The Assemble of Goddes Part 10

Than began new grase in the felde to spryng.

All vnlyke {that} other of colour fayr & bryght.

But then I aspyed a meruelous thyng.

For the grou{n}de of {the} felde gan wex h.o.r.e & whyt.

I coude not conceyue how {that} be myght.

Tyll I was enformed & taught it to know.

But wher vertu occupyet must nedes wel grow

Yet in the mene tyme while the felde thus grow.

And reson with sadnesse therof had gouerau{n}ce.

Many a preuy messenger thyder sent Vertew.

To know yf it were guyded to his plesau{n}ce.

Now prayer eft fastyng & often tyme penau{n}ce.

And whan he myght goo preuely almesdede.

And bad hy{m} to his power helpe where he se nede

While {that} felde thus rewled reson with sadnesse.

Maugre dame Nature for all her carnall might Came thyder Attropos voyd of all gladnesse.

Wrapped in his shete & axed of ony wyght.

Coude wysse hym the vay to the lorde of light.

Or ellis where myght fynde ryghtwysnesse. Original has Forsothe sayd reyson I trow as I gesse. ryghwysnesse instead of At Vertu his castell ye may soone hym fynde. ryghtwysnesse If ye lyst the laboure thyder to take.

And there shall ye know yf ye be not blynde.

The next wey to the lord of lyght I vndertake.

So thyder went Attropos petycyon to make.

To ryghtwysnesse preyeng that he myght.

Be take in to the seruyse of the lorde of lyght.

What sad ryghtwysnesse {thou} olde dotyng foole. Original has Whome hast thou seruyd syth the worlde bega{n} ryghwysnesse, But oonly hym where hast {thou} go to scole. yast and oonhl Whethery art {thou} double or elles the sam man. instead of That thou were fyrst a syr sayd he than. ryghtwysnesse, I praye you hertely holde me excused. hast and oonly I am olde & febell my wyttys are dysused.

Well sayd ryghtwysnes for as moche as thow.

Knowest not thy mayst{er} thy name shal I chau{n}ge Dethe shalt {thou} be caled from he{n}s forward now Among all the peple that shal be had strau{n}ge.

But whan {thou} begynnest to make thy chalau{n}ge.

Dredde shalt thou be where so thou become.

And to noo creature shalt thou be welcome.

And as for theym whome thou dedest serue.

For as moche as they presume on hem to take.

That hygh name of G.o.d they shal as they des{er}ue Therfore be rewarded I dare vnd{er}take.

Wyth payn p{er}petual among fendes blake.

And her names shall be put to oblyuyon.

Among men but it be in dyrysyon.

Aha sayd Attropos now begy{n}ne I wex glad.

That I shal thus auenged of hem be.

Syth they so long tyme haue made me so mad.

Yee q{uo}d ryghtwysnesse here what I say to the.

The lorde of lyght sent the worde by me.

That in Macrocosme sesyne shalt thou take wherfore thy darte redy loke thou make

And as soone as Vertue that vnderstood He sayd he was pleased that it sholde s...o...b.. And euen forth with he co{m}maunded presthood To make hym redy the felde for to se So thyder went presthode with benygnyte Conueyeni{n}g thyder the blessyd sacrament Of Eukaryst but fyrst were thyder sent

Confessyo{n} contrycyon and satysfaccyo{n} (nota Sorow for synne and grete repentaunce Holy deuocyon with good dysposycyon All these thyder came and also penaunce As her dewte was to make purueaunce Agayn the comyng of that blessyd lorde Feyth hope & charyte therto were acorde

Reason with sadnesse dyde his dylygence To clense the felde within and without And whan they se the bodely presence Of that holy Eukaryst lowly gan they lout So was that lorde receyued out of dout With all humble chere debonayre & benygne Lykly to pleasure it was a grete sygne

Then came to the felde the mynyster fynall Called holy vnccyon with a crysmatory The fyue hye wayes in especyall Therof he anoy{n}ted & made hit sanctuary Whome folowed deth whiche wolde not tary His feruent power there to put in vre As he was co{m}mau{n}ded grau{n}tyng dame Nature

Nota.

He toke his darte called his mortall launce And bent his stroke towarde the feldes herte That seyng preesthode bad good remembrau{n}ce Towarde the felde tourne hym & aduerte For except hym all vertues thense must sterte And euen with that dethe there sesyne toke And then all the company clerely hit forsoke

And as soone as dethe thus had sesyne take The colour of the felde was chau{n}ged sodeynly The gra.s.se therin seere as though it had be bak And the fyue hygh wayes were mured vpon hy That fro the{n}sforwarde none entre shold therbi The posternes were also without lette Bothe inwarde & outwarde fyne fast shette

Whiche done sodeynly dethe vanysshed a way And Vertu exalted was aboue the fyrmament Where he toke crowne of glory {that} is ay Preparate by Alpha & oo omnypotent The swete frute of macrocosme thyd{er} {with} hy{m} we{n}t And on all this mater as I stood musyng thus Agayn fro the felde to me came Morpleus

Saye{n}g thus what chere how lyketh {the} this fyght Haste thou seen ynough or wyll thou see more Nay syr I sayd my trouthe I you plyght This is suffycyente yf I knew wherfore This was to me shewed for therof he lore Coueyte I to haue yf I gete myght Folow me quod he and haue thy delyght

Soo I hym folowed tyll he had me brought To a foresquare herber walled round aboute Loo q{uo}d Morple{us} here maist thou {that} thou sought Fynde yf thou wyll I put the out of doute A lytyll whyle we stood styll there withoute Tyll wytte chyef porter of that herber gate Requyred by stodye lete vs in there ate

But whan I came in meruayled gretly Of that I behelde & herde reporte For fyrst in a chayre apparaylled royally There sate dam doctryne her childern to exorte And about her was many a sondry sorte Some wyllyng to lerne dyuerse scyence And some for to haue perfyte intellygence

Crowned she was lyke an Emperesse With .iii. crownes standyng on her hede on by All thyng about her an Infynyte processe Original has Were to declare I tell you certaynly teyng Neuerthelesse some in mynde therof haue I instead of Whiche I shall to you as G.o.d wyll yeue me grace thyng As I sawe & herde tell in short s.p.a.ce

Fast by Doctryne on that one syde As I remembre sate holy Texte That opened his mouthe to {the} people wyde But not in comparyson to Glose {that} sate nexte.

Moralyzacyon with a cloke contexte Sate & Scrypture was scrybe to theym all He sate ay wrytyng of that that sholde fall

These were tho that I there knewe By no maner waye of olde acqueyntau{n}ce But as I before saw theym with Vertewe Company in felde & hauyng dalyau{n}ce And as I thus stood halfe in a traunce Whyle they were occupyed in her besynesse Aboute the walles myn ey gan I dresse

Where I beheld the meruaylous story That euer I yet sawe in ony pycture For on tho walles was made memory Syngulerly of euery creature That there had byn bothe forme & stature Whoos names reherse I wyll as I can Bryng theym to mynde in ordre euery man

Fyrst to begynne there was in portrature Adam & Eue holdyng an apell rounde Noe in a shyp & Abraham hauyng sure A flyntstone in his honde & Isaac lay bounde On an hyghe mou{n}te Iacob slepyng sounde And a long ladder stood besyde Ioseph in a Cysterne was also there that tyde.

Next whom stode Moyses with his tables two Aaron and Vrre his armes supportynge Ely in a brennyng chare was there also.

And Elyze stode clad in hermytes clothynge.

Dauyd wyth an harpe and a stone slynge.

Isaye Ieremy and Ezechyell.

And closed wyth Lyons holy Danyell.

Abacuc Mychee with Malachy.

And Ionas out of a whales body comynge.

Samuel in a Temple & holy zachary.

Besyde an aulter all blody stondynge.

Osee wyth Iudyth stood there conspyryng.

The deth of Dioferne & Salamon.

A chylde wyth hys swerde dyuydynge in two.

Many mo p{ro}phetes certeynly there were.

Whoos names now come not to my mynde: Melchysedech also I espyed there.

Brede & wyne offryng as fell to his kynde.

Ioachym & Anna stode al behynde.