The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Errata and Addenda
• Introduction
• I: The Testament of Love.
• Book I Prologue. [ ]
• Book II.
• Book III.
• II.: The Plowmans Tale.
• III.: Jack Upland.
• IV.: John Gower Unto the Worthy and Noble Kinge Henry the Fourth.
• V.: Thomas Hoccleve. the Letter of Cupid.
• VI.: To the Kinges Most Noble Grace; and to the Lordes and Knightes of the Garter.
• VII.: A Moral Balade.
• VIII.: John Lydgate. the Complaint of the Black Knight; Or, the Complaint of a Loveres Lyfe.
• IX.: The Flour of Curtesye.
• X.: A Balade; In Commendation of Our Lady.
• XI.: To My Soverain Lady.
• XII.: Ballad of Good Counsel.
• XIII.: Beware of Doubleness.
• XIV.: A Balade: Warning Men to Beware of Deceitful Women.
• XV.: Three Sayings.
• XVI.: La Belle Dame Sans Mercy. Translated Out of French By Sir Richard Ros.
• XVII.: The Testament of Cresseid.
• XVIII.: The Cuckoo and the Nightingale; Or the Book of Cupid, God of Love.
• XIX.: Envoy to Alison.
• XX.: The Flower and the Leaf.
• XXI.: The Assembly of Ladies.
• XXII.: A Goodly Balade.
• XXIII.: Go Forth, King.
• XXIV.: The Court of Love.
• XXV.: Virelai.
• XXVI.: Prosperity.
• XXVII.: Leaulte Vault Richesse.
• XXVIII.: Sayings Printed By Caxton.
• XXIX.: Balade In Praise of Chaucer.
• Notes.
• Glossarial Index.
• List of Subscribers.

X.

A BALADE; IN COMMENDATION OF OUR LADY.

(A devoute balade by Lidegate of Bury, made at the reverence of oure lady, Qwene of mercy.—A.)

From Th.; collated with A. (Ashmole 59); and Sl. (Sloane 1212).

• • A THOUSAND stories coude I mo reherce
  • Of olde poetes , touching this matere,
  • How that Cupyde the hertes gan so perce
  • Of his servauntes, setting hem on fere ;
  • Lo, here the fyn of th’errour and the were !5
  • Lo, here of love the guerdon and grevaunce
  • That ever with wo his servaunts doth avaunce!
• • Wherfor now playnly I wol my style dresse
  • Of one to speke, at nede that wol nat fayle;
  • Alas ! for dole, I ne can ne may expresse10
  • Her passing pryse, and that is no mervayle.
  • O wind of grace, now blow into my sayle![ ]
  • O aureat licour of Cleo, for to wryte
  • My penne enspyre, of that I wolde endyte!
• • Alas! unworthy I am and unable15
  • To love suche oon , al women surmounting,
  • To be benigne to me, and merciable,
  • That is of pitè the welle and eek the spring!
  • Wherfor of her, in laude and in praysing,
  • So as I can , supported by her grace,20
  • Right thus I say, kneling tofore her face:—
• • O sterre of sterres, with thy stremes clere,[ ]
  • Sterre of the see, to shipmen light and gyde,
  • O lusty living , most plesaunt to apere,
  • Whos brighte bemes the cloudes may not hyde;25
  • O way of lyf to hem that go or ryde,
  • Haven from tempest, surest up to ryve ,
  • On me have mercy, for thy joyes fyve![ ]
• • O rightful rule, O rote of holinesse,
  • And lightsom lyne of pitè for to playne,30[ ]
  • Original ginning of grace and al goodnesse,
  • Clenest conduit of vertue soverayne ,
  • Moder of mercy, our trouble to restrayne,
  • Chambre and closet clenest of chastitè,
  • And named herberwe of the deitè!35
• • O hoolsom garden, al voyde of wedes wikke,
  • Cristallin welle , of clennesse clere consigned,
  • Fructif olyve, of foyles faire and thikke,
  • And redolent cedre, most dereworthly digned,
  • Remembre on sinners unto thee assigned40
  • Er wikked fendes hir wrathe upon hem wreche;
  • Lanterne of light, thou be hir lyves leche!
• • Paradyse of plesaunce , gladsom to al good,
  • Benigne braunchelet of the pyne-tree,
  • Vyneyerd vermayle, refressher of our food ,45
  • Licour ayein languor, palled that may not be,
  • Blisful bawme-blossom , byding in bountè,
  • Thy mantel of mercy on our mischef sprede,
  • And er wo wake, wrappe us under thy wede!
• • O rody rosier , flouring withouten spyne,50
  • Fountayne filthles , as beryl currant clere,
  • Som drope of graceful dewe to us propyne ;
  • Light withoute nebule, shyning in thy spere ,
  • Medecyne to mischeves , pucelle withouten pere,
  • Flame doun to doleful light of thyn influence55
  • On thy servauntes, for thy magnificence !
• • Of al Christen protectrice and tutele,
  • Retour of exyled, put in prescripcioun
  • To hem that erre in the pathe of hir sequele ;
  • To wery wandred tent and pavilioun,60[ ]
  • The feynte to fresshe, and the pausacioun;
  • Unto unresty bothe reste and remedye,
  • Fruteful to al tho that in her affye.
• • To hem that rennen thou artitinerárie ,
  • O blisful bravie to knightes of thy werre;65
  • To wery werkmen thou art diourndenárie ,
  • Mede unto mariners that have sayled ferre;
  • Laureatcrowne , streming as a sterre
  • To hem that putte hem in palestre for thy sake,
  • Cours of her conquest, thou whyte as any lake !70
• • Thou mirthe of martyrs, sweter than citole ,
  • Of confessours also richest donatyf ,
  • Unto virgynes eternal lauriole,
  • Afore al women having prerogatyf ;
  • Moder and mayde, bothe widowe and wyf ,75
  • Of al the worlde is noon but thou alone!
  • Now, sith thou may, be socour to my mone!
• • O trusty turtle, trewest of al trewe ,[ ]
  • O curteyse columbe, replete of al mekenesse,
  • O nightingale with thy notes newe,80
  • O popinjay, plumed with al clennesse,
  • O laverok of love, singing with swetnesse,
  • Phebus , awayting til in thy brest he lighte
  • Under thy winge at domesday us dighte !
• • O ruby, rubifyed in the passioun85
  • Al of thy sone, among have us in minde,
  • O stedfast dyamaunt of duracioun,[ ]
  • Thatfewe feres that tyme might thou finde,
  • For noon to him was founden half so kinde!
  • O hardy herte, O loving crëature,90
  • What was it but love that made thee so endure?
• • Semely saphyre , depe loupe , and blewe ewage,
  • Stable as the loupe, ewage of pitè,
  • This is to say, the fresshest of visage,
  • Thou lovest hem unchaunged that serven thee.95
  • And if offence or wrything in hem be,
  • Thou art ay redy upon hir wo to rewe,
  • And hem receyvest with herte ful trewe.[ ]
• • O goodly gladded , whan that Gabriel[ ]
  • With joy thee grette that may not be nombred!100
  • Or half the blisse who coude wryte or tel
  • Whan the holy goost to thee was obumbred ,
  • Wherthrough fendes were utterly encombred?
  • O wemlees mayde, embelisshed in his birthe,
  • That man and aungel therof hadden mirthe!105
  • Lo, here the blossom and the budde of glorie,[ ]
  • Of which the prophet spak so longe aforn ;[ ]
  • Lo, here the same that was in memórie
  • Of Isaie, so longe or she was born ;
  • Lo, here of David the delicious corn ;110
  • Lo, here the groundthat list [him] to onbelde ,
  • Becoming man, our raunsom for to yelde!
• • O glorious vyole, O vytreinviolat !
  • O fyry Tytan , persing with thy bemes,
  • Whos vertuous brightnes was in thy brest vibrat ,115
  • That al the world embelisshed with his lemes!
  • Conservatrice of kingdomes and remes ;
  • Of Isaies sede O swete Sunamyte ,
  • Mesure my mourning, myn owne Margaryte !
• • O sovereignest, sought out of Sion,120
  • O punical pome ayensal pestilence;[ ]
  • And aureat urne, in whom was bouk and boon
  • The agnelet , that faught for our offence
  • Ayens the serpent with so high defence
  • That lyk a lyoun in victorie he was founde;125
  • To him commende us, of mercy mosthabounde !
• • O precious perle, withouten any pere,
  • Cockle with gold dew from above berayned,
  • Thoubusshe unbrent, fyrles set a-fere ,
  • Flambing with fervence, not with hete payned ;130
  • Thou during daysye, with no †weder stayned;
  • Flees undefouled of gentilGedeon ,
  • And fructifying yerd thou of Aaron .
• • Thou misty arke, probatik piscyne,[ ]
  • Laughing Aurora , and of pees olyve ;135[ ]
  • Columpne and base , up bering from abyme ;[ ]
  • Why nere I conning, thee for to discryve?[ ]
  • Chosen of Joseph , whom he took to wyve ,
  • Unknowing him, childing by greet mirácle,
  • And of our manhode trewe tabernacle!140[ ]

[1. ]A. I kouþe to you.

[2. ]A. clerkis (for poetes); the (for this).

[3. ]A. cane mens hertes presse (!).

[4. ]Th. hem; A. þeire hertes. Th. in fere; A. a fuyre.

[5. ]A. With ful daunger payeþe his subgettes hyre. Sl. weere; Th. fere.

[7. ]Th. Sl. euer; A. aye. Sl. A. his . . doth; Th. her . . do.

[8. ]Th. nowe; A. om. Sl. redresse.

[10. ]A. Ellas I ne can ne may not ful expresse.

[11. ]Th. Sl. and that; A. the whiche.

[12. ]Th. wynde. Sl. into; Th. unto. A. þou blowe nowe to my.

[13. ]Th. auryate; A. aureate. A. om. of.

[14. ]A. tenspyre of whiche I thenk to wryte. Sl. wold; Th. wol.

[15. ]A. But sith I am sonworthy (!).

[16. ]Sl. on; Th. A. one.

[17. ]A. To; Th. Sl. But she.

[18. ]A. Whiche of pytee is welle.

[19. ]Th. Sl. of; A. to.

[20. ]Th. Sl. can; A. am.

[22. ]A. O souereine sterre.

[24. ]Sl. lemand (for living). Sl. most; Th. A. moste.

[25. ]Th. Whose bright beames. Th. Sl. may; A. cane.

[26. ]A. lyff; Th. Sl. lyfe.

[27. ]A. frome; Th. Sl. after.

[29. ]Sl. rote; Th. A. bote.

[31. ]A. gynnyng of grace and; Th. Sl. begynning of grace and al.

[32. ]A. Clennest; Th. And clenest. Th. Sl. ins. most bef. sovereyne.

[33. ]A. Moder; Th. Mother.

[34. ]A. al cloose closette; Th. Sl. and closet clennest.

[35. ]Th. herbrough; Sl. herberwe. A. The hyest herber (!) of al the.

[36. ]A. holsome; Th. Sl. closed. A. om. al.

[37. ]A. Welle cristallyne. A. Sl. clennesse; Th. clerenesse.

[38. ]A. Fructyff; Th. Fructyfyed. Th. fayre; A. so feyre.

[39. ]A. om. And. A. om. most.

[40. ]A om. on. Sl. pecchours (for sinners). A. unto; Th. Sl. that to the be.

[41. ]Th. Sl. Or wikked; A. Er foule. A. on hem þeire wrathe. Sl. upon; Th. on.

[42. ]Th. om. be.

[43. ]A. Thou Paradys plesante, gladnesse of goode.

[44. ]A. And benigne braunche.

[45. ]A. Vyneyerde vermayle; Th. Sl. Vynarie enuermayled. Sl. food; Th. A. bote.

[46. ]Th. ayen al langour; A. geyne langoure. A. palde that; Th. Sl. that palled.

[47. ]Sl. Blisful bawme; A. Thou blessed; Th. Blysful blomy.

[48. ]Sl. misericord on our myschef. Th. on our myserie; A. vppon vs spilt thou.

[49. ]Th. awake. A. wake and wrappe vs ay vnder.

[50. ]A. O rede roos raylling withouten. Th. without.

[51. ]Th. al fylthlesse; A. om. al. A. currant as beryle. Th. byrel.

[52. ]Th. Sl. of thy; I omit thy. A. Grace of thy dewe til vs thou do propyne.

[53. ]Th. O light; Sl. Thou lyght. A. Thou louely light, shynynge in bright spere.

[54. ]A. missers; Th. mischeues; Sl. myscheuows. A. withouten; Th. without.

[55. ]Th. Flambe; A. Dryve. Sl. to; Th. A. the. A. om. doleful.

[56. ]A. On; Th. Sl. Remembring.

[58. ]Sl. Retour; Th. Returne; A. Recure. A. Sl. in; Th. in the.

[59. ]A. To therroures of the pathe sequele.

[60. ]A. For (for To). Sl. wandrid; Th. forwandred; A. wandering.

[61. ]So A. Th. To faynte and to fresshe the.

[62. ]A. To wery wightes ful reste.

[63. ]Th. tho that; A. that hem. A. omits ll. 64–119.

[64. ]Th. arte.

[66. ]Sl. thou art; Th. she is. Th. dioume.

[68. ]Th. Laureate.

[69. ]Th. put; palastre.

[71. ]Sl. Thow; Th. O. Th. myrthe; swetter; sytole.

[72. ]Sl. om. also. Th. donatyfe.

[74. ]Th. -tyfe.

[75. ]Th. Mother; wyfe.

[76. ]Sl. In all this. Sl. noon; Th. none.

[78. ]Sl. trewest; Th. truefastest.

[81. ]Sl. plumed; Th. pured.

[82. ]Sl. larke.

[83. ]Sl. in; Th. on.

[83, 84. ]lyght, dyght.

[85. ]passyon.

[86. ]Sl. Alle; Th. om. Th. sonne. Sl. among haue us; Th. vs haue amonge.

[87. ]Sl. dyamaunt; Th. dyametre.

[88. ]Sl. that; Th. any.

[89. ]halfe.

[91. ]the.

[92. ]Th. saphre (sic); Sl. saffyr.

[95. ]So Sl.; Th. unchaunged hem.

[96. ]Sl. writhyng; Th. varyeng.

[97. ]arte; her.

[98. ]hert; see note.

[99. ]gladed.

[100. ]the.

[102. ]goste; the.

[103. ]Sl. vtterly; Th. bytterly.

[104. ]wemlesse. Th. in; Sl. with.

[106. ]blosme.

[107. ]Th. prophete; Sl. prophetys. Sl. spak so long aforn; Th. so longe spake beforne.

[109, 110. ]borne, corne.

[111. ]Th. of lyfe in to bilde; Sl. that list to onbelde.

[113. ]Sl. o vitre; Th. and vyte. Th. inuyolate.

[115. ]Th. om. thy; vibrate.

[116. ]Sl. his; Th. the.

[117. ]Sl. kyngdamys; Th. kynges dukes. Sl. remys; Th. realmes.

[118. ]Sl. o; Th. om.

[120. ]A. souereine. Th. A. sought; Sl. sowth. Th. out of; Sl. of out; A. fer oute.

[121. ]Sl. alle.

[121–127. ]In Sl. only.

[122. ]Sl. auryat; book and born (!); see note.

[125. ]Sl. victory.

[126. ]Sl. moost.

[127. ]Sl. ony.

[128. ]Th. golde dewe; A. glorie.

[129. ]A. Sl. Thou; Th. Dewe (!). Sl. ferlett (!) set affere; A. fuyrles thou sette vppon; Th. fyrelesse fyre set on.

[130. ]Sl. peyned; A. empeyred (!).

[131. ]Sl. Th. om. Thou. A. with; Th. that. Th. A. wether. A. disteyned.

[132. ]Th. Fleece. A. gentyle; Th. gentylest.

[133. ]Th. Sl. insert fayrest after fructifyeng (sic). A. yerde thowe; Th. Sl. the yerde.

[134. ]A. Thowe; Sl. Th. The. Sl. mysti; Th. A. mighty. Sl. probatyk; Th. probatyfe; A. the probatyf.

[135. ]A. Aurora; Th. aurore. A. tholyve; Sl. Th. olyue.

[136. ]A. Pillor from base beryng from abysme.

[137. ]A. Why nad I langage. Sl. the for; A. hir for; Th. here.

[138. ]Th. toke. A. Chosen of god, whome Joseph gaf (!) to wyve.

[139. ]Th. Sl. childyng; A. bare Cryste. Th. Sl. om. greet.

[140. ]Th. And of our manly figure the; Sl. And of oure mar (!) figure; A. And of Ihesus manhode truwe.

[4, 5.]In l. 4, fere is the Kentish form of ‘fire.’ In l. 5, Thynne again prints fere, but MS. A. has hyre (not a rime), and MS. Sl. has were, which means ‘doubt,’ and is the right word.

[7.]For her, we must read his, as in l. 4. The reference is to Love or Cupid; see VIII. 354, and the note.

[12.]Cf. ‘O wind, O wind, the weder ginneth clere,’ &c.; Troil. ii. 2. Observe that Chaucer invokes Cleo (Clio) in his next stanza.

[22.]We may compare this invocation with Chaucer’s ABC, and his introduction to the Second Nonnes Tale; but there is not much resemblance. Observe the free use of alliteration throughout ll. 22–141.

[24.]‘O pleasant ever-living one’ seems to be meant; but it is very obscure. Notice that the excellent Sloane MS. has O lusty lemand (=leming), O pleasant shining one. Perhaps we should read leming for living; cf. l. 25.

[27.]Cf. ‘Haven of refut’; ABC, 14. up to ryve, to arrive at; see rive in Halliwell.

[28.]The five joys of the Virgin are occasionally alluded to. See the poem on this subject in An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris, p. 87. The five joys were (1) at the Annunciation; (2) when she bore Christ; (3) when Christ rose from the dead; (4) when she saw Him ascend into heaven; (5) at her own Assumption into heaven.

[30.]‘And cheering course, for one to complain to for pity.’ Very obscure.

[52.]propyne, give to drink; a usage found in the Vulgate version of Jer. xxv. 15: ‘Sume calicem . . . et propinabis de illo cunctis gentibus.’

[56.]Cf. magnificence in Ch. Sec. Nonnes Tale, G 50.

[58.]put in prescripcioun, i. e. prescribed, recommended.

[60.]Cf. ‘I flee for socour to thy tente’; ABC, 41.

[64.]itinerárie, a description of the way.

[65.]bravie, prize, especially in an athletic contest; Lat. brauium, Gk. βραβει̑ον, in 1 Cor. ix. 24. See note to C. T., D 75.

[66.]diourn denárie, daily pay, as of a penny a day; referring to Matt. xx. 2: ‘Conventione autem facta cum operariis ex denario diurno.’

[68.]Laureat crowne, crown of laurel.

[69.]palestre, a wrestling-match; cf. Troil. v. 304.

[70.]lake, fine white linen cloth; as in C. T., B 2048.

[71.]citole, harp; as in C. T., A 1959.

[78.]‘The wedded turtel, with her herte trewe’; Parl. Foules, 355.

[83.]Phebus; here used, in an extraordinary manner, of the Holy Spirit, as being the spirit of wisdom; perhaps suggested by the mention of the columbe (or dove) in l. 79.

[87.]Here Thynne prints dyametre, but the Sloane MS. corrects him.

[88.]Fewe feres, few companions; i. e. few equals.

[92, 93.]loupe; cf. F. loupe, an excrescence, fleshy kernel, knot in wood, lens, knob. It was also a term in jewellery. Littré has: ‘pierre précieuse que la nature n’a pas achevée. Loupe de saphir, loupe de rubis, certaines parties imparfaites et grossières qui se trouvent quelquefois dans ces pierres.’ Hence it is not a very happy epithet, but Lydgate must have meant it in a good sense, as expressing the densest portion of a jewel; hence his ‘stable (i. e. firm) as the loupe.’ Similarly he explains ewage as being ‘fresshest of visage,’ i. e. clearest in appearance. Ewage was a term applied to a jacinth of the colour of sea-water; see New E. Dict. and P. Plowman, B. ii. 14; but it is here described as blue, and must therefore refer to a stone of the colour of water in a lake.

[98.]Read hértè for the scansion; but it is a bad line. It runs:—And hém . recéyvest . wíth . hértè . ful tréwe.

[99.]gladded, gladdened; referring to the Annunciation.

[102.]obumbred, spread like a shadow; ‘uirtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi’; Luke, i. 35. This explains to thee, which answers to tibi.

[106.]This stanza refers to Christ rather than to Mary; see l. 112. But Mary is referred to as the ground on which He built (l. 111).

[107.]Cf. Isaiah, xi. 1; Jerem. xxiii. 5.

[110.]corn, grain; ‘suscitabo Dauid germen iustum’; Jer. xxiii. 5. Cf. ‘ex semine Dauid uenit Christus; John, vii. 42.

[111.]ground; the ground upon which it pleased Him to build. Referring to Mary.

[113.]vytre, glass; Lat. uitreum. The Virgin was often likened to glass; sun-rays pass through it, and leave it pure.

[114.]Tytan, sun; curiously applied. Christ seems to be meant; see l. 116. But thy in l. 115 again refers to Mary. Hence, in l. 114 (as in 116) we should read his for thy.

[118.]Sunamyte, Shunammite; Lat. Sunamitis, 2 Kings, iv. 25. She was an emblem of the Virgin, because her son was raised from the dead.

[119.]Mesure, moderate, assuage. Margaryte, pearl; as an epithet of the Virgin.

[121.]punical pome, pomegranate; Pliny has Punicum malum in this sense; Nat. Hist. xiii. 19.

[122.]bouk and boon, body and bone; see Bouk in the New E. Dict.

[123.]agnelet, little lamb; not in the New E. Dict., because this stanza is now first printed.

[126.]habounde, abundant; of this adj. the New E. Dict. gives two examples.

[128.]Cockle, shell; referring to the shell in which the pearl was supposed to be generated by dew. See note to I. ii. 12. 47, p. 475.

[129.]‘O bush unbrent’; C. T., B 1658; see the note. fyrles, set on fire without any fire (i. e. without visible cause).

[132.]Referring to Gideon’s fleece; Judges, vi. 39.

[133.]Referring to Aaron’s rod that budded; Heb. ix. 4.

[134.]misty, mystic; cf. ‘mysty, misticus,’ in Prompt. Parv.

arke, ark; the ark of the covenant.

probatik; certainly the right reading (as in MS. Sl.), instead of probatyf or probatyfe, as in A. and Thynne. The reference is to the O. F. phrase piscine probatique, which Godefroy explains as being a cistern of water, near Solomon’s temple, in which the sheep were washed before being sacrificed. The phrase was borrowed immediately from the Vulgate version of John v. 2: ‘Est autem lerosolymis probatica piscina, quae cognominatur hebraice Bethsaida’; i. e. the reference is to the well-known pool of Bethesda. The Greek has: ἐπὶ τῃ̑ προβατικῃ̑ κολυμβήθρα. The etymology is obvious, from Gk. πρόβατον, a sheep. We may translate the phrase by ‘sheep-cleansing pool.’ Cotgrave explains it very well; he has: ‘piscine probatique, a pond for the washing of the sheep that were, by the Law, to be sacrificed.’

[135.]Aurora, dawn; mentioned in Ch. L. G. W. 774. Cf. ‘al the orient laugheth’; C. T., A 1494. And cf. ‘Th’olyve of pees’; Parl. Foules, 181.

[136.]‘Column, with its base, which bears up (or supports) out of the abysmal depth.’

[137.]‘Why could I not be skilful?’

[140.]I make up this line as best I can; the readings are all bad.

Note that, at this point, the MS. copies come to an end, and so does the alliteration. Poem no. XI is joined on to no. X in Thynne without any break, but is obviously a different piece, addressed to an earthly mistress.