Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Garnish'd with governance, so good
Ne deeming should her deir ̧1

Her sark should be her body next,

Of chastity so white;

With shame and dread together mixt,
The same should be perfyt.3

Her kirtle should be of clean constance,
Laced with lesum+ love;

The mailyeis 5 of continuance,

For never to remove.

Her gown should be of goodliness,
Well ribbon'd with renown;
Purfiled with pleasure in ilk place,
Furred with fine fashioun.

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,
And her tippet of truth;
Her patelet of good pansing,"
Her hals-ribband of ruth.3

Her sleeves should be of esperance,
To keep her from despair:
Her gloves of the good governance,
To hide her fingers fair,

Her shoen should be of sickerness,4
In sign that she not slide:
Her hose of honesty, I guess,
I should for her provide.

Would she put on this garment gay,
I durst swear by my seill,5

That she wore never green or gray,

[blocks in formation]

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,
In an abbey, was fair to see,
Thinking what consolation

Was best unto adversity;

On case I cast on side mine ee,*

And saw this written on a wall:

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"Of what estate, man, that thou be, Obey, and thank thy God of all!"

Thy kingdom, and thy great empire,
Thy royalty, nor rich array,
Shall nought endure at thy desire;
But, as the wind, will wend away.
Thy gold, and all thy goodis gay,
When fortune list, will fra thee fall:
Sen thou sic samples sees ilk day,
Obey, and thank thy God of all!

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;
And, of his mercy, pity have;
He is a judge, to none suspect,
To punish sinful man and save.

[blocks in formation]

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
Of earthly statés, up and down,

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;
Be glad in wilful poverty;
Thy power, and thy worldis pelf,
Is nought but very vanity.
Remember, him 5 that died on tree,
For thy sake tasted bitter gall:
Who heis low hearts, and loweis hi,8
Obey; and thank thy God of all!

1 Above the rest: literally, beside the rest. Fr.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« AnteriorContinuar »