[Ill.u.s.tration]

Discrecyon ferther forth me lede Vnto the solempne and royall mancyon Of dame nature in humayne stede Ryght pleasaunt was her habytacyon Of merueylous werke and sytuacyon And she her selfe helde her estate In a gloryous chaumbre without chekmate

Her towre was gylted full of sonne bemys And within hanged with cloth of aras The roof was paynted with golden stremys And lyke crystall depured was Euery wyndowe aboute of glas Where that she sat as a fayre G.o.ddes All thynges creatynge by her besynes

Me thought she was of merueylous beaute Tyll that Dyscrecyon lede me behynde Where that I sawe all the pryuyte Of her werke and humayne kynde And at her backe I dyd than fynde Of cruell deth a dolfull ymage That all her beaute dyd perswage

Full wonderous was her operacyon In euery kynde eke and ryght degre Withouten rest or recreacyon I wyll not medle with her secrete For it no thynge longeth to my faculte But somwhat after I wyll expres Of her grete power and worthynes

But in my boke well for to procede Dame dyscrecyon ferther me brought Into a fayre chambre as ye may rede Of fyne gemetry ryght well wrought To comfort man there lacked nought But that me thought there was no company Saue onely dame dyscrecyon and I

We had ben but a lytell whyle there But that we sawe a lady clere Ryght well appareled in sad gere Mylde in her hauour dyscrete of chere That came vs by and very nere Ascendynge vp in to her hyghe sete Garnysshed with perle and with gold bete

Than sayd dyscrecyon this is dame Iustyce Clene of conscyence without corrupcyon And neuer be spotted with the synne of couetyse But true as stele in the entencyon Of ryght euermore without destruccyon Geuynge alway a ryghtfull iugement Obey thou youth this lady reuerent

A iuge fulfylled with the synne of auaryce Or with fauour of kynne made blynd Must nedys do wronge by grete [pre]iudyce For fauour shold not conscyence bynd Ryght to dyssymyll as I now fynd In problemys wryten of antiquyte Made by phylosophers of auctoryte

As we stode talkynge thus to gydere Vp came dame fortune so gayly gloryfyed Impossyble it is for me to dyscouere How gorges she was & gretly magnyfyed Full lyke a G.o.ddes that had ben deyfyd Clothed with gold sette full of rubyes And tynst [with] emeraudys & many a turkes

And next to her there dyd ensue Dame Hardynes that n.o.ble lady After whome anone dyd pursue Dame Sapyence whiche dyd not tary Than came dame nature appareled royally And all the other cladde in gold Set with dyamondes many a fold

They lowted all vnto the ground Afore dame Iustyce for obeysaunce That sate there both hole and sound Withouten ony dyscontynuaunce Gyuynge G.o.d ere vnto the vteraunce Of these foure ladyes pledynge at barre With all theyr cases dyd well avarre

Capitulum .vii.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Fyrst dame hardynes began to plede Saynge she was to man moost profytable For she the hertes hath often fede Of conquerous as it was couenable And by my corage haue made theym able Regyons to wynne theyr ennemyes to subdue And yf I were not they had it rue

And yf a man be neuer so wyse Withouten me he getyth none vteraunce Wherfore his wysedome may not suffyse All onely without myn allegeaunce For I by ryght must nedys enhaunce A lowe born man to an hyghe degre Yf that he wyll be ruled by me

Haue I not caused many a n.o.ble warreour To wynne the batell by my grete myght Without me was made neuer conquerour Nor yet man coragious whan he dyd fyght No man without me may defende his ryght I may be worst from hym forborne For and I were not he were forlorne

Dyd I not cause the n.o.ble hercules By my power to wynne the vyctory Of the st.u.r.dy and stronge Philotes As is recorded in bokes of memory For without me can be no cheualry And vnder the wynge of my proteccyon All rebels brought be to subieccyon

A realme is vpholden by thynges thre The fyrst and the chyef it is the swerd Whiche causeth it to be in good suerte And other realmes of it to be aferd By whiche the vsurpers be dyfferd From theyr wyll with treason knyte And by me slayn for theyr fals fyte

The seconde is lawe that euer serueth But within the realme onely For other nacyons our lawe ne dredeth But our swerd they do in specyally For and they roose ayenst vs proudly As they haue done often in tymes past Yet [with] our swerd they shold be ouercast

The thyrde be marchauntes that do multyply In this realme welth and prosperyte For of euery thynge they often occupy Euery man lyke vnto his faculte For without marchauntes can not be No realme vpholden in welth & pleasure For it to vs is a specyall tresure

Also yet hercules the puyssaunt geaunt Dyd slee the monstre afore Troy the grete And with his strokes he dyd hym daunt They were so peysantly on hym sette That he the vyctory on hym dyd gette Had I not be comfort vnto his harte Suche vyctory had ben leyd aparte

Dyd he not vaynquysshe in [the] forest of Nemee The thre mortall lyons by his grete hardynes And ryued theyr Iawes as was to se By twene his handes by chyualrus prowes And yet by armes and knyghtly exces In egypt he slewe the tyraunt Busyre And brent hym after in a grete fyre

Also he slewe the tyraunt Cacus For his tyranny and grete myschefe By cause his dedys were so odyous For he dyd murdre and was a thefe Wherfore his deth to many was leef Who more of his actes wyll haue report To the Troyans story lette hym resort

Also the worthy and the n.o.ble hectour That eclyped was the troyans champyon And of all cheualry called the flour In his tyme reynynge and of renowne Of whose n.o.ble dedes the brute and sowne Was spred by euery straunge habytacyon That they of his faytys dyde make relacyon

By his power and hardy corage He put the grekes full often to flyght And bete theym downe by a grete outrage That well was he that hym saue myght Full often he brought theym to the plyght His dedes were pure without magycyon And without nygromancy or suche corrupcyon

Dyd I not cause also kynge dauith A lyon Iawbones to rent and tere That dyd deuour his shepe in the fryth As he sat kepynge of theym there The lyons crueltye myght not hym fere And he in his youth so hardy was That he dyd sle the gyaunt Golias

Dyd I not cause the n.o.ble Iulius Emperour of rome for to be electe By cause he was so stronge and cheualrus Whan in armes he knewe the affecte He all his ennemyes dyd abiecte And by the support of my chyef socour He gouerned hymselfe lyke a n.o.ble emperour

And also Arthur kynge of Bretayne With all the knyghtes of the rounde table Neuer auentures had sought certayne And I therto had not ben greable They for to fyght had not ben able Who that me lacketh is but a coward And shame is euer his rewarde

Also kynge Charlemayne kynge of Fraunce With his dyssypers Rowland and Olyuer With all the resydue of his alyaunce That in all armes so n.o.ble were On G.o.ddys ennemyes brake many a spere Causynge them to flee to theyr grete vylony Hardynes was cause that they had vyctory

O worthy hardynes the shynynge sterre Alway to mannys herte the comfort Whan that it is the tyme of werre Vnto what partye that thou resort They wynne the batall by thy support And wher that thou lettest thy bemys dyssende They often hye to honoure a.s.sende

Than sayd dame hardynes vnto the Iuge I pray you that ryght I may haue Sythens I to man am chyef refuge Whan that he lysteth of me to craue I make hym coragyous and his worshyp saue Wherfore I owte to haue the preemynence By ryght reason and good experyence

That I deny you sayd dame Sapyence Of whom haue you your ordre of pledynge For ye neuer can haue none intellygence But by the meane of myn informynge For I am alway your mynde techynge And without me your tale were but a fable For ye without wytte sholde alway bable

This wyll I proue by myn opynyon That I am grounde of the artes seuen And of all good werkes in cmunyon For no man without me can go to heuen My dedys be merueylous for man to neuen Whan they ben wrought in to theyr degre Who that wyll lerne theym he hath the lyberte

Of my dedes bokes do make recorde The whiche clerkes put into remembraunce For an example without dyscorde Of heuenly way by vertuous gouernaunce Without me man can haue no pleasaunce Nor yet hym rule in no maner wyse A man without wytte is to dyspyse

Hardynes without prudence may not auayle Though that a man be neuer so st.u.r.dy For a wyseman feble may wynne the batayle Of hym that is ryght stronge and myghty For better it is for to be ryght wytty In the defence of his good saue garde Than often to stryke and to renne forwarde

That thynge that hardynes may not wynne May be goten by my hyghe souerente And with the helpe of subtyle engynne It may be brought to the extremyte Wher that it myght not by possybylyte Of hardynes longe afore be wonne Yet by grete wysedome it may be donne

Vnto dyuers cases I take excepcyon Of dame Hardynes whiche are no lawe Vnto the fyrst vndre your correccyon She sayd and she her power dyd wythdrawe No rebell than shold stand in awe And she is the chyef as I knowe well That causeth hym for to be rebell

By her foly and folysshe hardynes She causeth men to ryse ayenst theyr lorde She is the cause of mortall heuynes Whan she doth breke the good concorde Wherfore me thynke by one accorde For to exyle her it is now the best Than man sholde lyue in peas and rest

And where she sayd that she exalted Iulius cesar by her grete exylence In that case she ryght clerely varyed For it was I by my grete dylygence That neuer was out of his presence But ruled hym and made hym worthy To be chosen emperour of all Italy

Chosen he was by the comyn a.s.sent For the grete wysedome that in hym shone With a grete voyce and a hole entente For lyke vnto hym was there none That was so abell as he alone For to occupye an Emperours dygnyte Of his promocyon he myght thanke me

I Sapyence am endewed with grace And the lode sterre of heuenly doctryne The sprynge of comfort Ioye and solace Who that lyst to me for to enclyne He shall knowe thynges that be dyuyne And at his ende beholde the deyte That is one G.o.d and persones thre

It pleased the fader that is omnipotent His sone to send to be incarnat Of the vyrgyn Mary the sterre moost excellent Mayden and moder yet not vyolate Lyke a vessell chosen and made ornat All onely for to be G.o.ddys moder And he hym selfe vnto man broder

But a stryfe there was bytwene G.o.d and man Whan man consented to synne dedely By that the dyscorde fyrst began Whan he the sone of G.o.d on hy That is his brother agayn wyll crucefy Yf he had power by whiche is offended The fader of heuen as is entended

Therfore lete vs to our brother go Named Ihesu Cryst and axe hym mercy With a good entent and hert also There is for vs none other remedy That ony tonge truely can specyfy And he wyll take it for a correccyon And of all vengeaunce sease the affeccyon

That we may of hym haue forgyuenes Of our grete synne with reformacyon Of peas bytwene the faders hyghenes Of heuen and vs in suspyracyon Therfore yf thou drede the amocyon Of his ryghtwysnes loke that thou flee Ryght fast vnto his mercyfull pyte

For his mercy is more than all our mysery And eke aboue his werkes all As Dauyd sheweth in his prophecy Saynge his mercy is ouer all To whom I pray euer in especyall To gyue me grace well my penne to lede That quaketh aye for drede