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
