The Example of Vertu | Page 2

Stephen Hawes
sure
Of frutfull sentence
ryght delycyous
O vertuous Lydgat moche sentencyous
Vnto you
all I do me excuse
Though I your connynge do now vse
Explicit prologus.
Capitulum prim[um]
[Illustration]
In Septembre in fallynge of the lefe
Whan phebus made his
declynacyon
And all the whete gadred was in the shefe
By radyaunt
hete and operacyon
Whan the vyrgyn had full domynacyon
And
Dyane entred was one degre
Into the sygne of Gemyne
Whan the golden sterres clere were splendent
In the firmament
puryfyed clere as crystall
By imperyall course without incombrement


As Iuppyter and Mars that be celestyall
With Saturne and Mercury
that wer supernall
Myxt with venus that was not retrograte
That
caused me to be well fortunate
In a slombrynge slepe with slouth opprest
As I in my naked bedde
was leyd
Thynkynge all nyght to take my rest
Morpleus to me than
made abreyd
And in my dreme me thought he sayd
Come walke
with me in a medowe amerous
Depeynted with floures that be
delycyous
I walked with hym into a place
Where that there grue many a fayre
floure
With Ioye replete and full of solace
And the trees dystyllynge
redolent lycoure
More sweter fer than the Aprell shour
And tary I
dyd there by longe space
Tyll that I saw before my face
A ryght fayre lady of myddell stature
And also enduyd with grete
vertue
Her apparell was set with perlys pure
Whose beaute alway
dyd renue
To me she sayd and ye wyll extue
All wyldnes I wyll be
your guyde
That ye to fraylte shall not slyde.
[>>]
Vnto her I answerde o lady gloryous
I pray you tell me what is
your name
For ye seeme to be ryght precyous
And I am yonge and
sore to blame
Of vyces full and in vertue lame
But I wyll be ruled
now by your pleasure
So that your order be made by mesure
Eclepyd I am she sayd dyscrecyon
And yf ye wyll be ruled by me

Ye shall haue Ioye without reprehencyon
And neuer fall in to
fragylyte
Youth lackynge me it is grete pyte
For in what place I am
exyled
They be with synne ryght oft defyled
It longeth euer vnto my properte
Youth to gyue courage for to lerne

I wyll not medle with no duplycyte
But faythfulnes I wyll dyscerne

And brynge thy soule to blesse eterne

By wyse example and morall
doctryne
For youth hauynge to me is a good syne

Forsake also all euyll company
And be founde true in worde and dede

Remembre that this worlde is transytory
After thy desert shall be
thy mede
Loue god alway and eke hym drede
And for no mannes
pleasure be thyn owne foo
Gyue theym fayre wordes and lete theym
goo
[<>]
Be to thy kynge euer true subgete
As thou sholdest be by ryght
and reason
Lete thy herte lowely on hym be sete
Without ony spot
of euyll treason
And be obedyent at euery season
Vnto his grace
without rebellyon
That thou with trouth may be companyon
Loue neuer vnloued for that is payne
Whyle that thou lyuest of that
beware
Loue as thou seest the loued agayne
Or elles it wyll torne
the to care
Be neuer taken in that fast snare
Proue or thou loue that
is moost sure
And than thou in doubte shalt not endure.
Beware byleue no flaterynge tonge
For flaterers be moost disseyuable

Though that they company with the longe
Yet at the ende they wyll
be varyable
For they by reason are not fauorable
But euermore fals
and double
And with theyr tonges cause of grete trouble
This brytell worlde ay full of bytternes
Alway turnynge lyke to a ball

No man in it can haue no sykernes
For whan he clymmeth he hath
a fall
O wauerynge shadowe bytter as gall
O fatall welth full soone
at ende
Though thou ryght hy do oft assende
[<>]
Whan she to me had made relacyon
Of all these prouerbes by
good conclusyon
She gaue to me an Informacyon
For to depryue all
yll abusyon
And to consydre the grete derysyon
Whiche is in youth
that may not se
No thynge appropred to his prosperyte
Forth than we went to an hauen syde
Wher was a shyp lyenge at rode

Taryenge after the wynde and tyde
And with moche spyces ryght
well lode
Vpon it lokynge we longe abode
Tyll eolus with blastes

began to rore
Than we her aborded with payne ryght sore
This water eclyped was vayneglory
Euer with yeopardy and
tempestyous
And the shyp called was ryght truly
The vessell of the
passage daungerous
The wawys were hyghe and gretly troublous

The captayn called was good comfort
And the sterysman fayre
pasport
[P] Capitulum .ii.
Longe were we dryuen with wynde & weder
Tyll we arryued in a
fayre Ilonde
Wher was a boote tyed with a teeder
Of merueylous
wood as I vnderstonde
Precyous stones ley vpon the sond
And
poynted dyamondes grewe on the rockes
And corall also by ryght
hyghe stockes
[<<]
Amased I was for to beholde
The precyous stones vnder my fete

And the erth glysterynge of golde
With floures fayre of odour swete

Dame dyscrecyon I dyd than grete
Praynge her to me to make
relacyon
Who of this Ilonde hath domynacyon
She sayd foure ladyes in vertue excellent
Of whiche the eldest is
dame nature
That dayly fourmeth after her entent
Euery beest and
lyuynge creature
Both foule and
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