Nothing is thy fortune, thy hart cannot be light.
As touching sportes and games of pleasaunce.
To sing, to revell, and other daliaunce:
Who that will truely upon his lord attende,
Unto suche sportes he seldome may entende.
Palaces, pictures, and temples sumptuous,
And other buildings both gay and curious,
These may marchauntes more at their pleasour see,
Men suche as in court be bounde alway to bee.
Sith kinges for moste part passe not their regions,
Thou seest nowe cities of foreyn nations.
Suche outwarde pleasoures may the people see,
So may not courtiers for lacke of libertie.
As for these pleasours of thinges vanable
Whiche in the fieldes appeareth delectable,
But seldome season mayest
thou obtayne respite.
The same to beholde
with pleasour and delite,
Sometime the courtier
remayneth halfe the yere
Close within walls muche
like a prisonere,
To make escapes some
seldome times are wont,
Save when the powers
have pleasour for to hunt,
Or its otherwise themselfe
to recreate,
And then this pleasour
shall they not love but hate;
For then shall they
foorth most chiefely to their payne,
When they in mindes
would at home remayne.
Other in the frost,
hayle, or els snowe,
Or when some tempest
or mightie wind doth blowe,
Or else in great heat
and fervour excessife,
But close in houses
the moste parte waste their life,
Of colour faded, and
choked were with duste:
This is of courtiers
the joy and all the lust.
CORIDON
What! yet may they sing
and with fayre ladies daunce,
Both commen and laugh;
herein is some pleasaunce.
CORNIX
Nay, nay, Coridon, that
pleasour is but small,
Some to contente what
man will pleasour call,
For some in the daunce
his pincheth by the hande,
Which gladly would see
him stretched in a bande.
Some galand seketh his
favour to purchase
Which playne abhorreth
for to beholde his face.
And still in dauncing
moste parte inclineth she
To one muche viler and
more abject then he.
No day over passeth
but that in court men finde
A thousande thinges
to vexe and greve their minde;
Alway thy foes are present
in thy sight,
And often so great is
their degree and might
That nedes must thou
kisse the hand which did thee harm,
Though thou would see
it cut gladly from the arme.
And briefly to speake,
if thou to courte resorte,
If thou see one thing
of pleasour or comfort,
Thou shalt see many,
before or thou depart,
To thy displeasour and
pensiveness of heart:
So findeth thy sight
there more of bitternes
And of displeasour,
than pleasour and gladnes.