 | Amoryus and Cleopes |  |
1
The chauns of loue and eke the peyn of Amoryus, the knyg[h]t,For Cleopes sake, and eke how bothe in fere
Louyd and aftyr deyd, my purpos ys to endyght.
And now, O goddes, I the beseche off kunnyng, that Lanyfyca hyght!
Help me to adornne ther chauns in sqwyche manere
So that, qwere this matere dotht yt reqwyre,
Bothe ther louys I may compleyne to louerrys dysyre.
2
In May, that modyr ys off monthys glade,Qwan flourys sprede, the qwyche with-in the rote
In winter were clos, that than with floure and blade,
For Phebus exaltyng, with sundry hwys smellyd sote;
And byrdys a-monge leuys grene her myrthys made,
Qwan Nero, Asy gan subdwe to the empyre,
And besegyd the emperoure off Perse, kyng Camsyre.
3
For qwan this Romaynys gan to subdwThe regyon off Perse and off Medys,
Camsyr, kyng off that cuntre, hys pepyl to rescwe,
Agens this emperoure in the pleyn off Pansophyrys
Toke batel; qwere he was smet to deth at onys
With the ston off an engyne, and hys pepyl put to flyght.
Thus thise Romaynys became ther lordys with fors off fyght.
2
4
And for fere, the lordys off that regyonYeldyn the keys to the emperour off this forsayd cyte,
Yeuyng hym omage and possessyon
Off alle this forseyd regyon off Perse,
Besechyng hym vndyr trybute for to be;
And ther-vppon ther othe thei toke,
Sqweryng vp-on the tempyl boke.
5
But for that this cuntre was gret and populusAnd feyth in thraldam ys selde seyn,
Be sad auysement the emperour wrought ryght thus:
He commaundyd to a counsel in certeyn
Alle erlys and barounys that to ther oste dyd perteyn;
In qwyche counsel for surenes to reule the cuntre,
They promotyd too .ij. lordys to be resydent in the chef cyte.
6
The qwyche lordys were Romaynys born,That afftyr, for prudent port and gouernans,
Were crounyd kyngys off the remys namyd be-forn.
And so this emperour, with vyctoryus chauns,
Returnyd to Rome with hys oste and pysauns,
Thyse princys dwellyng in pes and rest
In the cheff cyte off Persys namyd Albynest,
7
Qwere thei despousyd wyuys off the lynageOf Daryus, sumtyme emperour off that cuntre,
Multyplying the world, as seyth myn autour, Fyrage;
Qwere he tellyth the ryalte off ther maryage,
Remembryng the loue and eke the aduersyte
Off Amoryus and Cleopes, that were the chyldyr dere
Off thise lordys, how thei louyd and dyid in fere.
3
8
And the sempyl wryter besechyth off supportacionFor the rude endytyng off this story,
But euery word ys wrytyn vndyr correcion
Off them that laboure in this syens contynwally;
For fulle herd yt ys, I knowe yt veryly,
To plese the pepyl: but the [s]qwete frute schewyth the gentil tre,
And the mowth the hert; yt wyl none odyr be.
9
But cause qwy that I this boke endyghtIs that noqwere in Latyne, ner Englysch, I coude yt aspye;
But in Grwe Y had yt wrytyn lymynyd bryght
With lettyrrys off gold, that gay were wrowght to the ye,
That causyd me to meruel that yt so gloryusly
Was adornyd, and offten I enqwyryd of letteryd clerkys
Qwat yt myght be that poyntyd was with so merwulus werkys.
10
But alle thei seyd that yt was, be supposyng,Grwe; but qwat yt ment, thei nyst ryght noght at alle.
And as yt fortunyd, ther come rydyng
To Norwyche a Greke, to home I schewyd, in specyal,
Thys forsayd boke; and he iche word, bothe gret and smal,
In Latyne yt expugnyd; and thus be hys infformacion
I had the trwe ground and very conclusyon.
Here endyth the prolog; and begynnyth the fyrst boke.
| Amoryus and Cleopes | |