The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man Englisht by John Lydgate, A.D. 1426, from the French of Guillaume De Deguileville, A.D. 1330, 1355. The Text Edited by F. J. Furnivall ... With Introduction, Notes, Glossary and Indexes by Katharine B. Locock |
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Sapyence: |
 | The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man |  |
Sapyence:
‘Now sothly,’ quod Sapience,
Thow hast shewyd thy sentence
To me ful pleynly & ryht wel;
And declaryd yt euerydel
In wordys wyse, & nat rude.
And her-vp-on thow shalt conclude,
(Yiff prudently thow lyst take heed,)
Yiff thy memórye be in thyn hed,
Thow seyst yt ys in lassë space
(Who so lyst a-ryht compasse,)
Than ys thyn hed, on outher syde,
Wher thy Memórye doth a-byde.
Thow hast shewyd thy sentence
To me ful pleynly & ryht wel;
And declaryd yt euerydel
In wordys wyse, & nat rude.
And her-vp-on thow shalt conclude,
(Yiff prudently thow lyst take heed,)
Yiff thy memórye be in thyn hed,
Thow seyst yt ys in lassë space
(Who so lyst a-ryht compasse,)
Than ys thyn hed, on outher syde,
Wher thy Memórye doth a-byde.
‘Also ek, in wordys fewe,
A-nother exaumple I wyl shewe,
Wych I to the rehersë shal
Off thyn Eyë by the bal:
Yiff thow ther-to kanst loke a-ryht,
Yt ys but smal vn-to the syht,
And conteneth lytle space;
And yet the gretnesse off thy face
A-bydeth there, (yiff thow list lere)
Swych as yt ys, hool & entere
In Roundnesse off that lytle bour.
A-nother exaumple I wyl shewe,
Wych I to the rehersë shal
Off thyn Eyë by the bal:
Yiff thow ther-to kanst loke a-ryht,
Yt ys but smal vn-to the syht,
And conteneth lytle space;
And yet the gretnesse off thy face
A-bydeth there, (yiff thow list lere)
Swych as yt ys, hool & entere
In Roundnesse off that lytle bour.
‘Tak hed also off A merour,
Or ellys off a lytel glas.
To purpos in the samë cas,
Wher thow mayst ek thy facë se
Off what gretnesse that yt be!
Or ellys off a lytel glas.
To purpos in the samë cas,
Wher thow mayst ek thy facë se
Off what gretnesse that yt be!
‘And yiff thow wylt in bettre wyse,
Vn-to the, that I devyse
To assoyl thyn Argument
ffynally to myn entent,
That seyst I sholde ha falshed the,
And repryved thy Maximë,
Whan I seyde, yiff thow take heed,
‘That euery party off thys bred
Off vertu, in especyal,
I make as gret as I do al,
Thogh yt be broke on many a part.
Vn-to the, that I devyse
To assoyl thyn Argument
ffynally to myn entent,
That seyst I sholde ha falshed the,
And repryved thy Maximë,
Whan I seyde, yiff thow take heed,
158
Off vertu, in especyal,
I make as gret as I do al,
Thogh yt be broke on many a part.
‘And tak Exaumple (for al thyn art)
Off A merour, fyrst hool at al:
Thogh yt be brooke on pecys smal,
In echë part and quantyte
Thow mayst as wel thy facë se
As toforne, (yiff thou lyst lere)
Whan yt was fyrst hool and entere
Off A merour, fyrst hool at al:
Thogh yt be brooke on pecys smal,
In echë part and quantyte
Thow mayst as wel thy facë se
As toforne, (yiff thou lyst lere)
Whan yt was fyrst hool and entere
| The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man | |