...But lo, I am return'd after these many moons. Faith, I could be no longer stay'd from this my muse of fire, and from ye, gentles, my theme, players and onlie begetters.
Also, I see that honest Geoffrey Chaucer hath a blog! Truly his works have furnish'd me much excellent matter for playmaking; though Two Noble Kinsmen were something a damp squib, I care not. May Fortune speed thine abacus, gentle Geffrey, and smile on thy counting-book! May thy yearly tun of wine ne'er alter thy head for figures! May Flora and Zephyrus keep holiday in thy garden, and crown thy head with pied daisies! So saith Will.
Yet the coming of fresh May with her sweet airs brings to my thought the words of one of Chaucer's compeers: that goodly knight, Sir Thomas Malory. So seldom in all his tales doth he speak like to a poet, but here is just such matter: the more affecting that he may have writ it while a prisoner.
And thus it past on from Candylmas vntyl after Ester that the moneth of May was come, whan euery lusty herte begynneth to blosomme and to brynge forth fruyte. For lyke as herbes and trees bryngen forth fruyte and florysshen in May, in lyke wyse euery lusty herte that is in ony maner a louer spryngeth and floryssheth in lusty dedes. For it gyueth vnto al louers courage that lusty moneth of May in some thyng to constrayne hym to some maner of thyng more in that moneth than in ony other moneth for dyuerse causes. For thenne alle herbes and trees renewen a man and woman, and lyke wyse louers callen ageyne to their mynde old gentilnes and old seruyse and many kynde dedes were forgeten by neclygence. For lyke as wynter rasure doth alway a rase and deface grene somer, soo fareth it by vnstable loue in man and woman. For in many persons there is no stabylyte; for we may see al day, for a lytel blast of wynters rasure, anone we shalle deface and lay a parte true loue for lytel or noughte that cost moch thynge. This is no wysedome nor stabylyte, but it is feblenes of nature and grete disworshyp who someuer vsed this.Therfore lyke as May moneth floreth and floryssheth in many gardyns, soo in lyke wyse lete euery man of worship florysshe his herte in this world, fyrst vnto god, and next vnto the ioye of them that he promysed his feythe vnto; for there was neuer worshypful man or worshypful woman but they loued one better than another, and worshyp in armes may neuer be foyled, but fyrst reserue the honour to god, and secondly the quarel must come of thy lady; and suche loue I calle vertuous loue.
But now adayes men can not loue seuen nyghte but they must haue alle their desyres, that loue may not endure by reason, for where they ben soone accorded and hasty hete, soone it keleth. Ryghte soo fareth loue now a dayes, soone hote, soone cold. This is noo stabylyte; but the 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 trouthe and feythfulnes; and loo in lyke wyse was vsed loue in kynge Arthurs dayes.
Wherfor I lyken loue nowadayes vnto somer and wynter, for lyke as the one is hote & the other cold, so fareth loue now a dayes. Therfore alle ye that be louers, calle vnto your remembraunce the moneth of May, lyke as dyd quene Gueneuer. For whome I make here a lytel mencyon that whyle she lyved she was a true louer, and therfor she had a good ende.
Spring's blessing on all true lovers, and to those who be not true, may they soon amend!