The cõforte of louers | Page 2

odoure?With goodly sprynges / of meruaylous mountaynes?I dyde than tast / the redolent lycoure?Moost clere and swete / of the goodly vaynes?Whiche dyde me ease / somwhat of my paynes?Tyll to me came / a lady of goodly age?Apareyled sadly / and demure of vysage
To me she sayd / me thynke ye are not well?ye haue caught colde / and do lyue in care?Tell me your mynde / now shortly euerydele?To layne the trouthe / I charge you to beware?I shall for you / a remedy prepare?Dyspeyre you not / for no thynge that is past?Tell me your mynde / and be nought agast
Alas madame / vnto her than I sayd?It is no wonder / of myne inwarde payne?yf that my herte be meruayllously dysmayde?My trouthe and loue / therof is cause certayne?Dyuers yeres ago / I dyde in mynde retayne?A lady yonge / a lady fayre of syght?Good // wyse / and goodly / an holsome sterre of lyght
I durst not speke vnto her of my loue?Yet vnder coloure I dyuers bokes dyde make?Full pryuely / to come to my aboue?Thus many nyghtes / I watched for her sake?To her and to hers / my trouthe well to take?Without ony spotte / of ony maner yll?God knoweth all myn herte / my mynde & my wyll
The hygh dame nature / by her grete myght & power?Man / beest / and foule / in euery degre?Fro whens they came at euery maner houre?Dooth trye the trouthe / without duplycyte?For euery thynge must shewe the properte?Gentyll vngentyll / dame nature so well tryet?That all persones it openly espyeth
The lorde and knyght / delyteth for to here?Cronycles and storyes / of noble chyualry?The gentyll man gentylnes / for his passe tyme dere?The man of lawe / to here lawe truely?The yeman delyteth to talke of yomanry?The ploman his londe for to ere and sowe?Thus nature werketh / in hye degre and lowe
For yf there were one of the gentyll blode?Conuayde to yomanry for nourysshement?Dyscrecyon comen he sholde chaunge his mode?Though he knewe not / his parentes verament?Yet nature wolde werke / so by entendyment?That he sholde folowe / the condycyons doubtles?Of his true blode / by outwarde gentylnes
In all this worlde / ben but thynges twayne?As loue and hate / the trouth for to tell?And yf I sholde hate my lady certayne?Than worthy I were / to dye of deth cruell?Seynge all ladyes / that she doth excell?In beaute / grace / prudence and mekenes?What man on lyue / can more in one expres
yf she with me sholde take dyspleasure?Whiche loueth her by honoures desyre?What sholde she do / with suceh a creature?That hateth her / by inwarde fraude and yre?I yet a louer / do not so atyre?My fayth and hope / I put in her grace?Releace to graunt me / by good tyme and space
Thretened with sorowe / of may paynes grete?Thre yeres ago my ryght hande I dyde bynde?Fro my browes for fere / [the] dropes doune dyde sweet?God knoweth all it was nothynge my mynde?Vnto no persone / I durst my her to vntwynde?yet the trouthe knowynge / the good gretest P?Maye me release / of all my /p/p/p/ thre
Now ryght fayre lady / so sadde and demure?My mynde ye knowe / in euery maner thynge?I trust for trouthe / ye wyll not me dyscure?Sythes I haue shewed you without lesynge?At your request / the cause of my mournynge?Whiche abyde in sorowe / in my remembraunce?Without good conforte / saufe of esperaunce
Fayre sone sayd she / sythens I knowe your thought?your worde and dede / and here to be one?Dyspayre you not / for it auayleth nought?Ioye cometh after / whan the payne is gone?Conforte yourselfe / and muse not so alone?Doubt ye no thynge / but god wyll so agre?That at the last / ye shall your lady se
Be alwaye meke / let wysdome be your guyde?Aduenture for honoure / and put your selfe in preace?Clymbe not to fast / lest sodenly ye slyde?Lete god werke styll / he wyll your mynde encrece?Begynne no warre / be gladde to kepe the peace?Prepence no thynge / agaynst the honoure?Of ony lady / by fraudolent fauoure
Alas madame / vnto her than sayd I?Aboue .xx. woulues / dyde me touse and rent?Not longe agone / delynge moost shamefully?That by theyr tuggynge / my lyfe was nere spent?I dyde perceyue / somwhat of theyr entente?As the trouthe is knowen / vnto god aboue?My ladyes fader they dyde lytell loue
Seynge theyr falshode / and theyr subtylte?For fere of deth /where as I loued best?I dyde dysprayse / to knowe theyr cruelte?Somwhat to wysdome / accordynge to behest?Though that my body had but lytell rest?My herte was trewe vnto my ladyes blood?For all theyr dedes I thought no thynge but good
Some had wende