And with that word all fodeinly
Enclosed in a sterred sky
Venus, which is the quene of love,
Was take into her place above,
Ad Laudem Chrifti, quem tu virgo peperisti,
Sit laus Ricardi, quem fceptra colunt leopardi.
Ad fua precepta complevi carmina cepta,
Que Bruti nata legat Anglia perpetuata.
He, which withinne daies feven
The large world forth with the heven
Of his eternal providence
Hath made and thilke intelligence
In mannes foule resonable,
Wherof the man of feture
Of alle erthly creature
After the foule is immortall,
To thilke lord in speciall
As he, which is of alle thinges
The creator and of the kinges
Hath the fortune upon honde
His grace and mercy for to fonde,
Upon my bare knees I pray,
That he my worthy king convey
Richard by name the fecounde,
In whom hath ever yet be founde
Juftice medled with pite,
Largeffe forth with charite,
In his persone it may be fhewed,
What is a king to be well thewed
Touching of pite namely,
For he yet never unpetoufly
Ayein the leges of his londe
For no defaute which he fonde
Through cruelte vengeaunce fought.
As though the worldes chaunce in brought
Of infortune great debate,
Yet was he nought infortunate,
Hic in fine libri honorificofque vertuofos illuftriffimi principis domini fui regis Anglie Ricardi fecundi mores ficut dignum eft laude commendabili defcribens pro eiufdem ftatus falubri confervacione cunctipotentem devocius exo
More wift I nought where she becam. And thus my leve of her I nam.
And forth with al that fame tide Her preft, which wolde nought abide,
For he, which the fortune ladde,
The highe god him overspradde
Of his justice and kept him fo,
That his eftate ftood evermo
Sauf as it oughte wel to be
Lich to the fonne in his degre,
Which with the cloudes up alofte
Is derked and befhadewed ofte,
But how so that it trouble in thaire
The fonne is ever bright and faire
Within him self and nought unpeired,
All though the weder be despeired,
The heved planete is nought to wite.
My worthy prince, of whom I write,
Thus ftant he with him felve clere
And doth what lith in his powere,
Nought only here at home to feke
Love and accorde, but outward eke,
As he, that fave his people wolde.
So ben we alle well beholde
To do fervice and obeifaunce
To him, which of his high fuffraunce
Hath many a great debate appefed
To make his lege men ben efed,
Wherefore that his cronique shall
For ever be memoriall
To the loenge of that he doth.
For this wote every man in soth,
What king that fo defireth pees,
He taketh the way which Crifte ches,
And who that Criftes weies fueth,
It proveth well that he efcheueth
Or be me lefe, or be me loth,
Out of my fighte forth he goth.
And I was left withouten helpe,
So wist I nought wherof to yelpe,
But only that I hadde lore
My time, and was forie therfore.
The vices and is vertuous,
Wherof he mot be gracious
Toward his god and acceptable.
And fo to make his regne stable
With all the will that I may yive
I pray and shall while that I live,
As I which in fubjection
Stonde under the protection
And may my felven nought bewelde,
What for fikeneffe and what for elde,
Which I receive of goddes grace,
But though me lacke to purchace
My kinges thank as by deferte,
Yet the fimpleffe of my pouerte
Unto the love of my legeaunce
Defireth for to do plesaunce.
And for this caufe in min entent
This pouer book here I prefent
Unto his highe worthineffe
Write of my fimple befineffe,
So as fikeneffe it fuffre wolde,
And in fuch wife as I first tolde,
Whan I this boke began to make,
In fome partie it may be take
And for to laugh and for to pley,
And for to loke in other wey
It may be wisdom to the wife,
So that fomedele for good apprise,
And eke fomedele for luft and game
I have it made for thilke fame.
And thus bewhaped in my thought, Whan all was torned into nought,
I ftood amafed for a while,
And in
my felf I gan to fmile,
Thenkend upon the bedes blacke,
And how they weren me betake,
For that I fhulde bid and praie.
And whan I figh none other waie,
But only that I was refused,
Unto the life, whiche I had used,
I thoughte never torne ayein.
And in this wife foth to fain
Homward a fofte
Where that with all min hole entent,
Upon the point that I am shrive,
I thenke bidde, while I live.
Parce precor Chrifte, populus quo gaudeat ifte,
Anglia ne trifte fubeat, rex fumme, refifte.
Corrige quofque ftatus fragiles, abfolve reatus,
Unde deo gratus vigeat locus ifte beatus.
He, which withinne daies seven
This large worlde forth with the heven
Of his eternal providence
Hath made, and thilke intelligence
In mannes foule refonable
Hath fhape to be perdurable,) everlasting
Wherof the man of his feture
Above all erthly creature
After the foule is immortall,
To thilke lorde in speciall,
As he, which is of alle thinges
The creator and of the kinges
Hath the fortunes upon honde
His grace and mercy for to fonde,
Upon my bare knees I praie,
That he this londe in fiker waie
Woll fet upon good governaunce.
For if men take in remembraunce,
What is to live in unite,
There is no state in his degre,
That ne ought to defire pes,
Withoute which it is no les
To feche and loke into the last,
There may no worldes joie laft.
Firft for to loke the clergie,
Hem oughte well to justifie
Thing, which belongeth to their cure,
As for to praie and to procure
Our pees toward the heven above,
And eke to fette reft and love
Among us on this erthe here,
For if they wrought in this manere
After the reule of charite,
I hope that men fholden fe
This lond amende. And over this
To feche and loke how that it is
Touchend of the chivalerie,
Which for to loke in fome partie
Is worthie for to be commended
And in fome part to be amended,
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