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
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
is divided into five Books The first booke beginneth Folio 356 The second booke beginneth Folio 363 The third booke beginneth Folio 373 The fourth booke beginneth Folio 387 The fifth booke beginneth Folio 399 All these Works following be Works by themselves The Dream of Chaucer called the Duchess Folio 408 The Assembly of Poules Folio 418 The Floure of Courtesie Folio 425 How Pity is dead c. Folio 427 La belle dame sans mercy Folio 428 Annelida and false Arcite Folio 435 The Complaint of Annelida to false Arcite Folio 437 The Assembly of Ladies Folio 439 The Conclusion of the Astrolaby Folio 445 The Complaint of the black Knight Folio 460 A Praise of Women Folio 466 The House of Fame is divided into three Books The first booke beginneth Folio 467 The second booke beginneth Folio 471 The third booke beginneth Folio 476 The Testament of Love is divided into three Books The Prologue of the Testament of Love Folio 484 The first booke beginneth Folio 485 The second booke beginneth Folio 500 The third booke beginneth Folio 521 All these Works following be Works by themselves The Lamentation of Mary Mag. Folio 537 The Remedy of Love Folio 545 The Complaint of Mars and Venus Folio 548 The Complaint of Mars alone Folio 550 The Complaint of Venus alone Folio 551 The Letter of Cupid Folio 552 A Ballad of our Lady Folio 556 A Ballad to King Henry the IV. Folio 558 Three Sayings of Dan John Lid. Folio 562 Of the Cuckow and the Nightingale ibid. Scogan unto the young Lords and Gentlemen of the King's House Folio 565 Divers other Ballads of Chaucer c. Folio 567 A Ballad of good Counsel made by John Lidgate Folio 569 A Praise or Commendation of Caucer's Eloquence Folio 570 A Ballad â—eaching what is Gentilness ibid. A Proverb against Covetise and Negligence ibid. A Ballad against unconstant Women ibid. How all things in this World is variable save Women only ibid. The Craft of Lovers Folio 571 A pleasant Ballad of Women Folio 573 The ten Commandements of Love ibid. The nine Ladies worthy Folio 574 Certain Ballads Folio 575 How Mercury with three Goddesses appeared to Paris Folio 576 A Ballad pleasaunt ibid. The discriving of a fair Lady ibid. A Ballad warning men to beware of deceitful Women ibid. Certain Verses compiled by Chaucer Folio 578 A Ballad declaring the worthiness of Womens Chastity Folio 579 The Court of Love ibid. Chaucer's Dream Folio 592 The Floure and the Leafe Folio 609 The A. B. C. called la priere de nostre dame Folio 615 Jack Upland Folio 616 Chaucer's Words to Adam his own Scrivener Folio 621 The Prologue of the Story of Thebes Folio 622 The first Part of the Siege of Thebes Folio 623 The second Part of the Siege of Thebes Folio 630 The third Part of the Siege of Thebes Folio 643 Eight goodly Questions with their Answers SOmetime in Greece that noble region There were eight clerkes of full great science Philosophers of notable discretion Of whom was asked to proue their prudence Eight Questions of derke intelligence To which they answered after their entent As here doth appeare plaine and euident The first question was What earthly thing Is best and to God most commendable The first clerke answerd without tarying A mans soule euer ferme and stable In right from the trouth not variable * But now alas full sore may we weepe For couetise hath brought trouth asleepe The second What thing is most odious A double man saied the Philosopher With a virgine face and a taile venemous With a faire view and a false profer A corrupt carien in a golden tree * It is a monster in natures linage One man to have a double visage The third What is the best dower That may be to a wife appropriate A cleane life was the clerkes answer Without sinne all chast and inuiolate From all deceits and speeches inornate Or countenaunce which shall be to dispise * No fire make and then no smoke woll arise The fourth question What maiden may Be called cleane in chastity The fourth clerke answered which alway Euery creature is ashamde on to lie Of whom men reporten great honestie * Good maidens keepe your chastity forth And remember yâ— good name is gold worth Who is a poore man euer full of wo A couetous man which is a nigon He that in his heart can neuer say ho The more good the lesse distribution The richer the worse of condition Men in this coast clepen him a niggard Sir Guy the bribour is his steward Which is a rich man without fraud He that can to his good suffise Whatsoeuer he hath he yeueth God yâ— laud And keepeth him cleane from all couetise He desires nothing in vngodly wise His body is here his mind is aboue * He is a rich man for God doth him loue Who is a foole is the seventh demaund He that would hurt and hath no powere Might he mikell much would he command His mallice great his might nought were He thretteth full fast full little may he dere He thinketh not how men haue saied be forne * God sendeth a shrewd Cow a short horne Who is a wise man is the eight question He that might noye doth no annoiaunce Might punish and leaueth punission A man mercifull without vengeaunce A wise man putteth in remembraunce * Saying Had I venged all mine harme My cloke had not be furred halfe so warme Explicit To the King 's most noble Grace and to the Lords and Knights of the Garter TO you wele of honour and worthiness Our Christen King the heire successour Vnto Iustinians deuout tendernesse In the faith of Iesu our redemptour And to your Lords of the Garter floure Of cheualrie as men you clepe and call The lord of vertue and of grace authour Graunt the fruit of your lose neuer appall O liege Lord that haue the likenesse Of Constantine thensample and mirrour To Princes all in humble buxomenesse To holy Church o veray sustainour And piller of our faith and werriour Againe of heresies the bitter Gall Doe forth doe forth continue your succour Hold up Christs banner let it not fall This Isle or this had been but heathenesse Had be of your faith the force and vigour And yet this day the fiends crabbedness Weneth fully to catch a time and houre To haue on vs your lieges a sharpe shoure And to his seruitude vs knitte and thrall But aye we trust in you our protectour On your constaunce we awaiten all Commandeth that no wight haue hardinesse O worthy King our Christen Emperour Of the faith to disputen more or lesse Openly emong people Her errour Springeth all day and engendreth rumour Maketh such law and for ought may befall Obserue it wele thereto be ye doctour Doeth so and God in glorie shall you stall Ye Lords eke shining in noble fame To which appropred is the maintenaunce Of Christs cause in honour of his name Shoue on and put his
was it shewed on that portreiture As is depainted in the starres aboue Who shall be dead or els slaine for loue Sufficeth one ensample in stories old I may not reken them all though I would The statue of Mars vpon a cart stood Armed and looked grim as he were wood And ouer his head there shinen two figures Of starres that been cleaped in scriptures That one Puella hight that other Rubeus This god of armes was araied thus A wolfe there stood beforne him at his fete With eyen red and of a man he ete With subtill pensill was painted this storie In redouting of Mars and of his glorie Now to the temple of Diane the chast As shortly as I can I woll me hast To tell you all the discriptioun Depainted been the wals vp and doun Of hunting and of shamefast chastite There saw I how wofull Calistope When that Diane greeued was with her Was turned fro a woman to a bere And afterward was she made the loadsterre Thus was it painted I can say no ferre Her sonne is eke a starre as men may see There saw I Dane turned vnto a tree I meane not the goddesse Diane But Venus daughter which that hight Dane There saw I Acteon an Hert ymaked For vengeance that he saw Diane all naked I saw how that his hounds haue him cought And freten him for they knew him nought Yet painted was a little furthermore How Athalant hunted the wild Bore And Mellager and many other mo For which Diane wrought him care and wo. There saw I many another wonder storie Which me list not to draw in memorie This goddesse full well vpon an Hart sete With small hounds all abouten her fete And vnderneath her feet she had a Moone Wexing it was and yet should wane soone In gaudie greene her statue clothed was With bow in hand and arrowes in caas Her iyen aye she cast full low adoun There Pluto hath his darke regioun A woman trauelling was her before But for her child so long was vnbore Full pitously Lucina gan she call And said helpe for thou maiest best of all Well coud he paint liuely that it wrought With many a florein he the hewes bought Now been these lists made and Theseus That at his great cost hath arayed thus The temples and the theatre eueridele When it was done it him liked wonder wele But stint I woll of Theseus alite And speake of Palamon and of Arcite The day approcheth of her returning That euerich should an C. knights bring The battaile to darreine as I you told And to Athens her couenants to hold Hath euerich of hem brought an C. knights Well armed for the warre at all rights And sikerly there trowed many a man That never sithens the world began As for to speak of knighthood of her hond As farre as God hath made sea or lond Nas of so few so noble a company For every wight that loued chiualry And would his thankes haue a passing name Hath praied that he might be of that game And well was him that thereto chosen was For if there fell to morrow such a caas Ye know well that euery lusty knight That loueth paramours and hath his might Were it in England or were it elsewhere They would all full faine willen to be there * To fight for a lady ah benedicite It were a lustie sight for men to se And right so farden they with Palamon With him there went knights many on Some would been armed in an habergeon And in a brest plate with a light gippion And some would have a paire of plates large And some wold haue a pruce sheld som a â—arge Some would be armed on his legs wele And haue an axe and some a mace of stele There nas none new gise that it nas old Armed were they as I haue you told Euerich after his opinion ¶ Ther maist thou se comming with Palamon Ligurge himselfe the great king of Trace Blacke was his berd manly was his face The sercles of his iyen in his hed They glouden betwixt yellow and red And like a Lion looked he about With kemped haires on his browes stout His lims great his brawnes hard and strong His shoulders brode his armes round long And as the guise was in his countre Full high upon a chaire of gold stood he With foure great white buls in the trasys Instead of a coat armour ouer his harnays With nailes yellow and bright as any gold He hath a beares skin cole blacke for old His long haire was kempt behind his backe As any ravens feather it shone for blacke A wreath of gold arme great of huge weight Vpon his head set full of stones bright Of fine rubies and clere diamands About his chaire there went white allaunds Twenty and mo as grete as any stere To hunten at the lion or the wild bere And followed him with mosell fast ybound Collers of gold and torrettes filed round An hundred lordes had he in his rout Armed full well with hearts sterne and stout With Arcite in stories as men do find The great Emetrius the King of Inde Vpon a steed bay trapped in stele Covered with a cloth of gold diapred wele Came riding like the god of armes Marce His coat armure was of cloth of Trace Well couched with perle white round gret His saddle was of brent gold new ybet A mantle upon his shoulders hanging Brette full of rubies red as fire sparkling His crispe haire like rings was of yron And that was yellow and glittering as the son His nose was high his eyen bright cytryn His lips ruddie his colour was sanguyn A few freckles in his face yspreint Betwixt yellow and somdele blacke ymeint And as a Lion he his eyen kest Of fiue and twenty yere his age I gest His beard was well begun for to spring His voice was as a trumpet sowning Vpon his head he weared of laurer greene A garland fresh and lustie for to seene Vpon his hand he bare for his delite An Eagle tame as any lilly white An hundred lords had he with him there All armed saue her heads in her gere And that full richely in all manner things For trusteth well that earles dukes kings Were gathered in this noble company For loue and for encrease of chiualry About this king there ran on euery part Full many a rame Lion and Libart And in this wise these lords all and some Been on the sunday to the citie come About prime and in the toune a light This Theseê° this duke this worthy knight When he had brought hem into his citee And inned hem euerich after his degree He feasted hem and doth so great labour To easen hem and done hem all honour That yet men wenen that no mans wit Of none estate coud ne amend it The minstralcie the seruice at the feast The great yefts also to the most and least The rich array throughout Theseus paleis Ne who sat first
Combibit arcanos vatum omnis turba furores And that we may conclude his Praises with the Testimony of the worthiest Gentleman that the Court hath afforded in many Years Sir Philip Sidney in his Apology for Poetry saith thus of him Chaucer undoubtedly did excellently in his Troilus and Creiseid of whom truly I know not whether to marvel more either that he in that misty time could see so clearly or that we in this clear Age walk so stumblingly after him Seeing therefore that both old and new Writers have carried this reverend Conceit of our Poet and openly declared the same by Writing let us conclude with Horace in the eighth Ode of his fourth Book Dignum laude virum musa vetat mori ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER HAving for some Years last past been greatly sollicited by many Learned and Worthy Gentlemen to Re-print the Works of this Ancient Poet I have now not only to answer their Desire but I hope to their full Satisfaction perform'd the Obligation long since laid upon me and sent Chaucer abroad into the World again in his old dress and under the Protection of his own Merits without any new Preface or Letters Commendatory it being the Opinion of those Learned Persons that his own Works are his best Encomium Whereas in the Life of Chaucer mention is made of a Tale call'd the Pilgrims Tale which is there said to have been seen in the Library of Mr. Stow and promis'd to be printed so soon as opportunity should offer I have for the procuring of it used all Diligence imaginable not only in searching the publick Libraries of both Universities but also all private Libraries that I could have Access unto but having no Success therein I beg you will please to accept my earnest Endeavour to have serv'd you and take what is here printed it being all that at present can be found that was Chaucer's J. H. THE Works of Ieffrey Chaucer With Additions Also the Siege and Destruction of the worthy City of Thebes Compiled by John Lidgate Monk of BVRY Virtue flourisheth in Chaucer still Though Death of him hath wrought his will To the KING's HIGHNESS My most Gracious Soveraign Lord HENRY the Eighth By the Grace of God King of England and of France Defensor of the Faith and Lord of Ireland c. AMongs all other excellencies most Gracious Soveraigne Lord wherewith Almighty God hath endowed mankind above the residue of earthly creatures as an outward declaration of reason or reasonableness wherein consisteth the similitude of Man unto Angels and the difference between the same and brute beasts I verayly suppose that Speech or Language is not to be reputed amongs the smallest or inferiours for thereby is expressed the conceit of one to another in open and plaine Sentence which in the residue of lively creatures lacketh and is not shewed amongs them but by certain covert and derke signes and that in few things having course and operation onely of nature This Speech or Language after the confusion of Tongues sent by Gods punishment for pride and arrogancy of people hath been by a certaine instinct and disposition natural devised and invented in sundry parts of the world as fellowships or companyings of folks one with another chaunced much to the outward expressing of the thing in word or sound according to that whereof it had meaning or signification But in processe of time by diligence or pollicy of people after divers formes figures and impressions in mettall barks of trees and other matter used for memory and knowledge of things then present or passed sundry letters or carectes were first amongs the Phenices devised and found with such knittings and joynings of one to another by a marvellous subtilty and craft as counterveiled was and is equivalent to the same Languages So as the conceit of mans mind which at the beginning was used to be declared by mouth only came to such point that it was as sensibly and vively expressed in writing Hereupon ensued a great occasion courage unto them that should write to compone and adorne the rudeness and barbariety of speech and to forme it to an eloquent and ordinate perfection whereunto many and many great Poets and Orators have highly employed their studies and courages leaving thereby notable Renoume of themselves and example perpetual to their posterity Amongs other the Greeks in all kinds of sciences seemed so to prevail and so to ornate their Tongue as yet by other of right noble Languages cannot be perfitely imitated or followed The Latines by example of the Greeks have gotten or wonne to them no small glory in the forming order and uttering of that Tongue Out of the which two if it be well searched that is to say Greeke and Latin though by corruption of speech it should seeme much otherwise have been derived the residue of the Languages that be written with the letters of carectes of either of them both But of all Speeches those which most approch to the Latin be the Italian and Spanish Tongues of whom the one by corruption of the Gothes and Longobardes had her beginning as Latin spoken by strangers of a barbare understanding the other being also Latin was by Vandales Gothes Moores Sarracenes and other so many times blemished as marveile it is to see now unto what perfection these two formed out of the Latin and Barbares speeches be reduced Next unto them in similitude to the Latin is the French tongue which by diligence of people of the same is in few years passed so amended as well in Pronunciation as in Writing that an Englishman by a small time exercised in that Tongue hath not lacked ground to make a Grammere or rule ordinary thereof Though of trouth which some shall scarcely believe the Germans have so formed the order of their Language that in the same is both as much plenty and as nere concordaunce to the phrase of the Latin as the French Tongue hath And veraily like as all these and the rest have been thus vigilant and studious to meliorate or amend their Languages so hath there not lacked amongs us Englishmen which have right well and notably endeavored and emploied themselves to the beautifying and bettering of the English Tongue Amongs whom most excellent Prince my most redoubted and gracious soveraign lord I your most humble Vassale Subject Servaunt William Thynn chief Clerke of your Kitchin mooved by a certain inclination and zeal which I have to hear of any thing sounding to the laud and honour of this your noble Realm have taken great delectation as the times and leisers might suffer to rede and heare the books of that noble famous Clerke Geffrey Chaucer in whose workes is so manifest comprobation of his excellent learning in all kindes of doctrines and sciences such fruitfulness in words well according to the matter and purpose to sweet pleasaunt sentences such perfection in metre the composition so adapted such freshness of invention compendiousnesse in
narration such sensible and open stile lacking neither majesty ne mediocrity covenable in disposition and such sharpness or quickness in conclusion that it is much to be marvailed how in his time when doutless all good letters were laid asleep throughout the world as the thing which either by the disposition and influence of the bodies above or by other ordinaunce of God seemed like as was in danger to have utterly perished such an excellent Poet in our tongue shuld as it were nature repugning spring and arise For tho it had been in Demosthenes or Homerus times when all learning and excellency of sciences flourished amongs the Greeks or in the season that Cicero prince of eloquence amongs Latines lived yet had it been a thing right rare straunge and worthy perpetual laud that any Clerke by learning or witte could then have framed a tongue before so rude imperfite to such a sweet ornature and composition likely if he had lived in these days being good letters so restored and revived as they be if he were not empeached by the envy of such as may tollerate nothing which to understond their capacity doth not extend to have brought it unto a full and final perfection Wherefore gracious soveraigne lord taking such delight and pleasure in the works of this noble Clerke as is aforementioned I have of a long season much used to rede and visite the same and as books of divers imprints came unto my hands I easily and without great study might and have deprehended in them many errours falsities and depravations which evidently appeared by the contrarieties and alterations found by collation of the one with the other whereby I was moved and stirred to make diligent search where I might find or recover any true copies or exemplaries of the said books whereunto in process of time not without cost and pain I attained and not only unto such as seem to be very true copies of those works of Geffrey Chaucer which before had been put in print but also to divers other never till now imprinted but remaining almost unknowne and in oblivion whereupon lamenting with my self the negligence of the people that have been in this Realm who doubtless were very remiss in the setting forth or avauncement either of the Histories thereof to the great hinderaunce of the renoume of such noble Princes valiant Conquerours and Captains as have been in the same or also of the works of memory of the famous and excellent Clerks in all kinds of sciences that have flourished therein Of which both sorts it hath pleased God as highly to nobilitate this Isle as any other Region of Christendome I thought it in manere appertenaunt unto my duty and that of very honesty and love to my Country I ought no less to do than to put my helping hand to the restauration and bringing again to light of the said works after the true Copies and Exemplaries aforesaid And devising with my self who of all other were most worthy to whom a thing so excellent and notable should be dedicate which to my conceit seemeth for the admiration novelty and strangeness that it might be deputed to be of in the time of the Authour in comparison as a pure and fine tried precious or pollished jewel out of a rude or indigest masse or matere none could to my thinking occurre that since or in the time of Chaucer was or is sufficient but only your Majesty Royal which by discretion and judgement as most absolute in wisedome and all kinds of doctrine could and of his innate clemency and goodness would add or give any Authority hereunto For this cause most excellent and in all vertues most prestante Prince I as humbly prostrate before your Kingly estate lowly supply and beseech the same that it woll vouchsafe to toke in good part my poor study and desirous mind in reducing unto light this so precious and necessary an ornament of the tongue in this your Realm over pitous to have been in any point lost falsified or neglected So that under the shield of your most royal Protection and Defence it may go forth in publick and prevail over those that would blemish deface and in many things clearly abolish the laud renoume and glory heretofore compared and meritoriously adquired by divers Princes and other of this said most noble Isle whereunto not only Straungers under pretext of high learning and knowlege of their malicious and perverse minds but also some of your own subjects blinded in folly and ignoraunce do with great study contend Most gracious victorious and of God most elect and worthy Prince my most dread soveraigne Lord in whom of very merite duty and succession is renued the glorious Title of Defensor of the Christen Faith which by your noble Progenitour the Great Constantine sometime King of this Realm Emperour or Rome was next God and his Apostles cheefly maintained corroborate and defended Almighty Iesu send to your Highness the continuall and everlasting habundance of his infinite Grace Amen A TABLE of the Principal Matters Contained in this VOLUME Which you may find by the Folio's as follows Folio THE Prologues of the Canterbury Tales 1 The Knights Tale Folio 9 The Millers Tale Folio 26 The Reves Tale Folio 33 The Cooks Tale Folio 36 The man of Laws Tale Folio 38 The Squires Tale Folio 47 The Marchants Tale Folio 53 The Wife of Bathes Prologue Folio 62 The Wife of Bathes Tale Folio 69 The Freres Tale Folio 72 The Sompnours Tale Folio 75 The Clerke of Oxenfords Tale Folio 80 The Frankeleins Tale Folio 91 The second Nonnes Prologue Folio 98 The second Nonnes Tale Folio 99 The Prologue of the Chanons Yeoman 102 Folio 103 The Chanons Yeomans Tale Folio 104 The Doctour of Physickes Tale Folio 110 The Pardoners Prologue Folio 112 The Pardoners Tale Folio 113 The Shipmans Tale Folio 117 The Prioresse Prologue Folio 121 The Prioresse Tale ibid. The Rime of Sir Topas Folio 123 The Tale of Chaucer Folio 125 The Monks Prologue Folio 141 The Monks Tale Folio 142 The Tale of the Nonnes Priest Folio 149 The Manciples Tale Folio 155 The Plowman's Tale Folio 157 The Parsons Tale Folio 169 The Romaunt of the Rose Folio 199 Troilus and Creseide is divided into five Books The first Booke beginneth Folio 258 The second Booke beginneth Folio 268 The third Booke beginneth Folio 283 The fourth Booke beginneth Folio 298 The fifth Booke beginneth Folio 313 The Testament of Creseide Folio 329 The Legend of good women hath all these following The Prologue Folio 334 The Legend of Cleopatras Folio 339 The Legend of Tisbe of Babylon Folio 340 The Legend of Queene Dido Folio 341 The Legend of Hipsiphile and Medea Folio 345 The Legend of Lucrece of Rome Folio 347 The Legend of Ariadne Folio 349 The Legend of Philomene Folio 351 The Legend of Phillis Folio 353 The Legend of Hypermestra Folio 354 A goodly Ballad of Chaucer Folio 355 Boetius de Consolatione
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
it as it lieth in the wey The broad riuer sometime wexeth drey The great tounes see we do wane and wend Then ye see that all this thing hath end And man and woman see shall we also That nedeth in one of the tearmes two That is to saine in youth or els in age He mote be dead a king as well as a page Some in his bed some in the deepe see Some in the large field as ye may see It helpeth not all goeth that ilke wey Then may you see that all thing mote dey What maketh this but Iupiter the king That is prince and cause of all thing Converting all to his proper will From which it is deriued sooth to tell And here again no creature on liue Of no degree auaileth for to striue * Then is it wisdome as thinketh me To make vertue of necessite And take it well that we may not eschew And namly that to vs all is dew And who so grutcheth ought he doth follie And rebell is to him that all may gie * And certainely a man hath most honour To dien in his excellence and flour When he is siker of his good name Then hath he don his frends ne him no shame And glader ought his friends be of his death When with honour iyold is vp the breath Then when his name apaled is for age For all foryetten is his vassellage Then it is best as for a worthy fame * To dien when he is best of name The contrary of all this is wilfulnesse Why grutchen we why haue we heauinesse That good Arcite of chiualry the flour Departed is with dutie and with honour Out of this foule prison of this life Why grutchen here his cosin and his wife Of his welfare that loueth him so wele Can he hem thank nay God wot neuer adele That both his soule and eke himselfe offend And yet they mow not her lusts amend What may I conclude of this long storie But after sorrow I rede vs be merrie And thanke Iupiter of all his grace And ere we departen from this place I rede we maken of sorrowes two One perfit ioy lasting euermo And look now where most sorrow is herein There woll I first amend and begin Sister qd he this is my full assent With all the people of my parlement Of gentle Palamon your owne knight That serueth you with wil hart and might And euer hath done sith ye first him knew That ye shall of your grace vpon him rew And take him for husband and for Lord Lend me your hand for this is our accord Let see now of your womanly pite He is a kings brothers sonne parde And though he were a poore batchelere Since he hath serued you so many a yere And had for you so great aduersite It must ben considered leueth me For gentle mercy ought to passen right Then said he thus to Palamon the knight I trow there need little sermoning To make you assenten to this thing Commeth nere take your lady by the hond Betwixt hem was maked anon the bond That hight Matrimonie or mariage By all the counsaile of the Baronage And thus with all blisse and melody Hath Palamon iwedded Emely And God that all this world hath ywrought Send him his loue that it hath so dere bought For now is Palamon in all we le Liuing in blisse in richesse and in hele And Emely him loueth so tenderly And he her serueth so gentilly That neuer was there no word hem betwene Of iealousie or of any other tene Thus endeth Palamon and Emely And God saue all this faire company The MILLERS Tale. NIcholas a Scholar of Oxford practiseth with Alison the Carpenters wife of Osney to deceive her Husband but in the end is rewarded accordingly ¶ The Millers Prologue WHen that the Knight had thus his tale ytold In all the company nas there yong ne old That he ne said it was a noble storie And worthie to be drawne in memorie And namely the gentiles eueriehone Our host lough and sware so mote I gone * This goeth aright vnbokeled is the male Let see now who shall tell another tale For truly the game is well begon Now telleth us sit Monke if you can Somewhat to quite with the knights tale The Miller for dronken was all pale So that vnneths vpon his horse he sat Ne nold availe neither hood ne hat Ne abide no man for his courtesie But in Pilats voice he began to crie And sâ—â—re by armes blood and bones I can a noble tale for the nones With which I woll now quite the knight his tale Our host saw that he was dronken of ale And said abide Robin leue brother Some better man shall tell vs first another Abide and let vs wirch thriftely By Gods soule qd he that woll not I For I woll speake or els goe my way Our host answered tell on a deuill way Thou art a foole thy wit is ouercome Now hearketh qd the Miller all some But first I make protestatioun That I am drunke I know it by my soun And therefore if I mispeake or say Wite it the ale of Southwarke I you pray For I woll tell a legend and a life Both of a Carpenter and his wife * How that a clarke set a Wrights cap The Reue answered said stint thy clap Let be thy leaud drunken harlottrie * It is a sinne and eke a great follie To apairen any man or him defame And eke to bring wiues in such blame Thou maiest inough of other things faine This drunken Miller spake full soon againe And saied my leue brother Oswold * Who hath no wife he is no cokewold But I say not therefore that thou art one There been full good wiues many one Why art thou angry with my tale now I haue a wife parde as well as thou * Yet now I for all the Oxen in my plough Take vpon me more then is inough To deemen of my selfe that I am one I woll beleeue well that I am none * An husband should not been inquisitife Of Gods priuity ne of his wife For so he find Gods foison there Of the remnant needeth not to enquere What should I more say but this Millere He nold his word for no man forbere But told his churles tale in this mannere Me forthinketh I shall rehearce it here And therefore euery gentle wight I pray Deemeth not for Gods loue that I say Of euill intent but that I mote rehearse Her tales all been they better or werse Or else falsen some of my matere And therefore who so list it not to here Turne ouer the leafe and chuse another tale For ye shall find ynow great and smale Of historiall thing touching gentlenesse And eke moralitie and holinesse Blame not me if that ye chuse amis The Miller is a churle ye know well this So was the Reue eke and other mo And harlotrie they told eke both two Auise you and put me out of
ship sticked so fast That thence nolne it not of all a tyde The wil of Christ was that she should ther abide The constable of the castle doun is fare To seene this wrecke al the ship he sought And found this weary woman full of care He found also the treasure that she brought In her language mercy she besought The life out of her body for to twin Her to deliuer of wo that she was in A manner latin corrupt was her speche But algates thereby was she vnderstond The constable when him list no lenger seche This wofull woman brought he to lond She kneleth doun and thanketh Gods sond But what she was she would no man sey For foule ne faire though she shoulden dey She said she was so mased in the see That she foryate her mind by her trouth The constable of her hath so great pite And eke his wife that they weepen for routh She was so diligent withouten slouth To serue and please euerich in that place That all her louen that looken in her face The constable dame hermegild his wife Were painems that countrey euery where But Hermegild loued her right as her life And Custance hath so long soiourned there In orisons with many a bitter tere Till Iesu hath conuerted through his grace Dame Hermegild constablesse of that place In all that lond dursten no christen rout All christen folke been fled from the countre Through painims that conquered all about The plagues of the North by lond and see To Wales fled the christianite Of old Bretons dwelling in that I le There was her refute for the meane while Yet nas there neuer Christen so exiled That there nas some in her priuite honoured Christ and Heathen beguiled And nigh the castle such there dwellen three That one of hem was blind might not see * But it were with thilke eyen of his mind With which men seen after they been blind Bright was the sunne as in sommers day For which the constable and his wife also And Custance han taken the right way Toward the sea a furlong way or two To plaien and to romen to and fro And in her walke three blind men they met Crooked and old with eyen fast yshet In the name of Christ cried this blind Breton Dame Hermegild yeue me sight again This lady waxe afraied of the soun Least that her husbond shortly forto sain Would her for Iesus Christs lore haue slain Till Custance made her bold bad her werch The will of Christ as doughter of his cherch The constable woxe abashed of that sight And saied what amounteth all this fare Custance answered sir it is Christs might That helpeth folke out of the fiends snare And so ferforth she gan our law declare That she the constable ere that it was eue Conuerted and on Christ made him beleeue This constable was nothing lord of this place Of which I speake there he Custance fond But kept it strongly many a Winter space Vnder Alla king of Northumberlond That was full wise and worthy of his hond Againe the Scots as men may well here But tourne I woll againe to my mattere Sathan that euer vs waiteth to beguile Saw of Custance all her perfectioun And cast anon how he might quite her wile And made a yong knight that dwelt in the toun Loue her so hot of foule affectioun That verily him thought that he should spill But he of her once might haue his will He woeth her but it auailed nought She would doe no manner sinne by no wey And for despight he compassed in his thought To maken her on shamefull death to dey He waiteth when the Constable is away And priuily on a night he crept Into Hermgilds chamber while she slept Werie forwaked in her orisons Sleepeth Custance and Hermegilde also This knight through sathans temptations All softly is to the bed ygo And cut the throat of Hermegilde atwo And laied the bloody knife by dame Custance went his way ther God yeue him mischance Soon after cometh the constable home again And eke Alla that king was of that lond And saw his wife dispitously yslain For which he wept and wrong his hond And in the bed the bloody knife he fond By dame Custance alas what might she say For very wo her wit was all away To king Alla was told all this mischance And eke the time and where and in what wise That in a ship was founden this Custance As here before ye han heard me deuise The kings heart for pity gan agrise When he saw so benigne a creature Fall in disease and in misaduenture For as the lamb toward his deth is brought So stant this innocent beforne the king This fals knight that hath this treson wrought Bereth her in hond that she hath don this thing But nathelesse there was great mourning Emong the people and said they cannot gesse That she had done so great a wickednesse For they han seen her euer so vertuous And louing Hermegild right as her life Of this bare witnesse euerich in the hous Saue he that Hermegild slow with his knife This gentle king hath caught a great motife Of this witness thought he would enquere Deeper in this case the trouth to lere Alas Custance thou hast no champion He fight canst thou not so welaway But he that starft for our redemption And bond Sathan and yet lith there he lay So be thy strong champion this day For but if Christ on thee miracle kithe Without gilt thou shalt been slaine aswithe She set her doun on knees thus she said Immortall God that sauedest Susanne Fro fals blame and thou mercifull maid Marie I meane doughter to saint Anne Beforne whose child angels sing Osanne If I be guiltlesse of this felonie My succour be or els shall I die Haue ye not seene sometime a pale face Emong a prees of hem that hath been lad Toward his deth wheras hem get no grace And such a colour in his face hath had That men might know his face that was bistad Emongs all the faces in that rout So standeth Custance and loketh her about O Queenes liuing in prosperity Dutchesses and ye ladies euerichone Haue some routh on her aduersity An Emperors doughter stant alone She hath no wiÈt to whom to make her mone O blood roiall that stondeth in this drede Fere of been thy friends at thy greatest nede This Alla king hath suche compassioun As gentle herte is full of pyte That from his eyen ran the water doun Nowe hastely do fette a boke qd he And if this knight wol swere how that she This woman slowe yet wol we us avyse Whom that we wol shall ben our iustyse A Breton booke written with Euangeles Was fet and thereon he swore anone She guilty was and in the meane whiles An hond him smote vpon the necke bone That doune he fell atones as a stone And both his eyen brust out of his
hundred thousand sithe In vertue and holy almes dede They liuen all and neuer asunder wend Till death departen hem this life they lede And fareth now well my tale is at an end Now Iesu Christ that of his might may send Ioy after wo gouerne vs in his grace And keepe vs all that been in this place ¶ The Squires Prologue OUR host on his stirrops stoode anon And said good men hearkeneth euerichon This was a thriftie tale for the nones Sir parish priest qd he for Gods bones Tell vs a tale as was thy forward yore I see well that ye learned men in lore Can muckle good by Gods dignite The Parson him answerd benedicite What eileth the man so sinfully to swere Our host answerd O Ienkin be ye there Now good men qd our host harkneth to me I smell a loller in the wind qd he Abideth for Gods digne passion For we shall haue a predication This loller here woll preachen vs somewhat Nay by my fathers soule that shall he nat Saied the Squier here shall he nat preach Here shall he no Gospell glose ne teach We leueth all in the great God qd he He would sowen some difficulte * Or spring some cockle in our cleane corne And therefore host I warne thee beforne My jolly body shall a tale tell And I shall ringen you so merry a bell That I shall waken all this companie But it shall not been of Philosophie Ne of Physicke ne tearmes queint of law There is but little Latine in my maw The King of Arabie sendeth to Cambuscan King of Sarra an Horse and a Sword of rare qualitie and to his daughter Canace a Glass and a Ring by the vertue whereof she understandeth the language of all Fowls Much of this Tale is either lost or else never finished by Chaucer The Squires Tale. AT Sarra in the lond of Tartarie There dwelt a king that warred on Surrie Through which ther died many a doughtie man This noble king was called Cambuscan Which in his time was of so great renoun That there nas no where in no regioun So excellent a lord in all thing Him lacked nought that longeth to a king As of the sect of which he was borne He kept his lay to which he was sworne And thereto he was hardie wise and riche And pitous and just alway yliche True of his word benigne and honourable Of his corage as any centre stable Young fresh and strong in armes desirous As any batcheler of all his hous A faire person he was and fortunate And kept alway so roiall astate That there nas no where such another man This noble king this Tartre this Cambuscan Had two sonnes by Eltheta his wife Of which the eldest hight Algarsife That other was cleaped Camballo A doughter had this worthy king also That youngest was and hight Canace But for to tell you all her beaute It lithe not in my tong ne in my conning I dare not vndertake so high a thing Mine English eke is vnsufficient It must been a Rethor excellent That couth his colours longing for the art If he should discriue here every part I am none such I mote speake as I can And so befell that this Cambuscan Hath twenty Winter borne his diademe As he was wont fro yeare to yeare I denie He let the feast of his natiuity Doen crien throughout Sarra his city The last Idus of March after the yere Phebus the Sunne full jolly was clere For he was nigh his exaltation In Marces face and in his mansion In Aries the collerike the hote signe Full lustie was the weather and benigne For which the foules ayenst the sunne shene What for the season and the yong grene Full louden song her affections Hem seemed han getten hem protections Ayen the swerd of Winter kene and cold This Cambuscan of which I haue you told In roiall vestements sit on his deis With diademe full high in his paleis And held his feast so roiall and so riche That in this world nas there none it liche Of which if I shall tell all the array Then would it occupie a Sommers day And eke it needeth not to deuise At euery course the order of seruice I wol not tellen as now of her strange sewes Ne of her Swans ne of her Heronsewes Eke in that lond as tellen knights old There is some meat that is full dainty hold That in this lond men retch of it but small There is no man that may reporten all I will not tarie you for it is prime And for it is no fruit but losse of time Vnto my first purpose I woll haue recourse And so befell that after the third course While that this king sit thus in his noblay Hearkening his minstrals her things play Beforne him at his boord deliciously In at the hall doore all suddainely There came a knight on a steed of brasse And in his hond a broad mirrour of glasse Vpon his thombe he had of gold a ring And by his side a naked sword honging And vp he rideth to the high bord In all the hall ne was there spoke a word For maruaile of the knight him to behold Full busily they waiten yong and old This straunge knight that come thus sodenly All armed saue his head full roially Salued king and queene and lords all By order as they sitten in the hall With so high reuerence and obeisaunce As well in speech as in countenaunce That Gawaine with his old courtesie Though he come ayen out of fairie Ne could him not amend of no word And after this before the high bord He with a manly voice saied his message After the forme vsed in his language Without vice of sillable or of letter And for his tale should seeme the better Accordant to his words was his chere As teacheth art of speech hem that it lere All be that I cannot sowne his stile Ne I cannot climben so high a stile Yet say I thus as to my comen intent Thus much amounteth all that euer he ment If it so be that I haue it in my mind He saied The king of Araby and of Inde My liege lord on this solemne day Salueth you as he best can and may And sendeth you in honour of your feest By me that am readie at your heest This steed of brasse that easily and well Can in the space of a day naturell That is to say in foure and twenty houres Where so ye list in drought or in shoures Beren your body into euery place Into which your heart willeth to pace Without weine of you through foule or faire Or if ye list to fleen in the aire As doth an Eagle when him list to sore This same steed shall beare you euermore Withouten harm till you been there you lest Though that ye sleepen on his back and rest And turne again with writhing of a pin He that it wrought could full many a gin He waited many a constellation Or
melodie The vshers and the squires been ygone The spices and the wine is comen anone They eten dronken when this had an end Vnto the temple as reason was they wend The seruice done they soupen all by day What needeth it to rehearsen her array Each man wot well that at a kings feast Is plenty to the most and to the least And dainties mo than been it my knowing And after supper goeth this noble king To seen this horse of brasse with all his rout Of lords and of ladies him about Such wondring there was on this horse of bras That sithen the great siege of Troy was There as men wondred on an horse also Ne was there such a wondring as was tho But finally the king asketh the knight The vertue of this horse and the night And praied him to tell of his gouernaunce The horse anon gan to trip and daunce When that this knight laid hond on his raine And said sir there is no more to saine But when you list to riden any where Ye mote trill a pin stant in his ere Which I shall tell you betweene vs two Ye mote nempne him to what place also Or to what country you list to ride And when ye come there you list abide Bid him discend and trill another pin For therein lieth the effect of all the gin And he woll downe discend done your will And in that place he woll abide still Though al the world had the contrary sworne He shall not thence be ythrow ne yborne Or if you listen bid him thence to gone Trill this pin and he woll vanish anone Out of the sight of euery manner wight And come ayen be it day or night When that you list to clepen him againe In such a guise as I shall to you saine Betwixt you and me and that full sone Ride when you list there nis no more to done Enfourmed when the king was of yâ— knight And hath conceiued in his wit aright The manner and the forme of all this thing Full glad and full blith the noble king Repaireth to his reuell as beforne The bridie is in the toure yborne And kept among his iewels lefe and dere The horse vanished I not in what mannere Out of her sight ye get no more of me But thus I lete in lust an iolite This Cambuscan and his lords feasting Till well nigh the day began to spring Explicit prima pars sequitur pars secunda THe noryce of digestion the sleepe Gan on hem winke and bad hem take keepe * That mirth drink and labour woll haue rest And with a galping mouth hem all he kest And said it was time to lie adoun For blood was in his dominatioun * Cherisheth blood natures friend qd hee They thanken him galping by two by three And euery wight gan drawen him to his rest As sleepe hem bade chey tooke it for the best Her dreames shul not now ben ytold for me Full were her heeds of fumosite That causeth dreames of which there is no charge They sleepen soundly till it was prime large The most part but it were Canace She was full measurable as women be For of her father had she take her leue To gone to rest soone after it was eue Her list not apalled for to be Nor on the morrow vnfestliche for to see And slept her first slepe and then awoke For such a joy she in her heart tooke Both of her queynt ring of her mirrour That twenty times she chaunged her colour And in her slepe right for impression Of her mirrour she had a vision Wherfore or that the sunne vp gan glide She cleped her maistresses her beside And said that her lust for to arise These old women that been gladly wise As is her maistresse answerd her anon And said Madam whider woll ye gon Thus early for folke been all in rest I woll quoth she arise for me lest No lenger to slepe but walken about Her maistresse cleped women a great rout And vp they risen wel ten or twelue Vp riseth fresh Canace her selue As ioly and bright as the yong sunne That in the Ram is foure degrees vp runne No higher was he whan she ready was And forth she walked an easie paas Arrayed after the lusty season sote Lightly for to playen and walken on foote Nought but fiue or sixe of her meyne And in a trenche fer in the parke goeth she The vapor which that fro the earth glode Maketh the sunne to seem ruddy and brode But nathelesse it was so faire a sight That it made all her hearts for to light What for the season and for the morowning And for the foules that she herde to sing For right anon she wiste what they ment Right by her song and knew al her entent * The knot why that euery tale is tolde If it be taried till lust be colde Of hem that han it hearkened after yore The sauour passeth euer lenger the more For fulsumnes of prolixite And by that same reason thinketh me I should vnto the same knot condiscende And make of her walking sone an ende Amidde a tre for dry as white as chalke As Canace was playing in her walke There sat a falcon ouer head full hie That with a pitious voyce gan to cry That all the wood resouned of her cry And beaten had her selfe so pitously With both her wings till the reed blood Ran endlong the tre there as she stood And euer in one she cryed and shright And with her becke her seluen so she pight That there nas Tygre ne cruell beast That dwelleth in wood neither in forrest That nolde han wept if that they wepe coud For sorrow of her she shright alway so loud For there was neuer yet man on liue If that he couthe a Falcon well discriue That herde of such another of fayrenes As wel of plumage as of gentilnes Of shape of all that might irekened be A Falcon peregryn than seemed she Of fremd lond and euermore as she stood She swounded now now for lacke of blood Til welny is she fallen fro the tree This faire kings doughter this Canace That on her finger bare the queint ring Through which she vnderstood wel euery thing That any foule may in his leden saine And coud answere him in his leden againe Hath vnderstand what this falcon seyd And welny for routhe almost she deyd And to the tree she goeth full hastily And on this Falcon gan looke pitously And held her lap abroad for well she wist The Falcon must fallen from the twist Whan that she swouned next for lacke of blood A long while to waiten there she stood Till at the last she spake in this manere Vnto the hauke as ye shallen after here What is the cause if it be for to tell That ye ben in this furiall paine of hell Qd. Canace vnto this Hauke aboue * Is this for sorow of death or losse of loue For
carle spake o thing but he thought another Let vs goe forth about our voyage Here win we nothing vpon cariage When they comen somwhat out of the toun This Sompner to his brother gan to roune Brother qd he here wonneth an old rebecke That had almost as lefe to lese her necke As for to yeue a penny of her good I woll haue xii d. tho that she were wood Or I woll sompne her to our office And yet God wot of her I know no vice But for thou canst not as in this countre Win thy cost take here ensample of me This Sompner clappeth at the widdows gate Come out he saied thou old veritrate I trow thou hast some frere or priest withthee Who clappeth there said this wife benedicite God saue you sir what is your sweet will I haue qd he in summons of thee a bill Vp paine of cursing looke that thou bee To morrow before our Archdeacons knee To answere to the court of certaine things Now lord qd she Iesu king of kings So wisely helpe me as I ne may I haue ben sicke and that full many a day I may not goe so ferre qd she ne ride But I be dead so pricketh it my side May I not aske a libell sir Sompnour And answere there by my proctour To such thing as men would apposen me Yea qd this Sompner pay anon let see Twelue pence to me and I will thee acquite I shall no profit haue hereof but lite My maister hath the profit and not I Come of and let me ridden hastily Giue me xii pence I may no lenger tary Twelue pence qd she lady saint Mary So wisely helpe me out of care and sin This wide world though I should it win Ne haue I not xii d. within my hoâ—d Ye know well that I am poore and old Kith your almesse on me poore wretch Nay then qd he the foule fiend me fetch If I thee excuse thogh thou shouldest be spilt Alas qd she God wot I haue no guilt Pay me qd he or by sweet saint Anne I woll streight beare away the new panne For debt which thou owest me of old When thou madest thy husbond cokold I paied at home for thy correction Thou liest qd she by my saluation Ne was I neuer ere now widdow ne wife Sompned vnto your court in all my life Ne neuer I nas but of body trew Vnto the deuill blacke and rough of hew Yeue I thy body and my panne also And when the deuill heard her curse so Vpon her knees he said in this manere Now Mably mine owne mother dere Is this your will in earnest that ye sey The deuill qd she fet him ere he dey And panne and all but he woll him repent Nay old stotte that is not mine intent Qd. this Sompner for to repent mee For any thing that I haue had of thee I would I had thy smocke and euery cloth Now brother qd the deuill be not wroth Thy body and thy pan is mine by right Thou shalt with me to hell yet to night Where thou shalt knowen of our priuitie More than a maister of diuinitie And with that word the foule fiend him hent Body and soule he with the deuill went Where that Sompners haue their heritage And God that made after his image Mankind saue and guide vs all and some And leaue the Sompner good man to become Lordings I coud haue told you qd this frere Had I had leisure of this Sompner here After the text of Christ Poule and Ihon And of other doctours many one Such paines as your hearts might agrise Albeit so that no tongue may deuise Though that I might a thousand winter tell The paines of that cursed hous of hell But for to keepe vs from that cursed place Wake we and pray Iesu of his grace So keepe he us from the temper Sathanas Hearkneth this word beware as in this caas * The Lion sitteth in await alway To slea the innocent if that he may Disposeth aye your hearts to withstond The fiend that you would make thral bond * He may not tempt you ouer your might For Christ woll be your champion knight And prayeth that the Sompner him repent Of his misdeed ere that the fiend him hent ¶ The Sompners Prologue THis Sompner in his stirrops high stood Vpon this Frere his hert was so wood That like an Aspen leafe he quoke for ire Lordings qd he but one thing I desire I you beseech that of your courtesie Sithens ye han heard this false Frere lie As suffereth me I may my tale tell This Frere boasteth that he knoweth hell And God wot that is little wonder Freres and fiends ben but little asunder For parde ye han oft time heard tell How that a Frere rauished was to hell In spirit once by a visioun And as an Angell led him vp and doun To shewen him the paines that there were In all the place saw he not a Frere Of other folke he saw ynow in wo. Vnto the Angell spake the Frere tho Now sir qd he han Freres such a grace That none of hem shall come in this place Yes qd this Angell many a millioun And vnto Sathanas lad he him adoun And now hath Sathanas such a taile Broader than of a Caricke is the saile Hold vp thy taile thou Sathanas qd he Shew forth thine erse and let the Frere see Whereas is the neast of Freres in this place And ere that halfe a furlong way of space Right as Bees swarmen out of an Hiue Out of the Deuils erse they gan driue Twenty thousand Freres all on a rout And throughout hell swarmed all about And come ayen as fast as they might gone And into his erse they crepten euerichone He clapt his taile ayen and lay still This Frere when he looked had his fill Vpon the turments of this sorry place His spirit God restored of his grace Vnto his body ayen and he awoke But nathelesse yet for feare he quoke So was the deuills erse aye in his mind That is his heritage of very kind God saue you all saue this cursed Frere My Prologue woll I end in this mannere ¶ The Sompners Tale. A Begging Fryar coming to a Farmers house who lay sick obtaineth of him a certain Legacy which must be equally divided among his Covent A requital to the Friar shewing their cozenage loytering impudent begging and hypocritical praying LOrdings there is in Yorkshire as I ghesse A marish Countrey called Holdernesse In which there went a limitour about To preach and eke to beg it is no doubt And so befell that on a day this Frere Had preached in a church in his manere And specially abouen euery thing Excited he the people in his preaching To trentals and to yeuen for Gods sake Wherewith men mighten holy houses make There as diuine seruice is honoured Not there as it is wasted and deuoured Ne there it needeth not to be yeuen As to possessioners that
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
At Babilon was his soueraigne see In which his glorie and his delight he had Of Hierusalem he did do gelde anon The fayrest children of the blood royall And make each of hem to been his thrall Among all other Daniel was one That was the wisest of euerichone For he the dremes of the king expouned Whereas in Caldee clerkes were there none That wist to what fine his dreme sounded This proude king let make a statu of gold Sixty cubites long and seuen in brede To the which image both young and old Commanded he lout and haue in drede Or in a forneis ful of flames rede He should be deed that would not obey But neuer would assent to that dede Daniel ne his yong felowes twey This king of kings so proud and elate Weend God that sitteth in maiestie Ne might him nat berefe of his estate But sodainly he lost his dignitie And like a beast him seemed for to be And ete hey as an oxe and lay therout In raine and with wilde beasts walked he Till a certaine time was come about And like an Egles fethers were his heere 's And his neiles also like birds clawes were God releeued him at certaine yeeres And yaue him wit then with many a tere He thonked God and all his life in fere Was he to doe amisse or more trespace And ere that he layed was on his bere He knew that God was ful of might grace Balthaser HIs sonne which that high Balthasare That held the reign after his faders day He by his fader could not beware For proude he was of heart and of array And eke an Ydolaster was he aie His high estate assured him in pride But fortune cast him downe there he lay And suddainly his reigne gan deuide A feast he made vnto his lords all Vpon a time he made hem blith be And then his officers gan he call Goth bring forth all the vessels qd he Which that my father in his prosperitie Out of the temple of Hierusalem beraft And to our Gods thonkes yelden we Of honour that our elders with vs laft His wife his lords and his concubines Aie drunken whiles her appetites last Out of these noble vessels foundrie wines And on a wall this king his eyen cast Aâ—â— saw an hond armelesse that wrote fast For feare of which he quoke and sighed sore This hond that Balthaser made sore agast Wrote Mane techel phares and no more In al that londe Magicien was ther non That could expoune what this letter ment But Daniel expouned it anon And said O king God thy father sent Glory and honour reign tresour and rent And he was proud nothing God he drad And therfore great wrath God vpon him sent And him beraft the reigne that he had He was out cast of mans company With Asses was his habitation And eate haie as a beast in wete and drie Till that he knew by wit and reason That God of heauen hath domination Ouer euery reigne and euery creature And then had God of him compassion And him restored his reigne and his figure Eke thou that art his sonne art proud also And knowest all these things priuely And art rebell to God and his fo Thou dranke eke of his vessels boldly Thy wife eke and thy wenches sinfully Dronke of the same vessels sundry winis And heried false gods cursedly Therefore to thee shapen great pine is This hond was sent fro God that on the wal Wrote Mane techel phares trust me Thy reigne is doen thou wotest not all Diuided is thy realme and it shall be To Medes and to Perciens giuen qd he And that same night the king was slaw And Darius occupied his dignitie Though he thereto had neither right ne law * Lordings here ensample mowe ye take How that in lordship is no sikernesse For when that fortune woll a man forsake She beareth away his reigne his richesse And his friends both more and lesse And what man hath friends throgh fortune Mishap woll make hem enemies as I gesse This prouerbe is full soth full commune Zenobia ZEnobia of Palmerie Queene As writeth Perciens of her noblesse So worthy was in armes and so kene That no wight passed her in hardinesse Ne in linage ne in other gentilnesse Of kings blood of Perce she is discended I say that she had not most of fairenesse But of her shape shee might not be amended From her childhood I find that she fled Office of a woman and to wood she went And many a wilde Hartes blood she shed With arrowes broad that she to hem sent She was so swift that she hem hent And when that she was elder she would kill Lions Libards and Beeres all to rent And in her armes weld hem at her will She durst the wild beasts dennes to seeke And renne in the mountaines all the night And sleepe vnder a bush and she could eke Wrastell by very force and by very might With any yong man were he neuer so wight There might nothing in her armes stond She kept her maidenhead from euery wight To no man dained she to be bound But at last her friendes hath her maried To Odenat a prince of that countrie All were it so that she hem long taried And ye shall vnderstond how that he Had such fantasies like as had she But natheles when they were knit in fere They liued in joy and in felicite For ech of hem had other lefe and dere Saue one thing shee nolde neuer assent By no way that he should by her lie But ones for it was her plaine entent To haue a childe the world to multiply And also so sone as she might espie That she was not with child with that deed Then would she suffer him to do his fantasie Eftsones and not but one 's out of dreed And if she were with child at that cast No more should he with her play that game Till fully fourtie dayes were past Then would she ones suffer him the same All were this Odenat wild or tame He gate no more of her for thus she saied * It was to wiues letcherie and shame In other case if men with hem plaied Two sonnes by this Odenat had she The which she kept in vertue and lettrure But now vnto our tale againe turne we I say that so worshipfull a creature And wise therewith and large with measure So penible in warre and curteis eke Ne more labour might in war endure Was non though all this world men wold seek Her rich aray ne might not be told As well in vessell as in her clothing She was all clad in pierrie and in gold And eke she left not for none hunting To haue of sundry tongues full knowing When that she leisure had for to entend To learne in bookes was all her liking How she in vertue her life might dispend And shortly of this storie for to treat As doughtie was her husbond as she So that they conquered
treasours For falshed foule mote it befall Priestes should for no cattell plede But chasten hem in charite Ne to no battaile should men lede For inhaunsing of her owne degree Nat wilne firting in high see Ne soueraignty in hous ne hall All wordly worship defie and flee For who willeth highnes foule shal fall Alas who may such saints call That wilneth welde earthly honour As low as Lucifere such shal fall In balefull blacknesse to builden her boure That eggeth the people to errour And maketh them to hem thrall To Christ I hold such one traitour As low as Lucifer such one shall fall That willeth to be kings peeres And higher than the Emperour And some that were but poore Freres Now wollen waxe a warriour God is not her gouernour That holdeth no man his permagall While couetise is her counsailour All such falshed mote need fall That high on horse willeth ride In glitterande gold of great array Ipainted and portred all in pride No common knight may go so gay Chaunge of clothing euery day With golden girdles great and small As boistous as is Beare at bay All such falshed mote need fall With pride punisheth they the poore And some they sustaine with sale Of holy church make they an hore And filleth her wombe with wine and ale With money fill they many a male And chaffren churches when they fall And telleth the people a leaud tale Such false faitours foule hem befall With chaunge of many manner meates With song and solas sitting long And filleth her wombe and fast fretes And from the meat to the gong And after meat with harpe and song And ech man mote hem Lords call And hote spices euer among Such false faitours foule hem fall And miters mo than one or two Ipearled as the queenes head A staffe of gold and perrie lo As heauie as it were made of lead With cloth of gold both new and redde With glitterande gold as greene as gall By dome they damne men to dedde All such faitours foule hem fall And Christs people proudly curse With broad boke and braying bell To put pennies in her purse They wol fell both heauen and hell And in her sentence and thou wilt dwell They willen gesse in her gay hall And thou the sooth of hem will tell In great cursing shalt thou fall That is blessed that they blesse And cursed that they curse woll And thus the people they oppresse And haue their lordships at full And many be marchaunts of wull And to purse pennies woll come thrall The poore people they all to pull Such false faitours foule hem fall Lords also mote to hem loute Obeysaunt to her brode blessing The riden with her royall route On a courser as it were a king With saddle of gold glittering With curious harness quaintly crall it Stirrops gay of gold mastling All such falshed foule befall it Christes ministers clepen they beene And rulen all in robberie But Antichrist they seruen clene Attired all in tyrannie Witnesse of Iohns prophecie That Antichrist is her admirall Tiffelers attired in trecherie All such faitours foule hem fall Who saith that some of hem may sinne He shall be dome to be ded Some of hem woll gladly winne All ayenst that which God forbed All holiest they clepen her head That of her rule is regall Alas that euer they eaten bread For all such falshed wol foule fall Her head loueth all honour And to be worshiped in word and dede Kings mote to hem kneele and coure To the Apostles that Christ forbede To popes hestes such taketh more hede Than to keepe Christs commaundement Of gold and silver mote been her wede They holdeth him hole omnipotent He ordaineth by his ordinaunce To parish priestes a powere To another a greater auaunce A greater point to his mistere But for he is highest in earth here To him reserves he many a point But to Christ that hath no pere Reserves he neither o pin ne point So seemeth he above all And Christ above him nothing When he sitteth in his stall He damneth and saveth as him thinke Such pride tofore God doth stinke An angel had Iohn to him not kneele But onely to God doe his bowing Such willers of worship must need evil feele They ne clepen Christ but sanctus deus And clepen her head Sanctissimus They that such a sect sewis I trowe they taken hem amisse In earth here they have her blisse Her high maister is Beliall Christes people from hem wisse For all such false will foule fall They mowe both binde and lose And all is for her holy life To save or damne they mow chose Betweene hem now is great strife Many a man is killed with knife To wete which of hem haue lordship shall For such Christ suffred wounds five For all such falshed will foule fall Christ said Qui gladio percutit With swerd surely he shall die * He had his priests peace and grith And bad hem not drede for to die And bad them he both simple and slie And carke not for no cattell And trusteth on God that sitteth on hie For all false shall full foule fall These wollen make men to swere Ayenst Christes commaundement And Christes members all to tere On roode as he were new yrent Such lawes they maken by common assent Each one it throweth as a ball Thus the poore be fully shent But euer falshed foule it befall They vsen no simonie But sellen churches and priories Ne they usen no enuie But cursen all hem contraries And hireth men by daies and yeares With strength to hold hem in her stall And culleth all her adversaries Therefore falshed foule thou fall With purse they purchase personage With purse they paynen hem to plede And men of warre they woll wage To bring her enemies to the dede And lords liues they woll lede And much take and giue but small But he it so get from it shall shede And make such false right foule fall They halow nothing but for hire Church ne font ne vestement And make orders in every shire But priestes pay for the parchment Of riotours they taken rent Therewith they smere the shepes skall For many Churches ben oft suspent And all such falshed foule it fall Some liueth not in lecherie But haunt wenches widowes and wiues And punisheth the poore for putree Them selfe it vseth all their liues And but a man to them him shrives To heuen come he neuer shall He shall be cursed as be caitiues To hell they saine that he shall fall There was more mercy in Maximien And in Nero that neuer was good Than is now in some of them When he hath on his furred hood They follow Christ that shed his blood To heauen as buckette into the wall Such wretches ben worse than wood And all such faitours foule hem fall They give her almes to the riche To mainteynours and men of lawe For to lords they well be liche An harlots sonne not
wend And Christs people vntruly carry God for his pitie it amend They liuen contrary to Christs life In high pride against meekenesse Against suffraunce they vsen strife And anger ayenst sobernesse Against wisdome wilfulnesse To Christs tales little tend Against measure outrageousnesse But when God wol it may amend Lordly life ayenst lowlinesse And demin al without mercie And couetise ayenst largesse Against treweth trecherie And against almesse enuie Against Christ they comprehend For chastitie they maintaine lecherie God for his grace this amend Against pennaunce they vse delights Against suffraunce strong defence Ayenst God they vsen euil rights Ayenst pitie punishments Open euil ayenst continence Her wicked winning they worse dispend Sobernesse they sette into dispence But God for his goodnesse it amend Why claimen they wholly his powere And wranglen ayenst al his hests His liuing folow they nothing here But liuen worse than witlesse beests Of fish and flesh they louen feests As lords they ben brode ykend Of Gods poore they haten gests God for his mercy this amend With Diues such shal haue her dome That saine that they be Christes friendes And do nothing as they should done All such been falser than ben fiends On the people they ley such bendes As God is in earth they han offend Succour fro such Christ now send vs. And for his mercy this amend A token of Antichrist they be His careckes ben now wide iknow Receiued to preach shall no man be Without token of him I trow Ech christen priest to preachen owe From God aboue they ben send Gods word to al folke for to show Sinful man for to amend Christ sent the poore for to preach The royall rich he did not so Now dare no poore the people teach For Antichrist is ouer all her foe Among the people he mote go He hath bidden all such suspend Some hath he hent and thinketh yet mo But al this God may wel amend All they that han the world forsake And liuen lowly as God bad Into her prison shullen be take Betin and bounden and forth lad Hereof I rede no man be drad Christ said his should be shend Ech man ought hereof be glad For God ful wel it woll amend They take on hem royall powere And say they haue swerds two One curse to hel one slee men here For at his taking Christ had no mo Yet Peter had one of tho But Christ to Peter smite gan defend And into the sheath bad put it tho And all such mischeues God amend Christ bad Peter keepe his sheepe And with his sword forbade him smite * Swerd is no toole with sheepe to keepe But to shepheards that sheepe woll bite Me thinketh such shepheards ben to wite Ayen her sheepe with swerde that contend They driue her sheepe with great despite But all this God may well amend So successours to Peter be they noght Whom Christ made cheefe pasture A swerd no shepheard vsen ought But he would flea as a butchoure For who so were Peters successoure Should bere his shepe til his back bend And shaddow hem from euery shoure And al this God may wel amend Successours to Peter ben these In that that Peter Christ forsooke That had leuer the loue of God lese Than a shepheard had to lese his hooke He culleth the sheepe as doth the Cooke Of hem seeken they woll to rend And falsely glose the Gospell booke God for his mercy them amend After Christ had take Peter the kay Christ said he must die for man That Peter to Christ gan withsay Christ bad him go behind Sathan Such counsailours many of these men han For worlds wele God to offend Peters successours they ben for than But al such God may wele amend For Sathan is to say no more But he that contrary to Christ is In this they learne Peters lore They sewen him when he did misse They follow Peter forsooth in this In all that Christ would Peter reprehend But not in that that longeth to heuen blisse God for his mercy hem amend Some of the Apostles they sewen in case Of ought that I can vnderstond Him that betrayed Christ Iudas That bare the purse in euery lond And al that he might set on hond He hidde and stale and mispend His rule these traitours han in hond Almightie God hem all amend And at the last his lord gan tray Cursedly through his false couetise So would these traine him for money And they wisten in what wise They be seker of the selfe ensise From all soothnesse they ben friend And couetise chaungen with queintise Almighty God all such amend Were Christ on earth here eftsoone These would damne him to die All his hestes they han fordone And saine his sawes ben heresie And ayenst his commaundements they crie And damne all his to be brend For it liketh not hem such losengerie God almighty hem amend These han more might in England here Than hath the King and all his lawe They han purchased hem such powere To taken hem whom list not knawe And say that heresie is her sawe And so to prison wol hem send It was not so by elder dawe God for his mercy it amend The kings law wol no man deme Angerliche without answere But if any man these misqueme He shall be baighteth as a bere And yet wel worse they wol him tere And in prison woll him pende In giues and in other gere When God woll it may amend The king taxeth not his men But by assent of the comminalte But these ech yeare woll raunsome hem Maisterfully more than doth he Her seales by yeare better be Than is the kings in extend Her officers han greater fee. But this mischeefe God amend For who so woll pruve a testament That is not all worth tenne pound He shall pay for the parchement The third of the money all round Thus the people is raunsound They say such part to hem should apend There as they gripen it goeth to ground God for his mercy it amend For a simple fornication Twenty shillings he shall pay And then haue an absolution And al the yere vsen it forth he may Thus they letten hem go astray They recke not though the soule be brend These keepen euill Peters kay And all such shepheards God amend Wonder is that the parliament And all the lords of this lond Here to taken so little entent To helpe the people out of her hond For they ben harder in their bond Worse beat and bitter brend Than to the king is vnderstond God him helpe this to amend What Bishops what religions Lordshippes and possessions More than Lordes it semeth me That maketh hem lese charite They mowe not to God attende In earth they haue so high degre God for his mercie it amende The Emperour yafe the Pope somtime So high lordeship him about That at last the silly kime The proude Pope put him out So of this Realme is in dout But lordes beware and them
that it is full of might About such men set vp great light Other soche stockes shull stande thereby As darke as it were midnight For it maâ—e make no mastrie That it leud people see mow Thou Mary thou worchest wonder things About that that men offren to now Hongen broches ouches and rings The priest purchaseth the offerings But he nill offer to none Image Woe is the soule that he for sings That preacheth for soche a pilgrimage To men and women that been poore That been Christes owne likenesse Men shullen offer at her doore That suffer hunger and distresse And to soche Images offer lesse That mow not feele thurst ne cold The poore in spirite gan Christ blesse Therefore offreth to feble and old Bucklers brode and sweardes long Baudrike with baselardes kene Soche toles about her necke they hong With Antichrist soche priestes been Vpon her deedes it is well seen Whome they serven whom they honouren Antichristes they been clene And Goddes goodes falsely devouren Of scarlet and grene gaie gounes That mote be shape of the newe To clippen kissen they counten in tounes The damoseles that to the daunce sewe Cutted clothes to shewe her hewe With long pikes on her shone Our Goddes Gospell is not true Either they serven the devill or none Now been priestes pokes so wide That men must enlarge the vestiment The holy Gospell they doen hide For they contrarien in raiment Soche priestes of Lucifer been sent Like conquerours they been araied The proude pendaunts at her ars is ipent Falsely the truth they han betraied Shrift silver soche wollen aske And woll men crepe to the crouche None of the Sacraments save aske Without mede shall no man touch On her Bishop their warant vouch That is lawe of the decre With mede and money thus they mouch And this they sain is charite In the middes of her Masse They nill have no man but for hire And full shortly let forth passe Such shull men find in each shire That Personages for profite desire To live in liking and in lusts I dare not saine Sans ose ie dire That such been Antichrists priests For they yef the bishops why Or they mote been in his service And holden forth her harlottry Such prelates been of feeble emprise Of Gods graine such men agrise For such matters that taken mede How they excuse hem and in what wise Me thinketh they ought greatly drede They sâ—ine that it to no man longeth To reprove them though they erre But falsely Goddes goodes they fongeth And therewith meintein wo and warre Her deedes should be as bright as sterre Her living leud mannes â—ight They say the Pope may not erre Nede must that passe mannes might Though a priest lye with his lemman all night And tellen his felowe and he him He goth to Masse anon right And saieth he singeth out of sinne His birde abideth him at his Inne And dighteth his diner the meane while He singeth his Masse for he would winne And so he weneth God begile Hem thinketh long till they be met And that they usen forth all the yere Emong the folke whan he is set He holdeth no man halfe his pere Of the Bishop he hath powere To soile men or els they been lore His absolution may them skere And wo is the soule that he singeth for The Griffon began for to threte And saied of Monkes canst thou ought The Pellican said they been full grete And in this world much wo hath wrought Saint Benet that her order brought Ne made hem neuer on such mannere I trowe it came never in his thought That they should use so great powere That a man should a Monke lord call Ne serve on knees as a king He is as proud as prince in pall In meat and drinke and all thing Some wearen mitre and ring With double Worsted well ydight With royall meat and rich drinke And rideth on a courser as a knight With hauke and with hounds eke With brooches or ouches on his hood Some say no Masse in all a weeke Of deinties is her most food They have lordships and bondmen This is a royall religion Saint Benet made never none of hem To have lordship of man ne toun Now they ben queint and curious With fine cloth clad and served cleane Proud angrie and envious Mallice is much that they meane In catching craftie and covetous Lordly they liven in great liking This living is not religious According to Benet in his living They ben clerkes her courts they oversee Her poore tenaunce fully they slite The higher that a man amerced be The gladlier they woll it write This is farre from Christes poverty For all with covetise they endite On the poore they have no pity Ne never hem cherish but ever hem bite And commonly such been comen Of poore people and of hem begete That this perfection han inomen Her fathers riden not but on her fete And travailen sore for that they eate In povert liveth yong and old Her fathers suffreth drought and weate Many hungrie meales thurst and cold And all this these Monkes han forsake For Christes love and saint Benete To pride and ease have hem take This religion is evill beseate Had they been out of religion They must have hanged at the plowe Threshing and diking fro toune to toune With sorrie meat and not half ynowe Therefore they han this all forsake And taken to riches pride and ease Full few for God woll Monkes hem make Little is such order for to praise Saint Benet ordained it not so But bad hem be churchliche In churchliche manner live and go Boistous in earth and not lordliche They disclaunder saint Benet Therefore they have his holy curse Saint Benet with hem never met But if they thought to robbe his purse I can no more hereof tell But they ben like tho before And cleane serve the devill of hell And ben his treasure and his store And all such other counterfaitours Chanons Canons and such disguised Been Gods enemies and traitours His true religion han foule despised Of Freres I have told before In a making of a Crede And yet I could tell worse and more But men would werien it to rede As Gods goodnesse no man tell might Write ne speake ne thinke in thought So her falshed and her unright May no man tell that ever God wrought The Griffon saied thou canst no good Thou came never of no gentle kind Other I trowe thou waxest wood Or els thou hast lost thy mind Should holy church have no hedde Who should be her governaile Who should her rule who should her redde Who should her forthren who should availe * Ech man shall live by his travaile Who best doeth shall have most mede * With strength if men the church assaile With strength men must defend her nede And the Pope were purely poore Needie and nothing ne had He should be driven from doore to doore The wicked of him nolde not be drad
Saint Iohn * He that hateth his brother is an homicide Homicide is also by backbiting of which backbiting sayth Salomon that they haue two swerds with which they slay her neighbours * For soothly as wicked is to take fro him his good name as his life Homicide is also in yeuing of wicked counsail by fraud as for to yeue counsayle to areise wrongful customs and talages Of which sayth Salomon * A Lion roring a Bear hungrie be like to the cruel Lords in withholding or abridging of the shepe or the hire of the wages of Seruaunts or else in vsurie or in withdrawing of the Alms of poore folke For whiche the wise manne sayeth * Feedeth him that almost dyeth for honger for soothly but if you feed him you slay him And all these ben deadly sins Bodily manslaughter is when thou sleest him with thy tongue Another manner is when thou commaundest to slea a man or else yeuest counsail to slea a man Mauslaughter indeed is in four manners That one is by law right as a Iustice dampueth him that his culpable to the death But let the Iustice beware that he doe it rightfully and that he do it not for delight to spill blood but for keeping of rightwisenesse Another homicide is done for necessitie as when a man slayeth another in his defence and that he ne may none otherwise escape without slaughter of his aduersarie he doth sin and he shall bear pennaunce as for deadly sin Also if a man by case or aduenture shoot an arrow or cast a stone with which he slaieth a man he is an homicide And if a woman by negligence ouerlyeth her child in her sleeping it is homicide deadly sin Also when a man disturbleth conception of a child maketh a woman either barren by drinking of venemous herbes through which she may not conceiue or slaieth a child by drinks or else putteth certain material things in her secret places to slaie the child or else doth unkindly sin by which a man or woman sheddeth her nature in manner or in a place there as a child may not be conceiued Or else if so be that a woman hath conceiued and hurteth her self and by that mishap the childe is slain yet it is homicide What say we of those women that murderen her children for because of eschewing of worldly shame Certes it is an horrible homicide Homicide is also if a manne approche to a woman by desire of letchery thorow which the child is perished or els smiteth a woman wittingly through which she leseth her child All these been homicides horrible deadly sinnes Yet come there of ire mo sinnes as well in worde as in thought and deede As he that arreteth upon God or blameth God of the thing of which he is himself guilty or despiseth God all his hallows as done the cursed hasardors in diuers countries This cursed sin done they when they fele in her hert full wickedly of God of his halowes Also when they treat unreuerently the sacrament of the aulter that sin is so great yâ— vnneth it may be releaced but that the mercy of God passeth all his werks it is so great and he so benign Then commeth of Ire an atterly anger when a man is sharply amonested in his shrift to leaue his sin Then woll he be angrie and aunswere hokerly and angerly or defend or excuse his sin by unstedfastnesse of his fleshe or else he did it for to hold companie with his fellows or els he sayth the fiend enticed him or els he doth it for his youth or els his complexion is so courageous that he may not forbear or els it is his destinie he sayth unto a certain age or els he sayth it cometh him of gentlenesse of his auncestors and semblable things All these manner of folke so wrappe hem in her sins that they ne woll not deliver hemself For soothly No wight that excuseth himself wilfully of his sinne may not be deliuered of his sin till that he meekly beknoweth his sin After this then commeth swearing that is expresse ayenste the commandment of God this befalleth often of Anger of Ire God sayeth * Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in vaine or in idle Also our Lord Iesu Christ sayeth by the word of Saint Mathew Ne shal ye not swere in all manner nether by heauen for it is Gods trone ne by yearth for it is the bence of his feet ne by Hierusalem for it is yâ— city of a great King ne by thine head for thou mayest not make an hayre neyther white ne black but say by your word yea yea nay nay and what that is more it is of euil Thus sayeth Christ For Christs sake sweare not so sinnefully in dismembring of Christ By soul heart bones and body for certes it seemeth that ye thinke that the cursed Iewes ne dismembred not ynough yâ— precious person of Christ but ye dismember him more And if so be that the law compell you to swear then ruleth you after yâ— law of god in your swearing as sayeth Ieremie iiii cap. * Thou shalt keep three conditions Thou shalt swear in trouth in doome and in rightwisenes this is to say thou shalt swear sooth For euery lesing is ayenst Christ for Christ is very trouth * And think well this That euery great swearer not compelled lawfully to swear yâ— plague shal not depart fro his hous while he useth such unleful swearing Thou shalt swear also in dome when thou art constrained by thy doms man to witnes trouth Also thou shalt not swear for enuie neyther for fauour neither for mede or reward but only for rightwisenesse for declaring of it to the honour and worship of God to the ayding help of thine euin Christen And therefore euery man that taketh Gods name in idle or falsely sweareth with his mouth or els taketh on him the name of Christ to be called a Christen man liueth ayenst Christs liuing and his teaching all they take Gods name in idle Look also what sayth saint Peter Actuum iiii capitu Non est aliud nomen sub coelo c. There is none other name sayth saint Peter under heauen yeue to men in which they may be saued that is to say but the name of Iesu Christ Take heed eke how precious is the name of Iesu Christ as sayth S. Poule ad Philipenses ii In nomine Jesu c. * That in the name of Iesu euery knee of heauenly creatures earthly of hell should bow for it is so high and so worshipful that the cursed fiend in hell should tremble to hear it named Then seemeth it that men that swear so horribly by his blessed name that they despise it more boldly than the cursed Iews or els the diuel that trembleth when he heareth his name Now certes sith yâ— swearing but if it be lawfully done is so highly defended much more is forswearing falsely and yet needlesse What
he cast adoune his iyen Creseide anon gan all his chere espien And let it so soft in her hart sinke That to her self she said who yave me drinke For of her own thought she woxe all redde Remembring her right thus Lo this is he Which that mine vncle swereth he mote he dedde But I on him have mercy and pite And with that thought for pure ashamed 〈◊〉 Gan in her hedde to pull and that as fast While he and all the people forth by past And gan to cast and rollen vp and doun Within her thought his excellent prowesse And his estate and also his renoun His witte his shape and eke his gentilnesse But most her favour was for his distresse Was all for her and thought it were a routh To slaen soch one if that he ment trouth Now might some envious iangle thus This was a sodain love how might it be That she so lightly loved Troilous Right for the first sight ye parde Now whoso saied so mote he never thee For every thing a ginning hath it nede * Er all be wrought withouten any drede For I saie nat that she so sodainly Yafe him her love but that she gan encline To liken him tho and I have told you why And after that his manhode and his pine Made that love within her gan to mine For which by processe and by good service He wanne her love and in no sodain wise And all so blisfull Venus wele araied Satte in her seventh house of heven tho Disposed wele and with aspectes payed To helpe sely Troilus of his wo And sothe to sayne she nas nat all a foe To Troilus in his nativite God wote that wele the sooner sped he Now let vs stente of Troilus a throw That rideth forth and let vs tourne fast Vnto Creseide that heng her hedde full low There as she satte alone and gan to cast Whereon she would appoint her at the last If it so were her Eme ne would cesse For Troilus vpon her for to presse And lorde so she gan in her thought argue In this matter of which I have you told And what to doen best were and what eschue That plited she full oft in many fold Now was her hart warme now was it cold And what she thought somwhat shall I write As mine authour listeth for tendite She thought first that Troilus person She knewe by sight and eke his gentelnesse And thus she said all were it nought to doen To graunt him love yet for his worthinesse It were honor with plaie and with gladnesse In honeste with soch a Lorde to deale For mine estate and also for his heale Eke well wote I my kinges sonne is he And sith he hath to see me soch delite If I would vtterliche his sight flie Paraventure he might have me in dispite Through which I might stond in wors plite Now were I wise me hate to purchase Without nede there I may stande in grace * In every thing I wot there lieth measure For though a man forbid dronkennesse He nought forbiddeth that every creature Be drinkelesse for alway as I gesse Eke sithe I wot for me is his distresse I ne ought not for that thing him dispise Sith it is so he meaneth in good wise And eke I know of long time agone His thewes good and that he nis not nice No vauntour saine men certain he is none To wise is he to doen so great a vice Ne al 's I nill him never so cherice That he shall make avaunt by iust cause He shall me never binde in soche a clause Now set I case the hardest is iwis Men might demen that he loveth me What dishonour were it vnto me this Maie iche him let of that why naie parde I know also and alway heare and se Men loven women all this toune about Be they the wers Why naie withouten dout I thinke eke how he worthie is to have Of all this noble toune the thriftiest That woman is if she her honour save For out and out he is the worthiest Save onely Hector which that is the best And yet his life lieth all now in my cure But soche is love and eke mine aventure Ne me to love a wonder is it nought For well wote I my self so God me spede All woll I that no man wist of this thought I am one the fairest out of drede And goodliest who so that taketh hede And so men saine in all the toune of Troie What wonder is though he of me have ioie I am mine owne woman well at ease I thanke it God as after mine estate Right yong and stond vntied in lustie lease Withouten ielousie and such debate Shall no husbonde saine to me checke mate * For either they be full of ielousie Or maisterfull or loven novelrie What shal I doen to what fine live I thus Shall I not love in case if that me lest What pardieux I am not religious And though that I mine harte set at rest Vpon this knight that is the worthiest And kepe alway mine honor and my name By all right it may doe me no shame But right as whan the sun shineth brighâ— In March that chaungeth oft time his face And that a cloud is put with winde to flight Which oversprat the Sunne as for a space A cloudy thought gan through her soul pace That overspradde her bright thoughts all So that for feare almost she gan to fall That thouÈt was this alas sith I am free Should I now love and put in ieopardie My sikernesse and thrallen libertie Alas how durst I thinken that folie May I not well in other folke aspie Her dredfull ioie her constreint and her pain * Ther loveth none that she ne hath why to plain For love is yet the moste stormie life Right of himself that ever was begonne For ever some mistrust or nice strife There is in love some cloud over the Sunne Thereto we wretched women nothing conne Whan vs is wo but wepe and sit and thinke * Our wretch is this our own wo to drinke Also wicked tongues been ay so prest To speake vs harme eke men ben so vntrue That right anon as cessed is her lest So cesseth love and forth to love a newe But harm idoe is doen who so it rue For thouÈ these men for love hem first to rende * Full sharp beginning breaketh oft at ende How oft time maie men both rede seen The treason that to women hath be doe To what fine is soche love I can not seen Or where becometh it whan it is go There is no wight that wote I trowe so Wher it becometh lo no wight on it sporneth * That erst was nothing into naught turneth How busie if I love eke must I be To pleasen hem that iangle of love demen And coyen hem that thei saie no harm of me For though there be no cause yet hem semen Al be for harm that folk her frendes quemen * And
clothed all in greene And saied God right of your curtesie Ye mote herken if he can replie Ayenst all this that ye have to him meved A God ne shulde nat be thus agreved But of his deite he shal be stable And thereto gracious and merciable And if ye nere a God that knowen all Then might it be as I you tellen shall This man to you may falsely ben accused That as by right him ought ben excused For in your court is many a losengeour And many a queinte totoler accusour That tabouren in your eares many a soun Right after her imaginacioun To have your daliaunce and for envie These ben the causes and I shall nat lie Envie is lavender of the court alway For she ne parteth neither night ne day Out of the house of Cesar thus saith Dant Who so that goeth algate she wol nat want And eke peraunter for this man is nice He might done it gessing no malice But for he vseth thinges for to make Him recketh nought of what mater he take Or him was boden make thilke twey Of some persone and durst it nat withsey Or him repenteth vtterly of this He ne hath nat done so grevously amis To translaten that old clerkes writen As though that he of malice would enditen Dispite of love and had himselfe it wrought This shold a riÈtwise lord have in his thouÈt And nat be like tiraunts of Lombardie That han no reward but at tyrannie * For he that king or lorde is naturell Him ought nat be tiraunt ne cruell As is a fermour to done the harme he can He must thinke it is his liege man And is his tresour and his gold in cofer This is the sentence of the Philosopher A king to kepe his lieges in Iustice Withouten doute that is his office All woll he kepe his lordes in her degree As it is right and skil that they bee Enhaunsed and honoured and most dere For they ben halfe goddes in this world here Yet mote he done both right to poore riche All be that her estate be nat both iliche And have of poore folke compassion For lo the gentill kinde of the lion For when a flie offendeth him or biteth He with his taile away the flie smiteth Al easily for of his gentrie Him deineth nat to wreke him on a flie As doeth a curre or els another beest * In noble corage ought ben areest And waien every thing by equite And ever have regard vnto his owne degre For sir it is no maistrie for a lord To dampne a man without answere of word And for a lorde that is full foule to vse And it so be he may him nat excuse But asketh mercy with a dreadfull hert And profereth him right in his bare sherte To ben right at your owne judgement Then ought a God by short avisement Consider his owne honour and his trespace For sith no cause of death lieth in this case You ought to ben the lightlier merciable Letteth your ire bethe somewhat tretable The man hath served you of his conninges And forthred well your law in his makinges All be it that he can nat well endite Yet hath he made leude folke delite To serve you in preising of your name He made the boke that hight The house of fame And eke the death of Blaunche the Duchesse And the Parliament of Foules as I gesse And al the love of Palamon and Arcite Of Thebes though the storie is knowen liâ—e And many an Himpne for your holy daies That highten balades rondels virelaies And for to speake of other holinesse He hath in prose translated Boece And made the life also of saint Cecile He made also gone is a great while Origenes vpon the Maudelaine Him ought now to have the lesse paine He hath made many a ley and many a thing Now as ye be a God and eke a king I your Alceste whilom quene of Trace I aske you this man right of your grace That ye him never hurt in al his live And he shal swearen to you and that blive He shal never more agilten in this wise But shal maken as ye woll devise Of women trewe in loving al her life Where so ye woll of maiden or of wife And forthren you as much as he misseide Or in the Rose or els in Creseide The God of Love answerde her thus anon Madame qd he it is so long agon That I you knew so charitable and trewe That never yet sens the world was newe To me ne found I better none than ye If that I woll save my degree I may nor woll nat werne your request Al lieth in you doth with him as you lest I al foryeve withouten lenger space * For who so yeveth a yefte or doth a grace Do it betime his thanke shall be the more And demeth ye what ye shal do therfore Go thanke now my lady here qd he I rose and doun I set me on my knee And said thus Madame the God above For yelde you that the God of Love Have maked me his wrath to foryeve And grace so long for to live That I may know sothely what ye be That have me holpen and put in this degre But trewly I wende as in this caas Nought have a gilte ne done to love trespas * For why a trewe man withouten drede Hath nat to parten with a theves dede Ne a trewe lover ought me nat to blame Though yâ— I speke a false lover some shame They ought rather with me for to hold For that I of Creseide wrote or told Or of the Rose what so mine author ment Algate God wotte it was mine entent To forthren trouth in love and it cherice And to ben ware fro falsenesse and fro vice By which ensample this was my mening And she answerde let be thine arguing For love ne wol not counterpleted be In right ne wrong and lerne that of me Thou hast thy grace hold the right thereto Now woll I saine with penance thou shalt do For thy trespace vnderstand it here Thou shalt while that thou livest yere by yere The most partie of thy time spende In making of a glorious legende Of good women maidens and wives That weren trewe in loving all her lives And tell of false men that hem betraien That al her life ne do nat but assaien How many women they may done a shame For in your world that is now hold a game And though thee like nat a lover be Speke wel of love this penance yeve I thee And to the God of love I shal so pray That he shal charge his servants by any way To forthren thee and wel thy labour quite Go now thy waie this penaunce is but lite And when this boke is made yeve it yâ— quene On my behalfe at Eltham or at Shene The God of love gan smile and then he said Wost thou qd he where this be wife or maid Or queene or countesse or of what
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
For now if that the soth I shall you say I have loved you full many a day Though ye ne wist nat in my countre And aldermost desired you to see Of any earthly living creature Vpon my truth I sweare and you assure This seven yere I have your servaunt be Now have I you and also have ye me My dere hert of Athenes duchesse This Lady smileth at his stedfastnesse And at his hartely wordes and at his chere And to her luster said in this manere And sothly suster mine qd she Now be we duchesses both I and ye And sikerde to the regals of Athenes And both hereafter likely to be Queenes And saved fro his death a kings sonne As ever of gentill women is the wonne To save a gentil man enforth her might In honest cause and namely in his right Me thinketh no wight ought vs her of blame Ne bearen vs therefore an yvel name And shortly of this mater for to make This Theseus of her hath leave ytake And every point was performed in dede As ye have in this covenaunt herde me rede His wepen his clewe his thing that I have said Was by the gailer in the house ylaid There as the Minotaure hath his dwelling Right fast by the dore at his entring And Theseus is lad vnto his dethe And forth vnto this Minotaure he gethe And by the teaching of this Adriane He overcame this beest and was his bane And out he cometh by the clewe againe Ful prively when he this beest hath slaine And the gailer gotten hath a barge And of his wives treasure gan it charge And toke his wife and eke her suster free And by the gailer and with hem al three Is stole away out of the lond by night And to the countre of Enupie him dight There as he had a frende of his knowing There feesten they there daunsen they sing And in his armes hath this Adriane That of the beest hath kept him fro his bane And get him there a noble barge anone And of his countrey folke a ful great wone And taketh his leave homeward saileth hee And in an yle amidde the wilde see There as there dwelt creature none Save wild beestes and that full many one He made his shippe a londe for to sette And in that yle halfe a day he lett e. And said that on the londe he must him rest His mariners have done right as him lest And for to tell shortly in this caas When Ariadne his wife a slepe was For that her suster fayrer was than she He taketh her in his honde forth goeth he To ship and as a traitour stale away While that this Ariadne a slepe lay And to his countrey warde he sailed blive A twenty divel way the winde him drive And found his father drenched in the see Me liste no more to speke of him parde These false lovers poison be her bane But I wol turne againe to Adriane That is with slepe for werinesse ytake Ful sorowfully her hert may awake Alas for thee mine herte hath pite Right in the dawning awaketh she And gropeth in the bed fond right nought Alas qd she that ever I was wrought I am betrayed and her heere to rent And to the stronde barefote fast she went And cried Theseus mine hert swete Where he ye that I may nat with you mete And might thus with beestes ben yslaine The halow rockes answerde her againe No man she saw and yet shone the moone And hie vpon a rocke she went soone And sawe his barge sayling in the see Cold woxe her hert and right thus said she Meker then ye find I the beestes wilde Hath he nat sinne that he her thus begilde She cried O turne againe for routhe sinne Thy barge hath nat all his meine in Her kerchefe on a pole sticked she Ascaunce he should it well yse And him remembre that she was behind And turne againe on the stronde her find But all for naught his way he is gone And downe she fel a swowne on a stone And vp she riste and kissed in all her care The steppes of his feete there he hath fare And to her bed right thus she speketh tho Thou bed qd she that hast received two Thou shalt answere of two and not of one Where is the greater parte away gone Alas wher shal I wretched wight become For though so be that bote none here come Home to my countrey dare I nat for drede I can my selfe in this case nat rede What should I tell more her complaining It is so long it were an heavy thing In her epistle Naso telleth all But shortly to the end tell I shall The goddes have her holpen for pite And in the signe of Taurus men may see The stones of her crowne shine clere I will no more speake of this matere But thus this false lover can begile His trew love the divel quite him his wile ¶ The Legende of Philomene THou yever of the formes that hast wrought The fayre world bare it in thy thought Eternally er thou thy werke began Why madest thou vnto the slaunder of man Or all be that it was not thy doing As for that end to make soch a thing Why suffredest thou that Tereus was bore That is in love so false and so forswore That fro this world vp to the first heven Corrumpeth when that folke his name neven And as to me so grisly was his dede That when that I this foule storie rede Mine iyen wexen foule and sore also Yet lasteth the venime of so longe ago That enfecteth him that wolde behold The storie of Tereus of which I told Of Trace was he lord and kin to Marte The cruel God that stante with blody darte And wedded had he with blisfull chere King Pandionis faire doughter dere That hight Progne floure of her countre Though Iuno list not at the feast be Ne Himeneus that god of Wedding is But at the feast ready ben iwis The furies three with all her mortall bronde The Oule all night above the balkes wonde That Prophete is of wo and of mischaunce This revell full of song and full of daunce Last a fourtenight or little lasse But shortly of this storie for to passe For I am weary of him for to tell Five yere his wife and he togither dwell Till on a day she gan so sore long To seene her suster that she saw not long That for desire she nist what to say But to her husbond gan she for to pray For Gods love that she mote ones gone Her suster for to seene and come ayen anone Or els but she mote to her wend She praied him that he would after her send And this was day by day all her prayere With al himblesse of wifehood word chere This Tereus let make his ships yare And into Grece himselfe is forth ifare Vnto his father in law gan he pray To vouchsafe that for a moneth or tway
that I haue had affinitie to malefice or enchauntment because that I am replenished and fulfilled with thy teachings and enformed of thy maners And thus it sufficeth not only that thy reuerence ne auail me naught but if thou of thy free will rather he blemished with mine oftencion But certes to yâ— harms yâ— I haue there betideth yet this encrease of harm that the guessing and the iudgement of much folke ne looken nothing to the deserts of things but only to yâ— auenture of fortune iudgen that only such things ben purueyed of God which yâ— temporal wilfulnesse commaundeth Glosa As thus that if a wight haue prosperity he is a good man and worthy to haue that prosperitie who so hath aduersitie he is a wicked man and God hath forsake him and he is worthy to haue that aduersitie This is the opinion of some folke and thereof commeth that good gessing first of all thing forsaked wretches Certes it greeueth me to think right now in diuers sentences that the people sayth of me and thus much I say * That the last charge of contrarious Fortune is this that when any blame is laied upon a caitife men wenen that he hath deserued that he suffereth And I that am put away from good men and dispoyled of dignities and defouled of my name by gessing haue suffred turments for my good deeds Certes me seemeth that I see the felonous couines of wicked men habounden in ioy and gladnesse and I see that euery lorell shapeth him to find new fraudes for to accuse good folk and I see that good folk be ouerthrown for drede of my peril and euery luxurious tourmentour dare doen all fellonie unpunished be excited there to by yefts innocents be not only dispoiled of sikernesse but of defence therto me list to crien to God in this manner O stelliferi Conditor Orbis Qui perpetuo nixus solio Rapido Coelum turbine versas Legemque pati sidera cogis ut nunc pleno lucida cornu Totis fratris obvia flammis Condat stellas Luna minores Nunc obscuro pallida cornu Phoebo proprior lumina perdat c. THou maker of the wheele that beareth the sterres which that art fastened to thy perdurable chaire and turnest the heauen with a rauishing sweigh and constrainest the sterres to suffer thy Law so that the Moon sometime shining with her ful horns meeting with all the beames of the Sun her brother hideth the sterres that been lesse And sometime when the Moon pale with her dark horns approcheth the Sun leseth her lights and that the euin sterre Hesperus which that in the first time of the night bringeth first her cold arising cometh eft ayen her used course and is pale by the morrow at rising of the Sun and is then icleped Lucifer Thou restrainest the day by shorter dwelling in the time of the cold Winter that maketh the leaues fall Thou diuidest the swift tides of the night when the hote Summer is commen Thy might attempreth the variaunt seasons of the yeare so that Zepherus the debonaire wind bringeth ayen in the first Summer season the leaues that the wind that hight Boreas hath rest away in Autumne that is to say the last end of Summer and the seeds that the sterre that hight Arcturus sew be woxen high corns when the sterre Sirius enchaseth hem There is nothing unbounden from this old Law ne forletteth the werk of his proper estate O thou gouernour gouerning all things by certain end why refulest thou only to gouern the werks of men by due manner Why suffrest thou yâ— sliding fortune turneth so great enterchaunges of things so that annoyous paine that should duly punish Felons punisheth Innocents And folk of wicked manners sitten in high chaires and annoying folke treden and that unrightfully on the necks of holy men And vertue clere and shining naturally is hid in derk derknesses and the rightfull man beareth the paine and the blame of the fellons Ne the forswearing ne the fraud couerd and kempt with a false colour ne annoieth not to shrewdnesse the which shrewdnesse when hem list usen her strength they reioycen hem to put under hem the soueraigne kings which that the people without number dreden O thou whatsoeuer thou be that knittest all bonds of things look on these wretched earths we men that been not a foule partie but a faire part of so great a werke we been tourmented in this see of fortune Thou gouernor withdraw and restraine the rauishing floods and fasten and ferme these earths stable with thilke bond with which thou gouernest heauen that is so large Haec ubi continuato dolore delatravi illa vultu placido nihilque meis questubus mota Phi. Cum te inquit moestum lachrymantemque vidissem illico miserum exulemque cognovi Sed quam id longinquum esser exilium WHen I had with a continual sorrowe sobbed or broken out these thinges she with her chere pesible and nothing amoved with my complaints said thus When I saw thee qd she sorrowful and weeping I wist anon that thou were a wretch exiled But I wist neuer how ferre thine exile was if thy tale ne had yshewed it me But certes all be thou ferre fro thy countrey thou nart not putte out of it but thou hast fayled of thy way and gone amisse And if thou hast leuer for to wene that thou be put out of thy country then hast thou put out thy selfe rather than any other wight hath for no wight but thou thy selfe ne might neuer haue done that to thee For if thou remember thee of what countrey thou art borne it nis not gouerned by Emperours ne by gouernment of multitude as weren the countries of hem of Athens but one Lord one King and that is God that is Lord of thy country which yâ— reioyseth him of the dwelling of his citizens and not for to put hem in exile Of the which Lord it is a feeedome to be gouerned by yâ— bridle of him obey to his iustice Hast thou forgotten thilke old law of thy citie in the which citie it is ordained and established That what wight hath leuer found therin his â—eat or his house than els where he may nat be exiled by no right from that place For who so that is contained within the paleis of thilk city there is no drede that he may deserue to be exiled But who that letteth the will tenhabit there he forletteth also to deserue to be a citezein of thilke citie So that I say that the face of this place ne moueth me not so mikell as thine owne face Ne I ne aske not rather the wals of thy librarie apparailed and wrought with yuorie and with glasse than after the seat of thy thoght in which I put nat whilom books but I put that that maketh bookes worthy of price or precious that is to say sentence of my bookes And certainly of thy deserts bestowed in common good thou
request With hert and will all that might be done As vntill her that might redresse it best For in her mind there might she find it soone The remedy of that which was her boone Rehearsing that she had said before Beseeching her it might be so no more And in like wise as they had done before The gentlewomen of our company Put her billes and for to tell you more One of hem wrote C'est sans dire verely And her matere hole to specifie Within her bill she put it in writing And what it said ye shall have knowing It said God wote and that full pitously Like as she was disposed in her hert No misfortune that she tooke grevously All one to her was the joy and smert Sometime no thanke for all her good desert Other comfort she wanted none comming And so vsed it greeued her nothing Desiring her and lowly beseeching That she would for seke a better way As she that had ben her daies living Stedfast and trewe and will be alway Of her felaw somewhat I shall you say Whose bill was red next forth withall And what it meant rehearsen you I shall En Dieu est she wrote in her devise And thus she said withouten faile Her trouth might be take in no wise Like as she thouÈt wherfore she had mervaile For trouth somtime was wont to take availe In every matere but all that is ago The more pity that it is suffred so Much more there was wherof she shuld complain But she thoght it too great encombraunce So much to write and therfore in certain In God and her she put all her affiaunce As in her word is made a remembraunce Beseeching her that she would in this cace Shew vnto her the favour of her grace The third she wrote rehersing her grevaunce Ye wote ye what a pitous thing to here For as me thoght she felt great displesaunce One might right wel perceive it by her chere And no wonder it sate her passing nere Yet loth she was to put it in writing But need woll have course in every thing Soyes ensure this was her word certaine And thus she wrote in a little space There she loved her labour was in vaine For he was set all in another place Full humbly desiring in that cace Some good comfort her sorrow to appease That she might live more at hearts ease The fourth surely me thought she liked wele As in her port and in her behaving And bien moneste as ferre as I coud fele That was her word till her well belonging Wherefore to her she prayed above all thing Full heartely to say you in substaunce That she would send her good continuaunce Ye have rehearsed me these billes all But now let see somwhat of your entent It may so hap paraventure ye shall Now I pray you while I am here present Ye shall have knowledge parde what I ment But this I say in trouth and make no fable The case it selfe is inly lamentable And well I wote ye woll think the same Like as I say when ye have heard my bill Now good tel on I here you by saint Iame Abide a while it is not yet my will Yet must ye wete by reason and by skill Sith ye haue knowledg of that was don before And thus it is said without words more Nothing so lefe as death to come to me For finall end of my sorrowes and paine What should I more desire as seeme ye And ye knew all aforne it for certaine I wote ye would and for to tell you plaine Without her help that hath all thing in cure I cannat thinke that it may long endure As for my trouth it hath be proued wele To say the sooth I can say no more Of full long time and suffered euerydele In patience and keepe it all in store Of her goodnesse beseeching her therefore That I might haue my thanke in such wise As my desert serueth of justise When these billes were rad euerychone The ladies tooke a good aduisement And hem to answere by one and one She thought it was too much in her entent Wherefore she yaue hem commaundement In her presence to come both one and all To yeue hem her answere in generall What did she then suppose ye verely She spake her self and said in this manere We haue well seene your billes by and by And some of hem pitous for to here We woll therefore ye know all this in fere Within short time our court of parliment Here shall be hold in our pallais present And in all this wherein you find you greued There shall ye find an open remedy In such wise as ye shall be releeued Of all that ye rehearse here throughly As for the date ye shall know verely That ye may haue a space in your comming For Diligence shall it tell you by writing We thanked her in our most humble wise Our felawship ech one by one assent Submitting vs lowly till her seruise For as we thought we had our trauail spent In such wise as we held vs content Then each of vs tooke other by the sleue And forthwithall as we should take our leue All suddainly the water sprang anone In my visage and therewithall I woke Where am I now thought I all this is gone All mased and vp I gan to loke With that anon I went and made this boke Thus simply rehearsing the substance Because it shuld not be out of remembrance Now verely your dream is passing good And worthy to be had in remembraunce For though I stand here as long as I stood It should to me be none encombraunce I tooke therein so inly great pleasaunce But tell me now with ye the book do call For I must wete With right good will ye shall As for this booke to say you very right Of the name to tell you in certainte L'assemble de dames thus it hight How thinke ye that name is good parde Now go farewell for they call after me My felawes all and I must after sone Rede well my dreme for now my tale is done The Conclusions of the Astrolabie This Book written to his Son in the year of our Lord 1391 and in the 14th of King Richard 2. standeth so good at this day especially for the Horizon of Oxford as in the opinion of the Learned it cannot be amended LIttle Lowis my sonne I perceiue well by certaine euidences thine abilitie to learne sciences touching numbers and proportions and also well consider I thy busie prayer in especiall to learne the Treatise of the Astrolabie Then for as much as a Philosopher saith hee wrapeth him in his friend that condiscendeth to the rightfull prayers of his friend Therefore I haue giuen thee a sufficient Astrolabie for our orizont compouned after the latitude of Oxenford Vpon the which by mediation of this little Treatise I purpose to teach thee a certaine number of conclusions pertayning to this same instrument I say a certaine of conclusions
wit to parfite werke may by no way puruay the end how should I then so leaude aught wene of perfection any end to get Neuer the later grace glory and laude I yeelde and put with worshipfull reuerence to the soothfast God in three with vnitye closed which that the heauy langour of my sicknesse hath tourned into myrthe of health to recover for right as I was sorrowed through the glotton cloude of manyfolde sickly sorow so mirth ayen commyng health hath me gladded greatly comforted I beseech and pray therefore and I crie on Gods great pite and on his mokell mercye that this present scourges of my flesh mow make medicine and leech craft of my inner mans health so that my passed trespas and tenes through weepyng of myne eyes been washe and I voided from all manner disease no more to weep hereafter I now be kept thorow Gods grace so that Gods hand which merciablye mee hath scourged hereafter in good plite from thence merciably mee keepe and defend In this booke be many priuye things wimpled and fold vnneth shul leaud men the plites vnwinde wherefore I praye to the Holy ghoste he lene of his oyntmentes mens wittes to cleere and for Gods loue no man wonder why or how this question cum to my minde for my grate lustie desire was of this ladie to been enformed my lewdnesse to amende Certes I know not other mens wittes what I should aske or in aunswere what I shuld say I am so leude my self that mokell more learnyng yet mee behoueth I haue made therefore as I could but not sufficiently as I would as matter yaue me sentence for my dull witte is hindred by stepmother of foryetyng and with cloude of vnconnyng that stoppeth the light of my Margarite pearle wherefore it may not shine on me as it should I desire not only a good reader but also I coueite and pray a good booke amender in correction of words and of sentence and only this mede I coueit for my trauayle that euery inseer and hearer of this leud fautasie deuout horisons and prayers to God the dread iudge yelden and praien for me in that wise that in his dome my sins mow been released foryeuen he that praieth for other for himselfe trauayleth Also I pray that euery man parfitely mow knowe through what intencion of hert this treatise haue I draw How was it the sightful Manna in desert to children of Israel was spirituel meate bodily also it was for mens bodies it nourished And yet neuer the later Christ it signified Right so a iewell betokeneth a gemine and that is a stone vertuous or els a pearle Margarite a woman betokeneth grace learning or wisedome of God or els holy Church If bread through vertue is made holy flesh what is that our God saith * It is the spirite that yeueth life the flesh of nothyng it profiteth Flesh is fleshly vnderstanding Flesh without grace and loue naught is worth * The letter sleeth the spirite yeueth lifelich vnderstanding Charitie is loue and loue is charity God graunt vs all therein to be frended And thus the Testament of Loue is ended ¶ Here endeth the Testament of Loue. The Lamentation of Mary Magdalen This Treatise is taken out of S. Origen wherein Mary Magdalen lamenteth the Cruel Death of her Saviour Christ PLonged in the wawe of mortal distresse Alas for wo to whom shall I complain Or who shal deuoid this great heuinesse Fro me woful Mary woful Magdalen My lord is gon alas who wrought this tein This sodain chance perseth my hert so depe That nothing can I do but waile wepe My lord is gone y◠here in graue was laied After his great passion and death cruell Who hath him thus again betraied Or what man here about can me tell Where he is become the Prince of Israel Iesus of Nazareth my ghostly succour My parfite love and hope of all honour What creature hath him hence caried Or how might this so sodainly befall I would I had here with him taried And so should I haue had my purpose all I bought ointments full precious and royal Wherewith I hoped his corps to anointed But he thus gone my mind is dispointed While I therefore aduertise and behold This pitous chaunce here in my presence Full little maruaile though my hert be cold Considring lo my Lordes absence Alas that I so full of negligence Sould be found because I come so late All men may say I am infortunate Cause of my sorow you may vnderstand Quia tulerunt Dominum meum An other is that I ne may fonde I wote nere Ubi posuerunt eum Thus I must bewayle Dolorem meum With hartie weping I can no better deserue Till death approch my hert for to kerue My hert opprest with sodaine auenture By feruent anguish is be wrapped so That long this lyfe I may not endure Soch is my paine soch is my mortall wo Neuerthelesse to what party shall I go In hope to find myne owne Turtill true My liues ioy my souerain Lorde Iesu Sith all my ioy that I call his presence Is thus remoued now I am full of mone Alas the while I made no prouidence For this mishap wherefore I sigh and grone Succour to find to what place might I gon Fain I would to some man my hert breake I not to whom I may complaine or speake Alone here I stand full sory and full sad Which hoped to haue seen my lord and king Small cause haue I to be merie or glad Remembryng his bitterfull departing In this world is no creature liuing That was to me so good and gracious His loue also than gold more precious Full sore I sigh without comfort again There is no cure to my saluacion His brenning loue my hert so doth constrain Alas here is a wofull permutacion Whereof I find no joy nor consolacion Therefore my payne all onely to confesse With death I feare woll end my heauinesse This wo and anguish is intollerable If I bide here life can I not sustaine If I go hence my paines be vncurable Where him to find I know no place certain And thus I not of these things twaine Which I may take and which I may refuse My hert is wounded hereon to think or muse A while I shall stand in this mournyng In hope if any vision would appere That of my loue might tell some good tidyng Which into joy might chaunge my wepyng chere I trust in his grace his mercy dere But at the least though I therewith me kill I shall not spare to waile and wepe my fill And if that I die in soch auenture I can no more but welcome as my chaunce My bones shall rest here in this sepulture My lyfe my death is at his ordinaunce It shal be told in euerlastyng remembraunce Thus to departe is to me no shame And also thereof I am nothyng to blame Hope against me hath her course ytake There is no more but
declared Whereof the land is bound to thy seruice Which for defaut of helpe hath long cared But now there is no mans hert spared To loue serue and worch thy pleasaunce And all this is through Gods purueiaunce * In all thing which is of God begonne There followeth grace if it be well gouerned Thus tellen they which old books conne Wherof my lord I wote well thou art lerned * Ask of thy God so shalt thou not be warned Of no request which is reasonable For God vnto the good is fauourable King Salomon which had at his asking Of God what thing him was leuest craue He chase wisdome vnto gouerning Of Gods folke the which he would saue And as he chase it fill him for to haue For through his wit while that his reign last He gate him peace and rest into his last But Alexander as telleth his story Vnto the God besought in other way Of all the world to win the victory So that vnder his swerd it might obay In warre he had all that he would pray The mighty God behight him that behest The world wanne and had it of conquest But though it fill at thilke time so That Alexander his asking hath atcheued This sinful worlde was all Painem tho Was none which hath yâ— high God beleued * No wonder was though thilk world was greued Though a tirant his purpose might win All was vengeaunce and infortune of sin But now the faith of Christ is come a place Among the princes in this yearth here It sitte hem well to do pity and grace But yet it must be tempored in manere For they finden cause in the mattere Vpon the point what afterward betide The law of right shall not be laid aside So may a king of warre the voyage Ordaine and take as he thereto is hold To claime and ask his rightful heritage In all places where it is withhold But otherwise if God himself wold Affirme loue peace between the kings * Peace is yâ— best aboue all earthly things * Good is to eschew war and nathelees A king may make war vpon his right For of battaile the final end is pees Thus stant the law that a worthy knight Vpon his trouth may go to the fight But if so were that he might chese Better is yâ— peace of which may no man lese To stere peace ought euerich on liue First for to sette his leige lord in rest And eke these other men that they ne striue For so this land may stand at best * What king that would be the worthiest The more he might our deadly war cease The more he should his worthinesse increase * Peace is the chiefe of all the worlds welth And to the heauen it leadeth eke the way Peace is of soul and life the mannes health Of pestilence and doth the war away My liege lord take heed of that I say If war may be left take peace on hand Which may not be without goddes sand With peace stant euery creature in rest Without peace there may no life be glad Aboue all other good peace is the best Peace hath himself when werre is al bestad The peace is safe the warre is euer drad Peace is of all charity the kay Which hath the life and soule for to way My liege lord if that thee list to seech The soth ensamples with the war hath wrought Thou shalt well here of wise mennes speech That deadly warre turneth into nought For if these old books be well ysought There miÈt thou se what thing yâ— war hath do Both of conquest and conquerour also For vain honour or for the worlds good They that whilome the strong wars made Wher be they now bethink well in thy mood * The day is gone the night is derke fade Her cruelty which made hem then glade They sorrowen now yet haue nauÈt yâ— more The blood is shad which no man mayrestore The warre is mother of the wrongs all It sleeth the priest in holy church at masse Forlith the maid and doth her flour to fall The warre maketh the great city lasse And doth the law his rules ouerpasse Ther is nothing wherof mischeef may grow Which is not caused of the warre I trow * The war bringeth in pouerty at his heels Whereof the commen people is sore greued The war hath set his cart on thilk wheles Where that fortune may nat be beleued For when men wene best to haue atcheued Full oft it is all new to begin The warre hath nothing siker tho he win For thy my worthy prince in Christs halue As for a part whose faith thou hast be guide Ley to this old sore a new saue And do the warre away what so betide Purchase peace and set it by thy side And suffer nat thy people be deuoured So shal thy name euer after stand honoured If any man be now or euer was Ayen the peace thy preuy counsailour Let God be of thy counsaile in this caas And put away the cruel warriour * For God which is of man the creatour He would not men slough his creature Without cause of deadly forfaiture * Where needeth most behoueth most to looke My lord how so thy wars be without Of time passed who that heed tooke Good were at home to see right well about * For euermore the worst is for to dout But if thou mightest parfite peace attaine There should be no cause for to plaine About a king good counsaile is to preise Aboue all other things most vailable But yet a king within himself shall peise And seene the things that be reasonable And there upon he shall his wits stable Among the men to set peace in euin For loue of him which is yâ— king of heuin * A well is him that shed neuer blood But if it were in cause of rightwisenesse For if a king the peril vnderstood What is to slee the people then I gesse The deadly warres and the heauinesse Whereof peace distourbed is full oft Should at some time cease and were soft O king fulfilled of grace and knighthode Remember vpon this point for Christs sake If peace be profered vnto thy manhode Thine honour saue let it not be forsake Though thou yâ— wars darst well vndertake After reason yet temper thy courage For like to peace there is none auauntage My worthy lord think well how so befall Of thilke lore as holy books saine * Christ is the head and we be members all As well the subject as the soueraigne So sitte it well that charity be plaine Which vnto God himself most accordeth So as the lore of Christs word recordeth In the old law or Christ himselfe was bore Among the ten commaundements I rede How that manslaughter should be forbore Such was the wil that time of the godhede But afterward when Christ toke his manhede Peace was yâ— first thing he let do cry Ayenst the worlds rancour and enuy And or Christ went out of this earth here And
thee as loud as I may crie And then she began this song full hie I shrew all hem that been of loue vntrue And when she had song it to the end Now farewell qd she for I mote wend And god of loue that can right well may As much joy send thee this day As any yet louer he euer send Thus taketh yâ— Nightingale her leaue of me I pray to God alway with her be And joy of loue he send her euermore And shilde vs fro the Cuckow and his lore For there is not so false a bird as he Forth she flew the gentle Nightingale To all the birds that were in that dale And gate hem all into a place in fere And besoughten hem that they would here Her disease and thus began her tale The Cuckow well it is not for to hide How the Cuckow and I fast haue chide Euer sithen it was day light I pray you all that ye doe me right On that foule false vnkind bridde Then spake o bird for all by one assent This matter asketh good auisement For we been birdes here in fere And sooth it is the Cuckow is not here And therefore we woll haue a parliment And thereat shall the Egle be our Lord And other peres that been of record And the Cuckow shall be after sent There shall be yeue the judgement Or els we shall finally make accord And this shall be without nay The morrow after saint Valentines day Vnder a Maple that is faire and grene Before the chamber window of the quene At Woodstocke vpon the grene lay She thanked hem then her leaue toke And into an Hauthorne by that broke And there she sate and song vpon that tree Terme of life loue hath withhold me So loud that I with that song awoke Explicit O Leud book with thy foule rudenesse Sith thou haste neither beauty ne eloquence Who hath thee caused or yeue thee hardinesse For to appeare in my Ladies presence I am full siker thou knowest her beneuolence Full agreeable to all her abying For of all good she is the best liuing Alas that thou ne haddest worthinesse To shew to her some pleasaunt sentence Sith that she hath through her gentillesse Accepted the seruant to her digne reuerence O me repenteth that I ne had science And leiser al 's to make thee more florishing For of all good she is the best liuing Beseech her meekely with all lowlinesse Though I be ferre from her in absence To think on my trouth to her stedfastnesse And to abridge of my sorrowes the violence Which caused is wherof knoweth your sapience She like among to notifie me her liking For of all good she is the best liuing Lenuoye A Vrore of gladnesse and day of lustinesse Lucern a night with heauenly influence Illumined root of beauty and goodnesse Suspires which I effunde in silence Of grace I beseech alledge let your writing Now of all good sith ye be best liuing Explicit Scogan unto the Lords and Gentlemen of the Kings House In the written Copies the Title hereof is thus Here followeth a moral Ballad to the Prince the Duke of Clarence the Duke of Bedford the Duke of Gloucester the Kings Sons by Henry Scogan at a Supper among the Merchants in the Vintry at London in the House of Lewis John MY noble sonnes and eke my lords dere I your father called vnworthely Send vnto you this little Treatise here Written with mine owne hand full rudely Although it be that I not reuerently Haue written to your estates I you pray Mine vnconning taketh benignely For Gods sake and herken what I say I complain me sore when I remember me The suddaine age that is vpon me fall But more I complain my mispent juuentute The which is impossible ayen for to call But certainly the most complaint of all Is to thinke that I haue be so nice That I ne would vertues to me call In all my youth but vices aye cherice Of which I aske mercy of the Lord That art almighty God in majesty Beseking to make so euen accord Betwixt thee and my soule that vanity Worldly lust ne blind prosperity Haue no lordship ouer my flesh so frele Thou Lord of rest and parfite vnity Put fro me vice and kepe my soule he le And yeue me might while I haue life space Me to confirme fully to thy pleasaunce Shew to me the abundaunce of thy grace And in good werks grant me perseueraunce Of all my youth forget the ignoraunce Yeue me good will to serue thee ay to queme Set all my life after thine ordinaunce And able me to mercy or thou deme My lords dere why I this complaint write To you whom I loue most entirely Is for to warne you as I can endite * That time lost in youth folily Greueth a wight bodily and ghostly I meane him that to lust and vice entend Wherefore lords I pray you specially Your youth in vertue shapeth to dispend * Plant the root of youth in such a wise That in vertue your growing be alway Looke alway goodnesse be in your exercise That shall you mighty make at each assay The fiend to withstand at each affray Passeth wisely this perillous pilgrimage Think on this word and werke it euery day That shall you yeue a parfite floured age Taketh also hede how yâ— these noble clerkes Writen in her bookes of great saprence Saying that faith is ded withouten werkes And right so is estate with negligence Of vertue and therefore with diligence * Shapeth of vertue so to plant the root That ye thereof haue full experience To worship of your life and soules boot * Taketh also hede that lordship ne estate Without vertue may not long endure Thinketh eke how vices vertue at debate Haue ben and shall while the world may dure And euer the vicious by auenture Is ouerthrow and thinketh euermore That God is Lord of all vertue and figure Of all goodnesse and therfore follow his lore My maister Chaucer God his soule saue That in his language was so curious He said that the father which is dead graue Biqueth nothing his vertue with his hous Vnto his children and therefore labourous Ought ye be beseeking God of grace To yeue you might for to be vertuous Through whichye miÈt haue part of his place * Here may ye see that vertuous noblesse Commeth not to you by way of auncestry But it commeth by lefull businesse Of honest life and not by slogardry Wherefore in youth I rede you edisie The house of vertue in such a manere That in your age may you keepe and gie Fro the tempest of worlds wawes here * Thinketh how betwixe vertue and estate There is a parfite blessed Mariage Vertue is cause of peace vice of debate In mans soule the which be full of courage Cherisheth then vertue vices to outrage Driueth hem away let hem haue no wonning In your soules leseth not the heritage Which God hath yeue to
no force of thy reddour To him that ouer himselfe hath maistre * My suffisaunce shall be my succour For finally fortune I defie O Socrates thou stedfast champion She might neuer be thy turmentour Thou neuer dredest her oppression Ne in her chere found thou no fauour Thou knew the deceit of her colour And that her most worship is for to lie I know her eke a false dissimulour For finally fortune I defie The answer of Fortune * No man is wretched but himselfe it wene Ne that hath in himselfe suffisaunce Why saist thou then I am to thee so kene That hast thy selfe out of my gouernance Say thus graunt mercy of thine habundance that thou hast lent or this thou shalt not striue What wost thou yet how I thee woll auance And eke thou hast thy best friend aliue I haue thee taught deuision betweene Friend of effect and friend of countenaunce Thee needeth not the gall of an Hine That cureth eyen darke for her pennaunce Now seest thou clere that were in ignoraunce * Yet holt thine anker yet thou maistarriue There bounty beareth yâ— key of my substance And eke thou hast thy best friend aliue How many haue I refused to sustene Sith I haue thee fostred in thy pleasaunce Wolt thou then make a statute on thy quene That I shall be aye at thine ordinaunce Thou born art in my reigne of variaunce About the whele with other must thou driue My lore is bet then wicke is thy greuaunce And eke thou hast thy best friend aliue The answer to Fortune Thy lore I dampne it is aduersity My frend maist thou not reue blind goddesse That I thy friends know I thanke it thee * Take hem againe let hem go lie a presse The niggardes in keeping her richesse Pronoslike is thou wolt her toure assaile * Wicke appetite commeth aye before sicknesse In general this rule may not faile Fortune Thou pinchest at my mutability For I thee lent a droppe of my richesse And now me liketh to withdraw me Why shouldest thou my royalty oppresse The sea may ebbe and flow more and lesse The welken hath might to shine rain hail Right so must I kithe my brotilnesse In generall this rule may not fail The Plaintife Lo the execution of the majesty That all purueigheth of his rightwisenesse That same thing fortune clepen ye Ye blind beasts full of leaudnesse * The heauen hath property of sikernesse This world hath euer restlesse trauaile The last day is end of mine entresse In generall this rule may not faile Thenuoye of Fortune Princes I pray you of your gentilnesse Let not this man and me thus cry and plain And I shall quite you this businesse And if ye liste releue him of his pain Pray ye his best frende of his noblesse That to some better state he may attain Lenuoy TO broken been the statutes hie in heauen That create were eternally tendure Sithe that I see the bright Goddes seuen Mowe wepe and waile and passion endure As may in yearth a mortall creature Alas fro whens may this thing procede Of which errour I die almost for drede By word eterne whilom was it shape That fro the fifth cercle in no manere Ne might of teares doune escape But now so weepeth Venus in her sphere That with her teares she wol drench vs here Alas Scogan this is for thine offence Thou causest this deluge of pestilence Hast thou not said in blaspheme of yâ— goddis Through pride or through thy gret rekelnes Such things as in the law of loue forbode is That for thy lady saw not thy distresse Therfore thou yaue her vp at Mighelmesse Alas Scogan of olde folke ne yong Was neuer erst Scogan blamed for his tong Thou drew in scorne Cupide eke to record Of thilke rebell word that thou hast spoken For which he woll no lenger be thy Lord And Scogan though his bow be not broken He woll not with his arowes be ywroken On thee ne me ne none of our figure We shall of him haue neither hurte ne cure Now certes frend I drede of thine vnhape Lest for thy gilte the wreche of loue procede On all hem that been hore round of shape That be so likely folke to spede Then we shall of our labour haue our mede But well I wot thou wolt answere and say * Lo old Grisell list to renne and play Nay Scogan say not so for I me excuse God helpe me so in no rime doubtles Ne thinke I neuer of sleepe wake my muse That rusteth in my sheath still in pees While I was yong I put her forth in prees But all shall passe that men prose or time Take euery man his tourne as for his time * Scogan thou knelest at the stremes hedde Of grace of all honour and of worthiness In th ende of which I am dull as dedde Forgotten in solitary wildernesse Yet Scogan thinke on Tullius kindness Mind thy frende there it may fructifie Farewel and looke thou neuer eft loue defie Explicit * GO forth King rule thee by Sapience Bishop be able to minister doctrine Lorde to true counsaile yeue audience Womanhode to chastity euer encline Knight let thy deedes worship determine Be righteous Iudge in sauing thy name Rich do almose lest thou lese bliss with shame * People obey your king and the law Age be ruled by good religion True seruant be dredful kepe thee vnder aw And thou poore fie on presumpcion Inobedience to youth is vtter destruction Remember you how God hath set you lo And doe your part as ye be ordeined to Th. Occleve to his empty Purse TO you my purse and to none other wight Complaine I for ye be my Lady dere I am sorry now that ye be light For certes ye now make me heauy chere Me were as lefe laid vpon a bere For which vnto your mercy thus I crie Be heauy againe or els mote I die Now vouchsafe this day or it be night That I of you the blissful sowne may here Or see your colour like the sunne bright That of yelowness had neuer pere Ye be my life ye be my hertes stere Queene of comfort and of good companie Be heauy againe or els mote I die Now purse that art to me my liues light And sauiour as downe in this world here Out of this towne helpe me by your might Sith that you woll not be my treasure * For I am shaue as nere as any frere But I pray vnto your curtesie Be heauy againe or els mote I die Explicit Occleve unto the King O Conquerour of Brutes Albion Which that by line and free election Been very king this to you I send And ye that may all harmes amend Haue minde vpon my supplicacion Explicit A Ballad of good counsail translated out of Latin verses into English by Dan John Lidgate cleped the Monk of Bury COnsider well every circumstaunce Of what estate ever thou bee Riche strong or mighty of puissance
anone beholding here and there I spied a friend of mine and that full sone A gentlewoman was the chamberere Vnto the quene that hote as ye shall here Philobone that loued all her life When she me sey she led me forth as blife And me demanded how and in what wise I thither come and what my errand was To seen the Court qd I and all the guise And eke to sue for pardon and for grace And mercy aske for all my great trespas That I none erst come to the court of loue Foryeue me this ye gods all aboue That is well said qd Philobone indede But were ye not assomoned to appere By Mercurius for that is all my drede Yes gentill feire qd I now am I here Ye yet what tho though that be true my dere Of your free will ye should haue come vnsent For ye did not I deme ye will be shent For ye that reigne in youth and lustinesse Pampired with ease and jalous in your age Your duty is as farre as I can gesse To loues court to dressen your viage As soone as nature maketh you so sage * That ye may know a woman from a swan Or when your foot is growen halfe a span But sith that ye by wilfull negligence This xviii year hath kept your self at large The greater is your trespas and offence And in your neck you mote bere all yâ— charge For better were ye ben withouten barge Amidde the sea in tempest and in raine Then biden here receiuing wo and paine That ordained is for such as them absent Fro loues court by yeres long and fele I ley my life ye shall full soone repent For loue will râ—iue your colour lust and he le Eke ye must bait on many an heauy mele No force ywis I stirred you long agone To draw to court qd little Philobone Ye shall well see how rough and angry face The king of Loue will shew when ye him se By mine aduise kneel down ask him grace Eschewing perill and aduersite For well I wote it woll none other be Comfort is none ne counsell to your ease Why will ye then the king of Loue displease O mercy God qd iche I me repent Caitife wretch in hert in will and thought And after this shall be mine hole entent To serue please how dere that loue be bought Yet sith I haue mine own pennance ysought With humble sprite shall I it receiue Though that the king of Loue my life bereiue And though that feruent loues qualite In me did neuer wortch truly yet I With all obeisaunce and humilite And benigne hert shall serue him till I die And he that lord of might is great and hie Right as him list me chastice and correct And punish me with trespace thus infect These words said she caught me by the lap And led me forth in till a temple round Both large and wide and as my blessed hap And good auenture was right soone I found A tabernacle reised from the ground Where Venus sat and Cupide by her side Yet halfe for drede I can my visage hide And eft againe I looked and beheld Seeing full sundry people in the place And mister folk some that might not weld Their lims wele me thought a wonder case The temple shone with windows all of glass Bright as the day with many a fair image And there I see the fresh queene of Cartage Dido that brent her beauty for the loue Of false Eneas and the weimenting Of her Annelida true as Turtle doue To Arcite fals and there was in peinting Of many a prince and many a doughty king Whose martirdom was shewed about yâ— wals And how that fele for loue had suffred fals But sore I was abashed and astonied Of all tho folke that there were in that tide And then I asked where they had wonned In diuers courts qd she here beside In sundry clothing mantill wise full wide They were arraied and did their sacrifise Vnto the God and goddesse in their guise Lo yonder folk qd she yâ— kneele in blew They weare the colour aye and euer shall In signe they were and euer will be trew Withouten chaunge and soothly yonder all That ben in black and mourning cry and call Vnto the gods for their loues bene Som sick some dede som all to sharp kene Yea then qd I with done these priests here Nonnes and Hermites Freres and all tho That sit in white in russet and in grene Forsooth qd she they waylen of their wo. O mercy Lord may they so come and go Freely to court and haue such liberty Yea men of each condition and degre And women eke For truly there is none Exception made ne neuer was ne may This court is ope and free for euerichone The king of loue he will not say them nay He taketh all in poore or rich array That meekely sew vnto his excellence With all their hert and all their reuerence And walking thus about with Philobone I see where come a messengere in hie Streight from the king which let command anone Throughout the court to make an ho cry All new come folke abide and wote ye why The kings lust is for to seene you sone Come nere let see his will mote need be done Then gan I me present tofore the king Trembling for fere with visage pale of hew And many a louer with me was kneeling Abashed sore till vnto the time they knew The sentence yeue of his entent full trew And at the last the king hath me behold With sterne visage seid what doth this old Thus ferre ystope in yeres come so late Vnto the court forsooth my liege qd I An hundred time I haue ben at the gate Afore this time yet coud I neuer espie Of mine acqueintaunce any in mine eie And shame fastnesse away me gan to chace But now I me submit vnto your grace Well all is pardoned with condition That thou be true from henceforth to thy might And seruen loue in thine entention Sweare this then as ferre as it is right thou shalt haue grace here in thy quenes sight Yes by yâ— faith I owe to your croun I swere Though death therefore me thirâ—th with his spere And when yâ— king hod seene vs euerychone He let commaund an Officer in hie To take our faith and shew vs one by one The statutes of the court full busily Anon the booke was leid before their eie To rede and see what thing we must obserue In Loues Court till that we die and sterue ANd for that I was lettred there I red The statutes hole of Loues Court hall The first statute that on the booke was spred Was to be true in thought and deeds all Vnto the king of Loue the lord ryall And to the quene as faithfull and as kind As I coud thinke with hert will and mind The Second statute secretly to kepe Councell of loue not blowing euery where All that I
trauailed and so faint That neither knew I kirke ne saint Ne what was what ne who was who Ne auised what way I would go But by a venturous grace I rise and walkt sought pace and pace Till I a winding staire found And held the vice aye in my hond And vpward softly so gan creepe Till I came where I thought to sleepe More at mine ease and out of preace At my good leisure and in peace Till somewhat I recomfort were Of the trauell and great feare That I endured had before This was my thought without more And as a wight witlesse and faint Without more in a chamber paint Full of stories old and diuers More than I can now rehearse Vnto a bed full soberly So as I might full sothly Pace after other and nothing said Till at the last downe I me laid And as my mind would giue me leue All that I dreamed had that eue Before all I can rehearse Right as a child at schoole his verse Doth after that he thinketh to thriue Right so did I for all my liue I thought to haue in remembraunce Both the paine and the pleasaunce The dreame whole as it me befell Which was as ye here me tell Thus in my thoughts as I lay That happy or unhappy day Wot I not so haue I blame Of the two which is the name Befell me so that there a thought By processe new on sleepe me brought And me gouerned so in a while That againe within the yle Me thought I was whereof the knight And of the ladies I had a sight And were assembled on a greene Knight and lady with the queene At which assembly there was said How they all content and paid Were wholly as in that thing That the knight there should be king And they would all for sure witnesse Wedded be both more and lesse In remembraunce without more Thus they consent for euermore And was concluded that the knight Depart should the same night And forthwith there tooke his voiage To journey for his marriage And returne with such an host That wedded might be least and most This was concluded written and sealed That it might not be repealed In no wise but aie be firme And all should be within a tearme Without more excusation Both feast and coronation This knight which had thereof the charge Anon into a little barge Brought was late against an eue Where of all he tooke his leaue Which barge was as a mans thought After his pleasure to him brought The Queene her selfe accustomed aye In the same barge to play It needeth neither mast ne rother I haue not heard of such another No maister for the gouernaunce Hie sayled by thought and pleasaunce VVithout labour East and VVest All was one calme or tempest And I went with at his request And was the first prayed to the fest VVhen he came in his countree And passed had the wauy see In an hauen deepe and large He left his rich and noble barge And to the court shortly to tell He went where he wont was to dwell And was receiued as good right As heire and for a worthy knight VVith all the states of the lond VVhich came anon at his first sond VVith glad spirits full of trouth Loth to do fault or with a slouth Attaint be in any wise Their riches was their old seruise VVhich euer trew had be fond Sith first inhabit was the lond And so receiued there her King That forgotten was no thing That owe to be done ne might please Ne their soueraine Lord do ease And with them so shortly to say As they of custome had done aye For seuen yere past was and more The father the old wise and hore King of the land tooke his leue Of all his barons on an eue And told them how his dayes past VVere all and comen was the last And hertily prayed hem to remember His sonne which yong was and tender That borne was their prince to be If he returne to that countree Might by aduenture or grace VVithin any time or space And to be true and friendly aye As they to him had bene alway Thus he them prayd without more And tooke his leaue for euermore Knowen was how tender in age This young prince a great viage Vncouth and straung honours to seche Tooke in hond with little speeche VVhich was to seeke a princes That he desired more than riches For her great name that floured so That in that time there was no mo Of her estate ne so well named For borne was none that euer her blamed Of which princes somewhat before Here haue I spoke and some will more So thus befell as ye shall heare Vnto their lord they made such cheare That joy was there to be present To see their troth and how they ment So very glad they were ech one That them among there was no one That desired more riches Than for their Lord such a princes That they might please and that were faire For fast desired they an heire And said great surety were ywis And as they were speaking of this The prince himselfe him auised And in plaine English vndisguised Them shewed hole his journey And of their counsell gan them prey And told how he ensured was And how his day he might not passe VVithout diffame and great blame And to him for euer shame And of their counsell and auise There he prayth them once or twise And that they would within ten daies Auise and ordaine him such waies So that it were no displeasaunce Ne to this Realme ouer great grieuaunce And that he haue might to his feast Sixty thousand at the least For his intent within short while Was to returne vnto his yle That he came fro and kepe his day For nothing would he be away To counsaile tho the Lords anon Into a chamber euerychone Togither went them to deuise How they might best and in what wise Puruey for their Lords pleasaunce And the Realmes continuaunce Of honor which in it before Had continued euermore So at the last they found the waies How within the next ten daies All might with paine and diligence Be done and cast what the dispence Might draw and in conclusion Made for ech thing prouision When this was done wholly tofore The prince the lords all before Come and shewed what they had done And how they couth by no reason Find that within the ten daies He might depart by no waies But would be fifteene at the least Or he returne might to his feast And shewed him euery reason why It might not be so hastily As he desired ne his day He might not keepe by no way For diuers causes wonder great VVhich when he heard in such an heat He fell for sorow and was seke Still in his bed whole that weke And nigh the tother for the shame And for the doubt and for the blame That might on him be aret And oft vpon his brest he her And said alas mine
sie From the same groue where the ladies come out Of men of armes comming such a rout As all the men on earth had ben assembled In that place we le horsed for the nones Stering so fast that all the earth trembled But for to speake of riches and stones And men and horse I trow the large wones Of Pretir Iohn ne all his tresory Might not vnneth haue boght the tenth party Of their array who so list heare more I shall rehearse so as I can alite Out of the groue that I spake of before I sie come first all in their clokes white A company that ware for their delite Chapelets fresh of okes seriall Newly sprong and trumpets they were all On euery trumpe hanging a broad banere Of fine Tartarium were full richely bete Euery trumpet his lords armes here About their neckes with great pearles sete Collers brode for cost they would not lete As it would seem for their schochones echone Were set about with many a precious stone Their horse harneis was all white also And after them next in one company Came kings of armes and no mo In clokes of white cloth of gold richly Chapelets of greene on their heads on hie The crowns that they on their scochones bere Were set with pearle ruby and saphere And eke great Diamonds many one But all their horse harneis and other geare Was in a sute according euerychone As ye haue heard the foresaid trumpets were And by seeming they were nothing to lere And there guiding they did so manerly And after hem came a great company Of herauds and purseuaunts eke Arrayed in clothes of white veluet And hardily they were no thing to seke How they on hem should the harneis set And euery man had on a chapelet Scochones and eke horse harneis indede They had in sute of hem that before hem yede Next after hem came in armour bright All saue their heads seemely knights nine And euery claspe and naile as to my sight Of their harneis were of red gold fine With cloth of gold and furred with ermine Were the trappors of their stedes strong Wide large that to the ground did hong And euery bosse of bridle and paitrell That they had was worth as I would wene A thousand pound and on their heads well Dressed were crownes of laurer grene The best made that euer I had sene And euery knight had after him riding Three henshmen on him awaiting Of which euery on a short tronâ—houn His lords helme bare so richly dight That the worst was worth the ransoun Of a king the second a shield bright Bare at his necke the thred bare vpright A mighty spere full sharpe ground and kene And euery child ware of leaues grene A fresh chapelet vpon his haires bright And clokes white of fine veluet they were Their steeds trapped and raied right Without difference as their lords were And after hem on many a fresh corsere There came of armed knights such a rout That they besprad the large field about And all they ware after their degrees Chaplets new made of laurer grene Some of oke and some of other trees Some in their honds bare boughs shene Some of laurer and some of okes kene Some of hauthorne and some of woodbind And many mo which I had not in mind And so they came their horses freshly stering With bloody sownes of her trompes loud There sie I many an vncouth disguising In the array of these knights proud And at the last as euenly as they coud They took their places in middes of the mede And euery knight turned his horse hede To his fellow and lightly laid a spere In the rest and so justes began On euery part about here and there Some brake his spere some drew down hors man About the field astray the steeds ran And to behold their rule and gouernaunce I you ensure it was a great pleasaunce And so the justs last an houre and more But tho that crowned were in laurer grene Wan the prise their dints were so sore That there was none ayenst hem might sustene And the justing all was left off clene And fro their horse the ninth alight anone And so did all the remnant euerichone And forth they yede togider twain twain That to behold it was a worthy sight Toward the ladies on the greene plaine That song daunced as I said now right The ladies as soone as they goodly might They brake of both the song and dance And yede to meet hem with ful glad semblance And euery lady tooke full womanly By the hond a knight and forth they yede Vnto a faire laurer that stood fast by With leues lade the boughes of great brede And to my dome there neuer was indede Man that had seene halfe so faire a tree For vnderneath there might it well haue be An hundred persons at their owne plesance Shadowed fro the heat of Phebus bright So that they should haue felt no greuance Of raine ne haile that hem hurt might The sauour eke rejoice would any wight That had be sicke or melancolius It was so very good and vertuous And with great reuerence they enclining low To the tree so soot and faire of hew And after that within a little throw They began to sing and daunce of new Some song of loue some plaining of vntrew Enuironning the tree that stood vpright And euer yede a lady and a knight And at the last I cast mine eye aside And was waxe of a lusty company That came roming out of the field wide Hond in hond a knight and a lady The ladies all in surcotes that richely Purfiled were with many a rich stone And euery knight of green ware mantles on Embrouded well so as the surcotes were And euerich had a chapelet on her hed Which did right well vpon the shining here Made of goodly floures white and red The knights eke that they in hond led In sute of hem ware chapelets euerychone And before hem went minstrels many one As Harpes Pipes Lutes and Sautry All in greene and on their heads bare Of diuers floures made full craftely All in a sute goodly chapelets they ware And so dauncing into the mede they fare In mid the which they found a tuft that was All ouersprad with floures in compas Whereto they enclined euerychone With great reuerence and that full humbly And at the last there began anone A lady for to sing right womanly A Bargaret in praising the daisie For as me thought among her notes swete She said Si douset la Margarete Then they all answered her in fere So passingly well and so pleasauntly That it was a blisful noise to here But I not it happed suddainly As about noone the sonne so feruently Waxe hote that the prety tender floures Had lost the beauty of her fresh colours For shronke with heat the ladies eke to brent that they ne wist where they hem might bestow The knights swelt for
any more religions than one That S. Iames speaketh of If he approueth no more why hast thou left his rule and takest another Why is a freer apostata that leueth his order and taketh another sect sith there is but one religion of Christ 3 Why be ye wedded faster to your habits than a man is to his wife For a man may leaue his wife for a year or two as many men done and if you leaue your habit a quarter of a year ye should be holden apostataes 4 Maketh your habit you men of religion or no If it doe then euer as it weareth your religion weareth and after that your habit is better your religion is better and when ye haue liggen it beside then lig ye your religion beside you and been apostataes why buy ye you so precious clothes sith no man seeketh such but for vaine glory as S. Gregorie sayth What betokeneth your great hood your scaplerie your knotted girdle and your wide cope 5 Why use ye all one colour more than other christian men do What betokeneth that ye been clothed all in one manner clothing If ye say it betokeneth loue and charitie certes then ye be oft hypocrites when any of you hateth another and in that that ye wol be said holy by your clothing Why may not a freer weare clothing of another sect of freers sith holinesse stondeth not in the cloths 6 Why hold ye silence in one house more than another sith men ought ouer all to speake the good and leaue the euil Why eat you flesh in one house more than in another if your rule and your order be perfect and the patron that made it 7 Why get ye your dispensations to haue it more easie Certes either it seemeth that ye be vnperfect or he that made it so hard that ye may not hold it And siker if ye hold not the rule of your patrons ye be not then her freers and so ye lie vpon your selues 8 Why make you as dede men when yee be professed and yet ye be not dede but more quicke beggars than you were before and it seemeth euil a dede man to go about and beg 9 Why will ye not suffer your nouises hear your councels in your chapter house ere that they haue ben professed if your councels been true and after Gods law 10 Why make yee you so costly houses to dwell in sith Christ did not so and dede men should haue but graues as falleth it to dede men and yet ye haue more courts than many lords of England for ye now wenden through the realme and ech night will lig in your own courts and so mow but right few lords doe 11 Why heire you to ferme your limitors giuing therefore each yeare a certain rent and will not suffer one in anothers limitation right as yee were your selues lords of countries Why be ye not vnder your bishops visitations and seegemen to our king Why aske ye no letters of bretherheads of other mens praiers as ye desire that other men should aske letters of you If your letters be good why grant ye them not generally to all manner of men for the more charitie 12 Mowe ye make any man more perfect brether for your prayers than God hath by our beleeue by our baptisme and his owne grant if ye mow certes then ye be aboue God Why make ye men beleeue that your golden trentall sung of you to take therefore ten shillings or at least fiue shillings woll bring souls out of hell or out of purgatorie if this be sooth certes ye might bring all souls out of paine and that woll ye nought and then ye be out of charitie 13 Why make ye men beleeue that he that is buried in your habit shall neuer come in hell and ye weet not of your selfe whether ye shall to hell or no and if this were sooth ye should sell your high houses to make many habites for to saue many mens soules 14 Why steal ye mens children for to make hem of your sect sith that theft is against Gods hests and sith your sect is not perfect yee know not whether the rule that ye bind him to be best for him or worst 15 Why vnderneme ye not your brethren for their trespasse after the law of the Gospel sith that vnderneming is the best that may be but ye put them in prison oft when they do after Gods law and by S. Augustines rule If any doe amisse and would not amend him ye should put him from you 16 Why coueit ye shrift and burying of other mens parishens and none other sacrament that falleth to christian folke Why busie ye not to heare to shrift of poor folke as well as of rich lords and ladies sith they mow haue more plenty of shrift fathers than poor folke mow Why say ye not the gospel in houses of bedred men as ye do in rich mens that mow goe to church and heare the gospell Why couet you not to bury poor folk among you sith that they been most holy as ye saine that ye been for your pouerty 17 Why will ye not be at her diriges as ye haue been at rich mens sith God praiseth hem more than he doth other men What is thy prayer worth sith thou wilt take therefore for all chapmen yee need to bee most wise for dread of simony What cause hast thou that thou wilt not preach the gospel as God saith that thou shouldst sith it is the best lore and also our beleeue VVhy be ye euill apaid that secular priestes should preach the gospell sith God himselfe hath bodden hem 18 VVhy hate ye the gospell to be preached sith ye be so much hold therto for ye win more by yeare with In principio than with all the rules that euer your patrones made and in this minstrels been better than ye for they contrarien not to the mirths that they maken but ye contrarien the gospell both in word and deed 19 Freer when thou receiuest a peny for to say a masse whether sellest thou Gods body for that peny or thy prayer or els thy travell if thou saist thou wolt not trauell for to say the masse but for the peny that certes if this be sooth then thou louest too little meed for thy soule and if thou sellest Gods body other thy prayer then it is very simony and art become a chapman worse than Iudas that sold it for thirty pence 20 VVhy writest thou hir names in thy tables that yeueth thee mony sith God knoweth all thing for it semeth by thy writing that God would not reward him but thou writest in thy tables God would els forgotten it VVhy bearest thou God in hand and slanderest him that he begged for his meat sith he was Lord ouer all for then had he been vnwise to haue begged and haue no need thereto Freer after what lawe rulest thou thee where findest thou in Gods lawe that thou shouldest thus beg 21 VVhat maner men
needeth for to beg For whom oweth such men to beg VVhy beggest thou so for thy brethren If thou saist for they haue need then thou dost it for the more perfection or els for the least or els for the meane If it be the most perfection of all then should all thy brethren do so and then no man needed to beg but for himself for so should no man beg but him needed And if it be the least perfection why louest thou then other men more than thy selfe For so thou art not well in charity sith thou shouldest seek the more perfection after thy power liuing thy self most after God And thus leauing that imperfection thou shouldst not so beg for them And if it is a good mean thus to beg as thou dost then should no man do so but they been in this good mean and yet such a mean granted to you may neuer be grounded on Gods law for then both lerid and leaud that been in mean degree of this world should go about and beg as ye do And if all should do so certes well nigh all the world should go about and beg as ye done and so should there be ten beggers against one yeuer VVhy procurest thou men to yeue thee their almes and saist it is so needful and thou wilt not thy selfe win thee that meed 22 VVhy wilt thou not beg for poor bedred men that been poorer than any of your sect that liggen and mow not go about to help himselfes sith we be all brethren in God and that bretherhed passeth any other that ye or any man could make and where most need were there were most perfection either els ye hold them not your pure brethren but worse but then ye be vnperfect in your begging VVhy make ye so many maisters among you sith it is against the teaching of Christ and his Apostles 23 VVhose been all your rich courts that ye han and all your rich jewels sith ye seen that ye han nought ne in proper ne in common If ye saine they been the Popes why gather ye then of poore men and lords so much out of the kings hand to make your pope rich And sith ye sain that it is great perfection to haue nought in proper be in common why be ye so fast about to make the pope that is your father rich and put on him imperfection sithen ye saine that your goods been all his and he should by reason be the most perfect man it semeth openlich that ye been cursed children so to slander your father and make him imperfect And if ye saine that the goods be yours then do ye ayenst your rule and if it be not ayenst your rule then might ye haue both plough and cart and labour as other good men done and not so to beg by losengery and idle as ye done If ye say that it is more perfection to beg than to trauell or to worch with your hand why preach ye not openly and teach all men to do so sith it is the best and most perfect life to the help of their souls as ye make children to beg the might haue been rich heirs Why make ye not your feasts to poor men and yeueth hem yefts as ye done to the rich sith poor men han more need than the rich What betokeneth that ye goe tweine and tweine togither if ye be out of charity ye accord not in soule Why beg ye and take salaries therto more than other priests sith he that most taketh most charge hath 24 Why hold ye not S. Francis rule and his testament sith Francis saith that God shewed him this liuing and this rule and certes if it were Gods will the Pope might not fordo it or els Francis was a lier that saied in this wise And but this testament that he made accord with Gods will or els erred he is a lier that were out of charitie and as the law saith he is accursed that letteth the rightful last wil of a dead man And this testament is the last will of Francis that is a dead man it seemeth therefore that all his freers been cursed 25 Why will ye not touch no coined money with the crosse ne with the kings head as ye done other jewels both of gold and siluer certes if ye despise the crosse or the kings head then ye be worthy to be despised of God and the king and sith ye will receiue mony in your hearts and not with your hands and it seemeth that yee hold more holinesse in your hands than in your hearts and then be false to God 26 Why haue ye exempt you from our kings laws and visiting of our bishops more than other christen men that liuen in this realm if ye be not guiltie of traitorie to our realme or trespassers to your bishops But ye will have the kings laws for the trespasse doe to you and ye will haue power of other bishops more than other priests and also haue leaue to prison your brethren as lords in your courts more than other folks han that ben the kings leegemen 27 Why shall some sect of you freers pay eche a yere a certaine to her generall prouincial or minister or els to her souereines but if he steale a certaine number of children as some men saine and certes if this ben sooth then yee be constreined upon certein pain to do theft against Gods commaundement Non furtum facies 28 Why be ye so hardie to grant by letters of fraternitie to men and women that they shall haue part and merite of all your good deeds and ye weten neuer whether God be apayed with your deeds because of your sin Also yee witten neuer whether that man or woman be in state to be saved or damned then shall he haue no merit in heauen for his owne deeds ne for none other mans And all were it so that he shold haue part of your good deeds yet should he haue no more than God would giue him after that he were worthie and so much shall each man haue of Gods yeft without your limitation But if ye will say that ye been Gods fellowes and that he may not doe without your assent then be ye blasphemers to God 29 What betokeneth that yee haue ordeined that when such one as ye haue made your brother or sister and hath a letter of your seale that letter mought bee brought in your holy chapter and there be rad or els yee will not pray for him And but ye willen pray especially for all other that were not made your brethren or sistren then were ye not in right charitie for that ought to be commen and namely in ghostly things 30 Freer what charity is this to ouercharge the people by mightie begging vnder colour of preaching or praying or masses singing Sith holy write biddeth not thus but euen the contrary for all such ghostly deeds should be done freely as God yeueth them freely 31 Freer what charitie is this to
goodlihede and the lowlinesse of a king And specially in cheare and in speaking To his lieges and to bearen him faire In his apport and shew him debonaire And not to been to strange ne solein In countenaunce outward ne disdein Which causeth oft who that can advert Great hatred in the peoples hert And therevpon prively woll rowne When a Prince doth vpon hem frowne Shortly deme for all his excellence Emong hemselfe out of his presence Everiche conclude liche his fantasie And thus full oft gendred is enuy In folkes heartes of soleinte and pride For such as list not ones to looke aside To reward hem when they low loute * And againe kind it is out of doute That any head by record of the wise Should the foot of disdaine despise Which beareth him vp who so can take heed And susteineth in his most need As his piller and his supportaile * For finally ne were the pooraile Her bearer vp and supportation Farewell Lordship and domination Throughout the Land of every high estate Wherefore me seemeth more is fortunate Of Mercury the soote sugred Harpe Than Mars swerd whetted kene sharpe More accepted with aspects good Than is this God with his lookes wood What the goodlihead of a Prince availeth to win the hearts of his People * For humble speech with glad countenance May a Prince soothly aduance Emong his people hearts for to win Of inward love which will not twin Than gold richesse pride or tyranny Other disdaine daunger or surquedy For of lords clerkes can report But that loue her crowne doe support The fine is not in conclusion I take record of King Amphion Example good of King Amphion That built Thebes by his eloquence More than of pride or of violence Noble and rich that like was no where none And thus the wals made of lime and stone Were reised first by singing of this king Like as Poets feinen in her writing How after the opinion of some Authours King Cadmus built first the city of Thebes But soothly yet some expositours Grounding hem upon old authours Saine that Cadmus the famous old man Full long afore the city first began And the ground of building sette And the bounds by compasse out mette With thongs out kerue of a Buls side Which enuiron stretch might wide To get in land a full large space VVhereupon to build a dwelling place How the Country of Boece took first its name of a Bulls skin and after called Thebes And how King Cadmus was exiled out of Thebes by Prowess of King Amphion And called was the soile thus getten in VVhylome Boece of the Buls skin The name after into Thebes tourned But Cadmus hath not there long sojourned Like in story as it is compiled For shortly he fro thence was exiled Never after for to dwell in the toun By the knighthood of this Amphioun VVhich vp perfourmeth rich for the nones The city Thebes of mighty square stones As I you told a lite heretoforne And Cadmus thus his kingdome hath lorne Scepter and crowne and his power roiall Now have I told vnto you ground of all That ye well know by information Clerely the pith and the exposition Of this matter as clerkes can you tell It were but vaine lenger for to dwell To tarry you on this mattere Sith my tale which that ye shall here Vpon our way will last a long while The space in sooth as I suppose of vii mile And now ye know first how Amphion Built and began this city and this toun Reigning there long after as I rede Of him no more for I will procede To my purpose that I first began Not telling here how the line ran How the Line of Amphion by descent was conveyed to King Laius Fro king to king by succession Conveying downe by the stock of Amphion Seriously by line all the discent But leaue all this plainly of intent To tell forth in bookes as I rede How Laius by processe gan succede Here beginneth the Story of King Laius and Iocasta his Wife TO beare the Crowne in this mighty land Holding the scepter of Thebes in his hand Manly and wise during all his life And Iocasta called was his wife Full womanly the story saith certaine For a time though she were barraine Till Laius in full humble wise To have a child did sacrifice First to Apollo in his chaire so bright And Iupiter that hath so great a might Beseeching hem with devout reuerence To graunt only through her influence That his request executed may be And specially to goddesses three He besought Pallas and Iuno And Diane for to help also That he be not defrauded of his boon And his prayer accepted was full soone That finally through his rites old Even like as his heart would The Queen Iocasta hath anone conceived Which when the King fully hath perceived He made in haste him list not to abide Through his kingdome Messengers ride Fro coast to coast the story can deuise For Divinours and Philosophers wise For such as were famous Phisiciens And well expert Astronomiens To come in hast vnto his presence To find out shortly in sentence By craft onely of calculation The childs fate and disposition How the Astronomiens and Philosophers of Thebes calcled out the fate of Edippus And thereupon to yeue a iudgement The root I take at the ascendent Truly sought out by minute and degre The selfe houre of his natiuite Not foryet the heauenly mansions Clearely searched by smale fractions First by seconds terces and eke quartes On Augrime stones and on white cartes Ipriued out by diligent labour In tables correct deuoid of all errour Iustly sought and found out of both two The yeares collect and expanse also Considred eke by good inspection Euery houre and constellation And each aspect and looke eke diuers Which were good and which also peruers Where they were toward or at debate Happy wilfull or iufortunate The cursed Constellation and Disposition of the Heaven at the Nativity of Edippus And finally in conclusion They found Saturne in the Scorpion Heauie chered melancolike and loth And wood Mars furious and wroth Holding his sceptre in the Capricorne The same houre when this child was borne Venus direct and contrarious And depressed in Mercurious hous That the dome and judgement finall Of these clerkes to speake in speciall By fatall sort that may not be withdraw That with his swerd his father shall be slaw How the fate of Edippus disposed that he should slea his own Father There may no man helpe it ne excuse On which thing the king gan sore muse And cast he would on that other side Againe her dome for himselfe prouide Shape away and remedy toforne Bidding the quene when the child wer borne Without mercy or moderly pite That he be dead it may none other be And in all hast like as he hath sent She obeied his commaundement With wofull heart and pitous looke And face pale her yong
sonne she tooke Tender and grene both of flesh and bones To certaine men ordained for the nones Fro point to point in all manner thing To execute the bidding of the king They durst not delay it nor abide But to a forest that stood there beside They tooken her way and fast gan him speed The kings will to performe indeed Hauing thereof passing heauinesse But when that they beheld the fairenesse Of the child and excellent beautie In her heart they had great pitie And plainly cast emong hem was no strife That the child should haue his life And anone high upon a tree In place that no man might it see They heng him vp the story can reherce But first his feet they gan through perce And on bowes tender tough and smale They knitte him vp shortly this is no tale Him to preserue from beasts wild and rage And after that they tooken her voyage Toward Thebes in all the hast they may But of fortune thilke same day With her hounds searching vp and doun The hunts went of king Polibon Through the forrest gan for to find Some aforne and some come behind And gan search and seeke wonder sore Emong the hills and the holts hore And as they rengen the trenches by and by They heard a noise and a pitous cry How the hunts of King Polibon found the child in the forrest and presented him unto the King Of this child honging on a tree And all at ones drough hem for to see And left not till they haue him found And tooke him doune and his feet vnbound And bare him home vnto Polibon King of Archadie the famous region And when that he the child first can see Of his wounds he had great pitee To behold his tender feet so blede And called him Edippus as I rede Which is to saine platly this is no fage Bored the feet as in that language And first the king in his royall hall Made his men a norice for to call This young child to foster and to keepe With her milke that he mought ne weepe And his Leeches he charged eke also Till he were whole her deuoir for to do Fully in purpose for this child was feire After his day to maken him his heire For cause onely who so taketh heed Sonne had he none by line to succeed And that he had a wife or none I find it not and therefore I let it gone But by processe of daies and of yeres This Edippus emong his playing feares Was in port passing full of pride That none with him might in peace abide In heart he was so inly surquidous Melancolike and contrarious Full of despite and of high disdaine That no wight durst shortly him withsaine Till on a day he gan with one debate To whom he had specially great hate Which of rancour and of hasty tene As he that might his pride not sustene Gan vpon him cruelly to braid And vnto him felly thus he said Whereto qd he art thou so proud of port Contraire also euer in any disport Froward and fell lasting euer in one As thou were lord of vs euerichone And presumest fully in werking Like as thou were sonne vnto the King And descended of his royall blood But whether so thou be wroth or wood Thou art nothing if thee list take hede Appertaining vnto his kinrede But in a forrest founden and vnknow When thou wer yong therfore bear thee low And vtterly remember thee if thee list Thy birth and blood are both two vntwist This is the fine shortly of my tale Wherewith Edippus gan to wexe pale And chaunge also cheare and countenaunce And gan apeint in his remembraunce Word by word and forgat right nought And felly mused on this and aboue thought And cast he would without more tarrying The trouth enquire of Polibon the King And when he saw oportune space And the King in a secret place He him be sought lowly on his knee To his request benignely to see The request of Edippus unto the King Polibon And that he would plainly and not spare Of his birth the true ground declare And make him sure of this thing anone If he were his very sonne or none And Polibon onely of gentillesse When he beheld the great heauinesse Of Edippus and the wofull paine He gan dissimule and in a manner faine Liche as he had ben verely his heire But more and more he falleth in dispeire And downe ayen on knees gan fall Him conjuring by the Gods all To tell trouth and nothing to hide Affirming eke he will not abide Lenger with him but riden and enquere Till time he may the very sooth lere In any part of hap or of fortune And for that he was so importune In his desire the King without abode Curiously told him how it stode The Answer of the King unto Edippus In a forrest first how he was found Vpon a tree by the feet ybound And how he cast in conclusion To make him King of that region After his day shortly for to tell But Edippus would no lenger dwell But tooke leaue and in hast gan ride To a temple fast there beside Of Apollo in story as is told Whose statute stood in a chaire of gold On wheeles foure burned bright and shene And within a spirit full vncleane By fraud onely and fals illusion Answere yafe to euery question Bringing the people in full great errour Such as to him did false honour By rites vsed in the old dawes After the custome of Paganims lawes And Edippus with full humble chiere To Apollo made his priere Beseeching him on his knees low By some signe that he might know Through euidence shortly comprehended Of what kinred that he was discended And when Edippus by great deuotion Finished had fully his orison The fiend anon within inuisible With a voice dredefull and horrible Bad him in hast take his voyage Toward Thebes where of his linage He hearen shall and he certified And on his way anone he hath him hied By hasty journey so is his horse constrained Day by day till he hath attained Vnto a castle Pilotes ycalled Rich and strong and we le aboue ywalled Adjacent by site of the country And apertinent to Thebes the city King Laius being there present For to hold a manner of turnement With his knights yong and couragious And other folke that were desirous To preue hemselfe shortly for to tell Who that by force other might excell Or get a name through his prowesse Euerich of hem did his businesse On horsebacke and eke on foot All be that some found it full vnsoot Rather a play of warre than of peace VVhere Edippus put himselfe in preace As he that was aie ready to debate Enforcing him to enter in at gate Maugre all tho that him would let And in the preace of auenture he met How Edippus slough his Father by ignorance at the Castle of Pilotes King Laius and cruelly him slough Though the
yâ— lond yâ— this monstre was slaw And line right to Thebes he gan draw Well receiued for his worthinesse For his manhood and his prowesse And for they seigh he was a seemely knight Well fauoured in euery mans sight And saw also Thebes the mighty toun Not onely they but all the regioun Were destitute of a gouernour Ayen her foon hauing no succour Hem to defend but the Queene alone Emong hemselfe making full great mone For there was none as bookes specifie The Sceptre and croune to occupie For which the Lordes all by one assent Within the toune set a parlement Shortly concluding if it might been Prudently to treate with the Queen Namely they that held hem selfe most sage To condescend by way of mariage She to be joyned to this manly knight Passing prudent and famous eke of might Most holle man as they can discerne The worthy citee to keepe and gouerne And through counsail of the lords all To their desire plainly she is fall And accorded without more tarying That of Thebes Edippus shall be king By full assent was none that sayed nay And time set ayein a certain day Emong hem selfe and finally deuised The wedding was in Thebes solempnized Full rially that needs must vnthriue Onely for he his moder tooke to wiue Vnwist of both he was of her blood And ignoraunt shortly how it stood That he toforne had his father slaw For which this wedding was against the law * And tofore God is neither faire ne good Nor acceptable blood to touch blood Which cause hath be of great confusion In many a lond and many a region Ground and root of vnhap and mischaunce The fine concluding alway with vengeaunce As men haue sein by clere experience And holy writ recordeth in sentence How Herode falsly in his life By violence tooke his brothers wife For she was fayre and pleasaunt to his sight And kept her still by force through his might Although to her title had he non And for her sake the holy man sainct Iohn For his trouth in prison lost his hedde Wherefore I rede euery man take hede VVhether so he be Lord Prince or King That he beware to eschue soch wedding Ere yâ— the swerde of vengeance him manace Lest he lese hap fortune and grace Taking ensample in all maner thing Of Edippus in Thebes crouned king All be that he wrought of ignoraunce Full derke and blind of his wofull chaunce And if vnwist that he of innocence As ye haue herde fell in soch offence For which he was punished brought low What are they worthy that her errour know And from the knot list not to absteine Of such spousaile to God and man vnclene I can not sem ne more thereof deuise Demeth your self that prudent been wise And eke Edippus haueth emong in mind Of whom the wedding like as ye may find Vnhappy was and passing odious Infortunate and eke vngracious I am werie more thereof to write The hatefull processe also to endite I passe ouer fully of entent For Imeneus was not there present Nor Lucina list not there to shine Ne there was none of the Muses nine But one accord to maken melody For there song not by heauenly armony Neyther Clio nor Caliope None of the sustren in nomber thrise three As they did when Philolaie Ascended vp high aboue the skie To be wedded this Lady vertuous Vnto her Lord the God Mercurius And as Matrician inamed de Copelle In his booke of wedding can you tell There concluding in his marriage The Poete that whilom was so sage That this Lady called Sapience Iwedded was vnto Eloquence As it sat well by heauenly purueiaunce Hem to be joyned by knot of alliaunce But both two soothly of entent At wedding in Thebes were absent That caused after great aduersity For finall end of that solempnity Was sorrow and wo and destruction Vtter ruine of this roiall toun There may no man helpe it ne succour For a time in joy though they floure The Names of the People being at the Wedding of the King Edippus and of Jocasta the Queen But at his wedding plainly for to tell Was Cerberus chief porter of hell And Herebus fader to Hatred Was there present with his holle kinred His wife also with her browes blacke And her doughters sorow for to make Hidously chered and vgly for to see Megera and Thesiphonee Alecto eke with Labour and Enuie Drede Fraude and false Tretcherie Treason Pouert Indigence and Nede And cruell death in his rent wede Wretchednesse Compleint and eke Rage Fearfull Pale Dronkenesse croked Age Cruell Mars and many a Tigre wood Brenning Ire and vnkind blood Fraternall hate deepe set in the roote Saufe onely Death that there nas no boote Assured othes at fine Vntrew All these folke were at weddyng new To make the toune desolate and bare As the story after shall declare But aie in Thebes with his walles strong Edippus reigneth many a day and long And as mine aucthor write in words plain By Iocasta he had sonnes twain Ethiocles and also Polimite And in bookes as sondry clerkes write Doughters two full goodly on to see Of which that one hight Antigonee And that other called was Imein Of her beauty inly souerein Edippus aie deuoid of warre and strife With Iocasta ledde a mery life Till fortune of her iniquity Had enuy of his prosperity For when he shone most rich in his renoun From her whele she plunged him adoun Out of his joy into sodein wo As she is wont frowardly to do And namely hem that setten her affiaunce Of hartely trust in her variaunce For when the king passing of great might Sat with the quene vpon a certain night Casuelly when his folke echone Out of chamber sodeinly were gone Ere he was ware Iocasta gan behold The carectes of his wounds old Vpon his feet emprented wonder depe Tournyng her face brest out for to wepe So secrely he might it not espie And she anon fell into a fantasie Aie on this thing musing more and more And in her bedde gan to sighen sore And when the king conceiueth her distresse He gan enquere of her heauinesse Fully the cause and thoccasion For he will wite in conclusion What her eileth and why she fared so My Lord qd she without wordes mo Percell cause of this sodein rage Is for that I in my tender age Had a Lord inamed Laius King of this toune a man right vertuous By whom I had a sonne right wonder feire Likely to been his successour and heire But bicause his Diuinours told At his birth sothly that he should If he had life by fatall destinee Slaen his fader it might none other be For which the king his fate to eschue Bad men in hast as him thought due To slea the child and haue thereof no roth And I anon bad without sloth To certain men vp pein of judgement To execute the commaundement Of the king
as I yaue hem in charge And forth they gone to a forest large Adjacent vnto this countree Persing his feet and heng him on a tree Not performyng th execution On him they had such compassion Left him there and resorted home ayen Beyng in doubt and vncertein At their repeire as they tolden all Of this child what afterward is befall Saufe they said huntes had him found Which ladden him forth his feet vnbound But to what coast they coud not declare Which percel is of mine euil fare Ground and cause of mine heauy chere Considered eke the woundes that appere Vpon your feet and wot not what they mene And o thing aie is at mine hart greene My Lord alas but of new date King Laius slaine was but late At a Castell nigh this countree Vpon your comming into this citee All this yweied and rekened into one Maketh mine hart as heauie as a stone So that I can counsell none ne red And with that word the king lift vp his hed And abreid with sharpe sighes smert And all this thing by order can aduert Curiously by good auisement And by signes clere and euident Conceiueth well and sore gan repent It was himself that Iocasta ment And when the king sigh in maners pleine By her Goddes she gan him constreine To shew out the cause of his affray And it expoune and make no delay Croppe and roote shortly why that he Entred first into that countre From whens he came and from what region But he her put in delusion As he had doen it for the nones Till at last he brast out at ones Vnto the Queene and gan a processe make First how he was in the forest take Wounded the feet and so forth euery thing Of his cherishing with Polibon the king And holle the cause why he him forsooke And in what wise he the way tooke Toward Thebes as Apollo bad And of fortune how that he was lad Where that Sphinx kept the Mounteine And how that he also slowe in certeine King Laius at Castell gate Toward night when it was full late And how to Thebes that he gan him spede To find out the stocke of his kinrede Which vnto him gan wexe couth For by processe of his greene youth He found out wele by rekening of his life That she was both his moder and his wife So that all night and suyng on the morow Betweene hem two began a new sorrow Which vnto me were pitous for to tell For thereupon yif I should dwell A long space it would you occupy But ye may read in a Tragedy Tragediae Senecae de Egypto Reg. Thebax Of Morall Senek fully his ending His dooll his mischief and his compleining How with sorrow and vnweldie age This Edippus fell in dotage Lost his witte and his worldly delite And how his sonnes had him in despite And of disdaine tooke of him no keepe And eke bookes saine his iyen out he wepe And as mine aucthour liketh to deuise As his sonnes rebuke him and despise Vpon a day in a certaine place Out of his hedde his iyen he gan race And cast at hem he can no other boote And of malice they trade him vnder foote Fully deuoid both of loue and dread And when Edippus for mischief was thus ded Within a pitt made in the earth low Of cruelty his sonnes gan him throw Worse then Serpent or any Tigre wood * But of cursed stock commeth vnkind blood As in storie ye may rede heretoforne Although the Rose grow out of the thorne Thus of Edippus when he was blind old The wretched end I haue you plainly told * For which shortly to man and child I rede To be wele ware and take hede Of kindly right and of conscience To doe honour and due renerence How every Man ought of Duty to do Reverence to his Father and Mother or else there will fall Vengeance To father and moder of what estate they bee Or certaine els they shull neuer thee For who that is not to hem debonaire In speach in porte for to treat hem faire Hem to obey in honesty and drede And hem to cherish of what they have nede I dare affirme excepting none estate That he shall first be infortunate In all his werke both on Sea and lond And of what thing that he take in hond For the time froward to him and contraire Wast of his goods plainly and appaire Finde plenty of conteke warre and strife Vnhappy end and shortnesse of life And gracelesse of what he hath to do Hatred of God and man also Therefore no man be thereof recheles But make your mirrour of Ethiocles And his brother called Polimite Which in soch things greatly were to wite As ye shall here of hem how it fill And when we been descended doun this hill As I passed here the lowe vaile I shall begin the remnaunt of my tale Explicit prima pars istius Codialli Immediate sequitur secunda pars ejusdem PAssed yâ— Thrope of Broughton on the blee By my Kalender I gan anon to see Through the Sunne that full clere gan shine Of the clocke that it drew to nine And sawe also as siluer dropes shene Of the dewe like perles on the grene Vapoured vp into the aire aloft When Zepherus with his blowing soft The weder made lustie smooth and faire And right attempre was the holsome aire The same houre all the holle route Of the pilgrimes riding round aboute In my tale when I gan procede Rehearsing forth as it was in dede When Edippus buried was and graue How his sonnes the kingdome for to haue How the Sons of Edippus debated for the Crown Emong hemselfe by full mortall hate For the croune gonne for to debate Which of hem justly shall succede And the Scepter of the toune possede Auerting nought neither to right ne wrong But eche of hem to make his partie strong And his querele proudly to susteine From whose herts was deuoided clene Of brotherhood the faithfull aliaunce False couetise so made hem at distaunce Fully werching into destruction And ruine of this noble toun So hote brent of hatred and enuy Of both two through pompous surquedy That neither would pleinly in a poinct Other forbeare they stode in soch disjoinct Like as they had of birth been foreins Till of the toune the noble citezeins Knights Barons with many a worthy lord Shope a way to make hem of accord And to set hem in quiete and in pees But for his part this Ethiocles Alledge gan that he was first borne For which he ought of reason go toforne In the citee to be crouned king Sith by law there was no letting For vnto him longeth the heritage By discent and by title of age The controversie of the two Brethren But Polimite of full high disdaine All openly gan reply againe And for his part said in especiall Reason was none that he should haue all Both Regaly and dominatioun And the lordship
renoun As he alas out of that regioun Exiled was for he his brother slow As the stage of Thebes writ the manere how Al be that he to him no malice ment For on a day as they on hunting went In a forest for harte and for hind So as he stood under a great lind And casuely lete his Arow slippe He slough his brother called Menelippe Through mortall sort his hand was begiled For which he was banished and exiled As the law narow sette his charge As for this caas he came first to Arge Into the porch where Polimite did slepe Of auenture ere he toke any kepe The same night hidously besein With the tempest of thondre and of rein And felt also anoy and great damage Through the forest holding his passage As Polimite had do toforne In perrell oft likely to be lorne With bestes rage set on euery side Till of grace without any guide He rode through Arge the great mighty toun Streght vnto the palaice to the chief dongeon Like as I told where Polimite lay And at his comming made a great affray For he was blind through derkenesse of the night And him to guie he ne fond no light VVhen he came in of priket ne of torche Till he vnwarely entred in to the porche And would haue take there his herbergage But Polimite sterte vp in a rage Sodenly awaked as I rede With the nying of his proud stede And first of all when that he beheld A knight armed and on his brest a sheld And gan the manere of this ray aduerte Of veray ire vpon his horse he sterte And cruelly gan Tideus enquere Whens he come and what he did there And bad in hast his answere to deuise And Tideus in full humble wise Answered ayen of verray gentillesse And said in soth of high distresse Of the tempest and the derke night He driuen was like an errant knight Of need onely and great necessity And him constrained of great aduersity To take lodging where so that he might And in that Court therfore he alight Without more thinking none outrage Ne to no wight meaning no damage Then Polimite of malice and of pride Told him shortly he should not abide Ne lodge there though he had it sworne For I qd he toke it vp beforne And will it keepe during al this night I sey thee platly maugre all thy might Qd. Tideus then it is no curtesie Me to deuoid but rather villenie Yef ye take hede that seeme a gentil knight And as I suppose ye haue no title of right To this lodging by way of heritage More than haue I for all your fell rage And parde yet it shal be no disease Till to morow though ye do me ease Of gentillesse onely with your leue To suffre me it shall but litel greue But aye the more Tideus spake faire Polimite was froward and contraire And shortly saith it geineth not to striue That of force he shall deuoid bliue Or vtterly atwene hem both two This thing to try he must haue do And Tideus seing no better mene Ful like a knight in stele armed clene Without abode fast gan him spede Wondre liuely for to stride his stede And thus these knights pompous and elate For litel cause fellen at debate How Tideus and Polimite striuen for her Lodging And as they ronne togider on horsebacke Either on other first his spere brake And after that full surquedous of pride With sharpe swerdes they togider ride Full irously these mighty Champions In her fury like Tygres or Lions As they hurtel that al the palaice shooke And king Adrastus out of his sleepe wooke And made in hast his Chambreleins call And through yâ— Court his worthy knights al Commaunding hem to descend and see And report what it might bee This wonderful noice in his Court by night And when he seigh two strang knights fight In plates thicke and bright maile Without Iudge they had great meruaile And were dismaied of this vncouth thing And as they found told to the king And Adrastus for darknesse of the night From his chambre with many torches light Into the Court is descended downe All his meine stonding enuiron Of these knights hauing great wondre And of manhode he put hem first asondre Hem commanding like a gentill king To leuen her strife and cessen off fighting And entred in with a knightly looke And first from hem her swerdes both he tooke Affirming eke as to his fantasie It was a rage and a great folie So wilfully her liues jeopart Withouten Iudge her quarel to depart And specially in the derke night When neither might of other haue sight Charging hem vp peine of her life To disseuere and stinten of her strife And tho Tideus in all the hast he might Full humbly from his steed alight And right mekely with chere countenance Put him holly in the gouernance Of Adrastus in all manere thing And Polimite eke made no tarying To high him also and would not withsey The kings bidding lowly to obey So as him ought with due reuerence And as they stood both in his presence He gan enquere first of her estate The cause also why they were at debate Of her Countrees sothly and her age And asked hem eke touching her linage By descent of what stocke they were born And Tideus his answere yaue beforn Told plainly and made no lesing How he was sonne vnto the King Of Calcidoine and rightfull heire thereto And of his exile the cause he told also As ye haue herd in the story rad And Polimite with chere and face sad Vnto the king touching his Countree Said he was borne in Thebes the Citee And Iocaste the great famous queene His moder was without any wene But of his father whilom king and lord For very shame he spake neuer a word Onely for yif I shall not feine His fader was and brother both tweine The which in soth he was full loth to tell And eke the king would him not compell Of gentillesse but bad without blame Of his birth for to haue no shame For holly the caas he knew euery dele Touching his kin he knew yâ— ground fulwele Like as it was by full cleere report Enforcing him for to do comfort With all his might and all besie peine This manly king to these knights tweine And to hem said before him as they stood He wist well that of full woorthy blood They were descended touching her kinred And made in hast his officers lede The straunge knights being at debate Through his palaice to chambre of estate Ech by himself for to take his ease And euery thing in soth yâ— might hem please Was offred hem like her estates And when they were disarmed of her plates Cushens Greues and her Sabatons Her Harneis voided and her Habergeons Two mantels vnto hem were brought Frette with perle and rich stones wrought Of cloth of gold and Violet crimsin Full richely â—urred with
Ermin To lap hem in ayens the cold morrow After the rage of her nights sorrow To take her rest till the sonne arise And when the king in full prudent wise First of al he was not rekeles The knights herts for to sette in pees That euer after I dare 〈◊〉 it wele Ech was to other trew as any stele During her life both in word and dede Vndre a knotte bound of brotherhede And Adrastus the worthy king famous A feast made rich and plenteous To these knights himselfe thereat present And after mete full goodly he hath sent This noble king for his doughters dere Of gentillesse for to make chere To the knights come fro so ferre And like in soth as Lucifer the sterre Gladeth the morrow at his vprising So the ladies at her in comming With the stremes of her eyen clere Goodly apport and womanly manere Countenances and excellent fairenesse To all the Court broughten in gladnesse For the freshnesse of her heauenly cheres So agreable was vnto the straungeres At her entree that in especial Hem thought it like a thing celestial Enhasting hem in full knightly wise Ayenst hem goodly to arise And as they met with humble countenaunce Ful conningly did her obseruaunce Hem conueying in to her sitting place But sothely I haue leiser none ne space To reherse and put in remembraunce Holly the manere of her daliaunce It were to long for you to abide But well I wot that the god Cupide By influence of his mighty hond And the feruence of his firy brond Her meeting first fortuned hath so wele That his arowes of gold and not of stele Yperced han the knights herts tweine Through the brest with such a lusty peine That ther abode sharpe as spere or launce Depe yficched the point of remembraunce Which may not lightly rased be away And thus in joy they driue forth the day In pley and reuel for the knights sake And toward night they her chambre take At â—ue time as her fader bad And on her weie the knights hem lad Reuerently vp by many a staire Taking leue gan anon repaire To her lodging in ful stately a Toure Assigned to hem by the herbeiour And after ipices plenty and the wine In cuppes great wrought of gold full fine Without tarying to bedde straight they gon Touching her rest wheder they sleepe or non Demeth ye louers that in such maner thing By experience haue fully knowledging For it is not declared in my booke But as I find the king all night wooke Thoughtfull in hert the story specifies Musing sore and full of fantasies First aduerting the great worthinesse Of these knights and the semelinesse Her lusty youth her force and her manhode And how they were come of roial blode And this he gan to reuolue about And in his hert hauing a maner of doubt Atwene two hanging in a balance Wheder he should make an aliance Atween his doughters the knights tweine For one thing ay his heart gan constreine The remembraunce of his auision Of which aforne made is amencion Touching the Lion and the wild Bore It nedeth not to reherse it no more Casting alway in his fantasie What it might clerely signifie This darke dreame that was hid and close But on the morow Adrastus vp arose And to the Temple the right way he tooke And gan pray deuoutly on his booke To the goddes of his dreme to specifie And they him bede homward for to hie And to behold in the knights sheeldes The fell beasts painted in the fields Which shall to him be cleere inspection Full plainly making declaracion Of his dreme which he had on the night And Adrastus enhasted him full right In her sheelds wisely to behold Where that he saw as the goddes told In the sheelds hanging vpon hookes The beasts rage with her mortall crookes And to purpos like as write Bochas Polimite ful streite enbraced was In the hide of a fierce Lioun And Tideus aboue his Habergeoun A gipoun had hidous sharpe and hoor Wrought of the bristels of a wild Boore The which beasts as the story leres Were wrought and bete vpon her baneres Displaide brode whan they should fight Wherefore the king whan he had a sight At his repayre in hert was full glad And with a face full demure and sad With his lords that he about him had To the temple he the knights lad And whan they had with all circumstaunces Of Rites old done her obseruaunces Home to the Court they retourne ayein And in hall rich and well besein This worthy king of hert liberall Made a feast solempne and riall Which in deintees surely did excell But it were vein euery cours to tell Her straunge sewes and other soteltees Ne how they sat like her degrees For lacke of time I let ouerslide And after meate Adrastus took aside The knights two and like a prudent man In secree wise thus his tale he gan How Adrastus spake to the Knights in secret touching the marriage of his Daughters Sirs qd he I ne doubt it nought That it is fresh grene ay in your thought How that first by goddes ordinaunce And after next through fates purueiance And by werking of fortunes hond How ye were brought in to this lond Both tweine but now this last night Of whos comming I am full glad and light First in my selfe shortly to expresse When I consider and see the likelinesse Of your persons with the circumstaunces And holle the maner of your gouernaunces Seing full well whereto should I feigne Yee been likely hereafter to atteigne To great estate and habundance of good Through your birth and your rial blood Ye may not faile but ye haue wrong For ye are both manly and right strong And for to set your hertes more at rest My purpose is I hope for the best So that in you be no variance To make a knot as be alliance Atwene you and my doughters two Yf your herts accord we le thereto And for I am fully in despeire To succede for to haue an heire Therefore ye shall haue possession During my life of halfe my region Forth with in hond and all after my day There is no man that thereto shal say nay And sothly after when that I am graue Ech of you shall his part haue Of this kingdome as I haue prouided This is to say it shall be diuided Atwene you two euerich to be crouned Your properties be equite compouned So egaly in euery mans sight That ech of you enjoy shall his right And in your witte ye shall the lond amend And of manhood knightly it defend Ayens our enemies and our mortall foon And for the dayes passed been and goon Of my desires and my lusty youth I am full set for to make it couth That ye shall haue like mine opinioun The gouernaunce of all this Regioun To this entent me seemeth for the best Ye to gouerne and I to liue in rest Fully to follow the lust of
pipe in a rede This was the counseil platly and the rede Of soch as list not to say the soth But falsly flatre with her words smoth And whan they hadde holle her tale fined Ethiocles fully is enclined Whosoeuer therat laugh or weepe Like her counseil possession to keepe Who that saith nay or grutcheth there ayein Him to contraire him thought was but vein How the year was come out that Ethiocles reigned in Thebes But in this while that the sheene sonne The xii signes round about had ronne Sith Ethiocles by just rekening In Thebes was crouned lord and king Holding the Sceptre and the Diademe That by reason as it would seeme The time was full complete and the space Of couenant he should void his place And Polimite eke his journey make Toward Thebes possession to take Of due title but he had wrong Which thought in soth the yere was wondre long Of his exile or that it come about And for he had in hert a maner of doubt Least in his brother were falsehed found To acquite himselfe like as he was bound To Adrastus he gan declare his herte Beseching him this matter to aduert And therevpon to yeue counsell sone Touching his right what was best to done Whether it were best to go or to abide Or like a knight manly to ride Himself alone and make no message For to chalenge his rightfull heritage Within Thebes either by pees or strife And thereupon to jeoperd his life Thus was he set for all his fers brother But Adrastus sothly thought another Bet was to send than himself to gone Lest he were trapped among his mortal fone Hauing his brother suspect in this caas That by fraude or by some fallas He would werke his destructioun If he were hardy to entre into the toun For which he had him prudently take heed Fully concluding how it were more speed That some other be to Thebes sent To perceiue fully th entent Of Ethiocles inward by some signe And if that he his crowne will resigne For thilke yeere like as he made his oth And whan he knew how his purpose goth Thereupon to werken and procede And thus Adrastus wisely gan him rede How Tideus took upon him to do the message of Polimite his Brother And while they treat vpon this mattere Tideus with a manly chere Said vtterly for his brothers sake This message he would vndertake With whole themprise of thenbassiate Were it welefull or infortunate He will not spare whatsoeuer betide But Adrastus on that other side And Polimite in conclusion Were contraire to that opinion And said soothly as hem thought right Sith that he was so well a proued knight And discended of so worthy blood That they nold for none yearthly good For all Thebes with the regalty Put his body in such jeopardy But al this thing auaileth him right nought For he wil forth how deare that it be bought Taking leaue first of all the estates And armed him in maile and sure plates And shope him forth vpon his journie Who made then sorrow but Deiphile The sorrow of Deiphile when Tideus went toward Thebes the City With bitter teares dewed all her face Full oft sithes swouning in the place Trist and mourning in her blacke wede And when she saw that he tooke his stede So inwardly encreased gan her mone Seeing her lord so riding forth alone Vpon his way this worthy Tideus And in all hast the story telleth vs He speedeth him so making no delaies That in the space of few daies The high toures of Thebes he gan see And entred is into that citee Wisely enquiring where the pallaice stode And like a knight thider streight he rode Marked full well in many a mans sight Like Mars himselfe in stele armed bright Till he attained hath the cheefe dongeon Where as the king held his mansion And throgh the palaice with a knightly looke Into the hall the right way he tooke From his stede when he light adoun Not aferde but hardy as Lioun Where as the king with lords a great rout In the hall sitting round about He entred in most manfull of courage To execute the fine of his message And as him thought conuenient and due Full cunningly he gan the king salue Requiring him of kingly excellence In goodly wise to yeue him audience And not disdaine neither in port ne chere Sith he was come as a messangere From Polimite his owne brother dere Ginning his tale thus as ye shall here How wisely and how knightly Tideus did his message QVod he vnto your worthinesse My purpose is breefly to expresse The effect holly as in sentement Of the message why that I am sent It were long processe to make But of my mattere the very ground to take In eschuing of prolixity And void away all superfluity Sith your selfe best ought to vnderstond The cause fully that we haue on hond And eke conceiue the entent of my meaning Of rightwisenesse longing to a king First considered if that ye take hede When Edippus the old king was dede How that your selfe and your brother bliue For the crowne contagiously gan striue As mortall foen by full great hatrede Which of you two should first succede Till that ye were by meanes reconciled Ye to reigne and he to been exiled Out of this toune for a yeares space And then ayeine resort into his place To reigne as king and ye to voiden out So as your tourn by processe cometh about Eueriche of you patiently tendure Thentrechaunging of his auenture Who were put out or stood in his estate Thereupon to make no debate Liche the couenaunt and conuentioun Enrolled vp by lords of the toun Which of reason may not be denied Sithen ye haue a yeare occupied The request that Tideus made in the name of Polimite under the title of Convention Polimite requireth you of right To acquite you as a true knight In eschuing of mortall warre and strife Sith ye had a prerogatife As eldest brother for to reigne aforne And thinketh how that ye arne sworne Your oth to keepe and make no tarrying Holly aduerting liche a prudent king * That trouth is more in comparison Than all the treasour of your region More acceptable vnto God and man Than all the richesse that ye reken can Wherefore in hast and let there be no slouth Quiteth your selfe justely in your trouth Vnto your brother auoiding this citee And let him reigne in his royall see The crowne of Thebes a yeare to occupie Then will all Greece praise and magnifie Your high renoun and may say none other But ye acquite you justly to your brother This whole theffect of all that I will sain Answer expectant what ye will send ayain Whan Tideus had told his tale Ethiocles triste and wonder pale His conceit first in maner hath refreined Dissimuling vnder colour feined Shewing a chere in maner debonaire To his intent wonderly contraire Inward in hert wood and
furious Tourning his face towards Tideus He gan abreid and at last out spake And euen thus vnto him he spake The Answer of King Ethiocles I haue great marueile qd he in my thought Of the message which that thou hast brought That my brother as thou hast expouned Desireth so in Thebes to be crowned Hauing regard to the abundaunce The great plenty and the suffisaunce That he hath now with the king of Arge That me seemeth he should little charge To haue Lordship or dominioun In the bounds of this little toun Sith he reigneth so freshly in his flours Surmounting all his predecessours By new encrease through fortunes might Wherfore in heart I am right glad light Fully trusting if I had nede To his helpe that without drede Like a brother that I should him find To me ward faithfull true and kind Supposing plainely euermore Of this reigne he set but little store Nor casteth him not for so short a while As for a yeare his brother to exile To liue in pouerry and in great distresse He will not suffer it of his high noblesse It were no token of no brother hede But a signe rather of hatrede To interrupt my possession Of this little poore Region All that he spake who so coud aduert Of very scorne rooted in his hert As hem seempt the story can you teach By the surplus soothly of his speach He might no lenger him restreine But plainely said as betwene vs tweine I meane thus Polimite and me There is no bond nor surete Ne faith ymade that may him auaile As he claimeth to yeue the gouernaile Of this city neither yeare ne day For I shall let him soothly if I may That he shall not by title of his bond Enjoy in Thebes halfe a foot of lond Let him keepe that he hath wonne For I purpose as I haue begonne To reigne in Thebes henceforth all my liue Maugre all hem that thereayen striue And in despite of his friends all Or the counsaile that him list to call Let him be sure and know this right wele His manacing I drede neuer a dele And sikerly as to my deuise It sheweth well that thou art not wise But suppressed with a manere of rage To take on thee this surquedous message And presumest to doe so high offence So boldely to speake in my presence But all in fere auaile shall right nought For the tithings that thou hast brought Shall vnto him be disencreace He better were to haue been in peace Than of folly and presumption Ayenst me to seech occasion For I liue and thereto here mine hond As I said erst he winneth here no lond While the wall of this toune may stond For plainely I doe thee to vnderstond That they shull first be beat down full low And all the toures to the earth ythrow Ere he in Thebes haue any thing ado Lo here is all retourne and say him so When Tideus saw the feruent ire Of the king with anger set on fire Full of despite and of Melancolie Conceiuing eke the great fellonie In his apport like as he were wood This worthy knight a little while stood Sad and demure ere he would ought seine But at last thus he said ayeine The knightly Answer that Tideus yaue ayeine to the King Certes qd he I conceiue of new About thee thy counsaile is vntrew I dare it saine and vow it at best Ne thou art not faithfull of thy behest Stable of thy word that thou hast said toforne But deceiuable and falsely eke forsworne And eke perjurate of thine assured oth But whether so be that thou be lefe or wroth I say thee shortly hold it for no fage All this shall tourne vnto thy damage Trist it well and in full cruell wise All Greekes lond shall vpon thee arise To be auenged and manly to redresse The great vntrouth and the high falsenesse Which yâ— thou hast ayen thy brother wrought It shall full deare after this be bought And verily indeed as thou shalt lere King Adrastus will meddle in this matere And all the Lords about him enuiron That bounden be to his subjection Princes Dukes and many a noble Knight In susteining of thy brothers right Shall on a day with spere and with shield Ayenst thee be gadred in a field Knightly to preue all by one assent That thou art fals and double of entent Of thy promise atteint and eke outrayed And leue me well it shall not be delayed But in all hast execute in deede * Like thy desert thou shalt haue thy meede For God aboue and his rightwisenesse Such open wrong shall in hast redresse And of his might all such collusion Reforme ayeine and all extortion * For this the fine Falshood shall not vaile Ayenst trouth in field to holden battaile Wrong is crooked both halt and lame And here anone in my brothers name As I that am his next allie At his querele shortly I defie Fully auised with all mine hole entent And ye Lords that been here present I you require of your worthinesse To say trouth and beare witnesse When time commeth and justly to record How your king falsely gan discord From his hest of false variaunce And thinke on how ye of faith and ligeaunce Are bound echone ye may not go therefro For to obey and serue both two This next yeare now anon following As to your lord and to your true king Polimite though he be now absent By just accord made in Parliament At your deuise which sitten here a row Engrossed was vp as it is well know And enrolled onely for witnesse In your Registers to void all falsenesse That none of you vary may of new From that I say but if he be vntâ—ew For which I rede your selfe to acquite Let no time lenger lie in respite But at ones without more tarrying Of manly force fet home your king Maugre your fone like as ye are bound And let in you no slouth be found To put him justly in possession This is my counsaile in conclusion How manly Tideus departed from the King When Tideus had his message saied Like to the charge that was on him saied As he that list no lenger there sojourne Fro the king he gan his face tourne Not astonied nor in his heart aferde But full proudely layed hond on his swerde And in dispite who was lefe or loth A sterne pace through the hall he goth Through the court and manly toke his stede And out of Thebes fast gan him spede Enhasting him till he was at large And sped him forth toward the lond of Arge Thus leaue I him riding forth a while Whiles that I retourne ayeine my stile Vnto the king which in the hall stood Emong his lords furious and wood And his heart wroth and euill apaied Of the words that Tideus had saied Specially hauing remembrance On the proud dispitous defiance Whiles that he fat in his royall See Vpon which he would auenged bee Full cruelly what that euer befall And
king how it is befall The open trouth of his knights all How Tideus hath slaine hem euerychone That saue himselfe there escaped none Which was reserued from sheding of his blood The king to tell plainely how it stood And when he had rehearsed euery poynt Ethiocles stood in such disjoynt How Ethiocles sore was astonied when he heard the death of his Knights Of hatefull ire he wext nigh wood And in his teene and in his fell mood Of cruell mallice to the knight he spake And felly seid that it was for lacke Only of manhode through her cowardise That they were flaine in so mortall wise And hanged be he high by the neck That of your death or of your slaughter reck Or you compleine eyther one or all Of the mischeefe that is you befall I doe no force that none of you astert But sigh vpon your false coward hert That o knight hath through his renoun Brought you all to confusioun Full gracelesse and full vnhappy to Nay qd this knight it is nothing so It is thine vnhap plainly and not ours That so many worthy warriours Which all her life neuer had shame Except this querele taken in thy name That grounded was rooted on falsenesse This was cause in very soothnesse Of our vnhap I wot wele and none other With thine vntrouth done vnto thy brother And that thou were so openly forsworne And percell cause why that we were lorne Was fals breaking of thine assured oth And tho the king mad almost for wroth In purpose was for to slea this knight Onely for he said vnto him right The which alas both at eue and morrow Suppressed was with a deadly sorrow Renning aye in his remembraunce With the pitous and vnhappy chaunce Of the great mischeefe and misauenture Touching the death and discomfiture Of his fieres and of himselfe also That the shamefast importable wo So was on him with such a mortall strife That he was weary of his owne life Hent he hath a swerd and aside stert And roue himself euen to the hert The king himselfe being tho present And the rumour and the noise is went Through Thebes of the wood rage By such as weren joyned by linage To the knights slaine at hill That all at ones of one heart and will They wold haue arisen throughout yâ— Citie Vpon the king auenged for to be Which of her death was cheefe occasioun But the Barons and Lords of the toun Ful busie were this rumour and disease Of high prudence to stint and appease In quiete euery thing to sette And after that the bodies home they fette Of the knights like as ye haue herd Afore yslaine with the bloody swerd Of Tideus full sharpe whet and ground And in the field so as they hem found Onely of loue and of affectioun Solemnely they brought hem to the toun And like the manere of the rites old They were first brent into ashes cold And each one yburied like to his degre Lo here the kalends of aduersite Sorrow vpon sorrow and destruction First of the king and all the region For lacke onely like as I you told That behests truly were not hold The first ground and root of this ruine As the story clearely shall determine And my tale hereafter shall you lere If that you list the remnaunt for to here Finitur Pars secunda sequitur Pars tertia O Cruell Mars full of Melancoly And of thy kind hote combust and dry As the sparkles shewen from so ferre By the streames of the red sterre In thy Sphere as it about goth What was cause that thou were so wroth W th hem of Thebes throgh whos feruent ire The City brent and was set on fire As bookes old well rehearse conne Of cruell hate rooted and begonne And engendred the story maketh mind Onely of blood corrupt and vnkind By infection called originall Causing a strife dredefull and mortall Of which the mischeef through al Grece ran And King Adrastus alderfirst began Which hath him cast a conquest for to make Vpon Thebes for Polimites sake In knightly wise there to preue his might Of full entent to recure his right And first of all he sette a Parlement And hath his letters and messengers sent Through Greece to many sundry Kings Hem to enhast and make no lettings And round about as made is mention He sent also to many a region For Princes Dukes Earles and Barons To taken vp in cities and in tounes And to chesen out the most likeliest And such as weren preued for the best As of manhood and send hem vp ech one And in her hond receiue her pay anone With Adrastus to Thebes for to ride And tho lords that with him abide The great purveyaunce of King Adrastus toward the City of Thebes In houshold still haue her leaue take To riden home her retourne to make In her countries as they were of degre To sustene hem to take vp meine And to make hem strong with knights and squeres With speres bows and arbalasteres In all the hast possible that they may And to returne in her best array At tearme set full manly to be seine Toforne Arge moustren in a pleine The Kings and Princes that come to Adrastus And as I rede full worthy of degre Thider come first Prothonolope The which was by record of writing Of Archade sonne vnto the king And full prudent found in warre and pees There came also the king Gilmichenes As I find full famous of renoun Thider come eke the king Ipomedoun And passing all of knighthood and of name And excelling by worthinesse of fame The noble king called Campaneus Came eke to Arge the story telleth thus Proued full wele and had riden fer And thider come the king Meleager King Genor eke that held his royall see Mine author saith in the lond of Greece King Locris and king Pirrus And eke the king called Tortolonus And renouned in many a region There come the king called Palenon Oft assayed and found a manly knight That with him broght in stele armed bright Full many worthy out of his countre And Tideus most knightly for to see That noble man that worthy werriour As he that was of worthinesse the flour Master and Mirrour by prowes of his hond Hath sent also into the mighty lond Of Calcedoine of which he was heire That is his kingdome both rich and feire Charging his counsaile and officers also In all the hast that it may be do To seeken out the best werriours Of famous knights and proued souldeours Through al the lond leid on hem this charge Without abode for to come to Arge And they obey full lowly his bidding Enhasting hem and made no letting But sped hem fast vpon her journy And from Thebes the mighty strong city Came doun knights w th many another man Maugre the king to helpe what they can Considred first his falshood and treason Ymeued onely of trouth and of reason Polimites as they were
sworne of yore To his Crowne justly him restore And when they were at large out of the toun Vnto Arge they be descended doun And like her oth and her assurance As they were bound only of ligeance To him they come in full lowly wise Lowly to done what him list deuise And when he had her trouth full conceiued He hath to grace goodly hem receiued Assigning hem her place amid the hoast Assembled there from many a diuerse coast That finally in this company Ygadred was the floure of Cheualry Ychosen out of all Greekes lond The most knightly and manfull of her hond That as I trow sith the world began There was not seene so many a manly man So we le horsed with spere and with shield Togider sembled soothly in a field There men might see many strange guises Of arming new and vncouth deuises Euery man after his fantasie That if I should in order specifie Euery peece longing to armure And thereupon doe my busie cure It were in sooth almost a dayes werke And the tearmes also been so derke To rehearse hem clearely and to rime I passe ouer for lacke of time And tell I will forth of her lodging How Adrastus the noble worthy king Hath euery lord like to his degree Receiued wele within the citee And there they had like to her pleasaunce Of what needeth fulsome habundance For men and horse plenty of vitaile Commaunding that nothing ne faile That all these noble worthy werriours Both high and low and poore souldiours Yserued were of what they haue need For Adrastus presently tooke heed That it availeth a King to pay his People truely her fond Full lich a King touching her tearme day That they toforne were serued to her pay He was so free he list nothing restraine And no man had cause to complaine For hunger thrust ne for indigence But all thing ready was vnto her presence And in a Prince it is ful great repriefe To suffer his people liue at mischiefe It is ful heauy and greuous in her thought If he habound and they haue right nought He may not both possede body and hart He to be rich and seene his people smart He may the body of power wel constraine But her heart hath a full long raine Maugre his might to louen at her large * There may no King on hearts set a charge Ne hem coarten from her libertee Men saine ful often how that thought is free For which ech prince Lord and gouernour And specially ech conquerour Let him beware for all his high noblesse That bounty free dome plenty and largesse By one accord that they his bridle lede Least of his people when he hath most nede He be defrauded when he is but alone Then is too late for to make his mone But in his Court let him first deuise To exile Scarcehead and Couetise Then is likely with freedome if he ginne Loue of his people euermore to winne To reigne long in honour and contune Aye to encrease by fauour of Fortune And his enemies manly to oppresse * For loue is more than great richesse How love availeth more to a King than Gold or Riches Gold faileth oft but loue will abide For life or death by a lords side And the treasour shortly of a king Stondeth in loue aboue all thing Farewell lordship both morrow and eue Specially when loue taketh his leue And who so list it Mirrour for to make Of knightly freedome let him ensample take Of Adrastus the manly king famous So liberall and so bounteous Vnto his people at all times found Which made him strong his fomen to confound And loue only his enemies to werrey All Greece made his bidding to obey Of one accord to knightly by his side All at ones to Thebes for to ride For tauenge sith they were so strong The great injury and importable wrong Vnto his sonne and to his next allie As ye to forne haue heard me specifie But whiles Greekes rest a time in pees I will resort vnto Ethiocles Which in Thebes warely hath espied By his friends as he was certified Of the Greekes wholly the ordinaunce Her purpose eke and her purueyaunce And thereof had in heart a manner drede And first he tooke his counsaile and his rede How Ethiocles made him strong ayenst the coming of the Greeks Of the Lords and Barons of the toun And of the wisest of his regioun How he might maken resistence Manly to stonden at defence To be so strong that there were no dout And in the countries adjacent about And eke also in forreine regions He hath withhold all the champions And thereupon he sent out his espies And his friends and his next allies And all the worthy dwelling enuiroun Young fresh and lusty he gadred to the toun Maskewed his wals and his toures And stuffed hem with manly souldeours Round about he set many gonnes Great and small and some large as tonnes In his hasty passing feruent heat He spent his treasour and yaue yefts great Vnto knights and worthy men of name * And euermore to encrease his fame He yaue to lords jewels manyfold Clothes of Veluet Damaske and of gold To get him hearts soothly as I rede To helpe him now in his great nede And prudently purueyed him toforne Of flesh of fish of wine and of corne Set his Captaines early and late With full great stuff stonding at euery gate And made also by werkemen that were trew Barbicans and Bulwerkes strong and new Barreres cheines ditches wonder deepe Making his auow the city for to keepe While he liueth despite of all his fone And by his gods of mettall and of stone Full oft he swore both of hert and thought That it shall first full deare ben ybought And many a man with polax swerd knife Before this towne shall first lese his life And there shall eke many sides blede Ere that his brother possibly possede The toun in pees like as Greekes wene But at end the trouth it shall be sene Let him beware and we le toforne prouide For Adrastus on that other side For his party was not negligent But on a day held his parlement All his lords sitting enuiron To driue shorteley a pleine conclusion And vp tapoint the fine of her entent But some thought it full expedient Ere they procede to werke by thauise Of one that was full prudent and wise And circumspect in his werkes all A worthy Bishop into age fall And called was soothly by his name Amphiorax of whom the great fame How the Bishop Amphiorax was sent for to come unto the Greeks Throgh all the lands both East and South Among the Greekes passingly was couth A man in sooth of old antiquity And most accept of authority First by reason of his high estate And eke he was so fortunate And in his werkes was also secre With the gods knowing her priuite By graunt of whom as bookes specifie He had a spirit of trew prophecie And
maketh rehersaile That this lady so faire vpon to se Of whom the name was Isiphile To Adrastus told as ye may rede Lineally the stocke of her kinrede Sometime how she a kings doughter was Rehersing to him all the halâ—e caas First how that she out of her countree went Shortly for she wol nat assent To execute a conspiracion Made by the woman of that region A thing contrary agein all right That ech of hem vpon a certein night By one accord shall warely take kepe Fader brother and husbands in her slepe With kniues sharp and rasours kene Kitte her thortes in that mortall rene Vnto this fiâ—e â—s Bochas tell can In all that land be not found a man But slaine echoue to this conclusion That women might haue dominacion In that kingdome and reigne at liberte And on no parties interrupted be But for this lady passing debonaire To this matere was froward and contraire Kept her fader that he was not slawe But from the death preserued withdraw For which alas she fled Countree And of a Pirat taken in the See To king Ligurgus brought in all her dred And for her trouth and her womanhed To her be tooke his yong child to keepe Which in the herber she left alone to slepe When Tideus she brought to the well And by â—ason some bookes tell That this lady had sonnes two When that he and Hercules also Toward Colchos by her countree came For raccomplish the conquest of the Kam But who that list by and by to see The story holle of Isophilee Her fadres name of which also I write Though some sein he named was Thorite And some bookes Vermos eke him call But to know the auentures all Of this lady Isophile the faire So faithfull aye and inly debonaire Loke on the boke that Iohn Bachas made Whilom of women with Rhetoriques glade And direct by full souereigne stile To faire Iane the Queene of Cesile Rede there the Râ—brike of Isophile Of her trouth and of her bounte Full craftly compiled for her sake And when that she her leue hath take Of Adrastus homeward in her wey Tideus gan her to conuey To the Gardein till she is repeyred But now alas my matere is despeired Of all joy and of all wilfulnesse And destitute of all mirth and gladnesse For now of wâ— begin the sharpe houres For this lady hath found among the floures How the Child was slain of a foul Serpent in the Herber Her litel Childe turned vp the face Slain of a Serpent in the selfe place Her taile hurled with scales siluer shene The venim was so persing and so kene So mortall eke the perilous violence Caused alas through her long absence She was to slow homeward for to hie But now can she but wepe waile and crie Now can she nought but sigh compleine And wofully wring her honds tweine Dedly of looke pale of face and chere And gan to rende her gilt tresses clere And oft sithe gan to say alas I wofull wretch vnhappy in this caas What shall I do or whider shall I tourne For this the fine if I here sojourne I wote right well I may it not escape The piteous faâ—e that is for me shape Soccour is there none ne none other rede Liche to my desert but that I mote be dede For through my slouth and my negligence I haue alas done to great offence That my guilte I may it not excuse Shal to the king of treason me accuse Through my offence and slouth both two His sonne is ded and his heire also Which he loued more than al his good For treasour none so nigh his hert stood Nor was so depe graue in his courage That he is likely to fallen in a rage When it is so mine odious offence Reported be vnto his audience So importable shall be his heauinesse And well wot I in verray sothfastneise That when yâ— queen hath this thing aspied To mine excute it may not be denied I doubt it nat there geineth no pite Without respite she will auenged be On me alas as I haue deserued That from the death I may not be preserued Nother by bill nor by supplication For the rage of my transgression Requireth death and none other mede And thus alas she quaking in her drede None other helpe ne remedy can But dreint in sorow to the Grekes she ran Of hertely woo face and chere distreined And her cheekes with weping albereined In hie affray distraught and furious Tofore al thoste she came to Tideus Fell on knees and gan her compleint make And told pleinly that for the Grekes sake She must be ded and shortly in substaunce Rehersing him yâ— ground of her greuaunce First how by traines of a false serpent The child was flaine when she was absent And when that he her mischief vnderstood In what disjoint and perill that she stood Vnto her full knightly he behight To helpe and further all that euer he might Her pitious woo to stinten and appease And for to find vnto her disease Hasty comfort he went a full great paas To Adrastus and told him all the caas Of this vnhappy wofull auenture Beseeching him to doon his besy cure As he was bound of equite and right And eke aduertise and to haue a sight How she quitte her to Grekes here toforne That they were likely to haue ben lorne The succour void of her womanhede For which he must of knighthood take hede To remedien this vnhappy thing And Adrastus like a worthy king Taquite himselfe the story maketh mind To this lady will not be found vnkind Neither for coste ne for no trauaile But besy was in all that might auaile To her succour considred all things And by thauife of al the worthy kings Of Grekes lond they ben accorded thus Princes Dukes and with hem Tideus To hold her way and all at ones ride To Ligurgus dwelling there beside Of one entent if they may purchace In any wise for to get grace For this lady called Isophilee They would assay if it might be And to his palaice full roially built of stone The worthy Grekes came riding euerichone Euery lord full freshly on his stede And Ligurgus example of manlyhede Anon as he knew of her comming Tacquite himselfe like a gentill king Agein hem went to mete hem on the way Ful wel besein and in good aray Receiuing hem with a full knightly chere And to Adrastus said as ye shall here Cosin qd he and gan him to embrace Ye be welcome to your owne place Thanking hertely to your high noblesse That so goodly of your gentillesse Towards me ye list you to acquite Your selfe this day your Cosin to visite In this castell to take your lodging That neuer yet I was so glad of thing In all my life and thereto here my trouth And euermore there shall be no slouth That the chambres and the large toures Shall be deliuered to your herberioures That euery
Panther conuersant in Inde With all manner hues and colours And is ful ofte deceiued with Mirrours By fraude of huntes and false apparance Shewed in glas withouten existence When his kindeles are by sleights take And he destreined may no rescus make And like a lambe was this Tigre tame Ayenst kind mine Auctour writ the same And this beast merueilous to see Was sent to Imeine and Antigone That vnto hem did great comfort And coud pley and make good disport Like a whelpe that is but yong of age And to no wight did no damage No more in soth than doth a litell hound And it was worth many an hundred pound Vnto the king for ay in his greuaunce Ther was nothing yâ— did him more plesaunce That for no tresour it might not be bought For when that he was pensife or in thought It put him out of his heauinesse And thilke time the story doth expresse That Iocaste treated for a pees This tame Tigre in party rekeles Out at gates in sight of many a man In to the field wildly out ran And casuelly renning to and fro In and out as doth the tame Ro Greekes weening that were yong of age That this Tigre had be sauage And cruelly besetting all the place Round about gan him to enchace Till he was ded and slaine in the field The slaughter of whom when yâ— they beheld The proud Thebans which on yâ— wals stood They ran doun furious and wood Wening he be slaine of despite Taking her hors without more respite Fully purposed with Greekes for to fight The Tigres death tauenge if they might And forth they rode without gouernaile And full proudly Greekes gon assaile And of hatred and full high desdain Fellen on hem that han the Tigre slein And cruelly quitten hem her mede That many a Greeke in the grene mede By the force and the great might Of her fomen lay slain in this fight The Tigres death so sore they abought So mortally Thebans on hem wrought That all the host in the field ligging Was astonied of this sodein thing And in this wise of rancour rekeles Out of Thebes rode Ethiocles And with him eke the worthy king Tremour Of his hond a noble werriour That made Grekes to forsake her place And to her tents gan hem to enchace And midde the field as they togider mette On horsebacke with speres sharply whette Of very hate and enuious pride Full many one was dead on either side The which thing when Tideus espieth Wood as a Lion to horsebacke he hieth As he that was neuer a deal aferd But ran an hem and metâ—e hem in the berd And maugre hem in his cruelty He made hem flee home to her city Hem pursuing of full deadly hate That many one lay slain at gate Gaping vpright with her wounds wide That vtterly they durst not abide Tofore the swerd of Tideus He was on hem so passing furious So many Thebans he rofe to the hert That when Iocasta the slaughter can aduert Polimite she prey gan full faire To make Greekes home again repaire And that they woulden stint to assaile For thilke time and ceassen her battaile At whos request plainly and preire And at reuerence of his moder dere Polimite her hert to comfort Greekes made home ayein resort And Tideus to stinten of his chace And they of Thebes hasting a great pace Ful trist heauy ben entred in to the toun And for the Tigre in conclusioun As ye haue herd first began the strife But many a Theban that day lost his life And recureles hath yeuen vp the breath Of thauenging of the Tigers death And al this while duely as she ought The Queen Iocasta humbly besought King Adrastus holly of his grace Some meane wey wisely to purchase To make a pees betwene the brethren twein And the tretee so prudently ordein On either part that no blood be shad And thus Adrastus auised and right sad For Grekes party answere yaue anon That other end shortly gate she non Lich as the lordes fully ben auised Than Tideus to forn hath deuised And when she saw it may none other be She leue toke and home to the cite She is repaired hauing to her guide Polimite riding by her side And Tideus led Antigone And of Archade Protonolope The worthy king did his belie peine To be attendant vpon faire Imeine Who 's hert she hath to her seruice lured And he ayein hath portreied and figured Mid of his brest which lightly may not passe Holly the fetures of her treshly face Him thought she was so faire a creature And though that he durst him not discure Yet in his hert as ferforth as he can He hath aluowed to be her true man Vnwist to her plainly and vnknow How he was marked with Cupides bow With his arrow sodainly werreied And to the yares the Ladies conueied Been entred in for it drew to eue Grekes of hem taking tho her leue Though some of hem were loth to depart Yet of wisedome they durst not 〈◊〉 Vnder a conduct to enter into the toun Lest it tourned to her confusioun Though some bookes the contraire sain But mine aucthour is plaine there again And affermeth in this opinion That Tideus of high discrecion Of wilfulnesse nor of no foly Ne would as tho put in jeopardy Neither himself ne none of his feres And the Ladies with her heauenly cheres Angelike of looke and countenaunce Liche as it is put in remembraunce At her entring from Grekes into the toun Polimite of great affectioun The queene besought that thilke night not fine For tassay if she might encline Ethiocles of conscience and right To kepe couenaunt as he hath behight Full yore agone with surplusage Lest the contraire come to damage First of himself and many another mo And thus from Thebes the Greeks ben ago To her Tents and rest hem all that night And Lucina the Moone shone full bright Within Thebes on the depe dongeon When Iocasta made relacion Vnto the king and told him all the gise How that Greekes vtterly despise His profer made by false conclusion Onely except the conuencion Of old engrossed by great purueiance Which is enrolled and put in remembrance Vpon which they finally will rest Him counsailing her thought for the best To conforme him to that he was bound Lest in the fine falsnesse him confound But all her counsaile he set it at no price He dempt himself so prudent and so wise For he was wilfull and he was indurate And in his hert of malice obstinate And vtterly auised in his thought Within Thebes his brother get right noght And in his errour thus I let him dwell And of the Greekes forth I will you tell Which all that night kept hem self close And on the morow when Titan vp arose They armed hem and gan hem redy make And of assent haue the felde itake With the Thebans yâ— day without doubt For to fighten if they issue out And
as they issue out Lay many one slaine in the rout On either part of fortune as they mette Her mortall swerds were so sharpe whette And Tideus emong hem of the toun From day to day plaieth the Lion So cruelly where so that he rode That Theban non aforne his face abode He made of hem through his high renoun So great slaughter and occisioun That as the death from his swerd they fled For who came next laid his life to wedde He quit himself so like a manly knight That where he went he put hem to the flight And maugre hem in his crueltee He droue hem home into her citee Hem pursuing proudly to the gate That vnto him they beare so dedly hate That they hem cast by sleight or some engine To bring him vnwarely vnto his fine And lay awaite for him day and night But alas this noble manly knight How pitiously this worthy Tideus was slain with a quarrel Vpon a day as he gan hem chace And mortally made hem lese her place And sued hem almost to the toun That cause was of his destructioun For one alas that on the walles stood Which all that day vpon him abode With a quarel sharpe heded for his sake Marked him with a bow of brake So cruelly making none a rest Till it was passed both backe and brest Wher through alas ther was none other rede Ne Lechcraft that he mote be dede There may thereof be maked no delaies And yet he was holden in his dayes The best knight and most manly man As mine aucthour well rehearse can But for all that was there no defence Ayenst the stroke of deaths violence But Bocchas write ere he were fully dedde He was by Greekes presented with the hedde Of him that yaue his last fatall wound And he was called like as it is found Menalippus I can none other tell But thilke day Thebans waxe so fell Vpon Greekes that vnder her citee The manly king Parthonope Yslaine was euene afore the gates And there also armed bright in plates The famous king called Ipomedon The same day as made is mencion On horsebacke manly as he faught At bridge euen vpon the draught Beset with preace casuelly was drouned And thus fortune hath on Greekes frowned On euery side thilke vnhappy day But all the manere tellen I ne may Of her fighting nor her slaughter in soth More to declare than mine aucthour doth But thilke day I find as ye may sene When Phebus was passed Meridene And from yâ— South Westward can him draw His guilt tresses to bathen in the wawe The Thebanking fell Ethiocles Roote and vnrest and causer of vnpees The slaughter of Grekes when yâ— he beheld Armed in stele he came out into the feld Full desirous in that sodain heate Polimite in the field to mete Singulerly with him to haue a do For in this world he hated no man so He sat so nigh printed in his herte Whose coming out his brother gan aduerte Vpon his steed in the opposite And had againward also great delite To meten him if fortune will assent Thenuious fire so her herts brent Which hate was cancred of vnkind blood And like two Tigres in her rage wood With speres sharp ground for the nones So as they ran and met both at ones Polimite through plate maile and shield Rofe him throghout smote him into yâ— field But when he saw the stremes of his blood Raile about in manere of a flood All sodainly of compassioun From his coursour he light adoune How each of the Theban Brethren slough other even tofore the Citee And brotherly with a pitous face To saue his life gan him to vnbrace And from his wound of new affection Full besie was to pull out the trunchon Of loue onely handling him right soft But out alas while he lay aloft Full iriously Ethiocles the fell Of all this sorow very cours and well With a dagger in all his peines smart His brother rofe vnwarely to the hart Which all her life had be so wroth And thus the Thebans were islaw both At entree euen afore the toun But Grekes tho been availed doun In the field the worthy knights all In Thebes land as such thing shall The cry arose when her king was dedde And to the gates armed foot and hedde Out of the toun came many a proude Theban And some of hem upon the walles ran And gan to shoute that pitee was to here And they without of her life in werre Without comfort or consolatioun Dispeired ronne home to the toun And Grekes followen after at backe That many one that day goeth to wracke And as her fomen proudly hem assaile Ful many Grekes both throgh plate maile Was shette throughout preasing at wals And beaten off with great round bals That here lay one and another yonder And the noise more hideous than thonder Of gunneshot and of Arblates eke So loud out rong yâ— many a worthy Greke There lost his life they were on hem so fell And at gates shortly for to tell As Grekes preasen to enter the city They of Thebes in her cruelty With hem mette full furious and wood And mortally as they againe hem stood Men might see speres shiver asonder That to behold it was a very wonder How they foine with daggers with swerds Through the viser ayming at berds Persing also through the round mailes Rent out peeces of her auentailes That nought auaileth the mighty Gesseran Through neck and breast that the speres ran Her weapons were so sharpe ground whet In their armour that they were not let For there lay one troden under foot And yonder one perced to the heart root Here lieth one dead and there another lame This was the play and the mortall game Atweene Thebans and the Grekes proud That the swoughs and the cries loud Of hem that lay and yolden vp the ghost Was heard full ferre about in many a cost How all the royal blood both of Grekes side and on the City side islain were upon o day And at gates and saillyng of the wall Isâ—aine was all the blood royall Both of the toune and of the Grekes land And all the worthy knights of her hand And of Lords if I shall not feine On Grekes side aliue were but tweine King Adrastus and Campaneus That day to hem was so vngracious And for Titan Westred was so low That no man might vnneths other know Of the towne they shitte her gates fast With barrers round ymade for to last In which no wight kerue may ne hew And Adrastus with a Grekes few Repeired is home to his tent And all that night he wasted hath and spent For his vnhap in sorrow complayning And they in Thebes the next day suing Her deuoire did and her busie cure To ordeine and make a sepulture For her King yssaine in the field And offer vp his banner and his shield His helme his swerde and also his penon Therein of gold ybeaten a
point to point if ye looke it wele And how this Duke without more abode The same day toward Thebes rode Full like in sooth a worthy conquerour And in his coast of cheualry the flour And finally to speaken of this thing With old Creon that was of Thebes king How yâ— he faught slough him like a knight And all his hoast put vnto the flight Yet as some authors make mentioun Or Theseus entred into the toun The women first with pekois with malles With great labour beat downe the walles And in her writing also as they saine Campaneus was in the wals slaine With cast of stones he was so ouerlade For whom Adrastus such a sorrow made That no man may release him of his paine And Iocasta with her doughters twaine Full wilfully oppressed of her cheres To Athenes were sent as prisoners What fell of hem more can I not saine But Theseus mine author write certaine Out of the field ere he from Thebes went He beat it downe and the houses brent The people slough for all her crying loud He made her wals and her toures proud Round about euen vpon a row With the soile to be saied full low That nought was left but the soile bare And to the women in release of her care How that Duke Theseus delivered to the Ladies the Bodies of their Lords The bodies of her Lords that were slaine This worthy Duke restored hath againe But what should I any lenger dwell The old rites by and by to tell Nor the obsequies in order to deuise Nor declare the manner and the guise How the bodies were to ashes brent Nor of the gommes in the flaume spent To make the aire sweeter of reles Of Frankencence Mirre and Aloes Nor how the women round about stood Some with milke and some also with blood And some of hem with vrnes made of gold When the ashes fully were made cold To enclose hem of great affection And beare hem home vnto her region And how that other full deadly of her looke For loue onely of the bones tooke Hem to keepe for a remembraunce That to rehearse euery obseruaunce That was doen in the fires bright The wake plaies during all the night Nor of the wrastling telling point by point Of hem that were naked and annoint How eueriche other lugge can and shake Ne how the women haue her leaue take Of Theseus with full great humblesse Thanking him of his high worthinesse That him list vpon her wo to rew And how that he his freedome to renew With the women of his high largesse Iparted hath eke of his richesse And how this Duke Theseus hem forsooke And to Athenes the right way tooke With Laurer crowned in signe of victory And the palme of conquest and of glory Did his honour duly vnto Marte And how the women wept when they parte How King Adrastus with the Ladies repaired home ayen to Arge With King Adrastus home ayein to Arge To tellen all it were too great a charge And eke also as ye shall vnderstand At ginning I tooke no more on hand By my promise in conclusion But to rehearse the destruction Of mighty Thebes and no more And thus Adrastus with his lockes hore Still abode in Arge his citee Vnto his end ye get no more of me Sauf as mine authour liketh to compile After that he liued but a while For he was old ere the siege began And thought and sorrow so vpon him ran The which in sooth shorted hath his daies And time set Death maketh no delaies And all his joy passed was and gone For of his lords aliue was not one But slaine at Thebes ye known all the caas And when this King in Arge buried was Full royally with great solemnitee It was accounted in bookes ye may see Four hundred year tofore the foundation of Rome was the City of Thebes destroyed CCCC yeare as made is mention Tofore the building and foundation Of great Rome so royal and so large When the Ladies departed from Arge To her countries full trist and desolate Lo here the fine of conteke and debate Lo here the might of Mars yâ— froward sterre Lo what it is to beginne a werre How it concludeth ensample ye may see First of yâ— Grekes sith of the Thebans cite For eyther part hath matter to complaine And in her strife ye may see things twaine How all the worthy Blood of Greece destroyed was at siege and the City brought to nought to final loss of both parties The worthy blood of all Greece spilt And Thebes eke of Amphion first built Without recure brought to ruine And with the soile made plaine as any line To wildernesse tourned and deserte And Grekes eke fall into pouerte Both of her men and also of her good For finally all the gentill blood Was shed out there her wounds wer so wide To losse finall vnto either side For in the warre is none exception Of high estate ne low condition But as fate and fortune both in fere List to dispose with her double chere Bellona goddesse is of battaile And Bellona yâ— goddesse in her chare * Aforn prouideth Wherfore euery man beware Vnauised warre to beginne For no man wote who shall lese or winne And hard it is when either part leseth And doubtlesse neither of hem cheseth That they must in all such mortall rage Maugre her lust feelen great damage It may not be by mannes might restreined And warre in sooth was neuer ordeined But for sinfull folkes to chastise And as the Bible truly can deuise How that War first began in Heaven by the high Pride and Surquedy of Lucifer High in heauen of pride and surquedy Lucifer fader of Enuy The old Serpent the Leuiathan Was the first that euer warre began When Michael the heauenly champion With his feres venquished the Dragon And to hell cast him downe full low The which Serpent hath the Coccle sow Through all earth of enuy and debate * That vnneths is there none estate Without strife can liue in charitee For euery man of high and low degree Enuieth now that other should thriue And ground cause why that men so striue Is couetise and false Ambition That eueriche would haue domination Ouer other and trede him vnderfoot Which of all sorrow ginning is and root And Christ recordeth rede looke ye may se For lacke of loue with mischeef there shall be Surget gens contra gentem Luc. xxi For o people as he doth deuise Ayenst another of hate shall arise And after telleth what diuisions There shall be betweene regions Eueriche busie other to oppresse And all such strife as he beareth witnesse Kalends been I take his word to borrow And a ginning of mischeefe and of sorrow Men haue it found by experience But the venim and the violence Of strife of warre of conteke and of debate That maketh londs bare and desolate Shall be proscript and voided out of place And Martes swerdes shall
shew that Tideus and Polimite are combined in Friendship In the second Tideus's Message is taught and the Treacheries disclosed The third doth speak of Harmonia and of Amphiaraus who hid himself The fourth setteth out the Battels of the seven Kings The fifth noteth out the outrage of the Women of Lemnos toucheth the Adder and the Death of Archemorus In the sixth the games are declared In the seventh Amphiaraus the wise man is no more seen In the eighth Tideus the stay of the Greeks is slain In the ninth Hippomedon and Parthenope die In the tenth Capanâ—us in scaling the Walls is slain In the eleventh Etteocles and Polynice kill one another The twelfth setteth out Adrastus their hard case bewailing and Thebes burning Benedicite Praise ye Benedictus Blessed Cor meum eructavit My heart hath belched out Consummatum est It is finished Cum iniquis deputatus est He was reckoned among the wicked Consumere me vis Wilt thou destroy me Cur me dereliquisti Why hast thou forsaken me Coeli enarram The Heavens declare Corpus Domini The Lords Body De septem peccatis mortalibus Of the seven deadly Sins De Invidia Of Envy De Ira Of Anger De Accidia Of Accidy De Avaritia Of Covetousness De Luxuria Of Letchery Dolorum meum My Grief Domine Laba c. O Lord open my Lips Domine Dominus noster O Lord our God Domine est Terra The Earth is the Lords Dominus regnavit The Lord is King Explicit secunda pars poenitentiae sequitur pars tertia Here endeth the second part of Repentance and here followeth the third Fuerunt mihi Lachrimae me in Desertâ— Panes Die ac nocte My Tears were my Bread in the Wilderness Day and Night Faciem tuam abscondis Dost thou hide thy Face Jesus Nazarenus Jesus of Nazareth Irasâ—imini nolite peccare Be angry but sin not In nomine Jesu In the Name of Jesus In manus â—uas Into thy hands Jube Domine Command Lord. Jubilate Rejoyce Ignotum per ignotius One Obscurity by a more Obscurity Libera me Save me Laudate Praise ye Mulier est Hominis Confusio A Woman is Mans Destruction Non est Dolor sicut Dolor meus There is no Grief like to mine Non est aliud Nomen sub Coelo c. There is no other Name under Heaven O admirabile O wonderful O Deus Deus meus O God my God Pone me juxta te Set me by thee Qui Gladio percutit He that striketh with the Sword Quia tulerunt Dominum meum Because they have taken away my Lord. Quid mali feci tibi What harm have I done thee Quia non est qui consoletur me Because there is none to comfort me Quod dilexi multum Because I love much Quod sic repente praecipitas me That thou doest so suddenly cast me down Radix omnium malorum est Cupiditas Covetousness is the root of all evil Remedium contra Peccatum acidiae An help against the sin of wanhope Remedium contra Peccatum Avaritiae An help against the Sin of Covetousness Remedium contra Peccatum Luxuriae An help against the Sin of Lechery Sanctus Deus Holy God Sanctissimus Most holy Sequitur de Gula Concerning Gluttony Sequitur secunda pars Poenitentiae Here followeth the second part of Repentance Suspensus in Patibulo Hung upon the Cross Sed non respondes mihi But thou dost not answer me Sagittae tuae infixae sunt mihi Thy Arrows have pierced me sore Solum superest Sepulchrum There only remaineth a Grave Tanquam Cera liquescens Like melting Wax Tuam animam pertransibit Gladius The Sword shall pierce thy Soul Trahe me post te Draw me after thee Tu autem And thou Te Deum amoris Thee the God of Love Turpe lucrum Filthy Gain Vbi posuerunt eum Where have they laid him Velociter exaudi me Speedily hear me Venite Come ye The French in Chaucer translated A Moi qui voy To me which see Bien moneste Well admonished Bien loialement Well and dutifully C'est sans dire c. It is without saying c. Don vient la destinie From whom cometh destiny En diu est In God is Entierement vostre Yours wholly Estreignes moy de coeur joyeux Strain me with a joyful heart Et je scay bien que ce n'est pas mon tort And I know well that it is not my hurt Jay tout perdu mon temps mon labeur I have altogether lost my Time and Labour Jay en vous toute ma fiance I repose all my trust in you Je vouldray I will Je vous dy I say to you Je vous dy sans doute I say to you without doubt La belle dame sans mercy The fair Lady without mercy L'ardant espoir en mon coeur point est mort d'avoir l'amour de celle que je desire The earnest hope within my heart is not dead to have the love of her whom I desire Meulx un One best in heart Onques puis leuer I can never rise Or à mon coeur Now to my Heart Or à mon coeur ce qui vouloy Now to my Heart that which I would Pleures pour moy s'il vou plaist amoreux Weep for me if you please lovely Lady Plus ne pourroy I can do no more Qui est la Who is there Qui bien aime tard oublie He that loveth well is slow to forget Sans ose je dire Without shall I be bold to say Sans que jamais c. Without ever c. Sans ose je ou diray But dare I or shall I say Si douce est la marguerite So sweet is the daisie son mon joly coeur endormi Her lively Heart and mine fallen asleep Soyes asseurè Be ye assured Sâ—s la feville devers moy Upon the Leaf towards me Tant que je puis As much as I can Tant me fait mal departir de ma dame It grieveth me so much to depart from my Lady Vn sans changer One without changing The Authors cited by G. Chaucer in his Works by Name declared ALhazen an Arabian wrote seven Books of Perspectives Arnoldus de nova villa did write the Book called Rosarium Philosophorum Anselmus Bishop of Canterbury a great Writer in Divinity 1061. Agathon a Philosopher of Samos did write Histories Augustine that famous Doctor and Bishop wrote more Books than ever did any in the Church of the Latines Avicen a Physician of Sevil wrote a multitude of Books Averroys a Physician of Corduba floruit 1149. Albumasar alias Japhar a great Astrologian wrote of sundry things in that Art Aesopus a Philosopher born in Phrygia in the days of Croesus King of Lydia to whom he dedicated the Fables which he wrote Aristotle a famous Philosopher Scholar to Plato and Master to King Alexander He was 345 years before Christ Ambrose the worthy Bishop of Millain in the year of our Lord 373. Alcabutius
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