59. A DITTY UPON HASTE.
[_]
From Camb. Univ. Lib., MS. KK. 1. 6, leaves 205, back, to 208, back.]
Here enduth the songe on þis worde / Who sueth
vertu, vertu schall he leere / And begyneth the dite
on þis worde He hasteth weel þat wysely can abyde.
1
Alle haste is odious, where as discression
Off wylfulnesse hath non int[e]resse,
And sodeyne rauncour oppressed hath reson,
And extort power rebukyd riȝtwisenesse,
Nameli when fraude, flateri, & ffalsenesse
Geyne consience haue trouth[e] sette aside,
Afforne providid all surfetys to represse;
He hastuth weele þat wysely can abyde.
2
The hasti man ffayleth neuer woo,
Haste contrarious enemy to sadnesse,
And wylful haste to wisdam gretteste foo,
Mortal espie, tretour to soburnesse,
Cheef of counsell to ffurius dronkenesse,
Spor of vengaunce whan woode man lyste ride,
In eueri mater Salamon bereth wittenesse,
He hasteth weele þat wyseli can abyde.
3
Geyne foltysche haste without avisinesse,
Whan out of counsell exiled is prudence,
What folewuth aftur but rancour & rudenesse?
Lak of thre mirrouris longyng to prouydence
Of tyme passed, ffutur & presence,
Grounde of all damage for wantyng of a gyde,
To ffolewe þe councell of parfite pacyence,
He hastuth wele þat wysely can abyde.
4
Haste ageyne reson requireth repentaunce,
Haste vnavysed braydeth on neclygence,
Haste puttuth al counseyle in distemperaunce,
Hasty report & hasti false credence,
Hasti mevyng & hasti violence,
In þem þat lyste not afforne provyde
For to remembre in þer advertence
He hastuth wele þat wysely can abyde.
5
Proverbiorum, Salamon speketh of thre,
Alle were to hasti & noon of hem was good,
The ffyrste of them of ffurious cruelte
Was of kynde hasty to scheede bloode,
As whylom Cayme geyne Abel was to wood
For he in his offeryng lyste ryȝtfully devide,
Cayme accursed Abel in grace stood,
He hastuth wele þat wysely can abyde.
6
Off a nother Salamon bereth wyttenesse,
Whech [hastith] faste toward his heritage,
Of coveytyse to gedre grete richesse,
In hope þerby to gete grete avauntage
He maketh his god of tresour & coygnage
What ffolewuth aftur, the schippes seyle wyde,
Such folke alday dye or þer myddyll age,
He hastuth wele þat wysely can abyde.
7
Tryste is not best þat cometh afforne his tyme,
Ner hasty clymbynge to grete possession.
Nexte Phebus vpryste þe next oure is prime,
And mydday folewuth by iyste succession.
Caste weel þyn houres by revolucyoun,
Dethys horlage wul not passe his tyde,
Be-war þat complyne, preferre not his sesoun,
He hastuth wele þat wysely can abyde.
8
Hasty blosomes a sodeyne wynde doth [shake]
The seluer deuh a-morewe clere schynynge
Wyth bryght bemes of Tytan been vptake,
Or heete of mydmorewe þe mystis doth doun brynge,
And þus his ffareth by hasty vp clymbynge,
Sodeyne rysynge doth sodeynly doun slyde,
Take þe moralite vpon þis worde thynkynge,
He hastuth weel þat wysely can abyde.
9
At prime-tens, men seen hit wel at ye,
Hasty ffrutus haue no longe resydens,
Ryght feyre outward þe coore doth putrifye,
Dayly perceyuyd of olde experyence;
Clymbyng of beggers to worldely excellence,
Namely in chyldehood discression set asyde,
What folewuth þerof? Al such false apparence
Though hit schyne outwarde, hit wyl no while abyde.
10
Eche thyng is beeste take in his sesoun,
Thend of Auguste disposeth his ventagys,
Caneculer dayes bryng home venyson,
In May & Iune bryddys synge in cagys,
Corn at hervest is brought home by cariagys,
Off hey moneth Iule hath set þe tyde,
In temperat weder men goon on pylgrymagis,
He hastuth well þat wysely can abyde.
11
Asael was hasti of rennyng,
More swyft of cours than outher hert or hynde,
Lyste not take of Abner the warnyng,
Sleyne for his hast In Regum as y ffynde,
Troian stori of Patroclus maketh mynde,
When he for hast geyne Hector wolde ryde,
Off presumpcyon his yen were to blynde
He hastuth weel þat wesely can abyde.
12
Furius hast made Hector lese his lyff
Of hateful yre, for he ȝaff no credense
Vnto þe dreme of his notable wyff,
Causyng his deth by fatall influence,
Troyus champyoun cheff wall of þer defence,
Geyne Iunoos bydyng allas, why wolde he ryde?
Geyne Parchas sustren is made no resistence,
He hastuth weele þat wysely can abyde.
13
Achylles spere vnwarly made hym bleede,
Perced his hert, þe heed was whette so keene,
Fortune quyt hym, ther stoory who lyste reede,
For haste he hadde toward Pollycene,
His deth compasyd by Ercula þe Queene,
To-fforn Appollo amyd þer templus wyde
That deth for deth departed þem betweene,
He hastuth weel þat wysely can abyde.
14
Hasty sechyng & rauaschyng of Heleyne,
Whan Paris ryued vp at Citheron,
Maade Erles mortally dysdeyne,
Geyne Troians leyde siege to þer towne,
Looste ther relyquyt called Palladyon,
Froward cheer offeryng to Venes & Cupide,
Causyng the brennyng of ryche Ylion,
He hastuth weel þat wysely can abyde.
15
The amerous haste of Philles who lyste see,
For longe abydyng of proude Demophon,
Maade sche was turned to a philbert tree,
And bare philbertis passyng grete ffuson.
Hasti desyris, wyfly affeccion,
Off Penolape recorde of Ovide,
For Vluxes fyl ofte sithes downe,
He hastuth weel þat wysely can abyde.
16
The hasti werres & þe ffurious rage
Atwyxe þe tweyne ffamous myghti touns.
Atwene þe Romaynes & cite of Cartage,
Caused in Auffryk grete desolacyouns,
Deth & distruccyon of thre Scipions,
Tytus Lyuyus þer trivmphus wyl not hyde,
Concludyng thus monge all condicions,
That haste is beeste which wysely can abyde.
17
Euer be war of hasti ffrowarde speche,
Kepe close þy tonge from rekeles langage,
Geyn hurt of tonges harde to fynde a leche,
Contraryous wynde of mouth doth grete damage;
Swyft of wynge sclaunder doth his message,
And frowarde ffame splayeth his fflyȝt ful wyde.
Good report is best in eueri age,
And haste is best þat wysely can abyde.
18
That hast is good wheche hastuth to vertue,
And slouthe is good þat vengaunce doth differre.
Best of all hastus is haste towarde Ihesu,
Haste hym to serue for suche haste may not erre,
Criste brought [in] pees, Sathan brought in werre,
Pursewe for pees, & late pees be þy gyde,
Lette parfyte cherite be þy loode sterre,
Suche haste is beste who can þer-on abyde.
19
In wykkyd haste was neuer founde speede,
Slouth to be vengid, men seyne such slouth is good,
Haste to Criste Ihesu meynt with loue & dreede,
Wyth remembraunce he starff apon þe Rood,
And for mankynde spent his presyous blood,
Wyth a scharpe spere persyng thourgh his syde,
To vynqusche Sathan no scheltron is so good,
As Cristus Passion who can þer on abyde.
20
Lerne in ȝouth to proffyte in vertu,
Thyn[g]e take in ȝouth hath good impression,
A goode begynnynge requireth a good issu,
A good preamble a good conclusyon,
For vertuous lyff vertuous gwerdon,
His bryght bemes vertu can not hyde;
Haste in all perylys to Cristus Passion,
Embrace þat baner, & do þer-by a-byde.
Explicit quod Lydgate.
