President,

The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.

THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S. Treas. S.A.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.

WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq. F.S.A.

J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A.

BOLTON CORNEY, Esq.

T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq. F.R.S., M.R.I.A.

JAMES HENRY DIXON, Esq.

FREDERICK W. FAIRHOLT, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.

J. O. HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.

WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.S.L.

CAPTAIN JOHNS, R.M.

T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R.S., F.S.A.

WILLIAM SANDYS, Esq. F.S.A.

W. J. THOMS, Esq. F.S.A.

THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A., Secretary and Treasurer.

“Item, to Mr. Hawse, for his play, vj^li. xiij^s. iiij^d.”

Ryght myghty prynce and redoubted soverayne,

Saylinge forth well in the shyppe of grace,

Over the waves of this lyfe uncertayne

Ryght towarde heven to have dwellyng place,

Grace dothe you guyde in every doubtfull cace.

Your governaunce dothe evermore eschewe

The synne of slouthe, enemy to vertewe.

Grace stereth well, the grace of God is grete,

Whyche you hath brought to your ryall se,

And in your ryght it hath you surely sette

Above us all to have the soverayntie;

Whose worthy power and regall dygnite,

All our rancour and our debate gan ceace,

Hath to us brought bothe welthe, reste and peace.

Frome whome descendeth by the ryghtfull lyne

Noble prynce Henry, to succede the crowne;

That in his youth doth so clerely shyne,

In every vertue castinge the vyce adowne.

He shall of fame attaine the hye renowne;

No doubte but grace shal him well enclose,

Whiche by true right sprange of the reed rose.

Your noble grace and excellent highnes

For to accepte I beseche right humbly

Thys lytle boke, opprest wyth rudenes,

Without rethorycke or coloure crafty;

Nothinge I am experte in poetry,

As the monke of Bury, floure of eloquence,

Whiche was in the time of great excellence

Of your predecessour, the v. kyng Henry,

Unto whose grace he did present

Ryght famous bokes of parfit memory,

Of hys faynyng with termes eloquent;

Whose fatall fictions are yet permanent,

Grounded on reason, with cloudy fygures

He cloked the trouth of all his scryptures.

The lyght of trouth I lacke cunnying to cloke,

To drawe a curtayne I dare not to presume,

Nor hyde my matter with a misty smoke,

My rudenes cunnying doth so sore consume:

Yet as I may I shall blowe out a fume

To hyde my mynde underneth a fable,

By covert coloure well and probable.

Besechying your grace to pardon myne ignoraunce,

Whiche this fayned fable, to eschue idlenes,

Have so compyled nowe without doubtance,

For to present to your hye worthynes,

To folowe the trace and all the perfitenes

Of my maister Lydgate with due exercise,

Suche fayned tales I do fynde and devyse.

For under a coloure a truthe may aryse,

As was the guyse in olde antiquitie,

Of the poetes olde, a tale to surmyse,

To cloke the truthe of their infirmitie,

Or yet on joye to have mortalitie.

I me excuse if by neglygence

That I do offende for lacke of science.

When Phebus entred was in Geminy,

Shynyng above in his fayre golden spere,

And horned Dyane then but one degre

In the Crabbe had entred fayre and cleare;

When that Aurora did well appeare

In the depured ayre and cruddy firmament,

Forth then I walked without impediment

Into a medowe both gaye and glorious,

Whiche Flora depainted with many a colour,

Lyke a place of pleasure moste solacious,

Encensyng out the aromatike odoure

Of Zepherus breath, whiche that every floure

Through his fume doth alwaye engender.

So as I went among the flowres tender,

By sodayne chaunce a fayre path I founde,

On whiche I loked and ryght oft I mused,

And then all about I behelde the grounde

With the fayre path whiche I sawe so used.

My chaunce or fortune I nothyng refused;

But in the path forth I went apace,

To knowe whether and unto what place

It woulde me bryng by any similitude.

So forth I went, were it ryght or wrong,

Tyll that I sawe of royall pulchritude

Before my face an ymage fayre and strong,

With two fayre handes stretched out along

Unto two hye wayes there in particion,

And in the ryght hande was this description:

This is the strayght waye of contemplacion.

Unto the joyfull tower perdurable:

Who that will unto that mancion,

He must forsake all thinges variable,

With the vayne glory so muche deceivable,

And though the way be hard and daungerous,

The last ende therof shal be ryght precious.

And in the other hande ryght fayre wrytten was,

This is the way of worldly dignitie;

Of the active life who wyll in it passe

Unto the tower of fayre dame Beautye,

Fame shall tell hym of the way of certaintie

Unto La Bell Pucell, the fayre lady excellent,

Above all other in cleare beauty splendent.

I behelde ryght well bothe the wayes twayne,

And mused oft whiche was best to take;

The one was sharpe, the other was more playne;

And unto my selfe I began to make

A sodayne argument, for I myght not slake

Of my great musyng of this royall ymage,

And of these two wayes so muche in usage;

For this goodly picture was in altitude

Nyne fote and more, of fayre marble stone,

Ryght well favoured and of great altitude,

Though it were made full many yeres agone.

Thus stode I musynge my selfe all alone

By right long tyme; at the last I went

The active waye with all my whole entent.

Thus all alone I began to travayle

Forthe on my waye by long continuaunce;

But often tymes I had great marvayle

Of the by pathes so full of pleasaunce,

Whiche for to take I had great doubtaunce;

But evermore, as nere as I myght

I toke the waye whiche went before me ryght.

And at the last, when Phebus in the west

Gan to avayle with all his beames mery,

When cleare Dyana in the fayre south est

Gan for to ryse, lightyng our emispery

With clowdes cleare without the stormy pery,

Me thought afarre I had a vysyon

Of a picture of marveylous facion:

To whiche I went without lenger delaye,

Beholdyng well the ryght faire portrayture

Made of fyne copper, shydyng faire and gaye,

Full well truely accordyng to measure,

And, as I thought, nyne fote of stature,

Yet in the brest with letters fayre and blewe

Was wrytten a sentence olde and true:

This is the waye and the sytuacion

Unto the toure of famous doctrine:

Who that wil learne must be ruled by reason

And with all his diligence he must enclyne

Slouthe to eschue and for to determine,

And set his hert to be intelligible;

To a willyng harte is nought impossible.

Besyde the ymage I adowne me sette,

After my laboure my selfe to repose,

Tyll at the last with a gaspyng nette

Slouth my head caught with his whole purpose.

It vayled not the bodye for to dispose

Against the head, when it is applyed,

The head must rule, it cannot be denied.

Thus as I satte in a deadly slomber,

Of a great horne I harde a royal blast,

With which I awoke, and had a great wonder

From whence it came: it made me sore agast.

I loked about; the nyght was wel nere past,

And fayre golden Phebus in the morow graye

With cloudes redde began to breake the daye.

I sawe come ryding in a valey farre

A goodly ladye, envyroned about

With tongues of fyre as bright as any starre,

That fyry flambes ensensed alway out,

Whiche I behelde and was in great doubte;

Her palfrey swyft renning as the winde,

With two white grayhoundes that were not behynde.

When that these grayhoundes had me so espied,

With faunyng chere of great humilitie

In goodly haste they fast unto me hyed;

I mused why and wherfore it should be,

But I welcomed them in every degre.

They leaped oft and were of me ryght fayne;

I suffred them, and cheryshed them agayne.

Their collers were of golde and of tyssue fine,

Wherin their names appeared by scripture

Of dyamondes that clerely do shyne:

The letters were graven fayre and pure.

To reade their names I did my busy cure;

The one was Governaunce, the other named Grace;

Then was I glad of all this sodayne cace.

And then the lady, with fiery flambe

Of brennying tongues, was in my presence

Upon her palfrey, whiche had unto name

Pegase the swyfte, so fayre in excellence,

Whiche sometime longed with his preminence

To kyng Percius the sonne of Jubiter,

On whome he rode by the worlde so farre.

To me she sayde, she marvelled muche why

That her grayhoundes shewed me that favoure.

What was my name she asked me truly?

To whome I sayde it was La Graunde Amoure,

Besechyng you to be to me succoure

To the tower of Doctrine, and also me tell

Your proper name and where you do dwell?

My name, quod she, in all the worlde is knowen,

I-clipped Fame in every region,

For I my horne in sundry wyse have blowen

After the death of many a champion,

And with my tongues have made aye mencion

Of their great actes agayne to revive,

In flaming tongues for to abyde on lyve.

It was the custome of an olde antiquitie,

When the golden worlde had dominacion,

And nature, hyghe in her aucthoritie,

More stronger had her operacion

Then she had nowe in her digression,

The people then dyd all their busye payne

After their death in fame to lyve agayne.

Recorde of Saturne, the first kyng of Crete,

Whiche in his youth through his diligence

Founde first plowyng of the landes swete;

And after this, by his great sapience,

For the comen profite and benevolence

Of all metalles he made division

One from another by good provision.

And then also, as some poetes fayne,

He found shotyng and drawyng of the bowe,

Yet as of that I am nothyng certayne;

But for his cunnynge, of hye degre and lowe

He was well beloved, as I do well knowe;

Through whose laboure and aye busy cure

His fame shall lyve and shall ryght long endure.

In whose tyme reigned also in Thessayle,

(A parte of Grece) the kyng Melizyus,

That was ryght strong and fierce in battaile;

By whose laboure, as the story sheweth us,

He brake first horses wilde and rigorious,

Teaching his men on them ryght well to ryde,

And he hym selfe did fyrst the horse bestryde.

Also Mynerve, the ryght hardy goddese

In the same time of so hyghe renowne,

Vainquished Pallas by her great worthynes,

And first made harneys, to laye his pryde adowne:

Whose great defence in every realme and towne

Was spredde about for her hye chyvalrye,

Whiche by her harneys wanne the victorye.

Doth not remayne yet in remembraunce

The famous actes of the noble Hercules,

That so many monsters put to utteraunce

By his great wisdome and hye prowes?

As the recule of Troye beareth good witnes;

That in his time he would no battayle take

But for the wealth of the commens sake.

Thus the whole myndes were ever fixt and set

Of noble men in olde tyme to devyse

Suche thynges as were to the comeyn proffet;

For in that tyme suche was their goodly guyse,

That after dethe theyr fame should aryse,

For to endure and abyde in mynde,

As yet in bokes we may them wrytten fynde.

O ye estates surmountynge in noblenesse,

Remember well the noble paynyms all,

How by theyr labour they wanne the hyenesse

Of worthy fame to raygne memoryall,

And them applyed ever, in specyall,

Thynges to practyse whiche should profyte be

To the comyn welthe and their heyres in fee.

And after thys, Fame gan to expresse

Of jeoperdous way to the toure peryllous,

And of the beaute and the semelynesse

Of La Bel Pucell; so gaye and gloryous,

That dwelled in the toure so marveylous;

Unto whyche might come no maner of creature,

But by great laboure and harde adventure.

For by the way theyr lye in wayte

Gyauntes great, dysfigured of nature,

That all devoureth by theyr yll conceyte;

Agaynst whose streingth there may no man endure,

They are so huge and stroonge out of measure;

Wyth many serpentes foule and odyous,

In sundry lykenesse blacke and tedyous.

But behynde them a great see there is,

Beyonde whyche see there is a goodly lande

Most full of fruyte replete wyth joye and blysse.

Of ryght fyne golde appereth all the sande

In this fayre realme, where the tower doth stand,

Made all of golde, enameled aboute

Wyth noble storyes whyche do appere wythout.

In whyche dwelleth by great aucthorytie

Of La Bell Pucell, whyche is so fayre and bryght,

To whome in beaute no pere I can se;

For lyke as Phebus above all sterres in lyght,

Whan that he is in his spere aryght,

Dothe excede wyth his beames cleare,

So dothe her beaute above other appeare.

She is bothe good, ay wyse and vertuous,

And also dyscended of a noble lyne;

Ryche, comly, ryght meke, and bounteous;

All maner vertues in her clerely shyne:

No vyce of her may ryght longe domine.

And I, dame Fame, in every nacyon

Of her do make the same relacyon.

Her swete reporte so my hert set on fyre

Wyth brennyng love moost hot and fervent,

That her to se I had greate desyre;

Sayenge to Fame; O lady excellent,

I have determyned in my judgement,

For La Bell Pucell the most fayre lady

To passe the waye of so greate jeopardy.

You shall, quod Fame, obtayne the vyctory,

If you wyl do as I shall you saye,

And all my lesson retayne in memory.

To the toure of Doctryne ye shall take your waye.

You are now wythin a dayes journeye;

Bothe these greyhoundes shal kepe you company:

Loke that you cheryshe them full gentely.

And Countenance, the goodly portres,

Shall let you in ful well and nobly,

And also shewe you of the parfytenes

Of all the seven scyences ryght notably.

There in your mynde you may ententyfly

Unto dame Doctryne gyve parfyte audyence,

Whyche shall enforme you in every scyence.

Farewell, she sayde, I maye not now abyde;

Walke on your waye, wyth all your hole delyght,

To the toure of Doctrine at thys morowe tyde,

Ye shall to morowe of it have a syght.

Kepe on your waye now before you right,

For I must hence to specyfy the dedes

Of theyr worthynesse accordynge to theyr medes.

And wyth that she dyd from me depart,

Upon her stede swyfter than the wynde.

Whan she was gone, full wofull was my herte;

Wyth inward trouble oppressed was my mynde.

Yet were the greyhoundes left wyth me behynde,

Whyche did me comforte in my great vyage

To the toure of Doctryne, with their fawnynge courage.

So forthe I went, tossynge on my brayne,

Greatly musyng, over hyll and vale.

The way was troublous, and ey nothing playne;

Tyll at the laste I came to a dale,

Beholdyng Phebus declinyng lowe and pale;

With my grayhoundes, in the fayre twylight,

I sate me downe for to rest me all nyght.

Slouthe upon me so fast began to crepe,

That of fyne force I downe me layed

Upon an hyll with my greyhoundes to slepe.

When I was downe, I thought me well apayed,

And to my selfe these wordes then I sayde:

Who will attaine sone to his journeys ende,

To nouryshe slouthe he may not condiscende.

Thus then I slept, tyl that Auroras bemes

Gan for to spreade about the firmament,

And the clere sunne with his golden stremes

Began for to ryse fayre in the orient,

Without Saturnus blacke encombrement,

And the litle byrdes makyng melodye

Did me awake wyth their swete armony.

I loked about, and sawe a craggy roche

Farre in the west, neare to the element;

And as I dyd then unto it approche,

Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent

The royall tower of Morall Document,

Made of fine copper, with turrettes fayre and hye,

Which against Phebus shone so marveylously;

That for the very perfect bryghtnes,

What of the tower and of the cleare sunne,

I coulde nothyng beholde the goodlines

Of that palaice where as Doctrine did wonne;

Tyll at the last, with mysty wyndes donne,

The radiant bryghtnes of golden Phebus

Auster gan cover with clowde tenebrus.

Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere,

And often mused of the great hyghnes

Of the craggy rocke, whiche quadrant did appeare;

But the fayre tower so muche of ryches

Was all about sexangled doubtles,

Gargeyld with grayhoundes and with many lyons,

Made of fyne golde, with divers sundry dragons.

The little turrets with ymages of golde

About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved.

Wyth propre vices that I did well beholde,

About the towers in sundry wyse they hoved,

Wyth goodly pypes in their mouthes i-tuned,

That with the wynde they pyped a daunce,

I-clipped Amour de la hault plesaunce.

The toure was great, and of marvelous wydnes,

To whyche there was no way to passe but one,

Into the toure for to have an intres;

A grece there was, y-chesyled all of stone

Out of the rocke, on whiche men dyd gone

Up to the toure; and in lykewise did I,

Wyth bothe the greyhoundes in my company.

Tyll that I came to a ryall gate,

Where I sawe stondynge the goodly portres,

Whiche axed me from whence I came alate?

To whome I gan in every thynge expresse

All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse,

And eke my name I tolde her every dell.

When she herde this, she lyked me ryght well.

Her name, she sayd, was called Countenaunce:

Into the besy courte she dyd me then lede,

Where was a fountayne depured of pleasance,

A noble sprynge, a ryall conduyte hede,

Made of fyne golde enameled with reed,

And on the toppe foure dragons blewe, and stoute

Thys dulcet water in foure partyes dyd spout.

Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere,

Sweter than Nysus or Ganges was theyr odoure,

Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere.

I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure,

Fragraunt of fume, swete as any floure.

And in my mouthe it had a marveylous cent

Of divers spyces; I knewe not what it ment.

And after thys farther forth me brought

Dame Countenaunce into a goodly hall:

Of jasper stones it was wonderly wrought

The wyndowes cleare, depured all of crystall,

And in the roufe on hye over all

Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne;

In stede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified,

With pillers made of stones precious,

Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified,

It might be called a palaice glorious,

So muche delectable and solacious.

The hall was hanged, hye and circuler,

With cloth of arras in the rychest maner,

That treated well of a ful noble story,

Of the doubty waye to the tower perillous;

Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory

Of many a serpente fowle and odious:

And the first matter then appeared thus;

Howe at a venture and by sodayne chaunce

He met with Fame by fortunes purveyaunce.

Whiche did hym shewe of the famous pulcritude

Of La Bell Pucell so cleare in beauty,

Excellyng all other in every similitude;

Nature her favoured so muche in degree.

When he heard this, with fervent amytie,

Accompanied with Grace and Governaunce,

He toke his waye without encombraunce

Unto the ryght famous tower of learnyng,

And so from thence unto the tower of chyvalry,

Where he was made knight the noble kyng

Called Melizeus, well and worthely;

And furthermore it sheweth full notably

Upon the arras imbrodred all of blewe,

What was his name with letters all of Grewe.

Thus with his verlet he toke on his waye

To the perillous tower and sytuation,

Metyng Folye, as he rode on his journey,

Ryding on a mare by great illusion;

After whom ensued fast Correction,

And in her hande a strong knotted whippe;

At every yarke she made hym for to skyppe.

And then Correction brought La Graund Amour

Unto the tower, whereas he myght well se

Divers men makyng ryght great dolour,

That defrauded women by their duplicitie;

Yet before this in perfite certaintie,

As the arras well did make relacion,

In Venus temple be made his oblacion.

After whiche he mette an hydeous gyaunt

Havyng thre heades of marveylous kynde;

With his great strokes he did hym daunt,

Castyng hym downe under the lynde,

With force and myght he did hym bynde,

Strikyng of his heades then everychone,

That of all thre heades he left not one.