The Epitaffe of the moste noble & valyaunt Iasper late duke of Beddeforde.
Rydynge al alone with sorowe sore encombred.
In a frosty fornone / faste by seuernes syde.
The wordil beholdynge / wherat moche I Wondred
To se the see & sonne / to kepe both tyme and tyde.
The ayre ouer my hede / so wonderfully to glyde.
Color ficcio.
And howe saturne by circūference borne is aboute.
Whiche thynges to beholde / clerely me notyfyde
One verray god to be / therin to haue no dowte
And as my fantasy flamyd in that occupacyon.
fruteles / deuoyde of all maner gladnes
Of one was I Ware / into greate desolacyon.
To the erthe prostrate rauynge for madnes
By menys so inmoderate / encreased was his sadnes
That by me can not be compyled
His dedly sorowe / and dolorous dystres
Lyfe in hym / by deth / so ny Was exiled
Hym better to beholde / so ferre oute of frame
Nerre I nyghed / farsyd with fragyllyte
wherwith Smert I perceyued he called was by name
which ouer haukes & houndes had auctoryte.
Though the roume vnmete were for his pouer degre
yet fortune so hym farthered to his lorde
wherfore him to lye in soch perplexite.
what it myghte mene / I gan to my sylfe recorde
I shogged him I shaked him I ofte aboute him Wente.
And al to knowe / Why so care / his carayn hyued
[Page] His temples I rubbyd and by the nose him hente
Al as in vayne Was / he coude nat be reuyued.
He waltered / he wende / and With him silfe stryued.
Such coūtenaūce cōtynuynge / but or I parte the place
Vp his hede he caste whan his woful goste aryued.
Those Wordes saynge with righte a pytous face.
O sorowe sorowe beyonde al sorowes sure.
Metricus pumus. Color. repeticio.
All sorowes sure surmountynge / lo.
To Which payne no pure may endure
Endure may none such dedely wo.
Wo alas ye inwrapped for he is go.
Go is he Whose valyaunce to recounte.
To recounte all other it dyd surmounte.
Gone is he alas that redy was to do.
Eche thynge that to nobes required.
Metricus secundus. C. recitacio sīplex.
Gone is he alas that redy Was to do.
Eche thynge that curtesye of him desyred.
Whose
frowarde[?] fate falsely was conspyred.
By antraphos vnasured & her vngracyous charmys.
Iaspar I mene is gone mars son in armys.
He that of late regnyd in glory.
With grete glosse buttylly glased.
M. iii. C. narracio.
NoWe lo we vnder fote doth he ly.
With wormys ruly rente and rasyd
His carayne stynkynge his fetures fasyd.
Brother and vncle to kynges yesterday.
Nowe is he gone and lafte vs as mased.
Closed here lyeth he in a clote of clay.
Shal he come agayne / a nay nay.
Where is he become I can not discusse.
Than with the prophet may We say.
Non inuentus est locus eius.
Restynge in him Was honoure with sadnesse.
Curtesy kyndenesse With great assuraunce.
Dispysynge vice louynge al way gladnesse.
Metricus quartus e
[...] retrogradiens. Color discripcio.
Knyghtly condicyons feythful alegeaunce
Kyndely demenoure gracyous vtteraunce.
Was none semelyer feture ne face.
Frendely him fostered quatriuial aliaunce.
Alas yet dede nowe arte thou iaspar alas.
wherfore sorowe to oure sorowe / none can be founde.
Ne cause agayne care to mollyfy oure monys.
Alas the payne
For his body and goste
Metricus quintus[?]
That we loued moste.
In a graue in the grounde
Deth depe hath drounde
Amonge robel and stonys
Wherfore complayne..
Complayne complayne who can complayne.
For I alas past am compleynte.
To compleyne wyt can not sustayne.
[Page] Deth me with doloure so hath bespraynt
M. vi.
For in my syghte.
Oure lorde and knyghte
Contrary to righte.
Deth hath ateynte.
As the vylest of a nacyon.
Deuoyde of consolacyon.
By cruel crucyacyon.
He hath combryd hym sore.
M. vii. C. iteracio
He hath him combryd sore.
That fraunce and englonde bere byfore.
Armys of both quarteryd.
And with hony soyte was garteryd.
Se howe he is nowe marteryd.
Alas for sorowe therfore.
Alas for sorowe therfore.
Oute and Weleaway.
For people many a score.
For him shal yel and rore.
Alas that we were bore.
To se this dolorous day.
With asshy hue compleyne also I cry.
Ladyes / damosels mynyonat & gorgayse.
Knyghtes
aunterus[?] of the myghty monarchy.
Complayne also for he that in his dayes.
To enhaunce wonte was your honoure youre prayse.
Nowe is he gone of erthly blysse ryfyld.
For dredeful deth withouten delayse.
[Page] Ful dolorously his breth hath stifild.
Terys degoutynge also complayne complayne.
Houndes peerles / haukes withoute percialyte.
Sacris / faucons / heroners hautayne.
C.
transsumpcio[?].
For nowe darked is youre pompe / youre prodogalyte.
youre plesures been past vnto penalyte.
Of with your rich caperons / put on your mournīg hodes
For iaspar your prynce by ꝓporcyon of qualyte.
Paste is by deth / those daungerous flodys.
He that manhode meyntened / & magnamynite
His blasynge blys nowe is with balys blechyd
M. viii.
Throgh dethes croked & crabbed cruelte.
In doloure depe nowe is he droWned & drechyd.
His starynge standerde that in stoures strechyd
With a sable serpente / nowe set is on a wall.
His helme heedles / cote corseles / woful and wrechyd.
With a swerde handeles there hange they all.
Gewellys of late / poysyd at grete valoyre.
He ded they desolate of euery membre.
Stykynge on stakes as thynges of none shaloyre
For the corse that they couched /
cast[?] is in sendre.
By cruel compulsyon caused to surrendre.
M. ix.
Lyfe vp to deth / that al ouerspurneth.
O se howe this worlde tourneth.
Some laugheth some mourneth.
yet ye prynces precyous and tendre.
[Page] Whyle that ye here in glory soiourneth.
The deth of our mayster rue to remembre.
O turmentoure / traytoure / torterous tyraunte.
So vnwarely oure duke haste thou slayne
C. exclamacio.
That Wyt and mynde are vnsuffycyaunte.
Agayne thy myschyf malyce to mayntayne
We that in blysse wonte Were to bayne
With fortune flotynge moste fauourably.
Nowe thorow thrylled & persyd with payne.
Langoure we in feruente exstasy.
O murtherer vnmesurable withouten remors.
Monstruus of entayle aborryd in kynde.
Thou haste his corse dystressed by force.
C. reproba cio.
Whos parayle alyue thou can not fynde.
Howe durst: hou his flessh and spyryte vnrynde.
Dissendynge[?] fro Cyzyle Ierusalem and Fraunce.
O bazalyke bryboure with iyes blynde.
Sore may thou rue thy vtterquidaunce
Thou haste berafte / I say the erthly ioye
Of one broder & vncle to kynges in degre.
Lynyally descendynge fro eneas of troye.
Grete vncle and vncle to prynces thre.
Brother to a saynte by Way of natyuyte
Vncle to another / whom men seketh blyue.
Blynde croked lame / for remedyes hourly.
Thus god that bromecod had gyuen a prerogatyue.
And yet thou dolorous deth / to the herte hast him stynged.
Wenest thou felon / such murther to escape
I say the brewtors of Wales on the Wyl be reuenged
For thy false conspyracy and froWarde fate
C. newgacio.
We his seruauntes also sole disconsolate.
Haste thou lafte / so that creatures more maddyr.
In erthe none Wandreth atWene senit & naddyr.
Wherfore to the felde / to the felde / on With plate & male.
Beest / byrde / foule / eche body terrestryal.
M. x.
Seke we this murtherer him to assayle.
Vnafrayde ioyne in ayde / ye bodyes celestyal.
Herry saynt / with iyes faynte / to the also I cal.
for thy brothers sake / help deth to take / y
t al may ō hī
(wōd)
wonder
for & he reyne by drift sodeyne / he Wil ech kynd encūbre.
¶Dethe.
Fouconer thou arte to blame.
And oughte take shame.
To make suche pretense.
M. xi. C. ꝓsopopeya.
For I deth hourly.
May stande truly.
At ful lawful defence
Deth hath no myghte.
Do wronge ne righte.
Fauoure frende ne fo.
But as an instrumentes
At commaundemente.
Whether to byde or go.
I am the instromente
Of one omnipotente
That knowest thou fyrme and playne.
wherfore fro dethe
Thy wo and wreth
I Wolde thou shulde reteyne.
And agayne god
For thy bromecod
Batayle[?] to darayne.
Than if it be ryghte / most of myght / thy godhed I acuse.
For thy myght / contrary to right / thou doste gretly abuse.
M. xii. C. Introductio.
Katyffes vnkīd / thou leuest behīd / paynīs turkes & iewis
& o
r
(maist)
maister gret / thou gaue wormes to ete w
rō gretly I muse
Is this wel done / āswer me sone / make lorde thyn excuse
Dyd thou disdayne y
t he shuld rayne / was y
t els y
e cause.
In his rayne he was moste fayne / to mynest thy lawes
Than certayn & thou be playn / & stedfaste in thy sawes.
Euery knyght that doth right / ferynge drede ne awes
M. xiii. C. onomotopeya.
Of thy face bryghte / shal haue a syghte /
after this worldly wawes.
Than gode lorde / scripture doth record / verefieng y
t cause
that o
r bromcod W
t the gode god / in heuē shal rest & pause
For first of nought thou him wroght of thy special grace
And Wers than noght hī also boght / in caluery in y
t place
M. xiiii. C. ꝓbacio.
Thou by thoght / oft he were broght / W
t satanas to trace.
yet lorde to haue pyte thou oght / on y
e pycture of thy face
[Page] we / neyther he / dāpned to be / willyngly thou wist noght.
M. xv.
yet dampned shal he & we be / if thy mercy helpe nought.
Discreciō hast thou gyuē ꝑde / what Wold we more ought
After deth to lyue with the / if we offende nought
There is a cause yet of oure care / thou creatoure alofte.
That thy gospel doth declare / which I forgete noughte
HoWe vnwarly our Welfare / fro vs shal be broughte
By deth y
t none wyl spare / lorde y
t knowe we noughte
M. xvi.
In syn drowned if we dare / & so sodenly be coughte
Than of blysse ar we bare / y
t fylleth me ful of thoughte
Thou knowest lorde beste thy sylfe
Man is but duste stercorye and fylthe
Of him sylfe vnable.
Saue only of thy specyal grace
A soule thou made to occupye place.
To make man ferme and stable.
C degressio
which man to do as thou ordeyned.
With fendes foule / shal neuer be payned.
But in blysse be perdurable.
And if he do the contrarye
After this lyfe than shal he dye.
M. xvii:
Fendes to fede vnsaciable.
For which fendys foule thou made a centre.
In which centre / thou made an entre
That such y
t to breke thy cōmaūdemētes Wolde auēter
Theder doWne shulde dessende.
But oure maister whan deth hym trapte.
[Page] In pure perseueraunce so was Wrapte.
That thou inuisyble his speryte thyder rapte
Where thy sheltrons him shal defende.
If We nat offende
He wyl purchace.
A gloryous place.
At oure laste ende
To se his face.
we shal assende
M. quatrinalis. C. transuersio.
By his grete grace.
If we nat offende.
Thou haste enuapored I say alofte.
The soule of iasper that thou wroughte.
Seruyce to do latrial.
And why lorde I dyd the reproue.
Was for perfyte zele and loue.
To the nat preiudicyal.
For lorde this I knowe exprsse
This worldly frute is bytternesse.
Farcyd With wo and payne.
Lyfe ledynge dolorously in distresse
Shadowed with dethes lykenesse.
As in none certayne.
yet me semeth lo thou art non of tho y
t vs so shuld begyle
He is nat yet ded / I lay my hed thou hast hī hid for a while
And al to ꝓue / who doth him loue / & Who wil be vnkynd
C. neugacio
Thou hast in led layde hī a bed this trow I in my mynd
for this we troW / & thou dost know / as thy might is most
That him to dye / to soWe & hye / it were to grete a lost.
And he be dede this knowe I very right
Thou saw lorde this erth corrupt with fals adulacyon.
And thought it place vnmete for iaspar thy knyght.
wherfore of body and soule / thou made seperacyon.
Preantedate seynge by pure predestynacyon.
C. excusacio.
Whan his lyfe here shulde fyne and consum.
Wherfore lorde thus ende I my dolorous exclamacyon
Thy godenes knewe what was beste to be done.
As a prynce penytente and ful of contricion.
M. xviii. C. conclusio.
So dyed he / we his seruauntes can recorde.
And that he may haue euerlastynge fruicyon.
We the beseche gloryous kynge and lorde
For the laste leson that he dyd recorde.
To thy power he it aplyed / saynge tibi omnes.
As a hye knyghte / in fidelyte / fermely moryd
Angeli celi et potestates.
Wherwith payne / to the herte him boryd
And lyfe him lefte / gyuynge deth entres
Whiche lyfe in comparyson of thyne:
Is as poynt in lyne / or as instant in tyme.
For thou were / and arte / and shal be al tyme
In thy silfe reynynge by power diuyne
Makynge gerarcyiis thre / and orders nyne
The to deifye
Wherfore we crye.
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
But to lyue
[Page] For ēternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
And than moste craftely dyd combyne.
Another heuen called cristalline.
So the thyrde stellyferal to shyne.
M. xix. C. prolongacio.
Aboue thy skye.
Wherfore we crye
Suffer nat iaspar to dye
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
Moreouer in a zodiake / pure and fyne.
Synys. xii. thou set for a tyme.
And them nexte in cercle and lyne
Saturne thou set / iupiter and mars citryne.
Contect and drye.
Wherfore / we crye.
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
Than to peryssh thorouthryll & myne.
The mystes blake and cloudes tetryne.
Tytan thou set clerely to shyne.
The worldes iye.
Wherfore we crye. vt supra
[Page] yet in their epycercles to tril & tWyne.
Retrograte / stacyoner / directe as a lyne.
Venus thou set marcury & the mone masseline.
Nexte fyre / and ayre so sotyl of engyne.
The to gloryfye
Wherfore we crye
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
Water and erth with braunch and vine.
And so thy werkes to ende and fyne.
Man to make thou dyd determyne,
Of whome cam I.
wherfore I cry & the supplye.
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
With him to comford at all tyme.
Thou ioyned the sex than of frayle femynyne
Which by temptacyon serpentyne.
Theyre hole sequele broughte to ruyne.
By ouergrete folye.
Wherfore we crye.
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
[Page] But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleueue.
Than of thy godenes thou dyd enclyne
flessh to take of thy moder and virgyne.
And vs amonge in payne and famyne.
Dwalte and taughte thy holy doctryne.
Vulgurly
Wherfore we crye.
Suffer nat iaspar to dye.
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
Tyl a traytoure by false couyne.
To pylat accused the at pryme.
So taken slayne / and buryed at complyne.
Rose agayne of adam redemynge the lyne.
By thy infynyte mercy.
For whych mercy.
Incessantly we crye
And the supplye
Suffer nat our lorde to dye
But to lyue.
For eternally that he shal lyue.
Is oure byleue.
¶Lenuoy.
Kynges / prynces / remembre whyle ye may.
Do for your silfe for that shal ye fynde.
M. xx.
Executours often maketh delay.
The body buryed the soule sone oute of mynde.
Marke this Wel / and graue it in youre mynde.
Howe many grete estates gone are before.
And hoWe after ye shal foloWe by course of kynde.
Wherfore do for youre silfe / I can say no more.
Though ye be gouernours moste precious in kynde.
Caste downe your crounes and costely appareyle.
Endored With golde / and precyous stones of ynde.
For al in the ende lytyl shal auayle.
Whan youre estates deth lyketh to assayle
your bodyes bulgynge with a blyster sore
Than Withstande shal neyther plate ne mayle.
Wherfore do for youre silfe / I can say no more.
There is a vertue that moost is auaunsed
Pure perseueraunce called of the porayle.
By Whome al vertues are enhaunsed.
Which is not Wonne but by diligente trauayle.
Ware in the ende / for and that vertue fayle.
Body and soule than are ye forlore
Wherfore if ye folowe Wyll holsom counsayle.
Do for youre silfe I can say no more.
Kynges prynces moste souerayne of renoune.
Remembre oure maister that gone is byfore.
This Worlde is casual / nowe vp / nowe downe.
Wherfore do for your silfe I can say no more.
Amen.
Honor tibi deus / gloria / et laus.
(Qd)
Quod Smerte maister de ses ouzeaus.