paste
Me thought I saw witħ a goldyn cheyne
Venus, anon enbrace and constreyne
Her bothe hertes in one, for to perseuere
Whilis that they lyue, and neuer to disseuere

Seyng right thus with a benygne chere
Sith it is so, ye be vnder my myght
My wil is thus, that ye my doughter dere
Ful accepte this man as it is right
Vnto your grace anon here in my sight
That euer hath ben so lowly you to serue
Hit is good shil your thank that he deserue

Your honour sauf and eke your womanhede
Hym to cherisshe, hit sittetħ you right wele
Sith he is bounde vnder hope and drede
Amyd my cheyne that forged is of stele
Ye must of mercy shape that he fele
In yow som grace of his long seruyse
And that in hast lik as I shal deuyse

This is to sayn that ye taken hede
Hou he to you most faitħful is and true
Ofal your seruauntes, & nothing for his mede
Of you ne asketh, but ye on hym rue
For he vowed hath to change for no newe
For lyf ne detħ, for ioye ne for peyne
Ay to be youris, so as ye list ordeyne

Wherfore ye muste or els it were wrong
Vnto your grace fully hym receyue
In my presence, by cause he hatħ so long
Hooly ben youris, as ye may conceyue
That from your mercy, yf ye hym weyue
I wyl my silf recorden cruelte
In your persone, and gret lack of pyte

Late hym for his troutħ fynde than agayn
For long seruyse, guerdon hym witħ grace
And late ye pyte weye doun his payn
For tyme is now daunger to arace
Out of your hert, and mercy in to pace
And loue for loue world wel beseme
To yeue agayn and this I plainly deme

And as for hym I wil ben his borowe
Of lowlihede and besy attendance
How he shal be bothe eue and morowe
Ful diligent to doon his obseruance
And euer awaytyng, you to do playsance
Wherfore my sone, listen and take hede
Fully tobeye, as I shal the rede

And first of aƚƚ my wiƚƚ is that thou be
Feithful in hert and constant as a wal
True humble, meke and therwith al secre
Witħ out change in partie or in aƚƚ
And for no torment that the fallen shal
Tempest the not, but euer in stedfastnes
Rote thyn herte, and wyde doublenes

And furthermore haue in reuerence
These women al for thy lady sake
And suffre neuer that men hem do offence
For loue of one, but euermore vndertake
Hem to defende whether they slept or wake
And ay be redy to holden them party
Ayenst aƚƚ tho that to hem haue enuye

Be curtais ay and lowly of thy speche
To riche and poure ay fressħ & wel beseyn
And euer besy weyes for to seche
Alle true louers to relece of her peyn
Sith thou art one, & of no wight haue disdeyn
For loue hath power hertes for to daunte
And neuer for cherising, the to muche auaunte

Be lusty eke voyd of aƚƚ tristesse
And take no thought but euer be iocound
And not to pensif for none heuynes
And witħ thy gladnes, lete sadnes ay be found
Whan woo approched, lete mirtħ most habound
As manhod ayid, and though thou fele smert
Late not to many knowen of thyn hert

And alle vertues besily thou sue
Vices eschewe for the loue of one
And for no tales thyn hert not renewe
Word is but wynd that shal soon ouergoon
What euer thou here be domb as ony stoon
And to answere to sone, not the delyte
For here she standetħ that al this shal the quyte

And wherther thou be absent or in presence
None others beawte lete in thy hert myne
Sitħ I haue yeue hir of beaute excellence
Aboue al other in vertu for to shyne
And thynke hou in fyre men ar wont to fyne
This pured gold to put hit in assaye
So to the proue, thou art put in delaye

But tyme shal come thou shalt for thy suffrance
Be wel apaid and take for thy mede
Thy lyurs ioye and al thy suffisance
So that good hope alway thy bridel lede
Lete no dispeir hyndre the with drede
But ay thy trust vpon her mercy grounde
Sith none but she may thy sorowe sounde

Eche hour and tyme. weke. day and yere
Be lich faithful and vary not for lyte
Abyde a whyle and than of thy desire
The tyme neygheth that shal the most delyte
And late no sorow in thy hert byte
For no differring, sith thou for thy mede
Shal reioyse in pees the flour of womanhede

Thinke hou she is this worldis sonne & light
The sterre of beaute the flour eke of fairnes
Both crop and robe and eke the rubye bright
Hertes to glade, y troubled with derknes
And hou I haue made her, thin hertes Empresse
Be glad therfore to be vnder her bond
Now come ner doughter & take him by the hond

Vnto this syn that aftir alle these shouris
Of his torment he may be glad and light
Whan by your grace ye take hym to be youris
For euermore anon here in my sight
And eke I wil also as hit is right
Without more his langour for to lysse
In my presence anon that ye hym kysse

That ther may be of al your old smertis
A ful relees vnder ioye assured
And that one lok be of your bothe hertis
Shet with my keye of gold so wel pured
Only in signe that ye haue recured
Your hool desire here in this hooly place
Within my temple now in the yere of grace

Eternally be bounde of assuraunce
The knot is knyt, that may not be vnbounde
That alle the goddes of this aliaunce
Satorne. Joue. and Mars as it is founde
And eke Cupyde that first did you wounde
Shal bere record, and ouermore bewreke
On whiche of yow, his troutħ first breke

So that by aspectes of their fair lokis
Witħoute mercy shal fal the vengeance
For to be raced clene out of my bokis
On whiche of you be found of variance
Therfore attones settetħ your plesance
Fully to ben whyle ye haue lyf and mynde
Of one acorde vnto your lyues ende

That yf the spiryte of newfanglenes
In ony wyse your hertes wold assaylle
To meue or styre to brynge in doublenes
Vpon your troutħ to gyuen a bataylle
Lete not your corage ne your force faylle
Nor none assaultes you flitten or remeue
For vnassayed no man may troutħ preue

For whyte is whitter yf it be set by black
And swete is swetter after bitternes
And falshed euer is dryue and put a back
Where trouthe is roted witħ doblenes
Witħout preue ther may be no sekernes
Of loue or hate and therfore of you two
Shal loue be more, for hit was bought with woo

And euery thing is had more in deynte
And more of pris whan it is dere bought
And eke loue stondeth more in sewrte
Whan it is to fore with payne woo & thought
Conquerd was first whan hit was sought
And euery conquest hath his excellence
In his poursute as it fyndeth resistence

And so to you more sote and agreable
Shal loue be found I do you plainly assure
Witħout grucchyng that ye were suffrable
So lowe so meke paciently to endure
That al attones I shal do now my cure
For now and euer your hertis so to bynde
That nought but deth shal the knot vnbynde

Now in this mater what shold I lenger dwelle
Come ye attones and do as I haue said
And first my doughter that ar of bounte welle
In hert and thought be glad & wel apayd
To done hym grace that shal & hath obeyd
Your lustes euer, and I wil for his sake
Of trouth to you be bounde and vndertake

And so fortħ witħin presence as they stand
To fore the goddes this fair and wele
Her humble seruant toke goodly by the hond
As he to fore her, mekely did knele
And kyssed hym after fulfillyng eueridele
From poynt to poynt in ful thryfty wyse
As ye to forn haue venus herd deuyse

Thus is this man to ioye and al plesance
From heuynes and from his peynes olde
Ful reconcyled, and hatħ