A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483: Written in the Fifteenth Century, and for the First Time Printed from MSS. in the British MuseumAnonymous
History
A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483: Written in the Fifteenth Century, and for the First Time Printed from MSS. in the British Museum
Anonymous
London (England) -- History -- To 1500; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- To 1500
[Sidenote: Induat te Dominus corona glorie sceptro clemencie,[176]
gladio iusticie,[177] pallio prudencie, scuto fidei, galea salutis, et
vinculo pacis.]
[Footnote 176: _Transposed._]
[Footnote 177: _Transposed._]
God the endue with a crowne of glorie;
And with a[178] septre of clennesse and pite;
And with a sheld of right,[179] and victorie;
And with a mantel of prudence clad thow be;
A sheld of feith for to defende the;
An helm of helthe wrought to thin encres;
Girt with a girdell of love and perfight pees.
[Footnote 178: _Omitted._]
[Footnote 179: swerde of might.]
These vij virgynes of sight most hevenly,
With herte, body, and handys reioysyng,
And of there[180] cheres aperid murely,
For the kynges gracious hom comyng;
And for gladnesse they began to synge,
Most angelik with hevenly armonye,
This same roundelle which y shal now specifie.
[Footnote 180: othir.]
Soverayne lord, Wolcome to youre Citee;
Wolcome oure joye, and oure hertys plesaunce;
Wolcome oure gladnes, Wolcome oure suffisaunce;
Wolcome, Wolcome, right Wolcome, mote ye be;
Syngyng to fore thi riall mageste,
We seye of herte, withoughten variaunce,
Soverayn lord, Wolcome, Wolcome, oure[181] joye;
[Footnote 181: ye be.]
Meir, Citezeins, and al the Comonte,
At youre hom comyng newe out of Fraunce,
Be grace relevyd of al ther olde grevaunce,
Syng this day with gret solempnyte.
Thus resceyvyd, an esy paas rydyng,
The kyng is entred into this Citee;
And in Cornhull anon at his comynge,
To do plesaunce to his mageste,
A tabernacle surmontyng of beaute,
There was ordeyned, be full fresshe entaille,
Richely arraied with rialle apparaille;
This tabernacle of moost magnyfycence,
Was of this byldyng verrey imperiall,
Mad for the lady callyd dame Sapience.
[Sidenote: Septem sciencie liberales.]
To for whos face moost statly and rialle,
Were the vij sciences callyd liberalle;
Rounde aboughte as makyd is memorie,
Which never departyd from his[182] consistorie,
Frist ther was Gramer, as y reherce can,
Chef founder[183] and rote of al connyng,
Whiche hadde afore here old Precian;
[Footnote 182: hire.]
[Footnote 183: founderesse.]
And Logyk hadde afore here ek[184] stondyng,
Aristotill so clerkly disputyng;
And Retoryk hadde eke in her presence,
Tullius, callyd myrrour of eloquence;
And Musyk hadde royde of all discorde,
Boice, here clerk, with hevenly armonye,
And instrumentis al of on acorde;
[Footnote 184: _Omitted._]
For to practyse with sugryd melodye,
He and his clerkes[185] there wittes dyd applye,
With touche of strengys, on orgons we[186] playeng,
There craft to shewe at the[187] comynge of oure kyng;
And Arsmetrik, be castynge of nombrarie,
Ches Pictogoras for here partye,
Callyd chief clerk to governe here liberarie.
[Footnote 185: scolars.]
[Footnote 186: eke.]
[Footnote 187: _Omitted._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account