Produced by Louise Hope, David Starner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Transcriber’s Note: This e-text includes characters that will only display in UTF-8 (Unicode) text readers: ĩõũỹ [i, o, u, y with “tilde” or overline] If any of these characters do not display properly--in particular, if the diacritic does not appear directly above the letter--or if the quotation marks in this paragraph appear as garbage, make sure your text reader’s “character set” or “file encoding” is set to Unicode (UTF-8). You may also need to change the default font. The original text was published as an eight-page pamphlet. In the surviving copy, used as the basis for all facsimile reprints, the bottoms of the pages have been cropped. A total of three lines-- shown as a row of asterisks-- are entirely missing, and a further three have been reconstructed from their surviving portions. The html version of this e-text shows the reconstructions. Spelling and punctuation are unchanged. Bracketed [the] represents “y” with small “e” directly above it; the more accurate form yͤ may not display correctly in all text readers. Possible errors are listed at the end of the text.] ¶ A Ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost naturall souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eyght. [Illustration] The prologue The prudent problems / & the noble werkes Of the gentyll poetes in olde antyquyte Vnto this day hath made famous clerkes For the poetes Wrote nothynge in vanyte But grounded them on good moralyte Encensynge out the fayre dulcet fume Our langage rude to exyle and consume The ryght eloquent poete and monke of bery Made many fayre bookes / as it is probable From ydle derkenes / to lyght our emyspery Whose vertuous pastyme / was moche cõmendable Presentynge his bookes / gretely prouffytable To your worthy predecessour the .v. kynge Henry whiche regystred is in the courte of memory Amyddes the medowe of flora the quene Of the goddes elycon / is the sprynge or well And by it groweth / a fayre laurell grene Of whiche the poetes do ofte wryte and tell Besyde this olyue / I dyde neuer dwell To tast the water whiche is aromatyke For to cause me wryte with lusty rethoryke Wherefore good souerayne / I beseche your hyghnes To pardon me whiche do rudely endyte As in this arte hauynge small intres But for to lerne is all myn appetyte In folowynge the monke whiche dyde nobly wryte Besechynge your hyghnes and grace debonayre For to accepte this rude and lytell quayre ¶ Explicit prologus. O God alone in heuen werynge crowne In whose inspecte is euery regall se Both to enhaũce & for to cast adowne Suche is [the] power of thỹ hygh magiste Neyther hardynes treasour nor dygnyte May withstande thy strength whiche is ĩ euery place So grete and myghty is thy dyuyne grace