The Example of Vertu | Page 4

held her consystory
The dewe aromatyke
dyde oft degoute
Of fragraunt floures full of delycasy
That all yll
heyres dyde ensence oute
A carbuncle there was that all aboute

Enlumyned the chaumbre both day and nyght
My thought it was an
heuenly syght

Nyne quenes I sawe that satte her by
Beynge all armed of grete
fortytude
In many a stower they wanne the vyctory
And were
endued with facounde pulcrytude
For to haunte armes was theyr
consuetude
Many a regyon they often wanne
And also
vaynquysshed many a noble man
Nexte vnto her sate the hyghe quene Azia
That was a conqueres so
puyssaunt
And besyde her the quene of Saba
Whiche in grete
ryches was tryumphaunt
And also Ipolyte in armes valyaunt
Sate
with her besyde quene Hecuba
And yet also the quene Europa
Present ther was the wiche quene Iuno
And quene Pantasyll wyth
fayre quene Elyn
And yet I sawe by her than also
The noble vyrgyn
yonge Polyxyn
That was destroyed at the last ruyn
Of Troye the
grete by cruell Pyrrus
The sone of Achylles that was so cheualrus
As I dyd loke I had commaundement
Of dame dyscrecyon for to
remembre
These noble ladyes so pure and excellent
Hardy in
corage of age ryght tendre
Yet not withstandynge deth dyde surrendre

And all theyr strength and lusty corage
For he spareth nother youth
ne age
Capitulum .v.
[Illustration]
Forth we walked to the dwellynge place
Of dame sapyence so full of
blys
Replete with Ioye vertu and grace
No thynge there lacked that
possyble is
Man for to comfort withouten mys
Though he were
derke in wordely foly
He sholde there b enlumyned shortely
Her towre was made of werkes curyous
I can no thynge extende the
goodlynes
Of her palays so good and gloryous
Bylded in the place
soth of fastnes
With owten tast of wordely bytternes
No persone
can extoll the souerente
Of her worthy and royall dygnyte

She eche estate sholde haue in gouernaunce
As theym to rule or that
they repent
For better it is to haue good puruyaunce
At the
begynnynge as is expedyent
Than for to wyssh for thynges myspent

That myght be saued longe afore
And with a for wytte kepte in
store
Her chaumbre was glased with byrall clarefyed
Depeynted with
colours of delectacyon
A place of pleasure so heuenly gloryfyed
In
vertue heale lyfe and saluacyon
Without ony stormy trybulacyon

That myght anoy the heuenly helth
But alway comfort to the sowlys
welth
There sate dame prudence in vertue magnyfyed
Impossyble it is to
shewe her goodelyhed
She was so fayre and clerely puryfyed
And
so dyscrete and full of womanhede
That and I trowe vertue were deed

It sholde reuyue yet in her agayne
She was so gentyll and without
dysdeyn
It was grete comfort vnto my hert
For to beholde that heuenly syght

Dyscrecyon sayd I sholde not depert
Tyll I had spoken with her
syster bryght
Forth she me ledde with all her myght
Vnto that
prynces and royall souerayn
Ergo my labour was not in vayn
Than spake dame prudence with meke contena[un]ce
Welcome
dyscrecyon my syster dere
Where haue ye ben by longe
contynuaunce
Wyth youth she sayd that ye se here
And for my sake
I you requere
Hym to receyue in to your seruyse
And he shall serue
you in goodely wyse
Welcome she sayd for my systers sake
And yet also now for your
owne
In to my seruyce I wyll you take
Sythens that your wyldnes is
ouerblowen
The sede of vertu on you shall be sowen
Vyce to
depryue by his good auctoryte
As for to subdue all yll iniquyte
Of other mennes wordes be thou not bolde
And of theyr promys

make no behest
And yf thou here an yll tale tolde
Gyue no
iugement but say the best
So shall thou lyue euermore in rest
Who
lytell medeleth is best at ease
For well were he that all myght please
Beware kepe the from grete offence
That thou condempned be not by
ryghtwysnes
Whan she doth gyue her mortall sentence
Without
pease or mercy cause her reles
Her iugement of mortall heuynes

That the best frende to the wyll be
The for to socour in grete
necessyte
But yet in theym haue none affyaunce
As fyrst to synne thynkynge
that they
At the ende to the wyll be delyueraunce
Nay ryghtwysnes
wyll dryue theym away
For of all synnes without delay
Suche
synne in hope it is the moost
For it is the synne of the holy ghoost
Now I amytte you into your rome
In the whiche ye shall your selfe
apply
Of myn owne chaumbre ye shall be grome
Loke ye be
dylygent and do not vary
From my c[om]maundementes neuer
specyally
For and ye wyll theym well obserue
A moche better rome
ye do deserue
The fyrst c[om]maundement that I gyue the
Thynke on the ende or
thou begynne
For thou by ryght may knowe the certente
That deth
is fyne of euery synne
Be neuer taken in dyabolycall engyne
But
that repentaunce may loose the sone
Of that grete synne that thou hast
done
Trust not to moche in fortunes grace
Though that she laugh on the a
whyle
For she can sodenly turne her face
Whan that she lyst the to
begyle
She welth and Ioye can sone defyle
And plonge the in the
pyte of pouerte
Wherfore in her haue thou no suertye