 | A Mumming For The Mercers of London |  |
And nowe filoweþe a lettre made in wyse of balade by
Daun Iohan, brought by a poursuyaunt in wyse of mommers desguysed to fore þe Mayre of London,
Eestfeld, vpon þe twelffeþe night of Cristmasse,
ordeyned ryallych by þe worthy merciers, citeseyns of London.
1
Moost mighty Lord, Iubyter þe Greet,Whos mansyoun is ouer þe sonnes beem,
Frome þens þat Phebus with his feruent heet
Reflecteþe his light vpon þe swyfft streeme
Of Ewfratees towardes Ierusalem,
Dovne coosteying, as bookys maken mynde,
By Lubyes landes, thorughe Ethyope and Ynde;
2
Conveyed dovne, where Mars in CyrreaHaþe bylt his paleys vpon þe sondes rede,
And she, Venus, called Cytherrea,
Venus is called þe goddesse of love. She is called Cytherea affter Cytheron, þe hill wher she is worshiped. Perseus is a knight which þat rood vpon an hors þat was called Pegase. Þe nyen Muses dwelle bysyde Ellycon, þe welle; wheeche beon þe nyen sustres of Musyk and of Eloquences and Calyope is oone of hem.
On Parnaso, with Pallas ful of drede;
And Parseus with his furyous steede
Smote on þe roche where þe Muses dwelle,
Til þer sprange vp al sodeynly a welle,
3
Called þe welle of Calyope,Mooste auctorysed amonges þees Cyryens—;
Of which þe poetes þat dwelle in þat cuntree,
And oþer famous rethorycyens,
And þey þat cleped beon musycyens,
Ar wont to drynk of þat hoolsome welle,
Which þat alle oþer in vertu dooþe excelle—;
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4
Bacus is cleped god of wyne and Thagus is a ryver of which þe gravelles and þe sandes beon of golde. Tulius a poete and a rethorisyen of Rome. Macrobye an olde philosofre. Ovyde and Virgilius weren olde poetes, þat oon of Rome, þat oþer of Naples afore þe tyme of Cryst. Fraunceys Petrark was a poete of Florence. So were Bochas and Dante withinne þis hundreþe yeere; and þey were called laureate for þey were coroned with laurer in token þat þey excelled oþer in poetrye. Poetes feynen þat þe gret god Iubiter came dovne from heven for to rauisshe a kynges doughter cleped Europa, affter whame alle þe cuntreys of Europ bereþe þe name.
Of ryche Thagus, þe grauellys alle of gold,
Which gyveþe a light agens þe sonne cleer,
So fresshe, so sheene, þat hit may not beo tolde;
Where Bellona haþe bylt a stately hoolde—
In al þis worlde, I trowe, þer is noon lyche—
Of harde magnetis and dyamandes ryche:—
5
And of þat welle drank some tyme TuliusAnd Macrobye, ful famous of prudence;
Ovyde also, and eeke Virgilius,
And Fraunceys Petrark, myrour of eloquence;
Iohan Bocas also, flouring in sapyence.
Thoroughe þat sugred bawme aureate
Þey called weren poetes laureate.—
6
Oute of Surrye, by many straunge stronde,Þis Iubiter haþe his lettres sent,
Thoroughe oute Europe, where he did lande,
And frome þe heven came dovne of entent,
To ravisshe shortly in sentement
Fayre Europe, mooste renommed of fame,
Affter whame yit al Europe bereþe þe name.
7
And thorughe Egypte his poursuyant is comme,Dovne descendid by þe Rede See,
And haþe also his right wey ynomme
Thoroughe valeye of þe Drye Tree
By Flomme Iordan, coosteying þe cuntree,
Where Iacob passed whylome with his staff,
Taking his shippe, to seylen at poort Iaff.
8
And so forþe downe his iourney can devyse,In Aquarye whane Phebus shoon ful sheene,
Forþe by passing þe gret gulff of Venyse;
And sayled forþe soo al þe ryver of Geene;
In which see regneþe þe mighty qweene,
697
Where nymphes syng, hir honnour to exalte.
9
And þer he saughe, as he gan approche,With inne a boote a fissher drawe his nette
On þe right syde of a crystal rooche;
Fisshe was þer noon, for þe draught was lette.
And on þoon syde þer were lettres sette
Þat sayde in Frenshe þis raysoun: Grande travayle;
Þis aunswere nexst in ordre: Nulle avayle.
10
Þanne seyling forþe bysyde many a rokk,He gane ful fast for to haaste him dovne
Thoroughe þe daunger and streytes of Marrokk,
Passing þe parayllous currant of Arragoun;
So foorþe by Spaygne goyng envyroun,
Thoroughe out þe Raas and rokkes of Bretaygne,
Þe Brettysshe see til þat he did atteyne
11
Thoroughe þilk sakk, called of Poortland;And towardes Caleys holding his passage,
Lefft Godwyn sandes, by grace of Goddes hand—
Havyng his wynde to his avauntage,
Þe weder cleer, þe stormes lefft hir raage—
Entryng þe see of Brutes Albyon,
Nowe called Themse thoroughe al þis regyon.
12
And in a ffeeld, þat droughe in to þe eest,Besyde an ylande, he saughe a shippe vnlade
Which hade sayled ful fer towarde þe West;
Þe caban peynted with floures fresshe and glaade
And lettres Frenshe, þat feynt nyl ne faade:
Taunt haut e bas que homme soyt,
Touz ioures regracyer dieux doyt.
13
And in a boote on þat oþer sydeAnoþer fissher droughe his nette also,
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With so gret plentee, he nyst what til do.
And þer were lettres enbrouded not fer froo,
Ful fresshly wryten þis worde: grande peyne;
A[nd] cloos acording with þis resoun: grande gayne.
14
Þe noble yllande, where he saughe þis sight,Gaf vn-to him a demonstracion,
Taught him also by þe Poolys light,
He was not fer frome Londones tovne.
And with a floode þe pursuyaunt came downe,
Lefft þe water, and at Thems stronde,
With owte aboode, in haaste he came to lande,
15
Where certayne vesselles nowe by þe anker ryde.Hem to refresshe and to taken ayr,
Certein estates, wheche purveye and provyde
For to vysyte and seen þe noble Mayr
Of þis cytee and maken þeyre repayr
To his presence, or þat þey firþer flitte,
Vnder supporte, þat he wol hem admytte.
| A Mumming For The Mercers of London | |