12. Of Pronunciation, the iiii. part of rethoryke

13. Of Memory, the v. part of rethorike

14. A commendation of Gower, Chaucer, and Lydgate

15. Of Arsmetrike

16. Of Musike: mundain, humayn, and instrumental

17. Howe Graunde Amoure was enamoured of La Bell

Pucell in the tower of Musike, and met with Counsayle

in a temple

58

64

18. Of the dolorous and lowly disputacion betwene La Bell

Pucell and Graunde Amoure

77

19. Howe La Bell Pucell graunted Graunde Amoure love,

and of her dispiteous departage

87

20. Of the great sorowe that Graunde Amour made after her

departyng, and of the wordes of Counsayl

93

21. Howe Graunde Amoure went to Geometry, and what

geometry is

22. Of dame Astronomie

23. Of the direct operation of nature

24. Of the fyve internall wyttes

99

103

106

108

112

25. Of the hye influences of the supernall bodies

26. Howe Graunde Amoure departed from the tower of Sci-

ence, and went to the tower of Chivalry, where he

was let in by Fortytude

114

27. Of the marveylous argument betwene Mars and Fortune 117

28. Howe Minerve ledde Graunde Amoure to kyng Mely-

zyus, whiche made hym knyght

127

29. Howe he departed from kynge Melyzyus, with his

grayhoundes and Attendaunce his varlet, and met

with False Reporte, that chaunged his name to God-

frey Gobilyve.

30. Howe Graund Amoure in the temple of Venus made his

134

144

31. The copy of a letter that Venus sent to La Bell Pucell. 150

32. Howe Godfrey Gobilive was taken of Correction and

punyshed

33. Howe Graunde Amoure disconfited the gyant with thre

heads, and was received bi iii. ladies

156

161

34. Howe he met with Perceveraunce, and reposed hym in

the manour place of dame Comfort

35. Howe he vainquyshed a gyaunt with seven heades, and

was received of vi, ladyes

36. How he made oblacyon to the godes Pallas and sayled

over the tempestuous flode

37. How he dyscomfited the wonderfull monstre of the vii.

170

178

185

mettalles made by enchauntment

38. How he was received of La Bell Pucell.

39. The mariage of Graund Amour and La Bell Pucell

40. How whan Graunde Amoure had lived longe wyth La

Bell Pucell, he was arrested by Aege, that brought unto

him Polycy and Avaryce

41. Howe he was arested by Death.

202

203

42. Howe Remembraunce made his epytaphy on his grave 205

43. Howe Fame came into the temple wyth burnyng tongues

44. Howe Tyme came into the temple in marvaylous se-

militude, and of his replycation

45. Howe Eternyte came into the temple, and of her vertu-

ous Exhortacyon

46. The excusation of the auctour

. 212

This boke, called the Pastime of Pleasure, was made and
compyled by Stephen Hawes, one of the gromes of the most
honorable chambre of our soverayne lorde Kynge Henry the
Seventh, the xxi. yere of his most noble reyne; chapitred and
marked after the table here before sette.

THE

PASTIME OF PLEASURE.

RYGHT myghty prynce and redoubted soverayne,
Saylinge forth well in the shyppe of grace,
Over the waves of this lyfe uncertayne
Ryght towarde heven to have dwellyng place,
Grace dothe you guyde in every doubtfull cace.
Your governaunce dothe evermore eschewe
The synne of slouthe, enemy to vertewe.

Grace stereth well, the grace of God is grete,
Whyche you hath brought to your ryall se,
And in your ryght it hath you surely sette
Above us all to have the soverayntie;
Whose worthy power and regall dygnite,
All our rancour and our debate gan ceace,

Hath to us brought bothe welthe, reste and peace.

Frome whome descendeth by the ryghtfull lyne
Noble prynce Henry, to succede the crowne;
That in his youth doth so clerely shyne,
In every vertue castinge the vyce adowne.
He shall of fame attaine the hye renowne;
No doubte but grace shal him well enclose,
Whiche by true right sprange of the reed rose.

B

Your noble grace and excellent highnes
For to accepte I beseche right humbly
Thys lytle boke, opprest wyth rudenes,
Without rethorycke or coloure crafty;
Nothinge I am experte in poetry,

As the monke of Bury, floure of eloquence,
Whiche was in the time of great excellence

Of your predecessour, the v. kyng Henry,
Unto whose grace he did present
Ryght famous bokes of parfit memory,
Of hys faynyng with termes eloquent;
Whose fatall fictions are yet permanent,
Grounded on reason, with cloudy fygures
He cloked the trouth of all his scryptures.

The lyght of trouth I lacke cunnying to cloke,
To drawe a curtayne I dare not to presume,
Nor hyde my matter with a misty smoke,
My rudenes cunnying doth so sore consume:
Yet as I may I shall blowe out a fume
To hyde my mynde underneth a fable,

By covert coloure well and probable.

Besechying your grace to pardon myne ignoraunce,
Whiche this fayned fable, to eschue idlenes,
Have so compyled nowe without doubtance,
For to present to your hye worthynes,
To folowe the trace and all the perfitenes
Of my maister Lydgate with due exercise,
Suche fayned tales I do fynde and devyse.