face In sight of euery body in that place A voice was heard in generall audience That saied Thou hast disclandred guiltles The doughter of holy chirch in high presence Thus hast thou doen and yet I hold my pees Of this marueile agast was all the prees As dismaide folke they stonden euerichone For dread of wreche saue Custance alone Great was the dread and eke the repentance Of hem that hadden wrought suspection Vpon this silly innocent Custance And for this miracle in conclusion And by Custances mediation The king and many another in that place Conuerted was thanked be Gods grace This fals knight was slain for his vntroth By judgement of Alla hastily And yet Custance had of his death great roth And after this Iesus of his mercy Made Alla wedden full solemnely This holy maid that is so bright and shene And thus hath Christ made Custance a quene But who was wofull if I should not lie Of this wedding but Donegild and no mo The kings mother full of tyrannie Her thought her cursed hart brast a two She would not that her sonne had doe so Her thought a despight that he should take So straunge a creature vnto his make * He list not of the chaffe ne of the stre Make so long a tale as of the corne What should I tell of the realte Of that mariage or which course goth beforne Who bloweth in a trumpe or in a horne The fruit of euery tale is for to say They eaten and drinken daunce and play They gon to bed as it was skill and right For though that wiues been ful holy things They must take in patience a night Such manner necessaries as been pleasings To folke that han wedded hem with rings And lay a little her holinesse aside As for the time it may none other betide On her he gat a man child anone And to a bishop and to his constable eke He tooke his wife to keepe when he is gone To Scotland ward his fomen for to seke Now fair Custance that is so humble and meke So long is gone with child till that still She halt her chamber abiding Christs will The time is come a man child she bare Mauricius at fontstone they him call This constable doth forth come a messenger And wrote to his king that cleaped was Alla How that this blisfull tiding is befall And other tidings needfull for to say He takes the letter and forth goth his way This messenger to doen his auauntage Vnto the kings mother rideth swithe And salueth her full faire in his language Madame qd he ye may be glad and blithe And thanked God an hundred thousand sith My lady quaene hath a child withouten dout To joy and blisse of all this reigne about Lo here the letters sealed of this thing That I mote beare in all the hast I may Yeue ye wol ought vnto your sonne the king I am your seruaunt both night and day Donegilde answered as at this time nay But here I woll all night thou take thy rest To morrow woll I say thee what my lest This messenger dronk sadly both ale wine And stollen were his lettets priuily Out of his boxe while he slept as a swine And counterfeited was full subtilly Another letter wrought full sinfully Vnto the king direct of this mattere Fro his Constable as ye shall after here The letter spake the queene deliuered was Of so horrible a fendlishe creature That in the castle none so hardy was That any while dursten therein endure The mother was an Elfe by auenture I come by charmes or by sorcerie And euery wight hateth her companie Wo was this king when he that letter had sein But to no wight he told his sorrow sore But with his owne hand he wrote again Welcome the sonde of Christ for euermore To me that am new learned in his lore Lord welcome be thy lust and thy pleasance My lust I put all in thy ordinance Keepeth this child all be it foule or faire And eke may wife vnto mine home coming Christ when him lest may send me an heire More agreeable than this to my liking This letter he sealed priuily weeping Which to the messenger was taken sone And forth he goth there is no more to done O messenger fulfilled of dronkenesse Strong is thy breth thy limmes faltren aie And thou be wraiest all secretnesse Thy mind is sorne thou ianglist as a Iaie Thy face is tourned in a new array * There dronkennesse reigneth in any rout There nis no counsaile hid withouten dout O Donegild I ne haue non English digne Vnto thy malice and thy tirannie And therefore to the fende I thee resigne Let him enditen of thy traitrie Fie mannish fie O nay by God I lie Fie fendishe spirit for I dare well tell Though thou here walke thy spirit is in hell This messenger came fro the king againe And at the kings mothers house he light And she was of this messenger full faine And pleased him in all that euer she might He dronke and well his girdle vnder pight He sleepeth and he snoreth in his guise All night till the summe gan arise Eft were his letters stollen euerichone And counterfeited letters in this wise The king commaundeth his constable anone Vpon paine of hanging on an high iewise That he ne should suffren in no wise Custance within his realme for to abide Three daies and a quarter of a tide But in the same ship as he her fond Her and her young sonne and all her gere He should crouden and put fro the lond And charge her that she neuer eft come there O Custance well may thy ghost haue fere And sleeping in thy dreame been in pennance When Donegild cast all this ordinance This messenger on the morrow when he woke Vnto the castle halt the next way And to the Constable he the letter tooke And when that he this pitous letter sey Full oft he saied alas and welaway Lord christ qd he how may this world indure So full of sinne is many a creature O mighty God if that it be thy will Sin thou art rightful iudge how may it be That thou wolt suffer innocence to spill And wicked folke to reigne in prosperite O good Custance alas so woe is me That I mote be thy turmentour or els dey On shames death there nis none other wey Weepen both yong and old in that place When that the king this cursed letter sent And Custance with a deadly pale face The fourth day toward the ship she went But nathelesse she taketh in good intent The will of Christ kneeling in that strond She saied lord aye welcome be thy sond He that me kept fro that false blame Whiles I was on the lond amongs you He can me keepe fro harme eke fro shame In the salt sea although I see not how As strong as euer he was he is now In him trust I and in his mother dere That is
ere this That ye Creseide could have chaunged so Ne but I had agilt and done amis So cruell wend I nat your hart iwis To slea me thus alas your name of trouth Is now fordone and that is all my routh Was there none other broche you list lete To feast with your new love qd he But thilke broche that I with teres wete You yave as for a remembraunce of me None other cause alas ne had ye But for dispite and eke for that ye ment All utterly to shewen your entent Through which I see yâ— clene out of your mind Ye have me cast and I ne can nor may For all this world within mine hart find To unloven you a quarter of a day In cursed time I borne was welaway That you that done me all this wo endure Yet love I best of any creature Now God qd he me send yet the grace That I may meten with this Diomede And truely if I have might and space Yet shall I make I hope his sides blede Now God qd he that aughtest taken hede To forthren trouth and wronges to punice Why nilt thou don a vengeance of this vice O Pandarus that in dremes for to trift Me blamed hast and wont art oft upbreide Now mayst thou seen thy self if that thee list How trew is now thy niece bright Creseide In sundry formes God it wote he seide The gods shewen both joy and tene In slepe and by my dreme it is now sene And certainely withouten more speech From henceforth as ferforth as I may Mine owne death in armes woll I seech I retch nat how soone be the day But truly Creseide sweet maie Whom I have with all my might iserved That ye thus done I have it nat deserved This Pandarus that all these things herd And wist well he said a sooth of this He nat a word ayen to him answerd For sorrie of his friends sorrow he is And shamed for his nece hath done amis And stant astonied of these causes twey As still as stone o word ne could he sey But at the last thus he spake and seide My brother dere I may do thee no more What should I saine I hate iwis Creseide And God it wote I woll hate her evermore And that thou me besoughtest done of yore Having vnto mine honour ne my rest Right no regard I did all that thee lest If I did aught that might liken thee It is me lefe and of this treason now God wote that it a sorrow is to me And dredelesse for hearts ease of you Right faine I would amend it wist I how And fro this world almighty God I pray Deliver her soone I can no more say Great was the sorow plaint of Troilus But forth her course fortune aye gan hold Creseide loveth the sonne of Tideus And Troilus mote wepe in cares cold Such is this world who so it can behold * In eche estate is little harts rest God leve vs to take it for the best In many cruell battaile out of drede Of Troilus this ilke noble knight As men may in these old bookes rede Was seen his knighthood his great might And dredelesse his ire day and night Full cruelly the Grekes aye abought And alway most this Diomede he sought And oft time I find that they mette With bloody strokes and with words great Assaying how her speares were whette And God it wote with many a cruell heat Gan Troilus vpon his helme to beat But nathelesse fortune it naught ne would Of others hond that either dien should And if I had itaken for to write The armes of this ilke worthy man Then would I of his battailes endite And for that I to writen first began Of his love I have said as I can His worthy deeds who so list hem here Rede Dares he can tell hem all ifere Beseeching every lady bright of hew And every gentill woman what she be Albeit that Creseide was vntrew That for that gilt ye be nat wroth with me Ye may her gilt in other bookes see And gladder I would write if you lest Penelopes trouth and good Alceste Ne say I nat this all onely for these men But most for women that betraied be Throgh fals folk God yeve hem sorow amen That with her great wit and subtilte Betraien you and this meveth me To speake and in effect you all I pray Beth ware of men and herkeneth what I say Go little booke go my little tregedie There God my maker yet ere that I die So send me might to make some comedie But little booke make thou none envie But subject ben vnto all poesie And kisse the steps whereas thou seest pace Of Vergil Ovid Homer Lucan and Stace * And for there is so great diversite In English and in writing of our tong So pray I to God that none miswrite thee Ne thee misse metre for defaut of tong And redde where so thou be or els song That thou be vnderstond God I beseech But yet to purpose of my rather speech The wrath as I began you for to sey Of Troilus the Greekes boughten dere For thousands his honds maden dey As he that was withouten any pere Save in his time Hector as I can here But welaway save onely Goddes will Dispitously him slough the fierce Achill And when that he was slain in this manere His light ghost full blisfully is went Vp to the hollownesse of the seventh sphere In his place leting everiche element And there he saw with full avisement The erratike sterres herkening armonie With sownes full of heavens melodie And doun from thence fast he gan avise This little spot of earth that with the see Enbraced is and fully gan despise This wretched world and held all vanite To respect of the plaine felicite That is in heaven above and at the last There he was slaine his looking doun he cast And in himselfe he lough right at the wo Of hem that wepten for his death so fast And damned all our werkes that followeth so The blind lust which that may nat last And shoulden all our hart on heaven cast And forth he went shortly for to tell There as Mercurie sorted him to dwell Such fine hath lo this Troilus for love Such fine hath all his great worthinesse Such fine hath his estate royall above Such fine his lust such fine hath his noblesse Such fine hath false worldes brotelnesse And thus began his loving of Creseide As I have told and in this wise he deide O young fresh folkes he or she In which that love vp groweth with your age Repaireth home from worldly vanite And of your herts vp casteth the visage To thilke God that after his image You made and thinketh all nis but a faire This world that passeth sone as floures faire And loveth him the which yâ— right for love Vpon a crosse our soules for to bey First starfe and rose and sit in heven above For he nill falsen no
place he lay as he were dead His breast to brosten with his saddle bow As blacke he lay as any coale or crow So was the blood yroune in his face Anon he was ybrought out of the place With hart full sore to Theseus paleis Tho was he coruen out of his harneis And in a bed ybrought full faire and bliue For he was yet in memory and on liue And alway crying after Emely Duke Theseus with all his company Is comen home to Athens his cite With all blisse and great solemnite Albeit that this auenture was fall He would not discomfort hem all Men said eke that Arcite should not die He should ben healed of his maladie And of another thing they were as faine That of hem all there was none islaine All were they sore hurt and namely one That with a spere was thirled his brest bone Two other had wounds two broken arms Some of them had salues some had charms Sundry fermaces of hearbes and eke saue They dronken for they would her liues haue For which this noble duke as he well can Comforteth and honoureth euery man And made great reuell all the long night Vnto the straunge lords as it was right Ne there nas hold no discomforting But as is at iusts or a turneying For soothly there nas no discomfiture For falling is hold but an auenture Ne to be 〈◊〉 by force unto a stake Vnyolden and with twenty knights take And one person withouten any mo To be harted forth by arme foot and too And eke his steed driuen forth with staues With footmen both yeomen and knaues It was arretted him no villanie There may no man cleape it cowardie For which anon duke Theseus did cry To stinten all rancour and enuy They gre as well of one side as of other And either side is like as others brother And yaue hem gyfts after her degree And helden a feast fully dates three And conueyed the knights worthily Out of his toune a daies iourney largely And home went euery man the right way There nas no more but farwell haue good day Of this battel I woll no more endite But speake of Palamon and of Arcite Swelleth the breast of Arcite and the sore Encreaseth at his heart still more and more The clottered blood for any lee chcraft Corrumped and is in his bouke last That neither veineblood ne vent ousing Ne drinke of hearbes may be helping By vertue expulsiue or animall For thilke vertue cleaped naturall Ne may the venim void ne expell The pipes of his lungs began to swell And euery lacerte in his breast adoun Is shent with venim and corruptioun Him gaineth neither for to get his life Vomit vpward ne downward laxatife All is to brusten thilke region Nature hath no domination * And certainly ther as nature woll not wirch Farwell physicke go beare the corse to chirch This is all and some that Arcire must die For which he sendeth after Emelie And Palamon that was his cosyn deare Then said he thus as ye shall after heare Nought may my wofull spirit in my hart Declare o point of all my sorrows smart To you my lady that I love most But I bequeath the service of my gost To you abouen any creature Since that my life may no lenger dure Alas the wo alas my paines strong That I for you haue suffered and so long Alas the death alas mine Emely Alas departing of our company Alas mine hearts queene alas my liues wife Mine hearts ladie ender of my life * What is the world what asken men to haue Now with his loue now in his cold graue Alone withouten any company Farwell my sweet foe mine Emely And soft doe take me in your armes twey For the loue of God hearkeneth what I say I haue here with my cousin Palamon Had strife and rancour many a day agon For loue of you and for my iealousie And Iupiter so wisely my soule gie To speaken of a seruant properly With circumstances all and truly That is to say trouth honor and knighthede Wisdome humblesse estate high kinrede Freedome and all that longeth to that art So Iupiter have of my soule any part As in this world right now know I non So worthy to be loued as Palamon That serueth you and woll doen all his life And if that you shall euer been a wife Foryet not Palamon the gentleman And with that word his speech faile began For from his feet vnto his breast was come The cold death that had him ouernome And yet moreouer for in his armes two The vitall strength is lost and all ago Saue only the intellect without more That dwelleth in his heart sicke and sore Gan failen wher the hart felt death Dusked been his iyen two and failed breath But on his ladie yet cast he his iye His last word was mercy Emelie His spirit chaunged and out went there Whitherward I cannot tell ne where Therfore I stint I am no diuinistre Of soules find I not in this registre Ne me list not thilke opinion to tell Of hem though they writen where they dwel Arcite is cold there Mars his soule gie Now woll I speake forth of Emelie Shright Emelie and houlen Palamon And Theseus his sister vp tooke anon Swouning and bare her fro his corse away What helpeth it to tarrie forth the day To tellen how she wept both euen morow * For in such case women haue much sorow When that her husbands been fro hem go That for the more part they sorowen so Or els fallen in such maladie That at the last certainely they die Infinit been the sorow and the teares Of old folke and folke of tender yeares In all the toune for death of this Theban For him there weepeth both child and man So great weeping was there not certaine When Hector was brought all fresh yssaine To Troy alas the pitie that was there Scratching of cheekes and renting eke here Why woldest thou be dead thus women crie And haddest gold inough and Emelie No man ne may gladen Theseus Saving his old father Egeus That knew this worlds transmutatioun * As he had seene it both vp and doun Ioy after wo and wo after gladnesse And shewed him ensamples and likenesse * Right as there died neuer man qd he That he ne liued in yearth in some degree Right so there liued neuer man he saied In this world that sometime he ne deied * This world is but a throughfare full of wo And we been pilgrimes passing to and fro Death is an end of euery worlds sore And over all this yet said he much more To this effect full wisely to exhort The people that they should hem recomfort Duke Theseus with all his busie cure Casteth now where that the sepulture Of good Arcite shall best ymaked bee And eke most honourable for degree And at the last he tooke conclusion That there as Arcite and Palamon Had for love the
his brothers bed he commen is And such comfort he yaue him for to gone To Orleaunce that he up stert anone And on his way then is he forth yfare In hope to been lessed of his care When they were comen almost to yâ— citee But if it were a two furlong or three A yong clerke roming by himselfe they met Which that in Latine thriftily hem gret And afterward he saied a wonder thing I know the whole cause of your comming And ere they farther any foot went He told hem all that was in her intent This Briton clerke asked him of fellowes The which he had knowen in old daies And he answerd him that they dead were For which he wept oft full many a tere Doune off his horse Aurelius light anon And with this Magician forth is he gon Home to his house and made him well at ese Hem lacked no vitaile that hem might plese So well araied an house as there was one Aurelius in his life saw neuer none He shewed him or he went to suppere Forrests and parkes full of wild dere He saw there Harts with hornes hie The greatest that euer were seene with eie He see of hem an hundred slaine with hounds And some of arows bled with bitter wounds He saw when voided were the wild dere These fauconers upon a faire riuere That with the haukes han the Heron slaine Tho saw he knights iusting in a plaine And after this he did him such pleasaunce That he him shewed his lady in a daunce On which himself daunced as him thought And when this master that this magike wrouÈt Saw it was time he clapped his honds to And farewell our revel all was ago And remeued neuer out of his hous While they saw all this sight maruellous But in his studie there his bookes bee They saten still no wight but they three To him this maister called his squier And saied him thus is ready our supper Almost an hour it is I vndertake Sithen I you bad our supper ready make When that these worthy men went with me Into my studie there as my bookes be Sir qd the squier when it liketh you It is all ready though ye woll right now Goe we sup then qd he for the best These amorous folk somtime mote haue rest And after supper fell they in treate What sum should this maisters guerdon be To remeue all the rockes of Britaine And eke from Girond to the mouth of Saine He made it strange swore so God him saue Lesse than a thousand pound would he not haue Ne gladly for that sum nold he it done Aurelius with blisfull heart anone Answerd thus Fie on a thousand pound This wide world which men say is round I would it yeue if I were lord of it This bargaine is full driue for we be knit Ye shall be paied truely by my trouth But looke now for no negligence or slouth Ne tarien vs here no lenger than to morow Nay qd this clerk here my trouth to borow To bed is gone Aurelius when him lest And well nigh all night he had his rest What for his labour and his hope of blisse His wofull heart of pennaunce had a lisse Vpon the morrow when that it was day Home to Britaine tooke they the right way Aurelius and this Magicine him beside And been discended there they would abide And this was as the booke doth remember In the cold frostie season of December Phebus waxed old and hewed like laton That afore in his hot declination Shone as the brenning gold with streames bright But now in capricorne adoune he light Whereas he shone full pale I dare well saine The bitter frost with the slidder raine Destroyed hath the greene in euery yerd Ianus sit by the fire with double berd And drinketh of his bugle horne the wine Beforn him stout brawne of the tusked swine And nowell crieth euery lustie man Aurelius in all that euer he can Doeth to this maister chere and reuerence And praieth him to doen his deligence To bringen him out of his paines smart Or with a swerd that he would slit his hart This clerke such routh hath on this man That night day he speedeth him with he can To wait a time of his conclusion This is to say to make illusion Or such an apparence of iogglerie I ne can no termes of Astrologie That she and every wight should wene say That of Britaine the rockes were away Or els they were sonken vnder the ground Till at the last he hath his time yfound To make his yapes and his wretchednesse Of such superstitious cursednesse His tollitan tables he forth brought Full well corrected him lacked nought Neither his collect ne his expans yeres Ne his roots ne yet his other geres As been his centris and his argumentes And his proportionell conuenientes For his equations in euery thing And by his eight speres in his werking He knew full well how far alnath was shoue Fro the head of thilke fixt Aries aboue That in the ninth spere considered is Full subtilly he had calked all this And when he had found his first Mansion He knew the remnaunt by proportion And knew the rising of the Moone we le And in such face the terme and euery dele And knew also his other obseruaunces For such illusions and such mischaunces As Heathen folke vsed in thilke daies For which ne maked he no lenger delaies But through his magick for a weeke or tway It seemed that all the rockes were away Aurelius which that dispaired is Whether he shall haue his loue or fare amis Awaiteth night and day on this miracle And when he knew there was none obstacle But that voided were these rocks euerichone Doune to the maisters feet he fell anone And saied I wofull wretch Aurelius Thanke you lord and lady mine Venus That me hath holpen fro my cares cold And to the temple his way forth hath he hold Whereas he knew he should his lady see And when he saw his time anon right hee With dreadfull hart and with humble chere Salued hath his soueraigne lady dere My rightfull lady qd this wofull man Whom I serue and loue as I best can And lothest were of all this world displease Nere it that I for you haue such disease That I must die here at your feet anon Nought would I tell how wo in me begon But certes either must I die or plaine Ye slea me guiltlesse for very paine But of my death though ye haue no routh Auisen you ere that ye breake your trouth Repenteth you for that like God aboue For ye slea me because that I you loue For Madame well ye wot that ye haue hight Nut that I chalenge any thing of right Of you my soueraigne lady but of your grace But in a garden yonde in such a place Ye wote right well what ye behight me And how in my hond your trouth plight ye To loue me best God wote ye saied so
Goodly abashed having aye pity Of hem that ben in tribulation For she alone is consolation To all that arne in mischeefe and in nede To comfort hem of her womanhede And aye in vertue is her busie charge Sad and demure and but of words few Dredefull also of rongues that ben large Eschowing aye hem that listen to hew Above her head her words for to shew Dishonestly to speake of any wight She deadly hateth of hem to have a sight The hert of whom so honest is ahd cleane And her entent so faithfull and entere That she ne may for all the world sustene To suffer her eares any word to here Of friend nor foe neither ferre ne nere Amisse resowning y◠hinder should his name And if she do she wexeth red for shame So truly in meaning she is set Without chaunging or any doublenesse For bounty and beauty are together knet In her person under faithfulnesse For void she is of newfanglenesse In heart aye one for ever to persever There she is sette and never to dissever I am too rude her vertues everychone Cunningly to discrive and write For well ye wore colour have I none Like her discretion craftely to endite For what I say all it is too lite Wherefore to you thus I me excuse That I acquainted am not with no muse By Rhetoricke my stile to gouerne In her preise and commendation I am too blind so highly to discerne Of her goodnesse to make description Save thus I say in conclusion If that I shall shortly commend In her is naught that nature can amend For good she is like to Polixene And in fairenesse to the queene Helaine Stedfast of heart as was Dorigene And wifely trouth if I shall nar faine In constaunce eke and faith she may attaine To Cleopatra and thereto as setrone As was of Troy the white Antigone As Hester meke like Iudith of prudence Kind as Alceste or Marcia Catoun And to Grisilde like in patience And Ariadne of discretioun And to Lucrece that was of Rome toun She may be likened as for honeste And for her faith vnto Penelope To faire Phillis and to Hipsiphile For innocence and for womanhede For seemlinesse vnto Canace And over this to speake of goodlyhede She passeth all that I can of rede For word and deed that she naught ne fall Accord in vertue and her werkes all For though that Dido with wit sage Was in her time stedfast to Enee Of hastinesse yet she did outrage And so for Iason did also Medee But my Lady is so avisee That bounty beauty both in her demaine She maketh bounty alway soveraine This is too meane bounty goth afore Lad by prudence and hath the soverainte And beauty followeth ruled by her sore That she ne fende her in no degree So that in one this goodly fresh free Surmounting all withouten any were Is good and faire in one persone yfere And though that I for very ignoraunce Ne may discrive her vertues by and by Yet on this day for a remembraunce Onely supported under her mercy With quaking hond I shall full humbly To her highnesse my rudenesse for to quite A little ballade here beneath endite Ever as I can surprise in mine hert Alway with feare betwixt drede and shame Least out of lose any word astert In this mytre to make it seeme lame Chaucer is dead that had such a name Of faire making that without wene Fairest in our tongue as the Laurer grene We may assay for to countrefete His gay stile but it woll not be The well is drie with the licour swete Both of Clye and of Caliope And first of all I woll excuse me To her that is ground of goodlihede And thus I say vntill her womanhede ¶ Ballade simple WIth all my might and my bestentent With all y◠faith that mighty God of kind Me yave sith hee mee soule knowing sent I chese and to this bond ever I me bind To love you best while I have life mind Thus heard I foules in the dawning Vpon the day of saint Valentine sing Yet chese I at the beginning in this entent To love you though I no mercy find And if you list I died I would assent As ever twinne I quicke of this line Suffiseth me to seene your feathers ynde Thus heard I foules in the morning Vpon the day of saint Valentine sing And over this mine hearts lust to bent In honour onely of the wood bind Holly I yeve never to repent In joy or wo where so that I wind Tofore Cupide with his eyen blind The foules all when Titan did spring With devout heart me thought I heard sing ¶ Lenuoye Princesse of beauty to you I represent This simyle dity rude as in making Of heart and will faithfull in mine entent Like as this day foules heard I sing ¶ Here endeth the Floure of Courtesie and hereafter followeth How Pity is dead and buried in a gentle heart PIty that I have sought so yore ago With hert sore and full of busie paine That in this worlde was never wight so wo Without death and if I shall nat faine My purpose was pity to complaine Vpon the cruelty and tyranny Of love that for my trouth doth me dye And that I by length of certaine yeres Had ever in one sought a time to speake To Pity ran I all bispreint with teares To prayen her on Cruelty me awreake But or I might with any word out breake Or tell her any of my paines smert I found her dead and buried in an hert Adowne I fell when I saw the herse Dead as a stone while that y◠swoone me last But vp I rose with colour full diverse And pitously on her mine eyen I cast And neerer the corse I gan preasen fast And for the soule I shope me for to pray I was but lorne there was no more to say Thus am I slaine sith that Pity is dead Alas that day that ever it should fall What maner man dare now hold vp his head To whom shall now any sorrowfull hert call Now Cruelty hath cast to slee vs all In idle hope folke redelesse of paine Sith she is dead to whom shal we complain But yet encreaseth me this wonder new That no wight wore that she is dead but I So many men as in her time her knew And yet she died so suddainly For I have sought her ever full busily Sith I had first wit or mind But she was dead ere I coud her find About her herse there slooden lustely Withouten any mo as thought me Bounty perfitely well armed and richely And fresh Beaute Lust and Iolite Assured manner Youth and Honeste Wisedome Estate Drede Governaunce Confedred both by bond and alliaunce A complaint had I written in my hond To have put to Pity as a bill But I there all this company fond That rather would all my cause spill Than doe me helpe I held my plaint still For to those folke withouten faile
to set mine harte in ease Wherefore to payne my self with al disease I shal not spare till he take me to grace Or els I shall sterue here in this place Ones if I might with him speake It were al my ioy with parfite pleasaunce So that I might to him my herte breake I shuld anone deuoid al my greuaunce For he is the blisse of very recreaunce But now alas I can nothing do so For in steed of ioy naught haue I but wo. His noble corse within mine harts rote Deep is graued which shall neuer slake Now is he gone to what place I ne wote I mourne I wepe and al is for his sake Sith he is past here a vowe I make With hartely promise thereto I me bind Neuer to cease till I may him find Vnto his mother I thinke for to go Of her haply some comfort may I take But one thing yet me feareth and no mo If I any mencion of him make Of my wordes she wold trimble and quake And who coud her blame she hauing but one * The son borne away yâ— mother wol mone Sorowes many hath she suffred trewly Sith that she first conceiued him and bare And seuen things there be most specially That drowneth her hert in sorrow care Yet lo in no wise may they compare With this one now the which if she knew She wold her paines euerichone renew Great was her sorrow by mennes saying Whan in the temple Simeon Iustus Shewing to her these words prophesiyng Tuam Animam pertransibit Gladius Also when Herode that tyrant furious Her childe pursued in euery place For his life went neither mercy ne grace She mourned when she knew him gone Full long she sought or she him found ayen Whan he went to death his crosse him vpon It was to her sight a rewful paine Whan he hong thereon between theues twaine And the speare vnto his herte thrust right She swouned to the ground there pight Whan deed and bloody in her lappe lay His blessed body both hands fete all tore She cried out and said now wel away Thus araide was neuer man before Whan hast was made his body to be bore Vnto his sepulture here to remaine Vnnethes for wo she coude her sustaine These sorowes seuen like swerds euery one His mothers herte wounded fro syde to syde But if she knew her sonne thus gone Out of this world she shuld with death ride For care she coude no lenger here abide Hauing no more joy nor consolacioun Than I here standing in this stacioun Wherefore her to see I dare nat presume Fro her presence I wol my selfe refraine Yet had I leuer to die and consume Than his mother should haue any more pain Neuertheles her sonne I would see ful fain His presence was very ioy and sweetnes His absence is but sorrow and heauines There is no more sith I may him nat mete Whom I desire aboue all other thing Nede I must take the sour with the swete For of his noble corse I here no tiding Full oft I cry and my hands wring Myne herte alas relenteth all in paine Which will brast both senew and vaine * Alas how vnhappie was this woful hour Wherein is thus mispended my seruice For mine intent and eke my true labour To none effect may come in any wise Alas I thinke if he doe me dispise And list not take my simple obseruaunce There is no more but death is my finaunce I haue him called Sed non respondet mihi Wherfore my mirth is tourned to mourning O dere Lord Quid mali feci tibi That me to comfort I find no erthly thing Alas haue compassion of my crying Yf fro me Faciem tuam abscondis There is no more but Consumere me vis Within myne herte is grounded thy figure That all this worlds horrible tourment May it not aswage it is so without measure It is so brenning it is so feruent Remember Lord I haue bin diligent Euer thee to please onely and no mo Myne herte is with thee where so euer I go Therefore my dere darling Trahe me post te And let me not stand thus desolate Quia non est qui consoletur me Myne herte for thee is disconsolate My paines also nothing me moderate Now if it list thee to speake with me aliue Come in hast for my herte asonder will riue To thee I profer lo my poore seruice Thee for to please after mine owne entent I offer here as in deuout sacrifice My boxe replete with pretious oyntment Myne eyen twaine weeping sufficient Myne herte with anguish fulfilled is alas My soule eke redy for loue about to pas Naught els haue I thee to please or pay For if mine herte were gold or pretious stone It should be thine without any delay With hertely chere thou shuld haue it anone Why suffrest thou me then to stand alone Thou hast I trow my weeping in disdaine Or els thou knowest nat what is my paine If thou withdraw thy noble daliaunce For ought that euer I displeased thee Thou knowest right wel it is but ignorance And of no knowledge for certainte If I haue offended Lord forgiue it me Glad I am for to make full repentaunce Of all thing that hath bin to thy greuaunce Myne herte alas swelleth within my brest So sore opprest with anguish with paine That all to peeces forsooth it woll brest But if I see thy blessed corse againe For life ne death I can nat me refraine If thou make delay thou maist be sure Myne hert woll leape into this sepulture Alas my lord why farest thou thus with me My tribulation yet haue in mind Where is thy mercy where is thy pite Which euer I trusted in thee to find Sometime thou were to me both good kind Let it please thee my prayer to accept Which with teares I haue here bewept On me thou oughtest to haue very routh Sith for thee is all this mourning For sith I to thee yplighted first my trouth I neuer varied with discording That knowest thou best my owne darling Why constrainest thou me thus to waile My wo forsooth can thee nothing availe I haue endured without variaunce Right as thou knowest thy louer iust trew With hert thought aye at thine ordinance Like to the saphire alway in one hew I neuer chaunged thee for no new Why withdrawest thou my presence Sith all my thought is for thine absence With hert intier sweet Lord I crie to thee Encline thine ears to my petition And come Voliciter exaudi me Remember mine herts dispositioun It may not endure in this conditioun Therefore out of these paines Libera me And where thou art Pone me juxta te Let me behold O Iesu thy blissed face Thy faire glorious angellike visage Bow thine eares to my complaint alas For to conuey me out of this rage Alas my lord take fro me this dommage And to my desire for mercy condiscend For none but thou
torment and this paine and wo At Thebes in his countre as I said Vpon a night in slepe as he him laid Him thought how that the winged Mercury Beforne him stood aud bad him be mery His slepy yerd in hand he bare vpright An hat he weered vpon his hairs bright Irayed was this god as he toke kepe As he was when Argus tooke his slepe And said him thus to Athens shali thou wend There is the shapen of thy woe and end And with that word Arcite awoke and stert Now truly how sore that ever me smert Quod he to Athens right now wol I fare Ne for no drede of death shall I spare To see my ladie that I loue and serve In her presence recke I not to sterve And with that word he caught a gret mirrour And saw that chaunged was all his colour And saw his visage all in another kind And right anon it ran him in his mind That sith his face was so disfigured Of malady the which he had indured He might well if that he bare him low Live in Athens evermore unknow And sene his ladie welnigh day by day And right anon he chaunged his aray And clad him as a poore labourer And all alone saue only a squier That knew his privitie and all his caas Which was disguised poorly as he was To Athens is he gone the next way And to the court he went vpon a day And at the gate he profered his service To drugge draw what men would deuise And shortly of this matter for to saine He fell in office with a chamberlaine The which was dwelling with Emelie For he was wise and soone couth espie Of euery seruaunt which that serued here Well couth he hewen wood and water bere For he was yong and mightie for the nones And thereto he was strong and big of bones To done that any wight gan him deuise A yere or two he was in this service Page of the chamber of Emelie the bright And Philostrate he said that he hight But halfe so wel beloued man as he Ne was there none in court of his degre He was so gentill of conditioun That through all the court was his renown The said it were a charitie That Theseus would enhauneen his degre And put him in a worshipfull seruice There as he might his vertue exercise And thus within a while his name is sprong Both of his deeds and of his good tong That Theseus hath taken him so nere That of his chamber he made him squier And yaue him gold to maintaine his degre And eke men brought him out of his countre Fro yere to yere full prively his rent But honestly and slyly he it spent That no man wonderd how he it had And three yere in this wise his life he lad And bare him so in peace and eke in wer That there nas man that Theseus durst der And in this blisse let I now Arcite And speake I woll of Palamon alite In darkenesse horrible and strong prison This seven yere hath sitten this Palamon Forpined what for woe and distresse Who feeleth double sore and heuinesse But Palamon that loue distraineth so That wood out of his wit he goeth for wo And eke thereto he is a prisonere Perpetuell and not onely for a yere Who coud rime in English properly His martirdome forsooth it am not I Therefore I passe as lightly as I may It befell that in the seuenth yere in May The third night as old bookes us saine That all this storie tellen more plaine Were it by aduenture or by destine As when a thing is shapen it shal be That soone after midnight Palamon By helping of a friend brake his prison And fleeth the citie as fast as he may go For he had yeuen the gailer drinke so Of a clarrie made of certaine wine With Narcotise and Opie of Thebes fine That all the night though men would him shake The gailer slept he nught not awake And thus he fleeth as fast as he may The night was short and fast by the day That needs cost he mote himselfe hide And to a grove that was fast there beside With dreadfull foot then stalketh Palamon For shortly this was his opinion That in the grove he would him hide all day And in the night then would he take his way To Thebes ward his friends for to prie On Theseus to help him to warrie And shortly either he would lese his life Or win Emelie unto his wife This is the effect and his intent plaine Now will I turne to Arcite againe That little wist how nie was his care Til that fortune had brought him in her snare The merrie Larke messenger of the day Saleweth in her song the morrow gray And fierie Phebus riseth up so bright That all the orisont laugheth of the sight And with his stremes drieth in the greues The siluer drops hanging in the leues And Arcite that in the court riall With Theseus is squire principall Is risen and looketh on the merrie day And for to doen his obseruaunces to May Remembring on the point of his desire He on his courser startling as the fire Is riden into the fieldes him to pley Out of the court were it a mile or twey And to the groue of which I you told By aduenture his way he gan hold To maken him a garlond of the greves Were it of Woodbind or Hauthorn leves And loud he song ayenst the Sonne shene May with all thy floures and thy grene Welcome be thou said he faire fresh May I hope that I some greene thing get may And from his courser with a lusty hert Into the groue full hastily he stert And in a path he romed vp and doun There as by aduenture this Palamon Was in a bush that no man might him se For sore afraied of his death was he Nothing ne knew he that it was Arcite God wot he would have trowed that full lite But sooth is said gone sithen are many yeres * That field hath iyen the wood hath ere 's * It is full fair a man to bear him euin For all day men mete at vnset steuin Full little wote Arcite of this felaw That was so nigh to hearken of his saw For in the bush sitteth he now full still When that Arcite had romed all his fill And songen all the roundell lustily Into a studie he fell sodenly As doen these louers in their queint gires Now in the crop and now doun in the brires Now vp now doune as boket in a well Right as the Friday soothly for to tell Now it raineth now it shineth fast Right so gan gerie Venus ouercast The hearts of here folke right as her day Is gerifull right so chaungeth she aray Selde is the Friday all the weeke ilike When that Arcite had song he gan to like And set him doune withouten any more Alas qd he the day that I was bore Now long Iuno through thy crueltee Wilt
as I trow these ben causes two That causen most a gentil heart wo Of other harme it nedeth not to speake For ye your selfe vpon your selfe wreake Which proueth well that either ire or dread Mote ben encheson of your cruel deed Syn that I se none other wight you chace For the loue of God so doeth your selfe grace Or what may be your helpe for west or east Ne saw I neuer er now no bird ne beast That farde with himselue so pitously Ye slea me with your sorrow verily I haue of you so great compassioun For Gods loue come fro the tree adowne And as I am a kings daughter trew If that I verily the causes knew Of your disease if it lay in my might I would amend it certes or it be night As wisely help me the great God of kind And hearbes also shall I right ynough find To heale with your hurts hastily Tho shright this Falcon yet more pitously Than er she did and fell to ground anone And lyeth a swoune deed as is a stone Til Canace had her in her lappe itake Vnto the time she gan of swoune awake And after that she of swoune can abreyd Right in her Haukes leden thus she seyd * That pity renneth soone in gentle hert Feeling his similitude in paines smert Is proued all day as men may see As well by werke as by authorite For gentle heart keepeth gentlenesse I see well that ye haue of my distresse Compassion my faire Canace Of very womanly benignite That nature in your principles hath set But for none hope for to fare the bet But for to obey vnto your heart free And for to make other beware by mee As by the whelpe chastised is the Lion Right for that cause and that conclusion While that I haue a leysure and a space Mine harme I woll confessen or I pace And euer while that one her sorrow told That other wept as she to water wold Till that the Faucon bad her to be still And with a sike thus she said her till There I was bred alas that ilke day And fostred in a roche of marble gray So tenderly that nothing aileth me I ne wist what was aduersite Till I coud flie full high vnder the skie There dwelt a Tercelet me fast by That seemed well of all gentlenesse All were he full of treason and of falsenesse It was so wrapped vnder humble chere And hew of trouth and in such manere Vnder pleasaunce and vnder busie pain That no wight coud haue wend he coud fain So deepe in greyne he died his colours Right as a serpent hideth him vnder flours Till he may see his time for to bite Right so this god of loues hypocrite Doth so his ceremonies and obeysaunce With his dissimuling and fair assemblaunce That souneth vnto gentlenesse of loue As in a tombe is all the faire aboue And vnder the corse such as ye wote Such was this hypocrite cold and hote And in this wise he serued his intent That saue the fiend non wist what he ment Till he so long had weeped and complained And many a yeare his seruice to me fained Till that mine hert too pitous and too nice All innocent of his cruell mallice For ferd of his death as thought me Vpon his othes and his surete Graunted him loue vpon this conditioun That euermore mine honour and renoun Where saued both preuy and apert This is to say that after his desert I yaue him all mine hert and all my thought God wote and in none other wise nought And tooke his hert in chaunge of mine for aye * But sooth is said gone sithen many a day A true wight and a theefe thinketh not one And when he saw the thing so fer igone That I graunted him fully my loue In such a guise as I haue said aboue And yeuen him my true heart as free As he swore he yafe his heart to mee Anon this tigre full of doublenesse Fell on his knees with so deuout humblesse With high reuerence and eke by his chere So like a gentle louer as of manere So rauished as it seemed for joy That neuer Troylus ne Paris of Troy Iason certes ne none other man Since Lamech was that alder first began To louen two as writen folke beforne Ne neuer sithen Adam was borne Ne couth man by twenty thousand part Counterfeit the sophimes of his art Ne were worthy to vnbocle his galoche Ther doublenesse or faining should approach Ne so couth thanke a wight as he did me His manner was an heauen for to see To any woman were she neuer so wise So painteth he his chere point deuise As well his words as his countenaunce And I so loued him for his obeysaunce And for the trouth that I demed in his hert That if so were that any thing him smert Were it neuer so lite and I it wist Me thought I felt death at my hart twist And shortly so ferforth this thing went That my will was his wils instrument That is to say my will obeied his will In all thing as farre as reason fill Keeping the bounds of my worship euer Ne neuer had I thing so lefe ne so leuer As him God wot ne neuer shall no mo This lasteth lenger than a yeare or two That I supposed of him nothing but good But finally thus at the last it stood That fortune would that he must twin Out of that place which that I was in Whereof me was wo it is no question I cannot make of it description For o thing dare I tell boldely I know what the paine of death is thereby Such harme I felt that he ne might bleue So on a day of me he tooke his leue So sorrowfully eke that I wend verily That he had felt as much harme as I When that I heard him speak saw his hew But natheles I thought he was so trew And eke that he repaire should againe Within a little while sooth to saine And reason would eke that he must go For his honour as oft happeth so * That I made vertue of necessite And tooke it well sith it must needs be As I best might I hid fro him my sorrow And took him by the hond S. Iohn to borow And said him thus lo I am yours all Beth such as I haue ben to you and shall What he answerd it needeth not reherse * Who can sain bet than he who can do wers When he hath al wel isaid than hath he done * Therefore behoueth him a long spoone That shal eaten with a fiend thus herd I say So at the last he mote forth his way And forth he fleeth till he come there him lest When it come him to purpose for to rest I trow he had thilke text in mind * That all thing repairing to his kind Gladeth hemselue thus sain men as I gesse * Men louen of kind newfanglenesse As birds done that men in cages feed For thogh thou night day
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
she that maked me For well I wote that it shall never betide Let such follie out of your heart glide * What deintie should a man haue in his life For to goe loue another mans wife That hath her body when so that him liketh Aurelius full often sore siketh Wo was Aurely when he this herd And with a sorowfull chere he thus answerd Madame qd he this were impossible Then mote I die on suddaine death horrible And with that word he turned him anone Tho come her other friends everichone And in the aleyes romeden up and doun And nothing wist of this conclusioun But suddainely began to revell new Till that the bright sonne had lost his hew For the orizont hath reft the sunne his light This is as much to say as it was night And home they gone in ioy and in solas Save onely wretched Aurelius alas He to his house is gone with sorrowfull hert He said he might not from his death astert Him seemed that he felt his heart all cold And up to heaven his honds gan he hold And on his knees bare he set him adoun And in his raving said this orisoun For very wo out of his wit he braied He ne wist what he spake but thus he said With pitous heart hath he his complaint begon Vnto the goddes and first unto the son He said God Apollo and governour Of every plant hearbe tree and flour That yeuest after thy declination To ilke of hem his time and season As thine herberow chaungeth low and hie Lord Phebus cast thy merciable eie On wretched Aurelius which am but lorne Lo Lord my Lady hath my death ysworne Without guilt but thy benignity Vpon my deadly heart haue some pity For well I wot lord Phebus if ye lest Ye may me helpe saue my lady best Now vouch ye saue that I you deuise How that I may be holpen in what wise Your blisfull suster Lucina the shene That of the sea is goddesse and queene Though Neptunus hath deitie in the see Yet empresse abouen him is she Ye knowen well lord right as her desire Is to be quickened and lighted of your sire For which she followeth you full besily Right to the sea desireth naturally To followen her as she that is goddesse Both of the sea and riuers more and lesse Wherefore lord Phebus this is my request Doe this miracle or doe mine heart brest That now next at this oppsition Which in signe shall be of the Lion As prayeth her so great a flood to bring That fiue fadome at the least it ouerspring The highiest rocke in Armorike Britaine And let this floud to duren yeares twaine Then certes to my lady may I say Holdeth your hest the rockes been away This thing may ye lightly done for me Pray her to gone no faster course than ye I say thus prayeth your suster that she go No faster course than ye in yeares two Then shall she be at the full alway And spring flood lasting both night day And but she vouchsafe in such manere To graunt me my soveraigne lady dere Pray her to sinken every rocke adoun Into her owne derke regioun Vnder the ground there Pluto dwelleth in Or nevermore shall I my lady win Thy Temple in Delphos wol I barefoot seek O lord Phebus see the teares on my cheek And on my paine haue some compassioun And with that word in swoune he fell adoun And for a long time he lay in a traunce His brother which that knew of his pennaunce Vp caught him and to bed him brought Dispaired in this turnment and this thought Let I this wofull creature lie Chese he whether he woll liue or die Aruiragus with heale and great honour As he that was of chiualrie the flour Is comen home and other worthy men O blisfull art thou now Dorigen That hast thy lusty husbond in thine armes That fresh knight that worthy man of arms That loueth thee as his own hearts life Nothing list him to be imaginatife If any wight had spoken while he was out To her of loue thereof had he no dout He entendeth not to such matere But danceth justeth and maketh her good chere And thus in joy and bliss I let hem dwell And of wofull Aurelius woll I tell In langour and in turment despitous Two yeare and more lay wretched Aurelius Ere any foot on earth he might gone Ne comfort in this time had he none Saue of his brother which was a clerke He knew of all this wo and all this werke For to none other creature certaine Of this mattere durst he no word saine Vnder his breast he bare it more secre Than euer did Pamphilus for Galathe His breast was whole without for to seene But in his heart aye was the arrow keene And well ye knowen that of a sursanure In surgerie is perâ—â—â—ous the cure But men might touch the arrow or come thereby His brother weepeth and waileth prively Till at the last him fell in remembraunce That while he was at Orleaunce in Fraunce As these clerkes yong that been likerous To readen arts that been curious Seeken in euery halke and in euery Herne Particular science for to lerne He him remembred that upon a deie At Orleaunce in studie a booke he seie Of Magicke naturall which his felaw That was in that time a batcheler of law All were he there to learne another craft Had prively upon his dexe ylaft Which booke spake of mochell operations Touching the eight and twentie Mansions That longen to the Moone and such follie As in our dayes is not worth a Flie For holy church saieth in our beleeue * Ne suffereth none illusion us to greeue And when this book was in his remembrance Anon for ioy his heart gan to dance And to himselfe he saied prively My Brother shall be warished sikerly For I am siker that there be sciences By which men maken diuers apparences Such as these subtill tregetores play For oft at â—easts haue I well heard say That tragetors within an hall large Haue made come in water and a barge And in the hall rowen up and doun Sometime hath seemed a grim Lioun And sometime floures spring as in a mede Sometime a vine grapes white and rede Sometime a Castle of lime and stone And when hem liked voiden hem anone Thus seemed it to every mans sight Now then conclude I thus if that I might At Orleaunce some old felaw find That had this Moones Mansions in mind Or other Magicke natural aboue He should wel make my brother haue his loue For with an apparaunce a clerke may make To a mans sight that all the rockes blake Of Britaine were yuoided euerichone And ships by the brinke to comen and gone And in such forme enduren a yeare or two Then were my brother warished of his wo Then must she needs holden her behest Or els he shall shame her at the lest What should I make a lenger tale of this Vnto
is out of dout This false iudge I say goth now fast about To hasten his delight all that he may And so befell that soone after on a day This false iudge as telleth us the storie As he was wont sat in his consistorie And yaue his doomes vpon sundry caas This false client came forth a full great paas And said Lord if that it be your will As doth me right vpon this pitous bill In which I plaine vpon Virginius And if he woll say it is not thus I woll proue it and find good witnesse That sooth is that my bill woll expresse The iudge answerd of this in his absence I may not yeue definite sentence Let doe him call and I woll gladly here Thou shalt haue all right no wrong here Virginius came to wete the iudges will And right anon was rad this cursed bill The sentence of it was as ye shall heare To you my lord Appius so deare Sheweth your poore seruaunt Claudius How that a knight called Virginius Ayenst the law and ayenst all equite Holdeth expresse ayenst the will of me My seruant which that is my thral by right Which from mine hous was stolen on a night Whiles she was full yong I woll it preue By witnesse lord so that ye you not greue She is not his doughter what so he say Wherefore my lord iustice I you pray Yeeld me my thrall if it be your will Lo this was all the sentence of that bill Virginius gan upon the client behold But hastily ere he his tale told He would haue defended it as shuld a knight And by witnesse of many a trew wight That all was false that said his aduersarie This cursed iudge would no lenger tary He here a word more of Virginius But yaue his iudgment and said thus I deme anon this client his seruaunt haue Thou shalt no lenger her in thine house saue Go bring her forth put her in our ward This client shal haue his thrall thus I award And when this worthy knight Virginius Through the assent of the iudge Appius Must by force his deare doughter yeuen Vnto the iudge in letchery to liuen He goth him home and set him in his hall And let anon his deare doughter call And with a face dead as ashen cold Vpon her humble face he gan behold With fathers pity sticking through his hert All would he not from his purpose conuert Doughter qd he Virginia by thy name There ben two waies either death or shame That thou must suffer alas that I was borne For neuer thou deseruedest whereforne To dien with a sword or with a knife Oh dere doughter comfort of my life Which I haue fostred vp with such plesance That thou neuer were out of my remembrance O doughter which that art my last wo And in my life my last ioy also O iemmme of chastitie in patience Take thou thy death this is my sentence For loue not for hate thou must be dead My pitous hond mote smite of thine head Alas that euer Appius thee sey Thus hath he falsely iudged thee to dey And told her all the case as ye before Han heard it needeth not to tell it more O mercy dere father qd this maid And with that word both her armes laid About his necke as she was wont to do The teares brast out of her eyen two And said O good father shall I die Is there no grace Is there no remedie No certes deare doughter mine qd he Then yeue me leaue father mine qd she My death to complaine a little space For parde Iepte yaue his doughter grace For to complaine ere he her slough alas And God it wot nothing was her trespas But that she ran her father first to see To welcome him with great solemnitee And with that word she fell aswoune anone And after when her swouning was gone She riseth vp and to her father said Blessed be God that I shall die a maid Yeue me my death ere that I haue a shame Doth with your child your wil a gods name And with that word she praieth him full oft That with his swerd he should smite her soft And with that word aswoune doune she fell Her father with sorrowfull heart and fell Her head off smote and by the top it hent And to the iudge he it yaue in present As he sat in doome in consistorie When the iudge it saw as saith the storie He bad take him and hong him also fast But right anone all the people in thrast To saue the knight for routh and for pity For knowen was the iudges iniquity The people anon had suspect in this thing By manner of this clients challenging That it was by the assent of Appius They wist well that he was letcherous For which unto Appius they gone And kesten him in prison right anone Whereas he slew himselfe and Claudius That seruant was vnto this Appius Was demed to be honged vpon a tree But Virginius of his great pitee So prayed for him that he was exiled And els certes he had been beguiled The remnaunt were honged more lesse That consented were to his cursednesse * Here may men see how sin hath his merite Beware for no man wot how God wol smite In no degree ne in no manner wise The worme of conscience woll arise Of wicked life though it so priuie be That no man wote of it but God and he Whether he be leaud man or lered He not how soone he may been affered * Therefore I rede you this counsaile take To forsake sinne or sinne you forsake ¶ The words of the Host OUr host gan sweare as he were wood Harrow qd he by nailes and by blood This was a false theefe a cursed iustice As shamefull death as heart may deuise Come to the iustice and her aduocas Algate this silly maiden is slaine alas Alas too deare abought she her beautee Wherefore I say that all men may see * That yefts of Fortune or of nature Been cause of death of many a creature Her beauty was her death I dare well saine Alas so pitously as she was slaine But hereof woll I not proceed as now * Men haue full oft more harme than prow But truly truly mine owne maister dere This is a ernefull tale for to here But nathelesse passe ouer and no force I pray to God to saue thy gentle corce And thy vrinals and thy iordanes Thine ypocras and eke thy galianes And euery boxe full of letuarie God blesse hem and our lady saint Marie So mote I thee thou art a proper man And ylike a prelate by saint Runian Saue that I cannot speake well in terme But well I wot thou dost mine hert to yerne That I haue almost ycaught a cardiacle By corpus domini But I haue triacle Or els a draught of moist cornie ale Or but I heare anon another merry tale My heart is lost for pity of this maid Thou belamy thou Iohn pardoner he
said Tell vs some merry tale or iape right anon It shall be done qd he by saint Runion But first qd he here at this ale stake I woll both drinke and bite on a cake But right anone these gentles gan to crie Nay let him tell vs of no ribaudrie Tell vs some morall thing that we mow lere Some wit and then woll we gladly here I graunt qd he ywis but in the cup I le think On some honest thing whiles that I drink ¶ The Pardoners Prologue LOrdings qd he in chirch when I preche I paine mee to haue an hauteine speche And ring it out as round as doth a bell For I can all by rote that I tell My teme is alway one and euer was * Radix omnium malorum est cupiditas First I pronoâ—nce fro whence I come And then my bils I shew all and some Our liege lords seale on my patent That shew I first my body to warrent That no man be so bold priest ne clerke Me to disturbe of Christs holy werke And after that I tell forth my tales Of Buls of Popes and of Cardinales Of Patriarkes and of Bishops I shew And in latine I speake words a few To sauer with my predication And for to stere men to deuotion Then shew I forth my long christall stones Ycrammed full of clouts and of bones Relickes they been as wene they echone Then haue I in laton a shoder bone Which that was of an holy iewes shepe Good men say I take of my words kepe If that this bone be washen in any well If cow or calfe sheepe or oxe swell That any worme hath eaten or hem stong Take water of this well and wash his tong And it is hole anon and furthermore Of pockes and of scabs and euery sore Shall shepe be hole that of this well Drinketh a draught take keepe of that I tell If that the good man that beasts oweth Woll euery day ere the cocke croweth Fasting drinke of this well a draught As thilke holy iew our elders taught His beasts and his store shall multiplie And sirs also it healeth jealousie For though a man be fall in jealous rage Let make with this water his potage And never shall he more his wife mistrist Though he in sooth the defaut by her wist All had she taken priests two or three Here is a mittaine eke that ye may see He that his hand woll put in this mittaine He shall have multiplying of his graine When he hath sowen be it wheat or otes So that he offer good pens or grotes And men women o thing I warne you If any wight been in this church now That hath done sinne horrible that he Dare not for shame of it shriuen be Or any woman be she yong or old That hath made her husbond a cokewold Such folke shull haue no power ne no grace To offer to my relickes in this place And who so findeth him out of such blame Commeth up and offer in Gods name And I assoyle him by the authoritie Such as by bull was graunted vnto me By this gaude haue I won every yere An hundred marke sithen I was pardonere I stond like a clerke in my pulpet And when the leud people been doune yset I preach so as ye haue lered before And tell to them an hundred yapes more Then paine I me to stretch forth my necke And east and west vpon the people I becke As doth a dove sitting upon a berne My honds and my tongue gone so yerue That it is joy to see my businesse Of avarice and of such cursednesse All my preaching is for to maken hem free To yeuen her pens and namely vnto me For mine entent is not but for to winne And nothing for correction of sinne I recke neuer when that they ben buried Though her soule gone a black buried * For certes many a predication Commeth oft time of evill entention Some for pleasaunce of folke for flaterie To been auaunced by hipocrisie And some for vaineglory and some for hate For when I dare not other wayes debate Then woll I sting hem with my tongue smert In preaching so that he shall not astert To ben defamed falsely if that he Hath trespassed to my bretherne or to me For though I tell not his proper name Men shall well know that it is the same By signes or by other circumstaunces Thus quite I folke that doth vs displeasaunces Thus put I out my venum under hew Of holinesse to seemen holy and trew But shortly mine entent I woll deuise I preach of nothing but of couetise Therefore my teme is yet and ever was Radix omnium malorum est cupiditas Thus can I preach ayenst yâ— same vice Which that I use and that is avarice But though my self be guilty in that sinne Yet can I maken other folke to twinne From auarice and sore hem to repent But that is not my principal entent I preach nothing but for couetise Of this matere it ought ynough suffise Then tell I hem ensamples many a one Of old stories done long time agone For leaud people aye louen tales old Which things they can well report hold What trowen ye whiles that I may prech And win gold and siluer for to tech That I woll liue in pouert wilfully Nay nay I thought it neuer truly For I woll preach and beg in sundry londs I woll not doe no labour with mine honds Ne make baskets and liue thereby Because I woll not beg idelly I woll none of the apostles counterfete I woll haue money mault cheese whete All were it yeuen of the poorest page Or of the poorest widdow in a village Though her children should sterue for famine Nay I woll drinke the licour of the wine And haue a jolly wench in every toun But hearkeneth lordings my conclusioun Your liking is that I should tell a tale Now I haue drunken a draught of corny ale By God I hope I shall tell you a thing That shall by reason been at your liking For though my selfe be a full vicious man A morall tale yet I you tell can Which I am wont to preach for to win Now hold your peace my tale I woll begin ¶ The Pardoners Tale. A company of Riotours conspire to kill Death who killeth them one after another IN Flanders whilom there was a companie Of yong folke that haunted follie As hasard riot stewes and tauernes Whereas with harps lutes and geternes They dauncen plaien at dice night day And eaten also ouer that her might may Through which they done the deuill sacrifice Within the devils temple in cursed wise By superfluitie abhominable Her othes been so great and so damnable That it is grisly for to heare hem sweare Our blessed lords body they all to teare Hem thought the Iews rent him not ynough And each of hem at others sinne lough And right anon comen in tomblesteres Fetis and smale and yong foiteres Singers with harpes
How that the second hest of God is that And furthermore I woll thee tell all plat * That vengeaunce shall not part fro his hous That of his othes is too outrageous By Gods precious heart and his nailes And by the bloud of Christ that is in Hailes Seuen is my chaunce thine fiue and three By Gods armes if thou falsly play me This dagger shall through thine heart ygo This fruit it commeth of thilke bones two For swearing ire falsenesse and homicide Now for the loue of Christ that for vs dide Leaueth your othes both great and smale For I shall tell you a meruellous tale These roitours three of which I tell Long erst or prime rong any bell Were set hem in a Tauerne to drinke And as they sat they heard a bell clinke Before a corse that was carried to his graue That one of hem gan to call to his knaue Goe bette qd he and aske redily What corse is this that passeth forth by And looke that thou report his name wele Sir qd he it needeth neuer a dele It was me told ere ye came here two hours He was parde an old fellow of yours All suddainly was he slaine to night For drunke as he sat on his bench vpright There came a priuy theefe men clepen death That in this countrey all the people sâ—aeth And with his speare he smote his heart at wo And went his way withouten words mo He hath a thousand slaine this pestilence And maister ere ye come in his presence Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to beware of such an aduersarie Bethe redy for to meten him euermore Thus taught me my dame I say no more By saint Mary saied this Tauernere The child sayeth sooth for he hath this yere Hens ouer a mile slaine in a great village Both man and woman child and page I trowe his habitation be there To been auised great wisdome it were Ere that he did a man dishonour Ye Gods armes qd this riotour Is it such perill with him for to meet I shall him seeche by stile and eke by street I make auow by Gods digne bones Herkeneth fellowes we three been all ones Let ech of vs hold vp his hond to other And ech of vs become others brother And we woll slea this false traitour death He shall be slaine that so many slaeth By Gods dignity ere that it be night Togider han these three her trouths plight To liue and die ech of them with other As though he were his owne brother And vp they stert all dronken in this rage And forth they gone toward that village Of which the Tauerner hath spoken before And many a grisâ—y o the haâ— they swore And Christes blessed body they to rent Death shall be dead and we may him hent When they han gone not fully a mile Right as they would haue troden ouer a stile An old poore man with hem met This old man full meekely hem gret And saied now lordings God ye see The proudest of these riotours three Answerd ayen what churle with hard grace Why art thou all forwrapped saue thy face Why liuest thou so long in so great age This old man gan looken in his visage And saied thus for that I cannot find A man though I walked into Iude Neither in city ne in no village That would chaunge his youth for mine age And therefore mote I haue mine age still As long time as it shall be Gods will Ne death alas â—ill not haue my life Thus walke I like a restlesse caitife And on the ground which is my mothers gate I knocke with my staffe erliche and late And say still leue mother let me in Lo how I vanish flesh blood and skin Alas when shall my bones been at rest Mother with you would I chaunge my chest That in my chamber long time hath be Ye for an heren clout to wrap in me But yet to me she woll not doen yâ— grace For which full pale and welked is my face * But sirs to you it is ne courtesie To speaken vnto an old man villanie But he trespace in word either in dede In holy writ you may your selfe well rede * Ayenst an old man hore vpon his hede Ye should arise therefore I you rede Ne doeth to an old man no harme as now No more than ye would a man did you In age if that ye may so long abide And God be with you whether ye go or ride I mote go thider as I have to go Nay old churle by God thou shalt not so Saied these other hasardours anon Thou partest not so lightly by saint Iohn Thou spakest riÈt now of thilke traitor death That in this country all our friends slaeth Have here my trouth thou art his espie Tell where he is or els thou shalt die By God and by the holy Sacrament For soothly thou art of his assent To slea vs yong folke O thou false thefe Now sirs if it be to you so lefe To find death tourne vp this crooked way For in that groue I left him by my fay Vnder a tree and there he woll abide Ne for your bost he nill him nothing hide Se ye yonder oke right there ye shall him find God saue you that bought ayen mankind And you amend thus saied this old man Then eueriche of these riotours ran Til they came to the tree there they found Floreines of gold fine yâ—oined round Well nigh a seuen bushels as hem thought No lenger than after death they sought But ech of hem so glad was of that sight For that the Floreins so faire been bright That doune they sit by the precious hord The yongest of hem spake the first word Brethren qd he take keepe what I say My wit is great though I bord or play This treasure hath fortune to vs yeuen In mirth and iollity our life to liuen And lightly as it comes so woll we spend Heie Gods precious hart who did once wend To day that we should have so faire a grace But might this gold be caried fro this place Home to my house or els vnto yours For well I wote that all this gold is ours Then were we in high felicite But truly by day it may not be Men would then say that we wer theeues strong And for our owne treasure doen vs hong This treasure must yearied be by night As wisely and as slily as it might Wherefore I rede draw cut among vs all And let us see where the cut woll fall He that hath the shortest cut with hart blith Shall renne to the toune that full swith To bring vs bread and drinke full priuely And two of us shall keepe full subtilly This treasure well and if he woll not tarie When it is night we woll this treasure carie By one assent where as vs list best That one of hem brought grasse in his fest And bad hem draw look where it wold fall And it fell on the yongest
fall a weather that shall it dere And make it to fade and fall The stalke the greine and floures all That to the tillers is fordone The hope that he had too soone I drede certaine that so fare I For hope and trauaile sikerly Ben me beraft all with a storme The floure nill seden of my corne For Loue hath so auaunced me When I began my priuite To Bialacoil all for to tell Whom I ne found froward ne fell But tooke agree all whole my play But Loue is of so hard assay That all at ones he reued me When I weent best abouen to haue be * It is of Loue as of Fortune That chaungeth oft and nill contune Which whylome woll of folke smile And glombe on hem another while * Now friend now foe shalt her feele For a twinckling tourneth her wheele * She can writhe her head away This is the concourse of her play She can areise that doeth mourne And whirle adoune and ouertourne Who sitteth highest but as her lust A foole is he that woll her trust For it is I that am come doun Through charge and reuolutioun Sith Bialacoil mote fro me twin Shette in her prison yonde within His absence at mine heart I fele For all my ioy and all mine hele Was in him and in the Rose That but you will which him doeth close Open that I may him see Loue woll not that I cured bee Of the paines that I endure Nor of my cruell auenture AH Bialacoil mine owne dere Though thou be now a prisonere Keepe at least thine heart to me And suffer not that it daunted be Ne let not iealousie in his rage Putten thine heart in no seruage Although he chastice thee without And make thy bodie vnto him lout Haue heart as hard as Diamaunt Stedfast and naught pliaunt * In prison though thy bodie bee At large keepe thine heart free A true heart will not plie For no mannace that it may drie If Ielousie doeth thee paine Quite him his while thus againe To venge thee at least in thought If other way thou maiest nought And in this wise subtelly Worch and winne the maistrie But yet I am in great affray Least thou doe nat as I say I drede thou canst me great maugre That thou emprisoned art for me But that nat for my trespas For through me neuer discouered was Yet thing that ought be secre Well more annoy is in me Than is in thee of this mischaunce For I endure more hard pennaunce Than any can saine or thinke That for the sorrow almost I sinke When I remember me of my wo Full nigh out of my witte I go Inward mine heart I feele blede For comfortlesse the death I drede Owe I nat well to haue distresse When false through her wickednesse And traitours that arne enviours To noien me be so coragious Ah Bialacoil full well I see That they hem shape to deceiue thee To make thee buxum to her law And with her cord thee to draw Where so hem lust right at her will I drede they haue thee brought theretill Without comfort thought me sleath This game would bring me to my death For if your good will I lese I mote be dead I may not chese And if that thou foryete me Mine heart shall neuer in liking be Nor elswhere find sollace If I be put out of your grace As it shall neuer ben I hope Then should I fall in wanhope Alas in wanhope nay parde For I woll neuer dispaired be If hope me faile then am I Vngracious and vnworthy In hope I woll comforted be For Loue when he betaught her me Saied that Hope where so I go Should aye be relees to my wo. But what and she my bales bete And be to me curteis and swete She is in nothing full certaine Louers she put in full great paine And maketh hem with wo to dele Her faire beheste deceiueth fele For she woll behote sikerly And failen after vtterly Ah that is a full noyous thing For many a louer in louing Hangeth upon her and trusteth fast Which lese her trauaile at the last Of thing to commen she wot right nought Therefore if it be wisely sought Her counsaile follie is to take For many times when she woll make A full good sillogisme I drede That afterward there shall indede Follow an euill conclusion This put me in confusion * For many times I haue it seene That many haue beguiled beene For trust that they haue set in Hope Which fell hem afterward a slope BVt nathelesse yet gladly she would That he that woll him with her hold Had all times her purpose clere Without deceit any where That she desireth sikerly When I her blamed I did folly But what auaileth her good will When she ne may staunch my stound ill That helpeth little that she may do Or take behest vnto my wo * And heste certaine in no wise Without ifete is not to preise * When heste and deed asunder vary They doen a great contrary Thus am I posted vp and doun With dole thought and confusioun Of my disease there is no number Daunger and Shame me encumber Drede also and Ielousie And wicked Tongue full of enuie Of which the sharpe and cruell ire Full oft me put in great martire They haue my ioy fully let Sith Bialacoil they haue beshet Fro me in prison wickedly Whom I loue so entierly That it woll my bane bee But I the sooner may him see And yet moreouer worst of all There is set to keepe foule her befall A Rimpled vecke ferre ronne in rage Frouning and yellow in her visage Which in await lieth day and night That none of him may haue a sight NOw mote my sorrow enforced be Full sooth it is that Loue yafe me Three wonder yefts of his grace Which I haue lorne now in this place Sith they ne may without drede Helpen but little who taketh hede For here auaileth no Sweet thought And Sweet speech helpeth right nought The third was called Sweet Looking That now is lorne without lesing Yefts were faire but nat for thy They helpe me but simply But Bialacoil loosed bee To gone at large and to be free For him my life lieth all in dout But if he come the rather out Alas I trow it woll nat beene For how should I euermore him seene He may nat out and that is wrong Because the toure is so strong How should he out or by whose prowesse Of so strong a forteresse By me certaine it nill be do God wote I haue no with thereto But well I wote I was in rage When I to Loue did homage Who was the cause in soothfastnesse But her selfe dame Idlenesse Which me conueide through faire praiers To enter into that faire vergere She was to blame me to leue The which now doeth me sore greue * A fooles word is nought to trow Ne worth an apple for to low Men should hem snibbe bitterly At prime temps of his
onely follies for to lede Into disport and wildenesse So is froward from sadnesse But Elde draweth hem therefro Who wote it not he may well go And mo of them that now arne old That whilom Youth had in hold Which yet remembreth of tender age How it him brought in many a rage And many a follie therein wrought But now yâ— Elde hath him through sought They repent hem of her follie That Youth hem put in jeopardie In perill and in much woe And made hem oft amisse to doe And sewen evill companie Riot and advoutrie BVt Elde gan againe restraine From such follie and refraine And set men by her ordinaunce In good rule and governaunce But evil she spendeth her servise For no man woll her love neither preise She is hated this wote I wele Her acquaintance would no man fele Ne han of Elde companie Men hate to be of her alie For no man would becommen old Ne die when he is young and bold And Elde maruaileth right greatly When they remember hem inwardly Of many a perillous emprise Which that they wrought in sundry wise However they might without blame Escape away without shame In youth without domage Or reprefe of her linage Losse of member shedding of blood Perill of death or losse of good Wost thou nat where youth abit That men so preisen in her wit With Delight she halt sojour For both they dwellen in o tour As long as youth is in season They dwellen in one mansion Delight of Youth woll have servise To doe what so he woll devise And Youth is readie evermore For to obey for smert or sore Vnto Delight and him to yeve Her servise while that she may live Where Elde abitte I woll thee tell Shortly and no while dwell For thider behoveth thee to go If death in youth thee not slo Of this journey thou mayst not faile With her labour and trauaile Lodged keen with sorrow and wo That never out of her Court go Paine and distresse sickenesse and ire And melancholly that angrie sire Ben of her pale is senatours Groning and grutching her herbegeours The day and night her to tourment With cruell death they her present And tellen her erltch and late That death stondeth armed at her gate Then bring they to her remembraunce The folly deedes of her enfaunce Which causen her to mourne in wo That youth hath her beguiled so Which sodainly away is haâ—ted She weeped the time that she hath wasted Complaining of the preteritte And the present that nat abitte And of her old vanitee That but aforne her she may see In the future some succour To leggen her of her dolour To graunt her time of repentaunce For her sinnes to doe penaunce And at the last so her gouerne To winne the joy that is eterne Fro which goe backeward youth he made In vanitie to drowne and wade * For present time abideth nought It is more swift than any thought So little while it doth endure That there nis compt ne measure But how that ever the game go Who list to love joy and mirth also Of love be it he or she Hie or low who it be In fruite they should hem delite Her part they may not else quite To save hem selfe in honeste And yet full many one I see Of women soothly for to saine That desire and would faine The play of Love they be so wilde And not covet to go with childe And if with childe they be perchaunce They woll it hold a great mischaunce But whatsoever woe they fele They woll not plaine but concele But if it be any foole or nice In whome that shame hath no justice For to Delight eachone they draw That haunt this worke both hie and law Save such that arne worth right nought That for money woll be bought * Such love I preise in no wise When it is given for covetise * I praise no woman though she be wood That yeveth her selfe for any good For little should a man tell Of her that will her bodie sell Be she maid be she wife That quicke woll sell her by her life How faire chere that ever she make He is a wretch I undertake That loved such one for sweete or soure Though she him called her Paramoure And laugheth on him maketh him feast For certainly no such beast To be loved is not worthy Or beare the name of Drury None should her please but he wer wood That woll dispoile him of his good Yet nathelesse I woll not say That she for solace and for play May a Iewell or other thing Take of her Loves free yeving But that she aske in no wise For drede of shame or covetise And she of hers may him certaine Without slaunder yeven againe And joyne her hearts togither so In Love and take and yeve also Trow not that I will hem twinne When in her love there is no sinne I woll that they together go And done all that they han ado As curtes should and debonaire And in her love beren hem faire Without vice both he and she So that alway in honeste Fro folly love to keepe hem clere That brenneth herts with his fere And that her love in any wise Be devoide of Covetise * Good love should engendred be Of true heart just and secree And not of such as set her thought To have her lust and else nought So are they caught in Loves lace Truly for bodily solace Fleshly delight is so present With thee that set all thine entent Without more what should I glose For to get and have the Rose Which maketh thee so mate and wood That thou desirest none other good But thou art not an inch the nerre But ever abidest in sorrow and werre As in thy face it is seene It maketh thee both pale and leene Thy might thy vertue goeth away * A sorry guest in good fay Thou harbourest in thine Inne The God of Love when thou let inne Wherefore I read thou shette him out Or he shall greve thee out of dout For to thy profite it woll tourne If he no more with thee sojourne In great mischiefe and sorrow sonken Ben hearts that of Love arne dronken As thou peraventure knowen shall When thou hast lost the time all And spent thy thought in idlenesse In wast and wofull lustinesse If thou maiest live the time to see Of love for to delivered bee Thy time thou shalt beweepe sore The which never thou mayest restore * For time lost as men may see For nothing may recovered bee And if thou scape yet at last Fro love that hath thee so fast Knitte and bounden in his lace Certaine I hold it but a grace For many one as it is seine Have lost and spent also in veine In his servise without succour Bodie and soule good and treasour Wit and strength and eke richesse Of which they had never redresse ¶ Lamant THus taught and preached hath Reason But Love spilt her Sermon That
seemed it that she on him rought Or of his paine what so ever he thought But then felt this Troilus such wo That he was welnigh wood for aie his drede Was this that she some wight loved so That never of him she would han take heed For which him thought he felt his hart bleed Ne of his woe ne durst he nought begin To tellen her for all this world to win But when he had a space left from his care Thus to himselfe full oft he gan to plaine He sayd o foole now art thou in the snare That whilom yapedest at lovers pain * Now art thou hent now gnaw thine own chain Thou wert aie woned ech lover reprehend Of thing fro which thou canst not thee defend What woll now every lover saine of thee If this be wist But ever in thine absence Laughen in scorn and saine lo there goeth he That is the man of great sapience That held us lovers least in reverence * Now thanked be God he may gon on that daunce Of hem that love lift feebly avaunce But o thou wofull Troilus God would Sith thou must loven through thy destine That thou beset wer of soch one that should Know all thy wo all lacked her pitee But all too cold in love towards thee Thy ladie is as frost in Winter Moone And thou fordo as Snow in fire is soone God would I were arrived in the port Of death to which my sorow woll me lede Ah Lord to me it were a great comfort Then were I quite of languishing in drede For by my hidde sorow iblowe in brede I shall beiaped been a thousand time More than that foole of whose folly men rime But now help God ye my sweet for whom I plaine icought ye never wight so fast O mercie deare hart and helpe me from The death for I while that my life may last More than my selfe woll love you to my last And with some frendly look gladeth me swete Though nevermore thing ye to me behete These words and full many another mo He spake and called ever in his compleint Her name for to tellen her his wo Till nigh that he in salt teares was dreint All was for nought she heard nat his pleint And when that he bethought on that follie A thousand fold his woe gan multiplie Bewailing in his chamber thus alone A friend of his that called his Pandare Came ones in vnware and heard him grone And saw his friend in such distresse and care Alas qd he who causeth all this fare O mercy God what vnhappe may this mene Han now thus sone yâ— Greeks made you lene Or hast thou some remorse of conscience And art now fall in some devotion And wailest for thy sinne and thine offence And hast for ferde cought contrition God save hem that besieged han our toun That so can laie our iollitie on presse And bring our lustie folke to holynesse These words said he for yâ— nones all That with such thing he might him angry maken And with his anger done his sorrow fall As for a time and his courage awaken But well wist he as far as tongues speaken There nas a man of greater hardinesse Than he ne more desired worthinesse What cas qd Troilus or what aventure Hath guided thee to seen me languishing That am refuse of everie creature But for the love of God at me praying Goe hence away for certes my dying Woll thee disease and I mote needs deie Therefore goe way there nis no more to seie But if thou wene I be thus sick for drede It is not so and therefore scorne nought There is an other thing I take of hede Wel more than ought yâ— grekes han yet wrouÈt Which cause is of my deth for sorow thouÈt But though that I now tell it thee ne lest Be thou not wroth I hide it for the best This Pandare that nigh malt for wo routh Full often sayed alas what may this be Now friend qd he if ever love or trouth Hath been er this betwiren thee and me Ne doe thou never such a cruelte To hiden fro thy friend so great a care Wost thou not well that I am Pandare I woll parten with thee all thy paine If it so be I doe thee no comfort * As it is friends right sooth for to saine To enterparten woe as glad disport I have and shall for true or false report In wrong and right loved thee all my live Hide not thy woe fro me but tell it blive Then gan this sorrowfull Troilus to sike And layd him thus God leve it be my best To tellen thee for sith it may thee like Yet woll I tell it though my heart brest And well wote I thou maiest do me no rest But least thou deeme I trust not to thee Now heark friend for thus it stant with me Love ayenst the which who so defendeth Him selven most him alder lest availeth With dispaire so sorrowfully me offendeth That straight vnto that death my hart faileth Thereto desire so bâ—enningly me assaileth That to been slaine it were a greater ioy To me than King of Grece be and of Troy Suffiseth this my full friend Pandare That I have said for now wotest thou my wo And for the love of God my cold care So hide it well I told it never to mo For harmes mighten followen mo than two If it were wist but be thou in gladnesse And let me sterve unknowne of my distresse How hast thou thus vnkindly and long Hid this fro me thou fool qd Pandarus Peraventure thou maist after such one long That mine a vise anone may helpen vs This were a wonder thing qd Troilus Thou couldest never in love thy selfen wisse How divell maiest thou bringen me to blisse Ye Troilus now hearken qd Pandare Though I be nice it happeth often so That one that of ares doeth full evil fare By good counsail can keep his frend therfro I have my selfe seen a blinde man go There as he fell that could looken wide * A foole may eke a wise man oft guide * A whetstone is no carving instrument But yet it maketh sharpe kerving tolis And after thou wost that I have aught miswent Eschue thou that for such thing to schole is * Thus often wise men bewaren by foolis If thou so doe thy wit is well bewared * By his contrarie is everie thing declared For how might ever sweetnesse have be know To him that never tasted bitternesse No man wot what gladnesse is I trow That never was in sorrow or some distresse Eke white by blacke by shame eke worthines Each set by other more for other seemeth As men may seen so the wise it deemeth Sith thus of two contraries is o lore * I that have in Love so oft assayed Greuaunces ought connen well the more Counsailen thee of that thou art dismayed And eke the ne ought not been euill apaied Though I desire with thee for to beare
death you listeth nought to retch That is so trew and worthy as we see No more than of a yaper or a wretch If ye be such your beaute may nat stretch To make amends of so cruell a dede * Avisement is good before the nede * Wo worth the faire gemme vertulesse Wo worth that hearbe also that doth no bote Wo worth the beauty that is routhlesse Wo worth that wight yâ— trede ech under fote And ye that ben of beautie croppe and rote If therewithall in you ne be no routh Then is it harme ye liven by my trouth And also thinke well that this is no gaud For me were lever thou I and he Were honged than I should ben his baud As high as men might on us all isee I am thine Eme the shame were to mee As well as thee if that I should assent Through mine abet that he thine honour shent Now understond for I you nought requere To bind you to him through no behest Save onely that ye make him better chere Than ye han done ere this and more feast So that his life be saved at the least This is all and some and plainly our entent God help me so I never other ment Lo this request is nought but skill iwis Ne doubt of reason parde is there none I set the worst that ye dreden this Men would wonder to seen him come gone There ayenst answere I thus anone That every wight but he be foole of kind Woll deeme it love of frendship in his mind * What who woll demen tho he see a man To temple gone that he the images eateth Thinke eke how well and wisely that he can Govern himselfe that he nothing foryetteth That wher he cometh he pris thonk him geteth And eke thereto he shal come here so seld What force were it thogh all yâ— toun beheld Such love of frends reigneth thorow al this toun And wrie you in that mantle ever mo And God so wis be my salvatioun As I have sayd your best is to do so But good nece alway to stint his wo * So let your daunger sugred ben alite That of his death ye be not all to wite Creseide which that herd him in this wise Thought I shall felen with he meaneth iwis Now Eme qd she what would ye devise What is your rede I should done of this That is well said qd he certaine best is That ye him love ayen for his loving * As love for love is skilfull guerdoning Thinke eke how elde wasteth every hour In each of you a part of beaute And therefore ere that age thee devour Go love for old there woll no wight of thee Let this proverbe a lore unto you bee * Too late iware qd beaute when it past And elde daunteth daunger at the last The kings foole is wont to cry aloud When that he thinketh a woman bereth her hie * So long mote ye liven and all proud Till Crowes feet growen under your eie And send you then a mirrour in to prie In which that ye may see your face a morow Nece I bid him wish you no more sorow With this he stint and cast down yâ— head And she began to brest and wepe anone And said alas for wo why nere I dead For of this world the faith is all agone Alas what shoulden straunge unto me done When he that for my best friend I wend Rate me to love and should it me defend Alas I would have trusted doubtles That if that I through my disaventure Had loved either him or Achilles Hector or any other creature Ye nolde have had mercy ne measure On me but alway had me in repreve This false world alas who may it leve What is this all yâ— joy and all the feast Is this your rede is this my blisfull caas Is this the very mede of your behest Is all this painted processe said alas Right for this fine O lady mine Pallas Thou in this dredefull case for me purvey For so astonied am I that I dey With that she gan full sorrowfully to sike Ne may it be no bet qd Pandarus By God I shall no more come here this weke And God toforne that am mistrusted thus I see well now ye setten light of us Or of our death alas I wofull wretch Might he yet live of me were nought to retch O cruell God O dispitous Marte O furies three of Hell on you I crie So let me never out of this house depart If that I meant harme or villanie But sith I see my Lord mote needs die And I with him here I me shrive and sey That wickedly ye done us both dey But sith it liketh you that I be dead By Neptunus that God is of the see Fro this forth shall I never eaten bread Till that I mine owne heart blood may see For certaine I woll die as soone as hee And up he stert and on his way he raught Till she againe him by the lappe caught Creseide which yâ— well nigh starf for feare So as she was the fearfullest wight That might be and heard eke with her eare And saw the sorowfull earnest of the knight And in his praier saw eke none unright And for the harme eke that might fall more She gan to rew and dread her wonder sore And thought thus unhaps do fallen thicke Alday for Love and in such manner caas As men ben cruell in hemselfe and wicke And if this man slee here himselfe alas In my presence it nill be no sollas What men would of it deme I can nat say It needeth me full slighly for to play And with a sorowfull sigh she said thrie Ah lord what me is tidde a sorry chaunce For mine estate lieth in jeopardie And eke mine emes life lieth in ballaunce But nathelesse with Gods governaunce I shall so done mine honour shall I keepe And eke his life and stint for to weepe * Of harmes two the lesse is for to chese Yet had I lever maken him good chere In honour than my emes life to lese Ye saine ye nothing els me requere No wis qd he mine owne nece so dere Now well qd she and I woll done my paine I shall mine heart ayen my lust constraine But that I nill nat holden him in hond Ne love a man that can I naught ne may Ayenst my will but els woll I fonde Mine honour save plesen him fro day to day Thereto nolde I not ones have said nay But that I dredde as in my fantasie * But cesse cause aie cesseth maladie But here I make a protestacion That in this processe if ye deper go That certainly for no salvacion Of you though that ye sterven both two Though all the world on o day be my fo Ne shall I never on him have other routhe I graunt wel qd Pandare by my trouthe But may I trust well to you qd he That of this thing that ye han hight me here Ye woll it
president Though that Hector nay full oft praid And finally what wight that it withsaid It was for naught it must ben and should For substaunce of the Parliment it would Departed out of the parliment echone This Troilus without words mo Vnto his chamber spedde him fast alone But if it were a man of his or two The which he bad out faste for to go Because he would slepen as he said And hastely upon his bedde him laid And as in Winter leaves ben birast Ech after other till trees he hare So that there nis but barke branch ilast Lithe Troilus biraft of ech welfare Ibounden in the blacke barke of care Disposed wode out of his witte to breide So sore him sate the chaunging of Creseide He rist him up and every dore he shette And window eke tho this sorowfull man Vpon his beddes side doune him sette Full like a dead image pale and wan And in his breast the heaped wo began Out brust and he to worken in this wise In his woodnesse as I shall you devise Right as the wild Bull beginneth spring Now here now there idarted to the hert And of his death roreth in complaining Right so gan he about the chamber stert Smiring his breast aye with his fistes smert His head to the wall his body to yâ— ground Foll oft he swapt himselven to confound His eyen two for pity of his hert Out stremeden as swift as welles twey The high sobs of his sorrowes smert His speech him reft unnethes might he sey O death alas why nilt thou do me dey Accursed by that day which that nature Shope me to ben a lives creature But after when the fury and all the rage Which that his heart twist and fast threst By length of time somewhat gan assuage Vpon his bed he laid him doun to rest But tho begon his teares more out to brest That wonder is the body may suffise To halfe this wo which that I you devise Then said he thus Fortune alas yâ— while What have I done what have I thee agilt How mightest thou for routhe me begile Is there no grace and shall I thus be spilt Shall thus Creseide away for yâ— thou wilt Alas how mightest thou in thine hart find To ben to me thus cruell and unkind Have I thee nat honoured all my live As thou well wotest above the Gods all Why wilt thou me fro ioy thus deprive O Troilus what may men now thee call But wretch of wretches out of honour fall Into misery in which I woll bewaile Creseide alas till that the breath me faile Alas Fortune if that my life in joy Displeased had unto thy foule Envie Why ne haddest thou my father king of Troy Biraft the life or done my brethren die Or slaine my selfe yâ— thus complaine crie I combre world that may of nothing serve But ever dye and never fully sterve If that Creseide alone were me laft NaughtrauÈt I whider thou woldst me stere And her alas then hast thou me byraft But evermore lo this is thy manere To reve a wight that most is to him dere To preve in that thy gierfull violence Thus am I lost there helpeth no defence O very Lord O love O God alas That knowest best mine hert al my thought What shal my sorowfull life done in this caas If I to go that I so dere have bought Sens ye Creseide me have fully brought Into your grace and both our hearts sealed How may ye suffer alas it be repealed What I may done I shal while I may dure On live in turment and in cruell paine This infortune or this disaventure Alone as I was borne I woll complaine Ne never woll I seene it shine or raine But end I woll as Edippe in derkenesse My sorrowfull life and dien in distresse O wery ghost that errest to and fro Why 〈◊〉 thou flien out of the wofullest Body that ever might on ground go O soule lurking in this wofull neste Fly forthout mine hart and let it breste And follow alway Creseide thy lady dere Thy right place is now no lenger here O wofull eien two sens your disport Was all to seene Creseides eyen bright What shall ye done but for my discomfort Stoden for naught wepen out your sight Sens she is queint yâ— wont was you to light * In veine from this forth have I eyen twey I formed sens your vertue is awey O my Creseide O lady soveraine Of this wofull soule that thus crieth Who shall now yeven comfort to thy paine Alas no wight but when mine hert dieth My spirit which that so unto you hieth Receiâ—e in gree for that shall aye you serve For thy no force is though the body sterve O ye lovers that high upon the whele Ben sette of Fortune in good aventure God lene that ye finden aye love of stele And long more your life in joy endure But when ye comen by my sepulture Remembreth that your fellow resteth there For I loved eke though I unworthy were O old unholsome and mislived man Calcas I meane alas what eiled thee To 〈◊〉 a Greek sens thou art borne Trojan O Calcas which that wolt my bane be In cursed time was thou borne for me As would blisfull Iove for his joy That I thee had where I would in Troy A thousand sighes hotter than the glede Out of his breast each after other went Medled with plaint new his wo to fede For which his wofull teares never stent And shortly so his sorowes him to rent And wore so mate that joy or pennaunce He feeleth none but heth in a traunce Panoare which that in the parliment Had heatd with every Lord and burgeis seid And how full graunted was by one assent For Antenor to yelden oâ—t Creseid Gan well nigh wood out of his wit to breid So that for wo he niste what he ment But in a 〈…〉 went A certaine knight that for the 〈…〉 The chamber dore undid it him anone And Pandare that full tenderly wept Into the derke chamber as still as stone Toward the bedde gan softly to goue So confuse that he â—â—st what to say For very wo his wit was nigh away And with chere and leeking all to torne For sorow of this with his armes folden He stood this wofull Troilus beforne And on his pitous face he gan beholden But so oft gan his heart colden Seeing his friend in wo whose heavinesse His heart slough as thought him for distresse This wofull wight this Troilus yâ— felt His friend Pandare icomen him to see Gan as the snow ayenst the sunne melt For which this wofull Pandare of pite Gan for to weepe as tenderly as he And speechlesse thus ben these ilke twey That neither might for sorow o word sey But at the last this wofull Troilus Nigh dead for smert gan bresten out to rore And with a sorowfull noise he said thus Among his sobs and his sighes sore Lo
Pandare I am dead withouten more Hast thou nat heard at parliment he seide For Antenor how lost is my Creseide This Pandare full dead and pale of hew Full pitously answerde and said yes As wisely were it false as it is trew That I have heard and wote all how it is O mercy God who would have trowed this Who would have wend yâ— in so little a throw Fortune our joy would overthrow For in this world there is no creature As to my dome that ever saw ruine Stranger than this through case or aventure But who may all eschue or all devine Such is this world for thy I thus define * Ne trust no wight to find in Fortune Aye property her yeftes ben commune But tell me this why thou art now so mad To sorrowen thus why list thou in this wise Sens thy desire all holly hast thou had So that by right it ought inough suffise But I that never felt in my servise A friendly chere or looking of an eie Let me thus wepe and wailen till I die And over al this as thou wel wost thy selve This toune is full of ladies all about And to my dome falcer than such twelve As ever she was shal I finden in some rout Ye one or twey withouten any dout For thy be glade mine owne dere brother If she be lost we shall recover another * What God forbid alway yâ— ech pleasaunce In a thing were and in none other wight If one can sing another can well daunce If this be goodly she is glad and light And this is faire and that can good aright Ech for his vertue holden is for dere Both herones and faucon for rivere And eke as writ Zansis that was full wise * The new love out chaseth oft the old And vpon new case lieth new avise Thinke eke thy selfe to saven art thou hold Such fire by processe shall of kind cold For sens it is but casuell pleasaunce Some case shall put it out of remembraunce * For also sure as day commeth after night The new love labour or other wo Or els selde seeing of a wight Done old affections all overgo And for thy part thou shalt haue one of tho To abredgs with thy bitter pains smart Absence of her shall driue her out of hart These words saied he for the nones all To helpe his friend least he for sorow deide For doubtlesse to doen his wo to fall He raught nat what vnthrift that he seide But Troilus that nigh for sorow deide Tooke little hede of all that ever he ment One eare it heard at the other out it went But at yâ— last he answerd and said friend This lechcraft or dealed thus to be Were well fitting if that I were a fiend To traien a wight that true is vnto me I pray God let this counsaile never ithee But doe me rather sterue anon right here Ere thus I doen as thou me wouldest lere She that I serue iwis what so thou sey To whom mine hart enhabite is by right Shall have me holly hers till that I dey For Pandarus sens I have trouth her hight I woll nat ben vntrue for no wight But as her man I woll aye live and sterve And never none other creature serve And there thou saiest thou shalt as fair find As she let be make no comparison To creature iformed here by kind O leve Pandare in conclusion I woll nat been of thine opinion Touching all this for which I thee beseech So hold thy peace thou slaest me with thy speech Thou biddest me I should love another All freshly new and let Creseide go It lithe nat in my power leve brother And though I might yet would I nat do so * But canst thou plaien raket to and fro * Nettle in dock out now this now yâ— Pandare Now foule fall her for thy wo yâ— care Thou farest eke by me Pandarus As he that when a wight is wo bigon He commeth to him apace saith right thus Thinke not on smart thou shalt feele none Thou maiest me first transmewen in a stone And reve me my passions all Or thou so lightly doe my wo to fall The death may well out of my brest depart The life so long may this sorow mine But fro my soule shall Creseides dart Out nevermore but doune with Proserpine When I am dead I woll won in pine And there I woll eternally complain My wo and how that twinned be we twain Thou hast here made an argument full fine How that it should lasse paine be Creseide to forgone for she was mine And lived in ease and in felicite Why gabbest thou that saidest vnto me * That him is wors that is fro we le ithrow Than he had erst none of that we le know But tel me now sen yâ— thee thinketh so light To chaungen so in love aye to and fro Why hast thou nat doen busily thy might To chaungen her yâ— doth thee all thy wo Why nilt thou let her fro thine heart go Why nilt thou love another lady swete That may thine heart setten in quiete If thou hast had in love aye yet mischance And canst it not out of thine hart drive I that lived in lust and in pleasance With her as much as creature on live How would I that foryet and that so blive O where hast thou ben hid so long in mew Thou canst so well and formeliche agrew Nay God wot naught worth is al thy rede For which for what that ever may befall Withouten words mo I woll ben dede O death that ender art of sorrowes all Come now sens I so oft after thee call * For sely is that death sooth sor to saine That oft icleped commeth endeth paine Well wote I while my life was in quiete Ere thou me slue I would have yeven hire But now thy comming is to me so swete That in this world I nothing so desire O death sens with this sorow I am a fire Thou either do me anon in teares drench Or with thy cold stroke mine heart quench Sens yâ— thou slaest so fele in sundry wise Ayenst her will vnpraied day and night Doe me at my request this servise Deliver now the world so doest thou right Of me that am the wofullest wight That ever was for time is that I sterve Sens in this world of right nauÈt do I serve This Troilus in teares gan distill As licour out of Allambike full fast And Pandarus gan hold his tongue still And to the ground his eyen downe he cast But nathelesse thus thought he at last What parde rather than my fellow dey Yet shall I somewhat more vnto him sey And said friend sens thou hast such distresse And sens thee list mine argumentes blame Why nilt thy selven helpe doen redresse And with thy manhood letten all this game To rauish her ne caust thou not for shame And either let her out of toune fare Or hold her still and leave thy nice
so am not I For all too little hath she with vs be Qd. tho the third I hope iwis that she Shall bringen vs the peace on every side That when she goth almighty God her gide Tho wordes and tho womannish thinges She herd hem right as thogh she thencewere For God it wote her hart on other thing is Although the body sat emong hem there Her advertence is alway els where For Troilus full fast her soule sought Withouten word on him alway she thought These women yâ— thus wenden her to please About naught gan all her tales spend Such vanitie ne can done her none ease As she that all this meane while brend Of other passion than they wend So that she felt almost her heart die For wo and werie of that companie For which might she no lenger restraine Her teares they gan so vp to well That gave signes of her bitter paine In which her spirit was and must dwell Remembering her from heaven vnto which hell She fallen was sens she forgo the sight Of Troilus and sorrowfully she sight And thilke fooles sitting her about Wende that she wept and sighed sore Because that she should out of the rout Departen and never play with hem more And they that had knowen her of yore See her so wepe and thought it was kindnesse And ech of hem wept eke for her distresse And bustly they gonnen her to comforten On thing God wot on which she little thought And with her tales wenden her disporten And to be glad they ofte her besought But such an ease therwith they her wrought * Right as a man is eased for to fele For ache of head to clawen him on his hele But after all this nice vanitie They took her leve home they wenten all Creseide full of sorrowfull pitie Into her chamber vp went out of the hall And on her bedde she gan for dead to fall In purpose never thence for to rise And thus she wrought as I shall you devise Her ownded hair that sonnish was of hew She rent and eke her fingers long and smale She wrong full oft and bad God on her rew And with the death to do bote on her bale Her hewe whylom bright that tho was pale Bare witnesse of her wo and her constreint And thus she spake sobbing in her compleint Alas qd she out of this religioun I wofull wretch and infortuned wight And borne in cursed constellatioun Mote gon thus departen fro my knight Wo worth alas that ilke daies light On which I saw him first with eyen twaine That causeth me and I him all this paine Therewith the teares from her eyen two Doune fell as shoure in Aprill swithe Her white breast she bet and for the wo After the death she cried a thousand sithe Sens he that wont her wo was for to lithe She mote forgone for which disaventure She held her selfe a forlost creature She said how shall he done and I also How should I live if that I from him twin O dere heart eke that I love so Who shall that sorow slaen that ye ben in O Calcas father thine be all this sin O mother mine that cleped wert Argive Wo worth that day that thou me bare on live To with fine should I live sorowen thus * How should a fish withouten water dure What is Creseide worth from Troilus How should a plant or lives creaturâ— Live withouten his kind noriture For which full oft a by word here I sey * That rootlesse mote greene soone dey I shal done thus sens neither sword ne dart Dare I none handle for the cruelte That like day that I fro you depart If sorow of that nill nat my bane be Then shall no meat ne drinke come in me Till I my soule out of my brest vnsheath And thus my selven woll I done to death And Troilus my clothes everychone Shull blacke ben in tokening hart swete That I am as out of this world agone That wont was you to set in quiete And of mine order aye till death me mete The observaunce ever in your absence Shall sorrow ben complaint and abstinence Mine hart and eke the woful ghost therein Bequeath I with your spirit to complaine Eternally for they shall never twin For though in yearth twinned be we twaine Yet in the field of pitie out of paine That hight Elisos shall we ben ifere As Orpheus and Erudice his fere Thus heart mine for Antenor alas I soone shall be chaunged as I wene But how shull ye done in this sorowfull caas How shall your tender hart this sustene But hart mine foryet this sorow and tene And me also for soothly for to sey So ye well fare I retche not to dey How might it ever redde ben or isong The plaint that she made in her distresse I not but as for me my little tong If I discriven would her heavinesse It should make her sorrow seeme lesse Than that it was and childishly deface Her high complaint and therefore I it pace Pandare which that sent from Troilus Was vnto Creseide as ye have heard devise That for the best it was recorded thus And he full glad to done him that servise Vnto Creseide in a full secret wise There as she lay in tourment and in rage Came her to tell all holly his message And fond that she her selven gan to grete Full pitously for with her salte teres Her breast and face ibathed was full wete Her mightie tresses of her sonnish here 's Vnbroiden hangen all about her eares Which yave him very signe of mattire Of death which that her hart gan desire When she him saw she gan for sorrow anon Her tearie face atwixt her armes hide For which this Pandare is so wo bigon That in the hous he might vnneth abide As he that felt sorrow on every side For if Creseide had erst complained sore Tho gan she plaine a thousand times more And in her aspre plaint thus she seide Pandare first of joies more than two Was cause causing vnto me Creseide That now transmued ben in cruell wo Whether shall I say to you welcome or no That alderfirst me brought vnto servise Of love alas that endeth in such wise * Endeth then love in wo Ye or men lieth And all worldly blisse as thinketh me The end of blisse aye sorrow it occupieth And who troweth not that it so be Let him vpon me wofull wretche see That my selfe hate and aye my birth curse Feeling alway fro wicke I go to worse Who so me seeth he seeth sorow all atonis Paine tourment plaint wo and distresse Out of my wofull body harme there none is As langour anguish cruell bitternesse Annoy smart drede furie and eke sicknesse I trow iwis from heaven teares raine For pitie of my aspre and cruell paine And thou my suster full of discomfort Qd. Pandarus what thinkest thou to do Why ne hast thou to thy selven some resport Why wilt
thou thus thy selfe alas fordo Leave all this werke and take now heed to That I shall saine herken of good entent This message yâ— by me Troilus you sent Tourned her tho Creseide a wo making So great that it a death was for to see Alas qd she what wordes may ye bring What woll my dere hert saine to mee Which that I drede nevermore to see Woll he have plaint or teares ere I wend I have ynough if he thereafter send She was right such to seene in her visage As is that wight that men on beare bind Her face like of Paradis the image Was all ichaunged in another kind The play yâ— laughter men were wont to find On her and eke her joyes everichone Ben fled and thus lieth Creseide alone About her eyen two a purpre ring Bitrent in soothfast tokening of her paine That to behold it was a deadly thing For which Pandare might nat restraine The teares from his eyen for to raine But nathelesse as he best might he seide From Troilus these wordes to Creseide Lo nece I trow ye han heard all how The king with other Lordes for the best Hath made eschaunge of Antenor and you That cause is of this sorow and this vnrest But how this case doth Troilus molest This may none yearthly mans tongue say For very wo his wit is all away For which we have so sorowed he and I That into little it had vs both slaw But through my counsaile this day finally He somewhat is fro weeping withdraw And seemeth me that he desireth faw With you to ben all might for to devise Remedie of this if there were any wise This short plain theffect of my message As ferforth as my wit can comprehend For ye that ben of tourment in such rage May to no long prologue as now entend And herevpon ye may answere him send And for the love of God my nece dere So leave this wo or Troilus be here Great is my wo qd she and sighed sore As she that feeleth deadly sharpe distresse But yet to me his sorrow is mokell more That love him bet than he himselfe I gesse Alas for me hath he such hevinesse Can he for me so pitously complaine Iwis this sorow doubleth all my paine Greuous to me God wot is for to twin Qd. she but yet it harder is to me To seene that sorrow which that he is in For well wot I it woll my bane be And die I woll in certaine tho qd she But bid him come er deth yâ— thus me threteth Drive out yâ— ghost which in mine hart beteth These wordes said she on her armes two Fill gruffe and gan to weepen pitously Qd. Pandarus alas why doe ye so Sens ye well wote the time is fast by That he shall come arise vp hastely That he you nat biwopen thus ne find But ye woll have him wode out of his mind For wist he that ye farde in this manere He would himselfe slea and if I wend To have this fare he should not come here For all the good that Priam may dispend For to what fine he would anon pretend That know I well and for thy yet I sey So leave this sorow or plainly he woll dey And shapeth you his sorow for to abredge And nat encrease lefe nece swete * Bethrather to him cause of plat than edge And with some wisdome ye his sorrowes bete What helpeth it to weepen full a strete Or though ye both in salt teares dreint * Bet is a time of cure aye than of pleint I meane thus when I him hither bring Sens ye be wise and both of one assent So shapeth how to distour be your going Or come ayen soone after ye be went Women been wise in short avisement And let seene how your wit shall availe And what that I may helpe it shall nat faile Go qd Creseide and vncle truely I shall done all my might me to restraine From weeping in his sight and busily Him foâ— to glad I shall done all my paine And in my herte seeken every vaine If to his sore there may ben founden salve It shall nat lacke certaine on mine halve Goth Pandarus and Troilus he sought Till in a temple he found him all alone As he that of his life no lenger rought But to the pitous goddes everichone Full tenderly he praid and made his mone To done him soone out of the world to pace For wel he thought there was none other grace And shortly all the soothe for to sey He was so fallen in dispaire that day That vtterly he shope him for to dey For right thus was his argument alway He saied he nas but lorne welaway * For all that commeth commeth by necessitie Thus to ben lorne it is my destinie For certainly this wote I well he said That foresight of devine purveiaunce Had seen alway me to forgone Creseide * Sens God see the very thing out of doutance And hem disposeth through his ordinance In his merites soothly for to be As they shull comen by predestine But nathelesse alas whom shall I leve For there ben great clerkes many one That destinie through argumentes preve And some saine that nedely there is none But that free choice is yeven vs everychone * O welaway so sigh arne clerkes old That I not whose opinion I may hold * For some men sain that God seeth all biforne Ne God may nat deceived ben parde Then mote it fallen though men had it sworn That purveiaunce hath seene beforne to be Wherefore I say that from eterne if he Hath wist beforn our thought eke as our dede * We have no free choice as these clerks rede For other thought nor other deed also Might never been but such as purueyaunce Which may nat been deceived never mo Hath feled biforne withouten ignoraunce * For if there might ben a variaunce To writhen out fro Gods purveying There nere no prescience of thing comming But it were rather an opinion Vncertaine and no stedfast foreseeing * And certes that were an abusion That God should have no perfite clere weting More than we men that have doutous wening But such an errour vpon God to gesse Were false foule and wicked cursednesse Eke this is an opinion of some That have her top ful high and smooth ishore * They saine right thus that thing is nat to come For that the prescience hath seene before That it shall come but they sain that therfore That it shall come therefore the purveyaunce Wote it beforne withouten ignoraunce And in this manner this necessite Retourneth in his part contrary againe For needfully behoueth it nat to be That thilke things fallen in certaine * That ben purveied but needfully as they saine Behoueth it that thinges which that fall That they in certaine ben purveyed all I meane as though I laboured me in this To inquire which thing cause of which thing be * As whether that the prescience of God
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
borne My worship in this day thus have I lorne And for dispaire out of his wit he start And rofe himselfe anon throughout the hart Ere that he ferther went out of the place His wife that could of Cesar have no grace To Egipt is fled for drede and for distresse But herkeneth ye that speken of kindnesse Ye men that falsely swearen many an oth That ye woll die if that your love be wroth Here may ye seene of women such a trouth This woful Cleopatra had made such routh That there nis tong none that may it tell But on the morow she woll no lenger dwell But made her subtill werkmen make a shrine Of all the rubies and the stones fine In all Egipt that she could espie And put full the shrine of spicerie And let the corse enbaume and forth she fette This dead corse and in the shrine it shette And next the shrine a pit than doth she grave And all the serpentes that she might have She put hem in that grave thus she seid Now love to whom my sorowfull hert obeid So ferforthly that fro that blisfull hour That I you swore to ben all freely your I meane you Antonius my knight That never waking in the day or night Ye nere out of mine herts remembraunce For wele or wo for carole or for daunce And in my selfe this covenaunt made I tho That right such as ye felten wele or wo As ferforth as it in my power lay Vnreprovable vnto my wifehood aye The same would I felen life or death And thilke covenaunt while me lasteth breath I woll fulfill and that shall well be seene Was never vnto her love a truer queene And with yâ— word naked with full good hart Among the serpents in the pit she start And there she chese to have her burying Anone the neders gonne her for to sting And she her death receiueth with good chere For love of Antony that was her so dere And this is storiall sooth it is no fable Now ere I find a man thus true and stable And woll for love his death so freely take I pray God let our hedes never ake ¶ The Legend of Tisbe of Babilon AT Babiloine whylome fill it thus The which toun yâ— queen Simiramus Let dichen about and wals make Full hie of harde tiles well ibake There were dwelling in this noble toun Two lords which yâ— were of great renoun And woneden so nigh vpon a grene That ther nas but a stone wal hem between As oft in great tounes is the wonne And sothe to saine that one man had a sonne Of all that lond one of the lustiest That other had a doughter the fairest That estward in yâ— world was tho dwelling The name of everiche gan to other spring By women that were neighbours aboute For in that countre yet withouten doute Maidens ben ikept for ielousie Ful straite lest they didden some folie This yong man was cleped Piramus Thisbe hight the maide Naso saith thus And thus by report was her name ishove That as they woxe in age so woxe her love And certaine as by reason of her age Ther might have ben betwixt hem mariage But that her fathers â—olde it nat assent And bothe in love ilike sore they brent That none of all her friendes might it lette But prively sometime yet they mette By sleight and spaken some of her desire As wrie the glede and hotter is the fire Forbid a love and it is ten times so wode This wal which yâ— bitwixt hem both stode Was cloven atwo right fro the top adoun Of old time of his foundatioun But yet this clift was so narrow and lite It was nat seene dere inough a mite But what is that that love cannot espie Ye lovers two if that I shall not lie Ye founden first this little narrow clift And with a sound as soft as any shrift They let her words through the clift pace And tolden while that they stoden in yâ— place All her complaint of love and all her wo At every time when they durst so On that one side of the wall stood he And on that other side stood Tisbe The sweet soune of other to receive And thus her wardeins would they disceive And every day this wall they would threte And wish to God that it were doun ibete Thus wold they sain alas thou wicked wall Through thine enuie thou vs lettest all Why nilt thou cleave or fallen all atwo Or at the least but thou wouldest so Yet wouldest thou but ones let vs mete Or ones that we might kissen swete Then were we cured of our cares cold But nathelesse yet be we to thee hold In as much as thou suffrest for to gone Our words through thy lime eke thy stone Yet ought we with thee ben well apaid And when these idle wordes weren said The cold wall they woulden kisse of stone And take her leave forth they wolden gone And this was gladly in the eventide Or wonder erly least men it espide And long time they wrought in this manere Till on a day when Phebus gan to clere Aurora with the stremes of her hete Had dried vp the dew of herbes wete Vnto this clift as it was wont to be Come Piramus and after come Tisbe And plighten trouthe fully in her faie That ilke same night to steale awaie And to beguile her wardeins everychone And forth out of the Citie for to gone And for the fieldes ben so brode and wide For to mete in o place at o tide They set markes her meetings should be There king Ninus was grauen vnder a tree For old painems that idolles heried Vseden tho in fields to ben buried And fast by his grave was a well And shortely of this tale for to tell This couenaunt was affirmed wonder fast And long hem thought that the sunne last That it nere gone vnder the see adoun This Tisbe hath so great affectioun And so great liking Piramus to see That when she saw her time might be At night she stale away full prively With her face iwimpled subtelly For all her friends for to save her trouth She hath forsake alas and that is routh That ever woman woulde be so trew To trusten man but she the bet him knew And to the tree she goeth a full good pace For love made her so hardy in this case And by the well adoun she gan her dresse Alas then commeth a wild Lionesse Out of the wood withouten more arrest With bloody mouth strangling of a beast To drinken of the well there as she sat And when that Tisbe had espied that She rist her vp with a full drery hart And in a caue with dreadfull foot she start For by the Moone she saw it well withall And as she ran her wimple let she fall And toke none hede so sore she was a whaped And eke so glad that she was escaped And thus she sat and lurketh wonder still When
the see Vnder a banke anone esped she Where lay the ship that Iason gan arrive Of her goodnesse adoune she sendeth blive To weten if that any straunge wight With tempest thider were iblow anight To done him succour as was her vsaunce To further en every wight done pleasauncâ— Of very bountie and of courtesie This messenger adoune him gan to hie And found Iason and Hercules also That in a cogge to lond were igo Hem to refreshen and to take the aire The morning attempre was and faire And in her way this messenger hem mette Full cunningly these lordes two he grette And did his message asking hem anon If yâ— they were broken or ought wo begon Or had need of lodesmen or vitaile For succour they should nothing faile For it was vtterly the Queenes will Iason answerde meekely and still My lady qd he thanke I hartely Of her goodnesse vs needeth truly Nothing as now but that we weary be And come for to play out of the see Till that the wind be better in our way This lady rometh by the cliffe to play With her meine endlong the strond And findeth this Iason and this other stond In speaking of this thing as I you told This Hercules and Iason gan behold How that the queen it was faire her grete Anone right as they with this lady mete And she tooke heed and knew by her manere By her array by wordes and by chere That it were gentill men of great degree And to the castle with her leadeth she These strange folk doth hem great honour And asketh hem of travaile and of labour That they have suffred in the salt see So that within a day two or three She knew by the folke that in his ships be That it was Iason full of renomee And Hercules that had the great loos That soughten the aventures of Colcos And did hem honour more than before And with hem dealed ever longer the more For they ben worthy folke withouten lees And namely most she spake with Hercules To him her hart bare he should be Sadde wise and true of words avisee Withouten any other affection Of love or any other imagination This Hercules hath this Iason praised That to the Sunne he hath it vp raised That halfe so true a man there nas of love Vnder the cope of heaven that is above And he was wise hardie secret and riche Of these iii. points there nas none him liche Of freedome passed he and lustie head All tho that liven or ben dead Thereto so great a gentill man was he And of Thessalie likely king to be There nas no lacke but that he was agast To love and for to speake shamefast Him had lever himselfe to murder and die Than that men should a lover him espie As would God that I had iyeve My blood and flesh so that I might live With the bones yâ— he had aught where a wife For his estate for such a lustie life She shoulden lede with this lustie knight And all this was compassed on the night Betwixt him Iason and this Hercules Of these two here was a shreud lees To come to house vpon an innocent For to bedote this Queene was her entent And Iason is as coy as is a maid He looketh pitously but naught he sayd But freely yave he to her counsailers Yefts great and to her officers As would God that I leaser had and time By processe all his wrong for to rime But in this house if any false lover be Right as himselfe now doth right so did he With faining and with every subtill dede Ye get no more of me but ye woll rede Thoriginall that telleth all the caas The sooth is this that Iason wedded was Vnto this queene tooke of her substaunce What so him list vnto his purveyaunce And vpon her begate children two And drough his faile and saw her never mo A letter sent she him certaine Which were too long to writen and to saine And him reproveth of his great vntrouth And praieth him on her to have some routh And on his children two she sayd him this That they be like of all thing iwis To Iason save they couth nat beguile And prayd God or it were long while That she that had his hart ireft her fro Must â—nden him vntrue also And that she must both her children spill And all tho that suffreth him his will And true to Iason was she all her life And ever kept her chast as for his wife Ne never had she joy at her hart But died for his love of sorrowes smart To Colcos come is this duke Iason That is of love devourer and dragon As Matire appeteth forme alway And from forme to forme it passen may Or as a well that were bottomles Right so can Iason have no pees For to desiren through his appetite To done with gentlewomen his delite This is his lust and his felicite Iason is romed forth to the citie That whylome cleped was Iasonicos That was the master toune of all Colcos And hath itold the cause of his comming Vnto Otes of that countrey king Praying him that he must done his assay To get the Fleece of gold if that he may Of which the king assenteth to his boone And doth him honour as it is doone So ferforth that his doughter and his heire Medea which that was so wise and faire That fairer saw there never man with eie He made her done to Iason companie At meat and sitte by him in the hall Now was Iason a seemely man withall And like a Lord and had a great renoun And of his looke as royall as a Lioun And godly of his speech and famil lere And coud of love all the craft and art plenere Withouten booke with everiche observaunce And as fortune her ought a foule mischaunce She woxe enamoured vpon this man Iason qd she for ought I see or can As of this thing the which ye ben about Ye and your selfe ye put in much dout For who so woll this aventure atcheve He may nat wele asterten as I leve Withouten death but I his helpe be But nathelesse it is my will qd she To forthren you so that ye shall nat die But turnen sound home to your Thessalie My right lady qd this Iason tho That ye have of my death or my wo Any regard and done me this honour I wot well that my might ne my labour May nat deserve it my lives day God thanke you there I ne can ne may Your man am I and lowely you beseech To ben my helpe withouten more speech But certes for my death shall I not spare Tho gan this Medea to him declare The perill of this case fro point to point Of his batayle and in what desioint He mote stonde of which no creature Save only she ne might his life assure And shortly right to the point for to go They ben accorded fully betwixt hem two That Iason
that saved thee fro cares cold And now if any woman helpe thee Well oughtest thou her servaunt for to bee And ben her true lover yere by yere But now to come ayen to my matere The toure there this Theseus is throw Down in the bottome derk and wonder low Was joyning to the wall of a foreine Longing vnto the doughtren tweine Of Minos that in her chambers grete Dwelten above the maister strete Of the towne in joy and in sollas Not I nat how it happed percaas As Theseus complained him by night The kings doughter that Ariadne hight And eke her suster Phedra herden all His complaint as they stood on the wall And looked vpon the bright moone Hem list nat to go to bed so soone And of his wo they had compassion A kings sonne to be in such prison And ben devoured thought hem great pite Then Ariadne spake to her suster free And said Phedra lefe suster dere This wofull lords sonne may ye nat here How pitously he complaineth his kin And eke his poore estate that he is in And guiltlesse certes now it is routh And if ye woll assent by my trouth He shall ben holpen how so that we do Phedra answerde iwis me is as wo For him as ever I was for any man And to his helpe the best rede I can Is that we done the gailer prively To come and speke with vs hastely And done this wofull man with him to come For if he may this monster overcome Then were he quit there is none other boot Let vs well tast him at his hart root That if so be that he a weapon have Where that he his life dare kepe or save Fighten with this fiend and him defend For in the prison here as he shall discend Ye wote well that the beast is in a place That is not derke hath roume eke space To welde an axe or swerde staffe or knife So that me thinketh he should save his life If that he be a man he shall do so And we shall make him balles eke also Of were and towe that when he gapeth fast Into the beestes throte he shall hem cast To sleke his honger and encomber his teeth And right anon when that Theseus seeth The beest acheked he shall on him leepe To sleen him or they comen more to heepe This we apen shal the gailer or that tide Full prively within the prison hide And for the house is crencled to and fro And hath so queint waies for to go For it is shapen as the mase is wrought Thereto have I a remedy in my thought That by a clewe of twine as he hath gon The same way he may returne anon Folowing alway the threde as he hath come And when this beest is overcome Then may he flien away out of this stede And eke the gailer may he with him lede And him avaunce at home in his countre Sens that so great a Lords sonne is he This is my rede if that ye dare it take What shold I lenger sermon of it make The gailer cometh and with him Theseus When these things ben accorded thus Downe sate Theseus vpon his knee The right lady of my life qd he I sorowfull man ydamned to the deth Fro you whiles that me lasteth breth I wol nat twinne after this aventure But in your service thus I woll endure That as a wretch vnknow I woll you serve Forevermore till that mine hert sterve Forsake I woll at home mine heritage And as I said ben of your court a page If that ye vouchsafe that in this place Ye graunt me to have soche a grace That I may have nat but my meate drinke And for my sustinaunce yet woll I swinke Right as you list that Minos ne no wight Sens that he saw me never with eyen sight Ne no man els shall me espie So slily and so well I shal me gie And me so wel disfigure and so low That in this world there shall no man me know To have my life and to have presence Of you that done to me this excellence And to my father shall I sende here This worthy man that is your gaylere And him so guerdon that he shall well be One of the greatest men of my countre And if I durst saine my lady bright I am a kings sonne and eke a knight As wold God if that it might be Ye weren in my countrey all thre And I with you to beare you companie Then shuld ye sene if that I thereof lie And if that I profer you in lowe manere To ben your page and serven you right here But I you serve as lowly in that place I pray to Mars to yeve me soch grace That shames death on me there mote fall And death and poverte to my frends all And that my sprite by night mote go After my death and walke to and fro That I mote of traitour have a name For which my sprit mote go to do me shame And if I clayme ever other degree But ye vouchsafe to yeve it mee As I have said of shames death I dey And mercy Lady I can naught els sey A semely knight was this Theseus to see And yonge but of twenty yere and three But who so had ysene his countenance He wold have wept for routh of his penance For which this Ariadne in this manere Answerde to his profre and to his chere A kings sonne and eke a knight qd she Go ben my servaunt in so lowe degree God shilde it for the shame of women all And lene me never soch a case befall And sende you grace and sleight of hert also You to defend knightly to sleen your foe And lene hereafter I may you find To me and to my suster here so kind That I ne repent nat to yeve you life Yet were it better I were your wife Sith ye ben as gentill borne as I And have a realme nat but fast by Than that I suffred your gentillesse to sterve Or that I let you as a page serve It is no profite as vnto your kinrede But what is that yâ— man woll nat do for dred And to my suster sith that it is so That she mote gone with me if that I go Or els suffre death as wel as I That ye vnto your sonne as trewly Done her be wedded at your home coming This is the finall end of all this thing Ye swere it here vpon all that may be sworne Ye Lady mine qd he or els to torne Mote I be with the Minotaure or to morow And haveth here of mine hert blood to borow If that ye woll if I had knife or speare I would it letten out and thereon sweare For then at erste I wot ye would me leve By Mars that is chiefe of my beleve So that I might liven and nat faile To morow for to taken my bataile I nolde never fro this place flie Till that ye should the very profe se
grace might bene And maken in that lande some chevesaunce And kepen him fro wo and fro mischaunce For sicke he was and almost at the death Vnneth might he speake or draw breath And lieth in Rhodopeia him for to rest When he may walk him thought it was best Vnto the countrey to seeken for succour Men knew him wele and did him honour For at Athenes Duke and Lord was he As Theseus his father hath ibe That in his time was great of renoun No man so great in all his regioun And like his father of face and of stature And false of love it came him of nature As doth the Foxe Renarde the Foxes sonne Of kind he could his old father wonne Without lore as can a Drake swimme When it is caught and caried to the brimme This honorable queen Phillis doth him chere Her liketh well his sporte and his manere But I am agroted here beforne To write of hem that in love been forsworne And eke to haste me in my Legende Which to performe God me grace sende Therfore I passe shortly in this wise Ye have well heard of Theseus the gise In the betraiyng of faire Adriane That of her pite kept him fro his bane At short wordes right so Demophon The same way and the same pathe hath gon That did his false father Theseus For vnto Phillis hath he sworne thus To wedden her and her his trouth plight And piked of her all the good he might When he was hole sound and had his rest And doth with Phillis what so that him lest As well I could if that me list so Tellen all his doing to and fro He sayd to his countrey mote him saile For there he would her wedding apparaile As fill to her honour and his also And openly he tooke his leave tho And to her swore he would not sojourne But in a month again he would retourne And in that londe let make his ordinaunce As very Lorde and tooke the obeisaunce Well and humbly and his shippes dight And home he goeth the next way he might For vnto Phillis yet came he nought And that hath she so harde and sore ibought Alas as the storie doth vs record She was her owne death with a corde When that she saw yâ— Demophon her traied But first wrote she to him fast him praied He would come and deliver her of pain As I rehearse shall a worde or twain Me liste not vouchsafe on him to swinke Dispenden on him a penne full of ynke For false in love was he right as his sire The Devill set her soules both on a fire But of the letter of Phillis woll I write A worde or twain although it be but lite Thine hostesse qd she O Demophon Thy Phillis which that is so wo begon Of Rhodopeie vpon you mote complain Over the terme set betwixt vs twain That ye ne holden forward as ye sayd Your ancre which ye in our haven layd Hight vs that ye would comen out of doubt Or that the Moone ones went about But times fower yâ— Moone hath hid her face Sens thilke day ye went fro this place And fower times light the world again But for all that yet shall I sothly sain Yet hath the streme of Scython not brought From Athens the ship yet came it nought And if that ye the terme reken would As I or other true lovers doe should I plain not God wot before my day But al her letter writen I ne may By order for it were to me a charge Her letter was right long and therto large But here and there in rime I have it layd There as me thought that she hath wel sayd She sayd the sailes cometh not again Ne to the worde there nis no â—ey certain But I wot why ye come not qd she For I was of my love to you so fre And of the Goddes that ye have swore That her vengeaunce fall on you therfore Ye be not suffisaunt to beare the pain To moche trusted I well may I sain Vpon your linage and your faire tong And on your teares falsly out wrong How coud ye wepe so by craft qd she May there soche teares fained be Now certes if ye would have in memory It ought be to you but little glory To have a selie maide thus betrayed To God qd she pray I and oft have prayed That it be now the greatest price of all And most honour that ever you shall befall And when thine old aunceters painted bee In which men may her worthinesse see Then pray I God thou painted be also That folke may reden forth by as they go Lo this is he that with his flattery Betraied hath and done her villany That was his true love in thought dede But sothly of o point yet may they rede That ye been like your father as in this For he begiled Ariadne iwis With such an arte and such subtelte As thou thy selves hast begiled me As in that poinct although it be not feire Thou folowest certain and art his heire But sens thus sinfully ye me begile My body mote ye sene within a while Right in the haven of Athenes fleeting Withouten Sepulture and buriyng Though ye been harder then is any stone And when this letter was forth sent anone And knew how brotell and how fals he was She for dispaire fordid her selfe alas Such sorow hath she for she beset her so Beware ye women of your subtill fo Sens yet this day men may ensample se And trusteth now in love no man but me ¶ The Legende of Hypermestre IN Grecen whilom were brethren two Of which that one was called Danao That many a son hath of his body wonne As soch false lovers ofte conne Emong his sonnes all there was one That aldermost he loved of everychone And when this child was borne this Danao Shope him a name and called him Lino That other brother called was Egiste That was of love as false as ever him liste And many a daughter gate he in his life Of which he gate vpon his right wife A doughter dere and did her for to call Hypermestra yongest of hem all The which child of her nativite To all good thewes borne was she As liked to the Goddes or she was borne That of the shefe she should be the corne The werdes that we clepen destine Hath shapen her that she must needes be Pitous sad wise true as stele And to this woman it accordeth wele For though yâ— Venus yave her great beaute With Iupiter compowned so was she That conscience trouth and drede of shame And of her wifehode for to kepe her name This thought her was felicite as here And reed Mars was that time of the yere So feble that his malice is him raft Repressed hath Venus his cruell craft And what with Venus and other oppression Of houses Mars his venime is a don That Hypermestre dare not handle a knife In malice though she should lese her life But
and right yong thereto Of the age of foure and twentie yere Vpon his beard but little heere And he was clothed all in blacke I stalked even vnto his backe And there I stood as still as ought The sooth to say he saw me nought For why he hing his head adowne And with a deadly sorrowfull sowne He made of time ten verses or twelue Of a complaint to himselue The most pitie the most routh That ever I heard for by my trouth It was great wonder that nature Might â—uffer any creature To have such sorrow and he not ded Full pitous pale and nothing red He said a lay a manner song Without note without song And was this for full well I can Rehearse it right thus it began I have of sorrow so great wone That joy get I neuer none Now that I see my lady bright Which I haue loved with all my might Is fro me dead and is agone And thus in sorrow left me alone Alas death what eyleth thee That thou noldest have taken me When that thou tooke my lady swete Of all goodnesse she had none mete That was so faire so fresh so free So good that men may well see When he had made thus his complaint His sorrowfull hart gan fast faint And his spirits wexen dead The blood was fled for pure dread Down to his hert to maken him warme For well it feeled the heart had harme To wete eke why it was adrad By kind and for to make it glad For it is member principall Of the body and that made all His hew chaunge and wexe greene And pale for there no blood is seene In no manner limme of his Anon therewith when I saw this He farde thus euill there he sete I went and stood right at his fete And grette him but he spake nought But argued with his owne thought And in his wit disputed fast Why and how his life might last Him thought his sorrowes were so smert And lay so cold vpon his heart So through his sorrow and holy thought Made him that he heard me nought For he had welnigh lost his mind Though Pan that men clepeth god of kind Were for his sorrowes never so wroth But at the last to saine right sooth He was ware of me how I stood Before him and did off my hood And had ygret him as I best coud Debonairly and nothing loud He said I pray thee be not wroth I heard thee not to saine the sooth Ne I saw the not sir truly Ah good sir no force qd I I am right sorry if I haue ought Distroubled you out of your thought Foryeve me if I haue misse take Yes thamends is light to make Qd. he for there lithe none thereto There is nothing missaide nor do Lo how goodly spake this knight As it had be another wight And made it neyther tough ne queint And I saw that and gan me acqueint With him and found him so tretable Right wonder skilfull and reasonable As me thought for all his bale Anon right I gan find a tale To him to looke where I might ought Haue more knowledging of his thought Sir qd I this game is done I holde that this hart be gone These hunts can him no where see I do no force thereof qd he My thought is thereon neuer adele By our Lord qd I I trow you wele Right so me thinketh by your chere But sir o thing woll ye here Me thinketh in great sorrow I you see But certes sir if that ye Would aught discure me your wo I would as wise God helpe me so Amend it if I can or may Ye mowe prove it by assay For by my trouth to make you hole I woll do all my power whole And telleth me of your sorrowes smart Paraunter it may ease your hart That semeth full sicke vnder your side With that he looked on me aside As who saith nay that nill not be Graunt mercy good friend qd he I thanke thee that thou wouldest so But it may neuer the rather be do No man may my sorrow glade That maketh my hew to fall and fade And hath mine vnderstanding lorne That me is wo that I was borne May nought make my sorrowes slide Not all the remedies of Ovide Ne Orpheus god of melodie Ne Dedalus with his playes slie Ne heale me may no Phisicien Nought Ipocras ne Galien Me is wo that I liue houres twelue But who so woll assay hemselue Whether his hert can haue pite Of any sorrow let him see me I wretch that death hath made all naked Of all the blisse that ever was maked Iwroth werste of all wights That hate my dayes and my nights My life my lustes be me loth For all fare and I be wroth The pure death is so full my fo That I would die it will not so For when I follow it it will flie I would have him it nill not me This is pain without reed Alway dying and be not deed That Tesiphus that lieth in hell May not of more sorrow tell And who so wist all by my trouth My sorrow but he had routh And pitie of my sorrows smart That man hath a fiendly heart For whoso seeth me first on morrow May saine he hath met with sorrow For I am sorrow and sorrow is I Alas and I will tell thee why My sorrow is tourned to plaining And all my laughter to weeping My glad thoughts to heauinesse In trauaile is mine idlenesse And eke my rest my wele is wo My good is harme and euermo In wrath is tourned my playing And my delite into sorrowing Mine heale is tourned into sicknesse In drede is all my sikernesse To derke is turned all my light My witte is foly my day is night My loue is hate my slepe wakyng My mirth and meales is fastyng My countenaunce is nicete And all abawed where so I be My peace pleding and in werre Alas how might I fare werre My boldnesse is turned to shame For false fortune hath played a game At the cheffe with me alas the while The trayteresse false and full of gyle That al behoteth and nothing halte She gothe vpright and yet she halte That baggeth foule and loketh fayre The dispitous debonaire That scorneth many a creature An ydole of false purtraiture Is she for she woll sone wryen She is the monstres heed ywryen As filth ouer ystrowed with floures Her most worship and her floures To lyen for that is her nature Without faith lawe or mesure She false is and euer laughing With one eye and that other weping That is brought vp she set al downe I liken her to the Scorpiowne That is a false flattering beest For with his head he maketh feest But all amid his flattering With his taile he will sting And enuenim and so will she She is the enuious charite That is aye false and semeth wele So turneth she her false whele About for it is nothing stable Now by the fire now at table Full
Without pity there may no bill availe Then leave all vertues save onely pity Keeping the corse as ye have heard me saine Confedred by hond vntill Cruelty And be assented when I shall be slaine And I have put my complaint vp againe For to my foes my bill I dare not shew The effect which saith thus in words few Humblest of heart highest of reverence Benigne floure croune of vertues all Sheweth vnto your royall excellence Your seruaunt if I durst me so call His mortall harme in which he is ifall And nought all onely for his wofull fare But for your renome as he shall declare It standeth thus yâ— your contrary crueltie Allied is ayenst your regallie Vnder colour of womanly beautie For men should not know her tyrannie With Bountie Gentillesse and Courtesie And hath depriued you of your place That is hie beautie appertenaunt to your grace For kindly by your heritage right Ye be annexed euer vnto bountie And verely ye ought to doe your might To helpe trouth in his aduersitie Ye be also the croune of beautie And certes if ye want in these twaine The world is lore there is no more to saine Eke what auaileth manner and gentillesse Without you benigne creature Shall crueltie be your gouernesse Alas what heart may it long endure Wherefore but ye rather take cure To breake that perillous alliaunce Ye sleen hem that been in your obeysaunce And further if ye suffer this Your renome is fordo in a throw There shall no man were what pitie is Alas that euer your renome is fall so low Ye be also fro your heritage ithrow By crueltie that occupieth your place And we dispaired that seeken your grace Haue mercy on me thou Herenus Queene That you haue sought so tenderly and sore Let some streame of light on me be seene That loue and drede you euer lenger yâ— more For soothly to saine I beare so sore And though I be not conning for to plaine For Gods loue haue mercy on my paine My paine is this that what so I desire That haue I not ne nothing like thereto And euer setteth desire mine hart on fire Eke on that other side where that I go What maner thing yâ— may encrease my wo That haue I ready vnsought euery where Me lacketh but my death and then my bere What needeth to shew percell of my paine Sith euery wo that hart may bethinke I suffer and yet I dare not to you plaine For well I wore though I wake or winke Ye recke not whether I flete or sinke And nathelesse yet my trouth I shall susteine Vnto my death and that shall well be sene This is to saine I will be yours euer Though ye me slea by crueltie your fo Algate my spirit shall neuer disceuer Fro your seruice for any paine or wo Sith ye be yet dead alas that it is so Thus for your death I may wepe and plaine With hart sore and full of busie paine La belle Dame sans Mercie M. Aleyn Secretary to the King of France framed this Dialogue between a Gentleman and a Gentlewoman who finding no mercy at her hand dieth for sorrow HAlse in a dreame not fully well awaked The golden sleep me wrapped vnder his wing Yet not for thy I rose and well nigh naked All suddainly my selfe remembring Of a matter leauing all other thing Which I must doe withouten more delay For hem which I durst not disobay My charge was this to translate by by All thing forgiue as part of my pennance A book called La bel dame sans mercy Which Maister Aleine made of remembrance Cheefe secretarie with the king of France And hereupon a while I stood musing And in my selfe greatly imagining What wise I should perform the said processe Considering by good aduisement My vnconning and my great simplenesse And ayenward the strait commaundement Which that I had and thus in mine entent I was vexed and tourned vp and doun And yet at last as in conclusioun I cast my clothes on and went my way This forsaid charge hauing in remembrance Till I came to a lustie greene vallay Full of floures to see a great pleasaunce And so boldly with their benigne suffraunce Which rede this book touching this matere Thus I began if it please you to here NOt long agoe riding an easie paas I fell in thought of joy full desperate With great disease and paine so that I was Of all louers the most vnfortunate Sith by his dart most cruell full of hate The death hath take my Lady and maistresse And left me sole thus discomfite and mate Sore languishing and in way of distresse Then said I thus it falleth me to cesse Either to rime or dities for to make And I surely to make a full promesse To laugh no more but wepe in clothes blake My joifull time alas now doeth it slake For in my selfe I feele no manner of ease Let it be written such fortune as I take Which neither me nor none other doth please If it were so my will or mine entent Constrained were a joyfull thing to write My pen coud neuer know what it ment To speak thereof my tongue hath no delite Tho with my mouth I laugh much or lite Mine eien shuld make a countenance vntrue My heart also would haue thereof dispite The weeping teares haue so large issue These sick louers I leue that to hem longs Which lead their life in hope of allegeance That is to say to make Ballades and songs Euery of hem as they feel their greuaunce For she that was my joy and my pleasaunce Whose soule I pray God of his mercy saue She hath my will mine hearts ordinaunce Which sieth here within this tombe ygraue Fro this time forth time is to hold my pees It wearieth me this matter for to trete Let other louers put hemselfe in prees Their season is my time is now forgete Fortune by strength the forcer hath vnshete Wherein was sperde all my worldly richesse And all the goods which that I haue gete In my best time of youth and lustinesse Loue hath me kept vnder his gouernance If I misdid God graunt me forgiuenesse If I did well yet felt I no pleasance It caused neither joy nor heauinesse For when she died that was my maistresse My welfare then made the same purchase The death hath shet my bonds of witnesse Which for nothingmine hart shal neuer pase In this great thought sore troubled in mind Alone thus rode I all the morrow tide Till at the last it happed me to find The place wherein I cast me to abide When that I had no further for to ride And as I went my lodging to puruay Right soone I heard a little me beside In a garden where minstrels gan to play With that anon I went me backer more My selfe and I me thought we were inow But twain yâ— were my friends here before Had me espied and yet I wore not how They came for me awayward I
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
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
pite Iwis mine owne deare hert ye Know full well that neuer yet As farre as euer I had wit Agilt you in thought ne in dede O haue ye men such goodlihede In speech and neuer a dele of trouth Alas that euer had routh Any woman on a false man Now I see well and tell can We wretched women can no art For certaine for the more part Thus we been serued euerichone How sore that ye men can grone Anon as we have you receiued Certainly we been deceiued For though your loue lest a season Wait vpon the conclusion And eke how ye determine And for the more part define O welaway that I was borne For through you my name is lorne And mine acts redde and song Ouer all this land in euery tong O wicked fame for there nis Nothing so swift lo as she is O sooth is euery thing is wist Though it be couerde with the mist Eke though I might duren euer That I haue done recouer I neuer That it ne shall be said alas I shamed was through Eneas And that I shall thus judged be Lo right as she hath done now she Woll done estsoones hardely Thus say the people priuely But that is done nis not to done But all her complaint ne her mone Certaine auailed her not a stre And when she wist soothly he Was forth into his ship agone She into chamber went anone And called on her suster Anne And gan her to complaine than And said that she cause was That she first loued him alas And first counsailed her thereto But what when this was said and do She roft her seluen to the hart And deide through the wounds smart But all the manner how she deide And all the words how she seide Who so to know it hath purpose Rede Virgile in Eneidos Or the Pistels of Ouide What that she wrote or that she dide And nere it too long to endite By God I would it here write But welaway the harme and routh That hath betide for such vntrouth As men may oft in bookes rede And all day seene it yet in dede That for to thinken it tene is Lo Demophon Duke of Athenis How he forswore him falsely And traied Phillis wickedly That kings doughter was of Thrace And falsely gan his tearme pace And when she wist that he was false She hong her selfe right by the halfe For he had done her such vntrouth Lo was not this a wo and routh Eke looke how false and recheles Was to Briseida Achilles And Paris to Oenone And Iason to Hipsiphile And eft Iason to Medea And Hercules to Dianira For he left her for Iolee That made him take his death parde How false was eke Theseus That as the storie telleth vs How he betraied Adriane The deuill be his soules bane For had he laughed or yloured He must haue been all deuoured If Adriane ne had be And for she had of him pite She made him fro the death escape And he made her a full false jape For after this within a while He left her sleeping in an Isle Desart alone right in the see And stale away and let her bee And tooke her suster Phedra tho With him and gan to ship go And yet he had sworne to here On all that euer he could swere That so she saued him his life He would taken her to his wife For she desired nothing els In certain as the booke vs tels But for to excuse this Eneas Fulliche of all his great trespas The booke saith sauns faile The gods bad him go to Itaile And leauen Affrickes regioun And faire Dido and her toun Tho saw I graue how to Itaile Dan Eneas gan for to saile And how the tempest all began And how he lost his steresman Which that the sterne or he tooke keepe Smote ouer the bord as he sleepe And also saugh I how Sibile And Eneas beside an Isle To hell went for to see His father Anchises the free And how he there found Palimurus And also Dido and Deiphebus And eueriche tourment eke in hell Saw he which long is for to tell Which paines who so list to know He must rede many a row In Vergile or in Claudian Or Daunt that it tellen can Tho saw I eke all the ariuaile That Eneas had made in Itaile And with king Latin his treate And all the battailes that he Was at himselfe and his knights Or he had all iwonne his rights And how he Turnus reft his life And wan Lauina to his wife And all the maruellous signals Of the gods celestials How maugre Iuno Eneas For all her sleight and her compas Acheued all his auenture For Iupiter tooke on him cure At the prayer of Venus Which I pray alway saue vs And vs aye of our sorrowes light When I had seene all this sight In this noble temple thus Hey Lord thought I that madest vs Yet saw I neuer such noblesse Of Images nor such richesse As I see grauen in this church But nought wote I who did hem worch Ne where I am ne in what countree But now will I out gone and see Right at the wicket if I can Seene ought where stering any man That may me tellen where I am When I out of the dore came I fast about me beheld Then saw I but a large field As farre as euer I might see Without toune house or tree Or bush or grasse or eared land For all the field was but of sand As small as men may see at eye In the desart of Lybye Ne no manner creature That is yformed by nature Ne saw I me to rede or wisse O Christ thought I that are in blisse From fanton and illusion Me saue and with deuotion Mine eyen to the heauen I cast Tho was I ware lo at the last That fast by the sunne on hye As kenne might I with mine eye Me thought I saw an Egle sore But that it seemed much more Than I had any Egle yseine This is as sooth as death certaine It was of gold and shone so bright That neuer saw men such a sight But if the heauen had ywonne All new of God another sonne So shone the Egles fethers bright And somewhat downward gan it light Explicit liber primus NOw hearken euery manner man That English vnderstand can And listeth of my dreame to here For nowe at erst shall ye lere So sely and so dredefull a vision That I say neither Scipion Ne king Nabugodonosore Pharao Turnus ne Alcanore Ne metten such a dreame as this Now faire blisfull O Cipris So be my fauour at this time That ye me tendite and rime Helpeth that in Pernaso dwell Beside Elicon the clere well O thought that wrote all that I met And in the tresorie it set Of my braine now shall men see If any vertue in thee bee To tell all my dreame aright Now kithe thy engine and thy might This Egle of which I haue you told That with feathers
may my greuance amend Now yet good Lord I thee beseech pray As thou raised my brother Lazarous From death to life the fourth day Came ayen in body and soule precious As great a thing maist thou shew vnto vs Of thy selfe by power of thy godhead As thou did of him lying in graue dead Mine hert is wounded with thy charite It brenneth it flameth incessauntly Come my dear Lord Ad adjuvandum me Now be not long my paine to multiplie Least in the mean time I depart and die In thy grace I put both hope confidence To do as it pleaseth thy high magnificence Floods of death and tribulatioun Into my soule I feele entred full deepe Alas that here is no consolatioun Euer I waile euer I mourne and weepe And sorowhath wounded mine hert ful deepe O deare loue no maruaile though I die Sagittae tuae infixae sunt mihi Wandring in this place as in wildernesse No comfort haue I ne yet assuraunce Desolate of ioy replete with faintnesse No answere receiuing of mine enquiraunce Mine herte also greued with displeasaunce Wherefore I may say O Deus Deus Non est dolor sicut dolor meus Mine herte expresseth Quod dilexi multum I may not endure though I would faine For now Solum superest Sepulchrum I know it right well by my huge paine Thus for loue I may not life sustaine But O God I muse what ayleth thee Quod sic repente praecipitas me Alas I see it wol none otherwise be Now must I take my leaue for euermore This bitter paine hath almost discomfite me My loues corse I can in no wise restore Alas to this wo that euer I was bore Here at this tombe now must I die starue Death is about my heart for to carue My testament I woll begin to make To God the father my soule I commend To Iesu my loue that died for my sake My heart and all both I giue and send In whose loue my life maketh end My body also to this monument I here bequeath both boxe and ointment Of all my wills lo now I make the last Right in this place within this sepulture I woll be buried when I am dead and past And vpon my graue I woll haue this scripture Here within resteth a ghostly creature Christs true louer Mary Magdalaine Whose hart for loue brake in peeces twaine Ye vertuous women tender of nature Full of pitie and of compassion Resort I pray you vnto my sepulture To sing my dirige with great deuotion Shew your charitie in this condition Sing with pitie and let your herts weepe Remembring I am dead and layd to sleepe Then when ye begin to part me fro And ended haue your mourning obseruance Remember wheresoeuer that ye go Alway to search make due enqueraunce After my loue mine herts sustenaunce In euery towne and in euery village If ye may here of this noble image And if it happe by any grace at last That ye my true loue find in any cost Say that his Magdaleine is dead and past For his pure loue hath yeelded vp the ghost Say that of all thing I loued him most And that I might not this death eschew May paines so sore did euer renew And in token of loue perpetual When I am buried in this place present Take out mine hert the very root and al And close it within this boxe of ointment To my deare loue make thereof a present Kneeling downe with words lamentable Do your message speake faire and tretable Say that to him my selfe I commend A thousand times with herte so free This poore token say to him I send Pleaseth his goodnesse to take it in gree It is his own of right it is his fee Which he asked when he said long before * Giue me thy heart and I desire no more Adue my Lord my loue so faire of face Adue my turtle doue so fresh of hew Adue my mirth adue all my sollace Adue alas my sauiour Lord Iesu Adue the gentillest that euer I knew Adue my most excellent paramour Fairer than rose sweeter than lilly flour Adue my hope of all pleasure eternall My life my wealth and my prosperitie Mine heart of gold my perle orientall Mine adamant of perfite charitie My cheefe refuge and my felicitie My comfort and all my recreatioun Farewell my perpetuall saluatioun Farewell mine Emperour Celestiall Most beautifull prince of all mankind Adue my lord of heart most liberall Farewell my sweetest both soule and mind So louing a spouse shall I neuer find Adue my soueraine and very gentilman Farewell dere heart as hertely as I can Thy words eloquent flowing in sweetnesse Shal no more alas my mind recomfort Wherfore my life must end in bitternesse For in this world shall I neuer resort To thee which was mine heauenly disport I see alas it woll none other be Now farewell the ground of all dignitie Adue the fairest that euer was bore Alas I may not see your blessed face Now welaway that I shall see no more Thy blessed visage so replete with grace Wherein is printed my perfite sollace Adue mine hertes root and all for euer Now farewell I must from thee disceuer My soule for anguish is now full thursty I faint right sore for heauinesse My lord my spouse Cur me dereliquisti Sith I for thee suffer all this distresse What causeth thee to seeme thus mercilesse Sith it thee pleaseth of me to make an end In Manus tuas my spirit I commend ¶ Finis The Prologue to the Remedy of LOVE SEeing the manifolde inconuenience Falling by vnbrideled prosperitie Which is not tempred with mortal prudence Nothing more wealthy than youths freeltie Moued I am both of right and equitie To youths we le somewhat to write Whereby he may himselfe safecondite First I note as thing most noyous Vnto youth a greeuous maladie Among us called loue encombrous Vexing yong people straungelie Oft by force causeth hem to die Age is eke turmented by loue Bineath the girdle and not aboue Wherfore this werk which is right laborous For age me need nat in hond to take To youth me oweth to be obsequious Now I begin thus to worke for his sake Which may the feruence of loue aslake To the louer as a mitigatiue To him that is none a preseruatiue That mighty lord which me gouerneth Youth I meane measure if I pace In euery matter which him concerneth First as is behouefull I woll aske grace And forthwithall in this same place Ere I begin I woll kneel and sa These few words and him of helpe pray Flouring youth which hast auauntage In strength of body in lust and beaute Also a precelling hast aboue age In many a singular commodite Howbeit one thing he hath beyond thee To thy most profite greatest auaile Which shuld the conduit I mean sad counsaile And yet good lord of a presumption I nill depraue thy might and deitie I liue but vnder thy protection I am thy subiect
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
his death doth pant This yong man followeth her in that stound And as a wanton Lambe full ignorant How he is pulled and drawen to be bound Vnto the time he hath his deaths wound And like a bird that hasteth to the grin Not knowing the perill of his life therein Now gentle sonne saith Salomon take hede My words in thy breast keepe and make fast Let her not thy mind in her waies mislede Be not deceiued lese not thy tast Many hath she wounded many doune cast Many strong by her hath lost their breath Her waies waies of hell leading to death And in this little narration precedent The womans manifold gilt I attend The yong man alas how she hath shent Deceiued her husband her own next friend In these both her God she doth offend To break her spousail to her is of no weight Furdermore to shew womans craft sleight A woman at her dore sate on a stall To see folke passe by streets of the cite With eye and countenance eke she gan call If there be any prety one come nere to me Come hither ye piggesnye ye little babe At last she said to a yong man hartlesse Of her deceit vnware and defencelesse * Much sweeter she saith more acceptable Is drinke when it is stollen priuely Tha when it is taken in forme auowable Bread hid and gotten jeoperdously Must needs be sweet and semblably * Venison stolne is aye the sweeter The ferther the narrower fet the better And whom this woman saith Salom. festes The yong man woteth not whom she doth fede Of the dark deepnesse of hell ben her ghests Beware yong man therefore I thee rede And how be it cheefly for thy good spede This werk to compile I haue take in charge I must of pity my charity enlarge With the selie man which is thus begiled Her husband I mean I woll wepe and waile His painfull infortune whereby reuiled Causelesse he is neuer to conuaile Euery man yong and old woll him assaile With words of occasion with the loth name And alas good soule he nothing to blame But she that coud so ill do and wold Hers be the blame for her demerite And leaue that opprobrous name cokold To aproper to him as in dispite Ransake yet we would if we might Of this worde the true Ortographie The very discent and Ethimologie The well and ground of the first inuencion To know the ortographie we must deriue Which is coke and cold in composicion By reason as nigh as I can contriue Then how it is written we know beliue But yet lo by what reason and ground Was it of these two wordes compound As of one cause to giue very judgement Themilogie let vs first behold Eche letter an hole word doth represent As C put for colde and O for old K is for knaue thus diuers men hold The first parte of this name we haue found Let vs ethimologise the second As the first finder ment I am sure C for calot for of we haue O L for leude O for demeanure The craft of the enuentour ye may see lo How one name signifieth persones two A colde old knaue cokold himselfe wening And eke a calot of leude demeaning The second cause of thimposicion Of this foresaid name of jealousie To be jelouse is greatest occasion To be cokold that men can aspie And though the passion be very firie And of continuell feruence and heete The pacient aye suffreth cold on his feete And who that is jelous and aye in a drede Is full of Melancolie and gallie ire His wiues nose if she misse trede He woll cut off ye and conspire His death who that woll her desire Which she perceiuing brasteth his gall And anone his great woodnesse doth fall As soone as she hath knit him that knot Now is he tame that was so ramagious Mekely sitteth he doune and taketh his lot Layed been now his lookes so furious And he but late as a cocke bataylous Hote in his quarell to auenge him bold Now is he called both coke and cold This saying to all curtesie dissonant Which seemeth that it of malice grewe In this rude treatise I woll not plant As parcell thereof but onely to shewe The opinion of the talcatife shrewe * Which in ill saying is euer merie No man as I thereof so werie But I as parcell of this my booke Woll graffe in some sad counsaile whereby The wedded man if he daigne to looke In it the better shall mowe him gie And prouide for his said infortunie Which as I haue said with him complaine I woll as partener of his great paine As most expedient to his weale I would all jelousie were abject If he be jelous that he it conceale And in his labour be circumspect To know her wayes if they seeme suspect * And not for to breake for one word broken She woll not misse but she woll be wroken * Forbid her not that thou noldest haue don For looke what thing she is forbod To that of all things she is most prone Namely if it be ill and no good Till it be executed she is nigh wood Soch is a woman and soch is her feat * Her craft by craft labour to defeat If thou hereafter now a single man Shouldest be jelous if thou haddest a wife Wedde not but if thou can trust woman For els shouldest lede a carefull life That thou most lothest should be full rife Yet I nill gainesay Matrimonie * But Melius est nubere quam uri That is to say better is in Wedlocke A wife to take as the church doth kenne Than to been vnder the fleshes yoke In fleshly lust alway for to brenne But as I said for all jelous menne * So they liue chaste I hold it lasse ill That they wedde not than them self spill The single man which is yet to wedde And not the wedded man thus I rede To warne him now he is too farre spedde It is too late him to forbedde But let him take as for his owne need Soch counsaile as is him before told These words folowing eke to behold Thy water to keep the wiseman doth teach That thou in no wise let it haue issue At a narow rifte way it woll seach And semblably the woman vntrue To giue her free walke in al wise eschue * If she at large not at thine hand walke She woll thee shame thou shalt it not balke Wedded or single thus saith the wiseman * Her that both day and night euermore Lithe in thy bosome wife or yet lemman Loue not to hote least thou repent sore Least she thee bring into some ill lore Thy wife not to loue yet I nill support But that thou dote not thus I thee exhort Lo if thou loue her loue eke thine honestie Be she not idell for what woll betide * If she sit idell of very necessitie Her mind woll search ferre and eke wide Namely if she be not accompanide How accompanied not with yong
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
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
coud aforne full openly diuine Things begon how they should fine And eke by craft of calculation Yeue a doome of euery question And had in Magike great experience And find coud by heauenly influence And by meuing of the high sterres A finall doome of conteke and of werres The Prophecy of Amphiorax the Bishop And wist well as his gods told That if Greekes forth her journey hold It tourne shall platly this is no fage To great mischeefe and great damage Of hem echone and in especiall The most blood right of the blood royall Through all Greece it may not be withdraw In this voyage shortly shall be slaw And of him why the Greekes wente Who that euer wept him or bemente This is the fine and may not be succoured Of the earth he should be deuoured Quicke as he was he knew it in certaine And for he saw there nas none other gaine To saue his life nor no bette defence Than vtterly to withdraw his presence Praying his wife for him to prouide If he were sought that she should him hide And womanly for to keepe him close And of trouth conceiling his purpose For all his trust touching his greuaunce Was full set in her purueyaunce I hope to God that he there not drede Of no deceit in her womanhede She was so true as women been echone And also close and muet as a stone That she ne would as the mill stood Discuren him for no worlds good But finally the Greekes of entent In all his drede haue for this Bishop sent How the Wife of Amphiorax of conscience to save her Oath discured her Husband And soughten so long ere they might him find For cause his wife was to him so kind That so surely hath locked vp his corps But for she had a manner remors In her selfe greuing her conscience Dreding to fall in great offence Least her soule were in perill lorne When she by oth compelled was and sworne They requiring if she coud tell Where her lord the Bishop should dwell Which to discure her heart was full loth Till time she gan remember on her oth And coud a trouth of custome not denie And had also great conscience to lie Wonder heauy with a sorrifull face Maugre her lust taught hem to the place Where as he was shitte vp in a toure All alone hauing no succour They fell on him ere that he was ware And set him vp in a full rich chare * A foole he was to jeoparde his life For to discure his counsaile to his wife And yet she was full sorry for his sake And specially when she saw him take * But I hope that her heauinesse Gan tassuage full soone by processe In short time when that he was gone * There is no tempest may lest euer in one But this Bishop by very force and might Vnto Greekes conueyed was full right This hore grey in his chaire sitting And they full glad weren of his comming Hauing a trist and full opinion Through the cause and occasion Of his wisdome and his sapience And by vertue of his high prescience They should eschue all aduersity Possible to fall as in her journy And as the story fully hath deuised Full circumspect and right wele auised He hath pronounced in the parlement Tofore the Lords and the President His cleare conceit in very sikernesse Not entriked with no doublenesse Her dismall dayes and her fatall houres Her auentures and her sharpe shoures The froward sort and vnhappy stounds The complaint of her deadly wounds The wofull wrath and the contrariosty Of fell Mars and his cruelty And how by meane of his grey mood There shall be shed all the worthy blood Of the Greekes it may not been eschued If her purpose be execute and sued There is no more this shall be the fine The high noblesse shall draw to decline Of Grekes blood in mischeefe sorrow wo And with all this I my selfe also As my fate hath before disposed Deepe in the ground I shall be enclosed And locked vp in the derke vale Of cruell death lo this was the tale That the Bishop to Adrastus told Him counsailing his purpose to withhold In escheuing of more mischeefe and sorrow For all his gods he tooke to borrow If the Thebans and the Greekes meet The fine thereof shall be so vnsweet That all Greece after shall it rew Warning hem if they the mischeefe knew That shall follow which no man may lette They would abstaine a siege for to sette Vnto Thebes and her purpose leue With whose words yâ— lords gan hem greue And therein had but full small delite And euerich of heartely high despite They abreide and seâ—d he was vntrew And a contreuer of prophecies new And eke also for all his long berd An old dotard a coward and aferd And of rancour gonne to defie Both his calcling and his Astronomie And shortely said they took therof none hede Ne will no thing gouerne hem by his rede This was the clamour noise in euery coast Of high and low throughout all the hoast And specially of the poore souldiours And of lordes reigning in her flours And of the estates effectuelly I mene Which of age were but tender and grene That haue not had of Marces influence Of the werre great experience * Here if ye list ye may consider and see Of coueiting great aduersitee How that youth no perill cast aforne Till he in mischeefe suddainly be lorne There as age prouideth euery thing Ere he begin to casten the ending How Age and Youth been of diverse Opinions * Youth is gouerned by a large reine To stert forth and can him not refreine But of head set on all at ones As he that hurteleth ayenst hard stones Broseth himselfe and vnwarely perbraketh But Age expert nothing vndertaketh But he toforne by good discretion Make a due examination How it will tourne either to bad or good But youth as fast as stirred is the blood Taketh emprises of hasty wilfulnesse Ioy at ginning the end is wretchednesse The old prudent in all his gouernaunce Full long aforne maketh purueyaunce But youth alas by counseil will not werke For which full oft he stumbleth in the derke Thus selde is seene the trouth to termine That age and youth draw by o line And where that folly hath domination Wisdome is put in subjection How that Wisdom without Supportation availeth little or nought Like as this bishop with al his high prudence For cause he might haue none audience All his wisedome and his prophecy Of the Greekes was holden but folly For though Plato and wise Socrates Morall Seneke and Diogenes Albumaser and prudent Theolonee And Tullius that had soueraintee Whylome in Rome as of eloquence Though all these shortly in sentence Were aliue most cunning and expert And no man list her counsaile to aduert Nor of her sawes for to taken heed What might auaile and it come to need * For where as prudence can find no succour And
maketh rehersaile That this lady so faire vpon to se Of whom the name was Isiphile To Adrastus told as ye may rede Lineally the stocke of her kinrede Sometime how she a kings doughter was Rehersing to him all the halâ—e caas First how that she out of her countree went Shortly for she wol nat assent To execute a conspiracion Made by the woman of that region A thing contrary agein all right That ech of hem vpon a certein night By one accord shall warely take kepe Fader brother and husbands in her slepe With kniues sharp and rasours kene Kitte her thortes in that mortall rene Vnto this fiâ—e â—s Bochas tell can In all that land be not found a man But slaine echoue to this conclusion That women might haue dominacion In that kingdome and reigne at liberte And on no parties interrupted be But for this lady passing debonaire To this matere was froward and contraire Kept her fader that he was not slawe But from the death preserued withdraw For which alas she fled Countree And of a Pirat taken in the See To king Ligurgus brought in all her dred And for her trouth and her womanhed To her be tooke his yong child to keepe Which in the herber she left alone to slepe When Tideus she brought to the well And by â—ason some bookes tell That this lady had sonnes two When that he and Hercules also Toward Colchos by her countree came For raccomplish the conquest of the Kam But who that list by and by to see The story holle of Isophilee Her fadres name of which also I write Though some sein he named was Thorite And some bookes Vermos eke him call But to know the auentures all Of this lady Isophile the faire So faithfull aye and inly debonaire Loke on the boke that Iohn Bachas made Whilom of women with Rhetoriques glade And direct by full souereigne stile To faire Iane the Queene of Cesile Rede there the Râ—brike of Isophile Of her trouth and of her bounte Full craftly compiled for her sake And when that she her leue hath take Of Adrastus homeward in her wey Tideus gan her to conuey To the Gardein till she is repeyred But now alas my matere is despeired Of all joy and of all wilfulnesse And destitute of all mirth and gladnesse For now of wâ— begin the sharpe houres For this lady hath found among the floures How the Child was slain of a foul Serpent in the Herber Her litel Childe turned vp the face Slain of a Serpent in the selfe place Her taile hurled with scales siluer shene The venim was so persing and so kene So mortall eke the perilous violence Caused alas through her long absence She was to slow homeward for to hie But now can she but wepe waile and crie Now can she nought but sigh compleine And wofully wring her honds tweine Dedly of looke pale of face and chere And gan to rende her gilt tresses clere And oft sithe gan to say alas I wofull wretch vnhappy in this caas What shall I do or whider shall I tourne For this the fine if I here sojourne I wote right well I may it not escape The piteous faâ—e that is for me shape Soccour is there none ne none other rede Liche to my desert but that I mote be dede For through my slouth and my negligence I haue alas done to great offence That my guilte I may it not excuse Shal to the king of treason me accuse Through my offence and slouth both two His sonne is ded and his heire also Which he loued more than al his good For treasour none so nigh his hert stood Nor was so depe graue in his courage That he is likely to fallen in a rage When it is so mine odious offence Reported be vnto his audience So importable shall be his heauinesse And well wot I in verray sothfastneise That when yâ— queen hath this thing aspied To mine excute it may not be denied I doubt it nat there geineth no pite Without respite she will auenged be On me alas as I haue deserued That from the death I may not be preserued Nother by bill nor by supplication For the rage of my transgression Requireth death and none other mede And thus alas she quaking in her drede None other helpe ne remedy can But dreint in sorow to the Grekes she ran Of hertely woo face and chere distreined And her cheekes with weping albereined In hie affray distraught and furious Tofore al thoste she came to Tideus Fell on knees and gan her compleint make And told pleinly that for the Grekes sake She must be ded and shortly in substaunce Rehersing him yâ— ground of her greuaunce First how by traines of a false serpent The child was flaine when she was absent And when that he her mischief vnderstood In what disjoint and perill that she stood Vnto her full knightly he behight To helpe and further all that euer he might Her pitious woo to stinten and appease And for to find vnto her disease Hasty comfort he went a full great paas To Adrastus and told him all the caas Of this vnhappy wofull auenture Beseeching him to doon his besy cure As he was bound of equite and right And eke aduertise and to haue a sight How she quitte her to Grekes here toforne That they were likely to haue ben lorne The succour void of her womanhede For which he must of knighthood take hede To remedien this vnhappy thing And Adrastus like a worthy king Taquite himselfe the story maketh mind To this lady will not be found vnkind Neither for coste ne for no trauaile But besy was in all that might auaile To her succour considred all things And by thauife of al the worthy kings Of Grekes lond they ben accorded thus Princes Dukes and with hem Tideus To hold her way and all at ones ride To Ligurgus dwelling there beside Of one entent if they may purchace In any wise for to get grace For this lady called Isophilee They would assay if it might be And to his palaice full roially built of stone The worthy Grekes came riding euerichone Euery lord full freshly on his stede And Ligurgus example of manlyhede Anon as he knew of her comming Tacquite himselfe like a gentill king Agein hem went to mete hem on the way Ful wel besein and in good aray Receiuing hem with a full knightly chere And to Adrastus said as ye shall here Cosin qd he and gan him to embrace Ye be welcome to your owne place Thanking hertely to your high noblesse That so goodly of your gentillesse Towards me ye list you to acquite Your selfe this day your Cosin to visite In this castell to take your lodging That neuer yet I was so glad of thing In all my life and thereto here my trouth And euermore there shall be no slouth That the chambres and the large toures Shall be deliuered to your herberioures That euery
lord as he is of degree Vnto his lodging assigned shall bee Your officers let hem selfe deuise Yf the housing largely may suffise To you and yours stretchen and atteine That none estate haue cause to compleine And all your host lodged here beside Which ententifely vpon you abide Let hem fet by my auctority Vitaile inough here in my city And al that may hem succour or saue And at o word al that euer I haue Is full and holle at your commaundement How Adrastus and all the states of Grekes preiden Ligurgus for the life of Isophile Qd. Adrastus that is not our entent Nor no part cause of our comming For we be come all for another thing A certein gift of you to requere Benignely if ye list to here Which may Grekes passingly auaile Of our request if we do not faile Which we dare not openly expresse Withouten that ye will of your gentillesse Your graunt affirme conferme and ratifie Then were we bold it to specifie qd Ligurgus what thing euer it be Not excepted but onely things three The first is this it touche not my life My yong sonne pleinly nor my wife Take all my good and what ye list proâ—ide Of my treasour and set these thing aside All the surplus I compt nat a mite Then Adrastus astomed was a lite When Ligurgus in conclusion Of his sonne made exception And whiles they treat thus in fere There came forth one with a wofull chere Of face and looke pale and nothing red And loud crieth the kings sonne is ded Alas the while that whilom was so feire After Ligurgus borne to ben his heire The which alas hath yolden vp the breath Of a Serpent stong vnto the death And with his wound new fresh and greene In the herber lieth that pity is to seene And hath so lien almost all this day But when Ligurgus heard this affray And wist his child was dead and had no mo Little wonder though that he was wo For sodainly the importable smart Ran anon and hent him by the hart The sorow that King Ligurgus made for the death of his Child and the lamentation of the Queen That for constreint of his deadly peine Throughout he felt coruen euery veine The rage gan mine on him so depe That he could not but sobbe sigh and wepe And with the noise and lamentacioun The Quene distraught is descended doun And when she knew the ground of all this sorrow It needed her no teares for to borow But twenty time vpon a row Aswound she fell to the earth low And stoundmell for this mischaunce Still as a stone she lieth in a traunce But when the child into court was brought Tofore Ligurgus alas I wite him nought Vpon the corps with a mortall face He fell atones and gan it to embrace Sore to grispe and agein vp sert Then when Adrastus this thing can aduert Of kingly routh and compassioun From his eyen the teares fell adoun Eke Kings Dukes that about stood Onely of pity that is in gentill blood No power had the teares to restreine That on her cheekes doune began to reine But all a day would not suffise All her sorowes in order to deuise First of the king and the queene also To tellen al I should neuer haue do Not in the space almost of an houre But when the stormes and the teary shoure Of her weping was somewhat ouergone The litel Corps was grauen vnder stone And Adrastus in the same tide Ligurgus toke a litel out a side And full wisely with his prudent spech The Queene present gan him for to tech That so to sorow auaile may right nought To murdre himself with his owne thought * Ayeinst death may be no recure Though in wo perpetually endure Al helpeth not when the soule is go And our life here thus taketh heed thereto Is but an exile and a pilgrimage Ful of turment and of bitter rage Liche See renning to and fro Suing an Ebbe when the flood is do Litel space abiding at full Of whose sojourne the Pope yeueth no bull For king is none Duke ne Emperour That may him shroud ayenst his fatal shour Of cruel death when him list manace To marke a man with his mortall mace Then geineth not to his saluation Neither franchise ne protection And littel or nought may helpen in this caas Saufâ—ondir eyther supersedeas For in this world who so loketh aright Is none so great of power nor of might None so rich shortly nor so bold That he must die either yong or old And who in youth passeth his passage He escaped is all the wood rage All sorrow all trouble of this present life Replenished with conteke warre and strife Which selde or neuer stondeth in surete Wherefore best is as it seemeth me No man grutch but of high prudence The sonde of God he taketh in patience And ye that been so wise and manly to Your selfe to drowne in torment and in wo For losse of thing and ye list to see That in no wise may recured bee Is great folly and vndiscretioun And thus Adrastus hath conueyed doun The substance whole of that he would say Till that he found a tiâ— for to pray Conuement for Isophilee Beseching him for to haue pite Of that she hath offended his highnesse Not wilfully but of reckelesnesse First that he would his domes so diuide Mercy preferre and set right aside At request and prayer of hem all Of this vnhap and mischeefe that is fall By hasty rigour not to doe vengeaunce But thinke aforne in his purueyaunce * Who to wretches doth mercy in her drede Shall mercy find when he hath most nede And sith he hath power might and space Let him take this lady into his grace For lacke of routh that she nat thus die But tho the Quene gan again replie How the Queen will algate have the Serpent dead And platly said as in this matere Auaileth neither request nor prayere Pite mercy nor remission But if it be by this condicion That the Serpent cause of all sorow Through his labour lay his hed to borow This is finall and vtter recompence To find grace for her great offence Or elles shortly shede blood for blood And when Greekes her answere vnderstood Of one actord in her best wise Toke on hem this auenturous emprise For loue onely of Isophile And gon to ride enuiron the contre By hilles valeis roches and caues In diches darke and in old graues By euery cost serching vp and doun Till at last full famous of renoun The worthy knight Parthonolope Was the first that happed for to se This hidous Serpent by a Riuer side Great and horrible sterne and full of pride Vnder a Roch by a banke lowe And in all hast he bent a sturdy bowe And therein set an Arowe filed kene And through the body spotted blew grene How Parthonolope slew the Serpent Full mightely he made it for to glide And hent out a swerde
Dragon High in the temple that men might seene And Iocasta the infortunate Queene Her sonnes death sore gan complaine And also eke her young doughters tweine Both Imeine and Antigoine Crien and weepe that pity was to see But to her sorrowes there was no refute And thus the city bare and destitute Hauing no wight to gouerne hem ne guy For dead and slaine was all her cheualry And no wight left almost in the toun To reigne on hem by successioun But for they saw and tooken hede Without this that they had an head In the city they may not dure long * For though it so be yâ— commons be strong With multitude and haue no gouernaile Of an head ful lite it may auaile Therefore they haue vnto her succour Ichosen hem a new gouernour How Creon the old tyrant ychosen was to be King of Thebes An old tyrant that called was Creon Full acceptable to hem euerychone And crowned him without more letting To reigne in Thebes and to been her king Although he had no title by descent But by free choice made in Parlement And thereto him like as it is found By her ligeaunce of new they were bound For to be true while the city stood To him only with body and with good Thus they were sworn sured euerichone And he againward to save hem fro her fone And hem defend with all his full might And mainteine hem in all manner right This was the accord as in sentement And in this while hath Adrastus sent From the siege of Thebes the city A wounded knight home to his country Through all Grece plainly to declare All the slaughter and the euil fare Of which Grekes right as it is fall And how that he hath lost his Lords all At more mischeefe than any man can mouth And when this thing was in Grece couth First to Argiue and to Deiphile And to the Ladies eke in the countre And of Prouinces abouten adjacent They came downe all by one assent Worthy Quenes and with hem Duchesses And other eke that called were Countesses How all the Ladies of Graece arrayed hem toward Thebes And all the ladies and women of degree Been assembled in Arge the citee Like as I rede and all in clothes blake That to behold the sorrow that they make It were a death to any man aliue And if I should by and by discriue Her tender weeping and her woful souns Her complaints and lamentatiouns Her oft swouning with faces dead and pale Thereof I might make a new tale Almost a day you to occupie And as mine authour doth clerely certifie Throughout all Grece from all regiouns Out of cities and royal touns Came all the ladies and women of estate Full heauy cheared and disconsolate To this assembly toforne as I you told In purpose fully her journey for to hold Toward Thebes they sorrowfull creatures There to bewaile her wofull auentures Tacquite hemselfe of trouth womanhead To her Lords which in field lay dead And as the story liketh to declare All this journey they went on foot bare Like as they had gone on pilgrimage In token of mourning barbed the visage Wimpled echone in burnet weeds Not in chaires drawne forth with steeds Nor on palfreies blacke neither white Like as mine author liketh to endite To holden her way but barefoot foorth they went So faithfully euerychone they ment Through heauinesse defaced of her hue And as I find they weren all true Now was not that a wonder for to see So many true out of o countree At ones gadered in a companie And faithfull all bookes cannot lie Both in her port and inward in mening Vnto my dome it was an vncouth thing Emong a thousand women or tweine Not to find one that coud in heart feine It was a maruaile not oft seene toforne * For selde in fields groweth any corne But if some weed spring vp there emong Men allay Wines when they be too strong But her trouth was meint with none allaies They were so true found at all assaies And they ne stint upon her journey Till that they come there they would be Where Adraitus written as I finde Lay in his tent all of colour Inde And greatly meruailed when that he beheld The number of hem spred throgh al yâ— field Clad all in blacke and barefoot euerychone Out of his tent he dressed him anone Vpon his hand the King Campaneus Full trist in heart and face right pitous Againe the women forth they went in fere And to behold the wofull heavy chere The dolefull cries also when they met The sorrowful sighes in her breasts shet The teares new distilling on her faces And so swouning in many sundry places When they her Lords aliue not ne found But in yâ— field throgh girt with many a wound Lay straught vpright plainely to endite With deadly eyen tourned vp the white Who made sorrow or felt her heart riue For her Lord but the faire Argiue Who can now weepe but Deiphilee Tideus for she ne might see Whose constreints were so fell and kene That Adrastus might not susteine To behold the Ladies so compleine Wishing his heart coruen were in tweine How the old cursed Creon will not suffer the bodies neither to be brent nor buried And yet alas both euen and morow O thing there was that doubled all her sorow That old Creon fader of fellony Ne would suffer through his tiranny The dead bodies be buried neither brent But with beasts and hounds to be rent He made hem all upon an heape be laid Whereof the women thrist and euil apaid For very dole as it was no wonder Her herts felt almost riue asunder And as my master Chaucer list to endite All clad in blacke with her wimples white With great honour and due reuerence In the Temple of the goddesse Clemence They bode the space of a fourthnight Till Theseus the noble worthy knight Duke of Athenes with his cheualry Repaired home out of Feminy And with him led full faire vpon to seene Through his manhood Ipolita the Queene And her sister called Emely And when these women first gan espy The worthy Duke as he came riding King Adrastus hem all conueying The women brought vnto his presence Which him besought to yeue hem audience And all at ones swouning in the place Full humbly besoughten him of grace To rew on hem her harmes to redresse But if ye list to see the gentillesse Of Theseus and how he hath him borne If ye remember as ye haue heard toforne Well rehearsed at Depford in the vale In the beginning of the knights tale How the final destruction of Thebes is compendiously rehearsed in the Knights tale First how that he when he herd hem speke For very routh he felt his heart breke And her sorrowes when he gan aduart From his courser downe anone he start Hem comforting in full good entent And in his armes he hem all vp hent The Knights tale rehearsen euerydele From
you find of the Cooks Tale add this What thorow himself his felaw yâ— fought Vnto a mischief both they were brought The tone ydamned to prison perpetually The tother to deth for he couth not of clergy And therefore yong men learne while ye may That with many divers thoughts beth pricked all the day Remembre you what mischief cometh of misgovernaunce Thus mowe ye learn worschip and come to substaunce Think how grace and governaunce hath brought aboune Many a poore man'ys Son chefe state of the Town Euer rule thee after the best man of name And God may grace thee to come to yâ— same Immediately after these words at the end of the Squires Tale Apollo whirleth up his chare so hie Vntill the God Mercurius house he flie Let this be added But I here now maken a knotte To the time it come next to my lotte For here ben felawes behind an hepe truly That wolden talk full besily And have here sport as well as I And the day passeth certainly So on this mattere I may no lenger dwell But stint my clack and let the other tell Therefore oft taketh now good hede Who shall next tell and late him spede FINIS 1 This Leland had Commission from King Hen. Eighth to search all Libraries in England for matters of Antiquity He died in the days of Edw. Sixth 2 In the 1. Book and 5th Sect. 3 About the 2d or 3d Year of Edw. Third 1 Vintner quasi Wineturner that is a Merchant of the Viâ—â—ry which sold by whole sale 1 This Q. Isabel being sent into France with her young Son Edw. by the K. of England her Husband to conferr about matters with her Brother the French King would by no means return having conceived a great Hatred against the Spensers and also against the King for suffering himself to be misled by their naughty Counsel but by all means stirred the People to Rebellion and in the end came over her self with almost three thousand Strangers besides Englishmen 2 Henault a Province lying between France and Flanders 1 This Coniecture is of small force for the Merchants of the Staple had not any Arms granted to them as I have been informed before the time of Henry the Sixth or much thereabout Canterbury Colledge in Oxford founded by Simon Islip Archbishop of Canterbury was suppressed in the Reign of K. Hen. 8. and joyned unto Christs-Church 2 Nicholas de Lynna studiorum praecipuas partes in Mathesi collocavit quae quatuor disciplinarum orbem complectitur videlicet Arithmeticam Geometriam Musicam Astrologiam Bale 3 John Gower a Knight as Bale writeth studied not only the common Laws of the Land but all other kind of good Literature He lieth buried in St. Mary Overies in Southwark in a stately Tomb erected in the Wall with his Image lying over him in a Habit of greenish Damask down to his Feet a Collar of Esses Gold about his Neck and on his Head a Chaplet of Roses the Ornaments of Knighthood Under his Head he hath the likeness of three Books which he compiled the first Speculum Meditantis in French the second Vox Clamantis in Latin the third Confessio Amantis in English 4 John Plantagenet sirnamed Gaunt of Gaunt in Flanders where he was born was the fourth Son of King Edward the Third He was Duke of Lancaster Earl of Lincoln Darby and Leicester King of Castile and Lyons and Steward of England He was also Earl of Richmond and Duke of Aquitain He had three Wives Blanch Constance and Katharine He lieth buried in the Quire of Pauls 1 Thomas Chaucer was born about the 38 or 39th Year of Edw. 3. 2 Written Ann. Domini 1391. Rich. secund 14. 1 This John Burghershe was of the same Line of Barrholomew Burghershe one of the first Knights of the Garter at the Institution thereof by Edward 3. and of Henry Burghershe Bishop of Lincoln and Chancellor and Treasurer of England 2 Ewelme olim Chauceri Delapolorum nunc Regiae aedes Dum enim Johannes Lincolniae Comes Gulielmo Delapolo è filio Johanne nepos res novas contra Henricum septimum moliretur proscriptus omnibus honoribus his possessionibus excidit quae in patrimonium Regium transcriptae fuerunt G. C. 3 Dunnington Castle standeth in a Park in Barkshire not far from Newberry where to this day standeth an old Oak called Chaucer's Oak 4 Wallingford in Barkshire Castrum admirandae amplitudinis magnificentiae duplici murorum ambitu duplici item vallo circundatum in medio moli in magnam altitudinem aeditae arx imponitur in cujus acclivi per gradus ascensu fons est immensae profunditatis Incolae constructum à Danis credunt alii à Romanis G. Camben 5 Knaresborow in Yorkshire Castrum rupi asperrimae impositum quod Serlonem de Burgo patruum Eustacii Vescii condidisse ferunt nunc patrimonii Lancastrensis censetur G. Camden 6 This Jane of Navarr Widow to John of Mounford Duke of Britain was married to Henry the Fourth about the fourth Year of his Reign 7 The Pooles Advancement grew first by Merchandise and Sir Richard Poole Kt. was Father to William de la Pool Merchant of Hull who for that he frankly and freely did lend to King Ed. 3. a great Sum of Mony at Mortaign in France when he was greatly distressed was honoured with the Girdle Military made Banneret and endued with 1000 Marks by the Year and his Successors after were advanced to be Dukes of Suffolk as in Master Stow's Annals appeareth William de la Pole was first secretly married to the Countess of Henault by whom he had a Daughter and after being divorced from her was publickly married to Chaucer's Daughter Countess of Salisbury who proved this Daughter being married to one Barentine a Bastard The which Barentine afterward for a Rior made against the Countess was condemned and lost an hundred Pounds by the Year J. Stow. In the 28. of K. Hen. 6. 1450. this William de la Pole was banished the Realm for five Years to pacifie the hard opinion which the Commons had conceived against him In his Journey to his Banishment he was taken and beheaded and his Body cast up at Dover Sands and buried in the Charter-house at Hull J. St. This Sir Rich. Dangle a Knt. of Poictu came over with the Duke of Lancaster who for his Valiancy and tryed Truth to the King of England was made Knight of the Garter 1 Some say he did but translate it and that it was made by Sir Otes de Grantsome Knight in French of my Lady of York Daughter to the King of Spain representing Venus and my Lord of Huntingdon sometime Duke of Excester This Lady was younger Sister to Gaunt's second Wife This Lord of Huntingdon was called John Holland half Brother to Richard the Second He married Elizabeth the Daughter of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster Out of the Records in the Tower a Thomas Occleve vel Ockelese vir tam bonis literis quam generis prosapia clarus exquisua quadam Anglici sermonis eloquentia post Chaucerum cujus suerat discipulus patriam ornavit linguam Johannis Wiclevi ipsius Berengarii in religione doctrinam sequebatur Tractatus hos fecit Planctum proprium Dialogum and amicum De quadam Imperatrice De arte moriendi De coelesti Hierusalem De quodam Jonatha De Regimine Principis * John Lidgate Monk of Bury an excellent Poet He travelled France and Italy to learn the Languages and Sciences * That is Geffrey Vinesause of whom read in the Recital of Authors This William Caxton of London Mercer brought Printing out of Germany into England about the latter end of the Reign of Henry the Sixth and practised the same in the Abbey of St. Peter at Westminster It was first found in Germany at Mogunce by one John Cuthembergus a Knight and brought to Rome by Conradus an Almaigne as some Authors say
stighed to heuin he made his testament Where he bequeath to his disciples there And yaue his peace which is yâ— foundement Of charity without whose assent The worlds peace may neuer well be tried Ne loue kept ne law iustified The Iews with yâ— painims hadden werre But they among hemself stode euer in peace Why should then our peace stand out of erre Which Christ hath chose vnto his own encrese For Christ is more than was Moyses And Christ hath set the parfite of the law The which should in no wise be withdraw * To yeue vs peace was cause why Christ dide Without peace may nothing stond auailed But now a man may see on euery side How Christs faith is euery day assailed With painims destroyed and so batailed That for defaut of helpe and of defence Vnneth hath Christ his due reuerence The right faith to keepe of holy church The first point is named of knighthode And euery man is hold for to worch Vpon the point that stant to his manhode But now alas the fame is spred so brode That euery man this thing complaineth And yet is there no man that helpe ordaineth The worlds cause is waited ouer all There be the warres ready to the full But Christs own cause in speciall There ben the swerds and the speares dull And with the sentence of the Popes bull As for to done the folke paine obay The church is tourned all another way It is wonder aboue any mans wit Without war how Christs faith was won And we that be vpon this earth yet Ne keepe it nat as it was first begon To euery creature vnder the sonne Christ bad himselfe that we should preach And to the folke his Euangely teach * More light it is to keep than to make But that we founden made tofore hond We keepe not but let it lightly slake The peace of Christ hath al to broke his bond We rest our selfe and suffren euery lond To slee each other as thing vndefended So stant the war and peace is not amended But though the head of holy church aboue Ne do not all his hole businesse Among the people to set peace loue These kings oughten of her rightwisenesse Her owne cause among hemselfe redresse * Tho Peters ship as now hath lost his stere It lithe in hem the barge for to stere If holy church after the duty Of Christs word ne be nat all auised To make peace accord and vnity Among the kings that be now deuised Yet natheles the law stant assised Of mans wit to be so reasonable Without that to stand himselfe stable Of holy church we ben children all And euery child is hold for to bow Vnto the mother how that ever it fall Or els he must reason disallow And for that cause a knight shall first auow The right of holy church to defend That no man shall the priuiledge offend Thus were it good to set all in euin The worlds princes and the prelates both For loue of him which is the king of heuin And if men should algate wexen wroth The sarazins which vnto Christ ben loth Let men be armed ayenst hem to fight So may the knight his deed of armes right Vpon iii. points stant Christs peace oppressed First holy church in her selfe deuided Which ought of reason first to be redressed But yet so high a cause is not decided And thus when humble patience is prided The remenaunt which that they should rule No wonder is though it stand out of rule * Of that the head is sicke the limmes aken These reigns that to Christs peace belongen For worlds good these deadly wars maken Which helpelesse as in balaunce hongen The head aboue hem hath nat vnderfongen To set peace but euery man sleeth other And in this wise hath charity no brother The two defauts that bringen in the third Of miscreants that seene how we debate Between the two they fallen in amid Where now all day they find an open gate Lo thus the deadly warre stant algate But euer I hope of king Henries grace That he it is which shall the peace embrace My worthy noble prince and king annoint Whom God hath of his grace so preserued Behold and see the world vpon this point As for thy part that Christs peace be serued So shall thy high mede be deserued To him which all shall quite at last * For this life here may no while last See Alexander Hector and Iulius See Machabeus Dauid and Iosue See Charlemaiue Godefray and Arthus Fulfilled of warre and of mortality Her fame abitte but all is vanity For death which hath the warres vnder foot Hath made an end of which there is no boot So many a man the soth wete and know That peace is good for euery king to haue * The fortune of the warre is euer vnknow But where peace is there is yâ— marches saue That now is vp to morrow is vnder graue * The mighty God hath all grace in hand Without him men may not long stand At the tennes to win or lese a chase May no life wete or that the ball be ronne * Al stant in God with thing men shal purchase The end is in him or that it be begonne * Men saine the woll when it is well sponne Doth that the cloth is strong and profitable And els it may neuer be durable The worlds chaunces vpon auenture Ben euer set but thilke chaunce of pees Is so behouely to the creature That is aboue all other peerlees But it may not beget nathelees Among the men to last any while But where the hert is plaine without guile The peace is as it were a sacrament Tofore the God and shall with words plaine Without any double entendement Be treated for the trouth cannot faine * But if the men within himselfe ben vaine The substaunce of the peace may not be trew But euery day it chaungeth vpon new But who that is of charity parfite He voideth all sleights ferre away And set his word vpon the same plite Where that his hert hath found a siker way And thus when conscience is truly way And that these ben handled with the wise It shall abide and stand in all wise The Apostle saith * Ther may no life be good Which is not grounded vpon charity For charity ne shed neuer blood So hath the warre as there no property For thilke vertue which is said pity With charity so ferforth is acquainted That in her may no false semblant be painted Cassodore whose writing is authorised Saith * Where that pity reigneth is grace Through which yâ— peace hath al his welth assised So that of warre he dredeth no manace Where pity dwelleth in the same place There may no deadly cruelty sojourne Wherof that mercy should his way tourne To see what pity forthwith mercy doth The cronique is at Rome in thilke empire Of Constantine which is a tale sooth When him was leuer his owne death desire Than do the
yong children to martire Of cruelty he left the quarele Pity he wrought and pity was his hele For thilke mans pity which he dede God was pitous and made him hole at all Siluester came and in the same stede Yaue him baptisme first in speciall Which did away the sinne originall And all his lepre it hath so purified That his pity for euer is magnified Pity was cause why this Emperour Was hole in body and in soule both And Rome also was set in thilke honour Of Christs faith so that they leue or loth Which hadden be with Christ tofore wroth Receiued were vnto Christs lore Thus shall pity be praised euermore My worthy liege lord Henry by name Which England hast to gouerne and right Men ought well thy pity to proclaime Which openliche in all the worlds sight Is shewed with the helpe of God almight To yeue vs peace which long hath be debated Whereof thy prise shall neuer be abated My lord in whome hath euer yet be found Pity without spot of violence Keepe thilke peace alway within bound Which God hath planted in thy conscience So shall the cronique of thy patience Among the saints be taken into memory To the legend of perdurable glory And to thine earthly prise so as I can Which euery man is hold to commend I Gower which am all thy liege man This letter vnto thine excellence I send As I which euer vnto my liues end Woll pray for the state of thy persone In worship of thy scepter and thy throne Not onely to my king of peace I write But to these other princes Christen all That ech of hem his owne hert endite And sease the warre or more mischeefe fall Set eke the rightfull Pope vpon his stall Keepe charity and draw pity to hand Maintaine law and so the peace shall stand Explicit carmen de pacis commendatione quod ad laudem memoriam seremssimi principis domini regis Henrici Quarti suus humilis orator Johannes Gower composuit Electus Christi pie rex Henrici fuisti Qui bene venisti cum propria regna petisti Tu mala vicistique bonis bona restituisti Et populo tristi nova gaudia contribuisti Est mihi spes lata quod adhuc per te renovata Succedent fata veteri probitare beata Est tibi nam grata gratia sponte data Henrici quarti primus regni fuit annus Quo mihi defecit visus ad acta mea Omnia tempus habent finem natura ministrat Quem virtute sua frangere nemo potest Ultra posse nihil quamvis mihi velle remansit Amplius ut scribam non mihi posse manet Dum potui scripsi sed nunc quia curva senectus Turbavit sensus scripta relinquo scholis Scribat qui veniet post me discretior alter Ammodo namque manus mea penna silent Hoc tamen in fine verborum queso meorum Prospera quod statuat regna futura Deus Explicit ¶ A Saying of Dan Iohn THere be foure thinges that maketh man foole Honour first putteth him in outrage And alder next solitary and soole The second is unweldy crooked age Women also bring men in dotage And mighty wine in many diuers wise Distempren folke which been holden wise ¶ Yet of the same THere ben four things causing great foly Honour first and vnwildy age Women and wine I dare eke specifie Make wise men fallen in dotage Wherfore by counsail of Philosophers sage In great honour learne this of me With thine estate have humilite Balade de bon consail IF it befall that God thee list visite With any tourment or adversite Thanke firste the lord and thy selfe to quite Vpon suffraunce and humilite Found thou thy quarell what ever that it be Make thy defence thou shalt have no losse The remembrance of Christ and of his crosse Explicit Of the Cuckow and the Nightingale Chaucer dreameth that he heareth the Cuckow and the Nightingale contend for excellency in singing * THE God of love and benedicite How mighty howe great a lord is he For he can make of low herts hy And of high low and like for to dy And hard herts he can maken free He can make within a little stound Of sicke folke hole fresh and sound And of hole he can make seeke He can bind and vnbinden eke That he woll have bounden or vnbound To tell his might my wit may not suffice For he can make of wise folke full nice For he may do all that he woll device And lithy folke to destroyen vice And proud herts he can make agrise Shortly all that ever he woll he may Against him dare no wight say nay For he can glad and greve whom him liketh And who that he woll he lougheth or siketh And most his might he shedeth ever in May. For every true gentle heart free That with him is or thinketh for to be Againe May now shall have some stering Or to joy or els to some mourning In no season so much as thinketh me For when they may here the birds sing And see the floures and the leaves spring That bringeth into her remembraunce A manner ease medled with grevaunce And lustie thoughts full of great longing And of that longing commeth hevinesse And thereof groweth of great sicknesse And for lacke of that that they desire And thus in May ben herts set on fire So that they brennen forth in great distresse I speake this of feeling truly If I be old and vnlusty Yet I have felt of the sicknesse through May Both hote and cold and axes every day How sore ywis there wote no wight but I. I am so shaken with the fevers white Of all this May sleepe I but a lite And also it is not like to me That any heart should sleepy be In whom that love his firy dart woll smite But as I lay this other night waking I thought how lovers had a tokening And among hem it was a commune tale That it were good to here the Nightingale Rather than the leud Cuckow sing And then I thought anon as it was day I would go some where to assay If that I might a Nightingale here For yet had I none heard of all that yere And it was tho the third night of May. And anone as I the day aspide No lenger would I in my bed abide But vnto a wood that was fast by I went forth alone boldely And held the way downe by a brooke side Till I came to a laund of white and green So faire one had I never in been The ground was green ypoudred with daisie The floures and the greues like hy All greene and white was nothing els seene There sate I downe among y◠faire flours And saw the birds trip out of her bours There as they rested hem all the night They were so joyfull of the dayes light They began of May for to done hours They coud that seruice all by rote There was