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The Testament of John Lydgate:
British Library Harley 218 Verses

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f.60 verso
Folio 52 VersoFolio 53 RectoFolio 53 VersoFolio 54 RectoFolio 54 VersoFolio 55 RectoFolio 55 VersoFolio 56 RectoFolio 56 VersoFolio 57 RectoFolio 57 VersoFolio 58 RectoFolio 58 VersoFolio 59 RectoFolio 59 VersoFolio 60 RectoFolio 60 VersoFolio 61 RectoFolio 61 VersoFolio 62 RectoFolio 62 VersoFolio 63 RectoFolio 63 VersoFolio 64 RectoFolio 64 VersoFolio 65 RectoFolio 65 VersoFolio 66 RectoFolio 66 VersoFolio 67 RectoFolio 67 VersoFolio 68 RectoFolio 68 VersoFolio 69 RectoFolio 69 VersoFolio 70 RectoFolio 70 VersoFolio 71 RectoFolio 71 VersoFolio 72 Recto

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Folio 60 Verso
Compare Witnesses: •
This sesoun ver / stant neuer in no certeyne •
Ffor summe honour on houre / thougħ phebus freshly shyne •
In Marches wederes / it wyłł sodeynly1 reyne •
Whicħ of the day / ałł dirkenesse doth declyne •
And semblably / a lyknesse to dyffyne •
Men sen chyldren / of byrth yong and grene •
Buryed with Inne / the yeres fiftene •
Whan ver is fresshest / of blosmes and of floures •
An vnware storme his freshnesse may appayre •
Who2 may with stonde the sterne sharp3 schoures •
Of dethes powere / where hym list repayre •
Thougħt4 fetures fresshe / angelyke and fayre •
Shewe out of chyld hode as ony crystałł clere •
Deth can difface hem / withynne .xv. yeer •
Veres sesoun / doth but a while a bide •
Skarsly . iij . monethes he holdeth here soiour •
The age of chyldhode / rekene on the tother syde •
In hys encrese / vp growyng as a floure •
But whan that deth / manaseth with his shour •
In suche case / he canne no more defence •
Than croked age in his most impotence •
Notes
  1. The EETS edition has "sodeynly wyll" here, as does Harley 2255. ↩
  2. The rubricator only touched one half of the "w" glyph here. ↩
  3. The EETS edition has a "e" suspension here but there is no commenserate suspension mark in the manuscript. ↩
  4. The EETS edition has "Though" here, but the manuscript witness has a terminal "t" that MacCraken does not render in the edition. ↩

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