The Temple of Glass

by

John Lydgate

Printed at Westminster
by William Caxton about the year
1477

Cambridge
at the University Press
1905

The unique book here reprinted in facsimile came to the Cambridge University Library in a famous volume of tracts described by Mr Blades (Biography and Typography of W. Caxton, 1882, p. 201).

The volume had formed part of the collection of John Moore, Bishop of Ely, which was given to the University by King George the First in 1715.

The first leaf, which is wanting, was probably blank.

F. JENKINSON

I certify that I have printed 250 copies only of this facsimile, that the impressions have been rubbed off the plates and the negatives destroyed.

P. DUJARDIN

.The temple of glas.

For thought constreynt & greuous heuynes
For pensifhed and higħ distres
To bed I went now this other nyght
Whan that lucina witħ hir pale light
Was Ioyned last witħ phebus in aquarye
Amyd decembre, whan of Ianuarye
Ther be kalendes of the new yere
And derk dyane horned and nothing clere
Had her beames vnder a mysty cloude
Witħ in my bed for cold I gan me shroude
Al desolate for constraynt of my woo
The long nyght walowyng to and fro
Til at laste er I began take kepe
Me dyde oppresse a sodeyn dedly slepe
Witħ in the whiche me thougħt I was
Rauysshed in spiryte in to a temple of glas
I nyste how fer in wildernes
That founded was as by liklynes
Not vpon stele, but on a craggy roche
Lyke yse y froze, and as I did approche
Agayn the sonne that shone so clere

As ony Cristal and euer ner and ner
As I cam nyghe this grisly dredful place
I wex astonyed, the light so in my face
Be gan to smyte, so persing euer in one
On euery part wher that I gan gone
That I ne might no thing as I wolde
Aboute me considere and beholde
The wonder estres for brightnes of the sonne
Til atte last certayn skyes donne
Witħ wynde chaced han her cours y went
To fore the stremes of titan and y blent
So that I mighte witħ in and witħ oute
Wherso I wolde beholden me aboute
For to reporte the facōn and manere
Of aƚƚ this place that was circuler
In compas wyse, round by entayle wrought
And whan I had longe gone and sought
I found a wiket and entred in as fast
In to the temple and myn eyen cast
On euery syde now lowe eft alofte
And right anon as I gan walken softe
Yf I the sotħ a right reporte shal
I sawe depeynted vpon a wal

From este to weste many a fair ymage
Of sondry louers lyke as they were of age
Y sette in ordre after they were trewe
Witħ liuely colours wonder fresh of hue
And as me thought I sawe som sitte & som stāde
And som̄e knelyng witħ billes in their hande
And som̄e witħ compleynt woful & pietous
Witħ doleful chere to putten to venus
So as she sat fleetyng in the see
Vpon her woo forto haue pitee
And first of alle I saugħ there of cartage
Dido the quene so goodly of visage
That gan compleyne hir auenture and cas
How she deceyued was of Eneas
For al his hestes and his othes sworn
And said alas that euer she was born
Whan she sawe that ded she must be
And next I sawe the compleynt of Medee
How that she falsed was of Iason
And nygħ by venus sawe I sitte atheon
And al the maner how the boor hym slougħ
For whom she wepte and had pyne ynougħ
Ther saw I also how that penolope

For she so longe her lord ne mighte see
Was of colour bothe pale and grene
And after next was the fresh quene
I mene alcest the noble trewe wyf
And for admete hou she lost her lif
And for her troutħ yf I shal not lye
How she was torned in to a daysye
Ther was Grisildes Innocence
And al her mekenes and pacience
There was eke Isode & many other moo
And al the torment and the cruel woo
That she had for tristram al her lyue
And how that Tisbe her hert dyde ryue
Witħ thilk swerd of sir Piramus
And al the maner hou that Theseus
The mynotaure slow amyd the hous
That was forwrynked by crafte of dedalus
Whan he was in pryson shit in Crete
And how that philles felte of loues hete
The grete fyre of demephon allas
And for his falshed and for his trespas
Vpon the walles depeynt men might see
How she henge vpon a fylberd tree

And many a story moo than I rekene can
Were in the temple, and how that paris wan
The fayr Eleyne a lusty fresh quene
And hou Achilles was for Policene
Y slayn vnwarly witħyn Troye toun
Al this sawe I walkyng vp and doun
Ther sawe I wreton eke the hole tale
How Philomene in to a nyghtyngale
Y torned was, and proigne vnto a swalowe
And how the sabyns in their maner halowe
The feste of lucresse yet in Rome toun
Ther saw I also the sorow of Palamon
That he in prison felte and al the smert
And how that he thurgħ vnto his hert
Was hurt vnwarly by castyng of an eye
On fair fresh the lusty yong Emelye
And al the stryf bytwene hym & his brother
And how that one faugħt witħ that other
Witħyn the groue, til they by Theseus
Accorded were as Chaucer telletħ vs
And furthermore as I gan beholde
I sawe hou phebus witħ an arowe of golde
Y wounded was thurgħ out his syde

Only by enuye of the god Cupyde
And how that dyane vnto a laurer tre
Y torned was whan that she dide fle
And how that Ioue changed his cope
Only for loue of the fair Eurepe
And in to a hole, whan he did he sue
Liste of his godhed his fourme to transmue
And hou that he by transmutacion
The shap gan take of Amphitrion
For Alcumena so passing was of beaute
So was he hurt for al his deyte
Witħ louys dart, and might it not escape
Ther sawe I also how mars was take
Of vulcanus and witħ venus founde
And witħ the cheynes Inuysible bounde
Ther was also al the poesye
Of hym Mercurye and al the philogye
And how that she for her sapience
Y wedded was to the god of eloquence
And how the Muses lowly did obeye
Higħ in to heuyn this lady to conueye
And witħ her songe hou she was magnefied
Witħ Jubiter there to be stellefied

And vppermore depeynt men might see
How witħ her ryng the goodly canace
Of euery fowle, the leydons and songe
Coude vnderstond as she walked them among
And hou her brother so often holpen was
In his myschief, by the stede of bras
And furthermore in the temple were
Ful many a thousand louers here & there
In sondry wyse redy to compleyne
Vnto the goddesse, of her woo and peyne
How they were hyndred som for enuye
And how the serpent of fals Ielousie
Ful many a louer hath put a back
And causeles on them haue leid a lack
And som̄e ther were that playned on absence
That were exiled and put out of presence
Thurgħ wicked tunges and fals suspecōn
Witħoute mercy or ony remissiōn
And other eke her seruyse spent in veyn
And of her lady were not loued ageyn
And other eke that for pouerte
Dursten in no wyse her grete aduersite
Discouere ne opene, lest they were refused

And som̄e for wantyng also were accused
And other eke that loued secretly
And of her lady durst axe no mercy
Lest that she wolde of hym haue despyte
And som̄e also that putten right grete wite
Ou double louers that loue thinges newe
Thurgħ whos falsenes hyndred be the trewe
And som̄ there were as hit is ofte founde
That for her lady many a blody wounde
Endured hatħ in many