The Assemble of Goddes Part 3

Her gowne was of gawdy grene clamelet.

Chaungeable of sondry dyuerse colours.

To {the} condycyons accordy{n}g to her shoures

And by her sat thoughe he vnworthy were.

The rewde G.o.d Pan of shepherdes {that} gyde Clad in russet frese & breched lyke a bere.

Wyth a grete terbox hangyng by his syde.

A shepcrok in his ho{n}d he spared for no pryde.

And by his fete lay a prekered curre.

He rateled in {the} throte as he had {the} murre.

Isys the G.o.ddes bare hym company.

For at the table next she sat by his syde.

In a close kyrtell embrowdered curyously {with} braunches and leues brood large & wyde.

Grene as any gra.s.se in {the} somer tyde.

Of all maner frute she had the gouernaunce Of fauours odyferous was her sustynauns

Next to her than was G.o.d Neptunus set.

He sauoured lyke a fyssher of hy{m} i spak before It semed by his clothes as they had be wet.

About hy{m} i{n} his gyrdelsted hi{n}g fysshes mani a xx Of his straunge aray merueyled I sore.

A shyp wyth a top and sayle was hys creste.

Me thought he was gayly dysgysed at {the} fest.

Than toke mynerue the G.o.ddes her sete.

Ioyntly to Neptunus all in curas cladde.

Gau{n}telettis on ho{n}des & sabatou{n}s on her fete She loked about as though she had be mad.

An hamer and a sythe on her hede she hadde She wered two bokelers one by her syde.

that other ye wote were this was al her prid

Tha{n} cam {the} G.o.d bach{us} & by her set hy{m} doun Holdynge in his honde a cuppe full of wyne.

Of grene vyne leues he wered a Ioly croun He was clad in cl.u.s.tres of grapes G.o.de & fine A garlonde of yuy he chose for his sygne.

On his hede he had a thredbare ke{n}dall hode.

A gymlot and a fauset therupon stode.

Next hym sat phebus wyth her colour pale.

Fat she was of face but of complexon feynte.

She sayd she rewled Neptun{us} & made hy{m} bayl And ones in {the} monthe {with} pheb{us} was she mei{n}t Also ne were she Ceres were ateynte Thus she sat & tolde the myght of her nature & on her hede she wered a croun of siluer pure

Ioyntly to her Marcuryus toke his see.

As came to his cours wytnesse the zodyake.

He had a gylden tonge as fyll for his degree In eloquence of langage he pa.s.sed al {the} pake For in his talkyng no man coud fynde lake A box wyth quycksyluer he had in his honde / Multyplyers know it wel in euery londe

By hym sat dame Ven{us} {with} colour crystalline Whos long here shone as wyre of gold bry{gh}t Cryspe was her skyn her eyen columbyne Rauysshed myne herte her chere was so ly{gh}t Patrones of plesau{n}ce be named wel she my{gh}t A smocke was her wede garnysshed curyusli But all other she had a wanton eye

On her hede she wered a red coper crowne A nosegay she had made ful plesauntly Bytwene her & aurora Apollo set hym doune Wyth his beames bryght he shone so ferue{n}tly That he therwyth gladyd al {the} company A crown of pure gold was on his hede set In syne {that} he was mayster & lorde of {that} banket Nota Thus was the table set round aboute Wyth G.o.ddes & G.o.ddesses as i haue you told Awaytyng on the bord was a grete route Of sage phylosophers & poetes many fold There was sad Sychero & Arystotle olde Tholome Dorothe wyth Dyogenes Plato Myssehala and wyse Socrates

Sortes & Saph[y]r{us} {with} hermes stode behynd Auycen & Aueroys wyth hem were in fere Galyen & ypocras that physyk haue in mynd wyth help of Esculapyo{n} toward he{m} drow ner Vyrgyle Orace Ouyd and Omere Euclyde and albert yaue her attendaunce To do the G.o.dds & G.o.ddesses plesaunce

h.o.r.eberded Orphe{us} was there {with} his harpe.

And as a poyt musycal made he melody Other mi{n}stral had ther non saf Pan ga{n} to carpe Of his leud bagpyp which caused {the} compani To law yet many mo ther we{re} yf i shuld not ly Som yong som old both better and werse But mo of theyr names can I not reherce

Of al maner deyntes there was habu{n}dau{n}ce Of metes & drynkes foyson plenteuous In cam Dyscord to haue varyaunce But there was no roum to set her i{n} that hous The G.o.ddis remembred the scysme odious Among the thre G.o.ddesses {that} she had wrought Original has At the fest of Peleus wherfore they thought he instead of she They wold not {with} her dele in a venture Lest she hem brought to som inconuenyente She seyng this was wroth out of mesure And in that grete wrath out of {the} paleyse we{n}t Say{n}g to herself that chere shuld thei repent And anone {with} Attropes happed she to mete.

As he had ben a gost came in a wy{n}dy{n}g shete

She toke hym by {the} hond & rowned in his ere And told hy{m} of the banket {that} was so delycate.

How she was receyued & what chere she had {the}re And how euery G.o.d sat in his astate Is it thus q{uo}d attropos what in {the} deuyls date Well he sayd I se well how the game goth Ones yet for your sake shal I make he{m} wroth

And whan she had hym al togyder told From her he departed & of her toke his leue / Sayng {that} for her sake his way take he wolde In to the paleys his maters to meue And or he thens went he trowed he{m} to greue.

Wyth such tydynges as he wold hem tel So forth he went & spake wordes fell

Whan he came in the p{re}sence of {the} G.o.ddis [a]lle As he had ben mad he loked hym a bout His shete from his body downe he let fall And on a reud maner he saluted al the route Wyth a bold voys spekyng wordes stoute But he spake all holow as it had ben one Had spoke in a nother world {that} had wo begon

He stode forth boldly {with} grym countenau{n}ce Sayng on this wyse as ye shal here All ye G.o.ddes yeue attendaunce Vnto my wordes {with}out all daungere Remembre how ye made me your offycere Al tho wyth my darte fynally to chastyse That {thou} dysobeyed or wolde your law dyspise

And for the more surete seiled my patent Gyuyng me full power so to ocupy Wherto I haue enployed myn entent And that can dame Nature testefy If she be examyned she wyll not it denye For whan she forsakyth ony creature I am al redy to take hy{m} to my cure

Thus haue I deuly wyth al mi dylygence.

Executed the offyce of olde antyquyte To me by you grau{n}ted by your comyn se{n}tece For I spared none hygh nor low degre So that on my parte no faute hath be For as sone as ony to me commytted was I smote hy{m} to {the} hert he had none other grace

Ector of Troy for al his cheualry Alexander the grete & myghty conqueroure Iulyus Cezar {with} al his companye Dauyd nor Iosue nor worthy Artur Charlis the n.o.ble that was so gret of honour Nor Iudas Machabee for al his trew herte Nor G.o.dfrey of Boleyn coud me not asterte

NabuG.o.donozor for al his grete pryde Nor the kyng of Egypt cruel Pharao Iason ne Hercules went they neuer so wyde.

Cosdras Hanyball nor gentyll Sypyo Cyrus Achylles nor many another mo For fayr nor foule gat of me no grace But al be at {the} last I seased hem {with} my mace.

Thus haue I brought euery creature To an ende both man fysshe foule and best And euery other thyng in whome dame nature Hath ony Iurysdyccion eyther most or lest Except oonly one in whome your be hest Is to me broke for ye me promysed That my myght of non{e} shold haue be dyspysed

Wherof the contrary daoe I well a uow Original has Is trew for one there is that wyl not apply aontrary Vnto my correction nor in no wyse bow instead of To the dynt of my darte for dole nor desteny contrary What comfort he hath nor the cause why That he so rebellyth I can not thynk of ry{gh}t Original has But yf ye hy{m} grau{n}ted your alders saf condyght. yot instead of not And yf he so haue than do ye not as G.o.ddis.

For a G.o.ddys wrytyng may not reuersed be.

Yf it shold I wold not gyue you ii pesecodd{i}s For grau{n}t of your patent of offyce nere of fee. Original has Wherefore in this mater do me equyte gra{n}ut Accerdi{n}g to my patent for tyl this be do instead of Ye haue no more my seruyse nor my G.o.de wyl grau{n}t

And whan al the G.o.ddis had attropos hered As they had ben wode brayd vp attones & sayd they wold not rest tyll he were conq{ue}red Taken and dystroyed body blode and bones And that they swere grete othes for {the} nonis Her lav to dyspyce that was so malapert They sayd he shuld be taught for to be so pert

Wel sayd Appollo yf he on erth be wyth my brennyng chare I shall hy{m} co{n}found In feyth quod neptunus & he kepe these He may be well sure he shall be drownd A syr sayd Mars this haue we wel found That ony dysubeyed oure goodly precept We may well thynk we haue to long slept

But neuertheles where I may hym fynd wyth thu{n}d{er} & lyghtning about I shall hy{m} chase And I quod Saturnus before and behynd.

{with} my bytte cold shall shew hy{m} harde grace well sayd Mercuryus yf I may se his face.

For euer of his spech I shall hym depryue Original has So that hym were better dede than alyue depryur instead of Ye quod Othea yet may he well be depryue In the eyr where he wyll & ax you no leue wherfore my counseyl is that all we May entrete Neptun{us} his rancour foryeue. Original has And than I dout not Colus wyl hy{m} myscheue rahcour So may ye be sure he soal you not escape instead of & ellis of you anger he wyll make but a iape. rancour

But for to tel you how Colus was brought.

In daungere of Pluto yet had I forget wherfore on this mater forther wyl I nou{gh}t.

Procede tyll I therof haue knowlege you let It befell on a day the weder was wete And Colus thought he wold on his dysport.

Goo t[u] reioyse his spyrytis and comforte

He thought he wold se what was in {the} grou{n}d And in a krauers forth he gan hym dresse A drough had the erthe late before found.

That caused it to chyne & krauy more & lesse / Sodenly by wete constreyned by duresse Was the ground to close his sup{er}fycyall face.

So streyt that to scape col{us} had noo s.p.a.ce

This seyng Colus be styll wythin abode.

Seky{n}g where he my{gh}t haue gene fer or nere.

A[n]one he was espyed and one to Pluto rode And told hy{m} how Colus was in his dau{n}gere.