ON FORKED HEAD DRESSES:
BY JOHN LYDGATE.
[Harleian MSS. 2255, f. 6.]
Off God and kynde procedith al bewte:
Crafft may shewe a foreyn apparence,
But nature ay must have the sovereynte:
Thyng countirfet hath noon existence,
Twen gold and gossomer is gret difference;
Trewe metal requerith noon allay,
Unto purpoos by cleer experyence;
Bewte wyl shewe, thouh hornes wer away.
Riche attires of gold, and perre,
Charbonclis, rubies of moost excellence,
Shewe in dirknesse, liht wher so they be,
By ther natural hevenly influence.
Doubletys of glas yeve a gret evidence;
Thyng contirfet wil faylen at assay:
On this mateer concludyng in sentence,
Bewte wyl shewe, thouh hornys wer away.
Aleyn remembryth his compleynt, who lyst see
In his book of famous eloquence;
Clad al in floures and blosmys of a tree,
He sawh Nature in hir moost excellence,
Upon hir hed a keverchef of Valence,
Noon othir richesse of countirfet array;
T’exemplefye by kyndly providence,
Bewte wil shewe, thouh hornys wer away.
Famous poetys of antiquyte,
In Grece and Troye, renoumyd of prudence,
Wroot of queen Helene, and Penelope,
Off Polyceene with hir chaast innocence:
For wyves trewe calle Lucrece to presence,
That they wer fayr, ther can no man sey nay;
Kynde wrouht hem with so gret dilligence,
Ther bewte couthe, hornys wer cast away.
Clerkys recorde by gret auctorite,
Hornys wer yove to beestys for diffence;
A thyng contrary to femynyte,
To be maad sturdy of resistence:
But arche wyves egre in ther violence,
Fers as tygre for to make affray,
They have despyt ageyn conscience,
Lyst nat of pryde, ther hornys cast away.
L’ENVOYE.
Noble Pryncessys, this litel shoort ditee,
Rewdly compiled, lat it be noon offence,
To your womanly merciful pitee,
Thouh it be rad in your audience:
Peysed ech thyng in your iust advertence,
So it be no displesaunce to your pay,
Undir support of your pacience,
Yevyth example, hornys to cast away.
Grettest of vertues is humylite,
As Salomon seith, sone of sapience,
Moost was accepted to the Deite.
Takith heed heer of yeuyth, to this woord credence,
How Maria, whiche hadde a premynence
Above alle women, in Bedleem whan she lay,
At Cristes birthe no cloth of gret dispence,
She weryd a keverche, hornys wer cast away.
Off birthe she was hihest of degre,
To whom alle aungelis did obedience;
Of David is lyne which sprang out of Jesse,
In whom alle vertues by iust convenience,
Maad stable in God, by goostly confidence:
This roose of Jerycho, ther greuh noon suych in May,
Poore in spirit, parfight in pacience,
In whoom alle hornys of pryde wer put away.
Moodir of J’hu, myrour of chastite,
In woord nor thouht that nevir did offence,
Trewe exemplaire of virginite,
Heedspryng and welle of parfit contynence,
Was nevir clerk, by rethoryk nor science
Kowde alle hir vertues reherse to this day;
Noble Pryncessys of meeke benyvolence,
B’example of hir, your hornys cast away.
ON FRAUDULENT MILLERS AND BAKERS.
[Harleian MSS. 2255.]