Image in the Habit of a Vowess and Dutchess crowned lying on the same Tomb and another Image under the Tomb so near as may be like unto her at the time of her Death with this Epitaph Orate pro anima serenissimae principissae Aliciae Suffolchiae hujus Ecclesiae Patronae primae fundatricis hujus Eleemosinariae quae obiit 20 die mensis Maii Anno Dom. 1475. Litera Dominicali A. Among many things that greatly renowned Geffrey Chaucer this was one saith Bale That he had a Kinswoman Quae Gulielmo Sudovolgiorum Duci nupsit ac magno in splendore Aquelmi vitam egit that is which being married to William Duke of Suffolk lived in great Honour at Ewelm His Revenues BUT now to return to Geffrey Chaucer although he had Lands and Revenues in divers Places and that to the yearly value as some say almost of a thousand Pounds yet the Place of his most Abode was at Woodstock in a fair House of Stone next to the King's Place called to this day Chaucer's House and by that Name passed by the Queen to the Tenant which there now dwelleth Chaucer took great Pleasure to lye there in regard of the Park in sundry of his Writings much by him commended as also to be near the Court where his best Friends were and they who were able to do him most Pleasure by whose means he had sundry Rewards bestowed upon him and that worthily for his good Service which often he performed and whereof in Chronicles and Records we may read His Service IN the last Year of King Edward the Third he with Sir Richard Dangle and Sir Richard Stan was sent to Montrevil to move a Marriage to be had between Richard Prince of Wales and the Lady Mary Daughter to the French King Some write that he with Petrark was present at the Marriage of Lionel Duke of Clarence with Violant Daughter of Galeasius Duke of Millain yet Paulus Jovius nameth not Chaucer but Petrark he saith was there And yet it may well be for it is in Record that twice or thrice he was employed in foreign Countries which if it be true well might the man be at such Charges and Expences as he might stand in need of King Richard the Second's Protection as after shall appear till he had better recovered himself But for his Service he was not unrewarded His Rewards CHaucer is called Armiger Regis for in the Patent Rolls of Part 1. of 50 Ed. 3. M. 5. the King maketh a Grant Armigero nostro Galfrido Chaucer This Armiger Regis was of good Worship and Reputation about the Prince being also the same that Scutifer Regis was to bear the King's Shield and other Armour of his both out and in the Wars By which Name of Scutifer Regis the King granted to him the Lands and Body of Sir Edmund Staplegat for the Manor of Bilsington in Kent to whom he paid 104 Pounds for the same as appeareth in Patent Part 2. de anno 49 Edw. 3. Again the King before that in 45 Edw. 3 as appeareth in pellis Exitus of the Exchequer had granted unto him twenty Marks by Year by the Name of Galfride Chaucer Valectus Hospitii which is Groom of the Palace a place of good Worship By which Name of Valectus also King Edw. 3. long before did entite Laurence Hastings Lord of Aburganey calling him Valectum nostrum being the King's Groom Page or Servant For unto this day certain Servitors of the Queens are called Pages and Grooms being of Worship and Reputation as are the Grooms of the Privy Chamber By which may be gathered in what Credit G. Chaucer was with King Edw. 3. Anno 8 Richardi 2. Galfridus Chaucer Contrarotulator Customarïorum Subsidiorum in portu Civitatis nostrae London Anno 17 Richardi 2. Viginti librae datae Galfrido Chaucero per annum durante vita Vigessimo secundo anno Richardi secundi concessum Galfrido Chaucer unum dolium vini per annum durante vita in portu civitatis London per manus capitalis Pincernae nostri Anno primo Henrici quarti Galfrido Chaucero Armigero literae patentes confirmatae pro viginti libris nummorum per annum durante vita uno dolio vini Eodem etiam anno concessae adhuc datae eidem Galfrido Chaucero Quadraginta marcae per annum durante vita His Friends FRiends he had in the Court of the best sort for besides that he always held in with the Princes in whose days he lived he had of the best of the Nobility both Lords and Ladies which favoured him greatly But chiefly John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster at whose commandment he made the Treatise Of the Alliance betwixt Mars and Venus and also the Book of the Dutchess Likewise the Lady Isabel Daughter to King Edward the Third and Wife to Ingeram de Guynes Lord De Coucy also the Lady Margaret Daughter to the same King married to John Hastings Earl of Penbrook did greatly love and favour Geffrey Chaucer and he again did as much honour them but especially the Lady Margaret as it may appear in divers Treatises by him written as in the Prologue of the Legend of good Women under the Name of the Daisy and likewise in a Ballad beginning In the season of Feuerier Others there were of great account whereof some for some causes took liking of him and other for his rare Gifts and Learning did admire him And thus he lived in honour many Years both at home and abroad Yet it seemeth that he was in some trouble in the days of King Richard the Second as it may appear in the Testament of Love where he doth greatly complain of his own rashness in following the multitude and of their hatred against him for bewraying their purpose And in that complaint which he maketh to his empty Purse I do find a written Copy which I had of Mr. Stow whose Library helped me in many things wherein ten times more is adjoyned than is in Print Where he maketh great Lamentation for his wrongful Imprisonment wishing death to end his days which in my Judgment doth greatly accord with that in the Testament of Love Moreover we find it thus in Record In the second Year of Richard the Second The King took Geffrey Chaucer and his Lands into his Protection the occasion whereof no doubt was some danger and trouble wherein he was fallen by favouring some rash attempt of the common People For living in such troublesome times wherein few knew what part to take no marvel if he came into some danger nay great marvel that he fell not into greater danger But as he was learned so was he wise and kept himself much out of the way in Holland Zeland and France where he wrote most of his Books His Books CHaucer had always an earnest desire to enrich and beautifie our English Tongue which in those days was very rude and barren and this he did following the Example of Dante
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
called John Gower It seemeth that Chaucer was of the Inner Temple for not many Years since Master Buckley did see a Record in the same House where Geffrey Chaucer was fined two Shillings for beating a Franciscan Friar in Fleet-street Thus spending much time in the Universities France Flanders and Inns of Court he proved a singular man in all kind of Knowledge His Marriage HE matched in Marriage with a Knights Daughter of Henault called Paon de Ruet King of Arms as by this Draught appeareth taken out of the Office of the Heralds This Gentlewoman whom he married whose Name we cannot find as it may be gathered by Chaucer's own Words in his Dream was Attendant on Blanch the Dutchess in the Duke of Lancaster's House as also her Sister Katharine was or else waited on the Dutchess Maud Sister of Blanch who was married to William Duke of Bavare Earl of Henault Zeland and Holland But howsoever it was by this Marriage he became Brother-in-Law to John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster as hereafter appeareth Stemma peculiare Gaufredi Chauceri Poetae celeberrimi Paganus de Rouet Hannoniensis aliter dictus Guien Rex Armorum Catherina de Rouet à priore marito Hugone Swinford Equite cognominata Swinford Quae postea renupta Johanni Gandavensi tertii Edovardi Regis filio Lancastriae Duci illi procreavit filios tres unicam filiam Gaufredus Chaucer Poeta celeber sui saeculi ornamentum ac decus ingens Altera filiarum cohaeredum Guienni Armorum Regis cujus Nomen non editur Thomas Chaucer Armiger dominus Manerii de Ewhelm in Oxoniensi Comit. William de la Pole Comes Marchio postea Dux Suffolciae Alicia unica filia haeres Thomae Chaucer ter nupta Johanni Philip. equiti deinde comiti Sarum postea Will. Com. Suff. Johannes de la Pole Dux Suffolciae Edmundus de la Pole Comes Suffolciae ultimus ex hac stirpe attinctus tempore Regis Hen. 7. Johannes Burg hershe Miles Matildis filia William Kerdeston Militis Johannes Burghershe Miles Imania filia natu maxima una haeredum Simonis Hannap vel Hanning de Comit. Glouc. Matildis filia cohaeres Johannis Burghershe Militis Margareta altera filiarum haeredum Johannis Burghershe nupta Johanni Arundel de Com. Cornubiae Johannes Arundell Hinc descendit hodiernus Johannes Arundel His Children with their Advancement IT should seem that Geffrey Chaucer had another Son besides Thomas for in the Preface to the Astrolabe writeth to one whom he calleth his little Son Lewis yet some hold opinion but I know not upon what Grounds that Thomas Chaucer was not the Son of Geffrey Chaucer but rather some Kinsman of his whom he brought up But this Pedigree by the hands of Master Glover alias Somerset that learned Antiquary as also the Report of Chronicles shew it to be otherwise Some say that in recompence of Chaucer's Service in France being sent thither Ambassador Edward the Third gave him this Maud Daughter and Heir of Sir John Burghershe Knight whom he married to Thomas Chaucer his Son to the great increase of his Living and amendment in Blood This Thomas Chaucer besides his own Inheritance of Ewelm and Dunnington Castle which M. England's most excellent Antiquiographer termeth Quondam Chauceri postea Delapolorum Castellum exiguum was divers ways preferred as out of Records in the Tower of London here we may partly see Vicesimo secundo Rich. secundi viginti Marcae datae Thomae Chaucer per ann durante vita Anno primo Henrici quarti idem donum viginti Marcarum confirmatum Thomas Chaucer primo anno Henrici sexti capitalis Pincerna Regis Angliae Thomas Chaucer Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Barkshire and Constable of Wallingford-Castle and Knaresborow Castle and the Forest of Knaresborow during Life Queen Jane Wife to Henry the Fourth the twelfth year of his Reign gave to Thomas Chaucer for his good Service Manerium de Woodstock Hannebrough Wotton Stuntesfield cum omnibus membris Hamlet suis durante vita Thomas Chaucer the last Heir male of the Chaucers and Owner of Ewelm and Dunnington Castle the Inheritance of the Chaucers lieth buried in a black Marble Tomb in a fair Chappel in the Parish-Church of Ewelm in the south side of the Quire with this Epitaph Hic jacet Thomas Chaucer Armiger quondam dominus istius villae patronus istius Ecclesiae qui obiit 18 die Mensis Novemb. Anno Dom. 1434. Matildis uxor ejus quae obiit 28 die Mensis Aprilis Anno Dom. 1436. Thomas Chaucer had one only Daughter named Alice married thrice first to Sir John Phillip Knight then to Thomas Mountacute Earl of Salisbury and the third time to William de la Pole Earl and after Duke of Suffolk who for love of his Wife and commodity of her Lands fell much to dwell in Oxfordshire and Barkshire where his Wives Lands lay Between them they had a Son called John as appeareth in the Book of the Foundation of the Hospital of Ewelm which is to be seen in Mr. Stow's Library where the Master Minister and the poor Men are enjoyned to gather themselves at appointed times about the Tomb of Thomas Chaucer and Maud his Wife Father and Mother of the Dutchess and there to say certain Prayers appointed which being ended one of them is to say openly in the English Tongue God save in Body and Soul our sovereign Lord the King my Lord William Duke of Suffolk my Lady Alice Dutchess of Suffolk his Wife our Foundress my Lord John their Son and all Christian People the Brethren answering Amen This is added because some have held that she never had Child but that the Duke had this Son by another Wife although indeed the descending of the Chaucers Lands to the Poles and after to the King might sufficiently confute them But what is it wherein some will not cavil This William and his Wife increased the Manor Place of Ewelm and builded there a Parish-Church and an Hospital called Gods-house for two Priests and thirteen poor men to be sustained for ever One of the Priests to be Master of the Alms-house and Alms people them to instruct the other Priest a School-master freely to teach the Children of the Tenants of the said Lordship their Grammar and either of them to have ten Pounds by the Year Also one of the poor men to be called Minister to present the Faults of the other to the Master and to ring their common Bell to Service and to have sixteen Pence the Week and the rest fourteen Pence To the which House they gave the Manors of Ramridge in Hampshire Conock in Wiltshire and Mersh in Buckinghamshire They also founded an Hospital at Donnington Castle J. St. This Alice Wife of Duke William surviving her Husband was after buried in the Parish Church of Ewelm on the South-side of the high Altar in a rich Tomb of Alabaster with an
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
The morow came forth rid this Marchant To Flanders ward his prentes brought hem auant Til he came to Bruges wel merely Now goeth this marchant well and besily About his nedes and buieth and creaunseth He neither playeth at dice ne daunceth But as a marchant shortly to tell He led his life and there I let him dwell The sonday next that this marchant was gon To saint Denis is comen Dan Iohn With croune berde all fresh new ishaue In all this house there nas so litle a knaue Ne no wight els but he was full faine For that my lord Dan Iohn was comen againe And shortly to the point for to gon This faire wife accordeth with Dan Iohn That for these C. frankes he should all night Haue her in his armes bolt upright And this accord parformed was in dede In mirth all night a besie life they lede Til it was day that Dan Iohn yede his way And had the manie farewell have good day For none of hem ne no wight in the toun Had of Dan Iohn any suspectioun And forth he rideth home to his abbey Or where him liste no more of him I sey This marchant when ended was the faire To saint Denis he gan for to repaire And with his wife he maketh feest and chere And telleth her that chaffare is so dere That needs must he make a cheuesaunce For he was bonden in a reconysaunce To pay twentie thousand shildes anon For which this marchant is to Paris gon To borrow of certaine friends that he had A certaine frankes and some with him he lad And when he was comen in to the toun For cherite and great affectioun Vnto Dan Iohn he first goth him to pley Nought for to borrow of him no money But for to wete and see of his welfare And for to tellen him of his chaffare As friends don when they been mette infere Dan Iohn him maketh feast mercy chere And he him tolde ayen full specially Now he had bought full well graciously Thonked be God all hole his Marchandise Saue that he must in all manner wise Maken a cheuesaunce as for his best And then should he be in ioy and rest Dan Iohn answered certes I am right fane That ye in heale be commen home againe And if I were rich as have I blisse Of twenty thousand shildes shuld ye not misse For ye so kindly this other day Lent me gold and as I can and may I thonke you by God and by saint Iame. But natheles I tâ—â—k it unto our Dame Your wife at home the same gold againe Vpon your bench she wote it wel certaine By certaine tokens that I can here tell Now by your leave I may no longer dwell Our abbot woll out of this toun anon And in his company I mote gon Grete well our dame mine own neece swete And farewell deare cousin till we mete This marchant that was full ware wise Creaunced hath and eke paide in Paris To certaine lombardes redy in her honds This sum of gold gate of hem the bonds And home he goth as mery as a popingay For well he knew he stood in such aray That needs must he win by that viage A thousand frankes above all his costage His wife full ready mete him at the yate As she was wont of old usage algate And all that night in mirth they be sette For he was rich and clerely out of dette When it was day this marchant gan enbrace His wife all new and kissed her in her face And up he goeth made it wonder tough No more qd she by God ye have ynough And wantonly ayen with him she plaide Till at the last this marchant thus said By God qd he I am a little worthe With you my wife although it be me lothe And wote ye why by God as I gesse For ye haue made a maner of strangenesse Betwixt me and my cousin Dan Iohn Ye should have warned me or I had gon That he had you an hundred frankes paide By redy token and held him evill apaide For that I to him spake of cheuesaunce Me seemed so as by his countenaunce But natheles by God our heavenly king I thought not to aske of him nothing I pray thee wife ne do no more so Tell me alway er that I fro thee go If any dettour hath in mine absence Ypaide thee lest through thy negligence I might him aske a thing that he hath paide This wife was not aferde ne affraide But boldly she said and that anon Mary I defie that false monke Dan Iohn I keepe not of his tokens neuer a dele He tooke me certaine gold I wote it wele What euill the dome on his monkes snoute For God it wote I wend without doute That he had yeue it me because of you To doen therwith mine honour my prow For cosinage and eke for belle chere That he hath had full often times here But sith I see it stonte in such disioynte I woll answere you shortly to the pointe Ye haue mo slacke dettours than am I For I woll pay you well and redely Fro day to day and if so be I faile I am your wife score it on my taile I shall pay it as soone as ever I may For by my truth I have on mine aray And not in waste bestowed it every dele And for I have bestowed it so we le To your honour for Gods sake I say As be not wrothe but let us laugh play Ye shall my joly bodie have to wedde By God I nill not pay you but a bedde Foryeue it me now mine owne spouse dere Turneth hitherward and make better chere This marchant saw ther was no remedy And for to chide it was but a foly Sith that the thing may not amended be Now wife he said and I foryeue it thee But in thy life be no more so large Keep bet my good this yeue I thee in charge Thus endeth now my tale and God us send Taling inough unto our lives ende ¶ Here followeth the wordes of our Hoste WEll said by corpus Domini qd our Hoste Now long mote thou saile all by the coste Thou gentle Maister gentle Marinere * God giue the monk a thousand last quad yere A ha fellowes beware of such a iape * The monke put in the marchants hode an ape And in his wives eke by saint Austin Draweth no monkes more into your inne But now passe over let us seeke aboute Who shall tell now first of all this route Another tale and with that word he said As curteously as it had been a maid My lady Prioresse by your leaue So that I wist that I shuld you not greue I wolden deme that ye tellen shold A tale next if so be that ye wold Now wol ye vouchsafe my lady dere Gladly qd she and said in this manere ¶ The Prioresses Prologue Domine dominus noster quam admirable est nomen tuum in
long ynow I will not letten eke none of this rout Let every fellow tell his tale about And let see now who shall the supper win And there I left I will again begin This Duke of whom I make mencioun When he was come almost to the toun In all his wele and in his most pride He was ware as he cast his eye aside Where that there knee led in the hight wey A company of Ladies twey and twey Each after other clad in cloths black But such a cry and such a wo they make That in this world nis creature living That ever heard such a waimenting And of this cry they nold never stenten Till they the reines of his bridle henten What folke be ye that at mine home coming Perturben so my feast with your crying Quod Theseus Have ye so great envy Of mine honour that thus complain cry Or who hath you misbode or offended Now telleth me if it may be amended And why that ye be clothed thus in black The oldest lady of them all spake When she had sowned with a deadly chere That it was ruth for to see and here She said lord to whom fortune hath yeve Victory and as a conquerour to live Nought greeveth us your glory honour But we beseeke you of mercy and succour And have mercy on our wo and distress Some drop of pity through thy gentilness Vpon us wretched women let thou fall For certes lord there nis none of us all That she ne hath be a duchess or a queen Now be we caitives as it is well iseen Thanked be fortune and her false wheel That none estate assureth to be wele Now certes lord to abide your presence Here in this temple of the goddess Clemence We have be waiting all this fourtenight Helpe us lord sith it lieth in thy might I Wretch that weep and wailen thus Whylome wife was to king Campaneus That starfe at Thebes cursed be the day And all we that been in this aray And maken all this lamentacioun We losten all our Husbands at that toun While that the Siege there about is say And yet the old Creon welaway That lord is now of Thebes city Fulfilled of ire and iniquity He for despight and for his tyranny To done the dead bodies villany Of all our lords which that ben slaw Hath all the bodies on an heap yâ—raw And will not suffer hem by none assent Neither to be buried ne to be brent But maketh hounds to eat hem in despite And with that word without more repite They fallen grofly and crien pitously Have on us wretched Women some mercy And let our sorrow sinke in thine hert This gentle duke down from his horse stert With hert pitous when he heard hem speak Him thought that his hert would all to break When he saw hem so pitous and so mate That whylome were of so great astate And in his armes he hem all up hent And hem comforted in full good intent And swore his oath as he was true Knight He would done so fer forthly his might Vpon the tyrant Creon hem to wreake That all the people of Greece should speake How Creon was of Theseus yserved As the that hath his death full well deserved And right anon withouten more abode His banner he displayed and forth rode To Thebes ward and all his hoost beside No neere Athens nold he go ne ride Ne take his ease fully half a day But onward on his way that night he lay And sent anon Ipolita the quene And Emely her young sister shene Vnto the toune of Athens to dwell And forth he rideth there nis now more to tell THe red statue of Mars with spear targe So shineth in his white banner large That all the fields glyttren up and doun And by his banner borne is his penon Of Gold full rich in which there was ybete The minotaure that he won in Crete Thus rideth this duke this conquerour And in his hoast of chivalry the flour Till that he came to Thebes and alight Fair in a Field there as he thought to fight But shortly for to speaken of this thing With Creon which was of Thebes King He fought and slew him manly as a Knight In plain battaile and put his folk to flight And at a saut he wan the city after And rent adowne wall spar and rafter And to the ladies he restord again The bodies of her husbands that were slain To done obsequies as tho was the gise But it were all too long for to devise The great clamour and the weimenting That the ladies made at the brenning Of the bodies and the great honour That Theseus the noble conquerour Doth to the ladies when they from him went But shortly to tellen is mine intent When that this worthy duke this Theseus Hath Creon slaine and wan Thebes thus Still in the field he took all night his rest And did with all the country as him lest To ransacke in the taas of bodies deed Hem for to strip of harneis and of weed The pillours did her business and cure After the battaile and discomfiture And so befell that in the taas they found Though girt with many a grievous wound Two young knights lying by and by Both in armes fame wrought full richely Of which two Arcite hight that one And that other hight Palamon Not fully quick ne fully dead they were But by her coat armours and by her gere The Heraulds knew hem best in special As tho that weren of the blood rial Of Thebes and of sistren two yborn Out of the taas the pillours hath hem torn And han hem caried soft into the tent Of Theseus and he full soon hem sent To Athens to dwellen there in prison Perpetuall he nold hem not raunson And when this worthy Duke had thus idone He tooke his hoast and home he goth anone With Iawrel crowned as a conquerour And there he liveth in joy and honour Tearm of his life what needeth words mo And in a toure in anguish and in wo Dwelleth Palamon and his fellow Arcite For evermore there may no gold hem quite THus passeth yere by yere and day by day Till it fell once in a morrow of May That Emely that fairer was to seen Than is the lilly upon the stalke green And fresher than may with floures new For with the rose colour strofe her hew I not which was the fairer of them two Er it was day as was her wont to do She was arisen and all ready dight For May woll have no slogardy a night The season pricketh every gentell hert And maketh it out of their sleep to stert And saith arise and do May observaunce This maketh Emely to have remembrance To done honour to May and for to rise Iclothed was she fresh for to devise Her yellow haire was broided in a tresse Behind her backe a yard long I gesse And in the gardyn at sunne uprist She walketh up and downe as her
blame * And eke men should not make ernest of game ¶ The Millers Tale. WHylome there was dwelling in Oxenford A rich gnofe that gests helden to bord And of his craft he was a Carpenter With him there was dwelling a poor scholler Had learned Art but all his fantasie Was turned to learne Astrologie And coud certaine of conclusions To demen by interrogations If that men asken him in certain hours When that men shoulden have drought or shours Or if men asked him what shuld befal Of every thing I may not reken all This clarke was cleped Hend Nicholas Of berne loue he coud and of solas And thereto he was slie and right priuee And ilike to a maiden meeke to see A chamber he had in that hostelrie Alone withouten any companie Full tetously dight with hearbes sote And he himselfe as sweet as is the rote Of Licores or of any Seduwall His almagiste and bookes great and small His asterlagour longing for his art His augrim stones lying faire apart On shelues all couched at his beds hed His presse icouered with a folding red And all aboue there lay a gay Sautrie On which he made on nights melodie So sweetly that all the chamber rong And Angelus ad virginem he song And after that he song the kings note Full oft blessed was his merry throte And thus the sweet clarke all his time spent After his friends finding and his rent This Carpenter had wedded new a wife Which that he loved more then his life Of eighteene yeare I gesse she was of age Iealous he was and kept her strait in cage For she was wild and young he was old And deemed himself to been a Cokewold * He knew not Cato for his wit was rude That bade men wed her similitude * Men shoulden wed after her estate For youth and elde is often at debate But sith he was fallen in the snare He must enduren as other folke his care Faire was this young wife and therewithall As any Wisele her bodie gentle and small A seinte she weared barred all with silke A barme cloth as white as morrow milke Vpon her lendes full of many a gore White was her smock embrouded all before And eke behind on her colere about Of cole blacke silke within and eke without The tapes of her white volipere Were of the same sute of her colere Her fillet broad of silke and set full hie And sikerly she had a likerous eie Full small ypulled were her browes two And tho were bent and blacke as any sâ—o She was much more blisful for to see Than is the new Perienet tree And softer than the wool is of a weather And by her girdle hung a purse of leather Tassed with silke and perled with latoun In all this world to seeken up and down There nis no man so wise that couth thence So gay a popelote or so gay a wench Full brighter was the shining of her hew Then in the toure the Noble forged new But of her song it was so loud and yerne As any swallow sitting on a berne Thereto she couth skip and make a game As any Kid or Calfe following his dame Her mouth was sweet as braket or the meth Or hord of Apples lying in hay or heth Winsing she was as is a jolly colt Long as a mast and upright as a bolt A brooch she bare on her sow collere As broad as the bosse of a bucklere Her shoes were laced on her legs hie She was a primrose and a piggesnie For any lord to liggen in his bed Or yet for any good yoman to wed Now sir and eft sir so befell the caas That on a day this Hende Nicholas Fell with this yong wife to rage and pley While that her husband was at Oseney As clerkes ben full subtill and queint And priuily he caught her by the queint And saied I wis but I haue my will For derne loue of thee lemman I spill And held her full fast by the haunch bones And saied lemman loue me well at ones Or I woll dien also God me saue And she sprong as a colt in a traue And with her head she wrieth fast away And saied I woll not kiss thee by my fay Why let be qd she let be Nicholas Or I woll crie out harrow and alas Doe away your hands for your courtesie This Nicholas gan mercy for to crie And spake so faire and profered him so fast That she her loue graunted him at last And swore her oth by S. Thomas of Rent That she would been at his commandement When that she may her leisure well espie My husband is so full of jealousie That but ye wait well and be priue I wot right well I nam but dead qd she Ye mote be full derne as in this caas Nay thereof care ye not qd Nicholas * A clarke had litherly beset his while But if he couth a Carpenter beguile And thus they were accorded and yâ—worne To awaiten a time as I haue said beforne And when Nicholas had don thus euery dele And thacked her about the lends wele He kissed her sweet then taketh his Sautrie And plaieth fast and maketh melodie Then fell it thus that to the parish chirch Christes owne workes for to wirch This good wife went upon a holy day Her forehead shone as bright as any day So was it wash when she lete her werke Now was there of the chirch a parish clerke The whiche that was cleaped Absolon Croule was his haire and as gold it shon And strouted as a fanne large and brode Full straight and even lay his jolly shode His rode was red his eyen gray as Goos With Poles windowes coruen on his shoos In hosen redde he went fetously Gird he was full small and properly All in a kirtle of light waget Full faire and thicke been the points set And thereupon he had a gay surplise As white as the blossome on the rise A merrie child he was so God me saue Well coud he let bloud clippe and shaue And make a charter of lond and a quitaunce In twenty manner coud he trip and daunce After the schoole of Oxenford tho And with his legs casten to and fro And play songs on a small Ribible Thereto he song sometime a loud quinible And as well coud he play on a Geterne In all the toune nas brewhouse ne Tauerne There as any gay girle or Tapstere was That he ne visited with his solas But sooth to say he was somwhat squaimus Of farting and of speech daungerous This Absolon that was jolly and gay Goeth with a Censer on a Sunday Censing the wiues of the parish fast And many a louely looke on hem he cast And namely on this Carpenters wife To looke on her him thought a merry life She was so proper and sweet as Licorous I dare well saine if the had been a Mous And he a Cat he would haue her heâ—â— anon This parish clerke this jolly
him that harrowed hell Now Iohn qd Nicholas I woll not lie I haue yfounden in mine astrologie As I haue looked in the Moone bright That now on munday next at quarter night Shall fall a raine and that so wild and wood That halfe so great was neuer Noes flood This world he said in lesse than in an houre Shall all be orient so hidous is the shoure Thus shall mankind drench and lese her life This carpenter answerd said alas my wife And shall she drench Alas mine Alisoun For sorrow of this he fell almost adoun And said is there no remedy in this caas Yes yes full good qd Hende Nicholas If thou wolt werchafter lore and rede Thou maist not werchen after thine own hede For thus saith Salomon that was full trew * Worke all by counsel thou shalt not rew And if thou wilt werken by good counsaile I vndertake without mast or saile Yet shall I saue her and thee and me Hast thou not heard how saved was Noe When that our lord had warned him beforne That all the world with water shuld be lorne Yes qd the carpenter full yore ago Hast thou not heard qd Nicholas also The sorrow of Noe with his fellowship Or that he might get his wife to ship Him had leuer I dare well undertake At thilke time than all his wethers blake That she had a ship her selfe alone And therfore wost thou what is best to done * This asketh hast and of an hasty thing Men may not preach ne make tarrying Anon goe get vs fast into this inn A kneding trough or els a kemelyn For ech of vs but looke that they been large In which men mow swimmen as in a barge And haue therein victuals sufficiaunt But for a day fie on the remnaunt The water shall aslake and gone away Abouten prime vpon the next day But Robin may not weten of this thy knave Ne eke thy maid Gille I may not save Aske not why for though thou aske me I woll not tellen Gods privite Sufficeth thee but if thy wits be mad To haue as great a grace as Noe had Thy wife shall I well save out of doubt Goe now thy way and speed thee hereabout But when thou hast for her thee and me Ygetten vs these kneading tubs thre Then shalt thou hang hem in the roofe full hie That no man of our purueyaunce espie And when thou hast don thus as I haue said And hast our vitaile faire in hem ylaid And eke an axe to smite the cord arwo When the water commeth that we may go And breake an hole on high vpon the gable Vnto the garden ward ouer the stable That we may freely passen forth our way When that the great shoure is gone away Then shalt thou swim as mery I vndertake As doth the white ducke after her drake Then woll I cleape how Alison how Iohn Be merry for the flood woll passe anon And thou wolt saine haile maister Nicholay Good morrow for I see well that it is day And then we shall be lords all our life Of all the world as was Noe and his wife But of one thing I warne thee full right Be well auised on that ilke night That we benentred into the ships bord That none of us ne speake not a word Ne clepe ne crie but been in his prayere For so to done it is Gods owne hest dere Thy wife thou mote hang fer a twinne For that betwixt you shall be no sinne No more in looking than there shall in deed This ordinaunce is said go God thee speed To morow at night when men ben all asleepe Into our kneading tubs woll we creepe And sitten there abiding Gods grace Go now thy way I haue no longer space To make of this no longer sermoning * Men saine thus send the wise say nothing Thou art so wise it needeth thee not teach Goe saue our liues and that I thee beseech This silly carpenter goeth forth his way Full oft he said alas and welaway And to his wife he told his privite And she was ware and knew it bet than he What all this queint cast for to sey But natheles she ferde as she would dey And said alas go forth thy way anone Helpe vs to scape or we be dead eachone I am thy true very wedded wife Go deare spouse and help to saue our life * Lo what a great thing is affection Men may die of imagination So deep may impression be take This silly carpenter beginneth to quake Him thinketh verily that he may see Noes flood come waltering as the see To drenchen Alison his hony dere He weepeth waileth and maketh sory chere He siketh with many a sorry thought He goth and geteth him a kneading trough And after a tub and a kemelin And priuily he sent hem to his in And hing hem in the roofe full priuilie With his own hand he made him ladders thre To climben by the ronges and by the stalkes Into the tubs honging by the balkes And hem vitailed both trough and tubbe With bread and cheese good ale in a iubbe Sufficing right ynow as for a day But er that he had made all this array He sent his knaue and eke his weuch also Vpon his need to London for to go And on the munday when it drew to night He shut his dore without candle light And dressed all thing as it should bee And shortly they clomben vp all three They sitten still not fully a furlong way Now pater noster clum said Nicholay And clum qd Iohan and clum said Alison This carpenter said his deuotion And still he sit and biddeth his prayere Awayting on the raine if he it here The dead sleepe for wery businesse Fell on this carpenter right as I gesse About curfewe time or little more For trauaile of his ghost he groneth sore And est he routeth for his head mislay And doune the ladder stalketh Nicholay And Alison full loft after she sped Withouten words mo they went to bed There as the carpenter was wont to lie There was the reuell and the melodie And thus lieth Alison and Nicholas In businesse of mirth and solas Till that the bell of laudes gan to ring And Freres in the chaunsell gone to sing This parish clerke this amorous Absolon That is for loue alway so wo bygon Vpon the monday was at Osenay With company him to disport and play And asked vpon a case a cloisterere Full priuily after Iohn the carpentere And he drew him apart out of the chirch And said I not I saw him not here wirch Sith saturday I trow that he be went For timbre there our Abbot hath him sent For he is wont for timbre for to go And dwellen at the graunge a day or two Or els he is at his house certaine Where that he be I cannot sorthly saine this Absolon full iolly was and light And thouÈt now is my time to walk all night For
Tidings of sundry realmes for to lere The wonders that they might seen or here Emong other things specially These marchants haue him told of dame Custance So great noblesse in earnest seriously That this Soudan hath cauÈt so great plesance To han her figure in his remembrance And all his lust and all his busie cure Was for to loue her while his life may dure Parauenture in that like large booke Which cleaped is the heauen ywritten was With starres when that he his birth tooke That he for loue should han his death alas * For in the starres clearer then is the glas Is written God wot who so could it read The death of euery man withouten dread In starres many a Winter there before Was written the death of Hector Achilles Of Pompey and Iulius or they were bore The strife of Thebes and of Hercules Of Sampson Turnus and of Socrates The death but that mens wits been so dust That no wight can well read it at the full This Soudan for his priuie counsel sent And shortly of this matter for to pace He hath to hem declared all his intent said hem certain but if he might haue grace To haue Custance within a little space He nas but dead and charged hem to hie To shapen for his life some remedie Diuers men diuersly they saiden The argument they casten vp and doune Many a subtill reason forth they laiden They speaken of Magicke and abusioun But finally as in conclusioun They cannot seene in that none auauntage Ne in none other way saue in mariage Then saw they therein such difficulty By way of reason to speake all plain Because that there was such diuersity Between both her laws that they sain They trow that no christen prince would fain Wedden his child vnder our lawes swete That vs was tauÈt by Mahound our prophet And he answerd rather than I lese Custance I would be christen doubtles I mote been hers I may none other chese I pray you hold your arguments in pees Saueth my life and be ye not retcheles To getten her that hath my life in cure For in this woe I may not long endure What needeth greater delatation I say by treatie and embassadrie And by the Popes mediation And all the church and all the chiualrie That in destruction of Maumetrie And in encrease of Christs law deare They been accorded as ye shall heare How that the Soudan and his baronage And all his lieges should ychristened be And he shall han Custance in marriage And certaine gold I not what quantite And her to find sufficient surete The same accord was sworne on either side Now fair Custance almighty God thee gide Now woulden some men waiten as I gesse That I should tellen all the purueiance That the Emperour of his noblesse Hath shapen for his doughter dame Custance Well may men know that so great ordinance May no man tellen in a little clause As was araied for so high a cause Bishops been shapen with her for to wend Lords and ladies and knights of renoun And other folke yâ—â—ow this is the end And notified is throughout the toun That euery wight with great deuotioun Should pray Christ that he this mariage Receiue in gree and speed this voyage The day is come of her departing I say the wofull day naturall is come That there may be no longer tarrying But forward they hem dresse all and some Custance that with sorrow is all ouercome Full pale arist and dressed her to wend For well she sey there is none other end Alas what wonder is it though she wept That shall be sent to a straunge nation Fro friends that so tenderly her kept And be bounden vnder subjection Of one she knoweth not his condition * Husbands been all good han been yore That know ne wiues I dare say no more Father she said thy wretched child Custance Thy young daughter fostered vp so loft And ye my mother my soueraigne pleasaunce Ouer all thing out take Christ on loft Custance your child her commendeth oft Vnto your grace for I shall to Surrie Ne shall I neuer more see you with eie Alas vnto the Barberie nation I must anon sithen it is your will But Christ that starfe for our redemption So yeue me grace his hestes to fulfill I wretched woman no force though I spill * Women are born to thraldome penaunce And to been vnder mans gouernaunce I trow at Troy when Thurus brake the wall Of Ilion ne when brent was Thebes cite Ne Rome for the harme of Hanniball That Romans hath ivenqueshed times thre Nas heard such tender weeping for pite As was in the chamber for her parting But forth she mote wheder she weepe or sing O first mouing cruel firmament With thy diurnal swegh that croudest aye And hurriest all fro East to Occident That naturally would hold another way Thy crouding set the heauen in such array At the beginning of this fierce Voyage That cruell Mars hath slaine this mariage O infortunat assendent tortuous Of which the lord is helpelesse fall alas Out of his angle into his derkest house O Mars O occisier as in this caas O feeble Mone vnhappy been thy paas Thou knittest there thou nart not receiued Ther thou wer wel fro thence art thou waiued Imprudent Emperour of Rome alas Was there no philosopher in thy toun Is no time bette than other in such cas Of voiage is there none electioun Namely to folke of high conditioun Nat when a rote is of a birth yknow Alas we been too leaud or to slow To ship is brought this wofull faire maid Solemnely with euery circumstance Now Iesus Christ be with you all she said There nis no more but farwell fair Custance She paineth her to make good countenance And forth I let her saile in this mannere And turne I woll againe to my mattere Explicit prima pars sequitur pars secunda THe mother of the Soudan well of vices Espied hath her sonnes plaine intent How he woll lete his old sacrifices And right anon she for her counsaile sent And they ben comen to know what she ment And when assembled was this folke in feare She set her doune and said as ye shall heare Lords qd she ye knowne euery chone How that my sonne is in point to lete The holy lawes of our Alkaron Yeuen by Gods messenger Mahomete But one auow to great God I hete The life shall rather out of my body start Or Mahomets law goe out of my hart What should vs tiden of this new law But thraldome to our bodies and pennaunce And afterward in hell to been draw For we reneyed Mahound our creaunce But lords woll ye now make assuraunce As I shall say assenting to my lore And I shall make us fafe for euermore They sworen and assenten euery man To liue with her and die and by her stond And euerich in the best wise that he can To strengthen her shall all
his friends fond And she hath this emprise taken in hond Which ye shall heare that I shall deuise And to hem all she spake in this wise We shal vs first faine christendom to take Cold water shall not greeue us but alite And I shall such a reuell and a feast make That as I trow I shall the Soudan quite For tho his wife be christened neuer so white She shall haue need to wash away the rede Though she a font ful of water with her lede O Soudonnesse root of iniquite Virago thou Symyram the secound O serpent vnder fememnete Like to the serpent deepe in hell ibound O faigned woman all that may confound Vertue innocence through thy mallice Is bred in thee a neast of euery vice O Sathan enuious since thilke day That thou wert chased from our heritage Well knewest thou to women the old way Thou madest Eue to bring us in seruage Thou wolt fordoen this Christen mariage * This instrument so welaway the while Make thou of women when thou wolt begile This Soudonnesse whom I blame and werie Let priuily her counsaile gone her way What should I in this tale longer tarie She rideth to the Soudon on a day And saied him that she would reny her lay And christendome of priests hondes fong Repenting her she Heathen was so long Beseeching him to doen her that honour That she might haue the christen folke to fest To pleasen hem I woll doen my labour The Soudon saith I woll doen al your hest And kneeling thanked her of that request So glad he was he nist not what to say She kist her sonne home she goth her way Arriued been these christen folke to lond In Surrey with a great solemne rout And hastily this Soudon sent his sond First to his mother and all the reigne about And saied his wife was comen out of dout And praiden hem for to riden against the quene The honour of his reigne for to sustene Great was the presse rich was the ray Of Surreyans and Romanes ymet yfere The mother of the Soudon rich and gay Receiueth her with all manner glad chere As any mother might her doughter dere Vnto the next city there beside A soft paas solemnly they all ride Nought trow I the triumph of Iulius Of which that Lucan maketh such a bost Was roialler and more curious Than was thassembling of his blisfull host But this Scorpion this wicked ghost The Soudonnesse for all her flattering Cast vnder all this mortally to sting The Soudon cometh himself soon after this So rially that wonder is to tell He welcometh her with much ioy and blis And thus in mirth and ioie I let hem dwell The fruit of euery tale is for to tell Whan time come men thought it for the best That reuel stint and men gon to rest The time come this old Soudonnesse Ordained hath the feast of which I told And to the feast christen folke hem dresse And that in the general both yong and old There may men feast and rialte behold And dainties moe than I can deuise But all to dere they bought it or they rise O Soudon wo that euer thou art successour To worldly blisse springed with bitternesse * The end of ioy is worldly labour Wo occupieth the ende of our gladnesse Herken this counsaile for thy sikernesse * Vpon thy glad day haâ—â—â— thou in minde The vnware wo or harme that cometh behinde For shortly to tellen at a word The Soudon the Christen euerichone Been all to hewe and sticken at the boord But it were onely dame Custance alone This old Soudonnesse this cursed crone Hath with her friends doen this cursed deed For she her selfe would all the country lede There was Surreien non that was conuerted That of the counsaile of the Soudon wot That he nas all to heawe er he asterted And Custance han they taken anon fotehot And in a ship all sternelesse God wot They han her set and bidden her lerne to saile Out of Surrey ayenward to Itale A certain tresour that she thither ladde And sooth to sayne vitaile great plente They han her yeuen and clothes eke she had And forth she saileth in the salt se O my Custance full of benignite O Emperours yong doughter so dere He that is lorde of fortune be thy stere She blesseth her with full pitious voice Vnto the crosse of Christ tho said she O clere O welful auter holy croice Reed of the lambes blood full of pite That wesh the world fro the old iniquite Me fro the fende and fro his clawe kepe That day that I shall drenchen in the deepe Victorious tree protection of trewe That onely worthy were for to bere The king of heauen with his woundes new The white lambe that hurt was with a spere Flemere of feendes out of him and here On which thy limmes faithfully extenden Me kepe yeue me might my life to menden Yeres and daies fleeteth this creature Through the see of Grece vnto the straite Of Marocke as it was her auenture O many a sory meale may she baite After her death full oft may she waite Or that the wilde waves would her driue Vnto the place there she should ariue Men mighten asken why she was not slayn Eke at the feast who might her body saue I answer to that demaund agayn Who saued Daniel in that horrible caue That euery wight were he master or knaue Was with the Lion frette or he asterte No wight but God that he bare in his hert God list to shew his wonderfull miracle In her for she should seen his mighty werkes Christ that is to euery harme triacle * By certain means often as knowen clerkes Doth thing for certaine end that full derke is To mans wit that for our ignorance Ne can nat know his prudent purueyance Now that she was not at the feast yslawe Who kepeth her fro the drenching in the see Who kept Ionas in the fishes mawe Till he was spouted out at Niniuee Wel may men know it was no wight but he That kept the people Ebrak from drenching With dry feet through the see passing Who hath the foure spirits of the tempest That power had both to anoy lond and see Both north and south also west and east Anoyeth neither see ne londe ne tree Southly the commaunder thereof was he That fro the tempest aye this woman kept As well whan she woke as whan she slept Wher might this woman meat drink haue Thre yere and more how lasteth her vitaile Who fed the Egyptian Mary in the caue Or in desert none but Christ sans faile Fiue thousand folk it was as great maruaile With loaues fiue and fishes two to feed God sent his foyson at her great need She driueth forth into our Occian Throughout the wide see till at the last Vnder an holde that nempne I ne can Fer in Northumberlond the waue her cast And in the sand her
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
to me my saile and eke my stere Her little child lay weeping in her arme And kneeling pitously to him she said Peace little sonne I woll do thee none harm With that her kercher off her head she braid And ouer his little eyen she it laid And in her arme she lulleth it full fast And into heauen her eyen vp the cast Mother qd she and maiden bright Marie Sooth it is that through womans eggement Mankind was lore and damned aye to die For which thy child was on crosse yrent Thy blisfull eyen saw all his turment Then is there no comparison betwene Thy wo and any wo that man may sustene Thou see thy child yslaine before thine eien And yet liueth my little child parfay Now lady bright to whom all wofull crien Thou glory of womanhead thou faire may Thou hauen of refute bright sterre of day Rew on my child of thy gentilnesse That rewest on euery rufull in distresse O little child alas what is thy guilt That neuer wroughtest sinne as yet parde Why woll thine hard father haue thee spilt O mercy dear constable qd shee As let my little child dwell here with thee And if thou darst not sauen him fro blame So kisse him once in his fathers name Therwith she looketh backward to the lond And said farewell husband routhlesse And vp she rist and walketh doune the strond Toward the ship her followeth all the prees And aye she praieth her child to hold his pees And taketh her leaue and with an holy entent She blesseth her and into the ship she went Vitailed was the ship it is no drede Habundantly for her a full long space And other necessaries that should nede She had ynow hereid by Gods grace For wind weather almighty God purchace And bring her home I can no better say But in the see she driueth forth her way Alla the king cometh home soone after this Vnto his castle of which I told And asketh where his wife and his child is The constable gan about his heart wax cold And plainely all the manner him told As ye han heard I can tell it no better And shewed the king his seale and his letter And said lord as ye commaunded me On paine of death so haue I done certain This messenger turmented was till he Must be knowne and tell plat and plain Fro night to night in what place he had lain And thus by wittie subtill enquiring Imagind was by whom this harm gan spring The hand was knowen that the letter wrot And all the venim of this cursed dede But in what wise certainely I not The effect is this that Alla out of drede His mother slow that may men plainly rede For that she traitour was to her allegeaunce Thus endeth old Donegild with mischaunce The sorrow that this Alla night and day Maketh for his child and his wife also There is no tongue that it tellen may But now woll I to Custance go That fleeteth in the sea in paine and wo Fiue yeare and more as liked Christs sonde Or that her ship approched vnto londe Vnder an heathen castle at the last Of which the name in my text I not find Custance and eke her child the sea vp cast Almighty God that saueth all mankind Haue on Custance on her child some mind That fallen is in heathen hond eftsoone In point to spill as I shall tell you soone Doun fro the castle cometh there many a wight To gauren on this ship and on Custance But shortly fro the castle on a night The lords steward God yeue him mischance A theefe that had renied our creaunce Came into the ship alone and said he should Her lemman be whether she would or nold Wo was the wretched woman tho begon Her child and she cried full pittously But blisfull Mary halpe her anon For with her strogling well and mightily The theefe fell ouer the boord all sodainly And in the see he drenched for vengeance And thus hath Christ unwemmed kept Custance * O foule lust of luxure lo thine end Nat onely that thou faintest mans mind But verily thou wolt his body shend The end of thy werke or of thy lusts blind Is complaining how many one may men find That not for werke somtime but for th entent To done this sinne been either slaine or shent How may this weak woman haue the strength Her to defend against this renegate O Golias vnmeasurable of length How might Dauid make thee so mate So young and of armure so desolate How durst he looke on thy dreadfull face Well may men seene it is but Gods grace Who yaue Iudith courage or hardinesse To slean prince Holofernes in his tent And to deliuer out of wretchednesse The people of God I say for this intent That right as God spirit and vigor sent To hem and saued hem out of mischance So sent he might and vigor to Custance Forth goth her ship through the narow mouth Of Subalter and Sept yfleeting aie Somtime West somtime North South And sometime East full many a wearie daie Till Christs mother yblessed be she aie Hath shapen through her endlesse goodnesse To make an end of all her heauinesse Explicit secunda pars sequitur pars tertia NOW let vs stint of Custance but a throw And speake we of the Romane Emperour That out of Surrey hath by letters know The slaughter of Christians and dishonour Doen to his doughter by a false traitour I meane the cursed wicked Soudonnesse That at the feast let stean both more and lesse For which this Emperour hath sent anon His senatour with roiall ordinance And other lords God wote many one On Surreians to done high vengeance They brennen slean bring hem to mischance Full many a day but shortly in the end Homeward to Rome they shapen hem to wend. This senatour repaireth with victory To Rome ward sayling full roially And met the ship driuing as saith the story In which Custance sat full pitously Nothing knew he what she was ne why She was in such array ne she nold sey Of her estate though she shoulden dey He bringeth her to Rome and to his wife He yaue her and her young sonne also And with the senatour she lad her life Thus can our lady bring out of wo Wofull Custance and many another mo And long time dwelled she in that place In holy werkes euer as was her grace The senatours wife her aunt was But for all that she knew her nere the more I woll no longer tarry in this caas But to king Alla which I spake of yore That for his wife weepeth and siketh sore I woll retourne and let I woll Custance Vnder the senatours gouernance King Alla which that had his mother slain Vpon a day fell in such repentaunce That if I shortly tell all shall and plain To Rome he cometh to receiue his penaunce And putten him in the Popes ordinaunce In high and low and Iesu Christ besought
Foryeue his wicked werks that he wrought The fame anon through Rome town is born How Alla king shall come on pilgrimage By herbegers that wenten him beforn For which the senatour as was vsage Rode him againe and many of his linage As well to shewen his high magnificence As to done any king reuerence Great cheare doth this noble senatour To king Alla and he to him also Euerich of hem doth other great honour And so befell that on a day or two This senatour is to king Alla go To feast and shortly if I shall not lie Custances sonne went in his companie Som men would sain at the request of Custance This senatour had lad this child to feast I may not tellen euery circumstance Be as be may there was he at the least But sooth it is right at his mothers hest Beforne Alla during the meat space The child stood looking in the kings face This Alla king hath of this child gret wonder And to the senatour he said anon Whose is that faire child that stondeth yonder I not qd he by God and by saint Iohn A mother he hath but father hath he non That I of wote but shortly in a stound He told Alla how the child was yfound But God wot qd the Senatour also So vertuous a liuer in my life Ne saw I neuer as she ne heard of mo Such wordly woman maiden ne of wife I dare well say she had leuer a knife Through her brest than ben a woman wicke * There is no man couth bring her to the prick Now was the child as like Custance As possible is a creature for to be This Alla hath the face in remembrance Of dame Custance and thereon mused he Yeue that the childs mother were aught she That is his wife and priuily he sight And sped him fro the table all that he might Parfay he thought that fatome is in mine hed I oughten deme of skilfull judgement That in the salt sea my wife is ded And afterward he made his argument What wot I if Christ hath hither sent My wife by sea as well as he her sent To my country fro thence that she was went After anone home with the Senatour Goth Alla for to see this wonder chaunce This Senatour doth Alla great honour And hastily he sent after Custance But trusteth well her lust not to dance When that she wist wherfore was that sond Vnneth vpon her feet might she stond When Alla saw his wife faire he her gret And wept that it was ruth for to see For at the first looke he on her set He knew well verely that it was she And for sorrow as dombe stant as a tree So was her heart shet in distresse When she remembered his vnkindnesse Twice she souned in his owne sight He weepeth and him excuseth pitously Now God qd he and his hallowes bright So wisty on my soule haue mercy That of your harme as guiitlesse am I As is Mauris my sonne so like your face Els the fiend me fetch out of this place Long was the sobbing and the bitter pain Or that her wofull heart mighten cease Great was the pity to heare hem complain Throgh which plaints gan her wo to encrese I pray you all my labour to release I may not tell her wo till to morrow I am so wearie to speake of her sorrow But finally when the sooth is wist That Alla guiltlesse was of her wo I trow an hundred times been they kist And such a blisse is there betwixt hem two That saue the joy that lasteth euermo There is no like that any creature Hath seen or shall while the world may dure Tho praied she her husbond meekely In releasing of her pitous paine That he would pray her father specially That of his Majestie he would encline To vouchsafe some day with him to dine She praied him eke he should by no way To her father no word of her to say Some men would say that the child Maurice Doth this message vntill this Emperour But as I gesse Alla was not so nice To him that was of so soueraigne honour As he that is of christen folke the flour To send a child but it is bette to deeme He went himselfe and so it may well seeme This Emperour graunted full gentilly To come to dinner as he him besought And all ready he came and looked busily Vpon this child on his doughter thought Alla goeth to his inne and as he him ought Arraied for this feast in euery wise As ferforth as his cunning may suffice The morow came and Alla gan him dresse And eke his wife the Emperour to mete And forth they ride in ioy and in gladnesse And when she saw her father in the strete She light doune and falleth to his fete Father qd she your young child Custance Is now full cleane out of your remembrance I am your doughter Custance qd she That whilome ye han sent into Surrie It am I father that in the salt see Was put alone and damned for to die Now good father I you mercy crie Send me no more into Heathennesse But thanken my lord here of his kindnesse Who can the pitous joy tellen all Betwixt hem thre since they been thus imet But of my tale make an end I shall The day goeth fast I woll no longer let This glad folke to dinner been ylet In ioy and blisse at meat I let hem dwell A thousand fold well more than I can tell This child Mauris was sithen Emperour Made by the Pope and liued christenly To Christs church he did great honour But I let all this storie passen by Of Custance is my tale specially In old Romane jestes men may find Mauris life I beare it not in mind This king Alla when he his time sey With this Custance his holy wife so swete To Englond been they come the right wey Where as they liue in joy and in quiete But little while it lasteth I you hete * Ioy of this world fer time woll not abide Fro day to night it chaungeth as the tide Who liued euer in such delite a day That he ne meued either in conscience Or ire or talent of some kin affray Enuie or pride or passion or offence I ne say but for this end and sentence That little while in ioy or in pleasance Lasteth the blisse of Alla with Custance * For death that taketh of hie low his rent When passed was a yeare euen as I gesse Out of this world king Alla gan hent For whom Custance hath full great heauines Now let vs praien God his soule to blesse And dame Custance finally to say Toward the toune of Rome goth her way To Rome is come this holy creature And findeth her father whole and sound Now is she scaped all her auenture And when that she her father hath yfound Doune on her knees she goeth to ground Weeping for tendernesse in her heart blithe She herieth God an
take of hem heed And straw her cage faire and soft as silke And giue hem sugre hony bread and milke Yet right anon as his dore is vp He with his feet would sporne adoun his cup And to the wood he would and wormes eat So newfangle ben they of her meat And louen nouelries of proper kind No gentlenesse of blood may hem bind So ferd this Tercelet alas the day Tho he were gentle borne fresh and gay And goodly for to see and humble and free He saw vpon a time a kite flee And suddainly he loued this kite so That all his loue is cleane fro me go And hath his trouth falsed in this wise Thus hath the kite my loue in her seruice And I am lorne without remedy And with that word this faucon gan to cry And swouned oft in Canaces barme Great was the sorow for that hawkes harme That Canace and all her women made They nist how they might her faucon glade But Canace home heareth her in her lap And softly in plaisters gan her wrap There as she with her beck had hurt her selue Now cannot Canace but herbes delue Out of the ground and make salues new Of herbes precious and fine of hew To helen with the hawke fro day to night She doeth her businesse and all her might And by her beds head she made a mew And couered it with veluets blew * In signe of trouth that is in women seene And all without the Mew is painted greene In which were painted all these false foules As ben these tidefes tercelets and owles Right for despight were painted hem beside Pyes fele on hem for to cry and chide Thus leaue I Canace her hauke keeping I woll no more as now speake of her ring Till it come eft to purpose for to sain How that this faucon got her loue againe Repentaunt as the storie telleth vs By mediation of Camballus The kings sonne of which I haue of told But henceforth I woll my processe hold To speaken of auentures and of battails That yet was neuer herd of so gret maruails First woll I tell you of Cambuscan That in his time many a city wan How that he wan Thedora to his wife And after woll I speake of Algarsife For whom full oft in great perill he was Ne had he ben holpen by the horse of bras And after woll I speake of Camballo That fought in lists with the brethren two For Canace ere that he might her win And there I left I woll againe begin Explicit secunda pars Apollo whirleth vp his chare so hie Till that the god Mercurius house he flie ¶ There can be found no more of this foresaid tale which hath been sought in divers places ¶ Here followeth the words of the Marchaunt to the Squier and the words of the Host to the Marchaunt IN faith Squier thou hast thee well yquit And gentely to I praise well thy wit Qd. the Marchaunt considering thine youth So feelingly thou speakest I thee alouth As to my doome there is none that is here Of eloquence that shall be thy pere If that thou liue God giue the right good chaunce And in vertue send thee perseuerance For of thy speaking I haue great deinte I haue a sonne and by the Trinite I had leuer than twenty poundsworth lond Though it now were fallen in my hond He were a man of such discretion As that ye ben fie on possession But if a man be vertuous withall I haue my sonne snibbed and yet shall For he to vertue listeth not to intend But for to play at dise and to spend And lese all that he hath is his vsage And he had leuer talke with a page Than to commune with any gentle wight Where he might learne gentlenesse aright Straw for your gentlenesse qd our host What Marchant pardy full well thou wost That ech of you mote tellen at the lest A tale or two or breaken your behest That know I well qd the Marchant certain I pray you haue me not in disdain Though I to this man speake a word or two Tell on thy tale withouten words mo Gladly sir host qd he I woll obey Vnto your will now hearkeneth what I sey I woll you not contrary in no wise As farre as my wits may suffice I pray to God that it may pleasen you Then wot I well it is good ynow The Marchants Prologue WEeping and wailing care and other sorrow I haue ynow both euen and eke a morrow Qd. the Marchant and so haue other mo That wedded be I trow that it be so For well I wot it fareth so by me I haue a wife the worst that may be For though the fiend coupled to her were She wold him ouermatch I dare well swere What should I rehearse in speciall Her high malice she is a shrew at all There is a long and a large difference Betwixt Grisilds great patience And of my wife the passing cruelte Were I vnbound all so mote I thee I would neuer eft come in the snare * We wedded men liue in sorrow and care Assay who so woll and he shall find That I say sooth by saint Thomas of Inde As for the more part I say not all God sheild that it should so befall Ah good sir host I haue wedded be These moneths two and more not parde And yet I trow he that all his life Hath wedded be though men him rife Into the heart ne couth in no mannere Tell so much sorrow as I now here Coud tell of my wiues cursednesse Now qd our host Marchant so God the blesse Since ye ben so much know of that art Full heartily I pray you tell vs part Gladly qd he but of mine owne sore For sorry heart I tell may no more ¶ The Marchants Tale. Old January marrieth young May and for his unequal match receiveth a foul reward WHylome there was dwelling in Lumbardie A worthy knight that born was at Pauie In which he liued in great prosperite And sixtie yere a wife lesse man was he And followed aye his bodily delite On women there as was his appetite As done these fooles that ben seculeres And when that he was past sixtie yeres Were it for holinesse or dotage I cannot saine but such a great corage Had this knight to ben a wedded man That day and night he doth all that he can To espie where that he wedded might be Praying our lord to graunten him that he Mighten once knowen of that blisfull life That is betwixt an husbond and his wife And for to liuen vnder that holy bond With which God first man and woman bond None other life said he is worth a beane * For wedlocke is so easie and so cleane That in this world it is a paradise Thus saith this old knight that is so wise * And certainely as south as God is king To take a wife it is a glorious thing And namely when a man is old and hore Then is a wife
tooke his aduersite Saue out of doubt may he nat forgone That he nas ielous euer more in one Which jelousie it was so outragious That neither in hall ne in none other house Ne in none other place neuer mo He nolde suffer her neither ride ne go But if that he had honde on her alway For which full often wepeth fresh May That loued Damian so benignely That she mote either die sodainely Or she mote haue him all at her lest She waiteth whan her heart should to brest Vpon that other side Damian Become is the sorowfullest man That euer was for neither night ne day Ne might he speake a word to fresh May As to his purpose of no such matere But if that Ianuary must it here That had an hand vpon her euermo But natheles by writing to and fro And priuie signes wist he what she ment And she knew all the signes of his entent O Ianuary what might thee it auaile Tho thou mightest see as far as ships saile * For as good is a blind man disceived be As to be disceiued when that he may see Lo Argus which had an hundred eien For all that euer he couth pore and prien Yet was he blent and God wot so ben mo That wenen wisely that it is not so Passe ouer is an ease I say no more The fresh May of which I spake of yore In warme waxe hath printed this clicket That Ianuary bare of that small wicket By which vnto his garden oft he went And Damian that knew all her intent The clicket counterfeited priuily There nis no more to say but hastily Some wonder by this clicket shall betide Which ye shall heren if ye woll abide O noble Ouid sooth sayest thou God wote * What flight is it if loue be long and hote That he nill find it out in some manere By Pyramus and Thisbe may men lere Thogh they were kept ful long streit ouer all They ben accorded rowning through a wall There nis no wight couth find such a sleight But now to purpose ere the daies eight Were passed ere the month Iuly befill That Ianuary hath caught so great a will Through egging of his wife him for to play In his garden and no wight but they tway That in a morrow vnto this May said hee Rise vp my wife my loue my lady free The turtle voice is heard my lady swete The winter is gone with all his raines wete Come forth now with thine eyen columbine Now fairer been thy brests than is wine The garden is enclosed all about Come forth my white spouse out of all dout Thou hast me wounded in my hert O wife No spot in thee nas in all thy life Come forth and let vs taken our disport I chese thee for my wife and my comfort Such old leaud words then vsed he Vnto Damian a signe made she That he should go before with his clicket This Damian hath opened this wicket And in he stert and that in such manere That no wight might it see ne here And still he sat vnder a bush anone This Ianuary as blind as is a stone With May in his hand and no wight mo Into his fresh garden is he go And clapt to the wicket suddainly Now wife qd he here nis but thou and I That art the creature that I best loue For by that lord that sit vs all aboue I had leuer dien on a knife Than thee offend my dere true wife For Gods sake thinke how I thee chees Not for couetise ne other good doubtles But only for the loue I had to thee And though that I be old and may not see Be to me true and I woll tell you why Certes three things shall ye win thereby First loue of Christ to your selfe honour And all mine heritage toune and tour I giue it you maketh charters as ye list This shall be done to morrow ere sunne rist So wisely God my soule bring to blisse I pray you on couenaunt that ye me kisse And though that I be jelous wite me nought Ye been so deepe imprinted in my thought That when I consider your beaute And withall the vnlikely elde of me I may not certes though I should die Forbeare to ben out of your companie For very loue this is withouten dout Now kisse me wife and let vs rome about This fresh May when she these words herd Benignely to Ianuarie answerd But first and forward she began to weepe I haue qd she a soule for to keepe As well as ye and also mine honour And of wifehood ilke tender flour Which that I haue ensured in your hond When that the priest to you my body bond Wherefore I woll answere in this manere By the leaue of you my lord so dere I pray God that neuer daw that day That I ne sterue as foule as woman may If euer I do to my kin that shame Or els that I empaire so my name That I be false and if I do that lacke Do strip me and put me in a sacke And in the next riuer do me drench I am a gentlewoman and no wench Why speke ye thus but men ben euer vntrew And women haue reproofe of you aye new Ye can none other communing I leue But speak to vs of vntrust and repreue And with that word she saw where Damian Sat in the bush and kneele he began And with her finger signes made she That Damian should climbe vpon a tre That charged was with fruite vp he went For verily he knew all her intent And euery signe that she couth make Well bet than Ianuarie her owne make For in a letter she had told him all Of this matter how that he werch shall And thus I let him sit in the pery And Ianuarie and Maie roming full mery Bright was the day blew the firmament Phebus of gold doun hath his streames sent To gladen every flour with his warmenesse He was that time in Gemini as I gesse But little fro his declination The causer of Ioues exaltation And so befell that bright morow tide That in the garden on the further side Pluto that is the king of Fayrie And many a ladie in his companie Following his wife the queene Proserpine Ech after other right as a line Whiles she gadred floures in a mead In Claudian ye may the story read How in his grisely cart he her fet This king of Fayrie adoune him set Vpon a bench of turues fresh and greene And right anon thus said he to his queene My wife qd he that may nat say nay Experience so proveth euery day The treason which that women doth to man Ten hundred thousand stories tell I can Notable of your vntrouth and brotelnesse O Salomon richest of all richesse Fulfild of sapience and of worldly glory Full worthy ben thy words in memory To euery wight that wit and reason can Thus praiseth he the bounty of man * Among a thousand men yet found
And clepe me faire dame in euery place And but thou maken a feast on that ilke day That I was borne make me fresh and gay And but thou doen to my norice honour And to my chamber within my bour And to my fathers folke and his alies Thus saiest thou old barell full of lies And againe of our prentise Ienkin For his crispe heer shining as gold fine And for he squireth me both vp and down Hast thou caught a false suspection I woll him nat tho thou wer ded to morow But tell me this why hidest thou with sorow The keies of thy chest away fro me It is my good as well as thine parde What wenest thou make an idiot of our dame Now by that Lord that called is sainct Iame Thou shalt nat both althogh thou wer wood Be maister of my body and of my good That one thou shalt forgon maugre thin iyen What helpeth it of me to enquere and spien I trow thou wouldest locke me in thy chist Thou shouldest say Wife go where thou list Take your disport I woll leue no tales I know you for a true wife dame Ales. We loue no Man that taketh keep or charge Where that we go we woll be at our large Of all Men iblessed mote he be The wise Astrologien Dan Ptholome That saieth this prouerbe in his almagest * Of all Men his wisedome is the best That recketh not who hath the world in hond By this prouerb thou shalt vnderstond Haue thou inow what need thee recke or care How merely that other folke do fare For certes old dotarde by your leue Ye shallen haue queint inow at eue * He is too great a nigard that woll werne A man to light a candle at his Lanterne He shall haue neuer the lesse light parde Haue thou inow thou darst not plain thee Thou saiest also that if we make vs gaie With clothes or with precious array That it is perill of our chastitie And yet with sorow thou must enforcen thee And say these words in the Apostles name In habite made with chastitie and shame Yee women should appareile you qd he And nat in tressed heere and gay peere As perle ne with gold ne clothes rich After the text ne after thy rubriche I nill not worche as much as a Gnat. Thou saiest also I was like a Cat * But who so would senge the Cats skin Than would the Cat dwellen in his Inne And if the Cats skin be sticke and gay She nill nat dwell in house halfe a day But forth she woll or any day be dawed To shew her skin and gon a catrewawed Thus thou saiest if I be gaie sir shrew I woll ren out my borell for to shew Sir old foole what helpeth thee to spien Though thou play Argus with his C. eyen To be my wardcors as he can best In faith he shall not keepe me but my lest * Yet couth I make his beard so mote I thee Thou saiest eke that there been things three The which greatly troublen all the earth And that no wight may endure the ferth O lefe sir shrew Iesu short thy life Yet preachest thou saiest an hateful wife Rekened is for one of these mischaunces Been there non other resemblaunces That ye may liken your parables to But if a sely wife be one of tho Thou likenest eke womans loue to hell To barren lond there water may not dwell Thou likenest it also to wild fire The more it brenneth the more it hath desire To consume any thing that brent would be Thou saiest right as wormes shenden a tre Right so a wife destroieth her husbond This known they that ben to wiues bond Lordings right thus as ye haue vnderstond Bare I stiffely mine old husbond on hond That thus they saiden in her drunkennesse And all was false but as I tooke witnesse Of Ienken and of my neece also O Lord the paine I did hem and the wo And that full giltles by Gods sweet pine * For as an horse I couth both bite whine I couth plain though I were in the gilt Or els oftentime I had been spilt * Who so first to Mill commeth first grint I plained first and so was our war istint They were full glad to excusen hem bliue Of thing that they a gilt neuer in her life Of wenches would I beare hem on hond When that for sick vnneths might they stond Yet tickled I his heart for that he Wend I had of him so great cheerte I swore that all my walking out by night Was for to espie wenches that he dight Vnder that colour had I much mirth For all such wit is giuen vs in our birth * Disceipt weeping spinning God haue giue To women kindly while that they liue And thus of a thing I may auaunt mee At th ende I had the best in each degree By sleight or force or by some manner thing As by continuall murmure or grudging Namely a bed had they muckle mischance There would I chide and don no pleasance I would no lenger in the bed abide If I felt his arme ouer my side Till he had made his raunsom vnto me Then would I suffer him doe his nicete And therefore euery man this tale I tell * Wiue who so may all been for to sell * With empty honds men may no hauks lure For winning would I all his lust indure And make me then a fained appetite And yet in Bacon had I neuer delite That maked me euer that I would hem chide For though the Pope had sitten hem beside I would not spare hem at her owne bord For by my truth I quit him word for word As helpe me very God omnipotent Tho I right now should make my testament I ne owe hem a word but it is quit I brought it so about by my wit That they must giue it vp as for the best Or els had we neuer been in rest For though he looked as wood as a Lyon Yet should he faile of his conclusion Then would I say good lefe take keep How meekly looketh wilken our sheep Com neer my spouse let me kisse your cheek Ye should be all patient and meek And haue a sweet spiced conscience Sith ye so preach of Iobs patience Suffreth alway sith ye so well can preach And but if ye do we shall you teach That it is faire to haue a wife in pees One of vs two mote obeien doubtles * And sith a man is more reasonable Than a woman is ye must been sufferable What aileth you to grutch thus and grone Is it for ye would haue my queint alone Why take it all lo haue it euery del Peter I shrew you but ye loue it wel For if I would sell my belchose I couth walke as fresh as any rose But I woll keep it for your owne tooth Ye be to blame by God I say you sooth Such maner words had we often on hond And now will I speake of
obeysant aye redy to his hond Were all his lieges both lesse and more Thus in delite he liued and hath done yore Beloued drad through favour of fortune Both of his lords and of his commune Therwith he was as to speak of linage The gentilest iborne of all Lombardy A faire person and strong and yong of age And full of honour and curtesie Discreet inow his countre for to gye Saue that in some things he was to blame And Walter was this yong lords name I blame him thus that he considered nought In time comming what he might betide But on his lust present was all his thought And for to hauke and hunt on euery side Welny all other cures let he slide And eke he ne would that was worst of all Wed no wife for ought that might befall Onely that point his people bare so sore That flockmele on a day to him they went And one of hem that wisest was of lore Or els that the lord would best assent That he should tel him with his people ment Or els coud he well shew such matere He to the Marques said as ye shullen here O noble Marques your humanite Assureth vs and yeueth vs hardinesse As oft time as is necessite That we may to you tell our heuinesse Accepteth lord of your gentilnesse That we to you with pitous hert plaine And let your eares nat my voice disdaine All haue I not to done in this matere More than another hath in this place Yet for as much as ye my lord so dere Haue alway shewed me fauour and grace I dare the better aske of you a space Of audience to shewen our request And ye my lord to done right as you lest For certes lord so well us liketh you And all your werkes and euer haue don that we Ne could our owne selfe deuisen how We might more liuen in felicite Saue one thing lord if it your will be That for to be a wedded man you lest Then were your people in souerain herts rest Boweth your necke vnder the blisful yoke Of souerainte and not of seruise Which men clepen spousaile or wedlocke And thinketh lord among your thouÈts wise For though we sleepe or wake ronne or ride * Aye fleeth the time it wol no man abide And though your grene youth floure as yet * In crepeth age alway as still as stone And death manaseth euery age and smite In ech estate for there escapeth none And also certaine as we knowne echone That we shul die and vncertaine we all Ben of that day that death shall on vs fall Accepteth then of vs the true intent That neuer yet refused your hest And we wol all lord if ye wol assent Chese you a wife in short time at the lest Borne of the gentillest and the best Of all this lond so that it ought seme Honour to god you as nere as we can deme Deliuer vs out of all this busie dred And take a wife for hie Gods sake For if it so befell as god forbed That thorogh death your linage should slake And that a strange successour should take Your heritage O wo were vs on liue Wherefore we pray you hastely to wiue Her meeke prayer and her pitious chere Made the Marques for to haue pite Wol ye qd he mine owne people dere To that I never erst thought constraine me I me rejoyced of my libertie That selden time is found in marriage There I was free I mote ben in seruage But natheles I see your true entent And trust vpon your wit and haue done aye Wherfore of my free will I woll assent To wedden me as sone as euer I may But there as ye haue profred me to day To chese me a wife I you release That choice pray you of that profer cease * For God it wot that children oft been Vnlike her worthy eldes hem before Bounte commeth of God not of the streen Of which they be engendred and ibore I trust in gods bounte and therefore My marriage mine estate and rest I him be take he may don as him lest Let me alone in chesing of my wife That charge vpon my backe I woll endure But I you pray and charge vpon your life That what wife I take ye me ensure To worship her whiles her life may dure In word and werke both here and elswhere As she an Emperours doughter were And furthermore thus shul ye swere that ye Against my choice shall neuer grutch nestriue For sith I shall forgo my liberte At your request as euer mote I thriue There as mine hert is set there wol I wiue And but ye woll assent in such manere I pray you speake no more in this matere With hearty will they sworne and assent To all this thing there said no wight nay Beseeching him of grace ere they went That he would hem graunt a certaine day Of his spousaile as soone as euer he may For yet alway the people somwhat dred Lest this Marques would no wife wed He graunted hem a day such as him lest On which he wold be wedded sekerly And said he did all this at her request And they with humble entent full buxumely Kneeling vpon her knees full reuerently Him thonked all and thus they han an end Of her entent and home ayen they wend. And hereupon he took his officers Commaunding for the feast to purvay And to his privie knights and squires Such charge he yaue as he list on hem lay And they to his commandement obey And ech of hem doth his diligence To done to the feast all reverence Explicit prima pars sequitur pars secunda NOught ferre fro thilke place honorable Where this Marques shope his marriage There stood a thrope of sight full delectable In which that poore folke of that village Hadden her beasts and her herbigage And of her labour tooke her sustenance After that the earth yaue hem haboundance Among this poore folke there dwell a man Which that was holden poorest of hem all * But the high God somtime senden can His grace unto a little oxe stall Ianicola men of that thrope him call A doughter had he faire ynough to sight And Grisilde this young maiden hight But for to speak of vertuous beaute Then was she one the fairest under sonne And full poorely ifostered was she No licorous lust was in her heart yronne Well ofter of the well than of the tonne She dronke and for she would vertue plese She knew well labour but not idle ease But though this maid was tender of age Yet in the brest of her virginite There was enclosed sad and ripe corage And in great reverence of charite Her old pore father fostred she A few sheep spinning on the field she kept She would not ben idle till she slept And when she homeward came she wold bring Wortes and other herbes times full oft Which she shrad and sethe for her living And made her bed full
hard nothing soft And aye she kept her fathers life on loft With every obeisance and diligence That child might do to the fathers reuerence Vpon Grisilde the poore creature Well oft hath the Marques set his eye As he a hunting went peradventure And when it fell that he might her espie He not with wanton looking of follie His eyen cast upon her but in sad wise Vpon her chere he would him oft auise Commending in his hert her womanhede And eke her vertue passing every wight Of so yong age as well in chere as in dede For though the people have no great insight In vertue he considered full right Her bounte and disposed that he would Her wed if he ever wedden should The day of wedding come but no wight can Tell what maner woman it should be For which meruaile wondred many a man And saiden when they were in their priuite Woll not our Lord leaue his vanite Woll he not wed alas alas the while Why woll he thus himself and us begile But natheles this Marques hath do make Of iemmes set in gold and in asure Broches and rings all for Grisildes sake And of her clothing tooke he the measure Of a maiden like to her stature And eke of other ornaments all That unto such a wedding should fall The time vndren in the same day Approched that the wedding should be And all the paleis put was in array Both hall and chamber ech in his degre Houses of office stuffed with great plente There maiest thou see all dainteous vitaile That may be found as ferre as lasteth Itaile This royall Marques richly araide Lords and ladies in his companie The which that to the feast weren praide And of his retinue the bachelerie With many a sown of sondrie melodie Vnto the village of which I told In this aray the right way hath hold Grisilde God wot of this full innocent That for her was shape all this aray To fetch water at a well is went And cometh home as sone as ever she may For well she heard say that full ilke day The Marques should wed and if she might She would fain seen some of that sight She thouÈt I wil with other maideâ—s stond That been my fellowes in our dore and see The Marques and thereto wol I fond To have done at home as soone as it may be The labour which that longeth to me And then may I at leisure it behold If he this way to the castle hold And as she wold ouer the dreshold gon The Marques came and gan her for to call And she set downe her water pot anon Beside the threshold of the oxe stall And downe vpon her knees she gan to fall And with sad countenance she kneeled still Till she had herd what was the lords will This thouÈtful Marques spake to that maid Wel soberly and said in this manere Where is your father Grisiilde he said And she with reuerence and meek chere Answerd lord he is all ready here And in she goeth without lenger lette And to the Marques she her father fette He by the hond then tooke this old man And said thus when he had him aside Ianicola I neither may ne can Lenger the plesance of mine hert hide If that thou vouchsafe whatsoeuer betide Thy doughter woll I take or that I wend As for my wife vnto my liues end Thou louest me I wot well certaine And art my faithfull liegeman ibore And all that liketh me I dare well saine It liketh thee and specially therefore Tell me that point that I haue said before If that thou wolt to this purpose draw To take me as for thy sonne in law This sudden case the man astoned so That red he wext abashed and all quaking He stood ne vnneth said he words mo But only thus qd he Lord my willing Is as ye woll ne ayenst your liking I woll nothing ye be my lord so dere Right as you list gouerne this matere Then wol I thus qd this Marques sothly That in thy chamber I you and she Haue a collation and wotest thou why For I woll aske her if her will be To be my wife and rule her after me And all this shall she done in thy presence I woll not speke out of thine audience And in the chamber while they were about The treties where ye shall after heare The people came into the house without And wondred hem in how honest manere So tentifly she kept her father dere But vtterly Grisild wonder might For neuer erst saw she such a sight No wonder is though she be astoned To see so great a gest come into that place She was neuer to such gestes woned For which she looked with full pale face But shortly fro this matter for to pace These weren the words that the Marques said To this benigne and very faithfull maid Grisilde he said ye shall well vnderstond It liketh vnto your father and me That I you wed and eke it may so stond As I suppose that ye woll it so be But these demaunds I aske first qd he That sithen it shall be done in hastie wise Woll ye thereto assent or els you auise I say thus be ye redy with good hert To all my lust and that I freely may As me best liketh though ye laugh or smert And neuer ye to grutch night ne day When I say yea that ye say not ones nay Neither in word ne by frowning countenance Swere this and here I swere our aliance Wondring vpon these words quaking for dred She said lord indigne and vnworthy Am I to thilke honour that ye me bede But right as you woll even so woll I And here I swere that neuer willingly In word werke ne thought I nill you disobie For to be deed though me were loth to die This is inough Grisilde mine qd he And forth he goeth with a sober chere Out at the doore and after came she And to the people he said in this manere This is my wife qd he that stondeth here Honoureth her and loueth her I you pray Who so me loueth there nis no more to say And for that nothing of her old gere She should bring into his house he bad That women should dispoilen her there Of which these ladies were nothing glad To handle her cloths in which she was clad But natheles this maiden bright of hew Fro foot to head they clothed han all new Her heer han they kembe that lay vntressed Full rudely and with her fingers small A crowne on her head they han idressed And set it full of ouches great and small Of her arraie what should I make a tale Vnneath the people her knew for her fairnes When she transformed was in such riches This Marques hath her spoused with a ring Bought for the same cause and then her set Vpon an horse snow white well ambling And to his palais or he lenger let With joyfull people that her lad and
That she might kisse her child ere that it deid And in her arme this little child she leid With full sad face and gan the child blisse And lulled it and after gan it kisse And thus she saied in her benigne voyce Farwell my child I shall thee neuer see But sithen I haue marked thee with the croice Of thâ—lke father iblessed mote thou be That for vs died vpon the Roode tree Thy soule little child I him betake For this night shalt thou dien for my sake I trow that to a norice in this caas It had been hard this routh for to see Well might a mother then cry alas But natheles so sad and stedfast was she That she endured all her aduersite And to the sergeant meekely shee said Haue here ayen your little yong maid And goth now qd she doth my lords hest And o thing would I pray you of your grace But if my lord forbid it you at the lest Burieth this little bodie in some place That no beasts ne birds it to race But he no word to that purpose would saie But tooke yâ— childe and went anon his waie This sergeant came to the lord againe And of Grisilds words and of her chere He told him word by word short and plaine And him presented with his daughter dere Somwhat this lord had routh in his maner But natheles his purpose held he still As lords doen when they woll haue their will And bad the sergeant that full priuily He should this child wel soft wind and wrap With all the circumstance tenderly And carry it in a cofer or in a lap But on paine of his hed off to swap That no man should know of his entent Ne whens he came ne whither he went But at Boleine to his suster dere That thilke time of Pauie was Countesse He should it take and shew her this matere Beseeching her to doen her businesse This child to fostre in all gentlenesse And whose child that it was he bad her hide From euery wight for ought that might betide This sergeant goth hath fulfilde this thing But to this Marques now returne we For now goeth he full oft imagining If by his wiues chere he might ought see Or els by her words peceiue that she Were changed but he neuer could finde But euer in one ilike sad and kinde As glad as humble as busie in seruice And eke in loue as she was wont to be Was she to him in every manner wise Ne of her doughter one word spake she None accedent for none adversite Was seen in her ne never her doughters name Nempned she for ernest ne for game Explicit tertia pars incipit pars quarta IN this estate passed ben four yere Er she with child was but as God would A man child she bare by this Waltere Well gracious and faire to behold And when folke it to the father told Not onely he but all the countrey mery Was for the child God they thonke hery When it was two yere old from the brest Departed from his norice on a day This Marques cought yet another lest To tempten his wife eftsones if he may O needles was she tempted I dare say * But wedded men ne conne no measure When they find a patient creature Wife qd this Marques ye have heard or this My people heauily bereth our mariage And namely sithen my sonne borne is Now is it worse than ever in our age The murmure slaieth my heart my corage For to my eares commeth the voice so smart That it well nie destroyed hath my hart Now say they thus when Walter is agon Then shall the blood of Ianicola succede And ben our lord for other have we non Such words say my people it is no drede Well ought I of such murmure take hede For certainly I dread such sentence Though they not plainly speke in myne audience I would live in peace if that I might Wherefore I am disposed vtterly As I his suster served by night Right so I think to serve him priuily Thus warn I you that ye not sodainly Out of your self for no wo should outraie Beth patient and thereof I you pray I have qd she saied and ever shall I woll ne nill nothing for certain But as you list nought greueth me at all Though that my doughter my son be slain At your commandement this is to sain I have had no part of children twain But first sickenesse and after wo and pain Ye ben our lord doth with your own thing Right as you list and taketh no reed of me For as I left at home my clothing When I came first to you right so qd she Left I my will and all my liberty And toke your clothing wherfore I you pray Doe your will I woll to it obey And certes If I had prescience Your will to know ere ye your lust me told I would it doen without negligence But now I wote your lust what ye would All your pleasance firm and stable I hold For wist I that my death would doen you ese Gladly would I suffer it you to plese Death may not make no comparisoun Vnto your loue when this Marques seie The constance of his wife he cast adown His iyen two and wondred how she may In such patience suffer all this arraie And foorth he goth with drery countenaunce But to his hert it was full great pleasaunce This eiger sergeant in the same wise That he her doughter caught right so he Or worse if that he coud wers deuise Hath hent her sonne that was full of beaute And euer in one so patient was she That she no chere made of heauinesse But kisseth her child after gan him blesse Saue this she praied him if that he might Her little sonne he would in earth graue His tender limmes delicate to sight Fro foules and fro noysom beasts to saue But she none answer of him might haue He went his way as he nothing rought But to Boleine he tenderly it brought This Marques wondred euer lenger the more Vpon her pacience and if that he He had soothly knowen there before That perfectly her children loued she He would haue wend that for some subtilte And of malice or cruell corage She had suffered this with sad visage But he knew wel that next himself certain She loued her children best in euery wise But now of women would I aske fain If these assaies mighten not suffise What coud a sturdie husbond more deuise To preue her wifehood and her stedfastnesse But be continuing ever in sturdinesse But there be folke of that condition That when they han a certain purpose take They couth not stint of her entention But as they were bounden to a stake They woll not of that purpose to stake Right so this Marques hath fully purposed To tempt his wife as he was first disposed He waiteth if by words or countenance She were to him changed of
her corage But never could he find variance She was aie in one heart and visage And euer the further that she was in age The more truer if it were possible She was to him in love and more penible For which it semeth thus that of hem two There nas but one will for as Walter lest The same lust was her pleasance also And God be thonked all fell for the best She shewed well for no worldly vnrest * A wife as for her selfe nothing should Willen in effect but as her husbond would The sclander of Walter wonder wide spread That of cruel heart full wretchedly For he a poore woman wedded had Hath murdred both his children privily Which murmure was emong hem comonly No wonder was for to the peoples ere Ther came no word but that they murdred were For which whereas his people ther before Had loved him well the slander of his fame Made hem that they hated him therefore * To been a murtherer is an hateful name But natheles for earnest ne for game He of his cruel purpose would not sâ—ent To tempt his wife was all his entent Whan that his doughter twelve yere was of age He to the court of Rome in subtil wise Enformed of his will sent his message Comanding hem such billes to devise As to his cruel purpose may suffise How that the Pope for his peoples rest Bad him wed another if that him lest I say he bad they should counterfete The Popes bull making mention That he hath leave his first wife to lete As by the Popes dispensacion To stint rancor and discencion Betwixt his people and him thus spake the bull The which they han published at the full The rude people as no wonder nis Wenden full fell it had been right so But when these tidings come to Grisildis I deeme that her heart was full of wo But she was still lech sad evermo Disposed was this humble creature The adversite of fortune to endure Abiding ever his list and his pleasaunce To whom she was yeuen heart and all As to her very worldly suffisaunce But certainly if I this storie tell shall This Marques iwritten hath in speciall A letter in which he shewed his intent And prively he it to Boloine hath sent To the Erle of Pauie which that had tho Wedden his suffer he prayed specially To bringen him ayen his children two In honourable estate all openly But one thing he prayed all vtterly That he to no wiÈt thouÈ men wold enquere Should tell whose children that they were But say that the maiden should wedded be Vnto the Marques of Saluce anon And as the Earle was prayed so did he For at a day set he on his way is gon Toward Saluce and lords many one In rich araie this maiden for to gide Her yong brother riding by her side Arayed was toward hyr marriage This maiden fresh full of gemmes clere And her brother that seuen yeer was of age Arayed was eke freshly in his manere And thus in great nobles and glad chere Toward Saluce shapen their iournay Fro day to day riding forth her way Explicit quarta pars sequitur pars quinta AMong all this after his wicked vsage This Marques his wife yet tempted more To the vtterest proof of her corage Fully to have experience and sore If that she were as stedfast as before He on a day in open audience Full boistrously hath said her this sentence Certes Grisilde I had inough of pleasance To han you to my wife for your goodness And for your trouth and your obeysance Not for your linage ne for your riches But I now know in very soothfastnesse * That in great lordship if I me well auise There is great seruitude in sondry wise I may not done as every ploughman may My people me constraineth for to take Another wife and cryen day by day And eke the Pope this rancor for to sâ—ake Consenteth it that dare I vndertake And truely thus much I woll you say My new wife is comming by the way Be strong of hert void anon her place And thilke dowery that ye brought to me Take it ayen I grant it of my grace Returneth to your fathers house qd he * No man may alway have prosperite With euen heart I read you to endure The stroke of fortune or of aventure And she ayen answerd in patience My lord qd she I wote and wist alway How that betwixt your magnificence And my pouert no man can ne may Maken no comparison it is no nay I held me never digne in no manere To been your wife ne yet your chamberere And in this house there ye me lady made The hie God take I as for my witnesse And all so wisely as he my soule glad I held me neither lady ne maistresse But humble servant to your worthinesse And ever shall while my life may endure Abouen euery worldly creature That ye so long of your benignite Have hold me in honour and nobley Where I was not worthy for to be That thonke I God and you to whom I prey So yeld it you there is no more to sey Vnto my father gladly wol I wende And with him dwell to my lives ende There I was fostred of a childe full small Till I be deed my life there woll I lead A widow cleane in heart body and all For sithen I yave to you my maidenhead And am your true wife it is no dread God shilde such a lords wife to take Another man to husbond or to make And of your new wife God of his grace So graunt you wealth and high prosperite For I woll gladly yeue her my place In which I was blisful wont to be For sithen it liketh you my lord qd she That whilome weren all my hearts rest That I shall gone I shall goe when you lest But there as ye me profred such dowaire As I first brought it is well in my mind It were my wretched clothes nothing faire The which to me now were full hard to find Oh good God how gentle and how kind Ye seemed by your speech and your visage The day that maked was our mariage * But sooth is said algate I find it trew For in effect it is proved now on me Love is not old as when it is new For certes lord for none adversite To dien in this case it shall never be That ever in word or worke I shall repent That I you yave mine heart in good intent My lord ye wote that in my fathers place Ye did me strip out of my poore wede And richely ye clad me of your grace To you brought I nought els out of drede But faith nakednesse and maidenhede But here ayen your clothing I restore And eke my wedding ring for evermore The remnaunt of your iewels ready be Within your chamber dare I safely saine Naked out of my fathers house qd she I came and naked I mote turne againe All your
pleasaunce would I follow faine But yet I hope it be not your entent That I smockelesse out of your paleis went Ye could not doe so dishonest a thing That ilke wombe in which your children lay Should before the people in my walking Be seene all bare wherefore I you pray Let me not like a worme goe by the way Remembreth you mine owne lord so dere I was your wife though I vnworthy were Wherefore in reward of my maidenhede Which I to you brought and not ayen bere As vouchsafe to yeue me to my mede But such a smock as I was wont to were That I therewith may wrie the wombe of her That was your wife here I take my leue Of you mine owne lord least I you greue The smock qd he that thou hast on thy bake Let it be still and beare it forth with thee But well vnneth that word had he spake But went his way for routh and pitee Before the folke her selfe strippeth she And in her smock with foot and head all bare Toward her fathers house forth is she fare The folke followed weeping in her wey And fortune euer they cursed as they gone But she fro weeping kept her eyen drey Ne in all this time word spake she none Her father that this tidings heard anone Cursed the day and time that nature Shope him to been a liues creature For out of all doubt this poore old man Was euer suspect of her marriage For euer he deemed sithen it began That when the lord filled had his corage Him would thinke it was a disparage To his estate so low for to alight And voiden her as soone as euer he might Ayenst his doughter hastily goeth he For by the noise of folk he knew her comming And with her old coat as it might be He couered her full sore weeping But on her body might he it not bring For rude was the cloth and she more of age By daies fele than she was at her marriage Thus with her father for a certaine space Dwelleth this floure of wifely patience That never by her words nor by her face Before the folke ne eke in absence Ne shewed she that her was done offence Ne of her high estate no remembraunce Ne had she as by her coutenaunce No wonder is for in her great estate Her ghost was euer in plaine humilitie No tender mouth ne heart delicate Ne pompe ne semblance of roialtie But full of patience and benignite Discreet and pridelesse and aye honorable And to her husband euer meek and stable Men speak of Iob most for his humblesse As clerkes when hem list can well endite Namely of men but in soothfastnesse * Though clerkes praisen women but a lite There can no man in humblesse hem acquite As women can ne be halfe so trew As women been but it befall of new Explicit quinta pars sequitur pars sexta FRo Boloine is the Earle of Pauie come Of which the fame sprong to more and lesse And to the peoples eares all and some Was couth eke how a new Marquesesse He with him brought in pomp such richesse That was neuer seene with mans eie So noble aray in West Lumbardie The Marques that shope knew all this Er that this Erle was come sent his message To thilke poore and silly Grisildis And she with humble heart and glad visage Not with swelling heart in her corage Came at his hest and on her knees her set And reuerently and wisely she him gret Grisilde qd he my will is vtterly This maid that wedded shall be vnto me Receiued be to morrow so royally As it is possible in my house to bee And eke that euery wight in his degree Haue his estate in sitting and seruice And also pleasaunt as ye can best deuise I haue no woman sufficient certaine The chambers for to array in ordinaunce After my lust and therefore woll I faine That thine weren all such gouernaunce Thou knowest eke of old all my pleasaunce Though thine array be bad and euill besey Doe thou thy deuer at the least wey Not onely lord I am glad qd she To doen your lust but I desire also You for to please and serue in my degree Withouten faining and shall euermo Ne neuer for no weale ne for no wo Ne shall the ghost within my heart stent To loue you best with all my true entent And with that word she gan the hous to dight And tables to set and beds to make And pained her to doen all that she might Praying the chamberers for Gods sake To hasten hem and fast sweepe and shake And she the most seruiceable of hem all Hath euery chamber arraied and his hall Abouten vndren gan this Earle alight that with him brought these noble children twey For which the people ran to see that sight Of her array so richely besey And then at erst amongs hem they sey That Walter was no foole though him lest To chaunge his wife for it was for the best For she is fairer as they deemen all Than is Grisild and more tender of age And fairer fruit between hem shall fall And more pleasant for her high linage Her brother eke so fair was of his age That him to seen the people had cauÈt plesance Commending now the Marques governance O sterne people unsad and untrue Aye undiscreet and changing as a fane Delighting ever in rumer that is new For like the Moone ever waxe ye and wane Full of clapping deare ynough of a iane Your dome is fals your constance ill preveth A full great foole is he that on you leveth Thus saiden sad folke in that citie When that the people gased vp and down For they were glad right with the noueltie To haue a new lady of her toun No more of this make I now mentioun But to Grisilde ayen woll I me dresse And tellen her constance and her businesse Well busie was Grisilde on euery thing That to the feast was appertinent Right nauÈt was she abashed of her clothing Though they wer rude and somwhat to rent But with glad cheare to the yate is went With other folke to greet the Marquesesse And after doth she forth her businesse With right glad chere the gests she receiueth And buxomely eueriche in his degree That no man defaut there perceiueth But euer they wondren what she might bee That in so poore array was for to see And coud such honour and reuerence And worthyly they praisen her prudence In all the meane while she neuer stent This maiden eke her brother to commend With all her heart and benigne intent So well that no man coud her prise amend But at the last when these lords wend To sitten doune to meat he gan to call Grisilde as she was busie in the hall Grisilde qd he as it were in his play How liketh thee my wife and her beaute Right well my lord qd she for in good fay A fairer saw I neuer none than
be in maile The arrows of thy crabbed eloquence Shal perce his brest eke his adventaile In iealousie eke looke thou him binde And that shall make him couch as doth a quaile If thou be faire there folke ben in presence Shew thou thy visage and thine apparaile If thou be foule be free of thy dispence To get thee friends aye do thy travaile Be aye of cheare as light as lefe on linde And let him care weepen wring and waile Ye arch wiues stondeth aye at your defence Sith ye be strong as is a great camaile Ne suffreth not that men do you offence And ye sclendre wives feeble as in battaile Beth eygre as any tygre is in Inde Aye clappeth as a mill I you counsail ¶ Here endeth the clerk of Oxenfords tale ¶ Here follow the words of our Host When this worthy clerke ended had his tale Our Host said and sworen by cockes bones Me were leuer than a barrel af ale My wife at home had heard this legend ones This is a gentle tale for the nones As to my purpose wist ye my will But thing that woll not be let it be still ¶ The Frankeleins Prologue THese old gentle Britons in her dayes Of divers auentures maden layes Rimed at first in her mother tong Which layes with her instruments they song Or else readen hem for her pleasaunce And one of hem have I in remembraunce Which I shall say as willing as I can But sirs because I am a borell man At my beginning first I you beseech Haue me excused of my rude speech I learned never Rhetoricke certaine Thing that I speke mote be bare and plaine I slept neuer on the mount of Pernaso Ne learned Marcus Tullius Cicero Colours ne know I none withouten dread But such colours as growen in the mead Or els such as men dien or paint Colours of Rhetoricke been to me quaint Ny spirit feeleth not of such mattere This is my tale if ye woll it here ¶ The Frankeleins Tale. AUrelius after much labour and cost bestowed to win the love of Dorigen another mans wife is content in the end through the good dealing of her and her husband to lose both labour and cost The scope of this Tale seemeth a contention in courtesie IN Armorike that called is Britaine There was a knight that loved and did his paine To serven Ladies in his best wise And many a labour many a great emprise He for his Lady wrought ere she were won For she was one the fairest vnder son And eke thereto commen of high kinrede That well vnneth durst this knight for drede Tell her his wo his pain and his distresse But at the last she of her worthinesse And namely for his meek obeysaunce Hath such a pity caught of his pennaunce That prively she fell of his accord To take him for her husbond and her lord Of such lordship as men have over her wives And for to lead in the more blisse her lives Of his free will he swore her as a knight That never in all his life day ne night Ne should he take upon him no maistry Again her will ne kithe her iealousie But her obey and follow her will in all As any louer to his lady shall Save that the name of soveraignete That would he have for shame of his degree She thonked him with full great humbless She said sir sith of your gentleness Ye profred me to have so large a raine Ne would god never betwixt vs twaine As in my gilt were either werre or strife Sir I woll be your true humble wife Haue here my trouth till that my hert brest Thus ben they both in quiet and in rest For one thing sirs safely dare I seine * That friends everich other must obeine If they woll long holden company * Love woll not be constrained by maistry When maistry comes the God of loue anone Beateth his wings farewell he is gone * Loue is a thing as any spirit free Women of kind desiren libertee And not to be constrained as a thrass And so done men if I sooth say shall Looke who that most pacient is in loue He is at his auantage all aboue * Patience is an high vertue certain For it venquisheth as these clerkes sain Things that rigour shall never attain For every word men may not chide or plain * Learneth to suffer or else so mote I gone Ye shall it learne whether ye woll or none * For in this world certain no wight there is That he ne doth or saieth sometime amis Ire sickness or constellation Wine wo or chaunging of complexion Causeth full oft to done amisse or speaken On every wrong a man may not be wreken * After the time must be temperaunce To every wight that can of governaunce And therefore hath this worthy wise knight To liven in ease suffraunce her hight And she to him full wisely gan swere That never should there be default in here Here may men see humble and wise accord Thus hath she take her servant and her lord Servaunt in loue and lord in marriage Then was he both in lordship and seruage Servage nay but in lordship aboue Sithen he hath both his lady and his loue His lady certes and his wife also The which that law of lond accordeth to And when he was in this prosperity Home with his wife he goth into his country Not fer fro Denmarke there his dwelling was Where as he liueth in ioy and solas * Who coud tell but he had wedded be The ioy the ease and the prosperity That is betwixt an husbond and his wife Evermore lasted this blisful life Till that this knight of which I speake thus That of Caere Iuda was cleped Aruiragus Shope him to dwellen a yeare or twaine In Englond that cleped was Britaine To seeken in armes worship and honour For all his lust he set in such labour And dwelt there two year the booke faith thus Now woll I stint of this Aruiragus And speake I woll of Dorigen his wife That loueth her husbond as her hearts life For his absence weepeth she and siketh As done these noble wiues when hem liketh She mourneth waileth fasteth plaineth Desire of his presence her so constraineth That all this wide world set she at nought Her friends which knew her heauy thought Comforten her in all that euer they may They preachen hir and tellen night day That causelesse she slew her selfe alas And euery comfort possible in this caas They done to her with all her businesse And all to maken her leaue her heauinesse * By processe as ye knowen euerychone Men mowen so long grauen in stone Till some figure therein printed be So long han they comforted her till she Receiued hath by hope and by reason The enprinting of her constellation Through which her gret sorrow gan assuage She may not alway enduren such a rage And eke Aruiragus in all this care Hath sent his letters
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
five mortall woundes in five sundry places That is to say In her feet in her honds in her eares in her nose and in her mouth and leften her for dede and wenten her way When Melibeus returned was into his house and see all this mischiefe hee like a mad man renting his clothes gan to weep and crie Prudence his wife as farre foorth as shee durst besought him of his weping for to stint But not for thy he gan to weep and cry ever lenger the more This noble wife Prudence remembred her upon the sentence of Ovid in his booke that cleped is the remedy of loue whereas he saith * Hee is a foole that distourbeth the mother to weepe in the death of her childe till she have wept her fill as for a certain time and then shall a man doen his diligence with amiable wordes to recomfort and pray her of her weeping for to stint For which reason this noble wife Prudence suffered her husbond to weepe and cry as for a certaine space and when she saw her time shee saied him in this wise Alas my Lord qd she why make ye your selfe for to be like a foole Forsoth it apperteineth not unto a wise man to maken such a sorowe Your doughter with the grace of God shall warish and escape And all were it so that she right now were dead yee ne ought not as for her death your self destroy Senek saith * The wise man shall not take to great discomfort for the death of his children but certes he should suffer it in patience as wel as he abideth the death of his own proper person This Melibeus answered anon and said What man qd he should of his weping stint that hath so great a cause for to weep Iesus himselfe our Lorde wept for the death of Lazarus his friend Prudence answered certes well I wote * A temperat weeping is nothing defended to him that sorowfull is among folke in sorow but it is rather graunted him to weepe The Apostle Paule unto the Romanes writteth Men should rejoyce with him that maketh joye and weepe with such folke as weepen But though a temperate weeping be granted certes outragious weeping is defended Measure of weeping should be considered after the lore that teacheth us Senek * When that thy friend is dead qd he let not thine iyen to moist been of teers ne to much drie although teeres comen to thine eyen let hem not fall And when thou hast forgon thy friend doe diligence to get another friend and this is more wisedom than for to weepe for thy friend which thou hast lorne for therein is no bote And therefore if ye govern you by sapience put away sorow out of your heart Remembreth you that Iesus Sirake saieth * A man that is joyous and glad in hart it him conserueth florishing in his age But sothly a sorowfull heart maketh his bones drie Hee saith eke thus That sorow in heart slayeth full many a man Salomon sayeth * That right as mouths in the sheepes fleise annoieth the clothes and the small wormes the tree right so anoieth sorow the hart of man wherefore us ought as well in the death of our children as in the losse of our temporal goods have patience Remember you upon patient Iob when hee had lost his children and his temporall substaunce and in his bodies endured and receiued full many a grieuous tribulation yet saied hee thus * Our Lord it sent to me our Lord hath bereft it me right so as our Lord would right so it be done iblessed be the name of our Lord. To these foresaid things Melibeus unto his wife Prudence answered All thy words qd he ben true and thereto profitable but truely mine heart is troubled with this sorrow so grievously that I not what to do Let call qd Prudence your true friends al thy linage which that been wise and telleth to hem your case and hearkeneth what they say in counsailing gouerne you after her sentence Salomon saith * Werke all thy things by counsaile thou shalt never rue Then by counsaile of his wife Prudence this Melibeus let cause a great congregation of people as Surgiens Phisitions old folke and yong and some of his old enemies reconciled as by her semblance to his loue and to his grace therwithal there came some of his neighbours that did him reverence more for dread than for loue as it happe ofte There comen also ful many subtil flatterers and wise Advocates learned in the lawe And when these folkes togeders assembled were this Melibeus in sorrowfull wise shewed hem his case and by the manner of his speech it seemed that in hart he bare a cruell ire ready to doen vengeaunce upon his foes and suddainly he desired that warre should begin but natheles yet asked he counsaile upon this matter A Surgien by licence and assent of such as were wise up rose and unto Melibeus saied as ye shall heare Sir qd he as to us Surgiens appertaineth that we doe to every wight the best that we can where as we beene withholden and to our patient that wee dooen no damage wherefore it happeth many time ofte that when two men have everch wounded other one Surgien healeth hem both wherfore vnto our arte it is not pertinent to norish warre ne parties to support But certes as to the warishing of your doughter all be it so that perilously she be wounded we shall doe so tentife businesse fro day to night that with the grace of God she shall been whole sound as soone as is possible Almost right in the same wise the Phisitions answered saue that they saiden a few words more That right as maladies beene by her contraries cured right so shall a man warishe warre by peace His neigbours full of enuie his fained friends that seemed reconciled his flatterers maden semblaunce of weeping enpaired agrutched much of this matter in praysing greatly Melibe of might of power of riches and of friends dispising the power of his aduersaries and said vtterly that hee anon should wreken him on his foes and begin warre Vp rose then an Aduocate that was wise by leaue and by counsaile of other that were wise saied The neede for the which wee beene assembled in this place is a full heauie thing a great matter because of the wrong and of the wickednesse that hath bee doen and eke by reason of great damages that in time comming been possible to fallen for the same and eke by reason of the great riches power of the parties both for the which reasons it were a full great peril to erren in this matter Wherefore Melibeus this is our sentence we counsaile you abouen all thing that right anon thou doe thy diligence in keeping of thy proper person in such a wise that thou ne want non espie ne watch thy body for to saue And after that we counsaile that in thine house thou set sufficient garrison so
defende For now these folkes be wonders stout The King and Lordes now this amende Thus endeth the second part of this Tale and hereafter followeth the third MOyses lawe forbode it tho That priestes should no lordships welde Christes gospell biddeth also That they should no lordshippes held Ne Christes Apostles were neuer so bold No such Lordshippes to hem enbrace But smeren her shepe and kepe her fold God amend hem for his grace For they ne ben but conterfete Men may know hem by her fruite Her greatnesse maketh hem God foryete And take his mekenesse in dispite And they wer pore and had but lite They nold not demen after the face But nourish her shepe and hem not bite God amend him for his grace Griffon What canst thou preach ayenst Chanons That men clepen seculere Peli They ben curates of many tounes On earth they haue great powere They haue great prebendes and dere Some two or three and some mo A personage to ben a playing fere And yet they serue the King also And let to ferme all that fare To whom that woll most giue therefore Some woll spend and some woll spare And some woll lay it vp in store A cure of soule they care not fore So that they mowe much money take Whether her soules be wonne or lore Her profites they woll not forsake They have a gadering procuratour That can the poore people enplede And robben hem as a rauinour And to his Lord the money lede And catch of quicke and eke of dede And richen him and his Lord eke And to robbe can giue good rede Of olde and yonge of hole and sicke Therewith they purchase hem lay fee In londe there hem liketh best And builde also as brode as a cite Both in the East and eke in the West To purchase thus they ben full prest But on the poore they woll nought spende Ne no good giue to Goddes gest Ne sende him some that all hath sende By her seruice such woll liue And trusse that other into treasure Though all her parish die vnshriue They woll nat giue a rose floure Her life should be as a mirrour Both to lered and to leude also And teach the people her lele labour Soche mister men been all misgo Some of them been hard nigges And some of hem been proude and gaie Some spende her goodes vpon gigges And finden hem of great araie Alas what thinke these men to saie That thus dispenden Goddes good At the dreadfull domes daie Soche wreches shull be worse than wood Some her churches neuer ne sie Ne neuer o pennie thider ne send Though the poore parishens for hunger die O pennie on hem woll they not spend Haue they receiuing of the rent They recke neuer of the remenaunt Alas the deuill hath cleane hem blent Soche one is sathanas soiournaunt And vsen horedome and harlottrie Couetise pompe and pride Slothe wrath and eke enuie And sewen sinne by euerie side Alas where thinke such tabide How woll they accomptes yelde From high God they mowe hem not hide Soche willers witte is not worth a nelde They ben so rooted in richesses That Christes pouert is foryet Serued with so many messes Hem thinketh that Munna is no mea◠All is good that they mowen geat They wene to liue euermore But when God at dome is seat Such tresure is a feble store Vnneth mote they Matins saie For counting and courtholding And yet he iangleth as a Iaie And vnderstont himselfe nothing He woll serve both Erle and King For his finding and his fee And hide his tithing his offring This is a feble charite Other they been proude or couetous Or they been hard or hungrie Or they ben liberall or lecherous Or els medlers with marchandry Or mainteiners of men with mastry Or stewardes countours or pleadours And serue God in Ypocrisie Soch Priests been Christes false traitours They been false they been vengeable And begilen men in Christs name They been vnstedfast and vnstable To traie her Lord hem thinketh no shame To serue God they been full lame Gods theeues and falsely steale And falsely Gods worde defame In winning is her worldes weale Antichrist these serue all I praie thee who may say naie With Antichrist soch shull fall They followen him in deede and faie They seruen him in rich arraie To serue Christ such falsely fain Why at the dreadfull domes day Shull they not folowe him to paine That knowen hem selfe that they doen ill Ayenst Christes commaundement And amend hem neuer ne will But serue sathan by one assent Who saieth sothe he shall be shent Or speaketh ayenst her false liuing Who so well liueth shall be brent For soch been greater than the king Popes Bishops and Cardinals Chanons Parsons and Vicare In Goddes seruice I trowe been fals That Sacraments sellen here And been as proude as Lucifere Eche man looke whether that I lie Who so speketh ayenst her powere It shall be holden heresie Loke how many orders take Onely of Christ for his seruice That the worldes goodes forsake Who so taketh orders otherwise I trow that they shall sore agrise For all the glose that they conne All sewen not this 〈◊〉 In euill time they thus begonne Loke how many emong hem all Holden not this hie waie With Antichrist they shullen fall For they wullen God betraie God amende them that best maie For many men they maken shende They weten well the sothe I say But the deuill hath foule hem blende Some on her churches dwell Apparailled poorely proude of port The seuen sacraments they doen sell In cattell catching is her comfort Of ech matter they wollen mell To doen hem wrong is her disport To afraie the people they been fell And hold hem lower than doeth the Lord. For the tithing of a Ducke Or of an Apple or an Aie They make men swere vpon a boke Thus they foulen Christes faie Soche bearen euill heauen kaie They mowen assoile they mowe shriue With mennes wiues strongly plaie With true tillers sturte and striue At the wrastling and at the wake And chiefe chauntours at the nale Market beaters and medling make Hoppen and houten with heue and hale At faire fresh and at wine stale Dine and drinke and make debate The seuen sacraments set a saile How kepe soche the kaies of heauen gate Mennes wiues they wollen hold And though that they been right sorye To speake they shull not be so bold For sompning to the Consistorye And make hem saie mouth I lie Though they it sawe with her iye His lemman holden openly No man so hardy to aske why He woll haue tithing and offring Maugre whosoeuer it grutch And twise on the day he woll sing Goddes priestes nere none soche He mote on hunting with dogge and bitch And blowen his horne and crien hey And sorcerie vsen as a Witch Soche kepen euill Peters key Yet they mote haue some stocke or stone Gaily painted and proudly dight To maken men leuen vpon And saie
him and wasteth and shenteth him and of his blood he maketh sacrifice to the fiend of hell It wasteth his cattell and his substaunce And certes if it be a foule thing a man to waste his cattell on women yet it is a fouler thing when that for such ordure women dispend vpon men her cattell and her substaunce * This sin as saith the Prophet taketh from man and woman her good fame and her honour and it is full delectable and pleasant to the deuill for thereby winneth he the more part of this wretched world And right as a Marchant delighteth him most in that chaffare which he hath most aduauntage and profite of right so delighteth the fiend in this ordure This is that other hond of the deuil with fiue fingers to catch the people to his villanie The first is the foolish looking of the foolish woman and of the foolish man that sâ—aeth right as the Basilicocke or Cocatrice steeth folke by venim of his sight for the couetise of yâ— eyen followeth the couetise of the heart The second finger is the villainous touching in wicked manner And therefore saith Salomon * That who so toucheth handleth a woman he fareth as the man that handeleth the Scorpion which stingeth and sodenly sleeth through his enueniming or as who so that toucheth warme pitch blemisheth his fingers The third is foule words which fareth like fire which right anone brenneth the heart The fourth finger is the kissing And truely he were a great foole that would kisse the mouthe of a brenning ouen or of a fournace And more fooles ben they that kisse in villainy for that mouth is the mouth of hell and namely these old dotardes holours which woll kisse and flicker and busie hemselfe tho they may nought do Certes they been like to hounds For an hound when he cometh nye to the roser or by other benches thoughe so bee that he maye not pisse yet woll he heaue vp his leg and make a countenaunce to pisse And for that manie man weeneth that hee maye not sinne for no licorousnesse that he doth with his wife truely that opinion is false * God wote a man maye slee himselfe with his owne knife and make himselfe drunke with his owne tunne Certes be it wife be it childe or any worldly thing that he loueth before God it is his maumette and he is an idolaster * A man should loue his wife by discretion patiently and attemperately and then is shee as though it were his suster The fifth finger of the Diuels hond is the stinking deed of lecherie Truly the fiue fingers of gluttonie the Diuel putteth into the womb of a man And with his fiue fingers of lecherie hee grypeth him by the reins for to throw him into the furnace of Hell there as they shall haue the fire and the wormes that euer shall last and weping and wayling and sharpe hunger and thurst grimnesse of Diuels which shall all to tread hem withouten end Of lechery as I sayd sourdeth and springeth diuers speces as fornication that is between man and woman which bee not married and is deadly sinne and ayenst nature All that is enemie and distruction to nature is ayenst nature Perfay the reason of a man telleth him well also that it is deadly sinne for as much as God forbad lecherie And Saint Paule yeueth hem the reigne that nis dewe to no wight but to hem that done deadly sinne Another sinne of lecherie is to bereaue a maids maidenhead for he yâ— so doth certes he casteth a mayden out of yâ— highest degre that is in this present life and bereaueth her that precious fruicte that the boke calleth the hundreth fruits I ne can saye it none otherwise in English but in Latine it hight Centesimus fructus Certes he that so doth is yâ— cause of many damages and villanies mo than any man can recken right as he is cause of many damages sometime that beastes do in the field that breake the hedge or the closure through which he destroyeth that may not be restored For certes no more may maydenhead be restored than an arme that is smitte fro the bodie may returne ayen and waxe She may haue mercy this wote I well if that she haue will to do penitence but neuer shall it be that she nas corrupt And all be it so that I haue spoke somewhat of auoutrie also it is good to shew the perilles that long to auoutrie for to eschew that foul sinne Auoutrie in latine is for to say approaching of another mannes bedde through whiche those that sometime were one flesh abandone her bodies to other persons Of this sinne as sayeth the wise man follow many harmes First breaking of fayth and certes in fayth is the key of christendome and when that fayth is broke and lost soothly christendom stont veine and without fruit This sinne also is theft for theft generally is to reaue a wight his things ayenst his will * Certes this is the foulest theft that may be when that a woman stealeth her body from her husbond and yeueth it to her holour to defoyle her and stealeth her soule fro Christ and yeueth it to the Deuill This is a fouler thefte than for to breake a Church and steal away the chalice for these auouterers break the temple of God spiritually and steal the vessell of grace that is the bodie and the soule For which Christe shall destroy hem as saith saint Poule Sothly of this theft doubted greatly Ioseph when that his Lordes wife prayed him of villainy when he sayde Lo my Lady how my Lord hath take to me vnder my warde all that he hath in this world ne nothing of his things is out of my power but onely ye that be his wife and how should I then doe this wickednesse and sin so horrible ayenst God and ayenst my Lord God it forbede Alas all too little is suche trouth nowe found The third harm is the silth through which they breake the commaundement of God and defoyle the auter of matrimonie that is Christ For certes in so much as the Sacrament of marriage is so noble so digne so much is it greater sin for to break it For God made mariage in Paradise in the estate of innocencie to multiplie mankinde in the seruice of God and therefore is the breaking therof the more greeuous of which breaking come false heirs oft time that wrongfully occupie folks heritages and therefore woll Christ put hem out of the reign of heauen that is heritage to good folk Of this breaking commeth also oft time that folk vnware wed or sinne with her own kinrede and namely these harlots that haunt brodels of these foul women that may be likened to a commune gong whereas men purge her ordure What say we also of putours that liue by the horrible sinne of putrie and constrain women to yeue to hem a certain rent of her bodely puterie yea sometime of his own wife or his childe as
head of a woman alway by ordinaunce it should be so For if a woman had moe men than one then should she haue moe heads than one and that were a right horrible sinne before God and also a woman mighte not please so many folke at ones and also there should neuer be rest ne quiet among hem for each of hem would aske her owne right And furthermore no manne should know his own engendrure ne who should haue his heritage and the woman should be the lesse beloued Now cometh how that a man should bere him with his wife and namely in two things that is to say in sufferaunce and reuerence as shewed Christ when he first made woman For he ne made her of the head of Adam for she should not claim to great lordshippe * For there as the woman hath the maistry she maketh too much variaunce there need no mo ensamples of this the experience all day ought inough suffice Also certes God ne made not woman of the foot of Adam for she should not be hold too lowe for she cannot patiently suffer but God made woman of the rib of Adam for woman should be fellow unto man Man should bear him to his wife in faith in trouth and in loue as sayth saint Poul that a man shold loue his wife as Christ loveth holy Church that loued it so wel that he dyed for it so should a man for his wife if it were neede Now how that a woman should be subiect to her husband that telleth saint Peter first in obedience And also as sayth the Decree * A woman that is a wife as long as she is a wife she hath none authority to swear ne bear witnesse without leaue of her husband that is her Lord alway he should be so by reason She should also serue him in all honestie and be attemperate of her array I woll well that they should set her entent to please her husbonds but not by queintise of her array Saint Ierom sayth Wiues that be apparelled in like and precious purple ne mow not cloth hem in Iesu Christ S. Gregorie sayth also that no wight seeketh precious aray but only for vainglory to be honoured the more of the people It is a great folly a woman to haue great aray outward and in her self be foul inward A wife should also be measurable in looking in bearing and in laughing and discreet in all her wordes and her deeds and above all worldly things she should loue her husbonde with all her heart and to him be true of her body so should an husbond be to his wife For sith that all the body is the husbonds so should her heart be or els there is betwixt hem two as in that no perfit mariage Then shall men understond that for three things a man and his wife fleshly may assemble The first is for the entent of engendrure of children to the service of God for certes that is the cause final of matrimony Another cause is to yeeld each of hem to other the debts of her bodies for neither of hem hath power over her owne bodies The third is for to eschew lechery and villany The fourth is for sooth deadly sinne As to the first is meritorie the second also for as saith the Decree That she hath merit of chastitie that yeeldeth to her husbond the debt of her body yea though it be ayenst her liking the lust of her heart The third manner is venial sin truly scarcely may any of these be without venial sin for the corruption and for y◠delight The fourth maner is for to understond if they assemble onely for amorous love for none of the foresaid causes but for to accomplish their brenning delight they recke not how oft soothly it is deadly sin that with sorrow some folke woll paine hem more to do than to her appetite suffiseth The second manner of chastity is for to be a clean widow eschew the embracings of a man desire the embracing of Iesu Christ These ben those that have ben wives have forgot her husbonds also women that have done lechery been received by penitence And certes if that a wife could kepe her all chast by licence of her husband so y◠she yeve never none occasion that he offend it were to her a great merit This manner of women that observeth chastity in clothing in countenance abstinent in eating and drinking in speaking and in dead she is the vessel or the bore of the blessed Magdelain that fulfilleth holy Church of good odour The third maner of chastitie is virginity it behooveth that she be holy in heart clean of body then is she spouse of Iesu Christ she is the life of Angels she is the praising of this world and she is as these martyrs in egallity she hath in her that tongue may not tell ne heart think Virginity bare our Lord Iesu Christ and virgin was himselfe Another remedy against lechery is specially to withdraw such things as yeve occasion to that villany as ease eating and drinking for certes when the pot boyleth strongly the best remedy is to withdraw the fire Sleping long in great quiet is also a great nourice to Lechery Another remedy ayenst lechery is That a man or a woman eschew the company of hem by which he doubteth to be tempted For al be it so that the deed is withstond yet is there great temptation Soothly a white wall although it ne bren not fully by sticking of the candle yet is the wall black of the flame Full oft time I rede that no man trust in his own perfection but he be stronger than Sampson or holier than Daniel or wiser than Salomon Now after that I have declared you as I can the seven deadly sinnes and some of her braunches with her remedies Soothly if I could I would tell you the ten commaundements but so high doctrine I put to Divines Nathelesse I hope to God they ben touched in this treatise each of hem ¶ Sequitur secunda pars Poenitentiae NOw for as much as the second part of penitence stont in confession of mouth as I began in the first chap. I say S. Augustine saith Sin is every word and every deed and all that men conject against the law of Iesu Christ and this is for to sinne in heart in mouth and in deed by the fiue wits which ben sight hearing smelling tasting or savour and feeling Now is it good to vnderstand that that agregeth much every sinne Thou shalt consider what thou art that doest the sinne whether thou be male or female young or old gentle or thrall free or seruaunt whole or sick wedded or single ordred or vnordred wise or foole clerke or seculer if she be of thy kindred bodily or ghostly or no if any of thy kindred have sinned with her or no and many mo things Another circumstaunce is this Whether it be doen in fornication or in
of me make I am a Gentlewoman and a Queen Ye woll not fro your wife thus foule fleen That I was borne alas what shall I do To tellen in short this noble Queen Dido She seeketh hallowes and doth Sacrifise She kneeleth crieth that routh is to devise Coniureth him and profereth him to be His thrall his servaunt in the best degre She falleth him to foot and sowneth there Discheuile with her bright gilt heere And sayth have mercy let me with you ride These lordes which that wonnen me beside Woll me destroyen only for your sake And ye woll me now to wife take As ye have sworne then woll I yeve you leve To slaen me with your swerd now sone at eve For then yet shall I dien as your wife I am with child and yeve my child his life Mercy lord have pitie in your thought But all this thing a vaileth her right nought And as a traitour forthe gan to saile Toward the large countrey of Itaile And thus hath he laft Dido in wo and pine And wedded there a ladie hight Lavine A cloth he laft and eke his sword standing When he fro Dido stale in her sleeping Right at her beds head so gan he hie When that he stale away to his nauie Which cloth when sillie Dido gan awake She hath it kist full oft for his sake And said O sweet cloth while Iupiter it lest Take my soule vnbind me of this vnrest I have fulfilled of fortune all the course And thus alas withouten his socourse Twentie time iswouned hath she than And when that she vnto her suster Anne Complained had of which I may not write So great routh I have it for to endite And bad her norice and her sustren gone To fetchen fire and other things anone And sayd that she would sacrifie And when she might her time well aspie Vpon the fire of Sacrifice she start And with his sword she rofe her to the hart But as mine authour saith yet this she seide Or she was hurt beforne or she deide She wrote a letter anon and thus began Right so qd she as the white Swan Ayenst his death beginneth for to sing Right so to you I make my complaining Not that I trow to getten you againe For well I wote it is all in vaine Sens that the gods ben contrarious to me But sin my name is lost through you qd she I may well lese a word on you or letter Albeit I shall be never the better For thilke wind that blew your ship away The same wind hath blow away your fay But who so woll all this letter have in mind Rede Ovide and in him he shall it find ¶ The Legend of Hipsiphile and Medea THou root of false lovers Duke Iason Thou sleer devourer and confusion Of gentlewomen gentle creatures Thou madest thy reclaiming and thy lures To Ladies of thy scathliche apparaunce And of thy words farsed with pleasaunce And of thy fained trouth and thy manere With thine obeisaunce and humble chere And with thine counterfeited paine and wo There other fallen one thou falsed two O oft swore thou that thou wouldest die For love when thou ne feltest maladie Save foule delite which thou callest love If that I live thy name shall be shove In English that thy deceit shall be know Have at thee Iason now thine honor is blow But certes it is both routh and wo That Love with false lovers werketh so For they shall have well better love chere Than he that hath bought love full dere Or had in armes many a bloodie boxe * For ever as tender a Capon eateth the Foxe Though he be fals hath the foule betraied As shall the good man that therefore paied Although he have to the Capon skill right The false Foxe woll have his part at night On Iason this ensample is well iseene By Hipsiphile and Medea the Queene In Thessalie as Ovide telleth vs There was a knight that hight Peleus That had a brother which that hight Eson And when for age he might vnnethes gon He yave to Peleus the governing Of al his reign and made him lord and king Of which Eson this Iason getten was That in his time in all that land there nas Nat such a famous knight of gentillesse Of freedome of strength and of lustinesse After his fathers death he bare him so That there nas none that list ben his fo But did him all honour and companie Of which this Peleus hath great envie Imagining that Iason might be Enhaunsed so and put in such degre With love of lordes of his regioun That from his reigne he may be put adoun And in his wit a night compassed he How Iason might best destroyed be Withouten slaunder of his compasment And at the last he tooke avisement That to send him into some ferre countre There as this Iason may destroyed be This was his wit all made he to Iason Great chere of looke and of affection For drede least his lords it espide So fell it as fame ronneth wide There was such tiding over all and such loos That in an Isle that called was Colcos Beyond Troy Eastward in the see That there was a Ram that men might see That had a flees of gold that shone so bright That no where was there such another sight But it was kept alway with a Dragoun And many other marvailes vp and doun And with two Buls maked all of Bras That spitten fire and much thing there was But this was eke the tale nathelees That who so would winnen thilke Flees He must both or he it winnen might With the Buls and the Dragon fight And king Otes lord was of that I le This Peleus bethought vpon this while That he his nephew Iason would exhort To sailen to that lond him to disport And sayd nephew if it might bee That such worship might fall thee That thou this famous treasure might win And bring it my region within It were to me great pleasaunce and honour Then were I hold to quite thy labour And all thy costes I woll my selfe make And chose with folke thou wolt with thee take Let see now darste thou taken this voyage Iason was yong and lustie of corage And vndertooke to done this like emprise Anon Argus his ships gan devise With Iason went the strong Hercules And many another that he with him ches But who so asketh who is with him gon Let him rede Argonauticon For he woll tell a tale long ynough Philoctetes anon the saile vp drough When the wind was good and gan him hie Out of his countrey called Thessalie So long they sayled in the salt see Till in the Isle of Lemnon arrived hee All be this nat rehearsed of Guido Yet saieth Ovide in his Epistles so And of this Isle lady was and Quene The faire yong Hipsiphile the shene That whylom Thoas doughter was y◠king Hipsiphile was gone in her playing And roming on the clevis by
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
spark of sooth Boecius Do qd I as thee list Philosophy Wenest thou qd she that God ne be almighty Boecius No man is in doubt of it certes qd I. Philosophy No wight ne doubteth it if he be in his mind qd she But he that is almighty there nis nothing that he ne may Boecius That is sooth qd I. Philosophy May God do euil qd she Boe. Nay forsoth qd I. Phi. Then is euil nothing qd she sith that he may doen none euil that may doen all things Boecius Scornest thou me qd I or els playest thou or deceiuest thou me that hast so wonnen with thy reasons the house of Dedalus so enterlacing that it is vnable to be vnlaced that thou otherwhile enterest there thou issuest and otherwhile issuest there thou enterest Ne foldest thou not togither by replicacion of words a manner wonderful circle or enuironning of the simplicity diuine For certes a little here beforne when thou began at blisfulnesse thou saidest that it is a souerain good and y◠God is the blisfulnesse for which thou yaue me as a couenable yeft that is to sain that no wight nis blisful but if he be God also therewith And saidest eke that the form of good is the substance of God and of blisfulnesse And saidest y◠thilke one is thilk same good that is required and desired of all the kind of things And thou prouedst in disputing that God gouerneth all the things of the world by the gouernance of bounty and saidest that all things would obeyen to him and saidest that y◠nature of euil is nothing And these things shewedst thou not with no reasons taken fro without but by prooues in cercles and homeliche knowing The which prooues drawen to hemself her faith and her accord eueriche of hem of other Philosophy Then said she thus I ne scorn not ne play ne deceiue thee but I haue shewed the thing that is greatest ouer all things by y◠yeft of God that we whylom praiden For this is the form of diuine substaunce that is such that it ne slideth not into vtterest forrain things ne receyueth not no straunge things in him But right as Permenides said in Greek of thilk diuine substaunce He said thus * That thilk diuine substaunce tourneth the world and the moouable cercle of things while the ilke diuine substaunce kepeth it self without moouings that is to saine that he mooueth neuer mo and yet it moueth all other things But nathelesse if I haue styred reasons that be not taken fro without the compasse of the thing of the which we treaten but reasons that ben bestowed within compasse there nis not why thou shouldest meruaylen sith thou hast learned by the sentence of Plato * That needes the wordes mote been cosins to the things of which they speaken Felix qui potuit boni Fontem visere lucidum Felix qui potuit gravis c. BLessed is that man that may seene the clere well of good Blisfull is he that may vnbinden him from the bounds of heauy earth The Poet of Thrace Orpheus that whylom had right great sorrow for the death of his wife After that he had maked and constrayned by his weepely songs the woods mouable to renne and had maked the riuers to stonden still and had maked the Harts and Hindes to joynen dredelesse her sides to cruell Lions to hearken his song and had maked that the Hare was not agast of the Hound which was pleased by song So when the most ardaunt loue of his wife brend the entrails of his breast ne the songs that had ouercommen all things ne mighten not assuagen her lord Orpheus He plained him of the heauen gods which that were cruel to him he went him to the houses of the hell And he tempered his blandishing songs by resouning of strings spekest and song in weeping all that euer he had receiued and laued out of the noble wells of his mother Caliope y◠goddes And he sang with as much as he might of weeping with as much as loue that doubled his sorow might yeuen him and teach him and commoued the hell and required and besought by sweet praier y◠lords of souls in hell of releasing that is to say to yeelden him his wife Cerberus the porter of hell with his three heads was caught and all abashed of the new song And the three goddesses Furies and vengeresses of fellonies that tormenten and agasten the souls by annoy woxen sorrowfull and sorry and teares wepten for pity Tho was not y◠head of Ixion tourmented by the ouerthrowing wheele And Tantalus that was destroyed by the woodnesse of long thurst dispised y◠floods to drink The foul that hight Vultor that eateth the stomack or the gisern of Tytius is so fulfilled of his song that it nill eaten ne tyren no more At the last the lord and judg of souls was moued to misericordies cried we been ouercommen qd he yeue we to Orpheus his wife to beare him companie he hath well ybought her by his songs and his dities but we will putten a law in this and couenant in the yeft that is to sain that till he be out of hell if he look behind him that his wife shall come again vnto vs. * But what is he that may yeue a law to louers loue is a greater law and stronger to himself than any law that men may yeuen Alas when Orpheus and his wife were almost at the terms of the night that is to sain at y◠last bounds of hell Orpheus looked backward on Euridice his wife and lost her and was dead This fable appertaineth to you all whosoeuer desireth or seeketh to lead his thought into the souerain day that is to say to clearnesse of soueraign good For whosoeuer be so ouercommen that he fixe his eyen into the pit of hell that is to saine who so euer set his thoughts in earthly thinges all that euer he hath drawen of the noble good celestiall he leseth it when he looketh to the hells that is to sain into low things of the earth ¶ Thus endeth the third book of Boece Now followeth the fourth Haec cum Philosophia dignitate vultus oris gravitate servata leviter suaviterque cecinisset Tum ego nondum penitus insiti maeroris oblitus c. WHEN Philosophy had songen softly and delectably the foresaid thynges keeping the dignitie of her chere and the weight of her wordes I then that ne had all utterly foryeten the weeping and the mourning that was set in mine hert forbrake the entencion of her that entended yet to sayne some other things O qd I thou that art guideresse of very light the things that thou hast said me hitherto ben to me so clere and shewing by the divine looking of hem and by thy reasons that they ne mowen ben ouercommen And thilke thyngs that thou toldest me all be it so y◠I had whylom foryeten hem for the sorow of y◠wrong that hath be
Prudent or wise discrete or besie The dome of folkes in soch thou may not fly * What ever thou doest trust well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis For in thy porte or in apparaile If thou be cladde and honestly be saine Anone the people of malice woll not faile Without advice or reason for to sain That thine array is made or wrought in vain Suffer hem speake and trust right wel this A wicked tonge wol alway deme amis Thou will to kings be equipolent With great lordes evin and peregall And if thou be torne all to rent Then woll they say and jangle over all Thou art a slougarde that never thrive shall Suffre hem speke and trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis * If it befall that thou take a wife They woll falsly say in their entent Thou art likely ever to live in strife Voide of all rest without aledgment Wifes ben maistres this is their judgment Suffren all their spech trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis * If thou be faire and excellent of beaute Yet woll they say that thou art amourous If thou be foule and vgly on to see They woll affirme that thou art vicious The people of language is so dispitous Suffre all their spech trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis If so be that of parfitenesse Thou hast vowed to live in chastitee Then woll folke of thy person expresse Thou art impotent tengendre in thy degree And thus where thou be chaste or desâ—avy Suffre hem speake and trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis If thou be fatte other corpolent Then wol they sain thou art a great gloton A devourer or els vinolent If thou be leane or megre of fashion Call thee a nigard in their opinion Suffre them speake and trust right wel this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis If thou be rich some woll yeve thee laude And say it commeth of prudent governaunce And some wol saine it commeth of fraude Other by sleight or false chevisaunce To sain the worst folke have so great pleasaunce What suffre hem say trust right wei this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis If thou be sadde or sobre of countenaunce Men woll sain thou thinkest some treason And if thou be glad of daliaunce Men woll deme it desolution And call faire speach adulacion Yet let hem speake and trust right well this A wicked tonge wol alway deme amis Who that is holy by perfection Men of malice woll clip him ypocrite And who is mery of clene entention Men sain in riot he doth him delite Some mourn in blacke some love in clothes white Suffre men speake and trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis Honest aray men deme it pompe and pride And who goeth poore men call him a waster And who goeth still men mark him on the side Seine that he is a spy or agiler Who wasteth not men sain he hath treasour Whereof conclude and trust right well this A wicked tonge will alway deme amis Who speketh moch men clepeth him prudent Who that debateth men saine that he is hardy And who saith litel with great sentement Some folke yet wol wite him of foly Trouth is put down and vp goth flattery And who that list plainly know the cause of this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis For though a man were as pacient As was David throw his humilite Or with Salomon in wisedome as prudent Or in knighthode egall with Iosue Or manly proved as Iudas Machabe Yet for al that trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis And though a man had the prowesse Of worthy Hector Troys Champioun The love of Troylus or the kindnesse Or of Cesar the famous high renoun With all Alexaunders dominacioun Yet for all that trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis Or though a man of high or low degree Of Tullius had the sugred eloquence Or of Seneca the moralitee Or of Caton forsight and providence The conquest of Charles Artures magnificence Yet for all that trust right well this A wicked tonge woll alway deme amis Touching of women the parfit Innocence Though that they had of Hester the noblenesse Or of Gresilde the humble pacience Or of Iudith the preuid stablenesse Or Polixcenes virginall clennesse Yet dare I seiue and trust right wel this * Some wicked tong would deme of them amis The wifely trouth of Penelope Though they it had in her possession Helenes beauty the kindnesse of Medee The loue vnfayned of Martia Caton Or Alcestes trewe affection Yet dare I saine and trust right well this A wicked tonge wol alway deme amis Than sooth it is that no man may eschew The swerd of tonges but it will kerve bite Full hard it is a man for to remew Out of their daunger him for to aquite * Wo to the tonges that hemselfe delite To hinder or slaunder set their study in this And their pleasaunces to deme alway amis Most noble princes cherishers of vertue Remembreth you of high discretion * The first vertue most pleasing to Iesu By the writing and sentence of Caton Is a good tonge in his opinion Chastise the reverse of wisedome do this Voideth your hearing from al yâ— deme amis A Ballad in the Praise and Commendation of Master Geffery Chaucer for his golden Eloquence Maister Geffray Chaucer that now lithe in grave The noble Rhetoricion and Poet of great Britaine That worthy was yâ— laurer of Poetry to have For this his labour and the palme to attain Which first made to distil and rein The gold dewe dropes of spech eloquence Into English tonge through his excellence Explicit Here followeth certain Works of Geffrey Chaucer annexed to the Impressions printed in the Years 1561 and 1602. All collected and adjoyned to his former Works by John Stowe A Ballad made by Chaucer teaching what is gentilness or whom is worthy to be called gentill THE first stocke Father of gentilnes What man desireth gentil for to bee Must followe his trace and all his wittes dreis Vertue to love and vices for to flee For vnto vertue longeth dignitee And not the revers falsly dare I deme All weare he miter crowne or diademe This first stocke was full of rightwisnes Trew of his worde sober pitous and free Clene of his goste and loved besineffe Against the vice of slouth in honeste * And but his eyre love vertue as did he He is not gentill though he rich seme All weare he miter crowne or diademe * Vicesse may well be heir to old richesse But there may no man as men may wel see Byquethe his eyre his vertues noblenesse That is appropried vnto no degree But to the first father in majestee That maketh his eyres them that him queme All weare he miter crowne or diademe Explicit A
no more manace Nor his spere greeuous to sustene Shall now no more whetted be so kene For he no more shall his hauberke shake But loue and peace shall in hearts awake And Charity both in length and bread Of new shall her bright beames spread Through grace onely in diuers nations For to reforme atweene Regions Peace and quiet concord and vnitee And that is both one two and three Eke three in one and soueraine lord of pees Which in this exile for our sake chees For loue onely our troubles to termine For to be borne of a pure virgine And let vs pray to him that is most good That for mankind shadde his heart blood Through beseeching of that heauenly quene Wife and moder and maiden clene To send vs peace in this life here present And of our sinnes perfite amendement And joy eternall when we hence wend And of my tale thus I make an end Here now endeth as ye may see The Destruction of Thebes the Citee The Old and Obscure Words in Chaucer explained whereof either by Nature or Derivation Some are Arabick Noted with a. Some Greek Noted with g. Some Latine Noted with l. Some Italian Noted with i. Some French Noted with f. Some Dutch Noted with d. Some Dialects within this our Country of Britain are many of them derived from the Saxon Tongue Noted with b. The rest are explained by way of Analogy Annotations also upon several Words and Places ABandon f. liberty abandon f. give over abandoning f. rejectment abawed b. daunted abashed abet b. setting on abedge b. abye abying b. state abit b. abideth dwelleth abidst b. suffred abode received abode b. tarrying abrayde b. arose recovered abrayde b. brake off up-start abreding upbraiding ablusions l. cleansings abyme l. from below acale d. cold accesse b. ague accidie l. wanhope accoy f. asswage acoyed f. pampered made quiet achecked b. stayed acheked b. choked ackele b. cool acloyeth b. overchargeth acroke b. awry acquite f. match to dispatch adassed b. abashed adawed b. awaked adiacent l. adjoyning aduertence l. audience also mind or thought aduert l. mark adventaile f. coat of Armour afare f. a noise a business afyne f. fined affi f. have trust affray b. feare stirre assault affrey f. sturdinesse also feare agasteth b. skarreth agiler f. a marker of men agilted b. offended agilt b. committed offended agre to please to content agredge f. aggravate to gather together agrise b. afraid agrisen b. afeard agrise b. faint terrifie greeve agriseth b. beginneth to quake agramed d. greeved agrose b. was greeved daunted agroted d. cloyed made big swelled agrutched abridged aiust b. remove alayes b. wayes also temperance * Alnath Alnath is a fixed Star in the horns of Aries from whence the first mansion of the Moon taketh his name and is called Alnath alledgement i. ease alledged i. diminished Alderan a. a Star in the Neck of the Lion algate b. notwithstanding ever forsooth even now altogether alcali a. Nightshade salt wort * Algezer Algezira a City in Spain near the streights of Gibralter al 's d. also as well alestake d. Maypole Almagist a. a work of Astronomie written by Ptolomie alembic a. a stillitorie alures f. walkes alleyes algomisa a. Canis minor the less dog starre alder b. all alone onely chief alhabor a. Canis major the greater dog starre alswa d. also ally f. b. kin alien f allie Alisandre Alexandria in Egypt now called Scanderia almurie a. the denticle of Capricorne algrim a. algebra The art of figurate numbers alterate l. chaunged Almicanteras a. the name of the Circles which are imagined to pass thorow every degree of the Meridian parallei to the Horizon up to the Zenith alose l. commend aldebaran a. oculus Tauri the Bulls eye aledge i. ease almanake a. g. a Month a Kalendar all a boone b. made request allegeance i. ease Allidatha a. the Index of the Astrolabe allaundes f. greyhounds Amadriades g. Nymphs that live and dye with the Trees Amalgamyng using a mixture of quick-silver and metals amate d. daunted ametised f. quenched amenused f. diminished amorets lovers favours amortised l. killed Amphibologies g. forms of speaking wherein one Sentence hath contrary sences ancelle l. an handmaid anigate occasion anhowve b. hoover Anelace Prolog a falchion or wood-knife Which I gather out of Matthew Paris page 535 where he writeth thus Quorum unus videns occiduam partem dorsi of Richard Earl Marshal then fighting for his life in Ireland minus armis communitam peroussit eum in posteriora loricam sublevando cum quodam genere culâ—elli quod vulgariter Anelacitus nuncupatur laetaliter vulnerabat eum cultellum usque ad manubrium immergendo which Annelace was worn about the girdlesteed of the Body as was the pouch or purse For thus pag. 542. writeth the same Matthew Paris Inter quos Petrus de Rivalis primus in causam vocatus apparuit coram rege in habitu clericali cum â—onsura lata corona analaceo tamen alumbali dependentè c. anney b. annoy annueller f. secular anoy forethink antiphoner g. a certain service book anhowue to hover anticlaudianus a certain book written by one Alanus de Insulis antem g. a song appale b. decay appayre b. decay apparell f. prepare apaled unpleasant appeteth l. desireth append l. belong apoplexie g. dead palsie apposen i. demand object aprentise f. skill aprise b. adventure or shew aquiler f. needle-case arace f. to deface arblasters f. Cross-bows arrest f. durance quietness stay an assault also he that tarieth still aretteth aret impute layeth blame areest f. quietness arrest f. standers remainers aretted b. accounted arere f. behind Argonauticon g. A book written by Apollonius Rhodius Alexandrinus wherein he speaketh of Jason and of them which went with him to Colchos to fetch the golden Fleece argoile f. clay arret i. to charge ariet the sign Aries arite arest stay arist b. arose arke diurne l. day arke f. compasse bow armipotent l. mighty in arms armonie g. musick arsnecke i. Zanderacha Orpin made of red Ceruse burned arten l. restrain arted l. forced arted l. constrained ascaunces as who should say as though asterte let pass assise f. order askes d. ashes astert b. scaped passed aspect l. face or look Asterlagour g. an Astrolabe * Astronomie He that will be a Physician according to Homers Prescription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is equivalent to any ought to be skilful in Astronomy and Magick natural For if by Astronomy he be not able to judge in what state the Heavens stood and what their Aspects were when his patient sickened and by Magick natural to calculate his Nativity thereby to know which of the heavenly bodies ruled most in his birth he shall hardly or but by chance conjecture to what end his Sickness will sort aswith b. forthwith asure f. blew asckance b. as if aside ashate f. buying assised sure asseth assent asweued b. amased asterten b. escape assoile b. answer declare as how as wis
Judges were risen at 11 of the clock from hearing of causes at Westminster Placitantes tunc se divertunt ad pervisum alibi consulentes cum servientibus ad legem aliis conciliariis suis percell f. partly pert l. manifest perre f. a monument erected for remembrance peraunter b. perchance peregall equal pepire philtrum i. Pharmacum amatorium a drink causing love pel d. house cell pease stay pensell d. banner penible f. painful physiologus g. any writer of natural Philosophy pine d. pity sorrow desire pain toyl also a pit pight b. cast pine to rack to pain pinent a pined creature pined pained piment pigmentum a drink of wine and hony pilloure f. a pillar columna pike b. peep pight b. propped struck settled pirate a drink made of pears pithonesse g. a witch plumtuous fruitful plumage f. feathers plat b. flat plagues l. parts plaine b. to play or sport plenere l. fully plat then edge ease then sorrow platly f. plainly plight f. turned catched pounced cut also pressed porpheri f. a marble mingled with red possed b. tossed potent f. a staff portray f. draw popere a bodkin possede l. succede poste i. power pomell f. round poliue f. a pulley posteme struma f. botch or wenn porthose a service book so called pointell f. a writing pin powre b. stare look powre d. poor estate powdred embroidered powder merchant Alephanginae species powders whereof ginger bread is made poked b. jogged pole artike g. a star called the North-pole poinant f. sharp popelot d. puppet or youngwench porraile base beggarly pomely grise f. dapple-gray polite l. â—loquent pose suppose preueth reproveth pregnant i. full thick prime l. nine of the clock pretious i. fine curious of account preuid f. hardy presse d. subjection prefect l. a magistrate prefer l. excell preue a proof presen tread on prill and poiten goore and strike prickesoure a rank rider pray request pry f. pray priket a small wax-candle prien b. look probatine pistant l. g. the sheeps pool processions l. perambulations about the fields in the gang week pronosticke g. foretelling predication l. preaching probleme g. an hard question or riddle prow f. profit power honour propheme g. a preface Pruce Prussiâ— a Country by Almaine and Russie pruce of Prussia Puella Rubeus The names of two figures in Geomancy representing two Constellations in heaven Puella signifieth Mars retrograde and Râ—â—beus Mars direct pugnant l. pricking purveiance f. providence purfled garded fringed pullayle f. wild-fowl poultry purfill gard or fringe puruay f. provide purprise f. enclosure device pusell f. â—amfel pulchritâ—de l. beauty putre â— whoredom Q. Quacke b. daunt quappe b. quail shake stir quaint gyres b. strange fits qualme b. calmness qualme b. grief quad d bad quarrels arrow-heads queem quemen b. please quent b. quenched strange querele i. quarrel complaint quell d. destroy dash quentise curiosity querror f. stone-digger quinible a treble quistron f. beggar R. Raa b. a Roe takestele b. the rake-handle tabiat i. mad rade vore tapestry loomework rackell d. hasty to be hasty racine f. root ranke b. hoarse rath b. quickly raught went reached rauished f. taken overcome carried raffles f. rifling rathest b. soonest rape d. hast ramagious f. wild rape l. quickly also haste ramage f. wild rauishing f. a swift sway raft b. rent ragounces a kind of pretious stone raskayle b. trash rauish f. to rob rauenish black rayled b. ran rayes songs rondels recreant f. out of hope untrusty redowbting praising setting forth renomie f. good name fame rest rose reight b. reached retrograde l. that goeth backward renouelences f. renewings reniant f. revolter redeth b. adviseth red b. the meaning reuesten f. to apparel remuable f. mutable ready reue f. spoil rob renegate a Christian turned Turk renkes b. ranks resagor ratsbane rekelnesse d. rashness reines fine cloth of the place where it is made redelesse b. helpless renouell f. renew rehete b. promise recketh b. careth refreide f. refrain renable mobilis b. ready quick rescous of our lay defence of our Law reare rarus divided regrate f. lamentation sorrowful sute rew b. take pity rebecke an old trot reme take away deny rethe l. a net rede b. to advise replication l. reply gainsaying renouelen f. newly return reue b. pull away reuell b. sport recke b. d. care reuerse f. contrary refrete f. full redouting setting forth reioice enjoy renged f. compassed recreance i. comfort regali i. princely power repaire issue consequent recure b. recover refraine a stop raigne i. kingdom remord f. give remorse rede d. help advise speech art also to advise refrroiden f. cool cease releyes and lymers f. standers at advantage with darts to kill the deer realte i. royalty recreandise f. infidelity wanhope ren b. pull get recreance f. beyond credit refuit i. help reigne l. kingdom remew f. remove redowre f. turning doubling reketh b. smoaketh retch b. care reuerberation l. a striking back ribaude leno i. a bawd ribyb f. an old bawd ribands d. borders ribaned garded rife d. rifel riddeled checkred ribibble rebeck f. a gittern or fiddle rining b. dropping rimpled rugatus d. wrinkled rise f. beauty riue b. rend riuen d. thrust riueling turning in and out reignous f. ruinous roket a linnen garment romer b. wider romed b. walked rone b. rained ronn cease roch f. a rock roile b. d. range romant a brief history * Rosamond This Rosamond the fair Daughter of Walter Lord Clifford was forced to be Concubine unto Henry the Second who builded for her at Woodstock an house with a Labyrinth under the ground much whereof at this day is to be seen as also a goodly Bath or Well called to this day Rosamonds Well In the end she was poysoned by Queen Elianor some write and being dead was buried at Godstow in an House of Nuns besides Oxford Not long since her Grave was digged where some of her bones were found and her teeth so white as the dwellers there report that the Beholders did much wonder at them rosary a book so called rosere f. a roseplat routhlesse b. pitiless row b. angerly roue b. did rend roune b. to tell in the ear to whisper rowme b. walking roine f. a skar rosial l. red rowned b. d. spoken softly rowes b. streiks roundell d. a kind of song roggeth joggeth ronges d. the sides of a ladder rouken d. lie snort rowning b. talking secretly silence roth ruth b. pity row d. rough rowketh b. lieth rought b. cared rote d. course row d. ugly bloodily rote an instrument of Musick usual in Wales rownsy rownceuall f. a great Jade * Rubrick In the Canon-Law the Arguments of every Chapter was written with red Letters which was called the Rubrick and the Text with black rubicunde l. red rubifying d. making red rucking d. lying snorting rud b. complexion ruell bone f. of the French word Riole that is diversly coloured an Antistaecon in many words derived from another Language as in Law from Loy and Roy
home of his welfare And that he woll come hastily againe Or els had this sorrow her heart slaine Her friends saw her sorrow gan to slake And praiden her on her knees for Gods sake To come and romen in her companie Away to driuen her derke fantasie And finally she graunted that request For well she saw it was for the best Now stood her castle fast by the see And often with her friends walked shee Her to disporten on the bankes hie Where as she may ships and barges sie Sailing her course where him list go But yet was that a parcell of her wo For to her felfe full oft alas said shee Is there no ship of so many as I see Wol bring home my lord then were my hert Warished of these bitter paines smert Another time would she sit and thinke And cast her eyen downward fro the brinke But when she saw the grisly rockes blake For very feare so would her hert quake That on her feet she might not her sustene Then would she sit adoune vpon the grene And pitously into the sea behold And say right thus with sorrowfull sikes cold * Eterne God that through thy purueiaunce â—eadest this world by certaine gouernaunce In idle as men sain dost thou nothing make But lord these grisly fiendly rockes blake That seemen rather a foule confusion Of werke than a faire creation Of such a perfit God wise and stable Why haue ye wrouÈt this werk vnresonable For by this werke north south west ne east There nis fostred ne man bird ne beast It doth no good at all but annoyeth See ye not lord how mankind it destroyeth An hundred thousand bodies of mankind Haue rockes islaine all be they not in mind Sin mankind is so faire a part of thy werke That thou it madest like thy owne werke Then seemed it ye had a great cherte Toward mankind but how then may it be That ye such meanes maken it to distroyen Which means don no good but euer anoyen * I wote well clerkes woll saine as hem lest By arguments that all is for the best Though I ne cannot the causes well know But thilke God that made the wind to blow As keepe my lord this is my conclusion To clerkes lete I all this disputation And would God that all these rockes blake Were sonken into hell for his sake These rockes doe slee mine heart for feare Thus would she say with many a pitous tear Her friends saw it was for her no disport To romen by the sea but discomfort And shapen hem to plaine some where els They leaden her by riuers and by wels And eke in other places delectables They dauncen and they plaien at the tables So on a day right in the morrow tide Vnto a garden that was there beside In which that they had made her ordinaunce Of vitailes and other purueyaunce They gone and plaien hem all the long day And this was in the sixt morrow of May Which May hath painted with his soft shours This garden full of leaues and of flours And craft of mans hond so curiously Arrayed had this garden truly That neuer nas there garden of such prise But if it were the very paradise The odour of flours and the fresh sight Would have made any living hert light That ever was but it too great sicknesse Or too great sorrow held it in distresse So was it full of beauty with pleasaunce And after dinner gone they to daunce And sing also save Dorigene alone That yet unto her selfe made her mone For she ne seie him on the daunce go That was her husbond and her love also But nathelesse she must her time abide And with good hope let her sorrow slide Vpon this daunce among other men Daunced a squier before Dorigen That fresher was and iollier of array As to my dome than is the month of May. He singeth and daunceth passing euery man That is or was sithen the world began He was therewith men should him discriue One of the best faring men on liue Yong strong vertuous rich and wise And well beloued and holden of great prise And shortly if I the sooth tell shall Vnwitting of this Dorigen at all This lusty squier seruaunt to Venus Which ycleaped was Aurelius Had loved her best of any creature Two yeare more as was his auenture But never durst he tell her his greuance * Withouten cup he dronke all his pennance He was dispaired nothing durst he say Saue in his songs somewhat would he wray His wo as in generall complaining He said he loued and was beloued nothing Of which mattere made he many layes Songs complaints roundels verilayes How that he durst not his sorrow tell But languish as doth a furie in hell And die he must he said as did Ecco For Narcissus that durst not tell his wo. In other manner than ye heard me say Ne durst not he to her his wo bewray Saue perauenture sometime at daunces There young folke keepen her obseruaunces It may well be he looked on her face In such a wise as men that asken grace But nothing wist she of his entent Nathelesse it happed ere they thence went Because that he was her neere neighbour And was a man of worship and honour And she had yknowne him of time yore They fell in speech so forth more more Vnto his purpose then drow Aurelius And when he saw his time he said thus Madame qd he by God that this World made So that I wist that I might your hert glade I would that day that your Aruyragus Went ouer the sea that I Aurelius Had went there that I should neuer come again For well I wot my seruice is in vain My guerdon nis but bresting of mine hert Madam rueth vpon my paines smert For with one word ye may me slee or saue Here at your foot God would that I were graue I haue as now no leisure more to sey Haue mercy sweet or ye woll doe me dey She gan to looke vpon Aurelius Is this your will qd she and say ye thus Neuer erst qd she ne wist I what ye ment But now I know Aurelius your entent By thilke God that yaue me soule life Ne shall I neuer be vntrew wife In word ne werke as far as I haue wit I woll ben his to whom I am knit Take this for a final answere of me But after this in play thus said she Aurelius qd she by God aboue Yet woll I graunt you to been your loue Sithen I see you so pitously complaine Looke what day that endlong in Britaine Ye remeue all the rocks stone by stone That they ne let ship ne boat to gone I say when ye haue made these coasts so clene Of rockes that there nis no stone yseen Then woll I loue you best of any man Here haue my trouth in all that euer I can Is there none other grace in you qd he No by that lord qd
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