Of ryght, he sayde, I have in custody This chambre dore of king Melezius, That no man enter into it wrongfully, Without me, Trouthe, for to be chivalrous; Here knightes be made to be victorious. I shall you promise, quoth I, faythfully, You for to love and serve prudently. Abyde, quod he, I wyll speke with the kynge; Tell me your name and habitation, And the chefe cause now of your coming, That I to him may make relacion, To knowe his minde without variacion. La Graund Amour my name is, sayd I; The cause of my coming, intentifly, Is for bicause that I have enterprised, Now for the sake of fayre La Bell Pucell, To passe the passage that I her promised That is so daungerous with serpentes cruell; And for as much as I know never a dell The festes of armes to attayne honoure, I am come to lerne with diligent labour. Then forth he went unto the mageste Of king Melizius the mighty conquerour, Sayeng: O power so hye in dignitie! O prynce victorious and famous emperour! Of justynge truely the originall floure; One Graunde Amoure wolde be acceptable, In your hye courte for to be tendable. With all my herte I wyll, quod he, accepte Hym to my servyce, for he is right worthy: For unto Doctryne the hye way he kept, And so from thens to the toure of Chyvalry. He shall attayne great actes wonderly. Go on your way, and bryng him fast to me, For I thinke long him to beholde and se. And than the good knight Trouth incontinent Into the chambre so pure soone me lede, Where sate the king so much benevolent, In purple clothed, set full of rubyes rede; And all the flore on which we did tread Was crystall clere, and the rofe at night With carbuncles did geve a merveylous lyght. The walles were hanged with cloth of tyssue, Broudred with perles and rubies rubicond, Mixte with emerauds so full of vertue And brodred above with many a diamonde. An hevy herte it wolde make jocunde For to behold the merveylous riches, The lordship, welth, and the great worthines. There sate Melezius, in his hye estate, And over his head was a payre of balaunce; With his crowne and septer, after the true rate Of another wordly king for to have governaunce, In his hand a ball of right great cyrcumstaunce. Before whome than I did knele adowne, Sayeng: O Emperour! moost hye of renowne, I the beseche, of thine haboundaunt grace, Me to accepte in this courte the for to serve, So to contynue by longe time and space, Of chivalry that I may now deserve The order right, and well it to observe; For to attayne the high advauntage Of the enterpryse of my dougty vyage. Welcome, he sayd, to this court ryal! Mynerve shall arme you with grete dylygence. And teche you the feates of armes all; For she them knoweth by good experyence, In the olde tyme it was her scyence. And I my selfe shall gyve you a worthy stede, Called Galantyse, to helpe you in your nede.