[Harleian MS. 565, and Cottonian MS. Julius B. II.]
Toward the ende of wyndy Februarie,
Whanne Phebus was in the fysshe roune,[146]
Out of the signe which callyd is Aquarie,
Newe kalendas were entred and begonne,
Of Marches comyng, and the mery sonne,
Upon a Thorsday shed[147] hys bemys bright
Upon London, to make them glad and light.
The stormy reynes[148] of alle there hevynesse,
Were passyd away, and alle there[149] grevaunce,
For the sixte Henry, rote of there gladnesse,
Ther hertys joye, ther worldis suffissaunce,
Be trewe assent[150] crownyd kyng of Fraunce;
The even[151] rejoysyng the day of his repaire,
Made at his comynge the wedir to be so faire.
A tyme, y trowe of God, for hym provydyd,
In alle the hevenes there was no clowde sayne;
From other daies that day was so devydyd,
And fraunchisyd from mystys and from rayn;
The erthe[152] attempred, the wyndes smothe and playne,
The Citezeines thorugh out the Citee,
Halwyd that day with gret solempnyte.
And lyk for David after his victorie,
Rejoysyd was al Jerusalem,
So this Cite with laude, pris, and glorie,
For joye mustred lik the sonne bem,
To geve ensample thorugh out this Reem;
Al of assent who so can conceyve,
There noble kyng were glad to resceyve.
There clothyng was of colour ful covenable;
The noble Mair clad in red velwet,
The Shireves, the Aldermen, ful notable,
In furryd clokes, the colour of scarlet;
In statly wyse whanne they were met,
Ich on were wel horsyd, and mad no delay,[153]
But with there Maire rood forth in there way.
The Citezeyns ich on of the Citee,
In there entent that they were pure and clene;
Ches them of whit a ful faire lyvere,
In evry craft as it was wel sene;
To shewe the trowthe that they dede mene,
Toward the kyng hadde mad them feithfully,
In sundry devyses embrowdyd richely.
And for to remembre of other alyens,
First Geneweys, thorugh thei were strangers,
Florantynys, and Venyciens,
And Esterlyngs, clad[154] in there manere,
Conveyd with seriaunts and othere officers,
Statly horsyd, after the Mair ridyng,
Passyd the subbarbes to mete with the kyng.
To the Blake heth whanne they dyd atteyne,
The Mair of prudence in especialle,
Made them hove in renges tweyne,
A strete betwen ech party lik a walle,
Alle clad in whit, and the most principalle,
A fore in red, with the[155] Mair rydyng,
Til tyme that he saw the kyng comyng;
Thanne with his sporys, he tok his hors anone,
That to beholde it was a noble sight,
How lyk a man he to the kyng is gone,
Right well cheryd of herte, glad, and light;
Obeienge to hym, as hym ought of right:
And after that he cunningly abraid,
And to the kyng even thus he sayd;
“Sovereigne lord and noble kyng, ye be wolcome out of youre rem of Fraunce, into this youre blessyd rem of Ingelond, and in especial unto youre most notable Citee of London, otherwise callyd youre chambre, we thankynge Almyghty[156] God of the good and gracious athenyng of youre crowne of Fraunce, besechynge of his mercyful grace to sende yow prosperite and many yeris, to the comfort of alle your lovyng pepill.”
But for to tellen alle the circumstauncys,
Of every thyng shewed in centencs,
Noble devyses, diverse ordinauncys,
Conveid be scripture with ful gret excellence;
Al to declare, y have non eloquence,
Therfore y pray to alle tho that it schal rede,[157]
For to correcte where as they se nede.
First, whan they[158] passyd was the fabour,
Entring the brigge of this noble town,[159]
There was a peler reysyd lik a tour,
And theron stod a sturdy champyone,
Of look and chere, stern as a lyone;
His swerd uprered, prowdly gan manace,
Alle foreyn enemyes from the kyng to enchace;
And in defens of his estat riall,
The geaunt wolde abyde ech aventure,
And alle assautes that were marcyall,
For his sake he proudly wolde endure;
In tokenynge wher of, he hadde a long[160] scripture,
On either syde declaryng his entent,
Whiche sayde thus, be good avisement.
Inimicos ejus induam confusione.
“Alle tho that ben enemys to the kyng,
I schal them clothe with confucione;
Make hym myghti be vertuos levyng,
His mortall fou to oppressen and bere a downe,
And hym to encresene as Cristes champione;
Alle myschevys from hym to abrigge,
With the grace of God, at the entryng of this[161] brigge.”
Too antilopis stondyng on either syde,
With the armes of Ingelond and of Fraunce,
In token that God schall for hym provide,
As he hath title be juste eneritaunce,
To regne in pees, plente, and alle plesaunce;
Cesyng of werre, that men myghte ryden and[162] gone,
As trewe liegis, there hertys mad bothe oone.
Forthermore, so as the kyng gan ryde,
Middes of the brigge there was a toure on lofte;
The lord of lordes beynge ay his gyde,
As he hath be and yit wil be ful ofte.
The tour araied with velwetty softe,
Clothys of gold, silk, and tapicerie,
As apperteynyth to his regalye.
And at his comyng, of excellent beaute,
Benygne[163] of port, most womanly of chere,
There issued out, empresses thre;
There here displaied, as Phebus in his[164] spere,
With crownettys of gold and stones clere;
At whos out comyng thei gaf swyche a light,
That the beholders were stonyed in there sight.
Nature.
The first of them was callyd[165] Nature,
As sche that hath undyr here demayne,
Man, beest, and foul, and every creature,
Withinne the bondys of here goldyn cheyne;[166]
Eke hevene, and erthe, and every creature,[167]
Grace.This empresse of custum doth enbrace:
And next here com here suster callyd Grace.
Passyng famous, and of gret reverence,
Most desyryd in alle regions;
For where that evere shewith here presence,
She bryngeth gladnes to citees and to townys.
Of alle welle fare she halt[168] the possessionys,
For y dar sey, prosperite in no place,
No while abidith, but if there be grace.
In tokene that Grace shal[169] longe continue,
Fortune.Unto the kyng, she shewyd here ful benygne;
And next here com the empresse Fortune,
To hym aperyng with many a noble signe,
And riall tokenys, to shew that he was digne,
Of God disposyd as lust[170] ordeygne,
Upon his hed to were crownes tweyne.
Natura Gracia et Fortuna.