University of Virginia Library

Thansuer of the auctour vn-to Diane.

“Madame,” quod I, “with thys that ye
Be nat displesed now with me,
I wil lyke myn oppinion
Make a replicacion
To that ye han rehersed here,
Which ys mervelous to here,
That by your wylle I shold[e] tarye
In thys forest solytarye;
To which, yif I dyde assente,
I sholde sone me repente.
But trusteth pleynly wel ther-to,
My purpose ys nat to do so,
This verray sooth, me lyst nat feyn;
Therby thogh I myght atteyne
“To the prowesse of Ector,
That was so worthy her to for,
Nor to the wisdam, both in oon,
Of Dauid and kyng Salamon,
Nor to wynne al the tresor
Of the kyng Nabugodonosor.
Al thys ne myght[e] me compelle
In this forest for to duelle,
Thogh ye reherse al y-fere:
The dyuers trees, the wellys clere,
The herbys, nor the flour[e]s fayre,
Nor al the bestys debonayre:
Al yfere avaylle noght,
To do me consent in my thoght
For to holden here hostage;
Yt acordeth no thing with myn age
For this habytacion
To myn Inclynacion.
For I se here no plesaunce
By no maner resemblaunce:
Ioye, myrthe, nor gladnesse,
But al-to-gedre hevynesse,
For which I preyse yt nat a myte.
Me list as ȝet be noon hermyte
Nor solytarie of lyvynge.
For, fynally, thys duellynge
Ys nat acordyng with my lyfe;
The place ys so contemplatyfe,
I wer a fool, here to soiourne,
Alway to compleyn and morne,
Ever in oon, [both] day and nyght.
I sholde do ageyn al ryght,
To contrayre in werkyng
The preceptys and byddyng
Of Nature, my maistresse,
Of alle the world[e] gouerneresse;
Which bad me, as I kan report:
‘Go se the world’ and me disport,
And theryn oonly me delyte:
Goon about[e] and vysite
“Places which that be Iocounde,
Wher as myght ys most habounde
In my selfe, to knowe and see
On hir werkys the beaute,
The merveylles and vnkouthe thinges
Of hir wonderful werkyngys,
And of hir forge the secrees,
Mysteries, and the prevetees,
Which, in soth, be nat apert
But wonder cloos and ful covert.
And for I ha so grete plesaunce,
With al my hool[e] attendaunce
Of ful desire to folwe hir lust,
I wil hir siwe of verray trust,
And abyde no lenger here
Myd thys forest, in no manere,
Wher I kan se noon avauntage
To my profyte but bestys rage,
Ne party that I kan devyse,
And I wil in no maner wyse
Nouther offende nor trespase,
Lyst I wer put out of grace,
Ageyn myn hest, in soth[e]nesse,
Made to Venus, the goddesse,
I wil hir serve and euer shal,
What euer fal, loo, here is al!
Thus to doon ys most myn ease,
Wher so yt greve yow or please,
This myn entent in euery cost,
And wher as men me blame most,
Ther shal I be most ententyf
Hyr to serven al my lyf.
For without comparyson,
Ther ys noon of swich renoun
As my lady, dame Venus,
Humble, and benigne, and gracious,
Faire a-bove al mesure,
Both of shappe and of stature,
And to speke in wordys pleyn,
Fairer than ever was Eleyn,
“Ryght bontevous and ynly fre,
And of lyberalyte
She excelleth, I dar expresse,
Of port also and loulynesse.
Ther is no man this day so wys
That to the fulle kan yive aprys
Of hir myght nor hir highnesse,
Of hir pover nor noblesse.
I dar yt wel expresse and telle
That she of renoun dooth excelle
Alle tho that ever I koude of rede,
For to speke of frendlyhede.
And in oo thing ye wer to blame,
That ye lyst declare hir name
By wrong interpretacion
In your exposicion,
Which openly seyden thus:
That of venym was seyde Venus.
This was your oppinion
Contraire to myn entencion.
For I dar pleynly specefy
That, for she hath the maistry
And al represseth with hir myght,
Therfore of verray due ryght
She hath hir name, who taketh hede,
To be callyd, yt is no drede.
Venus ys sayde of venquisshing,
For she venquyssheth euery thing.
I say yt out, me lyst nat rovne,
Thus ye shuld hir name expovne,
For noon may make resistence
Ageyn[e]s hyr magnificence,
For which I ha set myn entent
To ben at hir comandement,
Me to agreen to hir wille
In euery thing, as yt ys skylle;
For which I shal do my power
To hast[e] me to thilke herber
Wher Deduit hath gouernaunce
With Ioy and play and al plesaunce.
“For in my wit I kan nat se,
That swiche perel sholde be
In that place, lyke as ye seyn,
Ye blame yt ydelly in veyn,
And maken a comparyson
Of the dedys of Iason,
Of Pheton, and of Icharus,
That wolde fleen, ye tel[le] thus.
But I me cast[e] nat to fle
With y-charus ouer the se,
Nor with Pheton al my lyve
The chare of Phebus for to dryve,
Nor for to wynne the flees of golde,
Of which to forn ye han me tolde.
Of al her foly wilful dede
I wil take no maner hede;
But I desire the knowleching
Of the hevene and his mevyng,
And also of the salt[e] see,
And eke what thing yt myght[e] be,
Why the flood, as clerkys telle,
Folweth with hys wawes felle,
And after that the ebbys sone
Folweth the concours of the Mone,
The reson out I wolde fynde
After the course oonly of kynde;
Thogh I ha this effeccion
Prentyd in myn oppinion,
Vn-to yow is noon offence.
For, vtterly, thys my sentence:
I wil go serve my maistresse,
I mene Venus, the goddesse.
I wil ther-of make no delay,
Lo, here is al! I goo my way.”