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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

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[The Passetyme of Pleasure.]
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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.

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XV. Of Arysmetryke. Ca. xv.

Now in my boke / ferder to procede
To a chambre I went / replete with ryches
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Where sat arysmetryke / in a golden wede
Lyke a lady pure / and of grete worthynes
The walles about / dyde full well expres
With golde depaynted / euery perfyte nombre
To adde / detraye / and to deuyde asonder
The rofe was paynted / with golden beames
The wyndowes crystall / clerely claryfyde
The golden rayes / and depured streames
Of radyant Phebus / that was puryfyde
Ryght in the bull / that tyme so domyfyde
Thrughe wyndowes / was resplendyshaunt
About the chambre / fayre and radyaūt
I kneled downe / ryght soone on my kne
And to her I fayd / o lady meruaylous
I ryght humbly beseche your mageste
Your arte to shewe / me so facundyous
Whiche is defuse / and ryght fallacyous
But I shall so apply myne exercyse
That the vary trouth / I shall well deuyse
My scyence sayde / she is ryght necessary
And in the myddes / of the scyences all
It is now sette / ryght well and parfytely
For vnto them / it is so specyall
Nombrynge so theyr werkes in generall
Without me / they had no perfytenes
I must them nombre / alwaye doubteles
Without nombre / is no maner of thynge
That in our fyght / we maye well se
For god made all the begynnynge
In nombre perfyte / well in certaynte
Who knewe arsmetryke / in euery degre
All maner nombre / in his mynde were had
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Bothe to detraye / and to deuyde and adde
But who wyll knowe / all the experyence
It behoueth hym / to haue grete lernynge
In many thynges / with true intellygence
Or that he can haue perfyte rekenynge
In euery nombre / by expert connynge
To reherse in englysshe / more of this scyence
It were foly / and eke grete neclygence
I thought full longe tyll I hadde a fyght
Of la bell pucell / the most fayre lady
My mynde vpon her was / both daye and nyght
The feruent loue / so perst me inwardly
Wherfore I went / anone ryght shortly
Vnto the toure / swete and melodyons
Of dame musyke / so gaye and gloryous
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