Whos noble actis shew worsheply his name, Transcendyng far myne homely muse, that must Yet sumwhat wright supprisid with hartly lust, 145 Truly reportinge his right noble astate, Immortally whiche is immaculate. His noble blode never disteynyd was, Trew to his prince for to defende his right, If the hole quere of the musis nyne In me all onely wer sett and comprisyde, As perfightly as could be thought or devysyd; Of laureat Phebus holy the eloquence, All were to litill for his magnyficence. 150 155 160 O yonge lyon, bot tender yet of age, Grow and encrese, remembre thyn astate, God the assyst unto thyn herytage, 165 And geve the grace to be more fortunate, Agayne rebellyouns arme to make debate. And, as the lyoune, whiche is of bestis kinge, Unto thy subjectis be kurteis and benyngne. I pray God sende the prosperous lyf and long, Wythe hevy chere, with dolorous hart and mynd, 170 175 Allgyf Englond and Fraunce were thorow saught. Al kings, all princes, all dukes, well they ought 180 Bothe temporall and spirituall for to complayne This noble man, that crewelly was slayne. More specially barons, and those knygtes bold, And all other gentilmen with hym enterteynd In fee, as menyall men of his housold, Whom he as lord worsheply manteynd: 185 To sorowful weping they ought to be constreynd, As oft as thei call to ther remembraunce, Of ther good lord the fate and dedely chaunce. O perlese prince of hevyn emperyalle, 190 That with one worde formed al thing of noughte; Hevyn, hell, and erth obey unto thi kall; Which to thy resemblance wondersly hast wrought All mankynd, whom thou full dere hast boght, With thy blode precious our finaunce thou dyd pay, And us redemed, from the fendys pray: To the pray we, as prince imcomperable, 196 As thou art of mercy and pite the well, Thou bringe unto thy joye etermynable The sowle of this lorde from all daunger of hell, In endles blis with the to byde and dwell 201 In thy palace above the orient, Where thou art lorde, and God omnipotent. O quene of mercy, O lady full of grace, Maiden moste pure, and goddis moder dere, To sorowful harts chef comfort and solace, Of all women O floure withouten pere, He to vouchesaf by thy mediatioun 205 To pardon thy servant, and bringe to salvacion. 210 In joy triumphaunt the hevenly yerarchy, With all the hole sorte of that glorious place, His soule mot receyve into ther company Thorowe bounte of hym that formed all solace: The father, the son, and the holy goste In Trinitate one God of myghts moste. 215 I have placed the foregoing poem of Skelton's before the following extract from Hawes, not only because it was written first, but because I think Skelton is in general to be considered as the earlier poet, many of his poems being written long before Hawes's Graunde Amour. The reader has here a specimen of the descriptive powers of Stephen Hawes, a celebrated poet in the reign of Henry VII., though now little known. It is extracted from an allegorical poem of his (written in 1505) intitled, "The History of Graunde Amoure and La Belle Pucel, called the Palace of Pleasure," &c. 4to. 1555. See more of Hawes in Ath. Ox. v. 1, p. 6, and Warton's Observ. v. 2, p. 105. He was also author of a book intitled, "The Temple of Glass. Wrote by Stephen Hawes, gentleman of the bedchamber to K. Henry VII." Pr. for Caxton, 4to. no date. The following stanzas are taken from chap. iii. and iv. of the History above mentioned. "How Fame departed from Graunde Amoure and left him with Governaunce and Grace, and howe he went to the Tower of Doctrine,” &c. As we are able to give no small lyric piece of Hawes's, the reader will excuse the insertion of this extract. I LOVED about and saw a craggy roche, Farre in the west neare to the element, Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent 5 Made of fine copper, with turrettes fayre and hye, Which against Phebus shone soe marveylously, That for the very perfect bryghtnes What of the tower and of the cleare sunne, I could nothyng behold the goodlines Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne : Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere, And often mused of the great hyghnes Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare: 10 15 Gargeyld with grayhoundes, and with many lyons, 20 Made of fyne golde; with divers sundry dragons.* The little turretts' with 6 ymages of golde About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved With propre vices, that I did well beholde About the tower, in sundry wyse they hoved. With goodly pypes, in their mouthes ituned, That with the wynd they pyped a daunce Iclipped Amour de la hault plesaunce. Ver. 25, towers. PC. 25 * Greyhounds, lions, dragons, were at that time the royal sup porters. |