alrous actes / done in antyquyte

Whose fables and storyes ben pastymes pleasaunt
To lordes and ladyes / as is theyr lykynge
Dyuers to moralyte / ben oft attendaunt
And many delyte to rede of louynge
Youth loueth aduenture / pleasure and lykynge
Aege foloweth polycy / sadnesse and prudence
Thus they do dyffre / eche in experyence

I lytell or nought / experte in this scyence
Compyle suche bokes / to deuoyde ydlenes
Besechynge the reders / with all my delygence
Where as I offende / for to correct doubtles
Submyttynge me to theyr grete gentylnes
As none hystoryagraffe / nor poete laureate
But gladly wolde folowe / the makynge of Lydgate

Fyrst noble Gower / moralytees dyde endyte
And after hym Cauncers / grete bokes delectable
Lyke a good phylozophre / meruaylously dyde wryte
After them Lydgate / the monke commendable
Made many wonderfull bokes moche profytable
But syth the are deed / & theyr bodyes layde in chest
I pray to god to gyue theyr soules good rest

[P] Finis prohemii.

Whan fayre was phebus / [with] his bemes bryght
Amyddes of gemyny / aloft the fyrmament
Without blacke cloudes / castynge his pured lyght
With sorowe opprest / and grete incombrement
Remembrynge well / my lady excellent
Saynge o fortune helpe me to preuayle
For thou knowest all my paynfull trauayle

I went than musynge / in a medowe grene
Myselfe alone / amonge the floures in dede
With god aboue / the futertens is sene
To god I sayd / thou mayst my mater spede
And me rewarde / accordynge to my mede
Thou knowest the trouthe / I am to the true
Whan that thou lyst / thou mayst them all subdue

Who dyde preserue the yonge edyppus
Whiche sholde haue be slayne by calculacyon
To deuoyde grete thynges / the story sheweth vs
That were to come / by true reuelacyon
Takynge after theyr hole operacyon
In this edyppus / accordynge to affecte
Theyr cursed calkynge / holly to abiecte

Who dyde preserue / Ionas and moyses
Who dyde preserue yet many other mo
As the byble maketh mencyon doubles
Who dyde kepe Charles frome his euyll fo
Who was he / that euer coude do so
But god alone / than in lyke wyse maye he
Kepe me full sure / frome all inyquyte

Thus as I called to my remembraunce
Suche trewe examples / I tenderly dyde wepe
Remembrynge well / goddes hyghe ordyna[un]ce
Syghynge full oft / with inwarde teres depe
Tyll at the last / I fell in to a slepe
And in this slepe / me thought I dyde repayre
My selfe alone / in to a garden fay