In the meane while that I stil recorded these thynges with my self, and marked my wepelie complainte, with office of poinctell: I sought stondyng abouen the hight of mine hed a woman of full greate reuerence, by semblaunt. Her iyen bren menne, with a liuely colour, and with soche vigour and strength that it ne might not been nempned, all were it so, that she were full of so greate age, that menne woulden not trowen in no manere, that she were of our elde. ALAS, I wepyng am constrained to begin versenying, and clere, seyng ouer the common might of of sorowefull matter, that whilom in florishyng studie made delitable ditees. For lo, rendyng muses of poetes, enditen to me thinges to be writen, and drerie teares. At laste no drede ne might ouercome tho muses, that thei ne werren fellowes, and folowden my waie, that is to saie: whan I was The stature of her, was of doutous judgemente, exiled, ther that weren of my youthe, whilom weel- for sometyme she constrained and shronke her full and grene, comforten now sorow full wierdes, seluen, like to the common measure of menne : of me old man: for elde is comen vnwarely vpon and sometyme it semed, that she touched the me, hasted by the harmes that I haue, and sorowe Heauen, with the hight of her hedde. And whan hath commaunded his age to bee in me. Heeres she houe her hedde higher, she perced the self hore aren shad ouertime liche vpon my head: and Heauen, so that the sight of menne lookyng was in the slacke skinne trembleth of mine empted bodie. idell: her clothes wer maked of right delie thredes, Thilke death of men is welefull, that ne commeth and subtel craft of perdurable mattier. The whiche not in yeres that be swet, but cometh to wretches clothes, she had wouen with her owne handes, as often icleped: alas, alas, with how defe an eare I knewe well after, by her self declaryng, and death cruell turneth awaie fro wretches, and naieth shewyng to me the beautie: the whiche clothes a for to close wepyng iyen. While fortune vufaith-darkenesse of a forleten and dispised elde, had full, fauoured me with light goodes, that sorow- dusked and darked, as it is wonte to darke by full houre, that is to saie, the death, had almoste smoked images. drente myne hedde: but now for fortune cloudie, hath chaunged her deceiuable chere to mewarde, myne vnpitous life draweth along vngreable dwellynges. O ye my frendes, what, or wherto auaunted ye me to been welfull? For he that hath fallen, stode in no stedfast degree. In the netherest hemme or border of these clothes, menne redde iwouen therein a Grekishe A. that signifieth the life actiue, and aboue that letter, in the hiest bordure, a Grekishe C. that signifieth the life contemplatife. And betwene these twoo letters, there were seen degrees nobly wrought, in sea. was want to seken the causes, whens the sowning windes mouen, and besien the smothe water of the And what spirite tourneth the stable Heauen. And why the sterre riseth out of the red east, to fallen in the westeren waues. And what attemp and highteth and apparaileth the yearth with rosie floures. And who maketh the plumtuous autumpne, in full yeres fleeten with heauie grapes. And eke this manne was wonte, to tell the diuers causes of nature that were hidde. Alas, how lightlie is empted the light of his thought, and his necke is pressed with beauie chaines, and beareth his chere enclined adowne for the greate weight, and is constrained to looken on the fole yearth. Boe. Tum vero totis in me intenta luminibus. Philo. Tu ne ille es (ait) qui nostro quondam lacte nutritus, nostris educatus alimentis, in virilis animi robur evaseras? &c. maner of ladders, by whiche degrees, menne might climben from the netherest letter, to the vpperest: nathelesse handes of some men, hadden kerue that clothe, by violence or by strength, and eueriche manne of hem, had borne awaie soche peces, as he might getten. And forsothe this foresaied wo-reth the lustie houres of the first şommer season, man, bare smale bookes in her right hande, and in her left hand, she bare a scepter. And whan she sawe these poeticall muses, approchyng aboute my bed, and endityng wordes to my wepynges, she was a litle amoued, and glowed with cruell iyen. Who (quod she) hath suffered approchen to this sicke manne, these common strompettes, of which is the place, that menne call theatre, the whiche onely ne asswagen not his sorowes with remedies, but thei would feden and norishe hym with swete venime? Forsothe, that been tho that with thornes, and prickynges of talentes of affeccions, whiche that been nothyngs fructous nor profitable, dis-Bel magis medicine (inquit) tempus est quam querele. troien the corne, plentuous of fruictes of reason. For thei holden hertes of men in, vsage, but thei ne deliuer no folke fro maladie. But if the muses had withdrawen fro me with your flatteries, any an vnconnyng and vnprofitable manne, as been wont to finde commenly emong the people, I would well suffre the lasse greuously. For why, in soche an vnprofitable man, myne ententes were nothyng endamaged. But ye withdrowen fro me this man, that he hath been nourished in my studies or scoles of Cleaticis, and of Achademicis in Grece. But goeth now rather awaie ye mermaidens, whiche that been swete, till it be at the last, and suffreth this man to be cured and healed by my muses, that is to say, by my notefull sciences. And thus this companie of muses iblamed, casten wrothly the chere, dounward to the yearth, and shewing by rednesse hir shame, thei passeden sorowfully the thresholde. And I of whom the sight plounged in teares was darked, so that I ne might not know, what that woman was, of so imperiall aucthoritie, I woxe all abashed and stonied, and cast my sight doune to the yerth, and began still for to abide what she would doen afterward. Then came she nere, and set her doune vpon the vttermost corner of my bed, and she beholdyng my chere, that was cast to the yearth, heauie and greuous of wepyng, complained with these woords (that I shall saine) the perturbacion of my thought. Heu quam precipiti mersa profundo Mens hebet, et propria luce relicta, Tendit in externas ire tenebras, Terrenis quoties flutibus aucta Crescit in immensum noxia cura. Hic quondam cælo liber aperto. BUT tyme is now of medicine (quod she) more then complainte. Forsothe than she entendynge to me warde, with all the lookyng of her iyen saied. Art not thou he (quod she) that whilome I nourished with my milke, and fostred with my meates, were escaped and commen to the courage of a parfaite manne: Certes, I yaue thee soche armours, that if thou thyself, ne haddest 'firste caste hem a waie, thei shoulden haue defended thee in sikernesse, that maie not bee ouercomen. Knowest thou not me? why art thou still: is it for shame, or for astoniyng? It were me leuer it were for shame, but it semeth me that astoniyng hath oppressed thee. And when she sawe me not onely stil, but rather without office of tongue, and all dombe, she laied her hande softelie vpon my breast, and saied: Here is no perill (quod she) he is fallen into a litrage, whiche that is a common sickenesse, to hertes that been deceiued. He hath a little foryeten hymself. But certes he shall light lie remembren hymself, if so bee that he hath knowen me er nowe. And that he maie doen so, I will wipe his iyen a little, that be darked by the cloude of mortall thynges. These woordes saied she, and with the lappe of her garnemente, iplited in a frounce she dried myne iyen, that weren full of the wawes of my wepynges. Tunc me discussa liquerunt nocte tenebræ, Laminibusque prior rediit vigor. Ut cum præcipiti glomerantur sidera Choro, Nimbosisque polus stetit imbribus. Sol latet, ac non dum cœlo venientibus astris, &c. ALAS, howe the thought of this man, dreinte in ouerthrowyng depenesse, dulleth and forleteth his proper clerenesse, mintyng to gone into forain darkenesse, THUS whan that nighte was discussed awaie, darkeas ofte as his anoious besines wexeth without mea- nesse forlete me, and to my iyen repaired again sure, that is driuen with worldlie mindes. This man her first strength. And right as by ensample, as that whilome was free, to whom the Heauen was the Sunne is hidde when the sterres been couerde open and knowen, and was wont to gone in heauenly with cloudes, by a swifte winde that hight Chorus, pathes, and sawe the lightnesse of the redde Sunne, and the firmamente stante dercked by weate and behelde the sterres of the colde Moone, and plungie cloudes. And that the sterres not apwhiche sterre in Heauen, vseth wanderyng re- peren vpon the heauen, so that the night semed courses iflitte by diuers spheres. This manne ouer-sprad vpon the yearth. If then the wind that comer had comprehended all this thyng, by nomber hight Boreas, isent out of the caue, of the countrey of accompting in astronomie. And ouer this, he of Trace, beateth this night, that is to saine, chas |