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

Where as his hert hath made eleccioun.
Whiche of the two by ust comparisoun
Love or money in valew doth excede?
To gyve an answer for short conclusioun,
Love is sette bakke, gold goth byfore, and mede.

2

Fressh lusty lovers professed to Venus,
Sworn to service of the god Cupyde,
Suche of corage as bene amerous,
On theyr hye hors prowdly whan they ride
Seyn how that love sette euery thyng aside;
The revers founde in bookis, who list reede,
Make no comparisoun, wayte on the tyde,
Love is set bakke, gold goth byfore, and mede.

3

Remembre Troye, of Troylus and Cres[e]ide,
Eche in theyr tyme furtherd to plesaunce;
But what fille after longe or Troylus deyde?
A false serpent of chaunge and variaunce
Withouten any lengger attendaunce
Put out Troylus, and set in Dyomede.
What shal I say or conclude in substaunce?
Love was set bakke, gold went afore, and mede.

4

Men seyn how Amor vincit omnia,
Of hie noblesse love is so corageous;
But folk expert seyn how pecunia
Put at preef is more victorious.
Toforne Haniball preferrid was Cresus,
Wher gold and tresoure makith folk to spede,
An evidence how Cupide and Venus
In al suche case, ben set abak for mede.

746

5

Ovyde saith, whos writyng is ful kowth,
How Socrates for al his sapience,
The Greke Omerus with his sugre mowth,
Tullius put out for al theyr eloquence;
Where love in povert lakkith his dispence,
Farewele! adieu! prayer ne may nat spede
The cause out sought, of longe experience,
Olde aqueyntaunce is set abakke for mede.

6

Love peysith nat ageyne an hevy purs,
Trowth is nat herd where lak is of richesse,
A false forswerer dredith nat Goddis kurs,
To be forsworn for lucre in his falsenesse;
Reken storyes of marcial noblesse,
Prowesse of princes, allyaunce of hye kynrede,
The old auctours can bere hereof witnesse,
Love hath ful oft be set abak for mede.

7

Take it for a custome, it wil be non other,
In worldly quarels lucre goth toforn.
A man for wynnyng wil forsake his brothir,
Som tyme for lucre weede above the corn,
For lucre alday men wilbe forsworn,
Chaunge hath be founde som tyme in wommanhede;
In al suche case love blowith the bukkis horn,
Where olde acqueyntaunce is sette abak for meede.

8

Paris, for love he gate the qwene Heleyne;
Cleopatras loved Anthonius tresoure,
Trewe Piramus he felt also grete peyne,
For love of Thesbe suffred grete langoure;
Kynge Alisaundre, the grete conqueroure,

747

Beloved of Candace, who that can take hede;
Concludyng thus, in al worldly laboure
Love in al thyng is set abak for mede.

9

Ovyde doth write that goddis and goddessis
Have a delite gyftes for to take,
And of custom princis and princessis,
Who gevith hem ought, they wil it nat forsake;
Love may go pley, and his dogge hey shake,
For any friend he fyn[dith] at strayt nede;
Thus concludyng, short proces for to make,
Frendship goth bak, gold goth before, and mede.

10

Frenship on these dayes in fayre langage feyned
With a gladd chiere, outward, wordes of liberte,
At a straite suche love nys but disdeyned,
To fynde socour in his necessite;
Al nys nat golde that shyneth bright, parde!
Money as revel ay the daunce doth lede;
Love is put bak by false duplicite,
For in eche court, gold goth before, and mede.

11

The world vnsure, fortune is variable,
Booth right friendly founde in prosperite;
Put at assay, if they abide stable,
Outher of them in tyme of aduersite,
Pref thy friende afore, and thou shalt se
Whom thow maist trust, thy iournay for to spede;
As thow fyndest, so make thyn owne suerte,
Whiche of them both, love goth tofore, or mede.

748

12

Al worldly frenship is straunge and right dyuers.
Lete al men trust as they causes fynde;
Dede to bihest doth oft the reuers,
Theffect in werk goth lame and halt behynde;
Of obligacions som sealis ben so blynd
That men may neither se the printe ne rede;
Thynk thervpon lete it nat out of mynde,
Whiche goþ before frenship, money, or mede?

13

The faire behestis maken foolis gladde,
Fye on the werk whan hestis ben contrayre!
Like to a tre, with fressh blosmes ladde,
Whiche that in Aprill so lusti be and fayre;
But whan in August folk[es] do repayre
To gadre his fruyte, there is none found in dede:
Of suche friendis there be mo than a payre,
Save with fayre chiere they love nat but for mede.

14

But for to grounde oure love in sikernesse,
And sette asyde fraude and decepcioun,
Late vs to God al oure wittis dresse
Where feyth abydith, and al perfeccioun
And perfite love hath his foundacioun:
Suche love as wil nat faile his friende at nede,
But love for love in the heuenly regioun
God yevith to man, for his eternal mede.

15

There men shal fynde ioy and al gladnesse,
The love excellyng of Dalida and Sampson,
Passe Octovian or Cresus in riches,

749

The love of Phillis or of Demephon;
And in fayrenesse transcendyng Absolon;
Sette ther your love and ye shul nat myspede
That Cite bilt with euery precious ston,
Ther for to dwelle for youre eternal mede.

16

Vp to that court now do youre loves dresse,
Vnto that gracious gostly mansioun,
Whiche that excellith in beaute and brightnes
Rome, Cartage, Troye and Ilioun;
Of hevenly rubyes bilt is that dongeoun,—
God graunt vs grace there oure lyf to lede!
And clayme [by] love to have possessioun,
With hym for love, that suffre[d] his sides bleede.

17

Who seyth that Amor vincit omnia,
He saith ful triew, playnly to expresse,
Nought erthely love, whiche with pecunia
Sette trouth aside be fraude and doublenesse;
But perfite love, whiche hath none interesse
To erthly thyngges, neyther in word ne dede;
Suche love grounded in love and stablenesse
Shal have of God his gwerdoun and his mede.