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

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