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Read Ebook: The Example of Vertu The Example of Virtue by Hawes Stephen
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Ebook has 318 lines and 18990 words, and 7 pages
? Here begynneth the boke called the example of vertu.
Tabula libri
? Fyrste a prologue.
? How youth mette with discrecyon in a medowe in his dreme & was reformed by her prouerbes ca.i.
? How youth with discrecyon sayled ouer the daungerous passage of vayne glorye and arryued in a fayre Ilonde longynge to foure ladyes named Hardynes / Sapyence / fortune / & nature. ca.ii
? Of the meruaylous palays of fortune ca.iii.
? Of the triumphaunt estate of hardynes. ca.iiii.
? Of the gloryfyed towre of sapyence. ca.v.
? Of the stronge operacyons of nature ca.vi
? How these foure ladyes pleeded at the barre before Iustyce whiche of theym was moost proufytable vnto mankynde & of the Iugement of Iustyce. ca.vii.
? How after the Iugement of Iustyce / Sapyence c?maunded Discrec?n to lede youth to marye with clennes the kynge of loues doughter. ca.viii.
? How youth by the waye mette lechery rydynge on a gote and pryde maned with couetyse on an olypha?tes backe in a fayre castell / & how by the ayde of dyscrecyon he dyde withstande theyr temptac?n and how he mette with sapience in the mase of wordely besynes. capitulo.ix.
? How Sapyence & dyscrecyon ledde youth ouer the narowe brydge of vanyte of the worlde to the palays of kynge of loue & of his meruaylous appareyl. ca.x
? How sapyence presented youth to the kynge of loue for to mary Clennes his doughter & how he before maryage dyde fyght and discomfyte the dragon with thre hedys. capitulo.xi.
? How after the discomfyture of the sayd dragon he well growen in age was receyued with a farye company of ladyes and was named vertu & with all Ioye brought to the palays of the kynge of loue. ca.xii.
? Of the maryage of vertu & clennes & of celestyal feste how after the maryage an aungell shewed vnto theym hell / & of the dyuysyons of hell. ca.xiii.
? How vertu cleymed the enherytaunce longynge to Clennes his wyfe / & how many aungelles & sayntes brought theym to heuen / & how heuen is enteyled to Vertu and to Clennes & to all theym that loue them & folowe & procede in theyr steppes. capitulo.xiiii.
? This boke called the example of vertue was made and compyled by Stephyn hawys one of the gromes of the moost honorable chaumber of oure souerayne lorde kynge Henry the .vii. the .xix. yere of his moost noble reygne / and by hym presented to our sayd souerayne lorde chapytred & marked after this table here before sette.
The prologe.
Whan I aduert in my remembraunce The famous draughtes of poetes eloquent Whiche theyr myndes dyd well enhaunce Bokes to contryue that were expedyent To be remembred without Impedyment For the profyte of humanyte This was the custume of antyquyte.
I now symple and moost rude And naked in depured eloquence For dulnes rethoryke doth exclude Wherfore in makynge I lake intellygence Also consyderynge my grete neglygence It fereth me sore for to endyte But at auenture I wyll now wryte.
As very blynde in the poetys art For I therof can no thynge skyll Wherfore I lay it all a part But somwhat accordynge to my wyll I wyll now wryte for to fulfyll Saynt Powles wordes and true sentement All that is wryten is to oure document
O prudent Gower in langage pure Without corrupcyon moost facundyous O noble Chauser euer moost sure Of frutfull sentence ryght delycyous O vertuous Lydgat moche sentencyous Vnto you all I do me excuse Though I your connynge do now vse
Explicit prologus.
Capitulum prim?
In a slombrynge slepe with slouth opprest As I in my naked bedde was leyd Thynkynge all nyght to take my rest Morpleus to me than made abreyd And in my dreme me thought he sayd Come walke with me in a medowe amerous Depeynted with floures that be delycyous
I walked with hym into a place Where that there grue many a fayre floure With Ioye replete and full of solace And the trees dystyllynge redolent lycoure More sweter fer than the Aprell shour And tary I dyd there by longe space Tyll that I saw before my face
A ryght fayre lady of myddell stature And also enduyd with grete vertue Her apparell was set with perlys pure Whose beaute alway dyd renue To me she sayd and ye wyll extue All wyldnes I wyll be your guyde That ye to fraylte shall not slyde.
Vnto her I answerde o lady gloryous I pray you tell me what is your name For ye seeme to be ryght precyous And I am yonge and sore to blame Of vyces full and in vertue lame But I wyll be ruled now by your pleasure So that your order be made by mesure
Eclepyd I am she sayd dyscrecyon And yf ye wyll be ruled by me Ye shall haue Ioye without reprehencyon And neuer fall in to fragylyte Youth lackynge me it is grete pyte For in what place I am exyled They be with synne ryght oft defyled
Forsake also all euyll company And be founde true in worde and dede Remembre that this worlde is transytory After thy desert shall be thy mede Loue god alway and eke hym drede And for no mannes pleasure be thyn owne foo Gyue theym fayre wordes and lete theym goo
Be to thy kynge euer true subgete As thou sholdest be by ryght and reason Lete thy herte lowely on hym be sete Without ony spot of euyll treason And be obedyent at euery season Vnto his grace without rebellyon That thou with trouth may be companyon
Loue neuer vnloued for that is payne Whyle that thou lyuest of that beware Loue as thou seest the loued agayne Or elles it wyll torne the to care Be neuer taken in that fast snare Proue or thou loue that is moost sure And than thou in doubte shalt not endure.
Beware byleue no flaterynge tonge For flaterers be moost disseyuable Though that they company with the longe Yet at the ende they wyll be varyable For they by reason are not fauorable But euermore fals and double And with theyr tonges cause of grete trouble
This brytell worlde ay full of bytternes Alway turnynge lyke to a ball No man in it can haue no sykernes For whan he clymmeth he hath a fall O wauerynge shadowe bytter as gall O fatall welth full soone at ende Though thou ryght hy do oft assende
Whan she to me had made relacyon Of all these prouerbes by good conclusyon She gaue to me an Informacyon For to depryue all yll abusyon And to consydre the grete derysyon Whiche is in youth that may not se No thynge appropred to his prosperyte
Forth than we went to an hauen syde Wher was a shyp lyenge at rode Taryenge after the wynde and tyde And with moche spyces ryght well lode Vpon it lokynge we longe abode Tyll eolus with blastes began to rore Than we her aborded with payne ryght sore
This water eclyped was vayneglory Euer with yeopardy and tempestyous And the shyp called was ryght truly The vessell of the passage daungerous The wawys were hyghe and gretly troublous The captayn called was good comfort And the sterysman fayre pasport
? Capitulum .ii.
Longe were we dryuen with wynde & weder Tyll we arryued in a fayre Ilonde Wher was a boote tyed with a teeder Of merueylous wood as I vnderstonde Precyous stones ley vpon the sond And poynted dyamondes grewe on the rockes And corall also by ryght hyghe stockes
Amased I was for to beholde The precyous stones vnder my fete And the erth glysterynge of golde With floures fayre of odour swete Dame dyscrecyon I dyd than grete Praynge her to me to make relacyon Who of this Ilonde hath domynacyon
She sayd foure ladyes in vertue excellent Of whiche the eldest is dame nature That dayly fourmeth after her entent Euery beest and lyuynge creature Both foule and fayre and also pure All that dependynge in her ordynaunce Where that she fauoureth there is grete pleasaunce
The seconde is called dame fortune Ayenst whome can be no resystence For she doth sette the strynges in tune Of euery persone by her magnyfycence Whan they sound best by good experyence She wyll theym loose and let theym slyp Causynge theym fall by her turnynge tryp
The thyrde called is dame hardynes That often rulyth by her cheualry She is ryght stowt and of grete prowes And the captayn of a lusty company And ruleth theym euer full hardely And to gete honour and worldely tresure She putteth her oft in auenture
? The fourth is wysedome a lady bryght Whiche is my syster as ye shall se Whom I do loue with all my myght For she enclyneth euer to benygnyte And medeleth not with fraude nor subtylyte But maketh many noble clerkes And ruleth theym in all theyr werkes
? They dwell all in a fayre castell Besyde a ryuer moche depe and clere And be expert in feytys manuell That vnto theym can be no peere Of erthely persone that lyueth here For they be so fayre and wounderous That theym to se it is solacyous.
? Longe haue they trauerst gretly in the lawe Whiche of theym sholde haue the preemynence And none of them theyr case wyll withdrawe Tyll of dame Iustyce they knowe the sentence They argue often and make defence Eche vnto other withouten remedy I wyll no lenger of them specefy
Capitulum tercium.
Come on fayre youth and go with me Vnto that place that is delectable Bylded with towres of curyosyte And yet though that ye be lamentable Whan thou art there you wylt be confortable To se the merueyles that there be wrought No man can prynt it in his thought
A path we founde ryght gretely vsed Where in we went tyll at the last A castell I sawe wherof I mused Not fully from me a stones cast To se the towres I was agast Set in a valey so strongely fortefyed So gentyll compassed and well edefyed
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