The Text

       Withinne the temple of myghty Mars the rede?

1970        Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede,

       Lyk to the estres of the grisly place

       That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace,

       In thilke colde, frosty regioun

       Ther as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.

       First on the wal was peynted a forest,

       In which ther dwelleth neither man ne best,

       With knotty, knarry, bareyne trees olde,

       Of stubbes sharpe and hidouse to biholde,

       In which ther ran a rumbel in a swough,

1980        As though a storm sholde bresten every bough.

       And dounward from an hille, under a bente,

       Ther stood the temple of Mars armypotente,

       Wroght al of burned steel, of which the entree

       Was long and streit, and gastly for to se.

       And therout came a rage and swich a veze

       That it made al the gate for to rese.

       The northren lyght in at the dores shoon,

       For wyndowe on the wal ne was ther noon,

       Thurgh which men myghten any light discerne.

1990        The dore was al of adamant eterne,

       Yclenched overthwart and endelong

       With iren tough; and for to make it strong,

       Every pyler, the temple to sustene,

       Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene..

       Ther saugh I first the derke ymaginyng

       Of Felonye, and al the compassyng;

       The crueel Ire, reed as any gleede;

       The pykepurs, and eek the pale Drede;

       The smylere with the knyf under the cloke;

2000        The shepne brennynge with the blake smoke;

       The tresoun of the mordrynge in the bedde;

       The open werre, with woundes al bibledde;

       Contek, with blody knyf and sharp manace.

       Al ful of chirkyng was that sory place.

       The sleere of hymself yet saugh I ther --

       His herte-blood hath bathed al his heer --

       The nayl ydryven in the shode anyght;

       The colde deeth, with mouth gapyng upright.

       Amyddes of the temple sat Meschaunce,

2010        With disconfort and sory contenaunce.

       Yet saugh I Woodnesse, laughynge in his rage,

       Armed Compleint, Outhees, and fiers Outrage;

       The careyne in the busk, with throte ycorve;

       A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm ystorve;

       The tiraunt, with the pray by force yraft;

       The toun destroyed, ther was no thyng laft.

       Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres;

       The hunte strangled with the wilde beres;

       The sowe freten the child right in the cradel;

2020        The cook yscalded, for al his longe ladel.

       Noght was foryeten by the infortune of Marte.

       The cartere overryden with his carte --

       Under the wheel ful lowe he lay adoun.

       Ther were also, of Martes divisioun,

       The barbour, and the bocher, and the smyth,

       That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his styth.

       And al above, depeynted in a tour,

       Saugh I Conquest, sittynge in greet honour,

       With the sharpe swerd over his heed

2030        Hangynge by a soutil twynes threed.

       Depeynted was the slaughtre of Julius,

        Of grete Nero, and of Antonius;

        Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,

        Yet was hir deth depeynted ther-biforn

        By manasynge of Mars, right by figure;

        So was it shewed in that portreiture,

        As is depeynted in the sterres above

        Who shal be slayn or elles deed for love.

        Suffiseth oon ensample in stories olde;

2040        I may nat rekene hem alle though I wolde.

        The statue of Mars upon a carte stood

        Armed, and looked grym as he were wood;

        And over his heed ther shynen two figures

        Of sterres, that been cleped in scriptures,

        That oon Puella, that oother Rubeus --

        This god of armes was arrayed thus.

        A wolf ther stood biforn hym at his feet         

        With eyen rede, and of a man he eet;

        With soutil pencel was depeynted this storie

2050        In redoutynge of Mars and of his glorie.