I toke my boxe, as Pallas commaunded,
And my sworde and sheld, with al my armure, In every place I right well anoynted,
To hardines she toke my herte in cure;
Makinge me redy, and whan I thought me sure, I toke my swerde, and with an hardy herte Towarde the dragon I began to sterte.
And as I gan my grete stroke to charge,
He blew out so much fyre innumerable,
That on the ground I did my might discharge;
The smoke was derke, full gretely domageable,
And the hote fyre was so intollerable,
Above me fleying, that unneth I might
Through my visure cast abrode my sight.
But the swete oyntmente had suche a vertue,
That the wilde fyre might nothing endomage
Me through hete, for it did extue
The magikkes arte with greate advantage,
Causing the fyre right wel to asswage;
And wyth my swerde, as nothing agast,
Upon the serpente I did stryke full fast.
His body was great as any tunne,
The devyll about did his body beare;
He was as egre as grype or lyon,
So was his tallantes he did my herneys tere,
That ofte he put me in a mortall fere.
Tyll at the last I did his body perce
With my good swerde, he might it not reverce.
Ryght ther wythall the dragon to-brast,
And out there flew, ryght blacke and tedyous,
A foule Ethyope, which such smoke did cast,
That all the ylond was full tenebrous;
It thondred loude wyth clappes tempestious.
Then all the ladyes were full sore adred,
They thought none other but that I was ded.
The spiryte vanished, the ayre wexed clere;
Then did I loke and beholde aboute
Wher was the toure of my lady so dere;
Tyll at the last I had espyed it oute,
Set on a rocke right hie, without doubte,
And all the ladies, wyth Perseveraunce,
To me did come with joye and pleausaunce.
Forsoth, quod they, you are muche fortunate,
So to subdue the serpent venimous,
Which by sorcery was surely ordinate
You for to sle with fyre so vicious.
Blessed be Pallas, the goddes glorious,
Which that thou taught a perfyte remedy,
For to devoyde the crafte of sorcery.
It was no wonder though that I was glad,
After the payne and tribulacion
That in many places I right often had,
For to attayne the hye promocion
Of La Bell Pucelles dominacion;
Considering in my passage daungerous
All I subdued to me contrarious.
And than right sone, with great solempnite, So forth we rode to the solempne mancion Of La Belle Pucelles worthy dignite; Whiche was a toure of mervaylous facion, Replete with joy without suggestion, Walled with sylver, and many a story Upon the wall enameled ryally.
So at the last we came unto the gate,
Whiche all of sylver was knotted proprely;
Where was a lady of ryght hye estate,
Whiche us receyved well and nobly.
And than Perceveraunce went full shortly
To La Belle Pucell, shewynge every thynge
Of myne adventure and sodayne comynge.
HOW GRAUNDE AMOURE WAS RECEYVED OF
WHAN she it knewe, than right incontynente
She called to her Peace and dame Mercy,
With Justice, and Reason the lady excellent,
Pleasaunce, Grace, wyth good dame Memory,
To wayte upon her full ententyfely;
Me to receyve wyth all solempne joye,
Adowne her chamber she went on her waye.
And in the meane while the gentle porteres,
Called Countenaunce, on my way then me lede,
Into the basse. courte of greate wydenes,
Where all of golde there was a conduyte hede,
With many dragons enameled with reed,
Whiche dyde spoute oute the dulcet lycoure,
Lyke cristall clere, with aromatyke odoure.
Alofte the basse toure foure ymages stode,
Whiche blewe the clarions well and wonderly.
Alofte the toures the golden fanes goode
Dyde with the wynde make full swete armony,
Them for to here it was great melody.
The golden toures with cristall clarefied
About were glased moost clerely purefyed.
And the gravell whereupon we wente,
Ful lyke the gold that is moost pure and fyne,
Withouten spotte of blacke encombremente
Aboute oure fete it dyde ryghte clerely shyne;
It semed more lyke a place celestyne,
Than an erthly mansion, whiche shall away
By longe tyme and proces an other day.
And towarde me I dyde se than comynge
La Belle Pucell, the moost fayre creature
Of ony fayre erthely person lyvyng,
Whiche with me mette with chere so demure.
Of the shynynge golde was all her vesture;
I dyd my duty, and ones or twyse ywys
Her lyppes soft I did full swetely kys.
Aha! quod she, that I am very fayne
That you are come, for I have thought long
Sithen the time that we parted in twayne,
And for my sake have had often wronge;
But your courage so hardy and strong,
Hath caused you for to be victorious
Of your enmyes so much contrarious.
Wyth her fayre hand, white as ony lilly,
She dyd me lede into a ryall hall,
With knottes kerved full right craftely,
The windowes fayre glased with crystall,
And all about, upon the golden wall,
There was enameled, with figures curious,
The syege of Troye so hard and dolorous.
The flore was paved with precious stones,
And the rofe of mervaylous geometry,
Of the swete sypres wrought for the nones,
Encencing out the yll odours mysty;
Amyddes the rofe there shone full wonderly
A poynted dyamonde of mervaylous bygnes,
With many other greate stones of ryches.
So up we wente, to a chambre fayre,
A place of pleasure and delectacyon,
Strowed with floures flagraunte of ayre,
Without ony spotte of perturbacyon.
I behelde ryght well the operacyon
Of the mervaylous rofe set full of rubyes,
And tynst with saphers and many turkeys.
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