And eke fhe, as they understonde,
The water nimphes hath in honde
To leden at her owne hefte.
And whan her lift the fky tempefte,
The reinbowe is her messagere.
Lo, which a misbeleve is here,
That she goddeffe is of the sky,
I wot none other cause why.
An other goddeffe is Minerve,
To whom the Grekes obey and serve.
And she was nigh the greate lay
Of Triton founde, where the lay
A child for-caft, but what she was
There knew no man the fothe cas.
But in Aufrique she was laide
In the maner as I have faide
And caried fro that ilke place
Into an ile fer in Trace,
The which Pallene thanne hight,
Where a norice hir kepte and dight.
And after for fhe was fo wife,
That she found first in her avise
The cloth making of woll and line,
Men faiden, that she was divine,
And the goddeffe of fapience
They clepen her in that credence.
Of the goddeffe, which Pallas
Is cleped, fondry speche was.
One faith her fader was Pallaunt,
Whiche in his time was a geaunt,
Minerva dea fapi
enciarum.
A cruell man, a batailous.
An other faith, how in his hous
She was the cause, why he deiede.
And of this Pallas fome eke faide
That she was Martes wife, and fo
Among the men that weren tho
Of misbeleve in the riot
The goddeffe of batailes hote
and yet she bereth the name.
Now loke, how they be for to blame.
Saturnus after his exile
Fro Crete cam in great perile
Into the londes of Itaile
And there he dide great merveile,
Wherof his name dwelleth yit.
For he founde of his owne wit
The firfte crafte of plough tilling,
Of ering and of corn fowing,
And how men fhulden fette vines
And of the grapes make wines.
All this he taught. And it fell fo
His wife, the which cam with him tho,
Was cleped Cereres by name,
And for the taught also the fame
And was his wife that ilke throwe,
As it was to the people knowe,
They made of Ceres a goddeffe,
In whom her tilthe yet they bleffe
And fain that Tricolonius
Her fone goth amonges us
And maketh the corn good chepe or dere,
Right as her lift from yere to yere,
So that this wife because of this
Goddeffe of cornes cleped is.
King Jupiter, which his liking
Whilom fulfilled in alle thing,
So priveliche about he ladde
His luft, that he his wille hadde
Of Latona and on her that
Diane his doughter he begat
Unknowen of his wife Juno.
But afterward fhe knewe it fo,
That Latona for drede fled
Into an ile, where the hid
Her wombe, which of childe aros.
Thilke ile cleped was Delos,
In which Diana was forth brought
And kept so, that her lacketh nought.
And after whan she was of age,
She toke none hede of mariage,
But out of mannes compaigny
She toke her all to venery
In forest and in wildernesse,
For there was all her befineffe
By day and eke by nightes tide
With arwes brode under the fide
And bow in honde, of which she flough
And toke all that her lift inough
Of bestes, which ben chaceable,
Wherof the cronique of this fable
Diana dea moncium et filvarum.
Proferpina dea infernorum.
Saith that the gentils most of alle
Worshippen her, and to her calle
And the goddeffe of high hilles,
Of grene trees, of fresshe welles
They clepen her in that beleve,
Which that no refon may acheve.
Proferpina, which doughter was
Of Cereres, befell this cas,
While she was dwelling in Cicile,
Her moder in that ilke while
Upon her bleffing and her heft
Bad, that she fhulde ben honest
And lerne for to weve and spinne
And dwelle at home and kepe her inne.
But she caft all that lore awey,
And as she went her out to pley
To gader floures in a pleine,
And that was under the mountaigne
Of Ethna, fell the fame tide
That Pluto cam that waie ride.
And fodeinly, er she was ware,
He toke her up into his chare,
And as they riden in the felde,
Her grete beaute he behelde,
Which was fo plesaunt in his eye,
That for to holde in compaignie
He wedded her and helde her fo
To ben his wife for evermo.
And as thou haft to-fore herd telle,
How he was cleped god of helle,
So is the cleped the goddeffe
Because of him ne more ne leffe.
Lo thus, my fone, as I the tolde
The Grekes whilom by daies olde
Her goddes had in fondry wife,
And through the lore of her apprise
The Romains helden eke the fame
And in worshippe of her name
To every god in speciall
They made a temple forth withall
And eche of hem his yeres day
Attitled hadde. And of array
The temples weren than ordeigned
And eke the people was conftreigned
To come and done her facrifice.
The preftes eke in her office
Solempne maden thilke festes.
And thus the Grekes lich to bestes
The men in stede of god honour,
Which mighten nought hem felf foccour,
While that they were alive here.
And over this as thou fhalt here
The Grekes fulfilled of fantasy
Sain eke, that of the hilles high
The goddes ben in speciall,
But of her name in generall
They hoten alle Satiry.
There ben of nimphes proprely
In the beleve of hem also,
Oreades they faiden tho
Nota, quod dii moncium Satiri vocantur.
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