Classic Poem

Forth than we went vnto the habytacle
Of dame hardynes moost pure and fayre
Aboue all places a ryght fayre spectacle
Strowyd with floures that gaue good eyer
Of vertuous turkeys there was a cheyr
Wherin she sate in her cote armure
Berynge a shelde the felde of asure

Wherin was sette a rampynge lyon
Of fyne golde ryght large and grete
A swerd she had of merueylous fassyon
As though a thousand she sholde bete
No man the vyctory of her myght gete
A noble vyrgyn there dyde her serue
That fyrst made harnes called Mynerue

The chaumbre where she held her consystory
The dewe aromatyke dyde oft degoute
Of fragraunt floures full of delycasy
That all yll heyres dyde ensence oute
A carbuncle there was that all aboute
Enlumyned the chaumbre both day and nyght
My thought it was an heuenly syght

Nyne quenes I sawe that satte her by
Beynge all armed of grete fortytude
In many a stower they wanne the vyctory
And were endued with facounde pulcrytude
For to haunte armes was theyr consuetude
Many a regyon they often wanne
And also vaynquysshed many a noble man

Nexte vnto her sate the hyghe quene Azia
That was a conqueres so puyssaunt
And besyde her the quene of Saba
Whiche in grete ryches was tryumphaunt
And also Ipolyte in armes valyaunt
Sate with her besyde quene Hecuba
And yet also the quene Europa

Present ther was the wiche quene Iuno
And quene Pantasyll wyth fayre quene Elyn
And yet I sawe by her than also
The noble vyrgyn yonge Polyxyn
That was destroyed at the last ruyn
Of Troye the grete by cruell Pyrrus
The sone of Achylles that was so cheualrus

As I dyd loke I had commaundement
Of dame dyscrecyon for to remembre
These noble ladyes so pure and excellent
Hardy in corage of age ryght tendre
Yet not withstandynge deth dyde surrendre
And all theyr strength and lusty corage
For he spareth nother youth ne age