The fynders of the vij. sciences artificiall.
I]ubal was fadyr & fynder of song,
Of consonantes, and of armony,
By noyse & strooke of hamors þat were strong.
Fro Iubal came furst þe melody
Of sugryd musyk, and of mynstralsy,
So procedyng down fro man to man
Practyke of concorde, as I haue told, began.
Saturne.
Saturne taught furst þe tylþe of londe,
Hys doughter Ceres made men ere & sowe,
The goldyn worde he compassyd with his honde,
Of sede and grayne þe difference to knowe,
Of trees, herbes, growyng hygh & lowe;
Somer seson, þere bawme aboue moste swote,
And in cold wynter þer vertu in the rote.
Mars.
Though myghty Mars be callyd god of werres,
Prudent Pallas founde out furst armure,
Thys godde, þys goddes, syt among þe sterres,
Tubalcaym of stele founde þe temprure,
Forgyd plates, long[e] to endure,
And þus these iij., by marciall apparayll,
Be callyd in bokes patrones of batayll.
Minerua.
Crafte of wolles & of cloth weuyng
Founde Minerua, of spynnyng chief goddesse;
And Delbora of lynen cloþe makyng
The practyke sought, bokes bere wytnesse;
In all suche craft was a chief masteresse;
But Semiranus, as bokes specyfy,
Fonde out furst breche, myn auctor lyst nat ly.
Diana.
Lo, here Diana, princesse of venery,
In forest walkyng lyke an hunteresse,
Hauyng her paleyce ferre aboue the sky,
Callyd Lucina there shewyng her bryghtnes,
Of huntyng, hawkyng, fysshyng, chefe goddesse,
Euery moneþ her cours she doþe renew,
Now full, now wane, now bryght, now pale of hewe.
Mercurius.
Mercury, callyd for mannys gret auayle
God of eloquence, and merchandyse;
Argon fond furst craft of shyp & sayle,
And Neptunus þe saylyng gan deuyse
To passe þe see, in many sondry wyse,
Whyche to merchauntes ys full necessary,
Theyr stuff, theyr bales, fro londe to londe to cary.
Phebus.
Phebus fond furst craft of medicine,
By touche of pounce, veyne, & inspeccions.
Esculapius taught þe doctrine
To knowe þe qualytees of .iiij. compleccions,
Of letuaryes, drogges, & pocions;
And among all þere ys noþyng more mete
To helthe of man þen temperat diete.
Explicit.
