And to this god that I of rede
Praie I that he wollin me fpede
My fwevin for to tell aright,
If every dreme ftande in his might,
And he that movir is of all
That is and was, and evir fhall,
So give 'hem joyè that it here
Of all that thei dremin to yere,
And for to ftandin all in grace
Of ther lovis, or in what place
That 'hem were levift for to ftonde,
And shelde 'hem from poverte' and fhonde,
And from every' unhappe and disese,
And fende 'hem that which maie 'hem plese,
That takith well and scornith nought,
Ne it mifdemin in ther thought
Through malicious entencion;
And whofo through prefumpcion,
Or hate, or scorne, or through envie,
Difpite, or jape, or felonie,
Mifdeme it, praie I Jefus gode,
Dreme he barefote or dreme he shode,
That every harme that any man
Hath had fithin the worlde began
Befall hym thereof or he sterve,
And graunt that he maie it deferve!
Lo! with right foche conclufion
As had of his avifion
Crefus, that was the Kyng of Lyde,"
That high upon a gibet dyde,
This prayir fhall he have of me,
1 am no bette in charite.
THE FIRST BOKE
Now herkin, as I have you faied,
What that I mette or I abraied.
Of December the tenith daie
When it was night to slepe I laie,
Right as I was wonte for to doen,
And fill aflepè wondir fone,
As he that was werie forgo
To the corps of Sainct Leonarde,
To makin lithe that erft was harde.
But as me flept me mette I was
Within a temple' imade of glas,
In whiche there werin mo images
Of golde standyng in fondrie stages,
Sette in mo riche tabirnacles,
And with perrè mo pinnacles,
And mo curious portraituris
And queint manir of figuris
Of golde worke then I fawe evir :
But certainly I n'ift nevir
Where that it was, but well wist I
It was of Venus redily
First sawe I the diftruccion
Of Troie thorough the Greke Sinon
With his falfe untrue forfwerynges,
And with his chere and his lefynges,
That made a horse brought into Troye
By whiche Trojans lofte all ther joye.
And aftir this was graved, alas!
How Ilion's caftill affailed was
And won, and Kyng Priamus flain,
And Polites his fonne certain,
Difpitoufly of Dan Pyrrhus.
And next that sawe I howe Venus,
When that she sawe the caftill brende,
Doune from hevin fhe gan difcende,
And bade her fonne Æneas fle,
And how he fled, and how that he
Efcapid was from all the pres,
And toke his fathre', olde Anchises,
And bare hym on his backe awaie,
Crying Alas and Welawaie!
The whiche Anchises in his hande
Bare tho the goddis of the lande,
I mene thilke that unbrennid were.
Then fawe I next that all in fere
How Creufa, Dan Æneas wife,
Whom that he lovid all his life,
And her yong fonne clepid Julo,
And eke Afcanius also,
Fleddin eke with full drerie chere,
That it was pite for to here,
And in a forest as thei went
How at a tournyng of a went
That rede not I how that it was,
How he her fought, and how her ghofte
Bad hym to flie the Grekis hofte,
And faied he must into Itaile,
As was his deftinie fauns faile,
That it was pitie for to here,
When that her fpirité gan appere,'
The wordis that she to hym faied,
And for to kepe her fonne hym praied.
There fawe I gravin eke how he,
His fathir eke and his meinè, ka
With his fhippis began to faile
Toward the countrey of Itaile
As ftreight as ere thei mightin go.
There fawe I eke the cruill Juño,
That art Dan Jupiter his wife,
That haft ihatid all thy life
Merciless all the Trojan blode,
Rennin and crie as thou were wode
On Bolus, the god of Windes,
To blowin out of allè kindes
So loudè, that he should ydrenche
Lorde and ladie, and grome and wenche,
Of all the Trojanis nacion
Without any' of ther favácion.
There fawe I foche tempeft arife
That every herte might agrife
To fe it paintid on the wall.
There fawe I eke gravin withall
Venus, how ye, my ladie dere!
Ywepyng with full wofull chere,
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