Lydgate's Fall of Princes Edited by Dr. Henry Bergen ... presented to The Early English Text Society by The Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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A Chapitle of men doing Such thing as þey be dispo[s]ed to. |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
A Chapitle of men doing Such thing as þey be dispo[s]ed to.
Myn auctour Bochas makth a rehersaile,
In eschewyng of froward idilnesse,
That onto vertu may [no thyng] mor auaile
Than dilligent labour and honest bisynesse;
And so concludyng, ful pleynli doth expresse,
Ech man reioyssheth (this sentence is nat glosid)
To doon swich thyng to whiche he [is] disposid.
In eschewyng of froward idilnesse,
That onto vertu may [no thyng] mor auaile
Than dilligent labour and honest bisynesse;
And so concludyng, ful pleynli doth expresse,
Ech man reioyssheth (this sentence is nat glosid)
To doon swich thyng to whiche he [is] disposid.
Summe ha[ue] ioie be heuenli influence
To knowe the cours aboue celestiall;
And summe of knihthod do ther dilligence
To preue themsilff in actis marciall.
And summe reioisshe, in ther entent fynall,
In elloquence, summe in philosophie,
Summe, aboue all, to stodie in poetrie.
To knowe the cours aboue celestiall;
And summe of knihthod do ther dilligence
To preue themsilff in actis marciall.
And summe reioisshe, in ther entent fynall,
In elloquence, summe in philosophie,
Summe, aboue all, to stodie in poetrie.
435
The hardi kniht is seruaunt to Seynt George,
Meuyng of planetis sercheth thastronomeer,
Martis smyth laboureth in his forge,
Harneis of steel mak[e]th tharmoreer;
But the deuisour, be dilligence entieer,
Be fressh contreuyng, out of the old entaille
Fynt newe deuises of plate & eek of maille.
Meuyng of planetis sercheth thastronomeer,
Martis smyth laboureth in his forge,
Harneis of steel mak[e]th tharmoreer;
But the deuisour, be dilligence entieer,
Be fressh contreuyng, out of the old entaille
Fynt newe deuises of plate & eek of maille.
The laboreer set hooli his plesaunce
To tilthe of lond in tyme to sowe his greyn,
Tencrese his seed be yeerli habundaunce,
And that his plouh laboure nat in veyn,
Castyng his sesouns of drouht & eek of reyn;
And poetis to sitte in ther librarie
Desire of nature, and to be solitarie.
To tilthe of lond in tyme to sowe his greyn,
Tencrese his seed be yeerli habundaunce,
And that his plouh laboure nat in veyn,
Castyng his sesouns of drouht & eek of reyn;
And poetis to sitte in ther librarie
Desire of nature, and to be solitarie.
Swich as men loue, such thyng þei vndirtake:
Fissh or foule or hunte with ther houndis;
Summe of wolle sondri clothes make;
Be philisophre[s] was founde out first þe groundis,
And of al studie thei sette out first þe boundis,
Caused poetes, pleynli to conclude,
Out of al pres to lyue in solitude.
Fissh or foule or hunte with ther houndis;
Summe of wolle sondri clothes make;
Be philisophre[s] was founde out first þe groundis,
And of al studie thei sette out first þe boundis,
Caused poetes, pleynli to conclude,
Out of al pres to lyue in solitude.
Logiciens delite in argumentis,
Philisophres in vertuous lyuyng,
And legistris, folwyng the[r] ententis,
Gretli reioisshe in lucre and wynnyng.
Phececiens trauaile for getyng;
And of poetis, this the sotil fourme,
Be newe invencioun thynges to transfourme.
Philisophres in vertuous lyuyng,
And legistris, folwyng the[r] ententis,
Gretli reioisshe in lucre and wynnyng.
Phececiens trauaile for getyng;
And of poetis, this the sotil fourme,
Be newe invencioun thynges to transfourme.
Poetis sholde esche[w] al idilnesse,
Walke be ryuers and wellis cristallyne,
To hih mounteyns a-morwe ther cours up dresse,
The mist deffied whan Phebus first doth shyne,
Studie in bookis of moral disciplyne,
Nothyng coueite, but sette ther entent,
With moderat foode for to be content.
Walke be ryuers and wellis cristallyne,
To hih mounteyns a-morwe ther cours up dresse,
The mist deffied whan Phebus first doth shyne,
Studie in bookis of moral disciplyne,
Nothyng coueite, but sette ther entent,
With moderat foode for to be content.
436
Ther cheeff labour is vicis to repreve
With a maner couert symylitude,
And non estat with ther langage greeve
Bi no rebukyng of termys dul and rude;
What-euer thei write, on vertu ay conclude,
Appeire no man in no maner wise:
This thoffise of poetis that be wise.
With a maner couert symylitude,
And non estat with ther langage greeve
Bi no rebukyng of termys dul and rude;
What-euer thei write, on vertu ay conclude,
Appeire no man in no maner wise:
This thoffise of poetis that be wise.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |