THE THRISSILL AND THE ROIS And right anone La Bell Pucell me sent Agaynst my weddyng of the saten fyne, White as the mylke, a goodly garment Braudred with pearle that clearely dyd shine. And so, the mariage for to determine, Venus me brought to a royal chapell, Whiche of fine golde was wrought everydell. And after that the gay and glorious La Bell Pucell to the chapell was leade In a white vesture fayre and precious, With a golden chaplet on her yelowe heade; And Lex Ecclesie did me to her wedde. After whiche weddyng then was a great feast; Nothing we lacked, but had of the best. What shoulde I tary by longe continuance Of the fest? for of my joy and pleasure Wisdome can judge, without variaunce, That nought I lacked, as ye may be sure, Paiyng the swete due dette of nature. Thus with my lady, that was fayre and cleare, In joy I lived full ryght, many a yere. O lusty youth and yong tender hart, The true companion of my lady bryght! God let us never from other astart,3 But all in joye to live bothe daye and nyght. Thus after sorowe joye arived aryght; After my payne I had sport and playe; Full litle thought I that it shoulde decaye, 4 5 59 20 30 40 Tyll that Dame Nature Naturyng had made All thinges to growe unto their fortitude; And Nature Naturyng waxt retrograde, By strength my youthe so far to exclude, As was ever her olde consuetude First to augment and then to abate, This is the custome of her hye estate. 49 1 broidered 2 why 3 start away 4 Natura naturans, Nature as a creative being. 5 strength 6 wondrous 7 thee, thyself then Open thine eares unto my song aloude. When erth to erth shall turne to the blode? And erth, with erth why art thou so wroth? Remembre the1 that it vayleth2 right nought; For thou mayst thinke, of a perfyte trothe, If with the erth thou hast a quarell sought, Amyddes the erth there is a place ywrought, Whan erth to erth is torned properly, The' for thy synne to perrysh wonderly. And erth, for erth why hast thou envy? And the erth upon erth to be more prosperous Than thou thyselfe, fretting the1 inwardly? It is a sinne right foul and vicious And unto God also full odious. In lyke manner also Encreaseth my dedly wo, For my sparowe is go. It was so prety a fole,3 It wold syt on a stole, And lerned after my scole For to kepe his cut,* With, "Phyllyp, kepe your cut!" It had a velvet cap, And wold syt upon my lap, And seke after small wormes, And somtyme white-bred crommes; And many tymes and ofte Betwene my brestes softe He wolde flye at that; 100 * * * * * ΙΙΟ 120 130 But my sparowe dyd pas3 No, no, syr, hardely.1 That vengeaunce I aske and crye, By way of exclamacyon, On all the hole nacyon Of cattes wylde and tame; God send them sorowe and shame! 140 270 280 290 chur8 a 1 grasshopper 2 slay 4 surpass certainly lish nature 6 fiend 7 I would they might jabulous monster, with a human head and the body of a beast of prey. FROM WHY COME YE NOT TO COURT? Ones yet agayne Of you I wolde frayne,1 Why come ye nat to court? To whyche court? To the kynges courte, Or to Hampton Court? Nay, to the kynges court! The kynges courte Shulde have the excellence; But Hampton Court Hath the preemynence, Or for the lawe common ! Or for lawe cyvyll! It shall be as he wyll: Stop at law tancrete,2 An obstract or a concrete; 450 He is so ambicyous, So shamles, and so vicyous, And so supersticyous, 460 And so moche oblivyous From whens that he came, That he falleth into a caeciam,3 Whiche, truly to expresse, Is a forgetfulnesse, Or wylfull blyndnesse, Wherwith the Sodomites Lost theyr inward syghtes, The Gommoryans also Were brought to deedly wo, 470 As Scrypture recordis. A caecitate cordis,* In the Latyne synge we, Libera nos, Domine ! 5 But this madde Amalecke, Lyke to a Mamelek, He regardeth lordes So he dothe undermynde, And suche sleyghtes dothe fynde, That the kynges mynde By hym is subverted, And so streatly coarted In credensynge his tales, He hath in him suche fayth. Now, yet all this myght be If that that he wrought To any good ende were brought; 1 inquire 2 transcribed abstract immediately coërced 7 nut-shells 440 And his gresy genealogy, without other 8 in good part 6 ⚫ potsherds I call God to witness. 8 blood royal |