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

The father, the fon, and the holy goste
In Trinitate one God of myghts moste.

215

it 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.

THE

X.

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.) intitled, "The

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. He was alfo 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 Hift. above-mentioned. "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 fmall lyric piece of Hawes's, the reader will excufe the infertion of this extract. I Loked

I

Loked about and faw a craggy roche,

Farre in the west 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 sunne,
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,

5

10

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;

15

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

The little turrets 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,

25

* Grey bounds, Lions, Dragons, were at that time the royal supporters. V. 25. towers. PC.

That

That with the wynd they pyped a daunce
Iclipped Amour de la bault plefaunce.

The toure was great of marveylous wydnes,
To whyche ther was no way to passe but one,
Into the toure for to have an intres:

30

A grece there was ychefyld all of stone
Out of the rocke, on whyche men dyd gone

Up to the toure, and in lykewyse dyd I

Wyth bothe the Grayhoundes in my company *:

35

Tyll that I came unto a ryall gate,

Where I fawe stondynge the goodly Portres, Whyche axed me, from whence I came a-late; To whome I gan in every thynge expreffe

All myne adventure, chaunce, and busyneffe, And eke my name; I tolde her every dell: Whan fhe herde this she lyked me right well.

Her name, fhe fayd, was called COUNTENAUNCE;
Into the bafe' courte fhe dyd me then lede,
Where was a fountayne depured of plesance,
A noble fprynge, a ryall conduyte-hede,
Made of fyne golde enameled with reed;
And on the toppe four dragons blewe and toute
Thys dulcet water in four partes dyd spoute.

*This alludes to a former part of the Poem.

V. 44. befy courte. PC.

V. 49. partyes. PC.

40

45

Of

*

Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere,
Sweter than Nylus or Ganges was ther odoure;
Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere:

I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure,
Fragraunt of fume, and fwete as any floure;
And in my mouthe it had a marveylous scent
Of divers spyces, I knewe not what it ment.
And after thys further forth me brought
Dame Countenaunce into a goodly Hall,
Of jafper ftones it was wonderly wrought:
The wyndowes cleare depured all of cryftall,
And in the roufe on hye over all
Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne;
Inftede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified,
With pillers made of ftones precious,
Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified,
It myght be called a palaice glorious,
So muche delectable and folacious;
The hall was hanged hye and circuler
With cloth of arras in the rychest maner.

50

55

60

65

70

That treated well of a ful noble story,

Of the doubty waye to the Tower Perillous † ; Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory Of many a ferpente foule and odious.

XI.

THE CHILD OF ELLE,

is given from a fragment in the Editor's folio MS: which, tho extremely defective and mutilated, appeared to have fo much merit, that it excited a ftrong defire to attempt a completion of the ftory. The Reader will easily discover the fupplemental fianzas by their inferiority, and at the fame time be inclined to pardon it, when he confiders how difficult it must be to imitate the affecting fimplicity and artless beau• ties of the original.

CHILD was a title fometimes given to a knight. See Gloff.

ON yonder hill a caftle standes

With walles and towres bedight,

And yonder lives the Child of Elle,

A younge and comely knighte.

And stood at his garden pale,

Whan, lo! he beheld fair Emmelines page
Come trippinge downe the dale.