The Assemble of Goddes Part 5

That ye in this mat{er} to meward haue ment.

This done Morpleus departed away.

Fro Vertu to the palayse retorny{n}g agayn.

None hym aspyed that I dare well say.

In whych tyme Vertu dyde his besy payn People to reyse his quarell to maynteyn.

Ymagynacyon was his messengere.

He went to warne people both fer & nere.

And bad hem come in all hast they myght For to strength Vertu for wyth out fayll.

He sayd he shold haue long or it were nyght.

Wyth Vyce to do a myghty strong batayl.

Of vngracyo{us} gestes he bryngyth a gret tayll Wherfore it behouyth to help at this nede.

And after this shal Vertu rewar yo{re} mede

Whan ymagynacyon had gone his cyrcuyte To Vertue & frendis thus all about.

Wythin short tyme many men of myght Gadered to Vertu in all that they myght.

They hym comforted & bad hy{m} put no doute.

His vtter enmy Vyce to ouerthrowe.

Thoughe he {with} hy{m} brou{gh}t neuer so gret arow Original has h instead of And whan Vertu se the sustau{n}ce of his oost he He prayed all the comons to the feld hem hye Wyth her pety capteyns both lest and moste And wyth his capteyns shold folow redely.

For he sayd he knew well {that} vyce was ful nye.

And who myght fyrst of {the} feld recouer {the} ce{n}tre Wold kepe out {that} other he shuld not esely e{n}tre

Then sent he forth Baptym to {the} feld before And prayed hym hartely it to ouerse That no maner trayn nor coltrop therin wor{e} Original has To noy nor hurt hym nor his meyne. cotlrop And whan he thyder came he began to se. instead of How Vyce his purseua[u]nt cryme orygynall. coltrop Was entred before and had seased vp all.

But as sone as herof Baptym had a syght.

He fled fast away and left the feld alone.

And anone Baptym entred wyth his myght.

Serchyng al about where this crym{e} had gon{e} But the feld was clene defaut fou{n}d he none.

Then came Vertu after with his gret oste.

And his myghty capteyns both lest and most

But to enfourme you how he thyder came.

And what maner capteins he to {the} feld brou{gh}t Hymselfe sekerly was the fyrst man.

Of all his grete host {that} thyderwarde sought.

Syttyng in a chare {that} rychely was wrought.

Wyth golde and peerles & gemmes precyous.

Crowned with laurer as lord vyctoryous.

Foure doubty knyghtes about {the} chare went.

At euery corner one hit for to gyde.

And conuey accordyng to Vertue his entent.

At the fyrst corner was Ryghtwysnesse {that} tyde.

Prudence at the seconde was set to abyde.

At {the} thryd strength {the} fourth kept temperau{n}ce.

These {the} chare gyded to Vertue his pleasau{n}ce.

Next to {the} chare seuen capyteyns there roode.

Echone aftre other in ordre by and by.

Humylyte was {the} fyrst a lambe he bestroode.

With contenau{n}ce demure he rood full soberly.

A fawcon gentyll stood on his helme on hy.

And next after hym came there Charyte.

Rydyng on a tygre as fyll to his degre.

Roody as a roose ay he kept his chere.

On his helme on hyghe a pellycan he bare.

Next whom cam pacye{n}ce {that} no where hath no pere On a camell rydyng as voyde of all care.

A fenix on his helm stood so forth gan he fare.

Who next hym folowed but lyberalyte.

Syteng on a dromedary {that} was both good & fre.

On his helm for his crest he bare on ospray.

And next after hym folowed abstynence.

Rydyng on an hete was trapure and gay.

He semed a lorde of ryght grete excellence.

A popyniay was his crest he was of gret dyffe{re}ce.

Next hym folowed chastyte on an vnicorne.

Armed at all poyntes behynde & beforne.

A tortyldoue he bare on hyghe for his crest.

Than came good besynesse last of {the} seuen.

Rydyng on a panter a sondry coloured best.

Gloryously beseen as he had come from heuen.

A crane on his hede stood his crest for to steuen.

All these .vii. capteyned had standardis of pryce.

Eche of hem accordy{n}g after his deuyse.

Many pety capteyns after these went.

As trew feyth & hope mercy pease & pyte.

Ryght trouth mekenesse {with} rood ente[n]t.

Goodnes concorde & parfyte vnyte.

Honest trewe loue with symplycyte. Original has Prayer fasty{n}g preuy almysdede. Hoeest Ioyned with {the} artycles of the crede. instead of Honest Confessyon contrycyon & satysfaccyon.

With sorow for synne & grete repentaunce.

Foryeuenesse of trespas {with} good dysposycyon.

Resystence of wrong performy{n}g of penance.

Holy deuocyon wyth good contynaunce Presthode hem folowed with the sacrame{n}tis And sadnesse alse wyth the commau{n}dementes

Suffraunce in trouble wyth Innocensy Clennes contynence and virgynyte Kyndnes reuerence {with} curteysy Content & pleased wyth pyteous pouerte Entendyng wel mynystryng equyte Twene ryght & wrong hole indyfferently And labouryng the seruyse of G.o.d to multyply

Refuse of ryches & worldly vaynglory Perfeccyon wyth perfyght contemplacyon Relygyon professyon wel kept in memory Verry drede of G.o.d wyth holy predycacyon Celestyall sapyence wyth gostly inspyracyon Grace was the guyde of al this meyne Whome folowed konnyng {with} his genealogy

That is to say gramer and Sophystry Phylosophy naturall logyke and Rythoryke Arsmetrycke geometry wyth astronomye Canon and Cyuyll melodyous musyke n.o.ble Theology and corporal physyke Moralyzayson of holy scrypture Profound poetry and drawy{n}g of pycture

Thyse folowed connyng & thyd{er} wyth hin cam Wyth many one mo offryng her seruyse To Vertu at that nede but notwythsto{n}dy{n}g than Some he refused and sayd in nowyse They shuld wyth hym go & as I coud auyse Thyse wore her names fyrst Nygro{m}mancy Geomansy magyke and glotony

Adryomansy Ornomancy {with} pyromancy Fysenomy also and pawmestry And al her sequeles yf I shal not lye Yet connyng prayed Vertu he wold not deny Theym for to know nor dysdeyn his eye On hem to loke wherto Vertu graunted How be it in his werres ge wold not they hau{n}ted

So had they connyng lyghly to depart From Vertu his feld and they seyng this By comyn a.s.sent hyred them a carte And made hem be caryed toward Vyce Iwys.

Fro thens forth to serue hy{m} this wold not mys For loth they were to be maysterles In stede of the better the worse there they ches