 | A Mumming At Windsor |  |
Nowe foloweþe nexst þe devyse of a momyng to fore
þe Kyng Henry þe Sixst, being in his Castell of
Wyndesore, þe fest of his Crystmasse holding þer,
made by Lidegate daun Iohn, þe Munk of Bury;
howe þampull and þe floure delys came first to þe
kynges of Fraunce by myrakle at Reynes.
692
1
Mooste noble Prynce of Cristen prynces alle,To Youre Hyeghnesse lat hit beo plesaunce,
In youre presence men may to mynde calle,
Howe þat whylom oure worthy reavme of Fraunce
Conuerted was frome þeyre mescreaunce,
Whane þe Lord of Lordes caste a sight
Vpon youre lande and made His grace alight.
2
For in þe heghe, hevenly consistorye,Be ful acorde of þe Trynitee,
As in cronycles maked is memorye,
Þe Lord, which is called oon, twoo and thre,
His eyeghe of mercy caste on Cloudovee,
Shadde His grace of goostely influence
Towardes þat kyng, having his aduertence,
3
Þat he shoulde passe frome paganymes laweBy prescyence, which þat is devyne,
His hert al hoolly and him self withdrowe
Frome his ydooles, and alle hees rytes fyne,
Whane hevenly grace did vpon him shyne,
By meene oonly and by devoute preyer
Of Saint Cloote, moost goodly and entier.
4
Hir hertely loue, hir meditacyouns,Hir wacche, hir fasting and hir parfyt lyf,
Hir stedfast hoope, hir hooly orysouns,
Hir conuersacyoun moost contemplatyff
Stynt in Fraunce of Mawmetrye þe stryff,
Causing þe lawe, moost souerein of vertue
To sprede abroode of oure Lord Ihesu.
5
Hir meryte caused and hir parfit entent,Þat Crystes feyth aboute þer did sprede,
Whane þat an aungel was frome heven sent
Vn to an hermyte, of parfyt lyf in deed,
Presented it, whoo-so can take heed;
693
And in þe feelde of golde three floure delys.
6
At Ioye en Vale, with-oute more obstacle,Fel al þis cas, where þaungel doune alight,
A place notable, chosen by myracle,
Which thorughe al Fraunce shadde his bemys light.
God of his grace caste on þat place a sight,
For to þat reavme in passing avauntage
In þilke vale was sette þat hermytage.
7
Al þis came in, whoo-so list to seen,I dare afferme it with-oute any dreed,
By parfytnesse of þe hooly qweene,
Saynte Cloote, floure of wommanheed.
What euer she spake, acordant was þe deed:
I mene it þus, þat worde and werke were oon;
It is no wonder, for wymmen soo beon echoon.
8
Hir hoolynesse Fraunce did enlumyneAnd Crystes fayth gretly magnefye.
Loo what grace dooþe in wymmen shyne,
Whas assuraunce noman may denye.
To seye pleyne trouth nys no flaterye;
But stabulnesse in wymmen for to fynde,
Deemeþe youre selff wher it komeþe hem of kynde.
9
For thorughe meeknesse, yif it be aduerted,Of Saynte Cloote, and thorugh hir hyeghe prudence,
Kyng Cloudovee was to oure feyth conuerted.
In hir þer was so entier diligence,
Fully devoyde of slouthe and necglygence,
Ne stynt nought, til þat hir lord haþe take
Þe feyth of Cryst and his errour forsake.
10
Þis made, þe kyng þat Crystes feyth tooke,For he was booþe manly and rightwys,
694
And in his sheelde he bare thre floure delys,
Sent frome heven, a tresore of gret prys;
Affter at Reynes, þe story telleþe þus,
Baptysed lowly of Saint Remigius.
11
Þampolle of golde a colver brought adovne,With which he was, þis hooly kyng, ennoynt.
Gret prees þer was stonding envyroun,
For to beholde þe kyng frome poynt to poynt.
For where as he stoode, in gret desioynt,
First a paynyme, by baptyme anoon right
Was so conuerted, and bekame Crystes knight.
12
At Reynes yit þat hooly vnccyounConserued is for a remembraunce,
And of coustume, by reuolucyoun
Of God provyded, with due observaunce,
Tannoynte of coustume kynges wheeche in Fraunce
Ioustely succeede, þe story dooþe vs leere;
Of which Sixst Henry, þat nowe sitteþe here,
13
Right soone shal, with Goddes hooly grace,As he is borne by successyoun,
Be weel resceyued in þe same place
And by vertu of þat vnccyoun
Atteyne in knighthoode vn-to ful hye renoun,
Resceyve his coroune, he and his successours,
By tytle of right, lyche hees progenytours.
14
Nowe, Royal Braunche, O Blood of Saint Lowys,So lyke it nowe to Þy Magnyfycence,
Þat þe story of þe flour delys
May here be shewed in þyne heghe presence,
And þat þy noble, royal Excellence
Lyst to supporte, here sitting in þy see,
Right as it fell þis myracle to see.
| A Mumming At Windsor | |