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

Mercy and Trouthe mette on an hih mounteyn,
Briht as the sonne with his beemys cleer
Pees and Iusticia walkyng on the pleyn,
And with foure sustryn moost goodly of ther cheer,
List nat departe, nor severe in no maneer,
Of oon accoord by vertuous encrees,
Ioyned in Charite, pryncesses moost enteer,
Mercy and Trouthe, Rihtwisnesse and Pees.

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2

Misericordia, ground and original
Of this processe Pax is conclusioun
Rihtwisnesse, of vertues pryncipal,
The swerd to modefye of execucioun
With a sceptre of discrecioun,
Ther sustir Equitas wil put hir silf in prees
Which with hir noble mediacioun
Sette alle vertues in quiete and in pees.

3

In this woord Pax, ther be lettrys thre,
P set to-forn for polityk Prudence,
A for Augmentum, and moore Auctorite,
X for Χρυς moost digne of reverence,
Which on a cros, by mortal violence
With blood and watir wrot by a relees
Of our trespacys, and for ful confidence
With hym to regne in his eternal pees,

4

An inward pees ther is eek of the herte,
Which callid is a pees of conscience,
A pees set outward, which that doth averte
To wordly tresours with to gret dilligence;
Glad pees in pouert, groundid on pacience,
Professyd to which was Diogenees,
Which gruchyd nevir for noon indigence
Such as God sent, content in werre and pees.

5

Ther is also a pees contemplatif
Of parfiht men in ther professioun,
As som that leede a solitary lif
In fastyng, prayng, and devout orisoun
Visite the poore, and of compassioun
Nakyd and needy, and hungry socourlees,
And poore in spirit, which shal haue ther guerdoun
With Crist to regne in his eternal pees.

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6

Pees is a princesse, douhtir to Charite,
Kepyng in reste cites and roial touns,
Folk that be froward, set in tranquyllite,
Monarchies and famous regiouns
Pees preseruyth them from divisiouns,
As seith the philisophre, callid Socratees,
A-mong alle vertues makith a discripcioun
He moost comendith this vertu callid pees.

7

Pees is a vertu pacient and tretable,
Set in quyet discoord of neihbours,
Froward cheerys pees makith amyable,
Of thorny roseers pees gradrith out the flours,
Makith the swerd to ruste of conquerours
Provided by poeetys, nat slouh nor reklees,
And mediacioun of wise enbassitours,
The spere, maad blont, brouht in love and pees.

8

And who that list plente of pees possede,
Live in quyete fro sclaundre and diffame,
Our Lord Ihesus he muste love and drede,
Which shal preserve hym fro wordly trouble & shame,
This woord Ihesus in Nazareth took his name,
Brouht by an angil, which put hym silf in prees,
Whan Gabriel cam, the gospeleer seith the same,
Brouht gladdest tydynges þat evir was of pees.

9

And in reioisshyng of this glad tydyng
Angelis song devoutly in the ayr
Gloria in excelsis at comyng of this kyng,
And thre kynges hauyng ther repayr
With a sterre that shoon so briht and fayr
Brouht hem to Bedleem, a place that they chees,
Of ther viage brouht out of dispayr,
Where, poorly loggyd, they fond the kyng of pees.

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10

Briht was the sterre ovir the dongoun moost
Wher the Heuenly Queen lay poorly in iesyne,
With the seven douhtren of the Hooly Goost
On hire awaytyng, moodir and virgine,
Tofore whos face lowly they did enclyne,
Song Laudes Deo pastores doutlees,
Fyl doun to ground, bowyd bak and chyne,
And of ther song the refreit was of pees.

11

Of thes seven douhtren of the Hooly Goost,
Caritas in love brente briht as levene,
And for bicause that she lovyd moost,
Hir contemplacioun, rauht vp to the heuene.
The next sustir in ordre, as I can nevene,
Was Pacience, which put hir silf in prees,
And moost was besy of alle the sustryn sevene
Folk at discoord to settyn hem in pees.

12

Gaudium in Spiritu to reiosshe euery wrong,
For Cristes comyng among her sustrys alle,
With a glad spirit this was hir newe song,
Gaudete in Domino, born in an oxis stalle,
A newe myracle in Bedleem is now falle,
Kyng Dauid-is heir mong prophetis perlees,
Shal at Ierusalem in that royal halle
As lord of lordys callyd souereyn lord of pees.

13

In thes seven sustryn was no divisioun
Cheef of ther consayl wac Humylitas,
Content with litel was Discrecioun,
Moost meke of alle was Leta Paupertas,
Alle of accord, cause that Benignitas
Set governaunce, that none was reklees,
Of cardinal vertues perfecta societas,
What-evir they wrouhte, concludid vpon pees.

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14

Thes sustryn alle, pacient and pesible,
Lyk ther princesse, moost fayr, moost gracious,
Callyd Maria, as ferre as was posible
Fulfilled with vertues she was moost plentevous,
Queen of Hevene lay in a symple hous,
A poore stable mong beestys rewleless
An oxe, an asse, no courseers costious,
In a streiht rakke lay ther the Kyng of Pees.

15

At Cristes birthe, as I reherse can,
This pees cam in almoost at merk mydnyht,
Tyme of thempyre of Octovian,
Whan Sibile cast hir look vpriht
Toward the Orient, and sauh an auhteer briht
Callyd Ara Celi, of beute peerlees,
Theron an empresse, moost fayr of face and siht,
A child in hir armys, callyd cheef Lord of Pees.

16

This pees of grace long while did endure,
Tyme that iij. kynges wer conveyd with the sterre,
Tyl Herodes, of froward aventure,
Geyn Ihesus by malys gan a werre,
Sent his knyhtes both[e] nyh and ferre,
Slouh Innocentys, of malys giltlees,
In Bedleem boundys this Tyraunt list so erre,
Ageyn the prynce callyd souereyn Lord of Pees.

17

This Herodis, tiraunt ful of pryde,
In his malys surquedous and cruel,
Thoruh alle the citees that stood there be-syde,
Slouh alle the childre, geyn Crist he was so fel;
Of compassioun moost pitously Rachel
Wepte whan she sauh the knyhtes mercilees,
Slouh so hir childre, born in Israel,
For his sake souereyn Lord of Pees.

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18

Ther be figures dolorous of pite,
Of fals tyrauntes vengable to do wraak,
Caym slouh Abel for his gret equite,
Attwen Ismael was stryff and Isaak,
Esaw wolde haue founde a laak
Cause that Iacob was put out of prees,
By Rebecca a while set a-baak,
Atwen the brethre, tyl ther wer maad a pees.

19

The Apocalips remembryd of seyn Iohn,
In his avisiouns the Ewangelist took heede,
With a sharp swerd he sauh ridyng Oon,
Fers and proudly vpon a poleyn steede,
Of colour reed, his iourne for to speede,
By his array vengable and reklees,
Whos power was bothe in lengthe and breede
To make werre and distroye pees.

20

His swerd wex bloody in the mortal werre,
Attween Grekys and them of Troye toun,
Gan spreede abrood, bothe nyh and ferre,
Thebes aforn brouht to destruccioun,
Kyng Alisaundre put Darye doun,
In Perce and Meede, the crowne whan he chees,
Vowes of the Pecok, the Frenssh makith mencioun,
Pryde of the werrys moost contrary vnto pees.

21

Othir werrys, that were of latter age,
Afftir Ierusaleem and gret Babiloon,
Werrys attween Roome and Cartage
Of thre Scipiouns, moost souereyn of renoun,
Rekne Hanybal, the proude champioun,
Brak Rome wallys, furyous and reklees,
At the laste stranglyd with poisoun,
Of marcial ire koude lyve nevir in pees.

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22

Al werre is dreedful, vertuous pees is good,
Striff is hatful, pees douhtir of plesaunce,
In Charlys tyme ther was shad gret blood,
God sende vs pees twen Ynglond and Fraunce;
Werre causith povert, pees causith habundaunce,
And attween bothen for ther moor encrees,
Withoute feynyng, fraude, or varyaunce,
Twen al Cristene Crist Ihesus send vs pees.

23

The Fifte Herry preevyd a good knyht,
By his prowesse and noble chivalrye,
Sparyd nat to pursue his riht,
His title of Fraunce and of Normandye,
Deyed in his conquest, and we shall alle dye,
God graunt vs alle, now aftir his discees,
To sende vs grace attween ech partye,
By loue and charyte, to live in parfiht pees:

24

Criste cam with pees at his Natiuite,
Pees songe of angelis for gladnesse in Bedleem,
And of his mercy to make vs alle fre,
He suffryd deth at Ierusaleem,
The day wex dirk, the sonne lost his beem,
The theef to Paradys by mercy gan in prees,
Gladdest kalendis to euery Cristen reem,
For vs to come to evir-lastyng pees.

Explicit quod Lydgate.