X.

THE TOWER OF DOCTRINE.

The reader has here a specimen of the descriptive powers of STEPHEN HAWES, a celebrated poet in the reign of Hen. VII, though now little known. It is extracted from an allegorical poem of his (written in 1505,) intitled, "The Hist. of Graunde Amoure & La Belle "Pucel, called the Palace of Pleasure, &c." 4to. 1555. See more of Hawes in Ath. Ox. v. 1. p.6. and Warton's Observ. v. 2. p. 105. He was also author of a book, intitled, "The Temple of Glass. Wrote by "Stephen Hawes, gentleman of the bedchamber to "K. Henry VII." Pr. for Caxton, 4to. no date.

The following Stanzas are taken from Chap. III, and IV. of the Hist. above mentioned. "How Fame de66 parted from Graunde Amour and left him with Governaunce and Grace, and howe, he went to the Tower "of Doctrine, &c."-As we are able to give no small lyric piece of Hawes's, the reader will excuse the insertion of this extract.

"

I LOKED about and saw a craggy roche,

Farre in the west neare to the element,

And as I dyd then unto it approche,
Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent

The royal tower of MORALL DOCUMENT,
Made of fine copper with turrettes fayre and hye,
Which against Phebus shone soe marveylously,

5

That

That for the very perfect bryghtnes

What of the tower, and of the cleare sunne,

I could nothyng behold the goodlines

Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne :
Tyll at the last, with mysty wyndes donne,
The radiant brightnes of golden Phebus
Auster gan cover with clowde tenebrus.

Then to the tower I drewe, nere and nere,

And often mused of the great hyghnes

Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare:
But the fayre tower, (so much of ryches
Was all about,) sexangled doubtles

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18

Gargeyld with grayhoundes, and with many lyons,
Made of fyne golde; with divers sundry dragons*.

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The little turrets with ymages of golde

About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved

With propre vices, that I did well beholde

About the tower, in sundry wyse they hoved

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With goodly pypes, in their mouthes ituned,

That with the wynd they pyped a daunce
Iclipped Amour de la hault plesaunce.

The toure was great of marveylous wydnes,

To whyche ther was no way to passe but one,

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Into the toure for to have an intres :

V.25. towers. PC.

* Greyhounds, Lions, Dragons, were at that time the royal

supporters.

A grece

A grece

there was ychesyld all of stone

Out of the rocke, on whyche men dyd gone
Up to the toure, and in lykewyse dyd I
Wyth bothe the Grayhoundes in my company*:

Tyll that I came unto a ryall gate,

Where I sawe stondynge the goodly Portres,
Whyche axed me, from whence I came a-late;
To whome I gan in every thynge expresse
All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse,
And eke my name; I tolde her every dell :
Whan she herde this she lyked me right well.

Her name, she sayd, was called COUNTENAUNCE
Into the base' courte she dyd me then lede,
Where was a fountaỳne depured of plesance,
A noble sprynge, a ryall conduyte-hede,
Made of fyne gulde enameled with reed;
And on the toppe four dragons blewe and stoute
Thys dulcet water in four partes dyd spoute.

Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere,
Sweter than Nylus + or Ganges was ther odoure;
Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere:

I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure,
Fragraunt of fume, and swete as any floure;

V. 44. besy courte. PC.

*This alludes to a former part of the Poen.
+ Nysus. PC.

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40

45

50

V. 49. partyes. PC.

And

And in my mouthe it had a marveylous scent
Of divers spyces, I knewe not what it ment.

And after thys further forth me brought
Dame Countenaunce into a goodly Hall,

Of jasper stones it was wonderly wrought :
The wyndowes cleare depured all of crystall,
And in the roufe on hye over all

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60

Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne;

Instede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified,
With pillers made of stones precious,
Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified,
It myght be called a palaice glorious,
So muche delectable and solacious;

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The hall was hanged hye and circuler

With cloth of arras in the rychest maner,

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That treated well of a ful noble story,

Of the doubty waye to the Tower Perillous* ; Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory Of many a serpente foule and odious.

XI.

THE CHILD OF ELLE,

is given from a fragment in the Editor's folio MS: which, though extremely defective and mutilated, appeared to have so much merit, that it excited a strong desire to attempt a completion of the story. The Reader will easily discover the supplemental stanzas by their inferiority, and at the same time be inclined to pardon it, when he considers how difficult it must be to imitate the affecting simplicity and artless beauties of the original. CHILD was a title sometimes given to a knight. See Gloss.

ON yonder hill a castle standes
With walles and towres bedight,
And yonder lives the Child of Elle,
A younge and comely knighte.

The Child of Elle to his garden went,
And stood at his garden pale,

Whan, lo! he beheld fair Emmelines page
Come trippinge downe the dale.