Othea, of prudence named godesse, That setteth goode in worthynesse, To the,[106] Hector, noble prince myghty, That in armes is evere worthye, The sone of Mars,[107] the god of bateyle, In dedys of armes which wyll not fayle, And of myghty Minerve, the godes, [Sidenote: f. 5.] The whiche in armes is hy maystres, Sucessoure of the noble Troyens, Heyre[108] of Troye and of the ceteseyns, Salutacion afore sette plenere I sende, wyth love feyned in no manere. O good lorde, how am I desyryng Thi grete avayle, which I goo sekeyng, And that aumented and preseruyd It may be, and euer obseruede Thy worchipe and worthines in old age, That thow hast gretly hadde in thi fryst age. Now for to schewe the my pistile playnely, I wyll the enorte and telle verily Off thyngges that be ful necessarie To hye worthynesse and the contrarie, To the opposite off worthinesse, So that all goode hertys may theym dres[109] For to gete be goode besy lernynge The hors that in the eyre is flyynge (It is named the Pegasus truly), That all louers loueth hyly.[110] And because of thi condycion I knowe be rygth inclynacion Able to take knythly dedys on hand More than is in othir .v. score thowsand (For as a godes I haue knovynge, Not by the assay but by kunnyng, Of thynges the which be on to kome), I owthe to thynkke on the, hole and some[111]; For I knowe thowe shalte be euer duryng, Worthiest of all the worthy lyvyng, And schall afore all othir namyd be, So that I may be belouyd of the. Belovyd, why schuld not I be soo? I am that the which arayeth all thoo That loueth me and holdyth me dere; I rede theym lessons in chaiere, Which maketh theym clyme heuen onto. I pray the that thow be oon off tho That will here inne beleve me wele.[112] Now sete it well thane in thy mynd and fele The wordes that I wyll to the endyte, And yf thowe here me owght telle, sey or wryte Any thyng that for to come may be As that I seye, vmbethynke the As that they were past, so do thow oughte Knowe ryght wele that they be in my thought In the spyrite off profecie. Vndirstonde wele nowe and greve not the, For I shall no thyng sey but that schalle falle. Thynke wele the comyng is not yet at all.