To kepe his fleshe chafte,

In Lente, for his repaste
He eateth capons stewed,
Fefaunt and partriche mewed:-
Spareth neyther mayd ne wife,
This is a postel's life!

The poem called the BOUGE OF COURT, or the Rewards of a Court, is in the manner of a pageaunt, confisting of seven perfonifications. Here our author, in adopting the more grave and stately movement of the feven lined ftanza, has shewn himself not always incapable of exhibiting allegorical imagery with spirit and dignity. But his comic vein predominates.

RYOTT is thus forcibly and humourously pictured.

With that came RYOTTE rufhing al at ones,
A rustie galande', to ragged and to rente;
And on the borde he whirled a paire of bones",
Quater treye dews he clattered as he went:.
Nowe have at all by faint Thomas of Kente',
And ever he threwe, and kyft* I wote nere what :
His here was growen thorowe out of his hat.

Than I behylde how he dyfgyfed was;
His hedd was heavy for watchinge over night,
His eyen blered, his face fhone like a glas;
His gowne so shorte, that it ne cover myght
His rompe, he went fo all for fomer light;
His hose was gardyd with a lyste of grene,
Yet at the knee they broken were I ween.

His cote was checkerd with patches rede and blewe,
Of Kyrkbye Kendall" was his short demye";
And aye he fange in fayth decon thou crewe
His elbowe bare, he ware his gere fo nye :-
His nofe droppinge, his lippès were full drye :-
And by his fyde his whynarde, and his pouche,
The devyll myght dance therin for any crouche ".

money fo called, from being marked with the cross. Hence the old phrafe, to cross the hand, for, to give money. In Chaucer's. MARCHAUNT'S TALE, when January and May are married, it is faid the priest "Crouchid them, and bad god fhould "them blefs." v. 1223. Urr. That is, "He croffed the new-married couple, &c." In the poem before us, RYOTTE fays, “ I "have no coyne nor croffe." p. 72. Carpentier mentions a coin, called in Latin CROSATUS, and in old French CROSAT, from being marked with the Crofs. Hence CROISAGE, Fr. for TRIBUTE. V. CRO

SATUS

There is alfo merit in the delineation of DISSIMULATION, in the fame poem: and it is not unlike Ariofto's manner in imagining thefe allegorical perfonages.

Than in his hode I sawe there faces tweyne ;:
That one was lene and lyke a pyned ghost,
That other loked as he wolde me have flayne::
And to me ward as he gan for to cooft,
Whan that he was even at me almooft,
I fawe a knyfe hid in his one fleve,
Whereon was wryten this worde MISCHEVE.

And in his other fleve methought I fawe
A fpone of goldè, full of hony fwete,
To feed a fole, and for to prey a dawe', &c.

The fame may be obferved of the figure of DiSDAYNE.

He looked hawtie, he fette eche man at nought;
His gawdy garment with scornes was al wrought,...
With indignacyon lyned was his hode;

He frowned as he wolde fwere by cockes blode *.

He bote the lyppe, he loked paffýnge coye;
His face was belymmed, as bees had hym ftounge:
It was no tyme with hym to jape nor toye,
Envye hath wafted his lyver and his lounge;
Hatred by the herte fo had hym wrounge,

That he loked pale as afshes to my syghte:
DisDayne, I wene, this comberous crab is hyghte.--

Forthwith he made on me a proude affawte,
With fcornfull lokè movyd all in mode";
He wente about to take me in a fawte,

He fround, he ftared, he ftamped where he stoode :
I loked on hym, I wende" he had be woode*:
He fet the arme proudly under the fyde,

And in this wyfe he gan with me chyde'.

In the CROWNE OF LAWRELL our author attempts the higher poetry: but he cannot long fupport the tone of folemn description. These are some of the most ornamented and poetical ftanzas. He is defcribing a garden belonging to the superb palace of FAME.

In an herber I fawe brought where I was;
The byrdes on the brere fange on every fyde,
With aleys enfandyd about in compas,
The bankes enturfed with fingular folas*,
Enrailed with rofers, and vines engraped;
It was a new comfort of forowes escaped.

In the middes a cundite, that curiously was caft
With pypes of golde, engushing out ftreames
Of cristall, the clerenes these waters far past,
Enfwimminge with roches, barbilles, and breames,
Whose skales enfilvred again the fon beames
Englifterd

Where I fawe growyng a goodly laurell tre,
Enverdured with leave, continually grene;
Above in the top a byrde of Araby,
Men call a Phenix: her wynges bytwene
She bet up a fyre with the sparkes full kene,
With braunches and bowes of the fwete olyve,
Whose fragraunt flower was chefe prefervative

Ageynst all infections with rancour enflamed:

*

* * *

It passed all baumes that ever were named,
Or gummes of Saby, so derely that be folde:
There blewe in that garden a soft piplynge colde,
Enbrething of Zephirus, with his pleasaunt wynde;
Al frutes and flowers grew there in their kynde.

Dryades there daunfed upon that goodly foile,
With the nyne Mufes, Pierides by name;
Phillis and Teftelis, there treffes with oyle
Were newly enbibed: And, round about the fame
Grene tre of laurell, moche folacious game

They made, with chaplettes and garlandes grene;

And formoft of al dame Flora the quene;

Of fomer fo formally fhe foted the daunce:

There Cinthius fat, twinklyng upon his harpestringes:
And Jopas his instrument dyd avaunce,

The poemes and stories auncyent in bringes

Of Atlas aftrology, &c.

Our author fuppofes, that in the wall furrounding the palace of FAME were a thousand gates, new and old, for the entrance and egrefs of all nations. One of the gates is

• P. 30. feq.

called