may my greuance amend Now yet good Lord I thee beseech pray As thou raised my brother Lazarous From death to life the fourth day Came ayen in body and soule precious As great a thing maist thou shew vnto vs Of thy selfe by power of thy godhead As thou did of him lying in graue dead Mine hert is wounded with thy charite It brenneth it flameth incessauntly Come my dear Lord Ad adjuvandum me Now be not long my paine to multiplie Least in the mean time I depart and die In thy grace I put both hope confidence To do as it pleaseth thy high magnificence Floods of death and tribulatioun Into my soule I feele entred full deepe Alas that here is no consolatioun Euer I waile euer I mourne and weepe And sorowhath wounded mine hert ful deepe O deare loue no maruaile though I die Sagittae tuae infixae sunt mihi Wandring in this place as in wildernesse No comfort haue I ne yet assuraunce Desolate of ioy replete with faintnesse No answere receiuing of mine enquiraunce Mine herte also greued with displeasaunce Wherefore I may say O Deus Deus Non est dolor sicut dolor meus Mine herte expresseth Quod dilexi multum I may not endure though I would faine For now Solum superest Sepulchrum I know it right well by my huge paine Thus for loue I may not life sustaine But O God I muse what ayleth thee Quod sic repente praecipitas me Alas I see it wol none otherwise be Now must I take my leaue for euermore This bitter paine hath almost discomfite me My loues corse I can in no wise restore Alas to this wo that euer I was bore Here at this tombe now must I die starue Death is about my heart for to carue My testament I woll begin to make To God the father my soule I commend To Iesu my loue that died for my sake My heart and all both I giue and send In whose loue my life maketh end My body also to this monument I here bequeath both boxe and ointment Of all my wills lo now I make the last Right in this place within this sepulture I woll be buried when I am dead and past And vpon my graue I woll haue this scripture Here within resteth a ghostly creature Christs true louer Mary Magdalaine Whose hart for loue brake in peeces twaine Ye vertuous women tender of nature Full of pitie and of compassion Resort I pray you vnto my sepulture To sing my dirige with great deuotion Shew your charitie in this condition Sing with pitie and let your herts weepe Remembring I am dead and layd to sleepe Then when ye begin to part me fro And ended haue your mourning obseruance Remember wheresoeuer that ye go Alway to search make due enqueraunce After my loue mine herts sustenaunce In euery towne and in euery village If ye may here of this noble image And if it happe by any grace at last That ye my true loue find in any cost Say that his Magdaleine is dead and past For his pure loue hath yeelded vp the ghost Say that of all thing I loued him most And that I might not this death eschew May paines so sore did euer renew And in token of loue perpetual When I am buried in this place present Take out mine hert the very root and al And close it within this boxe of ointment To my deare loue make thereof a present Kneeling downe with words lamentable Do your message speake faire and tretable Say that to him my selfe I commend A thousand times with herte so free This poore token say to him I send Pleaseth his goodnesse to take it in gree It is his own of right it is his fee Which he asked when he said long before * Giue me thy heart and I desire no more Adue my Lord my loue so faire of face Adue my turtle doue so fresh of hew Adue my mirth adue all my sollace Adue alas my sauiour Lord Iesu Adue the gentillest that euer I knew Adue my most excellent paramour Fairer than rose sweeter than lilly flour Adue my hope of all pleasure eternall My life my wealth and my prosperitie Mine heart of gold my perle orientall Mine adamant of perfite charitie My cheefe refuge and my felicitie My comfort and all my recreatioun Farewell my perpetuall saluatioun Farewell mine Emperour Celestiall Most beautifull prince of all mankind Adue my lord of heart most liberall Farewell my sweetest both soule and mind So louing a spouse shall I neuer find Adue my soueraine and very gentilman Farewell dere heart as hertely as I can Thy words eloquent flowing in sweetnesse Shal no more alas my mind recomfort Wherfore my life must end in bitternesse For in this world shall I neuer resort To thee which was mine heauenly disport I see alas it woll none other be Now farewell the ground of all dignitie Adue the fairest that euer was bore Alas I may not see your blessed face Now welaway that I shall see no more Thy blessed visage so replete with grace Wherein is printed my perfite sollace Adue mine hertes root and all for euer Now farewell I must from thee disceuer My soule for anguish is now full thursty I faint right sore for heauinesse My lord my spouse Cur me dereliquisti Sith I for thee suffer all this distresse What causeth thee to seeme thus mercilesse Sith it thee pleaseth of me to make an end In Manus tuas my spirit I commend ¶ Finis The Prologue to the Remedy of LOVE SEeing the manifolde inconuenience Falling by vnbrideled prosperitie Which is not tempred with mortal prudence Nothing more wealthy than youths freeltie Moued I am both of right and equitie To youths we le somewhat to write Whereby he may himselfe safecondite First I note as thing most noyous Vnto youth a greeuous maladie Among us called loue encombrous Vexing yong people straungelie Oft by force causeth hem to die Age is eke turmented by loue Bineath the girdle and not aboue Wherfore this werk which is right laborous For age me need nat in hond to take To youth me oweth to be obsequious Now I begin thus to worke for his sake Which may the feruence of loue aslake To the louer as a mitigatiue To him that is none a preseruatiue That mighty lord which me gouerneth Youth I meane measure if I pace In euery matter which him concerneth First as is behouefull I woll aske grace And forthwithall in this same place Ere I begin I woll kneel and sa These few words and him of helpe pray Flouring youth which hast auauntage In strength of body in lust and beaute Also a precelling hast aboue age In many a singular commodite Howbeit one thing he hath beyond thee To thy most profite greatest auaile Which shuld the conduit I mean sad counsaile And yet good lord of a presumption I nill depraue thy might and deitie I liue but vnder thy protection I am thy subiect
the causes that moove a man to contrition how hee should be contrite and what contrition auayleth to the soule Then is it thus that contrition is yâ— very sorrow that a man receiueth in his heart for his sinnes with sad purpose to shriue him and to doe pennaunce neuer more to doe sinne And this sorrow shal be in this manner as sayeth Saint Bernard * It shall be heauie and greeuous and full sharpe poinant in heart First for a man hath agilted his Lord his Creator and more sharpe and poinaunt for he hath agilted his father celestiall And yet more sharpe and poynaunt for hee hath wrathed and agilted him that boughte him that with his precious bloud hath deliuered vs fro the bondes of sinne and fro the cruelte of the deuill and from the paines of hell The causes that ought moue a man to contricion bene fixe First a man shall remembre him of his sinnes But loke that that remembraunce ne bee to him no delite by no waye but greate shame and sorowe for his sinnes For Iob sayth sinfull men done werkes worthie of confession And therefore sayeth Ezechiell * I woll remember me all the yeres of my life in the bitternesse of my herte And God saieth in the Apocalipse Remember ye from whence that ye been fall for before that time that ye sinned ye were children of God and limmes of the reigne of God But for your sinne ye ben waren thral and foule membres of the fende hate of Angels slaunder of holye churche and foode of the false Serpent perpetuall matter of the fire of hell And yet more foule and abhominable for ye trespasse so oft times as doeth an hounde that returneth ayen to eate his owne spewing yet be ye fouler for your long continuing in sinne and your sinfull vsage for which ye bee roted in your sinne as a beeste in his donge Suche manner of thoughtes make a manne to have shame of his sinne no delite As God saith by the Prophet Ezechiel * Ye shall remembre you of your ways and they shull displese you sothly Sinnes ben the waies that lede folke to Hell THe second cause that ought make a man to have disdaine of sinne is this that as saith saint Peter * Who so doth sinne is thrall of sinne and sinne putteth a manne in great thraldome And therefore saieth the prophet Ezechiell * I went sorrowfull in disdaine of my selfe Certes well ought a man have disdaine of sinne and withdrawe him fro that thraldome and villany And lo with saieth Seneke in this matter he saith thus * Though I wist that neither God ne manne should neuer know it yet would I have disdaine for to doe sinne And the same Seneke also sayeth * I am borne to greater thinge than to be thrall to my body or for to make of my body a thrall Ne a fouler thrall may no man ne woman make of his bodie than for to yeue his body to sinne all were it the foulest churle or the foulest woman that liueth and least of value yet is he then more foule and more in seruitude Euer fro the higher degree that man falleth the more is he thrall and more to God and to the world vile and abhominable O good God well ought man have great disdaine of sinne sith that through sinne there hee was free he is made bond And therefore saieth saint Augustine * If thou hast disdaine of thy seruaunt if hee offend or sinne have thou then disdaine that thou thy selfe shouldest do sinne Take regard of thine own value that thou ne bee too foule to thy selfe Alas well ought they then have disdaine to bee seruaunts and thralles to sinne and sore to be ashamed of themself that God of his endlesse goodnesse hath sette in high estate or yeue hem witte strength of bodye heale beautie or prosperitie and bought hem fro the death with his hert blood that they so vnkindly ayenst his gentlenesse quite him so villanously to slaughter of her owne soules Oh good God ye women that been of great beautie remembreth you on the prouerbe of Salomon * He saieth he likeneth a faire woman that is a foole of her bodie to a ring of gold that were worne on the groine of a sow For right as a sowe wroteth in euery ordure so wroteth she her beautie in stinking ordure of sinne THe third cause that ought meue a man to contrition is dread of the day of doome and of the horrible pains of hell For as saint Ierome sayeth * At euery time that me remembreth of the day of doome I quake For when I eate and drinke or what so that I do euer seemeth me yâ— the trompe sowneth in mine eare Riseth ye vp that been ded and cometh to the judgement O good God muche ought a manne to drede such a judgment there as we shall be all * as Saint Poule sayeth before the seat of oure Lorde Iesu Christ whereas he shal make a generall congregation whereas no man may bee absent for certes there auaileth none essoyne ne excusation and not onely that our defaults shall be judged but also that all our werkes shall openly be knowne And as sayeth saint Bernard * There ne shall no pleading auaile ne no sleight We shall yeue reckoning of euerie idle word There shall we haue a judge that may not bee deceiued ne corrupt and why For certes all our thoughts been discouered as to him ne for prayer ne for mede he shall not be corrupt And therefore saith Salomon * The wrath of God ne woll not spare no wight for prayer ne for yeft And therefore at the day of doome there is no hope to escape Wherfore as saith saint Anselme * Full great anguish shall the sinnefull folke haue at that time There shall the fiers wroth iudge sitte aboue and vnder him the horrible pitte of hell open to destroy him that must be knowe his sinnes which sinnes openly beene shewed before God before euery creature And on the left side mo Diuels than anie heart may thinke for to hale and drawe the sinfull soules to the paine of hell and within the hearts of folke shall be the biting conscience and without forth shall bee the world all brenning whither shall then the wretched sinful man flie to hide him Certes he may not hide him he must come forth and shewe him For certes as saith S. Ierom the earth shall cast him out of it and the see also and yâ— ayre that shall be ful of thonder clappes and lightnings Now sothly who so well remembreth him of these thinges I gesse that his sinne shall not turne him in delite but to great sorrowe for drede of the paine of hell And therefore saith Iob to God * suffer lord that I may a while bewaile and wepe er I goe without returning to the darke londe couered with the derkenesse of death to the londe of misese and of derkenesse whereas is the shadowe of death
passen And eke seest thou not that the maners of diuers folke her lawes been discordant amonges hemlelf so that thilke thing that som men judge worthy of praising other folke judgen that that is worthy of tourment And hereof commeth it that though a man deliteth him in praysing of his renome he may not in no wise bringen forth ne spreden his name to many maner peoples therefore euery man ought to be apaid of his glory the is published among his owne neighbours and thilke noble renome shall be restrayned within the bounds of tho maner folke But how many a man that was full noble in his tyme hath the wretches nedy foryeting of writers put out of mind don away al be it so that certes thilke things profiten litell the which things and writings long derke elde do away both hem eke her auctours But ye men semen to getten you a perdurabilitie when ye thinken in time comming your fame shall lasten But nathelesse if thou wilt make comparison to the endlesse spaces of eternite with thing hast thou by which thou maist rejoycen thee of long lasting of thy name For if there were made comparison of the abiding of a moment to ten thousand winter for as moch as both tho spaces ben ended yet hath the moment some porcion of it although it be litell But nathelesse thilke selfe nombre of yeres eke as many yeres as thereto may be multiplied ne may not certes be comparisoned to the perdurabilite that is endlesse * For of things which that have ende may be made comparison but of thinges which that been withouten ende to things that haue end may be maked no comparison And for thy is it that although renome of as long time as euer thee list to thinken were compared to the regard of the eternitie that is vnstaunchable and infinite it ne should not onely seem littell but plainly right nought But yee semen certes ye can do nothing a right but if it be for the audience of the people for ydle rumours And ye forsaken the great worthinesse of conscience of vertue ye seken your guerdons of the small words of strange folke Haue now here and vnderstand in the lightnesse of soche pride veine glory how a man skorned festinally merily soche vanite Whilom there was a man that had assaied with striuing words another manne the which not for usage of very vertue but for proude vaine glory had taken upon him falsly yâ— name of a Philosophre This rather man that I speak of thought he wold assay wheder he thilke were a Philosophre or no that is to say if that he would haue suffred lightly in pacience the wrongs yâ— were done to him this fained philosophre toke pacience a litel while and when he had receiued words of outrage he as in striuing ayen reioysing of him self said at last thus Vnderstandest thou not that I am a philosophre That other man answerde again bitingly and said I had well understand it if thou haddest holden thy tonge still But with is it to these noble worthy men for certes of such folk speak I that seken glory with vertue What is it qd she what atteyneth fame to soche folke when the body is resolued by deth at the last for if so be that men dien in all that is to say body soul the which thing our reason defendeth us to beleue then is there no glory in no wise for with should thilke glory be when he of whom thilke glory is said to be nis right naught in no wise And if the soul which that hath in it self science of good werkes unbounden from the prison of the yerth wendeth freely to the heauen dispiseth it not then all erthly occupacion and being in heauen reioyseth that it is exempt from all erthly things as who faith then recketh the soul neuer of no glory of renome of this world Quicunque solam mente praecipiti petit summumque credit gloriam Lace patentes aetheris cernat plagas Artumque terrarum situm Brevem replere non valentis ambitum c. WHo so that with ouerthrowing thought onely seeketh glory of fame and weneth that it be soueraine good let him loken upon the brode shewing countreys of the heauen and upon the straite seate of this earth and he shall be ashamed of thencrease of his name that may not fulfill the littel compas of the earth O what coueyten proude folk to liften up her neckes in idle in the deadly yoke of this world For although that renome ysprad passing toforn peoples goth by diuers tonges and although great houses of kindreds shinen by clere titles of honours yet nathelesse death dispiseth all high glory of fame and death wrappeth togithers the high heads and the lowe and maketh equal and euen the hiest with the lowest Where wonen now the bones of trew Fabricius What is now Brutus or sterne Caton The thynne fame yet lastyng of her ydle names is marked with a few letters But although that we haue knowen the fair words of the fame of hem it is not yeuen to know hem that he deed consumpt Liggeth then still all utterly unknowable ne fame ne maketh you not know And if ye wene to liue the lenger for wind of your mortal name when one cruel day shall take away this also then shall ye die the second death The first death he clepeth here the departing of the body and the second death here the stinting of the renome of fame Sed ne me inexorabile contra fortunam gerere Bellum putes est aliquando cum de hominibus fallax illa non nihil bene mereatur tum scilicet cum se aperit c. BVt for as moch as thou shalt not wenen qd she that I beare an untreatable batayle ayenst Fortune yet sometimes it be falleth that she nothing disceiuable deserueth to haue right good thanke of men and that is when she her selfe openeth and when she discouereth her front and sheweth her manners Perauenture yet understandest thou not that I shall say It is a wondre that I desire to tell and therefore vnneth may I unpliten my sentence with words For I deme that contrarious fortune profiteth more to men than fortune debonayre For alway when fortune semeth debonayre then she lieth falsly biheting the hope of welefulnesse But contrarious fortune is alway sothfaste when she sheweth her selfe unstable through her chaungyng * The amiable fortune disceiueth folk that contrary fortune teacheth The amiable fortune blindeth with the beautie of her false goodes the harts of folks that usen hem the contrary Fortune unbindeth hem with the knowing of frele welefulnesse Thamyable fortune maiest thou sene alway windy flowing euer misknowing of her self The contrary fortune is attempre restrained and wise thorow exercise of her aduersite At the last amiable Fortune with her flaterings draweth miswandring men fro the soueraine good the contrarious
this But who so euer wene that it be a hard thing to accord him to a conclusion it is right that he shew that some of the premisses ben false or els he mote shew that the collacion of propoficions nis not spedeful to a necessary conclusion And if it ne be not so but that the premisses been igraunted there nis not why he should blame the argument For this thing that I shall tell thee now ne shall not seme lasse wonderful but of the things that bene taken Also it is necessary as who faith it followeth of that which that is purposed beforne Boec What is that qd I Phil. Certes qd she that is that these wicked shrews be more blisful or els lasse wretches that abien the tourments that they haue deserued than if no payne of justice ne chastised hem Ne this ne say I not now for yâ— any man might think that the maners of shrewes been coriged and chastised by vengeance and that they be brought to the right way by the drede of tourment ne for that they yeuen to other folkes ensample to flyen fro vices But I vnderstand yet in another maner yâ— shrewes been more vnsely when they ne be not punished al be it so that there ne be had no reason or law of correction ne none ensample of looking Boet. And what maner shall yâ— been qd I other than hath be tolde here beforn Ph. Haue we not graunted then qd she that good folke ben blisfull shrewes ben wretches Boet. Yes qd I. Philosoph Then qd she If that any good were added to yâ— wretchednesse of any wight nys he not more weleful than he yâ— ne hath no medling of good in his solitary wretchednes Bo. So seemeth it qd I. Phil. And what sayst thou then qd she of thilke wretch that lacketh all goods so that no good nys medled with his wretchednesse and yet ouer all his wickednesse for which he is a wretch that there be yet another yuel annexed and knit to him shall not men demen him more unsely than thilke wretche of which the vnselines is releued by the participation of some good Boet. Why should he not qd I. Ph. Then certes qd she han shrewes when they been punished somewhat of good annexed to hir shrewdnesse that is to saine the same paine that they suffren which that is good by the reason of Iustice And when thilke same shrewes escapen without tourment then haue they somwhat more of yuel yet ouer the wickednes that they han done that is to saine default of pains which default of payne thou hast graunted is yuel for the desert of felony Boet. I ne may not deny it qd I. Philos * Moch more then qd she been shrewes vnsely when they been wrongfully deliuered fro payne then when they been punished by rightfull vengeaunce But this is open thing and clere yâ— it is right that shrewes been punished it is wickednesse and wrong that they escapen vnpunished Boetius Who might deny it qd I. Philosop But qd she may any man deny yâ— al that is right ne is good and also the contrary yâ— all yâ— is wrong ne is wicked Boet. Certes qd I these things been cleere ynough and that wee haue concluded a litell here beforn But I pray thee yâ— thou tel me if thou accordest to letten no tourment to yâ— soules after yâ— the body is ended by yâ— death that is to saine vnderstandest thou aught that soules haue any tourment after yâ— deth of yâ— body Philos Certes qd she yea and that right great of which soules qd she I trowe yâ— some been tourmented by asprenesse of payne and some soules I trow been exercised by a purging mekenesse but my counsaile nys nat to determine of this paynes But I haue trauayled and tolde yet hyderto for thou shouldest know yâ— the mowing of shrews which mowing thee semeth to be vnworthy nys no mowyng eke of shrewes of which thou playnedest that they ne were not punished that thou woldest see that they ne weren neuer mo withouten the tourments of her wickednesse And of the lycence of the mowing to doen euill that thou praydest that it might sone be ended and that thou wouldest fayne lernen that it ne shoulde not longe endure And that shrewes been more vnsely if they were of lenger duringe and moste vnsely if they weren perdurable And after this I haue shewed thee that more vnsely ben shrewes when they escapen without her rightfull payne than when they ben punished by rightfull vengeaunce And of this sentence foloweth it yâ— then been shrewes constrayued at the last with most greeuous tourment when men wene that they ne be not punished Boetius When I consider thy reasons qd I I ne trow nat yâ— men saine any thing more verely And if I tourne ayen to the studies of men who is he to whome it shoulde seeme that he ne should nat onely leuen these things but eke gladly herken hem Philoso Certes qd she so it is but men may nat for they haue their eyen so wont to the derkenesse of earthly thinges that they ne may nat lift hem vp to the light of cleare soothfastnesse But they been like to birdes of which the night lightneth her lookings as the day blindeth hem For when men looken not the ordre of thinges but her lustes and talents they wene that eyther the leue or the mowyng to doen wickednes or els the scaping without payne be welefull But consider the judgement of the perdurable law for if thou confirme thy courage to the best things thou ne hast no need of no judge to yeuen thee price or mede for thou hast joyned thy selfe to yâ— most excellent thinges And if thou haue enclined thy studies to yâ— wicked things ne seke no foraine wrekerie out of thy selfe for thou thy selfe hast thriste thy selfe into wicked things right as thou mightest looken by diuers times the foule yearth the heauen and that all other things stinten fro without so yâ— thou were in neither ne see nothing more Then shuld it seemen to thee as by only reason of loking yâ— thou were now in the Sterres now in the earth but yâ— people loketh not on these things What then shal we then approch vs to hem that I haue shewed that been like to beasts And what wouldest thou sain of this if yâ— a man had all forlorne his sight and had foryeten yâ— he euer saw wened that nothing fayled him of perfection of mankind Now we which mighten seene the same things would we not saine yâ— he were blind ne also ne accordeth not the people to that I shall saine the which thing is susteyned by as strong foundements of reason that is to saine * That more vnselie been they that done wrongs to other folke than they that the wrong suffren Boet. I would hearen thilke same reasons qd I. Philos Deniest thou qd she that all shrewes ne been worthie to haue tourment Boetius Nay qd I.
in euill to be laid to me wards sithen as repentant I am tourned no more I think neither tho things ne none such other to sustene but vtterly destroy without meddling maner in all my mights How am I now cast out of all sweetnesse of blysse and mischeeuously stongen my passed joye Sorrowfully must I bewayle and liue as a wretch Euery of tho joyes is turned into his contrary for richesse now haue I pouertye for dignity now am I enprisoned in steede of power wretchednesse I suffer for glory of renome I am now dispised foulich hated thus hath farne fortune that suddainly am I ouerthrowen out of all wealth dispoyled Truly me thinketh this way in entree is right hard God graunt me better grace ere it be all passed yâ— other way lady me thought right sweet Now certes qd Loue me list for to chide What aileth thy dark dulnesse Woll it not in clerenesse been sharped Haue I not by many reasons to thee shewed such bodily goods failen to yeue blesse their might so ferre foâ—th woll not stretch Shame qd she it is to say thou liest in thy words Thou ne hast wist but right few that these bodily goods had all at ones commonly they dwellen not togither * He that plenty hath in riches of his kin is ashamed another of linage ryght noble and well know but pouerty him handeleth he were leuer vnknowe Another hath these but renome of peoples praysing may he not haue ouer all he is hated defamed of things right foule Another is faire and semely but dignity him faileth and he that hath dignity is crooked or lame or els mishapen and fouly dispised Thus partable these goods dwellen commonly in one houshold been they but â—ilde Lo how wretched is your trust on thing yâ— woll not accord Me thinketh thou clepest thilke plite thou were in selinesse of fortune thou sayest for that yâ— silinesse is departed thou art a wretch Then followeth this vpon thy words euery soul reasonable of man way not dye and if death endeth selinesse maketh wretches as needes of fortune maketh it an end Then soules after death of the body in wretchednesse should lyuen But we know many that han getten the blisse of heauen after their death How then may this life maken men blisful yâ— when it passeth it yeueth no wretchednes many times blisse if in this life he con liue as he should And wolt thou accompt with Fortune that now at the first she hath done thee tene and sorrow if thou looke to the maner of all glad things and sorrowful thou maist not nay it that yet namely now thou standest in noble plite in a good ginning with good forth going hereafter And if thou wene to be a wretch for such wealth is passed why then art thou not well fortunate for badde thinges anguis wretchednes ben passed Art thou now come first into the hostry of this life or els yâ— both of this world art thou now a suddaine guest into this wretched exile Wenest there be any thyng in this yearth stable Is not thy first arrest passed that brought thee in mortal sorrow Ben these not mortal things agone with ignoraunce of beastiall wit and haste receiued reason in knowing of vertue What comfort is in thy hert The knowyng sikerly in my seruice be grounded And wost thou not well as I said that death maketh end of all fortune What then standest thou in noble plite litle heed or recking to take if thou let fortune passe ding or els that she flie when she list now by thy liue Parde a man hath nothing so lefe as his life for to hold that he doth all his cure dilligent trauaile Then say I thou art blisful and fortunate selie if thou know thy goods that thou hast yet be loued whych nothing may doubt that they ne ben more worthy than thy life What is that qd I Good contemplation qd she of well doing in vertue in time comming both in plesaunce of me of thy Margarite pearle hastely thyne heart in full blisse with her shall be eased Therefore dismay thee not fortune in hate greeuously ayenst thy bodily person ne yet to great tempest hath she not sent to thee sithen the holding cables and ankers of thy life holden by knitting so fast that thou discomfort thee nought of time that is now ne dispair thee not of time to come but yeuen thee comfort in hope of well doyng of getting again the double of thy lesing with encreasing loue of thy Margarite pearle thereto For this hiderto thou hast had all her full danger so thou might amend all that is misse and all defaultes that sometime thou diddest that now in all thy time to yâ— ilke Margarite in full seruice of my lore thine heart hath continued wherefore she ought much yâ— rather encline fro her daungerous seat These things ben yet knit by yâ— holding anker in thy liue holden mote they To God I pray all these things at full been performed For while this anker holdeth I hope thou shalt safely escape and while thy true meaning seruice about bring in dispite of all false meaners yâ— thee of new haten for this true seruice thou art now entered CErtes qd I among things I asked a question whych was the way to the knot Truely lady how so it be I tempt you with questions and answeres in speaking of my first seruice I am now in full purpose in the pricke of the hert that thilk seruice was an enprisonment alway bad naughty in no manner to be desired Ne yâ— in getting of yâ— knot may it nothing availe A wise gentill heart looketh after vertue none other bodily joyes alone And because toforne this in tho wayes I was set I wot well my selfe I haue erred of the blisse failed so out of my way hugely haue I ron Certes qd she that is sooth there thou hast miswent eschew that path from hence forward I rede Wonder I truely why the mortall folke of this world seech these ways outforth and it is priued in your self Lo how ye ben confounded with errour and folly The knowing of very cause and way is goodness and vertue Is there any thing to thee more precious than thy self Thou shalt haue in thy power yâ— thou wouldest neuer lese and that in no way may be taken fro thee and thilke thing is yâ— is cause of this knot And if deth mowe it not reue more than an yearthly creture thilk thing then abideth with thy self soul And so our conclusion to make such a knot thus getten abideth with this thing with the soul as long as they last * A soul dieth neuer vertue and goodnesse euermore with the soule endureth and this knot is perfite blisse Then this soule in this blisse endlesse shall enduren Thus shull herts of a true knot been eased thus shull their soules been pleased thus
place he lay as he were dead His breast to brosten with his saddle bow As blacke he lay as any coale or crow So was the blood yroune in his face Anon he was ybrought out of the place With hart full sore to Theseus paleis Tho was he coruen out of his harneis And in a bed ybrought full faire and bliue For he was yet in memory and on liue And alway crying after Emely Duke Theseus with all his company Is comen home to Athens his cite With all blisse and great solemnite Albeit that this auenture was fall He would not discomfort hem all Men said eke that Arcite should not die He should ben healed of his maladie And of another thing they were as faine That of hem all there was none islaine All were they sore hurt and namely one That with a spere was thirled his brest bone Two other had wounds two broken arms Some of them had salues some had charms Sundry fermaces of hearbes and eke saue They dronken for they would her liues haue For which this noble duke as he well can Comforteth and honoureth euery man And made great reuell all the long night Vnto the straunge lords as it was right Ne there nas hold no discomforting But as is at iusts or a turneying For soothly there nas no discomfiture For falling is hold but an auenture Ne to be 〈◊〉 by force unto a stake Vnyolden and with twenty knights take And one person withouten any mo To be harted forth by arme foot and too And eke his steed driuen forth with staues With footmen both yeomen and knaues It was arretted him no villanie There may no man cleape it cowardie For which anon duke Theseus did cry To stinten all rancour and enuy They gre as well of one side as of other And either side is like as others brother And yaue hem gyfts after her degree And helden a feast fully dates three And conueyed the knights worthily Out of his toune a daies iourney largely And home went euery man the right way There nas no more but farwell haue good day Of this battel I woll no more endite But speake of Palamon and of Arcite Swelleth the breast of Arcite and the sore Encreaseth at his heart still more and more The clottered blood for any lee chcraft Corrumped and is in his bouke last That neither veineblood ne vent ousing Ne drinke of hearbes may be helping By vertue expulsiue or animall For thilke vertue cleaped naturall Ne may the venim void ne expell The pipes of his lungs began to swell And euery lacerte in his breast adoun Is shent with venim and corruptioun Him gaineth neither for to get his life Vomit vpward ne downward laxatife All is to brusten thilke region Nature hath no domination * And certainly ther as nature woll not wirch Farwell physicke go beare the corse to chirch This is all and some that Arcire must die For which he sendeth after Emelie And Palamon that was his cosyn deare Then said he thus as ye shall after heare Nought may my wofull spirit in my hart Declare o point of all my sorrows smart To you my lady that I love most But I bequeath the service of my gost To you abouen any creature Since that my life may no lenger dure Alas the wo alas my paines strong That I for you haue suffered and so long Alas the death alas mine Emely Alas departing of our company Alas mine hearts queene alas my liues wife Mine hearts ladie ender of my life * What is the world what asken men to haue Now with his loue now in his cold graue Alone withouten any company Farwell my sweet foe mine Emely And soft doe take me in your armes twey For the loue of God hearkeneth what I say I haue here with my cousin Palamon Had strife and rancour many a day agon For loue of you and for my iealousie And Iupiter so wisely my soule gie To speaken of a seruant properly With circumstances all and truly That is to say trouth honor and knighthede Wisdome humblesse estate high kinrede Freedome and all that longeth to that art So Iupiter have of my soule any part As in this world right now know I non So worthy to be loued as Palamon That serueth you and woll doen all his life And if that you shall euer been a wife Foryet not Palamon the gentleman And with that word his speech faile began For from his feet vnto his breast was come The cold death that had him ouernome And yet moreouer for in his armes two The vitall strength is lost and all ago Saue only the intellect without more That dwelleth in his heart sicke and sore Gan failen wher the hart felt death Dusked been his iyen two and failed breath But on his ladie yet cast he his iye His last word was mercy Emelie His spirit chaunged and out went there Whitherward I cannot tell ne where Therfore I stint I am no diuinistre Of soules find I not in this registre Ne me list not thilke opinion to tell Of hem though they writen where they dwel Arcite is cold there Mars his soule gie Now woll I speake forth of Emelie Shright Emelie and houlen Palamon And Theseus his sister vp tooke anon Swouning and bare her fro his corse away What helpeth it to tarrie forth the day To tellen how she wept both euen morow * For in such case women haue much sorow When that her husbands been fro hem go That for the more part they sorowen so Or els fallen in such maladie That at the last certainely they die Infinit been the sorow and the teares Of old folke and folke of tender yeares In all the toune for death of this Theban For him there weepeth both child and man So great weeping was there not certaine When Hector was brought all fresh yssaine To Troy alas the pitie that was there Scratching of cheekes and renting eke here Why woldest thou be dead thus women crie And haddest gold inough and Emelie No man ne may gladen Theseus Saving his old father Egeus That knew this worlds transmutatioun * As he had seene it both vp and doun Ioy after wo and wo after gladnesse And shewed him ensamples and likenesse * Right as there died neuer man qd he That he ne liued in yearth in some degree Right so there liued neuer man he saied In this world that sometime he ne deied * This world is but a throughfare full of wo And we been pilgrimes passing to and fro Death is an end of euery worlds sore And over all this yet said he much more To this effect full wisely to exhort The people that they should hem recomfort Duke Theseus with all his busie cure Casteth now where that the sepulture Of good Arcite shall best ymaked bee And eke most honourable for degree And at the last he tooke conclusion That there as Arcite and Palamon Had for love the
Foryeue his wicked werks that he wrought The fame anon through Rome town is born How Alla king shall come on pilgrimage By herbegers that wenten him beforn For which the senatour as was vsage Rode him againe and many of his linage As well to shewen his high magnificence As to done any king reuerence Great cheare doth this noble senatour To king Alla and he to him also Euerich of hem doth other great honour And so befell that on a day or two This senatour is to king Alla go To feast and shortly if I shall not lie Custances sonne went in his companie Som men would sain at the request of Custance This senatour had lad this child to feast I may not tellen euery circumstance Be as be may there was he at the least But sooth it is right at his mothers hest Beforne Alla during the meat space The child stood looking in the kings face This Alla king hath of this child gret wonder And to the senatour he said anon Whose is that faire child that stondeth yonder I not qd he by God and by saint Iohn A mother he hath but father hath he non That I of wote but shortly in a stound He told Alla how the child was yfound But God wot qd the Senatour also So vertuous a liuer in my life Ne saw I neuer as she ne heard of mo Such wordly woman maiden ne of wife I dare well say she had leuer a knife Through her brest than ben a woman wicke * There is no man couth bring her to the prick Now was the child as like Custance As possible is a creature for to be This Alla hath the face in remembrance Of dame Custance and thereon mused he Yeue that the childs mother were aught she That is his wife and priuily he sight And sped him fro the table all that he might Parfay he thought that fatome is in mine hed I oughten deme of skilfull judgement That in the salt sea my wife is ded And afterward he made his argument What wot I if Christ hath hither sent My wife by sea as well as he her sent To my country fro thence that she was went After anone home with the Senatour Goth Alla for to see this wonder chaunce This Senatour doth Alla great honour And hastily he sent after Custance But trusteth well her lust not to dance When that she wist wherfore was that sond Vnneth vpon her feet might she stond When Alla saw his wife faire he her gret And wept that it was ruth for to see For at the first looke he on her set He knew well verely that it was she And for sorrow as dombe stant as a tree So was her heart shet in distresse When she remembered his vnkindnesse Twice she souned in his owne sight He weepeth and him excuseth pitously Now God qd he and his hallowes bright So wisty on my soule haue mercy That of your harme as guiitlesse am I As is Mauris my sonne so like your face Els the fiend me fetch out of this place Long was the sobbing and the bitter pain Or that her wofull heart mighten cease Great was the pity to heare hem complain Throgh which plaints gan her wo to encrese I pray you all my labour to release I may not tell her wo till to morrow I am so wearie to speake of her sorrow But finally when the sooth is wist That Alla guiltlesse was of her wo I trow an hundred times been they kist And such a blisse is there betwixt hem two That saue the joy that lasteth euermo There is no like that any creature Hath seen or shall while the world may dure Tho praied she her husbond meekely In releasing of her pitous paine That he would pray her father specially That of his Majestie he would encline To vouchsafe some day with him to dine She praied him eke he should by no way To her father no word of her to say Some men would say that the child Maurice Doth this message vntill this Emperour But as I gesse Alla was not so nice To him that was of so soueraigne honour As he that is of christen folke the flour To send a child but it is bette to deeme He went himselfe and so it may well seeme This Emperour graunted full gentilly To come to dinner as he him besought And all ready he came and looked busily Vpon this child on his doughter thought Alla goeth to his inne and as he him ought Arraied for this feast in euery wise As ferforth as his cunning may suffice The morow came and Alla gan him dresse And eke his wife the Emperour to mete And forth they ride in ioy and in gladnesse And when she saw her father in the strete She light doune and falleth to his fete Father qd she your young child Custance Is now full cleane out of your remembrance I am your doughter Custance qd she That whilome ye han sent into Surrie It am I father that in the salt see Was put alone and damned for to die Now good father I you mercy crie Send me no more into Heathennesse But thanken my lord here of his kindnesse Who can the pitous joy tellen all Betwixt hem thre since they been thus imet But of my tale make an end I shall The day goeth fast I woll no longer let This glad folke to dinner been ylet In ioy and blisse at meat I let hem dwell A thousand fold well more than I can tell This child Mauris was sithen Emperour Made by the Pope and liued christenly To Christs church he did great honour But I let all this storie passen by Of Custance is my tale specially In old Romane jestes men may find Mauris life I beare it not in mind This king Alla when he his time sey With this Custance his holy wife so swete To Englond been they come the right wey Where as they liue in joy and in quiete But little while it lasteth I you hete * Ioy of this world fer time woll not abide Fro day to night it chaungeth as the tide Who liued euer in such delite a day That he ne meued either in conscience Or ire or talent of some kin affray Enuie or pride or passion or offence I ne say but for this end and sentence That little while in ioy or in pleasance Lasteth the blisse of Alla with Custance * For death that taketh of hie low his rent When passed was a yeare euen as I gesse Out of this world king Alla gan hent For whom Custance hath full great heauines Now let vs praien God his soule to blesse And dame Custance finally to say Toward the toune of Rome goth her way To Rome is come this holy creature And findeth her father whole and sound Now is she scaped all her auenture And when that she her father hath yfound Doune on her knees she goeth to ground Weeping for tendernesse in her heart blithe She herieth God an
she that maked me For well I wote that it shall never betide Let such follie out of your heart glide * What deintie should a man haue in his life For to goe loue another mans wife That hath her body when so that him liketh Aurelius full often sore siketh Wo was Aurely when he this herd And with a sorowfull chere he thus answerd Madame qd he this were impossible Then mote I die on suddaine death horrible And with that word he turned him anone Tho come her other friends everichone And in the aleyes romeden up and doun And nothing wist of this conclusioun But suddainely began to revell new Till that the bright sonne had lost his hew For the orizont hath reft the sunne his light This is as much to say as it was night And home they gone in ioy and in solas Save onely wretched Aurelius alas He to his house is gone with sorrowfull hert He said he might not from his death astert Him seemed that he felt his heart all cold And up to heaven his honds gan he hold And on his knees bare he set him adoun And in his raving said this orisoun For very wo out of his wit he braied He ne wist what he spake but thus he said With pitous heart hath he his complaint begon Vnto the goddes and first unto the son He said God Apollo and governour Of every plant hearbe tree and flour That yeuest after thy declination To ilke of hem his time and season As thine herberow chaungeth low and hie Lord Phebus cast thy merciable eie On wretched Aurelius which am but lorne Lo Lord my Lady hath my death ysworne Without guilt but thy benignity Vpon my deadly heart haue some pity For well I wot lord Phebus if ye lest Ye may me helpe saue my lady best Now vouch ye saue that I you deuise How that I may be holpen in what wise Your blisfull suster Lucina the shene That of the sea is goddesse and queene Though Neptunus hath deitie in the see Yet empresse abouen him is she Ye knowen well lord right as her desire Is to be quickened and lighted of your sire For which she followeth you full besily Right to the sea desireth naturally To followen her as she that is goddesse Both of the sea and riuers more and lesse Wherefore lord Phebus this is my request Doe this miracle or doe mine heart brest That now next at this oppsition Which in signe shall be of the Lion As prayeth her so great a flood to bring That fiue fadome at the least it ouerspring The highiest rocke in Armorike Britaine And let this floud to duren yeares twaine Then certes to my lady may I say Holdeth your hest the rockes been away This thing may ye lightly done for me Pray her to gone no faster course than ye I say thus prayeth your suster that she go No faster course than ye in yeares two Then shall she be at the full alway And spring flood lasting both night day And but she vouchsafe in such manere To graunt me my soveraigne lady dere Pray her to sinken every rocke adoun Into her owne derke regioun Vnder the ground there Pluto dwelleth in Or nevermore shall I my lady win Thy Temple in Delphos wol I barefoot seek O lord Phebus see the teares on my cheek And on my paine haue some compassioun And with that word in swoune he fell adoun And for a long time he lay in a traunce His brother which that knew of his pennaunce Vp caught him and to bed him brought Dispaired in this turnment and this thought Let I this wofull creature lie Chese he whether he woll liue or die Aruiragus with heale and great honour As he that was of chiualrie the flour Is comen home and other worthy men O blisfull art thou now Dorigen That hast thy lusty husbond in thine armes That fresh knight that worthy man of arms That loueth thee as his own hearts life Nothing list him to be imaginatife If any wight had spoken while he was out To her of loue thereof had he no dout He entendeth not to such matere But danceth justeth and maketh her good chere And thus in joy and bliss I let hem dwell And of wofull Aurelius woll I tell In langour and in turment despitous Two yeare and more lay wretched Aurelius Ere any foot on earth he might gone Ne comfort in this time had he none Saue of his brother which was a clerke He knew of all this wo and all this werke For to none other creature certaine Of this mattere durst he no word saine Vnder his breast he bare it more secre Than euer did Pamphilus for Galathe His breast was whole without for to seene But in his heart aye was the arrow keene And well ye knowen that of a sursanure In surgerie is perâ—â—â—ous the cure But men might touch the arrow or come thereby His brother weepeth and waileth prively Till at the last him fell in remembraunce That while he was at Orleaunce in Fraunce As these clerkes yong that been likerous To readen arts that been curious Seeken in euery halke and in euery Herne Particular science for to lerne He him remembred that upon a deie At Orleaunce in studie a booke he seie Of Magicke naturall which his felaw That was in that time a batcheler of law All were he there to learne another craft Had prively upon his dexe ylaft Which booke spake of mochell operations Touching the eight and twentie Mansions That longen to the Moone and such follie As in our dayes is not worth a Flie For holy church saieth in our beleeue * Ne suffereth none illusion us to greeue And when this book was in his remembrance Anon for ioy his heart gan to dance And to himselfe he saied prively My Brother shall be warished sikerly For I am siker that there be sciences By which men maken diuers apparences Such as these subtill tregetores play For oft at â—easts haue I well heard say That tragetors within an hall large Haue made come in water and a barge And in the hall rowen up and doun Sometime hath seemed a grim Lioun And sometime floures spring as in a mede Sometime a vine grapes white and rede Sometime a Castle of lime and stone And when hem liked voiden hem anone Thus seemed it to every mans sight Now then conclude I thus if that I might At Orleaunce some old felaw find That had this Moones Mansions in mind Or other Magicke natural aboue He should wel make my brother haue his loue For with an apparaunce a clerke may make To a mans sight that all the rockes blake Of Britaine were yuoided euerichone And ships by the brinke to comen and gone And in such forme enduren a yeare or two Then were my brother warished of his wo Then must she needs holden her behest Or els he shall shame her at the lest What should I make a lenger tale of this Vnto
Albeit I am vnworthy thereto Madame I speake for the honour of you More than for to saue my hearts life now I haue doen right as ye commaunded mee And if ye vouchsafe ye may goe see Doeth as you list haueth your hest in mind For quick or dead right there ye shall me find In you lieth all to doe me liue or dey But well I wote the rockes been all awey He tooke his leaue and she astonied stood In all her face there nas a drop of blood She wend neuer han come in such a trap Alas qd she that euer this should hap For wend I neuer by possibilite That such a mister or maruaile might be It is against the processe of nature And home she goeth a sorrowfull creature For very feare vnneths may she go She weepeth and waileth a day or two And swouneth that it was routh to see But why it was to no wight told she For out of toune was gone Aruiragus But to her selfe she spake and saied thus In her complaint as ye shall after heare With face pale and with sorrowfull cheare Alas qd she on thee fortune I plain That vnware hast wrapped me in thy chain Fro which to escape wot I no succour Saue onely death or els dishonour One of these two behoueth me to chese But natheles yet had I leuer to lese My life than of my body to haue shame Or know my selfe false or lese my name And with my death I may be quit ywis Hath there not full many a wife ere this And many a maid yslaine her selfe alas Rather than with her body doen trespas And certes lo these stories been witnesse When thirtie tyrants full of cursednesse Had slain Phidon in Athens at the feast They commaunded his doughters to arrest And bringen hem beforne hem in dispite All naked to fulfill her foule delite And in her fathers blood he did hem dance Vpon the pauement God yeue him mischance For which these wofull maidens ful of dread Rather than they would lesen her maidenhead They priuily been stert into a well And drenched hemselfe as bookes can tell They of Messene let enquire and seeke Of Lacedemony fiftie maidens eke On which they would haue doen her lechery But there was none of all that company That she nas slaine and with a glad intent Chese rather for to dien than to assent To been oppressed of her maidenhead Why should I then to die been in dread Lo eke the tyrant Aristoclides That loued a maid that hight Simphalides When that her father slaine was on a night Vnto Dianes temple goth she a non right And hent the Image with her armes two Fro which Image would she neuer go No wight might fro it her honds to race Till she was slaine right in the selfe place Now sithens yâ— maidens had such despight To been defouled with mans foule delight * Well ought a wife rather her selfe sle Than be defouled as thinketh me What shall I say of Hasdrubals wife That at Carthage beraft her selfe her life For when she saw the Romans wan the toun She tooke her children all and lept adoun Into the fire and chese rather to die Than any Romane did her villanie Hath not Lucrece yslaine her selfe alas At Rome there as she oppressed was Of Tarquine for her thought it was shame To liue when that she had lost her name The eight maidens of Melesie also Han slaine hemselue for very dread and wo Rather than folk of Gaule should hem oppresse More than a thousand stories as I gesse Couth I now tell as touching this matere When Abradas was slain his wife so dere Her selfe slow and let her blood to glide In Abradas wounds broad and wide And saied my body at the least way There shall no wight defoule if I may What should I mo ensamples hereof sain Sithens that so many han hem slain Well rather than they would defouled be I woll conclude that it is best for me Well rather slea my selfe in some manere As did Demotius doughter dere Because that she nolde not defouled be O Sedasus it is full great pite To readen how thy doughters diden alas That slowen hemselfe for such a maner caas As great a pity was it or well more Of the Theban maid for that Nichanore One of Macedony had her oppressed With her death her maidenhead she redressed What shall I saine of Nicerates wife That for such case beraft her selfe her life How true was eke to Alcibades His loue that for to dien rather chees Than to suffren his body vnburied be Lo which a wife was Alceste qd she What saieth Homere of good Penelope All Greece knoweth of her chastite Parde of Laodomia is written thus That when at Troy was slain Protheselaus No lenger nolde she liue after this day The same of noble Portia tell I may Withouten Brutus couth she not liue To whom she had all her heart ygiue The perfit wifehood of Artemisie Honoured is throughout all Barbarie Oh Thenta Queene thy wifely chastite To all wiues liuing may a mirrour be The same thing I say of Bilia Of Rodogone and eke Valeria Thus plained Dorigene a day or twey Purposing euer that she would dey But natheles vpon the third night Home came Aruiragus the worthy knight And asked her why she wept so sore And she gan weepen euer lenger the more Alas qd she that euer was I borne Thus haue I said qd she thus haue I sworn And told him all as ye haue heard before It needeth not to rehearse it no more This husbond with glad chere in sundry wise Answerd and saied as I shall you deuise Is there ought els Dorigene but this Nay nay qd she God helpe me so as wis This is too much and it were Gods will Yea wife qd he let sleepe that may still It may be well yet parauenture to day Ye shall your trouth hold by my fay For God so wisâ—y haue mercy on me I had well leuer sticked for to be For very loue which that I to you haue But if ye should your trouth keepe and saue * Trouth is the hiest thing that men may kepe But with that word he brast anone to weepe And saied I you forbid on paine of death That never whiles you lasteth life or breath To no wight tell of this misauenture As I my best I woll my wo endure Ne make no countenance of heavinesse That folk of you may deeme harme ne gesse And forth he cleped a squier and a maid Goth forth anone with Dorigene he said And bringeth her in such a place anone They took her leue on her wey they gone But they ne wist why she thider went She nolde no wight tellen her intent This squier which that hight Aurelius On Dorigene which that was so amorous Of auenture happed her to meet Amid the toune right in the high street As she would haue gone the way forthright Toward the garden there as she had
hight And he went to the gardenward also For well he spied when she would go Out of her house to any manner place But thus they met of auenture or of grace And he salueth her with glad intent And assked of her whiâ—er that she went And she answerd halfe as she were mad Vnto the garden as my husbond bad My trouth for to hold alas alas Aurelius gan wondren of this caas And in his heart had great compassion Of her chere and her lamentation And of Aruiragus the worthy knight That bad her hold all that she had hight So loth he was that she should breke her trouth And in his heart he caught of it great routh Considering the hest on euery side That fro his lust were him better abide Than doe so high a churlish wretchednesse Ayenst fraunchise and all gentlenesse For which in few words saied he thus Madame saieth to your lord Aruiragus That sithen I see this great gentlenesse Of him and eke I see well your distresse That ye to me shoulden hold your trouth Certes me thinketh it were great routh I haue well leuer euer to suffer wo Than depart the loue betwixt you two I you release madame into your hond Quite every surement and every bond That ye haue made to me as here beforne Sithens thilk time which that ye were born My trouth I plight I shall you neuer repreve Of no behest and here I take my leve As of the truest and the best wife That euer yet I knew in all my life But euery wight beware of her behest On Dorigene remembreth at the least * Thus can a squier doen a gentle dede As well as can a knight withouten drede She thonked him vpon her knees all bare And home vnto her husbond is she fare And told him all as ye han heard me saied And be ye siker he was so well apaied That it were vnpossible me to write What should I lenger of this case endite Aruiragus and Dorigene his wife In soueraigne blisse leaden forth her life Neuer after was there anger hem betweene He cherished hir as though she were a queene And she was to him true for euermore Of these two folkes ye get of me no more Aurelius that his cost hath all forlorne Cursed the time that euer he was borne Alas qd he alas that euer I beheight Of pured gold a thousand pound of weight Vnto this Philosopher how shall I doe I see no more but that I am fordoe Mine heritage mote I needs goe and sell And bin a begger here may I no lenger dwell And shame all my kinrede in this place But I of him may get better grace But nathelesse I woll of him assay At certaine daies yeare by yeare to pay And thonke him of his great courtesie My trouth woll I keepe I woll not lie With heart sore he goth vnto his cofer And brought gold vnto the Philosopher The value of fiue hundred pounds as I gesse And him beseecheth of his gentlenesse To graunt him daies of the remnaunt And said maister I dare mell make auaunt I failed never of my trouth as yet For sikerly my debt shall be quit Towards you how that ever I fare To gone a begging in my kirtle bare But would ye vouchsafe upon suerte Two yeare or three for to respite me Then were I well for els mote I sell Mine heritage there is no more to tell This Philosopher soberly answerd And saied thus when he this word herd Have I not hold covenaunt unto thee Yes certes well and truly qd he Hast thou not had thy lady as thee liketh No no qd he and sorily he siketh What was the cause tell me if that thou can Aurelius anon his tale began And told him all as ye han heard before It needeth not to rehearce it any more He saied Aruiragus of gentlenesse Had leuer die in sorow and in distresse Than his wife were of her trouth fals The sorrow of Dorigene he told him al 's How loth she was to been a wicked wife And that she had leuer have lost her life And that her trouth she swore through innocence She now erst heard speake of apparence That made me have of her so great pite And right as freely as he sent her to me As freely sent I her to him again This is all some there nis no more to sain The Philosopher answerd leue brother Everych of you did gently to other Thou art a squier and he is a knight But God forbid for his blisful might But if a clerke could doen a gentle deed As well as any of you it is no dreed Sir I release thee thy thousand pound As now thou were crope out of the ground Ne never ere now haddest thou knowen mee For sir I woll not taken a penny of thee For all my craft ne nought for my trauaile Thou hast ypaied right well for mâ— vitaile It is ynough farwell and haue good day And tooke his horse rode forth on his way Lordings this question would I aske now Which was the most free as thinketh you Now telleth me ere that I further wend I can no more my tale is at an end ¶ The Second Nonnes Prologue THe minister the norice vnto vices Which that men clepen in English idlenesse That is porter of the gate of delices To eschue and by her contrary her oppresse That is to saine by lefull businesse * Well ought we to doen our intent Least that the fiend through idlenesse vs hent For he that with his thousand cords slie Continually vs waiteth to be clap When he may man in idlenesse espie He can so lightly catch him in his trap Till that a man be hent right by the lap He nis not ware the fiend hath him in hond * Well ought vs werch idlenesse withstond And though men dreaden neuer for to die Yet see men well by reason doubtles * That idlenesse is root of sluggardie Of which there commeth neuer good encrees For soothly sloth holdeth hem in a lees Onely to sleepe and for to eat and drinke And to deuouren all that other swinke And for to put vs from such idlenesse That cause is of so great confusion I haue here doen my faithfull businesse After the Legend in translation Right of thy glorious life and passion Thou with thy garlond wrought with rose lilly Thee meane I maid martir saint Cecily And thou that art floure of virgins all Of whom that Bernard list so well to write To thee at my beginning first I call Thou comfort of vs wretches doe me endite Thy maidens death that wan through hir merite The eterne life and of the fiend victory As men may after read in her story Thou maiden mother doughter of thy son Thou Well of mercy sinfull soules cure In whom the God of bounty chese to won Thou humble and high ouer euery creature Thou noblest and so farre ouer nature That no disdaine the maker had of kind
How that the second hest of God is that And furthermore I woll thee tell all plat * That vengeaunce shall not part fro his hous That of his othes is too outrageous By Gods precious heart and his nailes And by the bloud of Christ that is in Hailes Seuen is my chaunce thine fiue and three By Gods armes if thou falsly play me This dagger shall through thine heart ygo This fruit it commeth of thilke bones two For swearing ire falsenesse and homicide Now for the loue of Christ that for vs dide Leaueth your othes both great and smale For I shall tell you a meruellous tale These roitours three of which I tell Long erst or prime rong any bell Were set hem in a Tauerne to drinke And as they sat they heard a bell clinke Before a corse that was carried to his graue That one of hem gan to call to his knaue Goe bette qd he and aske redily What corse is this that passeth forth by And looke that thou report his name wele Sir qd he it needeth neuer a dele It was me told ere ye came here two hours He was parde an old fellow of yours All suddainly was he slaine to night For drunke as he sat on his bench vpright There came a priuy theefe men clepen death That in this countrey all the people sâ—aeth And with his speare he smote his heart at wo And went his way withouten words mo He hath a thousand slaine this pestilence And maister ere ye come in his presence Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to beware of such an aduersarie Bethe redy for to meten him euermore Thus taught me my dame I say no more By saint Mary saied this Tauernere The child sayeth sooth for he hath this yere Hens ouer a mile slaine in a great village Both man and woman child and page I trowe his habitation be there To been auised great wisdome it were Ere that he did a man dishonour Ye Gods armes qd this riotour Is it such perill with him for to meet I shall him seeche by stile and eke by street I make auow by Gods digne bones Herkeneth fellowes we three been all ones Let ech of vs hold vp his hond to other And ech of vs become others brother And we woll slea this false traitour death He shall be slaine that so many slaeth By Gods dignity ere that it be night Togider han these three her trouths plight To liue and die ech of them with other As though he were his owne brother And vp they stert all dronken in this rage And forth they gone toward that village Of which the Tauerner hath spoken before And many a grisâ—y o the haâ— they swore And Christes blessed body they to rent Death shall be dead and we may him hent When they han gone not fully a mile Right as they would haue troden ouer a stile An old poore man with hem met This old man full meekely hem gret And saied now lordings God ye see The proudest of these riotours three Answerd ayen what churle with hard grace Why art thou all forwrapped saue thy face Why liuest thou so long in so great age This old man gan looken in his visage And saied thus for that I cannot find A man though I walked into Iude Neither in city ne in no village That would chaunge his youth for mine age And therefore mote I haue mine age still As long time as it shall be Gods will Ne death alas â—ill not haue my life Thus walke I like a restlesse caitife And on the ground which is my mothers gate I knocke with my staffe erliche and late And say still leue mother let me in Lo how I vanish flesh blood and skin Alas when shall my bones been at rest Mother with you would I chaunge my chest That in my chamber long time hath be Ye for an heren clout to wrap in me But yet to me she woll not doen yâ— grace For which full pale and welked is my face * But sirs to you it is ne courtesie To speaken vnto an old man villanie But he trespace in word either in dede In holy writ you may your selfe well rede * Ayenst an old man hore vpon his hede Ye should arise therefore I you rede Ne doeth to an old man no harme as now No more than ye would a man did you In age if that ye may so long abide And God be with you whether ye go or ride I mote go thider as I have to go Nay old churle by God thou shalt not so Saied these other hasardours anon Thou partest not so lightly by saint Iohn Thou spakest riÈt now of thilke traitor death That in this country all our friends slaeth Have here my trouth thou art his espie Tell where he is or els thou shalt die By God and by the holy Sacrament For soothly thou art of his assent To slea vs yong folke O thou false thefe Now sirs if it be to you so lefe To find death tourne vp this crooked way For in that groue I left him by my fay Vnder a tree and there he woll abide Ne for your bost he nill him nothing hide Se ye yonder oke right there ye shall him find God saue you that bought ayen mankind And you amend thus saied this old man Then eueriche of these riotours ran Til they came to the tree there they found Floreines of gold fine yâ—oined round Well nigh a seuen bushels as hem thought No lenger than after death they sought But ech of hem so glad was of that sight For that the Floreins so faire been bright That doune they sit by the precious hord The yongest of hem spake the first word Brethren qd he take keepe what I say My wit is great though I bord or play This treasure hath fortune to vs yeuen In mirth and iollity our life to liuen And lightly as it comes so woll we spend Heie Gods precious hart who did once wend To day that we should have so faire a grace But might this gold be caried fro this place Home to my house or els vnto yours For well I wote that all this gold is ours Then were we in high felicite But truly by day it may not be Men would then say that we wer theeues strong And for our owne treasure doen vs hong This treasure must yearied be by night As wisely and as slily as it might Wherefore I rede draw cut among vs all And let us see where the cut woll fall He that hath the shortest cut with hart blith Shall renne to the toune that full swith To bring vs bread and drinke full priuely And two of us shall keepe full subtilly This treasure well and if he woll not tarie When it is night we woll this treasure carie By one assent where as vs list best That one of hem brought grasse in his fest And bad hem draw look where it wold fall And it fell on the yongest
not repleate of humours hote For if it do I dare wel lay a grote That ye shall have a fever terciane Or els an ague that may be your bane A day or two ye shall have digestives Of wormes or ye take your â—axatives Of laurel centorie and of femetere Or els of elder berries that grow there Of Catapuce or of gaitres bereis Of yvie growing in our yard that merry is Plucke hem up as they grow eat hem in Be merry husbond for your father kin Dredeth no dreme I can say no more Madame qd he gramercy of your lore But nathelesse as touching dan Caton That of wisedome hath so great renoun Though he had no dreames for to drede By God men may in old bookes rede Of many a man more of authoritie Then ever Caton was so mote I thee That all the revers saith of his sentence And have well found by experience * That dreames be significations As well of joy as of tribulations That folke endure in this life present There nedeth to make of this non argument The very prefe sheweth it indeed One of the greatest authours that men rede Saith thus that whilome two fellowes went On pilgrimage in full good intent And happed so they came into a town Where as there was such congregatioun Of people and eke of strait herbigage That they ne found as much as a cottage In which they both might ylodged be Wherefore they mote of necessite As for that night depart company And each of hem goeth to his hostelry And tooke his lodging as it would fall That one of hem was lodged in a stall Farre in a yerd with oxen of the plough That other man was lodged well ynough As was his aventure or his fortune That us governeth all as in commune And so befell long or it were day This man met in his bed there as he lay How that his fellow gan upon him call And said alas for in an oxes stall This night shall I be murdered there I lie Now helpe me dere brother or I die In all hast come to me he said This man out of his sleep for fear abraid But when he was waked of his sleeye He turned him and tooke of this no keepe Him thought his dreame was but a vanite Thus twise in his sleepe dreamed he And at the third time yet his felaw Came as him thought said I now am slaw Behold my bloudy wounds deepe wide Arise up earely in the morrow tide And at the West gate of the toun qd hee A cart full of dung there shalt thou see In which my body is hid full prively Doe thou that cart arresten boldely My gold caused my death sooth to saine And told him every point how he was slaine With a full pitous face pale of hew And trust wel his dreme he found right trew For on the morrow as soone as it was day To his fellowes inne he tooke the way And when that he came to the oxes stall After his fellow he began to call The hosteler answerd him anone And said sir your fellow is igone As soone as it was day he went out of toun This man gan fall in suspectioun Remembring of his dreames that he mette And forth he goeth no lenger would he lette Vnto the West gate of the toune and fond A dung cart as it were to dung lond That was araied in the same wise As ye haue heard the dead man deuise And with hardy heart he gan to crie Vengeaunce and iustice of this fellonie My fellow murdred is this same night And in this cart he lieth gaping vpright I crie out on the ministers qd he That shoulden keepe and rule this cite Harow alas here lieth my fellow slaine What should I more of this tale saine The people out start cast the cart to ground And in the middle of the dung they found The dead man that murdred was all new O blisfull God that art so good and trew Lo how thou bewrayest murder alway Murder woll out that see we day by day * Murder is so waltsome and abhominable To God that so just is and reasonable That he ne woll it suffer hylled to bee Though it abide a yeare two or three Murder woll out this is my conclusioun And right anon the ministers of the toun Haue hent the carter and sore him pined And eke the hosteler so sore engined That they be knew her wickednesse anone And were honged vp by the necke bone Here may ye see that dremes ben to drede And certes in the same lefe I rede Right in the next chapter after this I gabbe not so haue I joy and blis Two men would haue passed ouer the see For certaine causes to a ferre countree If the wind ne had be contrarie That made hem in a city to tarie That stood full merry vpon an hauen side But on a day ayenst an euen tide The wind gan chaunge blew as hem lest Iolly and glad they wenten to rest And cast hem full early for to saile But herken to one man fell a great meruaile That one of hem in sleeping as he lay He mette a wonders dreme again the day Him thought a man stood by his beds side And him commaunded that he should abide And said him thus if thou to morrow wend Thou shal be dreint my tale is at an end He woke and told his fellow with he met And praied him his voyage for to let As for that day he prayed him for to abide His fellow that lay by his beds side Gan for to laugh and scorned him full fast No dreme qd he may so my hart agast That I woll let for to doe my things I set not a straw for thy dreamings For sweuens been but vanities and yapes Men meten all day of oules and of apes And eke of many a mase therewithall And dremen of thing that neuer was ne shall But sith I see that thou wolt here abide And thus slouthen wilfully thy tide God wot it rueth me and haue good day And thus he tooke his leue went his way But ere he had halfe his course ysailed I not why ne what mischaunce it ailed But casuelly the ships bottome to rent And ship and men vnder the water went In sight of other ships there beside That with hem sailed at the same tide And therefore faire Pertelot so dere By such ensamples old maist thou lere That no man should be too rechelesse Of dremes for I say thee doubtlesse That many a dreme full sore is for to drede Lo in the life of saint Kenelme we rede That was Kenelphus sonne the noble king Of Mercenryke how kenelm mette a thing A little ere he were murdred on a deie His murder in his vision he seie His norice him expouned euery dele His sweuen and bad him keepe him wele Fro treason but he was but seuen yere old And therefore little tale he thereof told Of any dreame so holy was
where as there is none order or ordinaunce but fearfull drede that ever shall last Lo here may you see that Iob prayed respite a while to bewepe and waile his trespasse For sothely one day of respite is better than all the treasure of this world And for as much as a man may acquite himselfe before god by penitence in this world not by treasure therefore should he pray to God to yeue him respite a while to bewepe waile his trespasse for certes all the sorow that a man might make fro yâ— beginning of the world nis but a little thing at regarde of the sorrow of hell The cause why that Iob calleth hell the londe of derkenesse understondeth that he calleth it londe or earth for it is stable and never shall faile derke For he that is in hell hath defaute of light materiall for certes the derke light that shall come out of the fire that ever shall brenne shall turn him all to pain the is in hell for it sheweth him to the horrible Diuels that him turmenteth covered with the derkenesse of death that is to say * That hee that is in hell shall have defaut of the sight of God for certes the sight of god is the life perdurable The derknes of death been yâ— sins that the wretched man hath don which that disturb him to see the face of God right as the derke cloud betwixt us and yâ— sunne Londe of misese because that there been three maner of defautes ayenst three things that folke of this world have in this present life that is to say honours delices richesse Ayenst honour have they in hell shame and confusion For well ye wote that men call honour the reverence yâ— man doth to man but in hell is none honour ne reverence For certes no more reverence shal be do there to a king than to a knave For which God sayth by the Prophet Ieremie Those folke that me dispise shal be in dispite Honour is also called great lordeship there shall no wight serve other but of harme and turment Honour is also called great dignitie and highnesse but in hell shall they be all fortroden of divels As God saith the horrible Devils shall goe and come upon the heddes of damned folke and this is for as much as the higher that they were in this present life yâ— more shall they be abated and defoiled in hell Ayenste the richesse of this world shall they have misese of poverte that shall be in four thinges In defaut of treasure Of which David saith * The rich folk that embrace knit all her hert to treasour of this world shall sleep in the sleeping of death and nothing ne shull they find in her hondes of all her tresour And moreover the misease of hell shall be in defaut of meat and drinke For God sayeth thus by Moyses * They shall bee wasted with hunger and the byrdes of hell shall devour hem with bitter death and the gall of the Dragon shall be her drinke and yâ— venum of the Dragon her morsels Also her misease shall be in defaut of clothing for they shall be naked in bodie as of clothing saue the fire in which they brenne and other filthes and naked shall they be of soule of all manner vertues which that is the clothing of the soule Where been than the gay robes the soft shetes and the small sherts Lo what sayth God of hem by the Prophet Esaie * That under hem shall bee strewed moughtes and her covertures shall bee of worms of hell Also her misease shall be in defaut of friends for he is not poor the hath good frends but ther is no frend for neither God ne no creature shall be frend to hem and ech of hem shall hate other with deadly hate The sonnes and the doughters shall rebell ayenst father and mother and kinred ayenst kinred chide and dispise each other both day and night as God sayeth by the prophet Micheas * And yâ— loving children that whilom loved so fleshly ech other would ech of hem eat other if they might * For how should they love together in the paines of hell when they hated eche other in prosperity of this life for trust well her fleshly love was deedly hate As saith yâ— Prophet David Whoso that loveth wickednesse he hateth his soul and who so hateth his own soul certes he may love none other wight in no maner And therefore in hel is no solace ne no frendship but ever the more kinredes that ben in hell yâ— more cursinges the more chidinges and the more deadly hate there is among hem Also they shall have defaut of all manner delices for certes delices ben after the appetites of the five wittes As sight hearing smelling favouring and touching But in Hell her sight shall be full of derkenesse and of smoke therefore full of teares and her hearing full of wailing and grinting of teeth As saith Iesu Christ Her nosthrilles shall bee full of stinking And as saith Esay the Prophet Her savouring shall be full of bitter gall as touching of all her bodies icovered with fire that never shall quench and with wormes that never shall die As God sayth by yâ— mouth of Esay and for as much as they shall not wene that they may die for pain and by death flye fro pain that they may understond in the wordes of Iob that saieth There is the shadow of death Certes a shadow hath likenesse of the thing of which it is shadowed but shadow is not the same thing of which it is shadowed right so fareth the pain of Hell it is like death for the horrible anguish And why For it paineth hem ever as though they shold die anon but certes they shall not die For as saith saint Greg. * To wretched caitiffes shall be death without death and end without end and defaut without fayling for her death shall alway live and her end shall ever more begin and her defaut shall not faile And therefore sayth saint Iohn the Evangelist * They shall follow death they shall not find him and they shall desire to die and death shall flie from hem And also Iob saith That in hell is no order or rule And all be it so yâ— God hath create all thing in right order and nothing without order but all things been ordred and numbred yet nathelesse they that been dampned been nothing in order ne hold none order for the earth ne shall bere hem no fruit For as the Prophet David sayth God shall destroy the fruit of the earth as for hem ne water ne shall yeve hem no moisture ne the ayre no refreshing ne fire no light For as saith saint Basilie * The brenning of yâ— fire of this world shall God yeve in hell to hem that been dampned but the light and the clearnesse shall he yeve in Heaven to his children right as good men yeve flesh to her children and
our Lord Iesu Christ for manne after that he had be betraied of his disciple distrained and bound so that his blood brast out at every naile of his hondes as saith S. Augustin And ferthermore for as much as reason of manne woll not daunt sensualite when it may therefore is manne worthy to have shame and this suffered our Lord Iesu Christ for man when they spit in his visage And ferthermore for as muche then as the caitiffe body of man is rebell both to reason to sensualite therefore it is worthy death this suffered our Lord Iesu Christ upon the Crosse whereas there was no part of his body free without great paine and bitter passion all this suffred our Lord Iesu Christ that never forfaited And therefore reasonably may be said of Iesu in this maner To much am I pained for things that I never deserved and to much defouled for shame that man is worthy to have And therefore may the sinfull man well say as sayth saint Bernard * Accursed be the bitternesse of my sinne for whiche there must bee suffered so much bitternesse For certes after the divers discordance of our wickednesse was the passion of Iesu Christ ordained in divers things as thus Certes sinfull mannes soul is betraied of the Divell by covetise of temporall prosperite and scorned by deceit when that he cheseth fleshly delices and yet it is turmented by impatience of adversity and bespet by servage and subjection of sinne and at the last it is slain finally For this disordinaunce of sinfull man was Iesus Christ first betraid and after that was hee bound that came for to unbind us of sinne and of paine Then was he bescorned that only should have bee honoured in all things Then was his visage that ought be desired to bee seen of all mankind in which visage Angels desire to look villainously bespet Then was he scourged that nothing had trespassed and finally then was he crucified slain Then was accomplished the words of Esaie * He was wounded for our misdeeds and defoiled for our felonies Now sith that Iesu Christ took on him the pain of all our wickednesses moche ought sinfull man wepe and bewaile that for his sinnes Gods sonne of Heaven should all this pain endure THE Sixt thing that should meve a man to contricion is the hope of thre things that is to say forye venesse of sinne and the gift of grace for to doe well and the glory of Heaven with whiche God shall rewarde manne for his good deeds And for as much as Iesu Christ yeveth us these gifts of his largenesse and of his Sovereigne bountie therefore is hee called Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum Iesus is to say saviour or salvation on whom men shal hope to have foryevenesse of sinnes which that is properly salvation of sinnes And therefore sayd the Angell to Ioseph Thou shalt call his name Iesus that shall save his people of her sinnes And hereof saith Saint Peter * There is none other name under Heaven that is yeve to any man by which a man may be saved but onely Iesus Nazarenus is as much for to say as flourishing in which a man shall hope that hee that yeveth him remission of sinnes shall yeve him also grace well for to doe * I was at the doore of thine herte sayth Iesus and called for to enter He that openeth to me shall have foryevenesse of his sinne I woll enter into him by my grace and sup with him by the good werkes that hee shall doe which werkes been the food of the soule and he shall suppe with me by the great joye that I shall yeve him Thus shall man hope for his werkes of penaunce that GOD shall yeve him his reign as he behight him in the Gospell Now shall a man understonde in which manner shall be his contricion I say that it shall be universall and totall this is to say a man shall be very repentant for all his sinnes that hee hath dooen in delite of his thought for it is right perillous For there been two manner of consentings that one of hem is called consenting of affection when a man is moved to do sin and then deliteth him longe for to think on that sinne his reason apperceiveth it wel that it is sinne ayenst the Law of God and yet his reason refraineth not his foule delite on talent though he see well apertly that it is ayenst the reverence of God although his reason consent not to do that sinne indeed yet say some Doctours that soche delite that dwelleth longe is full perillous albeit never so little And also a man should sorrow namely for all that ever he hath desired ayenst the Law of God with perfite consenting of his reason for thereof is no doubte that it is deadly sinne in consenting for certes there is no deadly sinne but that it is first in mans thought and after that in his delite and so forth into consenting and into deed Wherfore I say that many men ne repent hem never of such thoughts and delices ne never shrive hem of it but only of the deed of great sinnes outward wherefore I say that soche wicked delites been subtill begilers of hem that shall be dampned Moreover man ought to sorowe for his wicked words as well as for his wicked deeds for certes the repentance of a singuler sinne and not repentant of all his other sins or else repent him of all his other sinnes and not of a singuler sinne may not availe * For certes GOD almighty is all good and therefore either he foryeveth all or else right nought And therefore saith saint Augustin I wote certainly that God is enemy to every sinner and how then hee that observeth one sinne shall hee have foryevenesse of those other sinnes Nay And moreover contricion should bee wonder sorowfull and anguishous and therefore yeveth him God plainly his mercy and therefore when my soul was anguished and sorowful within me then had I remembrance of God that my prayer might come to him Ferthermore contricion must be continuall and that manne have stedfast purpose to shrive him and to amend him of his life For sothly while contricion lasteth man may ever hope to have foryevenes And of this cometh hate of sinne that destroyeth both sinne in himself and also in other folke at his power For which saith David * They that love God hate wickednesse For to love GOD is for to love that he loveth and hate that he hateth The last thing that men shall understand is this Wherefore availeth contrition I say that contricion sometime delivereth man fro sinne Of which David saith I say said David I purposed firmely to shrive me and thou Lord releasedest my sin And right so as contricion availeth not without sad purpose of shrift if man have oppertunity right so little worth is shrift or satisfaction without contrition And moreover contricion destroyeth the prison of hell and maketh weak
loueth no businesse at all Now certes this foul sin accidie is also a full great enemy to the liuelode of the body * For it ne hath no purueiaunce ayenst temporel necessity for it forsloweth forslogeth and destroieth all goods temporel by retchlesnesse The fourth thing is that Accidie is like hem that been in the paine of hell because of her sloth and heauines for they that be damned ben so bound that they may neyther well doe ne think Of accidie cometh first that a man is annoied and encombred to do any goodnes and maketh that God hath abhomination of such accidie as sayth Saint Iohn Now commeth Sloth that woll not suffer no hardnesse ne pennance for soothly sâ—oth is so tender and so delicate as sayeth Salomon that he woll suffer no hardnesse ne pennaunce and therefore he marreth all that he doth Ayenst this rotten sin of accidie and sloth should men exercise hemselfe and use hem to do good workes and manly and vertuously catch courage to do thinking that our Lord Iesu Christ quiteth euery good deed be it neuer so lite Vsage of labour is a great thing For it maketh as sayeth S. Bernard the labourer to haue strong armes and hard senewes and sloth maketh heeuy feeble and tender Then commeth dread to beginne to worke any good workes For certes * He that enclineth to sin him thinketh it is so great an emprise for to undertake the works of goodnesse and casteth in his heart that the circumstances of goodnesse been so greeuous and weighty for to suffer that he dare not undertake to doe workes of goodnesse as sayeth Saint Gregorie Now commeth wanhope yâ— is dispair of the mercy of God yâ— commeth sometime of too much outragious sorow sometime of too much dread imagining that he hath doe so much sinne that it woll not auayle him tho he woud repent him and forsake sinne through which despair or dread he abandonneth all his heart to euery manner sinne as sayth Saint Augustine Which dampnable sinne if it continue unto his end it is called sinning in the holy ghost This horrible sin is so perillous that he that is despaired there nis no fellonie ne no sinne that he doubteth for to do as sheweth well by Iudas Certes aboue all sinnes then is this sinne most displeasaunt to Christ and most aduersarie Sothly he that dispaireth him is like to the coward champion recreaunt that flieth without need Alas alas needlesse is he recreant needlesse despaired Certes * The mercy of God is euer ready to yâ— penitent person is aboue all his werks Alas cannot a man bethink him on yâ— Gospel of S. Luke .xv. Whereas Christ sayeth * That as well shall there be ioy in heauen upon a sinful manne that doeth penitence as upon xcix rightful men that need no penitence Look further in the same Gospel the ioy the feast of the good man that had lost his sonne when his sonne was retourned with repentaunce to his father Can they not remember hem also that as sayth Saint Luke Chapi xx How that the theefe that was hanged beside Iesu Christ sayd Lord remember me when thou commest into thy reign Forsooth said Christ I say to thee To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Certes there is none so horrible sinne in manne that ne may in his life be destroyed by penitence through vertue of the passion and of the death of Christ Alas what need men then to be despaired sith that his mercy is so ready and large Ask and haue Then cometh Sompnolence that is sluggie slumbring which maketh a man heauie and dull in body and in soul and this sinne commeth of sloth And certes the time that by way of reason man should not sleep is by the morrow but if there were cause reasonable For soothly the morrow tide is most couenable a man to say his prayers and for to thank God and to honour God and to yeue almose to the poor that commeth first in the name of Iesu Christ Lo what sayeth Salomon Who so woll by the morow awake to seek me he shall find me Then commeth negligence or retchlesnes that recketh of nothing And though yâ— ignorance be mother of all harms certes negligence is the norice Negligence ne doth no force when he shall do a thing whether he do it well or euil The remedie of these two sinnes is as sayth the Wise man * That he that dreadeth God spareth not to do that he ought to do and he that loueth God he woll doe dilligence to please God by his werkes and abandon himselfe with all his might well for to doe Then cometh idlenesse that is the yate of all harms An idle manne is like to a place that hath no wals the deuil may enter on euery side or shoot at him that is discouerte by temptation on euery side This idlenesse is the thorruke of all wicked and villainous thoughts and of all ordure Certes the heauen is yeue to hem that will labour and not to idle folk Also Dauid sayeth * That they ne be not in the labour of men ne they shall not be whipped with men that is to say in Purgatorie Certes then seemeth it they shall be tormented with the deuils in hell but if they do pennaunce Then commeth the sinne that men call Tarditas as when a man is so latered or tarrying or he woll tourn to God and certes that is a great folly He is like him that falleth in the ditch and woll not arise And this vice commeth of false hope that he thinketh he shall liue long but that hope fayleth full oft Then commeth Lochesse that is he that when he beginneth any good work anone he woll leaue and stint it as done they that haue any person to gouern and ne take of him no more heed anon as they find any contrary or any annoy These ben the new sheepheards that let their sheepe wittingly goe ren to the Wolfe that is in the breres or do not force of her own gouernaunce Of this commeth pouerte and destruction both of spirituel and temporel things Then commeth a manner coldnesse that freeseth the hart of man Then commeth undeuotion through which a man is so blont and as sayeth S. Bernard hath such langour in his soul that he may neyther read ne sing in holy church ne hear ne think of no deuotion ne trauail with his honds in no good work that it nis to him unsauory and all apalled Then wexeth the slow and slombry and soon woll be wroth and soon is enclined to hate and enuy Then commeth the sinne of worldly sorrow such as is called Tristitia that staeth a man as sayth Saint Poule For certes such sorrow worketh the death of the soul and body also for thereof commeth that a man is annoyed of his own life Wherefore such sorrow shorteth full oft the life of man ere that his time is come by way of kind Remedium contra peccatum Accidiae
saied men sooth as often as they gabbe O tongue alas so often here beforne Hast thou made many a lady bright of hew Saied welaway the day that I was borne And many a maidens sorrow for to new * And for the more part all is untrew That men of yelpe it were brought to preve Of kind none avauntour is to leve Avauntour and a lier all is one As thus I pose a woman graunt me Her love saieth that other woll she none And I am sworne to holden it secree And after I tell it two or three Iwis I am a vauntour at the lest And lier eke for I breake my behest Now looke then if they be not to blame Such maner folk with shall I clepe hem what That hem avaunt of women and by name That yet behight hem never this ne that Ne know hem no more than mine old hat * No wonder is so God me send hele Though women dreden with us men to dele I say not this for no mistrust of you Ne for no wise men but for fooles nice And for the harme that in the world is now As well for follie oft as for mallice For well wote I in wise folke that vice No woman dredeth if she be well avised * For wise been by fooles harme chastised But now to purpose leve brother dere Have all this thing that I have saied in mind And keep thee close be now of good chere For all thy daies thou shalt me true find I shall thy processe set in such a kind And God toforne that it shall thee suffise For it shall be right as thou wolt devise For well I wote thou meanest well parde Therefore I dare this fully undertake Thou wost eke what thy lady graunted thee And day is set the charters to make Have now good night I may no lenger wake And bid for me sith thou art now in blisse That God me send death or some lisse Who might tellen halfe the joy or feste Which that the soule of Troilus tho felt Hearing theffect of Pandarus beheste His old wo that made his heart to swelt Gan tho for joy wasten and to melt And all the richesse of his sighes sore At ones fled he felt of hem no more But right so as these holts these hayis That han in Winter dead ben and dry Revesten hem in grene when that May is When every lusty listeth to pley Right in that selfe wise sooth for to sey Woxe suddainly his heart full of joy That gladder was there never man in Troy And gan his looke on Pandarus up cast Full soberly and friendly on to see And saied friend in Aprill the last As well thou wost if it remember thee How nigh the death for wo thou found me And how thou diddest all thy businesse To know of me the cause of my distresse Thou wost how long I it forbare to say To thee that art the man that I best trist And perill none was it to thee to bewray That wist I well but tell me if thee list Sith I so loth was that thy selfe it wist How durst I mo tellen of this matere That quake now no wight may us here But nathelesse by that God I thee swere That as him list may all the world governe And if I lye Achilles with his spere Mine heart cleave all were my life eterne As I am mortall if I late or yerne Would it bewray or durst or should conne For all the good that God made under sonne That rather die I would and determine As thinketh me now stocked in prison In wretchednesse in filth and in vermine Captive to cruell king Agamenmon And this in all the temples of this toun Vpon the Gods all I woll thee swere To morow day if that thee liketh here And that thou hast so much idoen for me That I ne may it nevermore deserve This know I well all might I now for thee A thousand times on a morow sterve I can no more but that I woll thee serve Right as thy slave whether so thou wend For evermore unto my lives end But here with all mine hart I thee beseech That never in me thou deme such folly As I shall saine me thought by thy speech That this which thou me dost for companie I should wenen it were a baudrie * I am not wood all if I leud be It is not so that wote I well parde But he that goeth for gold or for richesse On such messages call him what ye list And this that thou dost call it gentlenesse Compassion and fellowship and trist Depart it so For wide where is wist * How that there is diversitie required Betwixen things like as I have lered And that thou know I thinke not ne wene That this service a shame be or iape I have my faire sister Polexene Cassandre Helein or any of the frape Be she never so faire or well ishape Tell me which thou wilt of everychone To have for thine and let me then alone But sith that thou hast done me this service My life to save and for none hope of mede So for the love of God this great emprise Performe it out now is the most nede For high and low withouten any drede I woll alway thine hestes all kepe Have now good night let us both slepe Thus held hem ech of other well apaied That all the world ne might it bet amend And on the morrow when they were araied Ech to his owne needs gan to entend But Troilus though as the fire he brend For sharpe desire of hope and of pleasaunce He not forgate his good governaunce But in himself with manhood gan restrain Ech rakell deed and ech unbridled chere That all that liven sooth for to saine Ne should have wist by word or by manere What that he ment as touching this matere From every wight as ferre as is the cloud He was so wise and well dissimulen coud And all the while which that I now devise This was his life with all his full might By day he was in Martes high servise That is to saine in armes as a knight And for the more part all the long night He lay and thought how that he might serve His lady best her thanke for to deserve Nill I not sweare although he lay soft That in his thought nas somwhat diseased Ne that he tourned on his pillowes oft And would of that him missed have ben eased But in such case men be nat alway pleased For naught I wote no more then was he That can I deeme of possibilite But certaine is to purpose for to go That in this while as written is in geste He saw his lady sometime and also She with him spake when that she durst leste And by her both avise as was the best Appointeden full warely in this need So as they durst how they would proceed But it was spoken in so short a wise In such awaite
president Though that Hector nay full oft praid And finally what wight that it withsaid It was for naught it must ben and should For substaunce of the Parliment it would Departed out of the parliment echone This Troilus without words mo Vnto his chamber spedde him fast alone But if it were a man of his or two The which he bad out faste for to go Because he would slepen as he said And hastely upon his bedde him laid And as in Winter leaves ben birast Ech after other till trees he hare So that there nis but barke branch ilast Lithe Troilus biraft of ech welfare Ibounden in the blacke barke of care Disposed wode out of his witte to breide So sore him sate the chaunging of Creseide He rist him up and every dore he shette And window eke tho this sorowfull man Vpon his beddes side doune him sette Full like a dead image pale and wan And in his breast the heaped wo began Out brust and he to worken in this wise In his woodnesse as I shall you devise Right as the wild Bull beginneth spring Now here now there idarted to the hert And of his death roreth in complaining Right so gan he about the chamber stert Smiring his breast aye with his fistes smert His head to the wall his body to yâ— ground Foll oft he swapt himselven to confound His eyen two for pity of his hert Out stremeden as swift as welles twey The high sobs of his sorrowes smert His speech him reft unnethes might he sey O death alas why nilt thou do me dey Accursed by that day which that nature Shope me to ben a lives creature But after when the fury and all the rage Which that his heart twist and fast threst By length of time somewhat gan assuage Vpon his bed he laid him doun to rest But tho begon his teares more out to brest That wonder is the body may suffise To halfe this wo which that I you devise Then said he thus Fortune alas yâ— while What have I done what have I thee agilt How mightest thou for routhe me begile Is there no grace and shall I thus be spilt Shall thus Creseide away for yâ— thou wilt Alas how mightest thou in thine hart find To ben to me thus cruell and unkind Have I thee nat honoured all my live As thou well wotest above the Gods all Why wilt thou me fro ioy thus deprive O Troilus what may men now thee call But wretch of wretches out of honour fall Into misery in which I woll bewaile Creseide alas till that the breath me faile Alas Fortune if that my life in joy Displeased had unto thy foule Envie Why ne haddest thou my father king of Troy Biraft the life or done my brethren die Or slaine my selfe yâ— thus complaine crie I combre world that may of nothing serve But ever dye and never fully sterve If that Creseide alone were me laft NaughtrauÈt I whider thou woldst me stere And her alas then hast thou me byraft But evermore lo this is thy manere To reve a wight that most is to him dere To preve in that thy gierfull violence Thus am I lost there helpeth no defence O very Lord O love O God alas That knowest best mine hert al my thought What shal my sorowfull life done in this caas If I to go that I so dere have bought Sens ye Creseide me have fully brought Into your grace and both our hearts sealed How may ye suffer alas it be repealed What I may done I shal while I may dure On live in turment and in cruell paine This infortune or this disaventure Alone as I was borne I woll complaine Ne never woll I seene it shine or raine But end I woll as Edippe in derkenesse My sorrowfull life and dien in distresse O wery ghost that errest to and fro Why 〈◊〉 thou flien out of the wofullest Body that ever might on ground go O soule lurking in this wofull neste Fly forthout mine hart and let it breste And follow alway Creseide thy lady dere Thy right place is now no lenger here O wofull eien two sens your disport Was all to seene Creseides eyen bright What shall ye done but for my discomfort Stoden for naught wepen out your sight Sens she is queint yâ— wont was you to light * In veine from this forth have I eyen twey I formed sens your vertue is awey O my Creseide O lady soveraine Of this wofull soule that thus crieth Who shall now yeven comfort to thy paine Alas no wight but when mine hert dieth My spirit which that so unto you hieth Receiâ—e in gree for that shall aye you serve For thy no force is though the body sterve O ye lovers that high upon the whele Ben sette of Fortune in good aventure God lene that ye finden aye love of stele And long more your life in joy endure But when ye comen by my sepulture Remembreth that your fellow resteth there For I loved eke though I unworthy were O old unholsome and mislived man Calcas I meane alas what eiled thee To 〈◊〉 a Greek sens thou art borne Trojan O Calcas which that wolt my bane be In cursed time was thou borne for me As would blisfull Iove for his joy That I thee had where I would in Troy A thousand sighes hotter than the glede Out of his breast each after other went Medled with plaint new his wo to fede For which his wofull teares never stent And shortly so his sorowes him to rent And wore so mate that joy or pennaunce He feeleth none but heth in a traunce Panoare which that in the parliment Had heatd with every Lord and burgeis seid And how full graunted was by one assent For Antenor to yelden oâ—t Creseid Gan well nigh wood out of his wit to breid So that for wo he niste what he ment But in a 〈…〉 went A certaine knight that for the 〈…〉 The chamber dore undid it him anone And Pandare that full tenderly wept Into the derke chamber as still as stone Toward the bedde gan softly to goue So confuse that he â—â—st what to say For very wo his wit was nigh away And with chere and leeking all to torne For sorow of this with his armes folden He stood this wofull Troilus beforne And on his pitous face he gan beholden But so oft gan his heart colden Seeing his friend in wo whose heavinesse His heart slough as thought him for distresse This wofull wight this Troilus yâ— felt His friend Pandare icomen him to see Gan as the snow ayenst the sunne melt For which this wofull Pandare of pite Gan for to weepe as tenderly as he And speechlesse thus ben these ilke twey That neither might for sorow o word sey But at the last this wofull Troilus Nigh dead for smert gan bresten out to rore And with a sorowfull noise he said thus Among his sobs and his sighes sore Lo
Pandare I am dead withouten more Hast thou nat heard at parliment he seide For Antenor how lost is my Creseide This Pandare full dead and pale of hew Full pitously answerde and said yes As wisely were it false as it is trew That I have heard and wote all how it is O mercy God who would have trowed this Who would have wend yâ— in so little a throw Fortune our joy would overthrow For in this world there is no creature As to my dome that ever saw ruine Stranger than this through case or aventure But who may all eschue or all devine Such is this world for thy I thus define * Ne trust no wight to find in Fortune Aye property her yeftes ben commune But tell me this why thou art now so mad To sorrowen thus why list thou in this wise Sens thy desire all holly hast thou had So that by right it ought inough suffise But I that never felt in my servise A friendly chere or looking of an eie Let me thus wepe and wailen till I die And over al this as thou wel wost thy selve This toune is full of ladies all about And to my dome falcer than such twelve As ever she was shal I finden in some rout Ye one or twey withouten any dout For thy be glade mine owne dere brother If she be lost we shall recover another * What God forbid alway yâ— ech pleasaunce In a thing were and in none other wight If one can sing another can well daunce If this be goodly she is glad and light And this is faire and that can good aright Ech for his vertue holden is for dere Both herones and faucon for rivere And eke as writ Zansis that was full wise * The new love out chaseth oft the old And vpon new case lieth new avise Thinke eke thy selfe to saven art thou hold Such fire by processe shall of kind cold For sens it is but casuell pleasaunce Some case shall put it out of remembraunce * For also sure as day commeth after night The new love labour or other wo Or els selde seeing of a wight Done old affections all overgo And for thy part thou shalt haue one of tho To abredgs with thy bitter pains smart Absence of her shall driue her out of hart These words saied he for the nones all To helpe his friend least he for sorow deide For doubtlesse to doen his wo to fall He raught nat what vnthrift that he seide But Troilus that nigh for sorow deide Tooke little hede of all that ever he ment One eare it heard at the other out it went But at yâ— last he answerd and said friend This lechcraft or dealed thus to be Were well fitting if that I were a fiend To traien a wight that true is vnto me I pray God let this counsaile never ithee But doe me rather sterue anon right here Ere thus I doen as thou me wouldest lere She that I serue iwis what so thou sey To whom mine hart enhabite is by right Shall have me holly hers till that I dey For Pandarus sens I have trouth her hight I woll nat ben vntrue for no wight But as her man I woll aye live and sterve And never none other creature serve And there thou saiest thou shalt as fair find As she let be make no comparison To creature iformed here by kind O leve Pandare in conclusion I woll nat been of thine opinion Touching all this for which I thee beseech So hold thy peace thou slaest me with thy speech Thou biddest me I should love another All freshly new and let Creseide go It lithe nat in my power leve brother And though I might yet would I nat do so * But canst thou plaien raket to and fro * Nettle in dock out now this now yâ— Pandare Now foule fall her for thy wo yâ— care Thou farest eke by me Pandarus As he that when a wight is wo bigon He commeth to him apace saith right thus Thinke not on smart thou shalt feele none Thou maiest me first transmewen in a stone And reve me my passions all Or thou so lightly doe my wo to fall The death may well out of my brest depart The life so long may this sorow mine But fro my soule shall Creseides dart Out nevermore but doune with Proserpine When I am dead I woll won in pine And there I woll eternally complain My wo and how that twinned be we twain Thou hast here made an argument full fine How that it should lasse paine be Creseide to forgone for she was mine And lived in ease and in felicite Why gabbest thou that saidest vnto me * That him is wors that is fro we le ithrow Than he had erst none of that we le know But tel me now sen yâ— thee thinketh so light To chaungen so in love aye to and fro Why hast thou nat doen busily thy might To chaungen her yâ— doth thee all thy wo Why nilt thou let her fro thine heart go Why nilt thou love another lady swete That may thine heart setten in quiete If thou hast had in love aye yet mischance And canst it not out of thine hart drive I that lived in lust and in pleasance With her as much as creature on live How would I that foryet and that so blive O where hast thou ben hid so long in mew Thou canst so well and formeliche agrew Nay God wot naught worth is al thy rede For which for what that ever may befall Withouten words mo I woll ben dede O death that ender art of sorrowes all Come now sens I so oft after thee call * For sely is that death sooth sor to saine That oft icleped commeth endeth paine Well wote I while my life was in quiete Ere thou me slue I would have yeven hire But now thy comming is to me so swete That in this world I nothing so desire O death sens with this sorow I am a fire Thou either do me anon in teares drench Or with thy cold stroke mine heart quench Sens yâ— thou slaest so fele in sundry wise Ayenst her will vnpraied day and night Doe me at my request this servise Deliver now the world so doest thou right Of me that am the wofullest wight That ever was for time is that I sterve Sens in this world of right nauÈt do I serve This Troilus in teares gan distill As licour out of Allambike full fast And Pandarus gan hold his tongue still And to the ground his eyen downe he cast But nathelesse thus thought he at last What parde rather than my fellow dey Yet shall I somewhat more vnto him sey And said friend sens thou hast such distresse And sens thee list mine argumentes blame Why nilt thy selven helpe doen redresse And with thy manhood letten all this game To rauish her ne caust thou not for shame And either let her out of toune fare Or hold her still and leave thy nice
cause of all my game But sens of fine force I mote arise I shall arise as sone as ever I may And God to whom mine hert I sacrifice So send vs hastely the tenthe day For was there never foule so faine of May As I shall ben when that she cometh in Troie That cause is of my tourment and my joie But whider is thy rede qd Troilus That we may play vs best in all this toun By God my counsaile is qd Pandarus To ride and play vs with king Sarpedoun So long of this they speaken vp and doun Till Troilus gan at the last assent To rise and forth to Sarpedon they went This Sarpedon as he that honourable Was ever his live and full of hie prowesse With all that might iserved been on table That deintie was all coste it great richesse He fedde hem day by day that such noblesse As saiden both the most and eke the least Was never er that day wiste at any feast Nor in this world there is none instrument Delicious through winde or touche on corde As ferre as any wight hath ever iwent That tonge tell or harte may recorde But at that feast it was well heard recorde Ne of Ladies eke so faire a companie On daunce er tho was never iseen with eye But what availeth this to Troilus That for his sorrow nothing of it rought But ever in one as hert pitous Full busily Creseide his Lady sought On her was ever al that his hert thought Now this now that so fast imagining That glad iwis can him no feasting These Ladies eke that at this feast been Sens that he saw his Lady was away It was his sorow upon hem for to seen Or for to heare on instrumentes play For she that of his hert hath the kay Was absent lo this was his fantasie That no wight shulde maken melodie Nor there nas houre in al the day or night When he was ther as no man might him here That he ne sayd O lovesome Lady bright How have ye faren sins that ye were there Welcome iwis mine owne Lady dere But welaway all this nas but a mase Fortune his hove entended bet to glase The letters eke that she of olde time Had him isent he would alone rede An hundred sith atwixt noone and prime Refiguring her shape and her womanhede Within his hert and every worde and dede That passed was thus he drove to an end The fourth day and saied he wol wend. And said leve brother Pandarus Intendest thou that we shall here bleve Til Sarpedon woll forth conveyen us Yet were it fairer that we toke our leve For Goddes love let us now sone at eve Our leave take homeward let us turne For trewely I nill nat thus sojourne Pandare answerde be we comen hither To fetchen fire and rennen home againe God helpe me so I can nat tellen whither We might gone if I shall sothly saine There any wight is of us more faine Than Sarpedon and if we hence hie Thus sodainly I hold it vilanie When that we saiden we would bleve With him a weke and now thus sodainly The fourth day to take of him our leve He would wondren on it trewly Let us holden forth our purpose fermely And sens that ye behighten him to abide Hold forward now and after let us ride This Pandarus with all pine and wo Made him to dwell and at the wekes end Of Sarpedon they toke her leave tho And on her way they speden hem to wend Qd. Troilus now Lorde me grace send That I may find at mine home comming Creseide comen and therwith gan he sing Ye haselwode thought this Pandare And to himselfe ful softly he seide God wotte refroiden may this hotte fare Er Calcas sende Troilus Creseide But nathelesse he yaped thus and seide And swore iwis his hert him wel behight She wolde come as sone as ever she might When they unto the paleis were ycomen Of Troilus they doun of horse alight And to the chambre her way have they nomen And unto time that it gan to night They speken of Creseide the lady bright And after this when hem both lest They spede hem fro the supper unto rest On morow as sone as day began to clere This Troilus gan of his slepe to abreide And to Pandarus his own brother dere For loue of God full pitously he seide As go we seene the paleis of Creseide For sens we yet may have no more feest So let us seine her paleis at the leest And therewithall his meine for to blende A cause he fonde in toune for to go And to Creseides house they gan wende But lorde this sely Troilus was wo Him thought his sorowful hart brast atwo For when he saw her doores sparred all Well nigh for sorow adoun he gan to fall Therwith when he was ware gan behold How shet was every window of the place As frost him thought his hert gan to cold For which with chaunged deedly pale face Withouten worde he forth by gan to pace And as god would he gan so faste ride That no wight of his countenance aspide Then said he thus O paleis desolate O house of houses whilom best ihight O paleis empty and disconsolate O thou lanterne of which queint is the light O paleis whilom day that now art night Wel oughtest thou to fall and I to die Sens she is went that wont was us to gie O paleis whilom crowne of houses all Enlumined with sunne of all blisse O ring of which the rubie is out fall O cause of wo that cause hast ben of blisse Yet sens I may no bet fain would I kisse Thy colde doores durst I for this rout * And farewel shrine of which the saint is out Therwith he cast on Pandarus his eie With changed face and pitous to behold And when he might his time aright aspie Aie as he rode to Pandarus he told His new sorow and eke his joyes old So petously and with so deed an hew That every wight might on his sorow rew Fro thence forth he rideth vp and doune And every thing came him to remembraunce As he rode forth by the places of the toune In which he whilom had all his pleasaunce Lo yonder saw I mine owne Lady daunce And in that temple with her eien clere Me caught first my right Lady dere And yonder have I herde full lustely My dere hart laugh and yonder play Saw I her ones eke ful blisfully And yonder one 's to me gan she say Now good sweete love me well I pray And yonde so goodly gan she me behold That to the death mine hart is to her hold And at the corner in the yonder house Herde I mine alderlevest lady dere So womanly with voice melodiouse Singen so wel so goodly and so clere That in my soule yet me thinketh I here The blisfull sowne and in that yonder place My lady first me toke vnto
overlede True humble herts with her mistie hede Nere comfort a daies when iyen clere Disclose and sprede my lives Ladie dere * Ie vouldray but great God disposeth And maketh casuel by his providence Soch thing as mans frele wit purposeth All for the best if that your conscience Not grutche it but in humble pacience * It receive for God saith without fable A faithful hert ever is acceptable Cautels who so vseth gladly gloseth To eschewe soch it is right high prudence What ye sayd ones mine hart opposeth That my writing yapes in your absence Pleased you moch better than my presence Yet can I more ye be not excusable A faithfull harte ever is acceptable Quaketh my penne my spirit supposeth That in my writing ye find woll some offence Min hert welkneth thus sone anon it riseth Now hotte now colde and eft in feruence That misse is is caused of negligence And not of malice therefore beth merciable A faithfull harte ever is acceptable ¶ Lenuoye Forth complaint forth lacking eloquence Forth little letter of enditing lame I have besought my ladies Sapience Of thy behalfe to accept in game Thine inabilitie doe thou the same Abide have more yet Ie serve Iouesse Now forth I close thee in holy Venus name Thee shall vnclose my harts governeresse Boecius de Consolatione Philosophiae In this Book are handled high and hard obscure Points viz. The purveyance of God The force of Destiny The freedom of our Wills and the infallible Prescience of the Almighty and that the Contemplation of God himself is our Summum bonunt Carmina qui quondam studio florenti peregi Flebilis heu moestos coger inire modos ALas I weeping am constrained to begin verse of sorrowful matter yâ— whilom in florishing studie made delitable ditees For lo rending Muses of Poets enditen to me things to be written and drerie teates At laste no drede ne might overcome tho muses that they ne werren fellowes and folowden my way that is to say when I was exiled they that weren of my youth whilom weelful and grene comforten now sorowful wierdes of me old man for elde is commen unwarely vpon me hasted by the harmes that I have and sorrow hath commaunded his age to be in me Heere 's hore aren shad overtimeliche vpon my head and the stacke skinne trembleth of mine empted body Thilke death of menne is weleful yâ— ne commeth not in yeres that be swet but commeth to wretches often yâ—leped Alas alas with how deafe an eare death cruell turneth away from wretches and â—â—aieth for to close weepying iyen While Fortune vnfaithfull fauoured me with light goodes the sorowful houre that is to say yâ— death had almost dreint mine hedde but now for Fortune cloudie hath chaunged her deceiueable chere to meward mine vnpitous life draweth along vngreable dwellings O ye my frends what or whereto auaunted ye me to been wilfull For he that hath fallen stode in no stedfast degree Haec dum mecum tacitus ipse reputarem querimoniamque lacrimabilem stili Officio designarem astitisse mihi supra verticem visa est mulieâ— reverendi admodum vultus oculis ardentibus ultra communem c. IN the mean while that I stil recorded these thynges with my self and marked my wepely complainte with office of poinctell I saugh stondyng abouen the hight of mine hed a woman of full great reuerence by semblant Her iyen brennyng clere seyng ouer yâ— common might of men with a liuely colour with soch vigour strength yâ— it ne might not been nempned all were it so yâ— she were full of so great age that menne woulden not trowen in no manere that she were of our elde The stature of her was of doutous iudgement for sometime she constrained shronke her seluen like to yâ— common measure of men And sometime it seemed that she touched yâ— heaven with the hight of her hedde And when she houe her hedde higher she perced the selfe heauen so that the sight of men looking was in idell her clothes were maked of right delie thredes subtell craft of per durable mattier The which clothes shee had wouen with her owne honds as I knew well after by her selfe declaring shewing to me the beauty The which clothes a darkenesse of a forleten and dispised elde had dusked and darked as it is wonte to darke by smoked Images In the netherest hemme or border of these clothes men redde iwouen therein a Grekish A. that signifieth the life Actiue aboue that letter in yâ— hiest bordure a Grekish C. yâ— signifieth the lyfe Contemplatife And betwene these two letters there were seen degrees nobly wrought in maner of ladders by which degrees men might climben from the netherest letter to the vpperest nathelesse handes of some men hadden kerue that cloth by violence or by strength eueriche man of hem had borne away such peces as he might getten And forsothe this foresaid woman bare small bookes in her right hand in her left hand she bare a Scepter And when she sawe these Poeticall Muses approching about my bed and endityng wordes to my wepinges she was a little amoued glowe o with cruell iyen Who qd she hath suffred approchen to this sicke man these commen strompets of which is the place that men callen Theatre the which onely ne asswagen not his sorrowes with remedies but they would feden and norish him with swete venime Forsoth that been tho that with thornes prickings of talentes of affections which that been nothing fructuous nor profitable distroyen the Come plentuous of fruictes of reason For they holden hartes of men in vsage but they ne deliuer no folke fro malady But if yâ— Muses had withdrawen fro me with your flatteries any an vnconnyng vnprofitable man as been wont to finde commenly among yâ— people I would well suffre the lasse greuously For why in soche an vnprofitable man myne ententes were nothyng endammaged But ye withdrowen fro me this man that hath been norished in my studies or scoles of Eleaticis of Achademicis in Grece But goeth now rather away yee Metmaydens which that been swete till it be at the last suffreth this man to be cured and healed by my Muses that is to say by my notefull Sciences And thus this company of muses iblamed casten wrothly their chere douneward to the yearth and shewing by rednesse her shame they passeden sorowfully the threshold And I of whom the sight plounged in teares was darked so that I ne might not know what that woman was of so Imperiall aucthoritie I woâ—e all abashed and astonied cast my sight doune to the yearth and began still for to abide what she would doen afterward Then came she nere set her doune vpon the vtterest corner of my bed she beholding my chere that was cast to the yearth heauy greuous of weeping complained with these wordes that I shall â—aine the perturbation of my thought
ajust such things that peircen hem full deep But nathelesse that thou shalt not wilne to leten thy self a wretch Hast thou foryeten the number and the manner of thy welefulnesse I speak not how that the soueraign men of the Citie tooke thee in cure and keeping when thou were orphelyn of father and of mother and were chosen in affinitie of princes of the citie And thou beganne rather to be lefe deare than for to be a neyghbour the which thyng is the most precious kind of any propinquitie or alliaunce that may been Who is it that ne sayed tho that thou ne were right welefull with so great nobley as thy fathers in law and with the chastitie of thy wife and with the opportunity and noblesse of thy masculine children that is to sayne thy sonnes And ouer all this me list to passen of common things how thou haddest in thy youth dignities that were warned to old men but it deliteth me now to commen to the singular up-heaping of thy welefulnesse If any fruite or mortal thynges may haue any wight or price of welefulnesse mightest thou euer foryeten for any charge of harme whiche might befall the remembraunce of thilke day that thou saw thy two sons made counsailours and ladde together from thy house under so great assemble of Senatours and under the blithnesse of the people And when thou saw hem set in the court in high chaires of dignities Thou Rhetorien or pronouncer of kings praisings deseruedest glory of wit and of eloquence when thou sitting between thy two sons counsaylours in the place that hight Circo and fulfille dest the bidding of the multitude of people that was spradde about thee with so large praysing and laud as men sing in victories Tho yaue thou to Fortune as I trowe that is to say tho feoffedest thou Fortune with glorious words deceiue dest her when she acoyed and nourished thee as her own delices Thou bare away of Fortune a yest y◠is to say such guerdon that she neuer yaue to private man Wilt thou therefore lay a reckning with Fortune She hath now first twidckled vpon thee with a wicked eye If thou consider the number and the manner of thy blisses and of thy sorows thou mayest nat forsaken that nart yet blisful For if therfore thou wenest thy self not welefull for tho things that seemeden joyfull ben passed there nis not why thou shouldest seem thy self a wretch for things that semed now sorry passen also Art thou now commen a suddain ghest into the shaddow or tabernacle of this life or trowest thou that any stedfastnesse be in mans things When oft a swift hour dissolueth the same man that is to say when the soul departed from the body For although that selde is there any faith that fortunous things would dwellen yet nathelesse the last day of a mans life is a manner death to Fortune and also to thike that hath dwelt And therefore what wenest thou doth recke if thou forlet her in dying or els that she Fortune forlete thee in flyen away Cum polo Phebus roseis quadrigis Lucem spergere caeperit Pallet albentes hebetara vultus Flammis stella permentibus c. WHen Phebus the Sunne beginneth to spreade his clearenesse with Rosen charriots then the sterre dimmed paleth her white cheres by the flames of the sunne that ouer commeth the sterre light that is to sayne when the sunne is risen the day-sterre wexeth pale and leseth her light For the great lightnesse of the sunne when the wood wexeth rodie of rosen flours in the first Summer season through the breath of the winde Zepherus that wexeth warme if the cloudie winde Auster blowe fell liche then goeth away fairenesse of thornes Oft the see is clere and caulme with mouing floodes and oft the horrible wind Aquilon moueth boyling tempest and ouer whelueth the sea If the forme of this worlde is so selde stable and if it turneth by so many enterchaunges wilt thou then trusten in the tumblynge fortunes of men Wilt thou trowen on fleeting goods It is certaine and established by law perdurable that nothing that is engendred is stedfast ne stable Tum ego vera inquam commemoras ô virtutum omnium nutrix nec inficiati possum prosperitatis meae velocissimum cursum Sed hoc est quid c. THen saied I thus O nourice of all vertues thou sayest full sooth ne I may not forsake the right swifte course of my prosperitye that is to saine that the prosperitye ne be commen to me woonder swiftly and soone But this is a thing that greatly smarteth me when it remembreth me For in all aduersities of Fortune the most vnselie kind of contrarious Fortune is to haue been welefull Phi. But that thou abiest thus qd she that tourment of thy false opinion that maist thou not rightfully blamen ne aretten to things as who sayeth that thou hast yet many haboundances of things Textus For all be it so that the idle name of aduenturous welefulnesse moueth thee now it is lefull that thou recken with me of how many thynges thou hast yet plentie And therfore if that thilk thing that thou haddest for more precious in all thy richesse of Fortune be kept to thee yet by the grace of God vnwemmed vndefouled mayest thou then plaine rightfully vpon the mischeefe of Fortune sithen thou hast yet thy best thinges Certes yet liueth in good point thilke precious honor of mankind Symachus thy wives father which that is a man made of all Sapience and Vertue the which man thou wouldst buy with the price of thine owne life he bewayleth the wrongs that men doen to thee not for himself For he liueth in sikernesse of any Sentence put ayenst him And yet liueth thy wife that is attempre of wit passing other women in cleanenesse of chastitie and for I would close ◠shortly her hounties she is like her father I tell thee that she liueth loth of this life and keepeth to thee only her ghost and is all mate and ouercome by weeping and sorrow for desire of thee In the which thing only I mote graunten thee that thy welefulnesse is amenused What shall I saine eke of thy two sons counsaylours of which as of children of her age there shineth the likenesse of the wit of her father and of her elde father And sithen the souerain cure of all mortall folk is to sauen her own liues if thou know thy self thy goods make thee more welefull For yet ben there things dwelled to thee ward that no man doubteth that they ne been more deereworth to thee than thine own life And for thy drie tears for yet is not euery Fortune hatefull to thee ward ne ouergreat tempest ne hath not yet fallen vpon thee when thine ankers cleven fast that neither woll sufferen the comfort of this time present ne the hope of time coming to passen ne to failen Bo. And I pray qd I that fast mote they holden for
the whiles that they holden howsoeuer that things been I shall well fleten forth and escapen But thou maist well seen how great apparailes and array that me lacked that be passed away fro me Phi. I haue somewhat aduanced furthered thee qd she if that thou annoy not or forthink not of all thy fortune as who saith I haue somewhat comforted thee so that thou tempest not thee thus with all thy fortune sithen thou hast yet thy best thyngs But I may not fuffren thy delices yâ— plainest so weeping anguishous for that there lacketh somewhat to thy welefulnesse For what man is he that is so sad or of great perfite welefulnesse that he ne striueth and playneth on some half ayen the qualitie of his estate * For why full anguishous thing is the condicion of mans goods For eyther it commeth not all together to a wight or els it ne lasteth not perpetuell For some man hath great richesse but he is ashamed of his vngentill linage And some man is renomed of noblesse of kinrede but he is inclosed in so great anguish of need of things that him were leuer that he were vnknow And some man haboundeth both in richesse and noblesse but yet he bewayleth his chast life for he ne hath no wife And some man is selily maried but he hath no children nourisheth his richesses to straunge folk And some man is gladded with children but he weepeth full sore for the trespace of his son â—or of his doughter And for this there ne accordeth no wight lightly to that condicion of his fortune For alway to euery man there is in somwhat that vnassayed he ne wote nought or els he dreadeth that he hath assayed And add this also that euery welefull man hath a full delicate feeling so that but if all things befallen at his own will he is impacient or is not vsed to haue none aduersitie anon he is throwen adown for euery little thing and full little things been tho that withdrawn the summe or the perfection of blisfulnesse fro hem that been most fortunate How many men trowest thou would deemen hemselfe to ben almost in heauen if they mighten attain to the least partie of the remenaunt of thy fortune This same place that thou cleapest exile is countrey to them that enhabiten here And for thy nothing wretched but when thou wenest it as who saith thou thy self ne no wight els nis a wretch but when he weneth himself he is a wretch by reputation of his courage And ayenward all fortune is blisful to a man by the agreeabilitie or by the egalitie of him that suffereth it What man is that that is so weleful that nold changen his estate when he hath lost his pacience The sweetnesse of mans welefulnesse is sprant with many bitternesses The which welefulnesse although it seem sweet and joyful to him that vseth it yet may it not been withholden that it ne goeth away when it woll Then it is well seen how wretched is the blisfulnesse of mortal things that neither it dureth perpetuel with hem that euery fortune receiuen agreeably or egally ne it deliteth not in all to hem that ben anguishous O ye mortal folk what seek ye then blisfulnesse out of your own self which is put in your self Errour and folly confoundeth you I shall shew thee shortly the point of soueraign blisfulnesse Is there any thing to thee more precious than thy life Thou wilt aunswere nay Then if it so be that thou art mightie ouer thy self that is to sain by tranquilitie of thy soul then hast thou thing in thy power that thou noldest neuer lesen Ne Fortune may not bynemme it thee And that thou maist know that blisfulnesse ne may not stand in thyngs that been fortunous and temporell nowe vnderstande and gather it together thus If blisfulnesse be the soueraign good of nature that liueth by reason ne thilke thing is not soueraign good that may be taken away in any wise For more worthie thing is and more dign thilke thing that may not be taken away Then sheweth it well that the vnstablenesse of Fortune may nat attayne to receyue very blisfulnesse And yet moreouer what manne that this tumbling welefulnesse leadeth eyther he wote that it is changeable or els he wote it not And if he wote it not what blisful fortune may there been in the blindnesse of ignoraunce And if he wote that it is chaungeable he mote alway ben adrad that he ne lese that thing that he ne doubteth not but that he may lesen it As who fayth he mote alway be agast least he lese that that he woteth right well he may lese For which the continuall dread that he hath ne suffereth him not to be welefull Or els if he lese it he weneth to be dispised and foreleten Certes eke that is a full little good that is born with euen hart when it is lost that is to sain that men do no more force of the losse than of the hauing And for as much as thou thy self art he to whom it hath be shewed preued by full many demonstrations as I wote well that the souls of men ne mowen not dien in no wise And eke sens it is cleare and certain that fortunous welefulnesse endeth by the death of the body it may not be doubted that if death may take away blisfulnesse that all yâ— kind of mortal thing ne descendeth into wretchednesse by the end of death And sithen we know well that many a man hath sought the fruit of blisfulnesse not only with suffering of death but eke with suffering of pains and tourments how might then this present life make men blisfull sens that thilk self life ended it ne maketh folk no wretches Quisquis volet perennem Cautus ponere sedem Stabilisque nec sonori Sterni flatibus Euri Et fluctibus minantem Curat spernere pontum Montis cacumen alti Bibulas vitet arenas c. WHat manner of folk ware and stable that woll founden hem a perdurable seat and ne will not be cast down with the lowde blasts of the wind Eurus and will despise the Sea menasing with floudes let him eschew to builden on the coppe of the Mountain or in the moist Sands For if the fell wind Auster tormenteth the coppe of the Mountains with all her strengths and the lose sands refusen to bear the heauy weights And for thy if thou wolt flien the perillous aduenture that is to say of the world haue mind certainly to set thine house of a merrie seat in a low stone For although the wind troubling the sea thunder with ouerthrowing thou that art put in quiet and welefull by strength of thy palleis shalt lead a clear age scorning the woodnesse and the ires of the aire Sed quoniam rationum jam in te mearum fomenta discendunt paulo validioribus utendum puto Age enim Si jam caduca ac momentaria fortunae c. BVt for
keep the saluacion of his life escheweth death and destruction But certes I doubt me of herbes and trees that ne haue no feling Soules ne no natural workings seruing to appetites as beasts haue whether they haue appetite to dwellen and to duren Philosophie Certes qd she thereof dare thee not doubt Now looke upon the Hearbes and Trees for they wexen first in such places as been conuenable to hem in whiche places they mowe not dien ne drien as long as her nature may defend hem For some of hem wexen in Fields and some wexen in Mountaines other wexe in Mareis and other cleauen on rocks some wexen plenteous in sondes And if any wight enforce him to bear hem into other places they wexen drye * For nature yeueth to euery thing that is conuenient to hem and trauayleth that they ne die as long as they haue power to dwellen to liuen What wilt thou sain of this that they drawen all her nouryshings by her roots right as they hadden her mouths yplunged within the earthes shedden by her mareis her wood her barke And what wilt thou saine of this that the ilke thing that is right soft as the marie is that is alway hid in the seat of all within and that is defended from without by the stedfastnesse of wood and that the utterest Barks is put ayenst that distemperaunce of the heauen as a defendour mightie to sufferen harme And thus certes mayest thou well seene how great is the diligence of nature for all things renouelen and publishen hem with seed ymultiplied Ne there nis no man that ne wote well that they ne been right as a foundement edifice for to duren not onely for a time but right as for to dure perdurably by generacion And the things eke that men wenen ne haue no souls ne desire they not by semblable reason to keep that is his that is to saine that is according to her nature in conseruacion of her being and enduring For wherefore els beareth lightnesse the flames vp and the weight presseth the yearth adoun but for as much as thilke place and thilke mouings be couenable to eueriche of hem And forsooth euery thing keepeth thilke that is according and proper to him right as things that ben contrarious and enemies corrumpen hem And yet the hard things as stones cleauen and holden her parties togither right fast and hard and defenden hem in withstanding that they ne departen lightly and yeuen place to hem that breaken or deuiden hem but nathelesse they retourne ayen soone into the same things from whence they be araced But fire fleeth and refuseth all deuision Ne I ne treat not now here of wilful moouings of the soule that is knowing but of naturell entencion of things as thus right as we swallowen the meat that we receiuen and ne think not on it and as we draw our breath in sleeping that we were not while we sleepen For certes in the beasts the loue of her liuings ne of her beings ne commeth not of the wâ—â—nings of the soule but of the beginnings of nature For certes through constrayning causes will desireth and embraceth full oft times the death that nature dredeth that is to saine as thus That a man may be constrayned so by some cause that his will desireth and taketh the death which that nature hateth and dreadeth full sore And sometime we seen the contrary as thus that the will of a wight disturbeth and constraineth that that nature alway desireth and requireth that is to say the werkes of generacion by the which generacion only dwelleth and is sustayned the long durabilitie of mortal things as thus This charitie and this loue that euery thing hath to himself ne commeth not of the mouing of the soul but of the entencion of nature For the purueyaunce of God hath yeuen to things that ben create of him this that is a full great cause to liuen and to duren for which they desiren naturelly her life as long as euer they mowen for which thou maist not dreaden by no manner that all things that been any where that they ne requiren naturally the firm stablenesse of perdurable dwelling and eke the eschewing of destruction Boeci I confesse qd I that I see well now and certainely withouten doubt the things that a while ago seemeden vncertain to me Philos But qd she thilk thing that desireth to be and dwell perdurably he desireth to been one for if that one were destroyed certes being should there none dwellen to no wight Boecius That is sooth qd I. Philosophie Then qd she desiren all things one Boecius I assent qd I Philosophie And I haue shewed qd she that ilke same one is thilke that is good Boecius Ye forsooth qd I Philosophie All things then qd she requiren good and thilke maist thou discriuen thus good is thilke thing that euery wight desireth Boecius There ne may be thought no more very thing qd I for either all things be referred and brought to nought and flotten without gouernour dispoiled of one as of her proper head or els if there be any thing to which that all things tenden and hyen to that thing must be the soueraign good of all goods Philosophie Then said she thus O my nourice qd she I haue great gladnesse of thee for thou hast fixed in thy hart the middle soothfastnesse that is to saine the pricke but this thing hath be discouered to thee in that thou saidest that thou wistest not a little here beforne Boecius What is that qd I Philos That thou ne wistest not qd she which was the end of things and certes that is the thing that euery wight desireth And for as much as we haue gathered and comprehended that good is thilk thing that is desired of all then mote we needs confesse that good is the fine of all things Quisquis profunda mente vestigat verum Cupitque nullis ille deviis falli in se revolvat intimi lucem visus c. WHo so seeketh sooth by a deep thought and coueiteth to beene disceyued by no miswayes let him rollen and treaten within himselfe the light of his inward sight and let him gatheren ayen enclyning into a compace the long moouinges of his thoughts And let him teachen his courage that hee hath enclosed and hidde in his treasours all that he hath compassed or sought from without and then thilke thing that the blacke cloudes of errour whylome had couered shall light more clearely than Phebus himselfe ne shineth Glosa Who so woll seeke the deepe grounds of sooth in his thought and woll not be deceyued by false proposicions that gone amisse from the troth let him well examine and rolle within himselfe the nature and properties of the thing And let him eftsoons examine and rollen his thoughts by good deliberacion or that he deme And let him teachen his soul that it hath by naturell principles
gentle kind Of instruments of stringes in accord Heard I so play a ravishing swetnesse That God that maker is of all and Lorde Ne heard never better as I gesse Therewith a wind unneth it might be lesse Made in the leaves grene a noise soft Accordant to the foules song on loft The aire of the place so attempre was That never was ther greuance of hot ne cold There was eke every holsome spice gras Ne no man may there waxe sicke ne old Yet was there more joy a thousand fold Than I can tell or ever could or might There is ever clere day and never night Vnder a tree beside a well I sey Cupide our Lorde his arrowes forge file And at his feete his bowe already lay And well his doughter tempred all the while The heddes in the well with her wile She couched hem after as they should serve Some to slea and some to wound carve Tho was I ware of pleasance anon right And of array lust beauty and curtesie And of the craft that can hath the might To done by force a wight to done folie Disfigured was she I will not lie And by himselfe vnder an Oke I gesse Sawe I delite that stood with gentlenesse Then saw I beauty with a nice attire And youth full of game and jolitee Foole hardinesse flatterie and desire Messagerie mede and other three Her names shall not here be tolde for me And vpon pillers great of Jasper long I sawe a temple of Brasse ifounded strong And about the temple daunced alway Women inow of which some there were Faire of hemself and some of hem were gay In kirtils all disheueled went they there That was their office euer fro yere to yere And on the temple saw I white and faire Of Doves sitting many a thousand paire And before the temple doore full soberly Dame peace sat a curtaine in her honde And her beside wonder discretly Dame Pacience sitting there I fonde With face pale vpon an hill of sonde And alther next within and without Behest and Arte and of her folke a rout Within the temple of sighes hote as fire I heard a swough that gan about ren Which sighes were engendred with desire That made euery harte for to bren Of newe flambe and well espied I then That all the cause of sorowes that they drie Come of the bitter Goddess Ialousie The God Priapus saw I as I went Within the temple in souerain place stond In soch array as when the Asse him shent With crie by night and with sceptre in hond Full busilie men gan assay and fond Vpon his hedde to set of sondrie hewe Garlandes full of freshe floures newe And in a priuie corner in disport Found I Venus and her porter Richesse That was full noble and hauten of her port Darke was that place but after lightnesse I sawe a lite vnnethes it might be lesse And on a bed of golde she lay to rest Till that the hote Sunne gan to West Her gilte heere 's with a gold threde I bound were vntressed as she lay And naked from the brest vnto the hede Men might her see and sothly for to say The remnaunt couered well to my pay Right with a little kerchefe of Valence There was no thicker clothe of defence The place gaue a thousand sauours soote And Bacchus God of Wine sate her beside And Ceres next that doeth of hunger boote And as I said a middes lay Cupide To whom on knees the yong folkes cride To be their helpe but thus I let her lie And farther in the temple I gan espie That in dispite of Diane the chaste Full many a bowe ibroke hing on the wall Of maidens soch as gone her times waste In her seruice and painted ouer all Of many a storie of which I touch shall A fewe as of Calixte and Athalant And many a maid of which the name I want Semyramus Candace and Hercules Biblis Dido Tisâ—e and Piramus Tristram I soude Paris and Achilles Helaine Cleopatre and Troilus Sylla and eke the mother of Romulus All these were paynted on that other side And all her loue and in what plite they dide When I was commen ayen into the place That I of spake that was so soote and grene Forth walked I tho my seluen to solace Tho was I ware where there sate a Quene That as of light the Sommer sunne shene Passeth the Sterre right so ouer measure She fairer was than any creature And in a laund vpon an hill of floures Was set this noble Goddesse Nature Of branches were her halles and her boures I wrought after her craft and her measure Ne there nas foul that cometh of engendure That there ne were prest in her presence To take her dome and yeue her audience For this was on sainct Valentines day When euery foul cometh to chese her make Of euery kind that men thinke may And that so huge a noise gan they make That yearth sea and tree and euery lake So full was that vnneth there was space For me to stand to full was all the place And right as Alaine in the plaint of kind Deuiseth Nature of such araie and face In soche aray men might her there find This noble Empresse full of all grace Bad euery foule take her owne place As they were wont alway fro yere to yere On sainct Valentines day standen there That is to say the foules of rauine Were highest set and then the foules smale That eaten as that Nature would encline As worme or thing of which I tell no tale But water foule sat lowest in the dale And foules that liueth by seed sat on yâ— grene And that so many that wonder was to sene There might men the royall Egle find That with his sharpe looke perseth the son And other Egles of a lower kind Of which that clerkes well deuisen con There was the tyrant with his fethers don And grene I mean the goshauke that doth pine To birdes for his outragious rauine The gentle faucon that with his fete distreineth The kings hand the hardy Sperhauke eke The Quales foe the Merlion that peineth Himself full oft the Larke for to seke There was the Doue with her iyen meke The jelous Swan ayenst his deth that singeth The Oul eke that of deth the bode bringeth The Crane the Geant with his tromps soune The theif the Chough and the chattring Pie The scorning Iaie the Eles foe the Heroune The false Lapwing full of trecherie The Stare that the counsaile can bewrie The tame Ruddocke and the coward Kite The Cocke that horiloge is of thropes lite The Sparow Venus son the Nightingale That cleapeth forth the fresh leaues new The Swalow murdrer of the Bees smale That maken honie of floures fresh of hew The wedded Turtell with his harte true The Pecocke with his angel fethers bright The Fesaunt scorner of the Cocke by night The waker Gose the Cuckowe euer vnkind The Popingeie full of delicasie The
as a stone Crampisheth her limmes crokedly She speketh as her witte were all agone Other colour than ashen hath she none Ne none other word speketh she moch or lite But mercy cruell herte mine Arcite And thus endureth til that she was so mate That she ne hath foot on which she may sustene But forth languishyng ever in this estate Of which Arcite hath neyther routh ne tene His hert was els where newe and grene That on her wo ne deineth him not to think Him recketh never whether she flete or sinke * This new Lady holdeth him so narowe Vp by the bridel at the staues end That every word he dred it as an arowe Her daunger made him bothe bowe bend And as her luste made him turne or wend For she ne graunted him in her liuing No grace why that he hath to sing But droue him forth vnneth list her know That he was seruaunt vnto her Ladyship But lest he were proude she helde him lowe Thus serueth he without meate or sip She sent him now to land and now to ship And for she yaue him daunger all his fill Therfore she had him at her owne will Ensample of this ye thrifty women all Take hede of Annelida and false Arcite That for her list him her dere herte call And was so meke therefore he loved her lite * The kinde of mans herte is to delite On thing that straunge is also God me save For what they may not get yâ— wold they have Now turne we to Annelida ayen That pyneth day by day in languishing But when she saw that her ne gate no geyn Vpon a day sorowfully wepyng She cast her for to make a complainyng And with her owne hand she gan it write And sent it to her Theban knight Arcite The complaint of Annelida to false Arcite So thir led with the point of remembraunce The swerde of sorowe whette with false pleasaunce Mine herte bare of blisse black of hew That turned is to quaking all my daunce My sewerty in a waped countenaunce Sens it avayleth nought to ben trew For who so trew is it shall her rew That serueth love and doth her observaunce Alway to one and chaungeth for no new I wote my selfe as well as any wight For I loved one with all mine hert might More than my self an hundred thousand sith And called him my hertes lyfe my knight And was all his as ferre as it was right And when yâ— he was glad than was I blithe And his disease was my death as swithe And he ayen his trouth hath me plight For evermore hys Lady me to kithe Now is he false alas and causeles And of my wo he is so routhles That with a worde him list not ones daine To bring ayen my sorowfull herte in pees For he is caught vp in another lees Right as him list he laugheth at my paine And I ne can mine hert not â—estraine For to loue him yet alway ueuertheles And of all this I not to whom to plaine And shuld I playne alas the hard stound Vnto my foe that yaue myne hert a wound And yet desireth that myne harme be more Now certes ferther woll I neuer found None other helpe my sores for to sound My desteny hath shaped so full yore I woll none other medecine ne lore I woll ben aye there I was ones bound That I haue said be said for euermore Alas where is become your gentilnesse Your words full of pleasance and humblesse Your obseruaunce in so lowe manere Your awayting and your besinesse On me that ye called your maistresse Your soueraine lady in this world here Alas is there neyther worde ne chere Ye vouchsafe vpon myne heuinesse Alas your loue I bye it all to dere Now certes swete though that ye Thus causelesse the cause be Of my deedly aduersite Your manly reason ought it to respite To slee your frende and namely me That neuer yet in no degre Offended you as wissy he That all wote of wo my soule quite But for I was so playne Arcite In all my workes moch and lite And was so besie you to delite Myne honour saue meke kinde and fre Therefore ye put in me this wite Alas ye retche not a mite Though that the swerde of sorow bite My wofull hert through your cruelty My sweet so why do ye so for shame And thinke ye that furthered be your name To loue a newe and ben vntrewaye And put you in slander now and blame And do to me aduersitie and grame That loue you most God thou wost alway Yet turne ayen and yet be playne some day And than shall this yâ— now is mis ben game And all foryeue while I lyue may Lo hert myne al this is for to saine As whether shall I pray or els playne Which is the way to done you to be trew For eyther mote I haue you in my chayne Or with the deth ye mote depart vs twayne There bethe none other meane wayes new For God so wisely on my soule rewe As verely ye slaine me with the payne That mowe ye see vnfained on mine hewe For thus ferforth haue I my deth sought My selfe I murder with my priuie thought For sorow and routh of your vnkindnesse I wepe I wayle I fast all helpeth naught I voide joy that is to speake of aught I voide company I flie gladnesse Who may auaunt her better of heuineffe Than I to this plite haue ye me brought Without gilte me needeth no witnesse And should I pray weiuen womanhede Nay rather death than do so foule a dede And aske mercy and giltlesse what nede And if I plaine what lyfe I lede You recketh not that know I out of drede And if I vnto you mine othes bede For mine excuse a scorne shall be my mede * Your chere floureth but it woll not sede Full long agon I might haue taken hede For though I had you to morow agayne * I might as well hold Aprill from rayne As holde you to maken stedfast Almighty God of trouth the souerayn Where is the trouth of man who hath it slayn * She that hem loueth shall hem find as fast As in a tempest is a rotten mast Is that a tame beest that is aye fayne To renne away when he is lest agast Now mercy sweete if I missay Haue I aught sayd out of the way I not my witte is all away I fare as doth the songe of chantepleure For now I plaine and now I pley I am so mased that I dey Arcite hath borne away the key Of all my world and my good auenture For in this world there is no creature Walking in more discomfiture Than I ne more sorowe endure For if I sleepe a furlonge way or twey Then thinketh me that your figure Before me stante clad in asure Efte to profre a newe assure For to ben trewe and mercy me to prey The long night this wonder sight ydrie That on the
pite Iwis mine owne deare hert ye Know full well that neuer yet As farre as euer I had wit Agilt you in thought ne in dede O haue ye men such goodlihede In speech and neuer a dele of trouth Alas that euer had routh Any woman on a false man Now I see well and tell can We wretched women can no art For certaine for the more part Thus we been serued euerichone How sore that ye men can grone Anon as we have you receiued Certainly we been deceiued For though your loue lest a season Wait vpon the conclusion And eke how ye determine And for the more part define O welaway that I was borne For through you my name is lorne And mine acts redde and song Ouer all this land in euery tong O wicked fame for there nis Nothing so swift lo as she is O sooth is euery thing is wist Though it be couerde with the mist Eke though I might duren euer That I haue done recouer I neuer That it ne shall be said alas I shamed was through Eneas And that I shall thus judged be Lo right as she hath done now she Woll done estsoones hardely Thus say the people priuely But that is done nis not to done But all her complaint ne her mone Certaine auailed her not a stre And when she wist soothly he Was forth into his ship agone She into chamber went anone And called on her suster Anne And gan her to complaine than And said that she cause was That she first loued him alas And first counsailed her thereto But what when this was said and do She roft her seluen to the hart And deide through the wounds smart But all the manner how she deide And all the words how she seide Who so to know it hath purpose Rede Virgile in Eneidos Or the Pistels of Ouide What that she wrote or that she dide And nere it too long to endite By God I would it here write But welaway the harme and routh That hath betide for such vntrouth As men may oft in bookes rede And all day seene it yet in dede That for to thinken it tene is Lo Demophon Duke of Athenis How he forswore him falsely And traied Phillis wickedly That kings doughter was of Thrace And falsely gan his tearme pace And when she wist that he was false She hong her selfe right by the halfe For he had done her such vntrouth Lo was not this a wo and routh Eke looke how false and recheles Was to Briseida Achilles And Paris to Oenone And Iason to Hipsiphile And eft Iason to Medea And Hercules to Dianira For he left her for Iolee That made him take his death parde How false was eke Theseus That as the storie telleth vs How he betraied Adriane The deuill be his soules bane For had he laughed or yloured He must haue been all deuoured If Adriane ne had be And for she had of him pite She made him fro the death escape And he made her a full false jape For after this within a while He left her sleeping in an Isle Desart alone right in the see And stale away and let her bee And tooke her suster Phedra tho With him and gan to ship go And yet he had sworne to here On all that euer he could swere That so she saued him his life He would taken her to his wife For she desired nothing els In certain as the booke vs tels But for to excuse this Eneas Fulliche of all his great trespas The booke saith sauns faile The gods bad him go to Itaile And leauen Affrickes regioun And faire Dido and her toun Tho saw I graue how to Itaile Dan Eneas gan for to saile And how the tempest all began And how he lost his steresman Which that the sterne or he tooke keepe Smote ouer the bord as he sleepe And also saugh I how Sibile And Eneas beside an Isle To hell went for to see His father Anchises the free And how he there found Palimurus And also Dido and Deiphebus And eueriche tourment eke in hell Saw he which long is for to tell Which paines who so list to know He must rede many a row In Vergile or in Claudian Or Daunt that it tellen can Tho saw I eke all the ariuaile That Eneas had made in Itaile And with king Latin his treate And all the battailes that he Was at himselfe and his knights Or he had all iwonne his rights And how he Turnus reft his life And wan Lauina to his wife And all the maruellous signals Of the gods celestials How maugre Iuno Eneas For all her sleight and her compas Acheued all his auenture For Iupiter tooke on him cure At the prayer of Venus Which I pray alway saue vs And vs aye of our sorrowes light When I had seene all this sight In this noble temple thus Hey Lord thought I that madest vs Yet saw I neuer such noblesse Of Images nor such richesse As I see grauen in this church But nought wote I who did hem worch Ne where I am ne in what countree But now will I out gone and see Right at the wicket if I can Seene ought where stering any man That may me tellen where I am When I out of the dore came I fast about me beheld Then saw I but a large field As farre as euer I might see Without toune house or tree Or bush or grasse or eared land For all the field was but of sand As small as men may see at eye In the desart of Lybye Ne no manner creature That is yformed by nature Ne saw I me to rede or wisse O Christ thought I that are in blisse From fanton and illusion Me saue and with deuotion Mine eyen to the heauen I cast Tho was I ware lo at the last That fast by the sunne on hye As kenne might I with mine eye Me thought I saw an Egle sore But that it seemed much more Than I had any Egle yseine This is as sooth as death certaine It was of gold and shone so bright That neuer saw men such a sight But if the heauen had ywonne All new of God another sonne So shone the Egles fethers bright And somewhat downward gan it light Explicit liber primus NOw hearken euery manner man That English vnderstand can And listeth of my dreame to here For nowe at erst shall ye lere So sely and so dredefull a vision That I say neither Scipion Ne king Nabugodonosore Pharao Turnus ne Alcanore Ne metten such a dreame as this Now faire blisfull O Cipris So be my fauour at this time That ye me tendite and rime Helpeth that in Pernaso dwell Beside Elicon the clere well O thought that wrote all that I met And in the tresorie it set Of my braine now shall men see If any vertue in thee bee To tell all my dreame aright Now kithe thy engine and thy might This Egle of which I haue you told That with feathers
so noble vertue haboundeth so that the defacing to you is verily imaginable as countenance of goodnesse with encresing vertue is so in you knit to abide by necessary manner yet if the riuers might fall which is ayenst kind I wote well mine herte ne should therfore naught flit by the least point of Geometrie so sadly is it fonded that away from your seruice in loue may he not depart O loue when shall I been pleased O charitie when shall I been leased O good goodly when shall yâ— dice tourne O full of vertue doe yâ— chaunce of comfort vpward to fall O loue when wolt thou think on thy seruaunt I can no more but here outcast of al welfare abide yâ— day of my death or els to see yâ— sight that might all my welling sorrowes voide and of yâ— flood make an ebb These diseases mowen well by duresse of sorrow make my life to unbodie and so for to die but certes ye Ladie in a full perfection of loue been so knitte with my soule that death maye not thilke knotte unbinde ne depart so that ye and my saule together as endelesse in blisse should dwell and there shall my soule at the full been eased that he may haue your presence to shew the entent of his desires Ah dear God that shall be a great joy Nowe yearthly Goddesse take regarde of thy seruaunt though I be feeble for thou art wont to prayse them better that would conserue in loue all be he full meaner than Kings or Princes that woll not haue that vertue in mind Now precious Margarite that with thy noble vertue hall drawne me into loue firste me wenyng thereof to haue blisse as Galle and Aloes are so muche sprong that sauour of sweetnesse may I not atast Alas that your benigne eyen in which that mercie seemeth to haue all his noriture nill by no way tourne the clearenesse of mercie to mee wards Alas that your brennande vertues shinyng amonges all folke and enluminyng all other people by haboundance of encreasing sheweth to me but smoake and no light These thynges to thinke in mine heart maketh euerye daye weepyng in myne eyen to renne These liggen on my backe so sore that importable burden mee seemeth on me backe to be charged it maketh mee backeward to meue when my steps by common course euen foorth pretend These thynges also on ryght side and left haue mee so enuolued with care that wanuehope of helpe is throughout mee ronne truely and leue that gracelesse is my Fortune whyche that euer sheweth it mee wards by a cloudye disease all ready to make stormes of rene and the blisfull side halt still awayward and woll it not suffer to mee wards to turne no force yet woll I not beene conquered O alas that your nobley so muche among all other creatures commended by flowyng streme by all manner vertues but there been woonderfull I not whyche that let the flood to come into my soule wherefore purely mated with sorrow through sought my selfe I crie on your goodnesse to haue pittie on this captife that in the inrest degree of sorrowe and disease is left and without your goodly will from any helpe and recouery These sorrowes may I not susteyne but if my forrowe shoulde bee tolde and to you wards shewed although muche space is betweene vs twayne yet me thynketh that by suche joleinyng wordes my disease ginneth ebbe Truely me thynketh that the sowne of my lamentations weepyng is right nowe flow into youre presence and there cryeth after mercye and grace to whyche thynge mee seemeth thee lift none answer to yeue but with a deinous cheare ye commaunded it to auoyd but God forbid that any woord should of you spring to haue so little ruth Parde pitie and mercye in euery Margarite is closed by kinde amongs many other vertues by qualities of comfort but comfort is to mee right naught worth withouten mercye and pittie of you alone which thynges hastely God me graunt for his mercye REhearsing these thynges and many other without time or moment of rest mee seemed for anguish of disease that all togither I was rauished I cannot tell how but holly all my passions and feelings weten lost as it seemed for the time and suddainely a manner of drede light in mee all at ones nought such feare as folke haue of an enemie that were mightye and would hem greue or dooen hem disease for I trowe this is well knowe to many persons that otherwhile if a man be in his Soueraignes presence a manner of feardnesse creepeth in his heart not for harme but of goodly subjection namely as menne readen that Aungels been aferde of our Sauiour in heauen And parde there ne is ne may no passion of disease be but it is to meane that Aungels been adradde not by fiends of drede sithen they been perfitely blissed as affection of wonderfulnesse and by service of obedience such ferde also han these louers in presence of their loues and subjects aforne their Soueraines right so with ferdnesse mine hert was caught And I suddainely astonied there entered into the place there I was lodged a lady the seeme liche and most goodly to my sight that euer toforne appeared to any creature and truly in the blustering of her look she yaue gladnesse comfort suddainly to all my wits and right so shee dooth to euery wight that commeth in her presence And for she was so goodly as me thought mine hert began somdeale to be enbolded and wext a little hardye to speake but yet with a quaking-voice as I durst I salued her and enquired what shee was and why she so worthie to sight dained to enter into so foul a dungeon and namely a prison without leaue of my keepers For certes although the vertue of deeds of mercy stretchen to visiten the poor prisoners and hem after that faculties been had to comfort me seemed that I was so ferre fallen into miserie and wretched hid caitifenesse that mee should no precious thing neigh and also thaâ— for my sorrow euery wight should beene heavie and wish my recouerie But when this lady had somedeale apperceiued as well by my wordes as by my chere what thought busied me within with a good womanly countenance she said these words O my norie we nest thou that my manner be to foryet my friends or my seruaunts Nay qd she it is my full entent to visite and comfort all my friendships and allies as well in time of perturbation as of most propertie of blisse in mee shall vnkindenesse neuer bee founden And also sithen I haue so few especiall true now in these days wherefore I may well at more leisar come to hem that me deseruen and if my comming may in any thing auail wete well I woll come often Now good lady qd I that art so faire on to looke ryning honey be thy wordes blisse of paradise arne thy lookings joy and comfort are thy mouings What is thy name How is it that in you is so
not the stedfastnesse of Noe yâ— eating of the grape became dronke Thou passeth not the chastity of Lothe that lay by his doughter Eke the nobly of Abraham whom God reproued by his pryde Also Dauids meeknesse which for a woman made Vry be slaw What also Hector of Troy in whom no defaut might be found yet is he reproued that he ne had with manhood not suffred the warre begon ne Paris to haue went into Grece by whom gan all the sorow for * truly him lacketh no venime of priuy consenting which yâ— openly leaueth a wrong to withsay Lo eke an old prouerbe among many other * He that is still seemeth as he graunted Now by these ensamples thou might fully vnderstand that these things been writ to your learning in rightwisenes of tho persones as thus To euery wight his default committed made goodnesse afterwards done be the more in reuerence and in open shewing for ensample is it not songe in holy church Lo how necessary was Adams sin Dauid the king gat Salomon the king of her that was Vries wife Truly for reproof is none of these things writte Right so tho I rehearse thy before deed I repreue thee neuer the more ne for no villany of thee are they rehearsed but for worship so thou continue well hereafter and for profite of thy self I rede thou on hem thinke Then saied I right thus Lady of unity and accorde enuy wrath lurken there thou commest in place ye weten well your selue so done many other yâ— while I administred the office of common doing as in ruling of yâ— establishments amongs yâ— people I defouled neuer my conscience for no maner deede but euer by wit by counsaile of the wisest the matters weren drawen to their right endes And thus truly for you Lady I haue desired soch cure certes in your seruice was I not idle as far as soch doing of my cure stretcheth That is a thing qd she that may draw many hertes of noble voice of common into glory and fame is not but wretched and fickle Alas that mankind coueteth in so leud a wise to be rewarded of any good deed sith glory of Fame in this world is not but hindering of glory in time comming And certes qd she yet at yâ— hardest such fame into heauen is not the yearth but a centre to the cercle of heuen A pricke is wonderful little in respect of all the cercle yet in all this prick may no name be born in manner of persing for many obstacles as waters and wildernesse and straunge languages not onely names of men ben stilled holden out of knowledging by these obstacles but also cities and realms of prosperity ben letted to be know and their reason hindred so that they mowe not ben perfitely in mens proper vnderstanding How should then the name of a singuler Londenoys passe the glorious name of London which by many it is commended and by many it is lacked and in many mo places in earth not knowen then knowen for in many countrees little is London in knowing or in speach and yet among one manner of people may not soch fame in goodnesse come for as many as praisen commonly as many lacken Fie then on soch maner fame sleep and suffre him that knoweth priuity of hertes to deale soch fame in thilke place there nothing ayenst a soth shall neither speake ne dare appere by atturney ne by other maner How many great named many great in worthinesse losed han be tofore this time that now out of memory are slidden cleanly forgetten for defaute of writings yet scriptures for great elde so been defased that no perpetualty may in hem been judged But if thou wolt make comparison to euer with joy mayst thou haue in yearthly name it is a fair likenesse a pees or one grain of Wheat to a thousand ships full of corne charged What nomber is between the one and the other and yet mowe both they be nombred and end in recknyng haue But truely all that may be nombred is nothing to recken as to thilke that may not be nombred for oft things ended is made comparison as one little an other great but in things to haue an end and an other no end soch comparisoun may not be founden Wherefore in heauen to been losed with God hath none end but endles endureth and thou canst nothing doen aright but thou desire the rumour thereof be healed and in euery wightes eare and that dureth but a prick in respect of the other And so thou seekest reward of folks small words and of vain praysings Truly therein thou lesest the guerdon of vertue and lesest the greatest valour of conscience and unhap thy renome euerlasting * Therefore boldly renome of fame of the yearth should be hated fame after death should be desired of werks of vertue asketh guerdoning and the soul causeth all vertue Then yâ— soul deliuered out of prison of yearth is most worthy soch guerdone among to haue in the euerlasting fame and not the bodye that causeth all mannes yuils OF tway things art thou answered as me thinketh qd Loue and if any thing be in doubt in thy soul shew it forth thine ignoraunce to clear and leaue it for no shame Certes qd I there ne is no body in this world that aught could say by reason ayenst any of your skils as I leue and by my wit now fele I well that euil speakers or bearers of enfame may little greue or let my purpose but rather by soche thing my quarel to be forthered Yea qd she and it is proued also that the like jewel in my keeping shall not there through be stered of the lest moment that might be imagined That is soth qd I. Well qd she then leueth there to declare that thy insuffisaunce is no manner letting as thus for that she is so worthy thou shouldest not climbe so high for thy moebles and thine estate arne voided thou thinkest fallen in soch misery that gladnesse of thy pursute woll not on thee discend Certes qd I that is soth right soch thought is in mine herte for commonly it is spoken and for an old Prouerb it is ledged * He that heweth to hie with chips he may lese his sight Wherefore I haue been about in all that euer I might to study ways of remedy by one side or by an other Now qd she God forbede ere thou seek any other doings but soch as I haue learned thee in our resting whiles and such hearbes as been planted in our Gardens Thou shalt well vnderstand that aboue man is but one God alone How qd I han men to forne this time trusted in writs and chauntements and in helps of Spirites that dwellen in the air and thereby they han getten their desires where as first for all his manly power he daunced behind O qd she fie on soch matters for truely that is sacrilege and that shall haue no sort
with any of my seruants in mine eyen shall soch thing not be looked after How often is it commanded by these passed wise that to one God shall men serue not two Gods And who that list to haue mine helps shall aske none help of foul Spirits Alas is not man maked semblable to God Woste thou not well that all vertue of liueliche werking by Gods purueighance is vnderput to reasonable creature in yerth is not euery thing a thishalf God made buxom to mans contemplacion vnderstanding in heauen in earth and in hell Hath not man being with stones soul of wexing with trees and herbs Hath he not soul of feling with beasts fishes and fouls and he hath soule of reason and vnderstonding with Angels so that in him is knit all maner of liuings by a reasonable proporcion Also man is made of all yâ— fower Elements All uniuersity is rekened in him alone he hath under god principality aboue al things Now is his soul here now a thousand mile hence now farre now nigh now high now low as farre in a moment as in mountenance of ten Winter al this is in mans gouernance disposicion Then sheweth it that men been lich vnto gods children of most height * But now sithen al things vnderput to yâ— will of reasonable creatures God forbid any man to win that Lordship ask help of any thing lower than himselfe and then namely of foule things innominable Now then why shouldest thou wene to loue to high sithen nothing is thee aboue but God alone Truly I wote wel that the ilk jewel is in a manner euen in line of degree there thou art thy selue nought aboue saue thus Angel vpon Angel Man vpon Man Deuil vpon Deuil han a maner of Souerainty that shal cease at yâ— day of Dome so I say though thou be put to serue thilk jewel during thy life yet is that no seruage of vnderputting but a maner of travailing pleasance to conquere and get that thou hast not I set now the hardest in my seruice now thou deydest for sorrow of wanting in thy desires Truly all heauenly bodies with one voice shul come make melody in thy comming say welcome our fere and worthy to enter into Iupiters joy for thou with might hast ouercome death thou wouldest neuer flit out of thy seruice we all shul now pray to the gods row by row to make thilke Margarite that no routh had in this person but vnkindly without comfort let thee dye shall beset her self in soch wise that in yearth for part of vengeaunce shall she no joy haue in loues seruice and when she is dedde then shall her soul been brought vp into thy presence and whider thou wilt chese thilke soule shall been committed Or els after thy death anone all the foresaid heauenly bodies by one accorde shall be nommen from thilke perle all the vertues that firste her were taken for she hath hem forfeyted by yâ— on thee my seruaunt in thy liue she would not suffer to worche all vertues withdrawen by might of the high bodies Why then shouldest thou wene so any more And if thee liste to looke vpon the law of kind and with order which to me was ordayned soothly none age none ouertourning time but hitherto had no time ne power to chaunge the wedding ne that knotte to vnbinde of two hertes through one assent in my presence togither accorden to enduren till death hem depart What trowest thou euery ideot wot the meaning the priuy entent of these things They wene forsoth that soche accorde may not be but yâ— Rose of maidenhede be plucked do way do way they know nothing of this * For consente of two hertes alone maketh the fastning of the knot neither law of kind ne mans Low determineth neither yâ— age ne the quality of persons but onely accord between thilke tway And truely after time that such accorde by their consent in herte is ensealed put in my tresory amongs my priuy things then ginneth the name of spousaile and although they breken forward bothe yet soch matter ensealed is kept in remembrance for euer And see now that spouses haue the name anon after accord though the Rose be not take The Aungell bad Ioseph take Mary his spouse and to Egypt wend Lo she was cleped spouse and yet toforne ne after neither of hem both meant no fleshly lust know wherfore yâ— words of trouth accorden yâ— my seruants shoulden forsake both father and mother be adherand to his spouse and they two in unity of one flesh shoulden accorde And this wise two that werne first in a little manner disaccordaunt higher that one and lower that other been made euenliche in gree to stonde But now to enforme thee yâ— ye been liche Goddes these Clerkes sain and in determinacion shewen that three things hauen the names of Goddes been cleped yâ— is to saine Man Deuil and Images but yet is there but one God of whom all goodnesse all grace and all vertue commeth he is louing and true and euerlasting prime cause of al being things but men been goddes louing true but not euerlasting that this by adoption of the euerlasting God Deuils been goddes stirring by a manner of liuing but neither been they true ne euerlasting their name of godlihed they han by vsurpacion as the Prophet saieth Al Goddes of Gentiles that is to say Painims are Diuels But Images been Goddes by nuncupacion they been neither liuing ne true ne euerlasting After these words they clepen Gods Images wrought with mens hands But now reasonable creature that by adoption alone art to yâ— great god euerlasting therby thou art good cleped let thy fathers maners so entre thy wits that thou might follow in as much as longeth to thee thy fathers worship so that in nothing thy kind from his will decline ne from his nobley pouerty In thus wise if thou werche thou art aboue all other things saue Ood alone and to say no more thine herte to serue in too hie a place FVlly haue I now declared thine estate to be good so thou follow thereafter and that the objection first by thee alleged in worthinesse of thy Margarite shall not thee let as it shall further thee and increase thee it is now to declare the last objection in nothing may greue Yes certes qd I both greue and let must it needs the contrary may not beene proued and see nowe why While I was glorious in worldly welfulnesse and had soch goodes in wealth as maken men riche tho was I draw into compaignies that loos prise and name yeuen Tho loureden blasours tho curreiden glosours tho welcomeden flatteres tho worshipped thilke that now deinen not to looke Euery wight in soch yearthly weale habundaunt is hold noble precious benigne wise to do with he shall in any degree that menne him set all be it that the soth
thus shall I die I see right well my Lorde hath me forsake But in my conceipt cause know I none why Though he be farre hence and nothyng nye Yet my wofull hert after hym doth seeke And causeth teares to ren doun my cheeke Thinkyng alas I haue lost his presence Which in this world was all my sustenance I cry and call with herty diligence But there is no wight giueth attendance Me to certifie of myne enquirance Wherefore I will to all this world be wray How that my Lord is slaine and borne away Though I mourne it is no great wonder Sithe he is all my joy in speciall And now I thinke we be so farre asonder That him to see I feare neuer I shall It helpeth no more after him to call Ne after him to enquire in any coste Alas how is he thus gone and loste The Iewes I thinke full of misery Set in malice by their busie cure With force and might with gileful trechery Hath entermined my Lordes sepulture And borne away that precious figure Leauing of it nothing if they haue done so Marred I am alas what shall I do With their vengeaunce insaciable Now haue they him entreated so That to reporte it is to lamentable They beate his body from toppe to the toe Neuer man was borne that felt soch woe They wounded him alas with all greuance The blood doun reiled in most habundance The bloody rowes stremed doune ouer all They him assayled so maliciously With their scourges and strokes bestiall They spared not but smote incessantly To satisfie their malice they were full busie They spit in his face they smote here there He groned full sore and sweate many a tere They crouned him with thorns sharp kene The veines rent the blood ran doun apace With blood ouercome with both his iyen And bolne with strokes was his blessed face They him entreated as men without grace They kneeled to him made many a scorne Like hell-hounds they haue him all to torne Vpon a mighty crosse in length and brede These turmentors shewed their cursednesse They nailed him without pitie or drede His precious blood brast out in largenesse They strained him along as men mercilesse The very jointes all to mine apparence Riued asonder for their great violence All this I beholding with mine iyen twain Stode there beside with rufull attendaunce And euer me thought he being in that pain Loked on me with deadly countenaunce As he had said in his speciall remembraunce Farwel Magdalen depart must I needs hens My hert is Tanquam cera liquescens Which rufull sight when I gan behold Out of my witte I almost destraught Tare my heere my hands wrang and fold And of yâ— sight my hert drank soch a draught That many a fall swouning there I caught I brused my body falling on the ground Whereof I fele many a greuous wound Then these wretches ful of al frowardnesse Gaue him to drinke Eisel tempred with gall Alas that poison full of bitternesse My loues chere caused then to appall And yet thereof might he not drinke at all But spake these wordes as him thought best Father of heauen Consummatum est Then kneeled I doune in paines outrage Clipping yâ— crosse within mine armes twain His blood distilled doune on my visage My clothes eke the droppes did distain To haue died for him I would full fain But what should it auayle if I did so Sith he is Suspensus in patibulo Thus my Lord full dere was all disguised With blood pain and wounds many one His veines brast his joynts all to riued Partyng asonder the flesh fro the bone But I saw he hing not there alone For Cum inquis deputatus est Not like a man but like a leprous beest A blind knight men called Longias With a speare aproched vnto my souerain Launsing his side full pitously alas That his precious hert he claue in twain The purple blood eke fro the herts vain Doune railed right fast in most rufull wise With christal water brought out of Paradise When I beheld this wofull passion I wote not how by sodain auenture My hert was peersed with very compassion That in me remayned no life of nature Strokes of death I felt without measure My deaths wound I caught with wo opprest And brought to point as my hert shuld brest The wound hert and blood of my darling Shall neuer slide fro my memoriall The bitter paines also of tourmenting Within my soule be grauen principall The speare alas that was so sharpe withall So thrilled my hert as to my felyng That body and soule were at departyng As soone as I might I releued vp againe My breth I coude not very well restore Felyng my selfe drowned in so great paine Both body soul me thought were al to tore Violent falles greeued me right sore I wept I bledde and with my selfe I fared As one that for his life nothing had cared I lokyng vp to that rufull Roode Saw first the visage pale of that figure But so pitous a sight spotted with bloode Saw neuer yet no liuyng creature So it exceeded the bounds of measure That mans mind with all his wits fiue Is nothing able that paine for to discriue Then gan I there mine armes to vnbrace Vp liftyng my handes full mourningly I sighed and sore sobbed in that place Both heuen earth might haue herd me cry Weping and said alas incessauntly Ah my sweet hert my ghostly paramour Alas I may nat thy body socour O blessed lord how fierse and how cruell These cursed wights now hath thee slaine Keruing alas thy body eueridell Wound within wound full bitter is thy pain Now wold that I might to thee attaine To nayle my body fast vnto thy tree So that of this payne thou might go free I can not report ne make no rehersaile Of my demening with the circumstaunce But well I wote the speare with euery naile Thirled my soule by inward resemblaunce Which neuer shall out of my remembraunce During my lyfe it woll cause me to waile As oft as I remembre that bataile Ah ye Iewes worse than dogges rabiate What mâ—ued you thus cruelly him to aray He neuer displeased you nor caused debate Your loue and true herts he coueyted aye He preched he teched he shewed yâ— right way Wherefore ye like tyrants wood wayward Now haue him thus slaine for his reward Ye ought to haue remembred one thing special His fauour his grace and his magnificence He was your prince borne and Lord ouer all How be it ye toke him in small reuerence He was full meke in suffring your offence Neuertheles ye deuoured him with one assent As hungry wolfs doth yâ— lamb innocent Where was your pite o people mercilesse Arming your self with falsheed and treason On my lord ye haue shewed your woodnesse Like no men but beestes without reason Your malice he suffred all for the season Your payn woll come thinke it not to slack * Man
to set mine harte in ease Wherefore to payne my self with al disease I shal not spare till he take me to grace Or els I shall sterue here in this place Ones if I might with him speake It were al my ioy with parfite pleasaunce So that I might to him my herte breake I shuld anone deuoid al my greuaunce For he is the blisse of very recreaunce But now alas I can nothing do so For in steed of ioy naught haue I but wo. His noble corse within mine harts rote Deep is graued which shall neuer slake Now is he gone to what place I ne wote I mourne I wepe and al is for his sake Sith he is past here a vowe I make With hartely promise thereto I me bind Neuer to cease till I may him find Vnto his mother I thinke for to go Of her haply some comfort may I take But one thing yet me feareth and no mo If I any mencion of him make Of my wordes she wold trimble and quake And who coud her blame she hauing but one * The son borne away yâ— mother wol mone Sorowes many hath she suffred trewly Sith that she first conceiued him and bare And seuen things there be most specially That drowneth her hert in sorrow care Yet lo in no wise may they compare With this one now the which if she knew She wold her paines euerichone renew Great was her sorrow by mennes saying Whan in the temple Simeon Iustus Shewing to her these words prophesiyng Tuam Animam pertransibit Gladius Also when Herode that tyrant furious Her childe pursued in euery place For his life went neither mercy ne grace She mourned when she knew him gone Full long she sought or she him found ayen Whan he went to death his crosse him vpon It was to her sight a rewful paine Whan he hong thereon between theues twaine And the speare vnto his herte thrust right She swouned to the ground there pight Whan deed and bloody in her lappe lay His blessed body both hands fete all tore She cried out and said now wel away Thus araide was neuer man before Whan hast was made his body to be bore Vnto his sepulture here to remaine Vnnethes for wo she coude her sustaine These sorowes seuen like swerds euery one His mothers herte wounded fro syde to syde But if she knew her sonne thus gone Out of this world she shuld with death ride For care she coude no lenger here abide Hauing no more joy nor consolacioun Than I here standing in this stacioun Wherefore her to see I dare nat presume Fro her presence I wol my selfe refraine Yet had I leuer to die and consume Than his mother should haue any more pain Neuertheles her sonne I would see ful fain His presence was very ioy and sweetnes His absence is but sorrow and heauines There is no more sith I may him nat mete Whom I desire aboue all other thing Nede I must take the sour with the swete For of his noble corse I here no tiding Full oft I cry and my hands wring Myne herte alas relenteth all in paine Which will brast both senew and vaine * Alas how vnhappie was this woful hour Wherein is thus mispended my seruice For mine intent and eke my true labour To none effect may come in any wise Alas I thinke if he doe me dispise And list not take my simple obseruaunce There is no more but death is my finaunce I haue him called Sed non respondet mihi Wherfore my mirth is tourned to mourning O dere Lord Quid mali feci tibi That me to comfort I find no erthly thing Alas haue compassion of my crying Yf fro me Faciem tuam abscondis There is no more but Consumere me vis Within myne herte is grounded thy figure That all this worlds horrible tourment May it not aswage it is so without measure It is so brenning it is so feruent Remember Lord I haue bin diligent Euer thee to please onely and no mo Myne herte is with thee where so euer I go Therefore my dere darling Trahe me post te And let me not stand thus desolate Quia non est qui consoletur me Myne herte for thee is disconsolate My paines also nothing me moderate Now if it list thee to speake with me aliue Come in hast for my herte asonder will riue To thee I profer lo my poore seruice Thee for to please after mine owne entent I offer here as in deuout sacrifice My boxe replete with pretious oyntment Myne eyen twaine weeping sufficient Myne herte with anguish fulfilled is alas My soule eke redy for loue about to pas Naught els haue I thee to please or pay For if mine herte were gold or pretious stone It should be thine without any delay With hertely chere thou shuld haue it anone Why suffrest thou me then to stand alone Thou hast I trow my weeping in disdaine Or els thou knowest nat what is my paine If thou withdraw thy noble daliaunce For ought that euer I displeased thee Thou knowest right wel it is but ignorance And of no knowledge for certainte If I haue offended Lord forgiue it me Glad I am for to make full repentaunce Of all thing that hath bin to thy greuaunce Myne herte alas swelleth within my brest So sore opprest with anguish with paine That all to peeces forsooth it woll brest But if I see thy blessed corse againe For life ne death I can nat me refraine If thou make delay thou maist be sure Myne hert woll leape into this sepulture Alas my lord why farest thou thus with me My tribulation yet haue in mind Where is thy mercy where is thy pite Which euer I trusted in thee to find Sometime thou were to me both good kind Let it please thee my prayer to accept Which with teares I haue here bewept On me thou oughtest to haue very routh Sith for thee is all this mourning For sith I to thee yplighted first my trouth I neuer varied with discording That knowest thou best my owne darling Why constrainest thou me thus to waile My wo forsooth can thee nothing availe I haue endured without variaunce Right as thou knowest thy louer iust trew With hert thought aye at thine ordinance Like to the saphire alway in one hew I neuer chaunged thee for no new Why withdrawest thou my presence Sith all my thought is for thine absence With hert intier sweet Lord I crie to thee Encline thine ears to my petition And come Voliciter exaudi me Remember mine herts dispositioun It may not endure in this conditioun Therefore out of these paines Libera me And where thou art Pone me juxta te Let me behold O Iesu thy blissed face Thy faire glorious angellike visage Bow thine eares to my complaint alas For to conuey me out of this rage Alas my lord take fro me this dommage And to my desire for mercy condiscend For none but thou
lord as he is of degree Vnto his lodging assigned shall bee Your officers let hem selfe deuise Yf the housing largely may suffise To you and yours stretchen and atteine That none estate haue cause to compleine And all your host lodged here beside Which ententifely vpon you abide Let hem fet by my auctority Vitaile inough here in my city And al that may hem succour or saue And at o word al that euer I haue Is full and holle at your commaundement How Adrastus and all the states of Grekes preiden Ligurgus for the life of Isophile Qd. Adrastus that is not our entent Nor no part cause of our comming For we be come all for another thing A certein gift of you to requere Benignely if ye list to here Which may Grekes passingly auaile Of our request if we do not faile Which we dare not openly expresse Withouten that ye will of your gentillesse Your graunt affirme conferme and ratifie Then were we bold it to specifie qd Ligurgus what thing euer it be Not excepted but onely things three The first is this it touche not my life My yong sonne pleinly nor my wife Take all my good and what ye list proâ—ide Of my treasour and set these thing aside All the surplus I compt nat a mite Then Adrastus astomed was a lite When Ligurgus in conclusion Of his sonne made exception And whiles they treat thus in fere There came forth one with a wofull chere Of face and looke pale and nothing red And loud crieth the kings sonne is ded Alas the while that whilom was so feire After Ligurgus borne to ben his heire The which alas hath yolden vp the breath Of a Serpent stong vnto the death And with his wound new fresh and greene In the herber lieth that pity is to seene And hath so lien almost all this day But when Ligurgus heard this affray And wist his child was dead and had no mo Little wonder though that he was wo For sodainly the importable smart Ran anon and hent him by the hart The sorow that King Ligurgus made for the death of his Child and the lamentation of the Queen That for constreint of his deadly peine Throughout he felt coruen euery veine The rage gan mine on him so depe That he could not but sobbe sigh and wepe And with the noise and lamentacioun The Quene distraught is descended doun And when she knew the ground of all this sorrow It needed her no teares for to borow But twenty time vpon a row Aswound she fell to the earth low And stoundmell for this mischaunce Still as a stone she lieth in a traunce But when the child into court was brought Tofore Ligurgus alas I wite him nought Vpon the corps with a mortall face He fell atones and gan it to embrace Sore to grispe and agein vp sert Then when Adrastus this thing can aduert Of kingly routh and compassioun From his eyen the teares fell adoun Eke Kings Dukes that about stood Onely of pity that is in gentill blood No power had the teares to restreine That on her cheekes doune began to reine But all a day would not suffise All her sorowes in order to deuise First of the king and the queene also To tellen al I should neuer haue do Not in the space almost of an houre But when the stormes and the teary shoure Of her weping was somewhat ouergone The litel Corps was grauen vnder stone And Adrastus in the same tide Ligurgus toke a litel out a side And full wisely with his prudent spech The Queene present gan him for to tech That so to sorow auaile may right nought To murdre himself with his owne thought * Ayeinst death may be no recure Though in wo perpetually endure Al helpeth not when the soule is go And our life here thus taketh heed thereto Is but an exile and a pilgrimage Ful of turment and of bitter rage Liche See renning to and fro Suing an Ebbe when the flood is do Litel space abiding at full Of whose sojourne the Pope yeueth no bull For king is none Duke ne Emperour That may him shroud ayenst his fatal shour Of cruel death when him list manace To marke a man with his mortall mace Then geineth not to his saluation Neither franchise ne protection And littel or nought may helpen in this caas Saufâ—ondir eyther supersedeas For in this world who so loketh aright Is none so great of power nor of might None so rich shortly nor so bold That he must die either yong or old And who in youth passeth his passage He escaped is all the wood rage All sorrow all trouble of this present life Replenished with conteke warre and strife Which selde or neuer stondeth in surete Wherefore best is as it seemeth me No man grutch but of high prudence The sonde of God he taketh in patience And ye that been so wise and manly to Your selfe to drowne in torment and in wo For losse of thing and ye list to see That in no wise may recured bee Is great folly and vndiscretioun And thus Adrastus hath conueyed doun The substance whole of that he would say Till that he found a tiâ— for to pray Conuement for Isophilee Beseching him for to haue pite Of that she hath offended his highnesse Not wilfully but of reckelesnesse First that he would his domes so diuide Mercy preferre and set right aside At request and prayer of hem all Of this vnhap and mischeefe that is fall By hasty rigour not to doe vengeaunce But thinke aforne in his purueyaunce * Who to wretches doth mercy in her drede Shall mercy find when he hath most nede And sith he hath power might and space Let him take this lady into his grace For lacke of routh that she nat thus die But tho the Quene gan again replie How the Queen will algate have the Serpent dead And platly said as in this matere Auaileth neither request nor prayere Pite mercy nor remission But if it be by this condicion That the Serpent cause of all sorow Through his labour lay his hed to borow This is finall and vtter recompence To find grace for her great offence Or elles shortly shede blood for blood And when Greekes her answere vnderstood Of one actord in her best wise Toke on hem this auenturous emprise For loue onely of Isophile And gon to ride enuiron the contre By hilles valeis roches and caues In diches darke and in old graues By euery cost serching vp and doun Till at last full famous of renoun The worthy knight Parthonolope Was the first that happed for to se This hidous Serpent by a Riuer side Great and horrible sterne and full of pride Vnder a Roch by a banke lowe And in all hast he bent a sturdy bowe And therein set an Arowe filed kene And through the body spotted blew grene How Parthonolope slew the Serpent Full mightely he made it for to glide And hent out a swerde