  C(Come) COme on your waye walke on a pace For ye longe for to haue a syght Of dame Clennes so clere a face So goodely of body in beauty bryght That there can not be so fayre a wyght So forth we walked to a ryuer syde That ebbed and flowed at euery tyde Than I saw a castell a pales royall Bylded with marble blacke as the gette With glasse wyndowes as clere as crystall Whiche on the other syde was sette No man to the castell myght gette But ouer the water on a lytell brydge Not halfe so brode as a hous rydge But as I cast myn eye than asyde I saw a lady wounderous fayre Demure of contenaunce without pryde That went her selfe for to repayre By the water syde to take the ayre Beholde and se than sayd dame sapyence Yonder is dame Clennes the sterre of excellence Full glad was I than in my mynde For to se that flour of complacence The syght of her dyd my herte bynde Euer her to loue with percynge influence Vnto her I sayd o well of contynence Vnto your grace fayne wolde I go Ner lettynge of this water blo To me she answered than agayne Saynge this worlde withouten mys Is but a vanyte no thynge certayne In the lyke wyse as this water is Ye can not come to me now ywys But by that brydge that goth ouer This stormy troublous & wawy water Therof sayd sapyence he shall not lette Well sayd Clennes be you his gyde And dyscrecyon also for to be sette For to vpholde hym vnto the other syde That he do not in the water slyde So to the brydge they dyde me lede I quacked than for fere and drede I sawe there wryten this lytterall sence No man this brydge may ouer go But he be pure without neglygence And stedfast in goddes byleue also Yf he be ignoraunt and do not so He must nedys into this water fall Ouer the heed and be drowned with all They led me ouer this brydge so peryllous Tyll that I came to a preuy place Where were wryten with letters gloryous This is the kyngdome of grete grace No man by yonde this marke may trace But yf he be brought in by dame wysedome If he so be he is moche welcome So forthermore yet forth we went Into a hall that was solacyous Made of precyous stones splendent That theym to se it was ryght wounderous They were there so gretly plenteuous That the hall paued was for the nones With none other grauell but precyous stones King of Love as described in text There was dame Clennes that lady gent And eke her fader the kynge of loue He satte in a chayre ryght clere and excellent At the vpper ende of the hall aboue He satte styll and dyd not remoue Gyrde with wylowes and myght not se No maner a thynge in his degre He had two wynges ryght large and grete And his body also was naked And a dart in his ryght hand was sette And a torche in his left hand brenned A botell aboute his necke was hanged His one leg armed and naked the other Hym for to se it was a wonder Sapyence bad me meruayll no thynge For she wold shewe me the sygnifycacyon Why he so sate by shorte rekenynge Accordynge to a morylyzacyon Now of the fyrste to make relacyon Loue sholde be gyrde faste with stabylyte Without whiche loue can haue no suerte Loue may not se but is alway blynde And wenyth no man can haue perseuerauce Where that he loueth by naturall kynde But he do shewe hym by wordes of vterauce Trught he bewreyeth hym by contenaunce For hard it wyll be loue so to couere But that som man shall it perceuere Also his nakednes doth sygnyfy That true loue no thynge ellys desyreth But the very persone and eke body That he so well and feruentely loueth His wynges also well betokenyth That his mynde fleeth vnto the persone That he doth loue so well alone And also loue is stryken with a sharpe darte That maketh a man for to complayn Whan that it hath wounded sore his herte It brenneth hote lyke fyre certeyn Than loue his purpose wolde fayne atteyn And is euermore both hoot and drye Tyll his lady gyue hym drynke of mercy His one legge is armed to defende The ryght that longeth vnto amyte And wronge loue for to amende His naked legge betokeneth charyte That is the Ioye of grete felycyte So charyte ryght loue and good concorde With stablynes reygneth in this myghty lorde |
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