  Dame Hardiness C(Come) COme on fayre youth and go with me Vnto that place that is delectable Bylded with towres of curyosyte And yet though that ye be lamentable Whan thou art there you wylt be confortable To se the merueyles that there be wrought No man can prynt it in his thought A path we founde ryght gretely vsed Where in we went tyll at the last A castell I sawe wherof I mused Not fully from me a stones cast To se the towres I was agast Set in a valey so strongely fortefyed So gentyll compassed and well edefyed The towres were hyghe of adamond stones With fanes wauerynge in the wynde Of ryght fyne golde made for the noonys And roobuckes ran vnder the lynde And hunters came theym fer behynde A Ioye it was suche sawe I neuer Abyde quod she ye shall se a better. Forth she me ledde to the castell warde Where we were let in by humylyte And so after she lede me forwarde Tyll that I sawe a royall tre With buddys blossomed of grete beaute And than we wente in to the hall That glased was truely with crystall And hanged was with clothes of Aras Made of fyne golde with a noble story How that there some tyme reynynge was In the regyon of hyghe Italy A valyaunt emperour and a myghty That had to name forsothe Tyberius Whiche dyde enquere of prudent Iosethus ¶ Why he his offycers so longe kepte Vnto hym he answered a good cause why Somtyme I sawe a man that slepte That wounded was full pyteously And on his woundes suckynge many a fly I than for pyte moued theym away By whiche he woke and to me dyde say ¶ Wher that thou trowed to me comfort Thou now hast done me double greuaunce Puttynge away the flyes that dyde resorte To me beynge full of blody sustynaunce By this thou mayst haue good perseueraunce That now wyll come the flyes moost hungry That wyll me byte .x. tymes more greuously ¶ The roof was wrought by merueylous gemetry Colered with asure gold and gowlys With knottes coruen full ryght craftely And set also with wanton fowlys As popyniays / pyes / Iays / and owlys And as I loked on my ryght syde A lady I sawe of meruellous pryde ¶ Syttynge in a chayer at the vpper ende Of all the hall as a lady and prynces Amonge many kynges that dyde entende To be obedyent to her hyghe noblenes Her apparell was made of moche fayre ryches Set with rubyes moost pure and rubicound Embrawded with perles and many a dyamound Besydes her sate the worthyes nyne And she amonge theym a whele turnynge Full lowe to her they dyd than enclyne She somtyme laughynge and somtyme lowrynge Her condycyon was to be dyssymelynge And many exalten vpon her whele Gyuynge theym grete falles that they dyd fele Than sayd dyscrecyon beholde and see That in dame fortune is no stablenes This worlde also is but a vanyte A dreme a pompe nothynge in stedfastnes For fortune is fals and full of doblenes Whan she moost flatereth she is not sure As thou mayst se dayly in vre |
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