god of thonder Had let me knowen and began to write Like as ye have herd me endite Wherefore to study and rede alway I purpose to do day by day Thus in dreaming and in game Endeth this litell booke of Fame ¶ Here endeth the booke of Fame The Prologue of the Testament of Love MAny men there been that with ere 's openly sprad so moch swalowen the deliciousnesse of iestes and of ryme by queint knitting coloures that of the goodnesse or of the badnesse of the sentence take they litle hede or els none Sothely dull witte and a thoughtful soule so sore haue mined graffed in my spirites that soch craft of enditing woll nat been of my acquaintaunce And for rude wordes boistous percen the hart of the herer to the intest point and planten there the sentence of thinges so that with littel helpe it is able to spring This booke that nothing hath of the great flood of witte ne of semeliche colours is doluen with rude wordes and boistous and so drawe togider to maken the catchers therof ben the more ready to hent sentence Some men there been that painten with colours rich some with vers as with red inke some with coles chalke And yet is there good matter to y◠leude people of thilke chalkie purtreyture as hem thinketh for the time and afterward the sight of the better colours yeuen to hem more joye for the first leudnesse So soothly this leude clowdy occupation is not to praise but by the leud for commenly leude leudnesse commendeth Eke it shall yeue sight that other precious things shall be the more in reuerence In Latin and French hath many soueraine wits had great delite to endite and haue many noble things fulfilde but certes there been some that speaken their poisie mater in French of which speche the French men haue as good a fantasie as we haue in hearing of French mens English And many terms there ben in English which unneth we English men connen declare the knowledging How should then a french man borne such termes conne iumpere in his matter but as the Iay chatereth English right so truly the understanding of English men wol not stretch to the priuie termes in Frenche what so euer we bosten of straunge langage Let then Clerks enditen in Latin for they haue the propertie of science and the knowing in that facultie and lette Frenchmen in their French also enditen their queint termes for it is kindely to their mouthes let us shewe our fantasies in such wordes as we learneden of our dames tongue And although this booke be little thanke worthy for the leudnesse in trauaile yet such writings exciten men to thilk things that been necessary for euery man thereby may as by a perpetual mirrour seene the vices or vertues of other in which thing lightly may be conceiued to escheue perils necessaries to catch after as auentures haue fallen to other people or persons * Certes the soueraignst thing of desire and most creature reasonable haue or els should haue full appetite to their perfection unreasonable beasts mowen not sith reason hath in hem no working Then reasonable that woll not is comparisoned to unreasonable and made like hem Forsooth the most soueraigne and finall perfection of man is in knowing of a sooth withouten any entent deceiuable and in loue of one very God that is inchaungeable that is to know and loue his creator Nowe principally the meane to bring in knowledging and louing his creatour is y◠consideration of things made by the creatour where through be thilke thynges that beene made understanding here to our wits arne the unseen priueties of God made to us sightfull and knowing in our contemplation and understonding These things then forsooth much bringen us to the full knowledging sooth and to that parfite loue of the maker of heuenly things Lo Dauid faith thou hast delited me in making as who saith to haue delite in the tune how God hath lent me in consideration of thy making Whereof Aristotle in the booke de Animalibus sayth to naturel Philosophers * It is a great liking in loue of knowing their creatour also in knowing of causes in kindely things considered Forsooth the formes of kindely thynges the shape a great kindely loue me should haue to the werkemen that hem made * The crafte of a werkeman is shewed in the werke Herefore truely the Philosophers with a liuely studye many noble things right precious worthie to memorie written and by a great swete and trauaile to us leften of causes the properties in natures of things to which therefore Philosophers it was more joy more lyking more heartie lust in kindely vertues matters of reason the perfection by busie studie to know than to haue had all the treasour all the richesse all the vaine-glory that the passed Emperours Princes or Kings hadden Therfore the names of hem in the booke of perpetuall memorie in vertue and peace arne written and in the contrary that is to sayne in Styxe the foule pitte of hell arne thilke pressed that such goodnesse hated And because this booke shall be of loue and the prime causes of stering in that doing with passions and diseases for wanting of desire I will that this booke be cleaped the Testament of Loue. But now thou Reader who is thilke that will not in scorne laugh to heare a dwarfe or els halfe a man say he wil rend out the swerd of Hercules handes And also hee should set Hercules gades a mile yet ferther and over that hee had power and strength to pull up the speare that Alisander the noble might never wagge And that passing all thing to been mayster of Fraunce by might there as the noble gracious Edward the third for all his great prowesse in victories ne might all yet conquere Certes I wote well there shall be made more scorne iape of me that I so unworthely clothed all togither in the cloudie cloude of vnconning will putten me in prees to speke of loue or els of the causes in that matter sithen all the greatest clerkes han had ynough to done and as who laith gathered up cleane toforne hem and with their sharpe sithes of conning all mowen and made there of great rekes and noble full of all plenties to feed me and many another * Enuy forsooth commendeth nought his reason that he hath in haine be it neuer so trustie And although these noble reapers as good workmen worthy their hire han all draw and bound vp in y◠sheues and made many shockes yet haue I ensample to gader the small crums and fullin my wallet of tho that fallen from the bourde among the small hounds notwithstanding the trauaile of the almoigner that hath drawe vp in y◠cloth all the remissailes as trenchours and the releefe to beare to the almesse Yet also haue I leaue of that noble husband Boece although I be a stranger of conning to come
worthiness of Chaucer's own Praise nor the importunate Prayers of divers your loving Friends can yet move you to put into print those good Observations of him and Collections that you have gathered For as for the Objections against him that in our private Talk you are wont to say are commonly alledged as first That many of his Words are become as it were vinewed and hoary with over-long lying and next that some of his Speeches are somewhat too broad and plain and that the Work therefore should be the less gracious these are either no Causes or no causes sufficient to withold from Chaucer such desert of Glory as you may bestow upon him at your Pleasure It is well known to wise and learned Men that all Languages be either such as are contained in Learning or such as be used in daily practise and for learned Tongues they having Testamentario jure their Legacies set down by them that be dead Words must be retained and continued in them in such sort as they were left without alteration of the Testators Wills in any thing although in his choice it be that is to use them when to use or where to refuse them at his own discretion But in usual Languages of common Practise which in choice of Words are and ever will be subject unto change never standing at one stay but sometimes casting away old Words sometimes renewing of them and always framing of new no man can so write as that all his Words may remain currant many Years Which thing Horace in his Book De arte Poetica precisely noteth in these Verses Vt silvae foliis pronos mutantur in annos Prima cadunt ita verborum vetus interit aetas Et juvenum ritu florent modo nata vigentque Debemur morti nos nostraque c. Whereby he declareth that Words in common Tongues like unto Leaves must of necessity have their Buddings their Blossomings their Ripenings and their Fallings and Chaucer most excellently also himself in true foresight hereof in these Verses of his I know that in fourme of speech is chaunge Within a hundreth yeere and wordes tho That hadden price now wonder nice and straunge Think we them and yet they spake them so And sped as well in love as men now do And therefore impossible it was that either Chaucer could or any man living can keep Words of unlearned Tongues from falling after so long a time And this hath happened amongst the Latin Writers themselves when theirs was a spoken Tongue as ours now is who though they first made their own Words and gave them their Allowance yet divers of Cecilius Statius Ennius and Plautus were by latter Latinists rejected and now again many of them by the last Writers of all though before as it were by Proclamation put down for baseness are upon a new touch warranted for good and pass abroad as Sterling But so pure were Chaucer's Words in his days as Lidgate that learned Man calleth him The Load-star of the English Language and so good they are in our days as Mr. Spencer following the Counsel of Tully in his Third Book De Oratore for reviving of ancient Words hath adorned his Stile with that Beauty and Gravity that Tully there speaks of and his much frequenting of Chaucer's ancient Words with his excellent imitation of divers Places in him is not the least help that hath made him reach so high as many learned men do think that no Poet either French or Italian deserves a second place under him And furthermore by your Interpretation of the unusual Words that ancient Hardness and Difficulty is made most clear and easie and in the Pains and Diligence you have used in collecting his Life methinks you have bestowed upon him as favourable Graces as Medea did upon Aeson for you have restored us Chaucer both alive again and young again and delivered many from the erroneous Conjectures they conceived of him And therefore though every thing be not perfect to your own mind for Desires be endless and nothing can be at one time both begun and perfected yet since you have opened the way to others and attempted that which was unattempted before you your Endeavours herein cannot but be well accepted unless of such as have better Will without just cause to reprove others than either Wit or Skill to do well themselves Touching the Incivility Chaucer is charged withal what Roman Poet hath less offended this way than he Virgil in his Priapus is worse by a thousand Degrees and Ovid in his Book De Arte Amandi and Horace in many Places as deep as the rest but Catullus and Tibullus in unclean Wantonness beyond measure pass them all Neither is Plautus nor Terence free in this behalf But these two last are excused above the rest for their due Observation of Decorum in giving to their Comical Persons such manner of Speeches as did best fit their Dispositions And may not the same be said for Chaucer How much had he swarved from Decorum if he had made his Merchant his Miller his Cook his Carpenter tell such honest and civil Tales as were told of his Knight his Squire his Lawyer and his Scholar But shewing the disposition of the baser sort of People he declareth in their Prologues and Tales That their chief Delight was in undecent Speeches of their own and in their false Defamations of others as in these Verses appeareth Let be thy leud dronken Harlotry It is a sinne and eke a great folly To apairen any man or him defame And eke to bring wives in such blame And in excuse of himself for uttering those broad Speeches of theirs he useth these Words But first I pray you of your curtesie That ye ne arette it not my follie Though that I plainly speake in this mattere To tellen you her words and eke her chere Ne though I speake her words properly For this ye knowen as well as I Who shall tellen a tale after a man He mote rehearse as nye as ever he can Everich worde if it been in his charge All speake he never so rudely ne large Or els he mote tellen his tale untrue Or feine things or find words newe And in another place Deemeth not for Gods love that I say Of evil entent but that I mote rehearce Her tales all been they better or werce Or els falsen some of my matere The wise Plato saieth as ye mowe rede The worde must needs acord with the dede It men should tell properly a thing The word must cosin be to the working For no man can imagine in his so large compass purposing to describe all English-mens Humours living in those days how it had been possible for him to have left untouch'd their filthy Delights or in discovering their desires how to have express'd them without some of their Words And now to compare him with other Poets His Canterbury Tales contain in them almost the same Argument that is handled in Comedies His
Stile therein for the most part is low and open and like unto theirs but herein they differ The Comedy-Writers do all follow and borrow one from another as Terence from Plautus and Menander Plautus from Menander and Demophilus Statius and Caecilius from Diphilus Apollodorus and Philemon and almost all the last Comedians from that which was called Antiqua Comaedia The Ring they beat is this and out of the same Track they go not To shew the Looseness of many Young-men the Lewdness of some Young-women the crafty School Points of old Bawds the little regard of honest disposed Serving-men the miserable Wretchedness of divers old Fathers and their Folly in countenancing and committing their Sons to the Charge and Government of most impudent and flattering Parasites such as in Terence is prating Davus and Geta and bold bawdy Chaucer's Device of his Canterbury Pilgrimage is merely his own His Drift is to touch all sorts of men and to discover all Vices of that Age which he doth so feelingly and with so true an Aim as he never fails to hit whatsoever mark he levels at In his five Books of Troylus and Creseid in the Romaunt of the Rose in his Black Knight in the Merciless Lady in some few also of his Tales in his Dream and in that of Blanch which is in your hands and was never yet imprinted and in other his Discourses he soareth much higher and is in his Troilus so sententious as there be few Staves in those Books which include not some principal Sentence most excellently imitating Homer and Virgil and borrowing often of them and of Horace also and other the rarest both Orators and Poets that have written Of whom for the sweetness of his Poetry may be said that which is reported of Stesichorus and as Marcus Cethegus was termed by Ennius Suadae medulla so may Chaucer rightly be called The Pith and Sinews of Eloquence and very Life it self of all Mirth and pleasant Writing besides one Gift he hath above other Authors and that is By excellency of his Descriptions to possess his Readers with a more forcible Imagination of seeing that as it were done before their Eyes which they read than any other that ever hath written in any Tongue And here I cannot forget to remember unto you those ancient learned Men of our time in Cambridge whose diligence in reading of his Works themselves and commending them to others of the younger sort did first bring you and me in love with him and one of them at that time and all his Life after was as you know one of the rarest men for Learning in the whole World The same may be said of that worthy learned Man your good Friend in Oxford who with many other of like excellent Judgment have ever had Chaucer in most high Reputation And now Mr. Speght seeing not only all Greek and Latin Poets have had their Interpreters and the most of them translated into our Tongue but the French also and Italian as Guillaume de Salust that most divine French Poet Petrark and Ariosto those two excellent Italians whereof the last instructed by Mr. Iohn Harington doth now speak as good English as he did Italian before shall only Chaucer our Ancient Poet nothing inferiour to the best amongst all the Poets of the World remain always neglected and never be so well understood of his own Country-men as Strangers are Well content your self and set your heart at rest for seeing I was one of them which first procured you to take in hand this Work and since you have given me of your Copies to use privately for mine own Pleasure if you will not put them abroad your self they shall abroad ' ere long and look into the World without your consent Yet lest many Inconveniences might happen by this Attempt of mine and divers things be set forth contrary unto your own liking let me once again intreat you as I have done often heretofore to yield to my just and reasonable suit wherein you shall not only satisfie that Conceit which I have many Years carried of your unfeigned Love towards me but pleasure many who daily expect your Pains herein and perform also unto Chaucer great part of that Honour that he most worthily deserveth So with my thrice hearty Commendations I bid you farewel From Leicester the last of June Anno 1597. Your assured and ever loving Friend Francis Beaumont THE READER TO Geffrey Chaucer Reader WHere hast thou dwelt good Geffrey all this while Vnknown to us save only by thy Books Chaucer In Haulks and Herns God wot and in Exile Where none vouchsaft to yield Me Words or Looks Till one which saw me there and knew my Friends Did bring me forth such Grace sometime God sends Reader But who is he that hath thy Books repair'd And added more whereby thou art more graced Chaucer The self-same Man who hath no Labour spar'd To help what Time and Writers had defaced And made old Words which were unknown of many So plain that now they may be known of any Reader Well fare his heart I love him for thy sake Who for thy sake hath taken all this Pains Chaucer Would God I knew some means amends to make That for his Toil he might receive some Gains But wot ye what I know his Kindness such That for my good he thinks no Pains too much H. B. Vpon the Picture of Chaucer WHat Pallas City owes the heavenly mind Of prudent Socrates wise Greece's Glory What Fame Arpinas spreadingly doth find By Tully's Eloquence and Oratory What lasting Praise sharp witted Italy By Tasso's and by Petrark's Pen obtained What Fame Bartas unto proud France hath gained By seven days World Poetically strained What high Renown is purchas'd unto Spain Which fresh Dianaes Verses do distill What Praise our Neighbour Scotland doth retain By Gawine Douglas in his Virgil Quill Or other Motions by sweet Poets Skill The same and more fair England challenge may By that rare Wit and Art thou do'st display In Verse which doth Apollo's Muse bewray Then Chaucer live for still thy Verse shall live T'unborn Poets which Life and Light will give Fran. Thynn Of the Animadversions upon Chaucer IN reading of the learn'd praise-worthy Pain The helpful Notes explaining Chaucer's Mind The abstruse Skill and artificial Vein By true Annalogy I rightly find Speght is the Child of Chaucer's fruitful Brain Vernishing his Works with Life and Grace Which envious Age would otherwise deface Then be he lov'd and thanked for the same Since in his Love he hath reviv'd his Name THE LIFE Of Our Learned English Poet Geffrey Chaucer So much as we can find by Heralds Chronicles and Records of his Country Parentage Education Marriage Children With their Marriage Lands Service Reward Issue Death Revenues Service Reward Friends Books Death Gulielmus Camdenus Gaufredus Chaucer sui saeculi ornamentum extra omnem ingenii aleam positus Poetastras nostros longo post se intervallo relinquens
jam monte potitus Ridet anhelantem dura ad fastigia turbam His Country THis famous and learned Poet Geffrey Chaucer Esq was supposed by Leland to have been an Oxfordshire or Barkshire Man born for so reporteth John Bale in his Catalogue of English Writers Quibusdam argumentis adducebatur Lelandus ut crederet c. Some Reasons did move Leland to think That Oxfordshire or Barkshire was his Native Country But as it is evident by his own Words in the Testament of Love he was born in the City of London for thus he writeth there Also in the City of London that is to me so dear and sweet in which I was foorth growen and more kindly Love have I to that Place than to any other in yerth as every kindly Creature hath full Appetite to that Place of his kindly Engendure and to wilne Rest and Peace in that stede to abide thilke Peace should thus there have been broken which of all wise Men is commended and desired In the Records of the Guild-Hall in London we find that there was one Richard Chaucer Vintner of London in the twenty third Year of Edward 3d. who might well be Chaucer's Father Also there was a Nun of St. Hellens in London named Elizabeth Chaucer in the first Year of Rich. 2d as it is in Record which seemeth either to have been his Sister or of his Kindred and by likelihood a Londoner born Moreover in the eighth year of the same King Geffrey Chaucer was Controller of the Custom-House in London as after out of the Records shall appear Other Dealings he had in the City as we may plainly see in the Testament of Love all which may move us to think That he was born in London His Parentage FOR his Parentage and Place of Birth although Bale termeth him Galfridus Chaucer nobili loco natus summae spei juvenis yet in the Opinion of some Heralds otherwise than his Vertues and Learning commended him he descended not of any great House which they gather by his Arms De argento rubeo colore partita per longitudiuem scuti cum benda ex transverso eisdem coloribus sed transmutatis depicta sub hac forma But this is but a simple Conjecture for honourable Houses and of great Antiquity have borne as mean Arms as Chaucer and yet his Arms are not so mean either for Colour Charge or Particion as some would make them And indeed both in respect of the Name which is French as also by other Conjectures it may be gathered That his Progenitors were Strangers But wheras some are of Opinion that the first coming of the Chaucers into England was when Qu. Isabel Wife to Edw. 2. and her Son Prince Edw. returned out of Henault into England at which time also almost 3000 Strangers came over with them as by Chronicles appeareth or some two Years after when Philip Daughter to the Earl of Henault came over to be married to Prince Edward I can by no means consent with them but rather must think That their Name and Family was of far more ancient Antiquity although by time decayed as many more had been of much greater Estate For in the days of Edw. 1. there was one John Chaucer as appeared by the Records of the Tower where it is said That the King did hear the Complaint of John Chaucer in the damage of 1000 l. There was also in the time of Hen. 3. and Edw. 1. Elias Chaucesir of whom the Records in the Exchequer have thus Edwardus Dei Gratia c. liberate de Thesauro nostro Elias Chaucesir decem solid c. with which Characters Geffrey Chaucer is written in the Records of Edw. 3. and Rich. 2. This Name was at the first a Name of Office or Occupation which afterward came to be the Name of a Family as Smith Baker Skinner and others have done In the time of King John likewise there was one named le Chaucer as appeareth by the Records of the Tower But what need I to stand upon the Antiquity or Gentry of Chaucer when the Roll of Battle Abbey affirmeth Chaucer to have come in with the Conquerour Moreover it is more likely that the Parents of Geffrey Chaucer were mere English and himself an English-man born for else how could he have come to that Perfection in our Language as to be called The first Illuminer of the English Tongue had not both he and his Parents before him been born and bred among us But what their Names were or what Issue they had otherwise than by Conjecture before given we cannot declare Now whether they were Merchants as some will have it for that in Places where they have dwelled the Arms of the Merchants of the Staple have been seen in the glass Windows or whether they were of other Calling it is not much necessary to search but wealthy no doubt they were and of good account in the Commonwealth who brought up their Son in such sort that both he was thought fit for the Court at home and to be employed for matters of State in foreign Countries His Education HIS bringing up as Leland saith was in the University of Oxford as also in Cambridge as appeareth by his own Words in his Book entituled The Court of Love and in Oxford by all likelihood in Canterbury or in Merton Colledge with John Wickliffe whose Opinions in Religion he much affected where besides his private Study he did with great diligence frequent the publick Schools and Disputations Hinc acutus Dialecticus hinc dulcis Rhetor hinc lepidus Poeta hinc gravis Philosophus ac sanctus Theologus evasit Mathematicus insuper ingeniosus erat à Johanne Sombo c. Hereupon saith Leland he became a witty Logician a sweet Rhetorician a pleasant Poet a grave Philosopher and a holy Divine Moreover he was a very skilful Mathematician instructed therein by John Some and Nicholas Lynne Friars Carmelites of Lynne and men very skilful in the Mathematicks whom he in his Book called The Astrolaby doth greatly commend and calleth them Reverend Clerks By his Travel also in France and Flanders where he spent much time in his young Years but more in the latter end of the Reign of King Rich. 2. he attained to great Perfection in all kind of Learning for so do Bale and Leland also report Circa postremos Richardi secundi annos in Galliis floruit magnamque illic ex assidua in literis exercitatione gloriam sibi comparavit Domum reversus forum Londinense Collegia Leguleiorum qui ibidem patria jura interpretantur frequentavit c. About the latter end of King Richard the Second's Days he flourished in France and got himself great Commendation there by his diligent Exercise in Learning After his Return home he frequented the Court at London and the Colledges of the Lawyers which there interpret the Laws of the Land and among them he had a familiar Friend
's and Petrarch who had done the same for the Italian Tongue Alanus for the French and Johannes Mena for the Spanish neither was Chaucer inferiour to any of them in the performance hereof and England in this respect is much beholden to him as Leland well noteth Anglia Chaucerum veneratur nostra poetam Cui veneres debet patria lingua suas Our England honoureth Chaucer Poet as principal To whom her Country Tongue doth owe her Beauties all Besides those Books of his which we have in print he wrote divers others as De Vulcani veru De Leone eius dignitate Comoedias Tragoedias Facetias Jocos Jack Vpland against Friars Now Printed And His A. B. C. Now Printed Others I have seen without any Authors Name in the hands of Mr. Stow that painful Antiquary which for the Invention I would verily judge to be Chaucer's were it not that Words and Phrases carry not every where Chaucer's Antiquity Mr. William Thynn in his first printed Book of Chaucer's Works with one Column on a side had a Tale called the Pilgrims Tale which was more odious to the Clergy than the Speech of the Plowman The Tale began thus In Lincolneshire fast by a fenne Standeth a religious house who doth it kenne The Argument of which Tale as also the occasion thereof and the cause why it was left out of Chaucer's Works shall hereafter be shewed if God permit in Mr. Thynn's Comment upon Chaucer and the Tale it self published if possibly it can be found Now concerning those Books which we have in print The Canterbury Tales for the most part were of his own Invention yet some of them translated and penned in King Richard the Second's Days and after the Insurrection of Jack Straw which was in the fourth Year of the same King for in the Tale of the Nuns Priest he maketh mention thereof The Romaunt of the Rose was translated out of French Troilus and Creseid called Trophe in the Lumbard Tongue was translated out of Latin as in the Preface to the second Book of Troilus and Creseid he confesseth in these Words To every Lover I me excuse That of no sentement I this endite But out of Latin in my Tongue it write Mary Magdalen translated out of St. Origen The Ballad Fly from the Prease made by Chaucer on his Death-bed The Letter of Cupid is none of Chaucer's doing but was compiled by Thomas Occleve of the Office of the privy Seal sometime Chaucer's Scholar The which Occleve for the Love he bare to his Master caused his Picture to be truly drawn in his Book De Regimine Principis dedicated to Henry the Fifth the which I have seen and according to which this in the beginning of this Book was done by Mr. Spede who hath annexed thereto all such Coats of Arms as any way concern the Chaucers as he found them travelling for that Purpose at Ewelm and at Wickham Occleve in that Book where he setteth down Chaucer's Picture addeth these Verses Although his life be queint the resemblaunce Of him that hath in me so fresh livelines That to put other men in remembraunce Of his person I have here the likenes Do make to the end in soothfastnes That they that of him have lost thought and mind By this peinture may again him find His Death GEffrey Chaucer departed out of this World the 25th of October in the Year of our Lord 1400 after he had lived about 72 Years Thus writeth Bale out of Leland Chaucerus ad canos devenit sensitque senectutem morbum esse dum causas suas Londini curaret c. Chaucer lived till he was an old Man and found old Age to be grievous and whilst he followed his Causes at London he died and was buried at Westminster The old Verses which were written on his Grave at the first were these Galfridus Chaucer vates fama poesis Maternae hac sacra sum tumulatus humo But since Mr. Nicholas Brigham did at his own Cost and Charges erect a fair marble Monument for him with his Picture resembling that done by Occleve and these Verses Qui fuit Anglorum vates ter maximus olint Gaufredus Chaucer conditur hoc tumulo Annum si quaeras domini si tempora vitae Ecce notae subsunt quae tibi cuncta notant Anno Domini 1400 die mensis Octob. 25. About the Ledge of which Tomb were these Verses now clean worn out Si rogites quis eram forsan te fama docebit Quod si fama negat mundi quia gloria transit Haec monumenta lege Now it shall not be amiss to these Epitaphs to add the Judgements and Reports of some learned men of this worthy and famous Poet. And first of all Thomas Occleve who lived in his Days writeth thus of him in his Book De Regimine Principis But welaway so is mine hert woe That the honour of English Tongue is deed Of which I wont was counsail have and reed O Master dere and Fadre reuerent My Master Chaucer floure of Eloquence Mirror of fructuous entendement O universal Fadre of Science Alas that thou thine excellent prudence In thy bed mortal mightest not bequeath What eyld Death Alas why would she thee sle O Death that didest not harme singler in slaughter of him But all the land it smerteth But nathelesse yet hast thou no power his Name sle His hie vertue afterteth Vnslain fro thee which ay us lifely herteth With Books of his ornat enditing That is to all this land enlumining The same Author again in the same Book My dear Maister God his soule quite And Fader Chaucer faine would have me taught But I was young and leered lite or nought Alas my worthy Maister honorable This Lands very treasure and richesse Death by thy death hath harme irreparable Vnto us done her vengeable duresse Dispoiled hath this lond of the sweetnesse Of Rhetorige for unto Tullius Was never man so like among us Also who was heire in Philosophy To Aristotle in our Tongue but thou The steppes of Virgil in Poese Thou suedest eken men know well inough That combre World that thee my Maister slough Would I slaine were Death was too hastife To renne on thee and reve thee thy life She might have tarried her vengeance a while To that some man had egal to thee be Nay let be that she knew wele that this I le May never man forth bring like unto thee And her Office needs do must she God had her so I trust all for the best O Maister Maister God thy Soul rest Dan John Lidgate likewise in his Prologue of Bocchas of the Fall of Princes by him translated saith thus in his Commendation My Maister Chaucer with his fresh Comedies Is dead alas chief Poet of Britaine That whilome made full pitous Tragedies The faule also of Princes he did complaine As he that was of making soveraine Whom all this land should of right preferre Sith of our Language he was
His son in bloud and flesh to cloth and wind Within the cloyster of thy blisfull sidis Tooke mans shape the eterne loue and pees That of the true compas Lord and guide is Whom heauen earth and sea withouten les Aye herien and thou virgine wemles Bare of thy body and dwellest maiden pure The creator of euery creature Assembled is in the magnificence With mercy goodnesse and with such pitee That thou art the sonne of excellence Not onely that helpest them that praien thee But oftentime of thy benignitee Full freely or that men thine helpe beseech Thou goest beforne and art her liues leech Now helpe thou blisfull meekefaire maid Me flemed wretch in this desert of gall Thinke on the woman of Canane that said That whelpes eaten some of the crums small That from her Lords table been yfall And though that I vnworthy doughter of Eue Be sinfull yet accepteth my beleeue And for that faith is ded withouten werkis So for to werch yeue me witte and space That I be quit from the place that most derkis O thou that art so faire and full of grace Be mine aduocate in that hie place There as without ende is song Osanna Thou Christes mother doughter of Anna. And of thy light my soule in prison light That troubled is by the contagion Of my body and also by the wight Of earthly lust and false affection O heauen O refute O saluation Of hem that been in sorow and distresse Now help for to my werke I woll me dresse Yet I pray you that reden that I write Foryeueth me that I doe no diligence This ilke storie subtilly to endite For hoth haue I the words and the sentence Of him that at the saints reuerence The storie wrote and followen her legende And pray you that ye woll my werke amende First woll I you the name of saint Cecily Expoune as men may in her storie see It is to say in English Heauens lilly For pure chastnesse of virginitie Or for she witnes had of honestie And greene of conscience and of good same The sote sauoured Lilly was her name Or Cecily is to say the way to blinde For she ensample was by good teaching Or else Cecily as I written finde Is joyned by a manner conioining Of heauen and Lia in her figuring The heauen is set for thought of holinesse And Lia for her lasting besinesse Cecily may eke be saied in this manere Wanting of blindnesse for her great light For her sapience and for her thewes clere Or els Lo this maidens name so bright Of heuen Leos cometh of which by right Men might the heauen of people her call Ensample of good and wise werkes all For Leos people in English is to say And right as men may in the heauen see The sunne and moon and sterres euery way Right so men ghostly in this maiden free Sawen of faith the great magnanimitie And eke the clerenesse hole of sapience And sundrie werkes bright of excellence And right so as these Philosophers write That heauen is swift round eke brenning Right so was faire Cecily the white Full swift and busie in euery good working And round and whole in good perseuering And brenning euer in charitie full bright Now haue I declared you what she hight ¶ The second Nonnes Tale. The life and death of Saint Cecily THis maiden bright Cecile as her life saith Was comen of Romanes of noble kind And so foorth fostered vp in the faith Of Christ and bare his Gospell in her mind She neuer ceased as I written find Of her prayer and God to loue and dread Beseeching him to keepe her maidenhead And when this maid should vnto a man I wedded be that was full yong of age Which that ycleped was Valerian And day was come of her mariage She full deuout and humble in her corage Vnder her robe of gold that sat full faire Had next her flesh yclad her in an haire And whiles that the organs made melodie To God alone thus in hert song she O lord my soule and eke my bodie gie Vnwemmed lest I confounded be And for his loue that died vpon a tree Euery second or third day she fast Aye biding in her orison full fast The night came and to bed must she gone With her husbond as is the manere And priuily she said vnto him anone O sweet and well beloued spouse dere There is a counsaile and ye woll it here Which that right faine I would to you saine So that ye me ensure it not to bewraine Valerian gan fast vnto her swere That for no case ne thing that might be He should neuer to none bewraien here And then at erst thus to him said she I haue an Angell which that loueth me That with great loue where so I wake or sleepe Is ready aye my body for to keepe And if that he may felen out of drede That ye me touch or loue in vilonie He right anon will slee you with the dede And in your youth thus shall ye die And if that ye in clene loue me gie He woll you loue as me for your cleanesse And shew you of his joy and brightnesse This Valerian corrected as God wold Answerd ayen if I shall trust thee Let me that angell see and him behold And if that it a very angell be Then woll I done as thou hast prayed me And if thou loue another man forsoth Right with this sword then woll I slee you both Cecile answerd anon in this wise If that ye lust that angel shul you see So that ye trow on Christ and you baptise Goth forth to Via apia qd she That from this toun ne stant but miles three And to the poore folke that there doe dwell Say hem right thus as I shall you tell Tell hem that I Cecile you to hem sent To shewen you the good Vrban the old For secret needs and for good entent And when that ye saint Vrban han behold Tell him the words that I to you told And when that he hath purged you from sin Then shall ye see that angell ere ye twinne Valerian is to that place igon And right as him was taught by his lerning He found this holy Vrban anon Among these saints burials louting And he anon without tareing Did his message and when he had it tolde Vrban for joy gan his honds vp hold The teres from his eyen let he fall Almightie God O Iesu Christ qd he Sower of chaste counsell hierde of vs all The fruit of thilke seed of chastite That thou hast sow in Cecile take to thee Lo like a besy bee withouten gile Thee serueth aye thine owne thrall Cecile For thilke spouse that she tooke but newe Full like a fierce Lion she sendeth here As meeke as any lambe was to ewe And with that word anon ther gan apere An old man iclad in white clothes clere That had a book with letters of gold in hond And
bauds and waferers Which that been verely the deuils officers To kindle and blow the fire of letcherie That is annexed vnto glotonie The holy writ take I to my witnesse That letchery is in wine and dronkennesse Lo how that dronken Loth vnkindly Lay by his daughters two vnwittingly So dronke he was he nist what he wrought And therefore sore repenten him ought Herodes who so woll the stories seche There may ye learne by ensample teche When he of wine was replete at his feast Right at his owne table yaue his hest To sleen Iohan the Baptist full guiltlesse Seneke saith eke good words doubtlesse He saith he can no difference find * Betwixt a man that is out of his mind And a man the which is dronkelew But that woodnesse fallen in a shrew Perseuereth lenger than doth dronkennesse O glotenie full of cursednesse O cause first of our confusion O originall of our damnation Til Christ had bouÈt vs with his blood again Lo how dere shortly for to sain Bought was first this cursed villanie Corrupt was all this world throgh glotenie Adam our fornfather and his wife also Fro Paradice to labour and to wo Were driven for that vice it is no drede For whiles that Adam fasted as I rede He was in Paradise and when that hee Eat of the fruit defended on the tree Anon he was out cast to wo and paine O glotenie on thee well ought vs to plaine * Oh wist a man how many maladies Followeth of excesse and of glotenies He would been the more measurable Of his diete sitting at his table Alas the short throat the tender mouth Maketh that East West North South In earth in aire in water men to swinke To getten a glutton deinte meat and drinke Of this matter O Paul wel canst thou treat * Meat vnto wombe wombe eke vnto meat Shall God destroien both as Paule saith Alas a foule thing it is by my faith To say this word and fouler is the dede When men so drinketh of the white and rede That of his throte he maketh his priue Through thilke cursed superfluite The Apostle saieth weeping full pitously There walken many of which told haue I I say it now weeping with pitous voice They been enemies of Christs croice Of which the end is death womb is her God O belly O wombe O stinking cod Fulfilled of dong and corruptioun At either end of thee foule is the soun How great cost and labour is there to find These cookes Lord how they stamp strein grind And turne substance into accident To fulfill all thy likerous talent Out of the hard bones knocken they The mary for they cast it not away That may go through the gullet soft sote Of spicerie of leaves barke and rote Shall been his sauce ymade by delite To maken hem have a newer appetite * But certes he that haunteth such delices Is dead whiles that he liveth in the vices * A lecherous thing is wine dronkennes It is full of striving and of wretchednes Oh dronken man disfigured in thy face Soure is thy breath foul art thou to enbrace And through thy dronken nose souneth yâ— soun As tho thou saidest aie Sampson Sampsoun And yet God wot Sampson dronk never wine Thou fallest as it were a sticked swine Thy tongue is lost and all thine honest cure * For drunkennesse is very sepulture Of mans wit and his discretion * In whom that drinke hath domination He can no counsaile keepe it is no drede Now kepe you fro the white fro the rede And namely fro the White wine of Lepe That is to sell in Fishstreet and in Chepe This wine of Spaine creepeth subtilly And so do other wines growing fast by Of which riseth such fumositee That when a man hath dronk draughts three And weneth that he be at home in Chepe He is in Spaine right at the toune of Lepe Nought at Rochell ne at Burdeaux toun And then woll he say Sampsoun Sampsoun But herkeneth lordings o word I you pray That all the soveraigne acts dare I say Of victories in the old Testament That through very God that is omnipotent Were doen in abstinence and in prayere Looketh the Bible and there ye mow it lere Looketh Attila the great conquerour Died in his sleepe with shame dishonour Bleeding aye at his nose in drunkennesse A captaine should liue in sobernesse And over all this auise you right well What was commaunded unto Lamuel Not Samuell but Lamuel say I. Redeth the Bible and find it expresly Of wine yeuing to hem that haue justice No more of this for it may well suffice And now that I have spoke of glotonie Now woll I defend you hasardrie Hasard is very mother of lesings And of deceit and cursed forswearings Blaspheme of Christ manslauÈter wast also Of cattel of time and of other mo * It is repreue and contrary to honour For to be holden a common hasardour And ever the higher that he is of estate The more he is holden desolate If that a Prince shall use hasardrie In his gouernaunce and pollicie He is as by common opinion Hold the lesse in reputation Stillebon that was hold a wise embassadour Was sent to Corinth with full great honour Fro Calidone to maken hem alliaunce And when he came there happed this chaunce That all the greatest that were of the lond Playing at hasard he hem yfond For which as soone as it might be He stale him home ayen to his countre And saied There woll I not lese my name I nill not take on me so great defame For to allie you to none hasardours Sendeth other wiser embassadours For by my trouth me were leuer die Than I should you to hasardours alie For ye that been so glorious in honours Shall not alie you with hasardours As by my will ne by my treatie This wise Philosopher thus saied he Looke eke how to king Demetrius The king of Parthes as the booke saieth vs Sent him a paire of dice of gold in scorne For he had vsed hasardrie there biforne For which he held his glory and his renoun At no value or reputatioun * Lords might find other manner play Honest ynough to driue the day away Now wol I speake of othes false great A word or two as other bookes entreat * Great swearing is thing abhominable And false swearing is yet more reprouable The high God forbad swearing at all Witnesse of Mathew but in speciall Of swearing saieth the holy Ieremie * Thou shalt sweare sooth thine othes not lie And sweare in dome eke in rightwysnes But idle swearing is a cursednesse Behold and see that in the first table Of high Gods hestes that ben honourable How that the second hest of him is this Take not my name in idlenesse amis Lo he rather forbiddeth such swearing Than homicide or any other cursed thing I say as thus by order it stondeth This knoweth they that his hests vnderstondeth
hastinesse For certes ye may not deme for the best a suddain thought that falleth in your heart but ye must advise you on it full oft For as yee have heard here before the common proverb is this * He that sone deemeth sone repenteth Sir ye ne be not alway in like disposition for certes some thing that seemeth somtime to you that is good for to doe another time it seemeth to you the contrarie And when ye han taken counsaile in your selfe and han deemed by good deliberation such thing as you seemeth best than rede I you that yee keepe it secret Bewray yee not your counsaile to no person but if so be that yee wene sikerly that through your bewraying your condition shall bee to you the more profitable For Iesus Sirake saith * Neither to thy foe ne to thy friend discover not thy secret ne thy folly for they woll yeue you audience and looking and supportation in your presence and scorn you in your absence Another Clerke sayth * That scarsly shall you finde any person that may keepe counsaile secretly The booke saieth * While that thou keepest the counsaile in thine heart thou keepest it in thy prison and when thou bewrayest thy counsaile to any wight hee holdeth thee in his snare And therefore you is better to hide your counsaile in your heart than to pray him to whom yee have bewrayed your counsaile that he woll keepe it close still For Seneca saieth If so be that thou maiest not thine owne counsaile hide howe darest thou pray any other wight thy counsaile secret to keepe But nathelesse if thou wene sikerly that thy bewraying of thy counsaile to a person woll make thy condition stonde in the better plight then shalt thou tell him thy counsaile in this wise First thou shalt make no semblant whether thee were lever peace or warre or this or that ne shewe him not thy will ne thine entent for trust well that commonly these counsailours beene flatrerers namely the counsailours of great lordes for they enforce hem alway rather to speak pleasant words enclining to the lordes lust than words that ben trew or profitable and therfore men say * that the rich man hath seld good counsaile but if hee have it of himselfe And after that thou shalt consider thy friendes and thine enemies And as touching thy friendes thou shalt consider which of hem been most faithfull and most wise and eldest and most approved in counsailing and of hem shalt thou aske thy counsaile as the case requireth I say that first yee shall call to your counsaile your friends that been true For Saloman saith * That right as the heart of a man deliteth in savour that is sote right so the counsaile of true friends yeueth swetenesse to the soule And hee saieth also there may nothing be likened to the true friend For certes gold ne silver bee not so much worth as the good will of a true friend And also he saith that a true friend is a strong defence who so that it findeth hath a great treasure Then shall ye also consider if that your true friends be discreet wise for the booke saith Aske alway thy counsaile of them that bin wise And by this same reason shall ye call to your counsaile your friends that beene of age such as seeme and beene expert in many thinges and been approoved in counsailing For the booke saieth * That in olde men is Sapience in long time the prudence And Tullius saieth * That great things beene not aye accomplished by strength ne by delivernesse of body but by counsaile by aucthoritie of persons and by Science the which three things ne beene not feeble by age but certes they enforce and encrease day by day and then shall ye keep this for a generall rule First shall yee call to your counsaile a fewe of your friends that been especial For Salomon saieth * Many friends have thou but among a thousand chuse thee one to bee thy counsailour For all bee it so that thou first ne tell thy counsaile but to a fewe thou mayest afterwarde tell it to mo folke if it bee neede But looke alway that thy counsaylours have those conditions that I have sayd before that is to say That they be true wise and of old experience And werke not alway in every need by one Counsailer alone for sometimes behooueth it to bee counsailed by many For Salomon sayth * Saluation of things is where as there be many counsaylers Now haue I told you of which folke yee shall be counsailed now woll I tell you which cousaile yee ought to eschew First yee shall eschew the counsailing of fooles Salomon sayth * Take no counsaile of a foole for hee woll counsaile but after his owne lust his affection The booke sayth that the propertie of a foole is this * He troweth lightly harme of euery man and lightly troweth all bountie in himselfe Thou shalt eschew the counsailing of all flaterers which as enforcen hem rather to praise your person by flatterie than for to tell you the soothfastnesse of things Wherefore Tullius sayeth * Among all the pestilence that been in friendship the greatest is flatterie And therefore it is more need that thou eschew and dread flatterers than any other people The booke saith * Thou shalt rather flee fro the sweete wordes of flattering and praising than fro the eagre words of thy friends that saith the sooths Salomon saith * That the words of a flatterer is a snare to catch innocence He sayth also * He that speaketh to his friend wordes of flatterie and of pleasaunce he setteth a net beforne his feet to catch him And therefore Tullius sayth Encline not thine eares to flatterers ne take no counsaile of flatterers And Caton sayeth * Auise thee well and eschew the wordes of sweetnesse and of pleasaunce And eke thou shalt eschew the counsailing of thine old enemies that been reconciled The booke sayth * That no wight retourneth safely into the grace of his old enemie And Isope sayth * Ne trust not to hem to which thou hast sometime had war or enmity ne tell hem not thy counsaile And Seneck telleth the cause why it may not be for he sayth * There as great fire hath long time endured that there dwelleth some vapour of heat And therefore saith Salomon * In thine old foe trust thou neuer For likerly though thine enemie be reconciled make the signe of humilitie and loute to thee with his head trust him neuer for certes he maketh thilke faigned humility more for his profite than for any humility or for any loue of thy person because that he deemeth to haue victory ouer thy person by such fained countenaunce the which victorie he might not haue by strife or warre And Petrus Alphons sayeth * Make no fellowship with thine old enemies for if thou do hem bounty they wollen pervert it to wickedness And eke thou must eschew the counsailing of hem that been thy servaunts and
ye will Your wordes wast in idlenesse For utterly withouten gesse All that ye saine is but in vaine Me were lever die in the paine That love to me ward should arette Falshed or treason on me sette I woll me get pris or blame And Love true to save my name Who that me chastiseth I him hate With that word Reason went her gate When she saw for no sermoning She might me fro my folly bring Then dismayed I left all soole Forwearie forwandred as a foole For I ne knew ne cherisaunce Then fell into my remembraunce How love bad me to purvey A fellow to whome I might sey My counsaile and my privite For that should much auaile me With that bethought I me that I Had a fellow fast by True and siker courteous and hend And he called was by name a Frend A true fellow was no where none In hast to him I went anone And to him all my woe I told Fro him right nought I would withhold I told him all without were And made my complaint on Daungere How for to sey he was hidous And to me ward contrarious The which through his cruelte Was in point to have meimed me With Bialacoil when he me sey Within the gardin walke and pley Fro me he made him for to goe And I be left alone in woe I durst no longer with him speake For Daunger sayd he would be wreake When that he saw how I went The fresh bothum for to hent If I were hardie to come nere Betweene the haie and the Rosere This Friend when he wist of thought He discomforted me right nought But saied fellow be nat so madde Ne so abashed nor bestadde My selfe I know full well Daungere And how he is fierce of chere At prime temps Love to manace Full oft I have beene in his case A felon first though that he be After thou shalt him souple see Of long passed I knew him wele Vngodly first though men him fele He woll meeke after in his bearing Been for seruice and obeissing I shall thee tell what thou shalt do Meekely I rede thou go him to Of heart pray him specially Of thy trespace to haue mercy And hote him well here to please That thou shalt neuer more him displease * Who can best serue of flattery Shall please Daunger most vtterly My Friend hath saied to me so wele That he me easeli hath somedele And eke allegged of my tourment For through him had I hardement Againe to Daunger for to go To preue if I might meeke him so TO Daunger came I all ashamed The which aforne me had blamed Desiring for to pease my wo But ouer hedge durst I not go For he forbode me the passage I found him cruell in his rage And in his hond a great bourdoun To him I kneeled low adoun Full meeke of port and simple of chere And saied sir I am comen here Onely to aske of you mercy It greeueth me full greatly That euer my life I wrathed you But for to amend I am come now With all my might both loud and still To doen right at your owne will For Loue made me for to do That I haue trespassed hiderto Fro whom I ne may withdraw mine hart Yet shall I neuer for ioy ne smart What so befall good or ill Offend more againe your will Leuer I haue endure disease Than doe that should you displease IYou require and pray that ye Of me haue mercy and pite To stint your ire that greueth so That I woll sweare for euermo To be redressed at your liking If I trespace in any thing Saue that I pray thee graunt me A thing that may nat warned be That I may loue all onely None other thing of you aske I I shall doen all ywis If of your grace ye graunt me this And ye may not letten mee For well wote ye that loue is free And I shall louen such that I will Who euer like it well or ill And yet ne would I not for all Fraunce Doe thing to doe you displeasaunce Then Daunger fell in his entent For to foryeue his male talent But all his wrath yet at last He hath released I praide so fast Shortly he saied thy request Is not too mockell dishonest Ne I woll not werne it thee For yet nothing engreeueth mee For though thou loue thus euermore To me is neither soft ne sore Loue where that thee list what retcheth me So ferre fro my Roses be Trust not on me for none assaie In any time to passe the haie Thus hath he graunted my prayere Then went I forth withouten were Vnto my friend and told him all Which was right ioyfull of my tale He saied now goeth well thine affaire He shall to thee be debonaire Though he aforne was dispitous He shall hereafter be gracious If he were touched on some good veine He should yet rewen on thy peine Suffer I rede and no boast make Till thou at good mes maist him take * By suffraunce and by words soft A man may ouercome oft Him that aforne he had in drede In bookes soothly as I rede Thus hath my friend with great comfort Auaunced me with high disport Which would me good as much as I And then anon full sodainely I tooke my leave and streight I went Vnto the hay for great talent I had to seene the fresh bothom Wherein lay my saluation And Daunger tooke keepe if that I Keepe him couenaunt truely So sore I drede his manasing I durst not breake his bidding For least that I were of him shent I brake not his commaundement For to purchase his good will It was for to come there till His mercy was too ferre behind I kept for I ne might it find I complained and sighed sore And languished euermore For I durst nat ouergo Vnto the Rose I loued so Throughout my deming vtterly That he had knowledge certainly Then Loue me ladde in such wise That in me there was no feintise Falshood ne no trecherie And yet he full of villanie Of disdaine and crueltie On me ne would haue pitie His cruell will for to refraine Tho I wept alway and me complaine ANd while I was in this turment Were come of grace by God sent Fraunchise and with her Pity Fulfilde the bothum of bounty They go to Daunger anon right To ferther me with all her might And helpe in word and in deed For well they saw that it was need First of her grace dame Fraunchise Hath taken of this emprise She saied Daunger great wrong ye do To worche this man so much wo Or pinen him so angerly It is to you great villauy I cannot see why ne how That he hath trespassed againe you Saue that he loveth wherefore ye shold The more in charitie of him hold The force of love maketh him do this Who would him blame he did amis He leueth more than he may do His paine is hard ye may see lo And Love in no wise would
extreamities The meane is cleped Suffisaunce There lieth of vertue the aboundaunce For Salomon full well I wote In his Parables us wrote As it is knowen of many a wight In his thirteene chapiter right God thou me keepe for thy poste * Fro richesse and mendicite For if a rich man him dresse To thinke too much on richesse His heart on that so ferre is sette That he his creator doth foryette And him that beggeth woll aye greve How should I by his word him leve Vnneth that he nis a micher Forsworne or els Gods lier Thus sayth Salomon sawes Ne we find written in no lawes And namely in our Christen lay Who saith ye I dare say nay That Christ ne his Apostles dere While that they walked in earth here Were never seene herbred begging For they nolden beggen for nothing And right thus were men wont to teach And in this wise would it preach The maisters of divinitie Sometime in Paris the citie ANd if men would there gaine appose The naked text and let the glose It might soone assoiled bee For men may well the sooth see That parde they might aske a thing Plainely forth without begging For they weren Gods heerdes dere And cure of soules hadden here They nolde nothing begge her food For after Christ was done on rood With their proper honds they wrought And with travaile and els nought They wonnen all her sustenaunce And liueden forth in her pennaunce And the remenaunt yafe away To other poore folkes alway They neither builden toure ne halle But they in houses small with alle A mighty man that can and may Should with his hond and body alway Winne him his food in labouring If he ne have rent or such a thing Although he be religious And God to serven curious Thus mote he done or do trespaas But if it be in certaine caas That I can rehearse if mister bee Right well when the time I see Seeke the booke of saint Augustine Be it in paper or perchemene There as he writte of these worchings Thou shalt seene that none excusings A perfit man ne should seeke By words ne by deeds eke Although he be religious And God to serven curious That he ne shall so mote I go With proper honds and body also Get his food in labouring If he ne have properte of thing Yet should he sell all his substaunce And with his swinke have sustenaunce If he be perfite in bounte Thus han the bookes told me * For he that woll gone idelly And useth it aye busily To haunten other mens table He is a trechour full of fable Ne he ne may by good reason Excuse him by his orison For men behoveth in some gise Ben sometime in Gods service To gone and purchasen her nede Men mote eaten that is no drede And sleepe and eke do other thing So long may they leave praying So may they eke her prayer blinne While that they werke her meat to winne Saint Austine woll thereto accord In thilke booke that I record Iustinian eke that made lawes Hath thus forboden by old sawes No man vp paine to be dead Mighty of body to beg his bread If he may swinke it for to gete Men should him rather maine or bete Or done of him aperte iustice Than suffren him in such mallice They done not well so mote I go That taken such almesse so But if they have some priviledge That of the paine hem woll alledge But how that is can I not see But if the prince deceived bee Ne I ne wene not sikerly That they may have it rightfully But I woll not determine Of princes power ne define Ne by my word comprehend ywis If it so ferre may stretch in this I woll not entremete a dele But I trow that the booke sayth wele Who that taketh almesses that bee Dew to folke that men may see Lame feeble weary and bare Poore or in such manner care That con winne hem nevermo For they have no power thereto He eateth his owne dampning But if he lie that made all thing And if ye such a truant find Chastise him well if ye be kind But they would hate you parcaas If ye fillen in her laas They would eftsoones do you scathe If that they might late or rathe For they be not full patient That han the world thus foule blent * And weteth well that God bad The good man sell all that he had And follow him and to poore it yeve He would not therefore that he live To serven him in mendience For it was never his sentence But he bad werken when that need is And follow him in good deedis * Saint Poule that loved all holy church He bade the Apostles for to wurch And winnen her live lode in that wise And hem defended truandise And said werketh with your honden Thus should the thing be vnderstonden He nolde iwis have bid hem begging Ne sellen Gospell ne preaching Least they beraft with her asking Folke of her cattell or of her thing For in this world is many a man That yeveth his good for he ne can Werne it for shame or els he Would of the asker delivered be And for he him encombreth so He yeveth him good to let him go But it can him nothing profite They lese the yest and the merite The good folke that Poule to preached Profred him oft when he hem teached Some of her good in charite But thereof right nothing tooke he But of his hond would he gette Clothes to wrine him and his mete TEll me then how a man may liven That all his good to poore hath yeven And woll but onely bidde his bedes And never with honds labour his nedes May he do so Yea sir And how Sir I woll gladly tell you Saint Austen faith a man may be In houses that han properte As templers and hospitelers And as these Chanons regulers Or white Monkes or these blake I woll no mo ensamples make And take thereof his susteining For therein lithe no begging But otherwaies not iwis Yet Austen gabbeth not of this And yet full many a Monke laboureth That God in holy Church honoureth For when her swinking is agone They rede and sing in Church anone And for there hath ben great discord As many a wight may beare record Vpon the estate of mendicience I woll shortely in your presence Tell how a man may begge at need That hath not wherewith him to feed Maugre his fellowes ianglings For soothfastnesse woll none hidings And yet percase I may abey That I to you soothly thus sey LO here the case especiall If a man be so bestiall That he of no craft hath science And nought desireth ignorence Then may he go a begging yerne Till he some other craft can lerne Through which without truanding He may in trouth have his living Or if he may done no labour For elde or sicknesse or langour Or for his tender age also Then may he yet a begging go
Or if he have peraventure Through vsage of his noriture Lived over deliciously Then oughten good folke comenly Han of his mischeefe some pite And suffren him also that he May gone about and begge his bread That he be not for honger dead Or if he have of craft conning And strength also and desiring To worchen as he had what But he find neither this ne that Then may he begge till that he Have getten his necessite Or if his winning be so lite That his labour woll not aquite Sufficiauntly all his living Yet may he go his brede begging Fro dore to dore he may go trace Till he the remnaunt may purchase Or if a man would vndertake Any emprise for to make In the rescous of our lay And it defenden as he may Be it with armes or lettrure Or other convenable cure If it be so he poore be Then may he begge till that he May find in trouth for to swinke And get him cloth meat and drinke Swinke he with his honds corporell And not with hondes espirituell IN all this case and in semblables If that there ben mo reasonables He may begge as I tell you here And els not in no manere As William saint Amour would preach And oft would dispute and teach Of this matter all openly At Paris full solemnely And also God my soule blesse As he had in this stedfastnesse The accord of the vniversite And of the people as seemeth me No good man ought it to refuse Ne ought him thereof to excuse Be wrothe or blithe who so be For I woll speake and tell it thee All should I die and be put doun As was saint Poule in derke prisoun Or be exiled in this caas With wrong as maister William was That my mother Hypocrisie Banished for her great envie My mother flemed him saint Amour This noble did such labour To sustaine ever the loyalte That hee too much agilte me He made a booke and let it write Wherein his life he did all write And would eche remed begging And live by my travelling If I ne had rent ne other good What weneth he that I were wood For labour might me never please I have more will to ben at ease And have well lever sooth to say Before the people patter and pray And wrie me in my foxerie Vnder a cope of papelardie Qd. Love what divell is this that I here What words tellest thou me here What sir Falsenesse that apert is Then dredest thou not God No certes For selde in great thing shall he spede In this world that God woll drede For folke that hem to vertue yeven And truely on her owne liven And hem in goodnesse aye content On hem is little thrift isent Such folke drinken great misease That life may me never please But see what gold han vserers And silver eke in garners Tailagiers and these moniours Bailiffes Beadles Provost Countours These liven well nigh by ravine The small people hem mote encline Aud they as wolves woll hem eten Vpon the poore folke they geten Full much of that they spend or kepe Nis none of hem that he nill strepe And wrine hem selfe well at full Without scalding they hem pull * The strong the feeble overgothe But I that weare my simple clothe Robbe both robbed and robbours And guile guiling and guilours By my treget I gather and threste The great treasour into my cheste That lieth with me so fast bound Mine high paleis doe I found And my delights I fulfill With wine at feastes at my will And tables full of entremees I woll no life but ease and pees And winne gold to spend also For when the great bagge is go It commeth right with my yapes Make I not well tomble mine apes To winnen is alway mine entent My purchase is better than my rent For though I should beaten be Over all I entremete me Without me may no wight dure I walke soules for to cure Of all the world cure have I In brede and length boldly I woll both preach and eke counsailen With honds woll I not travailen For of the Pope I have the bull I ne hold not my wittes dull I woll not stinten in my live These Emperours for to shrive Of Kings Dukes and Lords grete But poore folke all quite I lete I love no such shriving parde But it for other cause be I recke not of poore men Her estate is not worth an ben Where findest thou a swinker of labour Have me to his confessour But Empresses and Duchesses These Queenes and eke Countesses These Abbesses and eke Bigins These great Ladies palasins These iolly Knights and Bailives These Nonnes and these Burgeis wives That rich been and eke pleasing And these Maidens welfaring Where so they clad or naked be Vncounsailed goeth there none fro me And for her soules safete At Lord and Lady and her meine I aske when they hem to me shrive The propertie of all her live And make hem trow both most and least Her parish Priest is but a beast Ayenst me and my company That shrewes been as great as I For which I woll not hide in hold No privete that me is told That I by word or signe iwis Ne woll make hem know what it is And they wollen also tellen me They hele fro me no privite And for to make you hem perceiven That vsen folke thus to deceiven I woll you saine withouten drede What men may in the Gospell rede Of saint Mathew the Gospellere That saieth as I shall you say here VPon the chaire of Moses Thus it is glosed doubtles That is the old Testament For thereby is the chaire ment Sitte Scribes and Pharisen That is to saine the cursed men Which that we Ipocrites call Doeth that they preach I rede you all But doeth not as they doen adele That been not weary to say wele But to doe well no will have they And they would bind on folke alway That been to be beguiled able Burdons that been importable On folkes shoulders things they couchen That they nill with their fingers touchen And why woll they not touch it why For hem ne list nat sikerly For sadde burdons that men taken Make folkes shoulders aken And if they do ought that good bee That is for folke it should see Her burdons larger maken they And maken her hemmes wide alwey And loven seates at the table The first and most honourable And for to han the first chairis In Synagogues to hem full dere is And willen that folke hem lout and grete When that they passen through the strete And wollen be cleped maister also But they ne should not willen so The Gospell is there ayenst I gesse That sheweth well her wickednesse ANother custome vse we Of hem that woll ayenst vs be We hate hem deadly everychone And we woll werrey him as one Him that one hateth hate we all And coniect how to doen him fall And if we seene him winne honour
Richesse or preise through his valour Provende rent or dignite Full fast iwis compassen we By what ladder he is clomben so And for to maken him downe to go With treason we woll him defame And doen him lese his good name Thus from his ladder we him take And thus his frends foes we make But word ne wete shall he none Till all his friendes been his fone For if we did it openly We might have blame readily For had he wist of our mallice He had him kept but he were nice Another is this that if so fall That there be one among vs all That doeth a good tourne out of drede We saine it is our alder dede Yea sikerly though he it fained Or that him list or that him dained A man through him avaunced be Thereof all parteners be we And tellen folke where so we go That man through vs is sprongen so And for to have of men praising We purchase through our flattering Of rich men of great poste Letters to witnesse our bounte So that man weeneth that may vs see That all vertue in vs bee And alway poore we vs faine But how so that we begge or plaine We ben the folke without leasing That all thing have without having Thus be dradde of the people iwis And gladly my purpose is this I deale with no wight but he Have gold and treasour great plente Her acquaintaunce well love I This much my desire shortly I entremete me of brocages I make peace and mariages I am gladly executour And many times a procuratour I am sometime messangere That falleth not to my mistere And many times I make enquest For me that office is nat honest To deale with other mens thing That is to me a great liking And if that ye have ought to do In place that I repaire to I shall it speden through my wit As soone as ye have told me it So that ye serve me to pay My service shall be yours alway But who so woll chastice me Anone my love lost hath he For I love no man in no gise That woll me reprove or chastise But I woll all folke vndertake And of no wight no teaching take For I that other folke chastie Woll not be taught fro my follie I Love none Hermitage more All deserts and holtes hoore And great woods everychon I let hem to the Baptist Iohn I queth him quite and him relesse Of Egipt all the wildernesse Too ferre were all my mansiouns Fro all cities and good touns My paleis and mine house make I There men may renne in openly And say that I the world forsake But all amidde I build and make My house and swim and play therein Bette than a fish doeth with his sinne OF Antichristes men am I Of which that Christ sayeth openly They have habite of holinesse And liven in such wickednesse To the copie if him talent tooke Of the Evangelistes booke There might he see by great traisoun Full many a false comparisoun As much as through his great might Be it of heat or of light The Sunne surmounteth the Moone That troubler is and chaungeth soone And the nutte kernell the shell I scorne nat that I you tell Right so withouten any gile Surmounteth this noble Evangile The word of any Evangelist And to her title they tooken Christ And many such comparisoun Of which I make no mentioun Might men in that booke find Who so could of hem have mind The vniversitie that tho was asleepe Gan for to braied and taken keepe And at the noise the head vp cast Ne never sithen slept it fast But vp it stert and armes tooke Ayenst this false horrible booke All ready battaile for to make And to the Iudge the booke they take But they that broughten the booke there Hent it anone away for feare They nolde shew it no more adele But then it kept and keepen wele Till such a time that they may see That they so strong woxen bee That no wight may hem well withstond For by that booke they durst not stond Away they gonne it for to here For they ne durst not answere By exposition no glose To that that clerkes woll appose Ayenst the cursednesse iwis That in that booke written is Now wote I nat ne I can nat see What manner end that there shall bee Of all this that they hide But yet algate they shall abide Till that they may it bette defend This trow I best woll be her end Thus Antechrist abiden we For we been all of his meine And what man that woll not be so Right soone he shall his life forgo Outward Lamben seemen we Full of goodnesse and of pite And inward we withouten fable Been greedy Wolves ravisable We enviroun both lond and see With all the world werrien wee We woll ordaine of all thing Of folkes good and her living If there be castell or cite Within that any bougerons be Although that they of Millaine were For thereof been they blamed there Or of a wight out of measure Would lene her gold and take vsure For that he is so covetous Or if he be too lecherous Or these that haunten Simonie Or Provost full of trecherie Or Prelate living iollily Or Priest that halt his quein him by Or old hoores hostillers Or other baudes or bordellers Or els blamed of any vice Of which men shoulden doen iustice By all the saints that we prey But they defend them with lamprey With luce with elis with samons With tender geese and with capons With tartes or with cheffes fat With daintie flaunes brode and flat With caleweis or with pullaile With coninges or with fine vitaile That we vnder our clothes wide Maken through our gollet glide Or but he woll doe come in hast Rae venison bake in past Whether to that loure or groine He shall have of a corde a loigne With which men shall him bind and lede To brenne him for his sinfull dede That men shull heare him crie and rore A mile way about and more Or els he shall in prison die But if he woll his friendship buy Or smerten that that he hath do More than his guilt amounteth to But and he couth through his sleight Doe maken vp a toure of height Nought rought I whether of stone or tree Or yearth or turves though it be Though it were of no vounde stone Wrought with squier and scantilone So that the toure were stuffed well With all riches temporell And then that he would vp dresse Engines both more and lesse To cast at vs by every side To beare his good name wide Such sleights I shall you yeven Barrels of wine by sixe or seven Or gold in sackes great plente He should soone delivered be And if he have no such pitences Let him studie in equipolences And let lies and fallaces If that he would deserve our graces Or we shall beare him such witnesse Of sinne and of his wretchednesse And doen his lose so wide renne That
sundry londs sundry ben vsages And for thy if it happe in any wise That here be any lover in this place That herkeneth as the story woll devise How Troilus came to his ladies grace And thinketh so nolde I not love purchase Or wondreth on his speech or his doing I not but it is to me no wondring * For every wight which yâ— to Rome went Halt nat o pathe ne alway o manere Eke in some lond were all the gamen shent If that men farde in love as men done here As thus in open doing or in chere In visiting in forme or said our saws * For thy men sain ech country hath his laws Eke scarsely ben there in this place three That have in love said like and done in all For to this purpose this may liken thee And thee right nought yet all is done or shall * Eke some men graue intre som in stone wall As it betide but sith I have begonne Mine authour shall I follow as I konne Explicit Prohemium IN May yâ— mother is of moneths glade That yâ— fresh floures both blew white rede Ben quick ayen that winter dead made And full of baume is fleting every mede When Phebus doth her bright beams spred Right in the white Bole it so betidde As I shall sing on Maies day the thridde That Pandarus for all his wise speach Felt eke his part of loves shottes kene That coud he never so well of loving preach It made his hew a day full oft grene So shope it that him fill that day a tene In love for which in wo to bed he went And made ere it were day full many a went The swallow Progne with a sorowfull lay When morow come gan make hir waimenting Why she forshapen was and ever lay Pandare a bed halfe in a slombering Till she so nigh him made her waimenting How Tereus gan forth her suster take That with the noise of her he gan awake And to call and dresse him vp to rise Remembring him his arrand was to done From Troilus and eke his great emprise And cast knew in good plite was yâ— moone To done voiage and tooke his way full soone Vnto his neces paleis there beside Now Ianus God of entre thou him guide When he was come vnto his neces place Where is my lady to her folke qd he And they him told and he forth in gan pace And found two other ladies sit and shee Within a paued parlour and they three Herden a maiden hem reden the geste Of the siege of Thebes while hem leste Qd. Pandarus madame God you see With your booke and all the companie Eigh vncle mine welcome iwis qd shee And vp she rose and by the hond in hie She tooke him fast and said this night thrie To good mote it turne of you I met And with the word she downe on bench him set Yea nece ye shull faren well the bet If God woll all this yeare qd Pandarus But I am sorry that I have you let To hearken of your booke ye praisen thus For Gods love what saith it tell it vs Is it of love or some good ye me lere Vncle qd she your maistresse is nat here With that they gonnen laugh tho she seide This romaunce is of Thebes that we rede And we have heard how yâ— king Laius deide Through Edippus his sonne al the dede And here we stinten at these letters rede How the bishop as the booke can tell Amphiorax fell through the ground to hell Qd. Pandarus all this know I my selue And all thassiege of Thebes and the care For hereof ben there maked bookes twelue But let be this and tell me how ye fare Do way your barbe shew your face bare Do way your book rise vp and let vs daunce And let vs to done to May some obseruaunce Eighe God forbid qd she be ye mad Is that a widdowes life so God you save By God ye maken me right sore adrad Ye ben so wild it seemeth as ye raue * It sat me well bet aye in a caue To bide and rede on holy saints liues Let maidens gon to daunce yong wiues As ever thriue I qd this Pandarus Yet could I tell o thing to done you play Now vncle dere qd she tell it vs For Gods love is then thassiege awey I am of Greekes ferde so that I dey Nay nay qd he as ever mote I thriue It is a thing well bet than such fiue Ye holy God qd she what thing is that What bet than such five eighe nay iwis For all this world ne can I reden what It should ben some iape I trow it is And but your selven tell us what it is My wit is for to arede it all to leane As helpe me God I not what that ye meane And I your borow ne never shall qd he This thing be told to you as mote I thrive And why uncle mine why so qd she By God qd he that woll I tell as blive For prouder woman is there none on live And ye it wist in all the toune of Troy I iape nat so ever have I joy Tho gan she wondren more than before A thousand fold and downe her eyen cast For never sith the time that she was bore To knowen thing desired she so fast And with a sike she said him at the last Now uncle mine I nill you not displease Nor asken more that may do you disease So after this with many words glade And friendly tales and with merry chere Of this that they speake and gonnen wade In many an unkouth glad deepe matere As friends done when they bethe ifere Till she gan asken him how Hector ferde That was the tounes wall Greekes yerde Full wel I thanke it God said Pandarus Save in his arme he hath a little wound And eke his fresh brother Troilus The wise worthy Hector the secound In whom that every vertue list habound And first all trouth and all gentlenesse Wisedom honour freedom and worthinesse In good faith eme qd she that liketh me They faren well God save hem both two * For trewliche I hold it great deintie A kinges sonne in armes well to do And be of good conditions thereto * For great power and morall vertue here Is selde iseene in one persone ifere In good faith that is sooth qd Pandarus But by my trouth the king hath sonnes twey That is to meane Hector and Troilus That certainly though that I should dey They ben as void of vices dare I sey As any men that liven under sunne Her might is wide iknow what they conne Of Hector needeth it no more for to tell In all this world there nis a better knight Than he that is of worthinesse the well And he well more vertue hath than might This knoweth many a wise worthy knight And the same prise of Troilus I sey God helpe me so I know
alway and in such feare Least any wight divinen or devise Would of hem two or to it lay an eare That all this world so lefe to hem ne were As that Cupide would hem his grace send To maken of her speech right an end But thilke little that they spake or wrought His wise ghost tooke aye of all such hede It seemed her he wist what she thought Withouten word so that it was no nede To bid him aught to doen or aught forbede For which she thought that love all come it late Of all joy had opened her the yate And shortly of this processe for to pace So well his werke and words he beset That he so full stood in his ladies grace That twenty thousand times ere she let She thonked God she ever with him met So could he him governe in such servise That all the world ne might it bet devise For she found him so discreet in all So secret and of such obeisaunce That well she felt he was to her a wall Of steel and shield of every displeasaunce That to been in his good governaunce So wise he was she was no more afered I meane as ferre as aught ben requered And Pandarus to quicke alway the fire Was ever ilike prest and diligent To ease his friend was set all his desire He shone aye on he to and fro was sent He letters bare when Troilus was absent That never man as in his friendes nede Ne bare him bet than he withouten drede But now peraventure some man waiten would That every word or sond looke or chere Of Troilus that I rehearcen should In all this while unto his lady dere I trow it were a long thing for to here Or of what wight that stant in such disjoint His words all or every looke to point Forsooth I have not herd it done ere this In story none ne no man here I wene And though I would I could not iwis For there was some epistle hem betwene That would as saith mine autor wel contene Ny half this boke of which him list not write How should I then a line of it endite But to the great effect then say I thus That stonden in concord and in quiete This ilke two Creseide and Troilus As I have told and in this time swete Save onely often might they not mete Ne leisure have her speeches to fulfell That it befell right as I shall you tell That Pandarus that ever did his might Right for the fine that I shall speake of here As for to bringen to his house some night His faire nece and Troilus ifere Where as at leiser all this high matere Touching her love were at yâ— full up bound Had out of doubt a time to it found For he with great deliberation Had every thing that thereto might availe Forne cast and put in execution And nether left for cost ne for travaile Come if hem list hem should nothing faile And for to ben in aught aspied there That wist he well in impossible were Dredelesse it clere was in the wind Of every pie and every let game Now all is well for all the world is blind In this matter both fremed and tame * This timber is all ready up to frame Vs lacketh naught but that we weten wouldd A certaine houre in which she comen shoul And Troilus that all this purveyaunce Knew at the full and waited on it aye And hereupon eke made great ordinaunce And found his cause therwith his arraye If that he were missed night or day They thought there while he was about this servise That he was gone to done his sacrifice And must at soch a temple alone wake Answered of Apollo for to be And first to sene the holy laurer quake Er that Apollo spake out of the tree To tellen him next whan Greeks should flie And for thy let him no man God forbede But pray Apollo helpe in this nede Now is there litell more for to done But Pandare up and shortly for to saine Right sone upon the chaunging of the Mone Whan lightlesse is the world a night or twaine And that the welken shope him for to raine He streight a morow unto his nece went Ye have well herde the fine of his entent When he was comen he gan anon to play As he was wont and of himselfe to yape And finally he swore and gan her say By this and that she should him not escape No lenger done him after her to gape But certainly she must by her leve Come soupen in his house with him at eve At which she lough gan her first excuse And said it raineth lo how should I gone Let be qd he ne stonde not thus to muse This mote be don ye shal come there anone So at the last hereof they fell at one Or els fast he swore her in her eere He nolde never comen there she were Sone after this she to him gan rowne And asked him if Troilus were there He swore her nay for he was out of towne And said nece I suppose that he were there You durst never thereof have the more fere For rather than men might him there aspie Me were lever a thousand folde to die Naught list mine auctour fully to declare What that she thought whan as he said so That Troilus was out of towne ifare And if he said thereof soth or no But that withouten awaite with him to go She graunted him sith he her that besought And as his nece obeyed as her ought But nathelesse yet gan she him besech Although with him to gone it was no fere For to beware of gofisshe peoples spech That dremen things which that never were And wel avise him whom he brought there And said him eme sens I must on you trist Loke al be wel and do now as you list He swore her this by stockes and by stones And by the Goddes that in heven dwell Or els were him leaver soule and bones With Pluto king as depe ben in Hell As Tantalus what should I more tell Whan al was wel he rose and toke his leve And she to souper came whan it was eve With a certaine number of her own men And with her faire nece Antigone And other of her women nine or ten But who was glad now who as trowe yee But Troilus that stode and might it see Throughout a litel window in a stewe Ther he beshet sith midnight was in mewe Vnwist of every wight but of Pandare But to the point now when that she was come With al ioy and al her frendes in fare Here Eme anon in armes hath her nome And then to the souper al and some Whan as time was full softe they hem set God wot there was no deinte ferre to fet And after souper gonnen they to rise At ease well with hart full fresh and glade And wel was him that coude best devise To liken her or that her laughen made He songe
nat ne lie And all this thing right sene it with your eie And that anon ye nill nat trow how soone Now taketh hede for it is for to doone What wene ye your wise father would Have yeven Antenor for you anone If he ne wist that the city should Destroied ben why nay so mote I gone He knew full well there shall nat scapen one That Troian is and for the great fere He durst nat that ye dwelt lenger there What woll ye more O lovesome lady dere Let Troy and Troians fro your heart passe Drive out yâ— bitter hope make good chere And clepe ayen the beautie of your face That ye with salt teares so deface For Troy is brought in such a ieopardie That it to save is now no remedie And thinketh well ye shall in Grekes find A more perfite love ere it be night That any Troian is and more kind And bet to serven you woll done his might And if ye vouchsafe my lady bright I woll ben he to serven you my selve Ye lever than be lord of Greces twelve And with that word he gan to waxen reed And in his speech a little while he quoke And cast aside a little with his heed And stint a while and afterward he woke And soberly on her he threw his loke And said I am albeit to you my joy As gentill a man as any wight in Troy For if my father Tideus he seide I lived had I had been ere this Of Calcidonie and Arge a king Creseide And so hope I that I shall be iwis But he was slaine alas the more harme is Vnhappily at Thebes all to rathe Polimite and many a man to scathe But hart mine sithe that I am your man And ben the first of whom I feche grace To serve you as heartely as I can And ever shall while I to live have space So that ere I depart out of this place Ye woll me graunte that I may to morow At better laiser tell you of my sorow What shuld I tell his wordes that he seide He spake ynough for o day at the mest It preveth well he spake so that Creseide Graunted on the morrow at his request For to speake with him at the least So that he nolde speake of such matere And thus she to him said as ye mowe here As she that had her hart on Troilus So fast that there may it none arace And straungely she spake and saied thus O Diomede I love that ilke place There was I borne and Ioves of thy grace Deliver it soone of all that doth it care God for thy might so leve it well to fare That Grekes wold her wrath on Troy wreke If that they might I know it well iwis But it shall naught befallen as ye speke And God toforne and farther over this I wote my father wise and ready is And that he me hath bought as ye me told So dere am I the more vnto him hold That Grekes ben of high conditioun I wote eke well but certaine men shall find As worthie folke within Troy toun As conning as persite and as kinde As ben betwixte Orcades and Inde And that ye could well your lady serve I trow eke well her thonke for to deserve But as to speake of loue iwis she seide I had a lord to whom I wedded was His whole mine hart was all till he deide And other love as helpe me now Pallas There in mine hart nis ne never was And that ye ben of noble and high kinrede I have well herde it tellen out of drede And yâ— doth me to have so great a wonder That ye woll scornen any woman so Eke God wote love and I ben fer asonder I am disposed bet so mote I go Vnto my death plaine and make wo What I shall after done I can not say But truely as yet me list nat play Mine hart is now in tribulatioun And ye in armes busie day by day Hereafter when ye wonnen have the toun Paraventure then so it happen may That when I see that I never ere sey Then woll I werke that I never ere wrought This word to you ynough suffisen ought To morow eke wol I speken with you faine So that ye touchen naught of this matere And when you list ye may come here againe And ere ye gone thus much I say you here As helpe me Pallas with her haires clere If that I should of any Greeke have routh It shulde be your selven by my trouth I say nat therefore that I woll you love Ne say nat nay but in conclusioun I meane well by God that sit above And therewithall she cast her eien doun And gan to sigh said Troilus Troy toun Yet bidde I God in quiet and in rest I may you seene or do mine hart brest But in effect and shortly for to say This Diomede all freshly new againe Gan preasen on and fast her mercy pray And after this the soothe for to saine Her gloue he toke of which he was full faine And finally when it was woxen eve And all was well he rose and tooke his leve The bright Venus folowed and aie taught The way there brode Phebus doune alight And Cithera her chare horse over taught To whirle out of the Lion if she might And Signifer his candles sheweth bright When that Creseide vnto her bed went Within her fathers faire bright tent Retourning in her soule aye vp and doun The wordes of this suddaine Diomede His great estate and perill of the toun And that she was alone and had nede Of friendes help and thus began to brede The cause why the soothe for to tell She tooke fully purpose for to dwell The morow came and ghostly for to speke This Diomede is come vnto Creseide And shortly least that ye my tale breke So well he for himselfe spake and seide That all her sighes sore doune he leide And finally the soothe for to saine He rest her the great of all her paine And after this the story telleth vs That she him yave the faire bay stede The which she ones wan of Troilus And eke a brooch and that was little nede That Troilus was she yave this Diomede And eke the bet from sorow him to releve She made him weare a pencell of her sleve I find eke in stories elsewhere When through the body hurt was Diomede Of Troilus tho wept she many a tere When that she saw his wide wounds blede And that she tooke to kepen him good hede And for to healen him of his smart Men saine I not that she yave him her hart But truely the storie telleth vs There made never woman more wo Than she when that she falsed Troilus She said alas for now is clene ago My name in trouth of love for evermo For I have falsed one the gentillest That ever was and one the worthiest Alas of me vnto the worldes end Shall neither ben iwritten or isong No good word for
degree That hath so littell penaunce yeven thee That hast deserved sore for to smart * But pite renneth soone in gentle hart That maist thou sene she kitheth what she is And I answerde naie sir so have I blis No more but that I see well she is good That is a trewe tale by mine hood Qd. Love and thou knowest wel parde If it be so that thou avise the Hast thou nat in a booke in thy cheste The great goodnesse of the quene Alceste That turned was into a Daiesie She that for her husband chese to die And eke to gone to hell rather than he And Hercules rescued her parde And brought her out of hel againe to blis And I answerde againe and said yes Now know I her And is this good Alceste The Daiesie and mine owne herts reste Now fele I well the goodnesse of this wife That both after her death and in her life Her great bounte doubleth her renoun Wel hath she quit me mine affectioun That I have to her floure the daiesie No wonder is though Iove her stellifie As telleth Agaton for her great goodnesse Her white corowne beareth of it witnesse For all so many vertues had she As smal florounes in her corowne be In remembraunce of her and in honour Cibilla made the daiesie and the floure I crowned al with white as men may se And Mars yave to her a corowne reed parde In stede of Rubies set among yâ— white Therewith this quene woxe reed for shame alite When she was praysed so in her presence Then said Love a full great negligence Was it to thee that ilke time thou made Hide Absolon thy tresses in balade That thou forget in thy songe to sette Sith that thou art so greatly in her dette And wost well that kalender is she To any woman that woll lover be For she taught all the craft of trewe loving And namely of wifehode the living And all the bondes that she ought keepe Thy litel witte was thilke time a sleepe But now I charge thee vpon thy life That in thy legende make of this wife When thou hast other smale imade before And fare now well I charge thee no more But er I go thus much I will the tell * Ne shal no trewe lover come in hell These other ladies sitting here a rowe Ben in my balade if thou const hem know And in thy bokes al thou shalt hem find Have hem now in thy legende al in mind I meane of hem that ben in thy knowing For here ben twenty thousand mo sitting Than thou knowest good women all And trewe of love for ought that may befall Make the metres of hem as the lest I mote gone home the sunne draweth west To paradis with all this companie And serve alway the fresh Daiesie At Cleopatras I woll that thou begin And so forth and my love so shalt thou win For let see now what man that lover be Wol done so strong a paine for love as she I wote well that thou maist nat all it rime That suche lovers did in her time It were too long to reden and to here Suffiseth me thou make in this manere That thou reherce of al her life the great After these old authours listen for to treat For who so shall so many a story tell Sey shortly or he shall to long dwell And with that worde my bookes gan I take And right thus on my legende gan I make ¶ Thus endeth the Prologue ¶ Here beginneth the legende of Cleopatras Queene of Egipt AFter the death of Ptholome the King That all Egipt had in his governing Reigned his Queene Cleopatras Till on a time bifel there such a caas That out of Rome was sent a senatour For to conqueren realmes and honour Vnto the toune of Rome as was vsaunce To have the world at her obeisaunce And soth to say Antonius was his name So fil it as fortune him ought a shame When he was fallen in prosperite Rebel vnto the toune of Rome is he And over al this the suster of Cesare He left her falsely er that she was ware And would algates han another wife For which he toke with Rome Cesar strife Nathelesse forsoth this ilke Senatour Was a full worthy gentill werriour And of his deth it was ful great damage But love had brought this man in such a rage And him so narow bounden in his laas And all for the love of Cleopatras That al the world he set at no value Him thouÈt there was nothing to him so due As Cleopatras for to love and serve Him thought that in armes for to sterve In the defence of her and of her right This noble quene eke loved so this knight Through his desert and for his chevalrie As certainly but if that bokes lie He was of person and of gentilnesse And of discretion and of hardinesse Worthy to any wight that liven may And she was faire as is the rose in Maie And for to maken shorte is the best She woxe his wife and had him as her lest The wedding and the feast to devise To me that have itake such emprise And so many a storie for to make It were to long lest that I should slake Of thing that beareth more effect charge For men may overlade a ship or barge And for thy to effect then woll I skippe And al the remnaunt I woll let it slippe Octavian that wood was of this dede Shope him an hooste on Antony to lede Al vtterly for his distruction With stoute Romaines cruell as Lion To ship they went and thus I let hem faile Antonius was ware and woll nat faile To meten with these Romaines if he may Toke eke his rede and both vpon a day His wife and he and all his host forth went To ship anone no lenger they ne stent And in the see it happed hem to mete Vp goeth the trumpe for to shoute shete And painen hem to set on with the sunne With grisly sown out goeth the great gunne And hertely they hurtlen in all at ones And fro the top doune cometh yâ— great stones In goeth the grapenel so full of crokes Among the ropes ran the shering hokes In with the polaxe preaseth he and he Behind the maste beginneth he to flee And out againe and driveth him over borde He sticketh him vpon his speares orde He rent the saile with hookes like a sith He bringeth the cup and biddeth hem be blith He poureth peesen vpon the hatches slider With pots full of lime they gone togider And thus the long day in fight they spend Till at the last as every thing hath end Antony is shent and put him to the flight And all his folke to go that best go might Fleeth eke yâ— quene with all her purple saile For strokes which yâ— went as thicke as haile No wonder was he might it nat endure And when that Antony saw that aventure Alas qd he the day that I was
that this Lionesse hath dronke her fill About the well gan she for to wind And right anon the wimple gan she find And with her bloody mouth it all to rent When this was done no lenger she ne stent But to y◠wood her way then hath she nome And at the last this Piramus is come But all too long alas at home was hee The Moone shone men might well isee And in his way as that he come full fast His eyen to the ground adoun he cast And in the sonde as he beheld adoun He saw the steppes brode of a Lioun And in his hart he suddainly agrose And pale he wext therwith his hart arose And here he came found the wimple torne Alas qd he the day that I was borne This o night woll both vs lovers slee How should I asken mercy of Tisbee When I am he that have you slaine alas My bidding hath you slaine in this caas Alas to bidde a woman gone by night In place thereas perill fallen might And I so slow alas I ne had be Here in this place a furlong way ere ye Now what Lion that is in this forest My body mote he rente or what beast That wild is gnawen mote he mine hart And with that word he to the wimple start And kist it oft and wept on it full sore And said wimple alas there nis no more But thou shalt feele as well the blood of me As thou hast felt the bleeding of Tisbe And with that word he smote him to y◠hart The blood out of the wound as broad start As water when the conduit broken is Now Tisbe which that wist nat this But sitting in her drede she thought thus If it so fall out that my Piramus Be comen hither and may me nat ifind He may me holden false and eke vnkind And out she commeth after him gan espien Both with her hart and with her eien And thought I woll him tellen of my drede Both of the Lionesse and of my dede And at the last her love then hath she found Beating with his heeles on the ground All bloody and therewithall abacke she start And like the wawes quappe gan her hart And pale as boxe she woxe and in a throw Avised her and gan him well to know That it was Piramus her hart dere Who could write whiche a deadly chere Hath Tisbe now and how her haire she rent And how she gan her selfe to turment And how she lieth swouneth on the ground And how she wept of teares full his wound How medleth she his blood with her complaint How with her blood her selven gan she paint How clippeth she the red corse alas How doth this wofull Tisbe in this caas How kisseth she his frosty mouth so cold Who hath don this who hath ben so bold To sleen my lefe o speake Piramus I am thy Tisbe that thee calleth thus And therwithall she lifteth vp his head This wofull man that was nat fully dead When that he herd y◠name of Tisbe crien On her he cast his heavy deadly eyen And doun againe and yeeldeth vp the ghost Tisbe rist vp without noise or bost And saw her wimple and his empty sheath And eke his swerd that him hath done to death Then spake she thus thy woful hand qd she Is strong ynough in such a werke to me For love shall yeve me strength hardinesse To make my wound large ynough I gesse I woll thee followen dead and I woll be Felaw and cause eke of thy death qd she And though that nothing save y◠death only Might thee fro me depart trewly Thou shalt no more departe now fro me Than fro the death for I woll go with thee And now ye wretched jelous fathers our We that weren whylome children your We praien you withouten more enuie That in o grave we moten lie Sens love hath brought vs this pitous end And right wise God to every lover send That loveth trewly more prosperite Than ever had Piramus and Tisbe And let no gentill woman her assure To putten her in such an aventure * But God forbid but that a woman can Ben as true and loving as a man And for my part I shall anon it kithe And with y◠word his swerde she tooke switche That warme was of her loves blood hote And to the hart she her selven smote And thus are Tisbe and Piramus ago Of true men I find but few mo In all my bookes save this Piramus And therefore have I spoken of him thus For it is deintie to vs men to find A man that can in love be true and kind Here may ye seene what lover so he be A woman dare and can as well as he ¶ The Legend of Dido Queene of Cartage GLory and honour Virgile Mantuan Be to thy name and I shall as I can Follow thy lanterne as thou goest beforne How Eneas to Dido was forsworne In thine Eneide and Naso woll I take The tenour and the great effects make When Troy brought was to destruction By Grekes sleight and namely by Sinon Faining the horse offred vnto Minerue Thrugh which that many a Troian must sterve And Hector had after his death apered And fire so wood it might nat ben stered In all the noble toure of Ilion That of the citie was the cheefe dungeon And all the country was so low ybrought And Priamus the king fordone and nought And Eneas was charged by Venus To flien away he tooke Ascanius That was his son in his right hand fled And on his backe he bare and with him led His old father cleped Anchises And by the way his wife Creusa he lees And mokell sorrow had he in his mind Ere that he coulde his fellawship find But at the last when he had hem found He made him redy in a certaine stound And to the sea full fast he gan him hie And saileth forth with all his companie Towards Itaile as would destinee But of his aventures in the see Nis nat to purpose for to speke of here For it accordeth nat to my matere But as I said of him and of Dido Shall be my tale till that I have do So long he sailed in the salt see Till in Libie vnneth arriued he So was he with the tempest all to shake And when that he the haven had itake He had a knight was called Achatees And him of all his fellowship he chees To gone with him the country for tespie He tooke with him no more companie But forth they gon and left his ships ride His feere and he withouten any guide So long he walketh in this wildernesse Till at the last he met an hunteresse A bow in hond and arrowes had she Her clothes cutted were vnto the knee But she was yet the fairest creature That ever was iformed by nature And Eneas and Achates she gret And thus she to hem spake when she hem met Saw ye qd she as
said and turned the course of her reason to some other things to be treated and to be sped Boetius Then said I certes rightfull is thine amonesting and full digne by aucthoritie But that thou saidest whilom that the question of the Diuine purveiaunce is enlaced with many other questions I vnderstand well and proue it by the same thing But I aske if that thou wenest that happe bee any thing in any wayes and if thou wenest that happe be any thing what is it Philosophie Then qd she I haste me to yelden and assoilen to the debte of my behest and to shewen and open the way by which way thou maiest come ayen to thy countrie but albeit so that the thinges which that thou askest been right profitable to know yet been they diuers somewhat fro the path of my purpose and it is to doubt that thou ne be maked wearie by misse wayes so that thou ne maiest not suffice to measure the right way Boetius Ne doubt thee thereof nothing qd I for to knowen thilke things togider in the which things I delite me greatly that shall been to me in steede of rest sith it nis not to doubten of the thynges following when euery thyng of thy disputacion shall hauen ben stedfast to me by vndoubtous faith Philosophie Then said she that manner woll I doen to thee and beganne to speaken right thus Certes qd she if any wight definishe hap in this maner that is to saine that hap is betiding ibrought foorthe by foolishe mouing and by no knitting of causes I confirme that hap nys right naught in no wise and I deeme all vtterly that hap nys ne dwelleth but a voyce as who sayeth but an idell woorde without any significacion of thynge committed to that voyce For what place might been lefte or dwellyng in follie and to disordenaunce sithe that God leadeth and constrayneth all thynges by order for this sentence is very sooth that nothing hath hys beyng of naughte to the whiche sentence none of these olde folke ne withsayed neuer all be it so that they ne vnderstanden it not by God Prince and beginner of workyng but they easten as a manner foundement of subject materiall that is to saine of the nature of all reason And if that any thing is waxen or commen of no causes then shall it seeme that thilke thyng is commen or woxen of naught But if this ne may not be done then is it not possible that hap be any soche thing as I haue definished a little here beforne Boetius How shall it then bee qd I nis there then nothing that by right may been cleaped eyther happe or els adventure or fortune Or is there ought all be it so that it is hidde fro the people to which thing these words been couenable Philosophie Mine Aristotle qd she in the booke of his Phisike difinisheth this thing by short reason and nigh to the sothe Boetius In which maner qd I Philosophie As ofte qd she as men done any thyng for grace of any other thyng and another thyng than thilke thyng that menne entenden to doen betideth by some causes it is icleaped happe right as a man dalfe the yearth bycause of tillyng of the field and found there a gobet of golde bedoluen then wenen folke that it is befall by fortunous betidyng But forsooth it nis not of naught for it hath his proper causes of which causes the cours vnforeseen and vnware seemeth to haue maked hap For if the tiller of the field ne dolue not in the yearth and if the hider of the golde ne had hid the golde in that place the golde ne had not been found These been then the causes of the abredgyng of fortuit hap the which abredgyng of fortuit hap commeth of causes of encountryng and flowyng togither to hemselfe and not by thentencion of the doer For neyther the hider of the golde ne the deluer of the field ne vnderstanden not that the golde should haue been found But as I saied it betide and ran togither that he dalfe there as the other had hid the golde Now may I thus definishe hap * Hap is an vnware betidyng of causes assembled in things that been doen for some other thyng But thilke order procedyng by an vneschuable betiding togither which that discendeth from the well of purueighaunce that ordeyneth all thyngs in her places and in her times maketh that the causes rennen and assemblen togither Rupis Achimeniae scopulis ubi versa sequentum Pectoribus figit spicula c. TIgris and Eufrates resoluen and springen of o welle in the cragges of the roche of the countrey of Achemenee there as the fliyng battayles fixen her darts retourning in the breasts of hem that folowen hem And sone after the same riuers Tigris and Eufrates vnjoynen and departen her waters and if they commen together and been assembled and cleaped together into o course then moten thilke things fleten togider which that the water of thenterchaunging flood bringeth The shippes and the stockes araced with the flood moten assemblen and the waters imedled wrappeth or emplieth many fortunell happes or maners the which wandring happes nathelesse thilke declinyng lownesse of the yerth and the flowyng order of the slidyng water gouerneth Right so fortune that seemeth as it suffreth with slaked or vngouerned bridles it suffreth bridles that is to saine to been gouerned and passeth by thilke lawe that is to saine by the diuine ordinaunce Animadverto inquam idque uti tu dicis ita esse consentio Sed in hac haerentium c. THis vnderstand I well qd I and I accord me that it is right as thou sayest But I aske if there be any liberty of Free-will in this order of causes that cleauen thus togither in hemself or els I would weten if that the destinall cheyne constrayneth the mouyng of the courages of men Philosophie Yes qd she there is liberty of free-will ne there ne was neuer no nature of reason that it ne had liberty or free-will * For euery thyng that may naturally vsen reason it hath dome by which it decerneth and deemeth euery thyng Then knoweth it by it selfe thyngs that been to flien and thyngs that been to desiren and the ilke thyng that any wight demeth to been desired that asketh or desireth he and flieth thilke thing that he troweth be to flien Wherefore in all thyngs that reason is in him also is liberty of willyng and of nillyng but I ne ordayne not as who sayeth I ne graunt not that this liberty be euen like in all thyngs For why in the Soueraines devines substaunces that is to sain in spirites judgement is more clere and will not corrumpen and mighty ready to speden things that been desired But the soules of men moten needes been more free when they looken hem in the speculacion or looking of the deuine thought and lasse free when they sliden into the bodies and yet lasse free when they ben
to his hals I woll do paint with pure gold And tapite hem full manyfold Of one sute this shall he haue If I wiâ—t where were his caue If he can make me sleepe soone As did the goddesse queene Alcione And thus this like god Morpheus May wil of me mo fees thus Than ever he wan and to Iuno That is his goddesse I shall so do I trowe that she shall hold her paid I had vnneth that word ysaid Right thus as I haue told you That suddainly I nist how Such a lust anone me tooke To sleepe that right vpon my booke I fell a sleepe and therewith even Me mette so inly such a sweven So wonderfull that never yet I trowe no man had the wit To conne well my sweden rede No not Ioseph without drede Of Egypt he that rad so The kinges meting Pharao No more than coud the least of vs. Ne nat scarcely Macrobeus He that wrote all the avision That he met of king Scipion The noble man the Affrican Such meruailes fortuned than I trowe arede my dreames euen Lo thus it was this was my sweven Me thought thus that it was May And in the dawning there I lay Me met thus in my bed all naked And looked forth for I was waked With smale foules a great hepe That had afraied me out of my slepe Through noise and sweetnesse of her song And as me met they sate among Vpon my chamber roofe without Vpon the tyles over all about And eueriche song in his wise The most solemne seruise By note that ever man I trow Had heard for some of hem song low Some high and all of one accord To tell shortly at o word Was never heard so sweet steven But it had be a thing of heven So merry a sowne so sweet entunes That certes for the towne of Tewnes I noide but I had heard hem sing For all my chamber gan to ring Through singing of her ermony For instrument nor melody Was no where heard yet halfe so swete Nor of accord halfe so mete For there was none of hem that fained To sing for ech of hem him pained To find out many crafty notes They ne spared nat her throtes And sooth to saine my chamber was Full well depainted and with glas Were all the windowes well yglased Full clere and nat an hole ycrased That to behold it was great joy For holly all the story of Troy Was in the glaising ywrought thus Of Hector and of King Priamus Of Achilles and of king Laomedon And eke of Medea and of Iason Of Paris Heleine and of Lavine And all the wals with colours fine Were paint both text and glose And all the Romaunt of the Rose My windowes weren shit echone And through the glasse the sunne shone Vpon my bed with bright bemes With many glad glidy stremes And eke the welkin was so faire Blew bright clere was the aire And full attempre for sooth it was For neyther too cold ne hote it nas Ne in all the welkin was no cloud And as I lay thus wonder loud Me thought I heard a hunt blow Tassay his great horne and for to know Whether it was clere or horse of sowne And I heard going both vp and downe Men horse hounds and other thing And all men speake of hunting How they would slee the hart with strength And how the hart had vpon length So much enbosed I not now what Anon right when I heard that How that they would on hunting gone I was right glad and vp anone Tooke my horse and forth I went Out of my chamber I neuer stent Till I come to the field without There ouertooke I a great rout Of hunters and eke forresters And many relaies and limers And highed hem to the forrest fast And I with hem so at the last I asked one lad a lymere Say fellow who shall hunt here Qd. I and he answered ayen Sir the Emperour Occtonyen Qd. he and is here fast by A gods halfe in good time qd I Go we fast and gan to ride When we come to the forest side Euery man did right soone As to hunting fell to done The maister hunt anone fote hote With his horne blew three mote At the vncoupling of his houndis Within a while the hart found is I hallowed and rechased fast Long time and so at the last This hart rouzed and stale away Fro all the hounds a preuie way The hounds had ouershot him all And were vpon a default yfall Therewith the hunt wonder fast Blew a forloyn at the last I was go walked fro my tree And as I went there came by me A whelpe that fawned me as I stood That had yfollowed and coud no good It came and crept to me as low Right as it had me yknow Held downe his head and joyned his eares And laid all smooth downe his heares I would haue caught it anone It fled and was fro me gone As I him followed and it forth went Downe by a floury greene it went Full thicke of grasse full soft and sweet With floures fele faire vnder feet And little vsed it seemed thus For both Flora and Zepherus They two that make floures grow Had made her dwelling there I trow For it was on to behold As though the earth enuy wold To be gayer than the heuen To have mo floures such seuen As in the welkin sterres be It had forget the pouerte That winter through his cold morrowes Had made it suffer and his sorrowes All was foryeten and that was seene For all the wood was woxen greene Sweetnesse of dewe had made it waxe It is no need eke for to axe Where there were many greene greues Or thicke of trees so full of leues And euery tree stood by himselue Fro other well tenne foot or twelue So great trees so huge of strength Of fortie or fiftie fadome length Cleane without bowe or sticke With crops brode and eke as thicke They were not an inch asunder That it was shadde over all vnder And many an hart and many an hind Was both before me and behind Of fawnes sowers buckes does Was full the wood and many roes And many squirrels that sete Full high vpon the trees and ete And in her manner made feasts Shortly it was so full of beasts That though Argus the noble countour Sate to recken in his countour And recken with his figures ten For by tho figures newe all ken If they be craftie recken and number And tell of euery thing the number Yet should he faile to recken even The wonders me met in my sweven But forth I romed right wonder fast Downe the wood so at the last I was ware of a man in blacke That sate and had yturned his backe To an Oke an huge tree Lord thought I who may that bee What eyleth him to sitten here Anon right I went nere Then found I sitte even vpright A wonder welfaring knight By the manner me thought so Of good mokell
after his doctrine these great worke men and gleane my handfuls of yâ— shedding after their hands if me faile ought of my full to encrease my portion with that I shall draw by priuities out of shockes a slye seruaunt in his owne helpe is often muche commended knowyng of trouth in causes of thyngs was more hardier in the first seechers and so sayth Aristotle and lighter in us that han followed after For their passing study han freshed our wits our vnderstanding han excited in consideration of trouth by sharpnesse of their reasons Vtterly these thynges be no dreames ne yapes to throwe to hogges it is lifelyche meate for children of trouth and as they me betiden when I pilgrimaged out of my kithe in Winter when yâ— weather out of measure was boistous and the wylde winde Boreas as his kinde asketh with drying colds maked yâ— wawes of the Decian sea so to arise vnkindely ouer yâ— commune bankes that it was in point to spill all the earth ¶ Thus endeth the Prologue and hereafter followeth the first booke of the Testament of Loue. The Testament of Love This book is an Imitation of Boetius de Consolatione Philosophiae in the first part whereof Love by way of Legacy doth bequeath to all them which follow her lore the knowledge of Truth from Errour whereby they may rightly judge of the Causes of cross Fortune and such Adversities as befall them whether in their Suits of Love or otherwise and so in the end obtain their wished Desires In this second part she reacheth the Knowledge of one very God our Creatour as also the State of Grace and the State of Glory all the which good things are figured by a Margarite Pearl Chaucer did compile this book as a Comfort to himself after great Griefs conceived for some rash Attempts of the Commons with whom he had joyned and thereby was in fear to lose the Favour of his best Friends and also therein to set end to all his Writing being commanded by Venus as appeareth by Gower in the end of his eighth Book entituled Confessio Amantis so to do as one that was Venus's Clerk even as Gower had made his Confessio Amantis his last Work and shrift of his former Offences ALas Fortune alas I that sometyme in delicious houres was wont to enioy blisfull stoundes am now driue by vnhappy heauinesse to bewaile my sundry euils in tene Truly I leue in mine herte is writte of perdurable letters all the ententions of lamentation that now been ynempned for any manner disease outward in sobbyng manner she weth sorowfull yexing from within Thus from my comforte I ginne to spill sith she that should me sollace is ferre fro my presence Certes her absence is to me an hell my steruyng death thus in wo it myneth that endelesse care is throughout mine heart clenched blisse of my ioy that oft me murthed is tourned into gall to thinke on thing that may not at my will in armes me hent Mirth is chaunged into tene when swinke is ther continually that rest was wont to soiourne and haue dwelling place Thus witlesse thoughtfull sightlesse looking I endure my pennaunce in this dark prison caitisned fro friendship and acquaintaunce and forsaken of all that any worde dare speake Straunge hath by way of intrusion made his home there me should be if reason were heard as he should Neuer the later yet heartely ladye precyous Margarite haue mind on thy seruaunt thinke on his disease how lightlesse he liueth sithe the beames brennende in loue of thyne eyen arne so bewet that worldes and cloud atweene vs twey wol not suffer my thoughts of hem to be enlumined Thinke that one vertue of a Margarite precious is amongs many other the sorrowful to comfort yet will of that me sorrowful to comfort is my luste to haue nought els at this time deede ne death ne no manner trauyle hath no power myne heart so much to fade as should to heare of a twinckling in your disease Ah God forbede that but yet let me dey let me sterue withouten any measure of pennaunce rather than myne hartely thinking comfort in ought were diseased What may my seruice aueile in absence of her that my seruice should accept is this nat endlesse sorrow to thinke Yes yes God wote mine heart breaketh nigh asunder howe should the ground without kindely noriture bringen forth any fruits Howe should a shippe withouten a sterne in the great sea be gouerned How should I withouten my blisse my heart my desire my ioy my goodnesse endure in this contrarious prison that thinke euery houre in the day an hundred Winter Well may now Eue sayne to me Adam In sorrow fallen from wealth driuen art thou out of Paradise with sweate thy sustenaunce to beswinke Deepe in this pining pitte with wo I ligge ystocked with chaynes linked of care and of tene It is so high from thence I lie of the common yearth there ne is cable in no land maked that might stretch to me to draw me into blisse ne steyers to steye on is none so that without recouer endlesse here to endure I wote well I purueide O where art thou now friendship that sometime with laughande chere madest both face and countenaunce to me wardes Truely nowe art thou went out of towne but euer me thinketh he weareth his old clothes and that the soule in the which the life of friendship was in is drawne out from his other Spirits Now then farewell friendship and farewell felawes me thinketh ye all han taken your â—eaue no force of you all at ones But lady of loue ye wote what I meane yet thinke on thy seruaunt that for thy loue spilleth all thyngs haue I forsake to follow en thyne hestes reward me wyth a thought though ye doe naught els Remembraunce of loue lithe so sore vnder my breast that other thought commeth not in my mynd but gladnesse to thinke on your goodnesse and your merry cheare frendes and sorrow to thinke on your wretch and your daunger from whych Christ me saue My great ioy it is to haue in meditations the bounties the vertues the nobley in you printed sorrow and hell commen at ones to suppose that I be veined Thus with care sorrow and tene am I shapt meyne end with death to make Now good goodly thinke on this O wretched foole that I am fallen into so lowe the heate of my brenning tene hathe me all defaced how should ye Lady set prise on so foule filth My conning is thin my witte is exiled like to a foole naturell am I comparisoned Truely lady but your mercie the more were I wote well all my labour were in idle your mercie then passeth right God graunt that proposition to be verified in me so yâ— by trust of good hope I mow come to the hauen of ease and sith it is impossible the colours of your qualities to chaunge forsooth I wote well wemme ne spotte may not abide there
should yet forsooth fayned I never to love otherwise than was in myne heart if I coud have made cheare to one and ythought another as many other done all day afore mine eyen I trowe it would not me have vailed Certes qd she haddest thou so done I would not now have thee here visited Ye wete well Lady eke qd I that I have not plaid raket Nettle in Docke out with the Weathercocke waved and truly there ye me set by accord of my conscience I would not fly till ye and reason by apert strength maden mine hert to tourne In good faith qd she I have knowe thee ever of tho conditions sithen thou wouldest in as much as in thee was a made mee privy of thy counsaile and judge of thy conscience though I forsoke it in tho dayes till I saw better my time would never God that I should now faile but ever I woll be ready witnessing thy sooth in what place that ever I shall ayenst all tho that woll the contrary susteine and for as much as to me is naught vnknowen ne hid of thy privy heart but all hast thou tho thynges made to mee open at the full that hath caused my comming into this prison to void the webbes of thyne eyen to make thee clearely to see the errours thou hast been in because that men been of divers conditions some adradde to say a sooth and some for a sooth anone ready to fight also yâ— I may nor my selfe beene in place to withsay thilke men that of thee speaken otherwise than the sooth I woll and charge thee in vertue of obedience that thou to mee dwest to writen me wordes and set hem in writings that they mowe as my witnessing beene noted among the people For bookes written neither dreden ne shamen ne strive conne but onely shewen the entent of yâ— wâ—â—ter and yeve remembraunce to the hearer if any woll in thy presence say any thing to tho writers looke boldly trust on Mars to answere at the full For certes I shall him enforme of all the trouth in thy love with thy conscience so that of his helpe thou shalt not vary at thy neede I trowe the strongest and the best yâ— may be found woll not transvers thy words whereof then wouldest thou dreade GReatly was I tho gladded of these words and as who saith wexen somedele light in hert both for the authority of witnesse and also for sikernesse of helpe of the foresayd beheste and said Truly Lady now am I well gladded through comfort of your wordes be it nowe liking vnto your nobly to shewe which folke diffame your servants sith your service ought above all other thynges to beene commended Yet qd she I see well thy soule is not all out of the amased cloud thee were better to heare thing that thee might light out of thine heavy charge and after knowing of thine owne helpe then to stirre sweet wordes and suche reasons to heare for in a thoughtfull soule namely such one as thou art wol not yet such things sinken Come of therefore let me seene thy heavy charge that I may the lightlier for thy comfort purveigh Now certes Lady qd I yâ— most comfort I might haue were vtterly to wâ—te me bee sure in heart of that Margarite I serve so I thinke to done with all mights while my life dureth Then qd she mayst thou thereafter in such wise that mispleasaunce ne enter In good fayth qd I there shall no mispleasance be caused through trespace on my side And I doe thee to weten qd she I set never yet persone to serve in no place but if hee caused yâ— contrary in defaults and trespaces that hee ne sped of his service Mine owne yearthly lady quod I tho and yet remember to your worthinesse how long sithen by many revolving of yeares in time when October his leave ginneth take and November sheweth him to sight when Bernes been ful of goods as is the Qutte on every halke then good lond tillers ginneth shape for yâ— yearth with great travayle to bring forth more Corne to mannes sustenaunce ayenst the next yeares following In such time of plenty hee that hath an home and is wise list not to wander mar vailes to seech but he bee constrayned or excited of the lothe thyng is done by excitation of other mannes opinion whiche woulden fayne have myne abiding take in heart of lust to travayle and see the windyng of the yearth in that time of Winter by woodes that large streetes weren in by small pathes that Swine and Hogges hadden made as lanes with ladels there maste to seech I walked thinking alone a wonder great whyle and the great beastes that the wood haunten and adorneth all maner forrests and heards gone too wisd then ere I was ware I neighed to a sea bank and for ferde of the beasts shipcraft I cride for lady I trow ye wete well your self nothing is werse than the beastes that shouldâ—n beene tame if they catche her wisdnesse and ginne again waxe ramage Thus forsooth was I aferde and to Shippe me hied Then were there ynow to lach mine handes and drawe me to Shippe of which many I knâ—we well the names Sight was the first Lust was another Thought was yâ— thirde and Will eke was there a Mayster these broughten mee wythin boorde of this Shippe of travaile So when the sayle was sprad and this Ship gan to mooue the Wind and Water gan for to rise and ouerthwartly to tourn the Welkin the wawes seemden as they kist together but often vnder colour of kissing is mokell old hate priuely closed and kept The storm so strangely and in a deuouring manner gan so fast vs assail that I supposed the date of my death should haue made there his ginning now up now down now vnder the wawe and now abouen was my Shippe a great while And so by mokell duresse of weathers and of stormes and with great auowing pilgrimages I was driuen to an Isle where vtterly I wend first to haue be rescowed but truly at the first beginning it seemed me so perillous the hauen to catch that but through grace I had been comforted of life I was full despaired Truly Lady if ye remember aright of all manner things your self came hastely to seen vs sea driuen and to weten what we weren but first ye were deignous of cheare after which ye gone better alight and euer as me thought ye liued in great dreade of disease it seemed so by your chear And when I was certified of your name yâ— lenger I looked on you yâ— more I you goodly dradde and euer mine hert on you opened the more so in a little time my Ship was out of minde But Lady as ye me lad I was ware both of beastes and of fishes a great number thronging togider among which a Muskle in a blew shell had enclosed a Margarite Pearle the most precious and best that euer
be in that contrary of all tho thinges But he that can ne neuer so well in him behaue and hath vertue habundant in manifold maners and be not wealthed with soch yearthly goodes is hold for a fool and said his wit is but sotted Lo how false for euer is hold true Lo how trew is cleaped false for wanting of goodes Also Lady dignitees of office maken men mikell commended as thus he is so good were he out his pere should men not find Truely I trowe of some soche that are so praised were they out ones an other should make him so be know he should of no wise no more been looked after but onely fools wel I wot desiren soch new things Wherefore I wonder that thilke gouernour out of whom alone the causes proceden that gouerneth all things which that hath ordeined this world in werkes of the kindly bodies so be gouerned not with vnstedfast or happious thing but with rules of reason which shewen the course of certain things why suffreth he such sliding chaunges that misturnen soch noble things as been we men that arne a faire persel of the yearth holden the vpperest degree vnder GOD of benigne things as ye saiden right now your selfe shoulde neuer man haue been set in so worthy a place but if his degree were ordained noble Alas thou that knittest the purueighaunce of all things why lookest thou not to amenden these defaults I see shrewes that han wicked maners siten in chairs of domes Lambes to punishen there Woolues should been punished Lo vertue shined naturelly for pouerty lurketh is hid vnder cloude but the Moon false forsworn as I know my self for auer and yeftes hath vsurped to shine by day light with peynture of other mens praysings truly thilke forged light foully should fade were the trouth away of colours feyned Thus is night tourned into day and day into night Winter into Sommer Sommer into Winter not in deed but in miscleapyng of foolish people Now qd she what wenest thou of these things How felest thou in thine hert by what governaunce that this commeth about Certes qd I that wote I never but if it be that Fortune hath graunt from abode to lede the end of men as her liketh Ah now I see qd she the entent of thy meaning Lo bycause thy worldly goods been fullich dispent thou berafte out of dignity of office in which thou madest thy gathering of thilke goodes and yet diddest in that office by counsayle of wise any thyng were ended and true were unto hem whose profite thou shouldest looke and seest now many that in the ilke Heruest made of thee mokell and now for glosing of other deyneth thee nought to forther but enhaunsen fals shrewes by witnessing of truth These thinges greeveth thine herte to seene thy self thus abated and then frailty of mankind ne setteth but litle by the lesers of soch rechesse have he never so moche vertue and so thou wenest of thy Iewell to renne in dispite and not been accepted into grace All this shall thee nothing hinder Now qd she first thou woste well thou lostest nothing that ever mightest thou challenge for thyne own When nature brought thee forth come thou not naked out of thy mothers womb Thou haddest no richesse and when thou shalte enter into the ende of every fleshly body what shalt thou have with thee then So every richesse thou haste in time of thy living nis but leant thou might therein chalenge no property And see now every thing that is a mans own he may do therewith what him liketh to yeue or to keep but richesse thou playnest from thee lost if thy might had stretched so ferforth faine thou wouldes have hem kept multiplied with mo other so ayenst thy will been they departed from thee wherefore they were never thine And if thou laudest and joyest any wight for he is stuffed with soche maner richesse thou art in that beleeve beguiled for thou wenest thilk joy to be selinesse or els ease and he that hath lost soche haps to been unseily Ye forsoth qd I. Well qd she then woll I prove that unsely in that wise is to praise and so the tother is the contrary to be lacked How so qd I For unsely qd she begileth not but sheweth the entent of her working Et è contra Selinesse begileth for in prosperity shee maketh a jape in blindnesse that is she windeth him to make sorow when she withdraweth Wolte thou not qd she praise him better that sheweth to thee his hert tho it be with bitande words and dispitous than him that gloseth and thinketh in their absence to do thee many harmes Certes qd I the one is to commend the other to lack and dispise A ha qd she right so ease while he lasteth gloseth flattereth lightly voideth when she most pleasantly sheweth and ever in her absence she is about to dothee tene and sorow in hert But unsely all be it with betande chere sheweth what she is and so doth not that other wherefore unsely doth not beguile Selinesse disceiveth unsely put away doubt That one maketh men blind that other openeth their iyen in shewyng of wretchednesse The one is ful of drede to lese that is not his owne That other is sober and maketh men discharged of mokel heavinesse in burthen The one draweth a man from very good the other haleth him to vertue by the hookes of thoughts And wenest thou not that thy disease hath done thee mokell more to winne than ever yet thou lostest more than ever the contrary made thee winne Is not a great good to thy thinking for to know y◠hearts of thy soothfast freends Parde they been proved to the full and the true have discevered from the false Truely at the goyng of thilke brotell joye there yede no more away than the ilke that was not thyne proper He was never from y◠lightly departed thine owne good therfore leaveth it still with thee Now good qd she for how moch wouldest thou sometime have bought this very knowyng of thy frende from the flattering flies that they glosed when thou thought thy selfe sely But thou y◠plainest of losse in richesse haste founden y◠most dere worthy thing that thou cleapest vnsely hath made the moche thing to winnen And also for conclusioun of all * He is frende that nowe leaveth not his heart from thine helps And if that Margarite denieth now not to suffre her vertues shine to thee wardes with spreading beams as farre or farther than if thou were sely in worldly joy Trewly I say not els but she is some deale to blame Ah peace qd I and speak no more of this mine heart breaketh now thou touchest any soche wordes A well qd she then let vs singen thou herest no more of these things at this tyme. ¶ Thus endeth the first booke of the Testament of Love and hereafter foloweth the second VEry wealth may not be founden in all
be littell wonder But on y◠other side my trew seruants not faynen ne disceyue conne soothly their doyng is open my foundement endureth be the burthen neuer so great euer in one it lasteth it yeueth lyfe and blisfull goodnesse in the laste ends though the ginnings been sharp Thus of two contraries contrary ben the effects And so thilke Margarite thou seruest shall seen thee by her seruice out of perillous tribulacion delyuered bycause of her seruice in to new disease fallen by hope of amendment in the last end with joy to be gladded wherefore of kinde pure her mercy with grace of good helpe shall she graunt and els I shall her so straine that with pity shall she ben amaistred Remembre in thine heart how horrible sometime to thyne Margarite thou trespassest in a great wyse ayenst her thou forfeitest cleape ayen thy mind and know thyne owne guiltes What goodnesse what thyne own guiltes What goodnesse what bounty with mokell followyng pity found thou in that time Wert thou not goodly accepted in to grace By my plucking was she to foryeuenesse enclined And after I her stired to draw thee to house and yet wendest thou vtterly for euer haue ben refused But well thou woste sithen that I in soche sharp disease might so greatly auayle with thinkest in thy witte How ferre may my wit stretch And thou lach not on thy side I woll make the knotte Certes in thy good bering I woll accorde with the Psauter I haue found David in my seruice true and with holy oyle of peace and of rest long by him desired vtterly he shall be annointed Trust well to me and I woll thee not fayle The lening of the first way with good hert of continuaunce that I see in the grounded this purpose to parfourme draweth my by maner of constrayning that needes must I been thine helper although mirthe a while be taried it shal come at soch season that thy thought shall been joyed would neuer GOD sithen thyne hert to my reasons arne assented and openly haste confessed thine amisse going and now criest after mercy but if mercy followed thy blisse shall been ready ywis thou ne wost how sone Now be a good childe I rede The kind of vertues in thy Margarite rehearsed by strength of me in thy person shull werch Comfort thee in this for thou maist not miscary And these words said she streight her on length and rested a while ¶ Thus endeth the second book and hereafter followeth the third booke OF nombre sain these clerks that it is naturell some of discrete thinges as in telling one two three and so forth but among all nombres three is determined for most certaine Wherfore in nombre certain this werke of my besie leudenes I think to end and parfourme Ensample by this worlde in three times is deuided Of which y◠first is cleped Dematian that is to say going out of true way all that tho dieden in hell were thy punished for a mans sinne till grace and mercy fet hem thence there ended the first time The second time lasteth from the coming of merciable grace vntill the end of transitory time in which is shewed y◠true way in fordoing of y◠badde and that is ycleped time of grace that thing is not yeuen by desert of yelding one benefite for another but onely through goodnesse of the yeuer of grace in thilke tyme. Who so can well vnderstand is shapen to be saued in souled blisse The third time shal gin when transitory things of worldes han made their end and that shall been in joy glory and red both body and soule that well han deserued in the tyme of grace And thus in y◠heauen togither shull they dwell perpetuelly without any ymaginatife yuel in any halue These times are figured by tho three dayes that our God was closed in yearth and in the third arose shewyng our resurrection to joy blisse of tho that it deseruen by his merciable grace So this leude booke in three matters accordaunt to tho times lightely by a good inseer may been vnderstande as in y◠first errour of misse goyng is shewed with sorrowful pine punished is cried after mercy In the second is grace in good way proued which is fayling without desert thilk first misse amending in correction of tho errours and euen way to bryng with comforte of welfare in to amendement wexing And in the third joye and blisse graunted to him that well can deserue it and hath sauour of vnderstandyng in the tyme of grace Thus in joye of my third booke shall the matter be till it end But speciall cause I haue in my heart to make this processe of a Margarit pearl that is so precious a gem with cleere and littell of which stones or Iewel the tongues of vs English people tourneth the right names and clepeth hem Margery pearles thus varieth our speech from many other langages For trewly Latine French and many mo other langages clepeth hem Margery peerles the name Margarites or Margarit perls wherefore in that denominacion I woll me accord to other mens tonges in that name cleping These clerkes that treaten of kindes studien out the property there of things sayne the Margarit is a littel white pearle throughout holow and rounde and vertuous and on the sea sides in the more Britaine in muskle shels of y◠heavenly dewe the best been engendred in which by experience ben found three fayre vertues One is it yeueth comforte to the feling spirits in bodily persones of reason Another is good it is profitable health ayenst passions of sory mens hearts And the third it is needfull and noble in staunching of blood there els too much would out ren To which perle and vertues me list to liken at this time Philosophy with her three speces that is naturel and moral and reasonable of which things heareth what saine these great Clerks Philosophy is knowing of deuinely and manly things joyned with study of good liuyng and this stante in two things that is conning and opinion conning is when a thing by certaine reason is conceiued but wretches and fooles and lewd men many will conceyue a thyng maintaine it as for a sothe though reason be in the contrary wherefore conning is a straunger Opinion is while a thyng 〈◊〉 in non certayne and hidde from mens very knowledging and by no parfite reason fully declared as thus if the sonne be so mokel as men wenen or els if it be more then the earth For in soothnesse y◠certaine quantity of that Planet is vnknowen to erthly dwellers yet by opinion of some men it is holden for more than middle erth The first spece of Philosophy is naturel which in kindely things treaten sheweth causes of heauen strength of kindly course as by Arsmetrike Geometry Musike by Astronomy techeth ways and course of Heauens of Planetes and of Sterres about Heauen Earth other Elements The second
thing had not been studied So all these matters kindly drawn homeward to this Margarite pearl for from thence were they borrowed all is holly hers to wit the loue that thou hauest and thus quitest thou thy debt in that thou stedfastly seruest And keep well that loue I thee rede that of her thou hast borrowed and vse it in her seruice thy debt to quite and then art thou able right soon to haue grace wherefore after mede in none halue maist thou look Thus thy ginning and ending is but grace alone and in thy good deseruing thy debt thou acquitest without grace is nothing worth whatsoeuer thou werch Thank thy Margarite of her great grace that hitherto thee hath guided and pray her of continuance forth in thy werks hereafter and that for no mishap thy grace ouerthwartly tourn Grace glory and joy is comming through good folks deserts and by getting of grace therein shullen end And what is more glory or more joy than wisedom and loue in parfite charity which God hath graunted to all tho that well can deserue And with that this Lady all at ones start into mine heart here woll I onbide qd she for euer and neuer woll I gone hence and I woll keep thee from medling while me list here onbide thine entremeting manners into stedfastnesse shullen be chaunged SOberliche tho threwe I vp mine eyen and hugely tho was I astonied of this suddain aduenture and faine would I haue learned howe vertues shoulden been known in which thinges I hope to God hereafter she shall me enformen and namely sithen her resting place is now so nigh at my will and anone all these thinges that this lady said I remembred me by my self and reuolued the liues of mine vnderstanding wits Tho found I fully all these matters perfitely there written how misse rule by fained loue both realms and citties hath gouerned a great throw How lightly me might the faults espy how rules in loue should been vsed how sometime with fained loue foul I was beguiled how I should loue haue know and how I shall in loue with my seruice proceed Also furthermore I found of perdurable letters wonderly there grauen these matters which I shall nempne Certes none age ne other thing in yearth may the least sillable of this is no point deface but clerely as the sun in mine vnderstanding soul they shinen This may neuer out of my mind how I may not my loue keep but through willing in heart wiln to loue may I not but I louing haue Loue haue I none but through grace of this Margarite perl It is no manner doubt that will woll not loue but for it is louing as will woll not rightfully but for it is rightfull it selue Also will is not louing for he woll loue but he woll loue for he is louing it is all one to will to be louing and louings in possession to haue Right so will woll not loue for of loue hath he no party and yet I deny not louing will wiln more loue to haue which that he hath not when he would more than he hath but I say he may no loue wiln if he no loue haue through which thilk loue he shuld wiln but to haue this louing will may no man of himself but onely through grace toforn going right so may no man it keep but by grace following Consider now euery man aright and let sen if that any wight of himself mowe this louing well get and he thereof first nothing haue for if it should of himself spring either it must be willing or not willing Willing by himself may he it not haue sithen him faileth yâ— matter that should it forth bring the matter him faileth why He may thereof haue no knowing till when grace put it in his heart Thus willing by himself may he it not haue and not willing may he it not haue Parde euery conceit of euery reasonable creature otherwise will not grant will in affirmatife with not willing by no way mow accord And although this louing woll come in mine hert by freenesse of arbitrement as in this book fully is shewed yet owe I not therfore as much allow my free will as grace of that Margarite to me leaned for neither might I without grace toforn going and afterward following thilk grace get ne keep lese shall I it neuer but if free will it make as in willing otherwise than grace hath me granted For right as when any person taketh willing to be sober and throweth that away willing to be dronk or els taketh will of drinking out of measure which thing anone as it is done maketh through his own guilt by free will yâ— leseth his grace In which thing therefore vpon the nobley of grace I mote trusten and my busie cure set thilke grace to keep that my free will otherwise than by reason it should werch cause not my grace to void for thus must I both look to free will and to grace For right as naturel vsage in engendering of children may not ben without father ne also but with the mother for neither father ne mother in begetting may it lack right so grace and free will accorden and without hem both maye not louing will in no party been getten But yet is not free will in getting of that thing so mokell thank worthy as is grace ne in the keeping therof so much thank deserueth and yet in getting and keeping both done they accord Truly oftentime grace free will helpeth in fordoing of contrary things yâ— to willing loue not accorden and strength will aduersities to withsit wherfore all together to grace oweth to been accepted that my willing deserueth Free will to louing in this wise is accorded I remember me well how all this booke who so heed taketh considereth all things to werchings of mankind euenly accordeth as in tourning of this word loue into trouth or els rightwisenesse whether yâ— it like For what thing that falleth to man in helping of free arbitrement thilk rightwisenesse to take or els to keep through which a man shall be saued of which thing all this booke mention hath maked in euery point thereof grace oweth to be thanked Wherefore I say euery wight hauing this rightwisenesse rightfull is and yet therefore I feel not in my conscience that to all rightful is behoten yâ— blisse euerlasting but to hem that been rightful withouten any vnrightfulnesse Some man after some degree may rightfully ben accompted as chast men in living and yet been they janglers and full of enuy pressed to hem shall this blisse neuer ben deliuered For right as very blisse is without all maner need right so to no man shall it be yeuen but to the rightful void from all maner vnrightfulnesse found so no man to her blisse shall been followed but he be rightful and with vnrightfulnesse not bound and in that degree fully be know This rightfulnesse in as much as in himself is of none euil it is
greuaunce Hence fro me hence that me for to endite Halpe aye here afore O ye muses nine Whilom ye were wont to be mine aâ—d light My penne to direct my braine to illumine No lenger alas may I sewe your doctrine The fresh lustie metres that I wont to make Haue been here afore I vtterly forsake Come hither thou Hermes ye furies all Which fer ben vnder vs nigh yâ— nether pole Where Pluto reigneth O king infernall Send out thine arpies send anguish dole Miserie and wo leaue ye me not sole Of right be present must pain eke turment The pale death beseemeth not to be absent To me now I call all this lothsome sort My pains tencrease my sorows to augment For worthie I am to be bare of all comfort Thus sith I haue consumed and mispent Not only my days but my 5 fold talent That my lord committed me I can't recompence I may not too derely abie my negligence By the path of penaunce yet woll I reuert To the well of grace mercy there to fetch * Despisest not God the meeke contrite hert Of the cock crow alas yâ— I would not retch And yet it is not late in the second wetch Mercy shall I purchase by incessaunt crying The mercies of our lord euer shall I sing But well maist thou wail wicked woman That thou shuldest deceiue thus any innocent And in recompence of my sinne so as I can To al men wol I make leue this monument In shewing part of thy falshed is mine entent For all were too much I cannot well I wote The cause sheweth plainly he that thus wrote * If all the yearth were parchment scribable Speedie for the hand and all manner wood Were hewed and proportioned to pens able All water inke in damme or in flood Euery man being a parfit Scribe and good The cursednesse yet and deceit of women Coud not he shewed by the meane of pen. I flie all odious resemblaunces The deuils brond call women I might Whereby man is encensed to mischaunces Or a stinking rose that faire is in sight Or deadly empoyson like yâ— sugar white * Which by his sweetnesse causeth man to tast And sodainly sleeth bringeth him to his last It is not my manner to vse such language But this my doctrine as I may lawfully I woll holly ground with authoritie sage Willing both wisedome and vertue edifie * Wine and women into apostasie Cause wisemen to fall what is that to say Of wisedome cause them to forget the way Wherefore the wiseman doth thee aduise In whose words can be found no leasing With the straunger to sit in no wise Which is not thy wife fall not in clipping With her but beware eke of her kissing Keep with her in wine no altercation Least that thine hert fall by inclination May a man thinkest hide and safe lay Fire in his bosome without empairement And brenning of his clothes or whider he may Walke on hote coles his feet not brent As who saith nay and whereby is ment This foresaid prouerbe and similitude But that thou ridde thee plainly to denude From the flatterers forgetting her gide The gide of her youth I mean shamefastnes Which shuld cause her maidenhead to abide Her gods behest eke she full recheles Not retching committeth it to forgetfulnes * Neither God ne shame in her hauing place Needs must such a woman lacke grace And all that neigh her in way of sinne To tourne of grace shall lacke the influence The pathes of life no more to come in Wherefore first friend thee with Sapience Remembring God and after with Prudence To thine owne weale that they thee keepe Vnto thine hert least her words creepe In his book where I take my most ground And in his prouerbes sage Salomon Telleth a tale which is plainly found In the fifth chapiter whider in deed don Or meekely feined to our instruction Let clerkes determine but this am I sure Much like thing I haue had in vre At my window saith he I looked out Fair yong people where I saw many Among hem all as I looked about To a yong man fortuned I lent mine eye Estraunged from his mind it was likely By the street at a corner nigh his own hous He went about with eye right curious When that the day his light gan withdraw And the night approched in the twilight How a woman came and met him I saw Talking with him vnder shade of the night Now blessed be God qd she of his might Which hath fulfilled mine hearts desire Assaked my paines which were hote as fire And yet mine authour as it is skill To follow I must tell her arrayment She was full nice soules like to spill As nice in countenaunce yet as in garment For jangling she was of rest impatient Wandring still in no place she stode But restlesse now and now out she yode Now in the house now in the strete Now at a corner she standeth in await Incessauntly busie her pray for to gete To bring to the lure whom she doth lait Now where I left vnto my matter strait I woll tourne againe how she him mette Sweetly kissed and friendly hem grette With words of curtesie many and diuerse Right as in part I haue before told Now as I can I purpose to reherse How she flattering said with visage bold I haue made vowes and offerings manifold For thy sake O mine hert O my loue dere This day I thanke God all performed were Therefore I came out made thus astart Very desirous your welfare to see Now I haue seene you pleased is mine hert In faith shall none haue my loue but ye As true as I am to you be to me I pray you hertely dere hert come home No man should be to me so welcome And in good faith the sooth for to say Your comming to me ran in my thought Herke in your eare my bed fresh and gay I haue behanged with tapettes new bought From Egipt from far countries brought Steined with many a lustie fresh hue Exceeding gold or Iasper in value My chamber is strowed with mirre insence With sote sauoring aloes with sinamome Breathing an Aromatike redolence Surmounting Olibane in any mans dome Ye shall betweene my breasts rest if ye come Let vs haue our desired halsing For we may safe be till in the morning Mine husband is not at home he is went Forth in his journey a farre way hence A bagge with money he hath with him hent As him thought needfull for his expence Vnto my word giue faith and credence Now is the Moone yong and of light dull Ere he come home it woll be at the full Thus craftely hath she him besette With her lime roddes panter and snare The selie soule caught in her nette Of her sugred mouth alas nothing ware Thus is he left gracelesse and bare Of helpe comfort and ghostly succour And furthermore as saith mine authour As a beast led to
thee as loud as I may crie And then she began this song full hie I shrew all hem that been of loue vntrue And when she had song it to the end Now farewell qd she for I mote wend And god of loue that can right well may As much joy send thee this day As any yet louer he euer send Thus taketh yâ— Nightingale her leaue of me I pray to God alway with her be And joy of loue he send her euermore And shilde vs fro the Cuckow and his lore For there is not so false a bird as he Forth she flew the gentle Nightingale To all the birds that were in that dale And gate hem all into a place in fere And besoughten hem that they would here Her disease and thus began her tale The Cuckow well it is not for to hide How the Cuckow and I fast haue chide Euer sithen it was day light I pray you all that ye doe me right On that foule false vnkind bridde Then spake o bird for all by one assent This matter asketh good auisement For we been birdes here in fere And sooth it is the Cuckow is not here And therefore we woll haue a parliment And thereat shall the Egle be our Lord And other peres that been of record And the Cuckow shall be after sent There shall be yeue the judgement Or els we shall finally make accord And this shall be without nay The morrow after saint Valentines day Vnder a Maple that is faire and grene Before the chamber window of the quene At Woodstocke vpon the grene lay She thanked hem then her leaue toke And into an Hauthorne by that broke And there she sate and song vpon that tree Terme of life loue hath withhold me So loud that I with that song awoke Explicit O Leud book with thy foule rudenesse Sith thou haste neither beauty ne eloquence Who hath thee caused or yeue thee hardinesse For to appeare in my Ladies presence I am full siker thou knowest her beneuolence Full agreeable to all her abying For of all good she is the best liuing Alas that thou ne haddest worthinesse To shew to her some pleasaunt sentence Sith that she hath through her gentillesse Accepted the seruant to her digne reuerence O me repenteth that I ne had science And leiser al 's to make thee more florishing For of all good she is the best liuing Beseech her meekely with all lowlinesse Though I be ferre from her in absence To think on my trouth to her stedfastnesse And to abridge of my sorrowes the violence Which caused is wherof knoweth your sapience She like among to notifie me her liking For of all good she is the best liuing Lenuoye A Vrore of gladnesse and day of lustinesse Lucern a night with heauenly influence Illumined root of beauty and goodnesse Suspires which I effunde in silence Of grace I beseech alledge let your writing Now of all good sith ye be best liuing Explicit Scogan unto the Lords and Gentlemen of the Kings House In the written Copies the Title hereof is thus Here followeth a moral Ballad to the Prince the Duke of Clarence the Duke of Bedford the Duke of Gloucester the Kings Sons by Henry Scogan at a Supper among the Merchants in the Vintry at London in the House of Lewis John MY noble sonnes and eke my lords dere I your father called vnworthely Send vnto you this little Treatise here Written with mine owne hand full rudely Although it be that I not reuerently Haue written to your estates I you pray Mine vnconning taketh benignely For Gods sake and herken what I say I complain me sore when I remember me The suddaine age that is vpon me fall But more I complain my mispent juuentute The which is impossible ayen for to call But certainly the most complaint of all Is to thinke that I haue be so nice That I ne would vertues to me call In all my youth but vices aye cherice Of which I aske mercy of the Lord That art almighty God in majesty Beseking to make so euen accord Betwixt thee and my soule that vanity Worldly lust ne blind prosperity Haue no lordship ouer my flesh so frele Thou Lord of rest and parfite vnity Put fro me vice and kepe my soule he le And yeue me might while I haue life space Me to confirme fully to thy pleasaunce Shew to me the abundaunce of thy grace And in good werks grant me perseueraunce Of all my youth forget the ignoraunce Yeue me good will to serue thee ay to queme Set all my life after thine ordinaunce And able me to mercy or thou deme My lords dere why I this complaint write To you whom I loue most entirely Is for to warne you as I can endite * That time lost in youth folily Greueth a wight bodily and ghostly I meane him that to lust and vice entend Wherefore lords I pray you specially Your youth in vertue shapeth to dispend * Plant the root of youth in such a wise That in vertue your growing be alway Looke alway goodnesse be in your exercise That shall you mighty make at each assay The fiend to withstand at each affray Passeth wisely this perillous pilgrimage Think on this word and werke it euery day That shall you yeue a parfite floured age Taketh also hede how yâ— these noble clerkes Writen in her bookes of great saprence Saying that faith is ded withouten werkes And right so is estate with negligence Of vertue and therefore with diligence * Shapeth of vertue so to plant the root That ye thereof haue full experience To worship of your life and soules boot * Taketh also hede that lordship ne estate Without vertue may not long endure Thinketh eke how vices vertue at debate Haue ben and shall while the world may dure And euer the vicious by auenture Is ouerthrow and thinketh euermore That God is Lord of all vertue and figure Of all goodnesse and therfore follow his lore My maister Chaucer God his soule saue That in his language was so curious He said that the father which is dead graue Biqueth nothing his vertue with his hous Vnto his children and therefore labourous Ought ye be beseeking God of grace To yeue you might for to be vertuous Through whichye miÈt haue part of his place * Here may ye see that vertuous noblesse Commeth not to you by way of auncestry But it commeth by lefull businesse Of honest life and not by slogardry Wherefore in youth I rede you edisie The house of vertue in such a manere That in your age may you keepe and gie Fro the tempest of worlds wawes here * Thinketh how betwixe vertue and estate There is a parfite blessed Mariage Vertue is cause of peace vice of debate In mans soule the which be full of courage Cherisheth then vertue vices to outrage Driueth hem away let hem haue no wonning In your soules leseth not the heritage Which God hath yeue to
yâ— lond yâ— this monstre was slaw And line right to Thebes he gan draw Well receiued for his worthinesse For his manhood and his prowesse And for they seigh he was a seemely knight Well fauoured in euery mans sight And saw also Thebes the mighty toun Not onely they but all the regioun Were destitute of a gouernour Ayen her foon hauing no succour Hem to defend but the Queene alone Emong hemselfe making full great mone For there was none as bookes specifie The Sceptre and croune to occupie For which the Lordes all by one assent Within the toune set a parlement Shortly concluding if it might been Prudently to treate with the Queen Namely they that held hem selfe most sage To condescend by way of mariage She to be joyned to this manly knight Passing prudent and famous eke of might Most holle man as they can discerne The worthy citee to keepe and gouerne And through counsail of the lords all To their desire plainly she is fall And accorded without more tarying That of Thebes Edippus shall be king By full assent was none that sayed nay And time set ayein a certain day Emong hem selfe and finally deuised The wedding was in Thebes solempnized Full rially that needs must vnthriue Onely for he his moder tooke to wiue Vnwist of both he was of her blood And ignoraunt shortly how it stood That he toforne had his father slaw For which this wedding was against the law * And tofore God is neither faire ne good Nor acceptable blood to touch blood Which cause hath be of great confusion In many a lond and many a region Ground and root of vnhap and mischaunce The fine concluding alway with vengeaunce As men haue sein by clere experience And holy writ recordeth in sentence How Herode falsly in his life By violence tooke his brothers wife For she was fayre and pleasaunt to his sight And kept her still by force through his might Although to her title had he non And for her sake the holy man sainct Iohn For his trouth in prison lost his hedde Wherefore I rede euery man take hede VVhether so he be Lord Prince or King That he beware to eschue soch wedding Ere yâ— the swerde of vengeance him manace Lest he lese hap fortune and grace Taking ensample in all maner thing Of Edippus in Thebes crouned king All be that he wrought of ignoraunce Full derke and blind of his wofull chaunce And if vnwist that he of innocence As ye haue herde fell in soch offence For which he was punished brought low What are they worthy that her errour know And from the knot list not to absteine Of such spousaile to God and man vnclene I can not sem ne more thereof deuise Demeth your self that prudent been wise And eke Edippus haueth emong in mind Of whom the wedding like as ye may find Vnhappy was and passing odious Infortunate and eke vngracious I am werie more thereof to write The hatefull processe also to endite I passe ouer fully of entent For Imeneus was not there present Nor Lucina list not there to shine Ne there was none of the Muses nine But one accord to maken melody For there song not by heauenly armony Neyther Clio nor Caliope None of the sustren in nomber thrise three As they did when Philolaie Ascended vp high aboue the skie To be wedded this Lady vertuous Vnto her Lord the God Mercurius And as Matrician inamed de Copelle In his booke of wedding can you tell There concluding in his marriage The Poete that whilom was so sage That this Lady called Sapience Iwedded was vnto Eloquence As it sat well by heauenly purueiaunce Hem to be joyned by knot of alliaunce But both two soothly of entent At wedding in Thebes were absent That caused after great aduersity For finall end of that solempnity Was sorrow and wo and destruction Vtter ruine of this roiall toun There may no man helpe it ne succour For a time in joy though they floure The Names of the People being at the Wedding of the King Edippus and of Jocasta the Queen But at his wedding plainly for to tell Was Cerberus chief porter of hell And Herebus fader to Hatred Was there present with his holle kinred His wife also with her browes blacke And her doughters sorow for to make Hidously chered and vgly for to see Megera and Thesiphonee Alecto eke with Labour and Enuie Drede Fraude and false Tretcherie Treason Pouert Indigence and Nede And cruell death in his rent wede Wretchednesse Compleint and eke Rage Fearfull Pale Dronkenesse croked Age Cruell Mars and many a Tigre wood Brenning Ire and vnkind blood Fraternall hate deepe set in the roote Saufe onely Death that there nas no boote Assured othes at fine Vntrew All these folke were at weddyng new To make the toune desolate and bare As the story after shall declare But aie in Thebes with his walles strong Edippus reigneth many a day and long And as mine aucthor write in words plain By Iocasta he had sonnes twain Ethiocles and also Polimite And in bookes as sondry clerkes write Doughters two full goodly on to see Of which that one hight Antigonee And that other called was Imein Of her beauty inly souerein Edippus aie deuoid of warre and strife With Iocasta ledde a mery life Till fortune of her iniquity Had enuy of his prosperity For when he shone most rich in his renoun From her whele she plunged him adoun Out of his joy into sodein wo As she is wont frowardly to do And namely hem that setten her affiaunce Of hartely trust in her variaunce For when the king passing of great might Sat with the quene vpon a certain night Casuelly when his folke echone Out of chamber sodeinly were gone Ere he was ware Iocasta gan behold The carectes of his wounds old Vpon his feet emprented wonder depe Tournyng her face brest out for to wepe So secrely he might it not espie And she anon fell into a fantasie Aie on this thing musing more and more And in her bedde gan to sighen sore And when the king conceiueth her distresse He gan enquere of her heauinesse Fully the cause and thoccasion For he will wite in conclusion What her eileth and why she fared so My Lord qd she without wordes mo Percell cause of this sodein rage Is for that I in my tender age Had a Lord inamed Laius King of this toune a man right vertuous By whom I had a sonne right wonder feire Likely to been his successour and heire But bicause his Diuinours told At his birth sothly that he should If he had life by fatall destinee Slaen his fader it might none other be For which the king his fate to eschue Bad men in hast as him thought due To slea the child and haue thereof no roth And I anon bad without sloth To certain men vp pein of judgement To execute the commaundement Of the king
my desires Hunte and hauke in woods and riuers When so euer I haue thereto pleasance And for to haue none other attendance Vnto nothing but to mine ease For which shortly yif it agree and please That I haue said to you that ben so wise And be according vnto your auise Delayeth not but in wordes plein That you seemeth yeue answere ayen And when Adrastus had his tale fined Tideus with hed full low enclined As he that was a veray gentill knight With his power and his full might Full humbly thanked the king Touching his profre and so high a thing And for his party said he would assent Fully of hert neuer to repent To all that euer the king hath said And Polimite was also appaid In the story as it is comprehended On euery part fully is holle descended The kings will to fulfill in dede From point to point there vpon procede Whether so that euer they winne or lese And Tideus made his brother chese Of gentilnesse and of curtesie Which that was most to his fantasie Of the Sisters for to haue to wiue And he in soth chosen hath Argiue Which eldest was full womanly to se And Tideus tooke Deiphile Of her beaute most souereigne excellent Adrastus throughout his lond hath sent For his lords and his Baronage To be present at the mariage Of the knights and make no letting And they ech one come at his bidding In goodly wise meke and full benigne Ayein the day that he did assigne And thidre come full many a lusty knight Full we le besein and many a lady bright From euery coste and many a fresh squier The story seith and many a communer To behold the great rialte And the manere of this solempnite But to tell all the circumstaunces Of just reuel and the diuers daunces The feasts riche and the yeftes great The peinfull sighes and the feruent heat Of loues folke brenning as the glede And deuise of many a solein wede The touches stole and the amorous lokes By sotell craft leide out lines and hokes The Ielous folke to traien and begile In their awaites with many a sondry wile All this in soth descriuen I ne can But wele I the newe fame ranne This meane while with some swift passage Vnto the Thebes of this marriage And be report trew and not fained Tho when thereof the eares hath attained Mine Auctour writ of Ethiocles Touching the honour and the great encres Of Polimite highly magnified And that he newly was allied With Adrastus in the lond of Arge The which thing he greatly gan to charge Dreading inly that this Marriage Shall after time turne to his dammage Sore musing and casting vp and doun The great power and the high renoun Of Adrastus the which of Greeks lond Had all the power soget to his hond Least that he for Polimites sake Would vpon him a new warre make But if that he like the conuentioun At time set deliuer vp the toun To his brother by bond of oth sworne And by couenaunt assured here toforne If ye remember late as I you told Which he was in purpose for to hold But for his best cast him for to vary And thereupon list no lenger tary Liche his desires to shape remedies And first he sent for his next allies In whom he had his most affiaunce For his lords that had gouernaunce Of his kingdome to come to him anon And when they weren present euerichon He said plainly wening for the best That his hert shall neuer be in rest But in sorrow and in a maner of dread Till his brother vtterly be dead That he in Thebes in his roiall sete Might alone reigne in quiete He meant himselfe shortly and none other Vnpertourbed of Polimite his brother And at his counsell diuerse of entent I find written thre folkes were present Some in soth that faithfull were and trew And some also that can change of new And other eke that betwene tweine Couertly could vndre colour feine Commendation of Trouth * THE first seid aboue all thing Trouth should long vnto a king Of his worde not be variable But plein and hool as a contre stable How Trouth is preferred in the Book of Esdre aforne Kings Women and Wine For trouth first without any wene Is chief piller that may a king susteine In joy and honour for to lede his life For trouth sometime had a prerogatife As of Esdre the booke can specifie Record I take of prudent Neemie That worthy kings for all her great pride Wine and women been eke set aside With all power and dominacion Hauing reward in comparison To trouths might and trouths worthinesse For as Esdre pleinly both expresse Who so taketh hede in the same place The influence sothly and the grace Of trouth alone this old Neemie Gat him licence to reedifie The walles new of Hierusalem Which is treasure chief of euery Realme * For Salomon write how yâ— things tweine Trouth and mercy linked in a cheine Trouth and Mercy preserven a King from all Adversity Preserue a king like to his decree From al mischiefe and al aduersitee Alas therefore that any doublenesse Variaunce or elles vnsikernesse Chaunge nor doubleness should not be in a King Change of word or mutabilite Fraud or disceite or instabilite Should in a king haue domination To causen after his destruction Of kings redeth the story doun by rowe And seeth how many haue ben ouertrowe Through her falshod from fortunes whele For vnto God it pleaseth neuer adele A king to be double of entent For it may happe that the world is went Ful oft sith by sleight of her werking But thus the truth God seeth in euery thing Right as it is for there may be no cloude Toforne his sight trouth for to shroude It may be clipsed and derked by deceipt By false engine ligging in aweite As a serpent for to vndermine But at last it will cleerly shine Who yâ— saith nay shew his bright beames For it in soth of kingdomes and of realmes Is bearer vp and conservatrice From al mischief and sothfast mediatrice To God aboue who so list to se To keepe a king in prosperite On euery side as I afferme dar For which ye kings lords beeth we le war Your behests justly for to hold And thinketh how Thebes with his walles old Destroied was platly this is no les For the doublenesse of Ethiocles That with his people sore after bought Onely for that he nat by conseil wrought Of hem that were both trew and wise Him list not werke by her auise But left trouth and set his fantasie To be gouerned by false flatterie The Counsell of false Flatterers That bad him thinke how he was a knight And to hold of force more than of right During his life the lordship of the toun And not to lese his possession For no bonde nor hestes made toforn * But let his brother blowe in an horne Where that him list or
these bokes woll me shend Irolled shall I been on many a â—ong Throughout the world my bell shall be rong And women most woll hate me of all Alas that such a caas me should fall They woll saine in as much as in me is I have hem done dishonour welaway * All be I not the first that did amis What helpeth that to done my blame away But sens I see there is no better way And that too late is now for me to rue To Diomede I woll algate be true But Troilus sens I no better may And sens that thus departen ye and I Yet pray I God so yeve you right good day As for the gentillest knight truely That ever I saw to serven faithfully And best can aye his ladies honour kepe And with that word she brast anon to wepe And certes you ne haten shall I never And friendes love that shall ye have of me And my good word all should I liven ever And truly I would right sorrie be For to seene you in adversite And guiltlesse I wot well I you leave And all shall passe and thus take I my leave But truly how long it was bitwene That she forsoke him for this Diomede There is none authour telleth it I wene Take every man now to his bookes hede He shall no terme finden out of drede For though that he began to woe her sone Ere he her wan yet was there more to done Ne me ne list this sillie woman chide Ferther than the storie woll de vise Her name alas is published so wide That for her gilt it ought ynough suffise And if I might excuse her in any wise For she so sorrie was for her vntrouth Iwis I would excuse her yet for routh This Troilus as I before have told Thus driveth forth as wel as he hath might But oft was his heart hote and cold And namely that ilke ninth night Which on the morrow she had him behight To come ayen God wote full little rest Had he that night nothing to slepe him lest The laurer crowned Phebus with his heat Gan in his course aie vpward as he went To warmen of the East sea the waves wete And Circes doughter song with fresh entent When Troilus his Pandare after sent And on the wals of the towne they pleide To looke if they can seene aught of Creseide Till it was noone they stooden for to see Who that there came every maner wight That came fro ferre they saiden it was shee Till that they coulden knowen him aright Now was his heart dull now was it light And thus beyaped stooden for to stare About naught this Troilus and Pandare To Pandarus this Troilus tho seide For aught I wot before noone sikerly Into this toune ne cometh not here Creseide She hath ynough to done hardely To winnen from her father so trow I Her old father woll yet make her dine Ere that she go God yeve his hart pine Pandarus answerd it may well been certain And for thy let vs dine I thee beseech And after noone then maist thou come again And home they go without more speech And comen ayen but long may they seech Ere that they find that they after gape Fortune hem both thinketh for to yape Qd. Troilus I see well now that she Is taried with her old father so That ere she come it woll nigh even be Come forth I woll vnto the yate go These porters ben vnkonning â—vermo And I woll done hem holden vp the yate As naught ne were although she come late The day goth fast and after that came eve And yet came nat to Troilus Creseide He looketh forth by hedge by tree by greve And ferre his head over the wall he leide And at the last he tourned him and seide By God I wote her meaning now Pandare Almost iwis all new was my care Now doubtlesse this Lady can her good I wote she commeth riding prively I commend her wisedome by mine hood She woll nat maken people nicely Gaure on her when yâ— she commeth but softely By night into the toune she thinketh ride And dere brother thinke nat long to abide We have naught els for to done iwis And Pandarus now wilt thou trowen me Have here my trouth I see her yond she is Heave up thine eyen man mayst thou nat see Pandare answerde nay so mote I thee Al wrong by God with saist thou man wher art That I see yonde afarre nis but a cart Alas thou sayst right sooth qd Troilus But hardely it is not all for nought That in mine hart I now rejoyce thus It is ayenst some good I have a thought Not I nat how but sens that was wrought Ne felt I such a comfort dare I say She cometh to night my life that durst I lay Pandarus answerde it may be well inough And held with him of all that ever he saied But in his hart he thought and soft lough And to himselfe full soberly he saied * From hasell wood there jolly Robin plaied Shall come all that thou abidest here Ye farwell all the snow of ferne yere The Wardein of the yates gan to call The folk which that without the yates were And bad hem driven in her beasts all Or all the night they must bleven there And ferre within the night with many a tere This Troilus gan homeward for to ride For well he seeth it helpeth nat to abide But nathelesse he gladded him in this He thought he misacompted had his day And saied I understand have all amis For thilke night I last Creseide sey She sayd I shall ben here if that I may Ere that the Moone O dere hart swete The Lion passe out of this Ariete For which she may yet hold all her behest And on the morrow unto the yate he went And up and doune by West eke by East Vpon the walls made he many a went But all for naught his hope alway him blent For which at night in sorow sighes sore He went him home withouten any more This hope all cleane out of his hart fled He ne hath whereon now lenger for to hong But for yâ— paine him thought his hart bled So were his throws sharp wonder strong For when he saw that she abode so long He nist what he judgen of it might Sens she hath broken that she him behight The third fourth fift and sixt day After tho dayes tenne of which I told Betwixen hope and drede his hart say Yet somewhat trusting on her hestes old But when he saw she nolde her terme hold He can now seene none other remedie But for to shape him soone for to die Therwith the wicked spirit God us blesse Which that men clepen wood jealousie Gan in him crepe in all this hevinesse For which because he would soone die He ne eat ne dronke for his melancholie And eke from every company he fled This was the life that all this time he led He so