The Example of Vertu | Page 9

hercules
With many other
wherof she fayleth
For it was fortune as she well knoweth
For in olde tyme the noble warryours
For to eschewe euer my grete
daungere
In whiche tyme they were ydolestours
Than they to put
hym oute of fere
To ydols went that theyr goddes were
For to haue
answer yf they sholde wynne
The batayll or they dyd begynne
What nede I pleed by longe contynuaunce
As dame Sapyence dyd in
maters hy
It were of tyme but dyscontynuaunce

But o dame Iustyce

the gentyll lady
Loke that ye Iuge my mater ryght wysely
That I of
hardynes may be the pryncypall
And of dame prudence & nature with
all
Than sayd dame nature that may not be
As I can proue by ryght and
reason
For I am moost confort to humanyte
As man well knoweth
at euery encheason
And can not be forborne for none season
For
where I lacke without ony delay
Man is but dede and turned to clay
That nature gyueth by her power
Wysedome nor hardynes may not
defete
For I to man am the chefe doer
Durynge his lyfe without
retrete
Also dame fortune may not well lete
Me of my course
though she it thought
In sondery wyse my dedes are so wrought
Though that a man were infortunable
And though that he were neuer
so folysshe
And a grete coward to fyght not able
Yet shulde he lyue
and neuer perysshe
Tyll that my power of hym doth fynysshe

Whiche fayle must ones it is my proprete
And that was gyuen me by
the deyte
I am the orygynall of mannes creacyon
And by me alway the world
doth multyply
In welth pleasure and delectacyon
As I wyll shewe
now in this party
My dedes be subtyll & wrought craftely
What
were the worlde yf I were note
It were sone done as I well wote
The lawe of nature doth man bynde
Both beste foule and fysshe also

In theyr degre to do theyr kynde
Blame theym not yf they do so

For harde it is euer to ouer go
The kynde of nature in her degre
For
euery thynge must shewe his proprete
Who of theyr propretes lyst to rede
Lete hym loke in the boke of
barthelmewe
And to his scripture take good hede
That ryght nobly
of theym do shewe
With all theyr actes beynge not a fewe
But
wounderous many by alteracyon

For lyke hath lyke his operacyon

I nature norysshe by myn afflyccyon
Mannes humayne partyes
superfyxcyall
And am the sprynge of his complexion
The fonteyne
of his vaynes inferyall
To hym conserue moost dere and specyall

Though he were hardy & wyse he my[gh]t not me forbere
Nor
fortune without me auayleth not hym a pere
Wherfore dame Iustyce be you now indyfferent
Consydre that I am
moost dere and lefe
Vnto euery man that is eliquylent
And aboue
all medycyns to hym moost chefe
And by my strongh vnto hym
relefe
In his dysease wherfore as thynke me
I ought of reason to
haue the soueraynte
Than spake dame Iustyce with meke contena[un]ce
I wyll all your
contrauersy now redresse
For I of your reasons haue good
perseueraunce
And after your cases both more and lesse
Wherfore I
Iustyce by good ryghtwysnesse
Gyue now vpon you a fynall
Iugement
That ye foure agree by a hole assent
Man for to please at euery houre
Without dysgrement or
contradiccyon
And in his nede to do hym socoure
With louynge
herte and true affeccyon
He shall be in your good iurysdyccyon

And you of hym shall be copertyners
Both of his lyfe and of his
maners
Than sayd dame hardynes I agre therto
And so do I than sayd dame
Sapyence
Than sayd dame Fortune I also do
Agre vnto dame
Iustyce sentence
And I dame Nature wyll do my dylygence
Lyke as
ye do man for to please
And hym to strength in his dysease
With that dame Iustyce vp arose
Vnto the ladyes byddynge fare well

And went into her chaumbre close
I cleped conscyence wher she
dyd dwell
As dame Dyscrecyon dyd me tell
Than hardynes &
fortune went downe the stayre
And after theym Nature so clere and
fayre

Capitulum .viii.
Dame Sapyence taryed a lytell whyle
Behynd the other saynge to
Dyscrecyon
And began on her to laugh and smyle
Axynge her how
I stode in condycyon
Well she sayd in good perfeccyon
But best it
is that he maryed be
For to eschewe all yll censualyte
I knowe a lady of meruelous beaute
Spronge out of hyghe and noble
lynage
Replete with vertue and full of bounte
Whiche vnto youth
were a good maryage
For she is comen of royall apparage
But
herde it wyll be to gete her loue
Without youth frayltye do sore
reproue
I kneled downe than vpon my kne
Afore dame Sapyence with humble
chere
Besechynge her of me to haue pyte
And also Dyscrecyon her
syster dere
Than dame Sapyence came me nere
Saynge youth wyll
ye haue a wyfe
And her to loue durynge her lyfe
Ye madame that wolde I fayne
Yf that she be both fayre and bryght

I wyll her loue euer more certayne
And pleas her alway with all my
myght
Of suche a persone wolde I haue a syght
With all my herte
now at this houre
Wolde to god I had so fayre a floure