* * * * *
I loked about and saw a craggy roche,
Farre in the west, neare to the element,
And as I dyd then unto it approche,
Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent
The royal tower of Morall Document,5
Made of fine copper with turrettes fayre and hye,
Which against Phebus shone so marveylously,
That for the very perfect bryghtnes
What of the tower, and of the cleare sunne,
I could nothyng behold the goodlines10
Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne:[627]
Tyll at the last, with mysty wyndes donne,
The radiant brightnes of golden Phebus
Auster gan cover with clowde tenebrus.[628]
Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere,15
And often mused of the great hyghnes
Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare:
But the fayre tower, so much of ryches
Was all about, sexangled doubtles;
Gargeyld[629] with grayhoundes, and with manylyons,20
Made of fyne golde; with divers sundry dragons.[630]
The little turrets with ymages of golde
About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved.
Wyth propre vices,[631] the I did well beholde
About the towers, in sundry wyse they hoved[632]25
With goodly pypes, in their mouthes i-tuned,
That with the wynde they pyped a daunce,
I-clipped[633] Amour de la hault plesaunce.
Cap. IV.
The toure was great and of marvelous wydnes,
To whyche ther was no way to passe but one,30
Into the toure for to have an intres:[634]
A grece[635] there was y-chesyled all of stone
Out of the rocke, on whyche men dyd gone
Up to the toure, and in lykewyse dyd I
Wyth bothe the Grayhoundes in my company:[636]35
Tyll that I came unto a ryall gate,
Where I sawe stondynge the goodly Portres,
Whiche axed me, from whence I came a-late?
To whome I gan in every thynge expresse
All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse,40
And eke my name; I tolde her every dell:
Whan she herde this, she lyked me right well.
Her name, she sayd, was called Countenaunce;
Into the besy[637] courte she dyd me then lede,
Where was a fountayne depured[638] of pleasance,45
A noble sprynge, a ryall conduyte hede,
Made of fyne golde enameled with reed;
And on the toppe four dragons blewe and stoute
Thys dulcet water in foure partyes dyd spout.
Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere,50
Sweter than Nylus[639] or Ganges was theyr odoure;
Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere:
I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure,
Fragraunt of fume, swete as any floure;
And in my mouthe it had a marveylous cent[640]55
Of divers spyces, I knewe not what it ment.