20 to constravne hym to some maner of thyng more in that moneth, tlian in ony other moneth for dvuerse causes. For thenne alie herbes and trees renewen a man and woman, and lyke wyse louers callen ageyne to their mynde old gentilnes and old seruyse and manv kvnde dedes were forgeten by neclygence, for lyke as wynter rasure doth alway a rase and deface greene somer: soo fareth it by vnstable loue in man and woman, for in many persons tkere is no stabylyte, for we may see al day for a lytel blast of wynters rasure anone we skalle deface and lay a parte true loue, for lytel or noughte, that cost mocb thynge, this is no wysedome nor stabylyte, but it is feblenes of nature and grete disworsbyp wbo som- euer vsed this. Tberfore lyke as May moneth floretb and florysshetk in many gardyns, soo in lyke wyse lete euery man of worship florvsshe bis berte in this world: fyrst vnto god, and next vnto tbe joye of them that be promysed his feytke vnto, for tbere was neuer worskypful man or worsbipfull woman, but they loued one better than another, and worskyp in armes may neuer be foyled, but fyrst reserue the honour to god, and secondly the quarel must come of tby lady, and suche loue I calle ver- tuous loue. But now adayes men can not loue seuen nygte, but they must haue alie their desyres, that loue may not endure by reason, for wbere they ‘ben soone acorded and basty hete soone it keletb. -Ryghte soo fareth loue now a dayes, sone bote soone cold, this is noo stabylyte, but tbe old loue was not so: men and wymmen coude loue to gyders seuen yeres, and no lycours lustes were bitwene them, and thenne was loue troutbe and feythfulnes, and, loo, in lyke wyse was vsed loue in kynge Arthurs dayes. Wberfor 1 lyken loue now adayes vnto somer and wynter, for lyke as tbe one is bote, and the other cold, so fareth loue now a dayes. Tberfore alie ye, that be louers, calle vnto your remem- braunce tbe moneth of May, lyke as dyd quene Gueneuer, for wbome I make here a lytel mencyon, that wbyle sbe lyued, sbe was a true louer, and tberfor bad a good ende’. Mit dieser morallehrhaften Tendenz stimmt auch vollig iiberein, dass nach Arthurs Tod breit. beschrieben wird, wie Gueneuer, Lancelot und