Besyde the ymage I adowne me sette, After my laboure my selfe to repose, Tyll at the last with a gaspyng nette Slouth my head caught with his whole purpose. It vayled not the bodye for to dispose Against the head, when it is applyed, The head must rule, it cannot be denied. Thus as I satte in a deadly slomber, Of a great horne I harde a royal blast, With which I awoke, and had a great wonder From whence it came: it made me sore agast. I loked about; the nyght was wel nere past, And fayre golden Phebus in the morow graye With cloudes redde began to breake the daye. I sawe come ryding in a valey farre A goodly ladye, envyroned about With tongues of fyre as bright as any starre, That fyry flambes ensensed alway out, Whiche I behelde and was in great doubte; Her palfrey swyft renning as the winde, With two white grayhoundes that were not behynde. When that these grayhoundes had me so espied, With faunyng chere of great humilitie In goodly haste they fast unto me hyed; I mused why and wherfore it should be, But I welcomed them in every degre. They leaped oft and were of me ryght fayne; I suffred them, and cheryshed them agayne. Their collers were of golde and of tyssue fine, Wherin their names appeared by scripture Of dyamondes that clerely do shyne: The letters were graven fayre and pure. To reade their names I did my busy cure; The one was Governaunce, the other named Grace; Then was I glad of all this sodayne cace. And then the lady, with fiery flambe Of brennying tongues, was in my presence Upon her palfrey, whiche had unto name Pegase the swyfte, so fayre in excellence, Whiche sometime longed with his preminence To kyng Percius the sonne of Jubiter, On whome he rode by the worlde so farre. To me she sayde, she marvelled muche why That her grayhoundes shewed me that favoure. What was my name she asked me truly? To whome I sayde it was La Graunde Amoure, Besechyng you to be to me succoure To the tower of Doctrine, and also me tell Your proper name and where you do dwell? My name, quod she, in all the worlde is knowen, I-clipped Fame in every region, For I my horne in sundry wyse have blowen After the death of many a champion, And with my tongues have made aye mencion Of their great actes agayne to revive, In flaming tongues for to abyde on lyve. It was the custome of an olde antiquitie, When the golden worlde had dominacion, And nature, hyghe in her aucthoritie, More stronger had her operacion Then she had nowe in her digression, The people then dyd all their busye payne After their death in fame to lyve agayne. Recorde of Saturne, the first kyng of Crete, Whiche in his youth through his diligence Founde first plowyng of the landes swete; And after this, by his great sapience, For the comen profite and benevolence Of all metalles he made division One from another by good provision.