For thought constreynt & greuous heuynes
For pensifhed and high distres
To bed I went now this other nyght
Whan that lucina with hir pale light
Was Ioyned last with phebus in aquarye
Amyd decembre, whan of Ianuarye
Ther be kalendes of the new yere
And derk dyane horned and nothing clere
Had her beames vnder a mysty cloude
With in my bed for cold I gan me shroude
Al desolate for constraynt of my woo
The long nyght walowyng to and fro
Til at laste er I began take kepe
Me dyde oppresse a sodeyn dedly slepe
With in the whiche me thought I was
Rauysshed in spiryte in to a temple of glas
I nyste how fer in wildernes
That founded was as by liklynes
Not vpon stele, but on a craggy roche
Lyke yse y froze, and as I did approche
Agayn the sonne that shone so clere

As ony Cristal and euer ner and ner
As I cam nyghe this grisly dredful place
I wex astonyed, the light so in my face
Be gan to smyte, so persing euer in one
On euery part wher that I gan gone
That I ne might no thing as I wolde
Aboute me considere and beholde
The wonder estres for brightnes of the sonne
Til atte last certayn skyes donne
With wynde chaced han her cours y went
To fore the stremes of titan and y blent
So that I mighte with in and with oute
Wherso I wolde beholden me aboute
For to reporte the facon and manere
Of all this place that was circuler
In compas wyse, round by entayle wrought
And whan I had longe gone and sought
I found a wiket and entred in as fast
In to the temple and myn eyen cast
On euery syde now lowe eft alofte
And right anon as I gan walken softe
Yf I the soth a right reporte shal
I sawe depeynted vpon a wal

From este to weste many a fair ymage
Of sondry louers lyke as they were of age
Y sette in ordre after they were trewe
With liuely colours wonder fresh of hue
And as me thought I sawe som sitte & som stade
And some knelyng with billes in their hande
And some with compleynt woful & pietous
With doleful chere to putten to venus
So as she sat fleetyng in the see
Vpon her woo forto haue pitee
And first of alle I saugh there of cartage
Dido the quene so goodly of visage
That gan compleyne hir auenture and cas
How she deceyued was of Eneas
For al his hestes and his othes sworn
And said alas that euer she was born
Whan she sawe that ded she must be
And next I sawe the compleynt of Medee
How that she falsed was of Iason
And nygh by venus sawe I sitte atheon
And al the maner how the boor hym slough
For whom she wepte and had pyne ynough
Ther saw I also how that penolope

For she so longe her lord ne mighte see
Was of colour bothe pale and grene
And after next was the fresh quene
I mene alcest the noble trewe wyf
And for admete hou she lost her lif
And for her trouth yf I shal not lye
How she was torned in to a daysye
Ther was Grisildes Innocence
And al her mekenes and pacience
There was eke Isode & many other moo
And al the torment and the cruel woo
That she had for tristram al her lyue
And how that Tisbe her hert dyde ryue
With thilk swerd of sir Piramus
And al the maner hou that Theseus
The mynotaure slow amyd the hous
That was forwrynked by crafte of dedalus
Whan he was in pryson shit in Crete
And how that philles felte of loues hete
The grete fyre of demephon allas
And for his falshed and for his trespas
Vpon the walles depeynt men might see
How she henge vpon a fylberd tree

And many a story moo than I rekene can
Were in the temple, and how that paris wan
The fayr Eleyne a lusty fresh quene
And hou Achilles was for Policene
Y slayn vnwarly withyn Troye toun
Al this sawe I walkyng vp and doun
Ther sawe I wreton eke the hole tale
How Philomene in to a nyghtyngale
Y torned was, and proigne vnto a swalowe
And how the sabyns in their maner halowe
The feste of lucresse yet in Rome toun
Ther saw I also the sorow of Palamon
That he in prison felte and al the smert
And how that he thurgh vnto his hert
Was hurt vnwarly by castyng of an eye
On fair fresh the lusty yong Emelye
And al the stryf bytwene hym & his brother
And how that one faught with that other
Withyn the groue, til they by Theseus
Accorded were as Chaucer telleth vs
And furthermore as I gan beholde
I sawe hou phebus with an arowe of golde
Y wounded was thurgh out his syde

Only by enuye of the god Cupyde
And how that dyane vnto a laurer tre
Y torned was whan that she dide fle
And how that Ioue changed his cope
Only for loue of the fair Eurepe
And in to a hole, whan he did he sue
Liste of his godhed his fourme to transmue
And hou that he by transmutacion
The shap gan take of Amphitrion
For Alcumena so passing was of beaute
So was he hurt for al his deyte
With louys dart, and might it not escape
Ther sawe I also how mars was take
Of vulcanus and with venus founde
And with the cheynes Inuysible bounde
Ther was also al the poesye
Of hym Mercurye and al the philogye
And how that she for her sapience
Y wedded was to the god of eloquence
And how the Muses lowly did obeye
High in to heuyn this lady to conueye
And with her songe hou she was magnefied
With Jubiter there to be stellefied

And vppermore depeynt men might see
How with her ryng the goodly canace
Of euery fowle, the leydons and songe
Coude vnderstond as she walked them among
And hou her brother so often holpen was
In his myschief, by the stede of bras
And furthermore in the temple were
Ful many a thousand louers here & there
In sondry wyse redy to compleyne
Vnto the goddesse, of her woo and peyne
How they were hyndred som for enuye
And how the serpent of fals Ielousie
Ful many a louer hath put a back
And causeles on them haue leid a lack
And some ther were that playned on absence
That were exiled and put out of presence
Thurgh wicked tunges and fals suspecon
Withoute mercy or ony remission
And other eke her seruyse spent in veyn
And of her lady were not loued ageyn
And other eke that for pouerte
Dursten in no wyse her grete aduersite
Discouere ne opene, lest they were refused

And some for wantyng also were accused
And other eke that loued secretly
And of her lady durst axe no mercy
Lest that she wolde of hym haue despyte
And some also that putten right grete wite
Ou double louers that loue thinges newe
Thurgh whos falsenes hyndred be the trewe
And som there were as hit is ofte founde
That for her lady many a blody wounde
Endured hath in many a regyon
Whiles that an other hath had possession
Al of his lady and bereth a way the fruyt
Of his labour and of all his fuyt
And other compleyned of richesse
How he with tresour doth his besynesse
To wynne agaynst al kynde and right
Where as true louers haue force none ne might
And som ther were as maydyns yong of age
That pleyneth so with pipyng & with rage
That were coupled agayn al nature
With croked elde that may not long endure
For to perfourme the lust of loues playe
For hit ne fit not vnto fressh maye

For to be coupled to olde Ianuarye
They be so dyuerse that they must varye
For elde is gruoching and malencolious
Ay ful of yre and suspecious
And yongth entendeth to Ioye & lustynes
To mirth and play and to al gladnes
Allas that euer hit shold falle
So swete sugre y coupled be to galle
These yonge folke cryeden oft sithe
And praid venus her power to kythe
Vpon this myschief and shape remedye
And right anone I herde other crye
With sobbyng teres and pietous sowne
To fore the goddesse by lamentacion
That were constrayned in their yougthe
And in childhode as is ofte couthe
Y entrid were in to Religion
Or they had yeris of discrescon
That al her lif can not but compleyne
In wyde Copes perfection forto feyne
Ful couertly for to coueren thair smert
And shewe the contrary of thair hert
Thus saw I wepe many a fair mayde

That on theyr frendes al the wyte thay layde
And other next I saw ther in grete rage
That they were maried in theyr tendre age
With oute fredom of fre election
Where loue hath selde domynacion
For loue at large and at liberte
Wolde frely chese and not with suche trete
And other saw I ful ofte wepe and wrynge
That they in men fonde suche varyynge
To loue a season whyle that beaulte flourith
And after by disdayn so vngoodly lourith
On her that whylom he callyd his lady dere
That was to hym so playsant and entier
But lust with fairnes is so ouer goon
That in her herte trouthe abideth noon
And some also I sawe in teres reyne
And pietously on god and kynde pleyne
That euer they wold on ony creature
So moche beaute passing be mesure
Sette on a woman to yeue occasion
A man, to loue to his confusion
And namely there, where he shal haue no grace
For with a loke forth by as he doth pace

Ful ofte falleth thurgh castyng of an eye
A man is wounded that he must nedis deye
That neuer peraunter after he shal her see
Why wil god don so grete a cruelte
To ony man, or to his creature
To make hym so muche woo endure
For her, percas, whom he shal in no wyse
Reioyse neuer, but so forth in Iuyse
Lede his lif til that he be graue
For he ne durst of hir no mercy craue
And eke peraunter though he durst & wolde
He can not wite where he hir fynd sholde
I sawe ther eke, and therof had I couthe
That som were hyndred by couetyse & slougthe
And some also for their hastynes
And other eke for their rechelesnes
But altherlast as I walked and behelde
Beside pallas with her Cristal sheld
Tofore the statue of venus set on height
Ther kneled a lady in my sight
To fore the goddesse, whiche as the sonne
Passeth the sterris, and eke the stormys donne
And lucifer to voyde the nyghtes sorowe

In clerenes passeth erly the morowe
And so as maye hath the souereynte
Of euery moneth the fayrnes and beaute
And as the rose in swetnes and odour
Surmounted flouris, and baine of al licour
Hath the pryse, and as the rubye bright
Of al stones in beaute and in sight
As it is knowe hath the Regalye
Right so this ladye with her goodly eye
And with the stremys of hir loke so bright
Surmounteth al thourgh beaute in my sight
That for to tel her grete semelines
Her womanhed her porte and her fairnes
Hit was a meruayle, how euer that nature
Cowde in her werkes make a creature
So angelyk so goodly on to see
So femynyn or passing of beaute
Whos sonnysh heer brighter than goldwire
Lyche phebus beames shynyng in his spyre
The goodlihed eke of her fresh face
So replenyshed of beaute and of grace
So wel ennewed by nature and depeynt
As Rose and lilyes to gyder were meynt

So egally by good proporcion
That as me tought by myn inspection
I gan meruaylle hou god or werk of kynde
Mighten of beaute suche a tresour fynde
To yeuen hir so passing excellence
For in good faith thurgh her hye presence
The temple was ensumyned enuyron
And forto speke of her condicion
She was the beste that might be on lyue
For ther was none that with her might stryue
To speke of bounte or of gentilesse
Of womanhede or of lowlynesse
Of curtoysie or of goodlihede
Of speche of chere or of semelihede
Of poort benigne or of daliaunce
The best taught and therto of playsaunce
She was the welle eke of honeste
An Examplair and mirrour eke was she
Of secretnes of trouthe of feithfulnes
And to alle other lady and maistres
To shewe vertu who so list to lere
And so this lady right humble of chere
Kneling I sawe, clad in grene and whyte

To fore venus goddesse of al delyte
Enbrowded al with stones and perre
So richely that Ioye it was to see
With sondry rolles on her garnement
For texpowne the trouth of her entent
To shewe fully that for her humblesse
And for her vertu and her stablenesse
That she was cote of al womanly playsance
Therfore her word withoute variance
Enbrowded was as men might see
De mieulx en mieulx with stones of perre
This is to sayne that she was so benygne
From better to better her hert doth resigne
And al her wyll to venus the goddesse
Whan that her list her harmes to redresse
For as me thought somwhat by her chere
For to compleyne she had grete desire
For in her hand she held a lityl bylle
For to declare the sume of al her wylle
And to the goddesse her quarel for to shewe
Theffect of whiche was in wordes fewe