The Example of Vertu Part 5

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Dame sapyence & I dyd take our lycence Of the kynge of loue in vertue depured And of his doughter shynynge in excellence Whiche to me sayd with wordes a.s.sured O vertuous knyght you for me haue dured In grete wo & payne but thynke you verely To scomfyt that dragon by wysedome shortly

Than went we forth to that serpent In merueylous trauayle of sorowe and bale By that tyme the daye ryght fayre was spent And phebus his course began to auale But at the last we came into a dale Wher we felt the sauer of a dungeon Of the foule and stynkynge dragon

Nere to that dragon there was a way That men vsed vpon a fayre hyll Vnto hyghe heuen so fressh and gay But that dragon lette theym theyr wyll And by the way he dyd theym kyll Bryngynge theym vnto the dungeon Iclyped the place of grete oblyuyon

I had not be there halfe an houre But that this dragon me approched As though that he wolde me deuoure He so fersly than on me marched The batayle bytwene vs longe contynued But he had me ryght sone ouercome If I had not helpe of dame wysedome

I strake at hym fast with my swerde And with my shelde dyd me defende Wysedome bad me not be aferde But my stroke that for to amende As fer as my myght weld extende So by her wordes I plucked vp myn herte And dyd than vnto the dragon sterte

But he caught me than in his clawes And so we wrasteled longe to gyder But he hyld me sharpely in his pawes Tyll wysedom my feblenesse dyd consyder Beholde she sayd dame clennes yonder Than as a syde I cast all my syght I sawe that lady so pure and bryght

My strength than dobeled an hundred folde And I from hym brake by vertuous prowes My herte was warme that afore was colde With the cfortable syght of fayre dame clennes Than I to hym gaue strokes of exces And with my sharpe swerde cut of anone Two of his heedes leuynge hym but one

These two heedes by good morall sens The worlde and the flesshe do sygnyfy As I in scrypture haue intellygence The fyrste the worlde that is transytory Lyeth bytwene man and heuenly glory Lettynge hym often of his pa.s.sage If it of hym can gete auauntage

The seconde is the flesshly desyre That troubleth a man ryght sore within Settynge his courage vpon a fyre Causynge hym to enclyne to dedely syn His flessh the batayll of hym doth wyn Often bryngynge hym into dampnacyon If repentaunce were not his saluacyon

Repentaunce alway requyreth mercy And penaunce to G.o.d is a satisfaccyon For G.o.d desyreth euermore truely An humble herte full of contrycon And the worlde desyreth restytucyon Of goodes that haue be goten wrongfully To be restored vnto the ryghtfull party

Whan I by wysedom had won the vyctory Of these two heedes I was ryght glad His thyrde heed marched ayenst me sharpely But I my swerd in my hand had Strykynge at hym with strokes sad And blode of hym coude I drawe none For he had nother flesshe ne bone

But at the last I dyd hym vaynquysshe Dryuynge hym home to his derke regyon Of infernall payne that shall not fynysshe For h.e.l.l is called his propre mancyon And of all other of his opynyon That do the preceptes of G.o.d forsake And to deuelyche werkes theym do be take

G.o.d by his ryghtwysnes made a lawe By whiche man for dedely synne is cond?pned If G.o.d his vengeaunce do not withdrawe In euerlastynge payne he sholde be prysoned But and man mercy of hym requyred With penytent hert he sholde it haue And with his mercy he wyll man saue

-- Capitulum .xii.

Whan I had scomfyte this serpent venymous Sapyence to me ryght gentely sayd Blessyd be G.o.d ye are so gracyous That ye shall mary Clennes the mayd But yet erwhyles ye were afrayd Ye I sayd and swet full ryght sore Tyll ye newe strength dyd me restore

This batayll was grete & longe endured Whiche caused me to be ryght wery But sapyence with her wordes me mured With walles of comfort makynge me mery Come on she sayd and walke on lyghtly Vnto the castell that we come fro I answered to her I wolde do so

Than forth we went a grete pace Tyll that we came to the castell syde There mette vs ladyes with grete solace And welcomed vs at the same tyde So fayre a sort in the worlde so wyde May not be founde by no maner of reason As I sawe there at the same season

The fyrste lady that dyd vs mete Iclyped was dame perseueraunce Whiche to me sayd with wordes swete Blessyd be G.o.d of your good gouernaunce That hath kept you from the incomberaunce Of the serpent with the heedes thre And caused you vyctor of hym to be

Than came dame fayth that lady gloryous Welcome she sayd with wordes amyable I am ryght glad ye ar so vyctoryous Of that foule dragon so abhomynable She sayd that I was euermore stable In her in dede eke worde and thought Or elles my labour had ben to nought

Than spake the lady fayre dame charyte Welcome vertue the n.o.ble veteran Sythens that ye alway haue loued me From the fyrst season that ye began Bothe in your youth & syth ye were man Ye haue had me in humble reuerence And haue ben ruled by my preemynence

Than sayd dame prayer in my presence Ye neuer cast me in oblyuyaunce By no slouth nor wordely neglygence But haue had me in grete remembraunce Whiche hath ben to me very grete pleasaunce Wherfore welcome vertue my dere Vnto this castell that ye se here

Than came fast to me dame lowelynes Clyppynge me harde with louely chere Byddynge me welcome with grete gladnes As by her contenauce it dyd well appere Come on she sayd and walke on nere So than amonge these fayre ladyes all I went in to the grete castell hall

And there met me dame clennes blyue And dame grace bare vp her trayne Whiche euer to her was affyrmatyue From whome dame clennes myght not refrayne Than sayd she to me I am ryght fayne That ye ar comen in to this place Where ye shall wedde me in short s.p.a.ce

Vpon my kne I kneled than downe Saynge o sterre of the blysse eterne O well of vertue and of grete renowne O dyuyne comfort moost sempyterne Whan I your beautye do so well decerne Ye set myn hert vpon a brennynge fyre With feruent loue to come to my desyre

To me she answered in this wyse O my dere herte my spouse so pure Why do ye not on your fete aryse You of my true loue shall be sure For ye my hert haue now in cure Lete vs go now to our fader reuerente So forthe vnto hym than we wente

Whan that we came afore his fayre face Dame clennes made curtesye vnto the grounde Saynge o fader kynge of grete grace This knyght to loue ye are now bounde And so am I for I haue often founde Grete kyndnes on hym both nyght and day For he hath loued me ryght well alway [<>

Welcome he sayd ryght n.o.ble knyght How haue ye done sythens your departynge Haue ye scomfyted with your myght The merueylous dragon so gretly slynkynge Ye I sayd with the power shynynge Of my maystresse good dame sapyence I dyd hym vaynquysshe by her experyence

Wher is dame Sapyence than sayd he And eke her syster dame dyscrecyon Syr I sayd they are comen with me And they haue had me in iurisdyccyon Syns my departynge without destruccyon Than spake dame sapyence by her faculte Vnto that myghty lordes mageste

Saynge this knyght than cleped vertue Hath loued your doughter by longe contynuauce With stable loue so faythfull and true And for her sake hath put to vteraunce The thre heeded dragon by wyse puruyaunce Wherfore me thynke he ought to mary Your doughter Clennes that n.o.ble lady

The kynge sayd me thynke the same If that my doughter wyll agre And she do not she moche is to blame Consyderynge his wysedome & grete beaute Come hyder he sayd my doughter fre To be wyfe to vertue wyll ye consent Ye fader she sayd with hole entent

Than he called vnto his presence Perseueraunce charyte and fydelyte With lowlynes prayer and intellygence Shewynge vnto theym the certeynte How clennes his doughter wedded shall be Vnto me now vertu in all G.o.dely hast By fore that thre dayes be ryght fully past

He called me than to his magnyfycence Byddynge me go to bed and to rest In the chaumbre of clene conscyence Than so to do I thought it the best For phebus was tourned into the west So sapyence and I went forthe to bed For lake of rest oppressed was my hed

A lytyll welp within this chaumbre was That lay wakynge and barked alway That no man in to it sholde pa.s.se That wolde with conscyence make a fray I dyd slepe there tyll that it was day Than vp I rose and made me redy Callynge vnto me dame sapyence shortely

Saynge vnto her o lady and maystres O comfortable salue vnto euery sore O fontayne of welth and carbuncle of clernes Without ye helpe me I am forlore Wherfore I shewe you as now before Without I mary fayre dame clennes I shall endure in mortall heuynes

Therof sayd she be no thynge adred For ye shall mary here ryght soone By me your mater shall be well sped And the same daye it shall be doone Aboute the houre truely of noone And there shall be at your good dyner Charyte fayth penaunce and prayer

Dame sapyence led me into a gardeyn Where Clennes was amonge floures swete Her to repayre without dysdeyn As I to her wente she dyd me mete Bryngynge me a floure called the margarete Whiche is a floure ryght swete and precyous Indued with beaute and moche vertuous

This floure I kyst often ryght swetely Settynge it nere vnto my hert Dame Clennes loked vpon me louely Saynge that I sholde not depert Tyll she had shewed me a grete couert So with her I wente without delay Where byrdes sate on many a spray

By this tyme phebus had begon His ascencyall cours in grete bryghtnes In to the sygne of the fierous lyon Exylynge the fenerous frosty coldnes And depryuynge the noxyall derkenes And also setherus his fragraunt breth Dystylled had vpon euery heth

Than to her I sayd my lady dere Beholde this weder so clere and fayre How royall walkynge that it is here Lyke a place of pleasure you to repayre Amonge the floures so swete of ayre An other she had as she me tolde Bryghter than phebus a thousande folde

This is a place of recreacyon My mynde to comfort after study In welth pleasure and delectacyon For yf I sholde my selfe applye Euer to pray to G.o.d an hye Without this place I may not be sure In other tyme in prayer to endure

But the other gardyn is celestyall That longeth to vs by enherytaunce And is entayled to vs in generall For our clene lyfe & vertuous gouernauce Who that vs loueth without doubtauce With vs shall go to eternall glory In short s.p.a.ce or elles to purgatory

Than forth we went to her fader royall Whiche welcomed vs by grete humylyte Saynge my doughter dere and specyall Ye shall this daye by grete solempnyte Be wedded to vertue with benygnyte We kneled downe and thanked his grace And than forth we went to an other place

Capitulum .xiii.

[Ill.u.s.tration]