THE REYNES EXTRACTS

A. A SPEECH OF 'DELIGHT'


01     Lo, here is a ladde lyght,
02     Al fresch I 3ou plyght,
03     Galant and joly.
04     Wy! 3e knowe what I hyght?
05     My name, serys, is Delyght.
06     [I hope not ful holy.]

07     Holy, quod sche? Nay, let be!
08     Be Crist, it acordyth not with me,
09     But sporte, myrthe, and play
10     Me reioyceth for to see;
11     țe worldys wunderys and vanyté,
12     Therinne delyght I ay.

13     For me semet it is to delyght
14     To behelde țe firmament lyght,
15     The cours of sterrys to kenne,
16     The swine with his bemys bryght,
17     țe mone how he refulsyth țe nyght,
18     The planetys in her circumferens renne.

19     The skyes in her coloures rake,
20     țe therke sladdes of clowdes blake-
21     This reioyceth me above.
22     Than of the erthe delyght I take
23     To see the fiorent wodys per leves shake,
24     The ryverys rennyng by țerinne dyuers fysshes move.

25     I se these hey hyllys wher is the holsom ayer;
26     Benethe, the redolent medowes with ther flowres fayer,
27     țe therke mystes how it ascendys.

28     In the valeys of the cornys ylke ayer
29     I se dyuers fowlys to țe wodes repayer-
30     țer swetly syngang me mekyl amendys.

31     I se in these gay gardeynes wher holsum erbys spryng
32     țese pererys, țe pomerys, țe venys țat swete frutys bryng,
33     The reed rosys and the lelyes whyte.
34     I se in țe gret see ther shyppys euer seylyng,
35     Also how it ebbyt and flowit and fysshes țerin swymmyng,
36     The whawys how they waltyr, and se the qwall fyght.

37     In țe hore hethys I se the hare sterte,
38     The forant dere huntyd, the bukke and the harte,
39     And the swyfte grefoundes renne;
40     The foxe huntyd with howndes in țe gret couerte,
41     The swyfte flyght of hawkes, țe fowlys reuerte,
42     The fawkonerys rennyng throw thykke and throwe thynne.

43     Also I am gretly delyghtand
44     In fayer courses swyftly renand,
45     In harneys gledryng bryght;
46     Stately howsys beheldand
47     Glased with storys glasand,
48     Pynnakelys ful of fanys gloriously dyght.

49     Precyos aray, that plesyth me gretly,
50     The swet musy[ci]auns in dyuers melody,
51     The cumlynesse of iche creature;
52     And țe bewté of women specyaly,
53     With ther whyte pappys poppyd vp prately-
54     țat passeth al other, as me semet in sure.

55     Me seyng now these solacious sythys,
56     Therfor in hem al my delyght is
57     So souereynlyche abouen alle.
58     This warlde so preciously pyght is,
59     țerinne delyght I with alle myn mythis,
60     As for wele most speciall.