The Temple of Glass

by John Lydgate

And many a story moo than I rekene can
Were in the temple, and how that paris wan
The fayr Eleyne a lusty fresh quene
And hou Achilles was for Policene
Y slayn vnwarly witħyn Troye toun
Al this sawe I walkyng vp and doun
Ther sawe I wreton eke the hole tale
How Philomene in to a nyghtyngale
Y torned was, and proigne vnto a swalowe
And how the sabyns in their maner halowe
The feste of lucresse yet in Rome toun
Ther saw I also the sorow of Palamon
That he in prison felte and al the smert
And how that he thurgħ vnto his hert
Was hurt vnwarly by castyng of an eye
On fair fresh the lusty yong Emelye
And al the stryf bytwene hym & his brother
And how that one faugħt witħ that other
Witħyn the groue, til they by Theseus
Accorded were as Chaucer telletħ vs
And furthermore as I gan beholde
I sawe hou phebus witħ an arowe of golde
Y wounded was thurgħ out his syde

Only by enuye of the god Cupyde
And how that dyane vnto a laurer tre
Y torned was whan that she dide fle
And how that Ioue changed his cope
Only for loue of the fair Eurepe
And in to a hole, whan he did he sue
Liste of his godhed his fourme to transmue
And hou that he by transmutacion
The shap gan take of Amphitrion
For Alcumena so passing was of beaute
So was he hurt for al his deyte
Witħ louys dart, and might it not escape
Ther sawe I also how mars was take
Of vulcanus and witħ venus founde
And witħ the cheynes Inuysible bounde
Ther was also al the poesye
Of hym Mercurye and al the philogye
And how that she for her sapience
Y wedded was to the god of eloquence
And how the Muses lowly did obeye
Higħ in to heuyn this lady to conueye
And witħ her songe hou she was magnefied
Witħ Jubiter there to be stellefied

And vppermore depeynt men might see
How witħ her ryng the goodly canace
Of euery fowle, the leydons and songe
Coude vnderstond as she walked them among
And hou her brother so often holpen was
In his myschief, by the stede of bras
And furthermore in the temple were
Ful many a thousand louers here & there
In sondry wyse redy to compleyne
Vnto the goddesse, of her woo and peyne
How they were hyndred som for enuye
And how the serpent of fals Ielousie
Ful many a louer hath put a back
And causeles on them haue leid a lack
And som̄e ther were that playned on absence
That were exiled and put out of presence
Thurgħ wicked tunges and fals suspecōn
Witħoute mercy or ony remissiōn
And other eke her seruyse spent in veyn
And of her lady were not loued ageyn
And other eke that for pouerte
Dursten in no wyse her grete aduersite
Discouere ne opene, lest they were refused

And som̄e for wantyng also were accused
And other eke that loued secretly
And of her lady durst axe no mercy
Lest that she wolde of hym haue despyte
And som̄e also that putten right grete wite
Ou double louers that loue thinges newe
Thurgħ whos falsenes hyndred be the trewe
And som̄ there were as hit is ofte founde
That for her lady many a blody wounde
Endured hatħ in many a regyon
Whiles that an other hatħ had possession
Al of his lady and beretħ a way the fruyt
Of his labour and of aƚƚ his fuyt
And other compleyned of richesse
How he witħ tresour dotħ his besynesse
To wynne agaynst al kynde and right
Where as true louers haue force none ne might
And som ther were as maydyns yong of age
That pleynetħ so witħ pipyng & witħ rage
That were coupled agayn al nature
Witħ croked elde that may not long endure
For to perfourme the lust of loues playe
For hit ne fit not vnto fressħ maye

For to be coupled to olde Ianuarye
They be so dyuerse that they must varye
For elde is gruoching and malencolious
Ay ful of yre and suspecious
And yongth entendetħ to Ioye & lustynes
To mirtħ and play and to al gladnes
Allas that euer hit shold falle
So swete sugre y coupled be to galle
These yonge folke cryeden oft sithe
And praid venus her power to kythe
Vpon this myschief and shape remedye
And right anone I herde other crye
Witħ sobbyng teres and pietous sowne
To fore the goddesse by lamentacion
That were constrayned in their yougthe
And in childhode as is ofte couthe
Y entrid were in to Religion
Or they had yeris of discrescōn
That al her lif can not but compleyne
In wyde Copes perfection forto feyne
Ful couertly for to coueren thair smert
And shewe the contrary of thair hert
Thus saw I wepe many a fair mayde

That on theyr frendes al the wyte thay layde
And other next I saw ther in grete rage
That they were maried in theyr tendre age
Witħ oute fredom of fre election
Where loue hatħ selde domynacion
For loue at large and at liberte
Wolde frely chese and not witħ suche trete
And other saw I ful ofte wepe and wrynge
That they in men fonde suche varyynge
To loue a season whyle that beaulte flouritħ
And after by disdayn so vngoodly louritħ
On her that whylom he callyd his lady dere
That was to hym so playsant and entier
But lust witħ fairnes is so ouer goon
That in her herte trouthe abidetħ noon
And som̄e also I sawe in teres reyne
And pietously on god and kynde pleyne
That euer they wold on ony creature
So moche beaute passing be mesure
Sette on a woman to yeue occasion
A man, to loue to his confusion
And namely there, where he shal haue no grace
For witħ a loke fortħ by as he dotħ pace

Ful ofte falletħ thurgħ castyng of an eye
A man is wounded that he must nedis deye
That neuer peraunter after he shal her see
Why wil god don so grete a cruelte
To ony man, or to his creature
To make hym so muche woo endure
For her, percas, whom he shal in no wyse
Reioyse neuer, but so fortħ in Iuyse
Lede his lif til that he be graue
For he ne durst of hir no mercy craue
And eke peraunter thougħ he durst & wolde
He can not wite where he hir fynd sholde
I sawe ther eke, and therof had I couthe
That som were hyndred by couetyse & slougthe
And som̄e also for their hastynes
And other eke for their rechelesnes
But altherlast as I walked and behelde
Beside pallas witħ her Cristal sheld
Tofore the statue of venus set on height
Ther kneled a lady in my sight
To fore the goddesse, whiche as the sonne
Passetħ the sterris, and eke the stormys donne
And lucifer to voyde the nyghtes sorowe

In clerenes passetħ erly the morowe
And so as maye hatħ the souereynte
Of euery monetħ the fayrnes and beaute
And as the rose in swetnes and odour
Surmounted flouris, and baine of al licour
Hath the pryse, and as the rubye bright
Of al stones in beaute and in sight
As it is knowe hatħ the Regalye
Right so this ladye witħ her goodly eye
And witħ the stremys of hir loke so bright
Surmountetħ al thourgħ beaute in my sight
That for to tel her grete semelines
Her womanhed her porte and her fairnes
Hit was a meruayle, how euer that nature
Cowde in her werkes make a creature
So angelyk so goodly on to see
So femynyn or passing of beaute
Whos sonnysħ heer brighter than goldwire
Lyche phebus beames shynyng in his spyre
The goodlihed eke of her fresħ face
So replenyshed of beaute and of grace
So wel ennewed by nature and depeynt
As Rose and lilyes to gyder were meynt

So egally by good proporcion
That as me tought by myn inspection
I gan meruaylle hou god or werk of kynde
Mighten of beaute suche a tresour fynde
To yeuen hir so passing excellence
For in good faitħ thurgħ her hye presence
The temple was ensumyned enuyron
And forto speke of her condicion
She was the beste that might be on lyue
For ther was none that witħ her might stryue
To speke of bounte or of gentilesse
Of womanhede or of lowlynesse
Of curtoysie or of goodlihede
Of speche of chere or of semelihede
Of poort benigne or of daliaunce
The best taught and therto of playsaunce
She was the welle eke of honeste
An Examplair and mirrour eke was she
Of secretnes of trouthe of feitħfulnes
And to alle other lady and maistres
To shewe vertu who so list to lere
And so this lady right humble of chere
Kneling I sawe, clad in grene and whyte

To fore venus goddesse of al delyte
Enbrowded al witħ stones and perre
So richely that Ioye it was to see
Witħ sondry rolles on her garnement
For texpowne the troutħ of her entent
To shewe fully that for her humblesse
And for her vertu and her stablenesse
That she was cote of al womanly playsance
Therfore her word witħoute variance
Enbrowded was as men might see
De mieulx en mieulx witħ stones of perre
This is to sayne that she was so benygne
From better to better her hert dotħ resigne
And al her wyƚƚ to venus the goddesse
Whan that her list her harmes to redresse
For as me thought somwhat by her chere
For to compleyne she had grete desire
For in her hand she held a lityl bylle
For to declare the sum̄e of al her wylle
And to the goddesse her quarel for to shewe
Theffect of whiche was in wordes fewe