The Example of Vertu

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Title: The Example of Vertu
The Example of Virtue
Author: Stephen Hawes
Release Date: August 26, 2007 [EBook #22415]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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[P] Here begynneth the boke called the example of vertu.
[Illustration]
Tabula libri
[P] Fyrste a prologue.
[P] How youth mette with discrecyon in a medowe in his dreme & was
reformed by her prouerbes ca.i.
[P] How youth with discrecyon sayled ouer the daungerous passage of
vayne glorye and arryued in a fayre Ilonde longynge to foure ladyes
named Hardynes / Sapyence / fortune / & nature. ca.ii
[P] Of the meruaylous palays of fortune ca.iii.
[P] Of the triumphaunt estate of hardynes. ca.iiii.
[P] Of the gloryfyed towre of sapyence. ca.v.
[P] Of the stronge operacyons of nature ca.vi
[P] How these foure ladyes pleeded at the barre before Iustyce whiche
of theym was moost proufytable vnto mankynde & of the Iugement of
Iustyce. ca.vii.

[P] How after the Iugement of Iustyce / Sapyence c[om]maunded
Discrec[on]n to lede youth to marye with clennes the kynge of loues
doughter. ca.viii.
[P] How youth by the waye mette [with] lechery rydynge on a gote and
pryde maned with couetyse on an olypha[un]tes backe in a fayre castell
/ & how by the ayde of dyscrecyon he dyde withstande theyr
temptac[on]n and how he mette with sapience in the mase of wordely
besynes. capitulo.ix.
[P] How Sapyence & dyscrecyon ledde youth ouer the narowe brydge
of vanyte of the worlde to the palays of [the] kynge of loue & of his
meruaylous appareyl. ca.x
[P] How sapyence presented youth to the kynge of loue for to mary
Clennes his doughter & how he before [the] maryage dyde fyght and
discomfyte the dragon with thre hedys. capitulo.xi.
[P] How after the discomfyture of the sayd dragon he well growen in
age was receyued with a farye company of ladyes and was named vertu
& with all Ioye brought to the palays of the kynge of loue. ca.xii.
[P] Of the maryage of vertu & clennes & of [the] celestyal feste how
after the maryage an aungell shewed vnto theym hell / & of the
dyuysyons of hell. ca.xiii.
[P] How vertu cleymed the enherytaunce longynge to Clennes his wyfe
/ & how many aungelles & sayntes brought theym to heuen / & how
heuen is enteyled to Vertu and to Clennes & to all theym that loue them
& folowe & procede in theyr steppes.
capitulo.xiiii.
[P] This boke called the example of vertue was made and compyled by
Stephyn hawys one of the gromes of the moost honorable
chaumber
of oure souerayne lorde kynge Henry the .vii. the .xix. yere of his
moost noble reygne / and by hym presented to our sayd souerayne lorde
chapytred & marked after this table here before sette.

The prologe.
Whan I aduert in my remembraunce
The famous draughtes of poetes
eloquent
Whiche theyr myndes dyd well enhaunce
Bokes to
contryue that were expedyent
To be remembred without Impedyment

For the profyte of humanyte
This was the custume of antyquyte.
I now symple and moost rude
And naked in depured eloquence
For
dulnes rethoryke doth exclude
Wherfore in makynge I lake
intellygence
Also consyderynge my grete neglygence
It fereth me
sore for to endyte
But at auenture I wyll now wryte.
As very blynde in the poetys art
For I therof can no thynge skyll

Wherfore I lay it all a part
But somwhat accordynge to my wyll
I
wyll now wryte for to fulfyll
Saynt Powles wordes and true
sentement
All that is wryten is to oure document
O prudent Gower in langage pure
Without corrupcyon moost
facundyous
O noble Chauser euer moost