  T(Than) THan forth me led good dame Sapyence Afore that myghty lordes mageste Come on she sayd put the in presence That thou mayst se dame clennes beaute Ponder in thy mynde by veryte That so fayre as she was not quene helyn Quene Ipolyte or yonge Polyxyn This lady is clene without corrupcyon And wereth thre crownes for her vyrgynyte One is for people of perfyt relygyon An other for maydens kepynge chastyte The therde for true wedowes as yu mayst se I wyll the now to her fader present Her for to mary yf she wyll consent Than sayd dame sapyence o noble emperour O souerayne lorde and royall potestate O vyctoryous prynce & famous conquerour O kynge of loue and seaser of debate To the no creature may say chekmate I present the now this vertuous knyght For to mary clennes your doughter bryght I thanke you he sayd for your good wyll But he that to Clennes maryed must be He must my commaundement fyrste fulfyll As to scomfyte the dragon with heedes thre That is a serpent of grete subtylte Whiche well betokeneth as we do fynde The worlde the flesshe & the deuyll by kynde Sapyence sayd I sholde not fayle To do his commaudement for Clennes sake As for to sle the dragon in batayle That lay in a marys in a grete lake Whiche was moche stynkynge foule & blake Wysedome bade me be not aferde For she wolde gyue me a shelde and swerde And arme me also with fayre armure To vaynquysshe that dragon so ferse & grete She sayd it sholde be so good and sure That I no harme of hym sholde gete Though he his teth on me had sete Yet sholde I slee hym for all his myght By my grete strokes whan I dyd fyght Fyrst she my legge harneys sette on And after my plackerd of grete ryches She armed me her selfe alone And laced my helmet of her gentylnes I thanked her for her grete goodnes And gaue me my swerde and sheld also Saynge lete vs to the dragon go This is the armure for the soule That in his epystole wrote saynt Poule Good hope thy legge harneys shall be The habergyn of ryghtwysnes gyrde wt chastyte Thy plackarde of besynes wt brauches of almes dede Thy shelde of beleue and mekenes for the hede Thy swerde shall be the to defend The worde of god the deuyll to bl[ey]nde the three-headed dragon Dame sapyence & I dyd take our lycence Of the kynge of loue in vertue depured And of his doughter shynynge in excellence Whiche to me sayd with wordes assured O vertuous knyght you for me haue dured In grete wo & payne but thynke you verely To scomfyt that dragon by wysedome shortly Than went we forth to that serpent In merueylous trauayle of sorowe and bale By that tyme the daye ryght fayre was spent And phebus his course began to auale But at the last we came into a dale Wher we felt the sauer of a dungeon Of the foule and stynkynge dragon Nere to that dragon there was a way That men vsed vpon a fayre hyll Vnto hyghe heuen so fressh and gay But that dragon lette theym theyr wyll And by the way he dyd theym kyll Bryngynge theym vnto the dungeon Iclyped the place of grete oblyuyon I had not be there halfe an houre But that this dragon me approched As though that he wolde me deuoure He so fersly than on me marched The batayle bytwene vs longe contynued But he had me ryght sone ouercome If I had not helpe of dame wysedome I strake at hym fast with my swerde And with my shelde dyd me defende Wysedome bad me not be aferde But my stroke that for to amende As fer as my myght weld extende So by her wordes I plucked vp myn herte And dyd than vnto the dragon sterte But he caught me than in his clawes And so we wrasteled longe to gyder But he hyld me sharpely in his pawes Tyll wysedom my feblenesse dyd consyder Beholde she sayd dame clennes yonder Than as a syde I cast all my syght I sawe that lady so pure and bryght My strength than dobeled an hundred folde And I from hym brake by vertuous prowes My herte was warme that afore was colde With the cÕfortable syght of fayre dame clennes Than I to hym gaue strokes of exces And with my sharpe swerde cut of anone Two of his heedes leuynge hym but one These two heedes by good morall sens The worlde and the flesshe do sygnyfy As I in scrypture haue intellygence The fyrste the worlde that is transytory Lyeth bytwene man and heuenly glory Lettynge hym often of his passage If it of hym can gete auauntage The seconde is the flesshly desyre That troubleth a man ryght sore within Settynge his courage vpon a fyre Causynge hym to enclyne to dedely syn His flessh the batayll of hym doth wyn Often bryngynge hym into dampnacyon If repentaunce were not his saluacyon Repentaunce alway requyreth mercy And penaunce to god is a satisfaccyon For god desyreth euermore truely An humble herte full of contrycon And the worlde desyreth restytucyon Of goodes that haue be goten wrongfully To be restored vnto the ryghtfull party Whan I by wysedom had won the vyctory Of these two heedes I was ryght glad His thyrde heed marched ayenst me sharpely But I my swerd in my hand had Strykynge at hym with strokes sad And blode of hym coude I drawe none For he had nother flesshe ne bone But at the last I dyd hym vaynquysshe Dryuynge hym home to his derke regyon Of infernall payne that shall not fynysshe For hell is called his propre mancyon And of all other of his opynyon That do the preceptes of god forsake And to deuelyche werkes theym do be take God by his ryghtwysnes made a lawe By whiche man for dedely synne is cond?pned If god his vengeaunce do not withdrawe In euerlastynge payne he sholde be prysoned But and man mercy of hym requyred With penytent hert he sholde it haue And with his mercy he wyll man saue |
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