31. BALLADE TO KING HENRY VI UPON HIS CORONATION.
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[MS. Trin. Coll. Camb. R. 3. 20, pp. 154–158.]
Loo here filowing beginneþe a balade whiche Daun
Iohan Lidegate þe Munk of Bury made vn to þe
Kyng þis same yeere of his coronacion.
1
Moost noble prynce of Cristin prynces alle,
Flouring in youþe and vertuous innocence,
Whome God aboue list of his grace calle
Þis day testaate of knyghtly excellence,
And to be crowned with duwe reuerence,
To gret gladdnesse of al þis regyoun,
Lawde and honnour to þy magnyfycence
And goode fortune vn-to þyn heghe renoun.
2
Royal braunche descendid frome twoo lynes
Of Saynt Edward and of Saynt Lowys,
Hooly sayntes translated in þeyre shrynes,
In þeyre tyme manly, prudent, and wys;
Arthour was knyghtly, and Charlles of gret prys,
And of alle þeos þy grene tendre aage
By þe grace of God, and by His avys,
Of manly prowesse shal taaken a terrage.
3
God of His grace gaf to þy kynrede
Þe palme of conquest, þe laurier of victorye,
Þey loued God and worshiped Him in deede,
Wher-fore hir names He haþe putte in memorye;
Made hem to regne for vertu in His glorye,
And sith [þat] þou art borne of hir lynaage.
To fore alle thinges þat beon transytorye
Loue God and dreed, and so gynne þy passage.
4
Dovne frome þe heven thre floure delys of golde,
Þe feelde of asure, were sent til Clodove.
To signefye, in story it is tolde,
Parfyte, byleeve and sooþefast vnytee
Of three persones in þe Trynyte;
For to declaare þat þe lyne of Fraunce
Shoulde in þeyre trouth parfyte and stable be,
Grounded on feyth, with-outen varyaunce.
5
And sith þou art frome þat noble lyne
Descendid dovne, be stedfast of byleeve,
Þy knightly honnour let hit shewe and shyne,
Shewe þy power and þy might to preove
Ageyns alle þoo þat wolde þe chirche greve,
Cherisshe þy lordes, haate extorcion,
Of þyne almesse þy people þou releve,
Ay on þy comunes having compassyoun.
6
Noble prynce, þe heeghe lord to qweeme,
Susteyne right, trouthe þou magnefye,
Differre vengeaunce alwey or þou deeme,
And gif no doome til þou heere yche partye,
Til noþer part þy fauour not applye,
And eeke consydre in þyne estate royal
Þe Lord above which no man may denye
Indifferently seeþe and considerþe al.
7
God sende þis day vn-to þy regalye
Of alle vertues hevenly influence,
First of alle, þy staate to magnefye,
With Salamons souerain sapyence,
To gouuerne þy witt and þyn heghe prudence,
Lyche Kyng Dauid to be, loo, mercyable,
Which of pitee, whane men him did offence,
Mercy preferring, list not beo vengeable;
8
Noblesse and force in wexing lyche Sampsoun;
Resemble in knyghthoode to worþy Iosue,
And þat þou mayst beo Goddes Chaumpyoun,
As þat he was, Iudas þe Makabe;
With Alysaundres magnanymyte,
Conquest, victorye, with Cesar Iulyus,
His pacyence and his tranquyllytee,
And in souffraunce to beon als vertuous;
9
Provydent wit[h] Brutus Cassius,
Hardy as Hector, whanne tyme dooþe requere,
Vyces eschuwyng as Fabricyus,
Constant of hert, and also als entier
As Zenocratees, whas renoun shoone so clere;
Wronges forgeting as noble Cypyon,
Clement with Tytus: with al þees in feere,
In alle þy deedis conquest an heghe renoun.
10
In alle þy werkis hauntyng rightwysnesse,
As þemperour þat called was Traian;
With Thiberye fredame and gentylesse,
Attemperaunce with prudent Gracyan,
And in þy doomys lyche Iustynyan,
Noo thing conclude til þou see þe fyn,
Pees preferring as Octovyan,
Þe Chirche cherisshing lyke to Constantyne.
11
And þat þou mayst beo resemblable founde
Heretykes and Lollardes for to oppresse,
Lych þemperour, worthy Sygesmound,
And as þy fader, floure of hye prowesse,
At þe gynnyng of his royal noblesse
Woyded al Cokil fer oute of Syon,
Crystes spouse sette in stabulnesse,
Outraying foreyns þat came frome Babylon.
12
God graunt þee grace for to resemble in al
Vn-to þeos noble worthy conquerrours,
Longe to contynue in þyn estate royal,
And to be lyche to þy progenytours;
To gadre þe vertue oute of fresshe floures,
As did þy fader, myrrour of manhede;
And to represse of vyces alle þe shoures,
With fynal grace to loue God and dreed.
13
Fynally, remembring of resoun
Croppe and roote of þat royal lyne
[Frome] which þou came, folowe þe discrecion
Of þy fader which þat did so shyne
In al vertu; pleynly to termyne,
Lat him beo þy myrrour and þy guyde,
With þe goode lyf of qweene Katheryne,
Þy blessid moder, in þat oþer syde.
14
Of goode rootes springing by vertue,
Most growe goode fruyt by necessyte
Whane influence by þe lord Ihesu
Is sent adowne frome his hevenly cytee;
And God I prey, of his hye bountee,
Of fader and moder in þy tendre youþe
To taake ensaumple, regnyng in þy see,
And beon in vertu als famous and als kouþe:
15
With him in knyghthode to haue excellence,
Lyke þy moder in vertuous goodnesse;
And lyche hem booþe grounde þy conscyence
To loue þy Lord in parfyte stabulnesse,
Goode lyve and longe alle vyces to represse,
Love of þy lieges, pees and obeyssaunce,
[With alle vertues þat longe to gentylesse]
Þy right reioyssing of England and of Fraunce.
Lenvoye.
16
Prynce excellent, be feythful, truwe and stable;
Dreed God, do lawe, chastyce extorcyoun,
Be liberal, of courage vnmutable,
Cherisshe þe Chirche with hoole affeccyoun,
Loue þy lyeges of eyþer regyoun,
Preferre þe pees, eschuwe werre and debate,
And God shal sende frome þe heven adovne
Grace and goode hure to þy royal estate.
17
Be mercyful, not hasty ne vengeable,
Lightly forgyf where as þou seest raysoun,
Be rightful iuge, be manly, beo tretable,
Þy right ay sugre with remyssyoun,
Deeme not to soone, but make dylacion,
Ruwe on þe poore and folk desconsolate,
And God shal sende frome þe heven adoune
Grace and goode hure to þy royale estate.
18
In þy beheestes beo not varyable,
Holde þy promesses made of entencion,
Be bounteuouse and kyngly honnourable,
Voyde þy reaume frome [all] discencyoun,
Eschuwe flaterye and adulacioun,
Folkes recounsyle þat stonde desolate,
And God shal sende frome þe heven adoun
Grace and goode hure vn-to þy royale state.
