61. A SONG OF JUST MESURE.
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[From MS. B.M. Harley, 2251, leaves 28, back, to 29, back.]
1
By witte of man al thyng that is contryved,
Standith in proporcioun, plainly to conclude,
In old auctours lyke as it is discryved,
Whether it be depnesse or longitude,
Cast out by compas of height or latitude,
By peyse, by nombre, tryed out by equite,
To voyde al errour fro folkis that ben rude,
Nothyng commendyd but it in mesure be.
2
Mesours of musyk bene the spieris nyne,
Mevid by mesure with hevenly armony;
Lower in erth compas, squyer, and lyne,
Voyde al errours cause of geometrye;
Sownyng of instrumentis, concorde of mynstralcye,
Sette full and hoole be perfite vnite;
Swetnesse of mesure causith al melodye,
By perfit musyk if it in mesure be.
3
Without mesure may non artificere
In his wirkyng parfitely procede,
Peyntour, steynour, mason, nor carpentere,
Without mesure accomplissh nat in dede;
Where mesure fayleth, wrong wrought is euery dede,
Of thyng to longe the superfluite
Mesure cutte of, and thus who can take heede,
Iche thyng is praysed if it in mesure be.
4
Whan mesure faileth in dome or iugement,
Rightwisnes is tourned to woodenesse,
A rigurous iuge, a foltissh president,
With hate and rancour doth his vertu dresse;
Vengeaunce by envye theyre reason doth oppresse;
Whan they ben blynde and can no mesure se,
False rooted malice and cruel wilfulnesse,
Wil suffre no mesure in theyr court to be.
5
[A crownyd asse rude, that can no goode,
That wylle play a countarffetyd lyon,
And he allso that is a cherll of blode
Brought vp of naght vnto dominacion;
A Scottysche hare lyke to a fell gryffon,
The lyknesse made contraryous of degre,
In theyr accord is no conuencion,
Nor in ther meethyng ther may no mesure be.]
6
An olde prouerbe, mesour is tresoure,
Where mesure faileth is disconuenience;
In rethorik stant no parfite colour,
But if it be conveyed by cadence,
If mesure lak, what vailith eloquence?
Concludyng thus [how] the souerante,
Of euery craft and of eche scyence,
Receyvith his price, if it in mesure be.
7
[Who that presumythe to make in mytar or prose,
Or to accomplyshe matters of poetry,
Withe-oute mesure to endyte texte or glose,
Or usyth his tonge in truthe or flaterye,
Oute of mesur, for to say sooth or ly,
Whan over-mykile is, and grett scarsete,
A mene is best eche man his witt to plye
What-evar he doo, that it in mesure be.]
8
[Temperyd by mesur is every medysyn,
Proporcion sent unto the Apotecarie,
Helthe Recuryd, folowynge the doctryne
Ypocras set in his diatary,
Surfatt to mesure is noyous and contrarie,
Wher-by is causyd grett in-fermyte,
In this mattar what sholde I longar tarye,
Wher mesure reygnyth, ther may non exses be.]
9
Where mesure reygnith, subgettis lyve in peas;
Roote of discorde is froward tyrannye:
Favour in mesure causith grete incres,
And out of mesure it causith grete envye.
Men must by mesour rigour modifye,
Atwixt love and hate mesure doth equyte;
Wherfor late souerayns vse this policye,
What-euer they do late it in mesure be.
10
Lete men be mesure werk other travaile,
Mesoure biddith men do none outrages;
And he that euer of mesure takith counsaile,
Can nat shewe in one hoode two visages.
The coke by mesour sesonyth his potages,
A temperat hete egall in oone degre,
By decoccioun to take theyr avauntages,
Aforn provyded that al in mesure be.
11
Disport with labour among is necessary;
Travaile requyrith a recreacioun;
Pees and werre ben thynges ful contrary:
Mesure of eueriche grauntith his season;
Chaunge and diuersite of complexioun
In sundry agees set aduersite,
Nat to glad ne to hevy of condicioun,
But al is wele so it in mesure be.
12
That [play] is goode that causith no damage,
Honest disport that causith none hyndryng.
Blessid of God is also that langage,
That kepith his tunge fro froward bakbytyng;
And blessid is he that saith wele of al thyng,
And blissed is he whiche in his pouerte,
List thank God, voyde of al grucchyng,
And doth nothyng but it in mesure be.
13
Late euery man wisely aduertise,
He shal agayne receyve suche mesoure,
By egal peyse and in the same wise,
So as he weyeth vn-to his neyghboure;
Be it of hate, fauour, or rancoure;
The gospel tellith, lerne this of me,
So as thow weyest be mercy or rigoure,
The mesure same shal be don to the.
