68. EVERY THING TO HIS SEMBLABLE.
“A NATURAL BALADE BY LYDEGATE.”
[_]
[MS. Bodl. Ashmole 59, leaves 18 to 21.]
Here nowe followeþe a balade ryal made by Lidegate
affter his resorte to his religyon with þe refrayde
howe every thing draweþe to his semblable.
1
Trete every man as he is disposed;
With holy men entrete of holynesse,
Þambissyous man loveþe to be glosed,
Þe marcyal prynce to here of hys prowesse,
Þe hardy knight of werre and worþynesse,
Þe rightful iuge to make heos doomes stable,
Þamorous squyer relesse of his distresse,
Thus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
2
The conqueror reioyeþe heos victories
And heos tryvmphus gladde in his entent,
Þastrologier of heos aquatories
With þastrelabur to take þascendent,
Moeving of sterres, coursse of þe firmament,
Constillacions for to make hem greable,
By influence doune frome heven sent
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
3
Philosofres trete of philosophye,
With þe marchande of tresore and richchesse,
And with þe poete entreteþe of poesye,
With gentylemen entrete of gentylesse,
And serve þe ruyde affter þeire rudynesse,
Who correyþe horsse resorteþe to þe stable,
Plowman in tilthe settþe al his besynesse,
Þus every thinge draweþe to his semblable.
4
Men þat beon entirde into religyoun
Entrete and talke of þeire obedyence,
Musyssyen of instrument and sovne,
Rethorien of craffte of elloquence,
Þe vercefyour of metres and cadence,
Geometryen sette markis covenable,
By squyre and compas to showe evydence,
Howe every thing draweþe to his semblable.
5
Þe smyth in forging, þarmorier in aremure,
In steele tryinge he cane al þe doctryne,
By crafft of Ewclyde mason doþe his cure,
To suwe heos mooldes ruyle, and his plumblyne,
Þe craffty ffynour cane þe golde wele fyne,
Þe iowayllier, for þat it is vaillable,
Maþe saphyres, rubyes, on a foyle to shyne,
Þus every þing draweþe to his semblable.
6
Þalknamystre treteþe of myneralles,
And of metalles þe alteracyouns,
Of sulphur, mercury, of alomys, of sallis,
And of þeire sundry generacyouns,
And what is cause in þeire comixstyons,
Why somme beo clene, some leprous, and not able,
Fixing of spirites with sublymacions,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
7
In ryche colours delyteþe þe peyntour,
Þe ymageour in ymages of entayle,
And in proporcion reioyeþe þe steynour,
Þe brouderer in vnkouþe apparayle.
Þe man of armes in plate and stronge mayle,
Þe tayllours slye, to shewe hemself notable,
In nuwe devyse [to] Fraunce, Duche, and Ytayle,
Þus every thinge draweþe to his semblable.
8
Of waters demyng þe phisicyen,
Of þe comfytes þexspert appoticarye,
Of þemplastres treteþe þe surgen,
Of moderate dyete as þe yeere doþe varye,
Þe famous clerk haþe ioye of his librarye,
As for tresore to him mooste acceptable,
Grossiers of baales and divers letwarie,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
9
Þe besye hunter is gladde to fynde game,
Þe fissher leyþe heos nettis and heos dragges,
Þe foouler murþerþe þe wylde with þe tame,
Þe begger besy to clowte heos olde ragges,
With hevy lumpes to stuffe heos large bagges,
Selleþe hem for money whane þey beo chargeable,
Þe turffman turff, þe ffenman [delvith] flagges,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
10
Prevydent husbandes done þeire dilygence
Thorowe oute þe yeere þeire saysouns for to knowe,
Devoyding slouþe and froward necgligence,
To cheese þeire tymes whane þei shal eyre or sowe,
Þeire haye, þeire corne, to repe, bynde, or mowe,
Sette oute þeire falowes, pastures, and lande ayreable,
Governe þeire hyrdes affter þe wynde doþe blowe,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
11
[The gardyner in erbis and in rootis,
The laborer doth hegge about his croft,
The cordewaner on sundry shone and bootis,
And on the last for to tourne hem oft,
The curriour on ledres hard and soft
To the weryng to make hem profitable.
Plummers on stieplis and towris clymming aloft,
Thus euery thyng drawith to his semblable.]
12
Þe glover casteþe to make heos gloves sheyte,
Þat þey sitte streyte vppon þe mans hande,
Þe marynier amonge þe wawes weete,
Holdeþe his coursse to many vnkouþe lande,
By the streytes of Marroke and many dredful sande,
And ryde on ankre tyed with many a cabull,
Til þey arryve and reste hem on þe strande,
Þus every thinge draweþe to his semblable.
13
Wevinge of clooþe, of wol, and eke of lyne,
In bookis olde as men may rede and see,
Was one þe first as autours do termyne,
Of þe seven crafftes called mechanycee,
And Cayme was first þat bylde feire citee,
By masonry[e] made it defensable,
And sloughe Abel of hateful cruweltee,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
14
Þe pyebaker leteþe heos pyes blode,
With stobul-geesse selleþe garlec dere,
Þe vynter, gladde of vendages goode
Of beestis fatte reioyeþe þe bochier,
Parkis replenisshed gladeþ þe parker,
And in comparysoun of thinges comporable,
Þe ffatter conyes þe gladder þe wariner,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
15
Þe mighty archier in bowes that beo stronge,
In craffty takle boosteþe þe fflechcher,
Þe ioynours of bourdons, of speres [round and longe],
In feyre knyves gladeþe þe cuttiller,
Of sharp swerdes þe ffourbour garnisshed clere
Made for þe werre of proef vnreprevable,
Champyoun ful gladde, withouten pere,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
16
Þe chappechirche þe persone cane deceyve,
Þe fals and coveytous acorded be,
Þe patrouns to permute lycence to resceyve,
Maistre Symon graunteþe hem liberte,
Frome þeire prelate comþe þavctorite,
Archedens and denys þer to beo favourable,
Þey alle acorde vppon duplicyte,
Þeos folkes alle drawen to þeire semblable.
17
At sessyons and assyses þere moste cheef,
Iurours al redy þere, for-sworne for mede,
To honge þe truwe and save þerrant theef,
Tendyte preestis of God þey haue no drede,
Þe belleweder to fore þe daunce doþe lede,
Echone acurst in conscyence ful coupable,
Ley hande on booke þe Sysour taþe none hede,
For every thing draweþe to his semblable.
18
A shrewed payer maþe muche longe delaye,
With fals byhestis and fals flatterye,
Ay gladde to borowe and looþe ageine to paye,
He haþe of custume where he cane best aspye,
Where men haue golde, þider wol he hye,
Creaunce on weddis with face receyvable,
And feyrest speker whane he casteþe to lye,
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
19
Gladde is þe larke Aurora to salue,
Þe nightingale on cedres for to singe,
Gladde is þe mawvys as it is til him duwe,
Kalendes of [Aprill and of May to] brynge,
Gladde is þe throstel whane þe floures spring[e]
Þe somer is to him so acceptable,
For ioye þey proigne hem evyry mor[we]nyng
Þus every thing draweþe to his semblable.
20
Gladde beo beestis to walke in þeire pasture,
Þe raveynous wolff and þe stowte lyoun,
Þe swyfft tygre his ravyne to recure,
And for to stynge glad is þe scorpyoun,
So to devowre wol þe foule dragoun,
Ay of his kynde þe serpent to vengeable,
And þus of natural inclynacyoun,
Every thing draweþe to his semblable.
21
[Iren is drawer] of þademantes stone,
Þe gootis blode dissolveþe it of nature,
Þe mighty Achate, auctours seyne eche one,
Of heos enemys doþe victorye recure
Þus of kynde here every creature,
Reioyseþe him, soþely it is no fable,
His owen place of nature holdþe most sure
And causeþe him to drawe to his semblable.
22
Man was ordeynde talyved in Paradys,
Til he was founde frowarde of entente,
Lefft Goddes heeste, þerfore he was not wyse,
And gaf his credence to a fals serpente,
Forsoke his dwelling aboffe the firmament,
Chase eorþely thinges of nature corumpable,
And was frowarde by fals avysement
Til drawe to God, to whome he was semblable.
23
God gaf to man hevenly intelligence
With heos aungelles þat beon so hye in heven,
Feoling with beestis more excellence,
Lyving with trees as clerkis cane it neven,
Knowing of ellementis þe thondres leven,
Beinge with stoones excepte he is chaungeable,
To knowe þe Kyng above þe sterres seven
Sith He to hem of nature is semblable.
24
Þe heven ordeynde for folke contemplatyff,
Þe worlde for men þat þereindwelle,
As fore deserte here in þis present lyff
Þe goode gone vp, þe curssed drawe to helle,
Affter þeire merytes eche shal haue his celle;
O Lorde of Lordes, þat art so mercyable,
In Paradys graunte vs drynke of þe welle,
Whiche to þyne ymage madest man semblable.
25
Lyfft vp þyne eyeghe, man, and have rewarde,
Vnto þat lord þat is þy saveour,
Þyne hertes looke caste not bakwarde,
Which with his bloode was þy redemptour,
Made þee of nought and was þy creatour,
Of his gret mercy which is incomporable.
Prerogatyff moste souereine of honour,
Vn-to his ymage list make þee semblable.
Explicit.
