The Assemble of Goddes Part 12

Thus duryng the tyme of deuyacion From Adam to Moyses was ydolatry Through the worlde vsed in comon opynyon These were the G.o.ddys that thou there sy And as for the awayters that stood hem by They polytyke Phylosophers & Poetes were Whiche feyned the fables {that} I speke of here

Then seased the tyme of deuyacyon When Moyses receyued that tables of stone Entryng the tyme of reuocacyon On the mounte of Synay stondyng allone G.o.d yaue hym myght ayene all his fone And then began the olde testament Whiche to the people by Moyses was sent

And that tyme dured the Incarnacyon Of Cryste and then began it to sese For then came the tyme of reconcylyacyon Of man to G.o.d I tell the doutlese When the sone of man put hym in prese Wylfully to suffre dethe for mankynde In holy scrypture this mayst thou fynde

This Reconcylyacyon was the tyme of grace When fou{n}ded was the chirche vpon {that} fayre sto{n}e And to holy Peter the keye delyuered was Of heuen h.e.l.l dyspoyled was anone Thys was mankynde delyuered from his fone Original has Wnd And then began the newe testament instead of And The last line of stanza Whiche .iii. tymes a sondry dyuyded is missing. The line reads: Mayst thou here see yf thou lyst beholde That the Crystyn pepyll The fyrst behynde the in pycture is prouyded beleve in present.

The seconde of the lyft honde shew p{ro}phet olde Original has The .iii. on the ryght honde here it is to {the} tolde in instead Thus hast thou in vysyon the verey fygure of is Of these .iii. tymes here shewed in portrayture

That is to say fyrst of deuyacyon From Adam to Moyses recordyng scripture Seconde fro Moyses to the Incarnacyon Of Cryst kepeth reuocacyon cure And as for the thyrd thou mayst be verrey sure Wylt dure from thens to the worldes ende But now the .iiii. must thou haue in mynde

Whiche is callid p{ro}perly {the} tyme of pylgremage After some & some named it otherwyse And call hit the tyme of daungerous pa.s.sage And some of werre that fully hit dyspyse But what so it be named I wyll the auyse Remembre it well and prynte it in thy mynde Wherof the fygure mayst thou me behynde

And elles remembre thyselfe in thyne herte How Vyce & Vertue dayly theym occupy In maner one of hem hym to peruerte Another to bryng hym to endeles glory Thus they contynue fyght for the vyctory Hit is no nede herof to tell the more For in this short vysyon {thou} hast seen it before

And as for Attropos greuous compleynt Vnto the G.o.ddys betokeneth noo more But oonly to shew the how frendely constrey{n}t On a stedfast herte weyeth full sore Good wyll requyreth good wyll ayene therfore Dyscorde to deth hathe ay byn a frende For Dyscorde bryngeth many to her ende

Wherfore Dethe thought he wolde auenged be On his frendes quarell yf that he myghte For her gret vnkyndnesse is somoche as she Was among hem all had so in despyte And at that ba[n]ket made of soo lyte Which caused hym among he{m} to cast in a bone That fou{n}de they{m} gnawyng ynough euerichone

Thus ofte is seen on frende for a nother Wyll say & doo and some tyme maters feyne And also kynnysmen a cosyne or a brother Wyll for his alyer he haue cause compleyne And where that he loueth doo his besy peyne His frendes mater as his owne to take Whiche oft sythe causeth mychyll sorow awake

Be hit ryght or wrong he chargeth not a myte Ap towarde that poynt he taketh lytyll hede So that he may haue his frowarde appetyte Performed he careth not how his soule spede (not{e} Of G.o.d or Deuyll haue suche lytyll drede How be it one there is that lord is of all Whiche to euery wyght at last rewarde shall

And as for {the} batayl betwene Vertu holde Soo playnly appereth to the inwardly To make exposycyon therof new or olde Were but superfluyte therefore refuse hit I In man shall thou fynde {that} were kept dayly Lyke as {thou} hast seen it fowty[u]e before thy face The pycture me behynd{e} sheweth it i{n} lytyll s.p.a.ce

And as for Macrocosme it is nomore to say But the lesse worlde to the comon entent Whiche applyed is to man both nyght & day Soo is man the felde to which all were sent On bothe partyes & they that thyder went Sygnyfye nomore but after the condycyon Of euery manes opynyon

And as for the n.o.ble knygt Perseueraunce Which gate the felde when it was almost gone Betokeneth nomore but the contynuaunce Of vertuous lyvyng tyll dethe hath auergone Who soo wyll doo rewarded is anone As Vertue was with the crowne on hy whiche is noo more but euerlastyng glory

And as for Prestynacyon The line is cut short.

That eche of hem rewarded after his deserte The line must be: Is to vnderstonde nomore but dampnacyon And as for Prescience To vycyous people is the verey scourge smert and Predestinacion Rewarde for they fro Vertue wolde peruert And endelesse Ioye is to hem that be electe Rewarded & to all that folow the same secte

And as for the keyes of the posternes fyue Whiche were to Morple{us} rewarded for his laboure Sygnyfye not elles but whyle man is on lyue His fyue inwarde wyttes shall be euery hour In his slepe occupyed in hele & in langour With fantasyes tryfels Illusyons & dremes Whiche Poetes call Morpleus stremes

And as for Residiuacyon is nomore to say But after Confessyon tornyng ayene to synne Whiche to euery man retornyth sauns delay To vycyous lyuyng agayn hym to wynne Whyle ony man lyueth wyll it neuer blynne That cursed conclusyon for to bryng aboute But Reason with Sadnes kepe it styll oute

Here hast thou properly the verrey sentence Perde now declared of this vysyon The pycture also yeueth clere intellygence Therof beholden with good dyscresyon Loke well aboute and take consyderasyon As I haue declared whether hit s...o...b.. A syr quoth Morpleus what tolde I the

Hast thou properly the verey sentence Loke on yon wall yonder before And all that tyme stood I in a wyre Whiche way first myn hert wolde yeue more To loke in a stody stood I therfore Neuerthelesse at last as Morpleus me badde I loked forwarde with contenaunce sadde

Where I beheld in portrayture The maner of the felde euen as it was Shewed me before & euery creature On bothe sydes beyng drawyng in small s.p.a.ce Soo caryously in soo lytyll a compace In all this worlde was neuer thyng wrought Hit were Impossyble in erthe to be thought

And when I had long beholde that pycture What q{uo}d Morpleus how longe shalte thou loke Daryng as a dastard on yon portrayture: Come of for shame thy wytte stante a croke I heryng that myn herte to me toke Towarde the fourthe wall tornyng my vysage Where I sawe Poetes & Phylosophers sage

Many one moo that at the banket Serued the G.o.ddes as I sayde before Som were made standyng & som in chayris set Som lokyng on bokys as they had stodyed sore Som drawyng almenakis & in her hondis bore Astyrlabes takyng the altytude of the sonne Among whome Dyogenes sate in a tonne

And as I was lokyng on that fourthe wall Of Dyogenes beholdyng the ymage Sodeynly Doctryne began me to call And bad me tourne towarde hyr my vysage And soo then I dyde with humble corage Whan thynkest {thou} she sayd hast {thou} not thentent Yet of these foure walles what they represent

The pycture on the fyrst {that} standeth at my bake Sheweth the {the} present tyme of pylgremage Of whiche before I vnto the spake Whiche is the tyme of daungerous pa.s.sage The seconde dyscrettly agayne my vysage The tyme expresseth of Deuyacyon Whyle paynyme lawe had the domynacyon

The thryd wall standyng on my lyfe honde The tyme representeth of Reuocacyon And the fourthe standyng on my ryght honde Determyneth the tyme of Reconsylyacyon This is the effecte of thy vysyon Wherfore the nedeth no more theron to muse Hit were but veyne thy wyttes to dysuse

But duryng the tym of Reconsylyacyon Thy tyme of pylgremage loke well {thou} spende And then woll gracyous Predestynacyon Original has Bryng the to glory at thy law ende well instead And euen with that came to my mynde of woll My fyrst conclusyon that I was aboute To haue dreuen er slepe made me to lute

That is to say how Sensualyte {With} Reason to acorde myght be brought aboute Whiche caused me to knele downe on my kne And beseke Doctryne determyne that doute Oo Lord G.o.d sayd Doctry{n}e canst {thou} not withoute Me that conclusyon bryng to an ende Ferre is fro the wytte & ferther good mende

And euen with that Dethe gan appere Shewyng hymselfe as though that he wolde His darte haue occupyed within that herbere But there was none for hym yong nor olde Saue oonly I Doctrine hym tolde And when I herde hyr with hym comon thus I me withdrew behynde Morpleus.

Dredyng full sore lest he with his dart.

Through Doctrynes wordes ony entresse.

In me wolde haue had or claymed ony part Which sholde haue caused me grete heuynesse Within whiche tyme & short processe Came thyder Reason and Sensualyte.

A quoth Doctryne ryght welcome be ye

Hit is not long sythe we of you spake Ye must er ye goo determyne a doute And euen with that she the mater brake To theym & tolde hit euery where aboute I wolde haue be thens yf I had moute For fere I loked as blake as a cole I wolde haue cropen in a mouse hole

What quoth Doctryne where is he now That meu[i]d this mater straunge & dyffuse He is a cowarde I make myn auow He hyded his hede his mocyon to refuse Blame hym not q{uo}d Reason alway {that} to vse When he seeth Dethe soo nere at his honde Yet is his part hym to withstonde

Or at the leste way elles fro hym flee Original has As longe as he may who dooth other wyse fym instead Is an ydeote quoth Sensualytee of hym Who dredeth not Dethe wyse men hym dyspyse What said Doctryne how long hathe this gyse Be holden & vsed thus atwixe you tweyne Ye were not wonte to acorde certeyne

Yes quoth Reason in this poynt alway To euery man haue we yeuen our counsayll Dethe for to flee as long as they may Although wo otherwyse haue done our trauayl Eche other to represse yet withoute fayll In that poynt oonly dyscordeth we neuer Thus condescended therin be we for euer

Aha sayd Doctryne then is the conclusyon Clerely determined of the gret doute That here wes meuyd & halfe in derysyon She me then called & bade me loke oute Come forthe she sayd & feere not this route And euen with that Reason & Sensualyte And Dethe fro thens were vanysshed all thre

Then loked I forthe as Doctryne me badde When Dethe was gone me thought I was bolde To shewe myselfe but yet was I sadde Me thought my doute was not as I wolde Clerely and openly declared & tolde Hit sowned to me as a parable Derke as a myste or a fayned fable Original has myhe instead And Doctryne my conceyte gan espy of myste Wherfore sayd she standest thou soo styll Wherin is thy thought arte thou in stody Of thy questyon hast thou not thy fyll To the declared tell me thy wyll.

Herdest thou not Reason & Sensualyte Declared thy doute here before the

Forsothe quoth I I herde what they sayde But neuerthelesse my wytte is so thynne And also of Dethe I was so afrayde That hit is out where hit vent ynne And so that mater can I not wynne Without your helpe & benyuolence Therof to expresse the veray sentence

Well quod Doctryne then yeue attendaunce Vnto my wordes & thou shalt here Openly declared the concordaunce Atwene Sensualyte & Reason in fere If thou take hede hit clerely dooth apere How they were knette in one opynyon Bothe agayn Dethe helde contradyccon

Whiche concordaunce no more sygnyfyeth To playne vnderstandyng but in euery mane Bothe Sensualyte & Reason applyeth Rather Dethe to flee then with hir to be tane Loo in that poynt accorde they holly thane And in all other they clerely dyscorde Thus is trewly set thy doubtfull monacorde

I heryng that kneled on my kne And thanked her lowly for her dyscyplyne That she wouchesafe of her benygnyte Of tho gret doubtes me to enlumyne Well was she worthy to be called Doctryne If it had be no more but for the solucyon Of my demaunde & of this straunge vysyon

And as I with myne hede began for to bow As me well ought to do her reuerence She thens departed I can not tell how But within a moment gone was she thens Then sayd Morpleus let vs go hens what sholde we here tarye lengere Hast thou not herde a generall answere

To all thy materes that thou lyst to meue My tyme draweth nere that I must rest And euen therewith he toke me by the sleue And sayd goo we hens for that sholde I best As good is ynough as a grete fest Thou hast seen ynough holde the content And euen with {that} forthe with hym I went

Tyll he had me brought agene to my bedde where he me founde and then pryuely Original has He stale awaye I coude not vnderstande pruyely were he became but sodeynly instead of As he came he went I tell you veryly pryuely whiche done fro slepe I gan to awake My body all in swet began for to shake

For drede of the syght that I had sene wenyng to me all had be trew Actuelly done where I had bene That batyll holde twene Vyce & Vertew But when I see hit hit was but a whew A dreme a fantasy & a thyng of nought To study thereon I had nomore thought

Tyll at the last I gan me bethynke For what cause shewed was this vysyon I knew not wherefore I toke pen & ynke And paper therof to make mencyon In wrytyng takyng consyderacyon That noo defaute were found in me whereon accused I ought for to be

For slouthe that I had left hit vntolde Neyther by mouthe nor in remembrau{n}ce Put it in wrytyng where thorugh manyfolde wayes of accusacio{n} myght torne me to greuau{n}ce All this I sawe as I lay in a traunce But wheder it was with myne ey bodely Or not in certayn G.o.d knoweth & not I

That to dyscerne I purpose not to dele Soo large by my wyll it longeth not to me were hit dreme or vysyon for your owne wele All that shall hit rede here rad or se Take thereof the best & let the worst be Try out the corne clene from the chaff And then may ye say ye have a sure staff

To stande by at nede of ye wyll it holde And walke by the way of Vertue But alwey beware be ye yong or olde That your Frewyll ay to Vertue more Apply than to Vyce the easyer may be bore The burden of the felde that ye dayly fyght Agayn your .iii. enemyes for all her gret myght