WEET rose of virtue and of gentleness,
Delyhtsome lily of everie lustiness,
Richest in bounty and in beauty clear,
And everie virtue that to Heaven is dear,
Except onlie that ye are merciless.
Into your garthe this day I did pursue,

There saw I flouris that fresche wer of hew,

Both white and red, most lustye were to seyne,†
And halsum herbis upon stalkis green,

Yet leif nor flour find could I none of Rue.

I doubt that Marche with his cold blastis keen
Has slain this gentill herbe that I of mene,
Whose piteous deithe does my heart sic pain,
That I would vrak to plant his root again.

IGHT as the sterne of day began to shine,
When gone to bed was Vesper and Lucyne,
I rose, and by a rosere did me rest;
Upsprang the golden candle matutine,
With cleir depurit § bemys crystalline,
Glading the merry foulis in their nest,
Or|| Phoebus was in purple cape revest.
Upraise the lark, the heaven's minstrel fine,
In May intill a morrow mirthfullest.

Full angel-like the birdis sang their houris,¶
Within their courtyngis ** green in thair bouris,
Apparelled white and red, with bloomis sweet;
Enamelled was the field with all cullouris,++
The perlie droppis shook in silver schouris,

* Garden.

+ To be seen. "Hours," prayers.

Star.
** Curtains.

§ Pure beams.
†† Colours.

|| Ere.

While all in balme did branche and levis fleit.
To part from Phoebus did Aurora greit,
Her crystal tears I saw hang on the flouris,
Which he for love all drank up with his heat.

For mirth of May, with skippis and with hoppis,
The birdis sang upon the tender croppis,
With curious note, as Venus' chapel clerkis.
The roses young, new spreading of their knoppis,
Were powderit bright with heavenly berial droppis,
Through bemis red burning as ruby sparkis;
The skyis rang loud for shouting of the larkis,
The purpour heaven, ourscaillit in silver sloppis,
O'ergilt the treis, branchis, lef, and barkis.

MORNING-A LANDSCAPE.

Down through the rise a river ran, with stremis
So lustily again the lykand lemys,

That all the lake as lamp did leme of light,
Which shadowit all about with twinkling glemis;
The bewis baith it were in second bemis,
Through the reflex of Phoebus' visage bright.
On every side the hedges raise on height,

The bank was green, the bruke was full of bremys,
The stanneris cleir as stern* in frosty night.