Sequitur pars tercia I trowe men wolde deme it necligence, If I foryete to tellen the dispence Of Theseus, that gooth so bisily To maken up the lystes roially; That swich a noble theatre as it was, I dar wel seyen, in this world ther nas. The circuit a myle was aboute, Walled of stoon, and dyched al withoute. Round was the shap, in manere of compas, Ful of degrees the heighte os sixty pas, That whan a man was set on o degree, He lette nat his felawe for to see. Estward ther stood a gate of marbul whit, Westward, right swich another in the opposit; And shortly to concluden, swich a place Was noon in erthe, as in so litel space. For in the lond ther was no crafty man That geometrie or ars-metrik kan, Ne portreitour, ne kervere of ymages, That Theseus ne yaf him mete and wages The theatre for to maken and devyse. And for to doon his ryte and sacrifise He estward hath upon the gate above, In worship of Venus, goddesse of love, Doon make an auter and an oratorie. And on the gate westward, in memorie Of Mars, he maked hath right swich another, That coste largely of gold a fother. And northward, in a touret on the wal Of alabastre whit, and reed coral, An oratorie, riche for to see, In worship of Dyane, of chastitee, Hath Theseus doon wroght in noble wyse. But yet hadde I foryeten to devyse The noble kervyng and the portreitures, The shap, the contenaunce, and the figures, That weren in thise oratories thre. First in the temple of Venus maystow se Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde, The broken slepes and the sikes colde, The sacred teeris and the waymentynge, The firy strokes, and the desirynge That loves servauntz in this lyf enduren; The othes that her covenantz assuren; Plesaunce and Hope, Desir, Foolhardynesse, Beautee and Youthe, Bauderie, Richesse, Charmes and Force, Lesynges, Flaterye, Despense, Bisynesse, and Jalousye, That wered of yelewe gooldes a gerland, And a cokkow sittynge on hir hand; Festes, instrumentz, caroles, daunces, Lust and array, and alle the circumstaunces Of love, whiche that I rekned, and rekne shal, By ordre weren peynted on the wal, And mo than I kan make of mencioun;
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 16:08:09 +0000
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