University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
The Pastime of Pleasure by Stephen Hawes

A literal reprint of the earliest complete copy (1517) with variant readings from the editions of 1509, 1554, and 1555 together with introduction notes, glossary, and indexes: By William Edward Mead
Hawes, Stephen

collapse section 
[section]
collapse section 
[The Passetyme of Pleasure.]
collapse section 
Here begynneth the passe tyme of pleasure.
  
[dedication]
 I. 
How graunde Amoure walked in a medowe & met with fame enuyronned with tongues of fyre. ca. i.
 II. 
Of the swete reporte of Fame of the fayre lady la bel pucell in the toure of musyke. ca. ii.
 III. 
Now fame departed frome graunde amoure and lefte with hym gouernaunce and grace / and howe he wente to the toure of doctryne. Ca. .iii.
 IIII. 
Now he was lette in by Countenannce the porteres and of the meruaylous buyldynge of the same toure. Capitulo. iiii.
 V. 
How Scyence / sent hym fyrste / to gramer where he was receyued by dame Congruyte. ca. v.
 VI. 
How he was receyued / of Logyke. ca. vi.
 VII. 
How he was receyued of Rethoryke / and what Rethoryke is. ca. vii.
 VIII. 
Of the fyrste called inuencyon. And a commendacyon of poetes. Ca. viii.
 IX. 
A replycacyon agaynst ignoraunt persones. Ca. ix.
 X. 
Of dysposycyon the .ii. parte of rethoryke ca. x
 XI. 
Of elocucyon the thyrde parte of rethoryke with colourynge of sentences. ca. xi.
 XII. 
Of pronūcyacyon the .iiii. parte of rethoryke. Ca. xii.
 XIII. 
Of memory the .v. parte of rethoryke Ca. xiii.
 XIIII. 
A cōmēdacyō of Gower / chaucer / & lydgate Ca. xiiii.
 XV. 
Of Arysmetryke. Ca. xv.
 XVI. 
Of musyke mundayne / humayne / & instrumētall. Ca. xvi.
 XVIII. 
Of the dolorous / and lowly dyfputacyon bytwene la bell Pucell and graunde Amoure. Ca. xviii.
 XIX. 
How la bell pucell graunted Graunde Amoure loue / and of her dyspytous departyoge. Ca. xix.
 XX. 
Of the grete sorowe that graunde Amoure made after her depatynge / and of the wordes of counceyle. Capitulo. xx.
 XXI. 
How Graunde amoure wente to geometry / & what geometry is. Ca. xxi.
 XXII. 
Of dame astronomy. Ca. xxii.
 XXIII. 
Of the derecte operacyons of nature. Ca. xxiii.
 XXIIII. 
Of the fyue Interyall wyttes. Ca. xxiiij.
 XXV. 
Of the hye influences of the supernall bodyes. Ca. xxv.
 XXVI. 
How graūde amoure came to the toure of chyualry. Ca. xxvj.
 XXVII. 
Of the merualyos argument bytwene Mars and fortune. Ca. xxvij.
 XXVIII. 
How mynerue ledde Graūde Amoure to kynge Melyzyus whiche made hym knyght. ca. xxviii.
 XXIX. 
How he departed frome kynge Melyzyus with his grehoūdes and attendance his varlet and met with false reporte / that chaunged his name to Godfraye go bylyue. Ca. xxix.
 XXX. 
How graūde amoure in the temple of Uenus made his supplycacyon. Ca. xxx. The supplycacyon.
 XXXI. 
The copy of the letter. Ca. xxxi.
 XXXII. 
How Godfraye gobylyue was taken of correccyon & punysshed. Ca. xxxii.
 XXXIII. 
How graunde amoure dyscomfyted the gyaunt with thre hedes & was receyued of thre fayre ladyes. Ca. xxxiij.
 XXXIII. 
How he mette with Perceyueraunce / & reposed hyz in the manoyr place of dame comforte. Ca. xxxiij.
 XXXV. 
How he vaynquysshed a gyaunt / with seuen heedes and was receyued of .vii. ladyes. ca. xxxv.
 XXXVI. 
How he made oblacyon to the goddes Pallas & sayled ouer the tempestous flode. ca. xxxvj.
 XXXVII. 
How graunde amoure dyscomfyted the wonder full monster of the seuen metalles made by enchauntemente. Ca. xxxvij.
 XXXVIII. 
How graūde amoure was receyued of la bell pucell. Ca. xxxviij.
 XXIX. 
Of the grete maryage bytwene graunde amoure & La belle pucell. Ca. xxix.
 XL. 
How Whan graunde Amour had lyued longe wt labell pucell was arested by aege that brought vnto hȳpolycy and auaryce. Ca. xl.
 XLI. 
How he was arested by dethe. Ca. xli.
 XLII. 
How remembraūce made his epytaphy on his graue. Ca. xlij.
 XLII. 
How fame came in to the temple with burnȳge tonges / and other prayse. Ca. xlij.
 XLIIII. 
How tyme came in to the temple in meruaylous semylytude / and of his replycacyon. Ca. xliiij.
 XLV. 
How eternyte came in to the temple / and of her vertuous exortacyon. Ca. xlv.
 XLVI. 
The excusacyon of the auctore. Ca. xlvj.

collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous section A replycacyon agaynst ignoraunt persones. Ca. ix. The Pastime of Pleasure by Stephen Hawes
next section

IX. A replycacyon agaynst ignoraunt persones. Ca. ix.

But rude people / opprest with blyndnes
Agaynst your fables / wyll often solysgyse
Suche is theyr mynde / suche is theyr folysshnes
For they byleue / in no maner of wyse
That vnder a colour / a trouthe may aryse
For folysshe people / blynded in a mater
Wyll often erre / whan they of it do clatter
O all ye cursed / and suche euyll fooles
Whose syghttes be blynded / ouer all with foly
37

Open your eyes / in the pleasaunt scoles
Of parfyte connynge / or that you reply
Agaynst fables / for to be contrary
For lacke of connyge / no meruayle thoughe you erre
In suche scyence / whiche is frome you so ferre
For now the people / whiche is dull and rude
Yf that they do rede / a fatall scrypture
And can not moralyse / the semelytude
Whiche to theyr wyttes / is so harde and obscure
Than wyll they saye / that it is sene in vre
That nought do poetes / but depaynt and lye
Deceyuynge them / by tongues of flatery
But what for that / they can not defame
The poetes actes / whiche are in effecte
Vnto themselfe / remayneth the shame
To dysprayse that / whiche they can not correcte
And yf that they / hadde in it inspecte
That they wolde it prayse / and often eleuate
For it shoulde be / to them so delycate
previous section A replycacyon agaynst ignoraunt persones. Ca. ix. The Pastime of Pleasure by Stephen Hawes
next section