,
Colde wynter stormes nowe she dothe defye.
On Parnoso, the lusty Muses nyene,
Citheera with hir sone nowe dwellis,
This sayson singe, and theire notes tuwyne,
Of poetrye, besyde the cristal wellis,
Calyope the dytes of hem tellis;
And Orpheus with hees stringes sharpe,
Syngethe a roundell with his temperd herpe.
Wherfore to alle estates here present,
This plesant tyme, moste of lustynesse,
May, is nowe comen to fore yowe of entent,
To bringe yowe alle to joye and fresshnesse,
Prosparitee, welfare, and al gladnesse;
And al that may youre hyenesse qweerne and pleese,
In any parte or doone youre hertes eese.

LONDON LICPENYE.

[_From the Copy in the Autograph of John Stow, in the Harleian MS._
542, f. 102.]

In London ther I was lent,
I saw myselfe where trouthe shuld be ateynte;
Fast to Westminstar ward I went,
To a man of lawe to make my complaynt;
I sayd for Maris love, that holy seynt,
Have pity on the powre that would procede;
I would gyve sylvar, but my purs is faynt,
For lacke of money I may not spede.

As I thrast thrughe out the thronge,
Among them all my hode was gonn;
Netheles I let not longe,
To Kyngs benche tyll I come;
Byfore a juge I knelyd anon,
I prayd hym for Gods sake he would take hede;
Full rewfully to hym I gan make my mone,
For lacke of money I may not spede.

Benethe hym set clerks a great rowt,
Fast they writen by one assent;
There stode up one and cryed round about,
Richard, Robert, and one of Kent:
I wist not wele what he ment,
He cried so thike there indede,
There were stronge theves shamed and shent,
But they that laked money mowght not spede.

Unto the Comon place y yowde thoo,
Where sat one with a sylker houde;
I dyd hym reverence as me ought to do;
I tolde hym my case as well as I coude,
And sayd all my goods by nowrd and by sowde,
I am defrawdyd with great falshed;
He would not geve me a momme of his mouthe,
For lake of money I may not spede.

Then I went me unto the Rollis,
Before the clerks of the Chauncerie;
There were many qui tollis,
But I herd no man speke of me;
Before them I knelyd upon my kne,
Shewyd them myne evedence, and they began to reade.
They seyde trewer thinge might there nevar be,
But for lacke of money I may not spede.

In Westminster hall I found one,
Went in a longe gown of ray;
I crowched and kneled before them anone,
For Marys love of helpe I gan them pray;
As he had be wrothe, he voyded away,
Bakward his hand he gan me byd,
I