X.

THE TOWER OF DOCTRINE.

The reader has here a specimen of the descriptive powers of _Stephen Hawes_, a celebrated poet in the reign of Hen. VII. tho' now little known. It is extracted from an allegorical poem of his (written in 1505.) intitled, _The History of Graunde Amoure and La Bel Pucell, called the Pastime of Pleasure, &c._ 4to. 1555. See more of Hawes in _Ath. Ox._ v. 1. p. 6. and Warton's _Observ._ v. 2. p. 105. He was also author of a book, intitled, _The Temple of Glass. Wrote by Stephen Hawes, gentleman of the bedchamber to K. Henry VII._ Pr. for Caxton, 4to. no date.

The following Stanzas are taken from Chap. III. and IV. of the Hist. above-mentioned. "How Fame departed from Graunde Amoure and left him with Governaunce and Grace, and how he went to the Tower of Doctrine, &c."--As we are able to give no small lyric piece of Hawes's, the reader will excuse the insertion of this extract.

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[Most readers will probably be satisfied with the seventy-four lines that Percy has extracted from Hawes's long didactic poem, but those who wish to read the whole will find it reprinted by Mr. Thomas Wright in the fifteenth volume of the Percy Society's publications. The account of Rhetorick and the other allegorical nullities is weary reading, but the chapter in commendation of Gower, Chaucer and the author's master Lydgate, "the chefe orygynal of my lernyng," is interesting from a literary point of view. The poem was very popular in its own day and passed through several editions, and it has found admirers among critics of a later age. The Rev. Dr. Hodgson in a letter to Percy, dated Sept. 22, 1800,[626] speaks of it in very extravagant terms, and regrets that it had not then found an editor, as he regarded it "as one of the finest poems in our own or any other language." Warton describes Hawes as the only writer deserving the name of a poet in the reign of Henry VII. and says that "this poem contains no common touches of romantic and allegoric fiction." Mr. Wright however looks at it as "one of those allegorical writings which were popular with our forefathers, but which can now only be looked upon as monuments of the bad taste of a bad age." Hawes was a native of Suffolk, but the dates of his birth and death are not known. He studied in the University of Oxford and afterwards travelled much, becoming "a complete master of the French and Italian poetry."]

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CAP. III.

* * * * * I loked about and saw a craggy roche, Farre in the west, neare to the element, And as I dyd then unto it approche, Upon the toppe I sawe refulgent The royal tower of MORALL DOCUMENT, 5 Made of fine copper with turrettes fayre and hye, Which against Phebus shone so marveylously,

That for the very perfect bryghtnes What of the tower, and of the cleare sunne, I could nothyng behold the goodlines 10 Of that palaice, whereas Doctrine did wonne:[627] Tyll at the last, with mysty wyndes donne, The radiant brightnes of golden Phebus Auster gan cover with clowde tenebrus.[628]

Then to the tower I drewe nere and nere, 15 And often mused of the great hyghnes Of the craggy rocke, which quadrant did appeare: But the fayre tower, so much of ryches Was all about, sexangled doubtles; Gargeyld[629] with grayhoundes, and with manylyons, 20 Made of fyne golde; with divers sundry dragons.[630]

The little turrets with ymages of golde About was set, whiche with the wynde aye moved. Wyth propre vices,[631] the I did well beholde About the towers, in sundry wyse they hoved[632] 25 With goodly pypes, in their mouthes i-tuned, That with the wynde they pyped a daunce, I-clipped[633] _Amour de la hault plesaunce_.

CAP. IV.

The toure was great and of marvelous wydnes, To whyche ther was no way to passe but one, 30 Into the toure for to have an intres:[634] A grece[635] there was y-chesyled all of stone Out of the rocke, on whyche men dyd gone Up to the toure, and in lykewyse dyd I Wyth bothe the Grayhoundes in my company:[636] 35

Tyll that I came unto a ryall gate, Where I sawe stondynge the goodly Portres, Whiche axed me, from whence I came a-late? To whome I gan in every thynge expresse All myne adventure, chaunce, and busynesse, 40 And eke my name; I tolde her every dell: Whan she herde this, she lyked me right well.

Her name, she sayd, was called COUNTENAUNCE; Into the besy[637] courte she dyd me then lede, Where was a fountayne depured[638] of pleasance, 45 A noble sprynge, a ryall conduyte hede, Made of fyne golde enameled with reed; And on the toppe four dragons blewe and stoute Thys dulcet water in foure partyes dyd spout.

Of whyche there flowed foure ryvers ryght clere, 50 Sweter than Nylus[639] or Ganges was theyr odoure; Tygrys or Eufrates unto them no pere: I dyd than taste the aromatyke lycoure, Fragraunt of fume, swete as any floure; And in my mouthe it had a marveylous cent[640] 55 Of divers spyces, I knewe not what it ment.

And after thys farther forth me brought Dame Countenaunce into a goodly Hall, Of jasper stones it was wonderly wrought: The wyndowes cleare depured all of crystall, 60 And in the roufe on hye over all Of golde was made a ryght crafty vyne; In stede of grapes the rubies there did shyne.

The flore was paved with berall clarified, With pillers made of stones precious, 65 Like a place of pleasure so gayely glorified, It myght be called a palaice glorious, So muche delectable and solacious;[641] The hall was hanged hye and circuler With cloth of arras in the rychest maner. 70

That treated well of a ful noble story, Of the doubty waye to the Tower Perillous;[642] Howe a noble knyght should wynne the victory Of many a serpente fowle and odious. * * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

[626] Nichols' _Illustrations of Literature_, vol viii. p. 344.

[627] [dwell.]

[628] [dark.]

[629] [from gargoyle the spout of a gutter.]

[630] Greyhounds, Lions, Dragons, were at that time the royal supporters.

[631] [devices.]

[632] [heaved.]

[633] [called.]

[634] [entrance.]

[635] [a flight of steps.]

[636] This alludes to a former part of the Poem.

[637] [busy. Percy reads base or lower court.]

[638] [purified.]

[639] Nysus. _PC._

[640] [scent.]

[641] [affording solace.]

[642] The story of the poem.