Their true bedell, 980
To wryte and tell
How women excell
In noblenes;
As my maistres,
Of whom I thynk
With pen and ynk
For to compyle
Some goodly[427] style;
For this most goodly[428] floure,
This blossome of fresh coloure, 990
So Jupyter me socoure,
She flourissheth new and new
In beaute and vertew:
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa fœmina,
Legem pone mihi, domina,[429] in viam justificationum tuarum!
Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum.
How shall I report
All the goodly sort
Of her fetures clere, 1000
That hath non erthly pere?
Her[430] fauour of her face
Ennewed all with[431] grace,
Confort, pleasure, and solace,
Myne hert doth so enbrace,
And so hath rauyshed me
Her to behold and se,
That in wordes playne
I cannot me refrayne
To loke on[432] her agayne: 1010
Alas, what shuld I fayne?
It wer a plesaunt payne
With her aye to remayne.
Her eyen gray and stepe
Causeth myne hert to lepe;
With her browes bent
She may well represent
Fayre Lucres, as I wene,
Or els fayre Polexene,
Or els Caliope, 1020
Or els Penolope;
For this most goodly floure,
This blossome of fresshe coloure,
So Jupiter me socoure,
She florisheth new and new
In beautye and vertew:
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa fœmina,
Memor esto verbi tui servo tuo!
Servus tuus sum ego. 1030
The Indy saphyre blew
Her vaynes doth ennew;
The orient perle so clere,
The whytnesse of her lere;
The[433] lusty ruby ruddes
Resemble the rose buddes;
Her lyppes soft and mery
Emblomed lyke the chery,
It were an heuenly blysse
Her sugred mouth to kysse. 1040
Her beautye to augment,
Dame Nature hath her lent
A warte vpon her cheke,
Who so lyst to seke
In her vysage a skar,
That semyth from afar
Lyke to the radyant star,
All with fauour fret,
So properly it is set:
She is the vyolet, 1050
The daysy delectable,
The columbine[434] commendable,
The[435] ielofer amyable;
[For][436] this most goodly floure,
This blossom of fressh colour,
So Jupiter me succour,
She florysheth new and new
In beaute and vertew:
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa fœmina, 1060
Bonitatem fecisti cum servo tuo, domina,
Et ex præcordiis sonant præconia!
And whan I perceyued
Her wart and conceyued,
It cannot be denayd
But it was well conuayd,
And set so womanly,
And nothynge wantonly,
But ryght conuenyently,
And full congruently, 1070
As Nature cold deuyse,
In most goodly wyse;
Who so lyst beholde,
It makethe louers bolde
To her to sewe for grace,
Her fauoure to purchase;
The sker upon her chyn,
Enhached[437] on her fayre skyn,
Whyter than the swan,
It wold make any man 1080
To forget deadly syn
Her fauour to wyn;
For this most goodly[438] floure,
This blossom of fressh coloure,
So Jupiter me socoure,
She flouryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew:
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa fœmina,
Defecit in salutatione tua[439] anima mea; 1090
Quid petis filio, mater dulcissima? babæ! [440]
Soft, and make no dyn,
For now I wyll begyn
To haue[441] in remembraunce
Her goodly dalyaunce,