Part 7

Thus can I make an alteracion Of worthely honoure, whiche doth depende All onely in my dominacion; Through the worlde my whele doth extende, As reason doth ryght well comprehende; Of my great chaunces whiche are unsure, As dayly doth appere well in ure.

If I should worke with perfite stedfastnes, And to exalte some to be honourable, And that they knewe by perfyte sykernes, That it should dure and not be variable, It were a thyng unto me culpable; For great orguell pryde should them so blynde, To knowe them selfe they should lose their mynde.

Thus whan that they should them selfe forgete, And in no wyse their owne persone knowe, Full lytell than they would by me sette, That them exalted to hye degre from lowe; And by my chaunce could nought them overthrowe; Thus should they do and drede me nothyng, Wherfore my whele is evermore tournyng.

And where that I shoulde turne my face, Castinge some in pytte of poverte, They were condampned without ony grace As for to attayne any prosperite; Whiche were a cause of greate iniquite: For riche mennes goodes I must ofte translate, Unto the poore, them for to elevate.

And thyrdely; I shoulde lese my name, For this worde fortune is well derifyde Of an accydent chaunge, both good or shame, Whan that the deade is so exemplifyde; Wherfore by reason I must be duplifyde; And nothing stable in myne hye werke, As wryteth many a ryght noble clerke.

Therfore by reason I must be mutable, And turne my whele right ofte up so downe, Labouringe in werkes whiche are unstable, On some to laughe and on some I must frowne; Thus all aboute in every realme and towne, I shew my power in every sundry wyse, Some to descende and on some to aryse.

Wherfore my power doth ryght well excell Above the, Mars, in thine house enclosed; For to rule man thou hast power never a dele, Save after the somwhat he is disposed: Thy consolacion hath him so apposed Who under the taketh his nativitie, Yet God hath gyven him power to rule the.

Wherfore I am of a ferre hyer power Than thou arte; for there is no defence Agaynst my wyll at any time or houre; And in my name there is a difference, For in these wordes in my magnifycence Predestinate, and also desteny, As I shall shew anone more formably.

Predestinate doth right well signify A thing to come, whiche is prepared: None but God doth know it openly, Tyl that the dede caused to be declared; For many one, whan they well fared, Full lytell thought that tribulacion To them was ordeyned by predestinacion.

The desteny is a thyng accydent, And by the werke doth take the effecte; Tyll it be done it is ay precedent, And man from it can him selfe abject. Thus every chaunce doth Fortune derecte. Wherfore, by reason, La Graunde Amoure Must sue unto me to do him socour.

Aha! quod Mars, suche a one as thou I never knew before this ceason; For thou thy selfe doost so much enprou Above the havens by exaltacion; But what for all thy commendacion? Arte thou now any thing substanciall, Spirituall, or els yet terrestryall?

How can a werke perfitely be grounded But in these two? and thou arte of those: Wherfore for nought thou mayst be confounded; For nought in substaunce can nothing transpose; Of none effecte thou canst thy selfe disclose; How hast thou power, in any maner of case, In heven or earth without a dwellyng place?

But that poetes hath made a figure Of the, for the great sygnification The chaunge of man so for to discure, Accordyng to a moralyzacion; And of the trouth to make relacion, The man is fortune in the propre dede, And not thou that causeth hym to spede.

What nedeth him unto his selfe to sue, Sythen thou art the dedes of his chaunce; Thou to rule man, it is a thynge not true, Nowe wherupon doth hange this ordenaunce, But accedent upon the governaunce Of the hye bodis, whiche doth man dispose The dede to do as hym lyst purpose.

To here of Mars the marveylous argument, And of Fortune, I was sore amased; Tyll that I sawe a lady excellent, Clerely armed, upon whome I gased, And her armes ful prevely I blased: The shelde of golde, as I well understande, With a lyon of asure through passande.

To me she came, with lowely countenaunce, And bad me welcome unto that mancion, Ledyng me forth wyth joy and pleasaunce Into an hall of mervaylous facion, Right strongly fortyfyde of olde foundacion, The pillers of yvery garnished with golde, With perles sette and broudred many a folde.

The flore was paved with stones precious, And the rofe was braunched curiously Of the beten golde both gaye and glorious, Knotted with pomaunders right swetely, Encencing out the yll odours misty; And on the walles right well did appere The sege of Thebes depaynted fayre and clere.

There were knightes playeng at the chesse, Which saw Minerve lede me in the hall; They lefte their play and all theyr besines, And welcomed me right gentely withall, With sir Nurture than moost in speciall, Accompanied of his brother Curtesy; They made me chere than full effectuall.

And after that they brought me up a stayre, Into a chambre gayly glorified; And at the dore there stode a knight right fayre, Ye cleped Trouth, right clerely purified; His countenaunce was right well modified; To me he sayde that, before mine entres, Him for to love I should him promes.

Of ryght, he sayde, I have in custody This chambre dore of king Melezius, That no man enter into it wrongfully, Without me, Trouthe, for to be chivalrous; Here knightes be made to be victorious. I shall you promise, quoth I, faythfully, You for to love and serve prudently.

Abyde, quod he, I wyll speke with the kynge; Tell me your name and habitation, And the chefe cause now of your coming, That I to him may make relacion, To knowe his minde without variacion. La Graund Amour my name is, sayd I; The cause of my coming, intentifly,

Is for bicause that I have enterprised, Now for the sake of fayre La Bell Pucell, To passe the passage that I her promised That is so daungerous with serpentes cruell; And for as much as I know never a dell The festes of armes to attayne honoure, I am come to lerne with diligent labour.

Then forth he went unto the mageste Of king Melizius the mighty conquerour, Sayeng: O power so hye in dignitie! O prynce victorious and famous emperour! Of justynge truely the originall floure; One Graunde Amoure wolde be acceptable, In your hye courte for to be tendable.

With all my herte I wyll, quod he, accepte Hym to my servyce, for he is right worthy: For unto Doctryne the hye way he kept, And so from thens to the toure of Chyvalry. He shall attayne great actes wonderly. Go on your way, and bryng him fast to me, For I thinke long him to beholde and se.

And than the good knight Trouth incontinent Into the chambre so pure soone me lede, Where sate the king so much benevolent, In purple clothed, set full of rubyes rede; And all the flore on which we did tread Was crystall clere, and the rofe at night With carbuncles did geve a merveylous lyght.

The walles were hanged with cloth of tyssue, Broudred with perles and rubies rubicond, Mixte with emerauds so full of vertue And brodred above with many a diamonde. An hevy herte it wolde make jocunde For to behold the merveylous riches, The lordship, welth, and the great worthines.

There sate Melezius, in his hye estate, And over his head was a payre of balaunce; With his crowne and septer, after the true rate Of another wordly king for to have governaunce, In his hand a ball of right great cyrcumstaunce. Before whome than I did knele adowne, Sayeng: O Emperour! moost hye of renowne,

I the beseche, of thine haboundaunt grace, Me to accepte in this courte the for to serve, So to contynue by longe time and space, Of chivalry that I may now deserve The order right, and well it to observe; For to attayne the high advauntage Of the enterpryse of my dougty vyage.

Welcome, he sayd, to this court ryal! Mynerve shall arme you with grete dylygence. And teche you the feates of armes all; For she them knoweth by good experyence, In the olde tyme it was her scyence. And I my selfe shall gyve you a worthy stede, Called Galantyse, to helpe you in your nede.

I humbly thanked his grete hyenes; And so to Mynerve I dyd than applye, Whiche dyd me teche with syker perfytnes For to haunt armes ryght well and nobly. Sapyence me ruled well and prudently; Thus amonge knyghtes for to just and tourney, Mynerve me taught in sundry wyse all day.

It was a joyfull and a knyghtly syght, For to beholde so fayre and good a sorte Of goodly knyghtes armed clere and bryght, That I sawe there, whiche dyd me well exorte Armes to haunte with coragyous comforte: Mynerve me taught my strokes and defence, That in short space was no resystence

Agaynst my powre and myghty puyssaunce; To my wylfull herte was nought impossyble, I bare my selfe so without doubtaunce My herte made my courage invyncible, Of whiche the trouthe was soone intellygyble, With my behavynge before the preemynence Of kynge Melezius famous excellence.

Which right anone for dame Minerve sent, And me also, with sir Trouth to obey. We thought full litell what the mater ment, But unto him we toke anone the way, Entring the chambre so fayre, clere, and gay. The king us called unto his person, Sayeng: I wyll Graund Amoure anone

Truly make knight; for the time approcheth That he must haunt and seke adventure For La Belle Pucell, as true love requireth. And first of all began to me discure The highe order how I shoulde take in cure; And than anone he gan to expresse What knighthode was to perfite sekernesse.

Knighthode, he sayd, was first established The comenwelth in right to defende, That by the wrong it be not minished; So every knight did truely condiscende, For the comynwelth his power to entende Ageynst all suche rebelles contrarious, Them to subdue with power victorious!

For knighthode is not in the feates of warre, As for to fight in quarell right or wronge, But in a cause which trouth can not defarre; He ought him selfe for to make sure and stronge Justice to kepe mixt with mercy amonge; And no quarell a knight ought to take, But for a trouth or for the comins sake.

For fyrst, good hope his legge harneys sholde be; His habergion of perfyte ryghtwysenes; Gyrde faste wyth the gyrdle of chastite, His riche placarde should be good besines, Brandred with almes so full of larges; The helmet mekenes, and the shelde good fayth; His swerde Goddes worde, as saynt Poule sayth.

Also true wyddowes he ought to restore Unto their right for to attayne theyr dower, And to upholde and mainteyne evermore The welth of maydens with his myghty power. And to his soverayne, at every maner hower, To be redy, true, and eke obeysaunt, In stable love fixt and not variaunt.

Thus, after this noble and solempne doctryne, He made me knight, and gave me in charge Unto these poyntes right low to enclyne, And to stere well the frayle tombling barge Over vayne glory whan I sayle at large. Whan the winde is right, the barge can not fayle, Unto his purpose so with hardines to sayle.

I dyd well register in my remembraunce Every thing which he hath to me tolde, And right anone in good resemblaunce The kyng I thanked, with courage right bolde, Of his great grace and giftes many a folde, Which unto me right openly he shewed, With golden droppes so lyberally indewed.

I toke my leve of his right hye estate; And than Mynerve into the hall me brought, Accompanied by Trouth, my faythfull mate. Us for to solace ther lacced right nought, That ony man can printe in his thought; The knightes all unto their armes went, To bryng me forward with a true entent.

And Mynerve armed me as she coude devyse, And brought unto me my fayre barbed stede, On whome I mounted in all goodly guyse, With shelde and spere, as nothing to drede In right to fyght for to attayne my mede. So with me wente both my greyhoundes twayne, And good Attendaunce, my verlet certayne.

The good knight Trouth brought me on the way, Accompanied then of syr Fidelitie, Wyth haute courage betrapped fayre and gaye Wyth shyning trappers of curiositie; And then also there rode forth wyth me The sturdy knight well named Fortitude, With the noble veterane syr Consuetude.

And eke syr Justice and syr Mysericorde, Syr Sapience, with good syr Curteysy; Wyth famous Nurture, and than syr Concorde Accompanied me full ryght gentylly Oute of the castell, ryding ryally; And dame Minerve, the chevalryous goddes, Dyd me endue then with harty hardynes.

And whan we came into a goodly playne, Right of them all I toke my lycence; Me thought it time that they tourne agayne Unto the king with all their diligence. I made mine othe with percing influence, Unto them all for to remayne full true In stedfast love, all treason to eschue.

Full loth they were fro me to departe, Every one of them, as ye may understande; With salt teres full wofull was my herte, Whan all on rowe they toke me by the hande. Adew! they sayd, and grace with you stand, You for to ayde whan that you do fyght! And so they turned unto the castell ryght.

And good dame Mynerve unto me then sayd: Be not adredde of your hye enterpryse; Be bolde and hardy and nothing afrayde; And rather deye in ony maner of wyse, To attayne honour and the lyfe dyspyse, Than for to lyve and remayne in shame; For to dye with honour it is a good name.

Fare well! she sayd, and be of good chere; I must departe, I may no lenger tary; Ryde on your way, the weder is full clere; Seke your adventure, and loke you not vary Frome your hye order by ony contrary. And therwithall forth on her way she rode, Ryght so did I, which no longer abode,

With both my greyhoundes and my varlet, Through the playne and into wyldernes, And so alofte amonge the hylles greate, Tyll it was nyght so thicke of darkenes That of constraynt of very werynes We lyght adowne, under an hyll syde, Unto the day to rest us there that tyde.

And whan my page my helmet unlaced, He layde it downe underneth my hede, And to his legge he my stede enbraced To grase about while on the grase he fed; And than also his horse in lyke stede With both our greyhoundes lyeng us nere by; And slouthe our hedes had caught so sodaynly,

That all the nyght we slepte in good reste, Tyll agaynst day began to nese and cry My stede Galantyse with a roryng breste, And eke began to stampe full marveylously; Whose hye courage awaked us wonderly, And ryght anone we kast up our eyes, Beholdyng above the fayre crystall skyes.

Seynge the cloudes rayed fayre and rede Of Phebus rysinge in the orient, And Aurora her golden bemes sprede About the ayre clerely refulgent, Withouten mysty blacke encombremente, Up I arose and also my page, Makyng us redy for to take our vyage.

CAP. XXIX. HOWE HE DEPARTED FROM KYNGE MELYZYUS, WITH HIS GRAYHOUNDES AND ATTENDAUNCE, HIS VARLET, AND MET WITH FALSE REPORTE, THAT CHAUNGED HIS NAME TO GODFREY GOBILYVE.

And so forth we rode, tyll we sawe aferre To us came rydyng, on a lytell nagge, A folysshe dwarfe, nothynge for the warre, With a hood, a bell, a foxtayle, and a bagge; In a pyed cote he rode brygge a bragge; And whan that he unto us drewe nye, I behelde his body and his visnamy.

His head was greate, beteled was his browes, Hys eyen holow, and his nose croked; His bryes brystled truely lyke a sowes; His chekes here, and God wote he loked Full lyke an ape, here and there he toted With a pyed berde and hangyng lyppes grete, And every tothe as blacke as ony gete.

His necke shorte, his sholders stode awry, His breste fatte and bolne in the wast; His armes great, with fyngers crokedly; His legges kewed; he rode to me fast, Full lyke a patron to be shaped in hast. Good even, he sayd, and have good day, If that it lyke you for to ryde merely.

Welcome, I sayde; I praye the now tell Me what thou arte and where thou dost dwell? Sothelyche, quod he, whan Icham in Kent At home Icham; though I be hether sente, Icham a gentylman of much noble kynne, Though Iche be clad in a knaves skynne. For there was one called Peter Pratefast, That in all hys lyfe spake no worde in waste; He wedde a wyfe that was called Maude. I trowe, quod I, she was a gorgious baude. Thou lyest, quod he, she was gentyl and good, She gave her husbande many a furde hode, And at his melys, without any mys, She wolde him serve in clenly wyse ywys. God love her soule as she loved clennes, And kepe her dysshes from al foulnes. Whan she lacketh cloutes, without any fayle She wyped her disshes wyth her dogges tayle. And they had yssue Sym Sadle-gander, That for a wyfe in all the worlde did wander, Tyll at the last, in the wynters nyght, By Temmes he sayled, aryved by ryght Amonge the nunnes of the grene cote. He wente to lande out of his prety bote, And wedde there one that was comen anewe: He thought her stable, and fayfthfull, and trewe. Her name was Betres, that so clenly was, That no fylthe by her in any wyse shoulde passe.

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