| 1 | ||||||
| Thorugh gladde aspectes of the god Cupid | ||||||
| And ful accord of his moder deere, | ||||||
| Ful oft sithes list aforne provide | ||||||
| By course eterne of the sterres cleere | ||||||
| 5 | Hertes in love to to join in ferre | together | ||||
| Through bond of faith perpetually t' endure. | ||||||
| By influence of God and of Nature. | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| The heven above disposeth many thinges | ||||||
| Which wit of man can not comprehende | ||||||
| 10 | The fatal order of lordes and of kinges | |||||
| To make somme in honour highe ascende | ||||||
| And some also ful lowe to descende | ||||||
| And in love eke to lacen and constraine | ||||||
| Hertes t' embrace in Jupiter's chain. | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 15 | Thus cam in first the knotte of alliaunce | |||||
| Between provinces and worthy regions, | ||||||
| Folkes to sette in peace and accordaunce | ||||||
| To been all one in theire affecciouns | in unity | |||||
| And to exclude alle divisiouns | ||||||
| 20 | Of contekk, strif of bataile, and of werres | |||||
| The first cause pourtrayed in the sterres. | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| For no man may th' ordainaunce eschue | ||||||
| Thinges disposed by cours celestial | ||||||
| Nor destinee to void ne to remue | move | |||||
| 25 | But only god, that lordshipe al | |||||
| For thorough his might moost imperial, | ||||||
| Th' eternal lord, most discreete and sage, | ||||||
| He brought in first th' ordre of mariage. | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| Ensaumple in books ther ben more than oon | one | |||||
| 30 | Th' inward pith whoso list to charge | pith = essence | ||||
| Executed is of so yore agoon | long ago | |||||
| Recorde I take of Calydoine and Arge | Calydon and Argos | |||||
| Howe tho landes so brood, so wide, so large | those | |||||
| Were maked oon -- the story list not feigne -- | ||||||
| 35 | By mariage, which a-fore were twain. | |||||
| 6 | ||||||
| And in chronicles autentik and olde | ||||||
| Many a story of antiquitee | ||||||
| Unto this purpose rehersed is and told, | ||||||
| How mariages have ground and cause be | ||||||
| 40 | Bewteen lands of pees and unitee | peace | ||||
| And here-to-forn, as made is remembraunce, | ||||||
| The war stint of England and of Fraunce. | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| And as I hope of hert and mening true | intention | |||||
| The mortal war cesse shal and fine | come to an end | |||||
| 45 | Betwene tho bothe and pees againe renew | both of them | ||||
| To make love with cleer beemes shine | ||||||
| By meene of her that highte Katherine, | ||||||
| Joined til oon -- his deedes can you tell -- | ||||||
| Henry the fifte, of knighthood sours and well. | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 50 | And further-down for to specifye | furthermore | ||||
| Pees and accorde for to multiplye | ||||||
| The dew of grace distill shall and raine | ||||||
| In the boundes here of our Brettaine | ||||||
| To find a way whereby we may attain | ||||||
| 55 | That Duchy of Holand by hool affeccioun | |||||
| May be allied with Brutus Albioun. | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| That they may be oon body and oon hert, | ||||||
| Rooted on faith, devoid of doublenesse, | ||||||
| And eek to sen clerly and adverte | to take note | |||||
| 60 | A newe sonne to shinen of gladnesse | |||||
| In bothe londes t' exlcuden al derknesse | ||||||
| Of old hatred and of al rancoure | ||||||
| Brought in my meene of oon that is the floure. | flower | |||||
| 10 | ||||||
| Thorough-oute the world called of wommanheed, | ||||||
| 65 | True ensaumple and well of al goodenesse, | |||||
| Benign of port, root of goodlihede, | ||||||
| Sothfast mirror of beautee and fairnesse -- | ||||||
| I meene of Holand the goodly fresh duchesse | ||||||
| Called Jaques, whos birth for to termine | specify | |||||
| 70 | Is by descent imperial of line. | lineage | ||||
| 11 | ||||||
| As Hester meek, and as Judith sage, | ||||||
| Flowring in youth like to Polixseene; | ||||||
| Secree, faithful as Dido of Cartage, | ||||||
| Constant of hert, like Ecuba the queene, | ||||||
| 75 | And as Lucresse in love true and cleene; | |||||
| Of bountee, fredom, and of gentilnesse | ||||||
| She may be called well, lady, and maistresss. | ||||||
| 12 | ||||||
| Fair was Heleyne, like as bookes telleth, | ||||||
| And renommed as of seemlynesse, | ||||||
| 80 | But she in goodness far above excelleth; | |||||
| To rekken her trouthe and her stedfastnesse, | ||||||
| Her governaunce, and her highe noblesse, | ||||||
| That if she shal shrotly be comprehended, | ||||||
| In her is nothing that might ben amended. | ||||||
| 13 | ||||||
| 85 | Ther-to she is discreet and wonder sadde | grave | ||||
| In her apport, whoso list take heede; | deportment, bearing | |||||
| Right avisee and wommanly, eek gladde; | discreet | |||||
| And dame Prudence doth ay her bridle leede; | lead | |||||
| Fortune and Grace, and Raisoun eek in deed | Reason | |||||
| 90 | In all her workes with her ben allied, | |||||
| That throughout the world, her name is magnified. | ||||||
| 14 | ||||||
| To the poor she is also ful merciable, | ||||||
| Ful of pitee and compassioun, | ||||||
| And of nature list not to be vengeable -- | ||||||
| 95 | Though it so be she have occasioun -- | |||||
| That I suppose nowe in no regioun | ||||||
| Was never a better at alle assayes founden, | tests | |||||
| So muche vertu doth in her abounden. | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| A heven it is to ben in her presence, | ||||||
| 100 | Who list consider her governaunce at al, | |||||
| Whos goodely look in verray existence | ||||||
| So aungelik and so celestial, | ||||||
| So feminine; and in especial | ||||||
| Her eyen sayn 'Whoso look weel | well | |||||
| 105 | Foryiven is oure wrath, every deel.' | every bit | ||||
| 16 | ||||||
| And her colurs ben black, white, and rede; | ||||||
| The red in trouthe tokeneth stablenesse, | ||||||
| And the black, whoso taketh heede, | ||||||
| Signifeth parfyt sobernesse; | ||||||
| 110 | The white also is token of cleennesse, | chastity | ||||
| And eek her word is in verray sooth | ||||||
| 'Ce bien raysoun' al that ever she dooth. | ||||||
| 17 | ||||||
| And sith she is by descent of blood | ||||||
| The gretest born oon of hem on live | One of the greatest born now living | |||||
| 115 | And ther-with-al most vertuous and good, | |||||
| The trouth plainly yif I shal descrive | recount | |||||
| Such grace I hope of newe shal arrive | ||||||
| With her coming through al this lande | ||||||
| That there shal be a perpetualle bande | bond | |||||
| 18 | ||||||
| 120 | Perfourming up, by knott of mariage, | |||||
| With help of God, between this lady bright | ||||||
| And oon that is soothly of his age | ||||||
| Thorough al this world oon the best knight | ||||||
| And best pourveyed of manhood and of might | ||||||
| 125 | In pees and werre thorough his excellence, | |||||
| And is also of wisdom and prudence | ||||||
| 19 | ||||||
| Most renommed for to rekken al | ||||||
| From Eest to West, as of highe prowesse; | ||||||
| In daring do and deedes marcial | ||||||
| 130 | He passeth alle thorough his worthynesse, | |||||
| That yif I shall the trouthe cleer expresse, | ||||||
| He hath deserved thorough his knyghtly name | ||||||
| To be registred in The House of Fame. | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| Egally -- ye! -- with the worthy nine, | Nine Worthies | |||||
| 135 | For with Paris he hath comlynesse; | |||||
| In trouth of love with Troilus he doth shine; | ||||||
| And with Hector he hath eek hardynesse; | ||||||
| Woth Tideus he hath fredom and gentilnesse; | ||||||
| Wall of Bretaine, by manly violence | ||||||
| 140 | Again her fomen to standen at defence. | |||||
| 21 | ||||||
| Sloth eschewing, he doth his wit applye | ||||||
| To reed in bookes which that ben moral; | ||||||
| In holy writ with the allegorye | allegorical meaning | |||||
| He him deliteth to look in special; | ||||||
| 145 | In understonding is none to him egal. | equal | ||||
| Of his estate expert in poetrye, | ||||||
| With parfounde feeling of Phylosophye. | ||||||
| 22 | ||||||
| With Solomon hath he sapience, | ||||||
| Fame of Knighthood with Cesar Juius; | ||||||
| 150 | Of rhetorik and eek of eloquence | |||||
| Equipollent with Marcus Tulius; | equal to Cicero | |||||
| With Hannibal he is victorious, | ||||||
| Like unto Pompey for his highe renown, | ||||||
| And to governe egale with Scipioun. | ||||||
| 23 | ||||||
| 155 | This Martes sone and soothfastly his heir | son of Mars | ||||
| So wold God of his eternal might | ||||||
| He joined were with her that is so fair, | ||||||
| The freshe duchesse of whom I speek now right, | ||||||
| Sith he in hert is her true knight, | ||||||
| 160 | For whom he writeth `in good aventure | |||||
| Sanz plus vous belle' perpetually t' endure. | ||||||
| 24 | ||||||
| Thanne were this land in ful sikernesse | ||||||
| Agains th' assaut of our mortal foon; | foes | |||||
| 165 | Farewell thanne al trouble and hevynesse, | |||||
| Yif so were these landes were alle oon, | ||||||
| And God I pray it may be done anoon; | ||||||
| Of his might so graciously ordaine | ||||||
| That pees final were sette between hem twaine. | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| And I dare well affirm finally | ||||||
| 170 | Thorough-oute this lande, of highe and low degree, | |||||
| That alle folkes prayen ful specially | ||||||
| This thing in haste may executed be, | ||||||
| And Thou that art oon and two and three | ||||||
| This gracious werk dispose for the best | ||||||
| 175 | For to conclude the fine of theire request. | end, purpose | ||||
| 26 | ||||||
| And Ymeneus, thou fortune this mattere | Hyme | favor, make fortunate | ||||
| Thorough help of Juno, next of thine allye, | ||||||
| Make a knot faithful and entire, | ||||||
| As whilom was between Philologye | ||||||
| 180 | And Mercury eek, so highe above the skye, | |||||
| Wher that Clio and Caliope | ||||||
| Sang with her sustren in noumbre thries three | their siste | thrice | ||||
| 27 | ||||||
| And all ye goddes beth of oon accord, | ||||||
| That have your dwelling above the firmament, | ||||||
| 185 | And ye goddesses, devoid of al discord, | |||||
| Beth well-willy and also diligent. | benevolent | |||||
| And thou, Fortune, be also of assent | ||||||
| This needful thing t' execute yerne | quickly | |||||
| Through your power, which that is eterne. | ||||||
| L'Envoye | ||||||
| 190 | Princess of Bountee, of Freedom emperesse, | |||||
| The verray lodesterre of al Goodlyheede, | guiding sta | goodness | ||||
| Lowly I pray unto your highe Noblesse, | ||||||
| Of my Rudenesse not to taken heed, | ||||||
| And wher-so it be this bille that ye reed | petition | |||||
| 195 | Hath mercy ay on min ignoraunce, | |||||
| Sith I it made betwix hope and dreed | ||||||
| Of hoole entent you for til do plesaunce. | pleasure | |||||
This is the famous Duke Humphrey of Gloucester (1390-1447), founder of the library at Oxford that yet bears his name; the poem was addressed to Jacqueline of Hainault, whom the duke married in 1422. For details, see Eleanor P. Hammond, English Verse Between Chaucer and Surrey. Durham, NC. 1927, pp. 142-45 [Widener 10494.225.5].
The text above is glossed and slightly regularized for beginning readers of Middle English from the edition of Henry N. MacCracken, The Minor Poems of John Lydgate, EETS. London. 1911 [Widener 12432.26.10.5]. A better version is that edited from Cambridge, Trinity College MS R 3 20, ff. 158-64, by Eleanor P. Hammond, English Verse Between Chaucer and Surrey.