynne;
Wher as man, in sentence,
By reson hath intelligence
To make hys wytt to enclyne,
To knowe thinges that be dyvyne,
Lastyng and perpetuel,
Hevenly and espirituel,
“Of heven and of the firmament,
And of euery element,
Whos wyt ys so clere y-founde,
So perfyt pleynly and profounde,
That he perceth erthe and hevene
And fer above the sterris sevene,
So that he hath of euery thing
Verray perfyt knowlechyng
In his secret ynwarde syght,
So that this vertu to no wyght,
Of reson and entendement,
I mene as in this lyve present,
Is yiven oonly but to man.
And as me semeth trewly than,
He sholde, who so kan discerne,
Oonly by reson him governe,
Lyst that he, whiche wer grete shame,

Concludendo quod non sit dignus habere nomen hominis.

Be depryved of hys name.

How nature procedeth ferther to speke of these twoo vertues.

“Yet ferthermore, as hyt is skylle,
To tel[le] the y haue grete wille,
How this vertu sensityf
Hath oft[e] sythe ful gret stryf
With reson, the myghty quene,
And hir quarel doth sustene
Ageyns hir ful Rigorously,
And many sythe ful folyly
Ys to that lady debonaire
In her werkyng ful contraire,
No thing of hir opinion;
For, fynaly, lyche as reson
Vnto vertu ay accordeth,
So sensualyte discordeth,
And hath noon other appetit
But in bodely delyt,
Al set to worldly vanyte.
And this a gret dyuersyte
Atwene her condicion;
“For euer at contradiccion
Ben thise tweyne douteles,
Ay at discorde, and selde in pes,
To our purpos in special.
But Reyson, that gouerneth al,
I dar afferme hyt nat in veyn,
Holdeth the wey[e], most certeyn,
Tournyng towarde thorient,
Most holsom and convenient
To on entent who haveth grace
Therin to walkyn and to trace.
Al be that sensualyte
Causeth men, who that kan se,
Of wilfulnes euer amonge,
To go the wey[e] that is wronge,
Which westward euer doth enclyne,
Fer out of the ryght[e] lyne;
Ful of plesaunce and fals delyte,
And of flesshly appetyte.
But my counsayl and myn avys
Ys: that thou be war and wys
To leve the wey, this holde I best,
Which that ledeth in-to West,
And go alway, lyst thou be shent,
The wey toward the orient,
Which is a wey most covenable
And to manne resonable.
Al be the tother wey[e] seme

i.e. via sensualitatis.

Fair and fressh, as folkes deme,
And wonder sote in special
To swich as be but bestial,
The which I rede the teschiwe,
Of honeste, as hyt is diwe.

How nature charged him to goo the wey of vertu and of Reson.

“Begynne the wey[e], ech seson,
First at vertu and reson,
And fle ech thing that they dispreyse,
And vp to god thy hert[e] reyse,
“And love him ouer al[le] thinge,
Nat declynyng fro hys biddyng!
And her with al take good hede

Ita exhortabatur Cipio a patre suo et ab avo suo vt sibi in somno videbatur.

Both to love him and to drede
As thy lorde most souereyne;
And to forn thyn eyen tweyne
Most enterly lat him be set!

Celestia spectato / semper humana contemnito Item pater Iustitiam cole et pietatem / Ea enim est via in celum.

For thou, in soth, mayst do no bet,
And, lych to hys commaundement,
Set thy desire and thyn entent
To thinges that be celestiall,
And dispise ther with all
Erthely thinges transitorye,
And remembre in thy memorye
Al swich worldly vanyte!
Love ryghtwisnesse and pite,
And as ferforth as thou kan,
Do to eny maner man,
Bothe of high and lowh degre,
As thou woldest he did to the!
And do no man no maner wronge,
But make thy self myghty and stronge
With al thyn hool entencion
To holde the wey[e] of reson,

Viam racionis tene.

The which, in soth, yif thou take hede,
Doth a man to heven lede,
The verray trewe, ryghte way,
Fro when thou came, this is no nay,
And fynaly, yif thou take hede,
Thider ageyn thou must procede.
Be ryghtful eke at al[le] dawes
Especial vnto my lawes,
As reson wil of verray ryght,
And kepe the wel with al thy myght
Fro thilke wey that ledeth wrong!
And eke eschiwe and make the strong
Pleynly ageyn[e]s alle tho
That the wronge wey[e] go!
I mene swich, as thou shalt fynde,
That falsly wirke ageyn[e]s kynde;
“The whiche for her gret offence
Oft[e] falle in the sentence
Of my prest called Genivs.

Genivs sacerdos nature.

For, truly, thou shalt fynde hyt thus:
That his power is Auctorised
And throgh the world eke solemnysed,
To a-coursen alle tho
That ageyn my lawes do.
For whiche, by the rede of me,
Do, as reson techeth the,
And thy wittis hool enclyne
To rewle the by hir doctrine,
Whom that y love of hert entere
As myn ovne suster dere!
And she, in sooth, lyst nat discorde
For nought to which I me accorde.
We be so ful of oon acorde
That atwene vs ys no discorde,
And fully eke of oon assent,
As he that hath entendement
May vnderstonde of newe and olde.
And shortly thus I haue the tolde
The wey[e] which thou shalt eschewe,
And whiche of ryght thou shalt pursewe,
Lych as to forn I haue discryved,
Til tyme that thou be arived
Vp at the port of al solace.
And god the sende myght and grace,
That thou erre nat nor faylle,
But that my wordes may avaylle
To al that may profyte the!
In soth, thou gest no more of me,
The surplus haue in remembraunce,
And fynaly, as in substaunce,
Do as the lyst, lo, this the ende!
For now fro the y must wende.”

How nature departed away, and how the auctour began his passage to visite the Worlde, As nature yaf him counsaylle.

And sodenly, y yow ensure,
Whan this lady, dame Nature,
Departed was, y lefte allone
Solytary in gret mone,
Ful angwysshous in wo and peyne,
And hir absence gan compleyne.
And in al hast, whanne she was goon,
Out of my bed I roose anoon,
And myd of my dool and sorwe
I clad[de] me that glade morwe,
Which, in soth, gaf me corage
For to gynne my passage.
And sothly, lych as she me bad,
In al hast whan I was clad
And redy eke in myn array,
I went[e] forth the same day,
Vpon my wey[e], in certeyn,
In-to a felde ful large and pleyn
To sen the seson delytable,
Which was to me ful profitable
And ryght holsom douteles;
The whiche wey, in soth, y ches,
Couered with flour[e]s fressh and grene
By vertu of the lusty quene,
Callyd Flora, the goddesse,
That myn hert[e] for gladnesse
Supprised was oonly to se
Of thilke place the beaute,
To my plesaunce most covenable
And of syght most delytable.
But in a while, this no nay,
I was disloggyd of my way,
That I left anoone ryght
Therof bothe mynde and syght.
For thylke seson of the yere
The ayre so atempere was and clere,
And also, as myn Auctour tellys,
The freshnes of the clere wellys,
That fro the movntes were descended,
Which ne myghte be amended,
Made the cold[e] siluer stremes
To shyne ageyn the sonne bemes.
The Ryvers with a soot[e] sovne
That be the wallys ronne dovne...
And some also men myghte see
Flowyng fro the salt[e] see,
Somme so myghty and so large
To bere a gret ship or a barge,
The which, in many sondry wyse,
Serveden for marchandyse,
And wern also ful profitable
And vn-to manne ryght vayllable.
I saugh also ful high mountaynes,
The holtis hore and large playnes,
The medwes that wer inly fair,
And also eke in my repair
The wodes grene and the forestis,
Rennyng full oft wylde bestis,
The whiche dide her besy cure
For to gete ther pasture,
The see sommwhile ful hidouse
Of wawes eke tempest[u]ouse,
Ful of fisshes gret and smale,
And also eke, this is no tale,
The hevene, who so taketh hede,
Ful of bryghte sterris rede.
And in my walke I saugh also
Many other merveyles mo
That truely, as thoughte me,
For the grete dyuersyte,
And for the thinges so vnkouthe,
Est and West, north and southe,
Which I behelde in many caas,
That al my lyf which passed was
Was clene out of my remembraunce,
For the fals[e], veyn plesaunce
Of thys worldly vanyte,
Whiche sempte pleynly vn-to me
Of his facon so graciouse,
So lusty and delyciouse,
That I was feble in my devis
Of wysdam for to yive a pris
To euery thing, and dul of mynde,
To preyse hit lyke his ovne kynde:
My kunnynge was to feble and feynt,
And so with ignoraunce y-meynt.
And yet felt y, in sothfastnesse,
Lyche a maner of suetnesse
Entren in-to my corage,
Ay as y went in my passage,
Whych was to me, y yow ensure,
Ryght profytable to my Norture;
And of the surplus of my thought,
Of thinges that I knyw ryght nought
I abood no lenger space,
But wonder lyghtly let hem pace.

How the auctour mette sodeynly iij goddesse[s] and I. god which conveyde hem.

And, shortly, ferther to procede
In my way, or I toke hede,
Al allone with-oute guyde,
Myn eye so as I caste a-syde,
Ther was a pathe, with-out[e] lye,
In whiche I saugh a companye,
Ful excellent of ther beaute,
And foure ther wern, as thoghte me,
That ther ne was no man a-lyve
The whiche koude in soth discryve
Her gret[e] fairenesse half a ryght.
For they yaf as gret a lyght
As sterris in the frosty nyght,
Whanne walkne is most bryght,
With-oute cloude or any skye,
That who that sey hem with his eye,
He myght affermen in certeyn,
And recorde hyt wel, and seyn,
By apparence of her figures,
They wern noon erthely creatures,
But rather, who considered al,
Dyvine and eke celestial,
Who that wer wys and tooke good hede.
And or that I ferther procede,
Thys ys myn entencion
To make a bref descripcion
Of hem, sothly, as ye shal se.
And in novmbre ther wer thre,
Ladyes of gret apparaille,
Among[e] whiche, this no faylle,
Ther was oon hem to conveye,
Vnto whom they did obeye.
And al[le] iij, thys no fable,
Wer goddesses honourable
Of al this worlde, most famous;
Myn Auctour truly telleth thus.

Her the auctour maketh a descripcioun of Pallas.

The first of hem y-named was,

Iubiter apud poetas accipitur multis modis: aliquando pro deo vero et summo, sicut hic, cum dicitur quod Pallas est filia Iouis et hoc est iuxta illud / Omnis sapiencia A domino deo est / aliquando capitur pro planeta, aliquando pro celo aliquando pro igne vel aere superiori aliquando eciam historialiter accipitur pro rege Crete.

As seyth my boke, Dame Pallas,
A goddes of ful gret renoun,
And by lyne descended doun
Fro the goddys high kynrede,
Doughter, pleynly, as I rede,
Of Iubiter, the booke seyth thus,
And Suster also to Phebus.
And Iubiter, as clerkes write
And in her bookes lyst endyte,
Is taken, so as they discerneth,
For the lord that al governeth,
To whom Pallas, lyk as they lere,
Ys his ovne doghtre dere,
Called so for hyr prudence,
As chef goddesse of sapience,
In tokne, trewly, as yt is,
That alle wisdam descended is
Fro god a-bove and al prudence,

Pallas domina dea belli que interpretatur Idem quod sapiencia v[e]l prudencia que in bello est multum necessaria.

And therfore, for hir excellence,
She called is, and that of olde,
Doughter to god, as I haue tolde,
Rede poetis, and ye shal se,
And for hir gret[e] dignite,
As she that may most availe,
Named the goddese of bataile,
Of Armes, and of chyvalrye,
In tokne, who that kan espye,
Wysdam, yif I shal nat tarye,
In werre ys ful necessarye.
And she yiveth honour and glorie,
And vnto knyghtes eke victorye,
Wher as she is fauourable;
And this lady honourable,
Who that euer be leve or lothe,
Thilke tyme, whan she ys wrothe,
Frowardly of hir nature,
Ys cause of discomfyture
To many oon that may not chese,
And causeth hem her lyf to lese.
And somme she puteth in gret shame
To lese her honour and her name,
And many a noble Region
She hath brought to confusion,
As grounde of meschef and of sorwe.
And she also, both eve and morwe,
Thys myghty lady and goddesse,
Fro men avoydeth ydelnesse,
And maketh hem ful prudently
For to lyve vertuously,
Her lyfe by wisdam to amende,
And in her wyt to comprehende
Secretys which that be dyvyne.
And she kan folkes eke enclyne,
Both in werre and eke debat,
To ben ewrous and fortunat;
And man, be kynde corumpable,
She kan make pardurable,
Yf she be vertu him gouerne,
Lyk goddys for to be eterne,
To lyven in that perfyt lyfe
Wher Ioye ys ay with-out[e] stryfe,
The whyche shal haue ende neuer,
But ay contwne and perseuer
In blysse, the which, as I kan telle,
Al worldly Ioy[e] doth excelle.

Here descryueth the auctour the beaute and the maner of Pallas.

This lady, vn-to my devys,
That was most excellent and wys,
Passyng fair for to beholde,
Lyche to forn as I yow tolde.
For, fynaly, in hir figure
Reserved was al mesure
That, yif she shal be comprehended,
Ther was no thyng to be amended.
And hir colour and hir hiwe
Was euere y-lyche fresh and nywe,
And yet this lady, wys and sage,
Was ryght olde and of gret age,
No thing stondynge out of Ioynt
But ay abydynge in oo poynt,
Whos beaute fade may nor falle,
For wisdam neuer may apalle,
Nor of Nature neuer sterve,

Sapiencia non marcescit vnde appellatur Minerva id est [im-] mortalis.

For which she called ys Mynerve,
That ys to seyne in special
A thing that ys ay inmortal.
And hir ey[e]n, in certeyn
Resemblede vnto torchys tweyn,
Which brenten ay y-lyche bryght

Hoc dicitur quia sapiens clare et perfecte videt et sapiencia illuminat intellectum.

With-out eclypsyng of her lyght.
And forth I passe in sothnesse
Al hir beaute to expresse,
For wel wote y, I sholde faylle,
Having of oo thing gret mervaille:
That hir gretnesse was vnstable,
And founden ofte ryght chaungeable:
Somwhile amonge, I dar ensure,

Hoc dicitur propter consideracionem terrenorum.

Comon she was of hir stature,
And sommwhile she wex so long
That to the hevene she raught amonge;

Propter consideracionem celestium.

And as myn Auctour seyth certeyn,
The which ne writ no thing in veyn,
Sommwhile she persed of entent
Fer a-bove the firmament

Propter consideracionem diuinorum.

And the sterris clere and bright,
That men loste of hir the syght,
Tyl that hir lyst ageyn retourne
Lowe in erthe to soiourne,
And openly, as hyt was seyn,
Took hir gretnesse new ageyn,
Whos mevyng[e] to devyse
I-shewed was in treble wyse,
As ye han herd aforn declare.
And, certys, now I wil not spare
For to don my besy cure
To discriven hir vesture,
With-outen any more delay,
And the maner of hir array.

Of the vesture of Pallas the goddesse.

Hir clothing was, this no fable,
Ryght worthy and ryght honourable
Wroght and wove, this noo tale,
With sotil thredes softe and smale,
Of mater nat corompable,
The werk of which, in comparable,
Was also, who took good hede,
That, also god me save, and spede,
And me defende from al damage,
I kan nat tel in no langage
What thing hyt was to my knowyng.
For hyt was no erthly thing,
Nor wroght be crafte of mannes hande,
Who that kan wel vnderstande;
For Pallas, which that ys goddesse,
And of wevyng chef maistresse,
Wroght hyt, yif I shal nat feyn,
With hir ovne handis tweyn.
I knew yt wel, me lyst nat lye,
First whan the werke y dide espye,
More fresh of hewe than may flours,
And wroght yt was of .iij. colours,

Hoc dicitur propter tres partes philosophie.

The whiche thre do signifye
The partyes of Philosophie,
Of which, by ryght and nat of wrong,
Pallas medleth euer among,

Pallas dea sapiencie intromittit se ex matre de tribus partibus philosophie.

Whos mantel, who that vnderstood,
Was long and wyde, large and brood,
As yt sat wel, of honeste,
To a lady of high degre
To be arayed in this cas.
Swich was the mantel of Pallas,
And lyke myn auctour in scripture
Makythe mensyon of her armoure.

Here descryveth the Auctour the armys of Pallas.

Hoc est filius sapiencie.

As Pallas childe, for to discerne,
How he shal go to lyf eterne
Fer a-bove the sterrys clere.
Now no more of thys matere,
But first, so as I vndertook,

Huc vsque verba translatoris.

To the processe of my book
I wil retourne, and that ful blywe,
Tharray of Iuno to discryve.

Here descryveth the auctour the maner and the array of the secounde goddesse Iuno.

Here discriveth the auctour hir beaute and hir array.

Her descryveth the Auctour the maner and the array of Venus.

Myn auctour pleynly telleth thus:
The thridde goddesse was Venus,

Venus id est carnalis concupiscencia vel planeta que inclinat ad concupiscenciam et significat vitam voluptuosam que debetur carnalibus.

Which, with her excelent visage,
Descended was of gret lynage,
Doughtre, lych as ye han herd,
To saturne with his frosty berd,
As ye shal here, ceriously,
Conceyved wonder straungely,
In the silve same wyse
As ye aforn han herd deuyse,
And eke in bokes ys remembred:
How that Saturne was dismembred,
I mene thus, by fatal ewre,
Lost hys membres of engendrure
By Iubyter, hys sone and ayre,
Which was nouther good nor faire;
But throgh his myght and high renoun,
He put him from his region,
And on hys fader took gret wrake;
For the membres that y of spake
He cast hem in the salt[e] see,
Of which the natyvite
Gan first, as bookes lyst expresse,
Of feyre venus, the goddesse.
For writyng of poetis halt

id est tenet.

That she roos of the foom most salt
Which ryseth in the wawes felle,
That fynaly, as clerkes telle,
The See was moder to Venus,
And hir fader Saturnus,
As clerkys make mencion
Touching hir generacion.
She hath also, of kyndly ryght,
Gret lordshippe and ryght gret myght,
By influence of hir werkynges,
In gouernaunce of worldly thinges;
For she doth leden and eke guye
The amerouse constablerye,
Enclynyng by fleshly appetyte
Folkys, for to haue delyte
To serve love and to obeye,
Wherso she do hem lyve or deye.

Her maketh thauctour a descripcion of hir myght.

Who lyst to know hir pover pleyn,
He shal fynden, in certeyn,
Hir lordshippe gret, in special,
For, sothely, she comaundeth al,
What so hir lyst, this no nay,
For ther is platly non that may
Dysobey[e]n hir byddyng:
Nouther emperour nor kyng,
Duk nor other creature,
But mavgre hem they must endure
Vnder hir myghty obeysaunce,
So disposyd ys hir chaunce.
For other goddesse ys ther non,
For to rekene hem euerychon,
That so gret merveyles doth;
For hyt ys she the whiche, in soth,
Kan, whan hir lyst, both nyghe and ferre,
Pes I-tournen in-to werre,
And she kan bringe ageyn taccord
Folke that stonden at discord.
And this lady, Dame Venus,
Kan make folkys covetous
To spend her good and lytel charge,
And the Negarde to be large;
And thorgh hir myght, which ys dyvyne,
She the proude kan enclyne
To lownesse and humilyte,
And the deynouse meke to be,
The daungerouse eke debonaire,
And do the soleyn speke faire,
The envyous to be amyable,
And the angry to be tretable;
And she kan also, in certeyn,
Hertys which that be vileyn
Disposen hem to gentilesse,
To honour, and to worthynesse,
Leve her port vnkouth and straunge,
And the cowarde she kan chaunge
To be manful, and gete a name,
And maken fer to springe his fame,
And atteyne to gret noblesse,
Oonly throgh his high prowesse.
And she kan maken ageynwarde
The hardy for to be cowarde,
Throgh hir gery influence,
And throgh hir proude violence;
Hygh and low she kan eke drawe
Obey the boundes of hir lawe.
Ageyn hir myght ther is no went;
For in the highe firmament
The goddys alle, as hyt is skyl,
Must enclyne to hir wil:
Bothe Iubiter, and eke Phebus,
Mars, saturne, and mercurius,
They fynde kan non existence,
Ageyn hir power no diffence,
But wolde echon, as clerkes telle,
Ay with hir abyde and duelle.
So strongely she kan hem assaylle
That no diffence may hem avaylle.

Her maketh thauctour A descripcion of hir beaute and of hir array.

Now wil I make a smale lesson
Of hir array and hir fason:
Venus was fresh and yonge of age,
And passyng fair of hir visage,
That, touchyng sothly hir beaute,
Was noon so faire, in no contre,
Nor non that myghte countrevaylle
Of ryche atyre nor apparaylle
To hir, in soth, no maner wyse.
For, finaly, to hir servise
She drough al tho by violence
Swich as kam in hir presence,
Benigne of port, wyth chere smyling,
Hyr eyen glade ay laughyng,
Lyght of corage, of wil chaungable,
Selde or neuer founde stable,
Variaunt of hir manere:
For an hour to-gedre y-fere
She na-bood in oo degre,
Throgh hir mutabilite;
Queynte of array, who lyst take hede,
A cote y-lacyd al of Rede,
Rycher than outher silke or golde,
But the mater is nat tolde
Wher-of yt was y-made or wroght,
Nor, pleynly, I ne coude noght
Deme, wherof yt sholde be.
But wel I wot, men myghte se
Hir shappe throgh-out, so was hit maked,
Lych as she had in soth be naked;
A lace of golde, ful ryche at al,
Gyrt about hir medil smal,
On her fyngres euerychon
Rynges with many ryche ston.
And thogh she were a quene certeyn,
Yet ther was no corovne seyn
Of gold nor stonys on hir hede,
But she had of roses rede
In stede therof a chapelet
As compas rounde ful freshly set.
For kerchef pleynly had she non,
Whos here as eny gold wyre shon,
And hild also in hir ryght honde,
Rede as a kole, A firy bronde,

Hoc fingunt poete propter ardorem libidinis.

Castyng sparklys fer a-broode,
Rounde al the place wher she stood,
Of whiche thing I took hede eke;
That fire which is y-callyd greke

Ignis grecus.

Ys nat so perilouse nor so rage,
Nor so dredful of damage;
For fire ys non, to rekne al,
That may of force be egal
To venus fire in persyng,
Nor of hete lyke in brennyng,
Nor so dredful harme to do.
In hir lyft hond she held also
An appul rounde of gold ful ryche,
That tresour non ther-to was lyche,
Who loke aryght, I dar wel say.
Thus haue I tolde yow hir array,
Save as myn Auctour lyst to write.
Ther was gret novmbre of dowes white,
Rounde about hyr hede fleyng,
Of entent, to my semyng,
As hyt wer for attendaunce,
To Venus for to do plesaunce.

Her descriveth thauctour, how Mercure conveyde the thre goddesse[s].

Now haue I tolde in substaunce
The maner and the gouernaunce
Of thre goddesses by and by,
As ye haue herde, ceriously,
Of Pallas, Iuno, and Venus.
But now vnto Mercurius
I must in hast my stile dresse
To al the maner to expresse:
First of his natiuite,
And eke also, how that he
Was getyn in a-vowtrie,
As poetys specefie,
And reherse eke in thys cas
That Iubiter his fader was;
And also eke, lych as they feyn,
He be-gat him, in certeyn,

Ista filia vocabatur a poetis pleias vel Maya.

Of a mayde ful entere,
Which was Atlas doghter dere,
The myghty geaunt strong and large,
Whiche vpon him took the charge
Vpon his bak, of verray myght,
To bere the hevene, and stond vpryght.
And thogh Mercure was thus borne,
Lych as I haue told to forn,
Iuno, Iubiter[e]s Wyfe,
Made quarel non nor stryf,
Nor was wrothe for this offence,
But took hyt al in pacience;
But bisyly dide hir cure

Hoc significat quod diuicijs pascuntur sapientes vel eloquentes vel mercatores.

To yive him mylke to hys norture:
The whiche thinges doth signifye
That wisdam and philosophie
Yfostred ben with rychesse,
And also eke I dar expresse,
Marchaundyse nor eloquence
Ne shold[e] ha noon excellence,
But Iuno, goddesse of rychesse,
Ne dyde her hool[e] besynesse
To yive hem mylke to her fosterynge,
Ellis in veyn wer her werkyng.
And thogh this Iuno, as I fynde,
Was stepmoder, as be kynde,
Of hir pappis softe as silke
She brough[te] forth and gaf eke mylke,
Poetis pleynly write thus,
Vnto this god Mercurius,
Al thogh ful selde, as men may se,
That stepmodres kynde be
To children born out of wed-lok,
Or geten of a foreyn stok;
Stepmodres han hem in hatrede,
As hyt sheweth ofte in dede,
Thogh Iuno of gentilesse
Shewed[e] gret kyndenesse,
To Mercure, as ye may se,
A god of gret Auctorite.
For he is lorde most facounde,
The whiche sothly doth habounde
To be except in al langage,
And eke to haven avauntage,
Oonly by crafte, to do his cure,
To set in ordre and mesure
Euery worde, that no thing skape,
Throgh negligence, for no rape,
And, specialy, to be reserved
That peyse and novmbre be observed,
Throgh rethoryke, as in sentence,
And, by craft of eloquence,
First to examyne in his thought,
And for noon hast to sey ryght nought
Vnavised, fer nor nere.
This god is also messagere
Of the court celestial,
For to report in special
The secre thingis of the hevene,
Of sterris, and of planetis sevene.

Potest exponi per hoc quod Phebus est deus sapiencie et Mercurius eloquencie quia semper eloquencia bene convenit sapientibus.

And eke this god Mercurius
Is [y]called with Phebus,
Be synguler aqueyntance,
And for special alliaunce,
He is to Phebus, in certeyn,
By office maked chaumberleyn,

Quia semper est propinquus soli.

Called eke hys secretairye
And ther with al his chefe notairie.

Her reherseth thauctour of the power of Mercurius.

This god hath also gret povste
In heuene, and ryght gret dignite,
And passing Dominacion
In al the heuenly region,
In erthe also in many wise:
Specialy in marchandyse,
Prudent Marchaundes to diffende,
And her estatis to amende,
And in welthe to contune
Maugre assautys of fortune.
And this god of eloquence
Hath also gret experience
In crafte of calculacion
And eke in computacion.
And also eke he doth habounde
In sotyltes ful profounde,
And yiveth, by his influence,
Bothe wysdam and science
To philosophres and prophetis
Of many merveyles and secretis,
Which exceden in werching
Al[le] mannys knowleching,
And futire thingis oon and alle,
To telle aforne, how hyt shal falle.

Her descriveth thauctour Alle hys shappe and his array.

This ilke god of which I telle
Of shap and beaute dyd excelle,
Of whom the face was yong and whyte,
To be-holde of gret delyte,
And al his membres lower doun
Of ryght good proporsion,
Hys eyen gray, his nase longe,
Hys mouthe ryght smal, nat set a-wronge,
Hys tethe eke white as evory,
Wel set in ordre by and by,
Hys body smal, and avenant,
Quik, lusty, fresh, and ryght plesant,
Glad of contynaunce and chere,
Lyke an heuenly messagere,
That ther was no maner lak.
A ryche robe vpon his bak,
Whos colour, sothly, was nat stable,
But dyuers, and variable,
And of mony sondry hewe:
Chaungyng alwey newe and newe,
Now blak, now white, now Iawne and rede,

Hoc potest exponi quod cum bonis est bonus cum malis malus vel eciam de sermone convenienter.

Now grene and perse, who took hede;
For neuer in o poynt he a-bood,
So wonderly with him yt stood,
Mervelous in his lyknesse.
And as he lad[de] the goddesse,
He helde a yerde in his ryght honde,

id est virga.

That so mervelous a wonde
Was neuer sen, to rekne al,
Nor that myght be peregal
Vnto this yerde dout[e]les,
Nat the yerde of Moyses:
For the wertu, who look a-ryght,
Was of so gret[e] force and myght
That afferme ful wel I dar,
How this god which that hit bar,
I mene this god Mercurius,
Maugre the myght of Cerberus
And the princes eke of helle,
Maugre ther myght, I dar wel telle,
By vertu oonly of this wonde,
Which that he holdeth in his honde,
Drough out the soules, oon by oon,
Maugre the princes euerychoon,
And made hem quyte from her baundon,
Out of that derk[e] region:
Olde poetys writen so;
And many another merveyl mo
They endyte of his povere.
And as I gan neghe nere,
Avysely as I behelde,
In his lifte honde A flowte he helde,
When so him list the longe day,
Ther with to pipe and make play,
Oonly him self for to disporte,
And his hert[e] to comforte
Wyth the sugred armonye,
Which gaf so soote a melodye
That no man koude him selfe so kepe,
But hyt wolde make him slepe.
Of so gret vertu was the sovne,
As yt ys made mensiovne,
That hit passed of force and myght
Sirenes song, who look a-ryght,
Which ar meremaydenes of the se,
And vntweyne departed be,
Half fysh and women, bookes seyn,
But al her syngyng was in weyn
To be compared, in sothnesse,
Vnto the excellent swetnesse
Of this Floyte melodious,
By force of which Mercurius
Made Argus slepe, this no drede,
For al the eyen in his hede,
That were an hundred as be novmbre,
But the songe gan him encombre,
That diffence koude he noon,
But that he slept with euery-choon,
Lost his hede for his trespace;
Ther was as tho noon other grace.
For Iubiter hadde of entent
Yiven him in comaundement
To Mercurie, to do so,
For the love of Dame Yo,

Yo fuit filia ynachi.

That Doghtre was to ynachus,
Methamorphoseos telleth thus,
To make hir fre from al servage,
Inly fair of hir visage.

scilicet Mercurius.

And by his syde he had a swerde,
Sharpe to shaue a mannys berde,
Wonder kene the poynt to forn,
Cromped ageyn, as is an horn,
Of entayle and of fasson
Lyche the blade of a fawchon,
That I suppose, hercules,
Hector of troy, nor achilles,
Which were so noble in bataylle,
Had no swerd of swich entaylle,
Wherin they myght hem self assure,
Nor so tempred for to endure;
For with this swerde, most ful of drede,
Argus was slayn and lost his hede.
And for to make men afferde,
Of entent he bereth this suerde,
For vengeaunce and for diffence,
For al[le] tho that do offence
Ageyn his myght hem to constreyn.
And he hath also wynges tweyn,
Fressh, and shene, and no thing pale,
To fleen both on hille and wale,
Lych hys desire on mont and pleyn;
Of whos abood ys no[n] certeyn,
So swift ys he in his passage.
And as I lyft vp my visage,
I gan beholde, in special,
Kome in a pathe that was but smal,
Conveyed by Mercurius,
Pallas, Iuno, and Venus,
Ech arrayed lych a quene,
As any Aungel bryght and shene.
I went ageyn hem, as I koude,
Thought I wolde me nat shroude;
For as hyt semed, al[le] thre
Took her way towardys me
Of on entent with chere and look;
And thogh I slept, myn hert awook,
Thus thoght I tho in my dremyng;
And at the poynt of her metyng,
I, so as me sempte dewe,
Ful humblely gan hem salewe,
Whan I espyed by her chere
Tyme opportune and best leysere,
With al myn hool[e] dilligence
To hem I did[e] reuerence.
And they goodly, as thoughte me,
Acceptede al thing at degre
In ryght wonder frendly wyse,
As the processe shal devyse.

Here maketh thauctour mension, how Mercure shewed and declared the cause why he broght the thre goddesses wyth hym.

Mercurie, in al the hast he kan,
Vn-to me his tale gan
Prudently, and lyst nat spare,
And seyde: “frende, I shal declare
“To the the cause [of] our comyng,
From Iubiter, the hevenly kyng,
To the of purpose pleynly sent
For to yive a Iugement,
And to shew vs thin advys
Vpon the doom of Dam Paris,
Which ys wreten in bokes olde,
That yaf the Appul, rounde of golde,
To freshe Venus, the goddesse,
Specyaly for hir fairenesse,
And left Pallas and Iuno,
The story platly telleth so,
As of clerkys ys devysed.
Wher-vpon be wel avysed
Prudently theron to deme,
Iustly, as hyt doth the seme,
Wher thou felyst in thy thoght,
His Iugement was good or noght.
But short[e]ly first, in sentence,
I shal yive the euydence,
First expovne, as hyt is good,
Of alle the mater, how hit stood:
Whylom to for the sege of troye,
Whan they flourede in her Ioye,
And wyth stronge honde dyd her peyne
To ravyshe the quene heleyne,
The same tyme, kyng Pelleus,
Ful ryche, and wys, and ryght famous,
Helde a feste, as hit is ryfe,
At the weddyng of his wyf,
Which Thetys highte, this the fyne;
Of whiche two, be ryghtful lyne,
Descended grete Achilles,
Ful renomed in werre and pes
Amonges grekes, as of renoun.
And as hit ys made mensyon
That Pelleus, this noble kyng,
Vpon the day of his weddyng,
Made a feste within his halle
Of the grete estatis alle
“Throgh out grece, that ther was non
But they wer present euerychon;
And also eke, in special,
Alle the goddys celestial,
And goddesses, this no fayle,
In ther rychest apparayle,
Al echon ther wer present;
For ther was noon that was absent,
Syttyng at the kynges borde,
Except the goddesse of discorde,

Invidia.

Lych as bookes specifye,
Which, of malis and envye,
Of rancour pale and appallyd,
Be-cause that she was nat callyd,
Cast of malys at the lest
To distroube hem at her fest,
Both in high and lowe estate,
For to make hem at debate;
And gan anoon in cruel wise
A mortal Appul to devyse,
Rounde of golde, with lettres grave,
Which seyd[e] that she shold hyt have,
Oonly by gifte and other noon,
Which fairest was of euerychoon,
Of al that seten at the borde.
And thus this goddesse of discorde
With hir sleyght and sotil gynne,
Sodeynly kam fleyng in,
Deynous of port and eke of syght,
Threwe the appul anon ryght
Among hem at the table doun.
And whan they hadde in-speccion
Of the Appul and writyng,
And conceyvede the menyng:
Shortly, in conclusion,
Al was turned vpe so doun.
For al her ioy[e] and gladnesse

Invidia omnia subuertit.

Was turned in-to hevynesse,
And the plesaunce of eche estate
Was platly tourned to debate,
“Both of high and eke of lowe,
By the fals[e] sede y-sowe
Of this lady, Dame hatrede,
To-rent and owgly in her wede,

id est Invidia uel discordia.

Which of entent kam so ferre
For to sette hem al at werre.
For euerych bysy was in dede
The ryche appul to possede,
To reioysshe yt dide her myght,
And gan pretende a tytle of ryght,
By excellence of ther beaute.
And specialy atwixen thre
Roos first thys stryfe contagious:
Pallas, Iuno, and Venus,
Who fairest was, and did excelle
Of beaute for to bere the belle,
And of the Appul, by reson,
For to han possession.
And eche gan other hyt denye,
And gan to holde chaunpartye
To resiste and to wythstonde,
Til Iubiter took al on honde,
And lyst nat to be rekkeles,
To stynte noyse, and make pes,
And al rancour for to fyne,
Fynally gan determyne:
That al of oon opinion,
With-out[e] contradiccion,
Shold[e] stonden at devys
And Iugyment of [Dam] Paris,
Which sholde, by gret dilligence,
By diffynityf sentence,
Yive a doom among these thre,
Which that shal, for hir beaute,
The Appul wynne of verray ryght.
And I my self anoone ryght,
As Iubiter commanded me,
Ladde hem with me al[le] thre,
Whan the sonne shoon ful shene,
In-to a wood[e] fressh and grene
“Besyde Troy, which Ida hight,

Ida fuit nomen silue iuxta ciuitatem troianam.

Wonder delytable of syght;
Wher as Paris, whoo took kepe,
Lay on the playn and kept[e] shepe;
For he an Erde was that tyde,
And Oenonye by hys syde,

Oenonia fuit amasia paridis.

Hys paramour of tender age,
Inly fair of hir visage.
And whan I kam, wher as he lay,
I ne made noo delay,
But tolde him by and by the cas
Of the goddesses, how it was,
As I ha put in remembraunce,
And Iubiteres ordynaunce,
As I ha tolde her euery del,
And bad him for to avise him wel,
Vpon this nyw vnkouthe striff
To yive a doom dyffynityff.
And al[le] thre, stondynge besyde,

Quelibet illarum preposuit pro parte sua.

Gan ful besyly prevyde,
Eche for hyr part ful dilligent,
With many myghty Argument,
Tatteyne to ther entencion,
By many strong suasion.
And Iuno first, which is goddesse
Of golde, tresour, and rychesse,
Grauntede him to han plente

Iuno primo incipit pro parte sua.

Of good with-out[e] skarsete,
Duryng hys lyf, for no myschefe,
Yif he graunted hir in chefe
The appul in possession,
With-oute more delacion,
And ay in rychesse to habounde.
And Pallas tho, the secounde,

Pallas proponit.

Which is lady and maistresse
Of renoun and of high prowesse,
Of konnyng also and prudence,
Of wisdam and of sapience,
Grauntede him to be most sage
That ever was in eny age,
“And for to shyne most in glorie
Of conquest and of victorye,
And al hys enemyes pute doun,
Yif he, in conclusion,

Condicion.

Bothe of equyte and ryght,
Gaf hir the appul anon ryght
With-out[e] more in hir demeyne.
But Venus, with hir firy cheyne,

Venus proponit pro parte sua.

Which hath loue in gouernaunce,
And goddesse is of al plesaunce,
Of lust, and fleshly appetyte,
And of voluptuous delyte,
Wyth hir bronde to enspire,
And folkys for to set a-fire,
In euery age, yong and olde,
T[h]at ther is noon so strong, nor bolde,
Nor so vpryght, nor so lame
That she kan daunte and make tame,
Be he ryche or be he wys.
And she hath graunted to Paris,
To han in his possession
The fairest lady of renoun
Of al this worlde, to rekne echon,
As fer as men ryde or gon,
To han hir knyt to him by bonde,
And borne also in grekys londe,
Which that called ys heleyne;
For whom she shal also ordeyne
That [Dam] Paris shal in Ioye
Bringe hir hoom in-to Troye,
And the proude grekys dawnte,
Yif he the Appul to hir graunte,
And to denye hyt be nat bolde.
And whan they had her talys tolde
To forn her Iuge, Dame Paris,
He lyst no lenger take avys,
Nouther by wysdam nor prudence,
But in al hast[e] yaf sentence
That Venus, lyke as I ha tolde,
Shal han thappul rounde of golde,

Iudicium paridis.

“As she that was the goddesse
Most excellent in fairnesse.
Thus dempte Paris, this no drede,
For which look vp and take good hede,
And by counsayl and rede of me,
Sith thou hauest lyberte,
Considre wel in thy reson
Of euerych the condicion:
Rychesse and tresour of Iuno,
And how that Pallas eke also
Ys in vertu most habounde,
And how Venus also ys founde
In love passyng debonayre,
And se, how al[le] thre be faire.
Voyde fauour, and sey[e] ryght,
Lyke as the semeth in thy syght,
And thy wittes hool applie,
To deme lych thy fantasye,
Wher that Paris, to thyn entent,
Gaf a ryghtful Iugement.”

How thauctour reherseth the ansuere which he gaf to Mercurius.

Whan the god Mercurius

Per istam fallaciam trium deorum clare significatur quod Iuuenis cum venerit ad annos discrecionis sibi potest proponi triplex modus viuendi uel triplex vita scilicet contemplatiua actiua et voluptuosa de quibus potest eligere illam que sibi magis placuerit sua libera voluntate etc.

Hadde I-tolde hys tale thus,
Of euery thing, how that hyt stood,
And I the matere vnderstood,
I be-helde hem al[le] thre,
And gan consyder and eke se
Her behestys by and by,
Of noon avys, but lyght[e]ly,
And dempte in sothe, as thoughte me,
That ther was noon, as of beaute,

Iuuenes autem quia sunt passionum insecutores eligunt vitam vt voluptuosam et hoc est quod poete voluerunt innuere per iudicium paridis secundum veritatem.

Half so fair as was Venus;
For which I answerde thus
To mercure, in sentence,
Which is god of eloquence,
Declaringe myn oppinion
With-oute more dilacion,
Vaylle or wher yt vaylle nought,
As hyt stake ryght in my thought:
That the Iugement of Paris
Was even lyke to my devys,
Touching thappul, ryche of golde,
Lyke to forn as I ha tolde,
And that more ryghtful Iugement
Myght not be, to myn entent,
Nor more egal out of blame;
“For I wolde ha do the same
Of equyte and no fauour,
Yif I hadde be arbitrour;
For she semys, shortly for to telle,
Al the tother doth excelle.”
And with that word anoone ryght
Mercure gan to take hys flyght
To the hevene, and that a-non,
Bet his winges and is gon,
Spake no worde at his partyng,
Save he sayde concludyng:
“Al this worlde gooth the same trace
And stondeth in [the] selve case.”
And after Pallas and Iuno
Ben departed bothe two,
With-outen any more arest,
What party that hem sempte best.
But venus, as I kan devise,
Kam to me in curteys wise,
Took hir leve, or she wente,
And tolde first what she mente.

How Venus, the goddesse, kam to thanke thauctour of hys goodly Ansuere.

“Myn ovne frende,” first, quod she,
“With al myn hert I thanke the
Of the love and frendly-hede
That thou hast shewed me in dede,
This ylke day, so feythfully,
To sustene my party,
And conferme hyt, in sentence,
In the noble, high presence
“Of Mercurye, myn allye,
Resemblyng in thy fantasye
Vnto Paris of Troy[e] toun,
Which whilom, in conclusyon,
The Appul grauntede vnto me
Of Iust reson and equyte;
For I was fairest in his syght,
For which he gaf yt me of ryght,
Thogh Iuno, Pallas of envye
Ther ageyn[e]s gan replye;
For I dar seyn, in sothfastnesse,
Y excelle hem in fairenesse,
For they be nat resemblable
To my beaute nor comparable;
For I dar wel specifye
For to fynde on my partye,
Hyt to sustene and that anoon,
A thousand peple ageyn ther oon,
For which al folke, as y desserve,
Ben euer bysy me to serve.
For in euery maner age,
Both of lowe and high parage,
I ha servantis foule and faire.
Vnnethis ys ther oon contrayre,
In noon estate, to myn entent;
For euery wight ys diligent
Me tobeye eve and prime
And ha be, sith thilke tyme
That Parys of fre volunte
Gafe the Appul vn-to me
Which was broght in by discorde.
And sith thou art eke of Acorde,
And hast eke demed feythfully
That I ther-to am most worthy,
Be ryght sure that certenly
Thou hast wonen enterely
My love al hool and that for evere,
Neuer pleynly to dyssevere,
And, for rewarde of thy sentence,
Conquered my benyvolence,
“Wher-of thou shalt ha gret profyt
And in effect as gret delyt,
As Paris hadde, in certeyn,
What tyme that he wan El[e]yne,
Which was callyd flour and welle
That al other dyd excelle,
In hir tyme, as of beaute.
But truste pleynly vn-to me
Of al that euer y ha the tolde.
Thou shalt han oon, a thousande folde
Fairer than she, to thy plesaunce,
To ben of thyn aqueyntaunce,
Yif thou tryste, in substaunce,
To stonden at myn ordynaunce.
For I haue in my demeyne,
Lacyd in my large cheyne,
God wot many thousand payre
Of wommen, bothe fresh and faire,
Without[e] novmbre, to governe,
Of which, yf thou kanst discerne,
Thou shalt chese, and thou be wyse,
The fairest vn-to thy devyse,
Fynally, the for to plese,
Sette thyn hert[e] best at ese,
In al ioye the to assure.
And her vpon I the ensure
At thyn ovne comaundement:
Yif thou folowe myn entent,
I shal the holde iust covenant,
And conferme also by graunt
To yife her the for thy guerdon,
To holde in thy possession
Hir that is fairest and mete,
To set thin hert[e] in quiete.
For thy decert thou maist trust yt,
That Pallas, for al hir wit,
Nor Iuno vn-to thy fauour,
With al hir rychesse and tresour,
Ne may to the so moche avayle,
As I shal do, with-out[e] faile,
“Yif thou thy purpose nat remewe
My tracys feythfully to sewe.”

How thauctour ansuerd to Venus.

And thus dependent in A were
I gan lyften vp my chere
And seyde: “o Venus, cheffe goddesse,
Of love lady and maystresse,
For lyf and deth, as yt ys dywe,
I shal folwen and pursywe
Your pathis pleynly and doctryne
And from hem nothing declyne;
For in this worlde ther is no thing
More trewe, as to my levyng,
More credible, nor more stable,
Nor to me more agreable
To leve vpon, as in substaunce;
And ther with al your contenaunce,
So ful of grace and of plesaunce,
With euery maner circumstaunce
Conferme, as to my felyng,
That ther is in your menyng
Nat but trouthe, as I assure,

id est confido.

Good chaunce, and happy auenture.
But so that yt be non offence
Vn-to your magnificence,
I shal reherse to yow anoon,
How hit fille, nat yore agoon,
Of verray hap and sodeyn chaunce,
For [me] to falle in dalyaunce,
As yt cometh to my mynde,
With the cheff princesse of kynde,
Which that called ys nature,
And did also hir bysy cure
Benyng[e]ly me for to preche
And tenforme me and teche,
Chargyng me ful prudently,
That I sholde avysely
Be wel war, and euer among
The wey eschewe that went wrong,
“In no wyse my course to dresse
Vn-to no pathe of wylfulnesse
Nor of sensualyte,
But forth ryght, as she taughte me,
The trewe way, and nat declyne,
Whiche ys ryght as any lyne,
As I hadde of hir conceyved.
And lyst that I be nat deceyved,
I am ful set nat to varye
To hir wil to be contrarye,
In hope ther-by to amende.
And for that I am lothe toffende
To yowe or hir by displesaunce,
I hange as yet in ballaunce.”

Her sheweth thauctour, how venus repleyed ageyn.

“My frend,” quod she, “I the ensure,
How that I and eke nature
Be so ful of oon accorde
That ther may be no discorde
Fynally atwene vs two,
In no thing, what so we do,
For I am guyed by hir reyne,
And she as lady souereyne,
And I mynistre hir to serve,
Fully her byddyng to ob[s]erve,
Humble of port and eke of chere,
Louly as hir chamburere,
By goddys disposicion
Ordeyned, by comyssion,
To be next hir, in special,
In hir paleys principal.
And thus, by goddys ordynaunce,
Vnder natures obeysaunce,
I stonde hir lustes to obey,
And shal neuer dysobey
To serven hir[e] to plesaunce.
And touching eke our aqueyntaunce,
Who that kan the trouth espye,
“We be bothe of oon allye,
Dyssendyd eke of oon kynrede,
As men may in bookys rede.
I take recorde of thise clerkys,
That the forge of al hir werkys,
Without[e] me, in certeyn,
Was nat maked but in veyn,
For but I put[te] to my cure
Hir forgyng myghte nat endure,
To hyr I am so knyt by bonde
Necessarie to hir honde.
I make redy alle thing
Pertynent to hir forgyng,
And pleynly, lyke to hir desire,
In hir forge I make the fire,
Ordeyn for hamer and for stith;
For she hath noon so crafty smyth,
With-out[e] me, that forgeth ought.
For which, my frende, dred the nought
Euery hour and euery space
After my weyes for to trace;
For I kan preven, in sentence,
By a maner consequence,
That nature And also I
Be conbyned so Iustly,
In al[le] weyes accordable,
That be in kynde resonable.
And sith I make the this offre,
Be war refuse nat my profre,
Sith that I hit do the to queme,
As thou maist thy selve deme;
And profre made to thy delyt,
Which concludeth to thy profyt,
Ne sholde nat, as semeth me,
To oft[e] sythe rehersed be;
For, by doctryne of the wyse,
Oones ought y-nowgh suffise.”

How thauctour ansuerd, and yalde him self holy to the seruise of Venus, and be-kam hir man.

“My lady,” quod I, “and maistresse,
I thanke vnto your high noblesse
For of al that ye ha sayde,
I am ryght wonder wel apayde,
For which, in what that ever I kan,
With hert and al y am youre man.
Shortly, I may me nat restreyne,
And what that doth me so constreyne,
I kan nat tel hyt in certeyn,
But wel I wote al hool and pleyn:
Myn hert[e], in ful sodeyn wise,
Is drawe al hool to your seruyse,
And myn enclynacion
Is hool in your subieccion.
For, in reyne and eke in shours,
Douteth nat that I am yours;
Hath her the feyth of my body,
Nat compelled, but frely,
To contune, for ioye or smert,
Fully acorded in myn hert
To be rewled by your devis.
For me semeth in myn avis,
Inwardely in my conceyt,
That ther may be no deceyt,
Engyn, nor fraude, on no syde,
Beseching that ye wol provyde
To teche me and to concerne,
How that I shal me gouerne
By the statutis of your law,
And what wey[e] I shal draw;
For euere platly, to I deye,
To your wille I shal obeye,
As ferforth as I ha konnyng
To fulfille your biddyng,
Fro tyme that I first began
To bekome your lyge man.”

Venus.

“In feith,” quod she, “dred neuere a del,
Thy seruise shal be quyt ryght wel.
Yif thou perseuer lyke thy bonde,
I shal yive in-to thyn honde
A mayden oon the gentylest,
The fairest, and the goodlyest,
Both of shap and of visage,
And also oon the most[e] sage
That any man may se or fynde,
Thogh men soughten in-to ynde,
And but yonge and tendre of age,
Whiche shal appesen al thy rage
That no man koude wissh a bet,
Thogh al wer in his choys y-set.
And she shal be, as hyt ys skylle,
Fully accordyng to thy wille,
And yet, or thou thy lust atteyn,
Thou shalt fele annoy and peyn,
But I wil first to the devise
How thow shalt werke in my servise.

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,

Deduit filius veneris.

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
“By his avys and his purchace;
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,

Iste philosophus secundum quosdam inuenit ludum Scaccorum.

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,

Rihtmachia est ludus philosophorum et consistit in arsmetrica et proporcionibus numerorum.

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,

id est Deduit.

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,
“And sotiltees many oon,
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.

Her reherseth Venus to thauctour of hir other sone callyd Cupido.

Here Venus discryveth to thauctour the gardyne of Deduit.

“This lusty Erber most notable
So plesaunt ys and agreable,
The which, yif trouthe be nat spared,
May of beaute be compared,
Of lustynesse and of delys,
Werreyly to paradys.
And, as to myn entencion,
That heuenly habitacion
So excelleth in beaute
That hit may nat descrived be,
Nouther by worde nor by wryting;
For to remembren euery thing,
Of lustynesse and of plesaunce
It hath so moche suffisaunce,
In dede and nat in apparence,
Foundyd by the diligence
Of Deduit, which day by day
Ful besy is with nyw aray
To conserve hyt, and to Raylle
With fresh and lusty apparaylle,
To kepe yt, that by violence
No man do ther-to offence.
Euer y-lyche fressh of hewe
He yt preserveth, new and newe,
Ful of suetnesse and of grace.
For hyt ys the playing place
Vn-to the myghty god Cupide,
Wher Deduit doth ay provyde
For his solace and hys disport,
Wher love hath euer most comfort.
For he pleynly of entent
Selde doth him self absent,
But gladly euer ys ther present.
For the chefe of his entent
Ys noght but study, nyght and day,
Vnto solace and to play,
Therin he haunteth al his lyf.
“For al debat, contek, and stryf,
Pompe, pride, and surquedye,
Malys, rancour, and envye,
Angwyssh, sorowe, and hevynesse,
Pensyfhede, nor tristesse
May nat ther, for foul nor fair,
Soiourne ther nor ha repair;
For hyt voydeth al distresse,
That no thing but glad[e]nesse
Abydeth ther, yt is no doute;
For al raskayl ys put oute,
For which this place most entere
Of glad[e]nesse hath noo pere.

The conclusioun of Venus.

How thauctour ansuerd to Venus.

“Madame,” qoud I, “for goddys sake,
Short processe for to make,
Wyth-oute any more tarying
Enformeth me of the duellyng
Of Deduit and of Cupide;
And that ye wolde be my gyde,
For I stonde in grete fere,
How I shal euer kome there.”

Venus.

How venus departed, and of the Forest wher Dyane mette wyth him.

How he sawgh ther Diane the goddesse.

Whan I had this forest seyn,
Passing of beaute, in certeyn,
As ye to forn haue herd me telle,
I caste ther no lenger duelle,
For I hadde othre thing adoo,
And I dar afferme also
That my thought was elles-where,
For which I boode no lenger there,
But furth the ryghte wey I took.
And ryght as I cast vp my look,
I sawgh vnder an Eban tre

Ebenus secundum plinium est arbor preciosissima auro et ebori comparabilis et hanc arborem solebant ethiopes offerre imperatoribus pro tributo et legitur quod Regina Saba dedit talia ligna salamoni et istud lignum conservat mundiciam et ideo est consecrata secundum quosdam.

A lady sytte of high degre,
And y had[de] gret talent
For to knowe in myn entent,
What she was that sat so there,
And thoghte that I wolde enquere
The cause, without more a-doo,
Why that she sat allone soo.
And by the ryghtest wey anoon
Towarde hir I gan to goon,
And hir presence dyde atteyn,
And certys, yif I shal nat feyn,
I dar afferme with-out[e] fage:
Of body, shappe, and of visage,
Of plesaunce, and of symplesse,
And by al other lyklynesse,
Ther was no fairer borne a-lyve,
Who so euer ageyn hyt stryve,
Ther was noon erthely creature
More perfyt, as by nature,
More plesaunt, nor more gracious,
Hyr clothing rych and precious,
That I ha no konnyng dywe
To declare the walywe
So ryche of stonys and tresour.
But as touching the colour,
Hyt excelled, I dar expresse,
Al erthely thing in w[h]ittenesse,
That outerly, and thus I mene,
That I myghte nat sustene
Myn eyen clerely to vnfolde,
Ther-vpon for to beholde,
That, yif trouthe be nat spared,
Ther may no w[h]itenesse be compared
To that w[h]ittenesse, I dar telle,
For al w[h]itenesse yt dyd excelle,
The cloth in whiche she was lacyd,
In a kyrtel streyt enbracyd,
That ther was no thing to blame.
A-bove A mantel of the same,
Open to forn, of good entaylle,
The whiche also, this no faylle,
Closed hir body nat in veyn
That of hir shap was no thing seyn.
The whiche mantel also shoon
Clerer than any maner stoon,
Of which the forour was more fyn
Than menyver outher ermyn,
Wympled but in symple guyse,
Yet neuer the lesse to devyse,
Who consydred euerydell,
Hyt bekam hir wonder well.
And by sygnes dyde seme,
As ferforth as I koude deme,
Be lyklyhede and of reson,
She was of somme religion.
Vpon hir hed of gold a crovne,
The whiche dyde envirovne
Hyr wymple whyt more to delyte,
Ful of grete pereles whyte:
Rycher no man koude knowe.
And in hir hande she had a bowe
Of white yvere, pulshed clene,
And arwes, forged sharpe and kene,
Of yvere eke, for hir emprise,
Made in the most[e] crafty wyse
At wylde bestis for to shete,
Wher so that she doth hem mete,
Whan she seeth hem to savage,
Hygh of gres, or to Ramage.
And, specialy, she hath solace
With hir arwes for to chace,
With alle hir hool[e] bysynesse,
For to shete at ydelnesse,
To avoyde hir oute of hyr Forest,
Therin to make noon arest;
For of entent, with al hir myght,
She chaceth hir, both day and nyght,
For that ys hooly hir delyte;
She hath hir in so gret despite,
And hateth, shortly, no thing more.
For by the holtys gray and hore
And by the dalys depe and lowe
To hunten hir she bereth a bowe
Most specialy, as ye shal here.
And whan I gan to negh hir nere,
I gan Saluen and enclyne
To that lady most devyne,
And seyde: “honour and reuerence
Be vnto your excellence!”

How Diane ansuerde.

“My sone,” quod she, “good auenture
Be vnto the and ryght good ewre,
Myn honour safe, and my renoun,
For I ne ought, of Iust reson,
Nat the salue nor taken hede
To shew[e] the no frendelyhede;
For I the telle outerly:
Thou art ther-to no thing worthy.”

How thauctour ansuerde.

Whan I herd that goodly faire,
Benigne, and ryghte debonayre,
Seyn so to me without[e] more,
I was a-basshed wonder sore,
Syth I dempte, as in my thought,
Pleynly that she knyw me nought,
Musyng, what hyt myghte be
That she so straungely spake to me,
Which neuer aforn, in no place,
I hadde doon no trespace
Ageyn[e]s hir, by my wetyng,
Nor hir offended in no thing.
And thus I stood al in a rage
With look cast fix in hir visage,
Wavering as in a were,
And parceyved by hir chere
That she, so as I koude gesse,
Bare to me somme hevynesse,
Til at the last[e] out I brake,
And evene thus to hir I spake:
“Madame,” quod y, “with al my myght
I wolde your honour and your ryght
Were safe in al[le] maner wyse,
As your selfe kan best devyse,
For so wyssly god me amende,
To doon yow wrong or to offende
Ys my wylle high nor lowe.
But for desire I ha to knowe,
What that ye ben, thus her syttyng,
Is the cause of my komyng,
Ful humb[e]ly, without offence,
Requering with al reuerence,
As I dar without[e] blame,
To reherse me your name;
And eke the cause, why that ye
Ben displesed so wyth me;
And fynaly (cause) of your grevaunce;
For I ha no remembraunce,
“Sithe tyme that I was borne,
That euere I saugh yow her to forne.
Yet neuere-theles, as hyt ys skylle,
I am in purpose and ful wille
Holy to amende in hert and thought,
Yif any thing I ha myswrought,
To ouer more to my konnyng,
As I best kan, in any thing
That myghte plese your highnesse,
I wolde do my besynesse
Yow to quemen and to plese,
And your trouble to apese.”

Diane.

“In good feyth, my childe,” quod she,
“As now hyt longeth nat to the,
Thow art in party out of Ioynt,
But yif thou stood in swiche poynt,
And wer as now so fortunat,
So clere and hool in thyn estat,
And acceptable also to me
Of my counsayle for to be,
Yt wer wel bet vn-to thy prowe,
I dar wel seyn, than yt is nowe.
For, pleynly, thin entencion,
Wil, and inclynacion,
I dar afferme, and knowe hyt wel,
Ymagynacion, and echedel,
Hyt ys no drede, thou art so in,
They hangen by another pyn;
But for al that me lyst nat lye,
I shal shortly specefye,
What that I am, and nat faylle;
Al be I lese my travaylle
The to enfourmen or to preche,
Yet at the lest I shal the teche,
That thou mayst haue yt bet in mynde,
And eke of hap that thou maist fynde
The verray trouth, and taken hede
For to repent, or thow be dede,
“The wrong and errour thou art ynne,
And ryght anoon I wol begynne.

Her Diane declareth her entencion.

“Myn ovne frend, in soth,” quod she,
“Folkys whiche that knowe me,
Bothe here and be-yonde se,
Throgh the worlde in ech contre,
Thys no les, bothe oon and alle,
Dyane of custom they me calle,
Which, as poetys specyfye,
Am goddesse of venerye
And of Bestis eke savage;
Touchynge also my lynage,
Iovis doghtre by dyscent,
Most myghty in the firmament,
Whiche throgh his pover eterne
Hevene and erthe doth gouerne
Of hys hygh Magnificence.
And Phebus eke, god of prudence,

Diana est soror Phebi.

My brother is sothely in dede;
And as touching my kynrede,
That oughte y-nogh to the suffyse,
But myn office, and my fraunchise,
Fredam, and Iurisdiccion,
Which I haue by commyssion
By the goddys to me committed,
Which, in soth, may nat be flytted,
For alle the court celestial
Han made me lady princepal
And goddesse of venerye,
Wode and Forest for to guye,
Of chace also and of huntyng.
And for this skylle, in my walkyng,
As she that hath most maistry,
I bere thys bowe of yvory,
For my play and for solace,
Wylde bestis for to chace.
This my crafte, in soth[e]nesse,
To eschewen ydelnesse,

Ad fugandum ocium.

“Which is to me most noyouse,
Loth-som, and most odyouse,
Whom to avoyde, in special,
I ha my duellyng principal
And myn habitacion,
To walke and romen vp and doun,
In the forest most notable,
Of beaute incomparable,
Chefe close vnto my resort,
Therin to haue my dysport,
Wher I may lyve in Ioye and play,
In fraunchise from al affray,
Perpetuelly in gladnesse,
Without envyous heuynesse,
Except, surely, that in oo poynt
I stond in partye out of Ioynt,
Which troubleth me with swich distresse
I may nat lyven in gladnesse.”

The auctour.

“Madame,” quod I, “I yow besech
Goodly that ye wil me tech,
What poynt is that, and me to lere,
And humb[e]ly I shal yow here.”

How Diane repreued hys purpose and compleyned vpon Venus.

“I was wont whilom,” quod she,
“Yn tyme of olde antiquyte,
In ioy and myrthe to habounde,
Glad of hert and ful Iocunde,
And had gret prosperyte,
Worshipped eke of ech degre
And welkome in euery place,
Most accepted vnto grace

Castitas quondam fuit magne reputacionis ab omnibus accepta et honorata.

Of al goddesses high and lowe,
Whan they wern echon arowe;
For tho had euery wight plesaunce
Of me to taken aqueyntaunce,
Frend-shippe, and benevolence,
“And wer wel payed of my presence;
And with high and lough degrees
I was with-holden, and, of Fees,
Eche man redy me to serve,
Oonly my grace to dysserve,
Bothe at borde and eke at table;
For thise folkes honourable,
Grete plente, both nyght and day,
Kam to this forest for to play,
Of entent with me to abyde,
Gret novmbre vpon euery syde;
But now I see her purpose chaunge,
And how that folke ar wexe straunge;
For euery wyght in his degre
Fleeth and draweth now fro me,
And maketh sothly no pursuit,
For which, withouten al refuit,
I stonde allone desolat,
As she that is disconsolat
Of al ioye and al comfort,
So ful I am of discomfort,
With sodeyn newe oppression,
And of no reputacion,
Fro day to day most ful of moone,
Solytarye, and allone,
As a woman in gret wer,
Which in thys forest that ys her
Abyde without companye.
And cause of al, as y espye,
That I am left allone thus,
Is myn enmy, Dame Venus,
That regneth with hir companye,
And pleynly hath the regalye
Throgh the worlde on euery syde,
So pompose and so ful of pride
That hir domynacion
Ys nowe in euery region,
For in delys she so haboundeth
That many folkys she confoundeth
With lustys that she dooth present,
“For which with al ther hool entent
They folwen hir, and me forsake,
For which I may my compleynt make
That she regneth in hir estat,
And I stonde al desolat,
Muet as hyt wer a stoon.
And this myschef of yore agoon,
As cause first of my mournyng,
Be-gan, whan Iubiter was kyng
By violent oppression,
Whan he caste hys Fader doun,
Satourne fro his Royal see,
And made him also for to flee
That he durst[e] nat abyde
In hys kyndham on no syde;
For he was courbed, gray, and olde.
The worlde whos tyme was of golde—

Tempore saturni secula fuerunt aurea.

Ther was swich plente, in sothnesse,
Bothe of tresor and of rychesse;
But al is turned vp so doun,
For the dominacion
Iubiter, on se and londe,
Hath sesed now in-to hys honde.
For siluer now, that first was golde,
Of as high pris ys bought and solde
Both at market and at Feyre,
And thus ech thing doth appeyre,
Syth Satourne with his siluer berde
Of Iubiter was made afferde.
And syth hys exil was purchasyd,
Al vertu hath be dyffasid;
For with Satourne, and that is routhe,
Ryghtwissnesse, honour, and trouthe,
Good feyth, and al honeste,
Clennesse eke, and chastite
Exiled wern, shortly to tell,
With vs no lenger for to duell,
As hyt had be for the nonys,
With him they fledden al attones,
That now allas, this the fyn,
“Al the worlde gooth to declyn,
And ys peruerted with Satourne.
For no man lyst now to tourne
To Vertu nor to perfytenesse,
But to delyt and ydelnesse;
Ther is no feyth, ther is no trust.
For the girdel of fals lust
With bokel and thong hath so enlacyd,
And the worlde so streyt enbracyd,
That euery wyght, in certeyn,
Both gentil and eke vileyn,
Wher so that a man repaire,
And ladyes, boothe foul and faire,
And maydenes tender of age,
Born of lowh and high parage,
Pore and ryche, to rekne echon,
That vnnethe ther is noon,
But that they be, who lyst to se,
Mortal foon to chastite,
And lust ha noon now to enclyne
To the ryw[l]e of my doctryne.
For which, allas, sool and allone

Quomodo Diana plangit de mutabilitate mulierum.

I may sigh and make moone;
For trouthe and feyth ben al agoo,
Yt was not wont for to be soo
In tyme of the kyng Arthour,
The noble, worthy conquerour,
Whom honour lyst so magnyfye,
For of fredam and curtesye,
Of bounte, and of largesse,
Of manhode, and [of] high prowesse,
To remembre all[e] thinges,
He passyde al other kynges.
He was so prudent and so wis,
In gouernaunce of so gret pris,
Whos high renoun to descryve,
Al[le] tho that wern a-lyve
He surmountede of his degre;
For honour and prosperyte
God and fortune lyst him graunte.
“In whos tyme, y dar avaunte,

Ista sunt verba Diane in commendacionem castitatis.

I had of frendes gret plente,
Wel willed for to serve me,
And to honoure my partye,
And diligent, for to applie
Hooly her wittes in ech place,
To perseuer in my grace
And to ben of myn allye;
Wher-of Venus had envye,

Nota quod Venus semper invidet castitati.

Whan she sawgh and knyw certeyn
That she was had but in disdeyn;
For love was tho so pure and fre,
Grounded on al honeste
Withoute engyn of fals werkyng
Or any spot of evel menyng,
Which gaf to knyghtes hardynesse,
And amended her noblesse,
And made hem to be vertuous,
And, as the story telleth vs,
Which the trouthe lyst nat feyne,
How the knyghtes of Breteyne,
Most renomyd and most notable,
With Arthour of the rounde table,
The myghty famous werriours,
Lovede the dayes paramours,
Gentilwymmen of high degre,
Nat but for trouthe and honeste,
And hem self to magnyfye
Put her lyf in Iupartye
In many vnkouth straunge place,
For to stonde more in grace
Of ladyes, for ther high empryse.
And al they mente in honest wyse,
Vnleful lust was set a-syde.
Women thanne koude abyde,
And loveden hem as wel ageyn
Of feythful hert[e] hool and pleyn,
Vnder the yok of honeste,
In clennesse and chastite,
So hool that Venus, the goddesse,
“Hadde tho noon Interesse.
That wer so feythful and so stable
To knyghtis that wer honourable,
Chose out for her ovne stoor
To love hem best for euer moor;
Wher so as her sort was set,
The knot never was vnknet.
Their choys was nat for lustynesse,
But for trouth and Worthynesse,
Nor for no transitorie chaunce
Nor, shortly, for no fals plesaunce,
How ofte that they wer requered;
Of my scole they wer so lered
To love hem that wer preved best,
And in armys worthyest,
Many sithe and nat oonys,
That wer chose out for the nonys
In high prowesse hem self to avaunce
Throgh her long contynywaunce.
That tyme was my name raysed,
And loue worthy to be preysed.
Wher so Venus wer lef or loth,
They gaf no fors, thogh she wer wroth,
Be-cause oonly she was put vnder.
But certes now it ys no wonder,
Thogh I compleyn and sighe ofte,
Syth I am doun and she alofte
And is enhaunced newe ageyn,
And my partye is but in veyn,
So sengle that I stonde in doute;
For Venus hath so gret a route
Ageyn[e]s me on hir partye
That, to holde chaunpartye
Ageyn[e]s hyr, I am nat strong;
For love, allas, and that is wrong,
Hath now no lust nor appetyte
But in thinges for delyte.
Thus by constreynt of hir lawe

Sunt verba Diane.

Venus al the world doth drawe,
For eche empire and region
“Is now in hir subieccion,
For she with strong and myghty honde
Regneth now in euery londe,
And eche man foloweth hir in sothe,
Honour and worshippe to hir dothe.
Nat oonly men in generall
But al the goddis celestiall,
Gret and smal, hir lust obey,
For ther is noon that dar with-sey
To serven hir with grete delyte,
As hyt wer doon in my despite
And in contempt of my renoun.
Maydens of my relygion,
Ladyes of high and low degre,
Which sholde of ryght stonden with me,
Ben tourned shortely fro my lore,
And therof ne wil no more,
But of Freel condicion
And wylfull dissolucion
Davnce on hir ryng ful nygh echon;
For Iubiter ful many oon
Ravysshed hath of force and myght
By fals outrage ageyn al ryght:
He took Europe vn-to his stoor,

Europa fuit filia regis agenoris rapta per Iovem.

The Doghter of kynge Agenor;
And in Ouide as hyt is tolde,
He ravissede in a clode of golde

Rapuit eciam Danaen per ymbrem aureum.

Danne, as bookes lyst expresse,
For hir excellent fairenesse.
And my brother eke Phebus
Stood vnder daunger of Venus
For dafhne aforne, as hyt is tolde.
And alle the goddys yonge and olde
And in this worlde nygh euery man,
As ferforth as I reken kan,
Ben euerychon of oon accorde
With me to stonden at discorde,
And my servise hool forsake,
Of assent they han hem take
To the servise of Venus.
“I se ryght wel that it is thus,
The sleyghtis eke I ha conceyved,
How the world hath hem deceyved
With fals delytys temporal.
And thou thy self, in special,
Art oon of hem bekome of late;
The tyme I know and [eke] the date,
Thyn errour so I haue espyed,
How thou art of new allyed,
Vnder hir yokke y-bonde the,
Which may nat lyghtly broke be;
For by othe and assuraunce
Thou art knet, by alygiavnce,
To hir seruise throgh thy rage,
And ther-vpon do thyn homage,
And thus bekome hir man at al
To holde of hir in special.
I know the maner euerydel,
And haue espyed eke ful wel,
How of slyper conscience
Thow yaf a doom and A sentence
To hastely of wronge entent,
To conferme the Iugement
Whilom yoven of Paris,
And took ther-on but short avys,
Touching the appul mervelous
Which he graunted to Venus,
Seydyst, with-out[e] more abood,
That his Iugement was good,
Al be that hasty Iugement
Was neuer good to myn entent.”

The auctour.

“Madame,” quod I, “it is certeyn:
I dempt[e] pleynly as ye seyn.
And yet me semeth in my syght
That his Iugement was ryght;
For errour noon, to my semyng,
Was noon founde in his demyng,
And yet, in myn oppinion,
“I conferme yt of reson.”

How Diane ansuerd blamyng Venus.

“My faire frende, in soth[e]nesse,
Thou gaf thy doom of wilfulnesse,
Ouer lyghtly, and al in hast;
Thy sentence was soone past,
And hasty domys ever among
Ben oft[e] sithe meynt with wrong,
And who that haueth noon insight
Demeth alday ageyn ryght:
And so destow, I dar afferme,
And notably hyt conferme;
For thou took, yt is no doute,
The worst of al the hool[e] route,
And yaf thy Iugement by graunte
To the lest[e] suffisaunte
Of al[le] thre, so she the blent,
Wherof, in sooth, thou shalt repent;
For thou shalt knowen in certeyn,
How that of the tother tweyn
Kometh worshippe and noblesse:
For Iuno, lady of rychesse,
Graunteth tresour and gold also
Fulsomly to alle tho
That drawen vn-to hir servise,
Maketh hem ryche in sondry wise
Of worldly goodys and dispence;
And Pallas, goddesse of science,
Causeth folke to be prudent
And in worshippe excellent,
Whiche ar two thinges ful notable
And in this worlde ryght profitable
And passyngly of gret renoun.
But Venus, in conclusion,
By in-fluence of hir mevyng,
Yiveth to man no maner thing
Of profyt that may avaylle.
For she of custom doth assaylle
With gret plente of fleshly lust,
“In which ther is but lytel trust;
For al hir gyftes ar gynnyng
Of myschef, sorowe, and wepyng,
Of compleynt and mysaventure,
Importable to endure,
Whos lustys be so deceyvable,
So vnsure and variable,
Farsed ful of sorwe and dool,
That he may be cleppyd a fool
That trusteth on hem any tyme,
Outher at even or at prime.
For the fyn of hir swetnesse
Concludeth ay with bitternesse,
And wyth myschef dooth manace,
Thogh she be soote att prime face,
The surge of hir drynkes all
At the ende ys meynt with gall:
Experience shal the lere.
She may be lykned to chymere,

Vnde valerius ad Rufinum: chimeram nescis esse quam petis / sed eciam scire devoves quod triforme illud monstrum insignis venustetur capite leonis / olentis maculetur ventre capri virulente armetur cauda vipere.

Whiche ys a best[e] Monstruous,
Ryght wonderful and mervelous,
Hedyd as a stronge lyon,
And even lych a scorpion;
Hyr tayl ys werray serpentyne,
And hir bely eke Capryne,
This ys to seyn, whan she is hoot,
Rammysh taraged as a goot:
So stronge and vnkouthe of nature
Is hir mervelous figure
That swich a best[e] now a-lyve
Is no man that kan descryve.
And swich on pleynly is Venus,

Nota quomodo Diana dea castitatis describit venerem deam voluptatis.

That foolis kan deceyven thus,
Whos name for to specyfie
Aftir ethymologye,
Venus, by exposicion,
Is seyde of venym and poysovne;
And of venym, this the fame,
Venus pleynly took her name.
For she venemyth many wyse
“Al that doon to hir servise,
This her guerdon day and nyght.
For she skorneth euery wyght,
Swiche as she dooth governe;
And whan they come to hir taverne,
She serveth hem first, of entent,
With ypocras and with pyment,
Ryght soote and ryght delycious
To folkys that ben amerous;
But hir confeccioun[e]s alle
With alloes and bitter galle
Ben ymaked and y-tempryd,
That make a man gretly distemprid.
They be so venymous at al,
So to be drad and so mortal,
A-bove y-cured with suetnesse
That no man the treson gesse;
Hyt is so dredful and pervers,
So perilouse sothly and dyvers,
Causyng so gret mortalyte
That non may recuryd be
Ageyn[e]s deth, by noon obstacle,
By herbe, stoon, nor [by] triacle;
So ferful is that maladye,
Save flyght ther is no remedye,
As seyn clerkes that be sage;
For this mortal beverage
So noyous ys and so doutable,
First soot and after deceyvable.
This the beverage of Circes,

Circes fuit maxima incantatrix.

With which the folke of Vlixes,
As Auctour[e]s lyst expresse,
Ytourned wer[e]n to lyknesse
Of bestys and, maked bestial,
Lost hir reson natural.
Thynke wel theron, this was the fyn,
Somme wer asses, somme swyn,
To foxes fals and engynovs,
And to wolves ravynouse,
And yet wel wors peraventure.
“For thys the drynk, I the ensure,
Most ynly soote, cler, and fyn,
And in tast fressher than wyn,
But in werkyng dedely felle,
Which the mynystres of babel
Maden falsly of envye,
And gaf hyt to kyng Sedechye,
Wher-thorgh he had A laxatyf
That he shortly lost hys lyf,
Ageyn[e]s which ther was no bote;
But first he founde hyt wonder sote,
Tyl aftir-warde he hath parceved,
How fals[e]ly he was deceyved:
Of the Drynke he dyd attame,
Deyede anoon for verray shame.
And yet the pyment of Venus
Is wors and more malycious,
With which so moche folke ar blent.
And ther-of drinketh the covent
Professid in hir Relygion
Throgh fraude and fals decepcion.
And so shalt thow deceyved be,
Ther is noon help[e] but to fle
With al thy myght and al thy peyne,
And from hir Daunger the restreyne;
Noon other helpe ys in the case
But for to flen a ryght gret pase.”

How the auctour ansuerde.

“Madame,” quod I, “I kan nat se,
Wher any perel sholde be.
I wold[e] knowe and apparceyve,
How she myghte me deceyve,
For I kan no deceyt espye,
For, pleynly, to my fantasye
She is benigne, curteys, and fre,
And shewed hir goodly vn-to me,
And with al bounte doth habounde;
For I ha preved and y-founde
Fredam in hir and gentilesse,
“And is also my cheffe goddesse,
Whom I shal serve in colde and hete;
She hath me made by-hestys grete
That, yif I may hem ful acheve,
Ther is no thing shal me greve
Nor happe amysse to myn entent,
For which, with ful awysement
And without[e] doublenesse,
For sorwe, myschef, or gladnesse,
This a-vowe to hir y make:
I wil hir servese nat for-sake.”

How Diane shewed [and] declarede him the pereills of Venus.

“My faire frende, yif thou lyst lere,
Somwhat of Venus thou shalt here.
For god so wisly yive me blysse,
And the also, so iustly wisse,
And yive the grace be good avys
To be so prudent and so wis,
Of entent thou maist declyne
Fer away from hir doctryne,
For yif thou knywe the damage,
The grete pereill, and the rage,
And the myschef thou art ynne,
I wot ryght wel, thou woldest twynne
And fle from hir in euery part,
As doth an hare the lyppart.
For thou hast noon experience
Of hir large conscience,
Nor of the grete aduersyte
Which lykly is to come to the,
And of the grete high myschaunce,
But thou in hast ha repentaunce;
For shortly elles, this no nay,
Thow shalt curse thilke day,
Wepe and be-waylle many wyse
That euer thou kam in hir seruise,
Or hir presence dist atteyne,
And I my silf also compleyne,
“Whan I considre of reson,
How thy disposicion
Ordeyned had the table
By lyklyhede of high degre
And of estate ful worshipable.
But gery Venus, euer vnstable,
Hath with hir perilouse face double
Put the abak in ful gret trouble,
That I kan nat by-thynk[e] me,
How hyt may remedyed be,
The tescape out of hir lace.
For, fynaly, thus stant the cace:
Geyn is ther noon teschew[e] blame,
But oonly deth or elles shame.

Her declareth Diane the pereils by exaumple.

“In good feyth, I dar assure,
Thou stondest in wors aventure
And more perilouse condicion
Than whilon dyde Duke Iason,
In-to Colchos whan he went
Ther to conquere of entent,
In-to that Ile famous and olde,
The Ram that bar the flees of golde,
And passede the grete see.
Thow standest in more pereil than he,
Which hast, as I kan deuyse,
Take on the so gret emprise
To entre the gardyn of pleying,
Wher Deduit hath his duellyng
And his Brother by his syde,
Which that callyd is Cupide,
Ther to pley hem and solace,
In that freshe lusty place,
They with many another mo,
And thy self art oon of tho
Of new to thy confusyon,
That, as I seyde, Duk Iason,
Which was so hardy and so bolde,
“Whan he wan the flees of golde,
That was kept by the high prudence
And by the gret[e] diligence
Of myghty Mars, the god of Werre,
The which ys spoken of so ferre
From est in-to the occydent,
And was kept by enchauntement
With huge boolys of metal,
With flavme dredful and mortal,
Which yssed out at nasse and mouthe,
Spredyng abrood[e] west and southe,
Brent[en] al that kam be-syde:
Ther koude no man hym provyde
To save him that he was brent.
Ther was also a gret serpent,
Passing cruel and horrible,
That hyt sempte an Impossible,
In that dedely mortal stryve,
A man to eskape with his lyve.
But thy meschef, who loke wel,
Is more perilouse a thousand del.
For Iason, throgh his hardynesse,
Throgh his force, and high prowesse,
And also throgh his sotyltee,
And by the helpyng of Medee,
And by his swerde so sharpe and kene,
Fortunyd was for to sustene
Al the pereils oon by oon,
And ouer-kam hem euerychon;
Made the boolys wyth strong honde
Vp and doun to ere the londe,
The serpent slough, as hit ys knowe,
Took out his teth and gan hem sowe,
The which, to euery mannys syght,
Euery tothe Roos vp a Knyght,
The whiche fersly in bataylle
Ech gan other to assaylle,
Al the while hem lasteth breth:
And thus the fyn of hem was deth,
And so Iason, this knyghtly man,
“The flees of golde by man-hode wan,
Which was so noble and so ryche.
But thyn emprise ys nat lyche,
Who lyst take hede vnto the fyne,
Yif thou entre the gardyn.
For nouther wyt, nor worthynesse,
Manhode, force, nor noblesse,
Enchauntement, nor sorcerye
In this perilouse Iupartye
Avaylle may, me lyst nat glose,
Nat the boton of A rose;
For fro thens no man retourneth
That any while ther soiourneth.
A man may entre wel certeyn,
But he shal neuer resorte ageyn.
For the treynes that be there
Be more to drede, and ful of fere,
And more perylouse of to telle
Than the snarys depe in helle,
Wherin ys trapped tantalus,
For this the house of Dedalus
Wyth the clowthy and the threde,
Dedly perilouse, who taketh hede.
It is so wrynkled to and froo
That man not, how he shal goo,
For who hath onys ther entre,
To come ageyn yt wil nat be.

Her declareth Diane the perils that ben in the gardyn and the herber of Deduit.

“In this gardyn amerouse,
Most woful and most dolerouse,
Ther is of sorwe so gret novmbre
That they wil a man encombre.
It is so ynly deceyvable
That thou woldest holde a fable,
Yif I sholde hem oon by oon
Rekne hem to the euerychon,
Al the pereils as they ben:
“For ther thou shalt syrenes sen,

Dicit Isidorus tres fuisse sirenes ex parte virgines / et ex parte volueres et pisces / vngulas et alas habentes quarum vna voce / altera tubea / tercia lira canebat que illectos nauigantes sub specie cantus ad naufragium pertrahunt / secundum veritatem / Meretrices fuerunt que transeuntes ad egestatem ducebant etc.

Crestyd as a gret Dragon,
Feller than any scorpion,
Of which in ysidre ye may se,
Specialy, how ther be thre,
Halfe brid and fissh the navele doun,
And vpward of inspeccion,
Who that a-ryght beholde kan,
Eche hath an hede of a woman,
And euerych hath a mayde face
Of syghte lusty to enbrace,
Her nayles kene and wonder sharpe.
The ton pleyeth on an harpe
Myd of the see, fer fro the londe,
The seconde toucheth with hir honde
On a sawtre delytable,
The thirdde also, most agreable,
Aungelyke of melodye,
Ful of soote armonye,
Syngeth songes Amerouse,
Wonderly delyciouse.
And of hir hedes thise Sirenes

Sirenes.

Arrayed fresh as any quenys,
Toward the tayl siluer shene
With scalis rede, blew, and grene,
And disgesely arrayed,
With wynges large, brood displayed;
And thus, as bokys maken mynde,
Monstres of a treble kynde,
Fyssh and foule, but hede and face
Meke as a mayde ful of grace,
But venym in the tayl behynde,
Who that preveth shal hyt fynde,
Crawmped as a gret gryffon
Of nature and condicion.
Whan they harpe, pley, and synge,
The noyse is so ravysshynge
That shippes, seyling by the see,
With her songe so fonned bee,
So supprysed, and y-blent,
“That they be werrey necligent
Of gouernaylle in ther passage,
Tyl, amonge the floodys rage,
Ther ys no thing that hem socoureth,
Tyl caribdes hem deuovreth,
The pereyl ys so mortal strong.
Lo! this the fyn of al her song,
Lo! thus concludeth her delyte,
And thou shalt ben in wors[e] plyte,
As shal preven at the ende,
Yif thou in-to the gardyn wende,
And ley the Ere for to here
Sirenes with her notys clere,
Ful lusty and melodious,
Whiche, in the chapel of Venus,
Day and nyght do ther servise.
And as I shal to the deuyse,
In this gardyn ouermore
Ther is ful many wilde bore,
Lyons proude in ther rage,
And many beste ful Savage,
To annoye, whan they be furious,
To folkys that ben amerous,
Professed in Venus covent,
Ofte devoured and to-rent:
As whilom was Adonydes,

Adonydes fuit amasius veneris vnde in sacra scriptura / Mulieres sedentes in theatro planxerunt adonidem.

Yong, lusty, fresh, and pereles,
Of hardynesse and fers corage,
Fairer eke of his visage
Than euer, in soth, was Absolon;
In the forest of cytheron
Thys yong[e] knyght, by cruel fate,
Was slay[e]n, for him lyst debate
Wyth wylde bores in ther rage
In that forest most savage.
At a boor as he gan chace,
And with a spere him manace
With strong and myghty violence,
The boor stondyng at diffence
With foomy mouth and tusshes kene
“Vnder a cedre fressh and grene,
With grete noyse and gret affray
Stondyng at a mortal Bay,
Whan he myght him nat with-drawe,
Hath thys yonge knyght y-slawe,
Who so ther with was lefe or loth.
For whos deth Venus was wroth,
Al be that ther was no socour,
By-cause he was hir paramour,
And, for the beaute of his face,
Gretly accepted to hir grace.
But yt ne myghte be amendyd,
Al be that she had him diffendyd
And y-taught him, as she koude,
Teschewe bestys that be proude:
As boors, lippardys, and lyouns,
That Fray and rore in ther souns,
Fel and mortal to assaylle;
To hunte at hem yt may nat vaylle,
But at other bestys smale,
Bothe on hille and in vale,
To chasen hem she bad nat spare,
As the konyn and the hare,
Which ay be redy to the flyght;
She bad at hem to doon hys myght,
Wher so that he may hem knowe,
To chase at hem and hornes blowe,
Hert, and hynde, buk, and doo,
At reyndere and the dredful roo;
For they kan no resistence
For to sto[n]den at dyffence.
But for thys yong Adonydes
Was necligent and Rekkeles
And a fool lyke as artowe.
Al that she taught him for his prowe
Was voyde out of hys retentyf,
For which, in sooth, he loste hys lyf,
Throgh hys vnhappy mortal chaunce,
Caused by the Aqueyntaunce
Which he hadde with Venus,
“Wher-throgh he made an ende thus
Through the bores cruelte,
That bet to him yt hadde be
Ta kepte him cloos out of his syght,
But he may curse of verray ryght
That ever he kam in her forest
With-out[e] wisdam or arest
Or for lak of discrecion,
To hunte at Boor or at lyon
In wode, forest, holt, or hethe,
Wher-through, in sooth, he caught hys deth.

Of moo pereils that Diane reherseth.

“In this gardyn eke also,
Who that kan take hede ther-to,
Therin be beddes perilouse,
More dyuers and more mervelouse
Than was the bed of launcelet,
With gold enbrowde and stonys fret,
And maked by enchauntement,
With whiche he was al-most y-shent,
Of rychesse thogh yt dyde excelle.
But this bed of which I telle,
Ys wors, and thou shalt fynde yt thus,
Than the bed of Vulcanus,
Al with cheynes rounde enbracyd,
In the which he hath y-lacyd
Hys wyf Venus and Mars y-fere,
Whan Phebus with hys bemys clere
Discurede and be-wreyed al,
And al the goddys celestial
Of scorne and of derision
Made a congregacion,
To wonder on hem, wher as they lay
Asshamed and in gret affray,
By fals compas of V[u]lcanus
Most Ialousse and suspecious,
Wich hath a bed contreved so,
That they wer take bothe two
Al vnwar, whan they lest wende,
“That they koude hem nat diffende,
Whan Vulcanus dyde hem assayle;
For Mars, that god was of batayle,
For al his knyghtly excellence
Ne koude tho no resistence,
Oonly to avoyden his diffame,
Which tourned him to gret[e] shame,
Whan al the goddys in his face
Rebukede him of his trespace.
But Venus was ryght noght ashamed
Of no thing that Mars was blamed,
Be-cause oonly that Vulcanus
Was to hir so odious,
For his smotry, swarte face
He stood clene out of hir grace;
But Mars was yong, and eke lusty,
Gentil, manful, and hardy,
And eke with bysy Attendaunce
Redy to do to hir plesaunce,
Wher Vulcanus, to conclude,
Had[de] many tachchis rude,
A cowarde and of no renoun,
And vileyns of condicion,
That she wolde, in her entent,
In wilde fire that he were brent.

Here Diane reherseth mo pereils.

Here declareth Diane of the kynde and the natures of the trees in the gardyn of Cupyde.

Her declareth Diane of the perilouse erbys groving in the gardyn of the god of love.

Her Diane maketh A maner rehersayl of al the pereils to for seyde in the herber of Deduit.

Her declareth Diane many meschefs that felle in the gardyn of Deduit by example of many sondry stories.

Here maketh Diane a co[m]parison a-twene hir Forest of chastite and the Herber of Deduit.

“By these exaumples thou maist se
The errour and contrariouste
That ys in love, yif thou take hede,
Which quyteth folke with cruel mede,
Whos merveylous condicion
Ys contrarye to reson;
Yt ys so ful of sorwe and tene.
For which I rede the abstene,
Lyst thou repent[e] in the fyn,
Nat to entre in hys gardyn;
But abyde and make arest
Her with me in my forest,
“Which hath plentevous largesse
Of beaute and of fairenesse;
For, shortly, throgh my providence,
Her ys noon Inconvenience,
No maner fraude, deceyt, nor wrong
Compassyd by Sirenes songe,
Nor be nat no bestes rage,
Dredful for to do damage,
And ther thou shalt no wellys fynde
But that be holsom of her kynde,
The watir of hem ys so perfyte,
Who drinketh most hath most profyte.
Eke in thys forest vertuus
No man taketh hede of Vulcanus
Nor of hys decepcion,
For the tren in ech seson
Geyn al assaut of stormes kene
Of fruyt and lefe ben al-way grene,
Perdurable of nature
In ther beaute to endure,
They ben of kynde so notable
That they be neuer corrumpable,
I-lyche fresh and neuer olde,
And somme of hem bere fruyt of golde,
Swich as Alysaundre founde.
Whan he had wonne euery londe.
Ther is no fruyt, to rekne al,
That may therto be peregal,
For thilke fruyt, as thou maist se,
Perseuereth ay in hys beaute,
And thyse tren, in comparison,
Passe of vertu and renoun
The treen both of Mone and sonne,
Which clerkes so wel preyse konne;
The fruyt ys so confortatyf
To preserve a mannys lyf
Longe from al corrupcion,
By kyndly dysposicion;
Of whos Applis thou maist se
The noblesse and the dignyte,
“Yif thow abyde in thys forest.
For Alysaundre, in his conquest,
In hys story thow mayst fynde,
Rood in-to the ferther ynde,
Of entent[e] to enquere
Swich maner fruyt to fynde there;
But he founde noon, in special,
That to thys fruyt was [per]egal
Nor semblable to hys avayle,
Al be that he took hys counsayle
Of two tren al to sone:
The ton y-sacryd to the mone,
The tother halwed to Phebus,
Philysophres writen thus,
Wher hys fate was nat sparyd
But openly to him declaryd,
In greke and hebrew tonge sovnyd,
And hys fyn clerly expovned,
He myght eschew hyt by non art,
But had he ete and take his part
Of this fruyt which I of telle,
Which al other doth excelle,
He had contunyd in hys glorie,
And bet acheved hys victorie,
And prolongyd eke his lyf:
Hyt hath swych A prerogatyf
And of vertu so grete myght.
For the shadwe of kyndly ryght
Ys allone so comfortable
And to profyte most notable.
The erbys also, of nature,
In ther beaute euer endure,
And kepe alyche her grennesse,
Bothe her beaute and fayrenesse;
Ther flour[e]s euere fresh and glade,
And for no maner stormys fade,
For they be so vertuous,
That no best[e] venymous,
Serpent in kave nor in Roche,
Ne may in no Wyse aproche,
“Nor ther vertu amenuse;
For al swich venyme they refuse,
For which with al thy ful[le] myght
Thou sholdest be ful glad and lyght
Here to abyden and presever
And neuer hen[ne]s to dissever,
First considren of prudence
In thy self the dyfference
Atwene this habitacion
And the amerous mansyon
Of Deduit and of Cupide,
And set bothe two asyde;
And al thys thing consydred wel,
Peysed and novmbryd euerydel,
Thow sholdest chese here tabyde
Perpetuelly, and nat devyde
Of thin ovne volunte,
Syth thou hast swich lyberte.
For more to the kan I nat sey,
It longeth nat me to prey.
For yt may happe so par case:
The more men prey[e]n a gret pase
The more somme folkys wil declyne
For tobey[e] my doctryne.”

Thansuer of the auctour vn-to Diane.

“Madame,” quod I, “with thys that ye
Be nat displesed now with me,
I wil lyke myn oppinion
Make a replicacion
To that ye han rehersed here,
Which ys mervelous to here,
That by your wylle I shold[e] tarye
In thys forest solytarye;
To which, yif I dyde assente,
I sholde sone me repente.
But trusteth pleynly wel ther-to,
My purpose ys nat to do so,
This verray sooth, me lyst nat feyn;
Therby thogh I myght atteyne
“To the prowesse of Ector,
That was so worthy her to for,
Nor to the wisdam, both in oon,
Of Dauid and kyng Salamon,
Nor to wynne al the tresor
Of the kyng Nabugodonosor.
Al thys ne myght[e] me compelle
In this forest for to duelle,
Thogh ye reherse al y-fere:
The dyuers trees, the wellys clere,
The herbys, nor the flour[e]s fayre,
Nor al the bestys debonayre:
Al yfere avaylle noght,
To do me consent in my thoght
For to holden here hostage;
Yt acordeth no thing with myn age
For this habytacion
To myn Inclynacion.
For I se here no plesaunce
By no maner resemblaunce:
Ioye, myrthe, nor gladnesse,
But al-to-gedre hevynesse,
For which I preyse yt nat a myte.
Me list as ȝet be noon hermyte
Nor solytarie of lyvynge.
For, fynally, thys duellynge
Ys nat acordyng with my lyfe;
The place ys so contemplatyfe,
I wer a fool, here to soiourne,
Alway to compleyn and morne,
Ever in oon, [both] day and nyght.
I sholde do ageyn al ryght,
To contrayre in werkyng
The preceptys and byddyng
Of Nature, my maistresse,
Of alle the world[e] gouerneresse;
Which bad me, as I kan report:
‘Go se the world’ and me disport,
And theryn oonly me delyte:
Goon about[e] and vysite
“Places which that be Iocounde,
Wher as myght ys most habounde
In my selfe, to knowe and see
On hir werkys the beaute,
The merveylles and vnkouthe thinges
Of hir wonderful werkyngys,
And of hir forge the secrees,
Mysteries, and the prevetees,
Which, in soth, be nat apert
But wonder cloos and ful covert.
And for I ha so grete plesaunce,
With al my hool[e] attendaunce
Of ful desire to folwe hir lust,
I wil hir siwe of verray trust,
And abyde no lenger here
Myd thys forest, in no manere,
Wher I kan se noon avauntage
To my profyte but bestys rage,
Ne party that I kan devyse,
And I wil in no maner wyse
Nouther offende nor trespase,
Lyst I wer put out of grace,
Ageyn myn hest, in soth[e]nesse,
Made to Venus, the goddesse,
I wil hir serve and euer shal,
What euer fal, loo, here is al!
Thus to doon ys most myn ease,
Wher so yt greve yow or please,
This myn entent in euery cost,
And wher as men me blame most,
Ther shal I be most ententyf
Hyr to serven al my lyf.
For without comparyson,
Ther ys noon of swich renoun
As my lady, dame Venus,
Humble, and benigne, and gracious,
Faire a-bove al mesure,
Both of shappe and of stature,
And to speke in wordys pleyn,
Fairer than ever was Eleyn,
“Ryght bontevous and ynly fre,
And of lyberalyte
She excelleth, I dar expresse,
Of port also and loulynesse.
Ther is no man this day so wys
That to the fulle kan yive aprys
Of hir myght nor hir highnesse,
Of hir pover nor noblesse.
I dar yt wel expresse and telle
That she of renoun dooth excelle
Alle tho that ever I koude of rede,
For to speke of frendlyhede.
And in oo thing ye wer to blame,
That ye lyst declare hir name
By wrong interpretacion
In your exposicion,
Which openly seyden thus:
That of venym was seyde Venus.
This was your oppinion
Contraire to myn entencion.
For I dar pleynly specefy
That, for she hath the maistry
And al represseth with hir myght,
Therfore of verray due ryght
She hath hir name, who taketh hede,
To be callyd, yt is no drede.
Venus ys sayde of venquisshing,
For she venquyssheth euery thing.
I say yt out, me lyst nat rovne,
Thus ye shuld hir name expovne,
For noon may make resistence
Ageyn[e]s hyr magnificence,
For which I ha set myn entent
To ben at hir comandement,
Me to agreen to hir wille
In euery thing, as yt ys skylle;
For which I shal do my power
To hast[e] me to thilke herber
Wher Deduit hath gouernaunce
With Ioy and play and al plesaunce.
“For in my wit I kan nat se,
That swiche perel sholde be
In that place, lyke as ye seyn,
Ye blame yt ydelly in veyn,
And maken a comparyson
Of the dedys of Iason,
Of Pheton, and of Icharus,
That wolde fleen, ye tel[le] thus.
But I me cast[e] nat to fle
With y-charus ouer the se,
Nor with Pheton al my lyve
The chare of Phebus for to dryve,
Nor for to wynne the flees of golde,
Of which to forn ye han me tolde.
Of al her foly wilful dede
I wil take no maner hede;
But I desire the knowleching
Of the hevene and his mevyng,
And also of the salt[e] see,
And eke what thing yt myght[e] be,
Why the flood, as clerkys telle,
Folweth with hys wawes felle,
And after that the ebbys sone
Folweth the concours of the Mone,
The reson out I wolde fynde
After the course oonly of kynde;
Thogh I ha this effeccion
Prentyd in myn oppinion,
Vn-to yow is noon offence.
For, vtterly, thys my sentence:
I wil go serve my maistresse,
I mene Venus, the goddesse.
I wil ther-of make no delay,
Lo, here is al! I goo my way.”

Here ansuereth Diane vn-to the Auctour.

“Thogh I al day do forth my peyne,
By force I may the nat restreyne,
Nor I wil nat the conterplete
Nouther in colde, nouther in hete,
“Nor the afforcen by the lappe,
Til thou falle in Venus trappe
By somme vnhappy frowarde chaunce,
That thow falle in repentaunce
Of thing wherin thou doost offende,
And seyst: thow mayst yt nat amende,
Nouther by wyt nor purveyaunce,
Thorgh foly of thy gouernaunce,
That thow lyst the nat provyde
To caste aforn, on euery syde,
The perel of thyn auenture,
Which thou art lykly to endure.
Ther may be made noon avoydaunce;
Thow hast nat yet swich aqueyntaunce
On euery part of thy maistresse,
Whom thow callyst thy goddesse,
In euery cost, both fer and nere,
And yivest to hir so gret powere,
As al wer lacyd in hir cheyne,
As thogh she myghte al restreyne;
But yif thow wistest euerydelle
And knew what she were ryght welle,
Al hir maner and hir gyse,
In hyr thow sholdest in no wise
Han so grete affeccion
Nor swyche ymaginacion,
But ageyn hir lust debate
And haten hir of gretter hate
Than euer dyde dyomede,
Which with his suerde made hir blede.
To hir he gaf so grete a wounde
So mortal and so profounde
That without[e] more abood
She shoold ha deyed, so yt stood;
Ther was non other mene weye,
Yif goddys myght of kynde deye,
But deth hath, in conclusyon,
In hem no dominacion.
For thingys which that be dyvyne
Vnto deth may nat enclyne.
“And thus consydred euery thyng
Of hyr wonderful wyrkyng,
Thow sholdest not, and thou wer wys,
Yife to hir so grete a pris,
Yif thou knyw in thy reson
The noble sentence of Caton,
Which comaundeth, thus I mene,

parce laudato.

A man to preysen in A mene,
Both in high and low degre,
And by no superfluyte,
Lyst after be no lak y-founde;
And wher as thou lyst the to grounde,
To sustene thy grete errour,
To make nature thyn Auctour,
That she sholde ha commaundyd thus
The to folwe Dame Venus,
Which was no thing hir entent
Nor fyn of hyr comaundement.
For I dar seyn and yt expresse
That nature, the goddesse,
By recorde of wysest clerkes,
Hath noon errour in hir werkes.

quia dirigitur ab intelligencia non errante.

For god, which gouerneth al
By hys pover eternal
And hys dyvyne sapience,
Hath throgh hys myghty providence
Dame nature ordeyned so
That she may noon errour do
Nor forfete to no maner wyght.
Thow vnderstood hir nat a-ryght,
To comprehende in thy felyng
The cler entent of hir menyng;
She bad the, nouther fer nor nere,
To soiourne in the Erbere,
By no maner feyned weye,
Wher ydelnesse bereth the key,
Nor wher as she ys porteresse
Of the gate and chefe maistresse,
Wher as Deduit was first foundour,
Lord, and sire, and gouernour,
“Oonly ordeyned for delyte
And voluptuouse appetyte.
For both the host and the hostel
Ben so perilouse and cruel
That, to rekene hem oon by oon,

id est pericula.

A man wer bet in sooth to goon,
Who al the pereils kan espye,
In-to the dredful host[e]rye,
A-forne consydred euery thing,
Wher Lychaon was, lord and kyng

Ille lychaon interficiebat hospites suos.

Of Archadie, the myghty londe,
Which slough and mordred with his honde
Hys gestys soothly euerychon;
Whan they kam, he spared non.
But thys erber, as I ha tolde,
Is wel wors a thousande folde,
For which consydre in thy thought
To be war, thou entre nought.”

How thauctour ansuerede Diane.

“Madame,” quod I, “with your leve,
Wher yt offend[e] yow or greve,
I may nat knowe the meschefe,
Ther-of tyl I ha made a prefe;
But happe what euer happe may,
I thynk for to make assay,
For the conceyt of my reson
Contrarieth your oppinion;
Ye and I ful gretely varye:
Our Iugement[es] be contrary,
And stonde also at discordaunce
Touching the gardyn of plesaunce.
Ye seyn, yt ys contagious,
And I, how yt ys gracious,
Agreable, and debonayre,
And ye holde the contraire,
This your fantasye at al.
And thogh yt wer[e] as mortal,
As horryble and foule also,
As ys the paleys of Pluto,

Pluto est deus infernalis.

“And as ful of blak derkenesse,
Of sorwe, and of wrechchidnesse,
Yet fynaly, how euer yt bee,
I shal assayen and go see,
Afforce me and do my myght
Therof in hast to haue a syght;
For thyng that may nat be eschiwed
But of force mot be sywed.
Yt semeth a maner destane,
The which, in sooth, no man may fle,
For which ye lese your langage.”

Diane.

“Thow seyst sooth, I am nat sage
To make so a long sermon
Ageyn[e]s thyn oppinion;
For what so ever I devyse,
Thow wilt folwe thyn ovne guyse.
Thou gest of me no more langage,
I put al the surplusage
In thyn ovne eleccion
After thy discrecion,
To chese or leve, sith thow art free,
At thyn ovne liberte.”
And with that worde Diane anoon

Auctour.

Tooke hir leve and ys a-goon
As fast as she hir tale brake,
And I neuer after with hir spake,
For she without[e] more arest
Took the thykke of the forest.

How the Auctour took hys wey towarde the herber of Deduit.

Withouten any lenger space
I gan on my waye trace
And Diane anoon forsooke,
And forth the ryghte wey I tooke,
Bothe throgh felde and throgh forest,
Forth ryght, as me sempte best,
Gan to crosse dovne and dale
And ouer-twerten hille and vale,
The next[e] wey as was myn happe,
Spared nouther bussh nor gappe,
Felte nowher no greuaunce
For [my] ioy and my plesaunce,
Both in countenaunce and chere;
As I neghed the herbere,
Me thought, I gan encresse more
And to helthe me restore,
Evene lyke as was my fate,
Til I kam vn-to the gate.

Here the auctour maketh a descripcion of þe place.

This lusty herber delytable,
Above al other most notable,
Wher Deduit—the story telleth—
With Cupide, hys brothir, duelleth,
The which entende never a day
But vn-to myrthe and vn-to play;
And al[le] tho that there abyde
In the seruise of Cupide
Ha noon occasion
But lyke to her affeccion
In that fresshe, lusty place
Hem to disporte and solace.
For this the gardyn and the cloos,
The whiche hath so grete a loos,
And, for the excellent fayrenesse,
Is remembred, in soothnesse,
Of many clerkes as be writyng
For the faire, fresh beldyng.
Among[e] whiche ther was on
Most specialy of euerychon,
I mene hym, with-out[e] glose,

Nota quomodo auctor allegat historiam de Rosa.

That gan the romaunce of the rose;
The whiche drempte in his slepyng,
How erly on A morwnyng
He was vn-to this gardyn broght
And so longe aboute hath soght,
Til he fonde a smale wiket,
The which ageyn[e]s him was shet;
And fonde as thoo noon other weye,
Til that he gan knokke and praye;
And, without[e] more delay,
Ther was no wight that sayde nay
Nor made thoo no straungenesse,
For the porter ydelnesse
Lete hym in, and that in hast;

Ociositas.

And whan he was the entre past,
He fonde a place of grete delyte
Most plesant to his appetyte.
The beaute was so souereyn,
For which he felte ful gret peyn,
He had so gret affeccion
To han yt in possession
Oonly for beaute of A roose,
Of which the levys wer ful cloose
In maner of A rounde boton,
That herte and hool affeccion,
He gafe therto in soth[e]nesse,
For thexcellent[e] swet[e]nesse
The which environ dyde sprede,
Ful desirous yt to possede.
For love of which, in substaunce,
He compiled the romaunce
Callyd the Romavnce of the Rose,
And gan his processe so dispose
That neuer yet was rad noo songe
Swich a-nother in that tonge,
Nor noon that in comparysoun
Was so worthy of renoun,
To spekyn of philosophie,
Nor of profounde poetrie;
For, sothly, yet it doth excelle
Al that ever I herd of telle.
And in this book most notable,
Most lusty and [most] agreable,
The Auctour pleynly doth declare,
Openly, and lyst nat spare,
How he first in that erber
Bekam a trew[e] homager
Vnto Cupide, and dide homage.
He was so rent with lovys rage
For the feyre, fressh boton,
Swettest in comparison,
Most goodly and delycious,
For which he was so amerous
Felt in his hert[e] ful gret peyn
To forn or he myght atteyn
At hys lust yt to possede.
But at the last[e] for his mede
Of Aventure thus yt fil:
He had hit at his ovne wil,
And al the maner and the guyse
The romaunce doth deuyse,
Ful of mystery and secres
And many vnkouth prevites,
As the processe kan yow lere.
So ful of pith is the matere
That swich a book in Romaunce
Was neuer yet [y-]made in Fraunce
Nor compiled in sentence,
It is so ful of sapience.

Here tourneth the auctour ageyn to hys matere.

And of thys lusty, fresh herbere,
Most agreable and most entere,
To declare yt and expresse,
A-noon I wil my style dresse
And ther-of make mension
To kome to myn entencion;
For ellis myght I in no wyse
Al the maner here deuyse
Touching hooly myn estate,
To tel, how that I was chek mate,
By and by myn aventure
Touching my discon-fyture
And hooly the occasion,
As I haue maked mencion,
For which Venus, the goddesse,
My lady eke and my maystresse,
Sent[e] me vn-to that place,
Callyd the herber of solace.
Now shal ye here, and ye take hede,
Al the processe of my spede,
Both the gynnyng and the fyn,
And how I kam to that gardyn,
And the maner of myn entre,
Wonder desirous for to se;
And first gan in my self recorde,
Wher the beaute dyde acorde
By any maner Resemblaunce,
Touching my drem in substaunce,
Wher yt be lyke in any thing,
I mene as thus, wher my dremyng,
Which in this book I shal disclose,
Be lyke tke Romaunce of the Rose
Oonly, in conclusyon,
Touching our bothe avysion.

Here declareth the auctour the thinges that he saugh without the herber.

Here reherseth the auctour, how he was resseyved and accepted of a lady callyd Curtesy, whiche graunted him lyberte to goo wher him lyst.

How the auctour commendeth the Herber.

Whan I behelde this lusty place,
So ful of beaute and of grace,
And had ech thinge apparceyved,
Me sempte, I was nat deceyved
In such a place to abyde,
For, truly, vpon euery syde,
As I behelde to my plesaunce,
Me thogh[t], I fonde al suffisaunce,
As of delyte ther lakkyd noght
That was ravisshed in my thoght,
And held my self verrayly
Passyng ewrous and happy
That ever I had[de] swich a grace
For to entren in that place.
Yt was so glad, and so Iocunde,
And of al Ioye most habounde,
So excellent and so notable,
Surmountyng and delytable,
That shortly, as I kan dyffyne,
It sempte werrayly dyvyne,
As me thoght in my demyng
Pleynly, And noon erthly thing;
For of beaute and of renoun,
To make iust comparison,
Yif I shal the trouthe telle,
Placys al yt dyde excelle,
To whos beaute was noon lyche:
Soothly nat the paleys ryche,
I mene the house celestial
Wher the goddys immortal
With Iubiter, gretest of myght,—
The sterry place ful of lyght—
Abydeth in the highe hevene,
Brighter than the firy leuene;
Nor the paleys of Phebus,
Which is so ryche and curious,

Regia solis erat.

To rekne al, yt wil not be
To be resembled of beaute
To this place, high nor low.
For as fer as I coude know,
Euery where in my walkyng
Ther lakked[e] no maner thing
Of Ioye, merthe, nor gladnesse,
Of holsom ayr, nor of swetnesse;
And ay the more I gan to presse
The more my Ioy[e] gan tencresse;
And yif I sholde aryght descryve
The beaute during al my lyve,
The tyme wold[e] not suffise
To tel the maner and the guyse
Of the excellent fairenesse.
And eke also the noblesse
Of this herber most renomed,
Who so lyst aryght take hede,
Ful many day or I was born
Hath be descryved her to forn,
Both in metre and in prose.
I take recorde of the rose
And of many mo Auctours.
The which of blosmys and of flours
And of herbys vertuous
Is euery wher so plentevous
That to euery maladye
A man may fynde remedye
To preserve a mannys lyf.
Ther nature is so sanatyf
That the leche most famous,
Callyd Esculapius,
Yif he wold[e] ther be kynde
Any maner herbe fynde:
Outher bitter outher soote,
Greyn or gomme, rynde and roote,
Pertinent vnto physike
To helpe folkys that be syke,
Of frutys holsomme vpon tres,
Of many sondry [divers] gres,
Yt nedede him no more enquere,
For he sholde fynde hem there
As fresh in wynter and as grene
As in the lusty somer shene;
For ther may no corrupcion
Haue there domynacion.
And of the herbys thise the chefe,
Who so lyst to make a prefe,
Ther ys no venym, nor poyson,
Nor noon intoxigacion
Of adder, serpent, nor dragon,
Made nor contreved by treson,
But that the herbes of Nature
Vertu han yt to recure,
And with al this yit ouer more
A man to helthe to restore
Of kyndly sekenessys and foreyn.
And here and ther vpon the pleyn
Amongys al thise glade thingis
Ther be ful freshe wel[le] springis,
That with her holsom lycour clere
Ouerspredden the herbere,
The Rotys, greyn[e]s, and the sedes,
And the smothe softe medes,
Fletyng with bawme sanatyf
Of kynde most restoratyf,
That yf ther wer in any londe
A man ybrent with lovys bronde,
Or with his dredful arwe woundyd,
Yif he wer ewrous to be soundyd,
This place wer most convenient
Vn-to his amendement:
To duel among the freshe flours
As folk that love paramours.
For ther they myghte fynde and se
Wher-with they shal recuryd be.
And myddys of the soote herbage
Ther be bestys eke savage,
Grey and falwe, white and blake,
Euerych pleyng with hys make,
Bothe on hillys and on vales
Ther herde I also nyghtyngales
Syngyng on the Cedres trene,
Tavoyde away al sorwe and tene
With her hevenly nootys clere,
Euerych of hem with his fere,
With so melodious acorde
That ther was founde no discorde;
For y suppose, ther is no man
That aryght reporte kan
The wherbles, nor the vnkouth touns,
Nor the ravysshinge sowns,
Nor the sugryd melodye
Of ther soot[e] armonye,
So aungelyke vn-to the Ere
Throgh the gardyn her and there
That ther is no man in hys wyt
The whiche koude ha levyd yt
Nor demyd yt in his entent,
But yif he had[de] be present.

How the auctour espied first the god of love.

Here declareth the auctour the maner of hys corowne.

The same tyme stille y stood
And consydred and a-bood
With a sobre countenaunce,
Seyng the gret[e] suffisaunce
Of this god most dredeful,
Most myghty, and most wonderful.
And sodeynly, as I took hede,
I saugh a corowne vpon his hede,
Passing riche and curiouse
And ful of stonys preciouse,
Fet out of the ferther ynde,
Which by vertu of ther kynde
Made euery man in his estat
Ryght ewrous and ryght fortunat.
For somme were so graciouse,
So myghty, and so vertuouse
To make folkes amyable,
And other to be honourable,
And other, as I can reporte,
With good hoope to confort,

Spes.

To kepe a man in al gladnesse
And avoyde of hevynesse;
Somme had vertu and renoun
To kepe a man from al poyson,
And somme hadde suffisaunce
To kepe a man from al grevaunce,
And somme in Ioye to conserue
And fro sorwe to preserve
And with myrthe to releve
That noon hevynesse greve;
And somme gaf perseueraunce
Ageyn al maner perturbaunce,

perseuerancia.

Manly of force to sustene
Al disese, peyne, and tene,
And euery maner aventure
Good and evel for tendure,
That, to rekne oon by oon,
Ther ne was no maner stoon
Set in his corovne but of value
And but yt were of gret vertue,
Euerych of hem in his degre
Of grete power and dignite.

Here declareth the auctour the maner of clothyng of Cupido.

Hys clothyng eke, yif ye lyst here,
Was wonder dyvers of Manere,
The vnkouth werke y-made of olde
Nouther of silke nouther of golde
But of a mater wonder straunge,
Ever redy for a chaunge
In-to as many folde colours
As in erthe growe flours,
Outher on hilles, vale, or playn;
And euer yt was in non certayn,
Of what colour yt myghte be,
For ther was of noo degre
Nor in this worlde no man a-lyve
That konnyng hadde to descryve,
Of what colour was his clothing,
It was so dyuers of chaungyng.
And this god hadde eke also
On his shuldres wynges two,
Al vnwarly and vnwist
For to fle wher euer hym lyst
As any swalwe swifte of flyght;
And of fethres he was as bryght
As an Aungel of paradys,
That I hadde in my devys
And in myn hert[e] grete plesaunce
To beholde his gouernaunce;
And eke this god, in special,
As he that ouercometh al
And daunte kan [bothe] yong and olde,
Was wonder fair for to beholde:
Yong, lusty, fresh, and also eke
Symple and as dovwe meke,
Debonaire and amyable,
Curteys, large, and honourable,
And fulfilled of gladnesse,
Of myrthe, play, and lustynesse,
And wel y-cheryd of lokyng,
And his eyen ay laughyng,
Clere, and gray, and eke drawyng,
And plesaunt eke of beholdyng
To lure folkys and to drawe
And to constreyn hem to his lawe;
Thogh somme seyn, in special,
That he seeth ryght noght at al,
But is as blynde as stok or ston,
But what they Ianglen euerychon,
I espyed by hys chere
That his sight was ryghte clere.
And his eyen in lokyng
Weren, me thoughte, ryght persyng
And ryght faire in apparence,
And, short[e]ly, thus, in sentence,
I sawgh this myghty god certeyn
In his estate ful wel be-seyn.

Here telleth the auctour, how the god of love lad on hys one hand gladnesse and Doultz regarde.

Here reherseth the auctour the Mynstralcyes that Weren in the gardyn of Deduit.

Here declareth the auctour, how he sawgh the Rosys and the Rosier, and the place wher Ialousye set bialacoil in prison, and the welle of Narcisus.

Here declareth the Auctour how he loked in-to the welle.

How the Auctour founde Deduit pleying at the ches.

Here declareth the auctour, aftir play was ended, how the god of love made hym playen at the ches with the Damesele.

Here descriveth the auctour the cheker and the meyne.

Here maketh the auctour a descripcion of al hir Meyne and first of hir povnys.

Her povnys all, y yow ensure,
I-forged wern of oo mesure,

Primus pedinus.

Wroght and made by crafte ful clene
Al of Emeraudys grene,
And lych as I vnderstood
The first[e] povne, which that stood
On hir ryght hand, was callyd youthe,
Which in his sheeld, as yt ys kouthe,
Bare a cressaunt Mone shene,
To declare, thus I mene,

primus pedinus in bello mulieris ponitur Iuuentus et portat in suo scuto lunam nouam que in suo lumine multipliciter variatur. et sicut luna in modico tempore multa signa peragrat / Ita Iuuentus pertransit multa pericula antequam perfecerit cursum suum.

That youthe in his grene age
Varieth ofte of corage,
Redy for to chaunge sone
After the nature of the mone;
But of chaunge the properte
Longeth nat, in no degre,
Vn-to woman of Nature,
They be so stable and so sure

Sed absit quod aliqua variacio foret reperta in sexu muliebri qui non habet aliquam influenciam variacionis a luna / per Antifrasim.

In ther trouthe to persever,
For ther hertys chaunge never,
Wher they be set, they wil abyde,
They voide chaunge to ben her gyde,
Ther sect ys no thing lunatyke,
Nor of kynde they be nat lyke
To no monys that be wane,
They turne nat as doth a phane
With vnwar wynde, god forbede
That ther sholde in womanhede
Ben any monyssh tache at al,
But stedfaster than ys a wal
In what thing that they ha to don.
They be nat lyche the hornyd moon
That kan encrese and wanse ageyn,
Swiche a faute was neuer seyn
In woman yet afore thys tyme;
They hate that any newe prime
Wer founden in her kalender,
They be so perfyt and enter
And stable in her sykernesse,
That cloude noon of doubilnesse
Eclypse may the clere lyght,
Nor difface the bemys bryght
Of her trouthe, which wanseth never
But in hys fulle lasteth ever,
Nat lyke the mone but the sonne,
That fadeth with no skyes donne,
Ryght so the bryghte bemys glade
Of her trouthe dooth never fade.

per contrarium.

The seconde povne on hir partye.

The secounde povne next arowe

Secundus pedinus fuit pulcritudo que significatur per Rosam que cito marcessit et nascitur inter spinas.

Was callyd, as I koude knowe,
Beaute by name or fayrenesse,
A povne of grete worthynesse;
And he bare in his sheelde a Rose,
Budded as hyt wolde vnclose,
Oonly for to signifie
That beaute, who that kan espye,
By naturel Inclinacion
Lasteth fresh but a seson,
No mor than doth a Rose newe
Which with a storme chaungeth his hewe,
For al his soote levys glade
Ful vnwarly yt wil fade;
And so, in sooth, doth al fairenesse
With sodeyn storme of somme sekenesse,
Both in man and woman bothe,
Wherso they be glad or lothe,
Lat no woman ther-of han pride,
For yt wil no while a-byde
But passe, as dooth a Rose flour,
Al vnwarly with a shour,
For age, or they taken kepe,
Lyche a thefe wil vnderkrepe
And appallen the beaute,
From whos stroke they may nat fle;
For ther may no crafte avayle,
Whan that age dooth assayle,
And youthe last but a seson
And hath eke this condicion:
Whan he ys goon, be wel certeyn,
He wil never resorte ageyn,
Of kynde yt may be noon other;
And beaute, which is youthes brother,
Whan youthe ys goon, wil nat appere,
For comounly they goon y-fere,
And after Age doth defye
Al[le] merours in to prye,
For pleynly youthis herytage,
Who look aryght, ys crokyd age;
And of beaute this is the fyne:
Whan he draweth to declyne
With age for to be allyede,
It may of no wyght be denyede
In noon estate, who taketh hede;
For age taryeth for no mede,
Wher so he be nygh or ferre,
Hys tyme sette for to differre,
For no request of kyng nor quen,
Hys manacyng they may nat flen.

The thridde povne.

The thridde povne callyd symplesse,

Tercius pedi[n]us vocabatur simplicitas que significatur per agnum / et conuenienter per agnum intellegitur illa simplicitas siue ma[n]suetudo que pro maiori parte in mulieribus reperitur.

Which be kynde dooth expresse
Innocence and loulyhede
That sholde be in womanhede,
And humblesse that they sholden have.
Therfore in his sheelde was grave
A lambe ful meke and debonayre,
Whiche is a best[e] nat contrayre
No more, in sooth, than woman be,
For oonly of humilyte
They suffren al that men wil seyn,
And kan nat speke a worde ageyn;
Meknes hath so her tonge nayled,
Thogh they with anger be assayled,
They be as Muet as a ston.
A mouthe they han, her tonge ys gon,
For of kyndly providence
They be professed to silence.
Ther ys no man that wyl sey nay
That hath hem preved at assay.

The fourthe povne.

The fourthe povne ful plesaunt

Quartus pedinus vocabatur dulcis aspectus qui portauit Iridem in scuto / Nam secundum philosophum / Iris est grata aspectu et reddit arbores super quas cadit odorabiles et mouet desiderium in amatoribus / Item significat pluuiam pietatis que omnia possunt applicari ad mulieres / que cito moventur ad lacrimas pietatis.//

I-callyd was doulz semblant,
Which had grave, as I behelde,
A reyne bowe amyd hys sheelde,
Of colour rede and watry grene
Shewyng ageyn the sone shene;
And as the philisophre seythe,
To whom men muste yiven feythe,
Yt causeth trees, crope and Rote,
For to smelle wonder soote,
And folke enclyneth by desyre
For to be brent with lovys fire,
And yt betokeneth also reyn.
And even lych, I dar wel seyn,
And afferme in soth[e]nesse,
Women be cause of al swetnesse;
For who hem serveth eve and morwe,
Hath neuer cause for to sorwe.
This knoweth ech man that ys wis,
How that yt is a paradys
For to abyde in her presence.
They kan make no resistence
In no thing which that is honest;
For ther ys noon so meke a best,
So humble, in soth, no more suffrable,
And eke they be nat variable
But of Nature hool and pleyn.
And as a Reyn bowe tookneth reyn,
Ryght so the dewe of goodnesse
Descendeth doun from her mekenesse,
That, wher yt falle on crope or roote,
The bawmy dropys be so soote,
They fade never in no gardyn,
And eke her stremys cristallyn
That fro her chekys stylle doun
Kam al of deuocioun.
They kan nat wepe of no Rancour,
For holsom as the Aprile shour
Fallyng on the erbes newe,
Ryght so I holde her wepyng trewe,
Devoyde of al Malencolye,
What so men Ianglen of envye.

The Fyfthe povne.

The Sixte povne.

The seveneth povne.

The viij. povne.

The quene or the fers.

The two knyghtys on hir partye.

Next I saugh hir knyghtys tweyne,
By craft y-wroght ful souereyne,
Made of Saphirs oriental,

Duo milites in bello amoris ex parte mulieris fuerunt / Pudor et timor / nam ista duo defendunt mulierem ne decipiatur et vituperetur // Verecu[n]dia per vnicornum optime designatur quia illud animal habitat in solitudine et deserto / timor eciam secundus miles per leporem significatur quia est animal timidissimum et velocissime fugit pari forma mulier bona et honesta timere semper (tumere) [debet] et fugere et habere oculos apertos tam de die quam de nocte ad custodiam castitatis.//

Of chere and look ful Marcial,
And bothe to myn inspeccion
Ful knyghtly of proporsion,
Of cher and port ful of pride.
And the knyght on hir ryghte syde
Bare in his shelde an vnycourne,
Which in his forhed had an horne
Passing sharp and perilouse,
Whech is a beste Surquedous,
Spook of in many straunge londe.
And the knyght on hir lefte honde
Bare an hare vpon his shelde,
A beste swyfte in pleyn and felde,
Of hys Nature fugytyfe,
With-out a reste or any stryfe,
By whiche bestys, who taketh hede,
Is vnderstond[e] shame and drede
Which to wommen apartene,
In honeste to kepe hem clene.
For but shame were her guyde,
Chastite wer sette a-syde,
They wer wonne without stryfe,
But drede hem made fugytife,
Lyghter to take than an hare,
But shame and drede doth hem spare
That they lyghtly wil nat be wonne;
But her cours ys ofte ronne
To be pursuyd in her flyght:
Thus somme folkys ageyn ryght
Iangle of hem of yre and mood,
Which kan neuer speke hem good.

The two Rokys on hir partye.

The two Awfyns on hir syde.

And of Awfyns eke also
On hir syde she had two,
Wroght of a ston of grete fame,
Eliotropia was the name,
A ston of passing grete rychesse,
The lapydary bereth witnesse,
Which yiveth a man hap and grace
To be welkome in euery place,
And also, yif yt be credible,
Maketh a man Invisible.
And on her sheldys thyse awfynes
Bare emprynted for her sygnes:
The toon a dowve humble and meke,

Duo alfini fuerunt Fraunchise and pite prima significatur per columbam quia felle carot et nullum ledit / pari forma mulieres non habent fel scilicet amaritudinem etc. Secunda designatur per pellicanum / quia pullos quos occidunt ex indignacione reviuificat ex pietate illis naturaliter attributa.

And the tother grave had eke,
Lych as I report[e] kan,
In her shelde a pellican,
By the dowve first to expresse
The loulyhede and the meknesse
That women han of her nature,
The whiche, for noon auenture,
Kan nat gruchche, for noon offence.
They be so ful of pacience,
And as a dowve they ha no galle,
Whos mekenes dooth neuer apalle,
Thogh men wolde day be day
Her humblesse put at assay.
For yif that men hem preve wel,
They be as trewe as any stel
Her worshipe to kepe and save,
Whos herte harder ys to grave,
Touching her honour, than ys glas.
They be so pleyn in euery cas,
Al be that clerkys bere witnesse
That glas ys ful of brotelnesse,
And also, as they specefye,
Redy to breke but nat to plye
Nor to bowe on nouther syde,
Yt wil the hamer not abyde.
Men kan nat maken yt plicable
Nor forge yt to be Malliable.
But surely wommen fare nat so,
For they be redy to and to
Tobeye as wex, and kan nat let
To euery prynt that men lyst set,
And to receyve al figures,
Thise sely tendre creatures,
For stryfe of kynde they ne kan,
And also, lyche a pellican,
Her herte blood they wolde spende
Rather than they sholde offende
Her husbondes wrathe or greve.
Who that lyst may thys beleve,
For I dar sweren yt on a booke.
Ye woot wel, how Alceste tooke
Mekely her deth hir lorde to save,
And ches to goon vn-to hir grave
Wilfully, without[e] stryve,
For to save hir lordys lyfe,
Which ys Merour and patronesse,
To yive example of stedfastenesse
To women throgh hir noble fame,
That wyfes al[le] do the same;
And so they wolde, yt ys no nay,
Yif they were put at assay.

Of the kyng on hir partye.

Her aftir the auctour hath descryved the Meny on hir syde, he declareth and maketh a descripcion of hys ovne Meyny.

The first[e] povne to specefye,

Primus pedinus in bello amoris ex parte viri fuit ociositas que preparat iter ad vitam voluptuosam / super omnia / vnde Ouidius / Ocia si tollas periere / cupidinis arcus / Ociositas ergo per arborem siccam carentem floribus et frondibus significatur et sibi proprissime adaptatur

Whiche that stood on my partye
To make my game stronge and good,
In ordre on the lefte hond stood,
The name of whom to expresse,
Was y-callyd ydelnesse;
In whos shelde men myghte se
Ful depe y-grave a drye tre
Without[e] lefe, fruyt, or flours,
Lych as yt hadde be wyth shours
Be made naked and bareyn,
To signyfien in certeyn
That ydelnesse, to declare,
In vertu maketh a man ful bare,
And bryngeth in al maner spices
Of vnthryfte and [of] al[le] vyces
And of voluptuous desires,
And yt kyndeleth eke the fyres
Of Venus bronde by fals delyte,
A man to folowe hys appetyte
Thorgh the arwes of Cupide,
To set al reson fer asyde.

The secounde povne.

The secounde povne of gret[e] myght

Secundus pedinus in bello amoris ex parte viri vocatur in gallico Regars / qui pro claue intelligitur. et merito. quia sicut per clauem aperitur introitus domus ita per visum introitus et porta amoris aperitur / visus enim primo presentat cordi delectabilia que sunt in muliere //

In ordre next was callyd syght,
Which in his shelde, shortely to y-sey,
Bare y-grave a large key,
To specefy erly and late:
That, as a key vndooth a yate,
Ryght so the syght, who kan se,
To vices al[le] yiveth entre
Throgh hys wyket as porter,
And ys the hertys messager;
And of tresour and Rychesse,
Of golde and siluer, in sothenesse,
Of semelynesse, and of beaute,
And of al wordly vanyte:
The eye, by fals collusion,
Ys Rote and chefe occasion.

The thridde povne.

The fourthe povne.

Next by the povne of thinkyng,
So counfortable in al[le] thing,
Ther stood a povne of gret renoun
Callyd delectacion.