Trewe examplire of virgynyté,

Hed spryng and welle of parfit contynence ; Was never clerk by rethoryk nor scyence

Koude alle hir vertues reherse onto this day; Noble pryncessis of meek benyvolence,

Be example of hir your hornes cast away.

LYDGATE'S APPLICATION TO THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER FOR MONEY.

THREE copies of this poem are in the British Museum, MS. Harl. 2251; MS. Harl. 2255; and MS. Lansd. 699. The following is from the first of these MSS. It has been printed by Sir Harris Nicolas under a different title, and without any notice of what appears to have been the original cause of Lydgate's application.

LITERA DOMPNI JOHANNIS LYDGATE MONACHI MONASTERII
SANCTI EDMUNDI DE BURY, MISSA AD DUCEM GLOUCESTRIE
IN TEMPORE TRANSLACIONIS LIBRI BOCHASII PRO
OPORTUNITATE PECUNIE.

RIGHT myghty prince, and it be youre wille,
Condescende leyser for to take

To se th' entent of this litel bille,

Whiche whan I wrote my hand felt I quake. Tokyn of mournyng I wered clothis blake, Cause my purs was falle in grete rerage, Lyneng outward, his guttis were out shake, Only for lak of plate and of coyngnage.

I sought lechis for a restauratif,

In whom I fonde no counsolacioune

To a poticary for a confortatyf,

Dragge nor dya was none in Bury towne,

E

Bottum of his stomak was tourned up so downe,
A laxatif dide hym so grete outrage,
Made hym slendir by a consumptioune,
Only for lak of plate and coyngnage.

Shippe was ther none, nor saile rod of hewe,
The wynd froward to make hym therto lond,
The floode was passed and sodainly of newe

A lowe ground ebbe was fast by the strond,
That no maryner durst take on hond

To cast an anker, for straytnes of passage; undrestond,

The custom skars, as folke may

Only for lak of plate and of coyngnage.

There was no token sent downe from the towre, As any gossomer the countrepase was light, A fretyng etyk caused his langure

By a cotidian, whiche hield hym day and nyght. Sol et luna was clipsed of hir light,

Ther was no crosse, ne prynte of no visage, His lyneng derk, there were no platis bright, Only for lak of plate and of coyngnage.

Harde to lyke hony out of a marble stone,

For there is nother lycour nor moysture,
An ernest grote whan it is drunk and gone,
Bargayne of merchauntis stant in adventure.
My purse and I be callid to the lure,

Of indigence oure stuff leyde in morgage,
But
my lord may al my sorowe recure,
With a receyte of plate and of coyngnage.

Nat sugred made by the apotecarye,

Plate of light metal yevith a mery sowne; In Bokelesbury is no suche letuary,

Gold is a cordialle gladdest confeccioun. Ageyne etikes of olde consumpcioun,

Aurum potabile, folk ferre ronne in age, In quyntencense, best restauracioun,

With silver plate, enprinted with coyngnage.

THE AUCTOURE MAKITH A L'ENVOIE EXCUSYNG HYMSILFF OF HIS WRITYNGE.

O sely bille, why artow nat ashamed,

So maleapert to shew out thy constraynt,
But povert hath so nygh thy toune atained,
That nichil habet is cause of thy compleynt.
A drye tysik makith old men ful feynt,
Rediest way to renewe theyr corage
Is a fressh dragge, of no spices meynt,

But of bright plate enprynted with coyngnage.

Thow mayst afferme, as for thyn excuse,
Thy bareyn saile is sike and solitarye,
Of crosse nor pile there is no recluse,

Prynte nor impressioun in all thy seyntwarye.
To conclude briefly and nat to tarye,

There is no noyse herd in thyne hermitage, God send sone a gladder letuary,

With a clere sowne of plate and of coyngnage.

THE BALLAD OF JACK HARE.

THE curious ballad of Jack Hare was printed from a very imperfect copy in the " Reliquiæ Antiquæ," i. 13. The following copy is taken from MS. Lansd. 699, fol. 88-89. Other copies are in MS. Bodl. Bernard. 798. Laud. 683; MS. Harl. 2251, fol. 14; and MS. Voss. inter MSS. Bibl. Lugd. C. 189.

INCIPIT DESCRIPTIO GARCIONIS.

A FROWARD knave pleynly to discryve,
And a sluggard shortly to declare,

A precious knave that cast nevyr to thryve,

His mouth weel wett, his slevis rihte thredbare, A turne-broche, a boy for hogge at Ware,

With loury face, noddyng and slombryng,

Of new cristened and callid Jak Hare,
Which of a bolle can plukke out the lynyng.

This boy N. ful stuborn of his bonys,

Sluggy on morwe his leemys up to dresse,
A gentil harlot chose out for the nonys,
Sone and cheeff heir to dame Idilnesse,
Cosyn to Wecok, brothir to Reklesnesse,

Which late at even and morwe at his risyng, ✅
Ne hath no joie to do no besinesse,

Sauff of a tankarde to pluk out the lynyng.

A boy Checrelik was his sworn brothir,

Of

every disshe a lipet out to take,

And Fansiticoll also was anothir,

Off every brybe the cariage to make,

And he can weel warten on an oven cake,
And of newe ale been at the clensyng,
And of purpos his thrist for to slake,
Can of a pichere pluk out the lynyng.

This knave bi leiser wil don his massage,

And hold a tale with every maner wiht, Ful pale drunke, weel vernyssht of visage, Whoos tunge ay faileth whan it drawith to nyht; Of cocandel wenyth too were liht;

As barkid ledir his face is shynyng, Glasy eyed wole cleyme of dewe riht,

Out of a bolle to pluk out the lynyng.

He can a bedde an horscombe weel shake,
Lik as he wold coraye his maystres hors,

And with his one hand his maistres doublet take,
And with the tothir pryveli cut his purs;
Al sich knavis shal have Cristis curs,

Erly on morwe at his uprisyng,

To fynde a boy I trowe ther be no wors,
Out of a cuppe to plukke out the lynyng.

He

may

be sold upon warantise,

As for a trowant that nothyng wole done,

Selle his hors provendre is his cheeff marchaundise, And for a chevesane can pluk of his hors shoon,

And at the dees pleyen his mony anoon,

And with his wynnyngis he makith his offryng

At ale stakis, sittyng ageyn the moone,
Out of a cuppe to plukke out the lynyng.