The ethie ringletts of her notte-browne
hayre
What ne a manne should see dyd swotelie
hyde, 50
Whych on her milk-white bodykin so fayre
Dyd showe lyke browne streemes fowlyng
the white tyde,
Or veynes of brown hue yn a marble cuarr,
Whyche by the traveller ys kenn’d
from farr.
Astounded mickle there I sylente laie,
55
Still scauncing wondrous at the walkynge
syghte;
Mie senses forgarde ne coulde reyn awaie;
But was ne forstraughte whan shee dyd
alyghte
Anie to mee, dreste up yn naked viewe,
Whych mote yn some ewbrycious thoughtes
abrewe. 60
But I ne dyd once thynke of wanton thoughte;
For well I mynded what bie vowe I hete,
And yn mie pockate han a crouchee broughte,
Whych yn the blosom woulde such sins anete;
I lok’d wyth eyne as pure as angelles
doe, 65
And dyd the everie thoughte of foule eschewe.
Wyth sweet semblate and an angel’s
grace
Shee ’gan to lecture from her gentle
breste;
For Trouthis wordes ys her myndes face,
False oratoryes she dyd aie deteste:
70
Sweetnesse was yn eche worde she dyd ywreene,
Tho shee strove not to make that sweetnesse
sheene.
Shee sayd; mie manner of appereynge here
Mie name and sleyghted myndbruch maie
thee telle;
I’m Trouthe, that dyd descende fromm
heavenwere, 75
Goulers and courtiers doe not kenne mee
welle;
Thie inmoste thoughtes, thie labrynge
brayne I sawe,
And from thie gentle dreeme will thee
adawe.
Full manie champyons and menne of lore,
Payncters and carvellers have gaind good
name, 80
But there’s a Canynge, to encrease
the store,
A Canynge, who shall buie uppe all theyre
fame.
Take thou mie power, and see yn chylde
and manne
What troulie noblenesse yn Canynge ranne.
As when a bordelier onn ethie bedde,
85
Tyr’d wyth the laboures maynt of
sweltrie daie,
Yn slepeis bosom laieth hys deft headde,
So, senses sonke to reste, mie boddie
laie;
Eftsoons mie sprighte, from erthlie bandes
untyde,
Immengde yn flanched ayre wyth Trouthe
asyde. 90
Strayte was I carryd back to tymes of
yore,
Whylst Canynge swathed yet yn fleshlie
bedde,
And saw all actyons whych han been before,
And all the scroll of Fate unravelled;
And when the fate-mark’d babe acome
to syghte, 95
I saw hym eager gaspynge after lyghte.
In all hys shepen gambols and chyldes
plaie.
In everie merriemakeyng, fayre or wake,
I kenn’d a perpled lyghte of Wysdom’s
raie;
He eate downe learnynge wyth the wastle
cake. 100
As wise as anie of the eldermenne,
He’d wytte enowe toe make a mayre
at tenne.