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University of Virginia Library

Lydgate's Reson and Sensuallyte

Edited from the Fairfax MS. 16 (Bodleian) and the additional MS. 29,729 (Brit. Mus.) by Ernst Sieper

Lydgate, John (1370?-1451?)

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Reson and sensuallyte compylid by John Lydgat.

Cy comence Lauctour son trayte.

Cy parle Lauctour de prime temps.

Here sheweth thauctour how natu[r]e appered vn-to hym.

How the Lady nature gouerneth the Worlde.

Here speketh thauctour of the beaute of Nature.

Now, after descripcioun of hir beaute, I shall declare the maner of hir clothyng.

Of tharray of natures hede.

How the goddesse nature spake vnto the Auctour.

How the Auctour ansuerde to Nature.

How nature Declareth to the Auctour hir entent.

How the Auctour answerde to nature.

The Auctour ansuerde vn-to nature.

Now speketh the auctour of the two vertues that nature hath yive to man.

How nature procedeth ferther to speke of these twoo vertues.

How nature charged him to goo the wey of vertu and of Reson.

How nature departed away, and how the auctour began his passage to visite the Worlde, As nature yaf him counsaylle.

How the auctour mette sodeynly iij goddesse[s] and I. god which conveyde hem.

Her the auctour maketh a descripcioun of Pallas.

Here descryueth the auctour the beaute and the maner of Pallas.

Of the vesture of Pallas the goddesse.

Here descryveth the Auctour the armys of Pallas.

Hoc est filius sapiencie.

Here descryveth the auctour the maner and the array of the secounde goddesse Iuno.

Here discriveth the auctour hir beaute and hir array.

Her descryveth the Auctour the maner and the array of Venus.

Her maketh thauctour a descripcion of hir myght.

Her maketh thauctour A descripcion of hir beaute and of hir array.

Her descriveth thauctour, how Mercure conveyde the thre goddesse[s].

Her reherseth thauctour of the power of Mercurius.

Her descriveth thauctour Alle hys shappe and his array.

Here maketh thauctour mension, how Mercure shewed and declared the cause why he broght the thre goddesses wyth hym.

How thauctour reherseth the ansuere which he gaf to Mercurius.

How Venus, the goddesse, kam to thanke thauctour of hys goodly Ansuere.

How thauctour ansuerd to Venus.

Her sheweth thauctour, how venus repleyed ageyn.

How thauctour ansuerd, and yalde him self holy to the seruise of Venus, and be-kam hir man.

How Venus thaught him what he shal dooun, And of hir .ij. sonys Deduyt and Cupido.

Her reherseth Venus to thauctour of hir other sone callyd Cupido.

Here Venus discryveth to thauctour the gardyne of Deduit.

The conclusioun of Venus.

How thauctour ansuerd to Venus.

How venus departed, and of the Forest wher Dyane mette wyth him.

How he sawgh ther Diane the goddesse.

How Diane ansuerde.

How thauctour ansuerde.

Her Diane declareth her entencion.

How Diane repreued hys purpose and compleyned vpon Venus.

The auctour.

How Diane ansuerd blamyng Venus.

How the auctour ansuerde.

How Diane shewed [and] declarede him the pereills of Venus.

Her declareth Diane the pereils by exaumple.

Her declareth Diane the perils that ben in the gardyn and the herber of Deduit.

Of moo pereils that Diane reherseth.

Here Diane reherseth mo pereils.

Here declareth Diane of the kynde and the natures of the trees in the gardyn of Cupyde.

Her declareth Diane of the perilouse erbys groving in the gardyn of the god of love.

Her Diane maketh A maner rehersayl of al the pereils to for seyde in the herber of Deduit.

Her declareth Diane many meschefs that felle in the gardyn of Deduit by example of many sondry stories.

Here maketh Diane a co[m]parison a-twene hir Forest of chastite and the Herber of Deduit.

Thansuer of the auctour vn-to Diane.

Here ansuereth Diane vn-to the Auctour.

How thauctour ansuerede Diane.

How the Auctour took hys wey towarde the herber of Deduit.

Here the auctour maketh a descripcion of þe place.

Here tourneth the auctour ageyn to hys matere.

Here declareth the auctour the thinges that he saugh without the herber.

Here reherseth the auctour, how he was resseyved and accepted of a lady callyd Curtesy, whiche graunted him lyberte to goo wher him lyst.

How the auctour commendeth the Herber.

How the auctour espied first the god of love.

Here declareth the auctour the maner of hys corowne.

Here declareth the auctour the maner of clothyng of Cupido.

Here telleth the auctour, how the god of love lad on hys one hand gladnesse and Doultz regarde.

Here reherseth the auctour the Mynstralcyes that Weren in the gardyn of Deduit.

Here declareth the auctour, how he sawgh the Rosys and the Rosier, and the place wher Ialousye set bialacoil in prison, and the welle of Narcisus.

Here declareth the Auctour how he loked in-to the welle.

How the Auctour founde Deduit pleying at the ches.

Here declareth the auctour, aftir play was ended, how the god of love made hym playen at the ches with the Damesele.

Here descriveth the auctour the cheker and the meyne.

Here maketh the auctour a descripcion of al hir Meyne and first of hir povnys.

The seconde povne on hir partye.

The thridde povne.

The fourthe povne.

The Fyfthe povne.

The Sixte povne.

The seveneth povne.

The viij. povne.

The quene or the fers.

The two knyghtys on hir partye.

The two Rokys on hir partye.

The two Awfyns on hir syde.

Of the kyng on hir partye.

Her aftir the auctour hath descryved the Meny on hir syde, he declareth and maketh a descripcion of hys ovne Meyny.

The secounde povne.

The thridde povne.

The fourthe povne.

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The auctour.

“Madame,” quod I, “it is certeyn:
I dempt[e] pleynly as ye seyn.
And yet me semeth in my syght
That his Iugement was ryght;
For errour noon, to my semyng,
Was noon founde in his demyng,
And yet, in myn oppinion,

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“I conferme yt of reson.”