OCR Text |
Show STOR TH letters there were feen degrees nobly wrought, i maner of ladders, by whiche degrees menne migh climben from the nethereft letter to the upperelt nathelefle handes of fome men hadden kerve tha clothe, by violence or by ftrength, and evcrich manne of 'hem had borne awaie {foche peces as h might getten. And forfothe this forfaied woma bare {male bokes in her right hande, and in her lef hand fhe bare a {cepter. And when the fawe thef Poeticall mufes :'fpprochyng about my bed, an endityng wordes to my wepynges, fhe was a littl amoved, and glowed with cruell eyen. Who ( fhe) hath fuffered approchen to this fike mann thefe commen ftrompettes, of which is the plac that menne callen Theatre, the whiche onely n afflwagen not his forowes with remedies, but the would feden and norifhe hy Forfothe tha be th with fwete venime that wit thornes an prickynges of talentes of affeccions, whiche that be nothyng fruftuous nor profitable, diftroien th Corne, plentuous of fruiltes of refon, For the holden hertes of men in ufage, but thei ne delive _ no folke fro maladie. But if ye mufes had withdrawen fro me with your flatteries any unconnyn and unprofirable manne as ben wont to finde com menly emong the peple, I would well fuffre th lafle grevoufly. For why, in foche an unprofitabl man myn ententes were nothyng endamaged Bu ye withdrowen fro me this man, that hath be nourithed in my ftudies or fcoles of Eleaticis, an of Academicis in Grece. But goeth now rathe awaie ye Mermaidens which that ben fwete til it be at the laft, and fuffreth this man to be cure and heled by my mufes, that is to fay, by my notefull fciences. And thus this companie of mufe iblamed caften wrothly the chere dounward to th yerth, and fhewing by rednefle ther fhame, the paffeden forowfully the threfholde And I of who the fight plounged in teres was darked, fo that I n might not know what that woman was, of fo Imperial auéthoritie, 1 woxe all abathed and ftonied and calt m fight doun fuill for to abide wha The came fhe nere to the yerth and bega fhe would doen afterward and fet her doune upon the uttereft corner of my bed, and fhe beholdyng m chere, that was caft to the yerth of wepyng, complaine hevie and grevou with thefe wordes (that fhall faine) the perturbacion of my thought 6 TG fayd letters wer fene certayn degrees wrough after the marer of ladders, wherein was as it wer a paflage or waye in fteppes or degr_ees _from th P, was which is vnder Jower part wher the lette ftand from pra&ys or actyf, unto the hygher part wher the letter T. was whych is vnderftand fpecu Neuertheles the hande lacion or contemplacion of fome vyolente perfones had cut the fayde vefture and had taken awaye certayne pecis thereof, fuc And fhe her felfe dy as euery one coulde catch bare in her ryght hand litel bokes, and in her left hande a fcepter, which forefayd phylofophy (whe fhe faw the mufes poetycal prefent at my bed, fpek yng forowfull wordes to my wepynges) beyng angr fayd (with terrible or frownynge countenaunce) wh fufired thefe crafty harlottes to com to thys fyck man? whych can help hym by no means of hy griefe by any kind of medicines, but rather increaf the fame with {wete poyfon. Thefe be they tha doo dyftroye the fertile and plentious commodytye of reafon and the fruytes therof wyth their pryckynge thornes, or barren affectes, and accultome o fubdue mens myndes with fickenes, and heuynes and do not delyuer or heale them of the fame. Bu yf your flatterye had conueyed or withdrawen fro me, any vnlernyd man as the comen forte of peopl ar wont to be I could hau be berter con tentyd, for in that my worke fhould not be hurt o But you haue taken and conueye hynderyd from me thys man that hath ben broughte vp in the ftudyes of Ariflotel and of Plato But yet get yo hence maremaids (that feme fwete untyll you hau tn to deathe) and fuffer me to heal brougahm thys my man wyth.my mufes or fcyences that b holfome and good And after that philofophy ha {fpoken thefe wordes the fayd companye of the mufy poeticall beyng rebukyd and fad, cafte down thei countenaunce to the grounde, and by bluffyng confefled their thamfaftnes and went out of the dores But I (that had my fyght dull and blynd wyt wepyng, fo that T knew not what woman this wa hauing foo great authoritie) was amafyd or aftonyed, and lokyng downeward, towarde the grounde I began pryvylye to look what thyng fhe woul faye ferther, then fhe had faid. Then fhe approching and drawynge nere vnto me, fat down vpon the vitermoft part of my bed, and lokyn vpon my face fad with weping, and declyny toward the earth for forow, bewayled the troubleo my mind wyth thefe fayinges folowynge |