[THE INDUCTION.

“O Diana,” quoth Memory, “bryng foorthe your damosels, let vs se if any of your court haue donne the like deuoier to saue theyr virginities. But seeing that writers haue made mention of none that might compare wyth her, both for the goodnesse of the cause, and the valiaunt goyng through with the quarrel, mee thinke shee shoulde rather be esteemed a goddesse then thou, and her trayne rather the ladies of chastity then thine. Geue thou place, therfore, and let this lady haue thy seate. But (good Inquisition) this woman liued in the golden worlde; let vs enquire, in this our yron age, yf there be any which do come any thyng neare vnto her.” “Alas, not one,” quoth Inquisition, “for as shee, in her time, did dismember her wel membred body to preserue the iewel which she esteemed of so greate a price, so now a multitude may be founde who furnishe theyr vnperfite personages with all kinde of foolishe fylthy furnitures, to bestowe that on euery he who wil haue it, which she was so desyrous to keepe. But let vs nowe heare this man’s matter: it is Alurede, who if he had not beene geuen vnto one kinde of vice had passed Arthur for warres, and Lucy for godlinesse.” “What vice was that?” quoth Memory. “You neede not enquire,” quoth Inquisition, “for he is euen now repeating his history:” wherewith he sayd as foloweth.]

[THE COMPLAYNT OF ALUREDE.[1225]

Howe Alurede was brought vnto disease and vnto vntimely death, being inclined vnto the sinne of the fleshe. By hys example we may learne that one vice is sufficient to deface a hundred vertues.

My wrinckled cheeks bedeawde with drops of dole,

My visage pale, my wan and withered face,

Do wel declare how I haue runne my race:

And sith I must my doinges here inrolle,

The liues of them which liue for to controlle,

I am content my cruel wretched case

Shall teach the way, how all men may imbrace

The knowledge how they honour may obtayne,

And how they may from falling there remayne.

Though many clime by many meanes a hye,

Yet few on toppe can sit in suer seate:

For euery storme an ouerthrowe doth threate

To them, who get the toppe by crueltie;

Whose suddayne fall doth tell their trechery:

But they who will their heades for honour beate,

And flye the fall, the greefe whereof is greate,

Let them renowne their former factes with fame,

And shunne the path which leades man’s life to shame.

Who walketh in this wildernesse of woe,

And loue’s aloft on flitting fame to flee,

Must pace the pathes of mother mysery:

That man through gastfull greefe must goe,

By thousande thickes which wrapped are with wo:

By daunger’s denne where lucking she dooth lye,

By hatred’s house, where spite wil thee espye,

By caue of care, by wofull crye, alas,

His manly minde with courage stout must passe.

By plesaunt playne where pleasure doth place

Her princely pallace paynted passing fine,

To gazing eyes where glitteryng glasse doth shine

Of beautie’s blaze, where feature fine of face,

Where ladye loue doth vaunte with garishe grace,

Where vayne delight doth drawe that lothsome line,

Which maketh man from vertue to decline:

Be wise and ware, and lothe theyr luering lookes,

Least craftye Cupide catch thee in his hookes.

To pleasure’s court a company doth come,

Euen fame to finde, the losse I do lament,

For flitting fame, them rumor rud hath hent,

Which doth declare their dole til day of dome:

With tooth and nayle which trauaile, there be some

Vertue to finde, where when some time is spent

Her to obtayne, and that with good intent,

They weary by the way do stay their race,

And rest them in this pleasaunt bitter place.

They meane as there no long delayes to make,

But Bacchus’ comely carpites so do please,

Such courtly caues, such mirth, such quiet ease

They haue, that they to Venus them betake,

The wearye wayes of vertue they forsake:

Those trustlesse traynes from dolor, and disease,

Doubtlesse do come to drowne in surging seas

Of secrete smarte, those which do them delight:

Flee thou therfore this courte, with speedy spight.

From pleasure’s place, when thou shalt turne thy face,

The high may then discretion wil thee shewe

To vertue’s lodge, which thou right well mayst know

By such as dwell about that pleasaunt place:

A hundred vertues raunging on a rowe,

Thou there shalt see, how fame her trumpe doth blowe,

For greate exploytes: where when thou art renownde,

Then fame thy name through all the world shal sounde.

And when thou hast obtainde that place with payne,

There is no doubt desert will honour haue,

Which being had, beware that waltering waue

Of wordly lust, which vertue doth disdayne,

Beware least thou thy former deedes doost staine:

For he who could himself from sinning saue,

He seeking that which most his minde did craue:

Which being founde, his feeble feet dooe faynt,

And strayght he doth with sinne himselfe acquaynt.

When man hath most of that he doth desire,

Then most the fleshe doth force the soule to sinne,

The ende doth proue how wel we do beginne:

For he who doth from vertue’s lore retire,

His wretched ende doth make the worlde admire:

Let him therfore which will the garlond winne,

Euen to the end auoyde the hatefull ginne

Which Satan sets, with traynes of tastlesse bayte,

The glosse whereof prognosticates desayght.

10.

What gayne is got by him who runnes in hast,

If that his stumbling feete do make delay?

An other man doth beare the price away,

He got no game, one fall hath hym defast:

Euen so that man from fame is quite displaste,

If once his feete in vice’s steppes do stay,

As may appeare by me, and my decay:

For once I slipt, one vice did me deface,

One onely vice did Alurede disgrace.

11.

I the fourth sonne of Ethelwolfus king,

Twice tenne and eight I wore the Saxon crowne,

For martial feates I had a greate renowne,

My gouernaunce was good in euery thing,

I rulde my realme to euery man’s liking,

My stature tall, my face did neuer frowne,

My learning did deserue a lawrell crowne,[1226]

My wisedome and my iustice purchast fame,

My courage bolde dyd much extoll the same.

12.

In seuen conflictes I did the Danes destroy,

But more ariude which did me more molest,

Yet they likewise were by my meanes destrest:

But when my strength their strength could not destroy,

I did deuise a pretty pleasant toy,

By meanes whereof my Saxon soyle was bleste:

Amidst my fone I minstrel like did ieste,

I playd the part of Scoggin Skelton’s mate,

Transformde, I trudgde about from gate to gate.

13.

In minstrel’s robes my fiddle tuned fine,

With warbling notes my toung the song did sing,

Myne eyes and harte did note eche other thing

That there was done: first how they did incline,

There lothesome liues, much like to filthie swine:

I playd my part before their hoggish king,

A part which him and his to bale did bring:

For when I knewe their purposed intent,

By my returne I made them al repent.

14.

For in the night I did their campe inuade,

With bloddye blade I did destroy them al,

And those which did as then escape the thrall,

Of infidels them christened men I made,[1227]

And though with warres my realme were quite decay’d,

Yet at the laste after so greate a fal,

I wonne the price that pleasde me most of al:

Euen quiet peace a blesse of al the best,

The frute whereof is nothing els but rest.

15.

Thus being blest with peace and quiet rest,

At Oxford I a grammer schoole did buyld,

By meanes whereof my common weale was filde

With learned men: and hauing thus my hest,

A abbies buylt, esteeming it the best,

That God who me in al my warres did wielde,

And me preserude euen with his myghtie shielde,

That he in peace the only prayse myght haue,

I buylded up religious houses braue.

16.

At Winchester the minster there I made,

At Shaftesburye I buylt a nunnerye,

I daily did erect diuinitie:[1228]

All which good deedes euen by one wicked trade,

Were quite defaste and from my fame did fade:

O hateful thing that fuming fantasye,

Should make a man that seeth, not to see:

Alas, I byte on pleasure’s bytter bayte,

Whose hateful hookes are couered with desayte.

17.

In lawlesse loue I had a great delyght,

That sugered sweete of little lasting ioye,

Those luering lookes of dayntie damsels coy,

Made me committe that lyke a carpite knighte,

I did consume ful many a day and nyght

With such delyghtes as did my name anoye,

My health and life at last they did destroy:

Yea these delightes did so my fame deface,

That now with shame I blushe to shewe my face.

18.

Those lewde delightes did drawe me to disease,

Consuming sicknesse brought me verye lowe,

Phisitions they Sicus[1229] that euil do know,

A kinde of sore which did me much displease,

It alwayes did bereaue me of my ease:[1230]

On partes belowe that gryping griefe doth growe,

On me my God a iust reuenge did show,

And at the last continuing in my sinne,

I lost my lyfe, and hateful hel did winne.

19.

What though I did from forayne foes defend

My Saxon soyle, with thrice renowmed fame:

What though I rulde with equitie the same:[1231]

What though to buyld vp abbies I did bend

My selfe, and prayd that God his worde would send:

Though these good deedes did honour much my name,

Yet these defaste with deedes of foule defame,

Be of no price: for filthie fleshly luste

Destroyd them al, and layd them in the duste.[1232]

20.

For as you see dissolued clowdes with rayne

The beames of Phebus do deface:

Euen so one sinne did al my vertues race,

They blemished myne honor with disdayne,

So that I finde al vertue is in vayne,

If vices be with vertue linkt in place,

On vice an hundred vertues doth disgrace:

Therefore the man who hopeth for renowme,

Must fight with flesh, and beate al vices downe.

21.

And hee who can his raging wyl resiste,

Is much more strong then Alexander greate,

Who wonne the worlde, yet had he not the feate,

With conquest to compel his lawlesse liste,

To do the thing whereby he might be bliste:

But they who hope to haue a heauenly seate,

Their lust and fleshly fancies downe must beate:

And hereby me you may perceiue at large,

The thinges which God committeth to man’s charge.]