A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483 Part 49

BY JOHN LYDGATE.

[_Harleian MSS._ 2255, _f._ 45^{b}.]

Riht myhty prynce, and it be your wille, Condescende leiser for to take, To seen the content of this litil bille, Which whan I wrot, myn hand I felte quake; Tokne of mornyng weryd clothys blake, Cause my purs was falle in gret rerage; Lynyng outward, his guttys wer out shake, Oonly for lak of plate, and of coignage.

I souhte leechys for a restoratiff, In whom I fond no consolacione; Appotecaryes for a confortatiff; Dragge nor dya was noon in Bury tone, Botme of his stomak was tournyd up so done; A laxatif did hym so gret outrage, Made hym slendre by a consumpcione, Oonly for lak of plate, and of coignage.

s.h.i.+p was ther noon, nor seilis rede of hewe, The wynd froward to make hem ther to londe; The flood was pa.s.syd, and sodeynly of newe, A lowh ground ebbe was faste by the stronde; No maryneer durste take on honde, To caste an ankir for streihtnesse of pa.s.sage, The custom skars, as fow may undirstonde, Oonly for lak of plate, and of coignage.

Ther was no tokne sent done from the Tour, As any gossomer the countirpeys was liht, A fretyng etyk causyd his langour, By a cotidian which heeld hym day and nyht: Sol and Luna wer clypsyd of ther liht, Ther was no cros nor preent of no visage, His lynyng dirk, ther wer no platys briht, Oonly for lak, and sca.r.s.ete of coignage.

Harde to likke hony out of a marbil stoon, For ther is nouthir licour nor moisture; An ernest grote, whan it is dronke and goon, Bargeyn of marchauntys stant in aventure.

My purs and I be callyd to the lure Off indigence, our stuff leyd in morgage; But ye, my lord, may al our soor recure, With a receyt of plate, and of coignage.

Nat sugre plate maad by thappotecarye, Plate of briht metal yevith a mery sone, In Boklerys bury is noon such letuary; Gold is a cordial, gladdest confeccione, Ageyn etiques of oold consumpcione, Auru' potabile, for folk ferre ronne in age, In quynt essence best restauracione, With silver plate, enprentyd with coignage.

O seely bille! why art thu nat ashamyd, So malapertly to shewe out thy constreynt; But povert hath so nyh thy tonne attamyd, That nichil habet is cause of thy compleynt.

A drye tisyk makith oold men ful feynt; Reediest weye to renewe ther corage, Is a fresshe dragge of no spycis meynt, But of a briht plate, enpreentyd with coignage.

Thu mayst afferme, as for thyn excus, Thy bareyn soyl is sool and solitarye; Of cros nor pyl ther is no reclus, Preent nor impressione in al thy seyntuarye.

To conclude breefly, and nat tarye, Ther is no noyse herd in thyn hermytage; G.o.d sende soone a gladdere letuarye, With a cleer sone of plate, and of coignage.

EX^{t}. Q^{d}. LYDGATE.

ON FORKED HEAD DRESSES:

BY JOHN LYDGATE.

[_Harleian MSS._ 2255, f. 6.]

Off G.o.d and kynde procedith al bewte: Crafft may shewe a foreyn apparence, But nature ay must have the sovereynte: Thyng countirfet hath noon existence, Twen gold and gossomer is gret difference; Trewe metal requerith noon allay, Unto purpoos by cleer experyence; Bewte wyl shewe, thouh hornes wer away.

Riche attires of gold, and perre, Charbonclis, rubies of moost excellence, Shewe in dirknesse, liht wher so they be, By ther natural hevenly influence.

Doubletys of glas yeve a gret evidence; Thyng contirfet wil faylen at a.s.say: On this mateer concludyng in sentence, Bewte wyl shewe, thouh h.o.r.n.ys wer away.

Aleyn remembryth his compleynt, who lyst see In his book of famous eloquence; Clad al in floures and blosmys of a tree, He sawh Nature in hir moost excellence, Upon hir hed a keverchef of Valence, Noon othir richesse of countirfet array; T'exemplefye by kyndly providence, Bewte wil shewe, thouh h.o.r.n.ys wer away.

Famous poetys of antiquyte, In Grece and Troye, renoumyd of prudence, Wroot of queen Helene, and Penelope, Off Polyceene with hir chaast innocence: For wyves trewe calle Lucrece to presence, That they wer fayr, ther can no man sey nay; Kynde wrouht hem with so gret dilligence, Ther bewte couthe, h.o.r.n.ys wer cast away.

Clerkys recorde by gret auctorite, h.o.r.n.ys wer yove to beestys for diffence; A thyng contrary to femynyte, To be maad st.u.r.dy of resistence: But arche wyves egre in ther violence, Fers as tygre for to make affray, They have despyt ageyn conscience, Lyst nat of pryde, ther h.o.r.n.ys cast away.

L'ENVOYE.

n.o.ble Pryncessys, this litel shoort ditee, Rewdly compiled, lat it be noon offence, To your womanly merciful pitee, Thouh it be rad in your audience: Peysed ech thyng in your iust advertence, So it be no displesaunce to your pay, Undir support of your pacience, Yevyth example, h.o.r.n.ys to cast away.

Grettest of vertues is humylite, As Salomon seith, sone of sapience, Moost was accepted to the Deite.

Takith heed heer of yeuyth, to this woord credence, How Maria, whiche hadde a premynence Above alle women, in Bedleem whan she lay, At Cristes birthe no cloth of gret dispence, She weryd a keverche, h.o.r.n.ys wer cast away.

Off birthe she was hihest of degre, To whom alle aungelis did obedience; Of David is lyne which sprang out of Jesse, In whom alle vertues by iust convenience, Maad stable in G.o.d, by goostly confidence: This roose of Jerycho, ther greuh noon suych in May, Poore in spirit, parfight in pacience, In whoom alle h.o.r.n.ys of pryde wer put away.

Moodir of J'hu, myrour of chast.i.te, In woord nor thouht that nevir did offence, Trewe exemplaire of virginite, Heedspryng and welle of parfit contynence, Was nevir clerk, by rethoryk nor science Kowde alle hir vertues reherse to this day; n.o.ble Pryncessys of meeke benyvolence, B'example of hir, your h.o.r.n.ys cast away.

ON FRAUDULENT MILLERS AND BAKERS.

[_Harleian MSS._ 2255.]

Put out his hed lyst nat for to dare, But lyk a man upon that tour to abyde, For cast of eggys wil not conys spare, Tyl he be quaylled body, bak, and syde; His heed endooryd, and of verray pryde, Put out his armys, shewith abrood his face, The fenestrallys be made for hym so wyde, Cleymyth to been a capteyn of that place.

The bastyle longith of verray dewe ryght, To fals bakerys it is trewe herytage; Severelle to them, this knoweth every wight, Be kynde a.s.syngned for ther sittyng stage, Wheer they may freely shewe out ther visage, Whan they take oonys there possessione, Owthir in youthe or in myddyl age, Men doon hem wrong yif they take hym done.

Let mellerys and bakerys gadre hem a gilde, And alle of a.s.sent make a fraternite; Undir the pillory a litil chapell bylde, The place amorteyse and purchase liberte, For alle thoo that of ther noumbre be; Whatevir it coost afftir that they wende, They may cleyme be just auctorite, Upon that bastile to make an ende.

EXP^{t}. Q' LYDGATE.

THE END.