"So sone ye may not win mine herte in truth;
The guise of court will seen your steadfastnesse,
And as you done to have upon you reuth,
Your owne desert, and lowly gentilnesse,
That will reward you joy for heavinesse ;
And tho ye waxen pale, and grene, and dede,
Ye must it use a while withouten drede,

"And it accept and grutchen in no wise;
But where as ye me heartely desire
To lene to love, me thinke ye be not wise;
Cease of your language, cease I you require,
For he that hath this twenty yeare ben here
May not obtaine, than marvaile I that ye
Be now so bold of love to treat with me."

"Ah mercy herte, my lady and my love!
My rightwise princesse and my lives guide!
Now may I plaine to Venus all above,
That ruthlesse ye me gave this wound so wide;
What have I done? why may it not betide,
That for my trouth I may received be?
Alas than, your daunger and your cruelte!

"In wofull houre I got was welaway,
In woful houre fostred and yfedde,
In wofull houre yborne, that I ne may;
My supplication sweetly have I spedde,
The frosty grave and cold must be my bedde,
Without ye list your grace and mercy shewe,
Death with his axe so fast on me doth hewe.

"So great disease and in so littell while,
So littel joy that felte I never yet,
And at my wo Fortune ginneth to smile,
That never earst I felt so hard a fit:
Confounden ben my spirites and my wit,
Till that my lady take me to her cure,
Which I love best of erthly creature.

"But that I like, that may I not come by,
Of that I plain, that have I habondaunce,
Sorrow and thought they sit me wonder nie,
Me is withold that might be my pleasance :
Yet turne againe my worldly suffisaunce,
O lady bright, and saufe your faithfull true,
And, or I die, yet ones upon me rewe!"

With that I fell in sound and dede as stone,
With colour slaine and wanne as asshe pale,
And by the hand she caught me up anon,
"Arise," (quod she)" what have ye dronken dwale?
Why slepen ye? it is no nightertale:"

"Now mercy sweete," (quod I) "ywis affraied: " "What thing" (quod she) "hath made you so dismaied?

"Now wote I well that ye a lover be,

Your hew is witnesse in this thing," she said: "If ye were secret, ye might know," (quod she) "Curteis and kind, all this shuld be alaid: And now mine herte, al that I have missaid, I shall amend and set your herte in ease." "That word it is," (quod I) "that doth me please."

"But this I charge, that ye the stents keepe, And breke them not for slouth nor ignoraunce." With that she gan to smile and laughen depe, "Ywis," (quod I) "I will do your pleasaunce: The sixteenth statute doth me great grevaunce, But ye must that release or modifie."

"I graunt," (quod she) "and so I will truly."

And softly than her colour gan appere,
As rose so red throughout her visage all,
Wherefore me thinke it is according here,
That she of right be cleped Rosiall:
Thus have I won with wordes great and small
Some goodly worde of her, that I love best,
And trust she shall yet sette mine herte in rest.

"GOTH on," she said to Philobone, "and take
This man with you, and lede him all about
Within the court, and shewe him for my sake
What lovers dwell within, and all the rout
Of officers him shew, for he is out of dout
A straunger yet : "-"Come on," (quod Philobone)
"Philogenet, with me now must ye gon."

And stalkyng soft with easie pace, I saw,
About the kyng stonden all environ,
Attendaunce, Diligence, and their felow
Fortherer, Asperaunce, and many one,
Dred to offend, there stood, and not alone,
For there was eke the cruell adversair,
The lovers foe that cleped is Dispair.

"But well wote I, my lady graunted me
Truly to be my woundes remedie,
Her gentilness may not infected be
With doublenesse, thus trust I till I die."
So cast I to voide Dispaires company,
And taken Hope to councel and to friend.
"Yea, keep that well," (quod Philobone) " in mind.”

And there beside within a bay window,
Stod one in grene ful large of brede and length,
His beard as black as fethers of the crow,
His name was Lust, of wonder might and strength,
And with Delite to argue there he think'th,
For this was all his opinion,

That love was sinne: and so he hath begon

To reason fast, and ledge auctoritie :
"Nay," (quod Delite) "love is a vertue clere,
And from the soule his progresse holdeth he:
Blind apetite of lust doth often stere,
And that is sinne: for reason lacketh there,
For thou dost think thy neighbours wife to win:
Yet thinke it well that love may not be sinne.

"For God and seint they love right verely,
Void of all sinne and vice this know I well,
Affection of flesh is sin truly,

But verray love is vertue as I fele,
For love may thy freill desire ackele:

For verray love is love, withouten sinne :"
"Now stint," (quod Lust) "thou speketh not worth
a pinne."

And there I left them in their arguing,
Roming ferther in the castell wide,
And in a corner Lier stode talking,
Of lesings fast, with Flatery there beside,
He said that woman were attire of pride,
And men were found of nature variaunt,

And could be false and shewen beau semblaunt.

Than Flatery bespake and said, "Ywis
See so she goth on patens faire and fete,
It doth right well: what prety man is this
That rometh here? now truly drink ne mete
Nede I not have, mine herte for joy doth bete
Him to behold, so is he goodly freshe :

It semeth for love his herte is tender and neshe."

This is the court of lusty folke and glad,
And well becommeth their abite and array,
O why be some so sory and so sad,
Complaining thus in blacke and white and gray?
Freres they ben, and monkes in good fay:
Alas, for routh great dole it is to seene,
To see them thus bewaile and sory been.

See how they cry and wring their handes white,
For they so sone went to religion,
And eke the nonnes with vayle and wimple plight,
Their thought is, they ben in confusion:
"Alas," they sain, "we fain perfection
In clothes wide, and lacke our libertie,
But all the sinne mote on our frends be.

"For Venus wote, we wold as faine as ye,
That bene attired here and welbesene,
Desiren man and love in our degre,
Ferm and faithful right as wold the quene:
Our frends wicke in tender youth and grene,
Ayenst our will made us religious,

That is the cause we mourn and wailen thus."

Than said the monk and freres in the tide,
"Wel may we curse our abbes and our place,
Our statutes sharpe to sing in copes wide,
Chastely to keepe us out of loves grace,
And never to fele comfort ne solace:
Yet suffre we the heate of loves fire,
And after that some other haply we desire.
"O Fortune cursed, why now and wherefore
Hast thou," they said, "berafte us libertie,
Sith nature yave us instrument in store,
And appetite to love and lovers be?
Why mote we suffer such adversite,
Diane to serve, and Venus to refuse ?
Ful often sithe this matters doth us muse.

"We serve and honour sore ayenst our will,
Of chastite the goddes and the queene,
Us leefer were with Venus biden still,
And have reward for love and soget bene
Unto these women courtly, fresh, and shene;
Fortune we curse thy wheele of variance,
There we were well thou revest our plesance."

Thus leave I them with voice of plaint and care,
In raging wo crying full pitously,
And as I yede full naked and full bare,
Some I behold looking dispitously,

On poverty that dedly cast their eye,
And "Welaway," they cried, and were not faine,
For they ne might their glad desire attaine.

For lacke of richesse worldly and good,

They banne and curse, and weep, and sain, "Alas,
That poverty hath us hent that whilom stood
At hertes ease, and free and in good case,
But now we dare not shew our self in place,
Ne us embold to dwell in company,
There as our herte wold love right faithfully.”

And yet againward shriked every nonne,
The pange of love so straineth them to crie:
"Now wo the time," (quod they)" that we be boun
This hatefull ordre nise will done us die,
We sighe and sobbe, and bleden inwardly,
Freting ourself with thought and hard complaint,
That nie for love we waxen wood and faint."
And as I stood beholding here and there,
I was ware of a sort full languishing,
Savage and wild of loking and of chere,
Their mantelles and their clothes ay tering,
And oft they were of nature complaining,
For they their members lacked, foot and hand,
With visage wry, and blind I understand.

They lacked shape and beauty to preferre
Themself in love: and said that God and kind,
Hath forged them to worshippen the sterre,
Venus the bright, and leften all behind
His other werkes clene and out of mind:
"For other have their full shape and beauty,
And we" (quod they) "been in deformity."

And nie to them there was a company
That have the susters warried and missaide,
I meane the three of fatal destiny,
That be our workers: sodenly abraide
Out gan they cry as they had been affraide,
"We curse," (quod they)" that ever hath nature,
Yformed us this wofull life to endure."

And there eke was Contrite and gan repent,
Confessing hole the wound that Cithere
Hath with the darte of hote desire him sent,
And how that he to love must subject be;
Than held he all his skornes vanity,
And said that lovers held a blisful life,
Yong men and old, and widow, maid and wife.

"Bereve me goddesse," (quod he) " of thy might
My skornes all and skoffes, that I have
No power for to moken any wight,
That in thy service dwell: for I did rave:
This know I well right now so god me save,
And I shal be the chief post of thy faith,
And love uphold, the revers who so saith."
Dissemble stode not ferre from him in troth,
With party mantil party hode and hose,
And said he had upon his lady routh,
And thus he wound him in, and gan to glose
Of his entent ful double I suppose,
In all the world he said he loved her wele,
But ay me thought he loved her nere a dele.

Eke Shamfastnesse was there as I tooke hede,
That blushed rede, and durst nat ben aknow
She lover was, for thereof had she drede;
She stode and hing her visage downe alow,

But such a sight it was to seene I trow,
As of these roses rody on their stalke,
There coud no wight her spy to speak or talk.

In loves art so gan she to abashe,
Ne durst not utter al her previty:
Many a stripe and many a grevous lashe
She gaven to them that wolden lovers be,
And hindered sore the simple comonalty,
That in no wise durst grace and mercy crave,
For were not she they need but ask and have,
Where if they now aprochen for to speke,
Than Shamefastnesse returneth them again:
They thinke, if we our secrets counsel breke,
Our ladies wil have scorn on us certain,
And peraventure thinken great disdain:
Thus Shamefastnesse may bringen in Dispeire,
Whan she is dede the toder will be heire.

Come forth a Vaunter, now I ring thy bel,
I spied him sone, to God I make a vowe,
He loked blacke as fendes doth in Hell,
"The first," (quod he)" that ever I did wowe,
Within a worde she come, I wotte not how,
So that in armes was my lady free,

And so hath ben a thousand mo than she.

"In England, Britain, Spain, and Picardy,
Artois, and Fraunce, and up in hie Holand,
In Burgoine, Naples, and Italy,

Naverne, and Grece, and up in hethen lond
Was never woman yet that wold withstond,
To ben at [my] commaundement whan I wold,
I lacked neither silver, coigne, ne gold.

"And there I met with this estate and that,
And her I broched, her, and her I trow :
Lo, there goeth one of mine, and wotte ye what?
Yon fresh attired have I laid full low,
And such one yonder eke right well I know :
I kept the statute whan we lay yfere,

And yet yon same hath made me right good chere."

Thus hath a Vaunter blowen every where,
Al that he knoweth, and more a thousand fold;
His auncestry of kinne was to Liere,
For first he maketh promise for to hold
His ladies councel, and it not unfold,
Wherfore the secret whan he doth unshitte,
Than lieth he, that all the world may witte.

For falsing so his promise and behest,
I wounder sore he hath such fantasie,
He lacketh wit I trow or is a beast,
That can no bet himself with reason gie,
By mine advise love shall be contrary
To his availe, and him eke dishonour,
So that in court he shall no more sojour.
"Take heed," (quod she) this little Philobone,
"Where Envy rocketh in the corner yond,
And sitteth dirke, and ye shall see anone
His leane body fading both face and hond,
Himselfe he fretteth as I understond,
Witnesse of Ovid methamorphosose,
The lovers fo he is, I will not glose.

For where a lover thinketh him promote
Envy will grutch, repining at his wele,
It swelleth sore about his hertes rote,
That in no wise he cannot live in hele,

And if the faithful to his lady stele,
Envy will noise and ring it round about,
And sey much worse than done is out of dout."

And Privy Thought rejoysing of himselfe,
Stood not ferre thence in abite marvellous,
"Yon is," (thought I) "some spirit or some elfe,
His subtill image is so curious:

How is," (quod I) " that he is shaded thus
With yonder cloth, I n'ot of what colour?"
And nere I went and gan to lere and pore;

And framed him a question full hard,
"What is," (quod I)" the thing thou lovest best,
Or what is bote unto thy paines hard?
Me thinke thou livest here in great unrest,
Thou wandrest aye from south to east and west,
And east to north as ferre as I can see,
There is no place in court may holden thee.
"Whom followest thou, where is thy herte yset?
But my demaund asoile I thee require."
"Me thought," (quod he) "no creature may let
Me to ben here, and where as I desire :
For where as absence hath done out the fire,
My mery thought it kindeleth yet againe,
That bodely me thinke with my soveraine

"I stand and speake, and laugh, and kisse, and halse; So that my thought comforteth me ful oft:

I think god wote, though al the world be false,
I will be true, I thinke also how soft
My lady is in speach, and this on loft
Bringeth min herte with joy and great gladnes,
This privy thought alayeth mine heavines.
"And what I thinke or where to be, no man
In all this Earth can tell ywis but I ;
And eke there n'is no swalow swift, ne swan
So wight of wing, ne half so yerne can flie;
For I can bene and that right sodenly,
In Heven, in Hell, in Paradise, and here,
And with my lady whan I will desire.

"I am of counsell ferre and wide I wote,
With lorde and lady, and their privite
I wotte it all, and be it colde or hote,
They shall not speake without licence of me,
I mine in soch as seasonable be,
For first the thing is thought within the hart,
Ere any word out from the mouth astart."

And with the word Thought bad farewel and yede:
Eke forth went I to seene the courts guise,
And at the doore came in, so God me spede,
Twenty courteours of age and of assise
Liche high, and brode, and as I me advise,
The Golden Love, and Leden Love they hight,
The tone was sad, the toder glad and light.

"Yes draw your herte with all your force and might,
To lustinesse and ben as ye have seid,
And thinke that I no drope of favour hight,
Ne never had unto your desire obeid,
Till sodenly me thought me was affraied,
To seene you waxe so dede of countenaunce,
And Pite bade me done you some pleasaunce.
"Out of her shrine she rose from death to live,
And in mine eare full prively she spake,
Doth not your servaunt hens away to drive,
Rosial,' (quod she) and than mine herte it brake,

For tenderiche: and where I found moch lacke,
In your person, than I my selfe bethought,
And saide, this is the man mine hearte hath sought."

"Gramercy Pity, might I but suffise,

To yeve due laude unto thy shrine of gold,
God wotte I would: for sith that thou did rise
From death to live for me, I am behold
To thanken you a thousand times told,
And eke my lady Rosial the shene,

Which hath in comfort set mine herte ywene.

"And here I make mine protestacion, And depely swere as mine power to bene Faithful, devoide of variacion,

And her forbeare in anger or in tene,
And serviceable to my worldes quene,
With al my reason and intelligence,
To done her honour high and reverence."

I had not spoke so sone the worde, but she,
My soveraine, did thanke me hertely,
And said," Abide, ye shall dwell still with me,
Till season come of May, for than truly,
The king of love and all his company,
Shall hold his feste full rially and well,"
And there I bode till that the season fell.

On May day whan the larke began to rise, To matens went the lusty nightingale, Within a temple shapen hauthorn wise, He might not slepe in all the nightertale, But" Domine labia," gan he cry and gale, "My lippes open lord of love I cry,

And let my mouth thy preising now bewry."

The egle sang" Venite bodies all,
And let us joy to love that is our health,"
And to the deske anon they gan to fall,
And who came late he preesed in by stealth:
Than sayd the faucon our own hertes wealth,
"Domine Dominus noster I wote,

Ye be the God that done us brenne thus hote "

"Cæli enarrant," said the popingay,

"Your might is told in Heaven and firmanent,"
And than came in the gold-finch freshe and gay,
And said this psalme with hertily glad intent
"Domini est terra," this laten intent,
The God of love hath yerth in governaunce:
And than the wren gan skippen and to daunce.

"Jube Domino O lord of love, I pray
Commaund me well this lesson for to rede,
This legende is of all that woulden dey
Martires for love, God yet the souls spede:
And to thee Venus sing we out of drede,
By influence of all thy vertue great,
Besechyng thee to keepe us in our heat."

The second lesson robin redebrest sang, "Haile to the god and goddes of our lay," And to the lectorne amorously he sprong, "Haile now," (quod eke)" O fresh season of May, Our moneth glad that singen on the spray,

Haile to the floures, rede, and white, and blewe.
Which by their vertue maketh our lust new."

The third lesson the turtil dove toke up,
And thereat lough the mavis in a scorne,
He said, "O God, as mote I dine or suppe,
This folish dove will give us al an horne,
There ben right here a thousand better borne,
To rede this lesson, which as well as he,
And eke as hote, can love in all degree."

The turtil dove said, "Welcom, welcom May,
Gladsom and light to lovers that ben trew:
I thanke thee lord of love that doth purvey,
For me to rede this lesson al of dewe,
For in good soth of corage I pursue,
To serve my make till death us must depart,"
And than "Tu autem" sang he all apart.

"Te deum amoris" sang the throstel cocke;
Tuball himselfe the first musician,
With key of armony coude not onlocke,
So swete tewne as that the throstel can:
"The lorde of love we praysen," (quod he) than,
And so done al the foules great and lite,
"Honour we May, in fals lovers dispite."

"Dominus regnavit," said the pecocke there, "The lord of love that mighty prince ywis, He is received here and every where: Now Jubilate sing: "-"What meaneth this?" Said than the linet; "welcome lord of blisse :" Out sterte the owle with "Benedicite," "What meaneth all this mery fare?" (quod he.)

"Laudate," sang the larke with voice ful shril, And eke the kight " O admirabile,

This quere wil thorow mine ears pers and thril,
But what, welcome this May season,"(quod he)
"And honour to the lord of love mote be,
That hath this feste so solempne and so hie,"
"Amen," said al, and so said eke the pie.

And forth the cockow gan procede anon,
With "Benedictus" thanking God in hast,
That in this May would visite them echon,
And gladden them all while the feast shal last,
And therewithal a laughter out he brast,
"I thanke it God that I should end the song,
And all the service which hath ben so long."

Thus sang they all the service of the feste,
And that was done right erly to my dome,
And forth goth all the court both most and leste,
To fetch the floures fresh, and braunch and blome,
And namely hauthorn brought both page and grome
With fresh garlants party blew and white,
And than rejoysen in their great delite.
Eke ech at other threw the floures bright,
The primerose, the violete, and the gold,
So than as I beheld the royall sight,
My lady gan me sodenly behold,
And with a trewe love plited many a fold,
She smote me through the very heart as blive,
And Venus yet I thanke I am alive.

EXPLICIT.

PITIE that I have sought so yore agon
With herte sore, and full of besie paine,
That in this worlde was never wight so wo
Without deathe, and if I shall not faine,
My purpose was to Pitie to complaine
Upon the cruelty and tyranny
Of Love, that for my trouth doth me dye.

And that I by length of certaine yeares
Had ever in one sought a time to speke,
To Pitie ran I, all bespreint with teares,
To prayen her on Cruelty me awreke;
But or I might with any word out breake,
Or tell her any of my paines smerte,

I found her dead and buried in an herte.

Adowne I fell, whan I saw the herse,
Dead as a stone, while that swoone me last,
But up I rose with colour full diverse,
And pitously on her mine eyen I cast,
And nearer the corse I gan preasen fast,
And for the soule I shope me for to pray,
I was but lorne, there was no more to say.

Thus am I slaine, sith that Pitie is dead,
Alas, the day that ever it should fall!
What maner man dare now hold up his head?
To whom shall now any sorrowful herte call?
Now Cruelty hath cast to slee us all
In idle hope, folke rechelesse of paine,
Sith she is dead, to whom shall we complaine?

But yet encreaseth me this wonder new,
That no wight wote that she is dead but I,
So many men as in her time her knew,
And yet she deyde so suddainly,
For I have sought her ever full busily,
Sith I had first wit or mind,

But she was dead, ere I could her find.

About her herse there stooden lustily
Withouten any mo, as thoughte me,
Bounty, perfitely well armed and richely,
And fresh Beaute, Lust, and Jolite,
Assured-manner, Youth, and Honeste,
Wisedome, Estate, Drede, and Governaunce,
Confedred both by bond and alliaunce.

A complaint had I written in my honde,
To have put to Pitie, as a bill,
But I there all this company fonde,
That rather would all my cause spill,
Than do me helpe: I hold my plaint still
For to those folke withouten faile,
Without Pitie there may no bill avail.

Than leave all vertues, save only Pitie,
Keping the corse, as ye have heard me saine,
Confedred by honde until Crueltie,
And be assented whan I shall be slaine;
And I have put my complainte up againe,
For to my foes my bill I dare not shewe
The effect, which saith thus in wordes fewe.
"Humblest of herte, highest of reverence,
Benigne floure, croune of vertues all,
Sheweun unto your royall excellence
Your servaunt, if I durst me so call,
His mortall harme in which he is yfall,
And nought all only for his wofull fare,
But for your renome, as he shall declare.
"It standeth thus, that contraire Crueltie
Allied is ayenst your regaltie
Under colour of womanly beautie,
(For men should not know her tyrannie)
With Bountie, Gentillesse, and Courtesie,
And hath deprived you of your place,
That is hie beautie, appertenaunt to your grace.

"For Kindly, by your heritage right
Ye be annexed ever unto Bountie,
And verely ye ought to doe your might
To helpe Trouth in his adversitie :
Ye be also the croune of beautie,
And certes, if ye want in these twaine
The world is lore, there is no more to saine.

"Eke what availeth manner and gentilesse
Without you, benigne creature?
Shall Crueltie be your governeresse?
Alas, what herte may it long endure?
Wherefore, but ye rather take cure
To breake that perilous alliaunce,
Ye sleen hem that been in your obeysaunce.

"And further, if ye suffer this,
Your renome is fordo in a throw,
There shall no man wete what pitie is,
Alas, that ever your renome is fall so low !
Ye be also fro your heritage ythrow;
But Crueltie, that occupieth your place,
And we dispaired that seeken your grace.

"Have mercy on me, thou Herenus, queene,
That you have sought so tenderly and sore;
Let some streame of light on me be seene,
That love and drede you ever lenger the more ;
For soothly to saine, I beare so sore,
And though I be not conning for to plaine,
For Goddes love have mercy on my paine !