The Example Of Vertu : Cantos I.-vii. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B CACAAAAACACCAAADADDA AECECCCCC CFGFGGEGADADDAAAAAAA CCCECEECCEAEGAAACHCH HEEGIGAAAAAGAGGGGGAE AAFFAGAGGGGGEGEEEEBD BDDDDCDCDDAAGGGGGCAA AAAAEEECDCCAA J EAEAACCAAAAAGGAEAEEC CGCGCCKKCECGDEEACAAA CCDEDEECCLCLCCAF I IDADDAAAAAAAAACAAHere begynneth the boke called the example of vertu | A |
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The prologe | B |
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Whan I aduert in my remembraunce | C |
The famous draughtes of poetes eloquent | A |
Whiche theyr myndes dyd well enhaunce | C |
Bokes to contryue that were expedyent | A |
To be remembred without Impedyment | A |
For the profyte of humanyte | A |
This was the custume of antyquyte | A |
I now symple and moost rude | A |
And naked in depured eloquence | C |
For dulnes rethoryke doth exclude | A |
Wherfore in makynge I lake intellygence | C |
Also consyderynge my grete neglygence | C |
It fereth me sore for to endyte | A |
But at auenture I wyll now wryte | A |
As very blynde in the poetys art | A |
For I therof can no thynge skyll | D |
Wherfore I lay it all a part | A |
But somwhat accordynge to my wyll | D |
I wyll now wryte for to fulfyll | D |
Saynt Powles wordes and true sentement | A |
All that is wryten is to oure document | A |
O prudent Gower in langage pure | E |
Without corrupcyon moost facundyous | C |
O noble Chauser euer moost sure | E |
Of frutfull sentence ryght delycyous | C |
O vertuous Lydgat moche sentencyous | C |
Unto you all I do me excuse | C |
Though I your connynge do now vse | C |
Explicit prologus | C |
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Capitulum Primsi | C |
In Septembre in fallynge of the lefe | F |
Whan phebus made his declynacyon | G |
And all the whete gadred was in the shefe | F |
By radyaunt hete and operacyon | G |
Whan the vyrgyn had full domynacyon | G |
And Dyane entred was one degre | E |
Into the sygne of Gemyne | G |
Whan the golden sterres clere were splendent | A |
In the firmament puryfyed clere as crystall | D |
By imperyall course without incombrement | A |
As Iuppyter and Mars that be celestyall | D |
With Saturne and Mercury that wer supernall | D |
Myxt with venus that was not retrograte | A |
That caused me to be well fortunate | A |
In a slombrynge slepe with slouth opprest | A |
As I in my naked bedde was leyd | A |
Thynkynge all nyght to take my rest | A |
Morpleus to me than made abreyd | A |
And in my dreme me thought he sayd | A |
Come walke with me in a medowe amerous | C |
Depeynted with floures that be delycyous | C |
I walked with hym into a place | C |
Where that there grue many a fayre floure | E |
With Ioye replete and full of solace | C |
And the trees dystyllynge redolent lycoure | E |
More sweter fer than the Aprell shour | E |
And tary I dyd there by longe space | C |
Tyll that I saw before my face | C |
A ryght fayre lady of myddell stature | E |
And also enduyd with grete vertue | A |
Her apparell was set with perlys pure | E |
Whose beaute alway dyd renue | G |
To me she sayd and ye wyll extue | A |
All wyldnes I wyll be your guyde | A |
That ye to fraylte shall not slyde | A |
Unto her I answerde o lady gloryous | C |
I pray you tell me what is your name | H |
For ye seeme to be ryght precyous | C |
And I am yonge and sore to blame | H |
Of vyces full and in vertue lame | H |
But I wyll be ruled now by your pleasure | E |
So that your order be made by mesure | E |
Eclepyd I am she sayd dyscrecyon | G |
And yf ye wyll be ruled by me | I |
Ye shall haue Ioye without reprehencyon | G |
And neuer fall in to fragylyte | A |
Youth lackynge me it is grete pyte | A |
For in what place I am exyled | A |
They be with synne ryght oft defyled | A |
It longeth euer vnto my properte | A |
Youth to gyue courage for to lerne | G |
I wyll not medle with no duplycyte | A |
But faythfulnes I wyll dyscerne | G |
And brynge thy soule to blesse eterne | G |
By wyse example and morall doctryne | G |
For youth hauynge to me is a good syne | G |
Forsake also all euyll company | G |
And be founde true in worde and dede | A |
Remembre that this worlde is transytory | E |
After thy desert shall be thy mede | A |
Loue god alway and eke hym drede | A |
And for no mannes pleasure be thyn owne foo | F |
Gyue theym fayre wordes and lete theym goo | F |
Be to thy kynge euer true subgete | A |
As thou sholdest be by ryght and reason | G |
Lete thy herte lowely on hym be sete | A |
Without ony spot of euyll treason | G |
And be obedyent at euery season | G |
Unto his grace without rebellyon | G |
That thou with trouth may be companyon | G |
Loue neuer vnloued for that is payne | G |
Whyle that thou lyuest of that beware | E |
Loue as thou seest the loued agayne | G |
Or elles it wyll torne the to care | E |
Be neuer taken in that fast snare | E |
Proue or thou loue that is moost sure | E |
And than thou in doubte shalt not endure | E |
Beware byleue no flaterynge tonge | B |
For flaterers be moost disseyuable | D |
Though that they company with the longe | B |
Yet at the ende they wyll be varyable | D |
For they by reason are not fauorable | D |
But euermore fals and double | D |
And with theyr tonges cause of grete trouble | D |
This brytell worlde ay full of bytternes | C |
Alway turnynge lyke to a ball | D |
No man in it can haue no sykernes | C |
For whan he clymmeth he hath a fall | D |
O wauerynge shadowe bytter as gall | D |
O fatall welth full soone at ende | A |
Though thou ryght hy do oft assende | A |
Whan she to me had made relacyon | G |
Of all these prouerbes by good conclusyon | G |
She gaue to me an Informacyon | G |
For to depryue all yll abusyon | G |
And to consydre the grete derysyon | G |
Whiche is in youth that may not se | C |
No thynge appropred to his prosperyte | A |
Forth than we went to an hauen syde | A |
Wher was a shyp lyenge at rode | A |
Taryenge after the wynde and tyde | A |
And with moche spyces ryght well lode | A |
Upon it lokynge we longe abode | A |
Tyll colus with blastes began to rore | E |
Than we her aborded with payne ryght sore | E |
This water eclyped was vayneglory | E |
Euer with yeopardy and tempestyous | C |
And the shyp called was ryght truly | D |
The vessell of the passage daungerous | C |
The wawys were hyghe and gretly troublous | C |
The captayn called was good comfort | A |
And the sterysman fayre pasport | A |
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Capitulum II | J |
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Longe were we dryuen with wynde weder | E |
Tyll we arryued in a fayre Ilonde | A |
Wher was a boote tyed with a teeder | E |
Of merueylous wood as I vnderstonde | A |
Precyous stones ley vpon the sond | A |
And poynted dyamondes grewe on the rockes | C |
And corall also by ryght hyghe stockes | C |
Amased I was for to beholde | A |
The precyous stones vnder my fete | A |
And the erth glysterynge of golde | A |
With floures fayre of odour swete | A |
Dame dyscrecyon I dyd than grete | A |
Praynge her to me to make relacyon | G |
Who of this Ilonde hath domynacyon | G |
She sayd foure ladyes in vertue excellent | A |
Of whiche the eldest is dame nature | E |
That dayly fourmeth after her entent | A |
Euery beest and lyuynge creature | E |
Both foule and fayre and also pure | E |
All that dependynge in her ordynaunce | C |
Where that she fauoureth there is grete pleasaunce | C |
The seconde is called dame fortune | G |
Ayenst whome can be no resystence | C |
For she doth sette the strynges in tune | G |
Of euery persone by her magnyfycence | C |
Whan they sound best by good experyence | C |
She wyll theym loose and let theym slyp | K |
Causynge theym fall by her turnynge tryp | K |
The thyrde called is dame hardynes | C |
That often rulyth by her cheualry | E |
She is ryght stowt and of grete prowes | C |
And the captayn of a lusty company | G |
And ruleth theym euer full hardely | D |
And to gete honour and worldely tresure | E |
She putteth her oft in auenture | E |
The fourth is wysedome a lady bryght | A |
Whiche is my syster as ye shall se | C |
Whom I do loue with all my myght | A |
For she enclyneth euer to benygnyte | A |
And medeleth not with fraude nor subtylyte | A |
But maketh many noble clerkes | C |
And ruleth theym in all theyr werkes | C |
They dwell all in a fayre castell | D |
Besyde a ryuer moche depe and clere | E |
And be expert in feytys manuell | D |
That vnto theym can be no peere | E |
Of erthely persone that lyueth here | E |
For they be so fayre and wounderous | C |
That theym to se it is solacyous | C |
Longe haue they trauerst gretly in the lawe | L |
Whiche of theym sholde haue the preemynence | C |
And none of them theyr case wyll withdrawe | L |
Tyll of dame Iustyce they knowe the sentence | C |
They argue often and make defence | C |
Eche vnto other withouten remedy | A |
I wyll no lenger of them specefy | F |
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Capitulum Tercium | I |
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Come on fayre youth and go with me | I |
Unto that place that is delectable | D |
Bylded with towres of curyosyte | A |
And yet though that ye be lamentable | D |
Whan thou art there you wylt be confortable | D |
To se the merueyles that there be wrought | A |
No man can prynt it in his thought | A |
A path we founde ryght gretely vsed | A |
Where in we went tyll at the last | A |
A castell I sawe wherof I mused | A |
Not fully from me a stones cast | A |
To se the towres I was agast | A |
Set in a valey so strongely fortefyed | A |
So gentyll compassed and well edefyed | A |
The towres were hyghe of adamond stones | C |
With fanes wauerynge in the wynde | A |
Of ryght fyne golde made | A |
Stephen Hawes
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