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

¶ How Venus thaught him what he shal dooun, And of hir .ij. sonys Deduyt and Cupido.

"I ha two sonys of high degre, And gret of ther Auctoryte, Bothe redy of entent To doon at my comandement, Line 2376 What so that me lyst devise To acheve in my seruise, Gentil, fre, and debonaire, Which shal be ryght necessaire Line 2380 Vn-to the and gret Refuit. [folio 235] The toon callyd ys Deduit, [¶ Deduit filius veneris.] Yong, fresh, and lusty on to se, And ryght gentil in his degre, Line 2384 To al[le] folke benigne of port; And of solace and dysport He ys the god most auctorised, And al[le] pley[e]s be deuysed Line 2388

Line 2388 "By his avys and his purchace; For ther kan no man, in no place, Of vnkouth pleyes tel[le] noon But he kan hem euerychon: Line 2392 Touche be crafte, and nat be rote, Harpe and lute, fythel and Rote, And synge songes of plesaunce, Maisterly revel and Daunce, Line 2396 Pipe and floyte lustely. And also eke ful konyngly In al the crafte and melody Of musyke and of Armony, Line 2400 What tyme that hit shal be do, He ys expert; and eke also At al[le] pleyes delytables: At mereles, dees, and tables Line 2404 He kan pley[en] passyngly; But best and most specialy At the Chesse he dooth excelle Line 2407 That philomestor, soth to telle, [¶ Iste philosophus secundum quosdam inuenit ludum Scac|corum.] For to make comparyson, Ne was nat lyke him of renoun, That first founde this play notable, With him to play[e] was not able. Line 2412 And I dar also specefie, The play he kan of Ryghtmathye, [¶ Rihtmachia est ludus philosophorum et con|sistit in arsmetrica et proporcionibus nu|merorum.] Which dulle wittis doth encombre, For thys play stant al by novmbre, And hath al his conclusions Line 2417 Chefly in proporsions [folio 235b] By so sotil ordynaunce, As hyt ys put in remembraunce Line 2420 By thise Philosophurs olde. Also my sone, of whom I tolde, [¶ id est Deduit.] Amonge ladyes honourable Is, in soth, ryght acceptable, Line 2424 Lych to her oppinions, For tassoyle questions, And demaundes on euery part That longen vn-to lowes art, Line 2428

Line 2428 "And sotiltees many oon, That to ansuere vn-to echon Is noon, to rekne al[le] thing, Line 2431 Save he that hath therto [that hath therto] that ther to hath A.] konnyng; For ther ys nought, I dar wel say, That longeth vnto merthe and play, To reherse compendiously, But that he kan hyt perfytly. Line 2436