Lydgate's Reson and sensuallyte, ed. from the Fairfax ms. 16 (Bodleian) and the Additional ms. 29, 729 (Brit. mus.) by Ernst Sieper.

¶ Here declareth Diane of the kynde and the natures of the trees in the gardyn of Cupyde.

"Eke in this gardyn of Deduit [¶ id est of play] The tren of kynde ber no fruit, Thogh nature hem sustene, Ay tendre, fresh, and grene, Line 3900 Ageyn thassaut of al[le] shours Both of levys and of flours. Yet, verrayly, in existence, Ther is but fals apparence Line 3904 Fresh to be-holde at prime face, Lyghtly sone for to pase, Holwgh with-in, yt is no drede, [¶ Hoc ad literam dicitur de salicibus.] And ful also, who taketh hede, Line 3908 Of fraude and of decepcions, Ful of serpentys and Dragouns, Folke to deceyven and begile; And who abyt ther eny while, [folio 256] Line 3912 He shal haue experyence Of ther cruel violence. "Of trees ther ben eke many paire That ber applys gret and faire, Line 3916 Delytable in shewyng, [¶ Tales arbores habundare dicuntur super ripas maris mortui in loco vbi sodoma et alie ciuitates fuerunt diuinitus igne et sulphur[e] destructe.] But wonder bitter in tastyng, Ful of pouder corruptible And asshes lothsom and odible, Line 3920 In wirkyng wonder venymous, Stynkyng and contagious, The heyre is so abhominable, Faire with-oute, but corumpable Line 3924 They be wyth-in, who taste aryght, Contrarye even to the syght, Fresh by demonstracion, But ful of fals corrupcion Line 3928 They be stuffed by the kore. Euery man be war therfore That he eschewe the tarage, Lyst yt tourne him to damage. Line 3932

Line 3932 "And in this gardyn eke also Ther be many other frutys mo, Of nature wonder straunge, So ofte sithe a day they chaunge Line 3936 Both of colour and of hewe: Somwhiles olde and somwhile newe, And also eke, who taketh hede, Sommtyme grene, somtime rede, Line 3940 Sommtyme white as cloth of lake, And sodeynly they wex[en] blake, Swich is the tarage of the roote, Somtyme as any sugre soote, Line 3944 And bitter sodeynly as galle, Swich wonder chaunge doth on hem falle; For what fruit blakkest now is seyn Vnwarly wexeth white ageyn. Line 3948 Swich ys the custom in that place: [folio 256b] Soote alwey at prime face, But bitternesse ay concludeth. The fruit so falsly men delludeth, Line 3952 Causyng among men to be Murye, As whilom dide the Molberye, [¶ Fructus illius arboris secundum dicta poe|tarum fuit mutatus [mutatus] mutata F. A.] de albedine in nigre|dinem.] Whos fruit was turned to blaknesse From his colour of whitenesse, Poetys make mencyon, Line 3957 Oonly by the occasyon Of thilke [thilke] the same A.] woful deth noyous, Ryght wonderful and ryght pitous Line 3960 Of piramus and of Thesbe, [nota] Both y-borne in oo Cyte. For love thise yong[e] folkys two Had so moche sorwe and wo, Line 3964 Lych as Ovide kan wel telle; Whan they metten at the welle, This Thesbe first of sodeyn drede Abasshed oonly of woman-hede, Line 3968 The whiche [The whiche] Which almost F.] made hir almost rave, Whan she ranne in-to the kave, Causyd by the occasyon Of kounnyng of a fers lyon, Line 3972

Line 3972 "Which wolde have dronken of the welle; But al to longe she dyde duelle In the kave, allas, the while, Of drede oonly and nat of gyle, Line 3976 Sodeyn fere so made hir quake That vnwarly, for hir sake, Piramus, for sorwe and smerte, Roof him self vnto the herte, Line 3980 Wenyng playnly, how that she Hadde aforne deuoured be Of the lyon in his rage, Which was allone to gret Damage. Line 3984 For when that he hir wymple founde, Anoon ryght with his ovne honde [folio 257] Slough him self, yt was gret routhe, Caused for hys ovne slouthe: Line 3988 That she was ther so long aforne, For whiche bothe two were lorne. For after she, no thing afferde, With [with] whiche F. A.] the selve same suerde, Line 3992 For gret constreynt of hir peyn, Karf hyr hert even atweyn, She wolde algate with him wende; Allas, thys was a pitouse ende. Line 3996 And for the dool and grete pite The fruit of thys Ilke tre, Which that I to forn of spake, Sodeynly was torned to blake, Line 4000 And his beries euerychon. "And swiche trees be many oon, Growyng vpon euery syde In the gardyn of Cupide, Line 4004 The which, in soth, I the behete, Fruitys beren that first be swete And after ful of bitternesse. And also, as I dar expresse, Line 4008 Ther ben other trees mo Which ar cause of myche wo; For ther shadwe, this no lye, [¶ Hoc dicitur de taxo et de nuce magna.] Wyl make a man vnwarly dye. Line 4012

Line 4012 "Ther mortal operacion Is of swich condicion.