The Goldyn Targe

Ryght as the stern of day begouth to schyne,
Quhen gone to bed war Vesper and Lucyne,
I raise, and by a rosere did me rest ;
Wp sprang the goldyn candill matutyne,
With clere depurit bemes cristallyne,
Glading the mery foulis in thair nest ;
Or Phebus was in purpur cape revest
Wp raise the lark, the hevyns menstrale fyne
In May, in till a morow myrthfullest.

Full angellike thir birdis sang thair houris
Within thair courtyns grene, in to thair bouris,
Apparalit quhite and red, wyth blomes suete ;
Anamalit was the felde wyth all colouris,
The perly droppis schake in silvir schouris,
Quhill all in balme did branch and levis flete ;
To part fra Phebus, did Aurora grete,
Hir cristall teris I saw hyng on the flouris,
Quhilk he for lufe all drank vp with his hete.

For mirth of May, wyth skippis and wyth hoppis,
The birdis sang vpon the tender croppis,
With curiouse note, as Venus chapell clerkis :
The rosis yong, new spreding of thair knoppis,
War powderit brycht with hevinly beriall droppis,
Throu bemes rede, birnyng as ruby sperkis ;
The skyes rang for schoutyng of the larkis,
The purpur hevyn our scailit in silvir sloppis
Ourgilt the treis, branchis, lefis and barkis.

Doun throu the ryce a ryuir ran wyth stremys,
So lustily agayn thai lykand lemys,
That all the lake as lamp did leme of licht,
Quhilk schadovit all about wyth twynkling glemis ;
That bewis bathit war in secund bemys
Throu the reflex of Phebus visage brycht ;
On every syde the hegies raise on hicht,
The bank was grene, the bruke vas full of bremys,
The stanneris clere as stern in frosty nycht.

The cristall air, the sapher firmament,
The ruby skyes of the orient,
Kest beriall bemes on emerant bewis grene ;
The rosy garth depaynt and redolent,
With purpur, aȝure, gold, and goulis gent
Arayed was, by dame Fflora the quene,
So nobily, that ioy was for to sene ;
The roch agayn the rywir resplendent
As low enlumynit all the leues schene.

Quhat throu the mery foulys armony,
And throu the ryueris sounn rycht ran me by,
On Fflorais mantill I slepit as I lay,
Quhare sone in to my dremes fantasy
I saw approch agayn the orient sky,
A saill, als quhite as blossum vpon spray,
Wyth merse of gold, brycht as the stern of day;
Quhilk tendit to the land full lustily,
As falcounn swift desyrouse of hir pray.

And hard on burd vnto the blomyt medis,
Amang the grene rispis and the redis,
Arrivit sche, quhar fro anonn thare landis
Ane hundreth ladyes, lusty in to wedis,
Als fresch as flouris that in May vp spredis,
In kirtillis grene, withoutyn kell or bandis :
Thair brycht hairis hang gletering on the strandis
In tressis clere, wyppit wyth goldyn thredis,
With pappis quhite, and mydlis small as wandis.

Discriue I wald, bot quho coud wele endyte
How all the feldis wyth thai lilies quhite
Depaynt war brycht, quhilk to the hevyn did glete :
Noucht thou, Homer, als fair as thou coud wryte,
For all thine ornate stilis so perfyte;
Nor yit thou, Tullius, quhois lippis suete
Off rethorike did in to termes flete :
Your aureate tongis both bene all to lyte,
For to compile that paradise complete.

Thare saw I Nature, and als dame Venus quene,
The fresch Aurora, and lady Flora schene,
Iuno, Appollo, and Proserpyna,
Dyane the goddesse chaste of woddis grene,
My lady Cleo, that help of Makaris bene,
Thetes, Pallas, and prudent Minerua,
Fair feynit Fortune, and lemand Lucina,
Thir mychti quenis in crounis mycht be sene,
Wyth bemys blith, bricht as Lucifera.

There saw I May, of myrthfull monethis quene,
Betuix Aprile, and June, her sister schene,
Within the gardyng walking vp and doun,
Quham of the foulis gladdith al bedene ;
Scho was full tender in hir yeris grene.
Thare saw I Nature present hir a gounn
Rich to behald, and nobil of renounn,
Off ewiry hew under the hevin that bene
Depaynt, and broud be gude proporcioun.

Full lustily thir ladyes all in fere
Enterit within this park of most plesere,
Quhare that I lay our helit wyth leuis ronk ;
The mery foulis, blisfullest of chere,
Salust Nature, me thoucht, on thair manere,
And ewiry blome on branch, and eke on bonk,
Opnyt and spred thair balmy leuis donk,
Full low enclynyng to thair Quene so clere,
Quham of thair nobill norising thay thonk.

Syne to dame Flora, on the samyn wyse,
Thay saluse, and thay thank a thousand syse ;
And to dame Wenus, lufis mychti quene,
Thay sang ballettis in lufe, as was the gyse,
With amourouse notis lusty to devise,
As thay that had lufe in thair hertis grene ;
Thair hony throtis, opnyt fro the splene,
With werblis suete did perse the hevinly skyes,
Quhill loud resownyt the firmament serene.

Ane othir court thare saw I consequent,
Cupide the king, wyth bow in hand ybent,
And dredefull arowis grundyn scharp and square :
Thare saw I Mars, the god armypotent,
Aufull and sterne, strong and corpolent ;
Thare saw I crabbit Saturn ald and haire,
His luke was lyke for to perturb the aire ;
Thare was Mercurius, wise and eloquent,
Of rethorike that fand the flouris faire ;

Thare was the god of gardingis, Priapus ;
Thare was the god of wildernes, Phanus ;
And Ianus, god of entree delytable;
Thare was the god of fludis, Neptunus ;
Thare was the god of wyndis, Eolus,
With variand luke, rycht lyke a lord vnstable ;
Thare was Bacus the gladder of the table ;
Thare was Pluto, the elrich incubus,
In cloke of grene, his court usit no Sable.

And ewiry one of thir, in grene arayit,
On harp or lute full merily thai playit,
And sang ballettis with michty notis clere :
Ladyes to dance full sobirly assayit,
Endlang the lusty rywir so thai mayit :
Thair obseruance rycht hevynly was to here ;
Than crap I throu the leuis, and drew nere,
Quhare that I was richt sudaynly affrayit,
All throu a luke, quhilk I haue boucht full dere.

And schortly for to speke, be lufis quene
I was aspyit, scho bad hir archearis kene
Go me arrest ; and thay no time delayit ;
Than ladyes fair lete fall thair mantillis grene,
With bowis big in tressit hairis schene,
All sudaynly thay had a felde arayit ;
And yit rycht gretly was I noucht affrayit,
The party was so plesand for to sene,
A wonder lusty bikkir me assayit

And first of all, with bow in hand ybent,
Come dame Beautee, rycht as scho wald me schent ;
Syne folowit all hir dameselis yfere,
With mony diuerse aufull instrument,
Wnto the pres, Fair Having wyth hir went,
Fyne Portrature, Plesance, and lusty Chere.
Than come Resoun, with schelde of gold so clere,
In plate and maille, as Mars armypotent,
Defendit me that nobil cheuallere.

Syne tender Youth come wyth hir virgyns ying,
Grene Innocence, and schamefull Abaising,
And quaking Drede, wyth humble Obedience ;
The Goldyn Targe harmyt thay no thing ;
Curage in thame was noucht begonne to spring ;
Full sore thay dred to done a violence :
Suete Womanhede I saw cum in presence,
Of artilye a warld sche did in bring,
Seruit wyth ladyes full of reuerence.

Scho led wyth hir Nurture and Lawlynes,
Contenence, Pacience, Gude Fame and Stedfastnes,
Discretioun, Gentrise, and Considerance,
Leuefell Company, and Honest Besynes,
Benigne Luke, Mylde Chere, and Sobirnes :
All thir bure ganyeis to do me greuance ;
But Resonn bure the Targe wyth sik Constance,
Thair scharp assayes mycht do no dures
To me, for all their aufull ordynance.

Wnto the pres persewit Hie Degree,
Hir folowit ay Estate and Dignitee,
Comparisoun, Honour, and Noble Array,
Will, Wantonnes, Renoun, and Libertee,
Richesse, Fredomm, and eke Nobilitee :
Wit ye thay did thair baner hye display ;
A cloud of arowis as hayle schour lousit thay,
And schot, quhill wastit was thair artilye,
Syne went abak reboytit of thair pray.

Quhen Venus had persauit this rebute,
Dissymilance scho bad go mak persute,
At all powere to perse the Goldyn Targe ;
And scho that was of doubilnes the rute,
Askit hir choise of archeris in refute.
Wenus the best bad hir go wale at large ;
Scho tuke Presence plicht ankers of the barge,
And Fair Callyng that wele a flayn coud schute,
And Cherising for to complete hir charge.

Dame Hamelynes scho tuke in company,
That hardy was, and hende in archery,
And broucht dame Beautee to the felde agayn ;
With all the choise of Venus cheualry
Thay come, and bikkerit vnabaisitly :
The schour of arowis rappit on as rayn ;
Perilouse Presence, that mony syre has slayne,
The bataill broucht on bordour hard vs by,
The salt was all the sarar suth to sayn.

Thik was the schote of grundyn dartis kene ;
Bot Resoun with the Scheld of Gold so schene,
Warly defendit quho so ewir assayit ;
The aufull stoure he manly did sustene,
Quhill Presence kest a pulder in his ene,
And than as drunkyn man he all forvayit :
Quhen he was blynd the fule wyth hym thay playit,
And banyst hym amang the bewis grene ;
That sory sicht me sudaynly affrayit

Than was I woundit to the deth wele nere,
And yoldyn as a wofull prisonnere
To lady Beautee, in a moment space;
Me thoucht scho semyt lustiar of chere,
Efter that Resoun tynt had his eyne clere,
Than of before, and lufliare of face :
Quhy was thou blyndit, Resoun ? quhi, allace !
And gert ane hell my paradise appere,
And mercy seme, quhare that I fand no grace.

Dissymulance was besy me to sile,
And Fair Calling did oft apon me smyle,
And Cherising me fed wyth wordis fair ;
New Acquyntance enbracit me a quhile,
And fauouryt me, quhill men mycht go a myle,
Syne tuk hir leve, I saw hir nevir mare :
Than saw I Dangere toward me repair,
I coud eschew hir presence be no wyle,
On syde scho lukit wyth ane fremyt fare.

And at the last departing coud hir dresse,
And me delyuerit vnto Hevynesse
For to remayne, and scho in cure me tuke ;
Be this the Lord of Wyndis, wyth wodenes,
God Eolus, his bugill blew I gesse ;
That with the blast the leuis all to-schuke,
And sudaynly, in the space of a luke,
All was hyne went, thare was bot wildernes,
Thare was no more bot birdis, bank, and bruke.

In twynkling of ane eye to schip thai went,
And swyth vp saile vnto the top thai stent,
And with swift course atour the flude thay frak ;
Thay fyrit gunnis wyth powder violent,
Till that the reke raise to the firmament,
The rochis all resownyt wyth the rak,
For reird it semyt that the raynbow brak ;
Wyth spirit affrayde apon my fete I sprent
Amang the clewis, so carefull was the crak.

And as I did awake of my sueving,
The ioyfull birdis merily did syng
For myrth of Phebus tendir bemes schene ;
Suete war the vapouris, soft the morowing,
Halesum the vale, depaynt wyth flouris ying ;
The air attemperit, sobir, and amene ;
In quhite and rede was all the felde besene,
Throu Naturis nobil fresch anamalyng,
In mirthfull May, of ewiry moneth Quene.

O reuerend Chaucere, rose of rethoris all,
As in oure tong ane flour imperiall,
That raise in Britane ewir, quho redis rycht,
Thou beris of makaris the tryumph riall ;
Thy fresch anamalit termes celicall
This mater coud illumynit haue full brycht :
Was thou noucht of oure Inglisch all the lycht,
Surmounting ewiry tong terrestriall,
Alls fer as Mayes morow dois mydnycht ?

O morall Gower, and Ludgate laureate,
Your sugurit lippis and tongis aureate,
Bene to oure eris cause of grete delyte ;
Your angel mouthis most mellifluate
Our rude langage has clere illumynate,
And faire our-gilt oure speche, that imperfyte
Stude, or your goldyn pennis schupe to wryte ;
This ile before was bare, and desolate
Off rethorike, or lusty fresch endyte.

Thou lytill Quair, be ewir obedient,
Humble, subiect, and symple of entent,
Before the face of ewiry connyng wicht :
I knaw quhat thou of rethorike hes spent ;
Off all hir lusty rosis redolent
Is nonn in to thy gerland sett on hicht ;
Eschame thar of, and draw the out of sicht
Rude is thy wede, disteynit, bare, and rent,
Wele aucht thou be affret of the licht