.The copye of the supplicacion.

O lady venus moder of cupyde That in this world hast the gouernance And hertes hye that hawteyn be by pryde Enclynest mekely to thyn obeyssance Causer of Ioye Relees of penance And with thy stremes canst euery thing discerñ Thurgħ heuenly fire of loue that is eterñ

O blesful sterre persaunt and ful of light Of beames gladsom, deuoyder of derknes Chief recomfort after the blak nyght To wyde woful hertes out of theyr heuynes Take now good hede lady and goddesse So that my bille may your grace attayne Redresse to fynde of that I me compleyne

For I am bounde to thing that I nolde Frely to chese ther lack I liberte And so I want of that myn herte wolde The body is knyt, thougħ my thought be fre So that I muste of necessite My hertes lyst outward contrarye Thougħ we be oon the dede muste varye

My worship sauf I faylle election Agayn al right botħ of god and kynde Therto be knyt vnder subiection For whens for botħ ar out of mynde My thought gotħ furtħ my body is behynde For I am here, and yond my remembrance Betwene two so hange I in balance

Deuoyde of Ioye, of woo I haue plente What I desire, that may I not possede For that I nolde is redy ay to me And that I loue, for to sue I drede To my desire contrary is my mede And thus I stonde departed in tweyne Of wyƚƚ and dede ylaced in a cheyne

For thougħ I brenne witħ feruence & hete Witħyn myn herte I mote compleyne of colde And by excesse thougħ I swelte and swete Me to compleyne god wote I am not bolde Vnto no wight, ner one word vnfolde Of al my peyne, allas the hard stounde The hotter that I brenne, the colder is my wounde

For he that hatħ myn hert feytħfully And hool my loue in al honeste Witħoute chaunge al be hit secretly I haue no space witħ hym for to be O lady venus consider now and see Vnto theffecte and compleynt of my byƚƚ Sitħ lyf and detħ I put aƚƚ in thy wyƚƚ

And tho me thought the goddes did enclyne Mekely her hede and softly gan expresse That in short tyme her torment shold fyne And how of hym for whom al her distresse Contynned had and al her heuynesse She shold haue Ioye and of her purgatorye Be holpen sone and so lyue fortħ in glorye

And said doughter for thy sad trouthe Thy faitħful menyng and Innocence That planted be witħ outen ony slouthe In your persone deuoyed of al offence So han they atteyned to our audience That witħ our grace ye shal be wel releuyd I you behete of al that hatħ you greuyd

And for that ye be euer of one entent Witħoute chaunge or mutabilyte And in your paynes ben so pacient To take lowly your aduersyte And that so longe thurgh the cruelte Of olde saturne my fader vnfortuned Your woo shal now no lenger be contuned

And thinketħ this witħ in a litil whyle Hit shal aswage and ouer passen sone For men by laysir passen many a myle And ofte after a droppyng mone The weder cleretħ, and whan the storme is done The sonne shynetħ in his spyer bright And Ioye waketħ whan woo is putto flight

Remembre eke how neuer yet no wight Ne cam to worship witħ out som debate And folke reioyse also more of light That they witħ derknes were waped & mate No mañs chañce is allewey fortunate Ne no wight preysetħ of sugre the swetnes But they to fore haue tasted bitternes

Gryssyld was asayed atte fuƚƚ That torned after to encrese of Ioye Penolope gan eke for sorowes dulle For that her lord abode so long at troye Also the torment ther coude noman accoye Of dorygene flour of al Bretaigne Thus euer Ioye is fyn and ende of payne

And trustetħ this for conclusion The ende of sorow is Ioye voyde of drede For hoolly seyntes thurgħ her passion Haue heuyn wonne by their souerain mede And plente gladly folowetħ after nede And so my doughter after your greuaunce I you behote ye shal haue ful plesaunce

For euer of loue the maner and the gyse Is for to hurte his seruaunt & to wounde And whan he hatħ taught them his empryse He can in Ioye make them to habounde And sitħ that ye haue in my laas be bounde Witħ oute gruoching or rebellyon Ye muste of night haue consolacion

This to sayne dowtetħ neuer a deel That ye shal haue ful possession Of hym that ye now cherisshe so weel In honest maner witħ oute offencion By cause I knowe youre entencion Is truly sette in party and in aƚƚ To loue hym best and most in speciaƚƚ

For he that ye haue chosen you to serue Shal be to you suche as ye desire Witħ oute chaunge fully til he sterue So witħ my bronde I haue sette hym a fyre And witħ my grace I shal hym so enspyre That he in herte shal be right at your wylle Wherso you liste to saue hym or to spylle

For vnto you I shal his herte so lowe Witħ oute spotte of ony doblenesse That he ne shal escape from the bowe Thaugħ that hym self by vnstedfastnesse I mene of cupide that shal hym so distresse Vnto your honde witħ tharowe of golde That he ne shal escapen thaugh he wolde

And sith ye list of pyte and of grace In vertu only his yonghthe to cherisshe I shal by aspectes of my benigne face Make hym beschewe euery synne and vice So that he shal haue no maner spice In his corage to loue thinges newe He shal to yow so playn be found and trewe

And whan this goodly fair fressħ of hue Humble and benygne of troutħ crop & rote Conceyued had how venus gan to rewe On her prayer plainly to do bote To chaunge her bitter attones in to sote She fyl on knees of higħ deuocion And in this wyse began her orison

Hyghest of hye quene and Emperice Goddesse of loue, of good yet the best That thurgħ your beaute witħoute vice Whylom conquerd thappel atte fest That Iubiter thurgħ his hye request To alle the goddes aboue celestyal Made in his palais most Imperyal

To you my lady vpholder of my lyf Mekely I thanke so as I may suffise That ye list now witħ herte ententyf So graciously for me to deuyse That whyle I lyue witħ humble sacrefise Vpon your auters your fest yer by yer I shal encence casten in to the fyre

For of your grace I am ful reconsiled From euery troble vnto ioye and ease That sorowes alle be from me exiled Sitħ ye my lady list now tappease My paynes olde and fully my disease Vnto gladnes so sodenly to torne Hauyng no cause from hens fortħ to morne

For sithen ye so mekely liste to daunte To my seruise hym that louetħ me best And of your bounte so graciously to graunte That he ne shal barye thougħ hym leste Wherof myn herte is fully brought to reste For now and euer o lady myn benigne That hert and wiƚƚ I hooly to you resigne

Thankyng you witħ al my ful herte That of your grace and visitacion So humble liste hym to conuerte Fully to ben at my subiection Witħ oute chaunge or transmutacion Vnto his laste, now laude and reuerence Be to your name and excellence

This al and sum and chief of my request And hool substance of my ful entente You thankyng euer of your graunt & hest Botħ now and euer that ye me grace sent To conquer hym that neuer shal repent Me for to serue and humblye for to please As fynal tresour of my hertes ease

And than anon venus cast a doun In to her lappe braunches whyte and grene Of hawthorn that wenten enuyron Aboute her heed that ioye was to sene And had her kepe hem honestly and clene Whiche shold not fade ne neuer wexe olde Yf she her biddyng kepe as she hatħ told

And as these vowes be bothe fair and swete Folowe theffecte that they do specifye This is to seyne botħ in cold and hete Be ye of one hert and of one fantasye As ar these leues whiche may not dye By no duresse of stormes that be kene Nomore in wynter than in somer grene

Right so by ensample of wele or woo For Ioye torment or for aduersite Whether so fortune fauoure, or be foo For pouert riches or prosperyte That ye your hert kepe in on degre To loue hym best for no thing that ye fyne Whom I haue bound so low vnder your cheyne

And witħ that word the goddesse shoke her heed And was in pees & spack as tho nomore And therwitħ aƚƚ ful femynyn of drede Me thought this lady sighen gan ful sore And said agayn, lady that maist restore Hertes in Ioye from theyr aduersite To do your wil de mieulx en mieulx ma gree

Thus euer slepyng dremyng as I laye Witħyn the temple me thought I saye Grete prees of folk witħ murmur wonderful To croude and shoue, the temple was so ful Euericħ ful besy, in his owne cause That I ne may shortly in a clause Discriuen alle the rites and the guyse And eke I wante connyng to deuyse How som̄e ther were witħ blood, encence & milk And som̄e witħ flouris sote & softe as silk And som̄e witħ sparowes & douues whyte That for to offren gan hem delyte Vnto the goddesse witħ sighe and prayer Hem to relese of that they most desire That for the prees shortly to conclude I wente my way for the multitude Me for to refressħ out of the prees allone And by my self me thought as I gan gone Witħ in the estres and gan a whyle tarye I sawe a man that walked al solitarye That as me semed for heuynes and dole Hym to compleyne, that he walked so sole Witħ oute espyyng of ony other wight

And yf I sħal diseryuen hym a right Yf that he had not ben in heuynes Me thought he was, to speke of semelines Of shap of fourme, and also of stature The most passing, that euer yet nature Made in her werkes, and lyke to be a man And ther witħ al as I reherce can Of face and chere the most gracyous To be biloued happy and ewrous Bur as it semed outward by his chere That he complayned for lack of his desire For by hym self as he walked vp and doun I herde hym make a lamentacion And said alas, what thing may this be That now am bonde that whylom was fre And wente at large at myn election Now am I caught vnder subiection For to become a beray homager To god of loue, wher er I cam here Felt in myn herte, nought of loues peyne But now of newe, witħin hur firy cheyne I am embraced so that I may not stryue To serue and loue whyle I am on lyue

The godly freshe in the temple yonder I sawe right now, that I had wonder How euer god, for to rekene aƚƚ Might make a thing so celestiaƚƚ So angelike on erthe to appere For witħ the stremes of her eyen clere I am wounded euen to the hert That fro the detħ I may not astert And most I meruayle that so sodeinly I was so yolde to be at hur mercy Witħoute more, I muste her lust obeye Whether that she liste me to lyue or deye And take mekely my sodeyn auenture For sitħ my lif, my detħ, and eke my cure Is in her hand it wil not auaylle To gruoche agayn, for of this bataylle The palme is heris, and plainly the victorye Yf I rebellid honour none ne glorye I might not in ony wyse achyeue Sitħ I am theolden, how shold I thenne preue To renne a wey, I wote hit wil not be Thougħ I be loos, at large I may not fle O god of loue how sharp is now thyn arowe

How mayst thou now so cruelly and so narowe Witħ oute cause hurte me and wounde And takest none hede my sorowes to founde But liche a birde that fleetħ at her desire Tyl sodeynly witħyn the pantere She is caught thaugħ late she was at large Anewe tempest forcastetħ now my barge Now vp now doun, witħ wynd it is so blowe So am I possed and almost ouerthrowe For dryue in derknes of many sondry wawe Alas whan shal this tempest ouerdrawe To clere the skyes of myn aduersite The lode sterre whan that I ne may see Hit is so hid witħ clowdes that be blake Alas whan wyƚƚ this torment ouerslake I can not wyte, for who is hurt of newe And bledetħ inward til he wex pale of hue And hatħ his wound vnwarly fressħ & grene And hit is not couthe vnto the harmes kene Of myghty cupyde that can so hertes daunte That no man may in his warre hym vaunte To gete a pryce but only by mekenes For ther ne hayletħ stryf ne sturdynes

So may I sayne that witħ a loke am yolde And haue no power to stryue thaugħ I wolde Thus stonde I euer betwix lif and detħ To loue and serue whyle I haue bretħ In suche a place where I dar not pleyne Liche hym that is in torment and in peyne And knowetħ not to whom to discure For ther that I haue holly set my aire I dar not wel for drede ne for daunger And for vnknowen tellen how the fyre Of loues bronde is kyndlid in my breste Thus am I murdred and slayn atte leste So priuely witħyn my thought O lady venus whom I haue sought So wysse me now what me is best to doo That am distraught witħ my self so That I ne wote what way for to torne Sauf by my self soleyn for to morne Hangyng in balance betwix hope and drede Witħ oute comfort remedye or rede For hope biddetħ pursue and assaye And agaynward drede answertħ naye And now witħ hope I am set a lofte

But drede and daunger hard & nothyng softe Hatħ ouerthrowe my trust and put a doun Now at my large, now fetred in prisoun Now in torment, now in souerayn glorye Now in paradyse and now in purgatorye As man dispayred in a double were Born vp witħ hope, and theñe anon daunger Me drawetħ aback, and saitħ it shal not be For where as I of myne aduersite Am bolde somwhyle mercy to requyre Thenne cometħ dispair & gynnetħ me to lere A newe lesson to hope ful the contrary They be so diuerse they wil do me varye And thus I stand dismayed in a traunce For whan that hope were likly me tauaunce For drede I tremble & dar one word not speke And yf hit so be, that I not out breke To telle the harmes that greuen me so sore But in my self encrece them more and more And to be slayn fully me delyte When of my detħ she is nothing to wyte For but yf she my constreynt plainly knewe How shold she euer, on my peynes rue

Thus oft tyme witħ hope I am meuyd To tel her aƚƚ, how I am greuyd And to be hardy on me for to take To axe mercy, but drede dotħ me theñe awake And than wanhop answertħ me agayn That better were than she haue disdayn To dye attones vnknowe of ony wight And ther witħ aƚƚ biddetħ hope anon right Me, to be bold and prayen her of grace And fitħ alle vertues be portreyd in her face Hit were not sittyng, that pyte were behynde And right anon witħyn my self I fynde A newe plee brought on me witħ drede That me so masetħ that I see no spede Be cause he saitħ that stonyetħ al my blood I am so symple and she is so good Thus hope & drede in me wyl not sece To plete and stryue my harmys to encrece But at hardest yet or I be dede Of my distresse sitħ I can no rede But stande dom̄ styl as ony stone To fore the goddesse I wil me haste anoñ And compleyne witħ oute more sermoñ

Thougħ detħ be fyn and ful conclusion Of my request, yet I wyl assaye And right anon me thought I saye This woful man as I haue memorye Ful lowly entre in to an oratorye And knelid a doun in ful humble wyse To fore the goddesse and gan anon deuyse His pitous quarel witħ a doleful chere Sayng right this as ye shaƚƚ here