Classic Poem

Most noble prince of cristen princes alle,
Flowryng in yowthe and vertuous innocence,
Whom God above list of his grace calle
This day to estate of knyghtly excellence,
And to be crowned with diewe reverence,
To grete gladnesse of al this regioun,
Lawde and honour to thy magnificence,
And goode fortune unto thy high renoun.

Royal braunched, descended from two lynes,
Of seynt Edward and of seynt Lowys;
Holy seyntes, translated in theyr shrynes,
In theyr tyme manly, prudent, and wys;
Arthur was knyghtly, and Charles of grete prys,
And of all these thy grene tender age,
By the grace of God and by his advys,
Of manly prowesse shal taken tarage.

God of his grace gaf to thy kynrede
The palme of conquest, the laurere of victorye;
They loved God, and worshipped hym in dede,
Wherfor theyr names he hath put in memory,
Made hem to reigne for vertu in his glorye;
And sith thow art born of theyr lynage,
Tofore al thynges that bien transitorye
Love God and drede, and so gynne thy passage.

Downe from the heven thre flour-de-lys of gold,
The fielde of asure, were sent to Clodove,
To sygnifie, in storye it is tolde,
Parfite bileve, and sothfast unyte
Of thre persones in the Trynite;
For to declare that the lyne of Ffraunce
Shuld in theyr trouth parfite and stable be,
Grounded on feyth, withouten variaunce.

And sith thow art from that noble lyne
Descended downe, be stidefast of byleve;
Thy knyghtly honour lete it shewe and shyne,
Shewe thy power and thy myght to preve
Ageyne al thoo that wil the chirche greve.
Cherisshe thy lordes, hate extorcioun;
Of thyn almesse thy peple thow releve;
Ay on thy comunes havyng compassioun.

Noble prince, the high Lord to qweme,
Susteyne right, trouth to magnyfie,
Differre vengeaunce, alwey or thow deeme,
And gyf no dome til thow here iche partye
Til nother part thy favour nat applye;
And eeke considre, in thyn estate royal,
The Lord above, whiche noman may denye,
Indifferently seeth and considreth alle.

God sent this day unto thy regalye
Of al vertues hevenly influence;
First of alle thi state to magnyfye
With Salamons soverayne sapience;
To governe thy wit and thi high prudence,
Liche kyng David to be loo! mercyable,
Whiche of pite, whan men dide hym offence,
Mercy preferryng, list nat be vengeable.

Nobles and force in wexynge liche Sampson,
Resemble in knyghthode to worthy Josue;
And thow mayst be Goddis champioun,
As that he was, Judas the Machabee;
With Alisaundres magnanimyte;
Conquest, victorye, with Cesar Julius,
His pacience and his tranquillite,
And in suffraunce to be als vertuous.

Provident, with Brutus Cassius;
Hardy as Hector, whan tyme doth require;
Vices eschewyng as Fabricius;
Constant of hert, and al als entier
As Zenocrates, whos renoun shoone so cliere;
Wronges forgetyng, noble Cypion;
Clement, with Titus; with al these in feere,
In al thi dedis conquest and high renoun.

In al thi werkis hauntyng rightwisnesse,
As themperour that callid was Trajan;
With Thiberye, fredam and gentillesse;
Attemperance, with prudent Gracian;
And in thy doomes, liche Justynian,
Nothyng conclude til thow se the fyne;
Pees preferryng as Octovyan;
The chirche cherysshyng, like Constantyne.

And that thow mayst be resemblable founde,
Heretikes and Lollardes to oppresse,
Liche themperour worthy Sygesmounde;
And as thy fader, flowre of high prowesse,
At the gynning of his roial noblesse,
Voided al cokil farre out of Syon,
Cristes spouse satte in stablenesse,
Outrayeng foreyns that cam from Babilon.

God graunt the grace for to resemble in al
Unto these noble worthy conquerours;
Longe to contynue in thyn estate royal,
And to be lyke to thy progenytours;
To gadre the vertu out of fresshe floures,
As dide thy fadir, myrrour of manhode;
And to represse of vices al the showres,
With fynal grace to love God and drede.

Fynally, remembryng of reasoun
Croppe and roote of that royal lyne
Fro whiche thow cam, folwe discrecioun
Of thy fader, whiche dide so shyne
In al vertu; plainly to termyne,
Late hym by thy myrrour and thy guyde,
With the goode lyf of qwene Kateryne,
Thi blessid moder, in that other side.

Of goode rootes, sprynggyng by vertu,
Must growe goode fruyte be necessite;
Whan influence by the Lord Jhesu
Is sent adowne from his hevenly cytec.
And God I pray, of his hygh bounte,
Of fader and moder in thy tendre yowth
To take ensample, reygneng in thy see,
And bien in vertu als famous and als kowth.

With hym in knyghthode to have excellence;
Like thy moder in vertuous goodenesse;
And liche hem both, grounde thy conscience
To love thi Lord in parfite stabilnesse,
Goode lyf and longe al vices to represse,
Love of thy lieges, pees and obeysaunce.


Thy right rejoisyng of Ingland and of Fraunce.

Prince excelent, be feythful, triewe, and stable;
Drede God, do lawe, chastice extorcioun;
By liberal of courage, unmutable;
Cherisshe the chirche with hole affeccioun;
Love thy lieges of eyther regioun;
Preferre the pees, eschewe werre and debate;
And God shal sende from the heven downe
Grace and goode hure to thy royal estate.

Be mercyful, nat hasty ne vengeable;
Lightly forgyve, where as thow seest reasoun;
Be rightful juge, be manly, be tretable;
Thy right ay sugre with remyssioun;
Deme nat to sone, but make dilacioun;
Rewe on the poore and folk desconsolate;
And God shal sende from the heven above.
Grace and good hure to thy royal estate.

In thy behestes be nat variable;
Holde thy promesses, made of entencioun;
Be bountevous, and kyngly honurable;
Voyde thy realme from discencioun;
Eschew flatery and adulacioun;
Folkes reconsile that stonde desolate;
And God shal sende from the heven downe
Grace and goode hure unto thy royal estate.