On the fourth head, on the helmet crest

There was a stremer ryght white, large and long,

Wheron was written with vyse of the best,

My name is Variaunce, that ever among

The mynde of love doth chaunge with great wrong,

That a true lover can not be certayne

Love for his mede right stedfast to retayne.

And yet aloft on the fift helmet

In a blacke banner was written Envy,

Whose hart ever inwardly is fret

When Graund Amour should attayne his lady.

He museth oft in hym selfe inwardly,

To let the lady for to set her harte

On Graund Amour for to release his smarte.

In a russet banner on the sixt heade

There was wrytten this worde, Detraction,

That can open in a covert stede

His subtile male replete with treason,

To cause a lady to have suspection

Unto her true lover wyth his bytter tale,

That she her love from him than dyd hale.

On the vii. hede, in a baner of ryches,

Was wrytten, with letters all of Grewe,

My name truly is called Doublenes,

Whyche I do owe unto all ladyes true,

At a tyme unware my dette shal be dewe,

To Graunde Amoure for to make him repente,

That he his love on La Bell Pucell spente.

Whan in my minde I had well agregate

Every thinge that I in hym had sene,

Bothe of his head and of his hye estate,

I called for helpe unto the heaven quene.

The day was fayre, the sunne was bright and shene;

Besyde a ryver and a craggy roche

This gyaunt was whyche spyed me approche.

He hurtled aboute, and kest his shelde afore,

And toke his axe of myghty fortytude,

That was of length xx. fote and more,

Whiche he had used by longe consuetude

To daunte true lovers and theyr power exclude.

I toke my spere and did it well charge,

And with hardines I made my force enlarge.

I toke my course and to the gyaunt ranne,

On his seconde head brekyng than asunder

My mighty spere, that he to rore began

Wyth so base a crye that I had great wonder;

His seven heades so rored lyke the thunder.

Ryght frome my stede I light to the grounde,

And drewe Clara Prudence, that was hole and sounde.

The mighty gyaunte his axe did up lyfte,

Upon my head that the stroke should fall.

But I of him was ful ware, and swyfte;

I lept asyde, so that the stroke wythall

In the grounde lyghted besyde a stone wall,

Thre fote and more, and anone than I

Dyd lepe unto hym, strykinge full quyckly.

But above me he had suche altytude

That I at him coulde have no ful stroke.

He stroke at me with many strokes rude,

And called me boye, and gave me many a mocke.

At the last he sayd: I shall geve the a knocke

That wyth thy braynes I shall the trees depaynte.

Abyde, quod I, thou shalt be fyrst ful faynte.

And right anone I bye me spyed

On the rockes syde xii. steppes ful sure,

And than right fast I uppon theim hyed

That we were bothe about one stature:

My strength I doubled, and put so in ure

The great strokes, that I cut of anone

Syxe of his heades, levynge him but one.

Whan he felt him selfe hurt so grevously,

He stretched hym up and lyft his axe a lofte,

Strikinge at me with strokes wondersly;

But I ful swyftly dyd geve backe ful oft.

For to devoyde his great strokes unsoft.

When he sawe thys, he thought him forlore;

Wyth a hedious voyce he began to rore.

The battayle dured betwene us right long,

Tyll I sawe Phebus declinyng full lowe.

I avaunced my swerde that was sure and strong,

And with my myght I gave hym suche a blowe

On his seventh heade, that he dyd overthrowe.

When he was downe he gan to crye and yell,

Ful lyke a serpent or a fende of hell.

When I sawe this, as fast as myght be

Adowne I came, and did then unlace

His seventh helmet, ryght ryche for to see,

And hym beheaded in a ryght shorte space.

And then full soone there came to the place

Perceveraunce and my verlet also;

Alas! they sayde, we were for you ryght wo.

But we were glad when ye had forsaken

The lowe vale, and up the craggy fayre

For your advauntage the hye waye had taken.

Thus as we talked we did se ladies fayre,

Seven in number, that were debonayre,

Upon white palfreys eche of them dyd ryde,

For us ryght gentylly from the castell syde.

The first of them was named Stedfastnes;

And the seconde Amerous Purveyaunce;

The thirde was Joye after great heavines;

The fourth of them was dame Continuaunce;

And the fift of them called dame Plesaunce;

The syxte was called Report Famous;

The seventh, Amitie to lovers dolorous.

And ryght anone, with all humilitie,

They lyght adowne, and then incontinent

Eche after other they came unto me;

I kyssed them with all my whole entente.

Hayle, knyght! they sayde, so clere and excellent,

Whiche of this gyaunt, our hydeous enemy,

So worthely hath wonne the victory.

Ladies, he sayde, I am muche unworthy

So to accept your great prayse and fame.

They prayed me to kepe them company:

I will, quod I, or elles I were to blame.

They prayed me to shewe them my name.

La Graunde Amoure it is, I sayde, in dede;

And then sayde they, No wonder though ye spede.

No doubte it is but ye shall obtayne

La Bell Pucell so ryght fayre and clere;

We were with her exiled by Disdayne,

And then besyeged in this castell here,

With this great gyaunt, more then a whole yeare;

And you this nyght, if it do you please,

In this pore castell shall take your ease.

I thanked them, and so I rode anone

Into the castell of olde foundacion,

Walled about with the blacke touche stone.

I toke there then my recreacion,

Among these ladies with commendacion;

And when tyme came that they thought best,

To a royall bedde I was brought to rest.

After my wery and troublous travayle

I toke my ease tyll that it was day;

Then up arose without any fayle,

And made me ready for to ride my waye.

But then anone into the chamber gaye

The seven ladies came with Perceveraunce,

Saiyng they would geve me attendaunce,

And bryng me to La Bell Pucell,

Where that she is in her court royall;

And lykewyse as Phebus doth hye excell

In bryghtnes truely the fayre starres all,

So in beauty and vertue speciall

She doth excede any earthly creature,

That is nowe made by fayre dame Nature.

We brake our fast, and we made us ready

To La Bell Pucell on our way to ryde;

My stede was brought, I lept up shortly,

So did the ladies, they would nothyng abyde.

Thus forth we rode at the morowe tyde

Out of the castell with all joye and pleasure,

Forth on our way at all adventure.

So long we rode over hill and valey,

Tyll that we came into a wyldernes,

On every syde there wylde beastes laye,

Ryght straunge and fierce in sundry likenes;

It was a place of dissolute darkenes.

The ladies and I were in feare and doubt,

Tyll at the last that we were gotten out

Of the great woode upon a craggy roche,

When cleare Dyana in the Scorpion

Agaynst fayre Phebus began to approche,

For to be at her whole opposition,

We sawe from farre a goodly region,

Where stode a palayce hye and precious,

Beyonde an haven full tempestuous.

Then sayd Perceveraunce; Beholde ye and se,

Yonder is the palays gay and glorious

Of La Bell Pucelles great humilitie;

A place of pleasure most solacious.

But then we spied a fende fallicious,

Beyond the haven at sure entres

Blowyng out fyre by marveilous wydnes.

The fyre was great, it made the ylande lyght,

He rored loude, it semeth lyke the thonder;

But, as me thought, he was of great myght,

To knowe his likenes we were farre asonder;

But of the fyre we did often wonder;

We asked Perceveraunce what that it myght be.

Alas! quod she, with fraude and subtiltie

Of dame Strangenes and of dame Disdayne

When La Bell Pucell did them so abjecte,

Because that they myght not revert agayne,

With mortall Envie they did then conjecte

To make a fende in lykewyse to directe

Syr Graunde Amoure, with the fervent fyre

Of evill treason to let his desyre.

For dame Disdayne, the crafty sorceres,

With arte magyke hath wrought full craftely

Of the vii. metalles a dragon doubtles,

And dame Strangenes, by her nygromancy,

Hath closed therin a fende ryght subtilly,

That the fyre encenseth by great outrage.

But Graunde Amoure shall it well asswage.

Benethe this roche there is well fortified

An olde temple, to the laude and glory

Of wyse dame Pallas it was so edified;

We will ryde unto it full lyghtly,

And do oblacion unto her truely;

She wyll us tell by good experience

Howe we may scape the brennynge vyolence.

So to the temple of dame Pallas

Anone we rode, and did lyght adowne.

Of depured cristall her whole ymage was,

The temple walles were ryght olde and browne;

And then ryght sone before her hyghe renowne

Prostrate we fell mekely to the grounde,

And sodaynly we were cast in a sounde.

Thus as we laye in a deadly chaunce,

We thought to her we made peticion,

And all in Englyshe with long circumstaunce

She shewed us all the whole condicion

Of the marveylous serpentes operacion,

And did shewe us a perfyte remedy

To withstande all the crafte of sorcery.

And in lykewyse as the maner foloweth,

In depured verses of crafty eloquence,

Every thyng unto us she sheweth;

And first of all with all our diligence

These verses we sayed unto her excellence,

But she with crafty verses eloquent

Gave us an aunswere full expedient.

When golden Phebus in the first houre

Of his owne daye began to domine,

The sorceresse, the false roote of doloure,

All of golde that was so pure and fyne,

Of the best made the head serpentyne,

And eke therof she dyd make his face;

Full lyke a mayde it was, a wonders case!

And every houre, as the planettes raygned,

She made the serpent of the metalles seven;

Till she her purpose had fully attayned,

And when fyve bodies above on the heaven

Wente retrogarde, marveylously to neven,

With divers quartils and the more combust,

In the dragons tayle, to let a lovers lust.

These cursed witches, Disdayne and Straungenes,

Made the monster of a subtile kynde,

To let my purpose and all my gladnes,

But that dame Pallas of her gentle mynde

Of marveylous herbes a remedy did fynde;

And anone a boxe of marveylous oyntment

She toke to me to withstande the serpent.

Thus al esmarveyled we dyd then awake,

And in my hande I had the oyntment,

Closed in a boxe, of whiche I should take

To anoynt my harneis for the serpent,

Whiche shall devoyde his fyre so fervent,

And my swerde also to cause to departe

Astrothe the fende, so set with magykes arte.

Then when the sunne with his beames mery

Began to ryse in the fayre morowe gray,

All about lightyng our emispery,

Exiling mistes and darke clowdes away,

And when we sawe that it was bryght daye,

Nere by the ryvage at the last we spied

A goodly shyppe whiche unto us fast hied.

And ryght by anone the rivage syde,

She cast an anker and did us than hayle

With a peale of gunnes, at the morowe tyde

Her bonet she vayled, and gan to stryke sayle.

She was right large, of thre toppes without fayle;

Her boate she made out, and sent to the lande,

What that we were to knowe and understande,

That so did walke by the ryver coast.

And with two ladyes we sodaynly mette;

So when that they were come to us almoste,

From their shyppe boate curiously counterfayte,

Hayle, knyght! they sayde, nowe from a lady great,

Called dame Pacience, we are hether sent,

To knowe your name and all the whole entent

What you make here, and the ladies all?

Truely, quod I, over this stormy flowde

We woulde have passage nowe in speciall.

Tary, she sayde, it were to you not good:

There is a serpent evill, ryght fierce and woode,

On the other syde, whiche will you devoure.

Nay then, quod I, my name is Graunde Amoure:

I have disconfited the giauntes terrible,

For La Bell Pucell the most fayre ladye;

And for her sake shalbe invincible

Of this great monster to have the victory.

You have, quod they, demeaned you nobly,

And we anone to our lady Pacience

Will geve of you perfyte intelligence.

Thus they departed, and to their boate they went,

And the royall shyppe, yclipped Perfitenes,

They dyd aborde and then incontinent

Unto dame Pacience they gan to expresse

Myne name, mine actes, and all my prowes.

Ha, ha! quod she, howe glad may I nowe be,

Whiche in this place may him both heare and se.

And in great haste she made them rowe agayne

Towarde the lande, with all due reverence

For to receyve me and the ladies certayne.

And so we then, with all our diligence,

Entred the boate without resistence,

And did aborde then perfitenes so sure,

Whiche the great waves might ryght well endure.

And Pacience, with great solemnitie,

Did me receyve, and the ladies also.

Welcome! she sayd, by hye aucthoritie,

I am ryght gladde that it hath happened so,

That La Bell Pucell must redresse your wo,

And on your selfe, with your worthy dedes,

Of fame and her hath wonne ryght hie medes.

And then their anker they weyed in haste,

And hoyst their sayle, when many a clarion

Began to blowe; the mornyng was past,

But Afrycus Auster made surreccion,

Blowyng his bellowes by great occasion;

So forthe we sayled right playne southwest,

On the other syde where the serpent did rest.

And at the lande we aryved than,

With all the ladies in my company,

Whiche for to pray for me sodaynly began

To the God Mars, lodestarre of chyvalrye.

I toke my leave of them full gentylly,

And ryght anone to fynde out my fo,

This mortall dragon, I went to and fro.

Tyll at the last, beside a craggy roche,

I sawe the dragon whiche did me espie,

And nere and nere, as I gan to approche,

I behelde his head with his great body,

Which was mishaped ful right wonderly;

Of gold so shene was both his head and face;

Full lyke a mayden; it was a mervaylous cace!

His necke silver, and thicke as a bull;

His breste stele, and like an olyphant;

His forelegges latyn, and of fethers full;

Ryght lyke a grype was every tallaunt;

And as of strength he nothing did want,

His backe afore, lyke brystles of a swyne,

Of the fine copper did moost clerely shyne.

His hinder legges was like to a catte,

All of tynne, and like a scorpion;

He had a tayle wyth a head therat,

All of leade, of plyaunt facion;

His herte stele, without menission.

Toward me he came, roring like the thonder,

Spyttyng out fyre, for to se greate wonder.

In his forehead, with letters of Grewe,

Was wrytten: My name is Malyce prevy,

That olde debate can full sone renewe

Betwene true lovers wyth colour crafty.

Agaynst Graund Amoure I shall so fortefy

My evell subtell power, and cursed courage,

To let hym trulye of his hye passage.

I toke my boxe, as Pallas commaunded,

And my sworde and sheld, with al my armure,

In every place I right well anoynted,

To hardines she toke my herte in cure;

Makinge me redy, and whan I thought me sure,

I toke my swerde, and with an hardy herte

Towarde the dragon I began to sterte.

And as I gan my grete stroke to charge,

He blew out so much fyre innumerable,

That on the ground I did my might discharge;

The smoke was derke, full gretely domageable,

And the hote fyre was so intollerable,

Above me fleying, that unneth I might

Through my visure cast abrode my sight.

But the swete oyntmente had suche a vertue,

That the wilde fyre might nothing endomage

Me through hete, for it did extue

The magikkes arte with greate advantage,

Causing the fyre right wel to asswage;

And wyth my swerde, as nothing agast,

Upon the serpente I did stryke full fast.

His body was great as any tunne,

The devyll about did his body beare;

He was as egre as grype or lyon,

So was his tallantes he did my herneys tere,

That ofte he put me in a mortall fere.

Tyll at the last I did his body perce

With my good swerde, he might it not reverce.

Ryght ther wythall the dragon to-brast,

And out there flew, ryght blacke and tedyous,

A foule Ethyope, which such smoke did cast,

That all the ylond was full tenebrous;

It thondred loude wyth clappes tempestious.

Then all the ladyes were full sore adred,

They thought none other but that I was ded.

The spiryte vanished, the ayre wexed clere;

Then did I loke and beholde aboute

Wher was the toure of my lady so dere;

Tyll at the last I had espyed it oute,

Set on a rocke right hie, without doubte,

And all the ladies, wyth Perseveraunce,

To me did come with joye and pleausaunce.

Forsoth, quod they, you are muche fortunate,

So to subdue the serpent venimous,

Which by sorcery was surely ordinate

You for to sle with fyre so vicious.

Blessed be Pallas, the goddes glorious,

Which that thou taught a perfyte remedy,

For to devoyde the crafte of sorcery.

It was no wonder though that I was glad,

After the payne and tribulacion

That in many places I right often had,

For to attayne the hye promocion

Of La Bell Pucelles dominacion;

Considering in my passage daungerous

All I subdued to me contrarious.

And than right sone, with great solempnite,

So forth we rode to the solempne mancion

Of La Belle Pucelles worthy dignite;

Whiche was a toure of mervaylous facion,

Replete with joy without suggestion,

Walled with sylver, and many a story

Upon the wall enameled ryally.

So at the last we came unto the gate,

Whiche all of sylver was knotted proprely;

Where was a lady of ryght hye estate,

Whiche us receyved well and nobly.

And than Perceveraunce went full shortly

To La Belle Pucell, shewynge every thynge

Of myne adventure and sodayne comynge.

Whan she it knewe, than right incontynente

She called to her Peace and dame Mercy,

With Justice, and Reason the lady excellent,

Pleasaunce, Grace, wyth good dame Memory,

To wayte upon her full ententyfely;

Me to receyve wyth all solempne joye,

Adowne her chamber she went on her waye.

And in the meane while the gentle porteres,

Called Countenaunce, on my way then me lede,

Into the basse courte of greate wydenes,

Where all of golde there was a conduyte hede,

With many dragons enameled with reed,

Whiche dyde spoute oute the dulcet lycoure,

Lyke cristall clere, with aromatyke odoure.

Alofte the basse toure foure ymages stode,

Whiche blewe the clarions well and wonderly.

Alofte the toures the golden fanes goode

Dyde with the wynde make full swete armony,

Them for to here it was great melody.

The golden toures with cristall clarefied

About were glased moost clerely purefyed.

And the gravell whereupon we wente,

Ful lyke the gold that is moost pure and fyne,

Withouten spotte of blacke encombremente

Aboute oure fete it dyde ryghte clerely shyne;

It semed more lyke a place celestyne,

Than an erthly mansion, whiche shall away

By longe tyme and proces an other day.

And towarde me I dyde se than comynge

La Belle Pucell, the moost fayre creature

Of ony fayre erthely person lyvyng,

Whiche with me mette with chere so demure.

Of the shynynge golde was all her vesture;

I dyd my duty, and ones or twyse ywys

Her lyppes soft I did full swetely kys.

Aha! quod she, that I am very fayne

That you are come, for I have thought long

Sithen the time that we parted in twayne,

And for my sake you have had often wronge;

But your courage so hardy and strong,

Hath caused you for to be victorious

Of your enmyes so much contrarious.

Wyth her fayre hand, white as ony lilly,

She dyd me lede into a ryall hall,

With knottes kerved full right craftely,

The windowes fayre glased with crystall,

And all about, upon the golden wall,

There was enameled, with figures curious,

The syege of Troye so hard and dolorous.

The flore was paved with precious stones,

And the rofe of mervaylous geometry,

Of the swete sypres wrought for the nones,

Encencing out the yll odours mysty;

Amyddes the rofe there shone full wonderly

A poynted dyamonde of mervaylous bygnes,

With many other greate stones of ryches.

So up we wente, to a chambre fayre,

A place of pleasure and delectacyon,

Strowed with floures flagraunte of ayre,

Without ony spotte of perturbacyon.

I behelde ryght well the operacyon

Of the mervaylous rofe set full of rubyes,

And tynst with saphers and many turkeys.

The walles were hanged with golden aras,

Whiche treated well of the syege of Thebes.

And yet all about us depured was

The cristallyne wyndowes of great bryghtnes.

I can nothynge extende the goodlynes

Of this palays, for it is impossyble

To shewe all that unto me vysyble.

But La Belle Pucell full ryght gentylly

Dyde sytte adowne by a wyndowes syde,

And caused me also full swetely

By her to sytte at that gentyll tyde.

Whelcome! she sayd, ye shall with me abyde,

After your sorowe to lyve in joye and blysse;

You shall have that ye have deserved ywys.

Her redolente wordes of swete influence

Degouted vapoure moost aromatyke,

And made conversyon of complacence;

Her depured and her lusty rethoryke

My courage reformed, that was so lunatyke;

My sorowe defeted, and my mynde dyde modefy,

And my dolorous herte began to pacyfy.

All thus my love we gan to devyse,

For eche of other were ryght joyous.

Than at the last in a mervaylous wyse

Full sodaynly there came unto us

Lyteil Cupyde with his mother Venus,

Which was well cladde in a fayre mantyll blewe,

With golden hertes that were perst anewe.

And rounde about us she her mantyll cast,

Sayeng that she and her sone Cupyde

Wolde us conjoyne in mariage in hast;

And to lete knowe all youre courte soo wyde,

Sende you Perseveraunce before to provyde,

To warne your ladyes for to be redy,

To morowe betyme ryght well and solemply.

We answered bothe our hertes were in one,

Sayeng that we dyde ryght well agre,

For all our foes were added and gone.

Ryght gladde I was that joyfull day to se;

And than anone, with grete humylytie,

La Bell Pucell to a fayre chambre bryght,

Dyde me than brynge for to rest all nyght.

And she toke her leve, I kyst her lovely.

I wente to bedde, but I coude not slepe,

For I thought so moche upon her inwardly,

Her moost swete lokes in to my herte dyde crepe,

Percynge it through with a wounde so depe;

For Nature thought every houre a daye

Tyll to my lady I sholde my dette well paye.

Than Perceveraunce, in all goodly hast,

Unto the steward called Liberalite

Gave warning for to make redy fast

Agaynst this time of great solemnitie,

That on the morow halowed should be:

She warned the cooke called Temperaunce,

And after that the ewres Observaunce.

With Pleasaunce the paynter and dame Curtesy,

The gentyll butler with the ladies all,

Eche in her ofice was prepared shortly

Agaynst this feast so much tryumphall.

And La Belle Pucell then in speciall

Was up betime in the morow gray,

Right so was I, whan I sawe the daye.

And ryght anone La Belle Pucell me sente,

Agaynst my wedding, of the satyn fyne,

Whyte as the milke, a goodly garment,

Branded with perle that clerely did shyne;

And so the mariage for to determyne

Venus me brought to a ryall chappell,

Which of fyne golde was wrought every dele.

And after that the gay and glorious

La Belle Pucell to the chappell was ledde,

In a white vesture fayre and precious,

Wyth a golden chaplet on her yalow hede;

And Lex Ecclesie did me to her wedde;

After which wedding there was a great feast,

Nothing we lacked, but had of the best.

What should I tary by longe continuaunce

Of the fest, for of my joye and pleasure

Wysdom can judge withouten variaunce,

That nought I lacked as ye may well be sure,

Payeng the swete due det of nature;

Thus with my lady was so fayre and clere,

In joy I lived full right many a yere.

O, lusty youth and yong tender herte!

The true company of my lady bryght,

God let us never from other asterte,

But all in joy to lyve both day and nyght!

Thus after sorow joy aryveth aright:

After my payne I had sporte and play;

Full lytell thought I that it should decaye.

Tyll that dame Nature naturing had made

All thinge to grow to theyr fortitude,

And nature naturing waxte retrogarde,

By strength my youth 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.

Thus as I lived in such pleasure gladde,

Into the chamber came full prively

A fayre olde man, and in his hand he hadde

A croked staffe; he wente full wekely:

Unto me than he came full softely,

And with his staffe he toke me on the brest,

Obey! he sayd, I must you nedes areste.

My name is Age, which have often sene

The lusty youth perysh unhappely,

Through the desert of the selfe I wene;

And evermore I do thinke inwardly,

That my dedes of you they were of great foly,

And thou thy selfe right joyous may be

To lyve so longe to be lyke to me.

Happy is they that may well overpasse

The narrow bridge over fragilite

Of his wanton youth, brytle as the glasse;

For the youth is open to all fraylte,

Redy to fall to great iniquite;

Full well is he that is brydeled fast

With fayre dame Reason tyll his youth be past.

I obeyed his rest; there was no remedy;

My youth was past, and all my lustynes;

And right anone to us came Polizy,

With Avaryce bringing great riches;

My hole pleasure and delyte doubtles

Was set upon treasure insaciate,

It to beholde and for to aggregate.

The fleshly pleasure I had cast asyde,

Lytle I loved for to playe or daunce;

But ever I thought how I might provyde

To spare my treasure, land or substaunce.

This was my minde, and all my purveyaunce,

As upon deth I thought lytle or never,

But gadred riches as I should lyve ever.

But whan I thought longest to endure,

Deth with his darte arest me sodenly;

Obey! he sayd, as ye may be sure.

You can resist nothing the contrary

But that you must obey me naturally.

What you avayleth such treasure to take,

Sithens by force ye must it now forsake?

Alas! quod I, nothing can me ayde,

This worldly treasure I must leve behinde,

For erth of erth wyll have his dette now payde;

What is this world but a blast of wynde.

I must nedes dye, it is my native kinde.

And as I was at his last conclusyon,

To me did come dame Confession,

With dame Contricion, which gan to bewayle

My synnes great with hole repentaunce,

And Satisfaccion without any fayle,

Wyth dame Conscience, did wey in balaunce

How that they might than without doutaunce

My treasure and good so gotten wrongfully

To restore agayne to the rightfull party.

Of holy church with all humilite

My rightes I toke, and than incontinent

Nature avayled in so lowe degre

That deth was come, and all my lyfe was spent.

Out of my body my soule than it wente

To Purgatory, for to be purifyed,

That after that it might be glorified.

The good dame Mercy, with dame Charite,

My body buried full right humbly,

In a fayre temple of olde antiquite:

There was for me a dirige devoutly,

And with many a masse full right solemynely;

And over my grave to be in memory

Remembraunce made this lytle epetaphy:

O erth! on erth, it is a wonders case,

That thou art blynde and wyll not the know,

Though upon erth thou hast thy dwellyng place;

Yet erth at last must nedes the overthrow.

Thou thinkest thou do be no erth I trow,

For if thou diddest thou woldest than apply

To forsake pleasure and to lerne to dye.

O earth! of earth why art thou so proud?

Now what thou art call to remembraunce;

Open thine eares unto my song aloude;

Is not thy beaute, strength, and puyssaunce,

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 the that it vayleth 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 thy selfe fretting the inwardly?

It is a sinne right foule and vicious,

And unto God also full odious.

Thou thinkest, I trow, there is no punishment

Ordeyned for sinne by egall judgement.

Toward heven to folow on the way

Thou arte full slow, and thinkest nothing

That thy nature doth full sore decaye

And deth right fast is to the comyng.

God graunt the mercy, but no tyme enlongyng;

Whan thou hast time, take tyme and space,

Whan time is past, lost is the tyme of grace.

And whan erth to erth is nexte to reverte,

And nature low in the last age,

Of erthly treasure erth doth sette his herte

Insaciately upon covetyse to rage;

He thynketh not his lyfe shall asswage,

His good is his God, with his great ryches,

He thinketh not for to leve it doutles.

The pomped clerkes with foles delicious

Erth often fedeth with corrupt glotony;

And nothing with werkes vertuous

The soule doth fede ryght well ententifly,

But without mesure full inordinatly

The body lyveth, and wyll not remember

Howe erth to erth must his strength surrender.