<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=521158" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>The Pastime of Pleasure : The First Part.</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">Here begynneth the passe tyme of pleasure. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Ryyght myghty prynce / & redoubted souerayne <br>Saylynge forthe well / in the shyppe of grace <br>Ouer the wawes / of this lyfe vncertayne <br>Ryght towarde heuen / to haue dwellynge place <br>Grace dothe you guyde / in euery doubtfull cace <br>Your gouernaunce / dothe euermore eschewe <br>The synne of slouthe / enemy to vertewe <br>Grace stereth well / the grace of god is grete <br>Whiche you hathe brought / to your ryall se <br>And in your ryght / it hath you surely sette <br>Aboue vs all / to haue the soueraynte <br>Whose worthy power / and regall dygnyte <br>All our rancour / and our debate and ceace <br>Hath to vs brought / bothe welthe reste and peace <br>Frome whome dyscendeth / by the ryghtfull lyne <br>Noble pryuce Henry / to succede the crowne <br>That in his youthe / dothe so clerely shyne <br>In euery vertu / castynge the vyce adowne <br>He shall of fame / attayne the hye renowne <br>No doubte but grace / shall hym well enclose <br>Whiche by trewe ryght / sprange of the reed rose <br>Your noble grace / and excellent hyenes <br>For to accepte / I beseche ryght humbly <br>This lytell boke / opprest with rudenes <br>Without rethorycke / or colour crafty <br>Nothynge I am / experte in poetry <br>As the monke of Bury / floure of eloquence <br>Whiche was in tyme / of grete excellence <br>Of your predecessour / the .v. kynge henry <br>Vnto whose grace / he dyde present <br>Ryght famous bokes / of parfyte memory <br>Of his faynynge with termes eloquent <br>Whose fatall fyccyons / are yet permanent <br>Grounded on reason / with clowdy fygures <br>He cloked the trouthe / of all his scryptures <br>The lyght of trouthe / I lacke connynge to cloke <br>To drawe a curtayne / I dare not to presume <br>Nor hyde my mater / with a mysty smoke <br>My rudenes connynge / dothe so sore c&#333;sume <br>Yet as I maye / I shall blowe out a fume <br>To hyde my mynde / vnderneth a fable <br>By conuert colour / well and probable <br>Besechynge your grace / to pardon myne ignoraunce <br>Whiche this fayned fable / to eschewe ydlenesse <br>Hane so compyled / now without doubtaunce <br>For to present / to your hye worthynesse <br>To folowe the trace / and all the parfytenesse <br>Of my mayster Lydgate / with due exercyse <br>Suche fayned tales / I do fynde and deuyse <br>For vnder a colour / a truthe maye aryse <br>As was the guyse / in olde antyquyte <br>Of the poetes olde / a tale to surmyse <br>To cloke the trouthe / of theyr infyrmyte <br>Or yet on Ioye / to haue moralyte <br>I me excuse / yf by neclygence <br>That I do offende / for lacke of scyence </div><div style="margin:10px 0">How graunde Amoure walked in a medowe & met with fame enuyronned with tongues of fyre. ca. i. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Whan Phebus entred was / in Gemyny <br>Shynynge aboue / in his fayre golden spere <br>And horned Dyane / than but one degre <br>In the Crabbe hadde entred / fayre and clere <br>Whan that Aurora / dyde well appere <br>In the depured ayre / and cruddy fyrmament <br>Forthe than I walked / without impedyment <br>In to a medowe / bothe gaye and gloryous <br>Whiche Flora depaynted with many a colour <br>Lyke a place of pleasure / most solacyous <br>Encensynge out / the aromatyke odoure <br>Of zepherus brethe / whiche that euery floure <br>Throughe his fume / dothe alwaye engendre <br>So as I went / amonge the floures tendre <br>By sodayne chaunce / a fayre pathe I founde <br>On whiche I loked / and ryght ofte I mused <br>And than all aboute / I behelde the grounde <br>With the fayre pathe / whiche I sawe so vsed <br>My chaunce or fortune / I nothynge refused <br>But in the pathe / forthe I went a pace <br>To knowe whyther / and vnto what place <br>It wolde me brynge / by ony symylytude <br>So forthe I wente / were it ryght or wronge <br>Tyll that I sawe / of ryall pulcrytude <br>Before my face / an ymage fayre and stronge <br>With two fayre handes / stretched out alonge <br>Vnto two hye wayes / there in pertycyon <br>And in the ryght hande / was this dyscrypcyon <br>This is the streyght waye / of contemplacyon <br>Vnto the Ioyfull toure pedurable <br>Who that wyll walke / vnto that mancyon <br>He must forsake / all thynges varyable <br>With the vayneglory / somoche deceyuable <br>And thoughe the waye / be harde and daungerous <br>The laste ende therof / shall be ryght precyous <br>And in the other hande / ryght fayre wryten was <br>This is the waye / of worldly dygnyte <br>Of the actyfe lyfe / who wyll in it passe <br>Vnto the toure / of fayre dame beaute <br>Fame shall tell hym / of the waye in certaynte <br>Vnto labell pucell / the fayre lady excellent <br>Aboue all other / in clere beaute splendent <br>I behelde ryght well / bothe the wayes twayne <br>And mused oft / whiche was best to take <br>The one was sharpe / the other was more playne <br>And vnto my selfe / I began to make <br>A sodayne argument / for I myght not slake <br>Of my grete musynge / of this ryall ymage <br>And of these two wayes / somoche in vsage <br>For this goodly pycture / was in altytude <br>Nyne fote and more / of fayre marble stone <br>Ryght well fauoured / and of grete fortytude <br>Thoughe it were made / full many yeres agone <br>Thus stode I musynge / my selfe all alone <br>By ryhgt longe tyme / but at the last I went <br>The actyfe waye / with all my hole entent <br>Thus all alone / I began to trauayle <br>Forthe on my waye / by longe contynuaunce <br>But often tymes / I hadde grete meruayle <br>Of the bypathes / so full of pleasaunce <br>Whiche for to take / I hadde grete doubtaunce <br>But euermore / as nere as I myght <br>I toke the waye / whiche went before me ryght <br>And at the last / whan Phebus in the west <br>Gan to auayle / with all his beames mery <br>Whan clere Dyana / in the fayre southest <br>Gan for to ryse / lyghtynge our emyspery <br>With cloudes clere / without the stormy pery <br>Me thought a fer / I hadde a vysyon <br>Of a pycture / of meruoylous facyon <br>To whiche I went / without lenger delaye <br>Beholdynge well / the ryght fayre purtrayture <br>Made of fyne copre / shynynge fayre and gaye <br>Full well truely / accordynge to mesure <br>And as I thought .ix. fote of stature <br>Yet in the breste / with lettres fayre ande blewe <br>Was wryten / a sentence olde and trewe <br>This is the waye / and the sytuacyon <br>Vnto the toure / of famous doctryne <br>Who that wyll lerne / must be ruled by reason <br>And with all his dylygence / he must enclyne <br>Slouthe to eschewe / and for to determyne <br>And set his hert / to be intellygyble <br>To a wyllynge herte / is nought Impossyble <br>Besyde the ymage / I adowne me sette <br>After my laboure / myselfe to repose <br>Tyll at the last / with a gaspynge nette <br>Slouthe my heed caught / with his hole purpose <br>It vayled not / the body for to dyspose <br>Agaynst the heed / whan it is applyed <br>The heed must rule / it can not be denyed <br>Thus as I satte / in a deedly slombre <br>Of a grete horne / I herde a ryall blast <br>With whiche I awoke / and hadde a grete wondre <br>From whens it came / it made me sore agast <br>I loked aboute / the nyght was well nere paste <br>And fayre golden Phebus / in the morowe graye <br>With cloude reed began / to breke the daye <br>I sawe come rydynge / in a valaye ferre <br>A goodly lady / enuyronned aboute <br>With tongues of fyre / as bryght as ony sterre <br>That fyry flambes / ensensed alwaye out <br>Whiche I behelde / and was in grete doubt <br>Her palfraye swyfte / rennynge as the wynde <br>With two whyte grehoundes / that were not behynde <br>Whan that these grehoundes / had me so espyed <br>With faunynge chere / of grete humylyte <br>In goodly hast / they fast vnto me hyed <br>I mused why / and wherfore it shoulde be <br>But I welcomed them / in euery degre <br>They leped ofte / and were of me ryght fayne <br>I suffred them / and cherysshed them agayne <br>Theyr colers were of golde / and of tyssue fyne <br>Wherin theyr names / appered by scypture <br>Of Dyamondes / that clerely do shyne <br>The lettres were grauen fayre and pure <br>To rede rheyr names / I dyde my besy cure <br>The one was gouernaunce / the other named grace <br>Than was I gladde / of all this sodayne cace <br>And than the lady / with fyry flame <br>Of brennynge tongues / was in my presence <br>Vpon her palfraye / whiche hadde vnto name <br>Pegase the swyfte / so fayre in excellence <br>Whiche somtyme longed / with his premynence <br>To kynge Percyus / the sone of Iubyter <br>On whome he rode / by the worlde so fer <br>To me she sayde / she meruayled moche why <br>That her grehounde / shewed me that fauour <br>What was my name / she axed me treuly <br>To whome I sayde / it was la graunde Amour <br>Besechynge you / to be to me socour <br>To the toure of doctryne / and also me tell <br>Your propre name / and where you do dwell <br>My name quod she / in all the worlde is knowen <br>Yclypped Fame / in euery regyon <br>For I my horne / in sondry wyse haue blowen <br>After the dethe / of many a champyon <br>And with my tonges / haue made aye mencyon <br>Of theyr grete actes / agayne to reuyue <br>In flammynge tongues / for to abyde on lyue <br>It was the custome / in olde antyquyte <br>Whan the golden worlde / hadde domynacyon <br>And nature hygh / in her auctoryte <br>More stronger hadde / her operacyon <br>Than she hath nowe / in her dygressyon <br>The people than dyde / all theyr besy payne <br>After theyr dethe / in fame to lyue agayne <br>Recorde of Satourne / the fyrste kynge of Creete <br>Whiche in his youthe / throughe his dylygence <br>Founde fyrst plowynge / of the landes swete <br>And after this / by his grete sapyence <br>For the comyn profyte / and beneuolence <br>Of all metalles / he made deuysyon <br>One frome an other / by good prousyyon <br>And than also / as some poetes fayne <br>He founde shotynge / and drawenge of the bowe <br>Yet as of that / I am nothynge certayne <br>But for his connynge / of hye degre and lowe <br>He was well beloued / as I do well knowe <br>Throughe whose labour / and aye besy cure <br>His fame shall lyue / and shall ryght longe endure <br>In whose tyme reygned / also in Thessayle <br>A parte of Grece / the kynge Melyzyus <br>That was ryght stronge / and fyerce in batayle <br>By whose labour / as the story sheweth vs <br>He brake fyrst horses wylde and rygoryous <br>Techynge his men / on them ryght well to ryde <br>And he hymselfe / dyde fyrst the horse bestryde <br>Also Mynerue / the ryght hardy goddes <br>In the same tyme / of so hyghe renowne <br>Vaynquysshed Pallas / by her grete worthynesse <br>And fyrste made harneys / to leye his pryde adowne <br>Whose grete defence / in euery realme and towne <br>Was spredde aboute / for her hye chyualry <br>Whiche by her harneys / wanne the vyctory <br>Doth not remayne / yet in remembraunce <br>The famous actes / of the noble hercules <br>That so many monstres / put to vtteraunce <br>By his grete wysdome / and hye prowes <br>As the recule of Troye / bereth good wytnes <br>That in his tyme / he wolde no batayle take <br>But for the welthe / of the comyns sake <br>Thus the hole myndes / were euer fyxte and set <br>Of noble men / in olde tyme to deuyse <br>Suche thynges as were / to the comyn proffet <br>For in that tyme / suche was theyr goodly guyse <br>That after dethe theyr fame shoulde aryse <br>For to endure / and abyde in mynde <br>As yet in bokes / we maye them wryten fynde <br>O ye estates / surmountynge in nobesse <br>Remembre well the noble payyms all <br>How by theyr laboure / they wanne the hyenesse <br>Of worthy fame / to reygne memoryall <br>And them applyed / euer in specyall <br>Thynges to practyse / whiche shoulde prouffyte be <br>To the comyn welthe / and theyr heyres in fee </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Of the swete reporte of Fame of the fayre lady la bel pucell in the toure of musyke. ca. ii.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And after this / fame gan to expresse <br>Of Ieoperdous waye / to the toure peryllous <br>And of the beaute / and the semelynesse <br>Of la bell pucell / so gaye and gloryons <br>That dwelled in the toure so meruaylous <br>Vnto whiche myght come / no maner of creature <br>But by grete laboure / and harde aduenture <br>For by the waye / there ly in wayte <br>Gyauntes grete dysfygured of nature <br>That all deuoureth / by theyr yll conceyte <br>Ageynst whose strength / there maye no man endure <br>They are so huge / and stronge out of mesure <br>With many serpentes / soule and odyous <br>In sundry lykenesse / blacke and tydeus <br>But behonde them / a grate see there is <br>Beyonde whiche see / there is a goodly lande <br>Moost full of fruyte / replete with Ioye and blysse <br>Of ryght fyne golde / appereth all the sande <br>In this fayre realme / where the toure dothe stande <br>Made all of golde / enameled aboute <br>With noble storyes / whiche do appere without <br>In whiche dwelleth / by grete auctoryte <br>Of la bell pucell / whiche is so fayre and bryght <br>To whome in beaute / no pere I can se <br>For lyke as Phebus / aboue all sterres in lyght <br>Whan that he is / in his spere aryght <br>Dothe excede / wieh his beames clere <br>So dothe her beaute / aboue other appeere <br>She is bothe good / aye wyse and vertuous <br>And also dyscended / of a noble lyne <br>Ryche / comly / ryght meke / and bounteous <br>All maner vertues / in her clerely shyne <br>No vyce of her / maye ryght longe domyne <br>And I dame fame / in euery nacyon <br>Of her do make / the same relacyon <br>Her swete reporte / so my herte set on fyre <br>With brennynge loue / moost hote and feruent <br>That her to se / I hadde grete desyre <br>Sayenge to fame / o lady excellent <br>I haue determyned / in my Iugement <br>For la bell pucell / the most fayre lady <br>To passe the waye / of so grete Ieopardy <br>You shall quod fame / atayne the vyctory <br>Yf you wyll do / as I shall to you saye <br>And all my lesson / retayne in memory <br>To the toure of doctryne / ye shall take your waye <br>You are now within / a dayes Iourneye <br>Bothe these grehounde / shall kepe you company <br>Loke that you cherysshe them full gentely <br>Ind countenaunce / the goodly portres <br>Shall let you in / full well and nobly <br>And also shewe you / of the parfytenes <br>Of all the seuen scyences / ryght notably <br>There in your mynde / you maye ententyfly <br>Vnto dame doctryne / gyue parfyte audyence <br>Whiche shall enfourme you / in euery scyence <br>Fare well she sayde / I maye not now abyde <br>Walke on your waye / with all your hole delyght <br>To the toure of doctryne / at this morow tyde <br>Ye shall to morowe / of it haue a syght <br>Kepe on your waye / now before you ryght <br>For I must hens / to specyfy the dedes <br>Of theyr wortynesse / accordynge to theyr medes <br>And with that she dyde / fro me departe <br>Vpon her stede / swyfter than the wynde <br>Whan she was gone / full wofull was my herte <br>With inwarde trouble / oppressed was my mynde <br>Yet were the grehoundes / lefte with me behynde <br>Whiche dyde me comforte / in my grete vyage <br>To the toure of doctryne / with theyr fawn&ybar;ge courage <br>So forthe I went / tossynge on my brayne <br>Gretely musynge / ouer hyll and vale <br>The waye was troublous / and ey nothynge playne <br>Tyll at the laste / I came to a dale <br>Beholdynge Phebus / declynynge lowe and pale <br>With my grehoundes / in the fayre twy lyght <br>I sate me downe / for to rest me all nyght <br>Slouthe vpon me / so fast began to crepe <br>That of fyne force / I downe me layde <br>Vpon an hyll / with my greyhoundes to slepe <br>Whan I was downe / I thought me well apayde <br>And to my selfe / these wordes than I sayde <br>Who wyll attayne / soone to his Iournays ende <br>To nourysshe slouthe / he may not condyscende </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Now fame departed frome graunde amoure and lefte with hym gouernaunce and grace / and howe he wente to the toure of doctryne. Ca. .iii.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Thus than I slepte / tyll y&supert; Auroras beames <br>Gan for to sprede / aboute the fyrmament <br>And y&supere; clere sonne / with his golden streames <br>Began for to ryse / fayre in the oryent <br>Without Saturnus / blacke encombrement <br>And the lytell byrdes / makynge melodye <br>Dyde me awake / with theyr swete armonye <br>I loked aboute / and sawe a craggy roche <br>Ferre in the west / nere to the element <br>And as I dyde than / vnto it approche <br>Vpon the toppe / I sawe refulgent <br>The ryall toure / of morall document <br>Made of fyne coper / with turrettes fayre and hye <br>Whiche agaynst Phebus / shone so meruaylously <br>That for the veray perfyte bryghtnes <br>What of the toure / and of the clere sonne <br>I coude nothynge / beholde the goodlynes <br>Of that palays / where as doctryne dyde wonne <br>Tyll at the last / with mysty wyndes donne <br>The radyant bryghtnes / of golden Phebus <br>Auster gan couer / with cloudes tenebrus <br>Than to the toure / I drewe nere and nere <br>And often mused / of the grete hyghnes <br>Of the craggy rocke / whiche quadrant dyde appere <br>But the fayre toure / so moche of rychesse <br>Was all about / sexangled doubtles <br>Gargeylde with grehoundes / & with many lyons <br>Made of fyne golde / with dyuers sundry dragons <br>The lytell turrets / with ymages of golde <br>Aboute was set / wiche with the wynde aye moued <br>With propre vyces / that I dyde well beholde <br>Aboute the toures / in sondry wyse they houed <br>With goodly pypes / in theyr mouthes Ituned <br>That with the wynde / they pyped a daunce <br>Yclyped amour de la hault pleasaunce </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Now he was lette in by Countenannce the porteres and of the meruaylous buyldynge of the same toure. Capitulo. iiii. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The toure was grete / & of meruaylous wydnes <br>To whiche there was / no way to passe but one <br>In to the toure / for to haue an intres <br>A grece there was / ychefyled all of stone <br>Out of the rocke / on whiche men dyde gone <br>Vp to the toure / and in lykewyse dyde I <br>With bothe the grehonndes in my company <br>Tyll that I came / to a ryall gate <br>Where I sawe stondynge / the goodly portres <br>Whiche axed me / from whens I came a late <br>To whome I gan / in euery thynge expresse <br>All myne aduenture / chaunce and busynesse <br>And eke my name / I tolde her euery dell <br>Whan she herde this / she lyked me ryght well <br>Her name she sayde / was called countenaunce <br>In to the besy courte / she dyde me than lede <br>Where was a fountauyne / depured of pleasaunce <br>A noble sprynge / a ryall conduyte hede <br>Made of syue golde / enameled with reed <br>And on the toppe / foure dragons blewe and stonte <br>This doulcet water / in foure partyes dyde spoute <br>Of whiche there flowed / foure ryuers ryght clere <br>Sweter than Nysus / or Ganges was theyr odoure <br>Tygrys or Eufrates / vnto them no pere <br>I dyde than tast / the aromatyke lycoure <br>Fragraunt of fume / swete as ony floure <br>And in my mouthe / it hadde a meruaylous cent <br>Of dyuers spyces / I knewe not what it ment <br>And after this / ferder forthe me brought <br>Dame countenaunce / in to a goodly hall <br>Of Iasper stones / it was wonderly wrought <br>The wyndowes clere / depured all of crystall <br>And in the rose / on hye ouer all <br>Of golde was made / a ryght crafty vyne <br>In stede of grapes / the rubyes there dyde shyne <br>The flore was paued / with berall claryfyed <br>With pyllours made / of stones precyous <br>Lyke a place of pleasure / so gayly gloryfyed <br>It myght be called / a palays gloryous <br>Somoche delectable / and solacyous <br>The hall was hanged / hye and cyrculer <br>With clothe of aras / in the rychest maner <br>That treted well / of a full noble story <br>Of the doughty waye / to the toure peryllous <br>How a noble knyght / shoulde wynne the vyctory <br>Of many a serpent / foule and odyous <br>And the fyrste mater / than appered thus <br>How at a venture / and by sodayne chaunce <br>He met with fame / by fortunes purueyaunce <br>Whiche dyde hym shewe / of the famous pulcrytude <br>Of la bell pucell / so clere in beaute <br>Excellynge all other / in euery symplytude <br>Nature her fauoured / so moche in degre <br>Whan he herde this / with feruent amyte <br>Accompaned with grace and gouernaunce <br>He toke his waye / without encombraunce <br>Vnto the ryght famous toure of lernynge <br>And so frome thens / vnto the toure of clyualry <br>Where he was made knyght / the noble kynge <br>Called Melyzyus / well and worthely <br>And ferthermore / it shewed full notably <br>Vpon the aras / ybrobred all of blewe <br>What was his name / with lettres all of grewe <br>Thus with his varlet / he toke on his waye <br>To the peryllous toure / and sytuacyon <br>Metynge foly / as he rode on his Iournaye <br>Rydynge on a mare / by grete yllusyon <br>After whome / ensued fast correccyon <br>And in her hande / a stronge knotted whyppe <br>At euery Iarte / she made hym for to skyppe <br>And than correccyon / brought la graunde amoure <br>Vnto the toure / where as he myght well se <br>Dyuers men / makynge ryght grete doloure <br>That defrauded women / by theyr duplycyte <br>Yet before this / in perfyte certaynte <br>As the aras / well dyde make relacyon <br>In Venus temple / he made his oblacyon <br>After whiche / he mette an hydeous gyaunt <br>Hauynge thre hedes of meruaylous kynde <br>With his grete strokes / he dyde hym daunt <br>Castynge hym downe / vnder the lynde <br>With force and myght / he dyde hym bynde <br>Strykynge of his hedes than euerychone <br>That of all thre hedes / he left not one <br>This terryble gyaunt / yet hadde a broder <br>Whiche graunde amoure / destryed also <br>Hauynge foure heedes / more than the oder <br>That vnto hym / wrought mykell wo <br>But he slewe soone / his mortall fo <br>Whiche was a grete gyaunt / with hedes seuen <br>To meruaylous / now for me to nenen <br>Yet more ouer / he put to vtteraunce <br>A venymous beest / of sundry lykenes <br>Of dyuers beestes / of ryght grete myschaunce <br>Wherof the pycture / bare good wytnes <br>For by his power / and his hye worthynesse <br>He dyde scomfyte / the wonderous serpent <br>Of the sceun metalles / made by enchauntement <br>And eke the clothe / made demonstracyon <br>How he weded / the grete lady beauteous <br>La bell pucell / in her owne domynacyon <br>After his labour / and passage daungerous <br>With solempne Ioye / and myrthe melodyous <br>This famous story / well pyctured was <br>In the fayre hall / vpon the aras <br>The marshall / yclyped was dame reason <br>And the yewres / also obseruaunce <br>The panter pleasaunce / at euery season <br>The good butler / curteys contynuaunce <br>And the chefe coke / was called temperaunce <br>The lady chambrelayne / named fydelyte <br>And the hygh stuarde lyberalyte <br>There sate dame doctryne / that lady gent <br>Whiche called me / vnto her presence <br>For to knowe / all the hole entent <br>Of my comynge / vnto her excellence <br>Madame I sayde / to lerne your scyence <br>I am comen / now me to apply <br>With all my cure / in perfyte study <br>And yet also / I vnto her than shewed <br>My name and purpose / without doublenes <br>For very grete Ioye / than were endued <br>Her crystall eyes / full of lowlenes <br>Whan that she knewe / for veray sykernesse <br>That I was he / that shoulde so attayue <br>La bell pucell / with my busy payne <br>And after this / I hadde ryght good chere <br>Of mete and drynke / there was grete pleynte <br>Nothynge I wanted / were it chepe or dere <br>Thus was I serued / with delycate dysshes daynte <br>And after this / with all humylyte <br>I went to doctryne / prayenge her good grace <br>For to assygne me / my fyrst lernynge place <br>Seuen doughters / moost experte iu connynge <br>Withouten foly / she hadde well engendred <br>As the seuen scyences / in vertue so shynynge <br>At whose encreace / there is grete thankes rendred <br>Vnto the moder / as nothynge surrendred <br>Her good name / and her dulcet sounde <br>Whiche dyde engendre / theyr orygynall grounde <br>And fyrst to gramer / she forthe me sent <br>To whose request / I dyde well obay <br>With dylygence / forth on my waye I went <br>Vp to a chambre / depaynted fayre and gay <br>And at the chambre / in ryght ryche araye <br>We were let in / by hygh auctoryte <br>Of the ryght noble / dame congruyte </div><div style="margin:10px 0">How Scyence / sent hym fyrste / to gramer where he was receyued by dame Congruyte. ca. v. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The lady Gramer / in all humbly wyse <br>Dyde me receyue / in to her goodly scole <br>To whose doctryne / I dyde me aduertyse <br>For to attayne / in her artyke poole <br>Her gylted dewe / for to oppresse my doole <br>To whome I sayde / that I wolde gladly lerne <br>Her noble connynge / so that I myght decerne <br>What that it is / and why that it was made <br>To whiche she answered / than in specyall <br>Bycause that connynge / shoulde not pale ne fade <br>Of euery scyence / it is orygynall <br>Whiche dothe vs teche / euer in generall <br>In all good ordre / to speke dyrectly <br>And for to wryte / by true artogrofy <br>Somtyme in Egypte / reygned a noble kynge <br>Yclyped Euander / whiche dyde well abounde <br>In many vertues / especyally in lernynge <br>Whiche hadde a doughter / that by her study founde <br>To wryte true latyn / the fyrst parfyte grounde <br>Whose goodly name / as her story sayes <br>Was called Carmentis / in her lyuynge dayes <br>Thus in the tyme / of olde antyquyte <br>The noble phylozophres / with theyr hole delyght <br>For the comyn prouffyte / of all humanyte <br>Of the seuen scyences / for to knowe the ryght <br>They studyed / many a longe wynters nyght <br>Eche after other / theyr partes to expresse <br>This was theyr guyse / to eschewe ydlenesse <br>The pomped carkes / with fode delycyous <br>They dyde not fede / but to theyr sustynaunce <br>The folowed not / theyr flesshe so vycyous <br>But ruled it / by prudent gouernaunce <br>They were content / alwaye with suffysaunce <br>They coueyted not / no worldly treasure <br>For they knewe / that it myght not endure <br>But now a dayes / the contrary is vsed <br>To wynne the money / theyr studyes be all sette <br>The comyn prouffyte / is often refused <br>For well is he / that maye the money gette <br>Frome his neyghboure / without ony lette <br>They thynke nothynge / they shall from it pas <br>Whan all that is / shall be tourned to was <br>The brytell flesshe / nouryssher of vyces <br>Vnder the shadowe / of euyll slogardy <br>Must nede haunt / the carnall delyces <br>Whan that the brayne / by corrupte glotony <br>Vp so downe / is tourued than contrary <br>Frayle is the body / to grete vnhappynes <br>Whan that the heed / is full of dronkenes <br>So do they now / for they nothynge prepence <br>How cruell dethe / dothe them sore ensue <br>They are so blynded / in wordly neclygence <br>That to theyr meryte / they wyll nothynge renewe <br>The seuen scyences / theyr slouthe to eschewe <br>To an oders profyte / they take now no kepe <br>But to theyr owne / for to ete drynke and slepe <br>And all this dame gramer / tolde me euery dele <br>To whome I herkened / with all my dylygence <br>And after this / she taught me ryght well <br>Fyrst my donet / and than my accydence <br>I sette my mynde / with percynge influence <br>To lerne her scyence / the fyrst famous arte <br>Eschewynge ydlenes / and layenge all aparte <br>Madame quod I / for as moche as there be <br>Viii. partes of speche / I wolde knowe ryght fayne <br>What a nowne substantyue / is in his degre <br>And wherfore it is / so called certayne <br>To whome she answered / ryght gentely agayne <br>Sayenge alwaye / that a nowne substantyue <br>Mygh stande / without helpe of an adiectyue <br>The latyn worde / whiche that is referred <br>Vnto a thynge / whiche is substancyall <br>For a nowne substantyue / is well auerred <br>And with a gendre / is declynall <br>So all the eyght partes in generall <br>Are laten wordes / annexed properly <br>To euery speche / for to speke formally <br>And gramer is / the fyrste foundement <br>Of euery scyence / to haue construccyon <br>Who knewe gramer / without impedyment <br>Soulde perfytely haue intelleccyon <br>Of a lytterall cense / and moralyzacyon <br>To construe euery thynge ententyfly <br>The worde is gramer / well and ordynatly <br>By worde the worlde / was made orygynally <br>The hye kynge sayde / it was made incontynent <br>He dyde commaunde / all was made shortly <br>To the worlde / the worde is sentencyous Iugement <br>I marked well / dame gramers sentement <br>And of her than / I dyde take my lycence <br>Goynge to Logyke / with all my dylygence </div><div style="margin:10px 0">How he was receyued / of Logyke. ca. vi.<br>So vp I went / vnto a chambre bryght <br>Where was wonte / to be a ryght fayre lady <br>Before whome than / it was my hole delyght <br>I kneled adowne / full well and mekely <br>Besechynge her / to enstructe me shortely <br>In her noble scyence / whiche is experyent <br>For man to knowe / in many an argument <br>You shall quod she / my scyence well lerne <br>In tyme and space / to your grete vtylyte <br>So that in my lokynge / you shall than decerne <br>A frende from fo / and good from inyquyte <br>Ryght from wronge / ye shall knowe in certaynte <br>My scyence is / all the yll to eschewe <br>And for to knowe / the false from the trewe <br>Who wyll take payne / to folowe the trace <br>In this wretched worlde / of trouthe & ryghtwysenes <br>In heuen aboue / he shall haue dwellynge place <br>And who that walbeth / the waye of derkenes <br>Spendynge his tyme / in worldly wretchednes <br>Amyddes the erth / in hell most horryble <br>He shall haue payne / nothynge extynguyssyble <br>So by logyke / is good perceyueraunce <br>To deuyde the good / and the euyll a sondre <br>It is alway / at mannes pleasaunce <br>To take the good / and cast the euyll vnder <br>Yf god made hell / it is therof no wonder <br>For to punysshe man / that hadde intellygence <br>To knowe good from yll / by trewe experyence <br>Logyke alwaye / doth make probacyon <br>Prouynge the pro / well from the contrary <br>In sundry wyse / by argumentacyon <br>Grounded on reason / well and wonderly <br>Who vnderstode / all logyke treuly <br>Nothynge by reason / myght be in pledynge <br>But he the trouthe / shoulde haue in knowlegynge <br>Her wyse doctryne / I marked in memory <br>And toke my leue / of her hye personne <br>Bycause that I myght no lenger tary <br>The yere was spente / and so ferre than goone <br>And of my lady / yet syght hadde I none <br>Whiche was abydynge / in the toure of musyke <br>Wherfore anone / I went to Rethoryke </div><div style="margin:10px 0">How he was receyued of Rethoryke / and what Rethoryke is. ca. vii.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Than aboue Logyke / vp we went a stayre <br>In to a chambre / gayly gloryfyed <br>Strowed with floures / of all goodly ayre <br>Where sate a lady / gretely magnyfyed <br>And her trewe vesture / clerely puryfyed <br>And ouer her heed / that was bryght and shene, <br>She hadde a garlande / of the laurell grene <br>Her goodly chambre / was set all about <br>With depured myrrours / of speculacyon <br>The fragraunt fumes / dyde well encense out <br>All mysty vapours / of perturbacyon <br>More lyker was / her habytacyon <br>Vnto a place / whiche is celestyall <br>Than to a terrayne / mancyon fatall <br>Before whome / than I dyde knele a downe <br>Sayenge o sterre / of famous eloquence <br>O gylted goddesse / of the hygh renowne <br>Enspyred / with the heuenly influence <br>Of the doulcet well / of complacence <br>Vpon my mynde / with dewe aromatyke <br>Dystyll adowne / thy lusty Rethoryke <br>And depaynt my tonge / with thy ryall floures <br>Of delycate odoures / that I maye ensue <br>In my purpose / to glade myne audytoures <br>And with thy power / that thou me endue <br>To moralyse / thy lytterall censes trewe <br>And clense awaye / the myst of ygnoraunce <br>With depured beames / of goodly ordynaunce <br>With humble eeres / of parfyte audyence <br>To my request / she dyde than enclyne <br>Sayenge she wolde / in her goodly scyence <br>In short space / me so well indoctryne <br>That my dull mynde / it shoulde enlumyne <br>With golden beames / for euer to oppresse <br>My rude langage / and all my symplenesse <br>I thanked her / of her grete gentylnes <br>And axed her / after this questyon <br>Madame I sayde / I welde knowe doubtles <br>What rethoryke is / without abusyon <br>Rethoryke she sayde / was founde by reason <br>Man for to gouerne / well and prudently <br>His wordes to ordre / his speche to puryfy <br>Fyue partes hath rethoryke / for to werke trewe <br>Without whiche fyue / there can be no sentence <br>For these fyue / do well euermore renue <br>The mater parfyte / with good intellygence <br>Who that wyll se them / with all his dylygence <br>Here folowenge / I shall them specyfy <br>Accordynge well / all vnto myne ordynary </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Of the fyrste called inuencyon. And a commendacyon of poetes. Ca. viii. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">The fyrste of them / is called inuencyon <br>Whiche fourdeth / of the most noble werke <br>Of .v. inwarde wyttes / with hole affeccyon <br>As wryteth ryght many a noble clerke <br>With mysty colour / of cloudes derke <br>How comyn wytte / dooth full well electe <br>What it sholde take / and what it shall abiecte <br>And secondly / by ymagynacyon <br>To drawe a mater / full facundyous <br>Full meruaylous / is the operacyon <br>To make of nought / reason sentencyous <br>Clokynge a trouthe / with colour tenebrous <br>For often vnder a fayre fayned fable <br>A trouthe appereth gretely profytable <br>It was the guyse in olde antyquyte <br>Of famous poetes / ryght ymagynatyfe <br>Fables to fayne / by good auctoryte <br>They were so wyse / and so inuentyfe <br>Theyr obscure reason / fayre and sugratyfe <br>Pronounced trouthe / vnder cloudy fygures <br>By the inuencyon / of theyr fatall scryptures <br>And thyrdly they hadde suche a fantasy <br>In this hygh arte / to be intellygyble <br>Theyr same encreasynge / euermore truely <br>To slouth euer / they were inuyncyble <br>To theyr wofull hertes / was nought impossyble <br>With brennynge loue / of insacyate fyre <br>Newe thynges to fynde / they set theyr desyre <br>For though a man / of his propre mynde <br>Be inuentyf / and he do not apply <br>His fantasye / vnto the besy kynde <br>Of his connynge / it maye not ratyfye <br>For fantasye / must nedes exemplyfy <br>His newe inuencyon / and cause hym to entende <br>With hole desyre / to brynge it to an ende <br>And fourtely / by good estymacyon <br>He must nombre all the hole cyrcumstaunce <br>Of this mater / with breuyacyon <br>That he walke not / by longe contynuaunce <br>The perambulat waye / full of all varyaunce <br>By estymacyon / is made annuncyate <br>Whether the mater be longe or breuyate <br>For to inuencyon / it is equypolent <br>The mater founde / ryght well to comprehende <br>In suche a space / as it is conuenyent <br>For properly / it doth euer pretende <br>Of all the purpose / the length to extende <br>So estymacyon / maye ryght well conclude <br>The parfyte nombre / of euery symylytude <br>And yet than / the retentyfe memory <br>Whiche is the fyfte / must euer agregate <br>All maters thought / to retayne inwardly <br>Tyll reason therof / hath made a brobate <br>And by scrypture / wyll make demonstrate <br>Outwardly / accordynge to the thought <br>To proue a reason / vpon a thynge of nought <br>Thus whan the fourth / hath wrought full wonderly <br>Than must the mynde / werke vpon them all <br>By cours ingenyous / to rynne dyrectly <br>After theyr thoughtes / than in generall <br>The mynde must cause them to be memoryall <br>As after this / shall appere more openly <br>All hole exprest / by dame phylosophy <br>O thrust of vertue / and of ryall pleasure <br>Of famous poetes / many yeres ago <br>O insacyate couetyse / of the specyall treasure <br>Of newe inuencyon / to ydlenes the fo <br>We maye you laude / and often prayse also <br>And specyally / for worthy causes thre <br>Whiche to this daye / we maye bothe here and se <br>As to the fyrste / your hole desyre was set <br>Fables to fayne / to eschewe ydlenes <br>With amplyacyon / more connynge to get <br>By the labour / of inuentyfe besynes <br>Touchynge the trouthe / by couert lykenes <br>To dysnull vyce / and the vycyous to blame <br>Your dedes therto / exemplyfyde the same <br>And secondly / ryght well you dyde endyte <br>Of the worthy actes / of many a conqueroure <br>Throughe whiche laboure / that you dyde so wryte <br>Vnto this daye reygneth the honoure <br>Of euery noble / and myghty warryoure <br>And for youe labour / and your besy payne <br>Youre fame yet lyueth / and shall endure certayne <br>And eke to prayse you / we are gretely bounde <br>Bycause our connynge / frome you so procedeth <br>For you therof / were fyrst orygynall grounde <br>And vpon youre scryptue / our scyence ensueth <br>Your splendent verses / our lyghtnes renueth <br>And so we ought to laude and magnyfy <br>Your excellent sprynges / of famous poetry </div><div style="margin:10px 0">A replycacyon agaynst ignoraunt persones. Ca. ix.792 But rude people / opprest with blyndnes <br>Agaynst your fables / wyll often solysgyse <br>Suche is theyr mynde / suche is theyr folysshnes <br>For they byleue / in no maner of wyse <br>That vnder a colour / a trouthe may aryse <br>For folysshe people / blynded in a mater <br>Wyll often erre / whan they of it do clatter <br>O all ye cursed / and suche euyll fooles <br>Whose syghttes be blynded / ouer all with foly <br>Open your eyes / in the pleasaunt scoles <br>Of parfyte connynge / or that you reply <br>Agaynst fables / for to be contrary <br>For lacke of connyge / no meruayle thoughe you erre <br>In suche scyence / whiche is frome you so ferre <br>For now the people / whiche is dull and rude <br>Yf that they do rede / a fatall scrypture <br>And can not moralyse / the semelytude <br>Whiche to theyr wyttes / is so harde and obscure <br>Than wyll they saye / that it is sene in vre <br>That nought do poetes / but depaynt and lye <br>Deceyuynge them / by tongues of flatery <br>But what for that / they can not defame <br>The poetes actes / whiche are in effecte <br>Vnto themselfe / remayneth the shame <br>To dysprayse that / whiche they can not correcte <br>And yf that they / hadde in it inspecte <br>That they wolde it prayse / and often eleuate <br>For it shoulde be / to them so delycate.</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=Stephen+Hawes">Stephen Hawes</a><div class=q> <img src="https://www.citatepedia.ro/g/32share.png" style="float:left" alt="Share"> <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=521158" data-title="The Pastime of Pleasure : The First Part. de Stephen Hawes" data-description="Here begynneth the passe tyme of pleasure. Ryyght myghty prynce / & redoubted souerayne Saylynge forthe well / in the shyppe of grace Ouer the wawes / of this lyfe vncertayne Ryght towarde heuen / to haue dwellynge place Grace dothe you guyd..."></div> </div> </div>

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