Lydgate's Reson and sensuallyte, ed. from the Fairfax ms. 16 (Bodleian) and the Additional ms. 29, 729 (Brit. mus.) by Ernst Sieper.
Lydgate, John, 1370?-1451?, Sieper, Ernst, 1863-1916., Furnivall, Frederick James, 1825-1910.
¶ How Venus, the goddesse, kam to thanke thauctour of hys goodly Ansuere.
"Myn ovne frende," first, quod she,
"With al myn hert I thanke the
Of the love and frendly-hede
That thou hast shewed me in dede,
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This ylke day, so feythfully,
To sustene my party,
And conferme hyt, in sentence,
In the noble, high presence
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"Of Mercurye, myn allye,
Resemblyng in thy fantasye
Vnto Paris of Troy[e] toun,*. [Troy[e] toun] Troy of toun F., troye of ton A.]
Which whilom, in conclusyon,
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The Appul grauntede vnto me
Of Iust reson and equyte;
For I was fairest in his syght,
For which he gaf yt me of ryght, [folio 231b]
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Thogh Iuno, Pallas of envye
Ther ageyn[e]s gan replye;
For I dar seyn, in sothfastnesse,
Y excelle hem in fairenesse,
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For they be nat resemblable
To my beaute nor*. [nor] nor to F.A.] comparable;
For I dar wel specifye
For to fynde on my partye,
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Hyt to sustene and that anoon,
A thousand peple ageyn ther oon,
For which al folke, as y desserve,
Ben euer bysy me to serve.
2144
For in euery maner age,
Both of lowe and high parage,
I ha servantis foule and faire.
Vnnethis ys ther oon contrayre,
2148
In noon estate, to myn entent;
For euery wight ys diligent
Me tobeye eve and prime
And ha be, sith thilke tyme
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That Parys of fre volunte
Gafe the Appul vn-to me
Which was broght in by discorde.
And sith thou art eke of Acorde,
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And hast eke demed feythfully
That I ther-to am most worthy,
Be ryght sure that certenly
Thou hast wonen enterely
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My love al hool and that for evere,
Neuer pleynly to dyssevere,
And, for rewarde of thy sentence,
Conquered my benyvolence,
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"Wher-of thou shalt ha gret profyt
And in effect as gret delyt,
As Paris hadde, in certeyn,
What tyme that he wan El[e]yne,
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Which was callyd flour and welle [folio 232]
That al other dyd excelle,
In hir tyme, as of beaute.
But truste pleynly vn-to me
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Of al that euer y ha the tolde.
Thou shalt han oon, a thousande folde
Fairer than she, to thy plesaunce,
To ben of thyn aqueyntaunce,
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Yif thou tryste, in substaunce,
To stonden at myn ordynaunce.
For I haue in my demeyne,
Lacyd in my large cheyne,
2180
God wot many thousand payre
Of wommen, bothe fresh and faire,
Without[e] novmbre, to governe,
Of which, yf thou kanst discerne,
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Thou shalt chese, and thou be wyse,
The fairest vn-to thy devyse,
Fynally, the for to plese,
Sette thyn hert[e] best at ese,
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In al ioye the to assure.
And her vpon I the ensure
At thyn ovne comaundement:
Yif thou folowe myn entent,
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I shal the holde iust covenant,
And conferme also by graunt
To yife her the for thy guerdon,
To holde in thy possession
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Hir that is fairest, and mete
To set thin hert[e] in quiete.
For thy decert thou maist trust yt,
That Pallas, for al hir wit,
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Nor Iuno vn-to thy fauour,
With al hir rychesse and tresour,
Ne may to the so moche avayle,
As I shal do, with-out[e] faile,
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"Yif thou thy purpose nat remewe [folio 232b]
My tracys feythfully to sewe."
