Lydgate's Epithalamium for Gloucester
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 | |||||