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The which Herry if I shal discryve,
I dare wele sey þere was neuer on lyve
No manlier to speke of worthinesse,
Of gouernaunce, nor of hy prowesse,
Whiche thurgh his manhode & grete labour,
Lyche a notable worthi conquerour
Cesid not, thurgh his besy peyne,
Iustly to bring worthi reames twayn
Vndir oo crowne by desceynt of lyne;
For which he may among þe Worthie Nyne
Truly be set & reconed for oon,
Who can take hede among hem euerichone.
And of this Henry, of knyghthode moste famous,
Moste avisy, and moste victorious,
From Seint Lowys in the right[e] lyne,
I sey, of him and of Kateryne,
Doun in ordre by corious lyneall,
Descendid is from þe stok riall
Of Seint Lowis, who can vndirstond,
Henry the Sext, borne in Eng[e]lond,
For to possede by enheritaunce
Crownes two of Englond & of Fraunce,
By true title, as ye haue hard toforne,
The first yere in soth that he was born.
By the which of [hem] he & his fader dere
Both[e] two passing in oon yere,
Eueriche in haste suyng aftir othir,

Kyng of Fraunce, Charles þ[e Sext], & þe kyng of Englond, Her[ry the Fift].

By pitous faate, hit wold be non othir,
The yere of grace by computacioun
A thousand foure hundrid by conclusioun
Twenty and two, who so compte right.
God graunt her soulis of her grete myght
Ioy & rest which is eternall,
In his court aboue celestiall;
And graunt oure kyng ioy, honure & glorye,
Peas & quiete, & of his foon the victorye,
To loue his people, & to be loved ayen,
As þei loued her lord most souerain,
Charles þe Sext, which was his aiell;
And in doctryne he norisshed be aswele,
And als wys and prudent fynally,
As was his fader callid eke Henry.
Graunt him grace & also good fortune,
In his regnes also to contynue
His riall lyne also to habound,
And that hit may verily be founde
Hy to encrece in worship & vertue,
As an heir blessed of Ihesu,
And of renoun excellent in vertue.
To drawen oute a true peedegrue,
Lyneally descending even adoun
From Seint Lowys, most famous of renoun,
And renommed of parfite holynesse;
And specially, the trouth[e] to expresse,
Amonges oþer to reken euerychone,
Of Frenssh-men oonly þere was oon
From the trouth which wold not varie,
Oure liege lord chosen secretary
For his feithfull true diligence,
Which by name callid is Laurence
Calet, of the Counseill clerk,
Which toke on him þe laboure of this werk,
Euer aftir to be rad & song;
First to compile hit in þe Frenssh tong,
Compendiously drawe hit in sentence
In that language, by grete prouidence,
As he þat was passing excellent,
In rethoryk famous & eloquent,
And diligent withouten any slouth
To declare oute the trouth,
The chaf to voide & take the true corne.
Of which my lorde þat I spak of byforne,
My Lord of Warrewyk, ful worthi of renoun,
Of high prudence & discrecioun,
Touching þe writyng of this Calot clerk,
Draw into Frenssh by his besy werk,
Gaf me precept in conclusioun
To make therof a playn translacioun
In Englissh tong, & bad me hit translate.
And to reherce þe very true date
Of this labour, when I first bygan,
Hit was in soth, as I reherce can,
The monyth of Iuyll twenty daies comen,
And eight ouere, when þe sonne shone
Made his paleys & his duellyng place
Ameddis the heuen in the thrid[de] face,
The signe I mene callid the Lioun,
Which is the toure & chief mansioun
Where Phebus hath moste souerain dignite
And thilke tyme in the thritteneth degre
He entred was of the same signe,
Thatempre wedir lusty and benigne,
Saturne beyng in the Scorpyoun,
In which he hath no domynacioun,
Ne dignite, shortly for to tary;
Iubiter in þe Sagittary
Seven degres wher he is dignified,
Full fortunat & gretly magnified;
Furious Mars, þe ferfull red[e] sterre,
Causar of stryf, patroun of þe werre,
With his bemes cast moste feruently,
Was two pocys passed of Gemeny;
Fressh Venus, lady of Citheroun,
Was nyne degrees entred the Lyoun;
And þe mone, with her hernes pale,
From the Bolle gan her cours availe;
The same tyme when þat Mercurious
In the Lioun had[de] take his hous,
Ful contrary to his dignite,
Beyng tho in the tenth degre;
And of the Bulle also douteles
By accomptes also twenty grees
Entred was the hed of the Dragoun;
And his taill in thopposicioun;
The same tyme, as I vndirstond,
My Lord bad me þis werk take an hond.
That he may se his generacioun
Vnto the forteth multiplicacioun
Victoriously for to regnen here,
Aftir this lif aboue the sterres clere,
God him graunt oonly of his grace
Of mercy þere for to haue a place.