Part 2

So forthe I went, tossynge on my brayne, Greatly musyng, over hyll and vale. The way was troublous, and ey nothing playne; Tyll at the laste I came to a dale, Beholdyng Phebus declinyng lowe and pale; With my grayhoundes, in the fayre twylight, I sate me downe for to rest me all nyght.

Slouthe upon me so fast began to crepe, That of fyne force I downe me layed Upon an hyll with my greyhoundes to slepe. When I was downe, I thought me well apayed, And to my selfe these wordes then I sayde: Who will attaine sone to his journeys ende, To nouryshe slouthe he may not condiscende.

CAP. III. HOWE FAME DEPARTED FROM GRAUNDE AMOURE, AND LEFT WITH HYM GOUVERNAUNCE AND GRACE, AND HOWE HE WENT TO THE TOWER OF DOCTRINE.

Thus then I slept, tyl that Auroras bemes Gan for to spreade about the firmament, And the clere sunne with his golden stremes Began for to ryse fayre in the orient, Without Saturnus blacke encombrement, And the litle byrdes makyng melodye Did me awake wyth their swete armony.

I loked about, and sawe a craggy roche Farre in the west, neare to the element; And as I dyd then unto it approche, Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent The royall tower of Morall Document, Made of fine copper, with turrettes fayre and hye, Which against Phebus shone so marveylously;

That for the very perfect bryghtnes, What of the tower and of the cleare sunne, I coulde nothyng beholde the goodlines Of that palaice where as Doctrine did wonne; Tyll at the last, with mysty wyndes donne, The radiant bryghtnes of golden Phebus Auster gan cover with clowde tenebrus.

Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere, And often mused of the great hyghnes Of the craggy rocke, whiche quadrant did appeare; But the fayre tower so muche of ryches Was all about sexangled doubtles, Gargeyld with grayhoundes and with many lyons, Made of fyne golde, with divers sundry dragons.

The little turrets with ymages of golde About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved. Wyth propre vices that I did well beholde, About the towers in sundry wyse they hoved, Wyth goodly pypes in their mouthes i-tuned, That with the wynde they pyped a daunce, I-clipped Amour de la hault plesaunce.

CAP. IV. HOWE HE WAS LET IN BY COUNTENAUNCE THE PORTERES, AND OF THE MARVELOUS BUILDYNG OF THE SAME TOWER.

The toure was great, and of marvelous wydnes, To whyche there was no way to passe but one, Into the toure for to have an intres; A grece there was, y-chesyled all of stone Out of the rocke, on whiche men dyd gone Up to the toure; and in lykewise did I, Wyth bothe the greyhoundes in my company.

Tyll that I came to a ryall gate, Where I sawe stondynge the goodly portres, Whiche axed me from whence I came alate? To whome I gan in every thynge expresse All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse, And eke my name I tolde her every dell. When she herde this, she lyked me ryght well.

Her name, she sayd, was called Countenaunce: Into the besy courte she dyd me then lede, Where was a fountayne depured of pleasance, A noble sprynge, a ryall conduyte hede, Made of fyne golde enameled with reed, And on the toppe foure dragons blewe, and stoute Thys dulcet water in foure partyes dyd spout.

Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere, Sweter than Nysus or Ganges was theyr odoure, Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere. I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure, Fragraunt of fume, swete as any floure. And in my mouthe it had a marveylous cent Of divers spyces; I knewe not what it ment.

And after thys farther forth me brought Dame Countenaunce into a goodly hall: Of jasper stones it was wonderly wrought The wyndowes cleare, depured all of crystall, And in the roufe on hye over all Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne; In stede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified, With pillers made of stones precious, Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified, It might be called a palaice glorious, So muche delectable and solacious. The hall was hanged, hye and circuler, With cloth of arras in the rychest maner,

That treated well of a ful noble story, Of the doubty waye to the tower perillous; Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory Of many a serpente fowle and odious: And the first matter then appeared thus; Howe at a venture and by sodayne chaunce He met with Fame by fortunes purveyaunce.

Whiche did hym shewe of the famous pulcritude Of La Bell Pucell so cleare in beauty, Excellyng all other in every similitude; Nature her favoured so muche in degree. When he heard this, with fervent amytie, Accompanied with Grace and Governaunce, He toke his waye without encombraunce

Unto the ryght famous tower of learnyng, And so from thence unto the tower of chyvalry, Where he was made knight the noble kyng Called Melizeus, well and worthely; And furthermore it sheweth full notably Upon the arras imbrodred all of blewe, What was his name with letters all of Grewe.

Thus with his verlet he toke on his waye To the perillous tower and sytuation, Metyng Folye, as he rode on his journey, Ryding on a mare by great illusion; After whom ensued fast Correction, And in her hande a strong knotted whippe; At every yarke she made hym for to skyppe.

And then Correction brought La Graund Amour Unto the tower, whereas he myght well se Divers men makyng ryght great dolour, That defrauded women by their duplicitie; Yet before this in perfite certaintie, As the arras well did make relacion, In Venus temple be made his oblacion.

After whiche he mette an hydeous gyaunt Havyng thre heades of marveylous kynde; With his great strokes he did hym daunt, Castyng hym downe under the lynde, With force and myght he did hym bynde, Strikyng of his heades then everychone, That of all thre heades he left not one.

This terryble gyant yet had a brother, Whiche Graunde Amoure destroyed also, Having foure heades more then the other, That unto hym wrought mikel wo; But he slewe sone his mortall foe, Whiche was a great gyaunt with heades seven. To marveylous nowe for me to neven.

Yet moreover he put to utteraunce A venemous beast of sundry likenes, Of divers beastes of ryght great mischaunce Wherof the picture bare good wytnes; For by his power and his hye worthynes He did discomfyte the wonderous serpente Of the seven metals, made by enchauntment.

And eke the clothe made demonstration Howe he wedded the great lady beauteous, La Bell Pucell, in her owne dominacion, After his labour and passage daungerous, With solemne joye and myrthe melodious. This famous storye well pictured was In the fayre hall upon the arras.

The marshall ycclipped was dame Reason, And the yewres also Observaunce, The panter Plesaunce at every season; The good butler Curteis Continuaunce And the chefe coke was called Temperaunce, The lydy chamberlayne named Fidelitie, And the hye stewarde Liberalitie.

There sate dame Doctrine, that lady gent, Whiche called me unto her presence, For to knowe al the whole entent Of my comyng unto her excellence. Madame, I sayde, to learn your science I am comen nowe me to applye, With all my cure and perfect study.

And yet, also, I unto her then shewed My name and purpose wythout doublenes. For very greate joye than were endued Her crystall eyes full of lowlenes, Whan that she knewe of very sykernesse, That I was he that should so attayne La Bell Pucell wyth my busy payne.

And after thys I had ryght good chere; Of meate and drynke there was great plenty. Nothynge I wanted, were it chepe or dere. Thus was I served wyth dylycate dysshes deyntie; And after thys wyth all humylite I went to Doctryne, prayenge her good grace, For to assygne me my fyrst lernynge place.

Seven doughters, moost expert in connynge, Wythouten foly she had well engendred; As the seven Scyences in vertue so shynynge, At whose encreace there is great thankes rendred Unto the mother, as nothynge surrendred Her good name and her dulcet sounde, Whych did engendre theyr orygynall grounde.

And fyrst to Grammer she forthe me sent, To whose request I dyd well obay; Wyth delygence forth on my way I went, Up to a chamber depaynted fayre and gay; And at the chambre in ryght ryche araye We were let in, by hygh auctoryte Of the ryght noble dame Congruyte.

CAP. V. HOW SCIENCE SENT HIM FYRST TO GRAMER, WHERE HE WAS RECEIVED BY DAME CONGRUYTE.

The lady Gramer, in all humbly wyse, Dyd me receyve into her goodly scoole; To whose doctrine I dyd me advertise For to attayne, in her artyke poole, Her gylted dewe, for to oppresse my doole; To whom I sayde that I wold gladly lerne Her noble connynge, so that I myght descerne

What that it is, and why that it was made? To whych she answered than, in speciall, By cause that connynge shoulde not pale ne fade, Of every scyence it is originall, Whych doth us tech ever in generall In all good ordre to speke directly, And for to wryte by true ortografy.

Somtyme in Egypt reygned a noble kyng, Iclyped Evander, whych dyd well abounde In many vertues, especially in lernyng; Whych had a doughter, that by her study found To wryte true Latyn the fyrst parfyt ground. Whose goodly name, as her story sayes, Was called Carmentis in her livyng dayes.

Thus in the tyme of olde antiquytie, The noble phylosophers, wyth theyr whole delyghte, For the comon prouffyte of all humanite, Of the seven sciences for to knowe the ryght, They studied many a long wynters nyght, Eche after other theyr partes to expresse, Thys was theyr guyse to eschewe ydelnesse.

The pomped carkes wyth foode dilicious They dyd not feed, but to theyr sustinaunce; They folowed not theyr fleshe so vycious, But ruled it by prudent governaunce; They were content alway wyth suffisaunce, They coveyted not no worldly treasure, For they knewe that it myght not endure.

But nowe a dayes the contrary is used: To wynne the mony theyr studyes be all set. The commen profyt is often refused, For well is he that may the money get From his neyghbour wythout any let. They thynke nothynge they shall from it pas, Whan all that is shall be tourned to was.

The bryttel fleshe, nourisher of vyces, Under the shadowe of evyll slogardy, Must need haunte the carnall delices; Whan that the brayne, by corrupt glotony, Up so downe is tourned than contrary. Frayle is the bodye to grete unhappynes, Whan that the head is full of dronkennes.

So doo they now; for they nothyng prepence Howe cruell deth doth them sore ensue. They are so blynded in worldly necligence, That to theyr merite they wyll nothyng renewe The seven scyences, theyr slouth to eschewe; To an others profyt they take now no keepe, But to theyr owne, for to eate, drynke, and sleepe.

And all thys dame Gramer told me every dele, To whom I herkened wyth all my diligence; And after thys she taught me ryght well Fyrst my Donet and then my accidence. I set my mynde wyth percyng influence To lerne her scyence, the fyrst famous arte, Eschewyng ydlenes and layeng all aparte.

Madame, quod I, for as much as there be Eight partes of speche, I would knowe ryght fayne, What a noune substantive is in hys degre, And wherefore it is so called certayne? To whom she answered ryght gentely agayne, Sayeng alway that a nowne substantyve Might stand wythout helpe of an adjectyve.

The Latyn worde whyche that is referred Unto a thynge whych is subtancyall, For a nowne substantyve is wel averred, And wyth a gender is declynall; So all the eyght partes in generall Are Laten wordes, annexed properly To every speche, for to speke formally.

And gramer is the fyrst foundement Of every science to have construccyon: Who knewe gramer wythout impediment Shoulde perfytely have intelleccion Of a lytterall cense and moralyzacion. To construe every thynge ententifly, The worde is gramer wel and ordinatly.

By worde the world was made orygynally, The hye Kynge sayde, it was made incontinent; He dyd commaunde, al was made shortly. To the world the worde is sentencious judgemente. I marked well dame Gramers sentement, And of her than I dyd take my lycence, Goynge to Logyke wyth all my dylygence.

CAP. VI. HOW HE WAS RECEYVED OF LOGYCKE.

So up I went unto a chambre bryghte, Where was wonte to be a ryght fayre lady, Before whome than, it was my hole delyght, I kneeled adowne ful well and mekely, Besechynge her to enstructe me shortely In her noble science, which is expedient For man to knowe in many an argument.

You shall, quod she, my scyence wel lerne, In tyme and space, to your gret utilite; So that in lokynge you shal than decerne A frende from fo, and good from iniquyte: Ryght from wronge ye shall know in certainte. My scyence is all the yll to eschewe, And for to knowe the false from the trewe.

Who wyll take payne to folowe the trace, In this wrecched world, of trouth and ryghtwysenes, In heven above he shal have dwellynge place. And who that walketh the waye of derkenes, Spendyng his tyme in worldly wretchednes, Amyddes the erth, in hel most horrible, He shall have payne nothyng extinguyssible.

So by logyke is good perceyveraunce To devyde the good and the evyll asondre: It is alwaye at mannes pleasaunce To take the good and caste the evyll under. If God made hell, it is thereof no wonder, For to punyshe man that hadde intelligence, To knowe goode from yll by trewe experience.

Logyke alwaye doth make probacion, Provyng the pro well from the contrary, In sondry wyse by argumentacion, Grounded on reason well and wonderly. Who understod all Logyke truely, Nothynge by reason myght be in pledynge, But he the trouth should have in knowlegyng.

Her wyse doctryne I marked in memory, And toke my leve of her hye person, Because that I myght no lenger tary. The yere was spent, and so ferre than gon, And of my lady yet syght had I none, Whych was abydyng in the toure of Musyke: Wherfore anone I went to Rethoryke.

CAP. VII. HOW HE WAS RECEYVED OF RETHORYKE, AND WHAT RETHORYKE IS.

Than above Logyke up we went a stayre, Into a chambre gayly glorified, Strowed wyth floures of all goodly ayre; Where sate a lady gretly magnified, And her true vesture clerely purified, And over her head, that was bryght and shene, She had a garlande of the laurell grene.

Her goodly chambre was set all about With depured myrrours of speculacion; The fragraunt fumes dyd well encense out All misty vapours of perturbacion. More lyker was her habitacyon Unto a place which is celestiall, Than to a certayne mancion fatall.

Before whom, than, I dyd knele adowne, Sayeng: O sterre of famous eloquence, O gylted goddesse of hyghe renowne, Enspyred wyth the hevenly influence Of the doulcet well of complacence, Upon my mynd, wyth dewe aromatyke, Distyll adowne thy lusty rethoryke.

And depaynt my tong wyth thy ryall floures Of delicate odoures, that I may ensue In my purpose to glad myne audytours, And wyth thy power that thou me endue To moralise thy lytterall censes trewe, And clense away the myst of ygnoraunce With depured beames of goodly ordinaunce.

With humble eres of perfyt audience, To my request she dyd than enclyne; Sayeng she wolde in her goodly scyence In short space me so well indoctryne, That my dull mynde it shoulde enlumyne With golden beames, for ever to oppresse My rude language and all my semplenesse.

I thanked her of her great gentylnes, And axed her, after, this question: Madame, I sayde, I wolde knowe doubtles What rethoryke is, without abusion. Rethoryke, she sayde, was founde by reason, Man for to governe wel and prudently; His wordes to ordre, his speche to purify.

Fyve partes hath Rethoryke, for to werke trewe, Without whiche fyve there can be no sentence. For these fyve do well evermore renue The matter parfyte with good intellygence. Who that will se them with all his dyligence, Here foloweng I shall them specify, Accordyng well all unto myne ordynary.

CAP. VIII. OF THE FIRST, CALLED INVENCYON, AND A COMMENDACION OF POETS.

The fyrste of them is called Invencion, Whiche surdeth of the most noble werke Of v. inward wittes with hole affeccion, As writeth right many a noble-clerke, Wyth mysty colour of cloudes derke, How comyn wytte doothe full well electe What it shoulde take, and what it shall abjecte.

And secondly, by ymaginacyon To drawe a matter full facundious, Full mervaylus is the operacion, To make of nought, reason sentencious, Clokynge a trouthe wyth colour tenebrous; For often under a fayre fayned fable A trouthe appereth gretely profitable.

It was the guyse in old antiquyte, Of famous poets ryght ymaginatife, Fables to fayne by good auctorite; They were so wyse and so inventife, Theyr obscure reason, fayre and sugratife, Pronounced trouthe under cloudy figures, By the inventyon of theyr fatall scriptures.

And thyrdly, they hadde suche a fantasy, In this hyghe arte to be intelligible, Theyr fame encresynge evermore truely, To slouth ever they were invincible: To theyr wofull hertes was nought impossible; Wyth brennynge love of insaciate fyre Newe thynges to fynde they set theyr desyre.

For though a man of his proper mynde Be inventife, and he do not apply His fantasye unto the besy kynde, Of hys connynge it maye not ratifye; For fantasye must nedes exemplify Hys new invencion, and cause hym to entende Wyth hole desyre to brynge it to an ende.

And fourtely, by good estimacion He must nombre al the hole cyrcumstaunce Of thys mater wyth brevyacion, That he walke not by longe continaunce The perambulat waye, full of all variaunce. By estimacion is made annunciate Whether the mater be long or brevyate.

For to invention it is equipolent, The mater founde ryght well to comprehende In suche a space as is convenient; For properly it doth ever pretende Of all the purpose the length to extende: So estimacion maye ryght well conclude The parfyte nombre of every similitude.

And yet, than, the retentyfe memory, Whyche is the fifte, must ever agregate All maters thought to retayne inwardly, Tyll reason therof hath made a brobate, And by scripture wyll make demonstrate Outwardly accordynge to the thought, To prove a reason upon a thyng of nought.

Thus, whan the fourth hath wrought full wonderly, Then must the mynde werke upon them all, By cours ingenious to rynne dyrectly After theyr thoughtes, than in generall The mynde must cause them to be memoriall; As after this shall appere more openly, All hole exprest by dame Phylosophy.

O thrust of vertue and of ryall pleasure Of famous poetes many yeres ago! O insaciate covetyse of the speciall treasure Of new invencion, of ydelnes the foo! We may you laude, and often prayse also, And specially for worthy causes thre, Whiche to thys daye we may both here and se.

As to the fyrst, your hole desyre was set Fables to fayne to eschewe ydlenes, Wyth amplyacion more connyng to get, By the laboure of inventyfe busynes, Touchynge the trouthe by covert lykenes To dysnull vyce and the vycious to blame; Your dedes therto exemplifyde the same.

And secondly, ryght well you dyd endyte Of the worthy actes of many a conquerour; Through whych labour that you dyd so wryte Unto this day reygneth the honour Of every noble and myghty warriour, And for your labour and your busy payne Your fame yet lyveth, and shall endure certayne.

And eke to prayse you we are gretely bounde, Because our connyng from you so procedeth, For you therof were fyrst originall ground, And upon your scripture our science ensueth. Your splendent verses our lyghtnes renueth; And so we ought to laude and magnify Your excellent springes of famous poetry.

CAP. IX. A REPLICATION AGAINST IGNORAUNT PERSONES.

But rude people, opprest with blyndnes, Agaynst your fables wyll often solisgyse, Suche is theyr mynde, such is theyr folyshnes; For they beleve in no maner of wyse That under a colour a trouth may aryse. For folysh people, blynded in a matter, Will often erre whan they of it do clatter.

O all ye cursed and such evyll fooes, Whose syghtes be blynded over all wyth foly, Open your eyes in the pleasaunt schooles Of perfit connyng, or that you reply Agaynst fables for to be contrary; For lacke of connyng no mervayle though you erre, In suche science, whych is from you so fer.

For now the people, whych is dull and rude, If that you rede a fatall scripture, And can not moralyse the semilitude Whych to theyr wyttes is so hard and obscure, Than wyll they say that it is sene in ure That nought do poetes but depaynt and lye, Deceyvyng them by tongues of flatery.

But what for that? they can not defame The poetes actes, whych are in effecte; Unto them selfe remayneth the shame To dysprayse that whych they can not correcte; And yf that they had in it inspecte, Than they would it prayse, and often elevate For it should be to them so delicate.

CAP. X. OF DISPOSITION, THE II. PARTE OF RETHORYKE.

The second parte of crafty Rethoryke Maye well be called Disposicion, That doth so hyghe mater aromatyke Adowne dystyll by consolacion; As olde poetes make demonstracion That Mercury, through his preeminence, Hys natives endeth wyth famous eloquence.

By veray reason it maye ryght well appere, That divers persons in sundry wyse delyght; Theyr consolacions doth contrary so steere That many myndes maye not agree aryght. Such is the planettes of theyr course and myght. But what for that? be it good or yll, Them for to folowe it is at mannes fre wyl.

And dysposicion, the true seconde parte Of rethorike, doth evermore dyrecte The maters founde of this noble arte, Gyvyng them place after the aspect, And of tyme it hath the inspect, As from a fayre parfit narracion, Or els by stedfast argumentacion.

The whych was constitute by begynnyng, As on the reason, and if apparaunce Of the cause than by outwarde semyng Be hard and difficulte in the utteraunce, So as the mynde have no perceyveraunce, Nor of the beginnyng can have audience, Than must narracion begynne the sentence.

And if it be a lytle probable, From any maner stedfast argument, We ordre it for to be ryght stable, And than we never begyn our sentement, Recityng letters not convenient, But thys commutacion shoulde be refused, Wythout cause or thynge make it be used.

Thys that I wryte is harde and covert To them that have nothynge intelligence; Up so downe they make oft transvert, Or that they can knowe, they experience Of thys craft and facundious science, By dysposicion the rethorician To make lawes ordinatly began.

Wythout disposicion none ordre gan be, For the disposicion ordreth every matter, And gyveth the place after the degre: Wythout ordre, wythout reason we clatter, Where is no reason it vayleth not to chatter. Disposicion ordreth a tale directly, In a perfit reason, to conclude truely.

The fatall problemes of olde antiquyte, Cloked wyth myst and wyth cloudes derke, Ordred wyth reason and hye auctorite, The trouth dyd shewe of all theyr covert werke. Thus have they made many a noble clerke. To dysnull myschefe and inconvenyence, They made our lawes wyth grete diligence.