The Assemble of Goddes | Page 6

For of froste & snowe was
all his aray.
¶ In his honde he helde a fawchon all blody
¶ It semed
by his chere as he wold make a frai
¶ A baudryck of Isykles about his
necke gaye
¶ He had and aboue on hygh on his hede.
¶ Couchid
{with} hayl sto{n}es he wered a crou{n} of lede
¶ And nexte in ordre was set by his syde.
¶ Ceres the goddesse in a
garmente.
¶ Of sacke cloth made {with} sleues large & wyde
¶
Embrowdered wyth sheues and sycles bent
¶ Of all maner greynes
she sealed {the} patente.
¶ In token {that} she was goddes of corne.

¶ Olde Poetes saye she beryth the heruest horn
¶ Then was there set the god cupydo·
¶ All fresshe & galaunte and
costly in aray.
¶ Wyth ouches and rynges he was beset so.
¶ {the}
paleys therof shon as though it had be day
¶ A kerchyff of plesau{n}s
stood ouer his helm ay
¶ The goddesse Ceres he loked in the face.
¶
And wyth one arme he her dyde enbrace.
¶ Next to Cupido in order by and by
¶ Of wordly wysdum sat the
forteresse.
¶ Called Othea chyef grounde of polycy.
¶ Reuler of
knyghthode of prudence {the} goddes
¶ Clad all in purpure was she
more & lesse.
¶ Saaf on her hede a crowne there stode.
¶ Couched
wyth perles oryent fyne & good.
¶ And nexte to her was god Pluto set
¶ Wyth a derke myste enuyrond
al about.
¶ His clothy was made of a smoky net.
¶ His colour was
bothe wythin & wythoute.
¶ Foule / derke & dy{m}me his eyen grete

& stoute.
¶ Of fyre & sulfure all his odoure wase.
¶ That wo was
me whyle I beheld his face
¶ Fortune the goddesse {with} her perty face.
¶ Was vnto Pluto next
in order sette.
¶ Varyant she was ay in shorte space.
¶ Her whele
was redy to turne wythout let.
¶ Her gowne was of gawdy grene
clamelet.
¶ Chaungeable of sondry dyuerse colours.
¶ To {the}
condycyons accordy{n}g to her shoures
¶ And by her sat thoughe he vnworthy were.
¶ The rewde god Pan of
shepherdes {that} gyde
¶ Clad in russet frese & breched lyke a bere.

¶ Wyth a grete terbox hangyng by his syde.
¶ A shepcrok in his
ho{n}d he spared for no pryde.
¶ And by his fete lay a prekered curre.

¶ He rateled in {the} throte as he had {the} murre.
¶ Isys the goddes bare hym company.
¶ For at the table next she sat
by his syde.
¶ In a close kyrtell embrowdered curyously
¶ {with}
braunches and leues brood large & wyde.
¶ Grene as any grasse in
{the} somer tyde.
¶ Of all maner frute she had the gouernaunce
¶
Of fauours odyferous was her sustynauns
¶ Next to her than was god Neptunus set.
¶ He sauoured lyke a
fyssher of hy{m} i spak before
¶ It semed by his clothes as they had
be wet.
About hy{m} i{n} his gyrdelsted hi{n}g fysshes mani a xx ¶
Of his straunge aray merueyled I sore.
¶ A shyp wyth a top and sayle
was hys creste.
¶ Me thought he was gayly dysgysed at {the} fest.
¶ Than toke mynerue the goddes her sete.
¶ Ioyntly to Neptunus all in
curas cladde.
¶ Gau{n}telettis on ho{n}des & sabatou{n}s on her fete

¶ She loked about as though she had be mad.
¶ An hamer and a
sythe on her hede she hadde
¶ She wered two bokelers one by her
syde.
¶ that other ye wote were this was al her prid
¶ Tha{n} cam {the} god bach{us} & by her set hy{m} doun ¶
Holdynge in his honde a cuppe full of wyne.
¶ Of grene vyne leues he

wered a Ioly croun
¶ He was clad in clustres of grapes gode & fine

¶ A garlonde of yuy he chose for his sygne.
¶ On his hede he had a
thredbare ke{n}dall hode.
¶ A gymlot and a fauset therupon stode.
¶ Next hym sat phebus wyth her colour pale.
¶ Fat she was of face but
of complexon feynte.
She sayd she rewled Neptun{us} & made hy{m}
bayl
¶ And ones in {the} monthe {with} pheb{us} was she mei{n}t ¶
Also ne were she Ceres were ateynte
¶ Thus she sat & tolde the
myght of her nature
¶ & on her hede she wered a croun of siluer pure
¶ Ioyntly to her Marcuryus toke his see.
¶ As came to his cours
wytnesse the zodyake.
¶ He had a gylden tonge as fyll for his degree

¶ In eloquence of langage he passed al {the} pake
¶ For in his
talkyng no man coud fynde lake
¶ A box wyth quycksyluer he had in
his honde /
¶ Multyplyers know it wel in euery londe
¶ By hym sat dame Ven{us} {with} colour crystalline
¶ Whos long
here shone as wyre of gold bry{gh}t
¶ Cryspe was her skyn her eyen
columbyne
¶ Rauysshed myne herte her chere was so ly{gh}t
¶
Patrones of plesau{n}ce be named wel she my{gh}t
¶