erin were ymages / of kynges all of golde
With dyuers scryptures / without ony lette
Aloft the roofe / were emeraudes full grette
Set in fyne golde / with amyable rudyes
Endented with dyamondes / and mayn turkyes

The wyndowes hystoried / with many noble kynges
The pyllers Iasper / dyuersed with asure
By pendaunt penacles / of many noble rynges
The pauement calcedony / beynge fayre and sure
The aras golde / with the story pure
Of the syche of thebes / with actes auenturous
Of ryght noble knyghtes / hardy and chyualrous

Than sayd this lady / I must now go hence
Passe ye tyme here / accordynge to your lykynge
It maye fortune / your lady of excellence
Wyll passe her tyme here / soone by walkynge
Than maye she se / your dolefull mournynge
And fare ye well / I maye no lenger tary
Marke well my lesson / and from it do not vary

Whan she was gone / the temple all alonge
I went my selfe / with syghtes grete and feruent
Alas I sayd / with inwarde paynes stronge
My herte doth blede / now all to torne and rent
For lacke of conforte / my herte is almost spent
O meruelo[us] fortune / which hast [in] loue me brought
Where is my conforte / that I so longe haue sought

O wonderfull loue / whiche fell vnto my lotte
O loue ryght clene / without ony thought vntrue
Syth thy fyrst louynge / not blemyssed with spotte
But euermore / the falseshede to extue
O dolorous payne / whiche doste renue
O pyteous herte / where is the helthe and boote
Of thy lady / that perst the at the roote

What thynge is loue / that causeth suche turment
From whens cometh it / me thynke it is good questy[on]
Yf it be nature / from nature it is sent
Loue maye come of kynde by true affeccyon
Loue may appetyte / by naturall eleccyon
Than must loue nedes be / I perceyue it in mynde
A thynge fyrst gyuen / by the god of kynde

Alas o nature / why mayst not thou truely
Cause my lady loue / as thou hast me constrayned
Hath she power to domyne the vtterly
Why mayst not thou / cause her {be} somwhat payned
With natures moeuynge / for lou{e is} not fayned
Alas for sorowe / why madest th{ou h}er so fayre
Without to loue / that she lyst soone repayre

Two thynges me conforte / euer in pryncypall
The fyrst be bokes / made in antyquyte
By Gower and Chauncers / poetes rethorycall
And Lydgate eke / by good auctoryte
Makynge mencyon / of the felycyte
Of my lady and me / by dame fortunes chaunce
To mete togyders / by wonderfull ordynaunce

The seconde is / wh