The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

Most worthi prince, of whome the noble fame
In vertue floureth, and in high prudence,
Laude and honour be un-to thi name,
And to thi worthi roial excellence,
The which hast been protectour and diffence

Though thy manhode, ageyn thy mortall foon
Off Cristus spouse douhtir of Syoun,

2

That was oppressid almost in thy rewme
Even at the poynt of hir destruccioun,
Amyd his Citee of Ierusalem,
Al bysett with enmyes envyroun;
Tamade a new transmygracioun,
When she allas! disconsolat, allone,
Ne kneugh to whame for to make hir moone,

3

But on the floodis of fell Babiloun,
Al solitair and trist in compleynyng,
Sat with hir children aboute hir euerichoun,
Almost fordrowynd with teerys in weepyng;
And wher as she was wonde to play and syng
In prys and honour of hir eternall lorde,
On instrumentis of musik in accorde,

4

Constreyned was, and almost at the prikk
Talefft hir song of holy notis trewe,
And on the salwys olde foule and thikk
To hang hir orgnes, þat were entvned newe,—
O Goddis knyght! till þu list to rewe
Upon hir pitouse lamentable woo,
Off reuth and mercy to deliyuer her froo

5

The mortall howndis, that wroughte hir al þis soore,
Hir to have put in captyuyte,
Off the Tyraunte Nabugodonosor,
Ferr frome the boundis, allas! of hir citee;
Till though of grace grauntest libertee
Zorobabell and also Neemye
Ierusalem ageyn to edyfye,

6

And kepe the Temple hoole and sounde bi grace,
That stoode in way of perdicioun,
Thorugh hem þat gan to threten and manace
The libertees of Cristys mansioun,
And for to pynch att her fundacioun,
In preyudice of the olde and new lawe,
The Patrymony of Petir to withdrawe;—

7

That ther was noon her malis to withstonde,
Cristys quarell manly to sustean,
Til thow were chose for to lay to honde,
Only by grace hir champioun to been,
For to delyuer out of woo and teen
Noees shipp, bysett with many a wawe,
Tyl thow the watres madist to withdraw,

8

That Karibdis myght it nat devour,
Nor fierce Silla with hir bittyr rage,
ffor noon but thow myght yt tho socour
To make the floodis fully to aswage,
Thoruh the straytis to holden the passage
Thi silff of goodnesse the rother list to guye,
Til on the hillys hy of Armonye

9

The shipp gan rest out of all dawngeer,
Maugre the rokkis of vengeaunce mercilesse,—
And that the skies wexe faire and clere
And thorugh thyn helpe that the do we chese
For to repaire with a braunch of pes,
When as the raven hath a careyn take
Oute of the shipp, upon his praye to wake,

10

With coverte tresoun falsely to lachche,
When he seeth tyme his desired praye
Liche a Bosarde, unwarly for to cachche

Smale briddys, that thynke on noon affraye;
Wher-for I rede, both nyght and day
Too Goddys knyght, so goode wachch to make
Off Philistees the [Arke] be nat take,

11

All Israel to bryngen in distresse,
Whos Ioy and helth lith in thi persoone,
The welfaire eke, and hooly þe gladnesse
In every thyng, of what thai ha to doune;
Wherfor be ware of chaungyng of the moone
Eclipse of falsehed betrassh nat the liht
Off thi goodnesse, that shyneth yitt so briht.

12

Thynke, how to Dauid full Innocente
Saul was fals for all his othis sworne,
Nad God by grace makid resistence,
His chose knyght hadde be forlorne,
Wherfor I rede þe greyn & purid corne
Thow cherissh wel, and lay the chaff aside,
That trouth han voided, for to been her gide.

13

And thynke how Dauid ageyn Iebusee,
When that he fouht, in Regum as I fynde,
How he made voide from Syon his Citee
Unweldy, crokid, both lame and blynde,
By which example alway have in mynde
To voide echon, & for to do the same
Oute of thi sight, that in the faith be lame.

14

For who is blynde or haltith in þe faith
For any doctryne of these Sectys newe,
And Cristes techyng therfor aside laith,
Unto thy corone may he nat be trewe;
He may dissymule with a feynyd hewe,
But take good heede, what way þat he faire,
Thy swerde of knyghthoode, that no swich ne spaire.

15

And Cristis cause alway fyrst preferre,
And althirnexte thi knyhtly state preserue
And lat this lawe be thi loode-sterr,
Than grace shall thyn honour ay conserve,
And Goddys foon manly make to sterue;
For any fals feynyd repentaunce,
Of right lat rigour holden the ballaunce.

16

Thynke how Saule, from his kyngly place,
And frome thonour of his royall see,
Whilome was abiect, for he did grace
To Amalech ageyn the voluntee
Of Goddys precepte, of feynyd fals pitee
To spare his swerde rihtfully to bite,
When as God bad that he shulde smyte,

17

Wher Samuel, the perfite hooly man,
Chosen of God to execute trouth,
With a swerde the rightfull doome he gan
And slough Agag, withouten any routh,
In Galgalis, wher Saule for his slouth
fforsaken was, and hoolly al the lyne
That cam of hym in myscheff did fyne.

18

Slough nat Helye in all his holinesse
The fals prophetis langyng to Baal?
O noble prynce! exaumple of rightwisnesse,
Off God preservid to be the myghty wall
Of hooly churche in thyn estate royall,
Distroye hem tho, that falsely now werrey
Her own modir, to whome thai shulde obeye!

19

And namely hem that of presumpcyoun
Dispraven hir, and hir ornamentes,
And therwithall of indignacioun

Withdrawe wolde hir rich paramenteȝ.
O prudent prynce! thynke what her entent is,
Who falsely the hooly church accuse,
For thay hemsilff the riches wolden use.

20

Remembre also for swich transgressioun
What was the fyne of kyng Antiochus,
That proudely tooke by extorsioun
The sacred Iewels from Goddis hooly hous,
Was he nat slawe, this tiraunt trecherous,
With smale wormys hym fretyng manyfolde,
Whan he fill down from his chare of golde?

21

What myght availe his pompe, or all his pride,
Or all the gliteryng of his riche chare,
In which that he so proudely did ride?
The surquedye also of Baltasar
Was it nat abatid or that he was war,
In Babiloun, with a soden fall,
Whan that the honde wrote upon the wall?