A ryght fayre lady of myddell stature And also enduyd with grete vertue Her apparell was set with perlys pure Whose beaute alway dyd renue To me she sayd and ye wyll extue All wyldnes I wyll be your guyde That ye to fraylte shall not slyde. [>>] Vnto her I answerde o lady gloryous I pray you tell me what is your name For ye seeme to be ryght precyous And I am yonge and sore to blame Of vyces full and in vertue lame But I wyll be ruled now by your pleasure So that your order be made by mesure Eclepyd I am she sayd dyscrecyon And yf ye wyll be ruled by me Ye shall haue Ioye without reprehencyon And neuer fall in to fragylyte Youth lackynge me it is grete pyte For in what place I am exyled They be with synne ryght oft defyled It longeth euer vnto my properte Youth to gyue courage for to lerne I wyll not medle with no duplycyte But faythfulnes I wyll dyscerne And brynge thy soule to blesse eterne By wyse example and morall doctryne For youth hauynge to me is a good syne Forsake also all euyll company And be founde true in worde and dede Remembre that this worlde is transytory After thy desert shall be thy mede Loue god alway and eke hym drede And for no mannes pleasure be thyn owne foo Gyue theym fayre wordes and lete theym goo [<>] Be to thy kynge euer true subgete As thou sholdest be by ryght and reason Lete thy herte lowely on hym be sete Without ony spot of euyll treason And be obedyent at euery season Vnto his grace without rebellyon That thou with trouth may be companyon Loue neuer vnloued for that is payne Whyle that thou lyuest of that beware Loue as thou seest the loued agayne Or elles it wyll torne the to care Be neuer taken in that fast snare Proue or thou loue that is moost sure And than thou in doubte shalt not endure. Beware byleue no flaterynge tonge For flaterers be moost disseyuable Though that they company with the longe Yet at the ende they wyll be varyable For they by reason are not fauorable But euermore fals and double And with theyr tonges cause of grete trouble This brytell worlde ay full of bytternes Alway turnynge lyke to a ball No man in it can haue no sykernes For whan he clymmeth he hath a fall O wauerynge shadowe bytter as gall O fatall welth full soone at ende Though thou ryght hy do oft assende [<>] Whan she to me had made relacyon Of all these prouerbes by good conclusyon She gaue to me an Informacyon For to depryue all yll abusyon And to consydre the grete derysyon Whiche is in youth that may not se No thynge appropred to his prosperyte Forth than we went to an hauen syde Wher was a shyp lyenge at rode Taryenge after the wynde and tyde And with moche spyces ryght well lode Vpon it lokynge we longe abode Tyll eolus with blastes began to rore Than we her aborded with payne ryght sore