#  Lydgate's Epithalamium for Gloucester 

 



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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 







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Hertes in love to to join in ferre



together





Through bond of faith perpetually t' endure. 







By influence of God and of Nature. 























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The heven above disposeth many thinges 







Which wit of man can not comprehende 





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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. 























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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 







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Of contekk, strif of bataile, and of werres 







The first cause pourtrayed in the sterres. 





















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For no man may th' ordainaunce eschue 







Thinges disposed by cours celestial 









Nor destinee to void ne to remue



move



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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. 





















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Ensaumple in books ther ben more than oon

one



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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 -- 





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By mariage, which a-fore were twain.























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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 





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Bewteen lands of pees and unitee



peace





And here-to-forn, as made is remembraunce, 







The war stint of England and of Fraunce. 





















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And as I hope of hert and mening true



intention





The mortal war cesse shal and fine



come to an end

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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. 





















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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 







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That Duchy of Holand by hool affeccioun 







May be allied with Brutus Albioun. 























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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



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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



















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Thorough-oute the world called of wommanheed, 





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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



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Is by descent imperial of line.



lineage



















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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, 





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And as Lucresse in love true and cleene; 







Of bountee, fredom, and of gentilnesse 







She may be called well, lady, and maistresss. 





















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Fair was Heleyne, like as bookes telleth, 







And renommed as of seemlynesse, 







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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. 





















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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



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In all her workes with her ben allied, 









That throughout the world, her name is magnified. 





















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To the poor she is also ful merciable, 









Ful of pitee and compassioun, 









And of nature list not to be vengeable -- 





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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. 





















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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



















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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. 





















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And sith she is by descent of blood 









The gretest born oon of hem on live



One of the greatest born now living

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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



















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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 





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In pees and werre thorough his excellence, 







And is also of wisdom and prudence 























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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. 























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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. 





















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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. 





















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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. 























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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. 





















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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. 





















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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

















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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 

















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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*.