The Assemble of Goddes Part 9

But oonly Macrocosme more haue I not loo.

Take {that} yf it pleyse you I wyl that it be soo.

Yf I may vnderstond ye be my good lorde.

In dede sayd Vertu to that wyll I accorde.

Then made Vertu Reason his leyftenaunte.

And yaue hi{m} a grete charge macrocosme to kepe That done Sensualite yeld hym recreaunte.

And began for anger bytterly to wepe.

For he demed surely hys sorowe shold not slepe Then made Vertu Frewyll bayl vnd{er} Reason.

The feld for to ocupy to his behoue that season.

And then sayd Vertu to Sensualyte.

Thou shalt be rewarded for thy besynesse.

Vnder this furme al fragylyte Shalt {thou} forsake both more and lesse.

And vnd{er} the guydy{n}g {thou} shalt be of sadnesse.

All though it somwhat be agayn thy herte.

Thy Iugements gyuen {thou} shalt it not asterte.

And evyn {with} that came in dame Nature.

Sayeng th{us} to Vertu syr ye do me wronge.

By duresse & constreynt to put this creature.

Gentyll Sensualyte {that} hath me s{er}ued longe.

Clerely from his lyberte & set hym amonge.

They{m} that loue hy{m} not to be her vnd{er}loute.

As it were a cast away or a sho cloute.

And perde ye know well a rewle haue I must Wythin Macrocosme forsoth I say not nay.

Q{uo}d Vertu but se{n}sualyte shal not p{er}form your l.u.s.t Lyke as he hath do befor this yf I may.

Therfro hy{m} restreyn sadnesse shal a.s.say.

How be it ye shal haue your hole lyberte.

Wythin Macrocosme as ye haue had fre.

And whan Vertu had to Nature sayd thus A lytyll tyne his ey castyng hym besyde.

He se in a corner stondyng Morpleus That hy{m} before warned of {that} berely tyde.

A syrs sayd Vertu yet we must abyde.

Here is a frend of ours may not be forgete.

After his deserte we shall hy{m} entreate

Morple{us} sayd Vertu I tha{n}ke you hertely For your trew herte & your grete laboure.

That ye lyst to come to me soo redely.

Whan ye vnderstood {the} comy{n}g of that shoure.

I thanke G.o.d & you of sauy{n}g of my{n} honour.

Wherfore this preuylege now to you I gra{n}t That {with}in Macrocosme ye shall haue your hau{n}t

And of fyue posternes {the} keys shall ye kepe.

Lettyng in & out at hy{m} whome ye lyst.

As long as in Macrocosme your fad{er} wyll crepe.

Blere whos ey ye wyll hardely {with} your myst And kepe your werkes close there as in a chyst Saaf I wold desyre you spare Pollucyon.

For no thy{n}g may me plese {the} sou{n}eth to corrupcyon.

And wha{n} he had th{us} sayd {the} keyes he hy{m} toke.

And toward his castell {with} his people went Byddy{n}g reason take good hede & about loke That se{n}sualite by Nature were not she{n}t.

Kepe hy{m} short he sayd tyll his l.u.s.t be spe{n}t For better were a chylde to by vnbore Than let hy{m} haue {the} wyll & foreuer be lore.

And wha{n} olde Attropos had seen & herd all this How Vertu had opteyned astonyed as he stood.

He sayd to hy{m}selfe somwhat there is amys.

I trow well my patent be not all good. Next line is missing Sayeng to the G.o.ddys I see ye do but iape. from the original.

After a worthy whew haue ye made me gape. The line reads: And ran to the palyse How a deuyll way sholde I Vertue ouerthrow. as he had be wood When he dredeth not all your hole route.

How ca{m} ye make good your pate{n}t wold I know Hit is to Impossable to bryng that aboute.

For stryke hym may I not {that} is out of doute.

A good Attropos sayd G.o.d Apollo.

An answere conuenyent shall thou haue herto.

The wordes of thy patent dare I well say Stretche to no forther but were dame Nature Hath Iurysdyccyon the{re} to haue the way Nota.

And largesse to stryke as longet to thy cure.

And as for Vertu he his no cryature.

Vnder the predycament conteyned of quantyte Wherefore his dystruccyon longeth not to the.

A ha sayd Attropos then I see well.

That all ye G.o.ddys be but cou{n}terfete. Original has For oo G.o.d there is that can euerydell. goodys and Tourne as hym lest bothe drye & whete. coue{n}terfete In to whoos seruyce I shal a.s.say to gete. instead of And yf I may ones to his seruyce come. G.o.ddys and Your names shal be put to oblyuyone. cou{n}terfete

Thus went Attropos fro the paleys wrooth.

But in the mene tyme whyle {that} he there was.

Glydyng by the paleys resydyuacyon gooth.

Towarde Macrocosme with a peynted fase.

Clad lyke a pylgryme walkyng a grete pase.

In the forme as he had ben a man of ynde.

He wede haue made reson & sadnesse both bly{n}de

With sensualyte was he soone aqueynted.

To whome he declared his mater pryuely.

Yet he was espyed for all his face peynted.

Then reson hy{m} co{m}mauded pyke hy{m} the{n}s lightly.

For his ease q{uo}d sadnesse so cou{n}seyll hym wyll I.

Soo was sensualyte ay kepte vnder foote.

That to resydyuacyon myght he doo no boote.

Then went he to Nature & asked her auyse.

His entent to opteynde what was best to doo.

She sayd euer syth Vertu of vyce wan {the} pryse.

Reson with sadnesse hath rewled the felde soo.

That I & sensualyte may lytyll for the doo.

For I may noo more but oonly kepe my cours.

And yet is sensualyte strenger kept & wours.

Th{us} hery{n}g resydiuacon fro the{n}s he went ageyn Full of thought & sorow {that} he myght not spede.

Than reson & sadnesse toke wedehokes tweyn.

And all wylde wa{n}tonesse out {the} felde gan wede.

With all the slyper gra.s.se {that} grewe of the sede. Original has That sensualyte before therin sew. thr instead And fro thens forth kept it clene for vertew of the