Part 2 (2/2)

And wherther thou be absent or in presence None others beawte lete in thy hert myne Sith I haue yeue hir of beaute excellence Aboue al other in vertu for to shyne And thynke hou in fyre men ar wont to fyne this pured gold to put hit in a.s.saye So to the proue, thou art put in delaye

But tyme shal come thou shalt for thy suffrance Be wel apaid and take for thy mede Thy lyurs ioye and al thy suffisance So that good hope alway thy bridel lede Lete no dispeir hyndre the with drede But ay thy trust vpon her mercy grounde Sith none but she may thy sorowe sounde

Eche hour and tyme. weke. day and yere Be lich faithful and vary not for lyte Abyde a whyle and than of thy desire The tyme neygheth that shal the most delyte And late no sorow in thy hert byte For no differring, sith thou for thy mede Shal reioyse in pees the flour of womanhede

Thinke hou she is this worldis sonne & light The sterre of beaute the flour eke of fairnes Both crop and robe and eke the rubye bright Hertes to glade, y troubled with derknes And hou I haue made her, thin hertes Empresse Be glad therfore to be vnder her bond Now come ner doughter & take him by the hond

Vnto this syn that aftir alle these shouris Of his torment he may be glad and light Whan by your grace ye take hym to be youris For euermore anon here in my sight And eke I wil also as. .h.i.t is right Without more his langour for to lysse In my presence anon that ye hym kysse

That ther may be of al your old smertis A ful relees vnder ioye a.s.sured And that one lok be of your bothe hertis Shet with my keye of gold so wel pured Only in signe that ye haue recured Your hool desire here in this hooly place Within my temple now in the yere of grace

Eternally be bounde of a.s.suraunce The knot is knyt, that may not be vnbounde That alle the G.o.ddes of this aliaunce Satorne. Joue. and Mars as it is founde And eke Cupyde that first did you wounde Shal bere record, and ouermore bewreke On whiche of yow, his trouth first breke

So that by aspectes of their fair lokis Withoute mercy shal fal the vengeance For to be raced clene out of my bokis On whiche of you be found of variance Therfore attones setteth your plesance Fully to ben whyle ye haue lyf and mynde Of one acorde vnto your lyues ende

That yf the spiryte of newfanglenes In ony wyse your hertes wold a.s.saylle To meue or styre to brynge in doublenes Vpon your trouth to gyuen a bataylle Lete not your corage ne your force faylle Nor none a.s.saultes you flitten or remeue For vna.s.sayed no man may trouth preue

For whyte is whitter yf it be set by black And swete is swetter after bitternes And falshed euer is dryue and put a back Where trouthe is roted with doblenes Without preue ther may be no sekernes Of loue or hate and therfore of you two Shal loue be more, for hit was bought with woo

And euery thing is had more in deynte And more of pris whan it is dere bought And eke loue stondeth more in sewrte Whan it is to fore with payne woo & thought Conquerd was first whan hit was sought And euery conquest hath his excellence In his poursute as it fyndeth resistence

And so to you more sote and agreable Shal loue be found I do you plainly a.s.sure Without grucchyng that ye were suffrable So lowe so meke paciently to endure That al attones I shal do now my cure For now and euer your hertis so to bynde That nought but deth shal the knot vnbynde

Now in this mater what shold I lenger dwelle Come ye attones and do as I haue said And first my doughter that ar of bounte welle In hert and thought be glad & wel apayd To done hym grace that shal & hath obeyd Your l.u.s.tes euer, and I wil for his sake Of trouth to you be bounde and vndertake

And so forth within presence as they stand To fore the G.o.ddes this fair and wele Her humble seruant toke goodly by the hond As he to fore her, mekely did knele And kyssed hym after fulfillyng eueridele From poynt to poynt in ful thryfty wyse As ye to forn haue venus herd deuyse

Thus is this man to ioye and al plesance From heuynes and from his peynes olde Ful reconcyled, and hath ful suffisance Of her that euer ment wel, and wold That in good faith and I tel shold The inward mirthes did her hertis brace For al my lyf to telle, it were to lityl s.p.a.ce

For he hath wonne hir that he loueth best And she to grace hath take hym of pyte And thus her hertes ben both set in rest Withoute chaunge or mutabilite And venus hath of her benygnyte Confermed al what shal I lenger tary These tweyne in one and neuer to vary

That for the ioye in the temple aboute Of this acorde by grete solempnyte Was laude and honour within & withoute Yeue to venus, and to the deyte Of G.o.d cupide, so that Caliope And al her sustren in her armonye Soon with songes the G.o.ddes did magnifye

And al attones with notes loud & sharp They did her honour and her reuerence And Orpheus among them with his harp Gan strynges touche with his diligence And Amphion that hath suche excellence Of musyke ay dyde his besynes To plese and queme venus the G.o.ddesse

Only for cause of the affinyte Betwix these two not l.u.s.ty to disseuere And euery louer of lowe and hye degre Gan venus pray fro thens forth and euer That hool of them the loue may [per]seuere Withouten ende in suche wyse as they gonne And more encrece that hit of hard was wonne

And the G.o.ddes heryng this request As she that knewe the clene entencion Of bothe them tweyne made a bihest Perpetuelly by confirmacion Whylis they lyue of one affection They shal endure ther is no more to sayne That neyther shal haue mater to complayne

So ferfurth euermore in our eternal see The G.o.ddes haue in our presence Fully deuysed thurgh their deyte And hooly concluded by her Influence That by thair myght and Iuste prudence The loue of hem by grace and eke fortune With oute chaunge shal euermore contune

Of whiche graunt the temple enuiron Thurgh hye comfort of them that were present Anon was begun with a melodyous sowun In name of tho that trouth in loue ment A balade newe in ful good entent To fore the G.o.ddes with notis londe and clere Syngyng right this anon as ye shal here

Fayrest of sterres that with your [per]sant light And with the cherysyng of your stremes clere Causen in loue hertes to be light Only by shynyng of your glad spere Now lawde and pryce O venus lady dere Be to your name that haue without synne This man fortuned his lady for to wynne

w.i.l.l.y planete O esperus so bright That woful hertes can appese and stere And euer ar redy by your grace & might To helpe al tho that bye loue so dere And haue power hertis to sette on fyre Honour to you of al that ben here Inne That haue this man his lady made to wynne

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