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A god to helpe or a goddeffe,
Wherof to take my witneffe,
The king of Bragman Dindimus
ve to Aliaundre thus

of the Grekes feith

beleve he faith,

ver membre hadden

em they ipradden We belbaghten.

Sughten,

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And of the galle the goddesse,
For she was ful of haftineffe,
Of wrath and light to greve also,
They made and faid, it was Juno.
Cupide, which the brond of fire
Bare in his hond, he was the fire
Of the ftomack, which boileth ever,
Wherof the luftes ben the lever.
To the goddeffe Cereres,

Whiche of the corn yaf her encres,
Upon the feith that tho was take
The wombes cure was betake.

And Venus through the lechery,
For whiche they her deify,
She kepte all down the remenaunt
To thilke office appertenaunt.

Thus was difpers in fondry wife
The misbeleve as I devise

With many an ymage of entaile,
Of fuche as might hem nought availe,
Forthy withoute lives chere
Unmighty ben to fe or here
Or fpeke or do or elles fele,
And yet the fooles to hem knele,
Whiche is her owne handes werke.
Ha lord, how this beleve is derke
And fer fro refonable wit,
And netheles they don it yit.
That was o day a ragged tre
To morwe upon his mageste

Nota de prima ydolorum cultura, que ex tribus precipue ftatuis exorta eft, quarum prima fuit illa, quam in filii fui memoriam quidam princeps nomine Cirophanes a sculptore Prometheo fabricari conftituit.

Attitled ben to the montaignes.

And for the wodes in demeines
Driades filvarum. To kepe tho ben Driades,
Naiades foncium. Of fresfhe welles Naiades,
And of the nimphes of the fee
I finde a tale in proprete,

Nereides marium.

How Dorus whilom king of Grece,
Whiche had of infortune a piece,
His wife forth with his doughter alle
So as the happes shulden falle
With many a gentilwoman there
Dreint in the falte fee they were,
Wherof the Grekes that time saiden
And fuch a name upon hem laiden,
Nereides that they ben hote,
The nimphes whiche that they note
To regne upon the ftremes falte.
Lo now, if this beleve halte.
But of the nimphes as they telle,
In every place where they dwelle
They ben all redy obeifaunt
As damifelles attendaunt

To the goddeffes, whofe fervise
They mote obey in alle wife,
Wherof the Grekes to hem beseke
With tho, that ben goddeffes eke,
And have in hem a great credence.
And yet without experience

Saufe onely of illufion,

Which was to hem dampnacion.

For men also that were dede

They hadden goddes as I rede,
And tho by name Manes highten,

To whom ful great honour they dighten,
So as the Grekes lawe faith,

Which was ayein the righte feith.

Thus have I tolde a great partie, But all the hole progenie

Of goddes in that ilke time

To longe it were for to rime.

But yet of that, which thou haft herde,
Of misbeleve, howe it hath ferde,
There is a great diversite.

My fader, right fo thenketh me.
But yet o thinge I you befeche,
Which stant in alle mennes speche,
The god and the goddeffe of love,
Of whom ye nothing here above
Have told ne spoken of her fare,
That ye me wolde now declare,
How they first come to that name.

My fone, I have it left for shame,
Because I am her owne prest.
But for they ftonde nigh thy brest
Upon the shrifte of thy matere,
Thou shalt of hem the fothe here
And understond now well the cas.
Venus Saturnes doughter was,
Which alle daunger put awey
Of love and found to luft a wey,

Manes dii mortuo

rum.

Amans.

Qualiter Cupido et Venus deus et dea amoris nuncupan

tur.

So that of her in fondry place
Diverse men fell into grace,
And fuch a lufty life fhe ladde,
That the diverfe children hadde,
Now one by this, now one by that.
Of her it was that Mars begat
A child, which cleped was Armene,
Of her cam alfo Andragene,

To whom Mercurie father was.
Anchises begat Eneas

Of her alfo, and Ericon

Biten begatte, and therupon

Whan that she figh ther was none other

By Jupiter her owne brother

She lay, and he begat Cupide.
And thilke fone upon a tide,
Whan he was come unto his age,
He had a wonder fair visage
And founde his mother amorous,
And he was alfo lecherous.
So whan they weren bothe alone,
As he whiche eyen hadde none
To fe refon, his mother kist,
And she also that nothing wift

But that, whiche unto his luft belongeth,
To bene her love him underfongeth.

Thus was he blinde, and she unwis.
But netheles this cause it is,

Which Cupide is the god of love,

For he his mother derfte love,

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