d, lat it be noon offence,
To your womanly merciful pitee,
Thouh it be rad in your audience:
Peysed ech thyng in your iust advertence,
So it be no displesaunce to your pay,
Undir support of your pacience,
Yevyth example, hornys to cast away.

Grettest of vertues is humylite,
As Salomon seith, sone of sapience,
Moost was accepted to the Deite.
Takith heed heer of yeuyth, to this woord credence,
How Maria, whiche hadde a premynence
Above alle women, in Bedleem whan she lay,
At Cristes birthe no cloth of gret dispence,
She weryd a keverche, hornys wer cast away.

Off birthe she was hihest of degre,
To whom alle aungelis did obedience;
Of David is lyne which sprang out of Jesse,
In whom alle vertues by iust convenience,
Maad stable in God, by goostly confidence:
This roose of Jerycho, ther greuh noon suych in May,
Poore in spirit, parfight in pacience,
In whoom alle hornys of pryde wer put away.

Moodir of J'hu, myrour of chastite,
In woord nor thouht that nevir did offence,
Trewe exemplaire of virginite,
Heedspryng and welle of parfit contynence,
Was nevir clerk, by rethoryk nor science
Kowde alle hir vertues reherse to this day;
Noble Pryncessys of meeke benyvolence,
B'example of hir, your hornys cast away.

ON FRAUDULENT MILLERS AND BAKERS.

[_Harleian MSS._ 2255.]

Put out his hed lyst nat for to dare,
But lyk a man upon that tour to abyde,
For cast of eggys wil not conys spare,
Tyl he be quaylled body, bak, and syde;
His heed endooryd, and of verray pryde,
Put out his armys, shewith abrood his face,
The fenestrallys be made for hym so wyde,
Cleymyth to been a capteyn of that place.

The bastyle longith of verray dewe ryght,
To fals bakerys it is trewe herytage;
Severelle to them, this knoweth every wight,
Be kynde assyngned for ther sittyng stage,
Wheer they may freely shewe out ther visage,
Whan they take oonys there possessione,
Owthir in youthe or in myddyl age,
Men doon hem wrong yif they take hym done.

Let mellerys and bakerys gadre hem a gilde,
And alle of assent make a fraternite;
Undir the pillory a litil chapell bylde,
The place amorteyse and purchase liberte,
For alle thoo that of ther noumbre be;
Whatevir it coost afftir that they wende,
They may cleyme be just auctorite,
Upon that bastile to make an ende.

EXP^{t}. Q' LYDGATE.

THE END.

* * * * *

LONDON:

PRINTED BY RICHARD TAYLOR.

[Illustration: ALERE FLAMMAM.]