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The Pastime of Pleasure by Stephen Hawes

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

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

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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.
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