There was great store of Holly to,
of willow asp and ew,
And all the ground was clad with flowers,
of sundry sent and hue.
Amongest the rest of Philberts fayre,
was plenty euery where,
And euery thing that hart could wish,
a man might find it there,
Then from this Philbert tree I pluct,
A cluster that were clong,
Togither fast in seemely sort,
as on the tree they hung,
And when I had them in my hand,
not knowing how to vse them,
I was at last by reason taught,
betwirt my teeth to bruse them,
which hauing done I found therein,
A Cornell fayre enclosde,
which for to be of pleasaunt tast,
I also then supposde.
And found it so, for in my life,
I neuer tasted thing,
More pleasaunt then the Cornell was,
which from that tree did spring,
The Philbert Cornel is a dish,
for any Princes meete,
And they that of the same will tast,
shall find it wondrous sweete.
Aboue all other kinds of fruite,
the philbert in my minde,
Doth seeme most pleasaunt in the tast,
as they that proue shall find,
Such vertue in this cornel is,
that I haue heard men say,
Phisitions vse it many times,
their patientes paines to stay,