The Example of Vertu The Example of Virtue   By: Stephen Hawes (-1523)

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¶ Here begynneth the boke called the example of vertu.

[Illustration]

Tabula libri

¶ Fyrste a prologue.

¶ How youth mette with discrecyon in a medowe in his dreme & was reformed by her prouerbes ca.i.

¶ How youth with discrecyon sayled ouer the daungerous passage of vayne glorye and arryued in a fayre Ilonde longynge to foure ladyes named Hardynes / Sapyence / fortune / & nature. ca.ii

¶ Of the meruaylous palays of fortune ca.iii.

¶ Of the triumphaunt estate of hardynes. ca.iiii.

¶ Of the gloryfyed towre of sapyence. ca.v.

¶ Of the stronge operacyons of nature ca.vi

¶ How these foure ladyes pleeded at the barre before Iustyce whiche of theym was moost proufytable vnto mankynde & of the Iugement of Iustyce. ca.vii.

¶ How after the Iugement of Iustyce / Sapyence cõmaunded Discrecõn to lede youth to marye with clennes the kynge of loues doughter. ca.viii.

¶ How youth by the waye mette [with] lechery rydynge on a gote and pryde maned with couetyse on an olyphaũtes backe in a fayre castell / & how by the ayde of dyscrecyon he dyde withstande theyr temptacõn and how he mette with sapience in the mase of wordely besynes. capitulo.ix.

¶ How Sapyence & dyscrecyon ledde youth ouer the narowe brydge of vanyte of the worlde to the palays of [the] kynge of loue & of his meruaylous appareyl. ca.x

¶ How sapyence presented youth to the kynge of loue for to mary Clennes his doughter & how he before [the] maryage dyde fyght and discomfyte the dragon with thre hedys. capitulo.xi.

¶ How after the discomfyture of the sayd dragon he well growen in age was receyued with a farye company of ladyes and was named vertu & with all Ioye brought to the palays of the kynge of loue. ca.xii.

¶ Of the maryage of vertu & clennes & of [the] celestyal feste how after the maryage an aungell shewed vnto theym hell / & of the dyuysyons of hell. ca.xiii.

¶ How vertu cleymed the enherytaunce longynge to Clennes his wyfe / & how many aungelles & sayntes brought theym to heuen / & how heuen is enteyled to Vertu and to Clennes & to all theym that loue them & folowe & procede in theyr steppes. capitulo.xiiii.

¶ This boke called the example of vertue was made and compyled by Stephyn hawys one of the gromes of the moost honorable chaumber of oure souerayne lorde kynge Henry the .vii. the .xix. yere of his moost noble reygne / and by hym presented to our sayd souerayne lorde chapytred & marked after this table here before sette.

The prologe.

Whan I aduert in my remembraunce The famous draughtes of poetes eloquent Whiche theyr myndes dyd well enhaunce Bokes to contryue that were expedyent To be remembred without Impedyment For the profyte of humanyte This was the custume of antyquyte.