Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

THE THRISSILL AND THE ROIS

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

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.

[blocks in formation]

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.
Is not thy beauté, strength, and puyssance,
Though becladde with cloth of pleasaunce,
Very erth and also wormes fode,

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.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

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
It wolde lye and rest;
It was propre and prest.5
Somtyme he wolde gaspe
Whan he sawe a waspe;
A fly or a gnat,

He wolde flye at that;

100

*

*

*

*

*

ΙΙΟ

120

130

[blocks in formation]

But my sparowe dyd pas3
All the sparows of the wode
That were syns Noes flode;
Was never none so good;
Kynge Phylyp of Macedony
Had no such Phylyp as I,

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!

[blocks in formation]

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,
And Yorkes Place,
With my lordes grace,
To whose magnifycence
Is all the conflewence,
Sutys and supplycacyons,
Embassades of all nacyons.
Strawe for lawe canon!

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;
Be it soure, be it swete,
His wysdome is so dyscrete,
That in a fume or an hete,
Wardeyn of the Flete,
Set hym fast by the fete!
And of his royall powre
Whan him lyst to lowre,

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

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

[blocks in formation]

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,
That all is but nutshales
That any other sayth;

He hath in him suche fayth.

Now, yet all this myght be
Suffred and taken in gre,8

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,

[blocks in formation]

without other

[blocks in formation]

8

in good part

6

⚫ potsherds I call God to witness.

8 blood royal

« PreviousContinue »