The Example of Vertu | Page 3

fayre and also pure
All that
dependynge in her ordynaunce
Where that she fauoureth there is grete
pleasaunce
The seconde is called dame fortune
Ayenst whome can be no
resystence
For she doth sette the strynges in tune
Of euery persone
by her magnyfycence
Whan they sound best by good experyence

She wyll theym loose and let theym slyp
Causynge theym fall by her
turnynge tryp
The thyrde called is dame hardynes
That often rulyth by her cheualry

She is ryght stowt and of grete prowes
And the captayn of a lusty

company
And ruleth theym euer full hardely
And to gete honour
and worldely tresure
She putteth her oft in auenture
[P] The fourth is wysedome a lady bryght
Whiche is my syster as ye
shall se
Whom I do loue with all my myght
For she enclyneth euer
to benygnyte
And medeleth not with fraude nor subtylyte
But
maketh many noble clerkes
And ruleth theym in all theyr werkes
[P] They dwell all in a fayre castell
Besyde a ryuer moche depe and
clere
And be expert in feytys manuell
That vnto theym can be no
peere
Of erthely persone that lyueth here
For they be so fayre and
wounderous
That theym to se it is solacyous.
[P] Longe haue they trauerst gretly in the lawe
Whiche of theym
sholde haue the preemynence
And none of them theyr case wyll
withdrawe
Tyll of dame Iustyce they knowe the sentence
They
argue often and make defence
Eche vnto other withouten remedy
I
wyll no lenger of them specefy
Capitulum tercium.
[Illustration]
Come on fayre youth and go with me
Vnto that place that is
delectable
Bylded with towres of curyosyte
And yet though that ye
be lamentable
Whan thou art there you wylt be confortable
To se
the merueyles that there be wrought
No man can prynt it in his
thought
A path we founde ryght gretely vsed
Where in we went tyll at the last

A castell I sawe wherof I mused
Not fully from me a stones cast

To se the towres I was agast
Set in a valey so strongely fortefyed
So
gentyll compassed and well edefyed
The towres were hyghe of adamond stones
With fanes wauerynge in

the wynde
Of ryght fyne golde made for the noonys
And roobuckes
ran vnder the lynde
And hunters came theym fer behynde
A Ioye it
was suche sawe I neuer
Abyde quod she ye shall se a better.
Forth she me ledde to the castell warde
Where we were let in by
humylyte
And so after she lede me forwarde
Tyll that I sawe a
royall tre
With buddys blossomed of grete beaute
And than we
wente in to the hall
That glased was truely with crystall
And hanged was with clothes of Aras
Made of fyne golde with a
noble story
How that there some tyme reynynge was
In the regyon
of hyghe Italy
A valyaunt emperour and a myghty
That had to name
forsothe Tyberius
Whiche dyde enquere of prudent Iosethus
[P] Why he his offycers so longe kepte
Vnto hym he answered a good
cause why
Somtyme I sawe a man that slepte
That wounded was
full pyteously
And on his woundes suckynge many a fly
I than for
pyte moued theym away
By whiche he woke and to me dyde say
[P] Wher that thou trowed to me comfort
Thou now hast done me
double greuaunce
Puttynge away the flyes that dyde resorte
To me
beynge full of blody sustynaunce
By this thou mayst haue good
perseueraunce
That now wyll come the flyes moost hungry
That
wyll me byte .x. tymes more greuously
[P] The roof was wrought by merueylous gemetry
Colered with asure
gold and gowlys
With knottes coruen full ryght craftely
And set
also with wanton fowlys
As popyniays / pyes / Iays / and owlys

And as I loked on my ryght syde
A lady I sawe of meruellous pryde
[P] Syttynge in a chayer at the vpper ende
Of all the hall as a lady and
prynces
Amonge many kynges that dyde entende
To be obedyent to
her hyghe noblenes
Her apparell was made of moche fayre ryches

Set with rubyes moost pure and rubicound
Embrawded with perles

and many a dyamound
Besydes her sate the worthyes nyne
And she amonge theym a whele
turnynge
Full lowe to her they dyd than enclyne
She somtyme
laughynge and somtyme lowrynge
Her condycyon was to be
dyssymelynge
And many exalten vpon her whele
Gyuynge theym
grete falles that they dyd fele
Than sayd dyscrecyon beholde and see
That in dame fortune is no
stablenes
This worlde also is but a vanyte
A dreme a pompe
nothynge in stedfastnes
For fortune is fals and full of doblenes

Whan she moost flatereth she is not sure
As thou mayst se dayly in
vre
Capitulum .iiii.
[Illustration]
Forth than we went vnto the habytacle
Of dame hardynes moost pure
and fayre
Aboue all places a ryght fayre spectacle
Strowyd with
floures that gaue good eyer
Of vertuous turkeys there was a cheyr

Wherin she sate in her cote armure
Berynge a shelde the felde of
asure
Wherin was sette a rampynge lyon
Of fyne golde ryght large and
grete
A swerd she had of merueylous fassyon
As though a thousand
she sholde bete
No man the vyctory of her myght gete
A noble
vyrgyn there dyde her serue
That fyrst made harnes called Mynerue
The chaumbre where she