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

Consideryng this & peised in balaunce,
Touching the right of true enheritaunce,
God thurgh his myght who can vndirstond
More of grace than of mannes hond,
All oure trouble to enden & to fyne,
By purveaunce, which þat is devyne,
Provided hath of his hy[e] grace
For reames two large to compasse
A rightfull heir, I dare hit wel endite,
As þis figure vnto euery wight

617

Shewyng in ordre descendyng lyne right,
To forein blode þat it not ne chaunge,
The crowne to put in non hondis straunge,
But it conveied þere it shuld be.

Shewyng of þe peedegre in portrature.

Verily, liche as ye may se,
The pee-degre doth hit specifie,
The figure, lo, of the genelagye,
How that God list for her purchase
Thurgh his power and benigne grace,
An heir of peas by iust successioun,
This ffigure makith clere demonstracioun,
Ageins which noman may maligne,
But þat he stondith in þe veray ligne,
As ye may se, as descendid is
Of the stok and blode of Seint Lowys;
Of which we aught of equite & right
In oure hertis to be glad and light,
That we may se with euery circumstaunce
Direct the lyne of Englond & of Fraunce.
On þe othir part byhold & ye may se

Shewyng þe portratur of þe pedegre. Henry comes direct from St. Louis.

How this Herry in þe eight degre
Is to Seint Lowys sone & very heir;
To put awey all doute & dispair,
God hath for vs so graciously provided,
To make al oon that first was devided,
That this Herry stonding in the lyne,
Thurgh Goddis hond & purviaunce devyne,
Is iustly borne, to voide all variaunce,
For to be kyng of Englond & of Fraunce;
To whom we owe truly to obey
In euery thing, ther is nomore to sey;
By whom we se the werre doutelesse
Fully finisshed, brought in werre & peas,
Betwix this noble worthi reames twayn,
Ful long aforne with labour & grete payn
Sought & required, which ben now at rest,
Thanked be God, þat all doth for the best;
And that this peas in sothfast vnyte,
Be endid sone withoute strif or plee,
By thavise and mediacioun

618

Made by trete of both regioun,
Sworne and asured by full besy peyn
Of both parties at Trois in Champoigne.
Charlis þe Sext makyng thassurance,
Thilke tyme beyng kyng of Fraunce;
The quene also sworne in the same wise,
And after hem, as I shal devise,
The boke also entouchid with his hond,
Was Herry sworne, kyng of Eng[e]lond,
Heir of Fraunce, and also regent,
And Phelip eke beyng þere present,
Duc of Burgoyne, assured eke & sworne,
Sone to the duc of whom I spake byforne,
That slayn was & murdred traitoursly;
Than thre astatis beyng by & by,
Prelatis, Erles, Lordis, and Barons,
Sworne and assured, of both regions,
As the traite fully hath devised.
And there in Troys also was solempnesed
The mariage, to conferme vp the peas;
And to declare the maner douteles
Of this weddyng, who so lyst to serche,
At Seint Petirs Aundels of the chirche,
The said Herry, manly & prudent,
Of Englond kyng, of Fraunce the regent,
Etrouthed hath my lady Kateryn,
And þe mystery wich that is devyne.
O[f] mariage by grete reuerence,
The sacrement for the excellence
He hath worshipped, and full humbly
In the chirch made axid openly,
After custume of hy or low degre,
To shew ensample of humylite.
In the chirche thries of Seint Iohn,
Liche the custume of new & yore agon,
Thries publisshed in open audience,
As the lawe byndeth in sentence.
Touching the statuyt in cas of mariage,
For any fauour of blode or lynage,
The cours suyng in all his hole entent,

619

And in no wise list not be exempte;
From poynt to poynt list no thing withdrawe,
The bonde filowyng of Holy Chirche lawe,
Notwithstonding his astate riall:
But in his chirche þan parochiall
Of Seint Iohn he came with good entent,
For to receive the holy sacrement
Of mariage, he and Kateryn,
As ye toforne haue herd me determyn.