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Victorie, courage, force, and hardines,
Gode avinture, and famous manlines;
For that appil all this give I to the,
Confidir this Parife, and give it me.

Venus loquitur ad Parin.

Naie, give it me, and this I fhall you give,
A glad afpecte with favour and fairnes,
And love of ladies alfo while ye live,
Famous ftature and princely femelines,
Accordyng to your natife gentilnes;
Undirftand this gift well, I you advise,
And give it unto me hardly Parise.

Pallas loquitur ad Parin.

Ye, ye, Parife, takith hede unto me;
Thou art a prince yborne by thy discente,
And for to rule thy royall dignite

I fhall the givin first intendèmente,
Difcrecion, prudence in right judgèmente,
Whiche in a prince is thing most covenable:
Give it to me; I am to have it able.

Explicit.

A balade plefaunte.

I Have a ladie, where so that she be,

That seldome is fhe foveraine of my thought,
On whose beautie when I beholde and se,
Remembryng me how well she is ywrought,
I thanke Fortune that to her grace me brought,

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So faire is fhe, but nothyng angelike,

Her beautie is unto none othir like.

For hardily and fhe were made of brasse,
Her face and all, fhe hath enough fairneffe;
Her eyen ben holow' and grene as any graffe,
And ravenish yelowe is her founitreffe,
Thereto she hath of every comelinesse
Soche quantitie givin her by Nature
That with the left she is of her ftature.

And as a bolt her browis ben ibent,
And betill browed she is also with all,
And of her witte as fimple' and innocent
As is a childe that can no gode at all;
She is not thicke, her ftature is but small;
Her fingirs ben litil and nothyng long;
Her fkin is fmothe as any ox'is tong:
Thereto she is so wife in daliaunce,

And befet her wordis fo womanly,
That her to here it doeth me displesaunce,
For that the faieth is faied fo connyngly

That when there be no mo then she and I
I had levir fhe were of talkyng ftill

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Then that she should fo godelie fpechè fpill.

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And flothe none shall ye have in her entreffe,

So diligent is she and vertulesse,

And fo bufie aie all gode to undreffe,

That as a she ape she is harmeleffe,
And as an harnet meke and pitèleffe,

With that she is fo wife and circumfpecte
That prudence none her folie can infecte.

Is it not joye that foche one of her age,
Within the boundes of fo grete tendirneffe,
Should in her werke be fo fadde and fo fage,
That of the weddyng fawe all the nobleffe
Of Quene Jane, and ywas tho as I geffe
But of the age of yeris ten and five?
I trowe there are not many foche alive.

For, as Jefu my finfull soulè save,
There n'is creture in all this worlde livyng
Like unto her that I would gladly have,
So plefith mine hert that godely fwete thyng,
Whofe foule in hafte unto his blis ybryng
That first her formid to be a creture,
For were the well of me I did no cure.

Explicit the diferivyng of a faire ladie.

An other balade.

Moffie quince! yhangyng by your stalke,
The whiche no man dare plucke awaie nor take
Of all the folke that paffe forthe by or walke,
Your flouris freshe be fallen awaie and shake;
I am right forie, maistreffe, for your fake;
Ye feme a thyng that all men have forgoten ;
Ye be fo ripe ye waxin almofte roten.

Volume X111.

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Your uglie cherè, deinous and froward,
Your grene eyin, frownyng and nothing glad,
Your chekes, enbolned like a melowe coftard,
Colour of orenge, your brestes fatournad,
Gilt on wara'ntife, the colour wil not fade,
Bawfin buttockid, belied like a tonne,

Men crie S. Barba'ry at the' lofing of your gonne. 14

Lovely lende maistris, take confideracion,
I'am fo forowfull there as ye be' abfent,

Floure of the barkfate fouleft of al the nacion,
To love you but a little' is myne entent;

The swert hath fwent you, the fmoke hath you fhent,
I trow ye' have hen laid on some kill to drie,
You do foch worship there as ye be prefent,
Of al women I love you beft a M. timis fie.

Explicit.

A balade warnyng men to beware of deceitfull women.

LOKE well aboute ye that loviris be,
Let not your luftis lede you to dotage,
Be not enamoured on all thynges ye fe;
Sampfon the forte and Salomon the fage
Decevid were for all ther grete courage;
Men demin it right that thei fe with eye,
Beware therefore, The blind eteth many' a flie.

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I mene of women; for all ther cheres queint Truft them not to moch, ther truthe is but trefon, The fairift outward wel can thei ypaint, Ther ftedfastneffe endurith but a fefon, For thei faine frendlines and worchin trefon, And for thei are chaungable natu'rally, Beware therefore, The blind eteth many a flie.

What wight on lyve ytrustith on ther cheres

Shall have at last his guerdon and his mede;
Thei can fhave nerir than rafours or fheres:
Al is not gold that shiniih, men take hede,
Their galle is hid undir a fugrid wede;
It is but queint ther fantasie to' aspie,
Beware therefore, The blind eteth many' a flie.
Though all the worldè doe his bufie cure
To make women ftandin in ftableneffe
It would not be; it is against nature;
The worlde is doe when thei lacke doublenes,
For thei laugh and love not, this is expreffe ;
To truft on them it is but fantafie,
Beware therfore, The blind eteth many a flie.

Women of kindè hath condicions thre;
The first is that thei be full of diffeite,
To fpinnin alfo is ther propertie,
And women have a wondirfull confeite,
For thei can wepe oft, and all is a fleite,
And when thei lift the tere is in the eye,
Beware therfore, The blind eteth many' a flie..

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