alia fugitiua agitaret, et sic Achilles in iuuentute animatus famosissime milicie probitatem postmodum adoptauit.

AND for to loken ouermore,
Ir hath and shall ben euermore,
That of knighthode the prowesse,
Is grounded vpon hardinesse
Of hym that dare well vndertake:
And who that wolde ensample take
Upon the forme of knightes lawe,
How that Achilles was forth drawe
With Chiro, whiche Centaurus hight,
Of many a wonder here he might.
For it stood thilke time thus,
That this Chiro this Centaurus
Within a large wyldernesse,
Where was lyon and leonesse,
The leparde, and the Tygre also,
With hert, and hynd, buk, and do,
Had his dwellynge, as tho befille
Of Peleon vpon the hille:
Wherof was than mochell speche,
There hath Chiro this childe to teche,
What tyme he was of twelue yere age.
Wherof to maken his courage
The more hardy by other weye,

In the forest to hunt and pleie
Whan that Achilles walke wolde,
Centaurus badde, that he ne sholde
After no best make his cbas,

Whiche wolde fleen out of his place:
As bucke and do, and herte and hynde,
With whiche he maie no werre fynde.
But tho, that wolden hym withstonde,
There shuld he with his darte on bonde
Upon the Tygre and the lion
Purchace and make his venison,
As to a knight is accordant:
And therupon a couenant
This Chiro with Achilles set,
That euery daie without let
He shuld seche a cruell best,
Or sle or wounden at the lest,
So that he might a token brynge
Of bloude vpon his home comynge.
And thus of that Chiro hym taught,
Achilles suche an herte caught,
That he no more a lion drad,
Whan he his darte on honde had,
Than if a lion were an asse,

And that hath made hym for to passe
Al other knightes of his dede,
Whan it cam the great nede,
As it was afterwarde well knowe.

Lo thus my son thou might knowe,
That the courage of hardinesse
Is of knighthode the prowesse,
Whiche is to loue suffisant
Abouen all the remenant,
That vnto loues courte pursue.

But who that wolde no slouthe eschewe
Upon knighthode, and not trauaile,
I not what loue hym shulde auaile:
But euery lobour asketh why
Of some rewarde, wherof that I
Ensamples couth tell enough,
Of hem that towarde loue drough
By olde daies, as thei sholde.
My fader therof here I wolde.

My sonne it is well reasonble
In place, whiche is honourable,
If that a man his herte sette,
That than he for no slouth lette
To do what longeth to manhede.

For if thou wolt the bokes rede
Of Launcelot, and other mo,
There might thou seen, how it was the
Of armes, for thei wolde atteine
To loue, whiche withouten peine
Maie not be gette of Idelnes,
And that I take to witnesse
An olde Cronike in speciall,
The whiche in to memoriall
Is writte for his loues sake,
Howe that a knight shall vndertake.

Hic dicit, quod miles priusquam amoris amplexu
dignus efficiatur, euentus bellicos victoriosus
amplectere debet, at narrat qualiter Hercules et
Achillous propter Deianiram Calidonie regis
filiam singulare duellum adinuicem inierunt, cu-
ius victor Hercules, existens armorum meritis
amorem virginis laudabiliter conquestauit.
THERE was a kynge, whiche Oenes
Was hote, and he vnder pees
Held Calidonie in his empyre:
And had a doughter Deianire,
Men wiste in thilke tyme none.
So fayre a wight, as she was one.
And as she was a lusty wight,
Right so was than a noble knight,
To whom Mercurie fader was,
This knight the two pilers of bras,
The whiche yet a man maie fynde
Set vp in the deserte of Inde,
That was the worthy Hercules,
Whos name shall ben endeles.
For the meruailes, whiche he wrought.
This Hercules the loue sought
Of Deianire, and of this thynge
Unto hir fader, whiche was kynge
He spake touchend of mariage.

The kynge knowend his hie linage,
And drad also his mightes sterne,
To hym ne durst his doughter werne.
And netheles, this he bym seyde,
Howe Achilous, er he, fyrst preyde
To wedden hir: and in acorde
Thei stode, as it was of recorde.

But for all that, this he him graunteth,
That whiche of hem, that other dauntetb,
In armes, hym she shulde take,
And that the kynge hath vndertake.
This Achilous was a geaunt,

A subtill man, a deceiuaunt,
Whiche through Magike and sorcerie
Couthe all the worlde of trecherie.

And whan that he this tale herde,
Howe vpon that the kynge answerde,
With Hercules he must feight:
He trusteth nought vpon his sleight
Al onely, whan it cometh to nede:
But that, whiche voideth all drede,
And euery noble herte stereth
The loue, that no lyfe forbereth,
For his lady, whome he desyreth,
With hardinesse his herte fyreth,
And sent hym worde without faile,
That he woll take the bataile.

Thei setten daie, thei chosen felde,
The knightes couered vnder shelde
To gyder come at tyme sette,
And eche one is with other mette.
It fell thei foughten bothe on foote,
There was no stone, there was no roote,
Whiche might letten hem the weie,
But all was voide and take aweie,

Thei smiten strokes but a fewe.
For Hercules, whiche wolde shewe
His great strengthe, as for the nones
He stert vpon hym all at ones,
And caught hym in his armes stronge.
This geaunt wote, he maie not longe
Endure vnder so harde bondes,
And thought he wolde out of his hondes
By sleighte, in some maner escape.
And as he couthe hym selfe forshape
In lykenesse of an adder he slipte

Out of his honde, and forthe he skipte,
Aud ofte, as he that fyght wolle,
He torneth hym into a bolle,
And gan to belowe in suche a soune

As though the worlde shuld all go doune:
The ground he sporneth, and he traunceth,
His large hornes he auaunceth,
And cast hem here and there aboute.

But he, whiche stant of hem no doute,
Awaiteth well whan that he came,
And hym by bothe hornes nam,
And all at ones he hym caste

Unto the grounde, and helde hym faste,
That be ne might with no sleight
Out of his honde gete vpon height,
Till he was ouercome, and yolde,
And Hercules hath what he wolde.

The kynge hym graunted to fulfille
His askynge at his owne wille.
And she, for whome he had serued,
Hir thought he hath hir well deserued.
And thus with great deserte of armes
He wan hym for to ligge in armes,
As he whiche hath it dere abought.
For otherwise shulde he nought.

Nota de Penthesilea Amazonie regina, que Hectoris amore colligata, contra Pirrum Achillis filium apud Troiam arma ferre etiam personaliter non recusauit.

AND ouer this if thou wilte here
Upon knighthode of this mattere,
How lone and armes ben acqueinted,

A man maie see both writte and peinted,
So ferforth, that Penthesile,
Whiche was the quene of Femine,
The love of Hector for to seke,
And for thonour of armes eke,

To Troie cam with spere and shelde,
And rode hir selfe in to the felde,
With maidens armed all a route,
la rescus of the Towne aboute,
Whicbe with the grekes was belein.

Nota qualiter Philimenis propter militie famam a finibus terre in defensionem Troie veniens, tres puellas a regno Amazonie quolibet anno percipiendas sibi et heredibus suis imperpetuum ea de causa habere promeruit.

FRO Paphlagonie and as men sein,
Whiche stant vpon the worldes ende,
That tyme it liked eke to wende
Philimenis, whiche was kynge,
To Troie, and came vpon this thynge
In helpe of thilke noble towne,
And all was that for the renoune
Of worship and of worldes fame:
Of whiche he wolde beare a name,
And so he did, and forth with all
He wan of loue in speciall

A faire tribute for euermo.
For it felle thilke tyme so,
Pyrrus the sonne of Achilles

This worthy quene amonge the pres
With dedely swerde sought out, and fonde,
And slough hir with his owne honde.
Wherof this kynge ef Paphlagonie
Penthesile of Amazonie,

Where she was quene, with hym ladde,
With suche maideus as she hadde
Of hem that were left aliue,
Forth in his ship, till thei ariue,
Where that the body was begraue
With worship, and the women saue.

And for the goodship of this dede,
Thei graunten hym a lustie mede,
That euery yere, for his truage,
To hym and to his heritage,
Of maidens faire he shall haue three.
And in this wise spedde hee,
Whiche the fortune of armes sought,
With his trauaile his ease he bought.
For other wise be shulde haue failed,
If that he had nought trauailed.

Nota pro eo, quod Eneas regem Turnum in bello deuicit, non solum amorem Lauine, sed et regnum Italie sibi subiugatum obtinuit.

ENEAS eke within Itaile

Ne had he wonne the bataile,
And done his might so besily
Ayene kynge Turne his enemie,
Ne had nought Lauine wonne.
But for he hath hym ouer ronne
And gat his pris, he gat hir loue.

By these ensamples here aboue,
Lo nowe my sonne, as I haue tolde,
Thou might wel see, who that is bolde,
And dar trapaile, and vndertake
The cause of loue, he shall be take
The rather vnto loues grace.
For comonliche in worthie place
The women louen worthinesse
Of manhode, and of gentilnesse.
For the gentils be most desired.

My fader but I were inspired Through lore of you, I wote no weye What gentilnesse is for to seye: Wherof to telle I you beseche.

The grounde my sonne for to seche Upon this diffinicion,

The worldes constitucion
Hath set the name of gentilnesse
Upon the fortune of richesse:
Whiche of longe tyme is falle in age,
Than is a man of highe linage
After the forme as thou shalt here,
But no thynge after the matere.

For who that reason vnderstonde, Upon richesse it maie not stonde. For that is thyng, whiche faileth ofte. For he that stant to daie alofte, And all the worlde hath in his wones, To morowe he falleth all at ones Out of riches in to pouerte: So that therof is no deserte, Whiche gentilnesse maketh abide. And for to loke on other side, Howe that a gentilman is bore: Adam, whiche was all tofore, With Eue his wife, as of hem two All was aliche gentill tho. So that of generacion

To make declaracion,
There maie no gentilnes bee.
For to the reason if we see
Of mans byrthe the measure,
It is so common to nature,
That it yeueth euery man aliche,
As well to the poore as to the riche.
For naked thei ben bore bothe,
The lorde no more hath for to clothe,
As of hym that like throwe,
Than hath the poorest of the rowe.
And whan thei shull both passe,
I not of hem whiche hath the lasse
Of worldes good, but as of charge,
The lorde is more for to charge,
Whan god shall his accompte here.
For he hath had his lustes here.
But of the body, whiche shall deye,
All though there be diuers weye
To deth, yet is there but one ende,
To whiche that euery man shall wende,
As well the begger as the lorde,
Of one nature of one accorde.

She whiche our olde mother is
The erthe, dothe that and this
Receyueth, and aliche deuoureth,
That she to nouther part fauoureth.
So wote I nothyng after kinde,
Where I maie gentilles finde.

For lacke of vertue lacketh of grace,
Wherof Richesse in many place,
Whan men best wene for to stonde,
All sodeinly goth out of honde.
But vertue sette in the courage,
There maie no worlde be so saluage,
Whiche might it take and done awaye,
Till when that the body deye:
And than he shall be riched so,
That it maie faile neuermo.

So maie that well be gentilnesse,
Whiche yeueth so great a sikernes.
For after the condicion

Of reasonable intencion,

The whiche out of the soule groweth,
And the vertue fro vice knoweth,
Wherof a man the vice escheweth,
Without slouth, and vertue seweth,
That is a very gentill man:
And nothyng els, whiche he can

Ne whiche he hath, ne whiche he maie.
But for all that yet nowe a daie,

In loues courte to taken hede,
The poore vertue shall not spede,
Where that the riche vice woweth.
For selde it is, that loue alloweth

The gentill man withouten good,
Though his condicion be good.

But if a man of bothe two
Be riche and vertuous also:
Than is he well the more worth.
But yet to put hym selfe forth,
He must done his besinesse
For nother good, ne gentilnesse
Maie helpen hem, whiche idel bee.
But who that woll in his degre
Trauaile so, as it belongeth,
It happeth ofte, that he fongeth
Worship, and ease bothe two.
For euer yet it hath be so,
That loue honest in sondrie wey
Profiteth: for it dothe aweye
The vice: and as the bokes seyne,
It maketh curteis of the vileyne,
And to the cowarde hardiesse
It yeueth: so that the very prowesse
Is caused vpon loues reule,
To hym that can manhode reule:
And eke towarde the womanbede,
Who that therof woll taken hede.
For though the better affaited bee
In euery thyng, as men maie see.
For loue hath euer his lustes grene
In gentill folke, as it is sene,
Whiche thyng there maie no kind arest.
I trowe that there is no beste,
If he with loue shulde acqueint,
That he ne wolde make it queint
As for the while, that it last.

And thus I conclude at last,
That thei ben idell, as me semeth,
Whiche vnto thyng, that loue demeth,
For slouthen, that thei shulden do.

And ouer this my sonne also,
After the vertue morall eke
To speke of loue if I shall seke
Amonge the holy bokes wise,

I finde writte in suche a wise.

Nota de amore charitatis, vbi dicit, qui non diligit, manet in morte.

WHO loueth not, as here is dead.
For loue aboue all other is head,
Whiche hath the vertues for to lede,
Of all that vnto mannes dede
Belongeth. For of idelship
He hateth all the felauship.
For slouthe is euer to despise,
Whiche in disdeigne hath all apprise,
And that accordeth nought to man.
For he that wit and reason can,

It sit hym wel, that he trauaile

Upon suche thyng, which might auaile.
For idelship is nought comended,
But euery lawe it hath defended.
And in ensample thervpon
The noble wise Salomon,

Whiche had of euery thyng insight,
Seith: As the birdes to the flight
Ben made, so the man is bore
To labour, whiche is nought forbore
To hem, that thinken for to thriue.
For we, whiche are nowe a liue,
Of hem that besy whilom were
(As wel in schole as els where)

Hath the quicke siluer, as it falleth,
The whiche after the boke it calleth
Is first of thilke foure named

Of spirites, whiche ben proclaymed,
And the spirite, whiche is seconde,
In Sal Armoniake is founde:
'The thirde spirite Sulphur is,
The fourth sewende after this
Arcennium by name is hote,
With blowyng and with fires hote.
In these thynges, whiche I saye,
Thei worchen by diuers waye.
For as the philosopher tolde
Of golde and siluer thei ben holde
Two principall extremitees,
To whiche all other by degrees
Of the metalles ben accordant,
And so through kinde resemblant:
That what man couth awaie take
The rust, of whiche thei woxen blake,
And the sauour of the hardnes,
Thei shulden take the sikenes
Of golde or siluer parfectly.
But for to worche it sikerly
Betwene the corps and the spirite,
Er that the metall be parfite
In scuen formes it is sette
Of all: and if one be lette,
The remenant may not auaile:
But other wise it maie nought faile.
For thei by whom this art was founde,
To euery poynt a certayne bounde
Ordeinen, that a man maie fynde,
This crafte is wrought by wey of kinde,
So that there is no fallace in.

But what man that this werke begyn,
He mote awaite at euery tide,
So that nothynge be lefte a side.
Fyrst of the distillacion,
Forth with the congelacion,
Solucion, Discencion,

And kepe in his eutencion
The point of sublimacion,
And forth with Calcinacion

Of very approbacion,

Do that there be fixacion,

With temperate hetes of the fyre,
Tyll he the parfite Elixer
Of thilke philosophers stone

Maie gette, of whiche that many one
Of philosophers, whilome write:
And if thou wolt the names wite
Of thilke stone, with other two,
Whiche as the clerkes maden tho,
So as the bokes it recorden,
The kynde of hem I shall recorden.

Nota de tribus lapidibus, quos philosophi composuerunt: quorum primus est lapis vegetabilis, qui sanitatem conseruat, Secundus dicitur lapis Animalis, que membra et virtutes sensibiles fortificat, Tertius dicitur lapis mineralis, que omnia metalla purificat, et in suum perfectum naturali potentia deducit.

THESE olde philosophers wise,
By wey of kynde in sondrie wise
Thre stones made through clergie,
The fyrste I shall specifie,
Was cleped Vegetabilis:
Of whiche the propre vertue is

To mans heale for to serue,

As for to kepe and to preserue

The body fro sickenes all,

Till death of kynde vpon hym fall.
The seconde stone I the behote

Is lapis Animalis hote:

The whose vertue is propre, and couth
For eare, and cie, nose, and mouth,
Wherof a man maie here and see,
And smelle, and taste in his degree,
And for to fele, and for to go
It helpeth a man of both two:
The wittes fiue he vnderfongeth
To kepe, as it to hym belongeth.
The thirde stone in speciall
By name is cleped Minerall,
Whiche the mettals of euery myne
Attempreth, till that thei ben fyne,
And pureth hem by suche a wey,
That all the vice goth awey

Of rust, of stynke, and of hardnes:
And whan thei ben of suche clennes,
This minerall, so as I fynde,
Transformeth all the fyrste kynde,.
And maketh hem able to conceiue
Through his vertue, and receiue
Both in substance and in figure
Of golde and siluer the nature.
For thei two ben thextremitees,
To whiche after the propertees
Hath euery metall his desire,
With helpe and comforte of the fyre.
Forth with this stone, as it is saide,
Whiche to the soune and moone is laide:

For to the redde, and to the white
This stone hath power to profite.
It maketh multiplicacion
Of golde, and the fixacion
It causeth, and of his habite
ile doth the werke to be parfite

Of thilke Elixer, whiche men call
Alconomy, as is befalle

To hem, that whilom were wise.

But now it stant all otherwise.

Thei speken faste of thilke stone,

But howe to make it, nowe wote none,
After the soothe experience.
And netheles great diligence

Thei setten sp thilke dede,

And spillen more than thei spede.
For alway thei fynde a lette,

Whiche bringeth in pouertee and dette
To hem, that riche were tofore;
The losse is had, the lucre is lore:
To get a pounde thei spenden fiue,
! not how suche a craite shall thriue,
In the maner as it is vsed,
It were better be refused,

Than for to worchen vpon wene

In thynge, whiche stant not as thei wene
The science of hym selfe is trewe,
But not for thy who that it knewe,
Upon the forme, as it was founden,
Wherof the names yet be grounded
Of hem, that first it founden out:
And thus the fame goth all about
To suche as soughten besines
Of vertue, and of worthines,
Of whom if I the names call,
Hermes was one the first of all,