  Dame Hardiness with banner F(Forth) FOrth than we went vnto the habytacle Of dame hardynes moost pure and fayre Aboue all places a ryght fayre spectacle Strowyd with floures that gaue good eyer Of vertuous turkeys there was a cheyr Wherin she sate in her cote armure Berynge a shelde the felde of asure Wherin was sette a rampynge lyon Of fyne golde ryght large and grete A swerd she had of merueylous fassyon As though a thousand she sholde bete No man the vyctory of her myght gete A noble vyrgyn there dyde her serue That fyrst made harnes called Mynerue The chaumbre where she held her consystory The dewe aromatyke dyde oft degoute Of fragraunt floures full of delycasy That all yll heyres dyde ensence oute A carbuncle there was that all aboute Enlumyned the chaumbre both day and nyght My thought it was an heuenly syght Nyne quenes I sawe that satte her by Beynge all armed of grete fortytude In many a stower they wanne the vyctory And were endued with facounde pulcrytude For to haunte armes was theyr consuetude Many a regyon they often wanne And also vaynquysshed many a noble man Nexte vnto her sate the hyghe quene Azia That was a conqueres so puyssaunt And besyde her the quene of Saba Whiche in grete ryches was tryumphaunt And also Ipolyte in armes valyaunt Sate with her besyde quene Hecuba And yet also the quene Europa Present ther was the wiche quene Iuno And quene Pantasyll wyth fayre quene Elyn And yet I sawe by her than also The noble vyrgyn yonge Polyxyn That was destroyed at the last ruyn Of Troye the grete by cruell Pyrrus The sone of Achylles that was so cheualrus As I dyd loke I had commaundement Of dame dyscrecyon for to remembre These noble ladyes so pure and excellent Hardy in corage of age ryght tendre Yet not withstandynge deth dyde surrendre And all theyr strength and lusty corage For he spareth nother youth ne age |
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