Political, religious, and love poems. Some by Lydgate, Sir Richard Ros, Henry Baradoun, Wm. Huchen, etc. from the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth Ms. no. 306, and other sources, with a fragment of The Romance of Peare of Provence and the fair Magnelone, and a sketch, with the prolog and epilog, of The Romance of the knight Amoryus and the Lady Cleopes,

¶ The Auctour makith a Lenvoie vpon alle the mateere be-fore said. [The Auctour. .] ¶ The moralite of the hors, the goose, and the sheepe, trans|lated by Dan Iohn Lidgate, H, in margin.]

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¶ Off this fable / conceivith the sentence; [the] this H.] Line 540 At good leiser / doth the mateer see, Which inporteth gret intelligence Yiff ye list takë / the moralite Profitable to euery comounte, [co|mounte] comunalte H.] Line 544 Which includith in many sondry wise, No man shuld / of hih nor lowe degre, [nor] or H.] For no prerogatiff / his neighbore to despise. [to despise] despise La, to dispise H.] Line 547

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¶ Som man is strong / hardi as a leoun Line 548 To byndë Beeris / or Booris to oppresse, Wher-as anothir / hath gret discrecïoun: Som man hooly / liveth in parfitnesse, Line 551 A-nothir besi / to gadre gret richesse; But with al this / tak heed of this emprise, No man presume / so hih his hornes dresse, For no prerogatiff / his neihbour to despise. [548-555] H omits.] Line 555

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¶ Trappures of gold / ordeyned were for steedis; [folio 77] Line 556 Sheepe in the pasture / gresen with mekënesse, [the . . gresen] theyr . . to grace H.] Yit of ther wollis / be woven richë weedis, [be woven] bien wonder H.] Of smothë doun / maad pilwis for softnesse, Line 559 Fethirbeddis to sleepe, whan men dresse [whan men] on whan men hem H.] Toward Aurora / ageyn til thei arrise: [ageyn] H. a gey La.] Rolle vp this problem / thynk what it doth expresse: [what it] it H.] For no prerogatiffe / thi neihbour nat despise. Line 563

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¶ The inward meenyng / to-forn as it is told, [meenyng / to forne] meanes . aforn H.] Line 564 The hors is tokne / of Marcïal noblesse

With his hi belle / & bocïs brood of gold. [belle] bellis H.] Estat of Tirantis / the poraile doth oppresse; Line 567 The woolff in ffoldis / to sheepë doth duresse, [ffoldis . . doth] fieldis the sheepe doth grete H.] Rukkyng in ffoldis / for dreed dar net arryse, [dreede] feer H.] Ye that han power / be war in your hihnesse, For no prerogatiff, your sogettis to despise. Line 571

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¶ As pronostatik / clerkis bare witnesse; [As pronostatik] H; A pronostik La.] Line 572 Both ware of phebus / that erly cast his liht, [cast] castith H.] Of reyn, of stormis / of myste or of derknesse [of stormis / of] storme or H.] Shal aftir folwe / longe or it be nyht, Line 575 Signe of gret wyntir / whan wild gees tak her fliht [wild . . her] wielde . . theyr H.] Lik as nature / hir stoundis can devise: [H. leaves out.] Lat hih nor lowe / presumen of his myht, [Lat] Nat H.] For no prerogatiff / his neihbour to despise. Line 579

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¶ Of mony strange vncouth simylitude, Line 580 Poetis of old / fablis haue contryvid, Of sheepe, of hors / of Gees, of bestis rude, [of bestis] and bestis H.] Bi which ther wittis / were secretly apprevid, [wittis were] witte was H.] Line 583 Vndir covert / tyrauntis eeke reprevid, [covert] covert termes H.] Ther oppressiouns & malis to chastise Bi exanplis / of resoun to be mevid, [exanplis of reason] ex|ample of reason . goodely H.] For no prerogatiff / poore folk to despise. [poore folk] the poraile H.] Line 587

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¶ Fortunës cours / dyuersly is dressid [folio 77b] Line 588 Bi liknessis / of many othir tale; [liknessis . . othir] liknes of many another H.] Man, best, & fowle / & fisshis been oppressid [Man] Men H.] In ther nature / bi female or bi male: Line 591 Of grettest fissh / devourid been the smale, [grettest] grete H (H transposes lines 591, 592).] Which in nature / is a ful straungë guyse,

To seen a kokkow / mordre a Nityngale, An Innocent bird / of hattreede to despise. Line 595

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¶ With this processe / who that be wroht or wood, Line 596 Thynges contrarie / be founde in euery kynde: [contrarie] outrage H.] A cherl of berthë / hatith gentil blood: It were a monstre / a-geyn nature, as I fynde, Line 599 That a gret mastyff should a leoun bynde; A parlious Clymbyng / whan beggeres vp arise [parlious] perilous H.] To hih estat—merk this in your mynde— Bi fals prerogatives / ther neihbours to despise.

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¶ Fals supplantyng / clymbyng vp of foolis, [vp] om. H.] Line 604 Vnto chairës / of wordly dygnyte, Lak of discrecioun sett Iobbardis vpon stoolis, [Lak] Looke H.] Which hath distroied many a comounte; Line 607 Marcolf to sitt / in Salamon-is see; [Marcolf . . Salamon-is] Marchol . . Salamons H.] What folwith aftir? / nor resoun nor Iustise, [nor . . nor] no . . no H.] Vn-Iust promocioun / & parcialite, [Vniust] Iniuste H.] Bi fals prerogativis / the neihboures to despise. Line 611

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¶ Tweene riche & poore / what is the difference, [Tweene] Atwene H.] Line 612 When deth approchyth / in any crëature, [any] euery H.] Sauff a gay tumbë / ffresh of ápparence? The riche is shet / with coloures & picture [shet] shitte H.] Line 615 To hide his careyn / stuffid with fowle ordure; The poore lith lowe / aftir the comoun guyse, [proude] prowde men H.] To techyn al proude / of resoun & nature, For no prerogatiff / ther neihbour to despise. Line 619

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¶ Ther was a kyngë / whilom as I rede, [folio 78] Line 620 As is remembrid / of ful yore a-gon, [of] of not H.]

Which cast away / croune [[? MS.]] & purpil weede, [croune & purpil] crowne and purpier H.] Bi causë that he / knew nat bon fro bon, [bon . .] boon from boon H.] Line 623 Of poore nor riche / hym sempte thei were al on, [nor] ne H.] Refusid his crōūnë / gan to aduertise [crounne] corowne and H.] Pryncis buried / in gold nor precious ston, [gold nor] glasse and H.] Shuld, of no pompe / ther suggettis nat despise. [nat] to H.]

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¶ This thyng was doon / in Alisandris tyme, [Alisandris] Alisaunder H.] Line 628 Bothë autentik / & historiall; Bood nat til nyht / left his estat at pryme; His purpil mantil / his garnement Roiall, [garnement] gar|nementis H.] Line 631 Texemplifië / in especiall [Texemplifie] To exemeplifie H.] To Imperial power / what perel is to rise: [perel . . rise] H; powere . . arise La.] Who clymbith hihest / most dredful is his fall. Beeth war, ye princis / your sogetis to despise. [Beeth . . to] Eche man be ware . his neyghburgh H.] Line 635

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¶ Hih & low / wer maad of oo mateer; [mateere] nature H.] Line 636 Of erthe we cam / to erthe we shal a-geyn; Thees emperours / with diadémys cleer, [H. leaves out.] With ther victóries / & triumphes in corteyn, Line 639 In charis of gold / lat hem nat disdeyn, [nat] have no H.] Thouh thei, eche day / of newe hem silf disguyse. Fortune is fals / hir sonne is meynte with reyn: Beth ware, ye pryncis / your suggettis to despise. [Beth] Be H.]

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¶ Hed & feete / been necessary bothe; Line 644 Feet beryn vp all / & hedis shal provide; [beryn] bere H.] Hors, Sheep, & Gees / whi shuld thei bei wrothe, For ther comoditees / tabreyden vpon pride? [ta . . vpon] to abrayden vp H.] Line 647 Nature, his giftis / doth dyversly devide, [his] theyr]

Whoos power lastith / from Cartage into Fryse: [Fryse] prise H.] He lastith weel / that wisly can a-byde, For any prerogatiff/ his neihbour to dispise. Line 651