Tyll that dame Nature naturing had made All thinge to grow to theyr fortitude, And nature naturing waxte retrogarde, By strength my youth so far to exclude, As was ever her olde consuetude; First to augment, and then to abate, This is the custome of her hye estate.
CAP. XL. HOW WHAN GRAUNDE AMOURE HAD LIVED LONGE WYTH LA BEL PUCELL, HE WAS ARRESTED BY AEGE, THAT BROUGHT UNTO HIM POLYCY AND AVARYCE.
Thus as I lived in such pleasure gladde, Into the chamber came full prively A fayre olde man, and in his hand he hadde A croked staffe; he wente full wekely: Unto me than he came full softely, And with his staffe he toke me on the brest, Obey! he sayd, I must you nedes areste.
My name is Age, which have often sene The lusty youth perysh unhappely, Through the desert of the selfe I wene; And evermore I do thinke inwardly, That my dedes of you they were of great foly, And thou thy selfe right joyous may be To lyve so longe to be lyke to me.
Happy is they that may well overpasse The narrow bridge over fragilite Of his wanton youth, brytle as the glasse; For the youth is open to all fraylte, Redy to fall to great iniquite; Full well is he that is brydeled fast With fayre dame Reason tyll his youth be past.
I obeyed his rest; there was no remedy; My youth was past, and all my lustynes; And right anone to us came Polizy, With Avaryce bringing great riches; My hole pleasure and delyte doubtles Was set upon treasure insaciate, It to beholde and for to aggregate.
The fleshly pleasure I had cast asyde, Lytle I loved for to playe or daunce; But ever I thought how I might provyde To spare my treasure, land or substaunce. This was my minde, and all my purveyaunce, As upon deth I thought lytle or never, But gadred riches as I should lyve ever.
But whan I thought longest to endure, Deth with his darte arest me sodenly; Obey! he sayd, as ye may be sure. You can resist nothing the contrary But that you must obey me naturally. What you avayleth such treasure to take, Sithens by force ye must it now forsake?
Alas! quod I, nothing can me ayde, This worldly treasure I must leve behinde, For erth of erth wyll have his dette now payde; What is this world but a blast of wynde. I must nedes dye, it is my native kinde. And as I was at his last conclusyon, To me did come dame Confession,