To tellen yow that every walle
Of hit, and flore, and roof, and alle,
Was plated half a foote thikke
Of gold, that nas no thynge wikke,1
But, for to prove in alle wyse,
As fyne as ducat in Venyse,
Of whiche to litel al in my pouche is?
And they wer set as thik of nouchis 2
Fyne, of the fynest stones faire,
That men reden in the Lapidaire,
As greses growen in a mede.
But hit were alle to longe to rede
The names; and therfore I pace.
But in this lusty and ryche place,
That Fames halle called was,
Ful moche prees of folke ther nas,
Ne crowdyng, for to mochil prees.
But al on hye, above a dees,
Sit in a see imperialle,
That made was of a rubee alle,
Which that a carbuncle ys ycalled,
I saugh perpetually ystalled,
A femynyne creature ;
That never formed by Nature
Nas suche another thing yseye.
For altherfirst, soth for to seye,
Me thoughte that she was so lyte,5
That the lengthe of a cubite
Was lengere than she semede be;
1 Debased. 2 Ouches. 8 Grasses.
This was gret marvaylle to me,
Hir tho so wonderly streighte,
That with hir fete the erthe she reighte,'
And with her hed she touched hevene,
Ther as shynen sterres sevene.2
And therto eke, as to my witte,
[ saugh a gretter wonder yitte,
Upon her eyen to beholde,
But certeyn I hem never tolde.
For as feele * yen
had she,
As fetheres upon foules be,
Or weren on the bestes foure,"
That Goddes trone gunne honoure,
As Johan writ in thapocalips.
Hir heere that oundye was and crips,
As burned' gold hyt shoon to see.
And sothe to tellen also shee
Had also fele up stondyng eres
And tonges, as on bestes heres ;
And on hir fete wexen saugh I
Partriches winges redely.
But, Lorde! the perry and the richesse
I saugh sittyng on this godesse!
ind, Lord! the hevenysshe melodye,
Of songes ful of armonye,
I herd aboute her trone ysonge,
That al the paleys walles ronge!
So songe the myghty Muse, she
1 Reached. and Rev. iv. 6. stones.
2 Cf. ii. 499. 8 Counted.
Wavy and crisp.
And hir eighte sustren eke
That in her face semen meke;
And evermo eternally
They synge of Fame as thoo herd I:
"Heryed be thou and thy name,
Goddesse of renoun or Fame."
Tho was I war, loo, atte laste,
As I myn eyen gan up caste,
That thys ilke noble quene
On her shuldres gan sustene
Bothe armes, and the name
Of thoo that hadde large fame ;
Alexander, and Hercules
That with a shert hys lyfe les !
And thus fonde I syttynge this goddesse,
In noble honour and rychesse;
Of which I stynte a while nowe,
Other thinge to tellen yowe.
Tho saugh I stonde on eyther syde,
Streighte doun to the dores wide,
Fro the dees1 many a pelere
Of metal, that shoon not ful clere,
But though they ner of no rychesse,
Yet they were made for gret noblesse,
And in hem gret sentence.2
And folkes of digne reverence,
Of whiche I wil yow telle fonde,
Upon the piler saugh I stonde.
1 Dais. Meaning. Try.
THE EBRAYKE JOSEPHUS."
Alderfirste,1 loo, ther I sighe,
Upon a piler stonde on highe,
That was of lede and yren fyne,
Hym of secte Saturnyne,"
The Ebrayke Josephus the olde,
That of Jewes gestes tolde;
And he bare on hys shuldres hye,
The fame up of the Jurye.
And by hym stonden other sevene,
Wise and worthy for to nevene,
To helpen him bere up the charge,
Hyt was so hevy and so large.
And for they writen of batayles,
As wel as other olde mervayles,
Therfor was, loo, thys pilere,
Of whiche that I yow telle here,
Of lede and yren bothe ywys.
For yren Martes metal ys,
Which that God is of batayle.
And the lede, withouten faille,
Ys, loo, the metal of Saturne,
That hath a ful large whele to turne.
Thoo stoden forthe on every rowe
Of hem which that I koude knowe,
Though I hem noght be ordre telle,
To make yow to longe to duelle.
These, of whiche I gynne rede, There saugh I stonde, out of drede, Upon an yren piler stronge
1 First of all. 2 The gloomy class of authors. Orbit.
That peynted was, al endelonge,
With tigres blode in every place,
The Tholauson that highte Stace,
That bare of Thebes up the fame
Upon his shuldres, and the name
Also of cruelle Achilles.
And by him stood, withouten lees,
Ful wonder hye on a pilere 2
Of yren, he, the gret Omere ;
And with him Dares and Tytus
Before, and eke he Lollius,*
And Guydo eke de Columpnis,"
And Englyssh Gaunfride ® eke, ywis.
And eche of these, as have I joye,
Was besye for to bere up Troye.
So hevy therof was the fame,
That for to bere hyt was no game.
But yet I gan ful wel espie,
Betwex hem was a litil envye.
Oon seyde that Omere made lyes,
Feynynge in hys poetries,
And was to Grekes favorable;
Therfor held he hyt but fable.
Tho saugh I stonde on a pilere,
That was of tynned yren clere,
That Latyn poete Virgile,
That bore hath up longe while
The fame of pius Eneas.
1 Statius had been erroneously called a native of Toulouse by Dante, Purgatorio, xxi. 88. 2 Cf. Inferno, iv. 88-90. 8 Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis. Cf. Troylus and Cryseyde, i. 394 Guido de Colonna. Geoffrey of Monmouth.
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