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A PICTURE OF FAIR WOMEN.

AND as I sat, the birdis herk'ning thus,
Methought that I heard voicis sodainely,
The most swetist and most delicious
That evir any wight, I trowe trewly,
Heardin in ther life, for the armony
And swete accord was in so gode musike,
That the voicis to angels most were like.

At the last, out of a grove evin by,
That was right godely and pleasaunt to
sight,

I se where there came, singing lustily,
A world of ladies; but, to telle aright
Their beauty grete, it lieth not in my might,
Ne ther array; nevirthelesse I shall
Tell you a part, tho' I speke not of all.

The surcotes white, of velvet wele sittinge,
They werin cladde, and the semis ech one,
As it werin a mannir garnishinge,
Was set with emeraudis, one and one,
By and by; but many a richè stone
Was set on the purfilis, out of doute,
Of collours, sleves, and trainis round
aboute.

As of grete perlis rounde and orient,
And diamondis fine, and rubys redde,
And many othir stone, of which I went
The namis now; and everich on her hede
A rich fret of gold, which, withoutin dread,
Was ful of statèly riche stonys set;
And every lady had a chapelet

On ther hedis of branches freshe and grene
So wele wrought and so marvelously,
That was a right noble sight to sene;
Some of laurir, and some ful pleasantly
Had chapèlets of wodebind, and sadly
Some of agnus castus werin also,
Chaplets freshe; but there were many
of tho

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To win him worship, and her grace to have, Which of all earthly things he most did

crave.

And ever as he rode his heart did yearn To prove his puissance in battle brave Upon his foe, and his new force to learn ; Upon his foe, a dragon horrible and stern.

A lovely lady rode him fair beside,
Upon a lowly ass more white than snow;
Yet she much whiter; but the same did
hide

Under a veil, that wimpled was full low;
And over all a black stole she did throw,
As one that inly mourned; so was she sad,
And heavy sate upon her palfrey slow;
Seemed in heart some hidden care she had;
And by her in a line a milk-white lamb she
lad.

So pure and innocent, as that same lamb, She was in life and every virtuous lore, And by descent from royal lineage came Of ancient kings and queens, that had of yore

Their sceptre stretched from east to western shore.

And all the world in their subjection held ;
Till that infernal fiend with foul uproar
Forwasted all their land, and them expelled;
Whom to avenge, she had this knight from
far compelled.

Behind her far away a dwarf did lag,
That lazy seemed, in being ever last,
Or wearied with bearing of her bag
Of needments at his back. Thus as they
past,

The day with clouds was sudden overcast,
And angry Jove an hideous storm of rain
Did pour into his leman's lap so fast,
That every wight to shroud it did constrain;
And this fair couple eke to shroud them-
selves were fain.

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Breeds dreadful doubts: oft fire is without smoke,

And peril without show; therefore your stroke,

Sir Knight, withhold, till further trial made.'

"Ah, Lady," said he, "shame were to revoke

The forward footing for an hidden shade: Virtue gives herself light through darkness for to wade."

THE HOUSE OF SLEEP.

HE making speedy way through 'spersèd air,

And through the world of waters, wide and deep,

To Morpheus' house doth hastily repair. Amid the bowels of the earth full steep, And low, where dawning day doth never peep,

His dwelling is; there Thetis his wet bed Doth ever wash, and Cynthia still doth

steep

In silver dew his ever-drooping head, Whiles sad Night over him her mantle black doth spread.

Whose double gates he findeth locked fast,
The one, fair framed of burnished ivory,
The other, all with silver overcast ;
And wakeful dogs before them far do lie,
Watching to banish Care, their enemy,
Who oft is wont to trouble gentle Sleep.
By them the sprite doth pass in quietly,
And unto Morpheus comes, whom drowned
deep

In drowsy fits he finds; of nothing he takes keep.

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Had her abandoned; she, of nought afraid, Through woods and wastnes wide him daily sought,

Yet wished tidings none of him unto her brought.

One day, nigh weary of the irksome way,
From her unhasty beast she did alight,
And on the grass her dainty limbs did lay
In secret shadow, far from all men's sight;
From her fair head her fillet she undight,
And laid her stole aside. Her angel's face,
As the great eye of heaven shinèd bright,
And made a sunshine in the shady place;
Did never mortal eye behold such heavenly
grace.

It fortuned, out of the thickest wood
A ramping lion rushed suddenly,
Hunting full greedy after savage blood.
Soon as the royal virgin he did spy,
With gaping mouth at her ran greedily,

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The lion would not leave her desolate,
But with her went along, as a strong guard
Of her chaste person, and a faithful mate
Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard;
Still, when she slept, he kept both watch
and ward;

And, when she waked, he waited diligent,
With humble service to her will prepared:
From her fair eyes he took commandement,
And ever by her looks conceived her intent.

THE MARRIAGE OF UNA TO

ST. GEORGE.

His own two hands the holy knots did knit, That none but death for ever can divide; His own two hands, for such a turn most fit,

The housling fire did kindle and provide, And holy water thereon sprinkled wide; At which the bushy teade a groom did light, And sacred lamp in secret chamber hide, Where it should not be quenched day nor night, [bright.

For fear of evil fates, but burnen ever

Then gan they sprinkle all the posts with wine,

[day: And made great feast to solemnize that They all perfumed with frankincense divine, And precious odours fetched from far away, That all the house did sweat with great array.

And all the while sweet music did apply Her curious skill the warbling notes to play, To drive away the dull melancholy;

The whiles one sang a song of love and jollity.

During the which there was an heavenly
noise
[santly,
Heard sound through all the palace plea-
Like as it had been many an angel's voice
Singing before th' Eternal Majesty,
In their trinal triplicities on high:
Yet wist no creature whence that heavenly

sweet

Proceeded, yet each one felt secretly Himself thereby reft of his senses meet, And ravished with rare impression in his sprite.

THE BOWER OF BLISS.

THENCE passing forth, they shortly do arrive

Whereas the Bower of Bliss was situate;
A place picked out by choice of best alive
That nature's work by art can imitate :
In which whatever in this worldly state
Is sweet and pleasing unto living sense,
Or that may daintiest fantasy aggrate,
Was poured forth with plentiful dispense,
And made there to abound with lavish
affluence.

Goodly it was enclosed round about,

As well their entered guests to keep within,

As those unruly beasts to hold without; Yet was the fence thereof but weak and thin;

Nought feared their force, that fortilace to
win,
[might,
But Wisdom's power, and Temperance's
By which the mightiest things efforced bin:
And eke the gate was wrought of substance
light,
[fight.
Rather for pleasure than for battery or

It framed was of precious ivory,
That seemed a work of admirable wit;
And therein all the famous history
Of Jason and Medea was ywrit;
Her mighty charms, her furious loving fit;
His goodly conquest of the golden fleece,
His falsed faith, and love too lightly flit;
The wond'red Argo, which in venturous
piece
[flow'r of Greece.

First through the Euxine seas bore all the

Ye might have seen the frothy billows fry
Under the ship as thorough them she went,
That seemed the waves were into ivory,
Or ivory into the waves were sent ;
And otherwhere the snowy substance sprent
With vermeil, like the boy's blood therein
shed,

A piteous spectacle did represent;
And otherwhiles with gold besprinkelèd
It seemed th' enchanted flame, which did
Creusa wed.

All this and more might in that goodly gate Be read, that ever open stood to all Which thither came; but in the porch there

sate

A comely personage of stature tall, And semblance pleasing, more than natural,

That travell'rs to him seemed to entice: His looser garment to the ground did fall, And flew about his heels in wanton wise, Nor fit for speedy pace or manly exercise.

They in that place him Genius did call : Not that celestial Pow'r, to whom the care Of life, and generation of all

That lives, pertains in charge particular, Who wondrous things concerning our welfare

And strange phantoms, doth let us oft foresee,

And oft of secret ills bids us beware: That is our Self, whom though we do not [be: Yet each doth in himself it well perceive to

see,

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