The Assemble of Goddes. Unknown

A shepcrok in his hond he spared for no pryde.

      ¶ And by his fete lay a prekered curre.

      ¶ He rateled in the throte as he had the murre.

      ¶ Isys the goddes bare hym company.

      ¶ For at the table next she sat by his syde.

      ¶ In a close kyrtell embrowdered curyously

      ¶ with braunches and leues brood large & wyde.

      ¶ Grene as any grasse in the somer tyde.

      ¶ Of all maner frute she had the gouernaunce

      ¶ Of fauours odyferous was her sustynauns

      ¶ Next to her than was god Neptunus set.

      ¶ He sauoured lyke a fyssher of hym i spak before

      ¶ It semed by his clothes as they had be wet.

      About hym in his gyrdelsted hing fysshes mani a xx

      ¶ Of his straunge aray merueyled I sore.

      ¶ A shyp wyth a top and sayle was hys creste.

      ¶ Me thought he was gayly dysgysed at the fest.

      ¶ Than toke mynerue the goddes her sete.

      ¶ Ioyntly to Neptunus all in curas cladde.

      ¶ Gauntelettis on hondes & sabatouns on her fete

      ¶ She loked about as though she had be mad.

      ¶ An hamer and a sythe on her hede she hadde

      ¶ She wered two bokelers one by her syde.

      ¶ that other ye wote were this was al her prid

      ¶ Than cam the god bachus & by her set hym doun

      ¶ Holdynge in his honde a cuppe full of wyne.

      ¶ Of grene vyne leues he wered a Ioly croun

      ¶ He was clad in clustres of grapes gode & fine

      ¶ A garlonde of yuy he chose for his sygne.

      ¶ On his hede he had a thredbare kendall hode.

      ¶ A gymlot and a fauset therupon stode.

      ¶ Next hym sat phebus wyth her colour pale.

      ¶ Fat she was of face but of complexon feynte.

      She sayd she rewled Neptunus & made hym bayl

      ¶ And ones in the monthe with phebus was she meint

      ¶ Also ne were she Ceres were ateynte

      ¶ Thus she sat & tolde the myght of her nature

      ¶ & on her hede she wered a croun of siluer pure

      ¶ Ioyntly to her Marcuryus toke his see.

      ¶ As came to his cours wytnesse the zodyake.

      ¶ He had a gylden tonge as fyll for his degree

      ¶ In eloquence of langage he passed al the pake

      ¶ For in his talkyng no man coud fynde lake

      ¶ A box wyth quycksyluer he had in his honde /

      ¶ Multyplyers know it wel in euery londe

      ¶ By hym sat dame Venus with colour crystalline

      ¶ Whos long here shone as wyre of gold bryght

      ¶ Cryspe was her skyn her eyen columbyne

      ¶ Rauysshed myne herte her chere was so lyght

      ¶ Patrones of plesaunce be named wel she myght

      ¶ A smocke was her wede garnysshed curyusli

      ¶ But all other she had a wanton eye

      ¶ On her hede she wered a red coper crowne

      ¶ A nosegay she had made ful plesauntly

      ¶ Bytwene her & aurora Apollo set hym doune

      ¶ Wyth his beames bryght he shone so feruently

      ¶ That he therwyth gladyd al the company

      ¶ A crown of pure gold was on his hede set

      ¶ In syne that he was mayster & lorde of that banket

      ¶ Nota

      ¶ Thus was the table set round aboute

      ¶ Wyth goddes & goddesses as i haue you told

      ¶ Awaytyng on the bord was a grete route

      ¶ Of sage phylosophers & poetes many fold

      ¶ There was sad Sychero & Arystotle olde

      ¶ Tholome Dorothe wyth Dyogenes

      ¶ Plato Myssehala and wyse Socrates

      ¶ Sortes & Saph[y]rus with hermes stode behynd

      ¶ Auycen & Aueroys wyth hem were in fere

      ¶ Galyen & ypocras that physyk haue in mynd

      ¶ wyth help of Esculapyon toward hem drow ner

      ¶ Vyrgyle Orace Ouyd and Omere

      ¶ Euclyde and albert yaue her attendaunce

      ¶ To do the godds & goddesses plesaunce

      ¶ Horeberded Orpheus was there with his harpe.

      ¶ And as a poyt musycal made he melody

      Other minstral had ther non saf Pan gan to carpe

      ¶ Of his leud bagpyp which caused the compani

      ¶ To law yet many mo ther were yf i shuld not ly

      ¶ Som yong som old both better and werse

      ¶ But mo of theyr names can I not reherce

      ¶ Of al maner deyntes there was habundaunce

      ¶ Of metes & drynkes foyson plenteuous

      ¶ In cam Dyscord to haue varyaunce

      ¶ But there was no roum to set her in that hous

      ¶ The goddis remembred the scysme odious

      ¶ Among the thre goddesses that she had wrought

      ¶ At the fest of Peleus wherfore they thought

      ¶ They wold not with her dele in a venture

      ¶ Lest she hem brought to som inconuenyente

      ¶ She seyng this was wroth out of mesure

      ¶ And in that grete wrath out of the paleyse went

      ¶ Sayng to herself that chere shuld thei repent

      ¶ And anone with Attropes happed she to mete.

      ¶ As he had ben a gost came in a wyndyng shete

      ¶ She toke hym by the hond & rowned in his ere

      ¶ And told hym of the banket that was so delycate.

      How she was receyued & what chere she had there

      ¶ And how euery god sat in his astate

      ¶ Is it thus quod attropos what in the deuyls date

      ¶ Well he sayd I se well how the game goth

      ¶ Ones yet for your sake shal I make hem wroth

      ¶ And whan she had hym al togyder told

      ¶ From her he departed & of her toke his leue /

      ¶ Sayng that for her sake his way take he wolde

      ¶