To whom I must refort with diligence,
With hert, wil, thought, most lowly obedience,
I to be your fervaunt, ye my regent,
For life ne deth nevir for to repent.
Of this proceffe now forth will I procede,
Whiche happith unto me with grete disdain,
As for the time thereof I take left hede,
For unto me was brought the forè paine,
Therfore my caufe was the more to complaine,
Yet unto me my grevaunce was the leffe
That I was fo nigh my ladie' and maistresse.
There where she was prefent in this fame place,
I having in herte grete adverfite,
Except onely the fortune and gode grace
Of her whofe I am, the whiche releved me,
And my grete dures unlafid hath fhe,
And brought me out of the ferfull grevaunce,
If 'it were her efe it were to me plesaunce.
As for the wo whiche that I did endure
It was to me a verie plefaunt pain,
Seyng it was for that faire creäture
Whiche is my ladie and my fovèrain,
In whose presence I would be paffyng fain,
So that I wift it werin her plefure,
For fhe' is from all diftaunce my proteЯour.
Though unto me dredfull ywere the chaunçe,
No maner of gentilnes oweth me to blame,
For I' had levir fuffre' of deth the penaunce
Than fhe fhould for me' have difhonor or shame,
Or in any wife lofin her gode name;
So wifely God for his endleffe mercie
Graunt every lovir joy of his lady!
Mercifull and o merciable
Kyng of kyngis, and fathir of pite,
Whose might and mercie is incomperable!
O prince eterne, o mightie Lorde! faie we,
To whom mercie is given of propirtie,
On thy fervaunt that lieth in prison bounde
Have thou mercie or that his hertè wounde.
And that thou wilt graunt to him thy prisoner
Fre libertie, and lofe hym out of pain,
All his defires, and all his hevie chere
To all gladneffe thei were restored again,
Thy high vengeance why should thou not refrain,
And fhewe mercie, fith he is penitent??
Now helpe hym Lorde, and let him not be fhent. 14
But fith it' is so there is a trefpas done,
Unto Mercie let yelde the trefpaffour,
It is her office to redreffe it fone,
For Trefpaffe to Mercie is a mirrour,
And like as the fwete hath the price by foure,
So by Trefpaffe Mercie hath all her might,
Without Trespasse Mercie hath lacke of light.
What should phifike doe but if fikenes were?
What nedith falve but if there were a fore?
What nedith drink wher thirst hath no power?
What fhould Mercie doe but Trefpas go' afore?
But Trefpas Mercie woll be litil store,
Without Trefpas ner execufion
Maie Meraie have ne chief perfeccion.
The cause at this time of my writyng,
And touchyng Mercie, to whom I make mone,'
Is for fere left my fovereigne and fwetyng,
I menin her that lovelyir is none,
With me' is difplefed for caufis more than one;
What caufis thei be that knoweth God and she,
But fo do n'ot; alas, it forthinketh me!
What se she' in me, what defaute or offence?
What have I doe that the on me difdaine?
How might I doe come into her prefence,
To tell my complaint, whereof I were faine?
I drede to loke, to fpeke, or to complaine,
To her that hath my herte every dele;
So help me God I would al thing wer wele:
For in this cafe came I nevir or now
In Lov'is dauncè fo ferre in the trace,
For with myne efe escapin I ne mow
Out of this daungir, except her gode grace,
For though my countenaunce be mery' in her face, As femith to her by worde or by chere,
Yet her gode grace fettith myne hertè nere.
And if my foveraine have any marvaile
Why I to her now and afore ywrote,
She maię well thinke it is no grete travaile
To him that is in love brought fo hote;
It'is a fimple tre that falleth with one ftroke;
That mene I, though that my foveraine toforn
Me hath denied yet grace may come to morn.
Maiftris, for the gode will I have you ought,
And evir fhall as long as life durith,
Pitie your fervant, kepe him in your thought,
Give' him fom comfort or medi'cin, and curith
His ague, that encrefith, that renuith:
So grevous ben his paines and fighis fore
That without mercy his dais be forlore.
Go, litil bill, go forth, and hie the fast,
Recommende me', and excufe me as you can,
For very feble am I at the laft,
My pen is waren, my hew is pale and wan,
My eyen ben fonke, disfigured like no man,
Till Deth his dart that caufith for to fmert
My corps have confumed, then farwel fwet hert. 70
Doughtre' of Phoebus in vertuous apparence,
My love elect in my remembèraunce,
My carefull herte diftreined cause of abfence,
Till ye my' empreffe me relese my grevaunce,
Upon you 'is fet my life, myne attendaunce,
Is fette without recure I wis untill
Ye grauntin my true herte to have his will.
Thus, my dere fwetyng! in a traunce I lye,
And shal, til drops of pitie from you spring,
I mene your mercie, that lieth my herte nye,
That me maie rejoyce, and cause for to fyng
These termes of love; lo I have won the ring,
My godely maiftris: thus of his gode grace
God graunt her bliffe in heven to have a place!
Herefoloweth bow Mercurie, with Pallas, Venus, and Juno, appered to Paris of Troie, be stepyng by a fountain*.
Pallas loquitur ad Parin.
SONNE of Priam, gentill Paris of Troie,
Wake of thy flepe, beholde us goddesses thre,
We havin brought to the encrefe of joye,
To thy difcrefion reportyng our beautie;
Take here this appill, and well advise the
Whiche of us is the fairift in thy fight,
And give thou it, we praie the, gentil knight.
Juno loquitur primo.
If fo be thou give it to me, Parise,
This fhal I give unto thy worthines,
Honour and conqueft, nobley, lofe and prise,
The title in Speght and Urry runs, How Mercury, with Pallas, Venus, and Minerva, &c. but as Pallas and Minerva is one and the fame goddess, and as Juno was the third goddess at this interview with Paris, her name in the title, and as one of the appellants to the Trojan prince, is substituted for that of Mi
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