endued With so muche beauty and dame Grace also Your vertuous maners hath so muche renued Exile disdayne and let her from you go And also straungenes vnto loue the foe And let no couetise your true hart subdue But that in ioye ye may your youthe ensue For I of loue the Goddesse dame Uenus Right well do knowe that in the worlde is none That vnto you shalbe more ioyous Then graunde Amoure that loueth you alone Sythe he so did it is many dayes agone Who euer sawe a faire yong hart so harde Whiche for her sake would se her true loue marde And so shall he without ye take good hede Ifhe so be ye be cause of the same For loue with death will ye rewarde his mede And if ye do ye be to muche to blame To loue vnloued ye knowe it is no game Wherfore me thinke ye can do no lesse But with your loue his paynes to redresse If ye do not this may be his songe Wo worthe the time that euer he you mette Wo worthe your harte so doyng him wronge wo worthe the houre that his true hart was set wo worthe disdayne that woulde his purpose let wo worthe the flower that can do no boote Wo worthe you that perst him at the roote Wo worthe my loue the cause of my sorowe Wo worthe my lady that will not it release wo worthe fortune bothe euen and morowe wo worthe trouble that shall haue no peace Wo worthe cruelty that may neuer cease Wo worthe youthe that will no pitie haue Wo worthe her that will not her loue saue Wo worthe the trust without assuraunce Wo worthe loue rewarded with hate wo worthe loue replete with variaunce wo worthe loue without a frendly mate wo worthe the hart with loue at debate wo worthe the beauty whiche toke me in snare wo worthe her that will not cease my care Wo worthe her maners and her goodlines Wo worthe her eyes so cleare and amiable wo worthe suche cause of my great sickenes wo worthe pitie on her not tendable wo worthe her minde in disdaine so stable wo worthe her that hath me fettred fast And wo worthe loue that I do spende in waste Wherfore of right I pray you to remember All that I write vnto you right nowe Howe your true loue is of age but tender His humble seruice we praye you alowe And he him selfe shall euermore enprowe You for to please and geue the soueraintie Howe can you haue a more true loue then he And fare ye well there is no more to saye Under our signet in our courte royall Of September the. xxii daye She closed the letter and to her did call Cupide her sonne so deare in speciall Commaundyng him as fast as he might To la bell Pucell for to take his flyght So did Cupide with the letter flye Unto la bell Pucels domination There that he sped full well and wondersly As I shall after make relation But to my matter with breuiacion A turtle I offred for to magnifye Dame Uenus hye estate to glorifye She me exhorted for to be right hardy Forthe on to trauaile and to dreade nothing I toke my leaue of her full humbly And on my way as I was ridyng This Godfrey gobilyue came rennyng With his little nagge and cried tary tary For I wyll come and beare you company Capit. xxxii ANd forbicause that I was then full sadde And by the way he made me good game To haue his company I was somwhat glad I was not proude I toke of him no shame He came to me and saied ye are to blame So to ride louryng for a womans sake Unto the deuill I do them all betake They be not stedfast but chaunge as the mone When one is gone they loue another sone Who that is single and will haue a wife Right out of ioye he shall be brought in strife Thus when Godfrey did so merye make There did a lady vs sone ouertake And in her hande she had a knotted whippe At euery yerke she made Godfrey to skipe Alas he saied that euer I was borne Nowe am I take for all my mocke and scorne I loked about when that I hearde him crye Seyng this lady on her palfrey ride hye Madame I saied I pray you me tell Your proper name and where that ye dwell My name quod she is called Correction And the tower of chastice is my mancion This strong thefe called false report With vilayne courage and an other sort And vile perlers false coniecture All these I had in prison full sure But this false report hath broken prison With his subtill craft and euill treason And this iourney priuely to spede He hath cladde him in this foles wede Nowe haue I aunswered you your question And I pray you of a like solution You seme me thinke for to be a knyght I pray you tell me first your name aright My name quod I is la graunde Amoure A well quod she you are the perfite floure Of all true louers as I do well knowe You shall attayne la bell Pucell I trowe I knowe right well ye are aduenturous Onwarde your way to the tower perillous And for as muche as the night is neare I humbly pray you for to take the cheare That I may make you in my tower this night It is here by you shall of it haue sight And I pray you to helpe me to bynde This false reporte as you shoulde do by kinde What Godfrey quod I will ye chaung your name Nay nay qood he it was for no shame But alas for wo that she hath me taken I must obey it can not be forsaken His fete were fettred vndernethe his nagge And bounde his handes behinde to his bagge Thus Correction with her whippe did driue The little nagge wyth Godfrey gobilyue Till at the last we gan to approche Her royall tower vpon a craggy roche The night was come for it was right late Yet right anone we came to the gate Where we were let in by dame Measure That was a faire and a goodly creature And so Correction brought me to the hall Of gete well wrought glased with cristall The roufe was golde and amiddes was set A carbuncle that was large and great Whose vertue cleare in the hall so bright About did cast a great marueylous lyght So forthe we went into a chamber faire Where many ladyes did them selues repayre And at our commyng then incontinent They welcomed vs as was conuenient But of Correction they were very glad Whiche false report againe taken had There was quene Panthasile with Penalape Quene Helene and quene Menelape Quene I thesyle and quene Proserpyne The lady Meduse and yong Polixyne With many moe that I do not rehearse My time is shorte I muste fro them reuerce And dame Correction into a chamber ledde Me right anone for to go to my bedde What nede I shewe of my great cheare and rest I wanted nought but had all of the best And so I
celestine And yet also the perfect phisyke Whiche appertcyneth well to the bodye Dothe well resemble vnto the musyke When the inwarde intrailes turneth contrary That nature can not worke dyrectly Then dothe phisyke the partes interiall In order set to their originall But yet phisyke can not be liberall As the seuen scyences by good aucthoritie Whiche leadeth the soule the way in speciall By good doctrine to dame eternitie Onely of phisike it is the propertie To ayde the body in euery sickenes That is right fraile and full of brittlenes And because phisike is appendant Unto the body by helpe of medicine And to the soule nothing apportenaunt To cause the body for to encline In eternall health so the soule to domine For to the body the sciences seuen Dothe teache to leade the soule to heauen And musyke it selfe is melodious To reioyce the eares and comfort the braine Sharpyng the wittes with sound ' solacious Deuoydyng bad thoughtes whiche did remayne It gladdeth the hart also well certaine Length the lyfe with dulcet armonye As is good recreation after study She cōmaūded her minstrels right anone to play Mamours the swete and the gentle daunce With la bell Pucell that was fayre and gay She me recommended with all pleasaunce To daunce true measure withoute variaunce O lorde God howe glad then was I So for to daunce with my swete ladye By her proper hande soft as any silke With due obeysaunce I did her then take Her skynne was white as whales bone or mylke My thoughtes was rauished I might not aslake My brennyng hart she the fire did make These daunces truely musyke hath me taught To lute or daunce but it auayled nought For the fyre kindled and waxed more and more The dauncyng blewe it with her beauty cleare My hart sickened and began to waxe sore A minute vi houres and. vi houres a yere I thought it was so heauy was my chere But yet for to couer my great loue aryght The outwarde coūtenaunce I made glad light And for feare mine eyes should mine hart bewray I toke my leaue and to a temple went And all alone I to my selfe did saye Alas what fortune hath me hither sent To deuoyde my ioye and my hart torment No man can tell howe great a paine it is But if he will fele it as I do iwysse Alas O lady howe cruell art thou Of piteous doloure for to builde a nest In my true hart as thou doest ryght nowe Yet of all ladyes I must loue the best Thy beauty therto did me surely arest Alas with loue when that it dothe the please Thou maiest cease my care my payne sone ease Alas howe sore may I nowe bewayle The piteous chaunce whiche did me happe My ladyes lokes did me so assayle That sodaynely my harte was in a trappe By Uenus caught and with so sore a clappe That throughe the great stroke did perse Alas for wo I coulde not reuerse Farewell all ioye and all perfect pleasure Fare well my lust and my likyng For wo is comen with me to endure Nowe must I leade my life in mournyng I may not lute or yet daunce or syng O la bell Pucell my lady glorious You are the cause that I am so dolorous Alas faire lady and mine owne swete hart With my seruyce I yelde me to your will You haue me fettred I may not astart At your pleasure you maye me saue or kyll Because I loue you wyll you me spyll Alas it were a piteous case in dede That you with death shoulde rewarde my mede A a that I am right wo begone For I of loue dare not to you speake For feare of nay that may encrease my mone Anay of you might cause my hart to breake Alas I wretche and yet vnhappy peke Into suche trouble misery and thought With sight of you I am into it brought And to my selfe as I made complaint I spied a man right nere me beforue Whiche right anone did with me acquaynt Me thinke he sayed that ye are neare forlorne With inwarde payne that your hart hath borne Be not to pensyfe call to mynde agayne Howe of one sorowe ye do nowe make twayne Mine inwarde sorowe ye begyn to double Go your way quod I for ye can not me ayde Tell me he sayed the cause of your trouble And of me nowe be nothing afrayed Me thynke that sorowe hath you ouerlayed Driue of no lenger but tell me your mynde It may me happe a remedy to fynde A a quod I it vayleth not your speache I wyll wyth you neuer haue medlyng Let me alone the most vnhappy wretche Of all the wretches that is yet liuyng Suche is the chaunce of my bewaylyng Go on your waye you are nothing the better To me to speake to make my sorowe greater For so the he sayed remember thinges thre The first is that ye may sorowe long Unto your selfe or that you ayded be And secondly in great paynes stronge To muse alone it myght turne you to wrong The thirde 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 your secretenes Of all your payne and feruent lust His councell sone may helpe and redresse Your paynefull wo and mortall heauines Alone is nought for to thinke and muse Therfore good sonne do me not refuse And sythe that you are plunged all in thought Beware the pytte of dolorous dispayre So to complayne it vayleth you right nought It may so fortune ye loue a ladye fayre Whiche to loue you will nothing repayre Or els ye haue lost great lande or substaunce By fatall chaunce of fortunes ordinaunce Tell me the cause thoughe that it be so In case you loue I knowe it by experience It is a payne engendryng great wo And harde it is for to make resistaunce Agaynst suche loue of feruent vyolence The loue is dreadfull but neuertheles There is no sore nor yet no syckenes But there is a salue and remedy therfore So for your payne and your sorowe great Councell is medicine whiche may you restore Unto your desire without any let If ye will tell me where your harte is set In thy chayre of sorowe no great doubt it is To fynde a remedye for your payne I wys A phisition truely can little decerne Ony maner sickenes without sight of vryne No more can I by good counsaile you learne All suche wofull trouble for to determine But if you mekely will to me enclyne To tell the cause of your great greuousnes Of your inwarde trouble and wofull sadnes Then I began with all my diligence To heare him speake so grounded on reason And in my minde did make aduertence Howe it was holesome in tribulation To saue a good and a true companion For to knowe my sorowe and wofull grefe It might me comforte and right well relefe And of him then I asked this question What was his name I prayed him
be contrarious But what for that your selfe in speciall Remember there is no loue so ioyous As is your owne to you most precious Will you geue your youthe and your flouryng age To them against your minde in mariage Pucell Against my ininde of that were I lothe To wedde for feare as them to obey Yet had I rather they were somewhat wrothe For I my selfe do beare the locke and keye Yet of my minde and will do many a daye Mine owne I am what that I list to do I stande vntied there is no ioye therto Amoure O swete lady the good perfect starre Of my true hart take ye nowe pitie Thinke on my paine whiche am tofore you here With your swete eyes beholde you and se Howe thought and wo by great extremitie Hath chaunged my hue into pale and wanne It was not so when I to loue began Pucell So me thinke it dothe right well appeare By your coloure that loue hath done you wo Your heuy countenaunce your doleful cheare Hath loue suche might for to aray you so In so short a space I maruell muche also That ye woulde loue me so sure in certayne Before ye knew that I woulde loue agayne Amoure My good deare hart it is no maruaile why Your beauty cleare and lonely lokes swete My hart did perce with loue so sodainely At the firste time that I did you mete In the olde temple when I did you grete Your beauty my hart so surely assayed That sithe that time it hath to you obeyed Capitu. xix Pucell YOur wo and paine all your languishyng Continuaily ye shall not spende in vayne Sithē I am cause of your great morning Nothinge exile you shall I by disdaine Your hart and mine shall neuer part in twaine Thoughe at the first I woulde not condescende It was for feare ye did some yll entende Amoure With thought of yll my minde was neuer mixt To you madame but alway cleane and pure Bothe day and night vpon you whole perfixt But I my minde yet durst nothing discure Howe for your sake I did suche wo endure Till nowe this houre with dredfull hart so faint To you swete hart I haue made my complaint I demed oft you loued me before By your demenoure I did it espye And in my minde I iudged euermore That at the last ye woulde full secretely Tell me your minde of loue right gentlely As ye haue done so my mercy to craue In all worship you shall my true loue haue Amoure O lorde God then howe ioyfull was I She loked on me with louely countenaunce I kiste her once or twise right swetely Her depured vysage repleate with pleasaunce Reioyced my hart with amerous purueyaunce O lady cleare that perst me at the rote O floure of comfort all my heale and bote O gemme of vertue and lady excellent Aboue all other in beauteous goodlines O eyen bright as starre refulgent O profounde cause of all my sickenes Nowe all my ioye and all my gladnes Woulde God that we were ioyned in one In mariage before this daye were gone Pucell A a saied she ye must take payne a while I must depart by the compulcion Of my frendes I will not you begile Thoughe they me leade to a farre nacion My hart shalbe without variacion With you present in perfite sikernes As true and stable without doublenes To me to come is harde and daungerous When I am there for gyantes vgly With monsters also blacke and tedious That by the way awaite full cruelly For to destroye you yll and vtterly When you that waye do take the passage To attaine my loue by hye aduauntage Amoure All that madame was to me certified By good dame Fame at the beginnyng When she to me of you well notified As she came from the tower of learnyng Of all suche enemies the might excluding I promise vnto you here full faithfully When I depart from dame astronomy That I will to the tower of chiualry And for your sake become aduenturous To subdue all enemies to me contrary That I may after be right ioyous With you my lady most swete and precious Wo worthe the cause of your departynge Whiche all my sorowes is in renuyng Alas what pleasure and eke without disport Shall I now haue when that ye be gone Ha ha truely nowe without good comfort My dolorous hart shalbe left alone Without your presence to me is none For euery houre I shall thinke a yere Till Fortune bryng me vnto you more neare Yet after you I will not be right long But haste me after as fast as I may In the tower of chiualry I shall make me strong And after that passe shortly on my way With diligent labour on my iourney Spite of your enemies I shall me so spede That in short time ye may reward my mede I thanke you quod she with my hart entire But yet with me ye shall make couenaunte As I to you am right lefe and deare Unto no person ye shall so aduaunte That I to loue you am so attendaunt For any thing your councell not bewraye For that full sone might vs bothe betray And to tell me I pray you hartely Yonder is councell howe were you acquainted He is bothe honest and true certainely Dothe he not knowe how your hart is fainted With feruent loue so surely attainted If he so do yet I nothing repent He is so secrete and true of entent Truely madame because ye are contente I shall you tell howe the matter was When that your beauty clearely spendent Into my hart full wondersly did passe Like as fayre Phebus dothe shine in the glasse All alone with inwarde care so rent Into a temple forthe on my way I wente Where that I walked plunged in the pitte Of great dispayre and he then me mette Alas he saied me thinke ye lose your witte Tell me the trouthe nowe without any let Why ye demeane suche mortall sorowe great Auoyde quod I you shall nothing it knowe You can not helpe me in the case I trowe But he suche reason and fruitefull sentence Did for him laye that I tolde him all When he it knewe with all his diligence He did me comfort then in speciall Unto my minde he bade me to call Who spareth to speake he to spede dothe spare Go tell your lady the cause of your care By whose councell grounded in wisdome To the entent I shoulde spede the better And right shortly I did then to you come But dreade alway made my sorow greater After great paine the ioyes is the sweter For who that tasteth painefull bitternes The ioye to him is double swetenes And therwithall I did vnto her bryng Councell my frende and full right meke Did him receiue as he was comming And of all thinges she did him beseke After her parting the same weke To haste me forwarde to my iourneyes ende Thereto quod I I do well condescende Fare well quod she I may no lenger tarye My frendes will come of
worlde was create Originally I toke mine estate Coulde the nine worthyes so vyctorious Do all their actes without time or space Tyme is a thing bothe gaye and glorious When it passeth with vertue and grace Man in this worlde hath a dwellyng place Eyther hell or heauen without leasyng Alway he getteth in his time spendyng Withouten tyme is no earthly thing Nature fortune or yet dame Sapience Hardines cleargy or yet learnyng Past future or yet in presence Wherfore I am of more hye preeminence As cause of fame honoure and cleargy They can nothing without him magnify Do not I time cause nature to augment Do not I time cause nature to decay Do not I time cause man to be present Do not I time take his lyfe away Do not I time cause death take his saye Do not I tyme passe his youth and age Do not I time euery thing asswage In time Troy the citye was edified By tyme also was the destroction Nothing without tyme can be fortified No earthly ioye nor tribulation Without tyme is for to suffer passion The tyme of earth was our destruction And the tyme of earth was our redemption Adam of earth sonne of virginitie And Eue by God of Adam create These two the worlde dampned in certainetie By disobedience so foule and vycyate And all other then from them generate Tyll peace and mercy made ryght to encline Out of the Lyon to enter the vyrgyn Like as the worlde was destroyed totally By the vyrgyns sonne so it semed well A vyrgyns sonne to redeme it pyteously Whose hye Godheade in the chosen vessell Forty wekes naturally did dwell Nature wekes naturally did god of kinde In the virgyn he did suche nature finde Thus without nature nature wondersly In a virgyn pure openly hath wrought To the God of nature nothing truely Impossible is for he made of nought Nature first whiche naturyng hath taught Naturately right naturate to make Why may not he then the pure nature take By his Godheade of the virgyn Mary His elect mother and arcke of testament Of holy churche the blessed luminary After the birthe of her sonne excellent Uirgyn she was yet alway permanent Disnullyng the sectes of false ydolatry And castyng downe the fatall heresy Thus when I tyme in euery nacion Raygned in rest and also in peace And Octauian in his domination Through the worlde and the peopled preace Letters had sent his honoure to encrease Of all the number for to be certaine For to obey him as their souerayne In whose time God toke his natiuitie For to redeme vs with his precious bloude From the deuils bonde of great iniquitie His hart was perst hangyng on the rode Was not this time vnto man right good Shall not I time euermore abide Tyll that in Libra at the dreadefull tide Of the day of dome then in the balaunce Almighty God shall be iust and egall To euery person withouten doubtaunce Eche as they did deserue in generall Some to haue ioye some payne eternall Then I am past I may no lenger be And after me is dame Eternitie ANd thus as Tyme made his conclusion Eternitie in a fayre white vesture To the temple came with whole affection And on her heade a dyademe right pure With thre crownes of precious treasure Eternitie she saied I am nowe doubtles Of heauen quene and of hell empresse First God made heauen his proper habitacle Though that his power be in euery place In eterne heauen is his tabernacle Time is there in no maner of case Time renneth alway his ende to embrace Nowe I my selfe shall haue no endyng And my maker had no begynnyng In heauen and hell I am continually Withouten ende to be in extinguissible As euermore to rayne full royally Of euery thing I am inuincible Man of my power shall be intelligible When the soule shall rise against the body To haue iudgement to liue eternally In heauen or hell as he dothe deserue Who that loueth God aboue euery thing All his cōmaundementes he will then obserue And spende his tyme in vertuous liuyng Idlenes wil euermore be eschuynge Eternallioye he shall then attayne After his laboure and his busy payne O mortall folke reuole in your mynde That worldly ioye and frayle prosperitie What is it like but a blast of winde For you therof can haue no certaintie It is nowe so full of mutabilitie Set not your mynde vpon worldly wealth But euermore regarde your soules health When earth in earth hath tane his corrupt taste Then to repent it is for you to late When you haue time spende it nothing in waste Tyme past with vertue must enter the gate Of ioye and blysse with mine hye estate Without tyme for to be euerlastyng Whiche God graunt vs at our last endyng Nowe blessed lady of the health eternall The quene-of comfort and of heauenly glory Saye to thy swete sonne whiche is infinal To geue me grace to winne the victory Of the deuill the worlde and of my body And that I may my selfe well apply Thy sonne and the to laude and magnifie ¶ Explicit The pastime of pleasure ¶ The excusation of the Aucthoure Capit. xlvi INto all Poetes I do me excuse If that I offende for lacke of science This little boke yet do ye not refuse Though it be deuoyde of famous eloquence Adde or detray by your hye Sapience And pardon me of my hye enterprise Whiche of late this fable did fayne and deuise Go little boke I pray God the saue From misse metryng by wrong impression And who that euer list the for to haue That he perceyue well thyne intencion For to be grounded wythout presumption As for to eschue the synne of ydlenes To make suche bokes I apply my busines Besechyng God for to geue me grace Bokes to compyle of morall vertue Of my master Lidgate to folowe the trace His noble fame for to laude and renue Whiche in his lyfe the slouthe did eschue Makyng great bokes to be in memory On whose soule I pray God haue mercy Finis Imprinted at London by Iohn Waylande dwellynge in fletestrete at the sygne of the Sunne ouer agaynst the Conduite Anno do M. D. L. iiii The. i. day of Iune Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum