The seconde parte of crafty rethoryke
Maye well be called dysposycyon
822 That doth so hyghe mater aromatytyke
823 Adowne dystyll / by consolacyon
824 As olde poetes / make demonstracyon
825 That Mercury thrugh his premynence
826 His natyues endueth / with famous eloquence
827 By veray reason / it maye ryght well appere
828 That dyuers persones / in sundry wyse delyght
829 Theyr consolacyons / doth contratry so steere
830 That many myndes / maye not agre aryght
831 Suche is the planettes / of theyr course and myght
832 But what for that / be it good or yll
833 Them for to folowe / it is at mannes frewyll
834 And dysposycyon / the trewe seconde parte
835 Of rethoryke / doothe euermore dyrecte
836 The maters founde / of this noble arte
837 Gyuynge them place / after the aspecte
838 And oftyme / it hathe the inspecte
839 As frome a fayre parfyte narracyon
840 Or elles by a stedfaste argumentacyon
841 The whiche was constytute / by begynnynge
842 As on the reason / and yf apparaunce
843 Of the cause / than by outwarde semynge
844 Be harde and dyffyculte / in the vtteraunce
845 So as the mynde / haue no perceyueraunce
846 Nor of the begynnynge / can haue audyence
847 Than must narracyon / begynne the sentence
848 And yf it be a lytle probable
849 Frome ony maner stedfast argument
850 We ordre it / for to be ryght stable
851 Aad than we neuer / begyn our sentement
852 Recytynge lettres / not conuenyent
853 But this commutacyon / shoulde be refused
854 Without cause or thynge / make it be vsed
855 This that I wryte / is harde and couert
856 To them that haue / nothynge intellygence
857 Vp so downe / they make it oft transuert
858 Or that they can knowe / the experyence
859 Of this crafte / and facundyous scyence
860 By dysposycyon / the rethorycyan
861 To make lawes / ordynatly began
862 Without dysposycyon / none ordre gan be
863 For the dysposycyon / ordreth euery matter
864 And gyueth the place / after the degre
865 Without ordre / without reason we clatter
866 Where is no reason / it vayleth not to chatter
867 Dysposycyon / ordreth a tale dyrectly
868 In a perfyte reason / to conclude truely
869 The fatall problemes / of olde antyquyte
870 Cloked with myst / and with cloudes derke
871 Ordred with reason / and hye auctoryte
872 The trouthe dyde shewe / of all theyr couert werke
873 Thus haue they made / many a noble clerke
874 To dysnull myschefe / and inconuenyence
875 They made our lawes / with grete dylygence
876 Before the lawe / in a tumblynge barge
877 The people sayled / without parfytenes
878 Throughe the worlde / all aboute at large
879 They hadde none ordre / nor no stedfastnes
880 Tyll rethorycyans / founde Iustyce doubtles
881 Ordenynge kynges / of ryghte hye dygnyte
882 Of all comyns / to haue the souerainte
883 The barge to stere / with lawe and Iustyce
884 Ouer the wawes / of this lyfe transytorye
885 To dyrecte wronges / and also preiudyce
886 And tho that wyll resyste a contrary
887 Agaynste theyr kynge / by Iustyce openly
888 For theyr rebellyon / and euyll treason
889 Shall suffre dethe / by ryght and reason
890 O what laude / glory and grete honoure
891 Vnto these poetes / shall be notyfyed
892 The whiche dystylled / aromatyke lycour
893 Clensynge our syght / with ordre puryfyed
894 Whose famous draughtes / so exemplyfyed
895 Sette vs in ordre / grace and gouernaunce
896 To lyue dyrectly / without encombraunce
897 But many one / the whiche is rude and dull
898 Wyll dyspyse theyr warke for lacke of connynge
899 All in vayne / they do so hayle and pull
900 Whan they therof / lacke vnderstandynge
901 They grope ouer / where is no felynge
902 So dull they are / that they can not fynde
903 This ryall arte / for to perceyue in mynde
Of elocucyon the thyrde parte of rethoryke with colourynge of sentences. ca. xi.
904 And than the .iii. parte / is elocucyon
905 Whan inuencyon / hath the purpose wrought
906 And set it in ordre / by dysposycyon
907 Without this thyrde parte / it vayleth ryght nought
908 Thoughe it be founde / and in ordre brought
909 Yet elocucyon / with the power of Mercury
910 The mater exorneth / ryght well facundyously
911 In fewe wordes / swete and sentencyous
912 Depaynted with golde / harde in construccyon
913 To the artyke eres / swete and dylycyous
914 The golden rethoryke / is good refeccyon
915 And to the reder / ryght consolacyon
916 As we do golde / frome coper puryfy
917 So that elocucyon / doth ryght well claryfy
918 The dulcet speche / frome the langage rude
919 Tellynge the tale / in termes eloquent
920 The barbary tongue / it doth ferre exclude
921 Electynge wordes / whiche are expedyent
922 In latyn / or in englysshe / after the entent
923 Encensynge out / the aromatyke fume
924 Our langage rude / to exyle and consume
925 But what auayleth euermore to sowe
926 The precyous stones / amonge gruntynge hogges
927 Draffe vnto them / is more meter I trowe
928 Let an hare and swyne / be amonge curre dogges
929 Though to the hares / were tyed grete clogges
930 The gentyll best / they wyll regarde nothynge
931 But to the swyne / take course of rennynge
932 To cloke the sentence / vnder mysty fygures
933 By many coloures / as I make relacyon
934 As the olde poetes / couered theyr scyptures
935 Of whiche the fyrste / is dystrybucyon
936 That to the euyll / for theyr abusyon
937 Doth gyue payne / and to the worthy
938 Laude and prayse / them for to magnyfy
939 Of beest or byrde / they take a semylytude
940 In the condycyon / lyke to the party
941 Feble fayre / or yet of fortytude
942 And vnder colour of this beest pryuely
943 The morall cense / they cloke full subtyly
944 In prayse or dysprayse / as it is reasonable
945 Of whose faynynge / fyrste rose the fable
946 Concludynge reason / gretely profytable
947 Who that theyr fables / can well moralyse
948 The fruytfull sentences are delectable
949 Though that the fyccyon / they do so deuyse
950 Vnder the colour / the trouthe dooth aryse
951 Concludynge reason / rychesse and connynge
952 Pleasure / example / and also lernynge.
953 They fayned / no fable without reason
954 For reasonable is / all theyr moralyte
955 And vpon reason / was theyr conclusyon
956 That the comyn wyt / by possybylyte
957 Maye well adiuge / the perfyte veryte
958 Of theyr sentence / for reason openly
959 To the comyn wyt / it doth so notyfy
Rychesse.
960 Theyr fruytfull sentence / was grete rychesse
961 The whiche ryght surely / they myght well domyne
962 For lordeshyppe / welthe / and also noblesse
963 The chaunce of fortune / can soone determyne
964 But what for this / she can not declyne
965 The noble scyence / whiche after pouerte
966 Maye brynge a man agayne to dygnyte
Scyence.
967 Theyr sentence is connynge / as appereth well
968 For by connynge / theyr arte dooth engendre
969 And without connynge / we knowe neuer a dele
970 Of theyr sentence / but maye soone surrendre
971 A true tale / that myght to vs rendre
972 Grete pleasure / yf we were intellygyble
973 Of theyr connynge / nothynge impossyble
Pleasure.
974 O what pleasure to the intellygent
975 It is to knowe / and haue perceyueraunce
976 Of theyr connynge / so moche expedyent
977 And therof to haue good vtteraunce
978 Redynge newe thynges / of so grete pleasaunce
979 Fedynge the mynde / with fode insacyate
980 The tales newe / they are so delycate
Example.
981 In an example / with a mysty cloude
982 Of couert lykenesse / the poetes do wryte
983 And vnderneth the trouthe / doth so shroude
984 Both good and yll / as they lyst acquyte
985 With symylytude / they dyde so well endyte
986 As I here after / shall the trouthe soone shewe
987 Of all theyr mysty / and theyr fatall dewe
988 The poetes fayne / how that kynge Athlas
989 Heuen shoulde bere / vpon his shoulders hye
990 Bycause in connynge / he dyde all other pas
991 Especyally / in the hygh astronomye
992 Of the .vi. planettes / he knewe so parsytely
993 The operacyons / how they were domyfyed
994 For whiche poetes / hym so exemplyfyed
995 And in lykewyse / vnto the sagyttary
996 They feyne the centaures / to be of lykenesse
997 As halfe man / and halfe horse truely
998 Bycause Mylyzyus / with his worthynesse
999 Dyde fyrste attame / and breke the wyldnes
1000 Of the ryall stedes / and ryght swyftly
1001 His men and he / rode on them surely
1002 And also Pluto / somtyme kynge of hell
1003 A Cyte of Grece / standynge in thessayle
1004 Betwene grete rockes / as the boke doth tell
1005 Wherin were people / without ony fayle
1006 Huge / fyerse / and stronge in batayle
1007 Tyrauntes / theues / replete with treason
1008 Wherfore poetes / by true comparyson
1009 Vnto the deuylles / blacke and tedyous
1010 Dyde them resemble / in terryble fygure
1011 For theyr mysse lyuynge / so foule and vycyous
1012 As to this daye / it doth appere in vre
1013 Of Cerberus / the defloured pycture
1014 The porter of hell / with thre hedes vgly
1015 Lyke an horryble gyaunt / fyrse and wonderly
1016 Bycause alwaye / his customed tyranny
1017 Was elate in herte / by hygh presumpcyon
1018 Thynkynge hymselfe / moost stronge and myghty
1019 And secondly / he was dystruccyon
1020 Of many ladyes / by yll compulcyon
1021 And thyrdly / his desyre insacyable
1022 Was to get ryches / full innumerable
1023 Thus for these thre vyces abhomynable
1024 They made hym / with thre hedes serpentyne
1025 And lyke a fende / his body semblable
1026 For his pryde / auaryce / and also rapyne
1027 The morall cense / can soone enlumyne
1028 The fatall pycture / to be exuberaunt
1029 And to our syght clere / and not varyaunt
1030 Also rehersed / the cronycles of Spayne
1031 How redoubted Hercules / by puyssaunce
1032 Fought with an Ydre / ryght grete certayne
1033 Hauynge seuen hedes / of full grete myschaunce
1034 For whan that he / with all his valyaunce
1035 Had stryken of an heed / ryght shortly
1036 An other anone / arose ryght sodaynly
1037 Seuen sophyms / full harde and fallacyous
1038 This Ydre vsed / in perposycyon
1039 Vnto the people / and was full rygoryous
1040 To deuoure them / where lacked responcyon
1041 And whan one reason / had conclusyon
1042 An other reason / than incontynent
1043 Began agayne / with subtyll argument
1044 For whiche cause / the poetes couertly
1045 With .vii. hedes / doth this Ydre depaynt
1046 For these .vii. sophyms / full ryght closely
1047 But of rude people / the wyttes are so faynt
1048 That with theyr connynge / they can not acquaynt
1049 But who that lyst / theyr scyence to lerne
1050 Theyr obscure fygures / he shall well decerne
1051 O redolent well / of fomous poetry
1052 O clere fountayne / replete with swetenes
1053 Reflerynge out / the dulcet dylycacy
1054 Of .iiii. ryuers / in meruaylous wydenesse
1055 Fayrer than Tygrys / or yet Eufrates
1056 For the fyrste ryuer / is vnderstondynge
1057 The seconde ryuer / close concludynge
1058 The thyrde ryuer / is called nouelry
1059 The fouth ryuer / is called carbuncles
1060 Amyddes of whome / the toure is so goodly
1061 Of Vyrgyll standeth / most solacyous
1062 Where he is entered / in stones precyous
1063 By this fayre toure / in a goodly grene
1064 This well doth sprynge / both bryght and shene
1065 To vnderstandynge these .iiii. accydent
1066 Doctryne / perceyueraunce / and exercyse
1067 And also therto is equypolent
1068 Euermore / the parfyte practyse
1069 For fyrst doctryne / in all goodly wyse
1070 The perceyuerant routh / in his bote of wyll
1071 In vnderstondynge / for to knowe good from yll
1072 So famous poetes / dyde vs endoctryne
1073 Of the ryght waye / for to be intellectyfe
1074 Theyr fables they dyde / ryght so ymagyne
1075 That by example / we maye voyde the stryfe
1076 And without myschefe / for to lede our lyfe
1077 By the aduertence / of theyr storyes olde
1078 The fruyte werof / we maye full well beholde
1079 Depaynted on aras / how in antyquyte
1080 Dystroyed was / the grete cyte of Troye
1081 For a lytell cause / grounded on vanyte
1082 To morall ruyne / they tourned theyr Ioye
1083 Theyr vnderstandynge / they dyde than occoy
1084 Nothynge prepensynge / how they dyde prepare
1085 To scourge themselfe / and brynge them in a snare
1086 Who is opprest / with a lytell wronge
1087 Reuengynge it / he maye it soone encreace
1088 For better it is / for to suffre amonge
1089 An iniury / as for to kepe the peace
1090 Than to begynne / whiche he shall neuer ceace
1091 Warre ones begon / it is harde to knowe
1092 Who shall abyde / and who shall ouerthrowe
1093 The hygh power / honour / and noblenesse
1094 Of the myghty Romaynes / to whose excellence
1095 All the wyde worlde / so moche of gretenes
1096 Vnto theyr empyre / was in obedyent
1097 Suche was theyr famous porte / and preemynence
1098 Tyll within themselfe / there was a contrauersy
1099 Makynge them lese / theyr worthy sygneoury
1100 It is euer / the grounde of sapyence
1101 Before that thou / accomplysshe outwardly
1102 For to reuolue / vnderstandynge and prepence
1103 All in thy selfe / full often inwardly
1104 The begynnynge / and the myddle certaynly
1105 With the ende / or thou put it in vre
1106 And werke with councell / that thou mayst be sure
1107 And who that so doth / shall neuer repent
1108 For his dede is founded / on a parfyte grounde
1109 And for to fall / it hath none impedyment
1110 With surenes / it is so hygh walled rounde
1111 In welthe and ryches / it must nedes habounde
1112 On euery syde / it hath suche ordynaunce
1113 That nothynge can do it anoyaunce
1114 Thus the poetes / conclude full closely
1115 Theyr fruytfull problemes / for reformacyon
1116 To make vs lerne / to lyue dyrectly
1117 Theyr good entent / and trewe construccyon
1118 Shewynge to vs / the hole affeccyon
1119 Of the waye of vertue / welthe and stablenes
1120 And to shyt the gate / of myscheuous entres
1121 And euermore / they are ymagynatyfe
1122 Tales newe / from daye to daye to fayne
1123 The errynge people / that are retractyf
1124 As to the ryght waye / to brynge them agayne
1125 And who that lyst / theyr sentence retayne
1126 It shall hym prouffyte / yf he wyll apply
1127 To do therafter / full conuenyently
1128 Carbuncles / in the most derke nyght
1129 Doth shyne fayre / with clere radyant beames
1130 Exylynge derkenes / with his rayes lyght
1131 And so these poetes / with theyr golden streames
1132 Deuoyde our rudenes / with grete fyry lemes
1133 Theyr centencyous verses / are refulgent
1134 Encensynge out / the odour redolent
1135 And is theyr warke also extynguysshyble
1136 Nay treuly / for it doth shyne ryhht clere
1137 Thrugh cloudes derke / vnto the odyble
1138 To whome truely / it maye nothynge appere
1139 Where connynge fayleth / the scyence so dere
1140 Ignoraunce hateth / with feruent enuy
1141 And vnto connynge / is mortall ennemy
1142 O ygnoraunce / with slouth so opprest
1143 Open thy curtayne / so ryght dymme and derke
1144 And euermore remembre / the behest
1145 Of thy labour / to vnderstande thy werke
1146 Of many a noble / and ryght famous clerke
1147 Fy vpon slouth / the nouryssher of vyce
1148 Whiche vnto youthe / dooth often preiudyce
1149 Who in youth lyst / nothynge to lerne
1150 He wyll repent hym / often in his age
1151 That he the connynge / can nothynge decerne
1152 Therfore now youth / with lusty courage
1153 Rule thy flesshe / and thy slouth aswage
1154 And in thy youth / the scyence engendre
1155 That in thyne age / it maye the worshyp rendre
1156 Connynge is lyght / and also pleasaunt
1157 A gentyll burden / without greuousnes
1158 Vnto hym / that is ryght well applyaunt
1159 For to bere it / with all his besenes
1160 He shall attaste / the well of fruytfulnesse
1161 Whiche Vyrgyll claryfyed / and also Tullyus
1162 With latyn pure / swete and delycyous
1163 From whens my mayster Lydgate deryfyde
1164 The depured rethoryke / in englysshe language
1165 To make our tongue / so clerely puryfyed
1166 That the vyle termes / shoulde nothynge arage
1167 As lyke a pye / to chattre in a cage
1168 But for to speke / with Rethoryke formally
1169 In the good ordre / withouten vylany
1170 And who his bokes / lyste to here or se
1171 In them he shall fynde elocucyon
1172 With as good ordre / as ony maye be
1173 Kepynge full close / the moralyzacyon
1174 Of the trouth / of his grete entencyon
1175 Whose name is regestered / in remembraunce
1176 For to endure / by longe contynuaunce
1177 Now after this / for to make relacyon
1178 Of famous rethoryke / so in this party
1179 Is to the fourth parte pronuncyacyon
1180 I shall it shewe / anone ryght openly
1181 With many braunches / of it sykerly
1182 And how it taketh the hole affecte
1183 In euery place / degre and aspecte
Of pronūcyacyon the .iiii. parte of rethoryke. Ca. xii.1184 Whan the mater / is founde by inuèncyon
1185 Be it mery / or yet of grete sadnès
1186 Sette in a place / by the dyspocycyon
1187 And by elocucyons / famous clerenès
1188 Exornate well / and redy to exprès
1189 Than pronuncyacyon / with chere and countenaunce
1190 Conuenyently / must make the vtteraunce
1191 With humble voyce / and also moderate
1192 Accordynge / as by hym is audyence
1193 And yf there be / a ryght hye estate
1194 Than vnder honoure / and obedyence
1195 Reasonably done / vnto his excellence
1196 Pronounsynge his mater so facundyous
1197 In all due maner / to be centencyons
1198 For thoughe a mater be neuer so good
1199 Yf it be tolde / with tongue of barbary
1200 In rude maner / without the dyscrete mode
1201 It is dystourbaunce / to a hole companye
1202 For to se them / so rude and boystously
1203 Demeane themselfe / vtterynge the sentence
1204 Without good maner / or yet intellygence
1205 It is a thynge / ryght gretely conuenable
1206 To pronounce the mater / as it is conuenyent
1207 And to the herers / ryght delectable
1208 Whan the vtterer / without impedyment
1209 With ryght good maner / countenaunce and entent
1210 Doth tell his tale / vnto them tretably
1211 Kepynge his maner / and voyce full moderatly
1212 This is the costome / that the petes vse
1213 To tell theyr tale / with all due cyrcumstaunce
1214 The vylayne courage / they do moche refuse
1215 That is boystous and rude of gouernaunce
1216 And euermore / they do to them auaunce
1217 Nurture maner / and all gentylnes
1218 In theyr behauynge / with all semelynes
1219 And thus the gentyll rethorycyan
1220 Through the labour / of his ryall clergy
1221 The famous nurture / orygynally began
1222 Oppressynge our rudenes / and our foly
1223 And for to gouerne vs / ryght prudently
1224 The good maner / encreaseth dygnyte
1225 And the rudenesse / also inyquyte
1226 The famous poete / who so lyste to here
1227 To tell his tale / it is solacyous
1228 Beholdynge his maners / and also his chere
1229 After the maner / be it sad or ioyous
1230 Yf it be sadde / his chere is dolorous
1231 As in bewaylynge / a wofull tragedy
1232 That worthy is / to be in memory
1233 And yf the mater / be ioyfull and gladde
1234 Lyke countenaunce / outwardly they make
1235 But moderacyon / in theyr myndes is hadde
1236 So that outrage / maye them not ouertake
1237 I can not wryte / to moche for theyr sake
1238 Them to laude / for my tyme is shorte
1239 And the mater longe / whiche I must reporte
Of memory the .v. parte of rethoryke Ca. xiii.1240 And the .v. parte / is than memoratyfe
1241 The whiche / the perfyte mynystracyon
1242 Ordynatly causeth / to be retentyfe
1243 Dryuynge the tale / to good conclusyon
1244 For it behoueth / to haue respeccyon
1245 Vnto the tale / and the veray gcounde
1246 And on what ymage / he his mater founde
1247 Yf to the orature / many a sundry tale
1248 One after other / treatably be tolde
1249 Than sundry ymages / in his closed male
1250 Eche for a mater / he doth than well holde
1251 Lyke to the tale / he doth than so beholde
1252 And inwarde / a recapytulacyon
1253 Of eche ymage the moralyzacyon
1254 Whiche be the tales / he grounded pryuely
1255 Vpon these ymages / sygnyfycacyon
1256 And whan tyme is / for hym to specyfy
1257 All his tales / by demonstracyon
1258 In due ordre / maner and reason
1259 Than eche ymage / inwarde dyrectly
1260 The oratoure / doth take full properly
1261 So is enprynted / in his propre mynde
1262 Euery tale / with hole resemblaunce
1263 By this ymage / he dooth his mater fynde
1264 Eche after other / withouten varyaunce
1265 Who to this arte wyll gyue attendaunce
1266 As therof / to knowe the perfytenes
1267 In the poetes scole / he must haue intres
1268 Than shall he knowe / by perfyte study
1269 The memoryall arte / of rethoryke defuse
1270 It shall to hym / so well exemplyfye
1271 Yf that hym lyste / the scyence to vse
1272 Thoughe at the fyrste / it be to hym obtuse
1273 With exercyse / he shall it well augment
1274 Vnder cloudes derke / and termes eloquent
1275 But now of dayes / the synne of auaryce
1276 Exyleth the mynde / and the hole delyght
1277 To coueyt connynge / whiche is grete preiudyce
1278 For insacyatly / so blynded is theyr syght
1279 With the syluer / and the golde so bryght
1280 They nothynge thynke / on fortune varyable
1281 Whiche all theyr ryches / can make transmutable
1282 The olde sawes / they ryght clene abiect
1283 Whiche for our lernynge / the poetes dyde wryte
1284 With auaryce / they are so sore infect
1285 They take no hede / nothynge they wryte
1286 Whiche morally / dyde so nobly endyte
1287 Reprouynge vyce / praysynge the vertue
1288 Whiche ydlenes / dyde euermore eschewe
1289 Now wyll I cease / of lusty rethoryke
1290 I maye not tary / for my tyme is shorte
1291 For I must procede / and shewe of arysmetryke
1292 With dyuers nombres / whiche I must reporte
1293 Hope inwardly / doth me well conforte
1294 To brynge my boke / vnto a fynysshment
1295 Of all my mater / and my true entent
A cōmēdacyō of Gower / chaucer / & lydgate Ca. xiiii.1296 O thoughtfull herte / tombled all aboute
1297 Vpon the se / of stormy ygnoraunce
1298 For to sayle forthe / thou arte in grete doute
1299 Ouer the wawes / of grete encombraunce
1300 Without ony comforte / saufe of esperaunce
1301 Whiche the exorteth / hardely to sayle
1302 Vnto thy purpose / with dylygent trauayle
1303 Aufrycus auster / bloweth frowardly
1304 Towarde the lande / and habytacyon
1305 Of thy well fauerde / and most fayre lady
1306 For whose sake / and delectacyon
1307 Thou hast take / this occupacyon
1308 Pryncypally / ryght well to attayne
1309 Her swete rewarde / for thy besy payne
1310 O pensyfe herte / in the stormy pery
1311 Mercury northwest / thou mayst se appere
1312 After tempest / to glad thyne emyspery
1313 Hoyse vp thy sayle / for thou muste drawe nere
1314 Towarde the ende / of thy purpos so clere
1315 Remembre the / of the trace and daunce
1316 Of poetes olde / with all thy purueyaunce
1317 As morall gower / whose sentencyous dewe
1318 Adowne reflayreth / with fayre golden beames
1319 And after Chaucers / all abrode doth shewe
1320 Our vyces to clense / his depared stremes
1321 Kyndlynge our hertes / with the fyry leames
1322 Of morall vertue / as is probable
1323 In all his bokes / so swete and prouffytable
1324 The boke of fame / whiche is sentencyous
1325 He drewe hymselfe / on his owne inuēcyon
1326 And than the tragydyes / so pytous
1327 Of the nyntene ladyes / was his traslacyon
1328 And vpon his ymagynacyon
1329 He made also / the tales of Caunterbury
1330 Some vertuous / and some glade and mery
1331 And of Troylus / the pytous dolour
1332 For his lady Cresyde / full of doublenesse
1333 He dyde bewayle / full well the langoure
1334 Of all his loue / and grete vnhappynesse
1335 And many other bokes doubtles
1336 He dyde compyle / whose goodly name
1337 In prynted bokes / doth remayne in fame
1338 And after hym / my mayster Lydgate
1339 The monke of Bury / dyde hym well apply
1340 Bothe to contryue / and eke to translate
1341 And of vertue / euer in especyally
1342 For he dyde compyle than full nyally
1343 Of our blyssed lady / the conuersacyon
1344 Saynt Edmundes lyfe / martred with treason
1345 Of the fall of prynces / so ryght wofully
1346 He dyde endyte / in all pytous wyse
1347 Folowynge his auctour / Bocas rufully
1348 A ryght grete boke / he dyde truely compryse
1349 A good ensample / for vs to dyspyse
1350 This worlde so full / of mutabylyte
1351 In whiche no man / can haue a certaynte
1352 And thre reasons / ryght gretely prouffytable
1353 Vnder coloure / he cloked craftely
1354 And of the chorle / he made the fable
1355 That shytte the byrde / in a cage so closely
1356 The pamflete sheweth it expressely
1357 He fayned also / the court of sapyence
1358 And translated / with all his dylygence
1359 The grete boke / of the last destruccyon
1360 Of the cyte of Troye / whylome so famous
1361 How for woman / was the confusyon
1362 And bytwene vertue / and the lyfe vycyous
1363 Of goddes and goddes / a boke solacyous
1364 He dyde compyle / and the tyme to passe
1365 Of loue he made / the bryght temple of glasse
1366 Were not these thre / gretely to commende
1367 Whiche them applyed suche bokes to contryue
1368 Whose famous draughtes no man can amende
1369 The syme of slothe they dyde frome them dryue
1370 After theyr dethe for to abyde on lyue
1371 In worthy fame by many a nacyon
1372 Theyr bokes / theyr actes do make relacyon
1373 O mayster Lydgate / the moste dulcet sprynge
1374 Of famous rethoryke / with balade ryall
1375 The chefe orygynall of my lernynge
1376 What vayleth it / on you for to call
1377 Me for to ayde / now in especyally
1378 Sythen your body / is now wrapte in cheste
1379 I praye god / to gyue your soule good reste
1380 O what losse is it / of suche a one
1381 It is to grete truely / me for to tell
1382 Sythen the tyme / that his lyfe was gone
1383 In all this realme / his pere dyde not dwell
1384 Aboue all other / he dyde so excell
1385 None syth his tyme / art wolde succede
1386 After theyr deth / to haue fame for theyr mede
1387 But many a one / is ryght well experte
1388 In this connynge / but vpon auctoryte
1389 They fayne no fables / pleasaunt and couerte
1390 But spend theyr tyme / in vaynfull vanyte
1391 Makynge balades / of feruent amyte
1392 As gestes and tryfles / without fruytfulnes
1393 Thus all in vayne / they spende theyr besynes
1394 I lytell or nought / expert in poetry
1395 Of my mayster Lydgate / wyll folowe the trace
1396 As euermore / so his name to magnyfy
1397 With suche lytell bokes / by goddes grace
1398 Yf in this worlde / I maye haue the space
1399 The lytell connynge / that his grace me sent
1400 In tyme amonge / in such wyse shall be spent
1401 And yet nothynge / vpon presumpcyon
1402 My mayster Lydgate / I will not enuy
1403 But all onely / is myne intencyon
1404 With suche labour / my selfe to occupy
1405 As whyte by blacke / doth shyne more clerely
1406 So shall theyr maters / appere more pleasaunt
1407 Bysyde my draughtes / rude and ygnoraunt
Of Arysmetryke. Ca. xv.1408 Now in my boke / ferder to procede
1409 To a chambre I went / replete with ryches
1410 Where sat arysmetryke / in a golden wede
1411 Lyke a lady pure / and of grete worthynes
1412 The walles about / dyde full well expres
1413 With golde depaynted / euery perfyte nombre
1414 To adde / detraye / and to deuyde asonder
1415 The rofe was paynted / with golden beames
1416 The wyndowes crystall / clerely claryfyde
1417 The golden rayes / and depured streames
1418 Of radyant Phebus / that was puryfyde
1419 Ryght in the bull / that tyme so domyfyde
1420 Thrughe wyndowes / was resplendyshaunt
1421 About the chambre / fayre and radyaūt
1422 I kneled downe / ryght soone on my kne
1423 And to her I fayd / o lady meruaylous
1424 I ryght humbly beseche your mageste
1425 Your arte to shewe / me so facundyous
1426 Whiche is defuse / and ryght fallacyous
1427 But I shall so apply myne exercyse
1428 That the vary trouth / I shall well deuyse
1429 My scyence sayde / she is ryght necessary
1430 And in the myddes / of the scyences all
1431 It is now sette / ryght well and parfytely
1432 For vnto them / it is so specyall
1433 Nombrynge so theyr werkes in generall
1434 Without me / they had no perfytenes
1435 I must them nombre / alwaye doubteles
1436 Without nombre / is no maner of thynge
1437 That in our fyght / we maye well se
1438 For god made all the begynnynge
1439 In nombre perfyte / well in certaynte
1440 Who knewe arsmetryke / in euery degre
1441 All maner nombre / in his mynde were had
1442 Bothe to detraye / and to deuyde and adde
1443 But who wyll knowe / all the experyence
1444 It behoueth hym / to haue grete lernynge
1445 In many thynges / with true intellygence
1446 Or that he can haue perfyte rekenynge
1447 In euery nombre / by expert connynge
1448 To reherse in englysshe / more of this scyence
1449 It were foly / and eke grete neclygence
1450 I thought full longe tyll I hadde a fyght
1451 Of la bell pucell / the most fayre lady
1452 My mynde vpon her was / both daye and nyght
1453 The feruent loue / so perst me inwardly
1454 Wherfore I went / anone ryght shortly
1455 Vnto the toure / swete and melodyons
1456 Of dame musyke / so gaye and gloryous.
