¶Here begynneth the proheme of this present boke.
THe laborous & the most meruaylous werkes
Of sapyence syth fyrst reygned nature
My purpose is to tell as wryten clerkes
And specyally her moost notable cure
In my fyrst boke I wyll preche and depure
It is so pleasaunt vnto eche persone
That it a boke shall occupye alone
Soone after this I shall wysedome descryue
Her blessyd housholde / and her dwellynge place
And than retourne vnto her actes blyue
And she them wrought by tyme / processe & space
All this mater she taught me of her grace
I spake with her / as ye may here and rede
For in my dreme I mette her in a mede
O clyo lady moost facundyous
O rauysshynge delyte of eloquence
O gylted goddes gaye and gloryous
Enspyred with the percynge influence
Of delycate heuenly complacence
Within my mouth let dystyll of thy shoures
And forge my tonge to gladde myn audytoures
Myn ignoraunce whome clouded hath eclyppes
With thy pure bemes illumynyne all aboute
Thy blessyd brethe let retleyre in my lyppes
And with the dewe of heuen thou them degoute
So that my mouth may blowe & encense oute
The redolent dulcour aromatyke
Of thy depured lusty rethoryke
I knowe my selfe moost naked in allactes
My comyn vulgare eke moost interupte
And I conuersaunte & borne in the partes
Where my natyfe langage is moost corrupte
And with moost sondry tonges myxte & rupte
O lady myn wherfore I the beseche
My muse amende / dresse / forge / mynysshe & eche
For to all makers here I me excuse
That I ne can delycately endyte
Rude is the speche of force / whiche I must vse
Suche infortunate my natyfe byrth may wyte
But O ye lordes whiche haue your delyte
In termes gaye / and ben moost eloquent
This boke to you no pleasaunce may present
But netheles as tasted bytternesse
All swete thynge maketh be more precyous
So shall my boke extende the goodlynesse
Of other auctoures whiche ben gloryous
And make theyr wrytynge delycyous
I symple shall extoll theyr soueraynte
And my rudenes shall shewe theyr subtylyte
Gower chaucers erthly goddes two
Of thyrste of eloquent delycacye
With all your successours fewe or moo
Fragraunt in speche / experte in poetrye
You ne yet them in no poynt I enuye
Exyled as ferre I am from your glorye
As nyght from daye / or deth from vyctorye
I you honour / blysse / loue / and gloryfye
And to whose presence my boke shall attayne
[Page] His hastyle dome I praye hym modefye
And not detraye / ne haue it in dysdayne
For I purpose no makynge for to dystayne
Meke herte / good tonge / and spyryte pacyent
Who hath these thre / my boke I hym present
And as hym lyst let hym detraye or adde
For syth I am constrayned for to wryte
By my souerayne / and haue a mater gladde
And can not please paynte enourne ne endyte
Let ignoraunce and chyldhode haue the wyte
I aske no more / but god of his mercy
My boke conferme from sclaunder and enuy
¶Explicit prohenium.
ALl besy swymmynge in the stormy flode
Of fruyteles worldly medytacyon
To purpose late no thynge semed so good
As to tell youthe hath domynacyon
And for to put in sequestracyon
Eche other thynge that hym sholde cause vnrest
And thus to bedde I wente with thought my gest
The chesplayer / or he a man haue drawne
Hath onely thought to make good purueyaunce
For kynge or quene / aulfyn / knyght / or pawne
Echone of these he hath in his remembraunce
So eche estate and worldly gouernaunce
In one escheker in my mynde I sawe
But I ne wyst what draught was best to drawe
Fyrst my desyre was to haue drawen my kynge
At hertes lust in sure prosperyte
The kynge to purpose may not passe his see
To make hym waye / or some pawne drawen be
Than bothe to guyde the kynge and pawnes eke
And all other my wyttes were to seke
I thought how by morall phylosophye
The chesse was founde / and set in dyuersyte
Of draught for a myrrour of polocye
The whiche vertue departed is in thre
Fyrst must man con hymselfe rule in degre
Efte his housholde / and than in vnyuerse
Cyte and reygne / these ben the thre dyuerse
Arystotell in his poletyke boke
The fyrst of these sayth hyght monestyca
The seconde parte / who hath lust to loke
Of polycy hyght yconomica
The thyrde partye is cleped poletica
But of all these syth I had neuer scole
To playe at chesse I me thought but a fole
For in this borde escheker of my mynde
As I fyrst put a man or to drawe a draught
Fyrst come the worlde with dame fortune vnkynde
And sayd eschecke / and so strongly they faught
Ayenst me that all my men were caught
With theyr escheckes so touche they eche estate
That or I wyst / sodeynly I was mate
Than came reason / and thus to me she sayd
With moble fortune / and fals worldlynesse
O fole of foles / hast thou thy wytte assayd
With enuy man to countre them at chesse
[Page] Thou mayst not fynde a poynt of sykernesse
For in theyr draught all deceyte is include
Go forth quod she / a fole I the conclude
Than was I woo / and prayed a bone
To teche me waye vnto dame sapyence
That she myght lerne me some dyscrecyone
For well I knowe my propre neclygence
Myn ignoraunce / myn insuffycence
Ferre from all helpe / for whiche I gan to wepe
Whyles at the last I fell vpon a slepe
Thus brought on slepe / my spyryte forth gan passe
And brought I was me thought in a place deserte
In wyldernes / but I nyst where I was
In moche derkenes / in caues / in moche couerte
With wylde beestes in deuourynge experte
Now wood / now water / now hyll / now valaye
Now wynde / now rayne / I knewe no waye
The wylde wolues after me sewen fast
I wolde flee them / but well flee I ne myght
And of a waye I was ware at the last
Thorny and strayte encomerous to the syght
Thyder I wente / I was ware of a lyght
But forth I thronge with thornes all to rent
And thanked god of lyght whiche he had sent
Out from a mede moost heuenly vnto loke
Aboute whiche ranne a lusty ryuer swete
A lady came / and two with her she toke
I ranne to her / and lowly gan her grete
The waters name asked I / she sayd quyete
And sone she sayd / my name is sapyence
[Page] Intellygence this hyght / and this scyence
Vnto all vertues we ben ladyes thre
Bothe in offyce / and degree dyfferent
It is my parte to knowe dyuynyte
My syster here hath knowlege dylygent
Of creatures in heuen and erth content
And dame scyence of thynges temporall
Hath knowlege pure / thus mayst yu knowe vs all
Of vs all thre I am the moost souerayne
And yf the lyst me descryue and dyffyne
I am the true propre knowlege certayne
Of erthly thynge / and eke of thynge dyuyne
Aye fresshe and grene / & lusty is herte myne
Though I seme yonge / full olde my yeres been
For sapyence in olde folke is aye seen
The deserte place of fere / thrugh whiche thou come
Is dredefull worldly occupacyon
Sone leue that place & dwell with me at home
Thou shalte haue wytte / lust / delectacyon
Grace / helpe / lyfe / hele / and eterne saluacyon
Now wyll I rest that trauayled haue all daye
For my labour is brought all vnto playe
Gladde was I tho / and on knee fell a downe
Helde vp myn handes / & sayd I wolde full fayne
Her seruaunt be with all subgeccyowne
But lady myn maystres / and hole souerayne
Quod I tell me your labour and your payne
That ye so longe haue had / I wyll sayd she
Gyue audyence the gladder shalte thou be
A doutfull prynce moost myghty & moost dygne
[Page] [...] excellent and moost vyctoryous
Hauynge a sone and foure doughters benygne
And a seruaunt whiche with affectuous
Loue and desyre he cherysshed in his hous
A cōmaundement gaue his seruaunt in certayne
The whiche he brake / and deth sholde be his payne
Foure tourmentours the kynge cleped to hym
Badde one hym to put in pryson soure
An other sholde quycke fley hym lyth & lym
The thyrde kyll hym / the fourth sholde hȳ deuoure
The foure doughters herde tell of this rumoure
Whose names ben mercy / trouth / ryght / and peas
But mercy thought her faders Ire to ceas
She loked downe in to the pryson depe
Her loued seruaunt sawe she syttynge there
For whome her herte gan bothe blede & wepe
Dystyllynge teres dysteyned all her chere
She gan vnlace her tressed sonnysshe here
Naked her brest / and for compassyoun
Before her fader on knees fell a doun
O mercyfull / and o moost mercyable
Kynge of kynges / and fader of pyte
Whose myghty mercy is immesurable
O prynce eterne / O benygne lorde quod she
To whome mercy is gyuen of properte
Of thy seruaunt that lyeth in pryson bounde
Haue thou mercy or deth myn herte wyll wounde
I am souerayne aboue thy werkes all
I am the pure auaunt of thy godhede
I am thy chylde / thy gēme celestyall
[Page] The mynyster of all thy godlyhede
The substaunce that all mankynde dooth fede
I am the treasour of thy deite
O prynce of peas my bone now graūt thou me
Se how I sytte dyssheuelde on knee
My crystall eyen / se how theyr teres rayne
My rosy lyppes / se how they perced be
The bemed chere eke of my chekes twayne
Se how the tery ryuer dooth dystayne
My swannysshe throte with syghes in dystraynte
My breste forbette / se fader all is faynte
And yf thou wylte graunte me yon prysonere
And gyue me leue to lose hym out of payne
All this dystresse / and all this myn heuy chere
To gladnes thou myght me restore agayne
Thy hygh vengeaūce / why sholde yu not restrayne
And shewe mercy syth he is penytent
With that came trouth / & asked what it ment
To trouth than spake her fader reuerent
And sayd a seruaunt whiche I loued best
On payne of deth I gaue a comaundement
Whiche for to kepe in hym was all my trest
But he it brake / and as a proude traytour kest
Me to supplaunt / and I made my behest
For his trespasse he sholde dye at the lest
My doughter mercy prayeth with voyce pyteous
I wolde forgyue / and on hym haue pyte
For syth my mercy is moost copyous
I must it shewe / thus argueth she to me
Nay nay quod trouth / fader it may not be
[Page] Thou must of force obserue thyn owne statute
And thy promesse fulfyll for euery fute
Thynke that I am thy doughter veryte
That of all trouth dooth execucyon
Withouten whome thyn eterne deite
Were vnyat with imperfeccyon
Thy wyll is lawe / thy promesse is reason
And syth thy wyll / and thy promesse also
Was he sholde dye thou mayst not go therfro
For thy godlyhede put out all varyaunce
Stable thy sentence / and thy Iust Iugement
Let execute in dede the same penaunce
That was forbroken of thy commaundement
Than sayd mercy / vnworthy is that assent
For sauns doute euery reasonable creature
Without mercy may not lyue ne endure
Knowe ye not well that I am sempyterne
Quod mercy tho / how may ye me refrayne
I am lady aboue the heuen superne
Though ye in erth be pryncesse & souerayne
My myghty grace is neuer voyde ne vayne
Ergo I must releue seruaunt penytent
Saue fro the deth assoyle this argument
Ryght sensyble & preygnaunt for your parte
Is that stronge argument quod veryte
But to dyspute / mercy is not myn arte
Neyther in herne ne in hole / trouth longeth to me
And permanent I am as well as ye
And syth of force my fader must be trewe
From his behest / how may ye hym remewe
And yf ye thynke he breke not his behest
For to permute with mercy his vengeaunce
For one is god / than wolde ye at the lest
In his godhede include bothe ignoraunce
And hastynesse and exyle purueyaunce
And prescyence / and aske eke myght I sone
Why hyght he that / that better were vndone
Than sayd mercy / wherto was mercy wrought
But yf mercy had execucyon
Wherto on me was all my faders thought
And all his Ioye in my creacyon
Was I not made for restoracyon
Of heuenly blysse / and for necessyte
That bothe aungell and man must haue of me
And yf so were that I were adnychylate
The heuenly courte may not restored be
My faders realme were vayne and vacuate
A poore housholde it were withouten me
Why sholde I not than haue a soueraynte
And complement of my petycyon
Than answered trouth / for ye aske no reason
Though ye all daye argue for your purpose
Trouth shall delyuer at her owne volunte
My lyberte in no poynt wyll I lose
I am my faders chylde / as well as ye
And ryghtwysenes I wote wyll holde with me
And with that worde trouth for her syster went
Dame ryghtwysenes whiche was anone present
On goodly wyse / but ferefull to beholde
Come ryghtwysenes all bemed full of lyght
[Page] For she ne spared for hote / ne for colde
For hyghe for lowe / for to fulfyll all ryght
My systers stryue quod she with voyce on hyght
I wyll dyscusse / and theyr contencyon
As ryght asketh / brynge to conclusyon
To his seruaunt I thynke / what trust & grace
My fader had and eke charyte
And in erth for hym he made a place
Of lust / delyte / and of all lyberte
Eche erthly thynge eke vnto his soueraynte
He hadde enclyne / and be obedyent
Whyles he truly fulfylleth his cōmaundement
What thynge in erth he coude or myght deuyse
For hertes rest and lyues sustenaunce
On hym gan laugh in all goodly wyse
And at his lust made hym obeysaunce
Exyled from hym was vnhappy chaunce
Aduersyte myght neuer his steppes sewe
To his seruaunt whyles he was seruaunt trewe
And yf so were he brake his cōmaundement
My fader made a constytucyon
That prysoned & all quycke fleyne and rent
Deed and deuoured sholde be punycyon
For his trespasse and his transgressyon
That bothe pure lote and fere this Iust precepte
Sholde hym excyt [...]hat it were truly kepte
Notwithstandynge the promesse and statute
The trust / the loue [...] the bounte and kyndenesse
Yone frey le seruaunt subgecte to seruytute
Saue to conspyre with all vngentylnesse
[Page] And of ye Iust maūdement made full Iust trāsgresse
Wherfore of ryght me thynketh he must be deed
Let be quod peas / that is a cruell dede
And with that worde peas came in to the place
Whose persone was patron of portature
Her rosy lyppes with chere full of grace
Offred kyssynge vnto eche creature
Phebus hymselfe with all his bemed cure
May not be lyke the lyght of her vysage
So pure perfyte was that heuenly ymage
And on this wyse she gan her tonge affyle
And sayd to trouth / O ryght how may this mene
Is your purpose peas for to exyle
And to make mercy neuermore be sene
And to ordeyne deth for to reygne as quene
This wolde no more / but for to depryue expresse
My faders realme / and his souerayne rychesse
Syth euery realme that hath dyuysyon
Within hymselfe must nedes be desolate
And we ben foure for one conclusyon
For to susteyne the realme and his estate
Amonge vs foure / why sholde than be debate
And syth that lawe wyll rather lessen peyne
That it extende / let peas and mercy reygne
My faders realme debate suffreth no whyle
It is of rest and of tranquyllyte
Bycause of whiche he wryteth in his style
The prynce of peas / the auctour of pyte
Kynge of mercy / and lorde of all bounte
Thus nede of force must peas reygne & preuayle
[Page] Thefe stryfe and debate perysshe in all batayle
The chefe auaunt and commendacyon
Of this hyghe realme is for it is of pees
Than wherto make ye dysputacyon
Contraryous ben your debate / and rees
With stryfe I wyll not dwell withouten lees
And yf debate me from this realme dysseuer
The londe of peas destroyed is for euer
But syth so is / there is a trespasse done
Vnto mercy let yelde the trespassour
It is her offyce to redresse it soone
For trespasse is to mercy a myrrour
And ryght as swete hath his apryce by soure
So by trespasse mercy hath all her myght
Without trespasse mercy hath lacke of lyght
What sholde be syke / but yf that sykenes were
What nedeth salue / but yf there were a sore
What nedeth drynke there thyrste hath no powere
What sholde mercy / but trespasse go before
But trespasse by mercy were lytell store
Without trespasse none execucyon
May mercy haue / ne yet perfeccyon
But syster trouth / ye may reygne as a pryncesse
Without falshode / and haue your soueraynte
Without Iniure / and so may ryghtwysenesse
Eke without warre I peas may alwaye be
But mercy kyndely hath no properte
Withouten trespasse / of whiche she hath her myght
Ryght as the sonne the mone gyueth all theyr lyght
Therfore I rede as for conclusyon
[Page] That we obey mercy with one accorde
And that we leue all our dyscencyon
For lytell thynges as clerkes bere recorde
With peas groweth & grete thynge with dyscorde
Wyteth awaye / therfore let pacyfye
Our lust to one / and fall we to mercy
Let be quod trouth to you I nyll assent
No more wyll I ywys / quod ryghtwysenes
And with that worde / trouth to her fader went
And thus she sayd / O grounde of stedfastnes
O permanent / O very trouth endeles
Holde thy behest / and supporte veryte
For ryghtwysenes accordeth vnto me
These wordes sayth ryghtwysenes / & kneleth doun
And sayd fader syth it is myn offyce
To gyue condygne remuneracyoun
To euyll / and good / to eche vertue & vyce
And not to spare for prayer ne for pryce
And I shall thy godhede gloryfye
That trouth asketh / I must nede Iustyfye
The foresayd caas reseruynge in my mynde
How soone thy seruaunt lust to the offende
And how he was cruell / fals / and vnkynde
To thy behest I must of ryght attende
And nede of force to Iugement condescende
Wherfore I gyue sentence dyffynytyue
In fourme foresayd that payne to deth hym dryue
Of this processe to haue the true entent
I wyll thou wete quod sapyence to me
This myghty kynge is god omnipotent
[Page] In one god regnaunt / and persones thre
His sone is cryst / his doughters in degre
Ben vertues foure annexte to his godhede
His seruaunt is olde Adam as I rede
Retourne we now to our mater agayne
All though darted with asper maladye
Mercy fell downe she myght no lenger fayne
As a swouned / or in a lytergye
Peas seynge that stode on extasye
And at the last with pyteous voyce & mylde
She sayd alas / peas is for aye exylde
O mercy god / for my syster mercy
Lyenge in a swoune dyenge for lacke of brethe
For trouth vntrue / and vnryghtwysenes
Ayenst vs hath gyuen sentence of dethe
I wyll not rest / but go thrugh holte & hethe
Exyled awaye retourne wyll I neuer
Fare well fader / fare well thy realme for euer
Fare well mercy fare well thy pyteous grace
So well awaye that vengeaunce shall preuayle
Fare well the bemed lyght of heuens place
Vnto mankynde thou mayst no more auayle
The pure derkenes of hell the doeth assayle
O lyght in vayne the clyppes hath the incluse
Man was thy lorde / now man is thy refuse
O seraphyn gyue thyn armonye
O cherubyn thy glory do awaye
O ye trones let be all your melodye
Your Ierarchye dysteyned is for aye
Your maystres se in what arraye
[Page] She lyeth in swoune / and [...] with debate
Fare well / fare well poore housholde desolate
O souerayne myghty domynacyons
O vertues / and ye potestates
O pryncypates with all your heuenly sownes
Archaungell / aungell / with thryes thre estates
Your spouse dame peas ouerset is with debates
Now may ye wepe / and Ierarchyes thre
Your ordres nyne may not restored be
Fare well ye all / dame mercy lyeth in swoun
For sothefastnes accused hath mankynde
And ryghtwysenes that sholde do all reasoun
Hath dampned hym as cruell and vnkynde
Mercy and peas for them no grace may fynde
Notwithstandynge Iugement may haue no sute
Bycause of peas / but it be execute
Woo worth debate / that neuer may haue peas
Woo worth penaunce that asketh no pyte
Woo worth vengeaunce / that mercy may not ceas
Woo worth that Iugement that hath none equyte
Woo worth that trouth that hath no charyte
Woo worth that Iuge that may no gylte saue
And woo worth ryght that may no fauour haue
Fare well saturne / Ioue / mars / & phebus bryght
Fare well venus / and fare well mercurye
Fare well thou shynynge lady of the nyght
I was your guyde / but now awaye goo I
O cruell mars / thy temrestes fury
Now mayst thou shewe / and Iupyter thyn Ire
Now mayst thou rayne with dartes full of fyre
I was the reyne / that helde you all togyder
I brydled you / and set you in accorde
But now I go ywys I wore neuer wheder
Wherfore of force ye must fall to dyscorde
O thou souerayne of all batayle the lorde
Now mayst thou sende comete thy messengere
To sygnefye that batayle / nygheth nere
Whan Flora rydeth / and colde awaye is gone
With Iupyter / than mayst thou mete at lust
And Iune in some sygne of the aquylone
Engendre fyre / and make herbes combust
Enfecte the ayre / and so togyder Iuste
One with other hote / colde moyst and drye
Contraryous stryfe for the vyctorye
Now may ye fyght / & make bothe wynde & reyne
And erratyke aye in your course be
For peas is gone / that your Ire dyde refrayne
And stabled you in all tranquyllyte
Fare well ye all with all your brode countre
Fare well fader / thy realme may neuer encreas
And with that worde euanysshed dame peas
The faders blysse / the souerayne Ioye & chefe
Of all the heuen the broder to mercy
This woofull caas seynge / and this myschefe
For me ywys dyde sende full hastely
O sapyence he sayd full pytously
With some counseyle helpe now in this nede
Thrugh perced / myn herte begynneth to blede
For peas is gone / & mercy lyeth in swoun
Withouten comforte so welawaye the whyle
[Page] Eke desolate is this heuenly regyoun
But mercy reygne / & peas come from exyle
O sapyence helpe now to reconcyle
My syster peas / and mercy to comforte
And to this fyne with counseyle me supporte
O mayster myn / O souerayne myghty lorde
Harde is this caas quod I withouten leas
Hygh is that helpe / that may brynge to accorde
Mercy and trouth / dame ryghtwysenes & peas
Mercy wolde saue her man / & vengeaunce seas
Trouth wyll not so ne yet dame ryghtwysenes
And for this stryfe peas is to wyldernes
Echone of them wyll no waye be remeued
From her entent it is incomerous
Them to accorde / how sholde it be contreued
Syth two for two stande aye contraryous
This sole caas is wonders studyous
For this accorde who so that shall fulfyll
Must nede of force perfourme theyr aller wyll
But sapyence who may best please them all▪
And gyue echone theyr full desyre expresse
I mene the wretche / that lyeth in pryson thrall
Mercy to haue / and his gylte to redresse
And not to offende dame trouth & ryghtwysenesse
And reuoke peas / who shall this do quod he
In one godhede syth we be persones thre
My fader is aye full of lastynge myght
And all wysedome appropred is to me
Of all goodnes the blessyd heuenly lyght
The holy ghoost hath to his properte
[Page] Thus myght wysedome & goodnes that bothe thre
Aye of one wyll / may this accorde make
But of vs thre who shall the trewse take
My wyttes hole I gadred vnto me
And fynally as for conclusyon
O mayster myn / I sayd it lyeth in the
Of this accorde the execucyon
And on thre wyse I proue it by reason
Wherfore of force to make this accorde
Dyspose thy selfe / be bothe subgecte and lorde
Thy fader is so ferefull well thou woost
That peas and mercy dare not compromytte
In hym as Iuge / and eke the holy goost
In whome all grace goodnes & trouth is knytte
Dame trouth & ryght for Iuge wyll not admytte
For well they wote that he is mercyes frende
Wherfore thy selfe of this must make an ende
Yone wretche desyred not thy faders myght
Ne yet the goodnesse of the holy ghoost
For thy wysedome he cast with the to fyght
And smote thy shelde amyd the heuenly hoost
For whiche thy selfe must answere well thou woost
Not thy fader / ne yet the thryde persone
The helpe of this thus lyeth in the alone
These systers foure who that shall pacyfye
Must be the sone of man / & take mankynde
And for mannes gylte / gyltes suffre to dye
And raunson man that thynke I in my mynde
Syth but to one sone the Trynyte may fynde
Whiche sone thou arte / that by necessyte
[Page] This solempne acte lyeth fynally in the
Than sayd my selfe / O lady sapyence
O good beldame or ye ferder procede
Vouchesauf to tell your noble reuerence
Why myght wysedome & goodnes as I rede
To thre persones whiche are in one godhede
Appropred ben / are they not peregall
And coeterne / and consubstancyall
Yes sone ywys quod sapyence to me
They ben all thre in goodnesse myght & wytte
Egall and lyke / of one substaunce they be
But yet ywys thou clepest them a ryght
Whan that thou sayst the fader full of myght
The sone of wytte / the spyryte of goodnesse
This wyll a cause that is in kynde expresse
A fader is thou wotest a name of age
Of impotence and of debylyte
A sone a name is of youth / and courage
Of inscyence and instabylyte
A spyryte is a name of cruelte
Of hyght & pryde / this may thou propre fynde
And eke comune yf thou wylte se in kynde
Wherfore the fader in the Trynyte
We clepe myghty the sone full of wytte
The good spyryte / this is of proprete
To auoyde the vyce / that in kynde is knytte
But of them all sone myn I wyll thou wytte
In myght with grace more excellent is none
Echone hath all / and all thre is but one
Retourne we sone myn to our matere
[Page] My souerayne lorde the broder of mercy
Sayd sapyence / I se it now so clere
That this accorde in me is fynally
But harde it is to take mankynde and dye
Neuerthelesse mercy to recomforte
And saue mankynde / suche deth nere but dysporte
With full effecte he concluded in his herte
Of all mankynde to make redempcyon
Gyue deth for lyfe / gyue Ioye for paynes smerte
Leue soueraynte / and make subgeccyon
The aungelles eke had suche compassyon
Of mannes deth / that ryght in specyall
To helpe mankynde / they cast them all
Vnto counseyle the holy spyrytes went
The Ierarchyes with theyr heuenly collage
To praye for man / it was theyr hole entent
That he myght come to his olde herytage
Out from the carybde / and the smoky cage
Of seruytude / the whiche hym had incluse
Foure thousande yere / he myght it not refuse
The Ierarchye nexte to the Trynyte
With heuenly voyce pytous / and delycate
Kneled a downe / and sayd O god we be
As thou well wost to the immedyate
As assessours we ben to thyn estate
Cubyculers also of thy godhede
To our prayer / O myghty god take hede
The to beholde is our souerayne solace
Our lyfe / our lust / and aye lastynge blysse
The hyghe glorye that shyneth in thy face
[Page] The wytte of kynde may not [...] ywys
And syth that man so lyke vnto the is
And fourmed was vnto thyn owne lykenesse
Out of this blysse / why lyeth he in derkenesse
What honour is / what worthynesse
To thy godhede to suffre thyn ymage
Deuoured be / and drenched in derkenesse
For whome thou made lyght to be herytage
And syth our blysse is hole in thy vysage
O welawaye why sholde of it the shapnesse
The to dystayne alwaye in derkenesse
Wherfore we praye / O prynce full of grace
Thou haue pyte of man thy creature
His bondes stronge / vouchesaue to vnlace
Let not thy shappe so longe derkenes endure
Gyue some rewarde vnto thyn owne honoure
For now is tyme of mercy and of peas
And tyme is comen that all vengeaūce sholde ceas
¶Explicit supplicatio prime Ierarchie.
¶Incipit Inuocatio secunde Ierarchie
Than kneled downe the seconde Ierarchye
And humbly sayd O souerayne lorde of all
We be y made thy myght to magnefye
And to obserue thy lawe imperyall
As worthy lordes that in generall
With besy cure supporten thyn empyre
And with knyghthode obeyen thy desyre
Hens from vs all the proude prynce of derkenes
As captyue toke lordes of eche estate
[Page] Than man was made thrugh the heuenly goodnes
For to restore this kyngdome desolate
But welawaye wherto was man create
Syth that the lyon of all cruelte
In his derke lake of hym hath so eraynte
Our worthy lordshyppes / & our maners olde
O myghty god / how longe voyde shall they be
Thyn heyres eke / how longe shall deth withholde
Syth thou arte lyfe / why hath deth soueraynte
If thou be kynge to thyn honour thou se
So bynde the fende / and take man by conquest
Vnto thy blysse / and set thy reygne in rest
Foure thousande yere is suffysaunt
For to punysshe olde Adam for a taste
And welawaye / hell is exuberaunt
With his of sprynges / & our realme stondeth waste
Now rewe on man thou that all mercy haste
For now is tyme of mercy and of peas
And tyme come that all vengeaunce sholde seas
¶Explicit supplicatio secunde Ierarchie
¶Incipit supplicatio tercie Ierarchie
Tharchaungell than with theyr Ierarchye
Kneled downe / and sayd with voyce benygne
O god thou wost we be alwaye redye
To thy godhede to gyue louynge condygne
To what prouynce / and as thou lyst assygne
Vs in thy realme / as true and dylygent
Offycyalles we do thy commaundement
Thy messengers we be redy alwaye
[Page] And in thy realme to what place we be sent
We can not fynde / but peas is gone awaye
And mercy lyeth with wepynge all be shent
For trouth and ryght to her wyll not assent
To saue mankȳde our realme whiche sholde restore
Where so we goo / debate is vs before
Our enemyes eke of vs haue vyctorye
Whyle thy chyldren contynue in dyscorde
And but mankynde be brought to thy glorye
Thou mayst neuer them foure brynge to accorde
On thyn olde mercy / O good god recorde
And syth eche thynge to the possyble is
Pease thy chyldren / & brynge mankynde to blys
The faders herte by kynde sholde be pyteous
Of his chyldren / and wayle for theyr absence
Wherfore I praye / O prynce vyctoryous
Sende for dame peas / brynge her to thy presence
And to mankynde graunt a playne indulgence
For now is tyme of mercy and of peas
And tyme is come that all vengeaunce sholde ceas
¶Explicit supplicatio tercie Ierarchie
THat excellent prynce of all worthynesse
That myghty lorde / that fader gracyous
That rote of ryght / that well of goodlynesse
That noble kynge / that mayster gloryous
That souerayne syre / and moost vyctoryous
Behelde his realme all wasted with ruyne
And in hymselfe to pyte gan enclyne
He helde also how pytously complayned
[Page] His heuenly courte of his reygne desolate
And how mercy with teres was dystayned
And peas his chylde exyled for debate
And how mankynde was so incarcerate
That by no waye he myght his realme restore
Than gan his herte for pyte waxe all sore
Vnto mercy / he gan his hede to helde
Whiche was in poynt thrugh wepynge for to spyll
Than thrugh darted his herte gan to yelde
And droppes small of pyte to dystyll
His blessyd sone than knewe his faders wyll
Felte yren hote / and thought tyme for to smyte
And vp he rose with all lust and delyte
He kneled downe and sayd fader of myght
I am thy sone / in whome all wysedome is
And well I wote / thou farest not aryght
For chyldren thyn ben at debate ywys
Gyue me this cause / O souerayne lorde of blys
I shall rewarde echone with theyr entent
And man agayne to thy blysse represent
Swete swetest sone / quod that good fader tho
Of thy behest I am entyerly glade
Do what the lyst to brynge man out of woo
But it forthynketh me / that I man made
I mene the godhede / that suche gladnesse hade
For to make man / in the must take mankynde
And penaunce bere his handes to vnbynde
With humble herte to do thy wyll
With loue and lust / with sadde & hole desyre
I am redy / and what thou wylte I wyll
[Page] Thy pure pleasaunce I may not but desyre
I wyll pursewe the ryght of thyn empyre
Quod that good sone with spyryte vylygent
And vp he rose / and to his syster went
He toke her vp / and goodly gan her kysse
Enbraced her vnto his herte / and sayd
O swerte mercy / O pryncesse of all blysse
O syster myne / O goodly yongly mayde
With salte teres / why be ye thus arayde
I am that wyght that shall your sorowe ceas
And saue mankynde / & brynge agayne dame peas
Cast vp your eyen beholde I am your brother
Your lyfe / your lust / your loue / your champyon
And for your sake my selfe shall / & none other
Become a man / and suffre passyon
To helpe mankynde / and with double renoun
Brynge hym to you / & saue whiche was thrall
That mortall is / I shall make immortall
Thus shall I do your herte to recomforte
Your soueraynte eke for to magnefye
Full manfully I shall my payne comporte
And thynke on you as on myn owne lady
To fyght in armes / and obteyne vyctory
Gyue trouth & ryght theyr owne desyre at full
And euery gylte / you at lust to adnull
Reuyue gan that goodly lady tho
The brothers speche was salue to all her sore
She thanked hym / as cure of all her woo
She kyssed hym swete / she loued hym more & more
O prynce she sayd / whiche shall my ryght restore
[Page] What may I do your thanke for to deserue
That redy ben for me to lyue and sterue
O swete moost swete brother / & all my knyght
O very cause of all myn hertes rest
To gyue rewarde / where shall I gader myght
To your kyndnesse / I not how I may best
Thanke you for this / but O prynce worthyest
Me as your owne / commaunde aye as ye lyst
Thus all was well / and eyther other kyst
The Trynyte to counseyle wente anon
Concluded in haste / a messenger sholde go
Vnto the mayde the doughter of Syon
To salewe her / and for to saye her to
The sone of god to brynge man out of woo
Moder and mayde she sholde bere and conceyue
Whiche message done she goodly gan receyue
She thanked god with herte lust and desyre
And on eche poynt submytte her to his wyll
The holy ghoost was redy to enspyre
His swete breth her brest with blysse gan fyll
The sone of god full preuely and styll
Within her wombe toke incarnacyon
And borne he was for mannes saluacyon
He knewe the cause of his foure systers stryfe
And how by sentence man sholde punysshed be
Fyrst in the pryson of this present lyfe
Rent with vnhele / slayne with aduersyte
Dye at the last / and with all cruelte
Suffre wormes deuour / hym in his graue
Harde was this payne / & eche man sholde it haue
This to redresse hymselfe in pryson was
Beten with scourges / and rente vpon a rode
Suffred the deth / and caused no trespas
A monument his corps fomynge of blode
Deuoured / than he rose and yode
Hymselfe to hell / and losed man anone
Had hym to blysse vnto his faders trone
He toke with hym to blysse and made her quene
His swete moder the blessyd mayde Marye
To praye for man / and mankynde to sustene
And vnto her commaunded dame mercy
Whiche for her chylde she toke full thankfully
And sayd she wolde for man be aduocate
If trouth and ryght with man wolde debate
And vnto mercy goodly thus she sayd
O fayre syster / to you now haue I brought
With double honour man for whome ye prayd
And your desyre in eche thynge haue I wrought
So ryghtwysely and truly haue bought
Hym with my blode that trouth & ryght certayne
Haue all theyr lust / and no cause to complayne
If man vnkynde resorte vnto his gylte
Ayenst the kyndenes whiche I haue done
And trouth & ryght wyll deme hym to be spylte
Yet your desyre ye shall obteyne ryght soone
For my moder shall come and aske a bone
And saye / swete sone thynke on thy passyon
And saue the ryght of thy redempcyon
Thynke how of man I came / and am thy moder
And thou my lorde / my maker / and my chylde
[Page] Eke thou arte man / & man is eke thy full broder
And hym best loueth thy moder mylde
If man therfore offende with werkes wylde
Thynke thou hym bought / & be no lenger wrothe
That ones was lefe / let neuermore be lothe
For man to dye / and efte hym for to lose
Inconsonaunt it were to all reason
What in erth or heuen yet wolde suppose
That so solempne and hye redempcyon
As is thy deth / sholde in conclusyon
Be vayne & voyde / suche raunson precyous
Must in effecte be alwaye fructuous
Double tytle thou hast of properte
In euery man / for thou his maker is
His sauyour / and all good hath of the
If he dysplease offende and do amys
Or wolde sorsake thy lordshyp or thy blysse
Yet is he thyn / thou made hym / thou hym bought
Hym to forsake thy tytle wyll it nought
The more ywys that thou hast done for man
The more feruent on hym sholde be thy thought
The chefe auaunt is how thou gate and wan
Hym with batayle / and from his foos brought
Eke loue is more swete / that it dere is bought
All these in one yf thou in mynde reuolue
Thy loue from man no thynge shall mow dyssolue
Yet to mercy more straunge the to excyte
O blessyd sone / se how I sytte on kne
Beholde these brestes small with all delyte
That gaue the souke the mylke of chastyte
[Page] Beholde the wombe of whiche thou borne wolde be
Beholde the hondes that on my lappe the layde
Beholde thy spouse / thy moder / and thy mayde
And for all this haue mercy sone of man
For nexte thy selfe I derest haue them bought
For well thou woost / the swerde of sorowe ran
Out thrugh myn herte / whā yu on rode was brought
And I the sawe with woundes all besought
Syth thus in payne I had my parte with the
Parte of my wyll for man sone graunt thou me
Thus shall my moder saye / yf man offende
O syster myn / your lust for to sustene
Eke my selfe his trespasse for to amende
My woundes wyde shall holde bothe newe & grene
Dystyllynge blode full fresshe they shall be sene
If with mankynde my fader wyll debate
Whan he them seeth / he mowe no lenger hate
Therfore be gladde / O syster myn mercy
Haue here your man / do with hym what ye lyst
She kneled downe / toke hym full thankfully
Enbraced hym / and after syth hym kyst
That tonge can tell vnneth her spyryte wyst
For pure gladnes / in what place for to abyde
Her perfyte blysse perced the heuen wyde
Forth than he wente vnto dame veryte
And sayd syster / be ye not yet content
Yes broder myn quod she in all degre
For trouth it is that man was neclygent
More than I aske eke is his punysshement
Than wente he forth vnto dame ryghtwysenesse
[Page] Asked the same / whiche answered thus I gesse
O swete broder / man is for his trespasse
More punysshed than I my selfe desyre
I am content debate awaye shall passe
And with that worde peas feruent as the fyre
Was present tho / for staunched was all yre
Mercy and trouth mette at theyr owne lyst
And ryght and peas togyder hertely kyst
To whiche kyssynge / O myghty prynce of peas
Brynge vs all / as thou starfe on a rood
And graunt me grace / or of makynge ceas
To thy pleasaunce some mater that is good
For to compyle to helpe me from the flood
Of fruyteles worldly medytacyon
And fynde a waye to my saluacyon
¶Explicit liber primus de curia sapientie qualiter misericordia et veritas obuiauerunt sibi / Iusticia et pax obstulate sunt.
¶Incipit prohemium secundi libri.
FOrth to procede in mater of my boke
And I dyscryue the solempne mancyon
Of sapyence moost heuenly vnto loke
Whose Cyte is sette in all perfeccyon
And to auoyde the oblocucyon
Of fals tonges / and thanke to deserue
Thou graunt me grace / o good goddesse mynerue
My style thou dresse / my langage thou depure
My wytte enforce thou mynystre matere
[Page] For syth I am moost symple creature
I wyll vsurpe in thy palays tapere
But thou me guyde to shewe in what matere
I shall pronoūce thynges / whiche yu doost me se
Thy ferendary onely wyll I be
The pure knowlege and very sentement
Of thy wysedome was neuer my dowere
But as the sonne in lyght moost excellent
With his bemes the mone illumyneth clere
Soo done all daye these wyse men foles lere
Wherfore thy wysedome / as thou lyst me teche
O lady myn / in my boke wyll I preche
¶Explicit prohemiū
WHan sapyence her besy cure had tolde
Whiche is rehersed in the foresayd boke
Vnto her home she sayd retourne she wolde
Intellygence and scyence with her she toke
And on my selfe full goodly gan she loke
And sayd fayre sone yf thou wylte wende with me
Come on in haste / ryght welcome mote thou be
Forth wente we thens vnto a ryuers syde
Whose name is quyete full of all swetenesse
Out ouer / whiche with arches hygh and wyde
A brynge was set full of all lustynesse
The marble stone the solempne worthynesse
Of geometry shewed on suche auyse
So good a werke that no wyght coude deuyse
The pyllers stronge enarched with effecte
With pynacles and toures full of blysse
And alured clene gaue suche a dygne prospecte
That suche a brydge was neuer seen ywys
[Page] And on a toure this scrypture wryten is
Who dredeth god / come in and ryght welcome
For drede of god is waye of all wysedome
I entred on the brydge with sapyence
She ledde me ouer vnto the ryuers syde
Come in she sayd / put the forth in presence
For suche a syght thrugh all the worlde wyde
Thou neuer sawe so full of lust and pryde
So gloryous as here is for the nones
As grauell is / so were the precyous stones
The alabaster the electorye
The aurypygment and the argeryte
The asteron full of heuenly glorye
The Admant eke / and the asteryte
The admatyst and eke the admatyte
Whiche bryght stone wtstondeth the myght of fyre
Soo good a syght no spyryte myght desyre
The alabaster whyte gyueth vyctorye
And Ire swageth the shynynge argeryte
And loue refourmeth the sayd electorye
The admant eke but the asteryte
Hath in hymselfe a sterre full of delyte
The aurypygment hote is in effecte
The amatyst gyueth ryght good intellecte
The pale byrell that heleth eyen sore
And helpeth loue and stauncheth enemyte
The selydon that with lust who can restore
And medycyne is to olde infyrmyte
The carbuncle that hath his soueraynte
Whan derkenes is / the precyous crysolyte
[Page] Whiche fendes fleen / and holden in despyte
The calcydone whiche harde is in to graue
The crysopasse moost shynynge on the nyght
The crystall clere that men ofte dooth saue
The gyrall rede whiche flux stauncheth a ryght
The ceranne stone in thonder whiche hath myght
The caleophan that voyces sore dooth clence
All these done bote without offence
The dyadek that dooth spyrytes to preche
The dyonys / whiche that hateth dronkenesse
The good eschyte that is the wombes leche
In byrth of chylde / & cause of theyr gladnesse
The emachyte that stauncheth blode expresse
The elytrope whiche is the sonnes foo
And venym sleeth with many vertues moo
The stone enydros moost wonder in kynde
That aye dystylleth droppes to the syght
And neuer moyst ne les men shall it fynde
The wepynge stone a clerke sayth it hyght
The epystyte / whiche is a stone full bryght
Frendfull to corne and excolyterose
In colours fele / as clerkes done depose
There was also the gentyll gagates
Good for women that longe in chyldbed pyne
Whiche yf a mayde drynke it shall her plees
And in her body holde it well and fyne
Where she corrupte / she sholde anone ruyne
The salachyte for mylke moost proufytable
There was also in vertue commendable
Geratycen whiche is a noble stone
[Page] Blacke in colour / but vertuous in myght
And maketh beloued where they gone
If they hym bere / and tell them a ryght
What other thynke ye / the Iasper grene of syght
Holsome ayenst the feuours accesse
Therfore I lye full of all lustynesse
The good Iacyncte that is ryght comfortable
And in the pestylence a noble medycyne
The adachyte that hath withouten fable
Within hymselfe ouer other stone fyne
That sweteth water wonder to dyuyne
The Ierachyte whiche yf a man bere
There may no flees with bytynge hym dere
There was the good Irys of Arabye
Holsome for women in theyr chyldbed
The stone Iena that techeth prophecye
The sadde Camen with dyuers colours lede
The dropcy whiche heleth as I rede
In bokes olde and eke lygurius
That colour lost restoreth vnto vs
A noble stone / that is for hunters good
Lipparia whiche is cleped a ryght
For beestes wylde be they neuer so wood
To his presence / he bryngeth thorugh his syght
The alabandyne that / to blode gyueth myght
The abatystus whiche thrugh hete wyll remayne
Seuen dayes in hete / as noble clerkes sayne
The margaryte whiche is bothe bryght & whyte
Eke medycynable and comfortatyfe
The magnes sad that gyueth grace and delyte
[Page] And souerayne hath vertue [...]
The mellanyte whose Iuce is exceptyfe
Swete as hony / in colour whyte and grene
The good myryte / whiche hath an odour clene
The stone menysyte / and eke the melochyte
That chyldren yonge whan they in cradels bene
Kepeth of kynde from noy and all dyspyte
The stone nitrum that helpeth to wasshe clene
The medrys eke good for blyndnes of eyen
The stone neset / whiche in the tood men fynde
And nygh venym he waxeth hote of kynde
The onychyne that is a stone of ynde
The onyx eke whiche as a myrrour
His owne ymage a man may se and fynde
Optallius of many stronge colour
That is to theues good patron and socour
The oryte eke that saueth from beestes wylde
And suffreth not women to be with chylde
The parius / and eke the prassyus
Grene of colour / and good for feble syght
The pyrryte stone anone whiche brenneth vs
Within our honde yf we hym presse aryght
The stone ponyte / whiche hath a wondre myght
Good for women / and of hymselfe alone
He bryngeth forth ryght swythe an other stone
The stone quyrryne / that dooth the sleper saye
What so he dremeth / & eke the quanydras good
That can encreace brestes with mylke alwaye
The good ruby that stauncheth alwaye blode
The rebe eke / whiche of beestes wode
[Page] The stronge bytynge heleth for euermore
And noble medycyne is for woundes sore
The good saphyre moost noble and moost dygne
Of all stones and moost preseruatyfe
Comforte of peas / and to sore eyen benygne
Of hete vnkyndely / and moost repressyfe
It maketh gladde / it is comfortatyfe
It stauncheth blode and swete / and chastyte
He loueth best / and dooth the venym flee
The grene smaradge / that is ryght medycynable
Ayenst tempest sykenes and fantasye
The sardonyx / that is ryght cōmendable
Frende to mekenes / and hateth lecherye
The sardyns that maketh men hardye
The sonnes gemmes full of bemes bryght
The serenyte that in loue hath his myght
Topacius good for men lunatyke
And stauncheth Ire / and swageth heuynesse
It holsome is eke to men frenetyke
The good turkoys / that engendreth gladnesse
Good for the syght / the zemeth that sykenesse
Heleth dyuers / the zyngynt whiche of kynde
Refrayneth blode / and holdeth man in his mynde
All other stones whiche ben precyous
There myght men se full of all pure delyte
But I of force must be compendyous
Therfore of them I wyll no ferther wryte
Of theyr vertues I touche here but a lyte
Theyr propertees who lyst to haue tolde
I counseyle them / go loke in bokes olde
As in a boke cleped the lapydarye
In Isodre or dyascorydese
By phylosophres as by platearye
Or barthylmewe / loke who may the please
Natures and kynde there mayst thou se at ease
Suche thynges as longeth not to comyn matere
An other felde I haue in haste to ere
And yf thou seme that here be stones straunge
And thou in englysshe can them better name
Do as thou lyst / theyr names for to chaunge
So my langage and my boke thou not blame
For I suppose there be fewe wordes lame
For by the latyn for the more surete
I name them all / and for the more comynte
¶Explicit descriptio lapidum in littore riui consistentium.
¶Incipit descriptio riui.
THan all my lust was goodly to beholde
That good water / that noble element
That ryuer swete in his kynde moyst & colde
That is the holsome perfecte nutryment
To euery thynge / that is in erth content
To corne / herbe / tree / plant / & eche thynge lyuynge
It gyueth his drynke / & clenseth all foule thynge
The erth he maketh to be plenteuous
He tempreth well also the heuen a bonne
And with his subtyle vapour curyous
He greueth the ayre incorperacyon
And denseth hym / & is of hyghe renoun
[Page] In to the hyght to [...]ye is his solace
For to chalenge heuen for wonnynge place
From whens he falleth dystyllynge shoures swete
Replenysshynge percynge and commytyfe
Vnto the erth / but to the heuens hete
His moyst vapour is moost temporatyfe
His droppes swete eke ben moost nutrytyfe
And cause of lyfe to eche thynge anymate
Withouten hym / all thynge were vycyate
For thrugh the erth he gooth with his moysture
And perceth hym thrugh his effusyon
The partes of the erth eke thrugh his cure
Ben stabled sadde / and take vnyon
Elles for grete hete and hyghe entencyon
Of souerayne drought ryght by necessyte
Vnto powder they sholde dyssolued be
He is to fysshe holsome and profytable
As ayre to beest / and cause of all theyr blysse
His propertees / that ben moost cōmendable
Dame scyence there declareth well ywys
And as a glasse so speculer he is
Of thynge obiecte the shappe to represent
Of hym hath nede all thynge in hym content
He wyll aye meue withouten rest or constaunce
Whyles that his partye superfycyall
Be adequate by ryght and lyke dystaunce
Our from the erth lyke from the mydde of all
And of the sonnes lyght celestyall
In to the heuen he maketh refleccyon
The natures foure he passeth in renoun
Of water thus to speke in generall
There may none fynde a goodly properte
But in hym selfe thus Ryuer hath them all
In paradyse he had his soueraynte
Bothe out and in / to renne with lyberte
From sulphur veynes / and from metall vre
He can absteyne / and be ay swete and pure
Basilius in his exameron
Deseryueth water / and his properte
Who so hath lust / he may loke them vpon
But I my selfe wyll flee prolyxyte
And of my Ryuer speke as lyketh me
What sholde I saye hym to here and beholde
All erthly Ioye passeth a thousande folde
His heuenly sownes / his grones delycate
His swete murmour / his subtyll cours & stylle
His fresshe colour / whiche no storme may abate
His sapour swete hauynge reflyer at wylle
Myght saye ascaunce / on this wyse be I wyll
For to excyte out from the heuens place
Nature to come to see of my solace
O physon Tygrys Gyon. Eufraces
O doryx eke the flood of paradys
O Iordan Cobar / and thou Edapces
Danybyus and pharphar at deuyse
Abana eke as wryten clerkes wyse
Whiche of damaske with his moyst passage
The gardyns grene fulfylleth with herbage
O Tybre / Rodan / Yber / leyre and sayne
Geron and Ryne with many watry drope
[Page] And O ye solempne floodes and sauerayne
Of Asia / Affryhe / and Europe
Amonge you all I snote a goodly sope
Lyke to this Ryuer in comparyson
The Occyan booth hym subiectyon
O ye floodes / and ye other all
That haue your course out thrughe ye erthes space
Were not lyke in no poyntes specyall
To this Ryuer in bounte nor in grace
And who so lust floodes to knowe and trace
In Barthylmewe in his fyften boke
Amonge his prouynce / may ye go and loke
Holy scrypture eke maketh mencyon
In Genests and other places mo
Of floodes fele / and theyr condycyon
And phylosophers tellen them also
As I rede / but all this lete I go
Of this Ryuer and his enornement gaye
I meane of fysshe now somwhat wyll I saye
¶Explicit descripcio Riuium.
¶Incipit descripcio piscium.
This lusty fysshe within this Ryuer swete
There swymmynge / whiche we fynnes clepe
They put in vse to lere swymme and flete
Now at the grounde / and now aboue they lepe
Now deceuered / and now vpon an hepe
Now here now there now endlōge / now ouerthwart
The syghte of them myght hele eche wounded hart
Some [...]
Some to the pryuate [...] to attende
And dadred in theyr bodyes to the syght
Shot [...]out of lengthe theyr courage to extende
Theyr parfyte blysse nature myght not amende
Of net ne hoke / of deceyte were they aferde
What sholde I saye / they had a Ioye in erde
The whale / the Dolphyn and Estaryus
The Carabo and eke eff [...]eron
The Cakodryll and [...]a [...]y [...]topus
The see swyn / and [...]
The myllago / that fl [...]eth the water on
The hamo that dredeth a [...] the hoke
With many mo / who so hath lust to loke
The Myll [...]nne / Gastor / ypocamus
Auronnea / phager / ferr [...] also
The Conger eke fysshe / whiche hyght Corus
The pyke / the luce / the Samon see I tho
The swerdfysshe with many other mo
The Roche the tenche / the lamperey / and the Ele
The Flouke / the playse / the flounder good to selle
The Crabbe / the lobster / and the Craueys eke
The welke / the Oystur / and the muscull good
The rouche / the porche / there was no fysshe to seke
That in the see in Ryuer or in flode
In ponde / stewe / dyke / that euer swam or yode
Who so hym sought / onone ther may hym see
In lust / in blysse / and all prosperyte
And yf so were he had of kynde a vyce
In ony poynt / or were malycyous
[Page] For her were brought from that Ryuer of pryde
And of that water gloryous
He sholde anone he good and vertuous
Shortely to saye / to eche fysshe grete and small
It is preseruatyfe and medycynall
Theyr names all I nede not to reherce
For euery fysshe that goddely is in kynde
In this Ryuer hadde lust to conuerce
Who lust hym seke / anone there may hym fynde
It is the pure holsome Ryuer and kynde
And of eche nature and complexyoun
To euery fysshe it is refectyoun
And who so lust to knowe dyuersyte of fysshe
And how they varrye in theyr mansyon
How they them fed / and whiche is good in dysshe
Of theyr wysedome and generacyon
Of theyr vertue and apenicyon
Of what shap eke what substaūce & what kynde
That they are of / thou may in bokes fynde
By Arystotyll in his boke of beestes
By Iorath eke ysydre plenius
By Auycen / by Bathylmewys gestes
By constantyn / and by Basylyus
By Ambrose eke / that suche mater to vs
Declareth wele in his exameron
Who so hath lust / go loke these clerkes on
For I wyll not make declaracyon
Of suche maters that ben collaturall
It were ywys to longe dysgressyon
Nature of fysshe / to telle / and name them all
[Page] It must suffyse my [...]
For now I wyll my penne with wrytynge fede
And somwhat telle of that moost heuenly mede
¶Explicit Descripcio piscium
The souerayne honoure of the erthes space
The swete moder / the fresshe moneth of maye
To Flora sent / and prayed her of her grace
That she wolde come with her enormentes gaye
For to reueste depaynt and to arraye
This blessed mede with parfyte dyuersyte
Of colours fresshe full of solempnyte
She come ryght glad enourned in hast
With herbe floure / tree & all fruyte precyous
Her thursty cure in no poynt wolde she wast
For eche good thynge was there moost plentyuous
O paradyse with thy syght gloryous
Thou arte not now but an ymage feyned
This parfyte mede all thy blysse hath dysteyned
The Rose the lyle / the vyolet
Reflerynge / shynynge / and payntynge the grounde
Rody and bryght with heuenly coloure set
Blode and mylke and Asure gan habunde
The rede / ye whyte / ye blewe whiche there was foūde
Gan represent in colours delyte
The Ruby / the Sapher / the Margaryte
The purpyll two are goodly staunchynge blode
The two langynge ben precyous medycynable
The heuenly two ayenst payne be gode
And to the nose the fyrst is delectable
And to the syght the seconde amyable
[Page] The thyrde tast [...]yght goodly is by sene
The Rose / the lylle / the vyolet I mene
The fayre Iacyn [...]t the longynge premerose
The Dayse / the good gylofur floure
With all other herbes withouten glose
That gendreth floure or fresshe coloure
Agnus castus the worthy peramoure
Of chastyte the good saffron also
Of tyme the mynte / the rewe with many mo
The Rose mary the sawge / the sauery eke
Arystologye also longe and rounde
The annys good / the bete good for the seke
The dyten that is good for a wounde
The Selydon ryght goodely on the grounde
The Century and eke the fumytere
The malue the dok / thre drngaunce / & eke ye brere
The marygolde cleped the Ilytrope
The bure / the fenell / and the percele
The letuse swete with many mylky drope
The Coryandre that hounde doth to flee
The plantane eke / the mandrage eke I see
With all other that groweth on the grounde
Eche goodly herbe hath lust there to habounde
Theyr names all / it nedeth not for to wryte
Ne theyr vertues / my labour onely is
For to descryue what lust and what delyte
What pleasaunce / comforte / honour / & what blysse
Vnto this mede they mynystred ywys
The syght of them / and of theyr yongly floures
Was verray solue / and hele to all langours
¶Explicit descripcio florum et herbarum.
¶Incipit descripcio Arborum.
A heuenly wood was on that other syde
And closed within that Ryuer aboute
Planted at lust with trees full of pryde
The blossmy bowes vnto the erthe gan loute
The cedre tree presumptuus and stoute
Hauynge dysdayne in erthe onely to abyde
Amonge the sterres his hede began to hyde
He and the palme / and eke the good Cypresse
Gan ryse & burgyn / and refleyre with delyte
The bowes brought forthe of all gentylnesse
And gaue vmbre vnto that selempne syght
With double blysse / eche tree was insygnyte
With fruyte to man / with vmbre to the grounde
Thus honger there nede not to habounde
The peretre / the Olyue / the Appyltree
Wexe grete & grene / and eke moost plentyuous
The peres in bowes / and appelles of bounte
The Almonde tree with Iardyns fructuous
Dystyllynge come from his hole precyous
The fyrre in hyght vnto the Cyder lyke
To Amoune the rede Aromatyke
The Aloes / the gentyll canne and good
Whose marugh and Iuse is made in sucre swete
The balsom dystyllynge in a flode
His gentyll baume made thrughe ye groūde to flete
The Cynamon with fresshe oder replete
The good spyknarde / mastyk / the gum / Rosyn
[Page] Olybanum the procyous thure and fyn
The vyne tree berynge clustres grete and huge
In this wood whiche largely dyde sprede
With grapes hony swete / and herbes duge
Whiche in myght stronge as I rede
The fyrst in tast / the tother done excede
The seconde be helpe vnto the stronge accesse
They staunchyn thyrst / they helpen in sykenesse
Thyke fayre & grene in bowe barke and leues
The Cedre was souerayne of trees all
The top / the hole / the Rote amonge the greues
Herbered / norysshed / and swete in strondes small
The byrde / the bee / the water spacyall
In brede and bowes they ben brede in the hole
And out of the Rote the welle dystylled hole
The bowes brought forth bothe byrdes and fruyte
The hole / the barke / offred hony and waxe
The Rote fyndeth the moyst and colde refuyte
Of all the erthe made to habounde and waxe
The hony swete fylle downe in droppes laxe
And with the bawne & Iuse of floures glade
In the water Electuarye they made
The sturdy oke the Asshe / the plum tree
With acornes chattes / and with ye Damecyne
All other trees with theyr frutes in degre
The Rampe / the more / the laurer / and the pyne
The Cherubyme swetynge the swete Rasyne
The byrche the box / the Alme / the Sycomore
The fyge / the wyn of trees I speke no more
For euery tree and fruyte in especyall
[Page] And euery spyce and [...]
Peper and greynes with other spyces all
That euer on tree or busshe or herde can growe
There was at lust / and zepherus gan blowe
Out thrughe the mede / and tasia gan refleyr
Theyr parfyte blysse illumyned all the eyer
¶Explicit descripcio Arborum.
¶Incipit descripcio Auium.
The besy byrdes in theyr melodye
Theyr heuenly voys gan to entone
Theyr Anglyke rauysshynge Armonye
Out thrughe the heuen vnto the hyest trone
Gaue pryce / and passe the nyne ordres echone
O cherubyn they sayd / come here to vs
Here with what tune thou sholde saynge sauctus
The throstell coke vpon the Cedre grene
The nyghtyngale vpon the blosme thorn
The noble swan with whyte fethers & clene
The gentyll larke fleynge amonge the corne
Ne ceased not to synge from euen to morne
With all other foules of peasaunce
Theyr voys gan daunte vnto ye concordaunce
Eche other foules in kynde there had his blysse
His lust / his comforte and his sustenaunce
They had no nede Raueyn to vse ywys
Eche thynge obeyed to theyr pleasaunce
Debate no stryfe / dyscorde / ne yet dystaunce
Amonge them myght not engendred be
Echone other supporte in degre
The proude Pecok his tayll began to whele
On whiche the sparkynge sonne so puerly brent
That to the syght he semed euery dele
An Archaungell doune frome the heuen sent
All heuenly colours in heuen were content
His tayll / the floures / the byrdes eke ywys
The eye / the nose / the ere fode with all blys
The Egle fresshe souerayne of fowles all
The good Goshauke / the fresshe faucon of pryse
With all other that to dysporte Royall
Dysposed ben ther regned at deuyse
The gentyll downe Innocent of all vyce
The Turtyll true / the Fenyx syngulere
In lust in blysse togyder all they were
The holsome Pertryche and the Pellycane
The sparowes eke / the plouer / and the pye
The Popyngay / the Roke / the henne / the Crane
Theyr names all here to specyfye
It nedeth not for euery foule shortely
That is in kynde / & hath in vertue myght
In all comforte / reioysed there his flyght
They flee at lust / there is not them to lette
They bylde in blysse / they haue all lyberte
They nede not drede for gyler / ne for nette
Flee where they wyll / they ben in all suerte
The wynde the rayue / ne none aduersyte
May them dystourbe / all Ioye is them amonge
The heuen amonge aboue delyted in theyr songe
¶Explicit descripcio Auium.
¶Incipit descripcio Animalium.
The waters sowne / the lusty fysshe and seyre
The good ceason / the yongly sonne & bryght
The mede / the herdes the floure / & theyr refleyre
The blosmy bowes / the folwes fresshe of flyght
The tendre wynde with his brethe & his myght
Enspyred thrughe the blossomes at deuyse
It to seen was an heuenly paradyse
Whan I had sene the solempne souerayne syght
Dame sapyence led me a lytell besyde
Vnto a cumly Castell shynynge bryght
Full of all solace delyte lust / and pryde
In whose circuite with wantes large & wyde
Of parfyte blysse y set were toures seuen
The lyght of whiche / astyed vp to heuen
The dyke of it y fourmed with delyte
Fulfylled was with water of comete
The marbyll stone / the Alabaster whyte
By geometry so frendely gan mete
That suche one as in hede body and fete
With precyous stones illumyned at deuyse
Was neuer seen / it passed paradyse
Vpon a roche it was grounded and set
And euery buttras full of ymagery
Eche pynacle coner / toure and touret
With golde and perle and stones curyously
Depaynted was and poudred lustely
And on the yate illumyned with all blysse
With golde letters thus y wryte ywys
This is the waye to vertue / & to grace
[Page] To connynge / knowlege wyt / and all wysedome
This is the waye vnto the heuenly place
There scorne ne thyrst synne vyce / ne euyll may come
This is the waye to that solempne kyngedome
Where rest peas blysse / & comforte seceth neuer
Come in who wyll / and ryght welcome for euer
Seuen ladyes bryght downe from the heuen
Came to the yate with many ladyes mo
Seruaūtes to them / whose name wyll I neuene
Fayth hope tofore with charyte go
Prudence / the wyse dame / fortytude also
With temporaunce and ryghtwysenes ywys
Met sapyence / and hertely gan to kys
With fayth was Clemens and vyrgynyte
Dame contynence and dame deuocyon
Dame lowlynesse / the dame eke chastyte
On whose hede was there garlandes of renoun
One for vyrgyns and theyr relygyon
One for spoused people that lyuen clene
The thyrde for wedowes / yf they pure contene
With hope was gladnes and contrycyon
Dame dyscyplyne / and eke dame sapyence
Confessyon / and contemplacyon
The blessyd lady / eke dame penytence
With charyte was grace and indulgence
Pease and concorde / pyte / compassyon
And dame mercy Empresse of all renoun
With dame prudence was counceyll and reason
The drede of god and tractabylyte
Dame delygence / and dame dyscrescyon
With temporaunce was dame benygnyte
Moralyte maner and tolleraunce
Dame sobrenesse / and propre suffysaunce
With fortytude was dame perseueraunce
Rest / and equyte / scyence and stabylyte
Ay of one strengthe without varyaunce
And neuer proude for no prosperyte
Nother yet grutchynge for aduersyte
With ryghtwysnesse was lawe and correccyon
Trouthe / ryght / and dame and execucyon
Than came a lady deuyne Theologye
With ladyes seuen her sewynge in a route
Dame sapyence they folowed full humbly
Ryst her with blysse / and lowely gan to lowte
Echone other enbraced all aboute
Glad of that metynge full of grace
What sholde I saye / it was an heuenly place
There was gramer grounde of scyence all
And Dyaletyke full of pure knowynge
Dame Rethoryke scyence Imperyall
Dame Arsmetryk scyence in proporcyonynge
Geometry that mesureth euery thynge
The lady musyke and Astronomye
The ladyes seuen sewed theologye
Than from the dongeon grete within the place
A solempne towne whiche styed vp to heuen
Phylosophye the lady full of grace
With ladyes come as after I shall neuen
To sapyence the waye she toke full euen
[Page] And sayd welcome syster and souerayne
They kyssed swete / of other bothe were fayne
Phylosophye is who lust to dyffyne
Knowlege of erthely and eke heuenly thynge
Y ioyned with sad study and fyne
Of gouernaunce honest and good lyuynge
It is also the probable connynge
Of worldely thynge / and goodly thynge ywys
As moche as to man passyble is
She is cleped also the arte of artes
And eke of deth the medytacyon
Her beynge eke I set in two partes
In pure scyence and oppynacyon
Scyence thynge techeth by certayne reason
Oppynacyon is in certaynte
Whan thynge by reason may not proued be
And yf the sonne be more in quantyte
Than is the erthe / how moche eke is the heuen
Of what mater / and yf he stable be
Or yet moble / this can not scyence neuen
If that the mone be moysty / holowe or euen
This knowe we not by propre pure reason
But this we haue by oppynacyon
This souerayne lady dame phylosophye
Within her selfe all artes doth contene
Nature and kynde / vertue and polycye
How they y taught eke execute sholde bene
In her wysdom she hath groundly and clene
Wherfore to her annexed ben systers thre
Whiche ladyes ben of all souerayne bounte
The fyrst syster is cleped naturall
Whome folke of grace clepyn dame phisyca
The seconde hyght the good pryncesse morall
Whome they of grece eke clepyn dame Ethyca
They clepe also thyrde / dame Loyca
Whome our clerkes clepyn Racyonall
Phylosophye hath these in especyall
The fyrst doth teche the cause of euery thynge
Her propre kynde / her kyndely properte
And in the seconde is trust of lyuynge
Knowlege of vertues and honeste
Whan kynde and vertues may than knowen be
The thyrde syster cometh with her reasoun
Of euyll and good makynge discrypcyoun
Millesius one of the sages seuen
In grece fyrst drewe / as in the crafte of kynde
By his reason the causes of the heuen
And of eche the nature gan he fynde
Than come plato a worthy clerke of kynde
For naturall arte sought out geomatrye
Arsmetryke / musyke and astronomye
Dame Ethyca pryncesse of polycye
Good Socrates fyrst founder of gouernaunce
To knowe vertue and con lyue honestly
And foure ladyes he sought full of pleasaunce
To serue dame Ethyke with obeysaunce
Whose names ben prudence and ryghtwysenesse
Dame fortytude and temporaunce I gesse
Than fonde plato the lady racyonall
Whiche whan that kynde & vertue knowen bene
[Page] Techeth eche man by reason specyall
To vnderstonde the subtyll strengthe and chene
Of kynde & vertue what they wolde & meane
Than sought he out dame Dyaletyca
To serue her with dame Rethorica
In these thre systers grounded may we fynde
Dyuynyte / yf we loke wele ywys
For eche dyuyne other speketh of kynde
As in the noble boke of Genesis
Or of maners as in prouerbes
Or of logyk / for whome dyuynes all
The Cantycle taken in specyall
Some sayne that phylosophye called reesoun
Hath ladyes two subiect in specyall
The fyrst hyght Inspectyue whose eye aboun
Dyserneth thynge whiche is celestyall
The seconde lady hyght Actuall
That of the thynge maketh dyscrypcyon
As it sheweth in operacyon
Dame Inspectyue hath seruynge ladyes thre
Dame naturall / and eke dame doctrynall
Thryde in heuen hath syght and soueraynte
Wherfore she hyght the prynesse deuynall
The fyrst techeth kynde of thynges all
By crafte the seconde geteth Intellect
The thyrde Inuysyble thynges hath respect
Dame doctrynall hath seruauntes foure ywys
The good Arysmetryk / and dame Geometrye
Dame Musyk eke the lady full of blysse
The fourth pryncesse hyght dame Astronomye
[Page] Of these foure ladyes must I specyally
Here aferwarde in my treatyse endyte
Of them nomore wherfore now wyll I wryte
Dame Actuall hath other ladyes thre
As dame morall / and dame dyspensatyue
Dame Cyuyle hyght the thyrde full of bounte
The fyrst dysposeth to eche man of lyue
Maner of leuynge / the seconde is actyue
Whiche gan her houshode reule without dystaūce
The thyrde of cytees hath in gouernaunce
We entred in this yate full of blysse
Vnto the fyrst court full of heuenly lyght
Whiche dame scyence had in kepynge ywys
Whiche house and warde loyall lusty & bryght
Ellumyned fresshe / and paynted to the syght
with propre kynde of eche thynge temporall
Man / beest / herbe / tree / ther mayst yu knowe them all
Scripture there taught how mā sholde gouerne hym
And what his is in body / and in blode
And what mater he in lyeth / or yet in hym
why this is euyll / and why that thynge is good
why this is tame / and why that beest is wood
All polycy in erthe / and all knowlege
Dame scyence there had in that herbergage
There was all naturall phylosophye
And in a goodly parlour see I syt
The phylsopher with his companye
Tretynge of kynde / and what longeth to it
There was clrke / note / konnynge / and wyt
The poynt they wryte / they dyspute they depure
[Page] They determyne eche thynge that hath nature
Arystotyll auerous and Auycenne
Good Algazel / Galyene / and Appollynus
Pyctagoras and Plato with his penne
Macrobius / Crato / Beocius
Rasus Isake / Calyxte Orbasius
Salustius / cleophyl / Ypocras
With many mo whose names I lete pas
These had delyte to serue dame scyence
And to haue knowlege in phylosophye
They worshypped her / they dyde reuerence
Theyr hole desyre was to her soueraynly
They wake / they worke / they studye besyly
Whyles that they ben with dame scyence experte
Them to byholde myght rauysshe euery herte
¶Explicit processus de prima Curia.
¶Incipit processus de secunda curia.
Vnto the seconde courte than in we yode
The cure of the whiche had dame Intellygence
With halle chambres / with toures hye & good
Full of all lust / and heuenly complacence
There was depaynted with all reuerence
The heuen / his blysse / and who dwelleth in it
The Ierarchyes in nyne ordres y knyght
Of what degre was euery Ierarchye
Of what offyce / and of what obseruaunce
And why the fyrst eke hyght ypyphanye
There was depaynted with all pure pleasaunce
Of Lucyfer and his vnhappy chaunce
[Page] Of the spyrytes whiche that with hym felle
There myght men see and of the payne of helle
Oure wyttes fyue whan they begyn to fayle
As in eche inuysyble creature
Intellygence must yeue vs than counsayle
By her we haue parfyte knowleges and pure
Whan eke / nose / ere / mouthe / eke is vnsure
And we by them may gete no pure scyence
Than must vs renne vnto intellygence
There was Dapys Bernard / bede / barthilmew
The good Cardynall / the swete bonauenture
Within enspyred / whiche had sene and knew
The pryuy counceyll of the fyrst nature
And many mo within a parlour pure
Of clerkes whiche that were contemplatyue
There see I sytte heuenly thynge to descryue
Theyr names all / I may not now reherce
The multytude of them so passynge bene
They may not all be conteyned in a verce
But to byholde how fresshe lusty and grene
Was theyr desyre to loke on bokes clene
And heuenly with eye mentall to see
All erthely Ioye it passeth in degree
¶Incipit processus de tercia curia.
With Ioye and blysse and delectacyon
Dame sapyence that good goddesse
Vnto her warde souerayne of all renoun
Than led vs forth vnto a halle expresse
Whose blysse beaute / lust / and parfyte noblesse
All erthely place passeth a thousande folde
[Page] The Ioye of it [...] tongue may not be tolde
It was an heuen onely loke it on
So rauysshynge it was and elegaunte
O pryamus and thyn halle Ilyon
With all his propre beaute pure pleasaunte
For to be lyke it is not suffysaunte
Vnto this halle / whiche made by nature
As for mayster chyef in portrature
It hanged was with auyse werke in golde
Full of sterres of wysedome and of wyt
The parables moost goodly to byholde
Ecclesiastes eke than folowed it
The boke of sapyence full wely wryte
The good boke eke Ecclesiasticus
All wysedome there clare gan and dyscusse
And on the dayse / Mynerue that hyght pallas
The goddesse of wysedome full of lyght
On heuenly wyse portreyed and paynted was
A lady fayre enourned fresshe and bryghte
whose hede was with the reynbowe dyghte
A Crest aboue her ryght honde had a spere
The other syde a shelde of Crystall clere
Her hede was ferfull and eke monstruous
For dyuerse serpentes henge her hede aboute
Bryght eyen she had / and clothynge prycyous
Of colours there delycyous and stoute
An olyue tree with braunches on a route
On whiche a nyght crowe lustely was set
Stode her besyde / it myght not be made bet
And what it mente there tolde dame sapyence
[Page] This is the goddesse of all wyt souerayne
Depaynted thus with lust and reuerence
Y gete she was of Iupyters brayne
To morall sence / it is as moche to sayne
That all wysedom come from god aboue
Whome poetes clepen Iubyter and Ioue
Eke wysedome hath armour of all vertue
The bryght Reynbowe of loue and frendlyhede
The Crest of honour / the ferfull hede to shewe
With serpentes dyuerse is the parfyte drede
Of god of deth / and of the hyghe falshede
Of his enuye full of dyspyte
Euery wyseman that serpente mote hym byte
She hath the ryght spere of correcyon
The shelde of fotrytude and of pacyence
Tholyue of pease / the nyght crowe abonne
Whiche is the byrde of mekenes and lycence
She hath the eyen of reason and prudence
Her clothynge eke / that is colours thre
Betokeneth fayeh / hope / and charyte
Wysedome or prudence / who so lust descryue
Or her array parfyte and lustely
I counceyll hym that he go loke belyue
Fulgencius in his Methologye
Fyrst in Satourn / & hym than counceyll I
Go loke in Iuno / Neptune / and pluto
There shall he see / whiche thynge I lete ouergo
Was neuer place in erthe so gloryous
As is the worthy halle of sapyence
With bowes of offyce moost delycyous
[Page] Inhabyte full with folke of reuerence
And in a chapell full of complacence
Within a shryne lusty to all deuyse
Set with all blysse was Salamon the wyse
Theologye a byble toke anone
And torned to many a story fyn
The Gospellers / Marke / Mathew / Luke & Iohan
The doctours foure / as Gregory and Austyn
Ierome / Ambrose experte in thynges dyuyne
Vnto her came all aboute her all they syt
There myght men lere of wysedome and of wyt
There studyed holcote vpon sapyence
And Nothynge them vpon the gospellers
The good clerke / the mayster of sentence
Saynt Thomas eke worshyp vnto all freres
To mayster of the storyes with his feres
And many one mo good clerkes & dyuyne
Than for to telle my wyttes can dyffyne
With gramer were ladyes well besene
Of whiche the fyrst hyght dame Ortographye
Within a palour / lusty fresshe and grene
There was eke gentyll Ethymologye
Dyasynstastica / and prosodye
These systers foure dyfferent in offyce
Serued gramer / as lady full of pryce
The fyrst taught lrēs / & how men sholde them wryte
The seconde taught the partes of reason
To telle eche worde truely is her delyte
And whiche is nomen whiche verbū / & pronomen
The thyrde dyde teche party constructyon
[Page] The last eche worde gaue his tyme & accident
And in these foure all gramer is content
These foure serued that scyence lytterall
In wrytynge pronouncynge / and construynge
Of lettre / syllable / worde / Reson / with all
She hath her pryncypall consyderynge
She is the grounde / the yate / the entrynge
To all the noble artes lyberall
By her frendshyp they be made specyall
There was Moyses / Cadmus / and Carmenta
Ebrard Ferryn / and Iohan Gerlond / & donate
Prescyane / Petyr / Thomas de hennaya
Lambart Papy / they wryte erly and late
The Ianuens was there in grete astate
And A rystotyll for theyr bokes wyse
Catholycon and paryarmonyse
Hugucyon with many auctor mo
Wrytynge there was / and lokynge on gramer
Whose names of shortely I lete ouer go
They may not do / but prolonge my matere
Many a babe of souerayne heuenly chere
Desyrous all in connynge to habounde
Aboute dame gramer sat to haue theyr grounde
¶Explicit breuis descripcio Gramatice et eius partium.
¶Incipit breuis Tractacio de Dialetica.
Within an other parlour full of blysse
With many clerke of scoler of yonge age
Dame Dyaletica was sette ywys
[Page] She red them / all latyn was theyr langage
They all of her asked none other wage
But that they myght dyscerne and eke depure
Trouthe from falshede / that was theyr aller cure
Her parlour fresshe / her clothynge proude & stoute
Of dyssert scire and of Iucipit
With sophylmes depaynted full all aboute
And other maters / as of dyffynytyfe
The comune treatyse taught she them ryfe
Whiche whatkyns / what is a proposycyon
What thynge he is / and his dyuysyon
Whiche is subiect / couple and predicate
And how he is reason indycatyfe
And whan he hath vnyuersall estate
Partycurler or is affyrmatyfe
Infynytyfe synguler or negatyfe
Whiche Subalterne / whiche contradictyon
Whiche is contrarye taught she be reason
Equypollens and conuersyon
Sylogysmus maner of arguynge
And for to make an oblygacyon
She taught them there with lust and all lykynge
Fast they dyspute in they connynge
with sophyms straunge maters they discusse
And fast they crye oft / tues Asinus
The vnyuersels and the natures good
The predycamentes Topykes also
The pryncypals the Elynkes / as they stood
She red them all with many treates mo [...]
She taught them waye to procede & to go
[Page] And to attayne to all phyl.sophye
Her to byholde / it was a blysse heuenly
The phylosophers whiche reherced bene
With Dame scyence in her fyrst toure of all
With this lady eke goodely were bysene
And had contours to her in especyall
Alfred haly Iorath and Iuuenall
Eraclius Affricane / Demoscene
Mercurius and noble Damascene
Gyles and Euclido / Rusus / and Cythero
Democritus and Physyologus
Syr Theoprasse Tytrus and Cypro
Wyllyam Concles peno Iohanneus
Syr Tholome and Nero and plunius
Salustyane / Permenides also
And many / on whose names I lete go
¶Explicit breuis tractacio de Dyalecica.
¶Incipit breuis tractatus de Rethorica.
Dame Rethoryke moder of eloquence
Moost elegaunt / moost pure and gloryous
With lust delyte / blysse / honour and reuerence
Within her parlour fresshe and precyous
Was set a quene / whose speche delycyous
Her audytours gan to all Ioye conuerte
Eche worde of her myght rauysshe euery herte
And many clerke had lust her for to here
Her speche to them was parfyte sustenaunce
Eche worde of her depured was so clere
[Page] And illumyned with so parfyte pleasauuce
That heuen it was to here her beauperlaunce
Her termes gay as facunde souerayne
Catephaton in no poynt myght dystayne
She taught them the crafte of endytynge
Whiche vyces ben that sholde a voyded be
Whiche ben the colours gay of that connynge
Theyr dyfference and eke theyr properte
Eche thynge endyte how it sholde poynted be
Dystynctyon she gan clare and dyscusse
Whiche is Coma Colym perydus
Who so thynketh my wrytynge dull & blont
And wolde conceyue the colours purperate
Of Rethoryke / go he to tria sunt
And to Galfryde the poete laureate
To Ianuens a clerke of grete astate
Within the fyrst parte of his gramer boke
Of this mater there groundely may he loke
In Tullius also moost eloquent
The chosen spouse vnto this lady free
His gylted craft and glorye in content
Gay thynges I made eke / yf thou lust to see
Go loke the Code also the dygestes thre
The bokes of lawe and of physyke good
Of ornate speche there spryngeth vp the flood
In prose and metre of ill kynde ywys
This lady blyssed had lust for to playe
With her was blesens Richarde pophys
Farrose pystyls clere lusty fresshe and gay
With maters were poetes in good array
[Page] Ouyde / Omer / Vyrgyll / [...]
Alane / Bernarde / prudencius and Sta [...]e
¶Explicit processus de Rethorica
¶Incipit de Arsmetrica
Arsmetryke than amyd the ladyes all
As a pryncesse goodly had her mansyon
Eche of her had nede in specyall
By cause of whiche she was of grete renoun
And all her carfte by numeracyon
Was for to sette eche thynge in his ordre
Withouten her ben the syxe artes vnsure
She tolde vs there how bothe the erthe & the heuen
Had theyr makynge / and theyr perfectyon
In dayes syxe and eke in nyghtes seuene
How thre persones / and one god aboune
The trynyte conteneth with renoun
How moyses Ely / and how cryst hym selue
Fast fourty dayes / and of the appostles twelue
In holy wryte moche thynge y nombred is
Of whiche by her we haue cognycyon
And in this worlde eche creature ywys
Is made by numerall proporcyon
Foure elementes / the seuen planettes aboue
These be dystynct in trewe nombre certayne
Withouten her all craftes be but veyne
It is wryte that god all thynge hath made
In weyght / in nombre / and eke in mesure
Of Arsmetryke wherfore he sholde be glade
[Page] [...] thynge / whiche hath knowlege pure
Whan our weke / moneth / yere / there is sure
Theyr currycles theyr tymes / and theyr space
By this lady to haue knowlege we trace
She taught nombre whiche is olde / & whiche euen
Deuyded hym with subdyuysyon
Ten fygures eke of Augrym gan she neuen
And calendres for numeracyon
She tolde the carfte of computacyon
To adde / to mynue / and to multyplye
Eche thynge to count she taught truely
She taught vs eke what thynge that nōbre was
A multytude of vnytees she sayd
And with her set the olde Pyctagoras
Nychomacus / of whome moche good is sayd
Apulenis and Boece ryght wele arrayed
These were the fyrst in latyn and grewe
That in the crafte of nombre euer drewe
¶Explicit breuis processus de Arsmetrica.
¶Incipit breuis Tractatus de Geometria.
And Geometrye her subtyll crafte out ronge
And her place as lady reuerent
She sat at lust with lynes large and longe
Compase rule / plumbe / and many instrument
With fygures queynte and all to her entent
Of euery thynge to yeue the true mesure
This her craft / her labour and her cure
She made cercules / fygures / and spyres straūge
Tryangles quadrantes worderly wrought
[Page] Layde lynes a longe / & ofte she dyde them chaūge
The pure mesure of euery thynge she sought
And by her crafte the pure knowlege she brought
How hye / how lowe / how longe / & how brode eke
Was euery thynge she had it not seke
Whiche is the poynt / the centre or the pole
Full craftely she taught of euery spere
Whiche Cercle is cut / and whiche is hole
Whiche lyne is ryght / whiche perpentyculere
Whiche Circuler / and whiche Dyametere
And by this crafte of all the erthes space
The veray mesure truely gan she trace
The erthes space how longe it is aboute
Arystotyll sayth that olde clerkes sayne
That foure and twenty thousande all oute
In his cercle he conteyneth certayne
But Albert thynketh / it is an errour playne
For in his tyme there couthe it not for clere
The quantyte of his Dyametere
But another clerke shewynge Theolome
Sayd that erthe in his cyrcuyte rounde
Sholde twenty thousande myle and fourty be
And thus one clerke another doth confounde
So that the trouthe by none of them is founde
Gode thynge sayth basyle sholde haue remembraūce
And that sholde passe whiche stondeth in doutaūce
With her dyuerse clerkes of Egypte were
Whiche fyrst dyde fynde the crafte of Geometry
Eke Theodosius in his maner
With phylosophers satte full lustely
[Page] Of that scyence tretynge full craftely
As good Englyd / and many clerkes mo
Of them no more / for ferther must I go
¶Explicit de geometria
¶Incipit de Musica
A lytell besyde within a place of blys
Dame Musyke sat / and her ladyes thre
The fyrst hyght dame Armonyca ywys
The seconde Rethenica a lady free
The thyrde hyght metrica full of beaute
The songe she prycked / she numered notes newe
Theyr melodye formed an heuen newe
The fyrst delyted her in tnnes mete
The seconde mesured dyte with the note
The thyrde numered her songe with certayne fete
And whiche be her boundes ryght well she wote
And with them were good clerkes yt thus wrote
And sayd that musyke was the pure connynge
And veray waye of trewe parfyte syngynge
They wrote also / who that fyrst musyke founde
Some sayd Tubal / some sayd Linus Tibeus
Some zetus / Amphyonas they dyde vnderstonde
Some sayd also it was one Orpheus
Some playnly sayd for ought they coude discusse
That by the soune of hamers in a forge
Pyctagoras fyrst gan musyke forge
Dame musyke gan her crafte to recorde
And made a waye / how folke sholde fyrst begyn
[Page] Her example was in a monycorde
On instrument quadraunt longe holowe within
Of whiche the myd one strenge had in a gyn
Oute of the whiche dyuers tunes she wrought
And thus the grounde of musyke fyrst she sought
She taught syxe syllables / whiche we notes clepe
And in her crafte they necessary bene
Whiche on an ympne thou mayst brynge to hepe
If thou his metre can proporcyon clene
Vt queant laxis is it / whiche I mene
There mayst thou fynde vt / re / my / fa / sol / la
These syllables syxe vsed dame musica
She taught the notes by her monycorde
As she the strenge dyde touche or pulle
And as she lengthed or shorted the corde
Whiche hye / lowe / or sharp / & whiche is dulle
Of these notes taught she at the full
Theyr varyaunce / and theyr dyscencyon
Theyr ordres eke / and theyr ascencyon
A Gāmoth than wonderly she founde
Whiche is a rule to teche thenm for to synge
And it is to knowe she taught them on theyr honde
By whiche they wote the grounde of all syngynge
The notes they knowe therby & theyr chaungynge
And proueth eke / whiche songe is false or trewe
To musyke thus she can the wayes shewe
She taught them whiche were tunes parfyte
And gaue them lust to here theyr concordaunce
Whiche tunes eke ben cleped inparfyte
And whiche in songe sholde be theyr gouernaunce
[Page] Proporcyon she sayd in remembraunce
Dyapason and dyapente eke
And Dyatesseron was not to seke
Whiche large / longe / whiche breue or semybreue
Mynym Crochet / in rule and eke in space
All this she taught / but for I must be breue
In this mater I wyll no ferther trace
For thoughe I wolde therto I haue no space
But who so lust of Musyke for to wyt
For veray grounde to Boecc I hym remyt
And to a clerke / whiche cleped is berno
Iohan de Muris / and Iohan de Musica
To guyde eke in his Metrologo
There mayst thou see of Dame Armonyca
Of Dame Metryke / and of dame Rethinica
Of all musyke the veray grounde parfyte
There shalte thou fynde / with blysse and all delyte
And these with musyke were in Ioye & blysse
And helped her prouynce / with her armonye
And with them was eche instrument ywys
That is of musyke / and of mynstralcye
Harp / lute / pyte / trump / fydell / ryuyles / sautry
The Rote / orgons / and the monycorde
The Gyterne / symbale / and the clauycorde
¶Explicit Tractatus de Musica.
¶Incipit breuis processus de Astronomia.
Than see I sytte in place full of all pleasaunce
The heuenly lady dame Astronomye
Whiche of the sterres the conrs & gouernaunce
[Page] Theyr fygures eke descryueth [...]
And with her was the mayde Astrologye
Whiche somtyme is kyndely / and precyous
And otherwhyles ouer moche superstyous
She is kyndely whan that she sheweh clere
The sonnes cours / the mone / the sterres eke
And doth nothynge / but as kynde doth her lere
But whan she lust in sterres for to seke
The byrthe of man / whiche hole shall be seke
And wyll dyuyne / and preche thynge for to be
Vnkyndely than / and vnlefull is she
Astronomye that lady full of grace
Gan fyrst dyuyne what thynge ye worlde sholde be
What thynge heuen is / his course & his place
His paleys eke / his partyes in degre
His fourme / his spere / and eke his properte
His syght / his cours / his mouynge at the best
With all other partyes moost and lest
His hemyspery / and his clercles fyue
Theyr properte / and how they cleped bene
The zodyake also she gan descryue
The sonne his course & his effecte clene
His magnytude / his nature well besene
The mone her cours / her dyuers fourmes eke
And theyr Eclypses / there was nothynge to seke
She taught also how sondry sterres hyght
And in what tyme they go theyr cercules all
Eke how ye sonne ye mone gyueth all theyr lyght
Whiche Lucina we clepe in rs;pecyall
And how that fyre out frome heuen dooth fall
[Page] Lyke as the sterres fyll it is sene
The cause of this / and what it may meane
And to eche sterre that cleped is a sygne
By syght of whiche thynge to come men may gesse
A propre name she gan to assygne
As Arctur / vrsa / the more eke & the lesse
Thus dyuers names gan she for to dresse
As Tryones / Boetes / Yades
Aricturus. Oryon / and plyades
As Lucyfer / Cometes / vesperus
Theyr names olde she tolde full craftely
The planetes seuen she neuened vnto vs
Saturne / Ioue / mars / phebus / and mercurye
The mone venus / and what they sygnyfye
Theyr influence / and theyr qualyte
With cyrcumstaunce of pure solempnyte
Twelue fygures than she tolde ryght well arrayed
The Ramme / the bull / and the gemelles to
The crabbe / the lyon / and the streyt mayd
The balaunce tharcher / and the Scorpio
The gote / the water syre / and the fysshe also
The planetes seuen as they to this attayne
Suche eche tyme dysposed soth to sayne
And how eche fygure had his properte
A propre name / thus gan she constrewe
The gentyles eke how that they blynded be
That lust / honour with worshyp fresshe & newe
The planetes seuen / as parfyte goddes trewe
They rytes olde / and theyr ydolatrye
She gan reherce / as techeth poeterye
[Page] And how they clepe the rāme the fyrst sygne
For that in mars begynnynge of the yere
The sonne in hym maketh his cours dygne
And they worshyp hym on theyr manere
By cause of Ioue whome in theyr temples clere
It they depaynte a rammes hede they make
With hornes two for Iubyters sake
He come an oxe / and toke Europa they sayd
Wherfore the bole they worshyp of theyr grace
Castor pollux eke whau they dede were layd
Amonge the sterres they demed haue a place
Whome they clepen the gemelles with solace
For Hercules eke slough the grete lyon
Hym for that sygne they worshyp with renoun
O mysbyleue merueylous for to neuene
O cursed blyndenes of these gentyles all
Whiche demyn fysshe / and bestyall be in heuen
For gloryfyed regnaunt perpetuall
As Rame / bore / crabbe / and bere in specyall
Hounde / lyon / swan / the egle eke in fere
Whome they worshyp for Ioues chyfe squyre
She tolde also of batayll destyne
And how in sterres some men haue suche byleue
That in theyr byrthe ryght by necessyte
Ordeyned is all that hym shall please or greue
This olde errour our doctours done repreue
Socrates the same with Arystotyll sayth
Notwithstondynge they were not of our fayth
Or yf a man were in this natyuyte
Constryeued to his sondry artes all
[Page] Them for to do ryght by necessyte
Why sholde good men haue laude in specyall
Or myslyuers to punysshement be thrall
Good Isodre maketh this reason
In dampnynge of this false oppynyon
Astronomye the Egyptes fyrst dyde fynde
Astrologye / and her queynt obseruaunce
Folke of Calde fyrst sought & brought to mynde
Whome Abraham taught the egyptes with pleasaūce
As wryteh Iosephus withouten doutaunce
But grekes sayne this crafte fyrst was founde
By one Athlant / & of hym had his grounde
And with this lady was syre Tholome
Iohan de hispayn / and mysaleth also
With other auctours in degre
That drewe of her / whose names lette I go
Thus in sterres I wyll cease and ho
And by the ordre of the artes seuen
Styre folke to leue the worlde / & drawe to heuen
¶Eplicit de Astronomia.
¶Incipit Tractatus de fide.
Dame fayth than led vs vnto her dwellynge place
Vnto a toure solempne and gloryous
Full of all lust / comfort / vertue and grace
Depaynted fresshe with colours precyous
And in a parlour full solacyous
Thappostles all were sette with pure delyte
And of our trouthe the artycles they wryte
They had byleue in god fader of myght
[Page] Maker of heuen and [...]
Of vysyble and inuysyble wyght
And in his sonne cryst full of blysse
Before the worlde / whiche was alwaye ywys
I gete not made and consubstancyall
To his fader / of whome fourmed is all
He came frome heuen / and in the mayde marye
By inspyracyon of the holy goost
Mankynde he toke / and borne he was for to dye
To wyn man soule out from the fendes hoost
And vnder Pylate set with Iewes boost
Bounden & bete / crowned and crucyfyed
With watry woundes Innocent he dyed
For he was grauen man out from helle he brought
And rose the thyrde day vnto the lyue agayne
Styed to heuen / his faders trone he sought
Frome whens as kynge / he shall come yet certayne
Bothe quyke and dede to deme / to lyfe or payne
The good to blysse / the euyll to punysshement
Heuen erthe helle shall suake in that iugement
And in the holy ghoost byleue they bad
In holy chirche baptysme communyon
Of sayntes eke to holde ferme and sad
Of all treaspas to haue remyssyon
And for to trowe the resureccyon
Of people deed / and in lyfe lastynge
Vnto the whiche almyghty god vs brynge
The artycles with oth [...] poyntes all
That longeth to the holy trynyte
Dame fayth her selfe gan tell in specyall
[Page] Whiche in Englysshe not reherced be
Suche thynge as sholde be pryuate & occult
I rede we leue / and take quicum (que) vult
There was to fayth doynge all reuerence
The holy synner Mary magdalene
Whiche by dame fayth hath geten indnlgence
Of all her synne and was assoyled clene
Good martha eke by her grace gan optene
And brought to lyue her broder lazarus
Soo was the sone also of Regulus
There was the doughter eke of Canane
Whiche by her was brought fro the fendes bonde
All other eke / that of ony infyrmyte
Thrughe fayth was cured / with her see I stonde
Blynde dome and deef lepreous fote & honde
Whome faych hath heled / and brought vnto grace
With all honour obeyed her in that place
There was also the holy confessours
That preched fayth whyle they were on lyue
Doctours martyrs and gloryous auctours
Wrytynge of fayth / and her meryte blyue
And on this wyse / they gan her descryue
And sayd that fayth is grounde of all goodnes
Withouten whome lyfe hath no sykernes
Vnto good she gyueth strengthe & comforte
And who troweth not he falleth impotente
The shelde of fayth who lust to comporte
All thynge ouercometh as vnto reuerence
His thre enemyes with theyr yrous pretence
[Page] Ayenst hym shall neuer more preuayle
Aske and byleue thyn askynge shall not fayle
She is ay / for as the clerkes sayth
There is but one god lorde perpetuall
Pryncypally / of whome preche his fayth
Eke hole she is of her artycles all
Trewe without errour outher grete or small
Lyuely and quyke to do euery quyke dede
For elles she were but as a body dede
There was the lady clennesse well arrayed
Deuocyon and dame vyrgynyte
Dame contynence and chastyte the mayd
Dame loulynesse and dame stabylyte
Enlumyned fresshe echone in theyr degree
These seruen fayth / and as they couthe deuyse
With blysse they songe / and sayd vpon this wyse
It better is to trowe in god aboue
Than in mankynde or in many other thynge
Who troweth in hym / for he can kepe and loue
Theyr lust fulfyll / & graunt them theyr askynge
And in his gospell eke a worthy kynge
He sayd hym selfe in me / who lust byleue
Though he be deed ywys yet shall he leue
O cursed folke with your ydolatrye
Whiche in false goddes setten your delyte
Blynde dome / and deef is all your mametrye
Of stocke and stone / men may suche karue & thwyte
Leue them for false with sour and despyte
In our one god cast anker and byleue
Though ye were deed / he can make you leue
[...] your goddes be dede
They haue a tyme / and he is sempyterne
They are but erthe / and brought lowe as lede
He regneth god aboue the heuen superne
Blyssed be he / for he no grace wyll werne
To them that wyll in hym beset theyr byleue
And though they dye ywys yet shall they lyue
¶Explicit tractatus de fide et cantus famule sue▪
¶These thynges folowynge is euery crysten man & woman holde and bounde to lerne and con to theyr power in waye of theyr saluacyon.
The pater noster / the aue maria / and the crede
¶The .x. commaundementes.
Haue one god in worshyp / In this is forboden all maner mawmetrye / wytchecrafte / inchauntement / Redynge of dremes and all mysbyleue
¶Take not the name of god vayne
In this is forboden all heresyes / all mysmenynge / vnworshyppe of god / forswerynge / takynge his name in vayne and suche other
¶Halowe thyn holy dayes
To this belongeth / herynge of thy seruyse / kepynge ye out of deedly syn̄e / visitȳge of thy poore neyghboures accordynge them that ben at debate and suche other.
¶Worshyp thy fader and moder
God thy fader / holy chirche thy moder / the ghoostly faders / thy flesshely fader and moder / all men of age & worshyp / and prelates of holy chirche
¶Slee no man
[Page] With honde smytynge / with [...] [...]ac [...]ytynge / harte cursynge / ne wyllynge euyll / ne vengeaunce
¶Do no Lechery
Here is forboden all spousebreke / all flesshely dedes / and all mysshe dynge of mannes sede
¶Do no thefte
Here is forboden stelynge / wronge purchacynge / desherytynge of heyres / trecherye / vsurye / wronge amerse mentes / false mesure and weyghtes / & suche other
¶Bere no false wytnesse
Here is forbodeu / false lyenge / bacbytynge / accusynge appayrynge of good name and suche other.
¶Desyre not thy neyghbours wyfe
In this is not onely forboden the dede but also the desyre and wyll of herte
¶Desyre not thy neyghbours thynges
House / londe / beest / seruaunt / ne nothynge that is his
¶The seuen deedly synnes.
Pryde.
Herof cometh bostynge of proude berynge / dysplesynge / scornȳge / hyghe herte / gay array / pryde of rychesse fayrnes / connynge / strengthe / vertue / goodnes / pryde of kynne / vnbuxomnes / vayne glory / dispyte of thy neyghbour / ypocrysye and suche other.
Enuye
Glad of thy neyghbours euyll fare / heuy of his welfare / bacbytynge / sounynge of dyscorde / scornynge and suche other.
Wrathe
Fyghtynge / chydynge / hurtynge / betynge / waryenge cursynge / grutchynge / desyrynge of vengeaūce / cruelnes / manslaughter and suche other
Couetyse.
Falsehode in wynnynge / in byenge / in sellynge / in metynge / in weyenge / gyle / trecherye / sacrylege / symony vsurye / theft / receyuynge of stolen goodes / extorcyon wronge withholdynge / withdrawynge of seruauntes hyre / withholdynge of tethes & dutees of holy chirche.
Glotonye
Etynge or drȳge ouer moche / to erly to late / out of mesure / brekynge of fast / vsynge of delycate metes & drȳ kes / or in vsynge them to strengthe thy body to synne and suche other.
Slouthe.
Therof cometh ydelnes / delyte in slepe / neclygence of thy byleue / vnlusty to goddes seruyse / forgetfulnes of shryfte / my spendynge of tyme / dyspayre / wanhope / & suche other.
Lecherye
In thought / wyll / werke / syght / felynge / dede doynge with sengle / with com [...]e / wydowes / maydens / wyues Goshyppes / god doughter / relygyous or other out of wedlocke / synne ayenst kynde or suche other.
The fyue wyttes
Syght / Herynge / smellynge / tastynge / felynge.
¶The seuen dedes of mercy bodely.
Fede the hongry / gyue drynke to the thursty / clothe y^ naked Herberowe the houseles / vysyte the syke / delyuere the prosoners / and burye the poore that ben deed
¶The seuen dedes of mercy ghoostly
Teche them that can not gyue good counseyll to hym that asketh it / chastyse thy subgecte that offēdeth comforte the sory / forgyue him that trespaceth to the / haue [Page] ruthe on the synner / and praye for thyn enemye.
¶The seuen pryncypall vertues.
Fayth
This is grounde and begynge of our saluacyon and it standeth in thre thynges / In the vnyte of the godhede in thre parsones. In the manhode of cryst / and in the sacramentes of the chirche.
Hope
This is a trust by the mercy of god to be saued / and it standeth in the grace of god and good werkes.
Charyte.
This is the ende and parfectyon of all the commaundementes of god / and it standeth in the loue of god aboue all thynge and thy neyghbour as thy selfe.
Ryghtwysnes
This is a payenge of dute of eche thynge yt it longeth to as to god praysynge and thankynge / to thy neyghboure loue and charyte and to thy selfe besynes to fulfyll goddes wyll.
Wysedome.
That is a vertue to departe good fro euyll and it stondeth in the chesynge of good / and in refusynge of euyll
Strengthe
This maketh a man myght [...] & hardy to do grete thynges for the loue of god / and it stondeth in suffrynge pacyently aduersyte / and mekely takynge prosperyte.
Mesure
This is a meane bytwene to moche and to lytell and it, stondeth in takynge suffycyently that nedeth / & in refusynge vtterly yt is to moche or to lytell / by these thyn ges shall eche man and woman knowe god.
These that folowen brynge a man to heuen.
[Page] Good [...] pacyence in aduersyte / obedyence of the commaundementes of god / ryghtwysenes in dedes / penaūce in the lyfe / contrycyon of synne / knowlege of thy selfe / and charyte.
These brynge one in to helle
Desperacion / wodenes in aduersyte / vnryghtwysnes of dedes / loue of synne / malyce / obstynacion in synnes Despyte of the cōmaundementes of god / hate of good thynges / and ignoraunce.
The fyue wyttes ghoostely
Mynde of ye kyndenes of god and of thy last ende vnderstōdynge of his benefytes / and of his lore / wyll to worshyppe hym in thought / worde and dede without ony werynes reason to rewle with thy wyttes / bothe inwarde & outwarde without ony blyndenesse ymagynacyon of vertuous lyuynge nedeful werkes and dredefull dedes of to ye and of payne.
¶Here endeth ye court of sapyence.
Enprynted at London in ye Fletestrete at the sygne of the sonne by Wynkyn de Worde ye yere of our lorde a .M.CCCCC. &. x.
wynkyn · de · word