The Temple of Glass Part 2

For vnto you trewe and eke secre I wil be founde to serue as I best can And therwith al as lowly in eche degre To you be allone as euer yet was man Vnto his lady from the tyme I began And shal so forth withouten ony sleuth Whylis that I lyue, by G.o.d & by my trouth

For leuer I had to deyen sodenly Than you offende in any maner wyse And suffre paynes inward priuely Than my seruyse as now ye shold dispyse For I right neught wil axe in no wyse But for your seruaunt ye wold me accepte And whan I tres.p.a.ce, goodly me correcte

And for to graunte of mercy the prayer Only of grace and womanly pyte From day to day that I myght leve You for to plese, and therwith al that ye Whan I do mys, list for to teche me In your seruyse hou that I may amende From hensforth and neuer you offende

For vnto me it doth ynowh suffyse That for your man ye wold me resseyue Fully to ben as you lyst deuyse And as ferforth as my wittes can conceyue And therwith al liche as ye preue That I be true, to guerdone me of grace Or ellis to punysshe after my tres.p.a.ce

And yf so be that I may not atteyne Vnto your mercy, yet graunte at the leste In your seruyse for al my wo and peyne That I may deyen after my beheste This is al and som the fyn of my request Outher with mercy your seruaunt to saue Or mercyles that I may be begraue

And whan this benygne of her entent true Conceyued hath the compleynt of this man Right as the fresh rody Rose newe Of her colour to wexen she began Her blood astoned so from her herte ran In to her face of verray femynyte Thurgh honest drede aba.s.shed was she

And humbly she began her eyen caste Towardes hym of hir benygnyte So that no word by her lippes past For hast nor drede mercy ne pyte For so demened she was in honeste That vnaduysed no thing fro her stert So moche of reson was compa.s.sed in her hert

Til atte last of whiche she did abreyd Whan she is trouthe and menyng did fele And vnto hym ful goodly s.p.a.ck and seyd Of your behest and your menyng wele And your seruyse so faithful euerydele Whiche vnto me so lowly now ye offre With al my herte, I thanke you of your profre

That for so moche your entent is sette Only in vertu y bridled vnder drede Ye must of right nedis face the bet Of your request, and the better spede But as for me I may of womanhede No further graunte to you in myn entente Than as my lady venus wil a.s.sente

For she wel knoweth I am not at my large To doon right nought but by her ordynance So am I drownd vnder her dredeful charge Her lyste tobbeye withoute variaunce But for my parte so hit be pleasaunce Vnto the G.o.ddesse for trouth in your empryse I you accepte fully to my seruyse

For she my herte hath in subiection Whiche hoolly is youres & neuer shal repente In thought ner dede in myn election Witnes on venus that knoweth myn entent Fully tobeye hir dome and Iugement So as hir liste disposen and ordeyne Right as she knoweth the trouth of vs tweyne

For vnto the tyme that venus list prouyde To shape away for our hertis ease Bothe ye and I mekely must abyde To take at gree, and not of our disease To grucche agayn til that she list tappease Our hid woo so Iuly that constreyneth From day to day and our hertis peyneth

For in abidyng of woo and al affraye Who so can suffre is founden remedye And for the beste ful ofte is made delaye Er men be heled of their maladye Wherfore as venus list this mater to gye Leet vs agreen, and take al for the best Til her liste, sette bothe our hertes in rest

For she is that byndeth and can constreyn Hertes in one, this fortunate planete And can relece louers of her peyn To turne fully her bitter in to swete Now blisful G.o.ddes doun fro thy sterry sete Vs to fortune cast your stremes shene Lyke as ye knowe, that we trouth mene

And ther with al as I myn eyen caste For to perceyue the maner of these tweyne To fore the G.o.ddesse mekely as they paste Me thought I saw with a goldyn cheyne Venus, anon enbrace and constreyne Her bothe hertes in one, for to perseuere Whilis that they lyue, and neuer to disseuere

Seyng right thus with a benygne chere Sith it is so, ye be vnder my myght My wil is thus, that ye my doughter dere Ful accepte this man as it is right Vnto your grace anon here in my sight That euer hath ben so lowly you to serue Hit is good s.h.i.+l your thank that he deserue

Your honour sauf and eke your womanhede Hym to cherisshe, hit sitteth you right wele Sith he is bounde vnder hope and drede Amyd my cheyne that forged is of stele Ye must of mercy shape that he fele In yow som grace of his long seruyse And that in hast lik as I shal deuyse

This is to sayn that ye taken hede Hou he to you most faithful is and true Ofal your seruauntes, & nothing for his mede Of you ne asketh, but ye on hym rue For he vowed hath to change for no newe For lyf ne deth, for ioye ne for peyne Ay to be youris, so as ye list ordeyne

Wherfore ye muste or els it were wrong Vnto your grace fully hym receyue In my presence, by cause he hath so long Hooly ben youris, as ye may conceyue That from your mercy, yf ye hym weyue I wyl my silf recorden cruelte In your persone, and gret lack of pyte

Late hym for his trouth fynde than agayn For long seruyse, guerdon hym with grace And late ye pyte weye doun his payn For tyme is now daunger to arace Out of your hert, and mercy in to pace And loue for loue world wel beseme To yeue agayn and this I plainly deme

And as for hym I wil ben his borowe Of lowlihede and besy attendance How he shal be bothe eue and morowe Ful diligent to doon his obseruance And euer awaytyng, you to do playsance Wherfore my sone, listen and take hede Fully tobeye, as I shal the rede

And first of all my will is that thou be Feithful in hert and constant as a wal True humble, meke and therwith al secre With out change in partie or in all And for no torment that the fallen shal Tempest the not, but euer in stedfastnes Rote thyn herte, and wyde doublenes

And furthermore haue in reuerence These women al for thy lady sake And suffre neuer that men hem do offence For loue of one, but euermore vndertake Hem to defende whether they slept or wake And ay be redy to holden them party Ayenst all tho that to hem haue enuye

Be curtais ay and lowly of thy speche To riche and poure ay fressh & wel beseyn And euer besy weyes for to seche Alle true louers to relece of her peyn Sith thou art one, & of no wight haue disdeyn For loue hath power hertes for to daunte And neuer for cherising, the to muche auaunte

Be l.u.s.ty eke voyd of all tristesse And take no thought but euer be iocound And not to pensif for none heuynes And with thy gladnes, lete sadnes ay be found Whan woo approched, lete mirth most habound As manhod ayid, and though [thou] fele smert Late not to many knowen of thyn hert

And alle vertues besily thou sue Vices eschewe for the loue of one And for no tales thyn hert not renewe Word is but wynd that shal soon ouergoon What euer thou here be domb as ony stoon And to answere to sone, not the delyte For here she standeth that al this shal [the] quyte

And wherther thou be absent or in presence None others beawte lete in thy hert myne Sith I haue yeue hir of beaute excellence Aboue al other in vertu for to shyne And thynke hou in fyre men ar wont to fyne this pured gold to put hit in a.s.saye So to the proue, thou art put in delaye

But tyme shal come thou shalt for thy suffrance Be wel apaid and take for thy mede Thy lyurs ioye and al thy suffisance So that good hope alway thy bridel lede Lete no dispeir hyndre the with drede But ay thy trust vpon her mercy grounde Sith none but she may thy sorowe sounde

Eche hour and tyme. weke. day and yere Be lich faithful and vary not for lyte Abyde a whyle and than of thy desire The tyme neygheth that shal the most delyte And late no sorow in thy hert byte For no differring, sith thou for thy mede Shal reioyse in pees the flour of womanhede

Thinke hou she is this worldis sonne & light The sterre of beaute the flour eke of fairnes Both crop and robe and eke the rubye bright Hertes to glade, y troubled with derknes And hou I haue made her, thin hertes Empresse Be glad therfore to be vnder her bond Now come ner doughter & take him by the hond

Vnto this syn that aftir alle these shouris Of his torment he may be glad and light Whan by your grace ye take hym to be youris For euermore anon here in my sight And eke I wil also as. .h.i.t is right Without more his langour for to lysse In my presence anon that ye hym kysse

That ther may be of al your old smertis A ful relees vnder ioye a.s.sured And that one lok be of your bothe hertis Shet with my keye of gold so wel pured Only in signe that ye haue recured Your hool desire here in this hooly place Within my temple now in the yere of grace

Eternally be bounde of a.s.suraunce The knot is knyt, that may not be vnbounde That alle the G.o.ddes of this aliaunce Satorne. Joue. and Mars as it is founde And eke Cupyde that first did you wounde Shal bere record, and ouermore bewreke On whiche of yow, his trouth first breke

So that by aspectes of their fair lokis Withoute mercy shal fal the vengeance For to be raced clene out of my bokis On whiche of you be found of variance Therfore attones setteth your plesance Fully to ben whyle ye haue lyf and mynde Of one acorde vnto your lyues ende

That yf the spiryte of newfanglenes In ony wyse your hertes wold a.s.saylle To meue or styre to brynge in doublenes Vpon your trouth to gyuen a bataylle Lete not your corage ne your force faylle Nor none a.s.saultes you flitten or remeue For vna.s.sayed no man may trouth preue

For whyte is whitter yf it be set by black And swete is swetter after bitternes And falshed euer is dryue and put a back Where trouthe is roted with doblenes Without preue ther may be no sekernes Of loue or hate and therfore of you two Shal loue be more, for hit was bought with woo

And euery thing is had more in deynte And more of pris whan it is dere bought And eke loue stondeth more in sewrte Whan it is to fore with payne woo & thought Conquerd was first whan hit was sought And euery conquest hath his excellence In his poursute as it fyndeth resistence

And so to you more sote and agreable Shal loue be found I do you plainly a.s.sure Without grucchyng that ye were suffrable So lowe so meke paciently to endure That al attones I shal do now my cure For now and euer your hertis so to bynde That nought but deth shal the knot vnbynde

Now in this mater what shold I lenger dwelle Come ye attones and do as I haue said And first my doughter that ar of bounte welle In hert and thought be glad & wel apayd To done hym grace that shal & hath obeyd Your l.u.s.tes euer, and I wil for his sake Of trouth to you be bounde and vndertake

And so forth within presence as they stand To fore the G.o.ddes this fair and wele Her humble seruant toke goodly by the hond As he to fore her, mekely did knele And kyssed hym after fulfillyng eueridele From poynt to poynt in ful thryfty wyse As ye to forn haue venus herd deuyse

Thus is this man to ioye and al plesance From heuynes and from his peynes olde Ful reconcyled, and hath ful suffisance Of her that euer ment wel, and wold That in good faith and I tel shold The inward mirthes did her hertis brace For al my lyf to telle, it were to lityl s.p.a.ce

For he hath wonne hir that he loueth best And she to grace hath take hym of pyte And thus her hertes ben both set in rest Withoute chaunge or mutabilite And venus hath of her benygnyte Confermed al what shal I lenger tary These tweyne in one and neuer to vary

That for the ioye in the temple aboute Of this acorde by grete solempnyte Was laude and honour within & withoute Yeue to venus, and to the deyte Of G.o.d cupide, so that Caliope And al her sustren in her armonye Soon with songes the G.o.ddes did magnifye

And al attones with notes loud & sharp They did her honour and her reuerence And Orpheus among them with his harp Gan strynges touche with his diligence And Amphion that hath suche excellence Of musyke ay dyde his besynes To plese and queme venus the G.o.ddesse

Only for cause of the affinyte Betwix these two not l.u.s.ty to disseuere And euery louer of lowe and hye degre Gan venus pray fro thens forth and euer That hool of them the loue may [per]seuere Withouten ende in suche wyse as they gonne And more encrece that hit of hard was wonne

And the G.o.ddes heryng this request As she that knewe the clene entencion Of bothe them tweyne made a bihest Perpetuelly by confirmacion Whylis they lyue of one affection They shal endure ther is no more to sayne That neyther shal haue mater to complayne

So ferfurth euermore in our eternal see The G.o.ddes haue in our presence Fully deuysed thurgh their deyte And hooly concluded by her Influence That by thair myght and Iuste prudence The loue of hem by grace and eke fortune With oute chaunge shal euermore contune

Of whiche graunt the temple enuiron Thurgh hye comfort of them that were present Anon was begun with a melodyous sowun In name of tho that trouth in loue ment A balade newe in ful good entent To fore the G.o.ddes with notis londe and clere Syngyng right this anon as ye shal here

Fayrest of sterres that with your [per]sant light And with the cherysyng of your stremes clere Causen in loue hertes to be light Only by shynyng of your glad spere Now lawde and pryce O venus lady dere Be to your name that haue without synne This man fortuned his lady for to wynne

w.i.l.l.y planete O esperus so bright That woful hertes can appese and stere And euer ar redy by your grace & might To helpe al tho that bye loue so dere And haue power hertis to sette on fyre Honour to you of al that ben here Inne That haue this man his lady made to wynne