The Pastime of Pleasure by Stephen Hawes :: :: University of Virginia Library

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

[section]

[The Passetyme of Pleasure.]

Here begynneth the passe tyme of pleasure.

[dedication]

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.

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.

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 All | Expand All expand section

[The Passetyme of Pleasure.]

Here begynneth the passe tyme of pleasure.

Ryyght myghty prynce / & redoubted souerayne
Saylynge forthe well / in the shyppe of grace
Ouer the wawes / of this lyfe vncertayne
Ryght towarde heuen / to haue dwellynge place
Grace dothe you guyde / in euery doubtfull cace

Your gouernaunce / dothe euermore eschewe
The synne of slouthe / enemy to vertewe

Grace stereth well / the grace of god is grete
Whiche you hathe brought / to your ryall se
And in your ryght / it hath you surely sette
Aboue vs all / to haue the soueraynte
Whose worthy power / and regall dygnyte
All our rancour / and our debate and ceace
Hath to vs brought / bothe welthe reste and peace

Frome whome dyscendeth / by the ryghtfull lyne
Noble pryuce Henry / to succede the crowne
That in his youthe / dothe so clerely shyne
In euery vertu / castynge the vyce adowne
He shall of fame / attayne the hye renowne
No doubte but grace / shall hym well enclose
Whiche by trewe ryght / sprange of the reed rose

Your noble grace / and excellent hyenes
For to accepte / I beseche ryght humbly
This lytell boke / opprest with rudenes
Without rethorycke / or colour crafty
Nothynge I am / experte in poetry
As the monke of Bury / floure of eloquence
Whiche was in tyme / of grete excellence

Of your predecessour / the .v. kynge henry
Vnto whose grace / he dyde present
Ryght famous bokes / of parfyte memory
Of his faynynge with termes eloquent
Whose fatall fyccyons / are yet permanent
Grounded on reason / with clowdy fygures

He cloked the trouthe / of all his scryptures

The lyght of trouthe / I lacke connynge to cloke
To drawe a curtayne / I dare not to presume
Nor hyde my mater / with a mysty smoke
My rudenes connynge / dothe so sore cōsume
Yet as I maye / I shall blowe out a fume
To hyde my mynde / vnderneth a fable
By conuert colour / well and probable

Besechynge your grace / to pardon myne ignoraunce
Whiche this fayned fable / to eschewe ydlenesse
Hane so compyled / now without doubtaunce
For to present / to your hye worthynesse
To folowe the trace / and all the parfytenesse
Of my mayster Lydgate / with due exercyse
Suche fayned tales / I do fynde and deuyse

For vnder a colour / a truthe maye aryse
As was the guyse / in olde antyquyte
Of the poetes olde / a tale to surmyse
To cloke the trouthe / of theyr infyrmyte
Or yet on Ioye / to haue moralyte
I me excuse / yf by neclygence
That I do offende / for lacke of scyence

I. How graunde Amoure walked in a medowe & met with fame enuyronned with tongues of fyre. ca. i.

Whan Phebus entred was / in Gemyny
Shynynge aboue / in his fayre golden spere
And horned Dyane / than but one degre

In the Crabbe hadde entred / fayre and clere
Whan that Aurora / dyde well appere
In the depured ayre / and cruddy fyrmament
Forthe than I walked / without impedyment

In to a medowe / bothe gaye and gloryous
Whiche Flora depaynted with many a colour
Lyke a place of pleasure / most solacyous
Encensynge out / the aromatyke odoure
Of zepherus brethe / whiche that euery floure
Throughe his fume / dothe alwaye engendre
So as I went / amonge the floures tendre

By sodayne chaunce / a fayre pathe I founde
On whiche I loked / and ryght ofte I mused
And than all aboute / I behelde the grounde
With the fayre pathe / whiche I sawe so vsed
My chaunce or fortune / I nothynge refused
But in the pathe / forthe I went a pace
To knowe whyther / and vnto what place

It wolde me brynge / by ony symylytude
So forthe I wente / were it ryght or wronge
Tyll that I sawe / of ryall pulcrytude
Before my face / an ymage fayre and stronge
With two fayre handes / stretched out alonge
Vnto two hye wayes / there in pertycyon
And in the ryght hande / was this dyscrypcyon

This is the streyght waye / of contemplacyon
Vnto the Ioyfull toure pedurable
Who that wyll walke / vnto that mancyon
He must forsake / all thynges varyable
With the vayneglory / somoche deceyuable

And thoughe the waye / be harde and daungerous
The laste ende therof / shall be ryght precyous

And in the other hande / ryght fayre wryten was
This is the waye / of worldly dygnyte
Of the actyfe lyfe / who wyll in it passe
Vnto the toure / of fayre dame beaute
Fame shall tell hym / of the waye in certaynte
Vnto labell pucell / the fayre lady excellent
Aboue all other / in clere beaute splendent

I behelde ryght well / bothe the wayes twayne
And mused oft / whiche was best to take
The one was sharpe / the other was more playne
And vnto my selfe / I began to make
A sodayne argument / for I myght not slake
Of my grete musynge / of this ryall ymage
And of these two wayes / somoche in vsage

For this goodly pycture / was in altytude
Nyne fote and more / of fayre marble stone
Ryght well fauoured / and of grete fortytude
Thoughe it were made / full many yeres agone
Thus stode I musynge / my selfe all alone
By ryhgt longe tyme / but at the last I went
The actyfe waye / with all my hole entent

Thus all alone / I began to trauayle
Forthe on my waye / by longe contynuaunce
But often tymes / I hadde grete meruayle
Of the bypathes / so full of pleasaunce
Whiche for to take / I hadde grete doubtaunce
But euermore / as nere as I myght
I toke the waye / whiche went before me ryght

And at the last / whan Phebus in the west
Gan to auayle / with all his beames mery
Whan clere Dyana / in the fayre southest
Gan for to ryse / lyghtynge our emyspery
With cloudes clere / without the stormy pery
Me thought a fer / I hadde a vysyon
Of a pycture / of meruoylous facyon

To whiche I went / without lenger delaye
Beholdynge well / the ryght fayre purtrayture
Made of fyne copre / shynynge fayre and gaye
Full well truely / accordynge to mesure
And as I thought .ix. fote of stature
Yet in the breste / with lettres fayre ande blewe
Was wryten / a sentence olde and trewe

This is the waye / and the sytuacyon
Vnto the toure / of famous doctryne
Who that wyll lerne / must be ruled by reason
And with all his dylygence / he must enclyne
Slouthe to eschewe / and for to determyne
And set his hert / to be intellygyble
To a wyllynge herte / is nought Impossyble

Besyde the ymage / I adowne me sette
After my laboure / myselfe to repose
Tyll at the last / with a gaspynge nette
Slouthe my heed caught / with his hole purpose
It vayled not / the body for to dyspose
Agaynst the heed / whan it is applyed
The heed must rule / it can not be denyed

Thus as I satte / in a deedly slombre
Of a grete horne / I herde a ryall blast
With whiche I awoke / and hadde a grete wondre

From whens it came / it made me sore agast
I loked aboute / the nyght was well nere paste
And fayre golden Phebus / in the morowe graye
With cloude reed began / to breke the daye

I sawe come rydynge / in a valaye ferre
A goodly lady / enuyronned aboute
With tongues of fyre / as bryght as ony sterre
That fyry flambes / ensensed alwaye out
Whiche I behelde / and was in grete doubt
Her palfraye swyfte / rennynge as the wynde
With two whyte grehoundes / that were not behynde

Whan that these grehoundes / had me so espyed
With faunynge chere / of grete humylyte
In goodly hast / they fast vnto me hyed
I mused why / and wherfore it shoulde be
But I welcomed them / in euery degre
They leped ofte / and were of me ryght fayne
I suffred them / and cherysshed them agayne

Theyr colers were of golde / and of tyssue fyne
Wherin theyr names / appered by scypture
Of Dyamondes / that clerely do shyne
The lettres were grauen fayre and pure
To rede rheyr names / I dyde my besy cure
The one was gouernaunce / the other named grace
Than was I gladde / of all this sodayne cace

And than the lady / with fyry flame
Of brennynge tongues / was in my presence
Vpon her palfraye / whiche hadde vnto name
Pegase the swyfte / so fayre in excellence
Whiche somtyme longed / with his premynence
To kynge Percyus / the sone of Iubyter

On whome he rode / by the worlde so fer

To me she sayde / she meruayled moche why
That her grehounde / shewed me that fauour
What was my name / she axed me treuly
To whome I sayde / it was la graunde Amour
Besechynge you / to be to me socour
To the toure of doctryne / and also me tell
Your propre name / and where you do dwell

My name quod she / in all the worlde is knowen
Yclypped Fame / in euery regyon
For I my horne / in sondry wyse haue blowen
After the dethe / of many a champyon
And with my tonges / haue made aye mencyon
Of theyr grete actes / agayne to reuyue
In flammynge tongues / for to abyde on lyue

It was the custome / in olde antyquyte
Whan the golden worlde / hadde domynacyon
And nature hygh / in her auctoryte
More stronger hadde / her operacyon
Than she hath nowe / in her dygressyon
The people than dyde / all theyr besy payne
After theyr dethe / in fame to lyue agayne

Recorde of Satourne / the fyrste kynge of Creete
Whiche in his youthe / throughe his dylygence
Founde fyrst plowynge / of the landes swete
And after this / by his grete sapyence
For the comyn profyte / and beneuolence
Of all metalles / he made deuysyon
One frome an other / by good prousyyon

And than also / as some poetes fayne
He founde shotynge / and drawenge of the bowe
Yet as of that / I am nothynge certayne
But for his connynge / of hye degre and lowe
He was well beloued / as I do well knowe
Throughe whose labour / and aye besy cure
His fame shall lyue / and shall ryght longe endure

In whose tyme reygned / also in Thessayle
A parte of Grece / the kynge Melyzyus
That was ryght stronge / and fyerce in batayle
By whose labour / as the story sheweth vs
He brake fyrst horses wylde and rygoryous
Techynge his men / on them ryght well to ryde
And he hymselfe / dyde fyrst the horse bestryde

Also Mynerue / the ryght hardy goddes
In the same tyme / of so hyghe renowne
Vaynquysshed Pallas / by her grete worthynesse
And fyrste made harneys / to leye his pryde adowne
Whose grete defence / in euery realme and towne
Was spredde aboute / for her hye chyualry
Whiche by her harneys / wanne the vyctory

Doth not remayne / yet in remembraunce
The famous actes / of the noble hercules
That so many monstres / put to vtteraunce
By his grete wysdome / and hye prowes
As the recule of Troye / bereth good wytnes
That in his tyme / he wolde no batayle take
But for the welthe / of the comyns sake

Thus the hole myndes / were euer fyxte and set

Of noble men / in olde tyme to deuyse
Suche thynges as were / to the comyn proffet
For in that tyme / suche was theyr goodly guyse
That after dethe theyr fame shoulde aryse
For to endure / and abyde in mynde
As yet in bokes / we maye them wryten fynde

O ye estates / surmountynge in nobesse
Remembre well the noble payyms all
How by theyr laboure / they wanne the hyenesse
Of worthy fame / to reygne memoryall
And them applyed / euer in specyall
Thynges to practyse / whiche shoulde prouffyte be
To the comyn welthe / and theyr heyres in fee

II. Of the swete reporte of Fame of the fayre lady la bel pucell in the toure of musyke. ca. ii.

And after this / fame gan to expresse
Of Ieoperdous waye / to the toure peryllous
And of the beaute / and the semelynesse
Of la bell pucell / so gaye and gloryons
That dwelled in the toure so meruaylous
Vnto whiche myght come / no maner of creature
But by grete laboure / and harde aduenture

For by the waye / there ly in wayte
Gyauntes grete dysfygured of nature
That all deuoureth / by theyr yll conceyte
Ageynst whose strength / there maye no man endure
They are so huge / and stronge out of mesure
With many serpentes / soule and odyous

In sundry lykenesse / blacke and tydeus

But behonde them / a grate see there is
Beyonde whiche see / there is a goodly lande
Moost full of fruyte / replete with Ioye and blysse
Of ryght fyne golde / appereth all the sande
In this fayre realme / where the toure dothe stande
Made all of golde / enameled aboute
With noble storyes / whiche do appere without

In whiche dwelleth / by grete auctoryte
Of la bell pucell / whiche is so fayre and bryght
To whome in beaute / no pere I can se
For lyke as Phebus / aboue all sterres in lyght
Whan that he is / in his spere aryght
Dothe excede / wieh his beames clere
So dothe her beaute / aboue other appeere

She is bothe good / aye wyse and vertuous
And also dyscended / of a noble lyne
Ryche / comly / ryght meke / and bounteous
All maner vertues / in her clerely shyne
No vyce of her / maye ryght longe domyne
And I dame fame / in euery nacyon
Of her do make / the same relacyon

Her swete reporte / so my herte set on fyre
With brennynge loue / moost hote and feruent
That her to se / I hadde grete desyre
Sayenge to fame / o lady excellent
I haue determyned / in my Iugement
For la bell pucell / the most fayre lady
To passe the waye / of so grete Ieopardy

You shall quod fame / atayne the vyctory
Yf you wyll do / as I shall to you saye
And all my lesson / retayne in memory
To the toure of doctryne / ye shall take your waye
You are now within / a dayes Iourneye
Bothe these grehounde / shall kepe you company
Loke that you cherysshe them full gentely

Ind countenaunce / the goodly portres
Shall let you in / full well and nobly
And also shewe you / of the parfytenes
Of all the seuen scyences / ryght notably
There in your mynde / you maye ententyfly
Vnto dame doctryne / gyue parfyte audyence
Whiche shall enfourme you / in euery scyence

Fare well she sayde / I maye not now abyde
Walke on your waye / with all your hole delyght
To the toure of doctryne / at this morow tyde
Ye shall to morowe / of it haue a syght
Kepe on your waye / now before you ryght
For I must hens / to specyfy the dedes
Of theyr wortynesse / accordynge to theyr medes

And with that she dyde / fro me departe
Vpon her stede / swyfter than the wynde
Whan she was gone / full wofull was my herte
With inwarde trouble / oppressed was my mynde
Yet were the grehoundes / lefte with me behynde
Whiche dyde me comforte / in my grete vyage
To the toure of doctryne / with theyr fawnȳge courage

So forthe I went / tossynge on my brayne

Gretely musynge / ouer hyll and vale
The waye was troublous / and ey nothynge playne
Tyll at the laste / I came to a dale
Beholdynge Phebus / declynynge lowe and pale
With my grehoundes / in the fayre twy lyght
I sate me downe / for to rest me all nyght

Slouthe vpon me / so fast began to crepe
That of fyne force / I downe me layde
Vpon an hyll / with my greyhoundes to slepe
Whan I was downe / I thought me well apayde
And to my selfe / these wordes than I sayde
Who wyll attayne / soone to his Iournays ende
To nourysshe slouthe / he may not condyscende

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.

Thus than I slepte / tyll yt Auroras beames
Gan for to sprede / aboute the fyrmament
And ye clere sonne / with his golden streames
Began for to ryse / fayre in the oryent
Without Saturnus / blacke encombrement
And the lytell byrdes / makynge melodye
Dyde me awake / with theyr swete armonye

I loked aboute / and sawe a craggy roche
Ferre in the west / nere to the element
And as I dyde than / vnto it approche
Vpon the toppe / I sawe refulgent
The ryall toure / of morall document
Made of fyne coper / with turrettes fayre and hye

Whiche agaynst Phebus / shone so meruaylously

That for the veray perfyte bryghtnes
What of the toure / and of the clere sonne
I coude nothynge / beholde the goodlynes
Of that palays / where as doctryne dyde wonne
Tyll at the last / with mysty wyndes donne
The radyant bryghtnes / of golden Phebus
Auster gan couer / with cloudes tenebrus

Than to the toure / I drewe nere and nere
And often mused / of the grete hyghnes
Of the craggy rocke / whiche quadrant dyde appere
But the fayre toure / so moche of rychesse
Was all about / sexangled doubtles
Gargeylde with grehoundes / & with many lyons
Made of fyne golde / with dyuers sundry dragons

The lytell turrets / with ymages of golde
Aboute was set / wiche with the wynde aye moued
With propre vyces / that I dyde well beholde
Aboute the toures / in sondry wyse they houed
With goodly pypes / in theyr mouthes Ituned
That with the wynde / they pyped a daunce
Yclyped amour de la hault pleasaunce

IIII. Now he was lette in by Countenannce the porteres and of the meruaylous buyldynge of the same toure. Capitulo. iiii.

The toure was grete / & of meruaylous wydnes
To whiche there was / no way to passe but one
In to the toure / for to haue an intres

A grece there was / ychefyled all of stone
Out of the rocke / on whiche men dyde gone
Vp to the toure / and in lykewyse dyde I
With bothe the grehonndes in my company

Tyll that I came / to a ryall gate
Where I sawe stondynge / the goodly portres
Whiche axed me / from whens I came a late
To whome I gan / in euery thynge expresse
All myne aduenture / chaunce and busynesse
And eke my name / I tolde her euery dell
Whan she herde this / she lyked me ryght well

Her name she sayde / was called countenaunce
In to the besy courte / she dyde me than lede
Where was a fountauyne / depured of pleasaunce
A noble sprynge / a ryall conduyte hede
Made of syue golde / enameled with reed
And on the toppe / foure dragons blewe and stonte
This doulcet water / in foure partyes dyde spoute

Of whiche there flowed / foure ryuers ryght clere
Sweter than Nysus / or Ganges was theyr odoure
Tygrys or Eufrates / vnto them no pere
I dyde than tast / the aromatyke lycoure
Fragraunt of fume / swete as ony floure
And in my mouthe / it hadde a meruaylous cent
Of dyuers spyces / I knewe not what it ment

And after this / ferder forthe me brought
Dame countenaunce / in to a goodly hall
Of Iasper stones / it was wonderly wrought
The wyndowes clere / depured all of crystall

And in the rose / on hye ouer all
Of golde was made / a ryght crafty vyne
In stede of grapes / the rubyes there dyde shyne

The flore was paued / with berall claryfyed
With pyllours made / of stones precyous
Lyke a place of pleasure / so gayly gloryfyed
It myght be called / a palays gloryous
Somoche delectable / and solacyous
The hall was hanged / hye and cyrculer
With clothe of aras / in the rychest maner

That treted well / of a full noble story
Of the doughty waye / to the toure peryllous
How a noble knyght / shoulde wynne the vyctory
Of many a serpent / foule and odyous
And the fyrste mater / than appered thus
How at a venture / and by sodayne chaunce
He met with fame / by fortunes purueyaunce

Whiche dyde hym shewe / of the famous pulcrytude
Of la bell pucell / so clere in beaute
Excellynge all other / in euery symplytude
Nature her fauoured / so moche in degre
Whan he herde this / with feruent amyte
Accompaned with grace and gouernaunce
He toke his waye / without encombraunce

Vnto the ryght famous toure of lernynge
And so frome thens / vnto the toure of clyualry
Where he was made knyght / the noble kynge
Called Melyzyus / well and worthely
And ferthermore / it shewed full notably

Vpon the aras / ybrobred all of blewe
What was his name / with lettres all of grewe

Thus with his varlet / he toke on his waye
To the peryllous toure / and sytuacyon
Metynge foly / as he rode on his Iournaye
Rydynge on a mare / by grete yllusyon
After whome / ensued fast correccyon
And in her hande / a stronge knotted whyppe
At euery Iarte / she made hym for to skyppe

And than correccyon / brought la graunde amoure
Vnto the toure / where as he myght well se
Dyuers men / makynge ryght grete doloure
That defrauded women / by theyr duplycyte
Yet before this / in perfyte certaynte
As the aras / well dyde make relacyon
In Venus temple / he made his oblacyon

After whiche / he mette an hydeous gyaunt
Hauynge thre hedes of meruaylous kynde
With his grete strokes / he dyde hym daunt
Castynge hym downe / vnder the lynde
With force and myght / he dyde hym bynde
Strykynge of his hedes than euerychone
That of all thre hedes / he left not one

This terryble gyaunt / yet hadde a broder
Whiche graunde amoure / destryed also
Hauynge foure heedes / more than the oder
That vnto hym / wrought mykell wo
But he slewe soone / his mortall fo
Whiche was a grete gyaunt / with hedes seuen

To meruaylous / now for me to nenen

Yet more ouer / he put to vtteraunce
A venymous beest / of sundry lykenes
Of dyuers beestes / of ryght grete myschaunce
Wherof the pycture / bare good wytnes
For by his power / and his hye worthynesse
He dyde scomfyte / the wonderous serpent
Of the sceun metalles / made by enchauntement

And eke the clothe / made demonstracyon
How he weded / the grete lady beauteous
La bell pucell / in her owne domynacyon
After his labour / and passage daungerous
With solempne Ioye / and myrthe melodyous
This famous story / well pyctured was
In the fayre hall / vpon the aras

The marshall / yclyped was dame reason
And the yewres / also obseruaunce
The panter pleasaunce / at euery season
The good butler / curteys contynuaunce
And the chefe coke / was called temperaunce
The lady chambrelayne / named fydelyte
And the hygh stuarde lyberalyte

There sate dame doctryne / that lady gent
Whiche called me / vnto her presence
For to knowe / all the hole entent
Of my comynge / vnto her excellence
Madame I sayde / to lerne your scyence
I am comen / now me to apply
With all my cure / in perfyte study

And yet also / I vnto her than shewed
My name and purpose / without doublenes
For very grete Ioye / than were endued
Her crystall eyes / full of lowlenes
Whan that she knewe / for veray sykernesse
That I was he / that shoulde so attayue
La bell pucell / with my busy payne

And after this / I hadde ryght good chere
Of mete and drynke / there was grete pleynte
Nothynge I wanted / were it chepe or dere
Thus was I serued / with delycate dysshes daynte
And after this / with all humylyte
I went to doctryne / prayenge her good grace
For to assygne me / my fyrst lernynge place

Seuen doughters / moost experte iu connynge
Withouten foly / she hadde well engendred
As the seuen scyences / in vertue so shynynge
At whose encreace / there is grete thankes rendred
Vnto the moder / as nothynge surrendred
Her good name / and her dulcet sounde
Whiche dyde engendre / theyr orygynall grounde

And fyrst to gramer / she forthe me sent
To whose request / I dyde well obay
With dylygence / forth on my waye I went
Vp to a chambre / depaynted fayre and gay
And at the chambre / in ryght ryche araye
We were let in / by hygh auctoryte
Of the ryght noble / dame congruyte

V. How Scyence / sent hym fyrste / to gramer where he was receyued by dame Congruyte. ca. v.

The lady Gramer / in all humbly wyse
Dyde me receyue / in to her goodly scole
To whose doctryne / I dyde me aduertyse
For to attayne / in her artyke poole
Her gylted dewe / for to oppresse my doole
To whome I sayde / that I wolde gladly lerne
Her noble connynge / so that I myght decerne

What that it is / and why that it was made
To whiche she answered / than in specyall
Bycause that connynge / shoulde not pale ne fade
Of euery scyence / it is orygynall

Whiche dothe vs teche / euer in generall
In all good ordre / to speke dyrectly
And for to wryte / by true artogrofy

Somtyme in Egypte / reygned a noble kynge
Yclyped Euander / whiche dyde well abounde
In many vertues / especyally in lernynge
Whiche hadde a doughter / that by her study founde
To wryte true latyn / the fyrst parfyte grounde
Whose goodly name / as her story sayes
Was called Carmentis / in her lyuynge dayes

Thus in the tyme / of olde antyquyte
The noble phylozophres / with theyr hole delyght
For the comyn prouffyte / of all humanyte
Of the seuen scyences / for to knowe the ryght
They studyed / many a longe wynters nyght
Eche after other / theyr partes to expresse
This was theyr guyse / to eschewe ydlenesse

The pomped carkes / with fode delycyous
They dyde not fede / but to theyr sustynaunce
The folowed not / theyr flesshe so vycyous
But ruled it / by prudent gouernaunce
They were content / alwaye with suffysaunce
They coueyted not / no worldly treasure
For they knewe / that it myght not endure

But now a dayes / the contrary is vsed
To wynne the money / theyr studyes be all sette
The comyn prouffyte / is often refused
For well is he / that maye the money gette
Frome his neyghboure / without ony lette

They thynke nothynge / they shall from it pas
Whan all that is / shall be tourned to was

The brytell flesshe / nouryssher of vyces
Vnder the shadowe / of euyll slogardy
Must nede haunt / the carnall delyces
Whan that the brayne / by corrupte glotony
Vp so downe / is tourued than contrary
Frayle is the body / to grete vnhappynes
Whan that the heed / is full of dronkenes

So do they now / for they nothynge prepence
How cruell dethe / dothe them sore ensue
They are so blynded / in wordly neclygence
That to theyr meryte / they wyll nothynge renewe
The seuen scyences / theyr slouthe to eschewe
To an oders profyte / they take now no kepe
But to theyr owne / for to ete drynke and slepe

And all this dame gramer / tolde me euery dele
To whome I herkened / with all my dylygence
And after this / she taught me ryght well
Fyrst my donet / and than my accydence
I sette my mynde / with percynge influence
To lerne her scyence / the fyrst famous arte
Eschewynge ydlenes / and layenge all aparte

Madame quod I / for as moche as there be
Viii. partes of speche / I wolde knowe ryght fayne
What a nowne substantyue / is in his degre
And wherfore it is / so called certayne
To whome she answered / ryght gentely agayne
Sayenge alwaye / that a nowne substantyue

Mygh stande / without helpe of an adiectyue

The latyn worde / whiche that is referred
Vnto a thynge / whiche is substancyall
For a nowne substantyue / is well auerred
And with a gendre / is declynall
So all the eyght partes in generall
Are laten wordes / annexed properly
To euery speche / for to speke formally

And gramer is / the fyrste foundement
Of euery scyence / to haue construccyon
Who knewe gramer / without impedyment
Soulde perfytely haue intelleccyon
Of a lytterall cense / and moralyzacyon
To construe euery thynge ententyfly
The worde is gramer / well and ordynatly

By worde the worlde / was made orygynally
The hye kynge sayde / it was made incontynent
He dyde commaunde / all was made shortly
To the worlde / the worde is sentencyous Iugement
I marked well / dame gramers sentement
And of her than / I dyde take my lycence
Goynge to Logyke / with all my dylygence

VI. How he was receyued / of Logyke. ca. vi.

So vp I went / vnto a chambre bryght
Where was wonte / to be a ryght fayre lady
Before whome than / it was my hole delyght
I kneled adowne / full well and mekely
Besechynge her / to enstructe me shortely

In her noble scyence / whiche is experyent
For man to knowe / in many an argument

You shall quod she / my scyence well lerne
In tyme and space / to your grete vtylyte
So that in my lokynge / you shall than decerne
A frende from fo / and good from inyquyte
Ryght from wronge / ye shall knowe in certaynte
My scyence is / all the yll to eschewe
And for to knowe / the false from the trewe

Who wyll take payne / to folowe the trace
In this wretched worlde / of trouthe & ryghtwysenes
In heuen aboue / he shall haue dwellynge place
And who that walbeth / the waye of derkenes
Spendynge his tyme / in worldly wretchednes
Amyddes the erth / in hell most horryble
He shall haue payne / nothynge extynguyssyble

So by logyke / is good perceyueraunce
To deuyde the good / and the euyll a sondre
It is alway / at mannes pleasaunce
To take the good / and cast the euyll vnder
Yf god made hell / it is therof no wonder
For to punysshe man / that hadde intellygence
To knowe good from yll / by trewe experyence

Logyke alwaye / doth make probacyon
Prouynge the pro / well from the contrary
In sundry wyse / by argumentacyon
Grounded on reason / well and wonderly
Who vnderstode / all logyke treuly
Nothynge by reason / myght be in pledynge

But he the trouthe / shoulde haue in knowlegynge

Her wyse doctryne / I marked in memory
And toke my leue / of her hye personne
Bycause that I myght no lenger tary
The yere was spente / and so ferre than goone
And of my lady / yet syght hadde I none
Whiche was abydynge / in the toure of musyke
Wherfore anone / I went to Rethoryke

VII. How he was receyued of Rethoryke / and what Rethoryke is. ca. vii.

Than aboue Logyke / vp we went a stayre
In to a chambre / gayly gloryfyed
Strowed with floures / of all goodly ayre
Where sate a lady / gretely magnyfyed
And her trewe vesture / clerely puryfyed
And ouer her heed / that was bryght and shene,
She hadde a garlande / of the laurell grene

Her goodly chambre / was set all about
With depured myrrours / of speculacyon
The fragraunt fumes / dyde well encense out
All mysty vapours / of perturbacyon
More lyker was / her habytacyon
Vnto a place / whiche is celestyall
Than to a terrayne / mancyon fatall

Before whome / than I dyde knele a downe
Sayenge o sterre / of famous eloquence
O gylted goddesse / of the hygh renowne
Enspyred / with the heuenly influence
Of the doulcet well / of complacence
Vpon my mynde / with dewe aromatyke
Dystyll adowne / thy lusty Rethoryke

And depaynt my tonge / with thy ryall floures
Of delycate odoures / that I maye ensue
In my purpose / to glade myne audytoures
And with thy power / that thou me endue
To moralyse / thy lytterall censes trewe
And clense awaye / the myst of ygnoraunce
With depured beames / of goodly ordynaunce

With humble eeres / of parfyte audyence

To my request / she dyde than enclyne
Sayenge she wolde / in her goodly scyence
In short space / me so well indoctryne
That my dull mynde / it shoulde enlumyne
With golden beames / for euer to oppresse
My rude langage / and all my symplenesse

I thanked her / of her grete gentylnes
And axed her / after this questyon
Madame I sayde / I welde knowe doubtles
What rethoryke is / without abusyon
Rethoryke she sayde / was founde by reason
Man for to gouerne / well and prudently
His wordes to ordre / his speche to puryfy

Fyue partes hath rethoryke / for to werke trewe
Without whiche fyue / there can be no sentence
For these fyue / do well euermore renue
The mater parfyte / with good intellygence
Who that wyll se them / with all his dylygence
Here folowenge / I shall them specyfy
Accordynge well / all vnto myne ordynary

VIII. Of the fyrste called inuencyon. And a commendacyon of poetes. Ca. viii.

The fyrste of them / is called inuencyon
Whiche fourdeth / of the most noble werke
Of .v. inwarde wyttes / with hole affeccyon
As wryteth ryght many a noble clerke
With mysty colour / of cloudes derke
How comyn wytte / dooth full well electe
What it sholde take / and what it shall abiecte

And secondly / by ymagynacyon
To drawe a mater / full facundyous
Full meruaylous / is the operacyon
To make of nought / reason sentencyous

Clokynge a trouthe / with colour tenebrous
For often vnder a fayre fayned fable
A trouthe appereth gretely profytable

It was the guyse in olde antyquyte
Of famous poetes / ryght ymagynatyfe
Fables to fayne / by good auctoryte
They were so wyse / and so inuentyfe
Theyr obscure reason / fayre and sugratyfe
Pronounced trouthe / vnder cloudy fygures
By the inuencyon / of theyr fatall scryptures

And thyrdly they hadde suche a fantasy
In this hygh arte / to be intellygyble
Theyr same encreasynge / euermore truely
To slouth euer / they were inuyncyble
To theyr wofull hertes / was nought impossyble
With brennynge loue / of insacyate fyre
Newe thynges to fynde / they set theyr desyre

For though a man / of his propre mynde
Be inuentyf / and he do not apply
His fantasye / vnto the besy kynde
Of his connynge / it maye not ratyfye
For fantasye / must nedes exemplyfy
His newe inuencyon / and cause hym to entende
With hole desyre / to brynge it to an ende

And fourtely / by good estymacyon
He must nombre all the hole cyrcumstaunce
Of this mater / with breuyacyon
That he walke not / by longe contynuaunce
The perambulat waye / full of all varyaunce

By estymacyon / is made annuncyate
Whether the mater be longe or breuyate

For to inuencyon / it is equypolent
The mater founde / ryght well to comprehende
In suche a space / as it is conuenyent
For properly / it doth euer pretende
Of all the purpose / the length to extende
So estymacyon / maye ryght well conclude
The parfyte nombre / of euery symylytude

And yet than / the retentyfe memory
Whiche is the fyfte / must euer agregate
All maters thought / to retayne inwardly
Tyll reason therof / hath made a brobate
And by scrypture / wyll make demonstrate
Outwardly / accordynge to the thought
To proue a reason / vpon a thynge of nought

Thus whan the fourth / hath wrought full wonderly
Than must the mynde / werke vpon them all
By cours ingenyous / to rynne dyrectly
After theyr thoughtes / than in generall
The mynde must cause them to be memoryall
As after this / shall appere more openly
All hole exprest / by dame phylosophy

O thrust of vertue / and of ryall pleasure
Of famous poetes / many yeres ago
O insacyate couetyse / of the specyall treasure
Of newe inuencyon / to ydlenes the fo
We maye you laude / and often prayse also
And specyally / for worthy causes thre
Whiche to this daye / we maye bothe here and se

As to the fyrste / your hole desyre was set
Fables to fayne / to eschewe ydlenes
With amplyacyon / more connynge to get
By the labour / of inuentyfe besynes
Touchynge the trouthe / by couert lykenes
To dysnull vyce / and the vycyous to blame
Your dedes therto / exemplyfyde the same

And secondly / ryght well you dyde endyte
Of the worthy actes / of many a conqueroure
Throughe whiche laboure / that you dyde so wryte
Vnto this daye reygneth the honoure
Of euery noble / and myghty warryoure
And for youe labour / and your besy payne
Youre fame yet lyueth / and shall endure certayne

And eke to prayse you / we are gretely bounde
Bycause our connynge / frome you so procedeth
For you therof / were fyrst orygynall grounde
And vpon youre scryptue / our scyence ensueth
Your splendent verses / our lyghtnes renueth
And so we ought to laude and magnyfy
Your excellent sprynges / of famous poetry

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

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

X. Of dysposycyon the .ii. parte of rethoryke ca. x

The seconde parte / of crafty rethoryke
Maye well be called dysposycyon
That doth so hyghe mater aromatytyke
Adowne dystyll / by consolacyon
As olde poetes / make demonstracyon
That Mercury thrugh his premynence
His natyues endueth / with famous eloquence

By veray reason / it maye ryght well appere
That dyuers persones / in sundry wyse delyght
Theyr consolacyons / doth contratry so steere

That many myndes / maye not agre aryght
Suche is the planettes / of theyr course and myght
But what for that / be it good or yll
Them for to folowe / it is at mannes frewyll

And dysposycyon / the trewe seconde parte
Of rethoryke / doothe euermore dyrecte
The maters founde / of this noble arte
Gyuynge them place / after the aspecte
And oftyme / it hathe the inspecte
As frome a fayre parfyte narracyon
Or elles by a stedfaste argumentacyon

The whiche was constytute / by begynnynge
As on the reason / and yf apparaunce
Of the cause / than by outwarde semynge
Be harde and dyffyculte / in the vtteraunce
So as the mynde / haue no perceyueraunce
Nor of the begynnynge / can haue audyence
Than must narracyon / begynne the sentence

And yf it be a lytle probable
Frome ony maner stedfast argument
We ordre it / for to be ryght stable
Aad than we neuer / begyn our sentement
Recytynge lettres / not conuenyent
But this commutacyon / shoulde be refused
Without cause or thynge / make it be vsed

This that I wryte / is harde and couert
To them that haue / nothynge intellygence
Vp so downe / they make it oft transuert
Or that they can knowe / the experyence

Of this crafte / and facundyous scyence
By dysposycyon / the rethorycyan
To make lawes / ordynatly began

Without dysposycyon / none ordre gan be
For the dysposycyon / ordreth euery matter
And gyueth the place / after the degre
Without ordre / without reason we clatter
Where is no reason / it vayleth not to chatter
Dysposycyon / ordreth a tale dyrectly
In a perfyte reason / to conclude truely

The fatall problemes / of olde antyquyte
Cloked with myst / and with cloudes derke
Ordred with reason / and hye auctoryte
The trouthe dyde shewe / of all theyr couert werke
Thus haue they made / many a noble clerke
To dysnull myschefe / and inconuenyence
They made our lawes / with grete dylygence

Before the lawe / in a tumblynge barge
The people sayled / without parfytenes
Throughe the worlde / all aboute at large
They hadde none ordre / nor no stedfastnes
Tyll rethorycyans / founde Iustyce doubtles
Ordenynge kynges / of ryghte hye dygnyte
Of all comyns / to haue the souerainte

The barge to stere / with lawe and Iustyce
Ouer the wawes / of this lyfe transytorye
To dyrecte wronges / and also preiudyce
And tho that wyll resyste a contrary
Agaynste theyr kynge / by Iustyce openly

For theyr rebellyon / and euyll treason
Shall suffre dethe / by ryght and reason

O what laude / glory and grete honoure
Vnto these poetes / shall be notyfyed
The whiche dystylled / aromatyke lycour
Clensynge our syght / with ordre puryfyed
Whose famous draughtes / so exemplyfyed
Sette vs in ordre / grace and gouernaunce
To lyue dyrectly / without encombraunce

But many one / the whiche is rude and dull
Wyll dyspyse theyr warke for lacke of connynge
All in vayne / they do so hayle and pull
Whan they therof / lacke vnderstandynge
They grope ouer / where is no felynge
So dull they are / that they can not fynde
This ryall arte / for to perceyue in mynde

XI. Of elocucyon the thyrde parte of rethoryke with colourynge of sentences. ca. xi.

And than the .iii. parte / is elocucyon
Whan inuencyon / hath the purpose wrought
And set it in ordre / by dysposycyon
Without this thyrde parte / it vayleth ryght nought
Thoughe it be founde / and in ordre brought
Yet elocucyon / with the power of Mercury
The mater exorneth / ryght well facundyously

In fewe wordes / swete and sentencyous
Depaynted with golde / harde in construccyon
To the artyke eres / swete and dylycyous
The golden rethoryke / is good refeccyon
And to the reder / ryght consolacyon
As we do golde / frome coper puryfy

So that elocucyon / doth ryght well claryfy

The dulcet speche / frome the langage rude
Tellynge the tale / in termes eloquent
The barbary tongue / it doth ferre exclude
Electynge wordes / whiche are expedyent
In latyn / or in englysshe / after the entent
Encensynge out / the aromatyke fume
Our langage rude / to exyle and consume

But what auayleth euermore to sowe
The precyous stones / amonge gruntynge hogges
Draffe vnto them / is more meter I trowe
Let an hare and swyne / be amonge curre dogges
Though to the hares / were tyed grete clogges
The gentyll best / they wyll regarde nothynge
But to the swyne / take course of rennynge

To cloke the sentence / vnder mysty fygures
By many coloures / as I make relacyon
As the olde poetes / couered theyr scyptures
Of whiche the fyrste / is dystrybucyon
That to the euyll / for theyr abusyon
Doth gyue payne / and to the worthy
Laude and prayse / them for to magnyfy

Of beest or byrde / they take a semylytude
In the condycyon / lyke to the party
Feble fayre / or yet of fortytude
And vnder colour of this beest pryuely
The morall cense / they cloke full subtyly
In prayse or dysprayse / as it is reasonable
Of whose faynynge / fyrste rose the fable

Concludynge reason / gretely profytable
Who that theyr fables / can well moralyse
The fruytfull sentences are delectable
Though that the fyccyon / they do so deuyse
Vnder the colour / the trouthe dooth aryse
Concludynge reason / rychesse and connynge
Pleasure / example / and also lernynge.

They fayned / no fable without reason
For reasonable is / all theyr moralyte
And vpon reason / was theyr conclusyon
That the comyn wyt / by possybylyte
Maye well adiuge / the perfyte veryte
Of theyr sentence / for reason openly
To the comyn wyt / it doth so notyfy

Rychesse.

Theyr fruytfull sentence / was grete rychesse
The whiche ryght surely / they myght well domyne
For lordeshyppe / welthe / and also noblesse
The chaunce of fortune / can soone determyne
But what for this / she can not declyne
The noble scyence / whiche after pouerte
Maye brynge a man agayne to dygnyte

Scyence.

Theyr sentence is connynge / as appereth well
For by connynge / theyr arte dooth engendre
And without connynge / we knowe neuer a dele
Of theyr sentence / but maye soone surrendre
A true tale / that myght to vs rendre
Grete pleasure / yf we were intellygyble
Of theyr connynge / nothynge impossyble

Pleasure.

O what pleasure to the intellygent

It is to knowe / and haue perceyueraunce
Of theyr connynge / so moche expedyent
And therof to haue good vtteraunce
Redynge newe thynges / of so grete pleasaunce
Fedynge the mynde / with fode insacyate
The tales newe / they are so delycate

Example.

In an example / with a mysty cloude
Of couert lykenesse / the poetes do wryte
And vnderneth the trouthe / doth so shroude
Both good and yll / as they lyst acquyte
With symylytude / they dyde so well endyte
As I here after / shall the trouthe soone shewe
Of all theyr mysty / and theyr fatall dewe

The poetes fayne / how that kynge Athlas
Heuen shoulde bere / vpon his shoulders hye
Bycause in connynge / he dyde all other pas
Especyally / in the hygh astronomye
Of the .vi. planettes / he knewe so parsytely
The operacyons / how they were domyfyed
For whiche poetes / hym so exemplyfyed

And in lykewyse / vnto the sagyttary
They feyne the centaures / to be of lykenesse
As halfe man / and halfe horse truely
Bycause Mylyzyus / with his worthynesse
Dyde fyrste attame / and breke the wyldnes
Of the ryall stedes / and ryght swyftly
His men and he / rode on them surely

And also Pluto / somtyme kynge of hell
A Cyte of Grece / standynge in thessayle

Betwene grete rockes / as the boke doth tell
Wherin were people / without ony fayle
Huge / fyerse / and stronge in batayle
Tyrauntes / theues / replete with treason
Wherfore poetes / by true comparyson

Vnto the deuylles / blacke and tedyous
Dyde them resemble / in terryble fygure
For theyr mysse lyuynge / so foule and vycyous
As to this daye / it doth appere in vre
Of Cerberus / the defloured pycture
The porter of hell / with thre hedes vgly
Lyke an horryble gyaunt / fyrse and wonderly

Bycause alwaye / his customed tyranny
Was elate in herte / by hygh presumpcyon
Thynkynge hymselfe / moost stronge and myghty
And secondly / he was dystruccyon
Of many ladyes / by yll compulcyon
And thyrdly / his desyre insacyable
Was to get ryches / full innumerable

Thus for these thre vyces abhomynable
They made hym / with thre hedes serpentyne
And lyke a fende / his body semblable
For his pryde / auaryce / and also rapyne
The morall cense / can soone enlumyne
The fatall pycture / to be exuberaunt
And to our syght clere / and not varyaunt

Also rehersed / the cronycles of Spayne
How redoubted Hercules / by puyssaunce
Fought with an Ydre / ryght grete certayne

Hauynge seuen hedes / of full grete myschaunce
For whan that he / with all his valyaunce
Had stryken of an heed / ryght shortly
An other anone / arose ryght sodaynly

Seuen sophyms / full harde and fallacyous
This Ydre vsed / in perposycyon
Vnto the people / and was full rygoryous
To deuoure them / where lacked responcyon
And whan one reason / had conclusyon
An other reason / than incontynent
Began agayne / with subtyll argument

For whiche cause / the poetes couertly
With .vii. hedes / doth this Ydre depaynt
For these .vii. sophyms / full ryght closely
But of rude people / the wyttes are so faynt
That with theyr connynge / they can not acquaynt
But who that lyst / theyr scyence to lerne
Theyr obscure fygures / he shall well decerne

O redolent well / of fomous poetry
O clere fountayne / replete with swetenes
Reflerynge out / the dulcet dylycacy
Of .iiii. ryuers / in meruaylous wydenesse
Fayrer than Tygrys / or yet Eufrates
For the fyrste ryuer / is vnderstondynge
The seconde ryuer / close concludynge

The thyrde ryuer / is called nouelry
The fouth ryuer / is called carbuncles
Amyddes of whome / the toure is so goodly
Of Vyrgyll standeth / most solacyous

Where he is entered / in stones precyous
By this fayre toure / in a goodly grene
This well doth sprynge / both bryght and shene

To vnderstandynge these .iiii. accydent
Doctryne / perceyueraunce / and exercyse
And also therto is equypolent
Euermore / the parfyte practyse
For fyrst doctryne / in all goodly wyse
The perceyuerant routh / in his bote of wyll
In vnderstondynge / for to knowe good from yll

So famous poetes / dyde vs endoctryne
Of the ryght waye / for to be intellectyfe
Theyr fables they dyde / ryght so ymagyne
That by example / we maye voyde the stryfe
And without myschefe / for to lede our lyfe
By the aduertence / of theyr storyes olde
The fruyte werof / we maye full well beholde

Depaynted on aras / how in antyquyte
Dystroyed was / the grete cyte of Troye
For a lytell cause / grounded on vanyte
To morall ruyne / they tourned theyr Ioye
Theyr vnderstandynge / they dyde than occoy
Nothynge prepensynge / how they dyde prepare
To scourge themselfe / and brynge them in a snare

Who is opprest / with a lytell wronge
Reuengynge it / he maye it soone encreace
For better it is / for to suffre amonge
An iniury / as for to kepe the peace
Than to begynne / whiche he shall neuer ceace

Warre ones begon / it is harde to knowe
Who shall abyde / and who shall ouerthrowe

The hygh power / honour / and noblenesse
Of the myghty Romaynes / to whose excellence
All the wyde worlde / so moche of gretenes
Vnto theyr empyre / was in obedyent
Suche was theyr famous porte / and preemynence
Tyll within themselfe / there was a contrauersy
Makynge them lese / theyr worthy sygneoury

It is euer / the grounde of sapyence
Before that thou / accomplysshe outwardly
For to reuolue / vnderstandynge and prepence
All in thy selfe / full often inwardly
The begynnynge / and the myddle certaynly
With the ende / or thou put it in vre
And werke with councell / that thou mayst be sure

And who that so doth / shall neuer repent
For his dede is founded / on a parfyte grounde
And for to fall / it hath none impedyment
With surenes / it is so hygh walled rounde
In welthe and ryches / it must nedes habounde
On euery syde / it hath suche ordynaunce
That nothynge can do it anoyaunce

Thus the poetes / conclude full closely
Theyr fruytfull problemes / for reformacyon
To make vs lerne / to lyue dyrectly
Theyr good entent / and trewe construccyon
Shewynge to vs / the hole affeccyon
Of the waye of vertue / welthe and stablenes

And to shyt the gate / of myscheuous entres

And euermore / they are ymagynatyfe
Tales newe / from daye to daye to fayne
The errynge people / that are retractyf
As to the ryght waye / to brynge them agayne
And who that lyst / theyr sentence retayne
It shall hym prouffyte / yf he wyll apply
To do therafter / full conuenyently

Carbuncles / in the most derke nyght
Doth shyne fayre / with clere radyant beames
Exylynge derkenes / with his rayes lyght
And so these poetes / with theyr golden streames
Deuoyde our rudenes / with grete fyry lemes
Theyr centencyous verses / are refulgent
Encensynge out / the odour redolent

And is theyr warke also extynguysshyble
Nay treuly / for it doth shyne ryhht clere
Thrugh cloudes derke / vnto the odyble
To whome truely / it maye nothynge appere
Where connynge fayleth / the scyence so dere
Ignoraunce hateth / with feruent enuy
And vnto connynge / is mortall ennemy

O ygnoraunce / with slouth so opprest
Open thy curtayne / so ryght dymme and derke
And euermore remembre / the behest
Of thy labour / to vnderstande thy werke
Of many a noble / and ryght famous clerke
Fy vpon slouth / the nouryssher of vyce
Whiche vnto youthe / dooth often preiudyce

Who in youth lyst / nothynge to lerne
He wyll repent hym / often in his age
That he the connynge / can nothynge decerne
Therfore now youth / with lusty courage
Rule thy flesshe / and thy slouth aswage
And in thy youth / the scyence engendre
That in thyne age / it maye the worshyp rendre

Connynge is lyght / and also pleasaunt
A gentyll burden / without greuousnes
Vnto hym / that is ryght well applyaunt
For to bere it / with all his besenes
He shall attaste / the well of fruytfulnesse
Whiche Vyrgyll claryfyed / and also Tullyus
With latyn pure / swete and delycyous

From whens my mayster Lydgate deryfyde
The depured rethoryke / in englysshe language
To make our tongue / so clerely puryfyed
That the vyle termes / shoulde nothynge arage
As lyke a pye / to chattre in a cage
But for to speke / with Rethoryke formally
In the good ordre / withouten vylany

And who his bokes / lyste to here or se
In them he shall fynde elocucyon
With as good ordre / as ony maye be
Kepynge full close / the moralyzacyon
Of the trouth / of his grete entencyon
Whose name is regestered / in remembraunce
For to endure / by longe contynuaunce

Now after this / for to make relacyon

Of famous rethoryke / so in this party
Is to the fourth parte pronuncyacyon
I shall it shewe / anone ryght openly
With many braunches / of it sykerly
And how it taketh the hole affecte
In euery place / degre and aspecte

XII. Of pronūcyacyon the .iiii. parte of rethoryke. Ca. xii.

Whan the mater / is founde by inuèncyon
Be it mery / or yet of grete sadnès
Sette in a place / by the dyspocycyon
And by elocucyons / famous clerenès
Exornate well / and redy to exprès
Than pronuncyacyon / with chere and countenaunce
Conuenyently / must make the vtteraunce

With humble voyce / and also moderate
Accordynge / as by hym is audyence
And yf there be / a ryght hye estate
Than vnder honoure / and obedyence
Reasonably done / vnto his excellence
Pronounsynge his mater so facundyous
In all due maner / to be centencyons

For thoughe a mater be neuer so good
Yf it be tolde / with tongue of barbary
In rude maner / without the dyscrete mode
It is dystourbaunce / to a hole companye
For to se them / so rude and boystously
Demeane themselfe / vtterynge the sentence
Without good maner / or yet intellygence

It is a thynge / ryght gretely conuenable
To pronounce the mater / as it is conuenyent

And to the herers / ryght delectable
Whan the vtterer / without impedyment
With ryght good maner / countenaunce and entent
Doth tell his tale / vnto them tretably
Kepynge his maner / and voyce full moderatly

This is the costome / that the petes vse
To tell theyr tale / with all due cyrcumstaunce
The vylayne courage / they do moche refuse
That is boystous and rude of gouernaunce
And euermore / they do to them auaunce
Nurture maner / and all gentylnes
In theyr behauynge / with all semelynes

And thus the gentyll rethorycyan
Through the labour / of his ryall clergy
The famous nurture / orygynally began
Oppressynge our rudenes / and our foly
And for to gouerne vs / ryght prudently
The good maner / encreaseth dygnyte
And the rudenesse / also inyquyte

The famous poete / who so lyste to here
To tell his tale / it is solacyous
Beholdynge his maners / and also his chere
After the maner / be it sad or ioyous
Yf it be sadde / his chere is dolorous
As in bewaylynge / a wofull tragedy
That worthy is / to be in memory

And yf the mater / be ioyfull and gladde
Lyke countenaunce / outwardly they make
But moderacyon / in theyr myndes is hadde

So that outrage / maye them not ouertake
I can not wryte / to moche for theyr sake
Them to laude / for my tyme is shorte
And the mater longe / whiche I must reporte

XIII. Of memory the .v. parte of rethoryke Ca. xiii.

And the .v. parte / is than memoratyfe
The whiche / the perfyte mynystracyon
Ordynatly causeth / to be retentyfe
Dryuynge the tale / to good conclusyon
For it behoueth / to haue respeccyon
Vnto the tale / and the veray gcounde
And on what ymage / he his mater founde

Yf to the orature / many a sundry tale
One after other / treatably be tolde
Than sundry ymages / in his closed male
Eche for a mater / he doth than well holde
Lyke to the tale / he doth than so beholde
And inwarde / a recapytulacyon
Of eche ymage the moralyzacyon

Whiche be the tales / he grounded pryuely
Vpon these ymages / sygnyfycacyon
And whan tyme is / for hym to specyfy
All his tales / by demonstracyon
In due ordre / maner and reason
Than eche ymage / inwarde dyrectly
The oratoure / doth take full properly

So is enprynted / in his propre mynde
Euery tale / with hole resemblaunce
By this ymage / he dooth his mater fynde
Eche after other / withouten varyaunce

Who to this arte wyll gyue attendaunce
As therof / to knowe the perfytenes
In the poetes scole / he must haue intres

Than shall he knowe / by perfyte study
The memoryall arte / of rethoryke defuse
It shall to hym / so well exemplyfye
Yf that hym lyste / the scyence to vse
Thoughe at the fyrste / it be to hym obtuse
With exercyse / he shall it well augment
Vnder cloudes derke / and termes eloquent

But now of dayes / the synne of auaryce
Exyleth the mynde / and the hole delyght
To coueyt connynge / whiche is grete preiudyce
For insacyatly / so blynded is theyr syght
With the syluer / and the golde so bryght
They nothynge thynke / on fortune varyable
Whiche all theyr ryches / can make transmutable

The olde sawes / they ryght clene abiect
Whiche for our lernynge / the poetes dyde wryte
With auaryce / they are so sore infect
They take no hede / nothynge they wryte
Whiche morally / dyde so nobly endyte
Reprouynge vyce / praysynge the vertue
Whiche ydlenes / dyde euermore eschewe

Now wyll I cease / of lusty rethoryke
I maye not tary / for my tyme is shorte
For I must procede / and shewe of arysmetryke
With dyuers nombres / whiche I must reporte
Hope inwardly / doth me well conforte

To brynge my boke / vnto a fynysshment
Of all my mater / and my true entent

XIIII. A cōmēdacyō of Gower / chaucer / & lydgate Ca. xiiii.

O thoughtfull herte / tombled all aboute
Vpon the se / of stormy ygnoraunce
For to sayle forthe / thou arte in grete doute
Ouer the wawes / of grete encombraunce
Without ony comforte / saufe of esperaunce
Whiche the exorteth / hardely to sayle
Vnto thy purpose / with dylygent trauayle

Aufrycus auster / bloweth frowardly
Towarde the lande / and habytacyon
Of thy well fauerde / and most fayre lady
For whose sake / and delectacyon
Thou hast take / this occupacyon
Pryncypally / ryght well to attayne
Her swete rewarde / for thy besy payne

O pensyfe herte / in the stormy pery
Mercury northwest / thou mayst se appere
After tempest / to glad thyne emyspery
Hoyse vp thy sayle / for thou muste drawe nere
Towarde the ende / of thy purpos so clere
Remembre the / of the trace and daunce
Of poetes olde / with all thy purueyaunce

As morall gower / whose sentencyous dewe
Adowne reflayreth / with fayre golden beames
And after Chaucers / all abrode doth shewe
Our vyces to clense / his depared stremes
Kyndlynge our hertes / with the fyry leames
Of morall vertue / as is probable

In all his bokes / so swete and prouffytable

The boke of fame / whiche is sentencyous
He drewe hymselfe / on his owne inuēcyon
And than the tragydyes / so pytous
Of the nyntene ladyes / was his traslacyon
And vpon his ymagynacyon
He made also / the tales of Caunterbury
Some vertuous / and some glade and mery

And of Troylus / the pytous dolour
For his lady Cresyde / full of doublenesse
He dyde bewayle / full well the langoure
Of all his loue / and grete vnhappynesse
And many other bokes doubtles
He dyde compyle / whose goodly name
In prynted bokes / doth remayne in fame

And after hym / my mayster Lydgate
The monke of Bury / dyde hym well apply
Bothe to contryue / and eke to translate
And of vertue / euer in especyally
For he dyde compyle than full nyally
Of our blyssed lady / the conuersacyon
Saynt Edmundes lyfe / martred with treason

Of the fall of prynces / so ryght wofully
He dyde endyte / in all pytous wyse
Folowynge his auctour / Bocas rufully
A ryght grete boke / he dyde truely compryse
A good ensample / for vs to dyspyse
This worlde so full / of mutabylyte
In whiche no man / can haue a certaynte

And thre reasons / ryght gretely prouffytable
Vnder coloure / he cloked craftely
And of the chorle / he made the fable
That shytte the byrde / in a cage so closely
The pamflete sheweth it expressely
He fayned also / the court of sapyence
And translated / with all his dylygence

The grete boke / of the last destruccyon
Of the cyte of Troye / whylome so famous
How for woman / was the confusyon
And bytwene vertue / and the lyfe vycyous
Of goddes and goddes / a boke solacyous
He dyde compyle / and the tyme to passe
Of loue he made / the bryght temple of glasse

Were not these thre / gretely to commende
Whiche them applyed suche bokes to contryue
Whose famous draughtes no man can amende
The syme of slothe they dyde frome them dryue
After theyr dethe for to abyde on lyue
In worthy fame by many a nacyon
Theyr bokes / theyr actes do make relacyon

O mayster Lydgate / the moste dulcet sprynge
Of famous rethoryke / with balade ryall
The chefe orygynall of my lernynge
What vayleth it / on you for to call
Me for to ayde / now in especyally
Sythen your body / is now wrapte in cheste
I praye god / to gyue your soule good reste

O what losse is it / of suche a one

It is to grete truely / me for to tell
Sythen the tyme / that his lyfe was gone
In all this realme / his pere dyde not dwell
Aboue all other / he dyde so excell
None syth his tyme / art wolde succede
After theyr deth / to haue fame for theyr mede

But many a one / is ryght well experte
In this connynge / but vpon auctoryte
They fayne no fables / pleasaunt and couerte
But spend theyr tyme / in vaynfull vanyte
Makynge balades / of feruent amyte
As gestes and tryfles / without fruytfulnes
Thus all in vayne / they spende theyr besynes

I lytell or nought / expert in poetry
Of my mayster Lydgate / wyll folowe the trace
As euermore / so his name to magnyfy
With suche lytell bokes / by goddes grace
Yf in this worlde / I maye haue the space
The lytell connynge / that his grace me sent
In tyme amonge / in such wyse shall be spent

And yet nothynge / vpon presumpcyon
My mayster Lydgate / I will not enuy
But all onely / is myne intencyon
With suche labour / my selfe to occupy
As whyte by blacke / doth shyne more clerely
So shall theyr maters / appere more pleasaunt
Bysyde my draughtes / rude and ygnoraunt

XV. Of Arysmetryke. Ca. xv.

Now in my boke / ferder to procede
To a chambre I went / replete with ryches

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

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

XVI. Of musyke mundayne / humayne / & instrumētall. Ca. xvi.

Whan splendēt Phebus / in his myddaye spere
Was hyght in gemyne / in the fresshe season
Of lusty maye / with golden beames clere
And derke Dyane / made declynacyon
Whan Flora florysshed in this nacyon
I called vnto mynde / ryght inwardly
The reporte of fame / somoche ententyfly

Of la bell pucell / in the toure musycall
And ryght anone / vnto the toure I went
Where I sawe a temple / made of crystall
In whiche musyke / the lady excellent
Played on base organs expedyent
Accordynge well / vnto dyopason
Dyapenthe / and eke dyetesseron

In this temple was / grete solempnyte
And of moche people / there was grete prease
I loked about / whether I coude se

La bell pucell / my langour to cease
I coude not se her / my payne dyde encrease
Tyll that I spyed her / aboue / in a vaut
Whiche to my hert / dyde make so sore assaut

With her beaute clere / and swete countenaunce
The stroke of loue / I coude nothynge resyst
And anone / without lenger cyrcumstaunce
To her I went / or that her persone wyste
Her thought I knewe not / she thought as she lyste
By her I stode / with hert sore and faynt
And dyde myselfe / with her soone acquaynt

The comyn wyt / dyde full lytell regarde
Of dame musyke / the dulcet armony
The eres herde not / for the mynde inwarde
Venns had rapte / and taken feruently
Ymagynacyon / wrought full pryuely
The fantasy gaue / perfyte Iugement
Alway to to her / for to be obedyent

By estymacyon / moche doubtfully I cast
Wheder I shoulde / by longe tyme and space
Atteyne her loue / or elles to loue in wast
My hert sobbed / and quaked in this cace
I stode by her / ryght nere in the place
With many other / fayre ladyes also
But so fayre as she / I neuer sawe no mo

The feest done / dame musyke dyde go
She folowed after / and she wolde not tary
Farewell she sayde / for I must parte you fro
Alas thought I / that fortune doth so vary
My sadde body / my heuy hert dyde cary
I coude not speke / my hert was nere broken

But with my heed / I made her a token

Whan she was gone / inwardly than wrought
Vpon her beaute / my mynde retentyfe
Her goodly fygure / I graued in my thought
Excepte her selfe / all were expulcyfe
My mynde to her / was so ententyfe
That I folowed her / into a temple ferre
Replete with Ioye / as bryght as ony sterre

Where dulcet Flora / her aromatyke dewe
In the fayre temple / adowne dyde dystyll
All abrode / the fayre dropes dyde shewe
Encensynge out / all the vapours yll
With suche a swetenes / Flora dyde fulfyll
All the temple / that my gowne well shewed
The lycoure swete / of the droppes endewed

And so to a chambre / full solacyous
Dame musyke wente / with la bell pucell
All of Iasper / with stones precyous
The rose was wrought / curyously and well
The wyndowes glased / meruaylously to tell
With clothe of tyssue / in the rychest maner
The walles were hanged / hye and cyrculer

There sate dame musyke / with all her mynstralsy
As taboures / trumpettes / with pypes melodyous
Sakbuttes / organs / and the recorder swetely
Harpes / lutes / and crouddes ryght delycyous
Cỹphans / doussemers / wt clarycymbales gloryous
Rebeckes / clarycordes / eche in theyr degre
Dyde sytte aboute / theyr ladyes mageste

Before dame musyke / I dyde knele adowne
Sayenge to her / o fayre lady pleasaunt
Your prudence reyneth / most hye in renowne
For you be euer / ryght concordant
With perfyte reason / whiche is not varyaunt
I beseche your grace / with all my dylygence
To instructe me / in your noble scyence

It is she sayde / ryght gretely prouffytable
For musyke doth sette / in all vnyte
The dyscorde thynges / whiche are varyable
And deuoydeth myschefe / and grete inyquyte
Where lacketh musyke / there is no pleynte
For musyke is concorde / and also peace
Nothynge without musyke / maye well encreace

The .vii. scyences / in one monacorde
Eche vp on other / do full well depende
Musyke hath them / so set in concorde
That all in one / maye ryght well extende
All perfyte reason / they do so comprehende
That they are waye / and perfyte doctryne
To the Ioye aboue / whiche is celestyne

And yet also / the perfyte physyke
Whiche appertayneth well to the body
Doth well resemble / vnto the musyke
Whan the inwarde intrayles / tourneth contrary
That nature can not / werke dyrectly
Than doth phesyke / the partes interyall
In ordre set / to theyr orygynall

But yet physyke / can not be lyberall

As the .vii. scyence / by good auctoryte
Whiche ledeth the soule / the waye in specyall
By good doctryne / to dame eternyte
Onely of physyke / it is the propryete
To ayde the body / in euery sekenes
That is ryght frayle / and full of bryttylnes

And bycause physyke / is apendant
Vnto the body / by helpe of medycene
And to the soule / nothynge apportenaunt
To cause the body / for to enclyne
In eternall helthe / so the soule to domyne
For to the body / the scyence seuen
Doth teche to lede / the soule to heuen

And musyke selfe it is melodyous
To reioyce the yeres / and confort the brayne
Sharpynge the wyttes / with sounde solacyous
Deuoydynge bad thoughtes / whiche dyde remayne
It gladdeth the herte / also well certayue
Lengthe the lyfe / with dulcet armony
It is good recreacyon / after study

She cōmaunded her mynstrelles / ryght anone to play
Mamours the swete / and the gentyll daunce
With la bell pucell / that was fayre and gaye
She me recommaunded / with all pleasaunce
To daunce true mesures / without varyaunce
O lorde god / how glad than was I
So for to daunce / with my swete lady

By her propre hande / soft as ony sylke
With due obeysaunce / I dyde her than take

Her skynne was whyte / as whalles bone or mylke
My thoughtes was rauysshed / I myght not aslake
My brennynge hert / she the fyre dyde make
These daunces truely / musyke hath me tought
To lute or daunce / but it auayled nought

For the fyre kyndled / and waxed more and more
The dauncynge blewe it / with her beaute clere
My hert sekened / and began waxe sore
A mynute .vi. houres / and .vi. houres a yere
I thought it was / so heuy was my chere
But yet for to couer / my grete loue aryght
The outwarde coūtenauce / I made gladde and lyght

And for fere myne eyes / shoulde myne hert bewraye
I toke my leue / and to a temple went
And all alone / I to my selfe dyde saye
Alas what fortune / hath me hyder sent
To deuoyde my Ioye / and my hert tourment
No man can tell / how grete a payne it is
But yf he wyll fele it / as I do ywys

Alas o lady / how cruell arte thou
Of pytous doloure / for to buylde a nest
In my true herte / as thou dost ryght now
Yet of all ladyes / I must loue the best
Thy beaute thereto / dyde me sure arest
Alas with loue / whan that it doth the please
Thou mayst cease my care / and my payne soon ease

Alas how sore / maye I now bewayle
The pyteous chaunce / whiche dyde me happe
My ladyes lokes / dyde me so assayle

That sodaynly / my herte was in a trappe
By Venus caught / and with so sore a clappe
That throughe / the grete stroke dyde perse
Alas for wo / I coude not reuerse

Farewe all Ioye / and all perfyte pleasure
Fare well my lust / and my lykynge
For wo is comen / with me to endure
Now must I lede / my lyfe in mornynge
I maye not lute / or yet daunce / or synge
O la bell pucell / my lad gloryous
You are the cause / that I am so dolorous

Alas fayre lady / and myne owne swete herte
With my seruyce / I yelde me to your wyll
You haue me fettred / I maye not asterte
At your pleasure / ye maye me saue or kyll
Bycause I loue you / wyll you now me spyll
Alas it were a pytous cace in dede
That you with deth / shoulde rewarde my mede

A / a / that I am ryght wo bygone
For I of loue / dare not to you speke
For fere of nay / that maye encrease my mone
A naye of you myght / cause my herte to breke
Alas I wretche / and yet vnhappy peke
Into suche trouble / mysery and thought
With syght of you / I am in to it brought

And to my selfe / as I made complaynte
I spyed a man / ryght nere me beforne
Whiche ryght anone / dyde with me acquaynt
Me thynke he sayde / that ye are nere forlorne

With inwarde payne / that your hert hath borne
Be not to pensyfe / call to mynde agayne
How of one sorowe / ye do now make twayne

Myne inwarde sorowe / ye begyn to double
Go your waye quod I / for ye can not me ayde
Tell me he sayde / the cause of my trouble
And of me now / be nothynge afrayde
Methynke that sorowe / hath you ouerlayde
Dryue of no lenger / but tell me your mynde
It maye me happe a remedy to fynde

A a quod I / it vayleth not your speche
I wyll with you / neuer haue medlynge
Let me alone / the most vnhappy wretche
Of all the wretches / that is yet lyuynge
Suche is the chaunce / of my bewaylynge
Go on your waye / you are nothynge the better
To me to speke / to make the sorowe gretter

Forsothe he sayde / remembre thynges thre
The fyrste is / that ye maye sorowe longe
Vnto yourselfe / or that ye ayeded be
And secondly / in grete paynes stronge
To muse alone / it myght tourne you to wronge
The thyrde is it myght / you well ease truely
To tell your mynde / to a frende ryght trusty

It is a Iewell / of a frende of trust
As at your nede / to tell the secretenes
Of all your payne / and feruent lust
His counseyle soone / maye helpe and redres
Youre paynfull wo / and mortall heuynesse

Alone is nought / for to thynke and muse
Therfore good sone / do me not refuse

And syth that you are / plunged all in thought
Beware the pyt / of doloros dyspayre
So to complayne / it vayleth you ryght nought
It maye so fortune / ye loue a lady fayre
Whiche to loue you / wyll nothynge repayre
Or elles ye haue lost / grete londe or substaunce
By fatall chaunge / of fortunes ordynaunce

Tell me the cause / though that it be so
In cause you loue / I knowe it by experyence
It is a payne / engendrynge grete wo
And harde it is / for to make resystence
Agaynst suche loue / of feruent vyolence
The loue is dredefull / but neuertheles
There is no sore / nor yet no sykenes

But there is a salue / and remedy therfore
So for your payne / and your sorowe grete
Councell is medycyne / whiche maye you restore
Vnto your desyre / without ony let
Yf ye wyll tell me / where your herte is sette
In the chayre of sorowe / no grete doubte it is
To fynde a remedy / for your payne ywys

A physycyen truely / can lytell decerne
Ony maner sekenes / without syght of vryne
No more can I / by good counseyle you lerne
All suche wofull trouble / for to determyne
But yf you mekely / wyll to me enclyne
To tell the cause / of your grete greuousnesse

Of youre inwarde trouble / and wofull sadnes

Than I began / with all my dylygence
To here hym speke / so grounded on reason
And in my mynde / dyde make aduertence
How it was holsome / in trybulacyon
To saue a good / and a true companyon
For to knowe my sorowe / and wofull grefe
It myght me confort / and ryght well relefe

And of hym than / I asked this questyon
What was his name / I prayde hym me tell
Counseyle quod he / the whiche solucyon
In my wofull mynde / I lyked ryght well
And pryuely I dyde / his lesson spell
Sayenge to hym / my chaunce and destyny
Of all other / is the most vnhappy

Why so quod he / thoughe fortune be straunge
To you a whyle / tornynge of her face
Her lourynge chere / she maye ryght soone chaunge
And you accepte / and call vnto her grace
Dyspayre you not / for in good tyme and space
Nothynge there is / but wysdome maye it wynne
To tell your mynde / I praye you to begynne

Vnto you quod I / with all my hole assent
I wyll tell you trouthe / and you wyll not bewraye
Vnto none other / my mater and entent
Nay naye quod he / you shall not se that daye
your hole affyaunce / and trust ye well ye maye
In to me put / for I shall not vary
But kepe your counseyle / as a secretary

And than to hym / in the maner folowynge
I dyde complayne / with syghynge teres depe
Alas quod I / you shall haue knowlegynge
Of my heuy chaunce / that causeth me to wepe
So wo I am / that I can neuer slepe
But walowe and tumble / in the trappe of care
My herte was caught / or that I was ware

It happened so / that in a temple olde
By the toure of musyke / at grete solemnyte
La bell pucell / I dyde ryght well beholde
Whose beaute clere / and grete humylyte
To my herte dyde caste / the darte of amyte
After whiche stroke / so harde and feruent
To her excellence / I came incontynent

Beholdynge her chere / and louely countenaunce
Her garmentes ryche / aud her propre stature
I regestered / well in my remembraunce
That I neuer sawe / so fayre a creature
So well fauourdly / create by nature
That harde it is / for to wryte with ynke
All her beaute / or ony hert to thynke

Fayrer she was / than was quene Elyne
Proserpyne / Cresyde / or yet ypolyte
Medea / Dydo / or yonge Polexyne
Alcumena / or quene Menelape
Or yet dame rosamoūde / in certaynte
None of all these / can haue the premynence
To be compared / to her hyghe excellence

Durynge the feest / I stode her nere by

But than he beaute / encreased my payne
I coude nothynge / resyste the contrary
She wrapte my herte / in a brennynge chayne
To the musycall toure / she went than agayne
I wente after / I roude not be behynde
The chayne she haled / whiche my hert dyde bynde

Tyll that we came / in to a chambre gaye
Where that musyke with all her mynstralsy
Dyuers base daunces / moost swetely dyde playe
That them to here / it was grete melody
And dame musyke / commaunded curteysly
La bell pucell / with me than to daunce
Whome that I toke / with all my pleasaunce

By her swete honde / begynnynge the trace
And longe dyde daunce / tyll that I myght not hyde
The paynfull loue / whiche dyde my herte embrace
Bycause wherof / I toke my leue that tyde
And to this temple / where I do abyde
Forthe than I went / alone to bewayle
My mortall sorowe / without ony fayle

Now haue I tolde you / all the veraye trouthe
Of my wofull chaunce / and grete vnhappynesse
I praye you nothynge / with me to be wrothe
Whiche am drowned / in carefull wretchednesse
By fortune plunged / full of doublenes
A a sayde counseyle / doubte ye neuer a dele
But your dysease / I shall by wysdome hele

Remembre you / that neuer yet was he
That in this worlde / dyde lede all his lyfe

In Ioye and pleasure / without aduersyte
No worldly thynge / can be without stryfe
For vnto pleasure / payne is affyrmatyfe
Who wyll haue pleasure / phe must fyrste apply
To take tge payne / with his cure besely

To deserue the Ioye / whiche after deth ensue
Rewardynge payne / for the grete besynesse
No doubte your lady / wyll vpon you rue
Seynge you apply / all your gentylnes
To do her pleasure / and seruyse doubtles
Harde is herte / that no loue hath felte
Nor for no loue / wyll than enclyne and melte

Remembre ye / that in olde antyquyte
How worthy Troylus / the myghty champyon
What payne he suffred / by grete extremyte
Of feruent loue / by a grete longe season
For his lady Cresyde / by grete trybulacyon
After his sorowe / had not he grete Ioye
Of his lady / the fayrest of all Troye

And the famous knyghte / yclypped Ponthus
Whiche loued Sydoyne / so moche entyerly
What payne had he / and what care dolorous
For his lady / with love so meruaylously
Was not her hert / wounded ryght wofully
After his payne / his lady dyde her cure
To do hym Ioye / honoure and pleasure

Who was with loue / more wofully arayde
Than were these twayne / and many other mo
The power of loue / hath them so asayde

That and I lyste / I coude not reherse also
To whome true loue / hath wrought mykell wo
And at the ende / haue hadde theyr desyre
Of all theyr sorowe / for to quenche the fyre

Languysshe no more / but plucke vp thyne herte
Exyle dyspayre / and lyue a whyle in hope
And kepe your loue / all close and couerte
It maye so fortune / that your lady grope
Somwhat of loue / for to drynke a sope
Thoughe outwardly / she dare not let you knowe
But at the laste / as I beleue and trowe

She can not kepe it / so preuy and close
But that somwhat / it shall to you appere
By countenaunce / how that her loue arose
Yf that she loue you / the loue it is so dere
Whan you come to her / she wyll make you chere
With countenaunce / accordynge vnto loue
Full pryuely for to come to her aboue

Sendynge of loue / the messangere before
Whiche is her eyes / with louely lokes swete
For to beholde you / than euermore and more
After the tyme / that you togyder mete
With louynge wordes / she wyll you than grete
Sorowe no more / for I thynge in my mynde
That at the laste / she wyll be good and kynde

Alas quod I / she is of hye degre
Borne to grete londe / treasure and substaunce
I fere to sore / I shall dysdayned be
The whiche wyll trouble / all my greuaunce

Her beaute is / the cause of my penaunce
I haue no grete lande / treasure and ryches
To wynne the fauoure / of her noblenesse

What thoughe quod he / drawe you not abacke
For she hath ynoughe / in her possessyon
For you both / for you shall neuer lacke
Yf that ye ordre it / by good reason
And so in perfyte consyderacyon
She wyll with loue / her grene flourynge age
Passe forth in Ioye / pleasure and courage

Youth is alwaye / of the course ryght lyght
Hote and moyst / and full of lustynes
Moost of the ayre / it is ruled by ryght
And her complexyon / hath chefe intres
Vpon sanguyn / the ayres holsomnes
She is not yet / in all aboue .xviii. yere
Of tendre age / to pleasure most dere

Golde or syluer / in ony maner of wyse
For sanguyne youthe / it is all contrary
So for to coueyte / for it doth aryse
Onely engendred / vpon the malencoly
Whiche is drye colde / and also erthely
In whiche the golde / is truely nutryfyde
Ferre frome the ayre / so clerely puryfyde

Thus couetyse / shall nothynge surmount
Your yonge ladyes herte / but onely nature
Shall in her mynde / make her to account
The grete losse of youth / her specyall treasure
She knoweth she is / a ryght fayre creature

No doubte it is / but yet pryuely amonge
So hye is nature / with his werkes stronge

That she of force / the mannes company
Muste well conueyte / for she maye not resyste
Damne natures werke / whiche is so secretely
Thoughe she be mayde / lette her saye what she lyst
She wolde haue man / thoughe no man it wyst
To make her Ioye / whan nature doth agre
Her thought is hers / it is vnto her fre

Who spareth to speke / he spareth to spede
I shall prouyde for you conuenyente
A gentyll tyme / for to attayne your mede
That you shall go / to your lady excellent
And ryght before take good aduysement
Of all the mater / that ye wyll her shewe
Vpon good reason / and in wordes fewe

Thus past we tyme / in communycacyon
The after none / with many a sentement
And what for loue / was best conclusyon
We demed oft / and gaue a Iugement
Tyll that in the euen / was refulgent
Fayre golden Mercury / with his beames bryght
Aboute the ayre castynge / his pured lyght

Them to a chambre / swete and precyous
Councell me ledde / for to take my reste
The nyght was wete / and also tenebrous
But I my selfe / with sorowe opprest
Dyde often muse / what was for me best
Vnto my fayre lady / for to tell or saye

And all my drede was / for fere of a naye

Though that my bedde / was easy and softe
Yet dyde I tomble / I myght not lye styll
On euery syde / I tourned me full ofte
Vpon the loue / I hadde so sette my wyll
Longynge ryght sore / my mynde to fulfyll
I called counseyle / and prayed hym to wake
To gyue me counseyle / what were best to take

Ha ha quod he / loue doth you so prycke
That yet your herte / wyll nothynge be eased
But euermore / be feble and syke
Tyll that our lady / hath it well appesed
Thoughe ye thynke longe / yet ye shall be pleased
I wolde quod I / that it were as ye saye
Fye fye quod he / dryue suche dyspayre awaye

And lyue in hope / whiche shall do you good
Ioye cometh after / whan the payne is paste
Be ye pacyent / and sobre in mode
To wepe and wayle / all is for you in wast
Was neuer payne / but it hadde Ioye at laste
In the fayre morowe / ryse and make you redy
At .ix. at the clocke / the tyme is necessary

For vs to walke / vnto youre lady gent
The bodyes aboue / be than well domyfyde
To helpe vs forwarde / without impedyment
Loke what ye saye / loke it be deryfyde
Frome perfyt reason / well exemplyfyde
Forsake her not / thought that she saye naye
A womans guyse / is euermore to delaye

No castell can be / of so grete a strength
Yf that there be / a sure syege to it layde
It muste yelde vp / or elles me be wonne at lengt
Thoughe that to fore / it bathe ben longe delayde
So contynuaunce / maye you ryght well ayde
Some womans herte / can not so harded be
But besy labour / maye make it agre

Labour and dylygence / is full meruaylous
Whiche bryngeth a louer to his promocyon
Nothynge to loue / is more desyrous
Than instaunt labour / and delectacyon
The harded hert / it gyueth occasyon
For to consyder / how that her seruaunt
To obtayne her loue / is so attendaunt

Thus all in comynynge / we the nyght dyde passe
Tyll in the ayre / with cloudes fayre and rede
Rysyn was Phebus / shynynge in the glasse
In the chambre / his golden rayes were sprede
And dyane derlynynge / pale as ony lede
Whan the lytell byrdes / swetely dyde synge
With tunes musycall / in the fayre mornynge

XVIII. Of the dolorous / and lowly dyfputacyon bytwene la bell Pucell and graunde Amoure. Ca. xviii.

Councell and I / than rose full quyckely
And made vs redy / on our waye to walke
In your clenly wede / apparayled proprely
What I wolde saye / I dyde vnto hym talke
Tyll on his boke / he began to calke
How the sonne entred was in Gemyne
And eke Dyane / full of mutabylyte

Entred the Crabbe / her propre mancyon

Than ryght amyddes / of the dragons heed
And Venus / and she made coniuncyon
Frome her combust waye / she hadde her so sped
She had no let / that was to be dredde
The assured ayre / was depaynted clere
With golden beames / of fayre Phebus spere

Than forth so went / good counceyll and I
At .vi. at clocke / vnto a garden fayre
By musykes toure / walled most goodly
Where la bell pucell / vsed to repayre
In the swete mornynge / for to take the ayre
Amonge the floures / of aromatyke fume
The maysty ayre / to exyle and consume

And at the gate / we mette the portresse
That was ryght gentyll / and called curteysy
Whiche salued vs / with wordes of mekenesse
And axed vs / the veraye cause and why
Of our comynge / to the gardeyne sothely
Truely sayde we / for nothynge but well
A lytell to speke / with la bell pucell

Truely quod she / in the garden grene
Of many a swete / and soundry floure
She maketh a garlonde / that is veraye shene
With trueloues / wrought in many a coloure
Replete with swetenes / and dulcet odoure
And all alone / withouten company
Amyddes an herber / she sytteth plesaunty

Now stande you styll / for a lytell space
I wyll lette her / of you haue knowlegynge
A remedy swete lady / of my herte
It is youre owne / it can nothynge asterte

And ryght anone / she went to her grace
Tellynge her than / how we were comynge
To speke with her / gretely desyrynge
Truely she sayde / I am ryght well contente
Of thyer comynge / to knowe the hole entent

Then good curteysy / without taryenge
Came vnto vs / with all her dylygence
Prayenge vs / to take our entrynge
And come vnto the ladyes presence
To tell your erande / to her excellence
Than in we went / to the gardyn gloryous
Lyke to a place / of pleasure moost solacyous

With flora paynted / and wrought curyously
In dyuers knottes / of meruaylons gretenes
Rampande Lyons / stode vp wondersly
Made all of herbes / with dulcet swetenes
With many dragons / of meruaylous lykenes
Of dyuers floures / made full craftely
By flora couloured / with colours sundry

Amyddes the garden / so moche delectably
There was an herber / fayre and quadrante
To paradyse / ryght well comparable
Sette all aboute / with floures flagraunt
And in the myddle / there was resplendysshaune
A dulcet sprynge / and meruaylons fountayne
Of golde and asure / made all certayne

In wonderfull / and curyous symylytude
There stode a dragon / of fyne golde so pure
Vpon his tayle / of myghty fortytude

Wrethed and skaled all with asure
Hauynge thre hedes / dyuers ln fygure
Whiche in a bath / of the syluer grette
Spouted the water / that was so dulcette

Besyde whiche fountayne / the most fayre lady
La bell pucell / was gayly syttynge
Of many floures / fayre and ryally
A goodly chaplet / she was in makynge
Her heer was downe / so clerely shynynge
Lyke to the golde / late puryfyde with fyre
Her heer was bryght / as the drawen wyre

Lyke to a lady / for to be ryght trewe
She ware a fayre / and goodly garment
Of most fyue veluet / all of Indy blewe
With armynes powdred / bordred at the vent
On her fayre handes / as was conuenyent
A payre of gloues / ryght sclender and soft
In approchynge nere / I dyde beholde her oft

And whan that I came / before her presence
Vnto the grounde / I dyde knele adowne
Sayenge O lady / moost fayre of excellence
O sterre so clere / of vertuous renonwne
Whose beaute fayre / in euery realme and towne
Indued with grace / and also goodnes
Dame fame the her selfe / dooth euermore expresse

Amoure.
Please it your grace / for to gyue audyence
Vnto my wofull / and pytous complaynt
How feruent loue / without resystence
My carefull herte / hath made lowe and faynte

And you therof / are the hole constraynt
your beaute truely / hath me fettred faste
Without youre helpe / my lyfe is nerehande past

Pucell.
Stande vp quod she / I meruayle of this cace
What sodayne loue / hath you so arayde
With so grete payne / youre herte to enbrace
And why for me / ye shoulde be so dysmayde
As of your lyfe / ye nede not to be afrayde
For ye of me / now haue no greter awe
But whan ye lyste / ye maye your loue withdrawe

Amoure.
Than stode I vp / and ryght so dyde she
Alas I sayde than / my herte is so sette
That it is youres / it maye none other be
Yourselfe hath caught it in so sure a nette
That yf that I maye not / your fauour gette
No doubte it is / the grete payne of loue
Maye not aswage / tyll deth it remoue

Pucell.
Truely quod she / I am obedyent
Vnto my frendes / whiche do me fo guyde
They shall me rule / as is conuenyent
In the snare of loue / I wyll nothynge slyde
My chaunce or fortune / I wyll yet abyde
I thanke you / for your loue ryght humbly
But I your cause / can nothynge remedy

Amoure.
Alas madame / yf I haue enterprysed
A thynge to hye truely / for my degre
All that causes / whiche I haue commysed
Hath ben on fortunes gentyll vnyte
Trustynge truely / that she wolde fauour me

In this case / wherfore now excuse
Youre humble seruaunte / and not me refuse

Pucell.
Ha ha / what vayleth all your flatery
Your fayned wordes / shall not me appese
To make myne herte / to enclyne inwardly
For I myselfe / now do nothynge suppose
But for to proue me / you flater and glose
You shall not dye / as longe as you speke
There is no loue / can cause your herte to breke

Amoure
I wolde madame / ye hadde prrrogatyue
To knewe the preuyte / of my perfyte mynde
How all in payne / I lede my wofull lyue
Than as I trowe / ye wolde not be vnkynde
But that some grace / I myght in you fynde
To cause myne herte / whiche you fetred sure
With brennynge cheynes / suche wo to endure

Pucell.
By veraye reason / I maye gyue Iugement
That it is guyse / of you euerychone
To fayne you seke / with subtyll argumente
Whan to youre lady / ye lyst to make youre mone
But of you true / is there fewe or none
For all your payne / and wordes eloquent
With dame repentaunce / I wyll not be shent

Amoure.
O swete madame / now all my desteny
Vnhap and happy / vpon you doth growe
Yf that you call me vnto your mercy
Of all happy the most happy I trowe

Than shall I be / of hye degre or lowe
And yf ye lyste / so me than to forsake
Of all vnhappy / none shall be my make

Pucell.
Your fortune on me / is not more applyed
Than vpon other / for my mynde is fre
I haue your purpose / oft ynoughe denyed
You knowe your answere / now certaynte
What nede your wordes / of curyosyte
Wowe here nomore / for you shall not spede
Go loue an other / where ye maye haue mede

Amoure.
That shall I not / thoughe that I contynewe
All my lyfe / in payne and heuynes
I shall not chaunge you / for none other newe
You are my lady / you are my maysteres
Whome I shall serue / with all my gentylnes
Exyle hym neuer / frome your herte so dere
Whiche vnto his / hath sette you most nere

Pucel.
The mynde of men / chaungeth as the mone
Yf you mete one / whiche is fayre and bryght
Ye loue her best / tyll he se ryght soone
An other fayrer / vnto your owne syght
Vnto her than / youre mynde is tourned ryght
Truely your loue / thoughe ye make it straunge
I knowe full well / ye wyll it often chaunge

Amoure.
Alas madame / now the bryght lodes sterre
Of my true herte / where euer I go or ryde
Thoughe that my body / be frome you aferr
Yet my herte onely / shall with you abyde
Whan than you lyste / ye maye for me prouyde

Pucell.
Naye truly / it can nothynge be myne
For I therof / take no possessyon
Your hert is your / by substancyall lyne
It is not in my domynacyon
Loue where ye lyst / at euery season
Your hert is fre / I do not it accepte
It is your owne / I haue it neuer kepte

Amoure.
Alas madame / ye maye saye as ye lyste
With your beaute / ye toke myne herte in snare
Youre louely lokes / I coude not resyst
Your vertuous maner / encreaseth my care
That of all Ioye / I am deuoyde and bare
I fe you ryght often / as I am a slepe
And whan I wake / do sygh with teres depe

Pucell.
So grete deceyte / amonge men there is
That harde it is / to fynde one full stable
Ye are so subtyll / and so false ywys
Youre grete deceyte / is nothynge commendable
In storyes olde / it is well probable
How many ladyes / hath ben ryght falsely
With men deceyued / yll and subtylly

Amoure.
O good madame / though that they abused
Them to theyr ladyes / in theyr grete deceyte
Yet am I true / let me not be refused
Ye haue me taken / with so fayre a bayte
That ye shall neuer / out of my conceyte
I can not wrynche / by no wyle nor Croke
My herte is fast / vpon so sure a hoke

Pucell.
Ye so sayde they / tyll that they hadde theyr wyll

Theyr wyll accomplysshed / they dyde fle at large
For men saye well / but they thynke full yll
Though outwarde swetenes / your tōge doth enlarge
Yet of your hert / I neuer can haue charge
For men do loue / as I am ryght sure
Now one now other / after theyr pleasure

Amoure.
All that madame / I knewe ryght perfytely
Some men there be / of that condycyon
That them delyte / often in nouelry
And many also / loue perfeccyon
I cast all suche / nouelles in abieccyon
My loue is sette / vpon a perfyte grounde
No falsed in me / truely shall be founde

Pucell.
Ye saye full well / yf ye meane the same
But I in you / can haue no confydence
I thynke ryght well / that it is no game
To loue vnloued / with percynge influence
You shall in me fynde / no suche neclygence
To graunt you loue / for ye are vnthryfty
As two or thre / to me doth specyfy

Amoure.
Was neuer louer / without enmyes thre
As enuy malyce / and perturbaunce
Theyr tonges are poyson / vnto amyte
What man on lyue / can vse suche gouernaunce
To attayne the fauoure / withouten varyaunce
Of euery persone / but ryght pryuely
Behynd his backe / some sayth vnhappely

Pucell.
Trouthe it is / but yet in this cace
Your loue and myne / is full ferre asondre

But thoughe that I do / your herte so race
Yf I drede you / it is therof no wondre
With my frendes / I am so sore kepte vnder
I dare not loue / but as they accorde
They thynke to wedde me / to a myghtylorde

Amoure.
I knowe madame / that your frendes all
Vnto me sure / wyll be contraryous
But what for that / your selfe in specyall
Remembre there is / no loue so Ioyous
As is youre owne to you most precyous
Wyll you gyue your youthe / and your flourynge aege
To them / agaynst your mynde in maryage

Pucell.
Agaynst my mynde / of that were I lothe
To wed for fere / as them to obey
Yet had I leuer / they were somwhat wrothe
For I my selfe / do bere the locke and kaye
Yet of my mynde / and wyll do many adaye
Myne owne I am / what that I lyste to do
I stande vntyed / there is no Ioye therto

Amoure.
O swete lady / the good perfyte sterre
O my true herte / take ye now pyte
Thynke on my payne / whiche am tofore you here
With youre swete eyes / beholde you and se
How thought and wo / by grete extremyte
Hath chaunged my hue / in to pale and wanne
It was not so / whan I to loue began

Pucell.
So me thynke / it doth ryght well appere
By your colour / that loue hath done you wo
Your heuy countenaunce / and your dolefull chere

Hath loue suche myght / for to araye you so
In so short a space / I meruayle moche also
That ye wolde loue me / so sure in certayne
Before ye knewe / that I wolde loue agayne

Amoure.
My good dere herte / it is no meruayle why
Your beaute clere / and louely lokes swete
My hert dyde perce / with loue so sodaynly
At the fyrste tyme / that I dyde you mete
In the olde temple / whan I dyde you grete
Youre beaute my herte / so surely assayde
That syth that tyme / it hath to you obayde

XIX. How la bell pucell graunted Graunde Amoure loue / and of her dyspytous departyoge. Ca. xix.

Your wo & payne / & all your languysshynge
Contynually / ye shall not spende in vayne
Sythen I am cause / of your grete mornynge
Nothynge exyle you / shall I by dysdayae
Your hert and myne / shall neuer parte in twayne
Thoughe at the fyrste / I wolde not condescende
It was for fere / ye dyde some yll entende

Amoure.

With thought of yll / my mynde was neuer myxte
To you madame / but alwaye clene and pure
Both daye and nyght / vpon you hole perfyxte
But I my mynde / yet durst nothynge dyscure
How for your sake / I dyde suche wo endure
Tyll now this houre / with dredefull hert so faynt
To you swete herte / I haue made my complaynt

I demed ofte you loued me before
By your demenour / I dyde it aspye
And in my mynde I Iuged euermore
That at the laste / ye welde full secretly

Tell me your mynde / of loue ryght gentylly
As ye haue done / so my mercy to craue
In all worshyppe / you shall my true loue haue

Amoure.

O lorde god than / how Ioyfull was I
She loked on me / with louely countenaunce
I kyst her ones or twyes ryght swetely
Her depured vysake / replete with pleasaunce
Reioyced my herte / with amerous purueyaunce
O lady clere / that perste me at the rote
O floure of conforte / all my hele and bote

O gemme of vertue / and lady excellent
Aboue all other / in beauteous goodlynesse
O eyen bryght / os sterre refullgenr
O profounde cause / of all my sekenesse
Now all my Ioye / and all my gladnesse
Wolde god that we were / Ioyned in one
In maryage before / this daye were gone

Pucell.

A a sayde she / ye must take payne a whyle
I must departe / by the compulcyon
Of my frendes I wyll not you begyle
Though they me lede / to a ferre nacyon
My herte shall be / without varyacyon
With you present / in perfyte sykernesse
As true and stable / without doublenes

To me to come / is harde and daungerous
Whan I am there / for gyauntes vgly
With monstres also / blacke and tedyous
That by the waye / awayte full cruelly
For to dystroye you / yll and vtterly

Whan I am there / for gyauntes vgly
With two monstres / also blacke and tedyous
That by the waye / awayte full cruelly
For to destroye you / yll and vtterly
Whan you that waye / do take the passage
To attayne my loue / by hye aduauntage

Amoure.

All that madame / was to me certyfyde
By good dame fame / at the begynnynge
Whan she to me / of you well notyfyde
As she came frome / the toure of lernynge
Of all suche enemyes / the myght excludynge
I promyse vnto you / here full faythfully
Whan I departe / ftome dame astronomy

That I wyll to the toure of chyualry
And for youre sake / become aduenturous
To subdue / all enmyes / to me contrary
That I maye after / be ryght Ioyous
With you my lady / most swete and precyous
Wo worth the cause of youre departynge
Whiche all my sorowes / is in renuynge

Alas what pleasure / and eke without dysporte
Shall I now haue / whan that be gone
Ha ha truely / now without good conforte
My dolorous herte / shall be lefte alone
Without your presence / to me is none
For euery houre / I shall thynke a yere
Tyll fortune brynge me / vnto you more nere

Yet after you / I wyll not be ryght longe
But hast me after / as fast as I maye
In the toure of chyualry / I shall make me stronge

And after that passe / shortly on my waye
With dylygent laboure / on my Iourney
Spyte of your enemyes / I shall me so spede
That in short tyme / ye maye rewarde my mede

I thanke you quod she / with my hert entere
But yet with me / ye shall make couenaunt
As I to you / am ryght lefe and dere
Vnto no persone / ye shall so aduaunte
That I to loue you / am so attendaunte
For ony thynge / your councell not bewraye
For that full soone / myght vs both betraye

And to tell me / I praye you hertly
Yonder is counseyle / how were ye acquaynted
He is both honest / and true certaynly
Doth he not knowe / how your herte is faynted
With feruent loue / so surely attaynted
Yf he so do / yet I nothynge repent
He is so secrete / and true of entent

Truely madame / bycause ye are content
I shall you tell / how the mater was
Whan that youre beaute / clerely splendent
In to my herte / full wonderly dyde pas
Lyke as fayre Phebus / doth shyne in the glas
All alone / with inwarde care so rent
In to a temple forth on my waye I went

Where that I walked / plunged in the pytte
Of grete dyspayre / and he than me mette
Alas he sayde / me thynke ye lose your wytte
Tell me the trouthe now / without ony lette
Why ye demeane / suche mortall sorowe grette

A voyde quod I / you shall nothynge it knowe
You can not helpe me / in the case I trowe

But he suche reason / and fruytfull sentence
Dyde for hym laye / that I tolde hym all
Whan he it knewe / with all his dylygence
He dyde me conforte / than in specyall
Vnto my mynde / he bad me to call
Who spareth to speke / he to spede doth spare
Go tell your lady / the cause of youre care

By whose counseyle / grounded in wysdome
To the entent / I shoulde spede the better
And ryght shortly / I dyde than to you come
But drede alwaye / made my sorowe greter
After grete payne / the Ioyes is the swetter
For who that tasteth paynfull bytternes
The Ioye to hym / is double swetenes

And ther with all / I dyde vnto her brynge
Councell my frende / and full ryght meke
Dyde hym receyue / as he was comynge
And of all thynges / she dyde hym beseke
After her partynge / the same weke
To hast me forwarde / to my Iourneys ende
Therto quod I / I do well condyscende

Fare well quod she / I maye no lenger tary
My feendes wyll come / of that were I lothe
I shall retayne you in my memory
And they it knewe / they wolde with me be wrothe
To loue you best / I promyse you my trouthe
And than myne eyen / grete sorowe shewed
With teres salte / my chekes were endewed

Her eyes graye / began to loke ryght reed
Her gaye whyte colour / began for to pale
Upon her chekes / so the droppes were sprede
Whiche frome her eyen / began to aduale
Frome her swete herte / she dyde the syghes hale
Neuer before / as I trowe and wene
Was suche departynge / true louers betwene

We wyped our chekes / our sorowe to cloke
Outwardly faynynge / vs to be gladde and mery
That the people / shoulde not perceyue the smoke
Of our hote fyre / to lyght the emyspery
Thoughe inwardly / with a stormy pery
The fyre was blowen / yet we dyde it couer
Bycause abrode / it shoulde nothynge perceyuer

Out of the garden / to an hauen syde
Forth we went / where was a shyp ryght large
That taryed there / after the floynge tyde
And so than dyde there / many a bote and barge
The shyp was grete / fyue .C. tonne to charge
La bell pucell / ryght anone me tolde
In yondre shyp / whiche that ye beholde

Forthe must I sayle / without longer delaye
It is full see / my frendes wyll come soone
Therfore I praye you / to go hens your waye
It draweth fast / now towarde the none
Madame quod I / your pleasure shall be done
With wofull herte / and grete syghes ofte
I kyssed her lyppes / that were swete and softe

She vnto me / nor I vnto her coude speke

And as of that / it was no grete wondre
Our hertes swelled / as that they shoulde brede
The fyre of loue / was so sore kepte vnder
Whan I frome her / shoulde departe asondre
With her fayre heed / she dyde lowe enclyne
And in lykewyse / so dyde I with myne

XX. Of the grete sorowe that graunde Amoure made after her depatynge / and of the wordes of counceyle. Capitulo. xx.

Her frendes and she / on theyr waye they sayled
Alonge the hauen / god them saue and brynge
Vnto the londe / I herde whan that they hayled
With a grete peale / of gunnes at theyr departynge
The meruaylous toure / of famous cunnynge
No gunne was shotte / but my herte dyde wepe
For her departynge / with wofull teres depe

Councell me comforted / as euer he myght
With many storyes / of olde antyquyte
Remembre he sayde / that neuer yet was wyght
That lyued alwaye / in grete tranquylyte
But that hym happed / some aduersyte
Than after that / whan the payne was paste
The double Ioye / dyde comforte them at last

Ye nede nothynge / for to make grete dolour
Fortune to you / hath ben ryghte fauourable
Makynge you / to attayne the good fauour
Of your lady / so swete and amyable
No doubte it is / she is true and stable
And demeane you so / that in no wyse
No man perceyue / or of youre loue surmyse

Be hardy / fyers / and also coragyous
In all youre batayles / without febenes
For ye shall be / ryght well vyctoryous
Of all youre enmyes / so full of subtylnes
Arme you with wysdome / for more surenes
Let wysdome werke / for she can stedfasty
In tyme of nede / resyste the contrary

Was neuer man / yet surely at the bayte
With sapyence / but that he dyde repent
Who that is ruled / by her hygh estate
Of his after wytte / shall neuer be shent
She is to man ryght benyuolent
With walles sure / she doth hym fortyfye
Whan it is nede / to resyste a contrary

Was neuer place / where as she dyde guyde

With enmyes / brought to destruccyon
A remedy / she can so well prouyde
To her hygh werke / is no comparyson
It hath so stronge / and sure fundacyon
Nothynge there is / that can it molyfy
So sure it is / agaynst a contrary

Of her alwayes / it is the perfyte guyse
To begynne nothynge of mutabylyte
As is the warre / whiche maye soone aryse
And wyll not downe / it maye so stourdy be
The begynner oft / hath the inyquyte
Whan he began / wysdome dyde reply
In his grete nede / to resyste the contrary

The myghty pryant / somtyme kynge of Troye
With all his Cyte / so well fortyfyed
Lytell regarded / all his welthe and Ioye
Without wysdome / truely exemplyfyed
His propre deth / hymselfe he nutryfyde
Agaynst his warre / wysdome dyde reply
At his grete nede / to resyst the contrary

And where that wysdome / ruleth hardynes
Hardynes than is / euer inuyncyble
There maye nothynge / it vaynquysshe or oppres
For prudence is / so well intellygyble
To her there is / nothynge impossyble
Her grounded werke / is made so perfytely
That it must nedes / resyste the contrary

To wofull creatures / she is goodly leche
With her good syster / called pacyence

To the toure of Ioye / she doth them tell weche
In the waye of hope without resystence
Who to her lyst / to applye his dylygence
She wyll hym brynge / to worshyp shortly
That he shall well resyste the contrary

Ryght so let wysdome / youre sorowe surrende
And hye you fast / vnto dame geometry
And let no thought / in youre herte engendre
But after this / speke to Astronomye
And so frome thens / to the toure of chyualry
Wher of the worthy kynge Melyzyus
You shall be made / soone knyght aduenturous

And fare you well / for I must frome you go
To other louers / whiche are in dyspayre
As I dyde you / to confort them also
It is grete nede / that I to them repayre
Habundant teres / theyr hertes do refleyre
Farewell quod I / my good frende so true
I wolde with me / ye myght alwaye ensue

Then agayne / I went to the toure melodyous
Of good dame musyke / my leue for to take
And pryuely / with these wordes dolorous
I sayde o toure / thou mayst well aslake
Suche melody now / in the more to make
The gemme is goone / of all famous porte
That was chefe cause / of the grete conforte

Whylome thou was / the fayre toure of lyght
But now thou arte replete with derkenes
She is now gone / that shone in the so bryght

Thou was some tyme the toure of gladnes
Now mayst thou be the toure of heuynes
For the chefe is gone of all thy melody
Whose beauty clere made moost swete armony

The fayre carbuncle so full of clerenes
That in the truely dyde moost purely shyne
The perle of pyte replete with swetenes
The gentyll gyllofer the goodly columbyne
The redolente plant of the dulcet vyne
The dede aromatyke may no more ensence
For she is so ferre out of thy presence

A / A truely in the tyme so past
Myne erande was the often for to se
Now for to entre I may be agast
Whan thou arte hens the sterre of beaute
For all my delyte was to beholde the
A toure / toure all my Ioye is gone
In the to entre conforte is there none

So then inwardly my selfe bewaylynge
In the toure I wente in to the habytacle
Of dame musyke where she was syngynge
The ballades swete in her fayre tabernacle
Alas thought I this is no spectacle
To fede myn eyen whiche are now all blynde
She is not here that I was wonte to fynde

Than of dame musyke with all lowlynes
I dyde take my leue withouten taryenge
She thanked me with all her mekenes
And all alone fourth I went musynge

A / A quod I my loue and lykynge
Is nowe ferre hens on whome my hole delyght
Dayly was sette vpon her to haue syght

Fare well swete herte / fare well / farwell / fare well
Adieu / adieu I wolde I were you by
God gyue me grace with you soone to dwell
Lyke as I dyde for to se you dayly
Your lowly chere and gentyll company
Reioysed my herte with fode moost delycate
Myn eyen to se you were insacyate

Now good swete herte my lady and maystresse
I recommaunde me vnto your pyte
Besechynge you with all my gentylnesse
Yet other whyle to thynke vpon me
What payne I suffre by grete extremyte
And to pardone me of my rude wrytynge
For with wofull herte was myne endytynge.

XXI. How Graunde amoure wente to geometry / & what geometry is. Ca. xxi.

So forth I went vpon a craggy roche
Vnto the toure moost wonderfully wrought
Of geometry / and as I dyde approche
The altytude all in my mynde I sought
Syxe hondreth fote as I by nombre thought
Quadrant it was and dyde heue and sette
At euery storme whan the wynde was grette

Thus at the last I came into an halle
Hanged with aras ryche and precyous
And euery wyndowe glased with crystalle
Lyke a place of pleasure moche solacyous
With knottes sexangled gay and gloryous
The rose dyde hange ryght hygh and plesauntly
By geometry made ryght well and craftely

In this meruaylous hall replete with rychesse
At the hye ende she satte full worthely
I came anone vnto her grete nobles
And kneled adowne before her mekely
Madame I sayd ye werke full ryally
I beseche you with all my dylygence
To instructe me in your wonderfull scyence

My scyence sayd she it is moost profytable
Vnto astronomy for I do it mesure
In euery thynge as it is probable
For I myselfe can ryght well dyscure
Of euery sterre whiche is sene in vre
The meruaylous gretenes by my mesurynge
For god made all at the begynnynge

By good mesurynge bothe the heyght and depnes

100

Of euery thynge as I vnderstande
The length and brede with all the gretnes
Of the fyrmamente so compassynge the londe
And who my cunnynge lyst to take in honde
In his emyspery of hye or lowe degre
Nothynge there is but it may mesure be

Though that it be frome vs hye and ferre
Yf ony thynge fall we may it truly se
As the sonne or moone or ony other sterre
We may therof knowe well the quantyte
Who of this syence dooth knowe the certaynte
All maystryes myghte mesure parfytely
For geometry dooth shewe it openly

Where that is mesure / there is no lackynge
Where that is mesure / hole is the body
Where that is mesure / good is the lyuynge
Where that is mesure / wysedome is truely
Where that is mesure / werke is dyrectly
Where that is mesure / natures werkynge
Nature encreaseth by ryght good knowlegynge

Where lakketh mesure / there is no plente
Where lakketh mesure / seke is the courage
Where lakketh mesure / there is iniquyte
Where lakketh mesure / there is grete outrage
Where lakketh mesure / is none aduauntage
Where lakketh mesure / there is grete glotony
Where lakketh mesure / is moost vnhappy

For there is no hye nor grete estate
Withoute mesure can kepe his dygnyte

101

It doth preserue hym both erly and late
Kepynge hym frome the pytte of pouerte
Mesure is moderate to all bounte
Gretely nedefull for to take the charge
Man for to rule that he go not at large

Who loueth mesure can not do amys
So perfytely is the hygh operacyon
Amonge all thynges so wonderfull it is
That it is full of all delectacyon
And to vertue hath inclynacyon
Mesure also dooth well exemplefye
The hasty dome to swage and modefye

Without mesure / wo worthe the Iugement
Without mesure / wo worth the temperaunce
Without mesure / wo worth the punysshement
Without mesure / wo worthe the purueyaunce
Without mesure / wo worthe the sustenaunce
Without mesure / wo worth the sadnes
And without mesure / wo worthhe the gladnes

Mesure / mesurynge / mesuratly taketh
Mesure / mesurynge / mesuratly dooth all
Mesure / mesurynge / mesuratly maketh
Mesure / mesurynge / mesuratly guyde shall
Mesure / mesurynge / mesuratly dooth call
Mesure / mesurynge / to ryght hye preemynence
For alway / mesure is groundc of excellence

Mesure / mesureth / mesure / in effecte
Mesure / mesureth / euery quantyte
Mesure / mesureth / all way the aspecte

102

Mesure / mesureth / all in certayne
Mesure / mesureth / in the stabylyte
Mesure / mesureth / in euery doutfull case
And mesure is the lodesterre of all grace

Affecte of mesure is longe contynuaunce
Quantyte without mesure is nought
Aspecte of mesure deuoydeth repentaunce
Certayne wolde weye all thynges thought
Stabylyte vpon a perfyte grounde is wrought
Cace doutfull may yet a whyle abyde
Grace may in space a remedy prouyde

Countenaunce causeth the promocyon
Nought auayleth seruyse without attendaunce
Repentaunce is after all abusyon
Thought afore wolde haue had perceueraunce
Wrought how sholde be by dede the myschaunce
Abyde nothynge tyll thou do the dede
Prouyde in mynde how thou mayst haue mede

Promocyon groweth after good gouernaunce
Attendaunce doth attayne good fauoure
Abusyon is causer of all varyaunce
Perceyueraunce causeth the grete honoure
Myschaunce alway is rote of doloure
Dede done can not be called agayne
Mede well rewarded bothe with Ioye and payne

Than I toke my leue and went frome geometry
Towarde astronomye as fast as I myght
For all my mynde was sette ryght inwardly
Vpon my lady that was fayre and bryght

103

My herte with her was bothe day and nyght
She had it locked with a lokke so sure
It was her owne she had therof the cure.

XXII. Of dame astronomy. Ca. xxii.

Than forthe I wente into a medowe grene
With flora paynted in many a sondry coloure
Lyke a gay goddesse of all floures the quene
She encensed out her aromatyke odoure
The brethe of zepherus encreased the floure
A myddes the medow fayre resplendysshaunt
Was a pauylyon ryght hye and quadraunt

Of grene sarcenet bordred with golde
Where in dyde hange a fayre astrologye
Whiche ofte astronomye dyde full well beholde
Vnto whome than I came full shortly
And kneled a downe before her mekely
Besechynge her of her grete gentylnes

104

Of her scyence to shewe the perfytenes

My scyence sayd she it is ryght resonable
And is the last of the scyences feuē
Vnto man it is also ryght profytable
Shewynge the course aboue of the heuen
Ryght merueylous for ony man to neuen
Who knewe astronomy at euery maner season
Myght set in order euery thynge by reason

Also the other .vi. scyences lyberall
By astronomy pryncypally were sounde
And one were lost they were vaynysshed all
Eche vpon other hath so sure a grounde
In all the worlde that is so wyde and rounde
Is none so wyse that can them multeply
Nor knowe them all ryght well and surely

The hye astronomyer that is god omnypotent
That the fyrst day deuyded all the lyght
Frome the derkenes with his wyll prepotente
And the seconde day with his excellent myght
The waters aboue he dyde deuyde aryght
Frome the erthely waters whiche are inferyall
The thyrde daye / herbes and fruytes in specyall

In erthe he planted for to haue theyr lyfe
By dyuers vertues and sundry growynge
So to contynue and be vegytatyfe
And the thyrde day he sette in werkynge
The bodyes aboue to haue theyr mouynge
In the .xii. sygnes themselfe to domyfy
Some rethrogarde / and some dyrectly

105

The fyfth day he dyde fysshes make
In the see the grete stormy flode
To and fro theyr courses for to take
And in the water for to haue theyr fode
Lyke to the same colde alway theyr blode
The .vi. day bestes with foules sensatyue
And man also with soule intellectyue

The seuenth day he rested of his werke
Nothynge constrayned as of werynes
As wryteth many a ryght famous clerke
But that he had acomplysshe doutles
His purpensed purpose by infynyte prowes
As to vs doth moost playnely dyscure
The perfyte grounde of holy scrypture

Thus god hymselfe is chyef astronomyer
That made all thynge accordynge to his wyll
The sonne the mone and euery lytell sterre
To a good intente and for no maner of yll
Withouten vayne he dyde all thynge fulfyll
As astronomy doth make apparaunce
By reason he weyed all thynges in balaunce.

XXIII. Of the derecte operacyons of nature. Ca. xxiii.

And for asmoche that he made nature
Fyrst of all to haue domynacyon
The power of her I shall anone dyscure
How that she taketh her operacyon
And wher vpon is her foundacyon
In symple and rude opprest with neclygence
Shall dyscryue the myght of her preemynence

106

For though that aungell be inuysyble
In palpable and also celestyall

107

Withouten substaunce as incencyble
Yet haue they nature whiche is angelycall
For nature / naturynge / naturate made all
Heuen and erthe and the bodyes aboue
By course of nature for to werke and moue

On man or beest without ony mys
She werketh dyrectly after the aspecte
Of the mater be it more or lesse ywys
And doth therof the hole fourme dyrecte
After the qualyte it doth take effecte
Yf there be more than may one suffyse
A bye membre she wyll than more deuyse

As that in vre ye may it dayly se
Vpon one hande some hath thombes twayne
And other also somtyme armes thre
The superfluyte is cause therof certayne
Whiche that dame nature dooth constrayne
So for to do for she leseth noughte
Of the mater but hath it hooly wroughte

And in lykewyse where is not suffycyent
Of the mater for the hole formacyon
There lacketh a membre by grete impedyment
So that there can be no perfyte facyon
As may be Iuged by perfyte reason
After the qualyte of thy mater lackynge
So lacketh they of natures fourmynge

Some lacketh a legge / some an arme also
Some a fynger / and some more or lesse
All these causes with many other mo

108

Nature Werketh so dyrectly doutles
Vp on the mater as I do expresse
After the qualyte in many a sondry wyse
The kynde of her we ought nothynge despyse

Some be fayre and replete with grace
Some be fayre and yet ryghte vnhappy
Some be foule and can sone purchace
Landes and possessyons to them shortly
Some be fooles and some be ryght wytty
Where vpon I shall shewe a dyfference
Of the .v. wyttes by good experyence.

XXIIII. Of the fyue Interyall wyttes. Ca. xxiiij.

The eyen / the eres and also the nose
The mouth & hādes inwarde wyttes are none
But outwarde offyces as ye may suppose
To the inwarde wyttes whiche do Iuge alone
For vnto theym all thynges haue gone
By these outwarde gates to haue the knowlegynge
By the inwarde wyttes to haue decernynge

These are the fyue wyttes remenynge inwardy
Fyrst comyn wytte / and than ymagynacyon
Fantasy and / estymacyon truely
And memory as I make narracyon
Eche vpon other hath occupacyon
Fyrst the comyn wytte vnto the front aplyde
Doth thynke decerne / it may not be denyde

Of the eyen the offyce onely is the syght
To se the fayre the lowe or altytude
The whyte or blacke / the heuy or the lyght
The lytell or grete / the weyke / or fortytude

109

The vgly fauoure or yet the pulcrytude
This is the vse of the eyene intere
To se all thynges whiche may well appere

But of themselfe they can decerne nothynge
One frome an other / but the comyn wytte
Decerueth colours by spyrytuall connynge
To the fyue inwarde wyttes it is so well knytte
Nothynge is sene but it doth iuge it
It dooth decerne the god frome badnes
The hye the lowe / the foule the fayrnes

The nose also euery ayre doth smell
But yet it hath nothynge auctoryte
Yf it be swete for to Iuge and tell
But the comyn wytte dooth it in certaynte
Decernynge sauours in euery degre
Knowynge the swete ayre frome the stynkynge
Whan that the nose therof hath smellynge

The eres also ryght well gyue audyence
Vnto a tale herynge it ryght perfytely
But they can not decerne the sentence
To knowe where vpon it doth so ratyfy
Vpon grete wysedome or elles vpon foly
Thus whether the tale be ryght good or bad
By the comyn wytte the knowlege is had

Foly hath eres as well as sapyence
But he can not determyne by his herynge
What tale it is for lacke of intellygence
For the comyn wytte is all vnderstondynge
And that he lacketh to gyue hym knowynge

110

Wherfore the eres are but an intres
To the comyn wytte that sheweth the perfytnes

The mouth tasteth bothe swete and bytternes
But the comyn wytte decerneth proprely
Yf it be soure or replete with swetenes
Nor yet the handes fele nothynge certaynly
But the comyn wytte decerneth subtelly
Whether it he harde / moyst or of drynes
Hote / heuy softe or yet colde doutles

Thus comyn wytte werketh wonderly
Vpon the .v. gates whiche are receptatyue
Of euery thynge / for to take inwardly
By the comyn wytte to be affyrmatyue
Or by decernynge to be negatyue
The comyn wytte the fyrst of wyttes all
Is to decerne all thynges in generall

And than secondly ymagynacyon
Whan the comyn wytte hath the thynge electe
It werketh by all due inclynacyon
For to brynge the mater to the hole affecte
And fantasy than hath the hole aspecte
The ymagyned mater to brynge to fynysshement
With good desyre and inwarde Iugement

And estymacyon doth well comprehende
The space / the place / and all the purueyaunce
At what tyme the power myghte entende
To brynge the cause vnto perfyte vtteraunce
Often it weyeth the cause in balaunce
By estymacyon ony thynge is nombred

111

By length or shortnes how it is accombred

Fyftely the mynde whan the fourth haue wrought
Retayned all tyll the mynde haue made
An outwarde knowlege to the mater thought
Bycause nothynge shall declyne and fade
It kepeth the mater nothynge rethrogarde
But dyrectly tyll the mynde haue proued
All suche maters whiche the .iiij. haue moued

Plauto the cōnynge and famous clerke
That well experte was in phylosophy
Doth ryght reherce vpon natures werke
How that she werketh vpon all wonderly
Bothe for to mynysshe and to multeply
In sundry wyse by grete dyreccyon
After the mater with all the hole affeccyon

In my natyf language I wyll not oppres
More of her werke for it is obscure
Who wyll therof knowe all the parfeytnes
In phylosophy he shall fynde it ryght sure
Whiche all the trouthe can to hym dyfcure
No man can attayne perfyte connynge
But by longe stody and dylygente lernynge.

XXV. Of the hye influences of the supernall bodyes. Ca. xxv.

The ryght hye power nature naturynge
Naturate made the bodyes aboue
In sundry wyse to take theyr werkynge
That aboute the worlde naturally do moue
As by good reason the phylosophres proue
That the planettes and sterres instrumentes be
To natures werkynge in euery degre

112

God gaue grete vertue to the planettes all
And specyally vnto depured Phebus
To enlumyne the worlde euer in specyall
And than the mone of her selfe tenebrus
Made lyght with the beames gay and gloryous
Of the sonne is fayre resplendysshaunte
In the longe nyght with rayes radyaūte

By these twayne euery thynge hath growynge
Bothe vegytatyfe and cesnatyue also
And also intellectyue without lesynge
No erthly thynge may haue lyfe and go
But by the planettes that moue to and fro
Whan that god sette them in operacyon
He gaue them vertu in dyuers facyon

Some hote and moyst and some colde and dry
Some hote and drye moyst and colde
Thus euery one hath vertues sundry
As is made mencyon in the bokes olde
They shewe theyr power and werke many a folde
Man vpon them hath his dysposycyon
By the naturate power of constellacyon

What sholde I wryte more in this mater hye
In my maternall tonge opprest with ignoraunce
For who that lyst to lerne astronomye
He shall synde all fruytfull pleasaunce
In the latyn tongue by goodly ordenaunce
Wherfore of it I wyll no lenger tary
For fere frome trouthe that I happen to vary

Of dame astronomy I dyde take my lycence

113

For to trauayle to the toure of chyualry
For all my mynde with percynge influence
Was sette vpon the moost fayre lady
Labell pucell so moche ententyfly
That euery day I dyde thȳke fyftene
Tyll I agayne had her swete persone sene

To you experte in the seuen scyence
Now all my maysters I do me excuse
Yf I offended by my grete neclygence
This lytell werke yet do ye not refuse
I am but yonge it is to me obtuse
Of these maters to presume to endyte
But for my lernynge that I lyst to wryte

Vnder obedyence and the correccyon
Of you my maysters experte in connynge
I me submytte now with hole affeccyon
Vnto your perfyte vnderstondynge
As euer more mekely to you inclynynge
With dylygent laboure now without doutaunce
To detray or adde all at your plesaunce

XXVI. How graūde amoure came to the toure of chyualry. Ca. xxvj.

Whan clene aurora with her golden bemes
Gan to enlumyne the derke cloudy ayre
And cōbust Dyane her grete fyry lemes
Amyddes of the bull began to reflayre
Than on my Iorney myselfe to repayre
With my verlet called attendaunce
Forthe on I rode by longe contynuaunce

114

With my greyhoundes bothe grace and gouernaunce
Ouer an hyll and so downe in a valey
Amonge the thornes of grete encumbraunce
The goodley greyhoundes taught me on my wey
So fourth I passed my troublous Iourney
Tyll that I came into a ryall playne
With flora paynted in many a sundry vayne

With purple colour the floures enhewed
In dyuers knottes with many one full blue
The gentyll gelofer his odoure renued
With sundry herbes replete with vertue
Amonge these floures as I dyde ensue
Castynge my syght sodaynly so ferre
Ouer a toure I sawe a flambynge sterre

Towarde this toure as I rode nere and nere
I behelde the rocke of merueylous altytude
On whiche it stode that quadraute dyde appere

115

Made all of stele of wonderous fortytude
Gargeylde with beestes in sundry symylytude
And many turrettes aboue the toures hye
With ymages was sette full meruaylouslye

Towarde this toure forthe on my way I wente
Tyll that came to a myghty fortresse
Where I sawe hange a meruaylous instrumente
With a shelde and helmet before the entres
I knewe nothynge therof the perfytenes
But at a uenture the instrumente I toke
And blewe so loude that all the toure I shoke

Whan the porter herde the hydeous sounde
Of my ryght lusty and stormy blast
That made the walles therof to redounde
Full lyke a knyght that was nothynge agast
Towarde the gate he gaue hym selfe to hast
And opened it and asked my name
And fro whens I came to certyfy the same

My name quod I is graunde amoure
Of late I came fro the toure of doctryne
Where I attayned all the hygh honoure
Of the seuen scyences me to enlumyne
And frome thens I dyde determyne
Forth to trouaylle to this toure of chyualry
Where I haue blowen this blast so sodaynly

Whan he herde this ryght gentylly he sayd
Vnto this toure ye must resorte by ryght
For to renue that hath be longe decayd

116

The floure of chyualry with your hole delyght
Come on your way it draweth towarde nyght
And therwith all he ledde me to his warde
Me to repose in plesaunt due saufgarde

After the trauayle my selfe for to ease
I dyde there rest than in all goodly wyse
And slepte ryght well without ony dysease
Tyll on the morow the sonne dyde aryse
Than vp I rose as was my perfyte guyse
And made me redy into the courte to go
With my verlet and my grehoundes also

The gentyll porter named stedfastnes
Into the basse courte on my way he brought
Where stode a toure of meruaylous hyghnes
That all of Iasper full wonderly was wrought
As ony man can prynte in his thought
And foure ymages aboue the toure there were
On hors backe armed and euery one a spere

These ymages were made full curyously
With theyr horses of the stele so fyne
And eche of them in theyr places sundry
About were sette that clerely dyde shyne
Lyke Dyane clere in her spere celestyne
And vnder eche horse there was full pryuely
A grete whele made by craftly geometry

With many cogges vnto whiche were tyed
Dyuerse cordes that in the horses holowe
To euery Ioynte full wonderly applyed
Whan the wheles went the horses dyde folowe

117

To trotte and galop both euen and morowe
Brekynge theyr speres and coude them dyscharge
Partynge asonder for to turney at large.

XXVII. Of the merualyos argument bytwene Mars and fortune. Ca. xxvij.

Besyde this toure of olde foundacyon
There was a temple strongly edefyed
To the hygh honoure and reputacyon
Of the myghty Mars it was so fortefyed
And for to know what it sygnyfyed
I entred in and sawe of golde so pure
Of worthy Mars the meruaylous pycture

There was depaynted all aboute the wall
The grete dystruccyon of the cyte of troye
And the noble actes to reygne memoryall
Of the worthy Ector that was all theyr Ioye
His dolourous deth was herde to occoye
And so whan Ector was cast all downe
The hardy Troylus was moost hyghe of renowne

And as I cast my syght so asyde
Beholdynge Mars how wonderly he stode
On a whele top with a lady of pryde
Haunced aboute I thought nothynge but good
But that she had two faces in one hode
Yet I kneled adowne and made myne oryson
To doughty Mars with grete deuocyon

Sayenge / O Mars / O god of the warre
The gentyll lodesterre of an hardy herte
Dystyll adowne thy grace from so farre
To cause all fere frome me to asterte
That in the felde I may ryght well subuerte

118

The hedyus monsters / and wynne the vyctory
Of the sturdy grauntes with famous chyualry

O prynce of honoure and of worthy fame
O noble knyghtes of olde antyquyte
O redouted courage the causer of theyr name
Whose worthy actes fame caused to be
In bokes wryten as ye may well se
So gyue me grace ryght well to recure
The power of fame / that shall longe endure

I thought me past all chyldly ygnoraunce
The .xxj. yere of my yonge flourynge aege
I thought that Venus myght nothynge auaunce
Her strength agaynst me with her lusty courage
My wytte I thought had suche auauntage
That it sholde rule bothe Venus and Cupyde
But alas for wo for all my sodayne pryde.

Whan that Phebus entred was in gemyne
Towarde the crabbe takynge ascencyon
At the tyme of the grete solempnyte
From heuen aboue of goddes descencyon
In a grete temple with hole entencyon
As I went walkynge my selfe to and fro
Full sodaynly Venus wrought me suche wo

For as I cast than my syght all a lofte
I sawe Venus in beaute so clere
Whiche caused Cupyde with his darte so softe
To wounde my herte with feruent loue so dere
Her louynge countenaunce so hygh dyde appere
That it me rauysshed with a sodayne thought

119

Alas for wo it vayled me ryght nought

To gyue audyens vnto the melody
Of waytes and organs that were at the fest
Loue had me wounded so sore inwardly
What was to do I knewe not the best
Replete with sorow and deuoyde of rest
Sythen the tyme that she my herte soo wounded
My Ioy and pryde she hath full lowe confounded

And so now for to attayne her grace
As thou doost knowe become aduenturous
Besechynge the in this peryllous case
O Mars me socoure in tyme tempestyous

120

That I may passe the passage daungerous
And to thy laude honoure and glorye
I shall a temple ryght strongly edefye

Well than sayd Mars I shall the fortefye
In all thy warre as fast as I canne
But for thy payne I knowe no remedy
For Venus reyned whan that thou beganne
Fyrst for to loue makynge the pale and wanne
And of the trouthe to make relacyon
Thou was borne vnder her consolacyon

Wherfore thou must of veray perfyte ryght
Vnto her sue by the dysposycyon
Whiche the constrayneth with hole delyght
For to loue ladyes by true affeccyon
Suche is her course and operacyon
Wherfore whan thou hast lerned perfytely
The for to gouerne by prudent chyualry

Than to fulfyll thy ryght hye enterpryse
Forthe on thy way thou shalte thy Iorney take
Vnto a temple in all humble wyse
Before dame Venus thyn oblacyon to make
Whiche all thy payne may sone redresse and slake
For at that tyme she holdeth a parlemente
To redresse louers of theyr Impedymente

Aha quod fortune with the faces twayne
Behynde syr Mars / I haue a grete meruayle
That thou doost promyse hym that he shall attayne
Vnto his purpose with all dylygente trauayle
Through thyn ayd eke strength and counsayle

121

Sythens dependeth in myn ordenaunce
Hym to promote or brynge to myschaunce

My power / estate and ryall dygnyte
Doth torne the whele of worthely glorye
Often vp so downe by mutabylyte
Haue not I promoted full nobly
Many a lowe degre to reygne full ryally
And often haue made a transmutacyon
Of worldly welthe in to trybulacyon

Thus can I make an alteracyon
Of worthely honoure whiche doth depende
All onely in my domynacyon
Through the worlde my whele doth extende
As reason doth ryght well comprehende
Of my grete chaunces whiche are vnsure
As dayly dooth appere well in vre

Yf I sholde werke with perfyte stedfastnes
As to exalte some to be honourable
And that they knewe by perfyte sykernes
That it sholde dure and not be varyable
It were a thynge vnto me culpaple
For grete orguell pryde sholde them so blynde
To knowe themselfe they sholde lose theyr mynde

Thus whan that they sholde themselfe forgete
And in no wyse theyr owne persone knowe
Full lytell than they wolde by me sette
That them exalted to hye degre from lowe
And by my chaunce coude nought them ouerthrowe
Thus sholde they do and drede me nothynge
Wherfore my whele is euermore tournynge

122

And where that I sholde torne my face
Castynge some in pytte of pouerte
They were condampned without ony grace
As for to attayne ony prosperyte
Whiche were a cause of grete iniquyte
For ryche mennes goodes I must ofte translate
Vnto the pore them for to eleuate

And thyrdly I sholde lese my name
For this worde fortune is well derefyde
Of an accydent chaunce bothe good or shame
Whan that the dede is so exemplefyde
Wherfore by reason I must be duplyfyde
And nothynge stable in myn hye werke
As wryteth many a ryght noble clerke

Therfore by reason I must be mutable
And torne my whele ryght oft vp so downe
Labourynge in werkes whiche are vnstable
On some to laugh and on some I must frowne
Thus all aboute in euery realme and towne
I shewe my power in euery sundry wyse
Some to descende and on some to aryse

Wherfore my power doth ryght well excell
Aboue the Mars in thyn house enclosed
For to rule man thou hast power neueradell
Saue after the somwhat he is dysposed
Thy consolacyon hath hym so apposed
Who vnder the taketh his natyuyte
Yet god hath gyuen hym power to rule the

Wherfore I am of a ferre hyer power

123

Than thou arte for there is no defence
Agaynst my wyll at ony tyme or houre
And in my name there is a deference
For in these wordes in my magnyfycence
Predestynate and also desteny
As I shall shewe anone more formably

Predestynate dooth ryght well sygnyfy
A thynge to come whiche is prepayred
None but god doth knowe it openly
Tyll that the dede cause it be declared
For many a one whan they well fared
Full lytell thought that trybulacyon
To them was ordeyned by predestynacyon

The desteny is a thynge accydent
And by the werke dooth take the effecte
Tyll it be done it is ay precedent
No man from it can hymselfe abiecte
Thus euery chaunce doth fortune derecte
Wherfore by reason la graunde amoure
Must sue vnto me to do hym socoure

Aha quod Mars suche a one as thou
I neuer knewe byfore this season
For thou thy selfe doost so moche enpron
Aboue the heuens by exaltacyon
But what for all thy commendacyon
Arte thou now ony thynge substancyall
Spyrytuall or elles yet terrestryall

How can a werke perfytely be grounded
But in this two and thou arte of those

124

Wherfore for nought thou mayst be confounded
For nought in substaunce can nothynge transpose
Of none effecte thou canst thy selfe dysclose
How hast thou power in ony maner of case
In heuen or erthe without a dwellynge place

But that poetes hath made a fygure
Of the for the grete sygnyfycacyon
The chaunge of man so for to dyscure
Accordynge to a moralyzacyon
And of the trouth to make relacyon
The man is fortune in the propre dede
And not thou that causeth hym to spede

What nedeth hym vnto his selfe to sue
Sythen thou art the dedes of his chaunce
Thou to rule man it is a thynge not true
Now where vpon doth hange this ordenaunce
But accedent vpon the gouernaunce
Of the hye bodyes whiche doth man dyspose
The dede to do as hym lyst purpose

XXVIII. How mynerue ledde Graūde Amoure to kynge Melyzyus whiche made hym knyght. ca. xxviii.

To here of Mars the meruaylous argument
And of fortune I was sore amased
Tyll that I sawe a lady excellent
Clerely armed vpon whome I gased
And her armes full preuely I blased
The shelde of golde as I well vnderstande
With a lyon of asure through passande

To me she came with lowely countenaunce
And bad me welcome vnto that mancyon
Ledynge me forthe with Ioy and plesaunce

125

Into an hall of meruaylous facyon
Ryght strongly fortyfyed of olde foundacyon
The pyllours of yuory garnysshed with golde
With perles sette and broudred many a folde

The flore was paued with stones precyous
And the rose was braunched curyously
Of the beten golde both gay and gloryous
Knotted with pomaunders ryght swetely
Encencynge out the yll odours mysty
And on the walles ryght well dyde appere
The sege of Thebes depaynted fayre and clere

There were knyghtes playenge at the chesse
Whiche sawe Mynerue lede me in the hall
They lefte theyr play and all theyr besynesse
And welcomed me ryght gentely withall
With syr Nurture than moost in specyall
Accompanyed of his brother curtesy
They made me chere than full effectually

And after that they brought me vp a stayre
In to a chambre gayly gloryfyed
And at the dore there stode a knyght ryght fayre
Ye clypped trouthe ryght clerely purefyed
His countenaunce was ryght well modyfyed
To me he sayde that before myn entres
Hym for to loue I sholde hym promes

Of ryght he sayd I haue in custody
This chambre dore of kynge Melyzyus
That no man entre in to it wrongfully
Without me trouthe for to be chyualrous

126

Here knyghtes be made to be vyctoryous
I shall you promyse quod I faythfully
You for to loue and serue perdurably

Abyde quod he I wyll speke with the kynge
Tell me your name and habytacyon
And ye chefe cause now of your comynge
That I to hym may make relacyon
To knowe his mynde without varyacyon
La graunde amoure my name is sayd I
The cause of my comynge intentyfly

Is for bycause that I haue enterprysed
Now for the sake of fayre la belle pucell
To passe the passage whiche I her promysed
That is so daungerous with serpentes cruell
And for asmoche as I knowe neueradell
The feates of armes to attayne honoure
I am come to lerne with dylygent laboure

Than forthe he wente vnto the mageste
Of kynge Melyzyus the myghty conqueroure
Saynge O power so hye in dygnyte
O prynce vyctoryous and famous Emperoure
Of Iustynge truely the orgynall floure
One graunde amoure wolde be acceptable
In your hye courte for to be tendable

With all my herte I wyll quod he accepte
Hym to my seruyce for he is ryght worthy
For vnto doctryne the hye way he kepte
And so frome thens to the toure of chyualry
He shall attayne grete actes wonderly

127

Go on your way and brynge hym fast to me
For I thynke longe hym to beholde and se

And than the good knyght trouthe incontynent
In to the chambre so pure / soone me lede
Where sate the kynge so moche benyuolent
In purple clothed set full of rubyes rede
And all the flore on whiche we dyde trede
Was crystall clere and the rofe at nyght
Wish tarbuncles dyde gyue a meruaylous lyght

The walles were hanged with clothe of tyssue
Broudred with perles and rubyes rubyconde
Myxte with emeraudes so full of vertue
And bordred aboue with many a dyamonde
An heuy herte it wolde make Iocunde
For to beholde the meruaylous ryches
The lordeshyp / welthe / and the grete worthynes

There sate Melyzyus in his hye estate
And ouer his heed was a payre of balaunce
With his crowne / and ceptre after the true rate
Of an other wordly kynge for to haue gouernaunce
In his hande a balle of ryght grete cyrcumstaunce
Before whome than I dyde knele adowne
Saynge O Emperoure moost hygh of renowne

I the beseche of thyn haboundaunt grace
Me to accept in this courte the for to serue
So to contynue by longe tyme and space
Of chyualry that I may now deserue
The ordre ryght and well it to obserue
For to attayne the hygh aduauntage

128

Of the enterpryse of my doughty vyage

Welcome he sayd to this courte ryall
Mynerue shall arme you with grete dylygence
And teche you the feates of armes all
For she them knoweth by good experyence
In the olde tyme it was her scyence
And I my selfe shall gyue you a worthy stede
Called galantyse to helpe you in your nede

I humbly thanked his grete hyenes
And so to Mynerue I dyde than applye
Whiche dyde me teche with syker perfytnes
For to haunt armes ryght well and nobly
Sapyence me ruled well and prudently
Thus amonge knyghtes for to Iust and tourney
Mynerue me taught in sundry wyse all day

It was a Ioyfull and a knyghtly syght
For to beholde so fayre and good a sorte
Of goodly knyghtes armed clere and bryght
That I sawe there whiche dyde me well exorte
Armes to haunte with couragyous comforte
Mynerue me taught my strokes and defence
That in shorte space was no resystence

Agaynst my power and myghty puyssaunce
To my wylfull herte was nought impossyble
I bare myselfe so without doubtaūce
My herte made my courage inuyncyble
Of whiche the trouthe was soone intellygyble
With my behauynge before the preemynence
Of kynge Mylyzyus famous excellence

129

Whiche ryght anone for dame Mynerue sent
And me also with syr trouthe to obey
We thought full lytell what the mater ment
But vnto hym we toke anone the way
Entrynge the chambre so / fayre / clere and gay
The kynge vs called vnto his persone
Sayenge I wyll graunde amoure anone

Truly make knyght for the tyme approcheth
That he must haunt and seke aduenture
For Labell pucell as true loue requyreth
And fyrst of all began to me dyscure
The hyghe order how I sholde take in cure
And than anone he began to expresse
What knyghthode was to perfyte sykernesse

Knyghthode he sayd was fyrst establysshed
The comyn welthe in ryght to defende
That by the wronge it be not mynysshed
So euery knyght must truely condyscende
For the comyn welthe his power to entende
Agaynst all suche rebelles contraryous
Them to subdue with power vyctoryous

For knyghthode is not in the feates of warre
As for to fyght in quarell ryght or wronge
But in a cause whiche trouthe can not defarre
He ought hymselfe for to make sure and stronge
Iustyce to kepe myxte with mercy amonge
And no quarell a knyght ought to take
But for a trouthe or for the comyns sake

For fyrst good hope his legge harneys sholde be

130

His habergyon of perfyte ryghtwysnes
Gyrde fast with the gyrdle of chastyte
His ryche placarde sholde be good besynes
Braudred with almes so full of larges
The helmet mekenes / and the shelde good fayth
His swerde goddes wordes as saynt Poule sayth

Also true wydowes he ought to restore
Vnto theyr ryght for to attayne theyr dower
And to vpholde and maynteyne euermore
The welthe of maydens with his myghty power
And to his souerayne at euery maner hower
To be redy true and eke obeysaunt
In stable loue fyxt / and not varyaunt

Thus after this noble and solempne doctryne
He made my knyght and gaue me in charge
Vnto these poyntes ryght lowe to enclyne
And to stere well the frayle tumblynge barge
Ouer vaynglorye whan I sayle at large
Whan the wynde is ryght the barge can not fayle
Vnto his purpose so with hardynes to sayle

I dyde well regystre in my remembraunce
Euery thynge whiche he hathe to me tolde
And ryght anone in good resemblaunce
The kynge I thanked with courage ryght bolde
Of his grete gyftes and grace many a folde
Whiche vnto me ryght openly he shewed
With golden droppes so lyberally indewed

I toke my leue of his ryght hye estate
And then Mynerue in to the hall me brought

131

Accompanyed of trouthe my faythfull mate
Vs for to solace there lacked ryght nought
That ony man can prynte in his thought
The knyghtes all vnto theyr armes wente
To brynge me forwarde with a true entente

And Mynerue armed me as she coude deuyse
And brought vnto me my fayre barbed stede
On whome I mounted in all goodly guyse
With shelde and spere as nothynge to drede
In ryght to fyght for to attayne my mede
So with me went bothe my greyhoundes twayne
And good attendaunce my verlet certayne

The good knyght trouthe brought me on the way
Accompanyed than of syr fydelyte
With haute courage betrapped fayre and gay
With shynynge trappoures of curyosyte
And thenne also there rode forth with me
The sturdy knyght well named fortytude
With the noble veterane syr consuetude

And eke syr Iustyce and syr myserycorde
Syr sapyence with good syr curteysy
With famous nurture / and than syr concorde
Accompanyed me full ryght gentylly
Oute of the castell rydynge ryally
And dame Mynerue the chyualreous goddes
Dyde me endue then with herty hardynes

And whan we came in to a goodly playne
Ryght of them all I toke my lycence
Me thought it tyme that they tourne agayne

132

Vnto the kynge with all theyr dylygence
I made myn othe with percynge influence
Vnto them all for to remayne full true
In stedfast loue all treason to eschue

Full lothe they were fro me to departe
Euery one of them as ye may vnderstande
With salte teres full wofull was my harte
Whan all on rowe they toke me by the hande
Adyeu they sayd and grace with you stande
You for to ayde whan that you do fyght
And so they torned vnto the castell ryght

And good dame Mynerue vnto me than sayde
Be not adredde of your hye entrepryse
Be bolde and hardy and nothynge afrayde
And rather deye in ony maner of wyse
To attayne honoure and the lyfe dyspyse
Than for to lyue and to remayne in shame
For to dye with honoure it is a good name

Fare well she sayd and be of good chere
I must departe I may no lenger tary
Ryde on your way the weder is full clere
Seke your aduenture and loke ye not vary
Frome your hye ordre by ony contrary
And therwithall forthe on her way she rode
Ryght so dyde I whiche no lenger abode

With bothe my greyhoundes and my varlet
Thrughe the playne and in to wyldernes
And so alofte amonge the hylles gret
Tyll it was nyght so thycke of derkenes

133

That of constraynt of veray werynes
We lyght adowne vnder an hyll syde
Vnto the day to rest vs there that tyde

And whan my page my helmet vnlaced
He layde it downe vnderneth my hede
And to his legge he my stede enbraced
To grase about whyle on the grase he fed
And than also his horse in lyke stede
With bothe our greyhoundes lyenge vs nere by
And slouthe our hedes had caught so sodaynly

That all the nyght we slepte in good reste
Tyll agaynst day began to nese and cry
My stede galantyse with a rorynge breste
And eke began to stampe full meruaylously
Whose hye courage awaked vs wonderly
And ryght anone we kest vp our eyes
Beholdynge aboue the fayre crystall skyes

Seynge the cloudes rayed fayre and rede
Of Phebus rysynge in the oryent
And aurora her golden bemes sprede
Aboute the ayre clerely refulgent
Withouten mysty blacke encombremente
Vp I arose and also my page
Makynge vs redy for to take our vyage.

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.

And so forth we rode tyll we sawe a ferre
To vs came rydynge on a lytell nagge
A folysshe dwarfe nothynge for the warre
With a hood / a bell / a foxtayle / and a bagge
In a pyed cote he rode brygge a bragge

134

And whan that he vnto vs drewe nye
I behelde his body and his vysnamye

His hede was grete betled was his browes
His eyen holowe / and his nose croked
His bryes brystled truely lyke a sowes
His chekes here / and god wote he loked
Full lyke an ape / here and there he toted
With a pyed berde / and hangynge lyppes grete
And euery tothe as blacke as ony gete

His necke shorte his sholders stode awry
His brest fatte and bolne in the wast
His armes grete with fyngers crokedly
His legges kewed he rode to me fast
Full lyke a patron to be shaped in hast
Good euen he sayd and haue good day
Yf that it lyke you for to ryde meryly

Welcome I sayd I pray the now tell
Me what thou art and where thou doost dwell
Sotheych quod he whan I cham in kent
At home I cham though I be hyther sent
I cham a gentylman of moche noble kynne
Though Iche be cladde in a knaues skynne
For ther was one called peter prate fast

That in all his lyfe spake no worde in wast
He wedde a wyfe that was called maude
I trowe quod I she was a gorgyous baude
Thou lyest quod he she was gentyll and good
She gaue her husbande many a furde hode
And at his melys without ony mys

135

She wolde hym serue in clenly wyse ywys
God loue her soule as she loued clennes
And kepe her dysshes from all foulnes
Whan she lacketh cloutes without ony fayle
She wyped her dysshes with her dogges tayle
And they had yssue sym sadle gander
That for a wyfe in all the worlde dyde wander
Tyll at the last in the wynters nyght
By temmys he sayled and aryued a ryght
Amonge the nunnes of the grene cote
He wente to lande out of his prety bote
And wedde there one that was comen a newe
He thought her stable and faythfull and trewe
Her name was Betres that so clenly was
That no fylthe by her in ony wyse sholde pas
For in her lyfe that ony man coude spy
She let no ferte nor yet fyst truely
And bytwene them bothe they dyde gete a sone
Whiche was my fader that in Kent dyde wone
His name was dauy dronken nole
He neuer dranke but in a fayre blacke boule
He toke a wyfe that was very fayre
And gate me on her for to be his ayre
Her name was alyson that loued nought elles
But euer more to rynge her blacke belles
Now are they deed all so mote I well thryue
Excepte my selfe Godfrey gobylyue
Whiche rode aboute a wyse me to seke
But I can fynde none that is good and meke
For all are shrewes in the worlde aboute
I coude neuer mete with none other route
For some deuylles wyll theyr husbondes bete
And tho that can not they wyll neuer-lete

136

Theyr tonges cease but gyue thre wordes for one
Fy on them all I wyll of them haue none
Who loueth ony for to make hym sadde
I wene that he become wors than madde
They are not stedfast nothynge in theyr mynde
But alway tornynge lyke a blast of wynde
For lete a man loue them neuer so wele
They wyll hym loue agayne neuer a dele
For though a man all his lyfe certayne
Vnto her sue to haue release of payne
And at the last she on hym do rewe
Yf by fortune there come an other newe
The fyrst shall be clene out of her fauoure
Recorde of Creseyd and of Troylus the doloure
They are so subtyll and so false of kynde
There can no man wade beyonde theyr mynde

Was not Arystotle for all his clergy
For a woman rapt in loue so meruaylously
That all his connynge he had sone forgoten
This vnhappy loue had his mynde so broken
That euermore the salte teres downe hayled
Whan the chaunce of loue he hymselfe bewayled
Aferde he was of the true loue to breke
For saynge nay whan he therof sholde speke
Tyll of constraynt of wofull heuynes
For to haue remedy of his sore sekenes
Whan he her spyed ryght secrete alone
Vnto her he wente and made all his mone
Alas he sayd the cause of my wo
Myn onely lady and maystres also
Whose goodly beaute hath my herte enrached
With feruent loue and fyry lemes entached
Wherfore take pyte of the paynfull sorowe

137

Of me your seruaunt bothe euen and morowe
She stode ryght styll and herde what he sayd
Alas quod she be ye nomore dysmayde
For I am contente to fulfyll your wyll
In euery maner be it good or yll
Of this condycyon that ye shall release
Me fyrst of wo and of my grete dystres
For I my selfe haue thoughte many a day
To you to speke / but for fere of a nay
I durst neuer of the mater meue
Vnto your persone leest it sholde you greue
Nay nay quod he with all my hole entente
I shall obey to your commaundemente
Well than quod she I shall you now tell
How the case stondeth truely euerydell
For you knowe well that some women do longe
After nyce thynges be it ryght or wronge
Ryght so must I vpon your backe now ryde
In your mouthe also a brydle you to guyde
And so a brydle she put in his mouthe
Vpon his backe she rode bothe northe and southe
Aboute a chambre as some cherkes wene
Of many persones it was openly sene
Lo what is loue that can so sore blynde
A phylosophre to brynge hym out of kynde
For loue dothe pas ony maner of thynge
It is harde and preuy in werkynge
So on the grounde Arystotle crepte
And in his tethe she longe the brydle kepte
Tyll she therof had ynougher fyll
And yet for this he neuer had his wyll
She dyde nothynge but for to mocke and scorne

138

This true louer whiche was for loue forlorne
But whan he knewe the poynt of the case
The fyry angre dyde his herte enbrace
That he hym selfe dyde anone well knowe
His anger dyde his loue so ouerthrowe
And ryght anone as some poetes wryte
He the grete mockage dyde her well acquyte.

Dyde not a woman the famous Vyrgyle
By her grete fraude full craftely begyle
For on a day for his owne dysporte
To the courte of Rome he gan to resporte
Amonge the ladyes the tyme for to passe
Tyll at the last lyke Phebus in the glasse
So dyde a lady with her beaute clere
Shyne through his herte with suche loue so dere
Than of grete force he must nedes obey
She of his mynde bare bothe the locke and kay
So was his herte sette vpon a fyre
With feruent loue to attayne his desyre
She had hym caught in suche a wyly snare
Grete was his payne and moche more his care
To fynde a tyme whan it sholde be meued
To her of loue and he nothynge repreued
Thus euery day by ymagynacyon
In his mynde was suche perturbacyon
And at the laste he had founde a tyme
Hym thought to speke and vnto hym no cryme
Mercy lady now in all humble wyse
To her he sayd for yf ye me dyspyse
So hath your beaute my true herte arayde
It is no meruayle though I be afrayde
To you to speke yf that you deny
My purpose / truely I am marde vtterly

139

So do I loue you with all my herte entere
With inwarde care I by your beauty dere
I must abyde with all my hole entent
Of lyfe or dethe your onely Iugement
With fayned eres of perfyte audyence
She dyde hym here gyuynge this sentence
Vyrgyll she sayd I wolde fayne you ease
Of your trouble and of your grete dysease
But I wote not how that it sholde be
Without tournynge vs to grete dyshoneste
Yf it be knowen / than bothe you and I
Shall by reheyted at full shamefully
But what for that I haue me bethought
A praty crafte by me shall be wrought
Ye knowe my chambre Ioyneth to a wall
Beynge ryght hygh and a wyndowe withall
Soone at nyght whan all folke be at reste
I shall take a basket as me thynketh beste
And therto I shall a longe corde well tye
And frome the wyndowe lete it downe pryuelye
Ryght so whan it is adowne on the grounde
Ye may well entre in it bothe hole and sounde
And my two maydens the whiche secrete be
Shall anone helpe to hale you vp with me
Lo in this wyse you may haue ryght well
Your owne desyre in shorte space euery dell
At a .xj. of clocke in the nyght so derke
They dede appoynt for to fulfyll this werke
He often thanked her grete gentylnes
And so departed with grete gladnes
And so he wente vnto his study
Passynge the tyme hym selfe full merely
Tyll that the cloke dyde stryke aleuen

140

Than to the wall he wente full euen
And founde the basket at the grounde a redy
And entred into it full sodaynly
Waggynge the rope whiche the lady espyed
Whiche to the wyndowe ryght anone her hyed
With her two maydens she dyde hym vp wynde
Amyddes the wall and lefte hym there behynde
That was fyue fadam and more frome the grounde
Whan hymselfe in suche a case he founde
Alas he sayd my owne lady saue
Myn honeste and what ye lyst to haue
Ye shall haue it at your owne desyre
Now wynde me vp me herte is on fyre
Thou shalte quod she in that place abyde
That all the cyte so ryght longe and wyde
May the beholde and the mater knowe
For myne honeste and thy shame I trowe
So there he hynge tyll none of the day
That euery persone whiche went by the way
Myght hym well se and also beholde
And vnto them the very cause she tolde
Lo how with shame she her loue rewarded
His payne and sorow she nothynge regarded
Thus at the last he adowne was brought
Replete with shame it vayled hym ryght nought
Thus with grete angre he his loue confounded
Helynge the stroke whiche that she had wounded
And by his crafte he in Rome dyde drenche
Euery fyre / for he lefte none to quenche
And towarde Rome a grete tyrcuyte aboute
There was no fyre that was vn put oute
He at her buttockes set a brennynge cole
No fyre there was but at her ars hole

141

She torned her tout that was cryspe and fat
All about Rome dyde fetche theyr fyre therat
One of an other myght no fyre get
It wold not kyndle without he it fet
Frome her ars by the magykes art
She blewe the fyre whan she lete a fart
Thus euery man myght beholde and se
With the lyght of fyre her praty preuyte
Thus all the cyte vpon her dyde wonder
For perfyte sorowe her herte was nere a sonder
And thus Vyrgyll with crafty subtylnes
Rewarded her falshede and doublenes
All this I tell though that I be a fole
To the yonge knyght for thou mayst go to scole
In tyme comynge of true loue to lerne
Beware of that for thou canst not decerne
Thy ladyes mynde though that she speke the fayre
Her herte is false she wyll no trouthe repayre
Nay quod I they are not all dysposed
So for to do as ye haue here dysclosed
Aha quod he I trowe well ye be
A true louer so mote I thryue and the
Lete not thy lady of thyn herte be rother
Whan thou arte gone she wyll soone haue another
Thus forthe we rode tyll we sawe a ferre
A ryall toure as bryght as ony sterre
To whiche we rode as fast as we myght
Whan we came there adowne my stede I lyght
So dyd this Godfrey gobylyue also
In to the temple he after me gan go
There sat dame Venus and Cupyde her sone
Whiche had theyr parlyament ryght newly begone

142

To redersse louers of theyr payne and wo
Whiche in the temple dyde walke to and fro
And euery one his byll dyde present
Before Venus in her hygh parlyament
The temple of her ryall consystory
Was walled all aboute with yuory
All of golde lyke a place solacyous
The rose was made of knottes curyous
I can nothynge extende the goodlynes
Of her temple so moche of ryches
This Godfrey gobyleue wente lyghtly
Vnto dame sapyence the secretary
That dyde hym make this supplycacyon
To the goddes Venus with breuyacyon
O lady Venus of loue the goddes
Redres my payne of mortall heuynes
I dyde ones wowe an olde mayden ryche
A foule these an olde wydred wyche
Fayre mayd I sayd wyll ye me haue
Nay syr so god me kepe and saue
For you are euyll fauoured and also vgly
I am the worse to se your vysnamy
Yet was she fouler many an hondred folde
Than I my selfe as ye may well beholde
And therwith all he caused to depaynt
His face and hers all vnder his complaynt
And to Venus he made delyueraunce
Of his complayne by a shorte cyrcumstaunce
Whiche ryght anone whan she had it sene
Began to laugh with all the courte I wene
Lo here the fygures of them both certayne
Iuge whiche is best fauourde of them twayne.

143

Thus godfrey gobyloue dyde make suche a sporte
That many louers to hym dyde resorte
Whan I sawe tyme I went to sapyence
Shewynge to her with all my dylygence
How that my herte by Venus was trapte
With a snare of loue so preuely berapte
And in her toure to haue a dwellynge place
I seke aduentures to attayne her grace
Her name quod I / la belle pucell is
Bothe est and west she is well knoken ywys

144

And my name la graunde amoure is called
Whose herte with payne she all aboute hath walled
With her beaute whiche dame nature create
Aboue all other in moost hye estate
Well sayd sapyence I thynke in my mynde
Her loue and fauoure you shall attayne by kynde
And I wyll drawe to you incontynent
All your complaynt as is conuenyent!
Vnto dame Venus to se derectly
For your payne and sorowe soone a remedy
She drewe my pyteous lamentacyon
Accordynge to this supplycacyon.

XXX. How graūde amoure in the temple of Uenus made his supplycacyon. Ca. xxx. The supplycacyon.

O Venus lady and excellent goddes
O celestyall sterre hauynge the souerayne
Aboue all other sterres as lady and prynces
As is accordynge vnto your deyte
Pleaseth it now your grete benygnyte
Vnto my complaynt for to gyue audyence
Whiche brenne in loue with percynge vyolence

For so it happed that the lady fame
Dyde with me mete and gan to expresse
Of a payre lady whiche had vnto name
Labelle pucell come of hye noblesse
Whose beauty clere and comly goodlynesse
Frome daye to daye doth ryght well renne
With grace brydled and with grete vertue

She tolde me of her fayre habytacyon
And of the wayes therto full daungerous
Her swete reporte gaue exortacyon

145

Vnto my herte for to be courygyous
To pas the passage harde and troblous
And to brynge me out of grete encumbraunce
She me delyuered bothe grace and gouernaunce

So forthe we went to the toure of scyence
For to attayne in euery artyke poole
And fyrst doctryne by good experyence
Vnto dame gramer dyde sette me to scoole
Of mysty ygnoraunce to oppres the doole
And so I ascended vnto dame logyke
And after her vnto lusty rethoryke

Tyll at the last at a feest solemply
To a temple I went dame musyke to here
Play on her organs with swete armony
But than on lofte I sawe to me appere
The floure of comforte the sterre of vertue celere
Whose beaute bryght in to my herte dyde passe
Lyke as fayre Phebus dooth shyne in the glasse

So was my herte by the stroke of loue
With sorowe perst and with mortall payne
That vnneth I myght frome the place remoue
Where as I stode I was so take certayne
Yet vp I loked to se her agayne
And at auenture with a sory moode
Vp than I went where as her persone stoode

And fyrst of all my herte gan to lerne
Ryght well to regyster in remembraunce
How that her beaute I myght than decerne
Frome toppe to too endued with pleasaunce

146

Whiche I shall shewe withouten varyaunce
Her shynynge here so proprely she dresses
Alofe her forhede with fayre golden tresses

Her forhede stepe with fayre browes ybente
Her eyen gray / her nose strayght and fayre
In her whyte chekes the fayre blode it wente
As amonge the whyte the reed to repayre
Her mouthe ryght small her brethe swete of ayre
Her lyppes softe and rudy as a rose
No herte on lyue but it wolde hym oppose

With a lytell pytte in her well fauoured chynne
Her necke longe and whyte as ony lyly
With vaynes blewe in whiche the blode rāne inne
Her pappes rounde / and therto ryght praty
Her armes sclender / and of goodly body
Her fyngers small / and therto ryght longe
Whyte as the mylke with blewe vaynes amonge

Her feet propre she gartred well her hose
I neuer sawe so swete a creature
Nothynge she lacketh as I do suppose
That is longynge to fayre dame nature
Yet more ouer her countenaunce so pure
So swete / so louely wolde ony herte enspyre
With feruente loue to attayne his desyre

But what for her maners passeth all
She is bothe gentyll good vertuous
Alas what fortune dyde me to her call
Without that she be to me pyteous
With her so fetred in paynes dolourous

147

Alas shall pyte be frome her exyled
Whiche all vertues hath so vndefyled

Thus in my mynde whan I had engraued
Her goodly countenaunce and fayre fygure
It was no wonder that I was amased
My herte and mynde she had so tane in cure
Nothynge of loue I durst to her dyscure
Yet for bycause I was in her presence
I toke acquayntaunce of her excellence

My herte was drenched in grete sorowe depe
Though outwardly my countenaunce was lyght
The inwarde wo in to my herte dyde crepe
To hyde my payne it was grete force and myght
Thus her swete beaute with a sodayne syght
My herte hath wounded whiche must nedes obeye
Vnto suche a sorowe now alas welawaye

For she is gone and departed ryght ferre
In her countre where she doth abyde
She is now gone the fayre shynynge sterre
O lady Venus I pray the prouyde
That I may after at the morowe tyde
And by the waye with herte ryght rygoryous
To subdue myn enemyes contraryous

And yet thy grace moost humbly I praye
To fende thy sone lytell Cupyde before
With louynge letters as fast as thou maye
That she may knowe some what of paynes sore
Whiche for her sake I suffre euermore
Now lady Venus with my hole entente

148

Of lyfe or dethe I byde thy Iugement

Well than sayd Venus I haue perseueraunce
That you knowe somwhat of myghty power
Whiche to my courte sue for acquayntaunce
To haue release of your grete paynes sower
Abyde a whyle ye must tary the hower
The tyme renneth towarde ryght fast
Ioy cometh after whan the sorowe is past

Alas I sayd who is fettred in chaynes
He thynketh longe after delyueracyon
Of his grete wo and eke mortall paynes
For who abydeth paynfull penaunce
Thynketh a shorte whyle a longe contynuaunce
Who may not speke with her he loueth beste
It is no wonder thoughe he take no reste

Abyde quod she you must a whyle yet tary
Though to haue comforte ye ryght longe do thynke
I shall prouyde for you a lectuary
Whiche after sorowe into your herte shall synke
Though you be brought now vnto dethes brynke
Yet drede exyle and lyue in hope and trust
For at the last you shall attayne your lust

And specyally I gyue to you a charge
To fyxe your loue for to be true and stable
Vpon your lady and not to fle at large
As in sundry wyse for to be varyable
In corrupte thoughtes vyle and culpable
Prepence nothynge vnto her dyshoneste
For loue dyshonest hath no certaynte

149

And sythen that I was cause you begone
Fyrst for to loue I shall a letter make
Vnto your lady / and sende it by my sone
Lytell Cupyde / that shall it to her take
That she your sorowe may detray or slake
Her harded herte it shall well reuolue
With pyteous wordes that shall it desolue

And ryght anone as the maner foloweth
She caused sapyence a letter to wryte
Lo what her fauoure vnto me auayleth
Whan for my sake she dyde so well endyte
As I shall shewe in a shorte respyte
The gentyll fourme and tenoure of her letter
To spede my cause for to attayne the better.

XXXI. The copy of the letter. Ca. xxxi.

Right gentyll herte of grene flourynge age
The sterre of beaute and of famous porte
Consyder well that your lusty courage
Age of his cours must at the last transporte
Now trouth of ryght dooth our selfe exorte
That you your youth in ydlenes wyll spende
Withouten pleasure to brynge it to an ende

What was the cause of your creacyon
But man to loue the worlde to multeply
As to sowe the sede of generacyon
With feruent loue so well conuenyently
The cause of loue engendreth perfytely
Vpon an entente of dame Nature
Whiche you haue made so fayre a creature

Than of dame nature what is the entent

150

But to accomplysshe her fayre sede to sowe
In suche a place as is conuenyent
To goddes pleasure for to encrease and growe
The kynde of her ye may not ouerthrowe
Say what ye lyst ye can nothynge deny
But otherwyle ye thynke full pryuely

What the man is and what he can do
Of chambre werke as nature wyll agre
Though by experyence ye knowe nothynge therto
Yet ofte ye muse and thynke what it may be
Nature prouoketh of her stronge degre
You so to as hath ben her olde guyse
Why well you than the true loue dyspyse

In your courte there is a byll presented
By graunde amoure whose herte in dures
You fast haue fettred not to be absented
Frome your persone with mortall heuynes
His herte and seruyce with all gentylnes
He to you oweth as to be obedyent
For to fulfyll your swete commaundement

What you auayleth your beaute so fayre
Your lusty youthe and gentyll countenaunce
Without that you in your mynde wyll repayre
It for to spende in Ioye and pleasaunce
To folowe the trace of dame natures daunce
And thus in doynge you shall your seruaunt hele
Of his dysease / and hurte you neuer adele

One must you loue it can not be denyed
For harde it is to voyde you of the chaunce

151

Than loue hym best that you haue so arayed
With fyry chaynes fettred in penaunce
For he is redy without doubtaunce
In euery thynge sor to fulfyll your wyll
And as ye lyst ye may hym saue or spyll

Alas what payne and mortall wo
Were it to you / and ye were in lyke cace
With hym dysmayde whiche you haue rayed so
Wolde you not than thynke it a longe space
In his swete herte to haue a dwellynge place
Than in your mynde ye may reuolue that he
Moost longe do thynke that Ioyfull day to se

Is not he yonge bothe wyse and lusty
And eke descended of the gentyll lyne
What wyll you more haue of hym truly
Than you to serue as true loue wyll enclyne
But as I thynke you do now determyne
To fyxe your mynde for worldly treasure
Though in your youth ye lese your pleasure

Alas remembre fyrst your beaute
Your youthe / your courage / and your tender herte
What payne here after it may to you be
Whan you lacke that whiche is true louers deserte
I tell you this your selfe to conuerte
For lytell knowe ye of this payne ywys
To lyue with hym in whome no pleasure is

Where that is loue there can be no lacke
Fye on that loue for the lande or substaunce
For it must nedes ryght soone abacke

152

Whan that youth hath no Ioy nor pleasaunce
In the party with natures suffycysaunce
Than wyll you for the synne of aueryche
Vnto your youth do suche a preiudyce

Thus sythen nature hath you well endued
With so moche beaute / and dame grace also
Your vertuous maners hath so moche renued
Exyle dysdayne and let her frome you go
And also straungenes vnto loue the fo
And let no couetyse your true herte subdue
But that in Ioye ye may your youthe ensue

For of I loue the goddes dame Venus
Ryght well to knowe that in the worlde is none
That vnto you shall be more Ioyous
Than graunde amoure that loueth you alone
Syth he so dyde it is many dayes agone
Who euer sawe a fayre yonge herte so harde
Whiche for her sake wolde se her true loue marde

And so shall he without ye take good hede
Yf he so be / ye be cause of the same
For loue with dethe wyll ye rewarde his mede
And yf ye do ye be to moche to blame
To loue vnloued ye knowe it is no game
Wherfore me thynke ye can do no lesse
But with your loue his paynes to redresse

Yf ye do not this may be his songe
Wo worthe the tyme that euer he you met
Wo worthe your herte so doynge hym wronge
Wo worthe the houre that his true herte was set

153

Wo worthe dysdayne that wolde his purpose let
Wo worthe the floure that can do no bote
Wo worthe you that perst hym at the rote

Wo worthe my loue the cause of my sorowe
Wo worthe my lady that wyll not it releace
Wo worthe fortune bothe euen and morowe
Wo worthe trouble that shall haue no peace
Wo worthe cruelte that may neuer sease
Wo worthe youthe that wyll no pyte haue
Wo worthe her that wyll not her loue saue

Wo worthe the truste without assuraunce
Wo worthe loue rewarded with hate
Wo worthe loue replete with varyaunce
Wo worthe loue without a frendely mate
Wo worthe the herte with loue at debate
Wo worthe the beaute whiche toke me in snare
Wo worthe her that wyll not cease my care

Wo worthe her maners and her goodlynes
Wo worthe her eyes so clere and amyable
Wo worthe suche cause of my grete sekenes
Wo worthe pyte on her not tendable
Wo worthe her mynde in dysdayne so stable
Wo worthe her that hath me fettred faste
And wo worthe loue that I do spende in waste

Wherfore of ryght I pray you to remembre
All that I wryte vnto you ryght nowe
How your true loue is of aege but tendre
His humble seruyce we pray you alowe
And he hym selfe shall euermore enprowe

154

You for to please and gyue the foueraynte
How can you haue a more true loue than he

And fare ye well there is no more to say
Vnder our sygnet in our courte ryall
Of Septembre the two and twenty day
She closed the letter and to her dyde call
Cupyde her sone so dere and specyall
Commaundynge hym as fast as he myght
To labell pucell for to take his flyght

So dyde Cupyde with the letter flye
Vnto labell pucelles domynacyon
There that he spedde full well and wonderlye
As I shall after make relacyon
But to my mater with breuyacyon
A turtle I offred for to magnefye
Dame Venus hye estate to gloryfye

She me exorted for to be ryght hardy
Forthe on to trauayle and to drede nothynge
I toke my leue of her full humbly
And on my way as I was rydynge
This Godfrey gobylyue came rennynge
With his lytell nagge and cryed tary tary
For I wyll come and bere you company

XXXII. How Godfraye gobylyue was taken of correccyon & punysshed. Ca. xxxii.

And for bycause that I was than full sadde
And by the waye he made me good game
To haue his company I was somwhat gladde
I was not proude I toke of hym no shame
He came to me and sayd ye are to blame
So to ryde lourynge for a womans sake

155

Vnto the deuyll I do them all betake

They be not stedfast but chaunge as the mone
Whan one is gone they loue an other sone
Who that is syngle and wyll haue a wyfe
Ryght out of Ioye he shall be brought in stryfe.
Thus whan Godfrey dyde so mery make
There dyde a lady vs sone ouer take
And in her hande she had a knotted whyppe
At euery yerte she made Godfrey to skyppe
Alas he sayd that euer I was borne
Now am I take for all my mocke and scorne
I loked about whan that I herde hym crye

156

Seynge this lady on her palfray ryde hye
Madame I sayd I pray you me tell
Your propre name and where that ye dwell
My name quod she is called correccyon
And the toure of chastyse is my mancyon
This stronge these called false reporte
With vylayne courage and an other sorte
And vyle perlers false coniecture
All these I had in pryson full sure
But this false reporte hath broken pryson
With his subtyll crafte and euyll treason
And this Iourney pryuyly to spede
He hath cladde hym in this foles wede
Now haue I answered you your questyon
And I pray you of a lyke solucyon
You seme me thynke for to be a knyght
I pray you tell me fyrst your name a ryght
My name quod I is la graunde amoure
A well quod she you are the perfyte floure
Of all true louers as I do well knowe
You shall atteyne la belle pucell I trowe
I knowe ryght well ye are aduenturous
Onwarde your way to the toure peryllous
And for asmoche as the nyght is nere
I humbly pray you for to take the chere
That I may make you in my toure this nyght
It is here by you shall of it haue syght
And I pray you to helpe me to bynde
This false reporte as you sholde do by kynde
What Godfrey quod I wyll ye chaunge your name
Nay nay quod he it was for no shame
But alas for wo that she hath me taken
I must obey it can not be forsaken

157

His fete were fettred vnder nethe his nagge
And bounde his handes behynde to his bagge
Thus correccyon with her whyp dyde dryue
The lytell nagge with Godfrey gobylyue
Tyll at the last we gan to approche
Her ryall toure vpon a craggy roche
The nyght was come for it was ryght late
Yet ryght anone we came vnto the gate
Where we were lete in by dame mesure
That was a fayre and a goodly creature
And so correccyon brought me to the hall
Of gete well wrought glased with crystall
The rofe was golde and a myddes was sette
A carbuncle that was large and grette
Whose vertue clere in the hall so bryght
About dyde cast a grete meruaylous lyght
So forthe we wente in to a chambre fayre
Where many ladyes dyde them selfe repayre
And at our comynge than incontynent
They welcomed vs as was conuenyent
But of correccyon they were very gladde
Whiche false reporte agayne taken hadde
There was quene Panthasyle with penalape
Quene Helayne / and quene menalape
Quene Ithesyle and quene procerpyne
The lady Meduse and yonge Polyxyne
With many mo that I do not reherce
My tyme is shorte I must fro them reuerce
And dame correccyon into a chambre ledde
Me ryght anone for to go to my bedde
What nede I shewe of my grete chere and rest
I wanted nought but had all of the best
And so I slepte tyll that aurora clere

158

Began to shyne a myddes her golden spere
Than vp I rose and my verlet also
Whiche made me redy and to my stede dyde go
And dame correccyon at this morowe tyde
Dyde me entrete a whyle to abyde
And ryght anone my brekefast was brought
To make me chere there wanted ryght nought
And after this dame correccyon
Dyde lede me to a meruaylous dongeon
And fyrst she ledde me to the vpper warde
Where shamefastenes dyde vs well regarde
For he was Iayler and had at his charge
Euery rebell not for to go at large
In the fyrst warde there wente to and fro
Bothe men and women that myght no ferther go
But yet they hoped for to haue releue
Of theyr impryson whiche dyde them so greue
These prysoners whan true loue was meued
They wolde dryue of and not release the greued
And for this cause by egall Iugement
Lyke as they dyde here hath they punysshement
And shamefastnes lower dyde vs brynge
Where we sawe men that were in tormentynge
With many ladyes that theyr mouthes gagged
And fals reporte on me his heed wagged
Than ryght anone a lady gan to scrape
His furde tonge that he cryed lyke an ape
And vyle peller in lyke wyse also
His tonge was scraped that he suffred wo
And yet we wente in to a deper vale
Where I sawe men that were in grete bale
In holly busshes they dyde hange a lofte
Theyr hedes downewarde for to fall vnsofte

159

And two ladyes dyde theyr bodyes bete
With knotted whyppes in the flesshe to frete
That the desyre it sholde sone a swage
And specyally of the vylayne courage
These men with sugred mouthes so eloquente
A maydens herte coude ryght soone relēte
And these yonge maydens for to take in snare
They fayne grete wo and for to suffre care
The folysshe maydens dyde byleue they smarted
That to theyr wyll the men them conuerted
Thus whan that they had them so begyled
And with theyr fraude these maydens defyled
They cast them of they toke no lenger kepe
Go where ye lyst though they crye and wepe
Therfore these ladyes with theyr whyppes harde
Theyr bodyes bete that theyr bodyes hath marde
And euery man as he hath deserued
A payne there is whiche is for hym obserued
Thus whan I had all the pryson sene
With the tourmente of many a one I wene
And forthe we wente agayne to the hall
My stede was redy and brought to the wall
And of the ladyes clere in excellence
I toke my leue with all due reuerence
And thanked correccyon with my herte entere
Of my repose and of her louynge chere
To me she sayd remembre you well
Of the swete beaute of Labelle pucell
Whan you her herte in fettres haue chayned
Lete her haue yours in lyke wyse retayned
Loke that your herte / your worde / and countenaunce
Agre all in one withouten varyaunce
Yf she for pyte do release your payne

160

Consyder it and loue her best agayne
Be true and secrete and make none aduaunte
Whan you of loue haue a perfyte graunte
And yf ye wyll come vnto your wyll
Bothe here and se and than holde you styll
Drede you nothynge but take a good herte
For ryght soone after you frome hens departe
Ryght hygh aduentures vnto you shall fall
In tyme of fyght vnto your mynde than call
Yf you preuayle you shall attayne the fame
Of hye honoure to certefye the same
And therwith I lyght vpon my stede
Madame I sayd I pray god do you mede
Fare well she sayd for you must now hens
Adue quod I with all my dylygens.

161

XXXIII. How graunde amoure dyscomfyted the gyaunt with thre hedes & was receyued of thre fayre ladyes. Ca. xxxiij.

Whan golden Phebus in the Caprycorne
Gan to ascende fast vnto aquary
And Ianus byfrus ye crowne had worne
With his frosty berde in Ianuary
Whan clere Dyana Ioyned with mercury
The crystyall ayre and asured fyrmamente
Were all depured without encumbremente

Forthe than I rode at myne owne aduenture
Ouer the mountaynes and the craggy rockes
To beholde the countrees I had grete pleasure
Where corall growed by ryght hye stockes
And the popyngayes in the tre toppes

162

Than as I rode I sawe me beforne
Besyde a welle hange bothe a shelde and a horne

Whan I came there / adowne my stede I lyght
And the fayre bugle I ryght well behelde
Blasynge the armes as well as I myghte
That was so grauen vpon the goodly shelde
Fyrst all of syluer dyde appere the felde
With a rampynge lyon of fyne golde so pure
And vnder the shelde there was this scrypture

Yf ony knyght that is aduenturous
Of his grete pryde dare the bugle blowe
There is a gyaunte bothe fyerce and rygoryous
That with his myght shall hym soone ouerthrowe
This is the waye as ye shall now knowe
To la belle pucell but withouten fayle
The sturdy gyaunte wyll gyue you batayle

Whan I the scrypture ones or twyes hadde redde
And knewe therof all the hole effecte
I blewe the horne without ony drede
And toke good herte all fere to abiecte
Makynge me redy for I dyde suspecte
That the grete gyaunte vnto me wolde hast
Whan he had herde me blowe so loude a blast

I alyght anone vpon my gentyll stede
Aboute the well then I rode to and fro
And thought ryght well vpon the Ioyfull mede
That I sholde haue after my payne and wo
And of my lady I dyde thynke also
Tyll at the last my varlet dyde me tell

163

Take hede quod he here is a fende of hell

My greyhoundes leped and my stede dyde sterte
My spere I toke and dyde loke aboute
With hardy courage I dyde arme my herte
At last I fawe a sturdy gyaunte stoute
Twelue fote of length to fere a grete route
Thre hedes he had and he armed was
Bothe hedes and boody all aboute with bras

Vpon his fyrst hede in his helmet creest
There stode a fane of the sylke so fyne
Where was wryten with letters of the best
My name is falshed I shall cause enclyne
Myn neyghboures goodes for to make them myne
Alwaye I gete theyr lande or substaunce
With subtyll fraude deceyte or varyaunce

And whan a knyght with noble chyualry
Of la belle pucell sholde attayne the grace
With my grete falshed I werke so subtylly
That in her herte she hath no dwellynge place
Thus of his purpose I do lete the cace
This is my power and my condycyon
Loue to remoue by a grete yllusyon

And of the seconde hede in a sylken tassell
There I sawe wryten ymagynacyon
My crafty wytte is withouten fayle
Loue for to brynge in perturbacyon
Where la belle pucell wolde haue affeccyon
To graunde amoure I shall a tale deuyse
To make her hate hym and hym to despyse

164

By my fals wytte so moche ymagynatyfe
The trouthe full ofte I brynge in dysease
Where as was peas I cause to be stryfe
I wyll suffre no man for to lyue in ease
For yf by fortune he wyll be dysplease
I shall of hym ymagyn suche a tale
That out of Ioy it shall torne in to bale

And on the thyrde hede in a stremer grene
There was wryten my name is pariury
In many a towne I am knowen as I wene
Where as I lyst I do grete Iniury
And do forswere my selfe full wrongfully
Of all thynges I do hate conscyence
But I loue lucre with all dylygence

Betwene two louers I do make debate
I wyll so swere that they thynke I am true
For euer falshed with his owne estate
To a lady cometh and sayth to eschewe
An inconuenyence that ye do not rue
Your loue is nought ymagynacyon knoweth
I swere in lykewyse and anone she troweth

That we haue sayd is of veray trouthe
Her loue she casteth ryght clene out of mynde
That with her loue she is wonderly wrothe
With fayned kyndnes we do her so blynde
Than to her louer she is full vnkynde
Thus our thre powers were Ioyned in one
In this myghty gyaunt many dayes a gone

And whan that I had seen euery thynge

165

My spere I charged that was veray grette
And to this gyaunt so fyersly comynge
I toke my course that I with hym mette
Brekynge my spere vpon his fyrst helmet
And ryght anone adowne my stede I lyght
Drawȳge my swerde that was fayre and bryght

Yclypped Claraprudence that was fayre and sure
At the gyaunte I stroke with all my valyaunce
But he my strokes myght ryght well endure
He was so grete and huge of puysaunce
His glayue he dyde agaynst me aduaunce
Whiche was .iiij. fote and more of cuttynge
And as he was his stroke dyschargynge

Bycause his stroke was heuy to bere
I lepte a syde frome hym full quyckely
And to hym I ranne without ony fere
Whan he had dyscharged agayne full lyghtly
He rored loude and sware I sholde abye
But what for that I stroke at hym fast
And he at me but I was not agast

But as he faught he had a vauntage
He was ryght hye and I vnder hym lowe
Tyll at the last with lusty courage
Vpon the syde I gaue hym suche a blowe
That I ryght nere dyde hym ouerthrowe
But ryght anone he dyde his myght enlarge
That vpon me he dyde suche strokes dyscharge

That I vnneth myght make resystence
Agaynst his power for he was so stronge

166

I dyde defende me agaynst his vyolence
And thus the batayle dured full ryght longe
Yet euermore I dyde thynke amonge
Of la belle pucell whome I sholde attayne
After my batayles to release my payne

And as I loked I sawe than auale
Fayre golden Phebus with his beames rede
Than vp my courage I began to hale
Whiche nyghe before was agone and dede
My swerde so entred that the gyaunt blede
And with my strokes I cut of anone
One of his legges amyddes the thye bone

Than to the grounde he adowne dyde fall
And vpon me he gan to loure and glum
Enforcynge hym so for to ryse with all
But that I shortely vnto hym dyde cum
With his thre hedes he spytte all his venum
And I with my swerde as fast as coude be
With all my force cut of his hedes thre

Whan I had so obtayned the vyctory
Vnto me than my varlet well sayd
You haue demeaned you well and worthely
My greyhoundes lepte and my stede than brayde
And than frome ferre I sawe well arayde
To me come rydynge thre ladyes ryght swete
Forthe than I rode and dyde with them mete

The fyrst of them was called veryte
And the seconde good operacyon
The thyrde also clypped fydelyte

167

All they at ones with good opynyon
Dyde gyue to me grete laudacyon
And me beseched with theyr herte entere
With them to rest and to make good chere

I graunted them and than backewarde we rode
The myghty gyaunte to se and beholde
Whose huge body was more than fyue carte lode
Whiche lay there bledynge that was almoost colde
They for his dethe dyde thanke me many a folde
For he to them was enmy mortall
Wherfore his thre hedes they toke in specyall

And than veryte on the fyrst fane
Dyde sette a lofte of falshode the hede
And good operacyon in lykewyse had tane
Of ymagynacyon that full sore than bledde
Vpon his hede alofte vpon his baner rede
And in lyke wyse fydelyte had serued
Periuryes hede as he had well deserued

And with swete songes and swete armony
Before me they rode to theyr fayre castel!
So forthe I rode with grete Ioy and glory
Vnto the place where these ladyes dyde dwell
Sette on rocke besyde a sprynge or a well
And fayre obseruaunce the goodly portres
Dyde vs receyue with solempne gladnes

Than to a chambre that was very bryght
They dyde me lede for to take myn ease
After my trouble and my grete sturdy fyght
But thre woundes I had causynge my dysease

168

My payne and wo they dyde soone appease
And heled my woundes with salue aromatyke
Tellynge me of a grete gyaunt lunatyke

Whose name truely was called varyaunce
Whome I sholde mete after my departynge
These ladyes vnto me dyde grete pleasaunce
And in meane whyle as we were talkynge
For me my souper was in ordenynge
Thus whan by temperunce it was prepared
And than to it we wente and ryght well fared

Tell me quod veryte yf you be content
What is your name so hye aduenturous
And who that you in to this coste hath sent
Madame I sayd I was so amorous
Of la belle pucell so fayre and beauteuous
La graunde amoure truely is my name
Whiche seke aduentures to attayne the fame

Aha quod she I thought asmoche before
That you were he for your grete hardynes
La belle pucell must loue you euermore
Whiche for her sake in your hye nobles
Dooth suche actes by chyualrous exces
Her gentyll herte may nothynge deny
To rewarde your mede with loue full feruently

Thus dyde we passe tyme in all maner of Ioye
I lacketh nothynge that myght make me solace
But euermore as noble Troylus of Troye
Full ofte I thought on my fayre ladyes face
And her to se / a moche lenger space

169

Whan tyme was come to rest I was brought
All to me longynge there lacked ryght nought

What sholde I wade by perambulucyon
My tyme is shorte and I haue ferre to sayle
Vnto the lande of my conclusyon
The wynde is eest ryght slowe without fayle
To blowe my shyppe of dylygent trauayle
To the laste ende of my mater troublous
With wawes enclosed so tempestyous

Ryght in the morowe whan Aurora clere
Her radyaunt beames began for to sprede
And splendent Phebus in his golden spere
The crystall ayre dyde make fayre and rede
Derke Dyane declynynge pale as ony lede
Whan the lytell byrdes swetely dyde synge
Laudes to theyr maker erly in the mornynge

XXXIII. How he mette with Perceyueraunce / & reposed hyz in the manoyr place of dame comforte. Ca. xxxiij.

Vp I arose and dyde make me redy
For I thought longe vnto my iourneys ende
My greyhoundes lepte on me ryght meryly
To chere me forwarde they dyde condyscende
And the thre ladyes my chere to amende
A good brekefast dyde for me ordayne
They were ryght gladde the gyaunt was slayne

I toke my leue and on my way I rode
Thorrugh the wodes and on rokkes hye
I loked about and on the hyll abode
Tyll in the vale I sawe full hastely
To me come rydynge a lady sykerly
I well behelde the hye way so vsed

170

But of this lady ryght often I mused

Tyll at the last we dyde mete to gyder
Madame I sayd the hye god you saue
She thanked me and dyde axe me wheder
That I so rode and what I wolde haue
Truly quod I nothynge ellys I craue
Of the hye god but to be so fortunate
La belle pucelle to haue to my mate

What is your name than sayd she
La grounde amoure forsothe madame quod I
Than was she glad as ony one myghte be
And sayd she was sente fro myn owne lady
Tydynges I sayd I pray you hertely
Your lady quod she is in perfyte helthe
And wolde be gladde to here of your welthe

She promysed you in a gardyn grene
To loue you best of ony creature
So dooth she yet as I thynke and wene
Though that dysdayne brought her to her lure
But of her herte nowe you shall be sure
Be of good chere and for nothynge dysmaye
I spake with her but now this other daye

And she my selfe vnto you hath sente
My name is called dame Perceueraunce
A lytell before that I frome her wente
To her came Cupyde with grete cyrcumstaunce
And brought a letter of Venus ordenaunce
Whiche vnto her he dyde anone presente
Whan she it redde and knewe the entente

171

All inwardly full wonderly dysmayed
Withouten worde she dyde stonde ryght styll
Her harded herte was full well declayed
What for to do she knewe not good or yll
You for to helpe or lete you so spyll
Dysdayne and straungenes dyde stonde then therby
Seynge her countenaunce they gan to drawe ny

Madame quod they why are you so sadde
Alas quod she it is no meruayle why
Ryght nowe of Cupyde a letter I hadde
Sent fro Venus full ryght merueylously
By whiche I haue perceyued vtterly
That a yonge knyght called graunde amoure
Dooth for my sake suffre suche doloure

That of constraynte of wofull heuynes
He is nere deed all only for my sake
Shall he now dye or shall I hym reles
Of his grete wo and to my mercy take
Abyde quod straungenes and your sorowe slake
Haue you hym sene in ony tyme before
Yes yes quod she that doth my wo restore

At pentycost nowe many dayes agone
Musyke to here at grete solempnyte
To and fro he walked hym selfe all alone
In a grete temple of olde antyquyte
Tyll that by fortune he had aspyed me
And ryghte anone or that I was ware
To me he came I knewe nought of his care

He semyd gentyll his maners ryght good

172

I behelde ryght well all his condycyon
Humble of chere and of goodly mode
But I thought nothynge of his afflyccyon
But his hauoyr shewed the occasyon
Of seruente loue as than in myn entente
I ofte dyde deme and gyue a Iugemente

So after this I dyde than sone departe
Home to my countree where I dyde abyde
Whan I was gone full heuy was his herte
As Cupyde sayth I must for hym prouyde
A gentyll remedy at this sodayne tyde
And for my sake he is aduenturous
To subdue myn enmyes contraryous

A quod dysdayne knowe ye his substaunce
Why wyll you loue suche a one as he
Though he seme gentyll and of good gouernaunce
You shall haue one of ferre hyer degre
He is nothynge mete as it semeth me
To be your fere your fauoure to attayne
What is it to you though he suffre payne

Coude your selfe lete his eyen to haue a syght
Of your beaute or his herte to be sette
What skylleth you though that he dye this nyght
You called hym not whan he with you mette
And he wyll loue you / ye can not hym lette
Be as be may ye shall haue myn assente
Hym for to forsake as is moost expedyente

Alas madame than sayd dame straungenes
Whan he cometh hyder your courage abate

173

Loke hye vpon hym be ware of mekenes
And thynke that you shall haue an hye astate
Lete not graunde amoure say to you chekmate
Be straunge vnto hym as ye knowe nothynge
The perfyte cause of his true comynge

And in meane whyle came to her presence
Dame peas and mercy and to her they sayde
Alas madame consyder your excellence
And how your beaute hath hym so arayed
Yf thou haue hym ye may be well apayed
And doubte thou not yf that ye loue for loue
God wyll sende ryches to come to your aboue

Wyll you for loue lete hym dye or perysshe
Whiche loueth you so with seruente desyre
And you your selfe may his sorow mynysshe
That with your beaute set his herte a fyre
Your swete lokes dyde his herte enspyre
That of fyne force he must to you obey
To lyue or dye there is no more to say

Alas quod pease wyll ye lete hym endure
In mortall payne withouten remedy
Sythen his herte you haue so tane in cure
Your hasty dome loke that ye modefy
Exyle dysdayne and straungenes shortely
And sende perceueraunce as fast as ye may
To comforte hym in his troublous Iourney

Than in her mynde she gan to reuolue
The louynge wordes of mercy and peace
Her hardy herte she gan for to dyssolue

174

And inwardly she dyde to me releace
Her perfyte loue my grete payne to ceace
And dyde exyle than frome her to wyldernes
Bothe dame dysdayne and eke dame straungenes

And dyde me sende to you incontynent
With this goodly shelde that ye sholde it were
For her swete sake as is conuenyent
It is sure ye shall not nede to fere
The stroke of swerde or yet the grate of spere
She prayeth you for to be of good chere
Aboue all men ye are to her moost dere

Now sayd perceueraunce I pray you repose
This longe nyght with my cosyn comforte
A gentyll lady as ony may suppose
She can you tell and also well exorte
Of la belle pucell with a true reporte
I thanked her of her grete goodnes
And so we rode with Ioye and gladnes

Tyll that we came vnto a manoyr place
Moted aboute vnder a wood syde
Alyght she sayd for by ryght longe space
In payne and wo you dyde euer abyde
After an ebbe there cometh a flowynge tyde
So downe I lyght frome my goodly stede
After my payne to haue rest for my mede

Than dame perceueraunce on the way me ledde
In to the place where dyde vs gentylly mete
The lady comforte without ony dredde
With countenaunce that was demure and swete

175

In goodly maner she dyde vs than grete
Ledynge vs to a chambre precyous
Dulcet of odoure and moost solacyous

And preuely she axed a questyon
Of perceueraunce what I called was
La graunde amoure without abusyon
Cosyn quod she he dooth all louers pas
Lyke as dooth Phebus in the pured glas
So dooth his dedes extoll the soueraynte
Of the derke gyauntes by hye auctoryte

Whan she it knewe she was of me ryght fayne
Nothynge I lacked that was to my pleasaunce
After my trauayle and my wofull payne
Good meet and drynke I had to sustenaunce
We sate togyder by longe contynuaunce
But euermore comforte gaue exortacyon
To me of pacyence in trybulacyon

Thynke well quod she that in the worlde is none
Whiche can haue pleasure without wo and care
Ioye cometh after whan the payne is gone
Was neuer man that was deuoyde or bare
Alway of Ioye after his wofull snare
Who knoweth payne and hath ben in trouble
After his wo his Ioye is to hym double

It may so fortune that la belle pucell
Hath dyuers frendes that be not contente
That her fauour ye sholde attayne so well
For you of them she may often be shente

176

But what for that she shall not her repente
And yf her frendes be with you angry
Suffre theyr wordes and take it pacyently

Agaynst theyr yll do vnto theym good
Theym for to please be alwaye dylygente
So shall you swage the tempestyous flood
Of theyr stormy myndes so impacyente
And inwardly they shall theym selfe repente
That they to you haue contraryous
In suche fyry angry hote and furyous

Thus by your wysdome ye shall them so wynne
Vnto your frendes that dyde you so hate
For it is reason you sholde obey youre kynne
As by obedyence bothe erly and late
Make theym your frendes withoute the debate
For euermore the spyryte of pacyence
Doth ouercome the angry vyolence

Be hardy bolde and also couragyous
For after that ye be gone frome hence
You shall mete with a gyaunte rygoryous
Hauynge seuen hedes of yll experyence
You shall subdue hym with your prudence
And other aduētures shall vnto you fall
Whiche fame shall cause to be memoryall

Whan it was tyme I was brought to bedde
So all the longe nyght I endured in rest
With suche a slouthe I taken was my hedde
That my softe pylowe I founde a good gest
For longe before I was so opprest
With inwarde trouble that I myght not slepe

177

But ofte wake and fygh with teres depe.

XXXV. How he vaynquysshed a gyaunt / with seuen heedes and was receyued of .vii. ladyes. ca. xxxv.

Whan mornynge cam vp anone I rose
And armed me as fast as I myght
Forthe for to trauayle vnto my purpose
I toke my leue and on my stede I lyght
Thankyng dame cōforte of her yt nyght
Se with perseueraunce in my company
Forthe on the waye we rode full merely

Ouer the hethe tyll we sawe frome ferre
A ryall castell ryhgt strongly fortefyed
Bulwerke aboute accustomed for warre

178

On a craggy roche it was so edyfyed
Walled with gete so clerely puryfyed
To whiche we rode and drewe nere and nere
Tyll in our syght dyde openly apere

A myghty gyaunt .xv. fote of length
With hedes seuen and armed full sure
He semed well to be a man of strength
Than quod perceraunce ye must put in vre
This daye your power in honoure to endure
Agaynst this gyaunt your mortall enemy
Be of good chere you shall haue vyctory

Besyde this gyaunt vpon euery tre
I dyde se hange many a goodly shelde
Of noble knyghtes that were of hye degre
Whiche he had slayne and murdred in the felde
Frome ferre this gyaunt I ryght well behelde
And towarde hym as I rode my way
On his fyrst hede I sawe a baner gay

Wherin was wryten dyssymulacyon
Whose nature false is full of flatery
That vnder a fayned commendacyon
Can cloke a mocke and fraude full subtylly
So dooth he loue deceyue ofte pryuely
For the blynde loue dooth perceyue ryght nought
That vnder hony the poyson is wrought

And the seconde hede was a baner blewe
In whiche was wryten in letters ryght whyte
Delay my name is that can longe eschewe
A true louer with my fatall respyte

179

That loue for loue shall not hym acquyte
For euermore I lye ofte in awayte
Loue to delay and caste hym frome consayte

On the thyrde heed in a baner square
All of reed was wryten dyscomforte
Causynge a louer for to drowne in care
That he of loue shall haue no reporte
But lokes hye his herte to transporte
And I my selfe shall hym so assayle
That he in loue shall nothynge preuayle

On the fourthe heed on the helmet creste
There was a stremer ryght whyte large and longe
Where on was wryten with byse of the beste
My name is varyaunce that euer amonge
The mynde of loue dooth chaunge with grete wronge
That a true louer can not be certayne
Loue for his mede ryght stedfast to retayne

And yet a lofte on the fyfte helmet
In a blacke baner was wryten enuy
Whose herte euer inwardly is fret
Whan graunde amoure sholde attayne his lady
He museth ofte in hym selfe inwardly
To let the lady for to sette her herte
On graund amoure for to release his smerte

In a russet baner on the .vj. hede
There was wryten this worde detraccyon
That can open in a couerte stede
His subtyll male replete with treason
To cause a lady to haue suspeccyon

180

Vnto her true louer with his bytter tale
That she her loue frome hym than dyde hale

On the .vij. hede in a baner of ryches
Was wryten with letters all of grewe
My name truely is called doublenes
Whiche I do owe vnto all ladyes trewe
At a tyme vnware my dette shall be dewe
To graunde amoure for to make hym repente
That he his loue on la belle pucell spente

Whan in my mynde I had well agregate
Euery thynge that I in hym had sene
Bothe of his heed and of his hye estate
I called for helpe vnto the heuen quene
The day was fayre the sonne was bryghte and shene
Besyde a ryuer and a craggy roche
This gyaunt was whiche spyed me approche

He hurtled aboute and kest his shelde afore
And toke his axe of myghty fortytude
That was of length .xx. fote and more
Whiche he had vsed by longe consuetude
To daunce true louers and theyr power exclude
I toke my spere and dyde it well charge
And with hardynes I made my force enlarge

I toke my course and to the gyaunte ranne
On his seconde hede brekynge than a sonder
My myghty spere that he to rore beganne
With so bace a crye that I had grete wonder
His seuen hedes so rored lyke the thonder
Ryght frome my stede I lyght to the grounde

181

And drewe clara prudence that was hole and founde

The myghty gyaunte his axe dyde vplyfte
Vpon my hede that the stroke sholde fall
But I of hym was full ware and swyfte
I lepte a syde so that the stroke withall
In the grounde lyghted besyde a stone wall
Thre fote and more / and anone than I
Dyde lepe vnto hym strykynge full quyckly

But aboue me he had suche altytude
That I at hym coude haue no full stroke
He stroke at me with many strokes rude
And called me boye and gaue me many a mocke
At the last he sayd I shall gyue the a knocke
That with thy braynes I shall the trees depaynte
Abyde quod I thou shalte be fyrst full faynte

And ryght anone I by me espyed
On the rockes syde .xij. steppes full sure
And than ryght fast I vpon theym hyed
That we were bothe aboute one stature
My strength I doubled and put so in vre
The grete strokes that I cut of anone
Syxe of his hedes leuynge hym but one

Whan he felte hymselfe hurte so greuously
He stretched hym vp and lyfte his axe a lofte
Strykynge at me with strokes wonderly
But I full swyftely dyde gyue backe full ofte
For to deuoyde his grete strokes vnsofte
Whan he sawe this he thought hym forlore
With a hydeous voyce he began to tore

182

The batayle dured bytwene vs ryght longe
Tyll I sawe Phebus declynynge full lowe
I auaunced my swerde that was sure and stronge
And with my myghte I gaue hym suche a blowe
On his seuen hedes that he dyde ouerthrowe
Whan he was downe he gan to crye and yell
Full lyke a serpente or a fende of hell

Whan I sawe this as fast as myghte be
Adowne I came and dyde then vnlace
His seuenth helmet ryght ryche for to se
And hym beheded in a ryght shorte space
And than full soone there came to the place
Perseueraunce and my varlet also
Alas they sayde we were for you ryght wo

But we were glad whan ye had forsaken
The lowe vale and vp the craggy fayre
For your aduauntage the hye waye had taken
Thus as we talked we dyde se ladyes fayre
Seuen in nombre that were debonaryre
Vpon whyte palfreys eche of them dyde ryde
To vs ryght gentylly frome the castell syde

The fyrst of them was named Stedfastnes
And the seconde amerous purueyaunce
The thyrde was Ioye after grete heuynes
The .iiij. of them was dame contynuaunce
And the .v. of them called dame pleasaunce
The .vj. was called reporte famous
The seuenthe amyte to louers dolourous

And ryght anone with all humylyte

183

They lyghte adowne and than incontynente
Eche after other they came vnto me
I kyssed them with all my hole entente
Hayle knyght they sayde so clere and excellente
Whiche of this gyaunte our hydeous enemy
So worthely hath wonne the vyctory

Ladyes he sayd I am moche vnworthy
So to accepte your grete prayse and fame
They prayed me to kepe them company
I wyll quod I or elles I were to blame
They prayed me to shewe them my name
La graunde amoure it is I sayde in dede
And than sayde they no wonder though ye spede

No doubte it is but ye shall obtayne
La belle pucell so ryght fayre and clere
We were with her exyled by dysdayne
And thenne besyeged in this castell here
With this grete gyaunte more than a hole yere
And you this nyght and it do you please
In this poore castell shall take your ease

I thanked them and so I rode anone
In to the castell of olde foundacyon
Walled aboute with the blacke touche stone
I toke there than my recreacyon
Amonge these ladyes with commendacyon
And whan tyme came that they thought best
To a ryall bedde I was broughte to rest

After my wery and troublous trauayle
I toke myn ease tyll that it was day

184

Than vp I rose withoute ony fayle
And made me redy for to ryde my waye
But than anone into the chaumbre gaye
The seuen ladyes came with perseueraunce
Sayenge they wolde gyue me attendaunce

And brynge me to la belle pucell
Where that she is in her courte ryall
And lykewyse as Phebus doth hye excell
In bryghtnes truely the fayre sterres all
So in beaute and vertue specyall
She dothe excede ony erthely creature
That is nowe made by fayre dame Nature

We brake our fast and we made vs redy
To la belle pucelle on our waye to ryde
My stede was brought I lepte vp shorthly
So dyde the ladyes they wolde nothynge abyde
Thus forthe we rode at the morowe tyde
Oute of the castell with all Ioye and pleasure
Forthe on our way at all aduenture.

185

XXXVI. How he made oblacyon to the goddes Pallas & sayled ouer the tempestous flode. ca. xxxvj.

So longe we rode ouer hyll and valey
Tyll that we came in to a wyldernes
On euery syde there wylde bestes lay
Ryght straunge and fyerse in sundry lykenes
It was a place of dyssolate derkenes
The ladyes and I were in fere and doubte
Tyll at the last that we were goten oute

Of the grete wood vpon a craggy roche
Whan clere Dyana in the scorpyon
Agaynst fayre Phebus began to approche
For to be at her hole opposycyon
We sawe frome ferre a goodly regyon
Where stode a palays hye and precyous
Beyonde an hauen full tempestyous

Than sayd perseueraunce beholde ye and se

186

Yonder is the palays gay and gloryous
Of labelle pucelles grete humylyte
A place of pleasure moost solacyous
But then we spyed a fende fallacyous
Beyonde the hauen at the sure entres
Blowynge out fyre by meruaylous wydnes

The fyre was grete it made the ylonde lyght
He rored loude it semed lyke the thonder
But as me thought he was of grete myght
To knowe his lykenes we were ferre asonder
But of the fyre we dyde often wonder
We axed perceueraunce what that it myght be
Alas quod she with fraude and subtylte

Of dame straungenes and of dame dysdayne
Whan la belle pucell dyde them so abiecte
Bycause that they myght not reuerte agayne
With mortall enuy they dyde then coniecte
To make a fende in lykewyse to deiecte
Syr graunde amour with the feruent fyre
Of euyll treason to lette his desyre

For dame dysdayne the crafty sorceres
With arte magyke hath wrought full craftely
Of the .vij. metalles a dragon doubtles
And dame straungenes by her nygromancy
Hath closed therin a fende ryght subtylly
That the fyre encenseth by grete outrage
But graunde amoure shall it well aswage

Benethe this roche there is well fortefyed
An olde temple to the laude and glory

187

Of wyse dame Pallas it was so edyfyed
We wyll ryde vnto it full lyghtly
And do oblacyon vnto her truely
She wyll vs tell by good experyence
How we may scape the brennynge vyolence

So to the temple of dame Pallas
Anone we rode and dyde lyght adowne
Of depured crystall her hole ymage was
The temple walles were ryght olde and browne
And than ryght soone before her hygh renowne
Prostrate we fell mekely to the grounde
And sodaynly we were caste in a swounde

Thus as we lay in a deedly chaunce
We thought to her we made petycyon
And all in englysshe with longe cyrcumstaunce
She shewed vs all the hole condycyon
Of the meruaylous serpentes operacyon
And dyde shewe vs a perfyte remedy
To withstande all the craft of sorcery

And in lykewyse as the maner foloweth
In depured verses of crafty eloquence
Euery thynge vnto vs she sheweth
And fyrst of all with all our dylygence
These verses we sayd vnto her excellence
But she with crafty verses eloquent
Gaue vs an answere full expedyent

Whan golden Phebus in the fyrst houre
Of his owne day began for to domyne

188

The sorceres the falce rote of doloure
All of golde that was so pure and fyne
Of the best made the hede serpentyne
And eke therof she dyde make his face
Full lyke a mayde it was a wonders cace

And euery oure as the planettes reyned
She made the serpente of theyr metalles seuen
Tyll she her purpose had fully attayned
And whan fyue bodyes aboue on the heuen
Wente retrograde meruaylously to neuen
With dyuers quartyls and the moone combust
In the dragons tayle to lette a louers lust

These cursed wytches dysdayne and straungenes
Made the monster of a subtyll kynde
To let my purpose and all my gladnes
But that dame pallas of her gentyll mynde
Of meruaylous herbes a remedy dyde fynde
And anone a boxe of meruaylous oyntemente
She toke to me to withstonde the serpente

Thus all esmeruayled we dyde than awake
And in my hande I had the oyntemente
Closed in a boxe of whiche I sholde take
To anoynte my harneys for the serpente
Whiche shall deuoyde his fyre so feruente
And my swerde also to cause to departe
Astroth the fende so sette with Magyckes arte.

189

Than whan the sonne with his bemes mery
Began to ryse in the fayre morowe graye
All about lyghtynge our emyspery
Exylynge mystes and derke cloudes awaye
And whan we sawe that it was bryght daye
Nere by the ryuage at the last we spyed
A goodly shyppe whiche vnto vs fast hyed

And ryght anone by the ryuage syde
She kest an anker and dyde vs than hayle
With a pele of gonnes at the morowe tyde
Her bonet she valed and gan to stryke sayle
She was ryght large of thre toppes withoute fayle
Her bote she made oute / and sente to the lande
What that we were to knowe and vnderstande

That so dyde walke by the ryuer cost

190

And with two ladyes we sodaynly met
So whan that they were come to vs almost
Frome theyr shyp bote curyously counterfet
Hayle knyghte they sayd now frome a lady gret
Called dame pacyence we are hyther sente
To knowe your name / and all the hole entente

What you make here and the ladyes all
Truely quod I ouer this stormy flode
We wolde haue passage now in specyall
Tary she sayde / it were to you not good
There is a serpente eull ryght fyerse and wode
On the other syde / whiche wyll you deuoure
Nay then quod I my name is graunde amoure

I haue dyscomfyted the gyauntes terryble
For la belle pucell the moost fayre lady
And for her sake shall be inuyncyble
Of this grete monster to haue the vyctory
You haue quod they demeaned you nobly
And we anone to our lady pacyence
Wyll gyue of you perfyte Intellygence

Thus they departed and to theyr bote they wente
And the ryall shyppe yclypped perfytnes
They dyde a borde and than incontynente
Vnto dame pacyence they gan to expres
My name / myn actes / and all my prowes
Ha ha quod she how gladde may I now be
Whiche in this place may hym bothe here and se

And in grete hast she made them rowe agayne
Towarde the lande with all due reuerence

191

For to receyue me and the ladyes certayne
And so we than with all our dylygence
Entred the bote without resystence
And dyde aborde than perfytnes so sure
Whiche the grete wawes myght ryght well endure

And pacyence with grete solempnyte
Dyde me receyue and the ladyes also
Welcome she sayd by hye auctoryte
I am ryght gladde that it hath happed so
That la belle pucell must redresse your wo
And on your selfe with your worthy dedes
Of fame and her hath wonne ryghte hye medes

And then theyr anker they weyed in hast
And hoyst theyr sayle / whan many a claryon
Began to blowe / the mornynge was past
But Afrycus Auster made surreccyon
Blowynge his belowes by grete occasyon
So forthe we sayled ryght playne southwest
On the other syde where the serpente dyde rest.

XXXVII. How graunde amoure dyscomfyted the wonder full monster of the seuen metalles made by enchauntemente. Ca. xxxvij.

192

And at the lande we aryued than
With all the ladyes in my company
Whiche to praye for me sodaynly began
To the god Mars lodesterre of chyualry
I toke my leue of them full gentylly
And ryght anone to fynde oute my fo
This mortall dragon / I wente to and fro

Tyll at the last besyde n craggy roche
I sawe the dragon whiche dyde me aspye
And nere and nere as I gan to approche

193

I behelde his heed with his grete body
Whiche was mysshaped full ryght wonderly
Of golde so shene was bothe his hede and face
Full lyke a mayden it was a meruaylous cace

His necke syluer and thycke lyke a bull
His brest stele and lyke an olyphante
His forlegges latyn and of feders full
Ryght lyke a Grype was euery tallaunt
And as of strength he nothynge dyde want
His backe afore lyke brystles of a swyne
Of the fyne coper dyde moost clerely shyne

His hynder legges was lyke to a catte
All of tynne / and lyke a scorpyon
He had a tayle with a heed theratte
All of lede of plyaunte facyon
His herte stele without menyssyon
Towarde me he came rorynge lyke the thonder
Spyttynge oute fyre for to se grete wonder

In his forhede with letters all of grewe
Was wryten my name is malyce preuy
That olde debate can full sone remewe
Bytwene true louers with coloure crafty
Agaynst graunde amoure I shall so fortefy
My euyll subtyll power and cursed courage
To let hym truly of his hye passage

I toke my boxe as Pallas commaunded
And my swerde and shelde with all my armure
In euery place I ryght well anoynted
To hardynes I toke my herte in cure

194

Makynge me redy / and whan I thought me sure
I toke my swerde and with an hardy herte
Towarde the dragon I began to sterte

And as I gan my grete stroke to charge
He blewe out so moche fyre innumerable
That on the grounde I dyde my myght dyscharge
The smoke was derke full gretly domageable
And the hote fyre was so intollerable
Aboue me fleynge that vnneth I myght
Through my vysure cast a brode my syght

But the swete oyntemente had suche a vertue
That the wylde fyre myght nothynge endomage
Me through hete / for it dyde extue
The magykkes arte with grete aduauntage
Causynge the fyre ryght well to a swage
And with my swerde as nothynge a gast
Vpon the serpente I dyde stryke full fast

His body was grete as ony tonne
The deuyll aboute dyde his body bere
He was as egre as grype or lyon
So with his tallantes he dyde my harneys tere
That ofte he put me in a mortall fere
Tyll at the last I dyde his body perce
With my good swerde he myght not it reuerce

Ryght ther withall the dragon to brast
And out ther flewe ryght blacke and tedyous
A foule ethyope whiche suche smoke dyde cast
That all the ylonde was full tenebrous
It thondred loude with clappes tempestyous

195

Then all the ladyes were full sore adred
They thought none other but that I was deed

The spyryte vanysshed the ayre wexed clere
Then dyde I loke and beholde aboute
Where was the toure of my lady so dere
Tyll at the last I had espyed it oute
Set on a rokke ryghte hye without doubte
And all the ladyes with perseueraunce
To me dyde come with Ioye and pleasaunce

Forsothe quod they you are moche fortunate
So to subdue the serpente venymous
Whiche by forcery was surely ordenate
You for to sle with fyre so vycyous
Blyssed tbe Pallas the goddes gloryous
Whiche that thou taught a perfyte remedy
For to deuoyde the crafte of sorcery

It was no wonder thoughe that I was glad
After the payne and trybulacyon
That in many places I ryght often had
For to attayne the hye promocyon
Of la belle pucelles domynacyon
Consyderynge in my passage daungerous
All I subdued to me contraryous

And than ryght sone with grete solempnyte
So forth we rode to the solempne mancyon
Of la belle pucelles worthy dygnyte
Whiche was a toure of meruaylous facyon
Replete with Ioye without suggestyon
Walled with syluer and many a story

196

Vpon the wall enameled ryally

So at the last we came vnto the gate
Whiche all of syluer was knotted proprely
Where was a lady of ryght hye estate
Whiche vs receyued well and nobly
And than perseueraunce went full shortly
To la belle pucell shewynge euery thynge
Of myne aduenture and sodayne comynge

XXXVIII. How graūde amoure was receyued of la bell pucell. Ca. xxxviij.

197

Whan she it knewe than ryght incontynent
She called to her peace and dame mercy
With Iustyce and reason ye lady excellent
Pleasaunce grace wt good dame memory
To weyte vpon her full ententyfly
Me to receyue with all solempne Ioye
A downe her chambre she wente on her waye

And in meane whyle the gentyll porteres
Called countenaunce on my way then me lede
In to the basse courte of grete wydnes
Where all of golde there was a conduyte hede
With many dragons enameled with reed
Whiche dyde spoute oute the dulcet lycoure
Lyke crystall clere with aromatyke odoure

Aloste the basse toure foure ymages stode
Whiche blewe the claryons well and wonderly
Alofte the toures the golden fanes gode
Dyde with the wynde make full swete armony
Them for to here it was grete melody
The golden toures with crystall clarefyed
Aboute were glased moost clerely purefyed

And the grauell where vpon we wente
Full lyke the golde that is moost pure and fyne
Withouten spotte of blacke encombremente
Aboute our fete it dyde ryghte clerely shyne
It semed more lyke a place celestyne
Than an erthely mansyon whiche shall away
By longe tyme and proces an other day

And towarde me I dyde se than comynge

198

La belle pucell the moost fayre creature
Of ony fayre erthely persone lyuynge
Whiche with me mette with chere so demure
Of the shynynge golde was all her vesture
I dyde me duty / and ones or twyes ywys
Her lyppes softe I dyde full swetely kys

Aha quod she that I am very fayne
That you are come / for I haue thought longe
Sythen the tyme that we parted in twayne
And for my sake you haue had often wronge
But your courage so hardy and stronge
Hath caused you for to be vyctoryous
Of your enmyes so moche contraryous

With her fayre hande whyte as ony lyly
She dyde me lede into a ryall hall
With knottes kerued full ryght craftely
The wyndowes fayre glased with crystall
And all aboute vpon the golden wall
There was enameled with fygures curyous
The syege of Troye so harde and dolorous

The flore was paued with precyous stones
And the rofe of meruaylous geometry
Of the swete sypres wrought for the nones
Encensynge oute the yll odours mysty
Amyddes the rofe there shone full wonderly
A poynted dyamonde of meruaylous bygnes
With many other grete stones of ryches

So vp we wente to a chambre fayre
A place of pleasure and delectacyon

199

Strowed with floures flagraunte of ayre
Without ony spotte of perturbacyon
I behelde ryght well the operacyon
Of the meruaylous rofe set full of rubyes
And tynst with saphers and many turkeys

The walles were hanged with golden aras
Whiche treated well of the syege of Thebes
And yet all aboute vs depured was
The crystallyne wyndowes of grete bryghtnes
I can nothynge extende the goodlynes
Of this palays / for it is impossyble
To shewe all that vnto me vysyble

But la bell pucell full ryght gentylly
Dyde syt adowne by a wyndowes syde
And caused me also full swetely
By her to sytte at that gentyll tyde
Whlcome she sayde ye shall with me abyde
After your sorowe to lyue in Ioye and blysse
You shall haue that ye haue desrued ywys

Her redolente wordes of swete influence
Degouted vapoure moost aromatyke
And made conuersyon of my complacence
Her depured and her lusty rethoryke
My courage reformed that was so lunatyke
My sorowe defeted and my mynde dyde modefy
And my dolourous herte began to pacyfy

All thus my loue we gan to deuyse
For eche of other were ryght Ioyous
Than at the last in a meruaylous wyse

200

Full sodaynly there came vnto vs
Lytell Cupyde with his moder Venus
Whiche was well cladde in a fayre mantyll blewe
With golden hertes that were perst a newe

And rounde aboute vs she her mantyll cast
Sayenge that she and her sone Cupyde
Wolde vs conioyne in maryage in hast
And to lete knowe all your courte so wyde
Sende you perseueraunce before to prouyde
To warne your ladyes for to be redy
To morowe be tyme ryght well and solemply

We answered bothe our hertes were in one
Sayenge that we dyde ryght well agre
For all our foes were added and gone
Ryght gladde I was that Ioyfull day to se
And than anone with grete humylyte
La bell pucell to a fayre chambre bryght
Dyde me than brynge for to rest all nyght

And she toke her leue I kyst her louely
I wente to bedde but I coude not slepe
For I thought so moche vpon her inwardly
Her moost swete lokes in to my herte dyde crepe
Percynge it through with a wounde so depe
For nature thought euery houre a daye
Tyll to my lady I sholde my dette well paye

201

XXIX. Of the grete maryage bytwene graunde amoure & La belle pucell. Ca. xxix.

Than perseueraunce in all goodly hast
Vnto the stuarde called lyberalyte
Gaue warnynge for to make redy fast
Agaynst this tyme of grete solempnyte
That on the morowe halowed sholde be
She warned the coke called temperaunce
And after that the ewres obseruaunce

With pleasaunce the panter / and dame curteysy
The gentyll butler with the ladyes all
Eche in her offyce was prepayred shortly
Agaynst this feest so moche tryumphall
And la belle pucell thenne in specyall
Was vp be tyme in the morowe graye
Ryght so was I whan I sawe the daye

And ryght anone la belle pucell me sente

202

Agaynst my weddynge of the satyn fyne
Whyte as the mylke a goodly garmente
Brandred with perle that clerely dyde shyne
And so the maryage for to determyne
Venus me broughte to a ryall chapell
Whiche of fyne golde was wrought euerydell

And after that the gay and gloryous
La bell pucell to the chapell was ledde
In a whyte vesture fayre and precyous
With a golden chaplet on her yalowe hede
And lex ecclesie dyde me to her wedde
After wiche weddynge there was a grete fest
Nothynge we lacked but had of the best

What sholde I tary by longe contynuaunce
Of the feest for of my Ioye and pleasure
Wysdome can Iuge withouten varyaunce
That nought I lacked as ye may be sure
Payenge the swete due det of nature
Thus with my lady that was fayre and clere
In Ioye I lyued full ryght many a yere

O lusty youth and yonge tender herte
The trewe companyon of my lady bryght
God let vs neuer frome other asterte
But all in Ioye to lyue bothe day and nyght
Thus after sorow Ioye aryueth aryght
After my payne I had sporte and playe
Full lytell thought I that it sholde dekaye

Tyll that dame nature naturynge had made
All thynges to growe vnto theyr fortytude

203

And nature naturynge waxte retrograde
By strength my youthe so for to exclude
As was euer her olde consuetude
Fyrst to augmente and than to abate
This is the custome of her hye estate.

XL. How Whan graunde Amour had lyued longe wt labell pucell was arested by aege that brought vnto hȳpolycy and auaryce. Ca. xl.

Thus as I lyued in suche pleasure gladde
In to the chaumbre came full pryuely
A fayre olde man and in his hande he hadde
A croked staffe he wente full wekely
Vnto me than he came full softly
And with his staffe he toke me on the breste
Obey he sayd I must you nedes a reste

My name is age whiche haue often sene

204

The lusty youthe perysshe vnhappely
Through the deserte of the selfe I wene
And euermore I do thynke inwardly
That my dedes of youthe were of grete foly
And thou thy selfe ryght Ioyous may be
To lyue so longe for to be lyke to me

Happy is the that may well ouer passe
The narowe brydge ouer fragylyte
Of his wanton youthe brytle as the glasse
For the youthe is open to all fraylte
Redy to fall in to grete iniquyte
Full well is he that is brydled fast
With fayre dame reason tyll this youth be past

I obeyed his reest there was no remedy
My youthe was past and all my lustynes
And ryght anone to vs came polyzy
With auaryce bryngynge grete ryches
My hole pleasure and delyte doubtles
Was sette vpon treasure insacyate
It to beholde and for to agregate

The flesshely pleasure I had cast asyde
Lytell I loued for to playe or daunce
But euer I thought how I myght prouyde
To spare my treasure londe and substaunce
This was my mynde / and all my purueyaunce
As vpon dethe I thought lytell or neuer
But gadred ryches as I sholde lyue euer.

205

XLI. How he was arested by dethe. Ca. xli.

But whā I thoughte lōgest to endure
Dethe wt his darte a rest me sodaȳly
Obey he sayd as ye may be sure
You can resyste nothynge the contrary
But that you must obey me naturally
What you auayleth suche treasure to take
Sythens by force ye must it now forsake

Alas quod I nothynge can me ayde
This worldly treasure I must leue behynde
For erth of erthe wyll haue his dette now payde
What it this worlde but a blast of wynde
I must nedes dye / it is my natyf kynde
And as I was at this conclusyon
To me dyde come dame confessyon

With dame contrycyon whiche gan to bewayle

206

My synnes grete with hole repentaunce
And satysfaccyon without ony fayle
With dame conscyence dyde wey in balaunce
How that they myght than without doubtaunce
My treasure and good so goten wronfully
To restore agayne to the ryghtfull party

Of holy chyrche with all humylyte
My ryghtes I toke and than incontynent
Nature auayled in so lowe degre
That dethe was come / and all my lyfe was spent
Out of my body my soule than it went
To purgatory for to be puryfyed
That after that it myght be gloryfyed

XLII. How remembraūce made his epytaphy on his graue. Ca. xlij.

The good dame mercy with dame charyte
My body buryed full ryght humbly
In a fayre temple of olde antyquyte
Where was for me a dyryge deuoutely
And with many a masse full ryght solempnely
And ouer my graue to be in memory
Remembraunce made this lytell epytaphy

O erthe on erthe it is a wonders cace
That thou arte blynde and wyll not the knowe
Though vpon erthe thou hast thy dwellynge place
Yet erthe at laste must nedes the ouerthrowe
Thou thynkest the do be none erthe I trowe
For yf thou dydest thou woldest than apply
To forsake pleasure and to lerne to dy

Pryde.
O erthe of erthe why arte thou so proude
Now what thou arte call to remembraunce

207

Open thrn eres vnto my songe aloude
Is not thy beaute strength and puyssaunce
Though be cladde with clothes of pleasaunce
Very erthe and also wormes fode
Whan erthe to erthe shall to tourne the blode

Wrathe.
And erthe with erthe why arte thou so wrothe
Remembre the that it vayleth ryght nought
For thou mayst thynke of a perfyte trothe
Yf with the erthe thou hast a quarell sought
Amyddes the erthe there is a place ywrought
Whan erthe to erthe is torned proprely
The for thy synne to punysshe wonderly

Enuy.
And erthe for erthe why hast thou enuy
And the erthe vpon erthe to be more prosperous
Than thou thy selfe fretynge the inwardly
It is a synne ryght foule and vycyous
And vnto god also full odyous
Thou thynkest I trowe there is no punysshemente
Ordeyned for synne by egall Iugemente

Slouthe.
Towarde heuen to folowe on the way
Thou arte full slowe and thynkest nothynge
That thy nature dooth full sore dekay
And dethe ryght fast is to the comynge
God graunte the mercy / but no tyme enlongynge
Whan thou hast tyme / take tyme and space
Whan tyme is past / lost is the tyme of grace

Couetyse.
And whan erthe to erthe is nexte to reuerte
And nature lowe in the laste aege
Of erthely treasure erthe doth set his herte

208

In sacyatly vpon couetyse to rage
He thynketh not his lyfe shall aswage
His good is his god with his grete ryches
He thynketh not for to leue it doutles

Glotony.
The pomped clerkes with fode delycyous
Erthe often fedeth with corrupte glotouy
And nothynge with werkes vertuous
The soule doth fede ryght well ententyfly
But without mesure full inordynatly
The body lyueth and wyll not remembre
How erthe to erthe must his strength surrendre

Lechery
The vyle carkes set vpon a fyre
Dooth often haunte the synne of lechery
Fulfyllynge the foule carnall desyre
Thus erthe with erthe is corrupte meruaylously
And erthe on erthe wyll nothynge purfye
Tyll erthe to erthe be nere subuerted
For erthe with erthe is so peruerted

O mortall folke / you may beholde and se
How I lye here / somtyme a myghty knyght
The ende of Ioye / and all prosperyte
Is dethe at last / through his course and myght
After the day there cometh the derke nyght
For though the day be neuer so longe
At last the belles ryngeth to euensonge

And my selfe called la graunde amoure
Sekynge aduenture in the worldly glory
For to attayne the ryches and honoure
Dyde thynke full lytell that I sholde here ly

209

Tyll dethe dyde marke me full ryght pryuely
Lo what I am and where to you must
Lyke as I am / so shall you be all dust

Than in your mynde inwardely dyspyse
The bryttle worlde so full of doublenes
With the vyle flesshe / and ryght soone aryse
Out of your slepe / of mortall heuynes
Subdue the deuyll with grace and mekenes
That after your lyfe / frayle and transytory
You may than lyue in Ioye perdurably.

210

XLII. How fame came in to the temple with burnȳge tonges / and other prayse. Ca. xlij.

And as remembraunce myn epytaphy set
Ouer my graue in came dame fame
With brennynge tongues withoute ony let
Sayenge that she wolde sprede aboute my name
To lyue in honoure withoute ony shame
Though that adeed were my erthely body
Yet my renowne sholde reygne eternally

The power estate and ryall dygnyte
Of dame fame in euery regyon
Is for to sprede by hy auctoryte

211

The noble dedes of many a champyon
As they are worthy in myne opynyon
For though his body be deed and mortall
His fame shall dure / and be memoryall

Dyde not graunde amoure with his ryall dedes
Wynne la belle pucell the moost fayre lady
And of hyghe honoure attayned the medes
In the demeanynge hym so worthely
Sleynge the grete terryble gyauntes vgly
And also the fyry monster vyolente
Of the seuen metalles made by enchauntemente

Aboute the worlde in euery nacyon
That euermore he shall abyde alyue
Of his grete actes to make relacyon
In bokes many I shall of hym contryue
Frome one to other I shall his name so dryue
That euermore withoute extyngysshemente
In brennynge tongues he shall be parmanente

Ector of troy.
Vnto this day reygneth the hye renowne
Of the worthy Ector prynce vyctoryous
Aboute his spredde in euery regyon and towne
His noble actes and courage chyualrous
In full many bokes ryght delycyous
Vnto the reders who lyst gyue audyence
To here reporte of his grete excellence

Iosue.
And in lyke wyse duke Iosue the grete
Whiche was ryght stronge and fyerse in batayle
Whose noble feates hygh and excellente

212

I haue caused with dylygent trauayle
To abyde in bokes without ony fayle
Who lyst his story for to se or here
In the byble it dooth ryght well appere

Iudas machabeus.
Also the noble and hardy feates of warre
Of Iudas machabeus I about haue cast
In euery nacyon for to reygne aferre
Thoughe that his lyfe out of this worlde be past
His fame shall prospere and shall neuer wast
Thus with my power of euery worthy
I spred his dedes in tonges of memory

Dauyd.
Dyde not kynge Dauyd a lyons Iawes tere
In his tender youthe he so hardy was
The lyons cruelte myght nothynge hym fere
And after that he slewe grete Golyas
All in his tyme he dyde in honoure pas
And I dame fame without ony doute
Haue spredde his name in all the worlde aboute

Alexander.
Also kynge Alexander the noble conqueroure
Whose grete power in all the worlde was knowen
Of me dame fame he wanne the honoure
As I my trompe after his dethe haue blowen
Whose sounde aloude can not be ouerthrowen
Thus in flamynge tonges all about I fly
Through the worlde with my wynges swyftly

Iulius sezar.
And of the worthy sezar Iulius
All about with golden beames bryght
His name shall dure and be full gloryous

213

In all the worlde with ardaunt tonges lyght
His fame shall reygne he hath it wonne by ryght
For to abyde / and euer to augment
Withouten lette or yet impedyment

Arthur.
Also yet Arthur the good kynge of Brytayne
With all his knyghtes of the rounde table
I now dame fame shall make to remayne
Theyr worthy actes hygh and honorable
Perpetually for to be commendable
In ryall bokes and Iestes hystoryall
Theyr fame is knowen ryght hye tryumphall

Charles.
And than Charles the grete kynge of Fraunce
With all his noble douse pers also
As Roulande and Olyuer of his alyaunce
With all the resydue and many other mo
Theyr fame encreaseth rennynge to and fro
The hardy dedes dyde them magnyfy
Vnto me fame theyr names to notyfy

Godfrey of Boleyn.
And Godfrey of Boleyn of hardy courage
That of the paynyms wanne the vyctory
His worthy actes dyde theyr strength aswage
Whose same renowmed is full openly
About the worlde reygnynge so ryally
In flamynge tongues to be intellygyble
His moost hye actes so moche inuyncyble

And in lykewyse without abatement
I shall cause for to be memoryall
The famous actes so hygh benouolent
Of graunde amoure my knyght in specyall

214

His name shall dure and be eternall
For though his body be wrapte in claye
Yet his good fame shall remayne alwaye

And ryght anone she called remembraunce
Commaundynge her ryght truely for to wryte
Bothe of myn actes and my gouernaunce
Whiche than ryght sone began to endyte
Of my feates of armes / in a shorte respyte
Whose goodly storyes in tongues seuerall
Aboute were sente for to be perpetuall

And thus I fame am euer magnyfyed
Whan erth in erthe hath tane his estate
Thus after dethe I am all gloryfyed
What is he nowe that can my power abate
Infenyte I am nothynge can me mate
The sprynge of honoure / and of famous clerkes
My selfe I am to renowne theyr werkes

215

XLIIII. How tyme came in to the temple in meruaylous semylytude / and of his replycacyon. Ca. xliiij.

And as dame fame was in laudacyon
In to the temple with meruaylous lykenes
Sodaynly came tyme in breuyacyon
Whose symylytude I shall anone expres
Aged he was with a berde doubtles
Of swalowes feders his wynges were longe
His body fedred he was hye and stronge

In his lefte hande he had an horology
And in his ryght hande a fyre brennynge
A swerde aboute hym gyrte full surely

216

His legges armed clerely shynynge
And on his noddle derkely flamynge
Was sette Saturne pale as ony leed
And Iupyter a myddes his forhed

In the mouthe Mars / and in his ryght wynge
Was splendent Phebus with his golden beames
And in his brest there was resplendysshynge
The shynynge Venus with depured streames
That all about dyde cast her fyry leames
In his left wynge Mercury / and aboue his wast
Was horned Dyane / her opposycyon past

My name quod he / is in dyuysyon
As tyme was tyme is / and the tyme future
I meruayle moche of the presumpcyon
Of the dame fame / so puttynge in vre
Thy grete prayse / saynge it shall endure
For to be infynyte / euermore in preace
Seynge that I shall all thy honour seace

Shall not I tyme dystroye bothe se and lande
The sonne and mone / and the sterres all
By veray reason thou shalte vnderstande
At last shall lese theyr course in generall
On tyme past / it vayleth not to call
Now by this horologe / it dooth well appere
That my laste name dooth euermore drawe nere

In my ryght hande / the grete fyre so feruent
Shall brenne the tyme / and also mynysshe
The fatall tongues / for it is accydent
Vnto me tyme / all thynges to perysshe

217

Whan my last ende I shall accomplysshe
And thus in vayne thou hast thy laboure spente
Whan by me tyme thou shalte be so brente

In eternyte before the creacyon
Of aungell and man all thynge was vysyble
In goddes syght as due probacyon
Of his godhede whiche is intellygyble
To whome nothynge can be impossyble
For in my selfe / a hye and suffycyente
Before all thynges he was refulgente

Vnto whome onely is apparaunce
Of my last ende / as myne orygynall
Was in his syght withoute doubtaunce
For onely of hym it is especyall
The hye power and godhede infynall
The future tence to knowe dyrectly
Vnto whome it appereth openly

I am the lode sterre to dame eternyte
Whan man of erthe hath his creacyon
After the mynute of his natyuyte
He taketh than his operacyon
Vpon me tyme at euery season
In the same houre the worlde was create
Orgynally I toke myn estate

Coude the .ix. worthyes se vyctoryous
Do all theyr actes withoute tyme or space
Tyme is a thynge bothe gay and gloryous
Whan it passeth with vertue and grace
Man in this worlde hath a dwellynge place

218

Eyther hell or heuen without lesynge
Alwaye he geteth in his tyme spendynge

Withouten tyme is no erthely thynge
Nature / fortune / or yet dame sapyence
Hardynes / clergy or yet lernynge
Past / future / or yet in presence
Wherfore I am of more hye preemynence
As cause of fame / honoure and clergy
They can nothynge without hym magnyfy

Do not I tyme / cause nature to augment
Do not I tyme / cause nature to decay
Do not I tyme cause man to be present
Do not I tyme / take his lyfe away
Do not I tyme / cause dethe take his say
Do not I tyme / passe his youth and age
Do not I tyme / euery thynge aswage

In tyme Troye the cyte was edefyed
By tyme also was the dystruccyon
Nothynge without tyme can be fortefyed
No erthely Ioye nor trybulacyon
Without tyme is for to suffre passyon
The tyme of erthe was our dystruccyon
And the tyme of erthe was our redempcyon

Adam of erthe sone of vyrgynyte
And Eue by god of adam create
These two the worlde dampned in certaynte
By dyscobedyence so foule and vycyate
And all other than frome them generate
Tyll peace and mercy made ryght to enclyne

219

Out the lyon to entre the vyrgyne

Lyke as the worlde was dystroyed totally
By the vyrgyns sone / so it semed well
A vyrgyns sone to redeme it pyteously
Whose hye godheed / in the chosen vessell
Forty wekes / naturally dyde dwell
Nature wekes / naturally dyde god of kynde
In the vyrgyn he dyde suche nature fynde

Thus without nature / nature wonderly
In a vyrgyn pure openly hath wrought
To the god of nature nothynge truely
Impossyble is / for he made of nought
Nature fyrst / whiche naturynge hath tought
Naturately / ryght naturate to make
Why may not he than the pure nature take

By his godhede of the vyrgyn Mary
His electe moder and arke of testament
Of holy chyrche the blessyd lumynary
After the byrthe of her sone excellent
Vyrgyn she was yet alway permanent
Dysnullynge the sectes of false ydolatry
And castynge downe the fatall heresy

Thus whan I tyme in euery nacyon
Reygne in rest and also in peace
And Octauyan in his domynacyon
Thorough the worlde and the peopled preace
Lettres had sent his honoure to encreace
Of all the nombre for to be certayne
For to obey hym as theyr souerayne

220

In whose tyme god toke his natyuyte
For to redeme vs with his precyous blode
Frome the deuylles bonde of grete iniquyte
His herte was perst / hangynge on the rood
Was not this tyme / vnto man ryght good
Shall not I tyme euermore abyde
Tyll that in libra at the dredefull tyde

Of the day of dome than in the balaunce
Almyghty god shall be Iust and egall
To euery persone withouten doubtaunce
Eche as they dyde deserue in generall
Some to haue Ioye / some payne eternall
Than I am past I may no lenger be
And after me is dame eternyte.

221

XLV. How eternyte came in to the temple / and of her vertuous exortacyon. Ca. xlv.

And thus as tyme made his conclusyon
Eternyte in a fayre whyte vesture
To the temple came with hole affeccyon
And on her hede a dyademe ryght pure
With thre crownes of precyous treasure
Eterne she sayde I am nowe doubtles
Of heuen quene / and of hell empres

Fyrst god made heuen his propre habytacle
Though that his power be in euery place
In eterne heuen is his tabernacle

222

Tyme is there in no maner of cace
Tyme renneth alwaye his ende to enbrace
Now I my selfe shall haue none endynge
And my maker had no begynnynge

In heuen and hell I am contynually
Withouten ende to be in extynguyssyble
As euermore to reygne full ryally
Of euery thynge I am inuyncyble
Man of my power shall be intellygyble
Whan the soule shall ryse agaynst the body
To haue Iugemente to lyue eternally

In heuen or hell as he dothe deserue
Who that loueth god aboue euery thynge
All his commaundementes he wyll then obserue
And spende his tyme in vertuous lyuynge
Ydlenes wyll euermore eschewynge
Eternall Ioye he shall then attayne
After his laboure and his besy payne

O mortall folke reuolue in your mynde
That worldly Ioye and frayle prosperyte
What is it lyke but a blaste of wynde
For you therof can haue no certaynte
It is now so full / of mutabylyte
Set not your mynde vpon worldly welthe
But euermore regarde your soules hetlhe

Whan erthe in erth hath tane his corrupte taste
Than to repente it is for you to late
Whan you haue tyme spende it nothynge in waste

223

Tyme past with vertue must entre the gate
Of Ioye and blysse with myn hye estate
Withoute tyme for to be euerlastynge
Whiche god graunte vs at our last endynge

Now blyssed lady of the helthe eternall
The quene of comforte and of heuenly glorye
Pray to thy swete sone / whiche is infynall
To gyue mè grace to wynne the vyctory
Of the deuyll / the worlde and of my body
And that I may my selfe well apply
Thy sone and the to laude and magnyfy.

Explicit. The pastyme of pleasure

The excusacyon of the auctore. Ca. xlvj.

Vnto all poetes I do me excuse
Yf that I offende for lacke of scyence
This lytell boke yet do ye not refuse
Though it be deuoyde of famous eloquence
Adde or detray by your hye sapyence
And pardon me of my hye enterpryse
Whiche of late this fable dyde fayne and deuyse

Go lytell boke I pray god the saue
Frome mysse metrynge / by wronge Impressyon
And who that euer lyst the for to haue
That he perceyue well thyn entencyon
For to be grounded withoute presumpcyon
As for to eschewe the synne of ydlenes
To make suche bokes I apply my besynes

224

Besechynge god for to gyue me grace
Bokes to compyle of morall vertue
Of my mayster lydgate to folowe the trace
His noble fame for to laude and remeue
Whiche in his lyfe the slouthe dyde eschewe
Makynge grete bokes to be in memory
On whose soule I pray god haue mercy

Here endeth the pastyme of pleasure.