herber greene That benched was with colours new clene This herber was full of floures gende Into the which as I beholde gan Betwixt an Hulfeere and a Woodbende As I was ware I saw where lay a man In blacke and white colour pale and wan And wonder deadly also of his hewe Of hurtes grene and fresh woundes new And overmore distrayned with sicknesse Beside all this he was full grevoussy For vpon him he had an hore accesse That day by day him shooke full pitously So that for constrayning of his malady And hertely wo thus lying all alone It was a death for to hear him grone Wherof astonied my fote I gan withdraw Greatly wondring what it might be That he so lay and had no felaw Ne that I coud no wight with him see Wherof I had routhe and eke pite And gan anone so softly as I coude Among the bushes prively me to shroude If that I might in any wise aspy What was the cause of his deedly wo Or why that he so pitously gan cry On his fortune and on vre also With all my might I layd an eare to Every word to marke what he said Out of his swough amonge as he abraid Bur first if I should make mencion Of his person and plainely him discrive He was in sothe without excepcion To speake of manhood one the best on llve There may no man ayen trouth strive For of his tyme and of his age also He proved was there men shuld have ado For one of the best therto of bread length So well ymade by good proporcion If he had be in his deliver strength But thought and sicknesse were occasion That he thus lay in lamentacion Gruffe on the ground in place desolate Sole by himselfe awhaped and amate And for me seemeth that it is fitting His wordes all to put in remembraunce To me that heard all his complayning And all the ground of his wofull chaunce If there withall I may you do pleasaunce I woll to you so as I can anone Lyke as he sayd rehearce everichone But who shall helpe me now to complain Or who shall now my stile gy or lede O Niobe let now thy teeres rain In to my penne and helpe eke in nede Thou wofull Myrre that felest my hert blede Of pitous wo and mine hand eke quake When that I write for this mannes sake * For vnto wo accordeth complayning And dolefull chere vnto heavinesse To sorow also sighing and weping And pitous mourning vnto drerinesse * And who that shall write of distresse In party needeth to know feelingly Cause and roote of all soch malady But I alas that am of witte but dull And have no knowing of soch matere For to discrive and write at the full The wofull complaint which that ye shall here But even like as doth a skriuenere That can no more what that he shall write But as his maister beside doth endite Right so fare I that of no sentement Say right naught in conclusion But as I herde when I was present This man complaine with a pitous soun For even like without addicioun Or disencrease eyther more or lesse For to reherse anone I woll me dresse And if that any now be in this place That fele in love brenning of fervence Or hindred were to his ladies grace With false tonges that with pestilence Slea trewe men that neuer did offence In worde nor deed ne in her entent If any soch be here now present Let him of routh lay to audience With doleful chere and sobre countenaunce To here this man by full hye sentence His mortall wo and his perturbaunce Complayning now lying in a traunce With lookes vpcast and rufull chere Theffect of which was as ye shall here The thought oppressed with inward sighs sore The painful life the body languishing The woful gost the hert rent and tore The pitous chere pale in complayning The deedly face like ashes in shining The salte teares that from mine eyen fall Percel declare ground of my paynes all Whose hert is ground to blede in heuinesse The thought receit of wo and of complaint The brest is chest of dole and drerinesse The body eke so feeble and so faint With hote and colde mine axes is so maint That now I chiuer for default of heat And hote as glede now sodainly I sweat Now hote as fire now colde as ashes deed Now hote for cold now cold for heat againe Now colde as yse now as coles reed For heate I brenne and thus betwixe twaine I possed am and all forecast in paine So that my heate plainly as I fele Of greeuous colde is cause euery dele This is the colde of inward hie disdayn Colde of dispite and colde of cruell hate This is the colde that euer doth his besie payn Ayenst trouth to fight and debate This is the colde that the fire abate Of trewe meaning alas the harde while This is the colde that woll me begile For euer the better that in trouth I ment With all my might faithfully to serue With herte and all to be diligent The lesse thanke alas I can deserue Thus for my trouth danger both me sterue For one that should my death of mercy let Hath made dispite new his swerde to whet Against me and his growes to file To take vengeaunce of wilfull cruelte And tonges false through her sleightly wile Han gon a werre that will not stinted be And false enuie wrath and enuite Haue conspired against all right and law Of her malice that trouth shall be slaw And male bouch gan first the tale tell To sclaunder trouth of indignacion And false reporte so loude range the bell That misbeleefe and false suspecion Haue trouth brought to his dampnacion So that alas wrong fully he dieth And falsenesse now his place occupieth And entred is in to trouthes londe And hath thereof the full possession O rightfull God that first the trouth fonde How may thou suffre soch oppression That falsheed should haue jurisdiction In trouthes right to slee him gyltles In his fraunchise he may not lyue in pees Falsly accused and of his fone forjudged Without answere while he was absent He damned was and may not be excused For cruelte sate in judgement Of hastinesse without aduisement And badde Disdaine do execute anone His judgement in presence of his fone Attourney may none admitted been To excuse trouth ne a worde to speke To faith or othe the judge list not seen There is no gaine but he will be wreke O Lord of trouth to thee I call and clepe How may thou see thus in thy presence Without mercy murdred innocence Now God that art of trouth soueraine And seest how I lie for trouth bound So sore knit in loues fyrie chaine Euen at yâ— death through gyrte with many a wound That likely are neuer for to sound And for my troutham dampned to the death And not abyde but draw along the breath Consider and see in thine eternal right How
'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
she I pray to God so yeue you prosperite And so hope I that he woll to you send Pleasaunce ynough vnto your liues end But one thing I beseech and warne also That ye pricke with no such turmenting This tender maiden as ye han do mo For she is fostered in her nourishing More tenderly in my supposing She could not aduersitie endure As could a poore fostred creature And when this Walter saw her patience Her glad cheare and no mallice at all And he so oft hath done her offence And she aye constant and stable as a wall Continuing euer her innocence ouer all This sturdie Marques gan his heart dresse To rue vpon her wifely stedfastnesse This is ynough Grisilde mine qd he Be no more gast ne euill apaid I haue thy faith and thy benignite As well as euer woman was assaid In great estate or poorely araid Now know I deare wife thy stedfastnesse And her in armes tooke and gan to kesse And she for wonder tooke thereof no keepe She heard not what thing he to her said She fared as she had stert out of her sleepe Till she out of her masednesse abraid Grisilde qd he by God that for vs deid Thou art my wife and none other I haue Ne neuer had as God my soule saue This is thy doughter which thou supposed To be my wife and none other faithfully And this shall be mine heir as I haue disposed Thou bare hem in thy body truly At Boloine haue I kept hem sikerly Take hem ayen for now maist thou not say That thou hast lorn any of thy children tway And folke that otherwise han said of me I warne hem wel that I haue done this dede For no malice ne for no cruelte But for to assay in thee thy womanhede And not to sley my children God forbede But for to keepen hem priuely and still Till I thy purpose knew and all thy will When she this herd a swoune doun she falleth For pitous joy and after her swouning She both her yong children to her calleth And in her armes pitously weeping Embraced hem both tenderly kissing Full like a mother with her salt teares She bathed both her visage and her haires O which a pitous thing it was to see Her swouning and her pitous voice to heare Graunt mercy lord God thonk it you qd she That ye haue saued me my children deare Now recke I neuer to be dead right here Sithen I stond in your loue in your grace No force of death ne when my spirit pace O tender O deare O yong children mine Your wofull mother wend stedfastly That cruell hounds or some foule vermine Had eaten you but God of his mercy And your benigne father so tenderly Hath done you keep and in that same stound All suddainly she swapt doune to the ground And in her swouning so sadly held she Her children two when she gan hem embrace That with great sleight and difficulte The children from hir arms they gan to race O many a teare on many a pitous face Doune ran of hem tht stooden there beside Vnneth about her might no man abide Walter her gladdeth and her sorow slaketh She riseth up all abashed from her traunce And every wight her ioy and feast maketh Till she hath caught ayen her countenance Walter her doth so faithfully pleasaunce That it was deintie to seene the chere Betwixt hem two when they were met ifere These ladies all when they her time sey Han taken her and into chamber gone And strippen her out of her rude arrey And in a cloth of gold that bright shone With a croune of many a rich stone Vpon her head they her into hall brought And there she was honoured as she ought Thus hath this pitous day a blisful end For every man and woman doth his might This day in mirth and revel to dispend Till on the welkin shone the sterres bright For more solemne in every mans sight This feast was and greater of coâ—â—age Than was the revell of her mariage Well many a year in high prosperite Liven these two in concord and in rest And richly his doughter maried he Vnto a lord one of the worthiest Of all Itaile and then in peace and rest His wiues father in his court he kept Till that his soule out of his body crept His sonne succeedeth in his heritage In rest and peace after his fathers day And fortunate was eke in mariage All put he not his wife in great assay This world is not so strong it is no nay As it hath been in old times yore And her kneth what the autour saith therfore THis story is said not for that wiues should Followen Grisild as in humilite For it were importable tho they would But that every wight in his degre Should he constant in all adversite As was Grisild wherefore Petrarke writeth This story which with high stile he enditeth * For sith a woman was so patient Vnto a mortal man well more we ought Receive all in gree that God us sent For great skill he preueth that he wrought * But he ne tempteth no man that he bought As saith saint Iame if ye his pistell read He preueth folke but assay it is no dread * And suffereth vs as for our exercise With sharpe scourges of adversite Well oft to be beaten in sondry wise Not for to know our will for certes he Or we were borne knew all our freelte And for our best is all his governaunce Let us live then in vertuous suffraunce But one word herkeneth lordings or ye go It were full hard to find now adayes In all a countrey Grisilds three or two For if they were put to such assays The gold of hem hath so bad alayes With brasse for though it be faire at eie It will rather brast a two than plie For which here for the wiues loue of Bath Whose life and sect mighty God maintene In high maistry or else were it skath I will with Iustie hert fresh and greene Say you a song to glad you I wene And let us stint of earnest mattere Herkneth my song that saith in this manere Lenuoye de Chaucer à les mariz de nostre temps GRisilde is dead and eke hir patience And both at once buried in Itaile For which I cry in open audience No wedded wan be so hardy to assaile His wiues patience in trust to find Grisildes for in certaine he shall faile O noble wiues full of high prudence Let no humility your tongue naile Ne let no clerke have cause ne diligence To write of you a storie of such maruaile As of Grisild patient and kinde Lest Chechiface swallow you in her entraile Followeth Ecco that holdeth no silence But euer answereth at the contretaile Beth no addassed for your innocence But sharpely taketh on you the gouernaile Enprinteth well this lesson in your minde For common profit sith it may auaile Ne dredeth hem not doth hem no reverence For though thine husbond armed
by trothe But lacke of pursute marre it in thy slothe For thus ferforth I have thy werk begon Fro daie to daie till this daie by the morow Her love of frendship have I to thee won And therfore hath she laid her faith to borow Algate a foote is hameled of thy sorow What should I lenger sermon of it holde As ye have heard before all he him tolde But right as flours through the cold of night Iclosed stoupen in her stalkes lowe Redressen hem ayen the Sunne bright And spreden in her kinde course by rowe Right so gan tho his iyen vp to throwe This Troilus and said O Venus dere Thy might thy grace iheried be it here And to Pandarus he held vp both his honds And said Lorde all thine be that I have For I am hole and broken been my bonds A thousande Troies who so that me yave Eche after other God so wis me save Ne might me so gladen lo mine harte It spredeth so for ioye it woll to starte But lord how shal I doen how shal I liven When shall I next my dere harte se How shall this long time away he driven Till that thou be ayen at her fro me * Thou maiest answere abide abide but he That hangeth by the necke sothe to saine In great disease abideth for the paine All easily now for the love of Marte Qd. Pandarus for every thing hath time So long abide till that the night departe For also siker as thou liest here by me And God toforne I woll be there at prime And for thy werke somewhat as I shall say Or on some other wight this charge lay For parde God wot I have ever yet Ben ready thee to serve and this night Have I not fained but emforthe my wit Doen all thy lust and shal with al my might Doe now as I shall saine and fare aright And if thou nilte wite all thy selfe the care On me is nought along thine evill fare I wote well that thou wiser art than I A thousand fold but if I were as thou God helpe me so as I would vtterly Right of mine owne hond write her now A letter in which I would her tellen how I farde amisse and her beseech of routh Now help thy self and leave it for no slouth And I my selfe shall therewith to her gone And when thou wost that I am with her there Worthe thou vpon a courser right anone Ye hardely and that right in thy best gere And ride forth by yâ— place as naught ne were And thou shalt find vs if I may sitting At some window into the street looking And if thee list then mayest thou vs salve And vpon me make thou thy countenaunce But by thy life beware and fast eschue To tarien ought God shild vs fro mischaunce Ride forth thy way hold thy governaunce And we shall speake of thee somewhat I trow When thou art gone to doe thine ears glow Touching thy letter thou art wise inough I wot thou nilte it deigneliche endite As make it with these arguments tough Ne scriveinishe or craftely thou it write Beblotte it with thy teares eke alite * And if thou write a goodly word all soft Though it be good rehearse it not too oft * For though the best Harpour vpon live Would on the best souned iolly Harpe That ever was with all his fingers five Touch aye o strong or aye o warble Harpe Were his nailes pointed never so sharpe It should make every wight to dull To heare his glee and of his strokes full Ne iombre eke no discordaunt thing ifere As thus to vsen tearmes of Phisicke In loves tearmes hold of thy matere The forme alway and doe that it be like * For if a painter would paint a pike With Asses feet and headed as an Ape It cordeth not so were it but a yape This counsaile liked well vnto Troilus But as a dredefull lover he saied this Alas my dere brother Pandarus I am ashamed for to write amis Least of mine innocence I saied amis Or that she nolde it for dispite receive Then were I dead there might it nothing weive To that Pandare answerde if thee lest Do that I say and let me therewith gone For by that Lord that formed East and West I hope of it to bring answere anone Right of her hond if that thou nilte none Let be and sorrie mote he been his live Ayenst thy lust that helpeth thee to thrive Qd. Troilus depardieux iche assent Sith that thee list I woll arise and write And blisfull God pray iche with good entent The voiage and the letter I shall endite So speed it and thou Minerva the white Yeve thou me witte my letter to devise And set him doun wrote right in this wise First he gan her his right Ladie call His hearts life his lust his sorowes leche His blisse and eche these other tearmes all That in such case ye lovers all seche And in full humble wise as in his speche He gan him recommaund vnto her grace To tell all how it asketh mokell space And after this full lowly he her praied To be nought wroth though he of his follie So hardie was to her to write and saied That love it made or els must he die And pitously gan mercie for to crie And after that he saied and lied full loud Himselfe was little worth and lasse he coud And that she would have his conning excused That little was and eke he dradde her so And his vnworthinesse aye he accused And after that then gan he tell his wo But that was endlesse withouten ho And said he would in trouth alway him hold And redde it over and gan the letter fold And with his salt teares gan he bathe The rubie in his signet and it sette Vpon the wexe deliverliche and rathe Therewith a thousand times er he lette He kist tho the letter that he shette And sayd letter a blisfull destine Thee shapen is my Ladie shall thee see This Pandare tooke the letter and betime A morrow to his neecis pallaice stert And fast he swore that it was passed prime And gan to yape and sayd iwis my hert So fresh it is although it sore smert I may not sleepe never a Mayes morrow I have a iollie woe a lustie sorrow Creseide when that she her Vncle heard With dreadfull heart and desirous to heare The cause of his comming thus answeard Now by your faith mine vncle qd she deare What manner winds guideth you now here Tell vs your iolly woe and your penaunce How farre forth be ye put in loves daunce By God qd he I hop alway behinde And to laugh it thought her heart brest * Qd. Pandarus Looke alway that ye finde Game in mine hood but herkeneth if you lest There is right now come into yâ— toun a gest A Greeke â—spie and telleth new thinges For which I come to tell you new tidinges Into the garden go we and ye shall
very humble true Secret and in my paines patient And ever to desiren freshly new To serven and to ben aye like diligent And with good heart all holly your talent Receiven well how sore that me smart Lo this meane I O mine owne sweet hart Qd. Pandarus lo here an hard request And reasonable a Lady for to werne Now nece mine by Natall Ioves feest Were I a God ye should sterve as yerne That heren wel this man wol nothing yerne But your honour seene him almost sterve And ben so loth to suffer him you to serve With that she gan her eyen on him cast Full easily and full debonairely Avising her and hied not too fast With never a word but saied him softely Mine honour safe I woll well truely And in such forme as I can now devise Receiven him fully to my servise Beseeching him for Gods love that he Would in honour of trouth and gentillesse As I well meane eke meanen well to me And mine honour with wit and businesse Aye kepe and if I may doen him gladnesse From henceforth iwis I nill not faine Now beth all hole no lenger ye ne plaine But nathelesse this warne I you qd she A kings sonne although ye be iwis Ye shall no more have soverainte Of me in love than right in that case is Ne nill forbeare if that ye doen amis To wrath you and while that ye me serve Cherishen you right after that ye deserve And shortly dere hart and all my knight Beth glad and draweth you to lustinesse And I shall truely withall my full might Your bitter tournen all to sweetnesse If I be she that may doe you gladnesse * For every wo ye shall recover a blisse And him in armes tooke and gan him kisse Fell Pandarus on knees and up his eyen To heaven threw and held his honds hie Immortall God qd he that maiest not dien Cupide I meane of this maiest glorifie And Venus thou maiest maken melodie * Withouten hond me seemeth that in toune For this miracle iche here eche bell soune But ho no more now of this mattere For why This folke woll comen up anone That have the letter redde lo I hem here But I conjure thee Creseide and one And two thou Troilus when thou maist gone That at mine house ye ben at my warning For I full well shall shapen your comming And easeth there your harts right ynough And let see which of you shall beare the bell To speak of love aright therwith he lough For there have I a leiser for to tell Qd. Troilus how long shall I here dwell Ere this be doen qd he when thou maiest rise This thing shall be right as you list devise With that Heleine and also Deiphebus Tho comen upward right at yâ— staires end And Lord so tho gan gronen Troilus His brother and his suffer for to blend Qd. Pandarus it time is that we wend Take nece mine your leave at hem all three And let hem speak commeth forth with me She tooke her leave at hem full thriftely As she well could and they her reverence Vnto the full didden hartely And wonder well speaken in her absence Of her in praising of her excellence Her governaunce her wit and her manere Commendeden that it joy was to here Now let her wend unto her owne place And tourne we unto Troilus againe That gan full lightly of the letter pace That Deiphebus had in the garden seine And of Heleine and him he would feine Delivered ben and saied that him lest To slepe and after tales have a rest Heleine him kist and tooke her leave blive Deiphebus eke and home went every wight And Pandarus as fast as he may drive To Troilus tho came as any line right And on a paillet all that glad night By Troilus he lay with merry chere To tale and well was hem they were ifere When every wight was voided but they two And all the dores weren fast ishet To tell in short withouten words mo This Pandarus without any let Vp rose and on his beddes side him set And gan to speaken in a sober wise To Troilus as I shall you devise Mine alderlevest Lord and brother dere God wot and thou that it sate me so sore When I thee saw so languishing to here For love of which thy wo woxe alway more That I with all my might and all my lore Have ever sithen doen my businesse To bring thee to joy out of distresse And have it brought to such plite as thou wost So yâ— through me thou stondest now in way To faren well I say it for no bost And wost thou why but shame it is to say For thee have I begon a gamen play Which that I never doen shall eft for other All tho he were a thousand fold my brother That is to say for thee am I becomen Betwixen game and earnest such a meane As maken women unto men to comen All say I nat thou wost well what I meane For thee have I my nece of vices cleane So fully made thy gentillesse trist That all shall ben right as thy selfe list But God yâ— all woteth take I to witnesse That never I this for covetise wrought But only for to abredge that distresse For which welnie thou didest as me thought But good brother do now as thee ought For Gods love and kepe her out of blame Sins thou art wise save alway her name For well thou wost the name as yet of her Emongs yâ— people as who saith halowed is For that man is unbore I dare well swere That ever wist that she did amis But wo is me that I that cause all this May thinken that she is my nece dere And I her eme and traitour eke ifere And wer it wist that I through mine engine Had in mine nece iput this fantasie To doen thy lust and holly to be thine Why all the world would upon it crie And say that I the worst trecherie Did in this case that ever was begon And she fordone and thou right nought iwon Wherfore ere I woll further gone or paas Yet eft I thee beseech and fully say That privete go with us in this caas That is to saine that thou us never wray And be not wroth though I thee oft pray To holden secre such an high mattere For skilfull is thou wost well my praiere And thinke with wo there hath betid ere this For making of avauntes as men rede And what mischaunce in this world yet is Fro day to day right for that wicked dede For which these wise clerkes that ben dede Have ever this proverbed to us young * That the first vertue is to kepe the toung And nere it that I wilne as now abredge Diffusion of speech I could almost A thousand old stories thee alledge Of women lost through false and fooles bost Proverbes canst thy selfe inow and wost Ayenst that vice for to been a blabbe All
saied men sooth as often as they gabbe O tongue alas so often here beforne Hast thou made many a lady bright of hew Saied welaway the day that I was borne And many a maidens sorrow for to new * And for the more part all is untrew That men of yelpe it were brought to preve Of kind none avauntour is to leve Avauntour and a lier all is one As thus I pose a woman graunt me Her love saieth that other woll she none And I am sworne to holden it secree And after I tell it two or three Iwis I am a vauntour at the lest And lier eke for I breake my behest Now looke then if they be not to blame Such maner folk with shall I clepe hem what That hem avaunt of women and by name That yet behight hem never this ne that Ne know hem no more than mine old hat * No wonder is so God me send hele Though women dreden with us men to dele I say not this for no mistrust of you Ne for no wise men but for fooles nice And for the harme that in the world is now As well for follie oft as for mallice For well wote I in wise folke that vice No woman dredeth if she be well avised * For wise been by fooles harme chastised But now to purpose leve brother dere Have all this thing that I have saied in mind And keep thee close be now of good chere For all thy daies thou shalt me true find I shall thy processe set in such a kind And God toforne that it shall thee suffise For it shall be right as thou wolt devise For well I wote thou meanest well parde Therefore I dare this fully undertake Thou wost eke what thy lady graunted thee And day is set the charters to make Have now good night I may no lenger wake And bid for me sith thou art now in blisse That God me send death or some lisse Who might tellen halfe the joy or feste Which that the soule of Troilus tho felt Hearing theffect of Pandarus beheste His old wo that made his heart to swelt Gan tho for joy wasten and to melt And all the richesse of his sighes sore At ones fled he felt of hem no more But right so as these holts these hayis That han in Winter dead ben and dry Revesten hem in grene when that May is When every lusty listeth to pley Right in that selfe wise sooth for to sey Woxe suddainly his heart full of joy That gladder was there never man in Troy And gan his looke on Pandarus up cast Full soberly and friendly on to see And saied friend in Aprill the last As well thou wost if it remember thee How nigh the death for wo thou found me And how thou diddest all thy businesse To know of me the cause of my distresse Thou wost how long I it forbare to say To thee that art the man that I best trist And perill none was it to thee to bewray That wist I well but tell me if thee list Sith I so loth was that thy selfe it wist How durst I mo tellen of this matere That quake now no wight may us here But nathelesse by that God I thee swere That as him list may all the world governe And if I lye Achilles with his spere Mine heart cleave all were my life eterne As I am mortall if I late or yerne Would it bewray or durst or should conne For all the good that God made under sonne That rather die I would and determine As thinketh me now stocked in prison In wretchednesse in filth and in vermine Captive to cruell king Agamenmon And this in all the temples of this toun Vpon the Gods all I woll thee swere To morow day if that thee liketh here And that thou hast so much idoen for me That I ne may it nevermore deserve This know I well all might I now for thee A thousand times on a morow sterve I can no more but that I woll thee serve Right as thy slave whether so thou wend For evermore unto my lives end But here with all mine hart I thee beseech That never in me thou deme such folly As I shall saine me thought by thy speech That this which thou me dost for companie I should wenen it were a baudrie * I am not wood all if I leud be It is not so that wote I well parde But he that goeth for gold or for richesse On such messages call him what ye list And this that thou dost call it gentlenesse Compassion and fellowship and trist Depart it so For wide where is wist * How that there is diversitie required Betwixen things like as I have lered And that thou know I thinke not ne wene That this service a shame be or iape I have my faire sister Polexene Cassandre Helein or any of the frape Be she never so faire or well ishape Tell me which thou wilt of everychone To have for thine and let me then alone But sith that thou hast done me this service My life to save and for none hope of mede So for the love of God this great emprise Performe it out now is the most nede For high and low withouten any drede I woll alway thine hestes all kepe Have now good night let us both slepe Thus held hem ech of other well apaied That all the world ne might it bet amend And on the morrow when they were araied Ech to his owne needs gan to entend But Troilus though as the fire he brend For sharpe desire of hope and of pleasaunce He not forgate his good governaunce But in himself with manhood gan restrain Ech rakell deed and ech unbridled chere That all that liven sooth for to saine Ne should have wist by word or by manere What that he ment as touching this matere From every wight as ferre as is the cloud He was so wise and well dissimulen coud And all the while which that I now devise This was his life with all his full might By day he was in Martes high servise That is to saine in armes as a knight And for the more part all the long night He lay and thought how that he might serve His lady best her thanke for to deserve Nill I not sweare although he lay soft That in his thought nas somwhat diseased Ne that he tourned on his pillowes oft And would of that him missed have ben eased But in such case men be nat alway pleased For naught I wote no more then was he That can I deeme of possibilite But certaine is to purpose for to go That in this while as written is in geste He saw his lady sometime and also She with him spake when that she durst leste And by her both avise as was the best Appointeden full warely in this need So as they durst how they would proceed But it was spoken in so short a wise In such awaite
with his teeres salt her brest berained He gan tho teeres wipen off full drey And pitously gan for the soule prey And said Lord that set art in thy trone Rewe eke on me for I shall folow her sone She cold was and without sentement For ought he wote for brethe felt he none And this was him a preignant argument That she was forth out of this world agone And when he saw there was non other wonne He gan her limmes dresse in such manere As men don hem that shall ben laide on bere And after this with sterne and cruel hart His swerde anon out of his sheth he twight Him selfe to sleen how sore that him smart So that his soule her soule folowen might There as yâ— dome of Minos would it dight Sith love and cruel fortune it ne would That in this world he lenger liven should Then said he thus fulfilde of high disdaine O cruel Iove and thou fortune adverse This is all and some that falsly have ye slaine Creseide and sith ye may do me ne werse Fie on your might and werkes so diverse Thus cowardly ye shull me never winne There shall no deth me fro my lady twinne For I this world sith ye have slain her thus Woll let and folow her spirite low or hie Shal never lover saine that Troilus Dare nat for feare with his lady die For certaine I woll beare her companie But sithe ye wol nat suffre vs liven here Yet suffreth that our soules ben ifere And thou Citie in which I live in wo And thou Priam and brethren al ifere And thou my mother farewell for I go And Attropose make redy thou my bere And thou Creseide O swete hart dere Receive now my spirite would he sey With swerde at hart all redy for to dey But as God would of swough she abraide And gan to sighe and Troilus she cride And he answerde lady mine Creseide Live ye yet and let his swerde doun glide Ye hart mine that thanked be Cupide Qd. she and therewithal she sore sight And he began to glade her as he might Toke her in armes two and kist her oft And her to glad he did al his entent For which her gost that flikered aie a loft Into her wofull hart ayen it went But at the last as that her eye glent Aside anon she gan his sworde aspie As it lay bare and gan for feare crie And asked him why he had it out draw And Troilus anon the cause her told And how himself therwith he wold have slaw For which Creseide vpon him gan behold And gan him in her armes fast fold And said O mercy God lo which a dede Alas how nigh we weren both dede Then if I nadde spoken as grace was Ye would have slain your selfe anon qd she Ye doutlesse and she answerde alas For by that ilke lorde that made me I nolde a forlong way on live have be After your deth to have ben crouned Quene Of al the londe the sunne on shineth shene But with this selve sword which that here is My selfe I would have slain qd she tho But ho for we have right inough of this And let vs rise and straite to bedde go And there let vs speken of our wo For by that morter which that I see brenne Know I ful well that day is nat farre henne When they wer in her bed in armes fold Naught was it like tho nights here beforne For petously ech other gan behold As they that hadden al her blisse ilorne Bewailing aie the day that they were borne Til at the last this sorowful wight Creseide To Troilus these ilke words seide Lo hart mine wel wote ye this qd she * That if a wight alway his wo complaine And seketh nat how holpen for to be It nis but folie and encreace of paine And sens that here assembled be we twaine To find bote of wo that we ben in It were time al sone to begin I am a woman as ful wel ye wotte And as I am avised sodainly So wol I tel you while it is hotte Me thinketh thus that neyther ye nor I Ought halfe this wo to maken skilfully For there is art inough for to redresse That yet is misse and sleen this hevinesse Soth is the wo the which we ben inne For aught I wote for nothing els is But for the cause that we should twinne Considred al there nis no more amis And what is then a remedy vnto this But that we shape vs sone for to mete This al and some my dere hart swete Now that I shall wel bringen it about To comen ayen sone after that I go Thereof am I no maner thing in dout For dredelesse within a weke or two I shal ben here and that it may be so By all right and in words few I shal you wel an heape of waies shew For which I woll nat maken long sermon * For time ilost may not recovered be But I will go to my conclusion And to the best in aught that I can see And for the love of God foryeve it me If I speake aught ayenst your harts rest For trewly I speake it for the best Making alway a protestacion That now these words which I shal say Nis but to shew you my mocion To find vnto our helpe the best way And take it no otherwise I pray For in effect what so ye me commaund That wol I done for that is no demaund Now herkeneth this ye have wel vnderstond My going graunted is by parliment So ferforth that it may not ben withstond For al this world as by my judgement And sithe there helpeth none avisement To letten it lette it passe out of mind And let vs shape a better way to find The sothe is the twinning of vs twaine Wol vs disease and cruelly anoie * But him behoveth sometime have a paine That serveth love if that he woll have joie And sith I shall no farther out of Troie Than I may ride ayen on halfe a morow It ought lasse causen vs for to sorow So as I shal nat so ben hid in mew That day by day mine owne hart dere Sens well ye wote that it is now a trew Ye shal ful wel al mine estate here Aud er that truce is done I shal ben here Than have ye both Antenor iwonne And me also bethe glad now if ye conne And think right thus Creseid is now agon But what she shal come hastely ayen And when alas by God lo right anon Er daies ten this dare I safely saine And then at erst shal we be so faine So as we shal togithers ever dwell That al this world ne might our blisse tell I see that oft time there as we ben now That for the best our counsaile for to hide Ye speke nat with me nor I with you In fourtenight ne see you go ne ride May ye nat ten daies then abide For mine honour in such aventure Iwis
is thing aye full of busie drede For in this world there liveth lady none If that ye were vntrue as God defend That so betrayed were or wo begon As I that all trouth in you entend And doubtlesse if that iche other wend I nere but dead and ere ye cause find For Goddes love so beth ye nat unkind To this answered Troilus and seide Now God to whom there nis no cause iwrie Me glad as wis I never unto Creseide Sith thilke day I saw her first with eye Was false ne never shall till that I die At short wordes well ye may me leue I can no more it shall be found at preue Graunt mercy good hert mine iwis qd she And blisful Venus let me never sterve Er I may stonde of pleasaunce in degre To quite him well that so well can deserve And while that God my wit will me conserve I shall so done so true I have you found That aie honour to me ward shall rebound For trusteth well that your estate royall Ne vaine delite nor onely worthinesse Of you in werre or turnay marciall Ne pompe array nobley or eke richesse Ne made me to rue on your distresse But moral vertue grounded upon trouth That was the cause I first had on you routh Eke gentle hart and manhood that ye had And that ye had as me thought in dispite Every thing that sowned in to bad As rudenesse and peoplish appetite And that your reason bridled your delite This made aboven every creature That I was yours shall while I may dure And this may length of yeres itat fordoe Ne remuablest fortune deface But Iupiter that of his might may doe The sorowfull to be glad so yeve vs grace Er nights tenne to meten in this place So that it may your harte and mine suffise And fareth now well for time is that ye rise And after that they long yplained had And oft ikist and straite in armes fold The day gan rise and Troilus him clad And rufully his Lady gan behold As he that felt deaths cares cold And to her grace he gan him recommaund Where he was wo this hold I no demaund For mans hedde imaginen ne can Ne entendement consider ne tongue tell The cruell paines of this sorowfull man That passen every torment doune in hell For when he saw that she ne might dwell Which that his soule out of his hart rent Withouten more out of the chamber he went Incipit Liber Quintus A Prochen gan the fatall destine That Ioves hath in disposicioun And to you angry Parcas sustren thre Committeth to done execucioun For which Creseide must out of the toun And Troilus shall dwell forth in pine Till Lachesis his threde no lenger twine The golden tressed Phebus high on loft Thrise had all with his beames clere The Snowes molte and Zephirus as oft I brought ayen the tender leaves grene Sens that the sonne of Eccuba the Quene Began to love her first for whom his sorow Was all that she depart should a morow Full redy was at prime Diomede Creseide vnto the Grekes hoste to lede For sorow of which she felt her hart blede As she that nist what was best to rede And truely as men in bokes rede Men wist never woman have the care Ne was so lothe out of a toune to fare This Troilus withouten rede or lore As man that hath his joies eke forlore Was waiting on his lady evermore As she that was sothfast croppe and more Of all his lust or joyes here tofore But Troilus now farwell all thy joie For shalt thou never seen her eft in Troie Soth is that while he bode in this manere He gan his wofull manly for to hide That well vnneth it seen was in his chere But at the yate there she should out ride With certain folke he hoved her to abide So wo bigon all would he not him plain That on his horse vnneth he sate for pain For ire he quoke so gan his hart gnaw When Diomede on horse gan him dight And sayd vnto himselfe this ilke saw Alas qd he thus foule a wretchednesse Why suffre I it Why nill I it redresse Were it nat bet at ones for to die Than evermore in langour thus to crie Why nill I make at ones rich and poore To have inough to done er that she go Why nill I bring all Troie vpon a roore Why nill I slaen this Diomede also Why nill I rather with a man or two Steale her away Why woll I this endure Why nill I helpen to mine owne cure But why he nolde done so fell a deede That shall I sain and why him list it spare He had in hart alway a maner drede Lest that Creseide in rumour of this fare Should have ben slain lo this was al his care And els certain as I sayd yore He had it done withouten wordes more Creseide when she redy was to ride Full sorowfully she sighed and sayd alas But forth she mote for aught yâ— may betide And forth she rideth full sorowfully apaas There is no other remedy in this caas What wonder is though that her sore smart When she forgoeth her owne swete hart This Troilus in gise of curtesie With hauke on hond and with an huge rout Of knights rode and did her companie Passing all the valey ferre without And ferther would have ridden out of doubt Full faine and wo was him to gone so sone But tourne he must and it was eke to done And right with that was Antenor icome Out of the Grekes hoste and every wight Was of him glad and sayd he was welcome And Troilus al nere his harte light He pained him with all his full might Him to with hold of weping at least And Antenor he kist and made feast And therewithal he must his leave take And cast his iye upon her pitously And nere he rode his cause for to make To take her by the honde al soberly And Lorde so she gan wepen tenderly And he full soft and slighly gan her sele Now hold your day and doe me not to deie With that his courser tourned he about With face pale and vnto Diomede No worde he spake ne none of all his rout Of which the sonne of Tideus toke hede As he that kouthe more than the crede In soche a craft and by the rain her hent And Troilus to Troie homewards went This Diomede that lad her by the bridell Whan that he saw the folke of Troy away Thought all my labor shall not been on idell If that I may for somewhat shall I say For at the worst it short may our way * I have heard say eke times twise twelve He is a foole that woll foryete him selve But nathelesse this thought he well inough That certainly I am about naught If that I speake of love or make it to tought For doubtlesse if she have in her thought Him that I gesse he may not been ibrought So sone away but
cause of all my game But sens of fine force I mote arise I shall arise as sone as ever I may And God to whom mine hert I sacrifice So send vs hastely the tenthe day For was there never foule so faine of May As I shall ben when that she cometh in Troie That cause is of my tourment and my joie But whider is thy rede qd Troilus That we may play vs best in all this toun By God my counsaile is qd Pandarus To ride and play vs with king Sarpedoun So long of this they speaken vp and doun Till Troilus gan at the last assent To rise and forth to Sarpedon they went This Sarpedon as he that honourable Was ever his live and full of hie prowesse With all that might iserved been on table That deintie was all coste it great richesse He fedde hem day by day that such noblesse As saiden both the most and eke the least Was never er that day wiste at any feast Nor in this world there is none instrument Delicious through winde or touche on corde As ferre as any wight hath ever iwent That tonge tell or harte may recorde But at that feast it was well heard recorde Ne of Ladies eke so faire a companie On daunce er tho was never iseen with eye But what availeth this to Troilus That for his sorrow nothing of it rought But ever in one as hert pitous Full busily Creseide his Lady sought On her was ever al that his hert thought Now this now that so fast imagining That glad iwis can him no feasting These Ladies eke that at this feast been Sens that he saw his Lady was away It was his sorow upon hem for to seen Or for to heare on instrumentes play For she that of his hert hath the kay Was absent lo this was his fantasie That no wight shulde maken melodie Nor there nas houre in al the day or night When he was ther as no man might him here That he ne sayd O lovesome Lady bright How have ye faren sins that ye were there Welcome iwis mine owne Lady dere But welaway all this nas but a mase Fortune his hove entended bet to glase The letters eke that she of olde time Had him isent he would alone rede An hundred sith atwixt noone and prime Refiguring her shape and her womanhede Within his hert and every worde and dede That passed was thus he drove to an end The fourth day and saied he wol wend. And said leve brother Pandarus Intendest thou that we shall here bleve Til Sarpedon woll forth conveyen us Yet were it fairer that we toke our leve For Goddes love let us now sone at eve Our leave take homeward let us turne For trewely I nill nat thus sojourne Pandare answerde be we comen hither To fetchen fire and rennen home againe God helpe me so I can nat tellen whither We might gone if I shall sothly saine There any wight is of us more faine Than Sarpedon and if we hence hie Thus sodainly I hold it vilanie When that we saiden we would bleve With him a weke and now thus sodainly The fourth day to take of him our leve He would wondren on it trewly Let us holden forth our purpose fermely And sens that ye behighten him to abide Hold forward now and after let us ride This Pandarus with all pine and wo Made him to dwell and at the wekes end Of Sarpedon they toke her leave tho And on her way they speden hem to wend Qd. Troilus now Lorde me grace send That I may find at mine home comming Creseide comen and therwith gan he sing Ye haselwode thought this Pandare And to himselfe ful softly he seide God wotte refroiden may this hotte fare Er Calcas sende Troilus Creseide But nathelesse he yaped thus and seide And swore iwis his hert him wel behight She wolde come as sone as ever she might When they unto the paleis were ycomen Of Troilus they doun of horse alight And to the chambre her way have they nomen And unto time that it gan to night They speken of Creseide the lady bright And after this when hem both lest They spede hem fro the supper unto rest On morow as sone as day began to clere This Troilus gan of his slepe to abreide And to Pandarus his own brother dere For loue of God full pitously he seide As go we seene the paleis of Creseide For sens we yet may have no more feest So let us seine her paleis at the leest And therewithall his meine for to blende A cause he fonde in toune for to go And to Creseides house they gan wende But lorde this sely Troilus was wo Him thought his sorowful hart brast atwo For when he saw her doores sparred all Well nigh for sorow adoun he gan to fall Therwith when he was ware gan behold How shet was every window of the place As frost him thought his hert gan to cold For which with chaunged deedly pale face Withouten worde he forth by gan to pace And as god would he gan so faste ride That no wight of his countenance aspide Then said he thus O paleis desolate O house of houses whilom best ihight O paleis empty and disconsolate O thou lanterne of which queint is the light O paleis whilom day that now art night Wel oughtest thou to fall and I to die Sens she is went that wont was us to gie O paleis whilom crowne of houses all Enlumined with sunne of all blisse O ring of which the rubie is out fall O cause of wo that cause hast ben of blisse Yet sens I may no bet fain would I kisse Thy colde doores durst I for this rout * And farewel shrine of which the saint is out Therwith he cast on Pandarus his eie With changed face and pitous to behold And when he might his time aright aspie Aie as he rode to Pandarus he told His new sorow and eke his joyes old So petously and with so deed an hew That every wight might on his sorow rew Fro thence forth he rideth vp and doune And every thing came him to remembraunce As he rode forth by the places of the toune In which he whilom had all his pleasaunce Lo yonder saw I mine owne Lady daunce And in that temple with her eien clere Me caught first my right Lady dere And yonder have I herde full lustely My dere hart laugh and yonder play Saw I her ones eke ful blisfully And yonder one 's to me gan she say Now good sweete love me well I pray And yonde so goodly gan she me behold That to the death mine hart is to her hold And at the corner in the yonder house Herde I mine alderlevest lady dere So womanly with voice melodiouse Singen so wel so goodly and so clere That in my soule yet me thinketh I here The blisfull sowne and in that yonder place My lady first me toke vnto
defaite was that no manner man Vnneth he might knowen there he went So was he leane and thereto pale and wan And feeble that he walketh by potent And with his ire he thus himselfe shent But who so asked him whereof him smart He sayd his harme was all about his hart Priam full oft and eke his mother dere His bretherne and his sustren gan him frain Why he so sorrowfull was in all his chere And what thing was the cause of all his pain But all for naught he nolde his cause plain But sayd he felt a grievous maladie About his hart and faine he would die So on a day he laid him down to slepe And so befell that in slepe him thought That in a forrest fast he walked to wepe For love of her the him these paines wrought And up doune as he that forrest sought He met he saw a Bore with tuskes great That slept ayenst the bright Sunnes heat And by this Bore fast in her armes fold Lay kissing aye his lady bright Creseide For sorrow of which when he it gan behold And for dispite out of his slepe he breide And loude he cried on Pandarus and seide O Pandarus now know I crop and root I nam but dead there nis none other boot My lady bright Creseide hath me betraied In whom I trusted most of any wight She elsewhere hath now her hart apaied The blisfull Gods through her great might Have in my dreame ishewed it full right Thus in my dreame Creseide have I behold And all this thing to Pandarus he told O my Creseide alas what subtelte What new lust What beauty What science What wrath of just cause have ye to me What guilt of me What fell experience Hath me rafte alas thine advertence O trust O faith O depe assuraunce Who hath me raft Creseide all my pieasaunce Alas why let I you from hence go For which well nigh out of my wit I breide Who shall now trow on any othes mo God wote I wend O lady bright Creseide That every word was Gospell that ye seide * But who may bet beguile if him list Than he on whom men wenen best to trist What shall I done my Pandarus alas I fele now so sharpe a new paine Sens that there is no remedy in this caas That bet were it I with mine honds twaine My selven slow than alway thus to plaine For through the death my wo shuld have an end There every day with life my self I shend Pandare answerde and said alas y◠while That I was borne have I nat saied er this That dreames many a manner man beguile And why For folke expounden hem amis How darst thou saine that false thy lady is For any dreame right for thine own drede Let be this thought thou canst no dreams rede Peraventure there thou dremest of this bore It may so be that it may signifie Her father which that old is and eke hore Ayen the sunne lieth on point to die And she for sorow ginneth wepe and crie And kisseth him there he lieth on the ground Thus shuldest thou thy dreme aright expound How might I then doen qd Troilus To know of this yea were neuer so lite Now sayst thou wisely qd this Pandarus My rede is this sens thou canst well endite That hastily a letter thou her write Through which thou shalt well bringen about To know a sooth of that thou art in dout And see now why for this dare I well sain That if so is that she untrue be I cannot trowen that she woll write again And if she write thou shalt full sone isee As whether she hath any liberte To come ayen or els in some clause If she be let she woll assigne a cause Thou hast not written to her sens she went Nor she to thee and this I durst lay There may such cause ben in her entent That hardely thou wolt thy selven say That her abode the best is for you tway Now write her then thou shalt fele sone A sooth of all there is no more to done Accorded ben to this conclusioun And that anon these like lords two And hastely sate Troilus adoun And rolleth in his hart too and fro How he may best descriven her his wo And to Creseide his owne lady dere He wrote right thus said as ye may here ¶ The copy of the Letter Right fresh flour whose I have ben shall Withouten part of elsewhere servise With hart body life lust thought and all I wofull wight in every humble wise That tong can tell or hart may devise As oft as matter occupieth place Me recommaund unto your noble grace Liketh it you to weten sweete hart As ye well know how long time agon That ye me left in aspre paines smart When that ye went of which yet bote non Have I non had but ever worse bigon Fro day to day am I and so mote dwell While it you list of we le and wo my well For which to you with dredefull hart trew I write as he that sorow driveth to write My wo that every houre encreaseth new Complaining as I dare or can endite And that defaced is that may ye wite The teares which that from mine eyen rain That wulden speke if that they durst plain You first beseech I that your eyen clere To looke on this defouled nat hold And over all this that ye my lady dere Woll vouchsafe this letter to behold And by the cause eke of my cares cold That slaeth my wit if aught amis me start Foryeve it me mine owne sweet hart If any seruaunt durst or ought of right Vpon his lady pitously complaine Then wene I that I ought be that wight Considred this that ye these moneths twaine Have raried there ye saiden sooth to saine But tenne daies ye nolde in hoste soiourne But in two moneths yet ye not retourne But for as much as me mote nedes like All that you list I dare nat plaine more But humbly with sorowfull sighes sike You right I mine vnrestie sorowes sore Fro day to day desiring evermore To knowen fully if your will it were How ye have fared don while ye be there Whose welfare heale eke God encrease In honour such that vpward in degree It grow alway so that it never cease Right as your hart aye can my lady free Devise I pray to God so mote it be And graunt it that you soone vpon me rew As wisely as inall I am to you trew And if you liketh knowen of the fare Of me whose wo ther may no wight discrive I can no more but chest of every care At writing of this letter I was on live All redy out my wofull ghost to drive Which I delay and hold him yet in hond Vpon the sight of matter of your sond Mine eyen two in vaine with which I see Of sorowfull teres salt arne woxen wellis My song in plaint of mine adversite My good in harm
mine ease eke woxen hell is My joy in wo I can sey now nought ellis But tourned is for which my life I warie Every joy or ease in his contrarie which with your coming home ayen to Troy Ye may redresse and more a thousand sithe Than ever I had encreasen in me joy For was there never hart yet so blithe To save his life as I shall ben as swithe As I you see and though no manner routh Can meuen you yet thinketh on your trouth And if so be my gilt hath death deserved Or if you list no more vpon me see In guerdon yet of that I have you served Beseeeh I you mine owne lady free That herevpon ye woulden write me For love of God my right lodesterre That death may make an end of al my werre If other cause aught doth you for to dwell That with your letter ye may me recomfort For though to me your absence is an hell With patience I woll my wo comfort And with your letter of hope I woll disport Now writeth swete let me thus nat plaine With hope or death delivereth me fro paine Iwis mine owne dere hert trew I wote that when ye next vpon me see So lost have I mine heale eke mine hew Creseide shall not conne knowen me Iwis mine herts day my lady free So thursteth aye mine hert to behold Your beautie that vnneth my life I hold I say no more all have I for to sey To you well more than I tell may But whether that ye do me live or dey Yet pray I God so yeve you right good day And fareth well goodly faire fresh May As ye that life or death me may commaund And to your trouth aye I me recomaund With heale such that but ye yeven me The same heale I shall none heale have In you lieth when you list that it so be The day in which me clothen shall my grave And in you my life in you might for to save Me fro disease of all my paines smart And fare now well mine owne sweet hart La vostre T. This letter forth was sent vnto Creseide Of which her answere in effect was this Full pitously she wrote ayen and seide That all so soone as she might iwis She would come amend all that was amis And finally she wrote and saied then She would come ye but she nist when But in her letter made she such feasts That wonder was and swore she loved him best Of which he found but bottomlesse bihests But Troilus thou mayst now East West * Pipe in an Iuie leafe if that thee lest Thus goth the world god shild vs fro mischaunce And every wight that meaneth trouth avaunce Encreasen gan the wo fro day to night Of Troilus for tarying of Creseide And lessen gan his hope and eke his might For which all doun he in his bedde him leide He ne eat dronke ne slept ne word seide Imagining aye that she was vnkind For which wel nigh he wext out of his mind This dreme of which I told have eke beforne May never come out of his remembraunce He thought aye well he had his lady lorne And that Ioves of his purveyaunce Him shewed had in sleepe the signifiaunce Of her vntrouth and his disaventure And that the bore was shewed him in figure For which he for Sibille his suffer sent That called was Cassandre eke all about And all his dreame he told her ere he stent And her be sought assoilen him the dout Of the strong Bore with tuskes stout And finally within a little stound Cassandre him gan thus his dreme expound She gan first smile said O brother dere If thou a sooth of this desirest to know Thou must a few of old stories here To purpose how that fortune overthrow Hath lords old through which within a throw Thou shalt this Bore know of what kind He comen is as men in bookes find Diane which that wroth was and in ire For Greekes nolde done her Sacrifice Ne incens vpon her Alter set on fire She for that Greekes gon her so dispise Wrake her in a wonder cruell wise For with a Bore as great as oxe in stall She made vp frete her corne and vines all To slea that Bore was all the country raised Emong which there came this Bore to A maid one of this world the best ipraised And Meleager lord of that countre He loved so this fresh maiden free That with his manhood ere he would stent This Bore he slough her the hed he sent Of which as old bookes tellen vs There rose a conteke and great envie And of this lord discended Tideus By line or els old bookes lie But how this Meleager gan to die Through his mother woll I you not tell For all too long it were for to dwell She told eke how Tideus ere she stent Vnto the strong citie of Thebes To claimen kingdome of the citie went For his fellawe dan Polimites Of which the brother dan Ethiocles Full wrongfully or Thebes held that strength This told she by proesse all by length She told eke how Hemonides affart When Tideus stough fiftie knightes stout She told eke all the Prophesies by hart And how that seven kings with her rout Besiegeden the citie all about And of the holy Serpent and the well And of the furies all she gan him tell Associat profugus Tideus primo Polynicem Tidea ligatum docet insidiasque secundo Tertius Harmoniam canit vatem latitantem Quartus habet reges ineuntes praelia septem Lemniadum furiae quinto narrantur anguis Archemori bustum sexto ludique seguuntur Dat Thebis vatem Graiorum septimus umbris Octavo cecidit Tideus spes vita Pelasgum Hippomedon nono moritur cum Parthenopeo Fulmine percussus decimo Capaneus superatur Undecimo perimunt sese per vulnera fratres Argivum flentem narrat duodenus ignem Of Archinories burying and the plaies And how Amphiorax fill through the ground How Tideus was slaine lord of Argeis And how Hippomedon in a little stound Was dreint dead Parthenope of wound And also how Campaneus the proud With thunder dint was slaine yâ— cried loud She gan eke tell him how yâ— either brother Ethiocles and Polimites also At a scarmishe eche of hem slough other And of Argiues weeping and her mo And how the toun was brent she told eke tho And tho discended doun from lestes old To Diomede and thus she spake and told This like Bore betokeneth Diomede Tideus son that doun descended is Fro Meleager that made the Bore to blede And thy Lady where so she be iwis This Diomede her hert hath and she is his Weep if thou wolt or leave for out of dout This Diomede is in and thou art out Thou sayst not sooth qd he thou sorceresse With all thy false ghost of Prophecie Thou wenest been a great devineresse Now seest thou nat this foole of fantasie Painen her on
your thoght is great folly Purpose ye nought your labour for to cease For thinketh not whiles ye liue and I In this matter to set your heart in pease L'amant. There may none make the peace but only ye Which are the ground cause of all this war For with your eyen the letters written be By which I am defied and put a farre Your pleasaunt looke my very lodestarre Was made heraud of thilke same defiaunce Which vtterly behight me for to barre My faithfull trust and all mine affiaunce La dame * To liue in wo he hath great fantasie And of his heart also slipper hold That onely for beholding of an eie Cannot abide in peace as reason would Other or me if ye list ye may behold Our eien are made to look whyshold we spare I take no keepe neither of yong ne old * Who feeleth smart I counsail him beware L'amant. If it be so one hurt another sore In his defaut that feleth the greuaunce Of very right a man may doe no more Yet reason would it were in remembraunce And sith fortune onely by her chaunce Hath caused me to suffer all this paine By your beautie with all the circumstaunce Why list ye haue me in so great disdaine La dame To your person ne haue I no disdaine Nor neuer had truly ne nought will haue Nor right great loue nor hatred in certaine Nor your counsail to know so God me saue If such loue be in your mind igraue That little thing may doe you displesaunce You to beguile or make you for to raue I will not cause no such encombraunce L'amant. What euer it be that me hath thus purchased Wening hath not deceiued me certaine But feruent loue so sore hath me ichased That I vnware am casten in your chaine And sith so it is as fortune lift ordaine All my welfare is in your hands fall In eschewing of more mischeeuous paine * Who soonest dieth his care is least of all La dame This sicknesse is right easie to endure But few people it causeth for to die But what they meane I know it very sure Of more comfort to draw the remedie Such be there now plaining full pitously That fele God wore not alther greatest pain And if so be loue hurt so greeuously * Leste harm it were one sorowful than twain L'amant. Alas Madame if that it might you please Much better it were by way of gentilnesse Of one sorrie to make twaine well at ease Than him to destroy that liueth in distresse For my desire is neither more nor lesse But my seruice to doe for your pleasaunce In eschewing all manner doublenesse * To make two joys in steed of one greuance La dame Of loue I seek neither pleasaunce nor ease Nor haue therein no great affiaunce Though ye be sick it doth me nothing please Also I take no heed of your pleasaunce Chese who so will her herts to aduaunce Free am I now and free will I endure To be ruled by mans gouernaunce For earthly good Nay that I you ensure L'amant. Loue which that joy sorrow doth depart Hath set the Ladies out of all seruage And largely doth graunt hem for her part Lordship and rule of euery manner of age The poor seruant nought hath of auauntage But what he may get onely by purchesse * And he that ones to loue doth his homage Full oftentimes dere bought is the richesse La dame Ladies be not so simple thus I meane So dull of wit so sotted in folly That for words which said be of the splene In faire language painted full pleasauntly Which ye and mo hold schooles of daily To make hem all great wonders to suppose But soone they can away their heads wrie And to faire speech lightly their eares close L'amant. There is no man that jangleth busily And setteth his heart all his mind therefore That by reason may plaine so pitously As he that hath much heauinesse in store Whose head is hole and sayth that it is sore His fained chere is hard to keepe in mew But thought which is vnfained euermore * The workes preueth as the words shew La dame Loue is subtill and hath a great await Sharp in working in gabbing great plesance And can him venge of such as by deceit Would feele know his secret gouernance And maketh hem to obey his ordinance By cherefull waies as in hem is supposed But when they fall into repentance Then in a rage her counsaile is disclosed L'amant. Sith for as much as God and eke nature Hath auaunced loue to so high degree Much sharpe is the point thus am I sure Yet greeueth more the faut where euer it be * Who hath no cold of heat hath no deinte The one for that other asked is expresse And of pleasaunce knoweth none certainete But it be one in thought and heauinesse La dame As for pleasaunce it is not alway one That you think swete I think it bitter pain Ye may not me constrain nor yet right none After your lust to loue that is but vaine To challenge loue by right was neuer seine But hert assent before bond and promise * For strength and force may not attaine A will that standeth enfeoffed in franchise L'amant. Right faire lady God more I neuer please If I seeke other right in this case But for to shew you plainly my disease And your mercy to abide eke your grace If I purpose your honour to deface Or euer did God and fortune me shend And that I neuer vnrightfully purchase One onely joy vnto my liues end La dame Ye and other that sweare such othes fast And so condemne and cursen to an df ro Full sikerly ye wene your othes last No lenger than the wordes ben ago And God and eke his saints laugh also In such swearing there is no stedfastnesse And these wretches yâ— haue full trust thereto After they weepe and wailen in distresse L'amant. He hath no courage of a man truly That seecheth pleasaunce worship to dispise Nor to be called forth is not worthy The yearth to touch the aire in no kind wise A trusty hert a mouth without feintise Thus by the strength of euery manner name And who that layeth his faith for little prise He leseth both his worship and his fame La dame A cursed hert a mouth that is curteise Full well ye wote they be not according Yet fained chere right sone may hem apeise Where of mallice is set all her working Full false semblant they bere true seming Her name her fame her tongues but fained Worship in hem is put in forgetting Nought repented nor in no wise complained L'amant. Who thinketh ill no good may him befall God of his grace grant each man his desart But for his loue among your thoughts all As thinke vpon my wofull sorrowes smart For of my paine whether your tender hart Of sweet pitie be not therewith agreued And of your grace to me were discouart That
for three causes the first cause is this Trust well that all the conclusions that haue be founden or els possibly might be found in so noble an instrument as is the Astrolabie ben vnknowen perfitly to any mortall man in this region as I suppose Another cause is this that soothly in any carts of the Astrolabie that I haue yseene there ben some conclusions that woll not in all thyngs perfourme her behests and some of hem beene too hard to thy tender age of ten yeare to conceiue This Treatise deuided in fiue parts will I shewe the woonder light rules and naked words in English for Latine ne canst thou nat yet but smale my little sonne But neuerthelesse suffiseth to thee these true conclusions in English as well as suffiseth to this noble clerkes Greekes these same conclusions in Greeke and to the Arabines in Arabike and to Iewes in Hebrewe and to the Latin folk in Latine which Latin folke had hem first out of other diuers languages and writ hem in her owne tongue that is to saine in Latine And God wote that in all these languages and in many mo haue these conclusions been sufficiently learned and taught and yet by diuers rules * Right as diuers pathes leaden diuers folke the right way to Rome Now woll I pray meekely euery person discreet that redeth or heareth this little Treatise to haue my rude ententing excused and my superfluitie of words for two causes The first cause is for that curious enditing and hard sentences is full heauy at ones for such a child to learne And the second cause is this that sothly me semeth better to writen vnto a child twice a good sentence than he foryete it once And Lowis if it so be that I shew thee in my lith English as true conclusions touching this matter and not only as true but as many and subtill conclusions as ben yshewed in Latine in any common Treatise of the Astrolabie conne mee the more thanke and pray God saue the king that is lord of this language and all that him faith beareth and obeyeth eueriche in his degree the more and the lasse But considereth well that I ne vsurpe not to haue founden this werke of my labour or of mine engine I nam but a leaud compilatour of the labour of olde Astrologiens and haue it translated in mine English only for thy doctrine and with this swerde shall I sleen enuie The first Party THe first party of this Treatise shall rehearse the figures and the members of thine Astrolabie because that thou shalt haue the greater knowing of thine owne instrument The second Party THe second party shall teach thee to werken the very practike of the foresaid conclusions as ferre forth and also narrow as may bee shewed in so small an instrument portatife about For well wote euery Astrologien that smallest fractions ne woll not bee shewed in so small an instrument as in subtill tables calculed for a cause The third Party THe third party shall contayne diuers tables of longitudes and latitudes of sterres fixe in the Astrolabie And tables of the declinations of the Sun and tables of the longitude of citties and townes and tables as well for the gouernation of the clocke as for to finde the altitude meridian and many another notable conclusion after the kalenders of the reuerent clerks Frere Iohn Som and Frere N. Lenne The fourth Party THe fourth party shall be a theorike to declare the meaning of the celestiall bodies with the causes the which the fourth party in speciall shall shew in a table of the very meuing of the moone from one to one euery day and euery signe after thine almanacke Vpon the which table there followeth a canon sufficient to teach as well in manner of working in the same conclusions as to know in our Horizont with which degree of Zodiake the moone ariseth in any latitude and the arising in any plannet after his latitude fro the eclipticke line The fifth Party THe fift party shall been an introductorie after the statutes of our doctors on which thou mayest learne a great part of the generall rules of theorike in Astrologie In which fift party thou shalt find tables of equacions of houses after the latitude of Oxenford and tables of dignities of plannets and other notefull things if God vouchsafe and his mother the maiden mo than I behete The Ring THy Astrolabie hath a ringe to putten on thy thombe on thy right honde in taking of the height of thynges And take keepe from hence forward I woll clepe the height of heauie thing that is take by the rule the altitude withouten mo words The Turet THis ring ronneth in a manner of a turet fastened to the moder of thine Astrolabie in a roume or space that it distroubeleth not the instrument to hangen after his right centure The moder of thine Astrolabie is thickest by the brinkes that is the vtmost ring with degrees and all the middle within the ring shall bee thinner to receiue the plates for diuers clymates and also for the rethe that is shape in manner of a net or els after the webbe of a loppe The Moder THe moder of thine Astrolabie is the thickest plate pierced with a large hole that receiueth in her wombe the thinne plates compowned of diuers clymates and thy rethe shapen in manner of a net or of a webbe of a loppe Of the four Lines THis moder is deuided on the backe halfe with a line that commeth discending fro the ring downe to the netherest bordure the which line fro the foresaid ring vnto the centre of the large hole amidde is cleaped the South line or els the line Meridionall and the remenaunt of this line downe to the bordure is cleaped the North line or all the line of the Midnight Of four Lines East West North and South OVerthwart this foresaid long line there crosseth him another line of the same length fro East to West of the which line from a little crosse in the bordure vnto the centure of the large hole is cleaped the East line or els the line Orientall and the remenaunt of the line fro the foresaid Orientall vnto the bordure is ycleaped the West line or the line Occidentall Now hast thou here the foure quarters of thine Astrolabie deuided after the foure principall plages or quarters of the firmament Which is the right side and which is the left THe East side of the Astrolabie is cleaped the right side and the West side is cleaped the lefte side Foryet not this little Lowis Put the ringe of thine Astrolabie vpon the thombe of thy right hand and then woll his right side be toward thy left side and his left side woll be toward thy right side Take this rule generall as well on the backe as on the wombe side Vpon the ende of this East line as I first said is ymarked a little crosse where as euermore generally is considered the entering of the East degree
that mine herte professed whilom was For to be trewe with all my full might Onely to one the which now alas Of volunte without any trespas My accusours hath taken vnto grace And cherisheth hem my death to purchace What meaneth this what is this wonder vre Of purueyaunce if I shall it call Of god of loue that false hem so assure And trewe alas downe of the whele ben fall And yet in sothe this is the worst of all That falshed wrongfully of troth hath yâ— name And trouth a yenward of falshed beareth the blame This blind chaunce this stormy auenture In loue hath most his experience * For who yâ— doth with trouth most his cure Shall for his mede finde most offence That serueth loue with all his diligence * For who can fayne vnder lowlyhede Ne fayleth not to finde grace and spede For I loued one full long sith agone With all mine herte body and full might And to be deed my herte can not gone From his heste but hold that he hath hight Though I be banished out of her sight And by her mouth dampned that I shall dey Vnto my hest yet I will euer obey For euer sith that the world began Who so liste looke and in story rede He shall aye find that the trewe man Was put abacke whereas the falshede Yfurthered was for loue taketh none hede To slea the trew and hath of hem no charge Where as the false goeth frely at her large I take record of Palamydes The trewe man the noble worthy knight That euer loued and of his payne no relees Notwithstanding his manhood his might Loue vnto him did full great vnright For aye the bet he did in cheualrie The more he was hindred by enuie And aye the better he did in euery place Through his knighthood and busie payne The ferder was he from his ladies grace For to her mercy might he neuer attayne And to his death he coud it not refrayne For no daungere but aye obey and serue As he best coude plainly till he sterue What was the fine also of Hercules For all his conquest and his worthinesse That was of strength alone peerles For like as bookes of him list expresse He set pillers through his hye prowesse Away at Gades for to signifie That no man might him passe in cheualrie The which pillers ferre beyond Inde Be set of gold for a remembraunce And for all that was he set behinde With hem that loue list feebly auaunce For him set last vpon a daunce Against whom helpe may no strife For all his trouth he lost his life Phebus also for all his pleasaunt light When that he went here in yearth lowe Vnto the hert with Venus sight Ywounded was through Cupides bowe And yet his lady list him not to knowe Though for her loue his herte did blede She let him go and toke of him no hede What shall I say of yonge Piramus Of trewe Tristram for all his hye renowne Of Achilles or of Antonius Of Arcite or of him Palomoune What was the end of her passioune But after sorow death and then her graue Lo here the guerdon that these louers haue But false Iason with his doublenesse That was vntrewe at Colkos to Medee And Theseus roote of vnkindnesse And with these two eke the false Enee Lo thus the false aye in one degree Had in loue her lust and all her will And saue falshood there was none other skill Of Thebes eke the false Arcite And Demophon eke for his slouth They had her lust and all that might delite For all her falshood and great vntrouth Thus euer loue alas and that is routh His false lieges forthereth what he may And sleeth the trewe vngoodly day by day For trewe Adon was slaine with the bore Amidde the forest in the grene shade For Venus loue he felt all the sore But Vulcanus with her no mercy made The foule chorle had many nights glade Where Mars her knight and her man To find mercy comfort none he can Also the yonge freshe Ipomedes So lustly free as of his corage That for to serue with all his hert he ches Athalant so faire of her visage But loue alas quite him so his wage With cruell daunger plainly at the last That with the death guerdâ—nlesse he past Lo here the fine of loues seruice Lo how that loue can his seruaunts quite Lo how he can his faithfull men dispise To slea the trewe men and false to respite Lo how he doth the swerde of sorow bite In herts soch as most his lust obey To saue the false and do the trewe dey For faith nor othe worde ne assuraunce Trewe meaning awaite or businesse Still porte ne faithfull attendaunce Manhood ne might in armes worthinesse Pursute of worship nor hie prowesse In straunge land riding ne trauaile Full litell or nought in loue doth auaile Perill of death nor in see ne land Hunger ne thrust sorow ne sicknesse Ne great emprises for to take in hand Sheding of blood ne manfull hardinesse Ne oft wounding at sautes by distresse Nor in parting of life nor death also All is for nought loue taketh no heed thereto But lesings with her flatterie Through her falshede with her doublenesse With tales new and many fained lie By false semblaunt counterseit humblesse Vnder colour depaint with stedfastnesse With fraud couered vnder a pitâ—us face Accept be now rathest vnto grace And can himselfe now best magnifie With fained port and presumption They haunce her cause with false surquidrie Vnder meaning of double entention To thinke one in her opinion And say another to set himselfe aloft And hinder trouth as it is scene full oft The which thing I buy now all too deare Thanked be Venus and the god Enpide As it is seene by mine oppressed cheare And by his arrowes that sticken in my side That saue death I nothing abide Fro day to day alas the hard while When euer his dart that him list to file My wofull hert for to riue atwo For faut of mercy and lacke of pite Of her that causeth all my paine and wo And list not ones of grace for to see Vnto my trouth through her cruelte And most of all I me complaine That she hath joy to laugh at my paine And wilfully hath my death sworne All guiltlesse and wote no cause why Saue for the trouth that I had aforne To her alone to serue faithfully O god of loue vnto thee I cry And to thy blind double deite Of this great wrong I complaine me And vnto thy stormy wilfull variaunce Iment with change and great vnstablenesse Now vp now down so renning is thy chance That thee to trust may be no sikernesse I wite it nothing but thy doublenesse * And who that is an archer and is blend Marketh nothing but shooteth by wend. And for that he hath no discretion Without aduise he let his arrow go For lacke of sight and also of reason In his
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
he wext for hete and for his wo That nigh he swelt he might vnneth endure He passeth but a sterre in daies two But neuertheles for al his hevy armure He foloweth her that is his liues cure For whose departing he tooke greater yre Than for all his brenning in the fire After he walketh softly a paas Complayning that it pitie was to here He saide O lady bright Venus alas That euer so wide a compas is my sphere Alas when shall I mete you hert dere This twelve dayes of April I endure Through ielous Phebus this misauenture Now God helpe sely Venus alone But as God wold it happed for to be That while yâ— weping Venus made her mone Ciclinius riding in his chyuanche Fro Venus Valanus might this palais see And Venus he salueth and maketh chere And her receiueth as his frende full dere Mars dwelleth forth in his aduersite Complayning ever in her departing And with his complaint was remembreth me And therefore in this lusty morowning As I best can I wol it saine and sing And after that I woll my leaue take And God yeue euery wight ioy of his make The Complaint of Mars THe order of complaint requireth skilfully That if a wight shal plain pitously There mote be cause wherfore that men plain Or men may deme he plaineth folily And causeles alas that am not I Wherfore the ground cause of al my pain So as my troubled witte may it attain I wol reherse not for to haue redresse But to declare my ground of heuinesse The first time alas that I was wrought And for certain effects hider brought By him that lorded each intelligence I yaue my trew seruice and my thought For euermo how dere I haue it bought To her that is of so great excellence That what wight that sheweth first her offence When she is wroth taketh of him no cure He may not long in ioy of love endure This is no fained mater that I tell My lady is the very sours and well Of beaute luste fredome and gentilnesse Of rich array how dere men it sell Of all disport in which me frendly dwell Of loue and play and of benigne humblesse Of sowne of instruments of al sweetnesse And thereto so well fortuned and thewed That through yeworld her goodnes is shewed What wonder is then though that I be set My seruice on soch one that may me knet To wele or wo sith it lithe in her might Therfore myne hert for euer I to her hette Ne trewly for my death shall I not lette To ben her trewest seruaunt her knight I flatter nat that may wete euery wight For this day in her seruice shall I dye But grace be I see her neuer with eye To whom shall I plaine of my distresse Who may me help who may my hert redresse Shall I complaine vnto my lady free Nay certes for she hath soch heauinesse For feare and eke for wo that as I gesse In littel time it would her bane bee But were she safe it were no force of mee Alas that euer louers more endure For loue so many perilous auenture For though so be that louers be as trewe As any metal that is forged newe In many a case hem tideth oft sorowe Somtime her ladies woll nat on hem rewe Somtime if that ielousie it knewe They might lightly lay her heed to borow Somtime enuious folk with tongs horow Deprauen hem alas whom may they please But he befalse no louer hath his ease But what auaileth soch a long sermonun Of auentures of loue vp and doun I wol retourne and speaken of my paine The point is this of my distructioun My right lady my saluacioun Is in affray and not to whom to plaine O herte sweete O lady soueraine For your disease I ought wel swoun swelt Though I none other harme ne drede felt To what fine made the God that sit so hie Beneth him loue other companie And straineth folke to loue mauger her heed And then her ioy for aught I can espie Ne lasteth not the twinckling of an eye And some haue neuer ioy till they be deed What meaneth this what is this mistiheed Wherto constraineth he his folke so fast Thing to desire but it should last And though he made a louer loue a thing And maketh it seem stedfast and during Yet putteth he in it soch misauenture That rest nis there in his yeuing And that is wonder that so iust a king Doth such hardnesse to his creature Thus whether loue breake or els dure Algates he that hath with loue to done Hath after wo then chaunged is the Moone It seemeth he hath to louers enmite And like a fisher as men may all day se Baited his angle hoke with some pleasance Til many a fish is wood till that he be Ceased therwith and then at erst hath he All his desire and therwith all mischaunce And though the line breke he hath penance For with that hoke he wounded is so sore That he his wages hath for euermore The broche of Thebes was of soch kinde So full of rubies and of stones of Inde That euery wight that set on it an eye He wende anone to worth out of his mind So sore the beaute wold his hert bind Till he it had him thought he must die And when that it was his then should he dry Soch wo for drede aye while that he it had That welnigh for the feare he should mad And when it was fro his possession Then had he double wo and passion That he so faire a jewell hath forgo But yet this broche as in conclusion Was not the cause of his confusion But he that wrought it enfortuned it so That euery wight that had it shold haue wo And therfore in the worcher was the vice And in the coueitour that was so nice So fareth it by louers and by me For though my lady haue so great beaute That I was mad till I had gette her grace She was not cause of mine aduersite But he that wrought her as mote I thee That put soch a beaute in her face That made me coueiten and purchase Mine owne death him wite I that I die And mine vnwit that ever I clambe so hie But to you hardy knights of renowne Sith that ye be of my devistowne Al be I not worthy to so great a name Yet saine these clerkes I am your patrone Therfore ye ought haue some compassion Of my disease and take it nat a game The proudest of you may be made ful tame Wherfore I pray you of your gentilesse That ye complaine for mine heauinesse And ye my ladies that be true and stable By way of kind ye ought to ben able To haue pite of folke that been in paine Now haue ye cause to cloth you in sable Sith that your empres the honorable Is desolate wel ought you to plaine Now should your holy teares fall and raine Alas your honour and
three VVhich three apples who may haue Been from all displeasaunce saue That in the seuen yeere may fall This wote you well one and all For the first apple and the bext Which growth vnto you next Hath three vertues notable And keepeth youth aie durable Beauty and looke euer in one And is the best in euerichone The second apple red and grene Onely with lookes of your yene You nourishes in pleasaunce Better than Partidge or Fesaunce And feeds euery liues wight Pleasantly with the sight The third apple of the three Which groweth lowest on the tree Who it beares may not faile That to his pleasaunce may auaile So your pleasure and beauty rich Your during youth euer liche Your truth your cunning and your weale Hath aye floured and your good heale Without sicknes or displeasaunce Or thing that to you was noysaunce So that you haue as goddesses Liued aboue all princesses Now is befall as ye may see To gather these said apples three I haue not failed againe the day Thitherward to take the way Wening to speed as I had oft But when I come I find aloft My sister which that here stands Hauing those apples in her hands Auising them and nothing said But looked as she were well paid And as I stood her to behold Thinking how my joyes were cold Sith I those apples haue ne might Euen with that so came this knight And in his armes of me aware Me tooke and to his ship me bare And said though him I neuer had seen Yet had I long his lady been VVherefore I should with him wend And he would to his liues end My seruant be and gan to sing As one that had wonne a rich thing Tho were my spirits fro me gone So sodainly euerichone That in me appeared but death For I felt neither life ne breath Ne good ne harme none I knew The sodaine paine me was so new That had not the hasty grace be Of this lady that fro the tree Of her gentilnesse so hied Me to comfort I had died And of her three apples one In mine hand there put anone VVhich brought againe mind and breath And me recouered from the death VVherefore to her so am I hold That for her all things do I wold For she was lech of all my smart And from great paine so quite mine hart And as God wote Right as ye heare Me to comfort with friendly cheare She did her prowesse and her might And truly eke so did this knight In that he couth and oft said That of my wo he was ill paid And cursed the ship that them there brought The mast the master that it wrought And as ech thing mote haue an end My sister here your brother frend Con with her words so womanly This knight entreat and conningly For mine honour and his also And said that with her we should go Both in her ship where she was brought VVhich was so wonderfully wrought So cleane so rich and so araid That we were both content and paid And me to comfort and to please And mine heart to put at ease She toke great paine in little while And thus hath brought vs to this yle As ye may see wherfore echone I pray you thanke her one and one As heartily as ye can deuise Or imagine in any wise At once there tho men might seen A world of Ladies fall on kneen Before my Lady that there about VVas left none standing in the rout But altogither they went at ones To kneele they spared not for the stones Ne for estate ne for their blood Well shewed there they couth much good For to my Lady they made such feast With such words that the least So friendly and so faithfully Said was and so cunningly That wonder was seing their youth To here the language they couth And wholly how they gouerned were In thanking of my Lady there And said by will and maundement They were at her commaundement Which was to me as great a joy As winning of the towne of Troy Was to the hardy Greekes strong When they it wan with slege long To see my Lady in such a place So receiued as she was And when they talked had a while Of this and that and of the yle My lady and the ladies there Altogither as they were The Queene her selfe began to play And to the aged lady say Now seemeth you not good it were Sith we be altogither here To ordaine and deuise the best To set this knight and me at rest For woman is a feble wight To rere a warre against a knight And sith he here is in this place At my lift danger or grace It were to me great viâ—â—any To dâ— him any tiranny But faine I would now will ye here In his owne country that he were And I in peace and he at ease This were a way vs both to please If it might be I you beseech With him hereof you fall in speech This lady tho began to smile Auising her a little while And with glad chere she said anone Madam I will vnto him gone And with him speake and of him fele What he desires euery dele And soberly this lady tho Her selfe and other ladies two She tooke with her and with sad chere Said to the knight on this manere Sir the princes of this yle Whom for your pleasance many mile Ye sought haue as I vnderstond Till at the last ye haue her fond Me sent hath here and ladies twaine To heare all thing that ye saine And for what cause ye haue her sought Faine would she wote whol your thouÈt And why you do her all this wo And for what cause you be her so And why of euery wight vnware By force ye to your ship her bare That she so nigh was agone That mind ne speech had she none But as a painfull creature Dying abode her aduenture That her to see indure that paine Here wee ll say vnto you plaine Right on your selfe ye did amisse Seing how she a princes is This knight the which cowth his good Right of his truth meued his blood That pale he woxe as any lead And lookt as he would be dead Blood was there none in nother cheke Worldlesse he was and semed sicke And so it proued well he was For without mouing any paas All sodainely as thing dying He fell at once downe sowning That for his wo this lady fraid Vnto the queene her hyed and said Cometh on anon as haue you blisse But ye be wise thing is amisse This knight is dead or will be soone Lo where he lyeth in a swoone Without word or answering To that I haue said any thing Wherefore I doubt that the blame Might be hindering to your name Which floured hath so many yere So long that for nothing here I would in no wise he dyed Wherefore good were that ye hyed His life to saue at the least And after that his wo be ceast Commaund him void or dwell
For in no wise dare I more mell Of thing wherein such perill is As like is now to fall of this This queene right tho full of great feare With all the ladies present there Vnto the knight came where he lay And made a Lady to him say Lo here the queene awake for shame What will you doe is this good game Why lye you here what is your mind Now is well seene your wit is blind To see so many Ladies here And ye to make none other chere But as ye set them all at nought Arise for his loue that you bought But what she said a word not one He spake ne answere gaue her none The Queene of very pitty tho Her worship and his like also To saue there she did her paine And quoke for feare and gan to saine For woe alas what shall I doe What shall I say this man vnto If he die here lost is my name Now shal I play this perillous game If any thing be here amisse It shall be said it rigour is Whereby my name impayre might And like to die eke is this knight And with that word her band she laid Vpon his brest and to him said Awake my knight lo it am I That to you speake now tell me why Ye fare thus and this paine endure Seing ye be in country sure Among such friends that would you heale Your hearts ease eke and your weale And if I wist what you might ease Or know the thing that you might please I you ensure it should not faile That to your heale you might auaile Wherefore with all my heart I pray Ye rise and let vs talke and play And see how many Ladies here Be comen for to make good chere All was for nought for still as stone He lay and word spoke none Long while was or he might braid And of all that the Queene had said He wist no word but at the last Mercy twise he cried fast That pitty was his voice to heare Or to behold his painefull cheare Which was not fained well was to sein Both by his visage and his eyn Which on the queene at once he cast And sighed as he would to brast And after that he shright so That wonder was to see his wo For sith that paine was first named Was neuer more wofull paine attained For with voice dead he gan to plaine And to himselfe these words saine I wofull wight full of malure Am worse than dead and yet dure Maugre any paine or death Against my will I fell my breath Why nam I dead sith I ne serue And sith my Lady will me sterue Where art thou death art thou agast Well shall we meete yet at the last Though thou thee hide it is for nought For where thou dwelst thou shalt be sought Maugre thy subtill double face Here will I die right in this place To thy dishonour and mine ease Thy manner is no wight to please What needs thee sith I thee seche So thee to hide my paine to eche And well wost thou I will not liue Who would me all this world here giue For I haue with my cowardise Lost joy and heale and my seruise And made my soueraigne Lady so That while she liues I trow my fo She will be euer to her end Thus haue I neither joy ne frend Wote I not whether hast or sloth Hath caused this now by my troth For at the hermitage full hie When I her saw first with mine iye I hied till I was aloft And made my pace small and soft Till in mine armes I had her fast And to my ship bare at the last Whereof she was displeased so That endlesse there seemed her wo And I thereof had so great fere That me repent that I come there Which hast I trow gan her displease And is the cause of my disease And with that word he gan to cry Now death death twy or thry And motred wot I not what of slouth And euen with that the Queene of routh Him in her armes tooke and said Now mine owne knight be not euill apaid That I a lady to you sent To haue knowledge of your entent For in good faith I meant but well And would ye wist it euery dele Nor will not do to you ywis And with that word she gan him kisse And prayed him rise and said she would His welfare by her truth and told Him how she was for his disease Right sory and faine would him please His life to saue these words tho She said to him and many mo In comforting for from the paine She would he were deliuered faine The knight tho vp cast his een And when he saw it was the queen That to him had these words said Right in his wo he gan to braid And him vp dresses for to knele The queene aussing wonder wele But as he rose he ouerthrew Wherefore the queene yet eft anew Him in her armes anon tooke And pitiously gan on him looke But for all that nothing she said Ne spake not like she were well paid Ne no chere made nor sad ne light But all in one to euery wight There was seene conning with estate In her without noise or debate For saue onely a looke piteous Of womanhead vndispiteous That she showed in countenance For seemed her heart from obeisance And not for that she did her reine Him to recure from the peine And his heart to put at large For her entent was to his barge Him to bring against the eue With certaine ladies and take leue And pray him of his gentilnesse To suffer her thenceforth in peace As other Princes had before And from thence forth for euermore She would him worship in all wise That gentilnesse might deuise And paine her wholly to fulfill In honour his pleasure and will And during thus this knights wo Present the queene and other mo My lady and many another wight Ten thousand ships at a sight I saw come ouer the wawy flood With saile and ore that as I sâ—ood Them to behold I gan maruaile From whom might come so many a saile For sith the time that I was bore Such a nauy there before Had I not seene ne so arayed That for the sight my heart played To and fro within my brest For joy long was or it would rest For there was sailes full of floures After castels with huge toures Seeming full of armes bright That wonder lusty was the sight With large toppes and mastes long Richly depeint and rear among At certaine times gan repaire Small birds downe from th aire And on the ships bounds about Sate and song with voice full out Ballades and Layes right joyously As they cowth in their harmony That you to write that I there see Mine excuse is it may not be For why the matter were to long To name the birds and write their song Whereof anon the ridings there Vnto the queene soone brought were With many alas and many a doubt
that there were VVith sober countenaunce auised In few words that well suffised And to this lord anon present A bill wherein whole her entent VVas written and how she besought As he knew euery will and thought That of his godhead and his grace He would forgyue all old trespace And vndispleased be of time past For she would euer be stedfast And in his seruice to the death Vse euery thought while she had breath And sight and wept and said no more VVithin was written all the sore At whych bill the lord gan smyle And said he would within that yle Be lord and syre both east and west And cald it there his new conquest And in great councell tooke the Queene Long were the tales them betweene And ouer her bill he read thrise And wonder gladly gan deuise Her features faire and her visage And bad good thrift on that Image And sayd he trowed her compleint Should after cause her be corseint And in his sleeue he put the bill Was there none that knew his will And forth he walke apace about Beholding all the lusty rout Halfe in a thought with smiling chere Till at the last as ye shall here He turned vnto the Queene ageine And said to morne here in this pleine I woll ye be and all yours That purposed ben to weare flours Or of my lusty colour vse It may not be to you excuse Ne none of yours in no wise That able be to my seruise For as I said haue here before I will be lord for euermore Of you and of this yle and all And of all yours that haue shall Ioy peace ease or in pleasaunce Your liues vse without noysaunce Here will I in state be seene And turned his visage to the Queene And you giue knowledge of my will And a full answere of your bill Was there no nay ne words none But very obeisaunt seemed echone Queene and other that were there VVell seemed it they had great fere And there tooke lodging euery night VVas none departed of that night And some to read old Romances Them occupied for their pleasances Some to make verelaies and laies And some to other diuerse plaies And I to me a Romance tooke And as I reading was the booke Me thought the sphere had so run That it was rising of the Sun And such a prees into the piaine Assemble gone that with great paine One might for other go ne stand Ne none take other by the hand VVithouten they distourbed were So huge and great the prees was there And after that within two houres This mighty lord all in floures Of diuers colours many a paire In his estate vp in the aire VVell two fathom as his hight He set him there in all their sight And for the Queene and for the Knight And for my lady and euery wight In hast he sent so that neuer one VVas there absent but come echone And when they thus assembled were As ye haue heard me say you here VVithout more tarrying on hight There to be seene of euery wight Vp stood among the prees aboue A counsayler seruaunt of loue VVhich seemed well of great estate And shewed there how no debate Owe ne goodly might be vsed In gentilnesse and be excused VVherefore he said his lords will VVas euery wight there should be still And in pees and one accord And thus commaunded at a word And can his tongue to swiche language Turne that yet in all mine age Heard I neuer so conningly Man speake ne halfe so faithfully For euery thing he said there Seemed as it insealed were Or approued for very trew Swiche was his cunning language new And well according to his chere That where I be me thinke I here Him yet alway when I mine one In any place may be alone First con he of the lusty yle All thastate in little while Rehearse and wholly euery thing That caused there his lords comming And euery we le and euery wo And for what cause ech thing was so VVell shewed he there in easie speech And how the sicke had need of leech And that whole was and in grace He told plainly why each thing was And at the last he con conclude Voided euery language rude And said that prince that mighty lord Or his departing would accord All the parties there present And was the fine of his entent VVitnesse his presence in your sight VVhich sits among you in his might And kneeled downe withouten more And not o word spake he more Tho gan this mighty lord him dresse VVith cheare auised to do largesse And said vnto this knight and me Ye shall to joy restored be And for ye haue ben true ye twaine I graunt you here for euery paine A thousand joys euery weeke And looke ye be no lenger seeke And both your ladies lo hem here Take ech his own beeth of good chere Your happy day is new begun Sith it was rising of the sun And to all other in this place I graunt wholly to stand in grace That serueth truely without slouth And to auaunced be by trouth Tho can this knight and I downe kneele VVening to doe wonder wele Seeing O Lord your great mrrcy Vs hath enriched so openly That we deserue may neuer more The least part but euermore VVith soule and body truely serue You and yours till we sterue And to their Ladies there they stood This knight that couth so mikel good VVent in hast and I also Ioyous and glad were we tho And also rich in euery thought As he that all hath and ought nought And them besought in humble wise Vs taccept to their seruice And shew vs of their friendly cheares VVhich in their treasure many yeares They kept had vs to great paine And told how their seruants twaine VVere and would be and so had euer And to the death chaunge would we neuer Ne doe offence ne thinke like ill But fill their ordinance and will And made our othes fresh new Our old seruice to renew And wholly theirs for euermore VVe there become what might we more And well awaiting that in slouth VVe made ne fault ne in our trouth Ne thought not do I you ensure VVith our will where we may dure This season past againe an eue This Lord of the Queene tooke leue And said he would hastely returne And at good leisure there sojourne Both for his honour and for his ease Commaunding fast the knight to please And gaue his statutes in papers And ordent diuers officers And forth to ship the same night He went and soone was out of sight And on the morrow when the aire Attempred was and wonder faire Early at rising of the sun After the night away was run Playing vs on the riuage My Lady spake of her voyage And said she made small journies And held her in straunge countries And forthwith to the Queene went And shewed her wholly her entent And tooke her leaue with cheare weeping That pitty was to see that
beguile children or they commen to discretion and bind hem to your orders the ben not grounded in Gods law against her friends will Sithen by this follie been many apostataes both in will and deed and many beene apostataes in her will during all her life that would gladly be discharged if they wist how and so many ben apostataes that shoulden in other states haue been true men 32 Freer what charitie is this to make so many freers in euery country to the charge of the people sith parsons and vicars alone ye secular priests alone ye monkes and cannons alone with bishops aboue them were ynough to the church to doe the priests office And to adde more than ynough is a foule errour and great charge to the people and this openly against Gods will that ordained all thyngs to be done in weight number and measure And Christ himselfe was apaied with twelve apostles and a few disciples to preach and doe priests office to all the whole world then was it better doe than is now at this time by a thousand dele And right so as foure fingers with a thombe in a mans hand helpeth a man to worch and double number of fingers in one hand should let him more and so the more number that there were passing the measure of Gods ordinaunce the more were a man letted to worch right so as it seemeth it is of these new orders that ben added to the church without ground of holy write and Gods ordinance 33 Freer what charity is this to the people to lie and say that ye follow Christ in pouertie more than other men done and yet in curious and costly housing and fine and precious clothing and delicious and liking feeding and in treasure and jewels and rich ornaments freers passen lords and other rich worldly men and soonest they should bring her cause about be it neuer so costly though Gods law be put aback 34 Freer what charitie is this to gather vp the books of holy write and put hem in tresorie and so emprison them from secular priests and curats and by this cautel let hem to preach the gospel freely to the people without worldly meed and also to defame good priests of heresie and lien on hem openly for to let hem to shew Gods law by the holy gospel to the christian people 35 Freer what charity is this to faine so much holines in your bodily clothing that ye clepe your habit that many blind fools desiren to die therein more than in another and also that a freer that leueth his habit late founden of men may not be assoiled till he take againe but is apostata as ye saine and cursed of God and man both The freer beleeueth truth and patience chastity meeknesse and sobriety yet for the more part of his life he may soon be assoiled of his prior and if he bring home to his house much good by the yeare bee it neuer so falsely begged and pilled of the poore and needy people in countries about he shall behold a noble freer O Lord whether this be charity 36 Freer what charity is this to prease vpon a rich man and to intice him to bee buried among you from his parish church and to such rich men giue letters of fraternity confirmed by your generall seale and therby to bear him in hand that he shal haue part of all your masses mattens preachings fastings wakings and all other good deeds done by your brethren of your order both whilest he liueth and after that he is dead and yet he witten neuer whether your deeds be acceptable to God ne whether that man that hath that letter be able by good liuing to receiue any part of your deeds and yet a poore man that ye wite well or supposen in certen to haue no good of ye ne giuen to such letters though he be a better man to God than such a rich man neuerthelesse this poore man doth not retch therof For as men supposen such letters and many other that freers behoten to men be full false deceits of freers out of all reason and Gods law and Christian mens faith 37 Freer what charity is this to be confessors of lords and ladies and to other mighty men and not amend hem in her living but rather as it seemeth to be the bolder to pill hir poore tenants and to liue in lechery and there to dwell in your office of confessor for winning of worldly goods and to be hold great by colour of such ghostly offices this seemeth rather pride of freeres than charity of God 38 Freer what charity is this to sain that who so liueth after your order liueth most perfectly and next followeth the state of Apostles in pouerty and penance and yet the wisest and greatest clerks of you wend or send or procure to the court of Rome to be made cardinals or bishops of the popes chaplens and to be assoiled of the vow of pouerty and obedience to your ministers in the which as ye sain standeth most perfection and merit of your orders and thus ye faren as Pharisees that sain one and do an other to the contrary Why name ye more the patron of your order in your Confiteor when ye begin masse than other Saints Apostles or Martyrs that holy church hold more glorious than hem and clepe hem your patrons and your auowries Freer whether was S. Francis in making of his rule that he set thine order in a foole and a liar or else wise and true If ye sain that he was not a foole but wise ne a liar but true why shew you contrary by your doing when by your suggestion to the Pope ye said that your rule that Francis made was so hard that ye mow not liue to hold it without declaration and dispensation of the pope and so by your deed Ne let your patron a foole that made a rule so hard that no man may well keepe and eke your deed prooueth him a liar where he saith in his rule that he tooke and learned it of the Holy Ghost For how might ye for shame pray the pope vndo that the holy Ghost bit as when ye prayed him to dispense with the hardnesse of your order Freer which of the foure orders of friers is best to a man that knoweth not which is the best but would faine enter into the best and none other If thou saiest that thine is the best then saiest thou that none of the other is as good as thine and in this ech freer in the three other orders wooll say that thou liest for in the self-same maner ech other freer wooll say that his order is best And thus to ech of the foure orders bin the other three contrary in this point in the which if any say sooth that is one alone for there may but one be the best of foure So followeth it that if ech of these orders answered to this question as thou doest three were false and but one true
a Writer in Astronomy as of the Conjunction of the Planets c. Alanus among other things wrote a Book De Planctu Naturae B. Bocatius born at Florence in Italy set out many things in his own Tongue claruit 1375. Bernardus de Gordonio a Frenchman born Reader of Physick at Mount Pelier Bernardus Abbas Clarevallensis a Burgonian and a singular Divine set forth many things 1140. Basilius Magnus Bishop of Caesarea 367. C. Cato a learned man among the Romans before the Incarnation 182. Corinna a Theban Woman and a Lyrike Poet she wrote 50 Books and Epigrams as Suidas and Pausanias report Claudianus born in Alexandria in Egypt among many things wrote a Book of the stealing away of Proserpina Crisippus did write a Book against the pleasure of the Body Constantine the Monk did translate and write many things in Physick and among other Lib. de coitu quibus modis augeatur diminuatur D. Dante 's Aligeras an Italian and born in Florence lived 1341. Dares Phrigius did write the Trojan War in Greek where he himself was a Souldier Ditis Historicus did write a Book of the Trojan War found in a certain Sepulchre Damascenus Presbiter did write many things in the Greek Tongue Dioscorides a worshipful Knight of Egypt wrote in Greek of the natures of divers Herbs He lived under Cleopatra and Antonius E. Aesculapius did write a Book of the original cause and descriptions of Diseases F. Franciscus Petrarcha an Italian born did write when Chaucer was a young man floruit 1374. G. Gatisden and Gilbertin Englishmen born and writers in Physick Guido de Columna a Sicilian did write of the Trojan War 1287. Galfride Vinesause was a Norman by his Parents but born in England he did write in his Book entituled de artificio loquendi by way of Example of Mourning under the Rhetorical figure of Apostrophe a complaint for the Death of Richard the First who was slain with an Arrow at the Siege of the Castle of Chalne in Normandy and lived in the time of King John An. Dom. 1210 Galenus a most singular Physician did write a multitude of Books 160. Gregorius Magnus did write much in Divinity claruit An. 369. Galfridus Monumethensis an Englishman born translated into our Tongue the History of England floruit 1152. H. Homerus the chiefest of all Poets wrote in the Greek Tongue two works the one called his Ilias and the other his Odyssea Helowis Maximinian Livian Aurora Zansis and divers others alledged by Chaucer have none or few of their works extant Haly wrote a Book of the Compositions of Medicines Hieronimus Stridonensis did write among other things a defence of Virginity in two Books against Jovinian Hippocrates Cous a most ancient Physician and Prince of all others lived in the days of Artaxerxes Hermes an Egyptian Disciple to Plato did write of many strange things I. Josephus wrote in Greek the Battel and Destruction of the Jews He was after the Incarnation seventy six years Johannes Damascenus a Writer in Physick 1158. Innocentius Papa born in Company wrote a Book of the happy state of Mankind Juvenalis a Poet which wrote Satyrs Justinian an Emperour of Rome who caused to be written the Books of the Laws called the Digests Institutions and the Code containing the Decrees of the Emperours He was after the Incarnation five hundred and seventy years L. Lollius an Italian Historiographer born in the City of Vrbine Lucanus a famous Poet that wrote the Battel between Caesar and Pompey M. Macrobius Aurellius wrote a Commentary on Scipio's Dream Marcus Aurelius Cassiodorus a Monk among many things wrote of the state of the Soul Marcianus Capella did write of the Liberal Sciences and also of the marriage of Philologi and Mercury O. Ovidius a famous Latin Poet and Orator advanced to be Senator of Rome He lived when Christ was conversant on Earth P. Petrus Alfonsus a Jew turned to the Faith before called Moses was baptised by King Alphonsus and bare his Name he did write many Books 1100. Pamphilus Presbiter Kinsman to Eusebius after much pains in writing suffered Martyrdom in Caesaria under the Persecution of Maximinus Papinius Statius a Neapolitan wrote of the Destruction of Thebes He lived under Domitian Ptolemeus lived in the Time of Anthony the Emperour he wrote divers works and restored out of Darkness the Mathematical Sciences Pithagoras an excellent Philosopher of Samos at whose Wisdom Plato did wonder He was before the Incarnation 522 years Petrus Cassiodorus an Italian a Noble man and learned did write to the Church of England and perswaded them to cast off their Obedience to the Roman Bishops and to beware of their Tyranny 1302. R. Rasis an Arabian Physician Rufus a Physician of Ephesus in the time of Trajan the Emperour S. Statius a noble Poet which wrote twelve Books of the Theban War Senior Zadith did write a Book of Alchimy Gesner Seneca a Spaniard born in Corduba a singular Philosopher did write many things he lived in the time of Nero by whom he was put to Death Serapion an Arabian did write of the Composition of Medicines Suetonius wrote the Lives of the Roman Emperours Strode a man of great Learning Fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford 1380. T. Tertullian did write a Book of the attire of Women Titus Livius the most excellent Writer of the Romans History Tho. Bradwarden was Bishop of Canterbury who did write a Book De causa Dei contra Pelagianos and dedicated it to the Society of Merton Colledge in Oxford He did write many other Books one of the Trinity one of Predestination one of all Sciences one of the Principles of Geometry also a book of the Reward of them which shall be saved and another called the Sum of Divinity He flourished in the year of Grace 1270. Trotula set forth a book of the cure of Diseases in and after Childbirth Theophrastus Eresius Disciple to Aristotle writing a great number of Books hath one De frugalitate Tullius a Senator of Rome Father of Eloquence and pure Fountain of the Latin Tongue He flourished about forty years before Christs Incarnation V. Valerius Maximus wrote to Tiberius Caesar a Book of the memorable deeds and sayings of worthy Men. Virgilius the most famous Poet of Mantua whose Life Petrus Crinitus hath set down at large in Lib. 3. de Poetis Latinis Vitellio did write ten books of Perspectives W. William S. Aymour a Frenchman did write a Commentary on the Apocalipse much inveighing against the Pope and was therefore banished and his Books burned ADVERTISEMENT WHilst this Work was just finishing we hapned to meet with a Manuscript wherein we found the Conclusion of the Cook 's Tale and also of the Squires Tale which in the Printed Books are said to be lost or never finish'd by the Author but coming so late to our hands they could not be inserted in their proper places therefore the Reader is desir'd to add them as here directed Immediately after what