A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483 Part 43

[Footnote 167: _These lines are transposed._]

Pa.s.syng famous, and of gret reverence, Most desyryd in alle regions; For where that evere shewith here presence, She bryngeth gladnes to citees and to townys.

Of alle welle fare she halt[168] the possessionys, For y dar sey, prosperite in no place, No while abidith, but if there be grace.

[Footnote 168: holdeth.]

[Sidenote: Fortune.]

In tokene that Grace shal[169] longe continue, Unto the kyng, she shewyd here ful benygne; And next here com the empresse FORTUNE, To hym aperyng with many a n.o.ble signe, And riall tokenys, to shew that he was digne, Of G.o.d disposyd as l.u.s.t[170] ordeygne, Upon his hed to were crownes tweyne.

[Footnote 169: shuld.]

[Footnote 170: lyst.]

[Sidenote: Natura Gracia et Fortuna.]

These thre ladies, al of on entent, Thre goostly gyftes, hevynly, and devyne, Unto the kyng anon they dyd present; And to his hignesse they dyd anon enclyne, And what they weren pleynly to determyne; Grace gaf hym first at his comynge, Two riche gyftes, sciens and cunnynge.

[Sidenote: Intende prospere procede et regna.]

Nature gaf hym eke strengthe, and fayrnesse, For to be lovyd and dred of every wight; Fortune gaf hym eke prosperite, and richesse; With this scripture aperyng in ther sight, To hym applied of verey due right, "First undirstonde and wilfully procede, And longe to regne," the scripture seide in dede.

This is to mene, who so undirstondith aright, Thow shalt be fortune have long prosperite; And be nature thow shalt have strengthe, and myght, Forth to procede in long felicite; And grace also hath grauntyd unto the, Vertuously longe in thi roiall citee, With septre and crowne to regne in equyte.

On the right hand of these Empresses, Stode thir[171] maydenys verey celestialle; Like Phebus bemys shone there golden tresses, Upon there hedes ech havyng a crownalle, Of port and chere semyng immortalle: In sight transsendyng alle erthely creatures, So angelik they weren of there figures.

[Footnote 171: sevyn.]

Al clad in white, in tokene of clennesse, Liche pure virgynes as in there ententys, Schewynge outward an hevenly fresshe brightnesse; Stremyd with sonnys weren alle there garmentys, Aforne provyded for pure innocentys: Most colombyne of chere and of lokyng, Meekly roos up at the comyng of the kyng.

They had on bawdrikes al on saphire hewe, Goynge outward gan the kyng salue, Hym presentyng with ther gyftes newe, Lik as thei[172] thought it was to them due; Whiche gostly giftes, here in ordre suwe, Down descendyng as silver dewe from hevene, Al grace includyd[173] withinne the giftes sewene.

[Footnote 172: them.]

[Footnote 173: include.]

These riall giftes ben of vertu most Goostly corages, most soveraygnely delite, The[174] giftes callyd of the Holy Goost, Outward figuryd be seven dowys white; Seyenge[175] to hym, lik as clerkes write, "G.o.d the fulfille with intelligence And with a spirit of goostly sapience

[Footnote 174: these.]

[Footnote 175: And seyyng.]

[Sidenote: Impleat te Deus sp'u sapiciencie et intellectus sp'u consilii et fort.i.tudinis sciencie et pietatis et sp'u timoris Domin'.]

G.o.d sende also to thi moost availe, The to preserve from alle hevynesse; A spirit of strenghthe, and of good counsaile, Of cunnyng, drede, pite, and of lownesse:"

Thus thise ladies gan there gyftes dresse, Graciously at there out comyng, Be influence light upon the kyng.

These Empresses hadde on there left syde, Othere vij virgines, pure and clene, Be attendaunce continually to abyde, Al clad in whit, smete ful of sterrers shene; And to declare what they wolde mene, Unto the kyng with fulle gret reverence, These weren there gyftes shortly in sentence;

[Sidenote: Induat te Dominus corona glorie sceptro clemencie,[176]

gladio iusticie,[177] pallio prudencie, scuto fidei, galea salutis, et vinculo pacis.]

[Footnote 176: _Transposed._]

[Footnote 177: _Transposed._]

G.o.d the endue with a crowne of glorie; And with a[178] septre of clennesse and pite; And with a sheld of right,[179] and victorie; And with a mantel of prudence clad thow be; A sheld of feith for to defende the; An helm of helthe wrought to thin encres; Girt with a girdell of love and perfight pees.

[Footnote 178: _Omitted._]

[Footnote 179: swerde of might.]

These vij virgynes of sight most hevenly, With herte, body, and handys reioysyng, And of there[180] cheres aperid murely, For the kynges gracious hom comyng; And for gladnesse they began to synge, Most angelik with hevenly armonye, This same roundelle which y shal now specifie.

[Footnote 180: othir.]

Soverayne lord, Wolcome to youre Citee; Wolcome oure joye, and oure hertys plesaunce; Wolcome oure gladnes, Wolcome oure suffisaunce; Wolcome, Wolcome, right Wolcome, mote ye be; Syngyng to fore thi riall mageste, We seye of herte, withoughten variaunce, Soverayn lord, Wolcome, Wolcome, oure[181] joye;

[Footnote 181: ye be.]

Meir, Citezeins, and al the Comonte, At youre hom comyng newe out of Fraunce, Be grace relevyd of al ther olde grevaunce, Syng this day with gret solempnyte.

Thus resceyvyd, an esy paas rydyng, The kyng is entred into this Citee; And in Cornhull anon at his comynge,

To do plesaunce to his mageste, A tabernacle surmontyng of beaute, There was ordeyned, be full fresshe entaille, Richely arraied with rialle apparaille; This tabernacle of moost magnyfycence, Was of this byldyng verrey imperiall, Mad for the lady callyd dame Sapience.

[Sidenote: Septem sciencie liberales.]

To for whos face moost statly and rialle, Were the vij sciences callyd liberalle; Rounde aboughte as makyd is memorie, Which never departyd from his[182] consistorie, Frist ther was Gramer, as y reherce can, Chef founder[183] and rote of al connyng, Whiche hadde afore here old Precian;

[Footnote 182: hire.]

[Footnote 183: founderesse.]

And Logyk hadde afore here ek[184] stondyng, Aristotill so clerkly disputyng; And Retoryk hadde eke in her presence, Tullius, callyd myrrour of eloquence; And Musyk hadde royde of all discorde, Boice, here clerk, with hevenly armonye, And instrumentis al of on acorde;

[Footnote 184: _Omitted._]

For to practyse with sugryd melodye, He and his clerkes[185] there wittes dyd applye, With touche of strengys, on orgons we[186] playeng, There craft to shewe at the[187] comynge of oure kyng; And Arsmetrik, be castynge of nombrarie, Ches Pictogoras for here partye, Callyd chief clerk to governe here liberarie.

[Footnote 185: scolars.]

[Footnote 186: eke.]

[Footnote 187: _Omitted._]

Euclude tok mesures be craft of gemetrie, And al ther heighest[188] stod Astronomye; Albunisar last with here of vij^{e}, With instrumentis that raught up into hevene; The chief princesse callyd dame Sapience, Hadde to fore here wrete[189] this scripture, Kynges, quod she, moost of excellence,

[Footnote 188: alderhyhest.]