Garnish'd with governance, so good Her sark should be her body next, Of chastity so white; With shame and dread together mixt, Her kirtle should be of clean constance, The mailyeis 5 of continuance, For never to remove. Her gown should be of goodliness, Her belt should be of benignity, About her middle meet; No opinions should dismay her; i. e. she should have no cause to fear censure. 2 Shift. 4 Loyal. 3 Perfect. 5 Net-work, Fr.; here it means the oylet-holes for lacing her kirtle. 6 Parfilé, Fr.; fringed, or bordered. 7 Each. 2 Her mantle of humility To thole both wind and wet. Her hat should be of fair having, Her sleeves should be of esperance, Her shoen should be of sickerness,4 Would she put on this garment gay, That she wore never green or gray, Thinking. I do not understand the word patelet (pattelette. Fr.) unless it mean lappet. 3 Her neck-ribband of pity. • Felicity. + Security, steadiness. • Became. Lord Hailes, in his notes on this poem, which he supposes to be " a sort of paraphrase of 1 Tim. "ii. 9-11," observes very justly, that the comparison between female ornaments, and female virtues, is carried so far as to become "somewhat "ridiculous." But this strange conversion of the virtues into the stock in trade, of an allegorical mantua-maker, was first conceived by Olivier de la Marche, who, in a poem intitled "Le Triomphe, ou "Parement des Dames d'Honneur," recommends to the ladies slippers of humility, shoes of diligence, stockings of perseverance, garters of " ferme propos" (i. e. determination), a petticoat of chastity, a pincushion of patience, &c. Such was the taste of the age, but the following fine moral poem, will shew that Henrysoun's talents were fitted for a better employment than that of imitating Olivier de la Marche. The Abbey Walk. Alone as I went up and down, Was best unto adversity; On case I cast on side mine ee,* And saw this written on a wall: "Of what estate, man, that thou be, Obey, and thank thy God of all!" Thy kingdom, and thy great empire, Though thou be blind, or have an halt, Or in thy face deformed ill, So it come not through thy default, No man should thee repreif3 by skill. Blame not thy Lord, so is his will! Spurn not thy foot against the wall; But with meek heart, and prayer still, Obey, and thank thy God of all. God, of his justice, mon correct; Though thou be lord atour the laif,1 And afterward made bound and thrall, A poor beggar, with scrip and staff— Obey, and thank thy God of all. This changing, and great variance 2 Is not but casualty and chance, (As some men says without reasown) But by the great provision Of God above, that rule thee shall! Therefore, ever thou make thee boun 3 To obey, and thank thy God of all. In wealth be meek, heich4 not thyself; 1 Above the rest: literally, beside the rest. Fr. |