And toke his luft under the fhawe
Ayein love and ayein his lawe.
Which thing, my fone, I the forbede,
For it is an ungoodly dede.
For who that taketh by robberie
His love, he may nought justifie
His caufe, and fo ful ofte fithe
For ones that he hath ben blithe
He shall ben after fory thries.
Enfamples for fuch robberies
I finde write as thou shalt here
Accordend unto this matere.
I rede, how whilom was a maide
The faireft, as Ovide faide,
Which was in her time tho.
And she was of the chambre also
Of Pallas, which is the goddeffe
And wife to Marte, of whom proweffe
Is yove to these worthy knightes,
For he is of fo greate mightes,
That he governeth the bataile,
Withouten him may nought availe
The stronge hond, but he it helpe,
There may no knight of armes yelpe,
But he fight under his banere.
But now to fpeke of
This faire, freshe, lufty may
Alone as she went on a day
Upon the ftronde for to play,
There came Neptunus in the way,
Hic loquitur contra iftos in amoris caufa predones, qui cum fuam furtive concupifcenciam afpirant, fortuna in contrarium operatur, et narrat, quod cum Neptunus quandam virginem nomine Cornicem folam juxta mare deambulantem opprimere fuo furto voluiffet, fuperveniens Pallas ipfam e manibus eius virginitate fervata gracius liberavit.
Which hath the fee in governaunce,
And in his herte fuch plefaunce
He toke, whan he this maiden figh,
That all his hert aros on high.
For he fo fodeinlich unware
Beheld the beaute, that she bare,
And caft anone within his hert,
That she him shall no way aftert,
But if he take in avauntage
Fro thilke maide some pilage,
Nought of the broches ne the ringes,
But of fome other smale thinges
He thoughte parte, er that he went,
And her in bothe his armes hent
And put his hond toward the cofre,
Wherefor to robbe he made a profre
That lufty trefor for to ftele,
Which paffeth other goodes fele
And cleped is the maidenheed,
Which is the flour of womanheed.
This maiden which Cornix by name
Was hote, dredend alle fhame,
Sigh, that she mighte nought debate,
And well the wift, he wolde algate
Fulfill his luft of robberie,
Anone began to wepe and crie
And faid: O Pallas noble quene,
Shew now thy might and let be sene
To kepe and fave min honour,
Help, that I lefe nought my flour,
Which now under thy key is loke.
That word was nought fo fone spoke,
Whan Pallas fhope recoverir
After the will and the defire
Of her, which a maiden was,
And fodeinlich upon this cas
Out of her womanishe kinde
Into a briddes like I finde
She was transformed forth withall,
So that Neptunus nothing stal
Of fuch thing that he wolde have stole.
With fethers blacke as any cole
Out of his armes in a throwe
She fleigh before his eyen a crowe,
Which was to her a more delite
To kepe her maidenhede white
Under the wede of fethers blacke,
In perles white than forfake
That no life may restore ayein.
But thus Neptune his hert in vein
Hath upon robberie fet.
The brid is flowe, and he was let,
The faire maid him hath escaped,
Wherof for ever he was bejaped
And fcorned of that he hath lore.
My fone, be thou ware therfore,
That thou no maidenhede ftele,
Wherof men fee difefes fele,
So as I fhall the yet devise
Another tale therupon,
Which fell by olde daies gone.
Hic ponit exemplum contra iftos in caufa
virginitatis lefe pre
King Lichaon upon his wife
A doughter had, a goodly life
dones, et narrat, quod And clene maide of worthy fame,
cum Califto regis Li-
chaontis mire pulcri- Califtona whofe righte name
ginitatem Diane con- Was cleped, and of
many a lorde voviffet et in filvam, She was befought, but her accorde que Tegea dicitur,
inter alias ibidem To love mighte no man winne,
nymphas moraturam As fhe, whiche hath no luft therinne,
ter virginis caftitatem But fwore within her hert and faide, fubtili furto furripi
ens, quendam filium, That she woll ever ben a maide.
qui poftea Archas
nominatus eft, ex ea Wherfore to kepe her felfe in pees
genuit, unde Juno in
Califtonam feviens With fuche, as Amadriades
urfe turpiffime defor- Were cleped wodemaidens tho, mitatem fubito tranf- And with the nimphes eke also
Upon the spring of fresfhe welles
She shope to dwelle and no where elles.
And thus came this Califstona
Into the wode of Tegea,
Where the virginite behight
Unto Diane, and therto plight
Her trouth upon the bowes grene
To kepe her maidenhede clene,
Which afterward upon a day
Was priveliche stole away.
For Jupiter through his queintise
From her it toke in fuche a wife,
That fodeinliche forth withall
Her wombe arofe and fhe to-fwall,
So that it mighte nought be hid.
And therupon it is betid,
Diane, whiche it herde tell,
In prive place unto a welle
With nimphes al a compaigny
Was come and in a ragery
She faide, that she bathe wolde,
And bad that every maiden fholde
With her all naked bath also.
And tho began the prive wo,
Califtona wax red for fhame,
But they that knewe nought the game,
To whom no fuch thing was befalle,
Anone they made hem naked alle,
As they nothinge wolden hide.
But the withdrewe her ever afide
And netheles into the flood,
Where that Diane her felve stood,
She thought to come unapperceived.
But therof she was all deceived.
For whan fhe came a litel nigh,
And that Diane her wombe figh,
She faid: Away, thou foule beste,
For thin estate is nought honest
This chafte water for to touche,
For thou haft take fuche a couche,
Which never may ben hole ayein.
And thus goth fhe, which was forlein,
With shame, and the nimphes fledde,
Till whanne that nature her spedde,
That of a fone, which Archas
Was named, she delivered was.
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