The loue and complayntes bytwene Mars and Venus Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A18555 of text S106471 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 5089). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 33 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 15 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A18555 STC 5089 ESTC S106471 99842187 99842187 6821 2248584349

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A18555) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 6821) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 879:01) The loue and complayntes bytwene Mars and Venus Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400. [28] p. : ill. Printed by Julian Notary, [Westminster : 1500?] In verse. Includes: "The campleynt. of Mars", "The compleynt of Venus for Mars", and "The cou[n]ceyll of Chaucer touchyng maryag [et] c. whiche was sente te [sic] Bucketon [et] c.", all by Geoffrey Chaucer; and "The fyrst fynders of the vii. scyences artyficyall", an unidentified text. Caption title. Colophon reads: Thys in pryntyde in westmoster inkyng. strete. For me Iulianus Notarii [all sic]. Publication date conjectured by STC. Signatures: A⁶ B. Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. eng eebo The loue and complayntes bytwene Mars and Venus. Chaucer, Geoffrey 1500 30 5261 3 0 0 0 0 0 5.7 B The rate of 5.7 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the B category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2002-01 Assigned for keying and markup 2002-02 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-03 Sampled and proofread 2002-03 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-04 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
The loue and complayntes bytwene Mars and Uenus . O Lade ye fowles / of this morowe gray Lo Uenus is risen among you rowes rede And floures fresshe / honoure ye this May For whan the sonne vpryst thenne wyll ye sprede But ye louers / taht lye in ony drede Fleeth / leste wyckde tunges yon espye Loo yonde the sonne / the candell of Ialousye with terys blewe / and with a wounded herte Take ye your leue with saynt Iohn to borowe Appease ye som what / of your sorowes smerte Tyme cometh oft / the cessen shall your sorowe The glad nyght / is worth an heuy morowe Saynt valentyn a fowle / thus herde I synge Upon thy day / er the sonne gan vpsprynge yet songe this foule / I rede you all awake Rnd ye that haue not chosen in humble wyse withoute repentyng / chese ye your make And ye that haue full chosen / as I deuyse yef atte leste / renoucleth your seruyse Conferme ye it perpetully tendure And pacyently / take y your auenture And for the worshyp / of this hye feste yet well I in my byrdes wyse synge The sentence of the complaynt atte leste That wofull Mars / made atte departynge Of fresshe Uenus / in a morenynge whan phebus / with his fyry torches rede Rausaketh had / euery louer in his drede whylom the thyrde heuens lord aboue As well by heuenysshe reuolucyos As by deserte / hath wonne Uenus his loue And she hath tak hym in subieccyon And as a maystres taught hym his lession Commandyng / that neuer in her seruyse He nere soo bolde / noe louer to despyse For she forbad hym Ialousye at all And cruelt / boost / and tyrannye She made hym at hyr lust so humble and tall That whan her deyned caste on hym her eye He toke in pacyence to lyue or deye And thus she holdeth hym in her manere with nothyng but with scourgyng of her chere who regneth now in blysse but Uenus That hath this worthy knyght in gouernance who syngeth now but Mars that serueth thus The fayr Uenus / causer of playsaunce He byndeth hym / to perpetuell obeysaunce And she byndeth hyr / to loue hym for euere But soo be that hys trespaas it disseuere Thus ben they knyt / and regnyng in heuen By lokyng moost / tyll it fyll on a tyde That by theyr bothe assent / was set a steuen That Mars shall enter / as fast as he may glyde In to her next palays / and there abyde walkyng his cours / tyll she had hym atake And he prayeth her to haste for his sake Thenne sayd he thus / myn hertes lady swete ye knowe well my myschyef in that place For sekerlyetyll that I with you mete My lyf stand there in aduenture and grace But whan I see / the beawte of your face There is noo drede of deth / may do me smerte For all your luste / is ease to myn herte She hath soo grete compassyon of her knyght That dwelleth in solytude / tyll she come For it stode soo / that tylke tyme noo wyght Counceylled him there ne sayd to him welcome That nyghe her wytte for woo was ouercome wherfore she sped her as fast in her weye All moost in one day / as he dyde in tweye The grete Ioye that was bytwene theym two whan they ben met / ther may noo tunge telle There is nomore / but vnto bed the go And thus in Ioye and blys / I let hem dwell This worthy Mars that was of knyghthode well The flour of fayrnes / lappeth in his armes And Uenus kysseth Mars / the god of armes So Iourned hath this Mars of whiche I rede In chambre / amye the palays pryuely A certayn tyme / tyll hym fyll a drede Thorugh phebus / that was comyn hastely within the palays yates sturdely with torche in honde of whiche the stremes bryght On Uenus chambre / knockeden full lyght The chamber ther as lay this fresshe quene Depeynted was / with whyte boles grete And by the lyght / she knewe the shone soo shene That phebus cam / to brenne hem with his here This sely Uenus nyghe dreynt / in teeris weete Embraceth Mars / and sayd alas I deye The torehe is come that al this world wyll wreye Up sterteth Mars / he lusteth not to slepe whan he his lady herde / soo complayne But for his nature was not for to wepe In stede of teeris / from his eyen tweyne The fyry sparkys / breken out for peyne And hente his hawberke / that lay hym besyde Flee wolde he not / ne he myght hem self hyde He throweth on his helme of huge wyght And grete hym with his swerd / & in his honde His myghty spere / as he was wont to fyght He shaketh soo / that all moost it to wonde Full heuy was he / to walken ouer londe He may not holde with Uenus companye But bad her flee / lest phebus dide her espye O wofull Mars / what mayst thou sayn That in the palays of thy distourbaunce Arte lefte behynde / in paryll to be slayn And yet therto / dowble is thy penaunce For she that hath / thyn herte in gouernaunce Is passed half the stremes of thyn eyen That you nere swyft / well mayst you wepe / & cryen Now fleeth Uenus vnto Cylenius toure with voyde / cours for fere of phebus lyght Alas and there / hath she noo socoure For she ne fonde / ne sawe noo maner wyght And eke as there / she hath but lytyll myght wherfore herseluen for to hyde and saue withyn the caue / she fled in to a caue Derke was the caue / and smoketh as the helle Not but two / paces within the gate it stode A naturell daye in derke I lete her dwelle Now wyll I speke / of Mars suryous and wood For sorow he wold haue sene his herte blod Syn that he myght doo her noo companye He ne rought not myte for doo dye Soo feble he wexe for heete and for his woo That nyhe he swelte / he myght not endure He passed but one steyre in dayes twoo But natheles for all his heuy armure He folowed her that is his lyues cure For whos departyng / he toke greter Ire Than for all his brennyg in the fyre After he walketh softely a paas Complaynyng that it pyte was to here O lady bryght / Uenus alas That euer soo wyde a compas is my spere Alas whan shall I mete you herte dere This twelfth day of Apryll / I endure Thurgh Ialous phebus / this mysauenture Now god helpe / Sely Uenus all allone But as god wold / it happed for to be That while that Uenus made her mone Cylenius rydyng in his chyuache Fro Uenus balance / myght his palays see And Uenus saleweth and doth chere And her resseyueth / as his frende full dere Mars dwellit forth in his aduersyte Complaynyng euer / on her departyng And what his complaynt was / remembreth me And therfore / in this lusty morenyng As I best can / I wyll it seyn and syng And after that / I wyll my leue take And god yeue euery wyght / Ioye of his make
The campleynt . of Mars . The ordre of compleynyng / requyreth skylfully That yf a wyght / shall playne pytously Ther must be cause / wherof he playne Or men may deme / he pleynyth folily And causeles / alas and that am not I wherfore the ground & cause of all my peyne Soo as my troubled wytte / may it atteyne I wyll reherce / not for to haue redresse But for to declare my ground of heuynesse The fyrst tyme / alas that I was wrought And for certayn effectes heder brought By hym that lordeth eche intelligence I gaf my trewe seruyse / and my thought For euermore / how dere I haue it bought To her that is of soo grete excellence That what wyght / that fyrst shewith his presence whan she is wroth / & maketh of hym noo cure He may not long / in Ioye of loue endure This is noo feyned mater / that I telle My lady is the very sours and welle Of beaute / lust / fredom / and gentylnesse Of ryche araye / how dere men it selle Of all disporte / in whiche men frendly dwelle Of loue and playe / and of benygne humblesse Of sown of instrumentis of all swetnesse And therto soo well fortuned and thewed That thurgh the world / her goodnes is shewed what wonder is thenne / though I besette My seruyce on suche one / that may me knette To weell or woo / syn it lyeth in her myght wherfore myn herte / for euer I to her hette Ne truly for my deth / shall I not lette To ben her trewest seruaunt / and her knyght I flater not that may knowe euery wyght For this day in her seruyse shall I deye But grace be / I see her neuer with eye To whom shall I pleyne of my dystresse who may me helpe who may my harm redresse Shall I complayne vnto my lady fre Nay certes for she hath suche heuynesse For feer and eke for woo / as I gesse In lytyll tyme / it wyll her bane be But were she sauf / it were noo force of me Alas that euer louers mote enduer For loue / soo many peryllous auenture For thought soo be / that louers be as trewe As ony metall that is forged newe In many a caas / hem tyden ofte sorowe Somtyme theyr lady / wyll on hem not rewe Somtyme / yf that Ialousye it knewe They myghten lightly their hede to borowe Somtyme enuyous folke / with tunges horowe Deprauen hem / alas whom may they please But he be fals / no louer hath none ease But what auaylleth suche a longe a sermon̄ Of auentures of loue / vp and doun I wyll retorne / and speken of myn peyne The poynt is this of my destruccyon My ryght lady my saluacyon Is in affray / and note to whom to pleyne Of herte swete lady souereyne For your disease wel ought I swowne & swelte Though I none other harme ne drede felte To what fyn made he that sytte so hye Bynethe hym loue / or companye And streynth folke / to loue magre theyr hede And thenne her Ioye / for ougha I can espye Ne lasteth not / twynklyng of an eye And some haue neuer Ioye / tyll they be dede what meneth this / what is this mystyhede wherto constrayneth he / his folke soo faste Thyng to desyre but yf it shold laste And though he made a louer / loue a thyng And makyth it stedfast and duryng yet put he in it suche mysauenture That rest is ther none his yeuyng And that is wonder / that soo Iust a kyng Doth suche hardenes / to his creature Thus whether loue breke orellys dure Algates he that hath with loue to done Hath ofter woo / than chaunged is the mone It semeth / he hath to louers enemyt And lyke a fyssher / as men alday see Bayteth his angle hook with some plesaunce Tyll many a fysshe is wode / tyll that he be Seasyd therwith / and thenne at erst hath he All his desyre / and therwith all myschaunce And though the lyne breke / he hath penaunce For with the hoke / he wornded is so sore That he his wages hath for euermore Of the broche of Thebes The broche of thebes / was of suche a kynde Soo full of rubyes / and of stones ynde That euery wyght / that set on it an eye He wend anone to worthe out of his mynde Soo soor the beaute / wolde his herte bynde Tyll he it had / hym thought he must deye And whan it was his / thnne he shold dreye Suche woo for drede / ay whyle that he it hadde That welnyghe for the feere / he sholde madde And whan it was for his possessyon Thenne had he double woo and passyon For he / soo fayr a tresour hath forgoo But yet this broche as in conclusyon was not the cause of his confusyon But he that wrought it / Infortuned it soo That euery wyght that had it shold haue woo And therfore in the werker was the vyce And in the coueyter that was soo nyce Soo fareth it by louers and by me For though my lady haue soo grete beaute That I was mad / tyll I had her grace She was not cause of myn aduersytee But he that wrought her / also mote I thee And put suche a beaute in her face That made me coueyten and purchace Myn owen deth / hym wyte I that I dye And myn vnwytteth at euer I clambe soo hye But ye now hardy knyghtes of renoun Syn that ye be of my deuysyon All be it not worth / to soo grete a name yet seyn these clerkes / I am your patron Therfore ye ought to haue some compassyon Of my dysease / and take it not a game The prowdest of yow / may be made full tame wherfore I pray youw / your gentelnesse That ye compleyne for myn heuynesse And ye my ladyes that ben trewe and stable By waye of kynde / ye owentobe able To haue pyte / of folke that ben in pyne Now haue ye cause / to clothe you in sable Syn that your emperyce / the honorable Is desolate / well ought ye compleyne Now shold your holy teris falle and reyne Alas your houour / and your emperyce Is nyhe dede for drede / ne can her not cheuye Complayne eke ye louers all in fere For her that with vnfeygned humble chere was euer redy / to doo you socoure Complayne ye her / that euer hath had you dere Complayne ye beaute / fredom / and manere Complayne ye her / that nedeth your labour Complayne ye thylke sample of all honour That neuer dyde / but all gentylnesse Lrythe ye therfore on her some kyndnesse
The compleynt of Uenus for Mars . Ther nys soo hyghe comfort to my plesaunce whan that I am in ony heuynes As for to haue leyzer of remembraunce Upon the manhode and the worthynes Upon the trouthe / and the stedfastness Of hym / whos I am / all / while I may dure Ther ought blame me noo creature For euery wyght preyseth his gentylnessne In hym eis bounte wysedom and gouernaunce well more / than ony manes wytte can gesse For grace hath wold him soo ferforth tauaunce That of knyghthode / he is parfyght rychesse Honoure honouerth hym / for his noblesse Therto soo well / hath fourmed hym nature That I am his for euer / I hym assure For eury wyght preyseth his gentylesse And not withstandyng alle his suffysaunce His gentyll herte / is of soo grete humblesse To me in werke / in word / in contenaunce And me to serue is alle his besynesse That I am sette in veray sekernesse Thus ought I well blysse myn aueture Syth that hym lyste me serue in honure For euery wyght preyseth his gentylesse Now certes loue / it is ryght couenable That men full dere abye / thy noble thyng As wake a bedde / fastyng at the cable wepyng to lawhe / and synge in copleyneg And soone to caste vysage and lokyng Often to chaunge vysage and contenaunce Pley in slepyng / and dreme at the daunce All the reuerse / of my glad feelyng Ialousye be hanged with a cable She wold all knowe / thuegh her espyeg Ther doth noo wyght / nothyng soo resonable That all nys harme / in her ymagenyng Thus dere abought / is loue in yeuyng whiche ofte he yeueth / withoute ordenaunce As sorowe ynough / and lytyll plesaunce All the reuerse / of my glad feelyng A lytell tyme / his yefet is agreable But full encombrous / is the vsyng For subtyll Ialusye / the deceyuable Full ofte tyme causeth destourbyng Thus ben we euer / in drede and suffryng In noncertayne we languysshyng in penaunce And haue full ofte many a hard myschaunce All the reuerse of my glad feelyng But certes loue / I seye not in suche wyse That for to skape out of your laas I mente For I soo long haue ben in your seruyse That for to lete of / wyll I neuer assente Now force / thaugh Ialousye me turment Suffyseth me to see hym whan I may And therfore certe / to myn endyng day To loue hym best / shall I neuer repente And certes loue whan I me well auyse On euery estate / that men may represente Thenne haue ye made me thurgh your fraunchise Chese the best / the euer on erthe wente Now loue well her / & loke thou neuer stente And lete the Ialous put it in assaye That for no payne / wold I not saye naye To loue you best / shall I neuer repente Hehrte to the it ought ynough suffyse That loue to the / soo byghe a grace hath sente To chese the worthyest / of alle wyse And moost agreable / vnto myn entente Seke noo further / neyther weye ne wente Syn I haue suffysaunce / vnto my pay Thus wold I ende / this complaynt or lay To loue hym best / ne shall I neuer repente
Thenuoye . Prynces resceyue ye / this complaynt in gre Unto your excellente benygnyte Dyrect after my lytyll suffysaunce For elde / that in my spyrite dulleth me Hath of endytyng / all the subtylte well nygh byrafte out of my remembraunce And eke to me it is a grete penaunce Syth ryme in englysse / hath suhe scarcete To folowe worde by worde the curyosyte Of grauntson flour of hym / the make in fraunce Explicit the compleyces of Maris and Venus / and of the broche of Thebes .
Here foloweth the counceyll of Chaucer touchyng Maryag &c. whiche was sente te Bucketon &c. My mayster bucketon / whan of cryst our kyng was asked / what is trouth or sothfastnesse He not one word answerd to that askyng As who seyth / noo man is all trewe I gesse And therfore / though I hyghte you texpresse The sorowe and woo / that is in maryage I dar not wryte of it noo wyckednesse Lest I my self / falle efte in suche dotage I wyll not seyechow that is the cheyue Of sathanas / on whiche he gnaweth uer But I dar seyn / were he out of his peyne As by his wyll / he wold be bounde neuer But thlke doted fooll / that oft hath leuer ychyned be / than out of pryson crepe God late hym neuer fro his woo disseuer Ne noman hym by wayle though he wepe But yet lest thou doo worse take a wyf Bet is to wedde / than brenne in worse wyse But you shalt haue sorowe on thi flesshe thy lif And be thy wyues trall / as seyn the wyse And yf that holo wryt / may not suffyse Experience shall the teche / soo may happe That the were leuer betake infryse Than ofte falle of weddyng in the trappe This lityll wryt / prouerbes / or fygure I sende yow / take kepe of it / I rede Unwyse is he / that can noo weell endure If thou be syker / pua the not in drede The wyf of bathe / I pray you that ye rede Of this mater / that we haue no honde God graunte you / your lyffrely tolede In fredum / for full hard is to be bonde

Explicit .
The fyrst fynders of the vii . scyences artyficyall . Iuball was fader and fynde fyrst of songe Of consonants / and of Armonye By sownyng of the hamer as it ronge From Tuball / cam fyrst the melodye Of sugred musyque / and menystralcye Soo procedyng doun / fro man to man Practyk of concorde / as Iaue tolde began Saturne . Saturne taught fyrst tylthe of londe His douhter Ceres / made men ere and sowe The golden world / he compaced with his honde Of seed and greyne / the dyfference to knowe Of trees / herbes / growyng hye and lowe Somer season the bawyme aboue moost swote And in cold wynter the vertue in the rote Mars . The myghty Mars / called god of werres Prudent pallas / fonde fyrst out Armure This god & goddesse / sytte among the sterres Tuball caym / of stele fonde the temprure And forged plates / longe for tendure Thus these ther / by marcyall apparaylle Be called in bookes / patrone of bataylle Craft of wlles / and of cloth weuyng Fonde Mynerue / of spynnyng chyef goddesse And Delbora / of lynnen cloth makyng The practyke sought bokes beryth wytnes In alle suche craft was chyef maystres But Semyramys / as bokes specyfye Fonde fyrst breche / myn auctour lyst not lye Loo here dyane / pryncesse of venerye In forest walkyng / lyke an hunteresse Hauyng her palays / fer aboue the skye Callyd Lucina there shewyng her bryghtnesse Of huntyng / hawkyng & fisshing chief goddesse Euery moneth her cours / she doth renewe Now full , now wane now bryght now pale of hewe Mercure caullyd for mans grete auaylle God of oloquence / and of marchandyse Argon fonde fyrst carft / of sheppe and saylle And Neptunus / the saylyng can deuyse To passe the see / in many sondry wyse whiche to marchantes is full necessarye Theyr stuff & bales / fro lond to lond to carye Phebus fonde fyrst a crafte of medecyne By touche of powns vayne / and inspeccyons Esculapius taught forth the doctryne To knowe the qualytees / of iiii complexyons Of lectuaryes / drugges and pocyons And among all / ther is nothyng more mete Tho helthe of man / than a tempear dyete
Th auctours of vii scyences . Auctor of gramarye / was whilom Precyan Euclyde excelsyd in crafte of geometrye Tullius in rethoryque / was a famous man Hermogines fader of philosophye Boece wrote of musyque and of melodye Of metrephisyke wrote Aristotyles Albumazar also astronomye Fynders of scyencis / and vertuous encrees
The seuen scyences lyberall . Of seuen scyences called lyberall Gramer techeth congruyte and wrytyng And phylosophye in especyall Telleth the natures of euery maner thyng Ars metryque / craft of proporcōnyng Musyke concorde / and Rethoryke eloquence Astrouomye by dyurnall meuyng The world gouerneth / by heuenly Influence
The disposicyon of the vii planetes . Saturne disposyth a man to melancolye Iubyter reyseth a man to grete noblesse And sturdy Mars / to stryf warre and enuye Phebus to wysedom / and to hygh prowesse Mercurye / to be chaungeable and doublenes The mone mutable . now glad . & now drypyng And gnery Uenus / full of newfauglenes Make men vnstable here in her lyuyng
The disposicyon of the xii sygnes . Aries is hote and also coleryke And in the hede / kepeth his domynacyon Taurus in the throte / be man hole or syke That part hath he in supportacyon G minis eke / by reuolucyon Hath in th armes his Influence and werkyng How shold a man than be stedfast of lyuyng Cancer hath the brest in his demayne Of the herte / lorshyp hath the lyon Uirgo the gouernaunce / hath of twayne Of nauyll and wombe / and Libra lower doun The membres of man / guerneth the scorpyon By this reson / the philosophers seyng Is that man can / not be stedfast in lyuyng Of all the sygnes / rekenyd here to forne The thyes of man gouerneth sagittarye And knees and lengges / hath Capricorne Eke the calf dounward pertayneth to aquarye And the feet / I wyll not long tarye Pisse hath them in his kepyng How shold a man be stedfast of lyuyng
The desposicyon of the iiii complexions The sangweyn man / of bllood hath hardynes wrought to be louyng / large of dispence The fleumatyk man / slouthe expssith with dulnes whyte of visage / rude of eloquence And syth ther is to man suchedufference By complexions diuersly werkyng Answere herto / concludyng this sentence How that a man myght be stedfast of lyuyng The coleryk man / subtyll and deceyuable Sklender leue / and cytryne of his colour wroth sodeynly wode and not tretable And full of enuye / malyce and rancaur Drye thurstye / and a grete wastour Disposed to many a sondry thyng with pompe and boost / hasty to doo rygour Ben suche men stable in her lyuyng Melancolye / of his complexyon Disposyd by kynde / for to be fraudelent Malicyous froward / and by discepcyon Forgyng dyscordesr double of his entent whiche thynges peysed by good auysement I dare conclude / as to my felyng By confirmacyon / as in sentent Fewe men ben be here stable in her lyuyng
The disposicyon of the iiii elementes . The world soo wyde the ayre soo remeuable The cely man soo lytyll of stature The graf and ground of clothyng so mutable The fyre soo hote / and subtyll of nature water neuer in one / what creature Made of these foure / whiche ben soo flyttyng May stable be / here in this lyuyng Man of th erthe hath slouthe and heuynes Flux and reflux / by water made vnstable Lryndely of ayer / he hath also swetnes By fyre made hasty wode and not tretable To erthe agayn / by processe comperable Selde or neuer / in one poynte abydyng How shold he thenne / be stable in lyuyng Fyre resolueth erthe to be watyre And waterye thynges / fyre torneth in ayer Makyth hard thynges nesshe & fyre naturelly Soo chaungeth many thynges varyably Though harde he is that shone bryght & fayr whiche element hath in man grete werkyng How shuld he than / be stable in lyuyng Ayer of kynde / yeueth Inspiracyon To mannes herte / thyng moost temperatyf And kyndely hete / yeueth respiracyon Of subtyll ayer / and a grete medicatyf To tempre the spirytes / by vertu vegitatyf And syth that ayer / in man is thus meuyng How shold he than / be stedfast of lyuyng water som whle is congeled to crystall Cold and moyst / as of his nature Now ebbeth now floweth whiche inespecyall The mygth of the mone doth her cours recure And syth this element / by recorde of scripture Is one of the foure / compact of our makyng I wold enquyre / what maner creature Made of these foure / were stedfast of lyuyng
The disposicyon of the four seasons of the yere Man hath in somer dryenes and hete In thyr bookes as auctours lyst expresse And whan phebus entrith the Ariete Dygeste humours vpward don hem dresse Poorys opene / that season of swetenes And exaltacyons / dyuersely werwyng How shold man be stable in luyng Autumpne to Ueer / fcunden is contrarye As Galyen sayth / in all his qualytees Dysposyng a man / that season to varye To many vncouthe strauge Infirmytees Of canyculer dayes / takyng the propertees By reuelacyon / many folde chaungyng How shold men thenne be stable in lyuyng Man hath in wynter / in this plesaunt lyf By disposicyon / cold and humydyte whiche season / is to flewme nutrytyf Spoyleth herbe and tre of theyr fresshe beaute Colsyth & constrayneth the pooris men may 〈◊〉 Causeth kyndly hete / inward to be werkyn How shold man thenne / be stable in lyuyng By Ueer man hath hete and eke moysture Atwene bothe / a man of temperaunce In whiche tweyne / grete lust he doth recure If colde hym put not in dystemperaunce This meynt with drede is mans gouernaun Ay in noo certeyn / by record of wrytyng How shold he thenne be gable in lyuyng
The dispocyon of the world . The monethis varye eueryche hath his sygn And hard it is alle wedrs for to knowe The tyme som while is gracyous / & benygne And vpon hyilles and valeyes that benlowe The foure wyndes / contraryous doo blowe In euery storme / man is here abydyng Some to relyue / and some to ouerthrowe How shold man thenne / be stedfast in lyuyng The worldly answere / fortune transmutable Trust of lordshyp / a feynte sekernes Euery season varyeth / frendshyp is vnstable Now myrthe now sorowe / now he le now sekenes Now ebbe of pouert now flodes of riches And stont in chaunge / now losse / now wynnyng Tempest in see / and wyndes sturdynes Make men vnstable / and ferfull of lyuyng Tytan somwhyle fresshly doth appere Thenne cometh a storme & doth his light deface The soyle of somer / with flouris glad of chere wynters rasour doth them a way race Alle erthely thynges sodenly don pace whiche may here haue noo syker abydyng Eke alle estates fals fortune doth menace How shold a man / be steafast of lyuyng Beholde and see / the transmutacyon How the season / of grene lusty age Force of Iuuentus / strong . hardy . as a lyon Tyme of manhode / wysedom lad of corage And how decrepitus / torneth to dotage Caste all in a & alaunce / and forgete nothyng And thou shalt see in this lyf a pylgremage Ie whiche ther is noo stedeast abydyng The 〈◊〉 ●yfte vp thyn eyen vnto heuen And praye thy lorde / whiche is eternall That sytte soo ferre / aboue the sterrys seuen In his ryall place / moost Imperall To graunt the grace / in this lyf mortall Contricion / shryft / howsyll / at departyng And er thou parte hens / remssyon fynall To ward te lyf / where Ioye is euerlastyng
AMEN

Thys in pryntyde in westmoster inkyng . strete . For me Iulianus Notarii .