The Example of Vertu Part 6

In to a chapell gayly gloryfyed And also hanged with cloth of tyssue A place it was ryght gretly deyfyed The roof was set with stones of vertue As with rubyes and emeraudes bryght of hue The rood loft was yuery garnysshed with gold Set with dyamoundes ryght many a fold

Ther I dyd se the arke of G.o.d With many sayntes that suffred martyrdom And also I sawe there Moyses rod And saynt Austyn that brought crystendom Into englonde by his grete wysedom And the xii. apostles that fast gan wryte Of our byleue and eke dyd endyte

There was saynt peter the n.o.ble pope That dyd stande on the ryght syde Of the hyghe auter in a ryche cope Dame clennes and I dyd there abyde And vp there came than at that tyde Dame prayer with her syster charyte And eke dame penytence with humylyte

Than came dame fayth anone to vs With ryghtwysenes peas and dame mercy With dame contrycyon gay and gloryous Whiche after theym dyd not longe tary And than came bede and eke saynt gregory With saynt ambrose the n.o.ble doctour Whiche of our fayth was good protectour

Than came the kynge of feruent loue Led with argos in goodely wyse Without whome he myght not remoue From his sete by ryght prudent gyse Who loueth argos wyll not deuyse Nor yet begynne no maner of thynge Without in his mynde he se good endynge

Also saynt Ierome the n.o.ble cardynall Came vp to vs by humble reuerence Whiche euermore was a good doctrynall Prechynge to vs by vertuous influence With exhortacyon of dyuyne complacence And than foure bysshoppes in grete dygnyte Ryght connynge cernynge vnto the deyte

On hym wayted by grete dylygence And neuer dyd forsake his company But hym obeyed by good experyence And from his cmaundement dyd not vary But in the chapell they dyd there tary And than saynt Ierome wente to the kynge Of feruent loue vnto hym saynge

O amyable kynge seasour of debate O ioyner of vertue and well of vnyte O royall emperour o souerayne estate O messenger of feruent amyte O feruent dart of cordyall pryuyte Here is your doughter fayre dame clennes That must be maryed with good ryghtwysenes

Vnto vertue the louely knyght Whiche the batayle now hath won By dame sapyence helpe and myght Of the foule thre heeded dragon This maryage by me shall be don Go ye now streyght into your tabernacle Whiche is to you moost propre habytacle

Than the souerayne kynge to hym dyd call Dame fayth dyscrecyon and dame sapyence With dame contrycyon & charyte withall And eke dame mercy and dame penytence Vnto theym saynge ye haue intellygence That this daye clennes my doughter dere Shall be maryed to vertue that ye se here

Than they dyde all come vnto me With dame peas and dame grace And after theym came dame virgynyte Whiche in her armes dyd me enbrace Saynge that I was to her grete solace Gyuynge me vnto my good maryage A gowne of syluer for grete aparage

She gafe an other of the same Vnto dame clennes puttynge it one Vpon her back withouten blame After whiche Clennes wente anone Vnto her fader her selfe alone And I with saynt Ierome dyd there tary To wed dame Clennes that n.o.ble lady

And all the ladyes with meke contenence Stode on a rewe besyde the closette Of Clennes fader without resystence Whiche hanged was gayly with blue veluet And with perles & rubyes rychely set Than forth came Clennes with two augels led Whiche theyr golden wynges abrode dyd spred

Dame grace after her bare vp her trayn And .xv. ladyes her dyd ensue Fyrst went dame humylyte certayn And after her than dyd pursue Dame fayth in stablenes so true Ledynge with her the fayre dame pease That welth and ryches doth well encrease

Than went dame reason with perseuerauce And than dame mercy with contricyon And than exersyce with remembraunce After whome went dame restytucyon With dame prayer and dame confessyon And dame charyte with obedyence And after theym came fayre dame abstynence

Saynt Ierome dyd make there coniunccyon Of dame Clennes and me in matrimonye With heuenly wordes and vertuous fastyon And aungels came downe from heuen hye As saynt Mych.e.l.l with gabryell & the gerachye To helpe saynt peter the ma.s.se to synge The organs went and the bellys dyd rynge

My penne for feblenes may not now wryte Nor my tonge for domnes may not expresse Nor my mynde for neglygence may not endyte Of the aungelycall Ioye and swete gladnesse That I sawe there without heuynesse And whan this weddynge holy was fynysshed The aungels than to heuen vanysshed

Than downe I went in to the hall Where ordeyned was by grete solempnyte A dyner of vertue moost celestyall To whiche came my wyf full of benygnyte On the one syde led by good auctoryte With saynt Edmond the n.o.ble kynge And martyr whiche dyd her downe brynge

And she was led on the other syde With saynt Edward the kynge and confessour And so bytwene theym wente this bryde To whom all the ladyes made grete honour As alway seruynge her without errour And a lytell whyle anone after her Ergos brought downe her n.o.ble fader

The kynge of loue than sat hym downe At the table for that tyme to ette Causynge dame Clennes for her renowne On his one syde than for to be sette And I on the other without ony lette And besyde me sapyence and dyscrecyon And than by theym sat dame contrycyon

Than sate saynt Edwarde with vyrgynyte And afore hym sate dame obedyence Saynt Edmond and dame charyte And than dame prayer with dame abstynence And than dame fayth shynynge in excellence With saynt Ierome and saynt Austeyn And than saynt gregory without dysdeyn

There was two aungels holdynge fast The table cloth at euery ende Knelynge downe humbly and stedfast Whose seruyce no man coude amende Other there were that dyd entende Vs for to serue with theyr grete dylygence That in theym founde coude be no neglygence

There dyd saynt Peter by grete holynes Serue vs of our swete lordes body Fyrst he serued the fader of clennes And after that he serued her shortly With charyte fayth and dame mercy And I with dyscrecyon and dame sapyence Of saynt Peter was serued with grete indulgence

So dame obedyence with contrycyon With saynt Edwarde and virgynyte In lyke wyse were serued without corrupcyon And saynt Edmond with dame charyte And saynt Ierome with dame humylyte With saynt austyn and saynt gregory What nede I lenger of theym specyfy

This was a fest moost swete and precyous To fede the soule with dyuyne comfort This was a mete moost dere and gloryous That causeth all man for to resorte To sempyternall lyfe and comforte Than saynt ambrose beynge dyuyne After our mete gafe vs good wyne

By this tyme was I .lx. yere olde And desyred for to lyue in peace For I began to growe two folde And my feblenes dyde sore encreace For nature her strength than dyd seace Wherfore after this ghoostly fest I thought with my wyfe to abyde in rest

And I to her sayd with louynge chere O my swete spouse moost fayre and beauteous To me euer ryght leyfe and dere Where is your lande that is solacyous Ye shewyd me of your gardeyn gloryous Vnto whiche now fayne wolde I go There for to dwell and you also

Syr she sayd the aungell raphaell Shall with these martyrs & n.o.ble confessours Brynge you thyder with theym to dwell Where ye shall see all your progenytours With many sayntes and gloryous auctours This lande is heuen that to vs longeth As our euydence the gospell telleth

Than came my fader in lawe to vs Saynge by ryght I dyd combynd Clennes my doughter with vertue precyous And you must I loue by naturell kynde For on you now is all my mynde Afore hym I kyst my wyfe moost swetely For we loued to gyder hote and truely

Than came my good aungell to me Causynge me with hym for to go With clennes my wyfe wher I dyd se The paynes of h.e.l.l full of grete wo There was the dragon that I dyd s...o...b..unde with chaynes in fyer infynall With the seuen dedely synnes in generall

Than my good aungell to me sayd If ye had loued dame sensualyte The whiche with you dyd make a brayde Ye had ben dampned by ryght and equyte In to this pytte full of all iniquyte Wherfore thanke G.o.d that sent you wysedome Suche deedly perylles for to ouercome

Also the lady with the cup of golde Is here condempned for her grete pryde In endeles payne both hote and colde Where in for synne she shall abyde This is a dongeon longe and wyde Made for theym that do synne dedely And of cryst Ihesu wyll axe no mercy

This is a place full of all derkenes Wherin be serpentes foull and odyous This is a place of mortall heuynes Where I sawe deuyles blacke and tedyous Dampned soules turmented with hokes rygorous This is the vppermoost parte of h.e.l.l In whiche paynyms dampned do dwell

For as moche as they lacked instruccyon For to beleue in G.o.d omnypotent They haue deserued the lesse correccyon Yet theyr payne haue none extinguysshement For they are dampned by true sentyment For theyr byleue and fals idolatry That made theyr G.o.ddes of mars & mercury

Than went we doune to an other vaute Where Iewes lay in grete paynes stronge Whome deuylles tourmented by grete a.s.saute Drawynge theym with hokes a longe For theyr opynyon so fals and wronge Whiche byleued not in the natyuyte Of Ihesu cryst and the vyrgyn Mare

Nor yet that he dyd suffre pa.s.syon Bothe for theym and all mankynde Nother yet of his resurreccyon In theyr byleue they are so blynde Yet as in bokes wryten we do fynde That they haue ben taught many a tyme For to forsake theyr owne fals cryme

Than went we downe to a depper vale Where crysten soules dyd weppe & crye In grete sorowe payne and bale Brennynge in fyer moost hote and drye And some in Ice ryght depe dyd lye For to expresse it is impossyble The paynes there they are so horryble

These crysten men knowe G.o.ddes lawe And euery daye had informacyon From deuelysshe werkes theym to withdrawe That they sholde not fall in dampnacyon Yet wyll they not make sequestracyon Of G.o.ddes cmaundement but syn deedly Therfore here are they dampned ryght wysey

And thou haddest set thy delectacyon In flesshely pleasure and vayne glory Thou haddest ben here without saluacyon Without thou of G.o.d had axed mercy Who that it axeth shall haue it truely Yf he be contryt and do repent That he his lyfe in yll hath spent

This place sythens it is moost heuy Moost derke and moost ferre from lyghtnes As philosophers afferme by astronomy Is in the myddes of the erthe doutles That is a place of dyssolate derkenes Wherfore by reason it must nedes be sette In the myddes of the erthe both longe & grette

Capitulum .xiiii

My good aungell by his grete vertue Shewed me all this in a shorte s.p.a.ce And after hym I dyd than pursue With my wyfe vnto the fayre place That we came fro full of all solace Where was my fader in the company Of many sayntes that dyd there tary

My wyfe and me than for to brynge To the place of eternall glory With heuenly tewnes swetely syngynge That theym to here it was grete melody More than ony tonge can specyfy This was theyr songe so swete and gloryous That they dyd synge with voyce so vertuous

O celestyall kynge one two and thre All people prayse the G.o.d and lorde Whiche art in heuen o n.o.ble trynyte Whose royall power and miserycorde Confermed is by thyn hye accorde On vs with trouth for to endure Withouten ende as we are sure

Glory be to the fader almyghty And to the sone and to the holy ghoost Thre persones and one G.o.d truely Whose power neuer can be loost For he is lorde of myghtes moost And so hath ben without begynnynge And euer shall be without endynge

Whan we were in the ayre of asure There dyd vs mete the n.o.ble Ierarchy As Cherubyn and Seraphyn so pure With other aungels in theyr company That dyd proclayme & synge on hye With voyce insacyat moost melodyous To G.o.d aboue Sanctus sanctus sanctus

There dyd I se the planettes seuen Moue in ordre by alteracyon To merueylous for me to neuen For they sea.s.sed not theyr operacyon Some a.s.sended some made declynacyon Entrynge theyr houses of the .xii. synes Some indyrectly and some by dyrecte lynes