Cap. XXVII. Howe Minerve Ledde Graunde Amoure to Kyng Melyzyus, Whiche Made Hym Knyght

And so nowe, for to attayne her grace, As thou doost knowe become adventurous, Besechinge the in thys peryllous case, O Mars! me succoure in tyme tempestyous, That I may passe the passage daungerous, And to thy laude, honoure, and glorye, I shal a temple ryght strongly edefy.

Well than, sayd Mars, I shall the fortefye In all thy warre as fast as I can. But for thy payne I knowe no remedy, For Venus reyned whan that thou began, Fyrst for to love making the pale and wanne; And of the trouthe to make relacyon Thou was borne under her consolacion.

Wherefore thou must, of veray perfyte ryght, Unto her sue by the disposicion Whyche the constreyneth wyth hole delyght For to love ladies by true affeccion. Suche is her course and operacion. Wherfore whan thou hast lerned perfytely The for to governe by prudent chyvalry,

Than, to fulfyll the ryght hye enterpryse, Forth on thy waye thou shalt thy jorney take, Unto a temple in all humble wyse Before dame Venus thine oblacion to make, Whiche all thy payne may sone redresse and slake; For at that tyme she holdeth a parlemente, To redress lovers of theyr impedimente.

A, ha! quod Fortune, with the faces twayne, Behynde syr Mars; I have a grete mervayle That thou dost promyse him that he shal attayne Unto his purpose with al diligent travayle, Through thyne ayd, eke strength and counsayl; Sythens dependeth in myn ordenaunce, Hym to promote or brynge to myschaunce.

My power, estate, and ryall dygnyte, Doth torne the whele of worthely glorye Often up so downe by mutabilyte. Have not I promoted full nobly Many a lowe degre to reigne full ryally? And often have made a transmutacion Of worldly welthe into tribulacion?

Thus can I make an alteracion Of worthely honoure, whiche doth depende All onely in my dominacion; Through the worlde my whele doth extende, As reason doth ryght well comprehende; Of my great chaunces whiche are unsure, As dayly doth appere well in ure.

If I should worke with perfite stedfastnes, And to exalte some to be honourable, And that they knewe by perfyte sykernes, That it should dure and not be variable, It were a thyng unto me culpable; For great orguell pryde should them so blynde, To knowe them selfe they should lose their mynde.

Thus whan that they should them selfe forgete, And in no wyse their owne persone knowe, Full lytell than they would by me sette, That them exalted to hye degre from lowe; And by my chaunce could nought them overthrowe; Thus should they do and drede me nothyng, Wherfore my whele is evermore tournyng.

And where that I shoulde turne my face, Castinge some in pytte of poverte, They were condampned without ony grace As for to attayne any prosperite; Whiche were a cause of greate iniquite: For riche mennes goodes I must ofte translate, Unto the poore, them for to elevate.

And thyrdely; I shoulde lese my name, For this worde fortune is well derifyde Of an accydent chaunge, both good or shame, Whan that the deade is so exemplifyde; Wherfore by reason I must be duplifyde; And nothing stable in myne hye werke, As wryteth many a ryght noble clerke.

Therfore by reason I must be mutable, And turne my whele right ofte up so downe, Labouringe in werkes whiche are unstable, On some to laughe and on some I must frowne; Thus all aboute in every realme and towne, I shew my power in every sundry wyse, Some to descende and on some to aryse.

Wherfore my power doth ryght well excell Above the, Mars, in thine house enclosed; For to rule man thou hast power never a dele, Save after the somwhat he is disposed: Thy consolacion hath him so apposed Who under the taketh his nativitie, Yet God hath gyven him power to rule the.

Wherfore I am of a ferre hyer power Than thou arte; for there is no defence Agaynst my wyll at any time or houre; And in my name there is a difference, For in these wordes in my magnifycence Predestinate, and also desteny, As I shall shew anone more formably.

Predestinate doth right well signify A thing to come, whiche is prepared: None but God doth know it openly, Tyl that the dede caused to be declared; For many one, whan they well fared, Full lytell thought that tribulacion To them was ordeyned by predestinacion.

The desteny is a thyng accydent, And by the werke doth take the effecte; Tyll it be done it is ay precedent, And man from it can him selfe abject. Thus every chaunce doth Fortune derecte. Wherfore, by reason, La Graunde Amoure Must sue unto me to do him socour.

Aha! quod Mars, suche a one as thou I never knew before this ceason; For thou thy selfe doost so much enprou Above the havens by exaltacion; But what for all thy commendacion? Arte thou now any thing substanciall, Spirituall, or els yet terrestryall?

How can a werke perfitely be grounded But in these two? and thou arte of those: Wherfore for nought thou mayst be confounded; For nought in substaunce can nothing transpose; Of none effecte thou canst thy selfe disclose; How hast thou power, in any maner of case, In heven or earth without a dwellyng place?

But that poetes hath made a figure Of the, for the great sygnification The chaunge of man so for to discure, Accordyng to a moralyzacion; And of the trouth to make relacion, The man is fortune in the propre dede, And not thou that causeth hym to spede.

What nedeth him unto his selfe to sue, Sythen thou art the dedes of his chaunce; Thou to rule man, it is a thynge not true, Nowe wherupon doth hange this ordenaunce, But accedent upon the governaunce Of the hye bodis, whiche doth man dispose The dede to do as hym lyst purpose.

To here of Mars the marveylous argument, And of Fortune, I was sore amased; Tyll that I sawe a lady excellent, Clerely armed, upon whome I gased, And her armes ful prevely I blased: The shelde of golde, as I well understande, With a lyon of asure through passande.

To me she came, with lowely countenaunce, And bad me welcome unto that mancion, Ledyng me forth wyth joy and pleasaunce Into an hall of mervaylous facion, Right strongly fortyfyde of olde foundacion, The pillers of yvery garnished with golde, With perles sette and broudred many a folde.

The flore was paved with stones precious, And the rofe was braunched curiously Of the beten golde both gaye and glorious, Knotted with pomaunders right swetely, Encencing out the yll odours misty; And on the walles right well did appere The sege of Thebes depaynted fayre and clere.

There were knightes playeng at the chesse, Which saw Minerve lede me in the hall; They lefte their play and all theyr besines, And welcomed me right gentely withall, With sir Nurture than moost in speciall, Accompanied of his brother Curtesy; They made me chere than full effectuall.

And after that they brought me up a stayre, Into a chambre gayly glorified; And at the dore there stode a knight right fayre, Ye cleped Trouth, right clerely purified; His countenaunce was right well modified; To me he sayde that, before mine entres, Him for to love I should him promes.

Of ryght, he sayde, I have in custody This chambre dore of king Melezius, That no man enter into it wrongfully, Without me, Trouthe, for to be chivalrous; Here knightes be made to be victorious. I shall you promise, quoth I, faythfully, You for to love and serve prudently.

Abyde, quod he, I wyll speke with the kynge; Tell me your name and habitation, And the chefe cause now of your coming, That I to him may make relacion, To knowe his minde without variacion. La Graund Amour my name is, sayd I; The cause of my coming, intentifly,

Is for bicause that I have enterprised, Now for the sake of fayre La Bell Pucell, To passe the passage that I her promised That is so daungerous with serpentes cruell; And for as much as I know never a dell The festes of armes to attayne honoure, I am come to lerne with diligent labour.

Then forth he went unto the mageste Of king Melizius the mighty conquerour, Sayeng: O power so hye in dignitie! O prynce victorious and famous emperour! Of justynge truely the originall floure; One Graunde Amoure wolde be acceptable, In your hye courte for to be tendable.

With all my herte I wyll, quod he, accepte Hym to my servyce, for he is right worthy: For unto Doctryne the hye way he kept, And so from thens to the toure of Chyvalry. He shall attayne great actes wonderly. Go on your way, and bryng him fast to me, For I thinke long him to beholde and se.

And than the good knight Trouth incontinent Into the chambre so pure soone me lede, Where sate the king so much benevolent, In purple clothed, set full of rubyes rede; And all the flore on which we did tread Was crystall clere, and the rofe at night With carbuncles did geve a merveylous lyght.

The walles were hanged with cloth of tyssue, Broudred with perles and rubies rubicond, Mixte with emerauds so full of vertue And brodred above with many a diamonde. An hevy herte it wolde make jocunde For to behold the merveylous riches, The lordship, welth, and the great worthines.

There sate Melezius, in his hye estate, And over his head was a payre of balaunce; With his crowne and septer, after the true rate Of another wordly king for to have governaunce, In his hand a ball of right great cyrcumstaunce. Before whome than I did knele adowne, Sayeng: O Emperour! moost hye of renowne,

I the beseche, of thine haboundaunt grace, Me to accepte in this courte the for to serve, So to contynue by longe time and space, Of chivalry that I may now deserve The order right, and well it to observe; For to attayne the high advauntage Of the enterpryse of my dougty vyage.

Welcome, he sayd, to this court ryal! Mynerve shall arme you with grete dylygence. And teche you the feates of armes all; For she them knoweth by good experyence, In the olde tyme it was her scyence. And I my selfe shall gyve you a worthy stede, Called Galantyse, to helpe you in your nede.

I humbly thanked his grete hyenes; And so to Mynerve I dyd than applye, Whiche dyd me teche with syker perfytnes For to haunt armes ryght well and nobly. Sapyence me ruled well and prudently; Thus amonge knyghtes for to just and tourney, Mynerve me taught in sundry wyse all day.

It was a joyfull and a knyghtly syght, For to beholde so fayre and good a sorte Of goodly knyghtes armed clere and bryght, That I sawe there, whiche dyd me well exorte Armes to haunte with coragyous comforte: Mynerve me taught my strokes and defence, That in short space was no resystence

Agaynst my powre and myghty puyssaunce; To my wylfull herte was nought impossyble, I bare my selfe so without doubtaunce My herte made my courage invyncible, Of whiche the trouthe was soone intellygyble, With my behavynge before the preemynence Of kynge Melezius famous excellence.

Which right anone for dame Minerve sent, And me also, with sir Trouth to obey. We thought full litell what the mater ment, But unto him we toke anone the way, Entring the chambre so fayre, clere, and gay. The king us called unto his person, Sayeng: I wyll Graund Amoure anone

Truly make knight; for the time approcheth That he must haunt and seke adventure For La Belle Pucell, as true love requireth. And first of all began to me discure The highe order how I shoulde take in cure; And than anone he gan to expresse What knighthode was to perfite sekernesse.

Knighthode, he sayd, was first established The comenwelth in right to defende, That by the wrong it be not minished; So every knight did truely condiscende, For the comynwelth his power to entende Ageynst all suche rebelles contrarious, Them to subdue with power victorious!

For knighthode is not in the feates of warre, As for to fight in quarell right or wronge, But in a cause which trouth can not defarre; He ought him selfe for to make sure and stronge Justice to kepe mixt with mercy amonge; And no quarell a knight ought to take, But for a trouth or for the comins sake.

For fyrst, good hope his legge harneys sholde be; His habergion of perfyte ryghtwysenes; Gyrde faste wyth the gyrdle of chastite, His riche placarde should be good besines, Brandred with almes so full of larges; The helmet mekenes, and the shelde good fayth; His swerde Goddes worde, as saynt Poule sayth.

Also true wyddowes he ought to restore Unto their right for to attayne theyr dower, And to upholde and mainteyne evermore The welth of maydens with his myghty power. And to his soverayne, at every maner hower, To be redy, true, and eke obeysaunt, In stable love fixt and not variaunt.

Thus, after this noble and solempne doctryne, He made me knight, and gave me in charge Unto these poyntes right low to enclyne, And to stere well the frayle tombling barge Over vayne glory whan I sayle at large. Whan the winde is right, the barge can not fayle, Unto his purpose so with hardines to sayle.

I dyd well register in my remembraunce Every thing which he hath to me tolde, And right anone in good resemblaunce The kyng I thanked, with courage right bolde, Of his great grace and giftes many a folde, Which unto me right openly he shewed, With golden droppes so lyberally indewed.

I toke my leve of his right hye estate; And than Mynerve into the hall me brought, Accompanied by Trouth, my faythfull mate. Us for to solace ther lacced right nought, That ony man can printe in his thought; The knightes all unto their armes went, To bryng me forward with a true entent.

And Mynerve armed me as she coude devyse, And brought unto me my fayre barbed stede, On whome I mounted in all goodly guyse, With shelde and spere, as nothing to drede In right to fyght for to attayne my mede. So with me wente both my greyhoundes twayne, And good Attendaunce, my verlet certayne.

The good knight Trouth brought me on the way, Accompanied then of syr Fidelitie, Wyth haute courage betrapped fayre and gaye Wyth shyning trappers of curiositie; And then also there rode forth wyth me The sturdy knight well named Fortitude, With the noble veterane syr Consuetude.

And eke syr Justice and syr Mysericorde, Syr Sapience, with good syr Curteysy; Wyth famous Nurture, and than syr Concorde Accompanied me full ryght gentylly Oute of the castell, ryding ryally; And dame Minerve, the chevalryous goddes, Dyd me endue then with harty hardynes.

And whan we came into a goodly playne, Right of them all I toke my lycence; Me thought it time that they tourne agayne Unto the king with all their diligence. I made mine othe with percing influence, Unto them all for to remayne full true In stedfast love, all treason to eschue.

Full loth they were fro me to departe, Every one of them, as ye may understande; With salt teres full wofull was my herte, Whan all on rowe they toke me by the hande. Adew! they sayd, and grace with you stand, You for to ayde whan that you do fyght! And so they turned unto the castell ryght.

And good dame Mynerve unto me then sayd: Be not adredde of your hye enterpryse; Be bolde and hardy and nothing afrayde; And rather deye in ony maner of wyse, To attayne honour and the lyfe dyspyse, Than for to lyve and remayne in shame; For to dye with honour it is a good name.

Fare well! she sayd, and be of good chere; I must departe, I may no lenger tary; Ryde on your way, the weder is full clere; Seke your adventure, and loke you not vary Frome your hye order by ony contrary. And therwithall forth on her way she rode, Ryght so did I, which no longer abode,

With both my greyhoundes and my varlet, Through the playne and into wyldernes, And so alofte amonge the hylles greate, Tyll it was nyght so thicke of darkenes That of constraynt of very werynes We lyght adowne, under an hyll syde, Unto the day to rest us there that tyde.

And whan my page my helmet unlaced, He layde it downe underneth my hede, And to his legge he my stede enbraced To grase about while on the grase he fed; And than also his horse in lyke stede With both our greyhoundes lyeng us nere by; And slouthe our hedes had caught so sodaynly,

That all the nyght we slepte in good reste, Tyll agaynst day began to nese and cry My stede Galantyse with a roryng breste, And eke began to stampe full marveylously; Whose hye courage awaked us wonderly, And ryght anone we kast up our eyes, Beholdyng above the fayre crystall skyes.

Seynge the cloudes rayed fayre and rede Of Phebus rysinge in the orient, And Aurora her golden bemes sprede About the ayre clerely refulgent, Withouten mysty blacke encombremente, Up I arose and also my page, Makyng us redy for to take our vyage.

CAP. XXIX. HOWE HE DEPARTED FROM KYNGE MELYZYUS, WITH HIS GRAYHOUNDES AND ATTENDAUNCE, HIS VARLET, AND MET WITH FALSE REPORTE, THAT CHAUNGED HIS NAME TO GODFREY GOBILYVE.

And so forth we rode, tyll we sawe aferre To us came rydyng, on a lytell nagge, A folysshe dwarfe, nothynge for the warre, With a hood, a bell, a foxtayle, and a bagge; In a pyed cote he rode brygge a bragge; And whan that he unto us drewe nye, I behelde his body and his visnamy.

His head was greate, beteled was his browes, Hys eyen holow, and his nose croked; His bryes brystled truely lyke a sowes; His chekes here, and God wote he loked Full lyke an ape, here and there he toted With a pyed berde and hangyng lyppes grete, And every tothe as blacke as ony gete.

His necke shorte, his sholders stode awry, His breste fatte and bolne in the wast; His armes great, with fyngers crokedly; His legges kewed; he rode to me fast, Full lyke a patron to be shaped in hast. Good even, he sayd, and have good day, If that it lyke you for to ryde merely.

Welcome, I sayde; I praye the now tell Me what thou arte and where thou dost dwell? Sothelyche, quod he, whan Icham in Kent At home Icham; though I be hether sente, Icham a gentylman of much noble kynne, Though Iche be clad in a knaves skynne. For there was one called Peter Pratefast, That in all hys lyfe spake no worde in waste; He wedde a wyfe that was called Maude. I trowe, quod I, she was a gorgious baude. Thou lyest, quod he, she was gentyl and good, She gave her husbande many a furde hode, And at his melys, without any mys, She wolde him serve in clenly wyse ywys. God love her soule as she loved clennes, And kepe her dysshes from al foulnes. Whan she lacketh cloutes, without any fayle She wyped her disshes wyth her dogges tayle. And they had yssue Sym Sadle-gander, That for a wyfe in all the worlde did wander, Tyll at the last, in the wynters nyght, By Temmes he sayled, aryved by ryght Amonge the nunnes of the grene cote. He wente to lande out of his prety bote, And wedde there one that was comen anewe: He thought her stable, and fayfthfull, and trewe. Her name was Betres, that so clenly was, That no fylthe by her in any wyse shoulde passe.

And betwene them bothe they did get a sonne, Whiche was my father, that in Kente did wonne. His name was Davy Dronken-nole, He never dranke but in a fayre blacke boule. He toke a wyfe that was very fayre, And gate me on her for to be his ayre. Her name was Alyson, she loved nought elles But ever more to rynge her blacke belles. Now are they deade all, so mote I well thryve, Excepte my selfe Godfray Gobelive, Whiche rode about a wyfe me to seke, But I can finde none that is good and meke; For all are shrewes in the world aboute, I coude never mete with none other route; For some develles wyll their husbandes bete, And tho that can not, they wyll never let Their tongues cease, but gyve thre wordes for one, Fy on them all! I wyll of them have none: Who loveth any for to make hym sadde, I wene that he become worse than madde. They are not stedfast nothyng in their mynde, But alway tornyng lyke a blaste of wynde. For let a man love them never so wele, They will hym love agayne never a dele. For though a man all his lyfe certayne Unto her sue to have release of payne, And at the last she on hym do rewe, If by fortune there come another newe, The first shall be clene out of her favoure. Recorde of Creseyd and of Troylus the doloure. They are so subtyll and so false of kynde, There can no man wade beyonde their mynde. Was not Aristotle for all his clergy, For a woman rapt in love so marveylously, That all his connyng he had sone forgotten. This unhap love had his mynde so broken, That evermore the salte teres downe hayled Whan the chaunce of love he hymselfe bewayled. Aferde he was of the true love to breke, For sayng nay whan he therof should speke; Tyll of constraynt of wofull hevynes, For to have remedy of his sore sekenes, Whan he her spyed ryght secrete alone, Unto her he wente and made all his mone. Alas! he sayd, the cause of my wo, Myne only lady and maystres also, Whose goodly beaute hath my harte enrached, With fervent love and fyry lemes entached, Wherfore take pyte of the paynfull sorowe Of me your servaunt both even and morowe. She stode ryght styll, and hearde what he sayde: Alas! quod she, be ye no more dismayed, For I am content to fulfill your will In every maner, be it good or ill, Of this condicion; that ye shall release Me first of my wo and great distresse; For I my selfe have thought many a daye To you to speake, but for feare of a nay I durst never of the matter meve Unto your person, lest it should you greve. Nay, nay, quod he, with all my whole entente, I shall obeye to your commaundement. Well then, quod she, I shall you nowe tell Howe the case standeth, truely, every dele: For you knowe well that some women do long After nyce thynges, be it ryght or wrong. Ryght so must I upon your backe nowe ryde, In your mouthe also a brydle you to guyde. And so a brydle she put in his mouthe, Upon his backe she rode both north and south, About a chamber as some clarkes wene, Of many persones it was openly sene! Lo! what is love, that can so sore blynde A philosopher to bryng hym out of kynde? For love doth passe any maner of thyng, It is harde and privy in workyng. So on the grounde Aristotle crept, And in his teeth she long the brydle kept, Till she therof had inough her fyll; And yet for this he never had his wyll. She dyd nothing but for to mocke and scorne This true lover whiche was for love forlorne: But when he knewe the poynt of the case, The fyry angre dyde hys herte enbrace, That he him selfe dyd anone well knowe, His angre dyd his love so overthrowe, And ryght anone, as some poets wryte, He the gret mockage dyd her well acquyte. Dyd not a woman the famouse Vyrgyle By her greate fraude full craftely begyle? For on a day, for hys owne dysporte, To the court of Rome he gan to resorte, Amonge the ladyes the tyme for to passe; Tyl at the last, lyke Phebus in the glasse, So dyd a lady wyth her beaute clere Shyne throughe his hert wyth suche love so dere, That of great force he must nedes obey, She of his mynde bare bothe the locke and the kay: So was his hart set upon a fyre Wyth fervent love to attayne hys desyre. She had him caught in suche a wyly snare, Great was his payne and muche more his care, To fynde a tyme whan it should be meved To her of love and he nothynge repreved. Thus every day, by ymagynacyon, In his mynde was suche perturbacyon, And at the last he had found a tyme Hym thought to speke, and unto hym no cryme. Mercy! lady, nowe, in all humble wyse, To her he sayd: for yf ye me dyspyse So hath your beaute my true hart aryed, It is no mervayle thoughe I be afrayde To you to speake it, that you deny My purpose truely I am marde utterly. So do I love now wyth all my heart entere, Wyth inwarde care I by your beauty dere, I must abyde wyth all my hole entente Of lyfe or death your onely judgement. Wyth fayned eares of perfyte audyence She did him here, gyvyng this sentence: Vyrgyl, she sayd, I wolde fayne you ease Of your trouble, and of your great disease; But I wote not howe that it should be, Without tournynge us to great dyshoneste; If it be knowen, than bothe you and I Shall be reheited at full shamefully. But what for that? I have me bethought A praty craft by me shalbe wrought. Ye knowe my chambre joyneth to a wall, Beynge right hyghe and a wyndowe wythall. Soone at nyght, when all folke be at reast. I shall take a basket as me thynketh beast, And therto I shall a longe corde well tye, And from the wyndowe let it downe pryvely. Right so, whan it is downe on the grounde, Ye may well entre in it, both hole and sound, And my two maydens the whiche secrete be Shall anone helpe to hale you up with me. Lo! in this wyse you may have ryght well Your owne desyre in short space every deel. At xi. of the clocke, in the nyght so darke, They did appoynt for to fulfyll this worke. He often thanked her gentlines, And so departed with great gladnes; And so he went unto his study, Passyng the tyme himselfe full merely, Tyll that the clocke did strike aleven, Then to the wall he went full even, And founde the basket at the grounde already, And entred into it full sodaynly, Waggyng the rope, which the lady espied, Whiche to the wyndowe ryght anone her hyed. With her two maydens she did him up wynde, Amiddes the wall, and left hym there behynde, That was fyve fadom and more from the grounde. When him selfe in suche a case he founde, Alas! he sayde, myne owne lady, save Myne honestye, and what ye list to have, Ye shall have it at your owne desire. Nowe wynde me up, my hart is on fyre. Thou shalt, quod she, in that place abyde, That all the cytie so ryght long and wyde May the beholde and the matter knowe, For myne honestie, and thy shame, I trowe. So there he hong tyll noone of the daye, That every persone whiche went by the waye Myght hym well se and also beholde, And unto them the very cause she tolde. Lo, howe with shame she her love rewarded. His payne and sorowe she nothyng regarded; Thus at the last he adowne was brought, Replete with shame, it vayleth hym ryght nought. Thus with great anger he his love confounded, Healyng the stroke whiche that she hath wounded. And by his craft he in Rome did drenche Every fyre for he left none to quenche, And towarde Rome a great circuite aboute, There was no fyre that was un-put-out.

Thus all the cytie upon her did wonder, For perfite sorowe her harte was nere asunder; And thus Vyrgyle, with crafty subtilnes, Rewarded her falshode and doublenes. All this I tell though that I be a fole, To the, yong knight, for thou maist go to schole, In tyme commyng of true love to learne. Beware of that for thou canst not decerne Thy ladies mynde: though that she speake the fayre, Her harte is false, she wyll no truthe repayre. Nay, quod I, they are not all disposed So for to do as ye have here disclosed. Aha! quod he, I trowe well ye be A true lover: so mote I thrive and the, Let not thy lady of thy harte be rother; When thou art gone, she wyll sone have another. Thus forth we rode tyll we sawe afarre A royall tower as bryght as any starre, To whiche we rode as fast as we myght. When we came there, adowne my stede I lyght, So dyd this Godfrey Gobilive also; Into the temple after me gan go. There sate dame Venus and Cupide her sonne, Whiche had their parliament ryght newly begone. To redresse lovers of their payne and wo, Whiche in the temple did walke to and fro. And every one his byll did present Before Venus in her hyghe parliament. The temple of her royall consistory Was walled all about with yvory, All of golde, like a place solacious, The roufe was made of knottes curious. I can nothing extende the goodlines Of her temple, so much of ryches. This Godfrey Gobilyve went lightly Unto dame Sapience, the secretary, That did him make this supplication To the goddesse Venus with brevacion: Redresse my payne of mortall heavines; I did once woe an olde mayden ryche A foule thefe, an olde wydred wiche. Fayre mayde, I sayd, will ye me have? Nay sir, so God me kepe and save! For you are evill favoured and also ugly, I am the worse to se your visnamy; Yet was she fouler many an hundred folde Then I my selfe, as ye may well beholde. And therewithall he caused to depaynte His face and hers, all under his complaynte. And to Venus he made deliveraunce Of his complaint by a short circumstaunce; Whiche ryght anone, when she had it sene, Began to laughe with all the courte I wene. Lo here the fygures of them both certayne, Judge whiche is best favoured of them twayne. Thus Godfrey Gobilyve did make such a sporte, That many lovers to hym did resorte; When I sawe tyme I went to Sapience, Shewyng to her with all my diligence Howe that my hart by Venus was trapt, With a snare of love so prively bewrapt; And in her tower to have a dwellyng place, I seke adventures to attayne her grace. Her name, quod I, La Bell Pucell is, Both east and west she is well knowen ywys: And my name, La Graunde Amoure is called, Whose harte with payne she all about hath walled With her beautie, whiche dame Nature create, Above all other in most hygh estate. Well, sayde Sapience, I thinke in my mynde Her love and favoure you shall attayne by kynde; And I wyll drawe to you incontinent. All your complaynt, as is convenient Unto dame Venus, to se directly For your payne and sorowe sone a remedy. She drewe my pyteous lamentacion, Accordyng to this supplication: