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The Prologue
Quhen pale Aurora with face lamentable
Hir russat mantill, borderit all with sable,
Lappit about be hevinlye circumstance
The tender bed and arres honorable
Of Flora, quene till flouris amyable
In May, I rays to do my observance
And entrit in a garding of plesance
With Sole depaint, as Paradys amyable,
And blisfull bewes with blomed variance,
So craftely Dame Flora had overfret
Hir hevinly bed - powderit with mony a set
Of ruby, topas, perle and emerant,
With balmy dewe bathit and kyndly wet,
Quhil vapours hote - right fresche and wele ybet,
Dulce of odour, of flewour most fragrant -
The silver droppis on dayseis distillant,
Quhilk verdour branches over the alars yet,1
With smoky sence the mystis reflectant.2
The fragrant flouris, blomand in their seis,
Overspred the leves of Naturis tapestreis,
Above the quhilk, with hevinly armoneis,
The birdes sat on twistes and on greis,
Melodiously makand thair kyndely gleis,
Quhois schill notis fordinned al the skyis.
Of reparcust ayr, the eccon cryis
Amang the branches of the blomed treis;
And on the laurers, silver droppis lyis.
Quhyll that I rowmed in that paradice
Replennessed and full of all delice,
Out of the sea Eous alift his heid -
I meyne the hors quhilk drawis at device
The assiltre and goldin chaire of pryce
Of Tytan, quhilk at morowe semis reid.
The new colour that all the night lay deid
Is restored. Baith fowlis, flowris, and ryce
Reconfort was throw Phebus gudlyheid.
The dasy and the maryguld onlappit
Quhilkis all the nicht lay with thair levis happit
Thaim to preserve fra rewmes pungitive.
The umbrate treis that Tytan about wappit
War portrait and on the erth yschappit
Be goldin bemes vivificative
Quhois amene hete is most restorative.
The gershoppers amangis the vergers gnappit
And beis wrocht materiall for thair hyve.
Richt halsom was the sessoun of the yeir.
Phebus furth yet depured bemes cleir
Maist nutrityve tyll all thynges vigitant.
God Eolus of wynd list nocht appeir,
Nor ald Saturne with his mortall speir
And bad aspect, contrar til every plant.
Neptunus nolde within that palace hant.
The beriall stremes rynnyng men micht heir
By bonkis grene with glancis variant.
For till beholde that hevinly place complete -
The purgit ayr with new engendrit hete,
The soyl enbroude with colowr, ure and stone,
The tender grene, the balmy droppes swete -
So rejoysit and confort wes my sprete
I not wes it a vision or fanton.3
Amyd the buskys rowmyng myn allone
Within that garth of all plesans replete,
A voce I hard, preclare as Phebus schone
Syngand, "O May thow myrrour of soles,
Maternall moneth, lady and maistres,
Tyl every thing adoun respirature,
Thyn hevinly werk and worthy craftines
The small herbis constrenis tyl encres.
O verray ground tyl werking of nature
Quhois hie curage and assucuryt cure
Causis the erth his frutis tyll expres,
Dyffundant grace on every creature.
"Thy godly lore, cunnyng incomparabyl,
Dantis the savage bestis maist unstabyl
And expellis all that nature infestis.
The knoppit syonys with levys agreabyl
For tyl revert and burgione ar maid abyll.
Thy myrth refreschis birdis in thair nestis,
Quhilkis the to pryse and Nature never restis,
Confessand you maist potent and lovabyll
Amang the brownys of the olyve twystes.
"In the is rute and augment of curage.
In the enforcis Martis vassalage.
In the is amorus luf and armony
With incrementis fresche in lusty age.
Quha that constrenit ar in luffis rage
Addressand thaim with observans ayrly4
Weil auchtyst the tyl glore and magnify."
And with that word I rasyt my vissage
Sore effrayit, half in a frenisye.
"O Nature Queen and O ye lusty May,"
Quod I tho, "Quhow lang sall I thus forvay,
Quhilk yow and Venus in this garth deservis?
Reconsell me out of this gret affray
That I maye synge yow laudis day be day.
Ye that al mundane creaturis preservis
Confort your man that in this fanton stervis
With sprete arrasyt and every wit away,
Quakyng for fere, baith puncys, vane and nervis."
My fatall werd, my febyl wit I wary,
My dasyt heid, quham lake of brane gart vary5
And not sustene so amyabyll a soun!
With ery curage, febyl strenthis sary,
Bownand me hame and list no langer tary,6
Out of the ayr come ane impressioun
Throw quhois lycht in extasy or swoun,
Amyd the virgultis all in tyl a fary
As femynine so feblyt fell I doun.
And with that gleme so dasyt wes my mycht
Quhill thair remanit nothir voce nor sycht,
Breth, motione, nor hetis naturale.
Saw nevir man so faynt a levand wycht,
And na ferly, for over-excelland lycht
Corruppis the wit and garrys the blud availe
On tyl the hart that it no danger ale -
Quhen it is smorit, membris wyrkes not richt:
The dredfull terrour sua did me assaile.
Yyt at the last (I not quhou long a space)
A lytell hete aperyt in my face
Quhilk had tofore beyn pale and voyde of blud.
Tho in my sweven I met a ferly cace:
I thought me set within a desert place
Amyd a forest by a hydous flud
With grysly fysche, and shortly tyl conclud
I shall descryve (as God wil geve me grace)
Myn avision in rurell termes rude.
The First Part
Thow barrant wyt overset with fantasyis,
Schaw now the craft that in thy memor lyis,
Schaw now thy shame, schaw now thy bad nystee,
Schaw thyn endyt, repruf of rethoryis,
Schaw now thy beggit termis mare than thryis,
Schaw now thy ranys and thyn harlottree,
Schaw now thy dull exhaust inanytee,
Schaw furth thy cure and wryte their frenesyis
Quhilkis of thy sempyll cunnyng nakyt the.
My ravyst sprete in that deserte terrybill
Approchit nere that ugly flude horrybill,
Lyk tyll Cochyte the ryver infernall,
Wyth vyle wattyr quhilk maid a hydduus trubbyll
Rynnand overhed, blud red, and - impossybyll
That it had byn a ryver naturall -
With brayis bare, raif rochis lyke to fall,
Quhareon na gers nor herbys wer visibyll,
Bot skauppis brynt with blastis boryall.7
Thys laythly flude rumland as thondyr routyt
In quham the fysche yelland as elvys schoutyt.
Thair yelpis wylde my hering all fordevyt.
Tha grym monsturis my spretis abhorryt and doutyt.
Not throu the soyl bot muskan treis sproutyt
Combust, barrant, unblomyt and unlevyt,8
Ald rottyn runtis quhairin no sap was levyt
Moch, all wast, widdrit, with granis moutyt:
A ganand den quhair morthurars men revyt.
Quhairfore my selvyn was richt sore agast.
This wyldernes abhomynable and wast
In quhome na thing wes Nature confortand9
Was dyrk as royk the quhilk the see upcast.
The quhislyng wynd blew mony byttir blast,
Runtis ratlit and uneth myght I stand:
Out throu the wode I crap on fut and hand.
The ryvar stank, the treis clattryt fast,
The soil was not bot marres, slyik, and sand.
And not but caus my spretis were abaysit
All solitare in that desert arrasyt.
"Allas," I said, "is non other remede?
Cruel Fortoun, quhy hes thow me betrasyt?
Quhy hes thow thus my fatall end compasyt?
Allas, allas, sall I thus sone be dede
In this desert, and wait non uther rede,
Bot be devoryt wyth sum best ravanus?
I wepe, I wale, I plene, I cry, I plede:
Inconstant warld and quheil contrarius!
"Thy transitory plesans quhat avaylys?
Now thare, now heir, now hie and now devalys;
Now to, now fro, now law, now magnifyis;
Now hote, now cald, now lauchys, now bewalys;
Now seik, now hail, now wery, now not alys;
Now gud, now evyll, now wetis, and now dryis;
Now thow promittis and rycht now thou denyis;
Now wo, now weill, now ferm, now frevilus,
Now gam, now gram, now lovys, now defyis:
Inconstant warld and quheil contrarius!
"Ha! quha suld haif affyans in thy blys?
Ha! quha suld haif fyrm esperans in this
Quhilk is, allace, sa freuch and variant?
Certis none. Sum hes! No wicht. Suythly, yis!
Than hes my self bene gylty? Ya iwys.
Thairfore, allace, sall danger thus me dant?
Quhyddyr is bycum sa sone this duyly hant
And Veyr translat in wyntyr furyus?
Thus I bewale my faitis repugnant:
Inconstant warld and quheil contrarius!"
Bydand the deid thus in myn extasy,
A dyn I hard approchyng fast me be
Quhilk movit fra the plage septentrionall
As heyrd of bestis stampyng with loud cry.
Bot than God wate how afferyt wes I
Traistand tyl be stranglyt with bestiall.
Amyd a stok richt prevaly I stall
Quhare lukand out anone I dyd espy
Ane lusty rout of bestis rationall -
Of ladyis fair and gudly men arrayit
In constant weid - that weil my spretis payit.
Wyth degest mynd quhairin all wyt aboundyt
Full sobyrly thair haknais thay assait
Eftyr the feitis auld, and not forvayt.10
Thair hie prudence schew furth, and nothyng roundit,11
With gude effere, quhare at the wod resoundyt.12
In stedfast ordour, to vysy onaffrayit
Thay rydyng furth with stabylnes ygroundyt.
Amyddys quham, borne in ane goldyn chare
Ovyrfret with perle and stonys maist preclare
That drawin wes by haiknays four, mylk quhyt,
Was set a quene, as lylly swete of sware,
In purpur robe hemmid with gold ilk gare
Quhilk jemmyt claspes closyd all parfyte,
A diademe maist pleasandly polyte
Set on the tressys of her gyltyn hare
And in her hand a sceptre of delyte.
Syne next her, rayed in granyt violate,13
Twelve damysylles, ilk ane in theyr estate
Quhilkis semyt of hyr consell most secre14
And nixt thaym wes a lusty rout, God wate -
Lordis, ladyis, and mony fair prelate,
Baith borne of hie estate and law degre,
Furth with thair quene thay al by-passit me.
Ane esy pase thay rydyng furth the gate
And I abaid alone within the tre.
And as the rout wes passyt one and one
And I remanand in the tre alone,
Out throw the wode come rydand cativis twane,
Ane on ane asse, a wedy about his mone,
The tothir raid ane hiddows hors apone.
I passyt furth and fast at thaym did frane
Quhat men thay wer. Thay answeryt me agane,
"Our namys ben Achitefel and Synone
That by our suttell menys feil hes slane."
"Wait ye," quod I, "quhat signifyis yon rout?"
Synon sayd "Ya!" - and gave ane hyddows schout -
"We wrechys bene abject thairfra, iwys.
Yone is the Quene of Sapience, but dout,
Lady Minerve, and yone twelve hir about
Ar the prudent Sibillais ful of blys,
Cassandra, eik Delbora and Circis,
The fatale systeris twynand our weirdes out,
Judith, Jael, and mony a prophetis
"Quhilkis groundyt ar in fyrm intelligens.
And thair is als in to yone court gone hens
Clerkis divine with problewmys curius
As Salomon the well of sapiens
And Arestotyl, fulfyllet of prudens,
Salust, Senek and Titus Livius,
Picthagoras, Porphure, Permenydus,
Melysses with his sawis but defence,
Sidrag, Secundus and Solenyus,
"Ptholomeus, Ipocras, Socrates,
Empedocles, Neptennebus, Hermes,
Galien, Averroes and Plato,
Enoth, Lameth, Job and Diogenes,
The eloquent and prudent Ulisses,
Wyse Josephus and facund Cicero,
Melchisedech, with othyr mony mo.
Thair viage lyis throw out this wildernes.
To the Palice of Honour all thay go,
Is situat from hens liggis ten hundyr.
Our horsys oft or we be thair wyll fundyr.
Adew, we may no langer heir remane."
"Or that ye passe," quod I, "tell me this wondyr,
How that ye wrechyt cativis thus at undyr
Ar sociat with this court soverane?"
Achitefell maid this answer agane:
"Knawis thou not? Haill, erd-quake, and thundyr
Ar oft in May, with mony schour of rane.
"Rycht so we bene in tyll this company.
Our wyt aboundit, and usyt wes lewdly.
My wysdome ay fulfyllyt my desyre
As thou may in the Bybyl weil aspy,
How Davidis prayer put my counsell by.
I gart his sonne aganys hym conspyre,
The quhilk wes slane. Quhairfore up be the swyre
My self I hangit, frustrat sa fowlily.
This Synon wes a Greik that rasyt fyre
First in to Troy, as Virgyll dois report.
Sa tratourlyk maid him be draw overwhort
Quhill in he brocht the Hors with men of armys
Quhairthrow the towne distroit wes at schort."
Quod I, "Is this your destany and sort?
Cursit be he that sorowis for your harmys,
For ye bene schrewis baith, be Goddis armys!
Ye will optene nane entres at yone port
Bot gif it be throw sorcery or charmys."
"Ingres tyll have," quod thay, "we not presume.
It sufficis us tyl se the Palice blume
And stand on rowme quhare bettyr folk bene charrit.15
For tyll remane, adew, we have na tume.
This ilk way cummis the courtis, be our dume,
Of Diane and Venus that feil hes marryt."
With that thay raid away as thay war skarryt,
And I agayne, maist lyk ane elrych grume,
Crap in the muskane akyn stok mysharrit.
Thus wrechitly I maid my resydence
Imagynand feil syse for sum defence
In contrar savage bestis maist cruell,
For na remeid bot deid be violence,
Sum tyme, asswagis febill indegence.
Thus in a part I reconfort my sell
Bot that so lityll wes I dar nocht tell.
The stychlyng of a mows out of presence
Had bene to me mare ugsum than the Hell.
Yit glaid I wes that I with thaym had spokkyn.
Had not bene that, certis my hart had brokkyn
For megirnes and pusillamytee.
Remanand thus within the tre al lokkyn,
Dissyrand fast sum signys or sum tokkyn
Of Lady Venus and of hir companee,
A hart transformyt ran fast by the tree
With houndis rent, on quham Dian wes wrokkyn.
Tharby I understude that sche wes nee.
Thay had tofore declarit hir cummyng:
Mare perfytly forthy I knew the syng.
Wes Action quhilk Diane nakyt watyt
Bathyng in a well and eik hir madynnys yyng.
The goddes wes commovyt at this thing
And hym in forme hes of a hart translatit.
I saw, allace, his houndis at him slatit.
Bakwert he blent to gyf thaym knawlegyng
Tha raif thair lord, mysknew hym at thaym batit.16
Syne ladyis come with lusty giltyn tressys,
In habit wild maist lyke till fostaressys,
Amyddys quham heich on ane eliphant
In syng that sche in chastite incressys
Raid Diane that ladyis hartis dressys
Tyl be stabil and na way inconstant.
God wait that nane of thaym is variant:
All chast and trew virginite professys.
I not, bot few I saw with Diane hant.
Intil that court I saw anone present
Jeptyis douchtir, a lusty lady gent
Offeryt tyl God in hir virginite.
Pollixena, I wys, wes not absent;
Panthessile with mannys hardyment,
Effygyn and Virgenius' douchter fre,
With uthyr flouris of feminyte,
Baith of the New and the Ald Testament,
All on thay raid and left me in the tre.
In that desert dispers in sondyr skattryt
Wer bewis bare quham rane and wynde on battryt.
The water stank, the feild was odious
Quhar dragonys, lessertis, askis, edders swattryt
With mouthis gapand, forkyt tayles tattryt,
With mony a stang and spoutis vennomous
Corruppyng ayr be rewme contagious.
Maist gros and vyle enposonyt clowdis clatteryt,17
Rekand lyk hellys smoke sulfuryus.
My dasyt hed fordullit dissyly
I rasyt up, half in a letergy,
As dois a catyve ydronken in slep
And so opperyt tyl my fantasy
A schynand lycht out of the northest sky.
Proportion sounding dulcest hard I pepe
The quhilk with cure till heir I did tak kepe.18
In musyk nowmer full of harmony
Distant on far wes caryit be the depe.
Farther by wattyr folk may soundis here
Than by the erth, the quhilk with poris sere
Up drynkis ayr that movit is by sound
Quhilk in compact wattir of ane rivere
May nocht entre bot rynnys thare and here
Quhil it at last be caryit on the ground;
And thocht throw dyn, be experience is found,
The fysch ar causyt within the rivere stere,
Inoth the wattyr the nois dois not abound.
Violent dyn the ayr brekkis and deris,
Syne gret motion of ayr the watyr steris.
The wattyr steryt, fischis for ferdnes fleis.
Bot, out of dout, no fysch in wattyr heris
For, as we se, rycht few of thaym has eris;
And eik, forsuyth, bot gyf wyse clerkis leis,
Thair is nane ayr inoth watters nor seis,
But quhilk na thing may heir, as wyse men leiris,
Lyik as but lycht thair is na thyng that seis.
Anewch of this, I not quhat it may mene.
I wyll returne till declare all bedene
My dreidfull dreme with grysly fantasyis.
I schew tofore quhat I had hard and sene,
Perticularly sum of my paynfull tene.
But now God wate quhat ferdnes on me lyis!
Lang ere I said - and now this tyme is twyis -
A sound I hard, of angellys as it had bene,
With armony fordynnand all the skyis19
So dulce, so swete and so melodius
That every wycht thair with mycht be joyous
Bot I and cativis dullit in dispare.
For quhen a man is wreth or furius,
Malancolyk for wo or tedius,
Than is al plesance till hym maist contrare
And semblably than so did wyth me fare:
This melody intonyt hevinly thus
For profund wo constrenyt me mak care.
And murnand thus as ane maist wofull wicht,
Of the maist plesand court I had a sycht
In warld adoun sen Adam wes create.20
Quhat sang? quhat joy? quhat armony? quhat lycht?
Quhat myrthfull solace, plesance all at ryght?
Quhat fresch bewte? quhat excelland estate?
Quhat swete vocis? quhat wordis suggurate?
Quhat fair debatis? quhat lufsum ladyis bricht?
Quhat lusty gallandis did on thair servyce wate?
Quhat gudly pastance and quhat menstraly?
Quhat game thay maid? In faith, not tell can I.
Thocht I had profund wit angelicall
The hevinly soundis of thair armony
Has dymmyt so my drery fantasy,
Baith wit and reason, half is lost of all.
Yit as I knaw, als lychtly say I sall:
That angellyk and godly company
Tyll se me thocht a thyng celestiall.
Procedand furth wes draw ane chariote
Be cursuris twelf trappit in gren velvote.
Of fyne gold wer juncturis and harnasyngis.
The lymnuris wer of byrnyst gold, God wate.
Baith extre and quhelis of gold, I hote.
Of goldyn cord wer lyamys, and the stryngis
Festnyt conjunct in massy goldyn ryngis.
Evyr hamys convenient for sic note
And raw silk brechamys ovyr thair halsys hyngis.
The body of the cart of evir bone
With crysolytis and mony pretious stone
Wes all overfret in dew proportioun
Lyke sternys in the firmament quhilkis schone.
Reperalit wes that godlyk plesand wone,
Tyldyt abone and to the erth adoun
In rychest claith of gold of purpur broun,
But fas or othyr frenyeis had it none
Save plate of gold anamallyt all fassioun
Quhairfra dependant hang thair megyr bellys -
Sum round, sum thraw - in sound the quhilkis excellis.
All wer of gold of Araby maist fyne
Quhilkis with the wynd concordandly so knellys
That to be glad thair sound al wycht compellys.
The armony wes so melodius fyne
In mannys voce and instrument divine,
Quhare so thay went, it semyt nothyng ellys
Bot jerarchyes of angellys, ordours nyne.
Amyd the chare fulfillyt of plesance,
A lady sat, at quhais obeysance
Wes all that rout; and wondyr is till here
Of hir excelland lusty countenance.
Hir hie bewte, quhilk mayst is til avance,
Precellys all - thair may be na compere -
For lyk Phebus in hiest of his spere
Hir bewtye schane, castand so gret a glance
All farehed it opprest, baith far and nere.
Scho wes peirles of schap and portrature.
In her had Nature fynesyt hir cure.
As for gud havyngis, thair wes nane bot sche;
And hir array wes so fyne and so pure
That quhair of wes hir rob I am not sure
For nocht bot perle and stonys mycht I se
Of quham the brychtnes of hir hie bewtie
For till behald my sycht myght not endure
Mair than the brycht sonne may the bakkis e.
Hir hair as gold or topasis wes hewyt.
Quha hir beheld, hir bewtie ay renewit.
On heid sche had a crest of dyamantis.
Thair wes na wycht that gat a sycht eschewyt,
Wer he nevir sa constant nor weil thewyt
Na he was woundit and him hir servant grantis.
That hevinly wycht hir cristall eyn so dantis21
For blenkis swete nane passit unpersewyt
Bot gyf he wer preservit as thir sanctis.
I wondryt sore and in mynd did stare
Quhat creature that mycht be wes so fare,
Of sa peirles excelent womanheid.
And, farlyand thus, I saw within the chare
Quhare that a man wes set with lymmes square,
His body weil entalyeit every steid:
He bare a bow with dartis haw as leid;
His clethyng wes als grene as ane hountare
Bot he forsuyth had none eyn in his hed.
I understude by signis persavabill
That wes Cupyd the god maist dissavabill,
The lady, Venus, his mother, a goddes.
I knew that wes the court so variabill
Of erdly luf quhilk sendill standis stabill.
Bot yit thair myrth and solace nevertheles
In musik, tone, and menstraly expres,
So craftely with corage aggreabill -
Hard never wicht sik melody, I ges.
Acumpanyit lusty yonkers with all.
Fresche ladyis sang in voce virgineall
Concordes swete, divers entoned reportis.
Proportionis fyne with sound celestiall -
Duplat, triplat diatesseriall,
Sesque altra and decupla resortis,
Diapason of mony syndry sortis -
War songin and plait be seir cunnyng menstrall
On luf ballattis with mony fair disportis.
In modulation hard I play and syng
Faburdoun, priksang, discant, conturyng,
Cant organe, figuration, and gemmell.22
On croud, lute, harp, with mony gudly spring.
Schalmis, clarionis, portativis hard I ring,
Monycord, orgain, tympane, and symbell,
Sytholl, psalttry, and vocis swete as bell,
Soft releschyngis in dulce delyveryng,
Fractyonis divide at rest or clos compell.
Not Pan of Archaid so plesandly plays,
Nor King David, quhais playng, as men sayis,
Conjurit the spreit the quhilk Kyng Saul confoundit,
Nor Amphion with mony subtile layis
Quhilk Thebes wallit with harpyng in his dayis,
Nor he that first the subtile craftis foundit
Was not in musik half so weil igroundit
Nor knew thair mesure tent dele be no wayes.
At thair resort baith hevyn and erd resoundit.
Na mare I understude thir noumeris fyne
Be God than dois a gekgo or a swyne,
Save that me think swete soundis gude to heir.
Na mair heiron my labour will I tyne.
Na mair I wyl thir verbillys swete diffyne,
How that thair musik tones war mair cleir
And dulcer than the movyng of the speir
Or Orpheus' harp of Trace with sound divyne.
Glaskeryane maid na noyes compeir.
Thay condescend sa weil in ane accord
That by na juynt thair soundis bene discord,
In every key thay werren sa expert.
Of thair array gyf I suld mak record -
Lusty spryngaldis and mony gudly lord,
Tendyr yonglyngis with pietuous virgin hart,
Eldar ladyis knew mair of lustis art,
Divers utheris quhilkis me not list remord,
Quhais lakkest weid was silkis of brounvert -
In vesturis quent of mony syndry gyse
I saw all claith of gold men mycht devise,
Purpur coulour, punyk and skarlot hewis,
Velvot robbis maid with the grand assyse,
Dames, satyn, begaryit mony wyse,
Cramessy satin, velvot enbroude in divers rewis,
Satyn figuris champit with flouris and bewis,
Damesflure, tere pyle quhare on thair lyis
Perle orphany, quhilk every state renewis.
Thare ryche entire, maist peirles to behald,
My wyt can not discrive, howbeit I wald.
Mony entrappit stede with sylkis sere,
Mony pattrell nervyt with gold I tald,
Full mony new gylt harnasyng not ald,
On mony palfray lusum ladyis clere.
And nyxt the chare I saw formest appere,
Upon a bardyt cursere stout and bald,
Mars god of stryf enarmyt in byrnist gere:
Every invasybill wapyn on hym he bare;
His luke was grym, his body large and square,
His lymmys weil entailyeit til be strang;
His nek wes gret, a span lenth weil or mare,
His vissage braid with crisp broun curland hare;
Of statur, not ovyr gret nor yit ovyr lang.
Behaldand Venus, "O ye my luif," he sang,
And scho agane with dalyans sa fare
Hir knycht hym clepis quhare so he ryde or gang.
Thair wes Arsyte and Palemon alswa
Accumpanyit with fare Emylya,
The quene Dido with hir fals luf Enee,
Trew Troylus, unfaythfull Cressida,
The fair Paris and plesand Helena,
Constant Lucres and traist Penolype,
Kynd Pirramus and wobegone Thysbe,
Dolorus Progne, triest Philomena,
King David's luif thare saw I, Barsabe.
Thare wes Ceix with the kynd Alcyon,
And Achilles, wroth with Agamemnon
For Bryssida his lady fra hym tane,
Wofull Phillys with hir luf Demoophan,
Subtel Medea and hir knycht Jasone.
Of France I saw thair Paris and Veane.
Thare wes Phedra, Thesyus and Adriane,
The secrete wyse hardy Ipomedon,
Asswere, Hester, irraprevabill Susane.
Thare wes the fals unhappy Dalida,
Cruel wikkyt and curst Dyonera,
Wareit Bibles and the fair Absolon,
Ysyphele, abhomynabil Sylla,
Trastram, Yside, Helcana and Anna,
Cleopatra and worthy Mark Anthon,
Iole, Hercules, Alcest, Ixion,
The onely pacient wyfe Gressillida,
Nersissus, that his hed brak on a ston.
Thare wes Jacob with fair Rachel his make,
The quhilk become til Laban for hir sake
Fourteen yere boynd with fyrm hart immutabill -
Thair bene bot few sic now, I undertake:
Thir fair ladyis in silk and claith of lake
Thus lang sall not all foundyn be so stabyll.
This Venus court quhilk wes in luif maist abil
For till discrive my cunning is to wake.
A multitude thay wer, innumerabill,
Of gudly folk in every kynd and age.
With blenkis swete, fresch lusty grene curage,
And dalians thay rydyng furth in fere.
Sum leivys in hope and sum in great thyrlage,
Sum in dispare, sum findis his panys swage.
Garlandis of flouris and rois chaplettis sere
Thay bare on hede and samyn sang so clere
Quhil that thair myrth commovit my curage
Till syng this lay quhilk folowand ye may here:
"Constr |