1                5                        10                        [Lover] 16                20            [Lady]         25                    [Lover] 30                    35        [Lady]             40                [Lover]     45                        [Lady] 51                55            [Lover]         60                    [Lady] 65                    70        [Lover]             75                [Lady]     80                        [Lover] 86                90            [Lady]         95                    [Lover] 100                    105        [Lady]             110                [Lover]     115                        [Lady] 121                125            [Lover]         130                    [Lady] 135                    140        [Lover]             145                [Lady]     150                        155                    160            [Envoy]         165                        170                    175                        180

To moralise a symilitude - who list - these balettes sewe The craft of lovyers curyous argument; For some ben false, and som ben triewe, And som ben double of entendement. These lovyers, with theyre moral document And eloquent langage, can exemplefye The craft of love, what it doth signifye. Who list these balettes have inspeccioun, Think that loves lordshippe excellent Is remedy for disease and correccioun To woful hert and body impotent, Suppose that the maker be nat necligent In his compilyng - hold hym excusable - Because his spirites be sory and lamentable. "Moste soveraigne lady, surmountyng in noblesse, O intemerate jenypere and daysie delicious, My trust, myn helth, my cordial founderesse, O medicyne sanatyf to myn infirmynat langoures, O comfortable creature of lovyers amours, O excelent herber of lovely countenaunce, Ye registre my love in your remembraunce." "Certes, syr, youre peynted eloquence, So gay, so fressh, and eke so talkatyve, It doth transcende the wit of Dame Prudence; For to declare your thought or to discryve, So curiously your eloquence ye contryve. Of youre conceyt, youre thought and your entent, I wil be ware or than I be shent." "O rubicunde rose and white as the lilye, O korven figure of worldly portrature, O clarified cristal, resplendent of glorye, O gemme of beauté or charbuncle shyneng pure, Youre fairenesse excedith the craft of Dame Nature, Most wommanly behavyng in countenaunce; Wherfor ye do registre my love in your remembraunce." "What availeth, syr, suche demonstracioun Of curious talkyng nat touchyng to sadnesse? It is but wynd, flatteryng, and adulacioun, Unmesurable cogitaciouns of worldly wieldnesse, Whiche is chief cause of gostly distresse. Youre wille, youre thought, youre double entendement, I wil be ware for drede that I be shent." "My wit, my thought, and myn entencioun Is for to please yow, lady soveraygne; And, for youre love, thurgh many a regyoun I wold be exiled, so that ye wold nat disdayne To have pité on me whan I compleyne; In wele and woo to suffre perturbaunce, So that ye wold have me in your remembraunce." "What is your wille? Plainly that ye expresse, That maketh this curious glosed supplicacion. Sey on syr, briefly, on hertly tenderesse! Be right wele advised of vayne delectacioun; At youre begynnyng, thynk on the termynacon. Passe nat youre boundis, be nat to necligent, And ever be ware in lesse that ye be shent." "Youre goodely behavyng, your beauté in substaunce, Makith me to enclyne to do yow reverence; Youre lovely lokyng, youre wommanly governaunce, Overcomyth my spirit, my wyt, and my prudence. Som drope of grace of youre magnificence Unto your suppliaunt, ye shewe attendaunce; And ones, registre my love in your remembraunce." "O combrous thought of mannes fragilité! O fervent wille of lustis furious! O cruel corage causyng adversité! O Vulcanus corrupcion and erbe contrarious To helth of man! A chaunce most perilous, To breke the virginité of the virgynal innocent! Wherfor be ware, mankynd, lesse that ye be shent." "My peyne is prevy, impossible to discerne; My lamentable thoughtis be cast in mournyng. O general juge, whiche sittith superne, Graciously conveyeth the love of this lady yeng! O amyable lady, gracious and benyngne, I put me holy in youre governaunce; Exile me nat out of youre remembraunce." "Me semes by your langage ye be some potestate, Or ellis som curious gloser deceyvable; What is your name, mekely, I make regrate, Or of what science or craftes commendable? I am a lady, excelent and honurable; He must be gay that please shuld myn entent. Wherfor beware, in lesse that ye be shent." "O lord God, this is a sharp examynacioun, Of hir that most is in my memory! Unto yow, lady, I make certificacioun, My name is Triewe Love of Carnal Desidery, Of mannys copulacioun the verray exemplary, Whiche am one of your servaunts of plesaunce; Wherfor I must be registred in your remembraunce." "I have sought Triewe Love yeeres grete excesse, Yit found I hym never, but for a season. Som men be dyverse and know no gentilnesse, And som lakkith both wisdam and reason; In som men is trust, in som is treason. Wherfor I wil conclude, by avisement, And also beware, in lesse that I be shent." "The rectour Tullius, so gay of eloquence, And Ovide that shewith the craft of love expresse, With habundaunce of Salamons sapience, And pulcritude of Absolons fairenesse, And I were possessid with Jobis grete riches, Manly as Sampson my persone to avaunce - Yit wold I submyt me in your remembraunce." "Now, syr, if it please youre noblenesse To gyve advertence to my questioun: What thyng is plesure of worldly swetnesse And is most bitter in fynal successioun? Or what thyng gevith man occasioun In tendre age for to be concupiscent? Resolve this questioun and ye shul nat be shent." "My soverayne lady, Ovide, in his writyng, Seyth that desire of worldly concupiscence, As for a tyme is swete in his wirchyng, And in his end he causith grete offence. Nat withstandyng my lady Dame Prudence, Grene flowryng age and manly countenaunce Causith ladyes to have hem in remembraunce." "Yowre goodly answers, so benyngne in substaunce, Wold cause the hert of wommanheed convert Unto delite of natural plesaunce. But of oo thyng I wold be expert: Why mannes langage wil procure and transvert The wille of wymmen and virgyns innocent? Wherfor I stonde in feere lesse that I be shent." "Late never the love of triewe lovers be losed, My soverayne lady, in no maner wise. In youre confidence my wordis have I closed; My cordial love to yow I do promyse, So that ye knyt the knot of excersise. Both lok and key, ye have in governaunce; Wherfor, emprinte me in your remembraunce." "Of verray trust and I were certifyed, The pleyne intencioun of your hert cordiall, Me semes in blisse; than were I glorifyed: Unto your plesure I wold be at youre call. But ever I feere me of chauncis casuall, Of froward disceyt and langage insolent; Than were I sure my virgynité were shent." "Ther was never tresour of terestral richesse, Nor precious stones rekened innumerable, To be of comparison unto youre high goodenesse, Of al creatures, to me most amyable. Trust nat the contrary; I was never disceyvable. Kepe wele Triewe Love, forge no resemblaunce; And, fynally, registre and take me in your remembraunce." "Me semes by feture of manly propirté, Ye shud be trusty and triewe of compromyse. I fynde in yow no false duplicité; Wherfor, Triew Love, ye have myn herte, iwisse, And evermor shal, so have I blisse. This confideracy made by goode avisement, God grant grace that nother of us be shent." Whan Phebus first was in his chare splendent, In the moneth of May, erly in a mornyng, I herd two lovers dispute this argument, In the yeere of God a mille by rekenyng, Four hundred fifty and nine yere folowyng. O prepotent princesse, conserve triewe lovers all, And graunt of this terestry vale the blisse celestial! Go litel balettis, submyttyng everywhere, To diew correccioun of benyvolence. But where that envye is, loke ye come nat there; For any thyng, kepe youre balettes thens. For envy is ful of froward reprehens, And how to hurte, lyth ever in awayte; Kepe ye thens, that ye be nat theyr bayte. O doughter of Phebus in vertuous apparence, My love elect in my remembraunce, My careful hert distreyned cause of absence, Til ye maynprise me and relese my grevaunce; Upon yow is set my lyf and myn attendaunce, Without recure, iwisse, untill Ye graunt Triew Hert to have his will. Salamon, distressed for love, in loves daunce Sang in his trace with woful compleynt, "Come deere hert," without cessaunce. Releve my paynes, that in teres am spreynt; Quia amore langueo, late me nat spil for feynt! Com on, my deere spowse, joy ye me till Triew Hert, of me, shal have his wyll.

desires; follow; (see note); (t-note) subtle reasoning; (t-note) (t-note) meaning correct training; (t-note) demonstrate; (t-note) mean wishes; (t-note) power; (t-note) weak careless; (see note); (t-note) composing sad and mournful; (t-note) exceeding; nobility; (see note); (t-note) unblemished juniper; (see note) reviving source enfeebling afflictions; (see note); (t-note) comforting; affections; (t-note) herb record Certainly; colorful; (see note) splendid; verbose; (t-note) (see note) describe cunningly; (t-note) plan be careful; disgraced; (t-note) red; (t-note) carved; animate appearance; (see note); (t-note) illuminating; radiant with; (t-note) carbuncle; (see note); (t-note) conduct; (t-note) record; (t-note) What is the use of; (t-note) seriousness insincere praise; (t-note) Immoderate; wantonness; (t-note) spiritual; (t-note) ambiguous intention disgraced; (t-note) intention; (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) lament happiness; trouble (t-note) (t-note) specious plea; (t-note) genuine compassion; (t-note) idle delight; (see note); (t-note) end limits lest; (t-note) innate; (see note); (t-note) to be disposed; (t-note) appearance; (t-note) Overwhelms; (t-note) attention; (t-note) At once; (t-note) troubling ardent; unrestrained desire herb harmful; (see note); (t-note) event; (t-note) (t-note) lest; (t-note) secret sorrowful; (t-note) above; (t-note) direct; young; (t-note) kind wholly; control; (t-note) [It] seems [to] me [that]; lord; (t-note) deceptive flatterer request; (t-note) knowledge or skills; (t-note) charming; (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) guarantee; (t-note) desire; (see note); (t-note) joining; model of conduct; (see note) pleasure; (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) (t-note) unkind; (t-note) lack (t-note) decide; (t-note) (t-note) rhetorician Cicero; (see note); (t-note) describes; explicitly wisdom; (t-note) beauty Job's; (see note); (t-note) promote (t-note) (t-note) attention; (t-note) (t-note) in process of time gives; cause; (t-note) lustful reproached; (t-note) lust; (t-note) effect harm In spite of (see note) (t-note) salubrious; (t-note) physical pleasure one; informed; (t-note) seduce; overturn (t-note) ruined; (t-note) loosened; (see note); (t-note) enclosed sincere; (t-note) end this trial; (see note) control; (see note) imprint; (t-note) Truthfully, if I were assured of; (t-note) clear; sincere; (t-note) transformed uncertain events; (t-note) perverse; improper; (see note); (t-note) destroyed; (t-note) incapable of being counted; (t-note) (t-note) pleasing; (t-note) deceptive invent; (t-note) (t-note) appearance; nature; (t-note) should; promise certainly (t-note) alliance; consideration; (t-note) neither; harmed bright chariot; (see note); (t-note) (t-note) a thousand; (t-note) (i.e., 1459); (see note); (t-note) preeminent; preserve; (see note) terrestrial; (t-note) (see note); (t-note) proper; from (t-note) away; (t-note) perverse censure enticement (see note) chosen constrained because of release; complaint service remedy; certainly (see note); (t-note) dance steps; (see note) sprinkled; (t-note) perish; faintness; (see note) delight; (see note); (t-note)