Here begynnys ane litil tretie intitulit the goldyn targe compilit be Maister Wilyam dunbar

.Walterus. chepman:
Ryght as the stern of day begouth to schyne
Quhen gone to bed war vesper and lucyne
I raise and by a rosere did me rest
Wp sprang the goldyn candill matutyne
With clere depurit bemes cristallyne
Glading the mery foulis in thair nest
Or phebus was in purpur cape reuest
Wp raise the lark the hevyns menstrale fyne
In may / in till a morow myrthfullest
Full angellike thir birdis sang thair houris
Within thair courtyns grene in to thair houris.
Apparalit quhite and rede wyth blomes suete
Anamalit was the felde wyth all colouris
The perly droppis schake in silvir schouris.
Quhill all in balme did branch and leuis flete
To part fra phebus did aurora grete
Hir cristall teris I saw hyng on the flouris
Quhilk he for lufe all drank vp wyth his hete
For mirth of may wyth skippis and wyth happis.
The birdis sang vpon the tender croppis
With curiouse note as venus chapell clerkis
The rosis yong new spreding of thair knopis
War powdit bry t with hevinly beriall droppis
Throu bemes rede birnyng as ruby sperkis.
The skyes rang for schoutyng of the larkis
The purpur hevyn our scailit in silvir sloppis
Our gilt the treis branchis lef [...] barkis
Doun̄ throu the ryce a ryuir ran wyth stremys
So lustily agayn thai lykand lemys
That all the lake as lamp did leme of licht
[Page]Quhilk schadovit all about wyht twynkling glemis
That bewis bathit war in secund bemys
Throu the reflex of phebus visage bry t
On every syde the hegies raise on hicht
The bank was grene / the bruke vas full of bremys
The stāneris clere as stern in frosty ny t
The cristall air the sapher firmament
The ruby skyes of the orient
kest beriall bemes on emeraut bewis grene
The rosy garth depaynt and redolent
With purpur azure gold and goulis gent
Arayed was▪ by dame [...]lora the quene
So nobily▪ that ioy was for to sene
The roch agayn the riwir resplendent
As low enlumynit / all the leues schene
Quhat throu the mery foulys armony
And throu the ryueris soun̄ ry t ran me by
On fflorais mantill I slepit as I lay
Quhare sone in to my dremes fantasy
I saw approch agayn the orient sky
I saill als quhite as blossum vpon spray
Wyth merse of gold bry t as the stern of day
Quhilk tendit to the land full lustily
As falcoun̄ swift desyrouse of hir pray
And hard on burd vnto the blomyt medis
Amang the grene rispis and the redis
Arrivit sche quhar fro anon̄ thare landis.
Ane hundreth ladyes lusty in to wedis.
Als fresch as flouris that in may vp spredis
In kirtillis grene with outyn kell or bandis
[Page]Thair bry • hairis hang gleting on the strandis
In tressis clere wyppit wyth goldyn thredis
With pappis quhite / and mydlis small as wandis
Distrine I wald bot quho could wele endyte
How all the feldis wyth thai lilies quhite
Depaynt war bry • y e quhilk to the hevyn did glete
Noucht thou omer als fair as thou coud wryte
For all thine ornate stilis so ꝑfyte
Nor yit thou Tullius / quho is lippis suete.
Off rethorike did in to [...] flete
your aureate tongis both bene all to lyte
For to compile that paradise complete
Thare saw I nature / and venus quene & quene
The fresch aurora / and lady Flora schene
Iuno Appollo / and Proserpyna
Dyane the goddesse chaste of woddis grene
My lady Cleo that help of makaris bene
Thetes Pallas / and prudent Minerua
Fair feynit fortune / and lemand lucina
Thir mychel quenis in croūis my t be sene
Wyth bemys blith bricht as lucifera
Thare saw I may of my [...]thfull monethis quene
Betuix Aprile / and Iune hir sistir schene
Within the gardynh walking vp & doun̄
Quham of / the foulis gladdith all be dene
Scho was full tend in hir yeris grene
Thare saw I nature pūt hir a goun̄
Rich to behold and nobil of renoun̄
Off ewiry hew vnd the hevin that bene
Depaynt and broud be gude proporcion̄
Full lustily thir ladyes all in fere
Enterit within this [...] of most [...]
Quhare that I lay [...]
The mery foulis blisfullest of chere
Salust nature me thoucht on thair [...]
And ewiry [...]
Opnyt and [...] thair [...]
Full low enclynyng to thair quene so [...]
Quham of thair noble [...]
Syne to dame Flora on the [...]
Thay saluse / and thay thank a thousand [...]
And to dame Wenus [...]
Thay sang balle [...]tis in lufe as was the gyse
With amourouse notis lusty to devils
As thay that had lufe in thair h [...]rtis grene
Thair hony throtis opnyt fro the spi [...]
With werblis suete did perse the [...]
Quhill loud resownyt the firmament se [...]ene
Ane othir court tha [...]e [...] I consequent
Cupide the king wyth [...] in [...]
And dredefull arowis [...]
Thare saw I mars te god armypotent
Aufull and sterne. strong and corpolent
Thare saw I crabbit Saturn ald & haire
His luke was lyke for to ꝑturb the aire
Thare was Mercurius wise and eloquent
Of rethorike that [...] the flouris faire
Thare was the god of gardingis priapus
Thare was the god of wildnes phanus.
And Ianus god of entree delytable
[Page]Thare was the god of fludis Neptunus
Thare was the god of wyndis [...]
With variand luke ry t lyke a lord vnstable.
Thare was Bacus the gladd of the table
There was pluto the elrich incubus
In cloke of grene his court vsit no sable
And ewiry one of thir in grene arayit.
On harp or lute full merily thai playit
And sang ballettis with michty notis clere
Ladyes to dance full sobirly assayit
Endlang the lusty rywi [...] so thai mayit
Thair obseruance ry t he vynly was to here
Than crap I throu the leuis, & drew nere
Quhare yat I was ry t sudaynly affrayt
All throu a luke / quhilk I haue boucht full dere
And schortly for to speke / be lufis quene
I was aspyit scho had hir archearis kene
Go me arrest / and thay no tyme delayit
Than ladyes fair lets fall thair mantillis gren
With lowis big in tressit hairis schene
All sudaynly thay had a f [...]lde arayit
And yit ry t gretly was I noucht affrayit.
The party was so plesand for to sene
A wonder lusty bikkir me assayit
And first of all with bow In hand ybent
Come dame beautee ry t as scho [...] schent
Syne folowit all hir dameselis yfare
With mony diuerse aufull instrument
Wnto the pres fair having wyth hir went
Fyne portrature plesance & lusty chere
[Page]Than come reson̄ with schelde of gold so clere
In plate and ma [...] as mars armypotent
Defendit me / that nobil cheuallere
Syne tender youth come wyth his virgyns yong
Grene innocen [...].
And quaking drede wyth humble obedience
The goldyn targe [...] thay no thing
Curage in thame was noucht begonne to spring
Full sore thay [...] a violence
Suete womāhede I saw euin in presence.
Of artilye a warld sche did in bring
Seruit wyth ladyes full of reuerence
Sche led wyth hir nurture and lawlynes
Contenence / pacience / gude fame & stedfastnes.
Discrecion̄ gentrise and considerance
Leuefull company & honest besynes
Benigne luke / mylde [...]
All thir bure ganyei [...] to do me [...]
Bot res [...] the targe wyth sik constance
Thair scharp ass [...]yes mycht do n [...] dures
To me forall thair aufull [...]ynance
Wnto the pres ꝑsewit hi [...] degree
Hir folowit ay estate and dignitee
Comꝑison̄ honour and noble array
Will wantonnes [...] and [...]
Richesse [...] and eke nobilitee
Wit ye thay did thair baner hye display
A cloud of arowis as hayle schour lo [...]sit thay
And schot quhill wastit was thair artilye
Syne went abak reboytit of thair pray
Quhen venus had ꝑsauit this rebute
Dissymilance scho bad go mak ꝑsute
At all powere to perse the goldyn targe
And scho that was of doubilnes the rute
Askit hir choise of archeris in refute
Wenus the best bad hir go wale at large
Scho tuke presence plicht ankers of the barge
And fair callyng that wele a flayn coud schute
And cherising for to complete hir charge
Dame hamelynes scho tuke in company
That hardy was and hende in archery
And broucht dame beautee to the felde agayn
With all the choise of venus cheualry
Thay come and bikkerit vnabaisitly
The schour of arowis rappit on as rayn
Perilouse presence that mony syre has slayn
The bataill broucht on bordour hard vs by
The salt was all the sarar suth to sayn
Thik was the schote of grundyn dartis kene
Bot reson̄ with the scheld of gold so schene
Warly defendit quho so ewir assayes
The aufull stoure he manly did sustene
Quhilk presence keft a pulder in his ene
And than as drūkyn mā he all for vayit
Quhen he was blynd the fule wyth hym thay playit
And banyst hym amang the bewis grene
That sory sicht me sudaynly affrayit
Than was I woundit to the deth wele nere
And yoldyn as a wofull prisonnere
To lady beautee in a moment space
[Page]Me thoucht scho semyt lustiar of chere
Efter that resoū tynt had his eyne clere
Than of before / and lufliare of face
Quhy was thou blyndit reson̄. quhi allace
And gert ane hell. my paradise appere
And mercy seme / quhare that I fand no grace
Dissymulance was besy me to sile
And fair calling did oft apon me smyle
And cherising me fed wyth wordis fair
New acquyntance enbracit me a quhile
And fauouryt me. quhill men my • go a myle
Syne tuke hir leve. I saw hir nevir mare
Than saw I dangere toward me repair.
I coud eschew hir presence be no wyle
On syde scho lukit wyth ane fremyt fare
And at the last departing coud hir dresse
And me delyūit vnto hevynesse
For to remayne / and scho in cure me take.
Be this the lord of wyndis wyth wodenes
God Eolus his bugill blew I gesse
That with the blast the leuis all to schake
And sudaynly in the space of a luke
All was hyne went thare was bot wildnes
Thare was no more bot birdis bank and bruke
In twynklyng of ane eye to scip thai went
And swyth vp saile vnto the top thai stent
And with swift course atour the flude thai frak
Thai fyrit gūnis wyth powd violent
Till that the reke raise to the firmament
The rochis all resownyt wyth the rak
[Page]For rede it semyt that the rayn bow brak.
Wyth spirit affrayde apon my fete I sprent
Amang the clewis so carefull was the crak
And as I did awake of my sueving
The ioyfull birdis merily did syng
For myrth of phebus tend bemes schene
Suete war. the vapouris soft the morowing
Halesum the vale depaynt wyth flouris ying
The air attempit sobir and amene
In quhite and rede was all the felde besene
Throu naturis nobil fresch anamalyng
In mirthfull may of ewiry moneth quene
O reūend Chaucere rose of rethoris all
As in oure tong and flour imperiall
That raise in britane ewir quho redis ry t
Thou beris of makaris the tryumph riall
Thy frech anamalit termes celicall
This mat coud illumynit haue full bry t
Was thou noucth of oure inglisch all the ly t
Surmounting ewiry tong terrestriall
Alls fer as mayes morow dois mydnycht.
O morall Gower / and ludgate laureate
your sugurit lippis and tongis aureate
Bene to oure eris cause of grete delyte
your angel mouthis most mellifluate
Oure rude langage has clere illumynate
And fair our gilt oure spech that unꝑfyte
Stude or your goldyn pēnis schupe to wirte
This Ile before was bare and desolate
Off rethorike. or lusty fresch endyte
Thou lytill quair be ewir obedient
Humble subiect and symple of entent
Before the fare of ewiry connyng wicht
I knaw quhat thou of rethorike may spent
Off all hir lusty rosis redolent.
Is noū in to thy gerland sett on hicht
Eschame thar of and draw the out of sicht
Rude is thy wede disteynit bare and rent
Wele aucht thou be aferit of the licht
Androv myllar

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