Of knights, of fquyers, chef lord of toure and toune,
Tyl fykkill fortune began on hym to frowne.

135

Paregall to dukis, with kings he myght compare,
Sourmountinge in honor all erls he did excede,
To all cuntreis aboute hym reporte me I dare.
Lyke to Eneas benygne in worde and dede,
Valiaunt as Hector in every marciall nede,
Provydent, difcrete, circumfpe&t, and wyfe,
Tyll the chaunce ran agyne him of fortunes duble dyse.

What nedethe me for to extoll his fame

139

With my rude pen enkankerd all with ruft? Whos noble actis fhew worsheply his name, Tranfcendyng far myne homely mufe, that muft Yet fumwhat wright fupprifid with hartly luft, 145 Truly reportinge his right noble astate,

Immortally whiche is immaculate.

His noble blode never difteynyd was,

Trew to his prince for to defende his right,
Doublenes hatinge, fals maters to compas,
Treytory and trefon he bannesht out of fyght,
With trowth to medle was all his hole delyght,

As all his kuntrey kan teflefy the fame :
To flo fuche a lord, alas, it was grete fhame.

150

If the hole quere of the mufis nyne

155

In me all onely wer fett and comprisyde, Enbrethed with the blaft of influence dyvyne,

As perfightly as could be thought or devyfyd;
To me alfo allthouche it were promyfyde

Of

Of laureat Phebus holy the eloquence,
All were to litill for his magnyficence.
O yonge lyon, bot tender yet of age,
Grow and encrefe, remembre thyn aftate,
God the affyft unto thyn herytage,

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 fubjectis be kurteis and benyngne.

I pray God fende the profperous lyf and long,
Stabille thy mynde conftant to be and faft,
Right to mayntein, and to refift all wronge,

All flattringe faytors abhor and from the cast,
Of foule detraction God kepe the from the blast,
Let double delinge in the have no place,
And be not light of credence in no case.

Wythe hevy chere, with dolorous hart and mynd,

Eche man may forow in his inward thought, Thys lords death, whose pere is hard to fynd

Allgyf Englond and Fraunce were thorow faught.

160

165

170

175

Al kings, all princes, all dukes, well they ought 180 Bothe temporall and fpirituall for to complayne This noble man, that crewelly was flayne.

More fpecially barons, and thofe knygtes bold,

And all other gentilmen with hym enterteynd

In fee, as menyall men of his houfold,
Whom he as lord worfheply manteynd:

185

To forow full weping they ought to be conftreynd,

As oft as thei call to ther remembraunce,

Of ther good lord the fate and dedely chaunce.

O perlefe 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 refemblance wonderfly haft wrought All mankynd, whom thou full dere haft boght, With thy blode precious our finaunce thou dyd pay, 195 And us redemed, from the fendys pray :

To the pray we, as prince incomperable,

As thou art of mercy and pite the well, Thou bringe unto thy joye etermynable

The fowle of this lorde from all daunger of hell, 200 In endles blis with the to byde and dwell

In thy palace above the orient,

Where thou art lorde, and God omnipotent.

O quene of mercy, O lady full of grace,

Maiden mofte pure, and goddis moder dere, To forowful harts chef comfort and folace,

Of all women O floure withouten pere, Pray to thy fon above the ftarris clere, He to vouchefaf by thy mediatioun

To pardon thy fervant, and bringe to falvacion.

In joy triumphaunt the hevenly yerarchy,

With all the hole forte of that glorious place, His foule mot reçeyve into ther company

205

210

Thorowe

Thorowe bounte of hym that formed all folace :
Well of pite, of mercy, and of grace,

The father, the fon, and the holy gofte

In Trinitate one God of myghts mofte.

215

ttt I have placed the foregoing poem of SKELTON'S before the following extract from HAWES, not only because it was written firft, but because I think SKELTON is in general to be confidered as the earlier poet; many of his poems being written long before HAWES's Graunde

Amour.

X.

THE TOWER OF DOCTRINE.

The reader has here a fpecimen of the defcriptive powers of STEPHEN HAWES, a celebrated poet in the reign of Hen. VII. tho' now little known. It is extracted from an allegorical poem of his (written in 1505.) intitlea, The

66

Hift. of Graunde Amoure & 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 Obferv. v. 2. p. 105.

The following Stanzas are taken from Chap. III. and IV. "How Fame departed from Graunde Amour 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 excufe the infertion of this extract.

I

Loked about and faw a craggy roche,

Farre in the weft neare to the element,

And as I dyd then unto it approche,

Upon the toppe I fawe refulgent

The royal tower of MORALL DOCUMENT, Made of fine copper with turrettes fayre and hye, Which against Phebus fhone foe marveyloufly,

That for the very perfect bryghtnes

What of the tower, and of the cleare funne,
I could nothyng behold the goodlines

Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne :
Tyll at the laft, with myfty wyndes donne,
The radiant brightnes of golden Phebus
Aufter gan cover with clowde tenebrus,

Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere,

And often mufed of the great hyghnes Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare: But the fayre tower, (fo much of ryches Was all about,) fexangled doubtles;

5

15

Gargeyld with grayhoundes, and with many lyons, 20 Made of fyne golde; with divers fundry dragons.

The little turrett' with ymages of golde

About was fet, whiche with the wynde aye moved

With propre vices, that I did well beholde

About the tower, in fundry wyfe they hoved. With goodly pypes, in their mouthes ituned, That with the wynd they pyped a daunce Iclipped Amour de la hault plefaunce.

25

The

V, 22. turrets. PC.

V. 25. towers. PC.