¶ And of fyue posternes the keys shall ye kepe.
¶ Lettyng in & out at hym whome ye lyst.
¶ As long as in Macrocosme your fader wyll crepe.
¶ Blere whos ey ye wyll hardely with your myst
¶ And kepe your werkes close there as in a chyst
¶ Saaf I wold desyre you spare Pollucyon.
For no thyng may me plese the souneth to corrupcyon.
¶ And whan he had thus sayd the keyes he hym toke.
¶ And toward his castell with his people went
¶ Byddyng reason take good hede & about loke
¶ That sensualite by Nature were not shent.
¶ Kepe hym short he sayd tyll his lust be spent
¶ For better were a chylde to by vnbore
¶ Than let hym haue the wyll & foreuer be lore.
¶ And whan olde Attropos had seen & herd all this
¶ How Vertu had opteyned astonyed as he stood.
¶ He sayd to hymselfe somwhat there is amys.
¶ I trow well my patent be not all good.[2]
¶ Sayeng to the goddys I see ye do but iape.
¶ After a worthy whew haue ye made me gape.
¶ How a deuyll way sholde I Vertue ouerthrow.
¶ When he dredeth not all your hole route.
¶ How cam ye make good your patent wold I know
¶ Hit is to Impossable to bryng that aboute.
¶ For stryke hym may I not that is out of doute.
¶ A good Attropos sayd god Apollo.
¶ An answere conuenyent shall thou haue herto.
¶ The wordes of thy patent dare I well say
¶ Stretche to no forther but were dame Nature
¶ Hath Iurysdyccyon there to haue the way Nota.
¶ And largesse to stryke as longet to thy cure.
¶ And as for Vertu he his no cryature.
¶ Vnder the predycament conteyned of quantyte
¶ Wherefore his dystruccyon longeth not to the.
¶ A ha sayd Attropos then I see well.
¶ That all ye goddys be but counterfete.
¶ For oo God there is that can euerydell.
¶ Tourne as hym lest bothe drye & whete.
¶ In to whoos seruyce I shal assay to gete.
¶ And yf I may ones to his seruyce come.
¶ Your names shal be put to oblyuyone.
¶ Thus went Attropos fro the paleys wrooth.
¶ But in the mene tyme whyle that he there was.
¶ Glydyng by the paleys resydyuacyon gooth.
¶ Towarde Macrocosme with a peynted fase.
¶ Clad lyke a pylgryme walkyng a grete pase.
¶ In the forme as he had ben a man of ynde.
¶ He wede haue made reson & sadnesse both blynde
¶ With sensualyte was he soone aqueynted.
¶ To whome he declared his mater pryuely.
¶ Yet he was espyed for all his face peynted.
¶ Then reson hym commauded pyke hym thens lightly.
¶ For his ease quod sadnesse so counseyll hym wyll I.
¶ Soo was sensualyte ay kepte vnder foote.
¶ That to resydyuacyon myght he doo no boote.
¶ Then went he to Nature & asked her auyse.
¶ His entent to opteynde what was best to doo.
¶ She sayd euer syth Vertu of vyce wan the pryse.
¶ Reson with sadnesse hath rewled the felde soo.
¶ That I & sensualyte may lytyll for the doo.
¶ For I may noo more but oonly kepe my cours.
¶ And yet is sensualyte strenger kept & wours.
¶ Thus heryng resydiuacon fro thens he went ageyn
¶ Full of thought & sorow that he myght not spede.
¶ Than reson & sadnesse toke wedehokes tweyn.
¶ And all wylde wantonesse out the felde gan wede.
¶ With all the slyper grasse that grewe of the sede.
¶ That sensualyte before therin sew.
¶ And fro thens forth kept it clene for vertew