¶ A comparison between four birds/ the Lark/ the nightingale/ the Thrusshe & the Cuckoo/ for their singing who should be chauntoure of the quere.  
  

¶ How a sorrowful man went to the wood and there took comfort by the melody & comparison of thes birds.  

Famenting my sorrows with sighs deep  
How lowering fortune me had scorned  
pensive in my heart dreryly did weep  
whose scoff perfit anon I learned  
Rare is the wealth that hath not mourned  
jocunde/ pleasant and of courage  
O sorrowful hour in his outrage   

As while marking in circle roting  
Famous men calling to my remembrance  
That rued pitiful in to doting  
To mean men also showing his variance  
Like the air than found I him of constance  
Now smylyth fair and suddenly doth rage  
Mam rocking in the flood of sharp passage   

This did I secretly with me reason  
Of him anon having advertysment  
To climb not to high for fere of eversion  
Above my state to make no interment  
Of comparison ospryngyth torment  
Which of me patiently pondered  
In me the matter lay/ that he scorned   

O low birth/ why wouldst thou advance  
When in thy purse lay all thy courage  
In proudly port to make repastaunce  
My wealth vanished in ready passage  
Thus turned my state in to dotage  
Fortune than why should I now accuse  
Seeing he ragyth of my miss use   

Proud nor portly be thou never  
Comparing/ boasting nor of wylfulnese  
To give reverence the endeavour  
Recounter thy blood to be of mekenese  
Of thy homage reason no secretnese  
For when low blood climbeth over high  
He tumblyth oft headlong in villainy   

Let the cartar than handle his plough  
The smith his hammer diligent entreat  
Thy mind insatyat content with enough  
Peres like of blood together well met  
Of nature prudently pondar thy fet  
Seldom buddyte from the cartars gross breast  
policy/ chivalry and manners honest   

This repeating/ in my mind oft revolved  
Of presumption I did me repent  
And that comparison me not behoved  
To late bewailing time misspent  
Sorrow to double a foolish intent  
Therefore purposing for my comfort  
To a place of pleasure me to resort   

I drew to the wood freysh enpareled  
With flowers smiling pleasantly  
With bewtyful colours enpurpuled  
With sweet odor right savoury  
A medycen apt for sick memory  
And nigh to a baythorne I approached  
Intending to take rest there me choched   

A bush of pleasure perlese in the wood  
fragrant/ vernaunt/ bewtyful in colour  
The blossoms iucunde/ in virtue like good  
Facing the Lyly in whytly candour  
All sweet flowers disclosed their odor  
The gods there to solace than I judged  
Such comely flowers on every boufe budded   

A fair fountain was there at hand  
A freyshe spring/ clear as any Crystal  
That sofely trilled on the sand  
The which moisted the flowers vernaunt all  
The Lybanot and Lyly of conwall  
With a pure savour that there remained  
As Pallas/ or Venus' there had bathed   

The air murmured of their presence  
As after assemble remaineth monument  
Of great powers in fet of magnificence  
Which revived my mind with sorrow nigh spent  
rejoiced straight/ unburdened of torment  
And as free minds pursuyth oft sleep  
So soft and gentle on me did it creep   

But not long after as I nigh slombered  
Of tewnable cords I hard melody  
Oft recountering that my rest cumbered  
A noise far passing in armony  
In cords and raches of consony  
Thet none I judge but would it desire  
Except the ayshe unapt to the lyre   

O my spyryttes so it refreyshed  
My body trembled in rejoicing  
That ny my sorrow away it wayshed  
And fully awake from my slombering  
To it gave than diligent hearing  
My eye rolled swift here and there  
To be fed as well as was the ere   

Than gentle touches I recorded  
In wealth while fortune did favour  
But to farmownt I remembered  
A feigned melody lost in labour  
Prove who list nothing like savour  
For there is learning of revenyence  
But I learned here the notes of prudence   

Mannys state was there describe  
Among the fowls of the air  
Man promptly there might have learned  
elegant to garnish nature fair  
My sorrow where at did appear  
For comparisons I did combined  
Mekly assuaging in their kind   

Of fowls there certain did assymble  
To prove their voices encountering  
arrogant began/ but ended humble  
To sing most pleasant was their striving  
In sweet armony and also reasoning  
Betwyx the nightingale and the thrush  
The lark and the cuckoo in that bush   

Among them began a natural strife  
Of melody who could best indite  
Their tewnes were ready and outraunce rife  
To tedious ware it to recite  
comparisons made in their delight  
With reasons strong there lacked none  
That they rendered one after one   

¶ The description of the nightingale.  

The nightingale made heavenly noise  
Redobeling her tewnes melodiously  
Man buried in sorrow it would rejoice  
Sweet/ pleasant in consent/ in cord ready  
The ere fedyth no sound more freyshly  
That if all melody were truly lost  
To be found in her/ perelese she might boast   

Full merrily in time it recorded  
Sweet/ sweet/ jug/ jug right marvelous  
And in another key straight reported  
In manifold notes like wonderus  
To be taught in Paradyse/ I judged thus  
Or had some lectorne of Melpomene  
Which of armony hath the dignity   

But of the ere thus fed not sufficed  
My eye I cast on that merry orgon  
Of whose sight anon was amazed  
So little a bird to muse that lesson  
So audible/ so tewnable in good fashion  
From the little body than I remembered  
That famous virtue oft hath burgened   

histories calling to my rembraunce  
In the little body that virtue hydyth  
The gross body a yoke to be of cumbrance  
Of education/ such robustnesse rysith  
Demynishment of stature in virtue smilyth  
Pregnant in wit/ lusty in courage  
In goodnese prompt/ in counsel right sage   

The sum of virtue there enharboring  
To all things apt that be of fame  
The greatest conquest left in wrytting  
To a little body that honour came  
Before Alexandar who beareth the name  
Cesar in stature properd/ feet and small  
whose policy triumph had over all   

Which Corylane mourned in lost of victory  
The gross body turning in occasion  
Also Sertorius him saved by policy  
The tail of the horse losing by reason  
Sonar than strength by good conclusion  
The battle of wit this proved spetyal  
Where strength & limbs served not natural   

Much feeble deceit raignyth in strength  
Hearts popyd in courage without advisement  
For lake of wisdom fowndering at length  
And so most common we have it in experiment  
In a little body learning hath enclosement  
Fresh subtle and ready of outteraunce  
Facunde/ elegant and of remembrance   

The senevey seed who lystyth to behold  
In virtue all other that doth excel  
Exhausten of nature gifts manifold  
Powned the fragraunter I you tell  
Busshyth in veruaunce though not mychel  
So this little bird her notes indited  
Of no great fowl so well there recorded    

Of the larks melody  

But not far of the Lark did appear  
Composing her pens arrogantly  
Which to that bush approached soon near  
Fair penned ready proffering to fly  
Which as in worthy cheek for chivalry  
Nigh to that bush straight took her flight  
mounting marvelous against the light   

And ever as she did than ascended  
Like knight in camp for victory  
Her notes she sweetly did amend  
Exalting her voice merely  
The trebyl tewne song than freshly  
The nightinggale no better in report  
Such sweet armony she made of comfort   

I beheld that bird of strange nature  
The clouds wellnigh her enclosed  
In the element redounded her voice pure  
The heaven to penetrate I supposed  
The heavenly melody she dysclosed  
At heaven gates I judge she did get  
The reches at pleasure that she did fet   

Of orbs roting she learned armony  
Enforced by power of the first moving  
Instructed of nature laud god almighty  
The Eagle though strangely be in mounting  
yet of it sure hath not like outtering  
Recording at pleasure/ dividing wonderus  
Nothing so sweet Siren the dangerous   

Anon after she did descend  
By little and little like a bird of price  
With note that ever did amend  
Ready in wings swift/ mownting at a trice  
Of the vernaunt lawre worthy in my advice  
Which in the grotton anon lighted  
Faring as she there would have rested   

But quickly like a bird of beauty  
To the fair hawthorn took her flight  
As after worthiness showed of duty  
Would make claim there to some dew right  
And among the blossoms did light  
Like an heir to take possession  
claimed of right for her sweat lesson    

Of the thrush  

Which the thrush diligent marked  
That her ere fast laid to that melody  
Like a bird grieved anon carped  
Expressing soon her fast memory  
As nothing had scaped of that armony  
She whysteled and also chypped  
And from bowghe to bowghe there tripped   

soon after that bird so semble and fair  
Her cheer changed of grieved cowntenaunce  
To the highest branch leaping of the briar  
And her gift of nature proudly did advance  
showing of muses her ready owtterance  
Nothing was truly to her than strange  
In cords at pleasure she did range   

The nightingale she did cownterfet  
Like a byrde that would the hole reply  
For no disdain she did than let  
Full of courage singing right freshly  
The larks note she did descry  
The starle/ the keyt she pertly did mock  
Robynredbrest the wren and the Peacock   

Such borrowed descaunt she sung freshly  
And of her own she spared no boast  
Now sweet/ now sharp and scornfully  
Avaunsing as the other had lost  
Or none such to be in that same cost  
And so on the briar sitting a hy  
pruned her fair feathers by and by    

¶ The melody of the Cocko.  

Which father cuckoo soon espied  
Full sagely resting not far off  
That to confownde himself emplyed  
He nodded with the head as a man would coff  
Appearing like one having no use thereof  
And at the last it out did braced  
A sad song and a formal blast   

Great gravity therein pretending  
Tewnes singing of solemnity  
Plain was it without ruffling  
Crachettis nor quaverettis cured she  
That esyly judged it might be  
By some subtle reason would make claim  
And not by note to increase her name   

Like as we read virtue hath oft spired  
From body not elegant of composing  
In membres deform or in tongue lypped  
Esope was not all venust in shaping  
Demosthenes of nature was s●uttyng  
yet reason pregnant in the one rayngned  
Diligence in tother eloquence procured   

So pleasant cowntenaunce oft hath be occasion  
In vice or trouble that some ware trapped  
Much beauty shone in the face of Absalon  
His bewtyful here in vice him lapped  
Putyfers spouse fair joseph clapped  
In prison for his fair cowntenaunce  
Because with her he made not dalliance   

So ruddy cheeks have often dysseved  
crooked limbs be of lovely mekenese  
Esyly gotten oft times hath grieved  
Elabored thing is of more suernese  
That lake beauty be of prompt redynese  
To garnish nature with pregnant reason  
In the cowcko proved by conclusion   

So from the cothows oft hath flourished  
Princes redoubded of valiant pusaunce  
By virtue and victory that it purchased  
Acts declaring of worthy remembrance  
guiding their people by noble governance  
Which conquered to lands great royalty  
Where vice spoiled them of authority   

So from the thorn buddyth the rose  
In bowghe and branch not like appearing  
ye in savour his nature doth lose  
Rubycunde fair of pleasant smiling  
white/ sprynkeled of semble colouring  
Like in the black bottle liquor hydyth  
Sweet/ freysh/ fragrant that man conforteth   

So this sorry bird in notes right plain  
Not in pens arrogant composed  
Of the lawre made proffer to be fain  
But that she note no better expressed  
To reason she would stick I than judged  
In an oak not far of resting  
As would i'll with her head nodding   

Straight from her perch she took her flight  
Intending there to make comparison  
And in that bussh boldly did light  
Where they chypped and chanted a ceson  
But not long after they began to reason  
The chantors office who should have  
So they compared themself to save    

¶ The reason of the nightingale.  

The nightingale said she was worthy  
In whom the key of music did rest  
All hole herself feigned melody  
Nothing delivering from her breast  
But descaunt it was of the purest  
Another boast than made of comparement  
A sweet quality to her only lent   

When Lucyfers beams be buried bright  
Than at rest sit you all lurking  
Many sad hearts than make I light  
The cord of true music reporting  
So Pheba I please with my chanting  
And yet on the day I seldom delay  
Uttering my notes with sport and play   

The kocke refreysheth many a man  
In the night from dull and dusked slombering  
Proudly crowing now and than  
But that ne pausing suckeryth lamenting  
Of more laud is worthy after reasoning  
Wherefore most apt am I for this office  
A bird perelese of pryke and price   

The subtle set of good inventing  
In cords and tewnes that pleasant be  
With coraged breast of clean delivering  
Seeing the ground with reports of beauty  
Bettar than his book is of authority  
Such cords be in me/ such tewne is kept  
As the lady of music in me had slept   

Another argument of right title  
Most men of me take their repast  
To feed their ere delectable well  
Whereby to me such love have cast  
Saying my tewnes that all have past  
What needeth me than to make reclaim  
Of that in possession that is my name    

¶ The larks reason  

Me seemeth (quoth the lark) ye do dote  
Imprudently yourself to advance  
That will compare must have no blot  
I find in you a thing of cumbrance  
That soon assuage shall your dalliance  
Like as the peacock in penues disdaineth  
But fowl legs his courage assuageth   

So doth many one promote his parson  
With crafty colours of advancement  
All that furthering is good reason  
The bow indifferent is not bend  
To touch the but looking for punishment  
Of whom the proverb shall not die  
A man fawtlese/ but/ but doth deny   

Many commodities ye do propone  
Of notes/ dytes and armony  
By yourself as ye were pearls alone  
But to me it seemeth a pang sorry  
That looketh on virtue and not folly  
Them in a bundle wisdom doth combined  
Which soon assuageth the arrogant mind   

your notes I beseech where do become  
When Baron janus bloyth his blast  
you lurk in a corner than very doom  
your voice slomberyth/ your pens do waste  
That after your sight than no man hath haste  
Is not this a bird like to make comparison?  
In a pang of fortune whistling his lesson?   

yet near by nature may I approach  
This office upon me to take  
No sharp/ hoar frost maketh me to choch  
Nor feathers for it do asslake  
But in the grotton mirth do make  
And sometime for my pleasure merely  
My armony son will exalt an high   

With an other gift that surmowntyth all  
Not earth only in me doth delyt  
But also the angels ether all  
Where I learn so poorly to indite  
And full well do I their grace requite  
In their sweet dew there bathe I oft  
With pleasant armony mounting a fit   

I rendar kindly that they me lent  
benefits given in me do not spill  
My noun person doth it present  
With prompt service and voice subtle  
Which is famous after my skill  
In an other freysh to behold plain  
That with study discussed his brain   

This lifted sweetly in the air  
Of armony only here not the lesson  
But I contemplate the woods fair  
The flowers/ the odours have assention  
Whereof I have great delectation  
I behold well the place of amenyte  
Paradyse in earth/ most worthy of dignity    

¶ The reason of the thrush.  

Whom the thrush could no lengar forbear  
Supposing to speak all to late  
As no laud had be left for here there  
And for the office began to chat  
even in the bussh there as she sat  
With formal reason of eloquence  
As of Pallas had some influence   

If in report there resteth praising  
In the nights melody commendation  
In variable notes much rejoicing  
In continual singing sweet consolation  
Of armony to rendar the merry lesson  
At heaven gattes where freyshly it is  
In solace bathing of marvelous bliss   

In them cocking virtue elegauntly  
Alleging for the lawre with disdain  
Chocking with a bone of dyshonesty  
But one thing mark you very plain  
Of parteys the hole doth remain  
And the hole is no other thing  
But parteys compact in joining   

What thing partly ye have describe  
In me of it the hole sum restyth  
Who can indite? of me not feigned  
No fowl in the air that ever flieth  
Of me herd but my breast reportyth  
Seldom the bird uttereth melody  
That I report not in better armony   

The moth meryar it is said  
Sen in diverse the better is sped  
And of more worthynese undenayed  
Study in science soon is enhanced  
If with quick memory it be flowered  
In incredible memory science is locked  
So in a dull head soon is it chockyd   

Cesar is landed for fast memory  
Of no man recited/ that ever red swyftar  
Penning his mind in quickness as ready  
Of four quaterns he was compylar  
Of epistles at once no man better  
Pycus de Myrandula not long agone  
through fast memory fellow had none   

Now mark ye diligent my intent  
The flower of study of me expressed  
To diligent pregnaunce common is lent  
if in no treachery the mind be dusked  
In slewth and discord be not there luskyd  
Apt to honour is that elegant parson  
Which as in me like/ in none hath perfection   

This advanced she in that natural house  
Coyshe with her cowntenaunce underpoping  
Fair mailed and a properd small dows  
With scornful sight rolling on them looking  
That bone in their throat thought to be choking  
But soon after bespoke her make  
Her arrogant boast to aslake    

¶ The cuckoo.  

Sooth saith the cuckoo it is that ye say  
Sen in many but expert in very few  
your breast uttereth sport and play  
With Meduseus as ye did renew  
Or in the font of the horse lapped the dwe  
Much your comparison greater your boasting  
As all the muses had in you reclosing   

To the hole perlese ye make reclaim  
A hole sum with a gross gap  
A false title and forged fame  
A vain boast that the wind doth flap  
A fair building will stand parhappe  
Ensculpted/ enbosted and painted venustly  
For lake of fundatyon falleth quickly   

So your reasons appearing strong  
Likely/ but false I can prove  
What is descaunt with out plainsong  
With reports of pleasure as ye love  
In the mean or sweetly to sing above  
if the plainsong serve from the book  
A none your descaunt will stand a croak   

To me it longeth to sing the plansong  
And you on me to sing descaunt I iwis  
Now on mynom time and now two long  
Together shall we sing sweetly this  
Most fit for me than this office is  
And seldom ye see it in experience  
But the quere rulyth the basies dylyence   

After the which prudent and formal reason  
To the cuckoo did they all assent  
giving him that office of promotion  
And each with other ware well content  
K●yt in true love soon after ware bend  
To repeat their notes of melody  
A sweet song to make of armony   

The cuckoo began than readily to sing  
A fair key taking of mean time  
The diapason now and than touching  
The lark in her voice anon did climb  
The nightingale reported him  
A standing tenor song the thrussh  
joined in fellowship in that bussh   

Their voices in the wood did redounded  
All instruments in pleasure excelling  
Far better their echo was in sound  
A fayrar lectorn they read of singing  
Than did the hamors of Tubals teaching  
Or Pyctagoras that was so tedyus  
Knit in a sum might see it compendyus   

It was not frumpled nor yet jumbled  
Nor feigned voices but of nature pure  
Not hob for gib out rayshly tumbled  
Like blind bayar that nothing doth cure  
little in the ground/ in the book assure  
Which not syngyth but scuyth all raysh  
That with his frys●e from the cord doth laysh   

Than perceived I good appearing simple  
Of many conjectured folyshnese  
In the woods to live forsook the city  
Renownsing all pomp of wantonnese  
Dwelled in the cothowse of wyldernese  
And no merwel that such pleasure there found  
Eloquentar dyte than in the tounde   

So drew my sorrow to perfection  
In my reason it did so well record  
There resteth vehemence in a sweet lesson  
With whom raging wyldnese ever will board  
In greater disdain at the better word  
Which delight in proverb shall not spill  
Much swettar is sport to the wanton will   

The woods and the city I did combined  
Many apply but few have the lot  
In cord and dyte to agree of mind  
diverse study the armony of note  
But in the dyte utterly they dote  
As oft is seen a man well enpareled  
yet like goodnese within is fabeled   

So in the city armony is forced  
From the woodyes translate that melody  
But bondage for liberty is ill scorsed  
Birds in chages be mured gaily  
But that is coacte syngyth not freyshly  
As in musytyons we see it plain  
if it come not of courage they will fain   

So cords of liberty are in courage  
With me contriving his nature  
Uertu is liberty vice is bondage  
Which caused me to take more cure  
Their dyte to mark/ as note pure  
And anon perceived it not dark  
Against puaunt vice that did bark   

The dyte to me was wonderful  
Of the birds expressed marvelous  
No head but it would refreyshe dull  
Man (quoth they) learn this lesson of us  
To sing in true love as we do thus  
From the cord of love ospryngyth grace  
heaven winning/ hiding all trespass   

Be content with the gift of nature  
Upon the neighbours enter not prise  
For presumption may not endure  
Vice of disdain doth ever arise  
Goddys' creation do thou surmise  
All thing he created in true armony  
Gift to accord here with gift merrily   

After from thence they took their flight  
Nature to sustain by his provision  
Utterly vanishing from my sight  
Than fell I in great meditation  
Compassing that sweet noise with my reason  
As lightly it is in man most fervent  
To record delight sometime present   

O fortune overrolled in darkness  
Nigh mured slombering in my breast  
Thyself forgetting in welthynese  
But soon a wry when he did wrest  
Repentance had me wellnigh oppressed  
Learn learn man arrogance ever to i'll  
Condescend with thes birds in humility   

Man thy reason if thou do well till  
Like swetenese of armony we find  
In all men that refrain their will  
As in brief sentence I will combined  
The larks note who better hath in mind  
Than where the flower of chastity smylyth  
A heavenly tewne where so it resteth   

That passeth this life in vyrgyvyte  
With angel equal and him before  
angel in joy/ man lapped in mysere  
Troging and mourning as ware forlorn  
But singing this note fortunate is borne  
Whose mind soon the clouds doth penetrate  
meek and ready all wrong to tollerat   

So the nightingale evident singeth  
In the gentle breast of curtese  
The fetes of reason there reporteth  
A propred claim of that dignity  
On pregnant wit grounded authority  
Laws to sancyt of rightfulness  
The raging mind to let of wildness   

Whom of innocentes I may call  
The good and sure buckler of defence  
Chastening vice and will tyrannical  
A note truly of high magnificence  
Both in night and day of ready presence  
The night turneth in daily pastance  
Correctyth sin and virtue doth enhance   

In diverse tewnes of the thrushies musing  
In a gross sum together comest  
clearly expressyth the common living  
In the line of like merry that do rest  
That holdeth of other is not the purest  
whose variable notes do disclose  
The indygest life that most do repose   

The dangerous recourse of merchandise  
The subtle invention artyfytyal  
Composing in ordar by semble wise  
To comfort our life with things material  
With handy crafts that be like natural  
Which in a number if we redress  
The thurshies notes will express   

Now the cuckoo druggeth at the plough  
Plain as a pack estafe ever in care  
Be it frost or snow he goeth through  
if the plough speed the better do they far  
Thother giving the tewne of welfare  
Than goeth the plainsong right sweetly  
The better music there of armony   

But if the cuckoo the lark would fain  
Dekey would soon their modulation  
Or if the thrush the note would retain  
Of the nyghtyngalies gentle fatyon  
soon their cord would come to confusion  
As like to sight as an ape purpuled  
Or a slave in a regal vesture palled   

As pleasant to the ere as the black sanctus  
Of a sad sort upon a merry pin  
learned in the bull of curties Bacchus  
bathed in music without/ and within  
Rage in cords/ indite do devyn  
Querystars arrogant sit with disdain  
For than all wisdom rumbelyth in their brain   

Like Sylene in sweetness of armony  
Reling from his dene with a black tankard  
endited verses of famous memory  
The stiff oaks feigned him to regard  
To Aglays promising wanton reward  
Al feigning to dance I judge they dreamed  
Or the earth with molles everywhere heaved   

Like Promachus in triumph disguised  
That lord of drynkars I may call  
In Alexander's game vnsemble devised  
Of three tankards he drunk up all  
No man like him in quafting prodigal  
He used to sup them at a trice  
Wherefore among them he had the price   

Like knight in field for victory  
For the gotties wool that often striveth  
Or for triumph being villainy  
Of tyranny what laud ospryngyth  
What to him that an other spoylyth  
So of comparison sorry is election  
Where neither of them bringeth but infection   

To strive in office it to advance  
famed with the flower of humility  
The virtue it is of noble constance  
Not to bark at an others dignity  
That garnish their gift right famous be  
So drenched in pride often do lower  
Sit it in cothowse or in high bower   

The greater in wisdom/ the hyar in grace  
Goddys' ordinance if they behold  
In them pride shall occapy no place  
The inflar mind may soon make cold  
Comyn followeth gifts manifold  
Pangs of folly daily pursuing  
In pride that the mind may have no raging   

Holy saint Paul was oft cuffed  
For all he was drenched in high grace  
With inflamed lechery oft buffed  
Gladly calling to heavenly solace  
To save him from that filthy trespass  
Which let all birds diligent contemplate  
So prydly venom shall not intoxycat   

Let the lark than diligent advort  
Which of nature in the grotton restyth  
heaven to refreyshe by dew resort  
With mounting pleasantly as she syngyth  
Which thing a chaste mind well expressyth  
No lowering dark cloud may him let  
His prayer afore god to be set   

The famous virgin by prerogative  
tasted grace slombering on christs breast  
The sacrament of secrecy did contrive  
In stories resteth ne such a conquest  
All power in ordar that hath redressed  
Recusing honour/ where honour might have  
highest in honour/ that most men did save   

Not entreprysing jousted at the camp  
Not shined in vain glory and ryet  
Their life is brighter than any lamp  
Treachery quenching by good diet  
In highest triumph being most quiet  
This offeryth incenses for our mortality  
That oft sag redeeming our frailty   

Solinus showeth of a province  
Where the indwellars be hole chaste  
All toys of ryet that do devynce  
Their mind in virtue is locked fast  
Not halting down from their norm cast  
Like one time losing/ relyth to the close  
Wrysting and wringing to bring to purpose   

The famous flower of nobility  
The sweet reports if be lost  
A bird in name but not in dignity  
Which of high lineage may make boast  
But lacking virtue/ slepyth in the frost  
gentle ungentle that may be named  
In the parent fair in the son defamed   

soon honour vadyth led by avarice  
Ever lacking yet drowned in opulence  
soon man's mind spousid to vice  
Blinded/ tumbelith in to negligence  
This garryth the note of reverence  
Much truculence whereof ospringyth  
That plain a discord no other syngyth   

The vernaunt flower of gentylry  
Bathyth in the well spring of clemence  
justice/ and the dew act of honesty  
Preferring/ favoryth royalty  
Not grossyth/ nor engratyth daily  
Nor druggeth with the cartar at the plough  
But syngyth sweetly content with enough   

Crafts resyted artyfytyal  
Their gift laboured if they do apply  
Most restyth in things material  
To follow the lark behoveth truly  
Thother to obey in cord merrily  
So joining fortunes by discretion  
The sweet cord shall soon rendar of reason   

Now the lark poverly the ploughman can play  
The cuckoo unapt the other counterfytties  
Nature repugnyth the gentleman to play  
As truly no game it is for slavys  
To just in the field with silver spears  
So dew ordar maketh armony  
A confused state garryth utterly   

To pray belongeth for our offence  
The larks note in humility  
The nightingale protector of innocence  
The thrush clotheth our necessity  
Of the cockoys plainsong all fed be  
Which to confuse no other thing is  
But the plough the oxen to draw I iwis   

Where thes agre. O fortunate country  
Irrored with the dew celestial  
Spousyd to virtue/ endued with bownte  
The sweet key reporting armonycal  
ravished pleasant in noise ethereal  
Where though the muses be not present  
yet their odor pausith in monument   

Another like lesson than did I bownte  
Which me refreyshed marvelously  
Many things create I did recownte  
Of the elements nature facundly  
In proportions singing jocundly  
In rarnesse/ or thickness ever a t●●th  
From their cord makng no ragement.   

distincted in strife by due proportion  
Of whom compact is all thing sensible  
whose armony spyreth propagation  
And when they rage/ issueth mysere  
Than ceaseth the cord by feigned amity  
So wonderful in nature further in strife  
Content with their virtue give to all life   

So found I in countries description  
Of all things in one not like opulence  
Which inducyth this elegant reason  
To agree in cord of lovely congruence  
Therefore one hath not the hole influence  
That by commodities in need of fodar  
We should advertise one to love an other   

As of lands made of in mention  
For gifts of nature that be advanced  
Some for subtle and elegant invention  
Some for the vine famous be extolled  
Some for their savours greatly are commended  
Some woods/ fell/ cattle and freyshe spring  
Some forest/ dale and wholesome fostering   

Some hold much of the heavenly lark  
An other of the nightingale boast da●e  
diverse with the thrush daily do work  
Most with the cuckoo druggen in care  
Thus sour and sweat in love joined are  
But fortunate that park/ pleasant that tree  
Where thes be knet and in cord do agree   

Which in the lectorne of cosmography  
The gift of nature in none more opulent  
Than in England of noble memory  
All thes birds there sing right reverent  
Seldom raging/ or making interment  
Fair uncle and of lusty courage  
governed by princes of high lineage   

A park vernaunt/ pleasantly paled  
Under fruitful plague by situation  
With the surging see round about mured  
Fair in prospect/ a place of miratyon  
Dystyncted in provinces by discretion  
Angels are like the people of cowntenaunce  
For whom their god maketh great purveyance   

Of cattle and corn there is right good  
From the hills the streams do tryl  
increasing softly at last in flood  
Of forest and dale they have their will  
Of fish and fowl they have their fill  
Of metal there is a right good vain  
Of men there lacketh no power and main   

All lands to it have lying their trade  
With all to change his gift is ready  
Half stuffed come thither/ away go lad  
God save england and keep in armony  
The cord of God's will to report daily  
In true music their lesson to rendar  
Their famous state shall last the longer   

Consent never draweth to confutyon  
The flower ever garnyshyth of prudence  
A meek state never tumblyth in eversion  
A sufficed breast is full of clemence  
That knoweth himself giveth reverence  
The sweet lectorne of the fowls assemblaunce  
That where it spyryth is little cumbrance   

Whereof yssuyth a noble sentence  
Man assuage thy insatyat appetite  
Of presumption allay the oftence  
He liveth not here in cordly delight  
swerving from the tewne of his benefit  
Than let go pride and underpropping  
Look on thyself and leave thy chopping   

Let go boasting and vain glory  
The subtle artyllary of the devil  
Let go discord a blastful sorry  
Man of virtue that doth ever pill  
And spouse thyself truly to God's will  
For will adulteryne may not endure  
That loveth well god/ he liveth sure   

created thou must the remember  
In purpose of life far much better  
Laude to god than see thou render  
Freely he gave the a gift comlyar  
To rendar again thou art but dettar  
For such is ordained the marvelous sight  
To behold the mirror of tryforme light   

Whereto to come god give us grace  
The loving note to sing of humility  
For that will mownt unto that place  
Must nuzzle in no pang of mysere  
Like will to like and ever shallbe  
That in cordly ordar live not here of life  
Shall lament where is no ordar but all strife   

Reason the norm of ordar hath invented  
To tech man the path of hevynnys salace  
That to publish christ was incarnated  
Grownding obedience to lead that trace  
Love and ordar to purchese that place  
Evil will and dysordar there to have no power  
But faith and virtue to flourish in that bower   

That use well reason there shall have merit  
That live for heaven there shall have honour  
Uertu there shynyth in perfit delight  
Of all sweat flowers there is the fragrant odor  
All perfection to behold that mirror  
With other joys that be there in courage  
Of whom I can not express the surplusage   

From blyndnese of heart god us defend  
To fix our love in life perpetual  
And not rest in thing that shall have end  
For mortal in thing to delight mortal  
As never would departed with love so spetyal  
Headlong to tumble it is no other thing  
To the dark lake of pitiful morning   

God save our prince and his loving make  
His birds to report in armony  
From the breath god defend them of the lake  
That the devil blasteth out spitefully  
That this compiled christ save from folly  
God send us all the heavenly palace  
Uyring in beauty of marvelous solace    
¶ This endythth the comparison of the birds compiled by dan Robert Saltwood monk And imprinted by Iohn Mychel.