Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Booko therfore. +Go thanke now my lady heer,' quod he. +I roos, and doun I sette me on my knee, 445 +And seyde thus: 'Madame, the god above +Foryelde yow, that ye the god of love +Han maked me his wrathe to foryive; +And yeve me grace so long for to live, +That I may knowe soothly what ye be 450 That han me holpen, and put in swich degree. +But trewely I wende, as in this cas, +Naught have agilt, ne doon to love trespas. +Forwhy a trewe man, with-outen drede, +Hath nat to parten with a theves dede; 455 +Ne a trewe lover oghte me nat blame, +Thogh that I speke a fals lover som shame. +They oghte rather with me for to holde, +For that I of Creseyde wroot or tolde, +Or of the Rose; what-so myn auctour mente, 460 +Algate, god wot, hit was myn entente +To forthren trouthe in love and hit cheryce; +And to be war fro falsnesse and fro vyce +By swich ensample; this was my meninge.' +And she answerde, 'lat be thyn arguinge; 465 +For Love ne wol nat countrepleted be In right ne wrong; and lerne this at me! +Thou hast thy grace, and hold thee right ther-to. +Now wol I seyn what penance thou shalt do +For thy trespas, and understond hit here: 470 +Thou shalt, whyl that thou livest, yeer by yere, The moste party of thy lyve spende +In making of a glorious Legende +Of Gode Wemen, maidenes and wyves, +That were trewe in lovinge al hir lyves; 475 +And telle of false men that hem bitrayen, +That al hir lyf ne doon nat but assayen +How many wemen they may doon a shame; For in your world that is now holden game. And thogh thee lesteth nat a lover be, 480 +Spek wel of love; this penance yeve I thee. +And to the god of love I shal so preye, +That he shal charge his servants, by any weye, +To forthren thee, and wel thy labour quyte; Go now thy wey, thy penance is but lyte.' (B. 495) 485 +The god of love gan smyle, and than he seyde, +'Wostow,' quod he, 'wher this be wyf or mayde, +Or quene, or countesse, or of what degree, +That hath so litel penance yeven thee, +That hast deserved sorer for to smerte? 490 +But pitee renneth sone in gentil herte; +That mayst thou seen, she kytheth what she is.' +And I answerde, 'nay, sir, so have I blis, +No more but that I see wel she is good.' +'That is a trewe tale, by myn hood,' 495 +Quod Love, 'and that thou knowest wel, pardee, +If hit be so that thou avyse thee. +Hastow nat in a book, lyth in thy cheste, +The grete goodnesse of the quene Alceste, +That turned was into a dayesye: 500 +She that for hir husbonde chees to dye, +And eek to goon to helle, rather than he, +And Ercules rescued hir, pardee, +And broghte hir out of helle agayn to blis?' +And I answerde ageyn, and seyde, 'yis, 505 +Now knowe I hir! And is this good Alceste, +The dayesye, and myn owne hertes reste? +Now fele I wel the goodnesse of this wyf, +That bothe after hir deeth, and in hir lyf, +Hir grete bountee doubleth hir renoun! 510 +Wel hath she quit me myn affeccioun +That I have to hir flour, the dayesye! +No wonder is thogh Iove hir stellifye, +As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse! +Hir whyte coroun berth of hit witnesse; 515 +For also many vertues hadde she, +As smale floures in hir coroun be. +In remembraunce of hir and in honour, +Cibella made the dayesy and the flour +Y-coroned al with whyt, as men may see; 520 +And Mars yaf to hir coroun reed, pardee, +In stede of rubies, set among the whyte.' +Therwith this quene wex reed for shame a lyte, +Whan she was preysed so in hir presence. +Than seyde Love, 'a ful gret negligence 525 Was hit to thee, to write unstedfastnesse *Of women, sith thou knowest hir goodnesse *By preef, and eek by stories heer-biforn; *Let be the chaf, and wryt wel of the corn. *Why noldest thou han writen of Alceste, 530 *And leten Criseide been a-slepe and reste? *For of Alceste shulde thy wryting be, Sin that thou wost that kalender is she (B. 542) Of goodnesse, for she taughte of fyn lovinge, +And namely of wyfhood the livinge, 535 +And alle the boundes that she oghte kepe; +Thy litel wit was thilke tyme a-slepe. +But now I charge thee, upon thy lyf, +That in thy Legend thou make of this wyf, Whan thou hast othere smale mad before; 540 +And fare now wel, I charge thee no more. (B. 551) +At Cleopatre I wol that thou beginne; (B. 566) +And so forth; and my love so shalt thou winne.' And with that word of sleep I gan a-awake, (B. 578) +And right thus on my Legend gan I make. 545 EXPLICIT PROHEMIUM. 1. thousent sythis. 2. there; heuene. 3. it. 4. wit (_over erasure_); _read_ wot. 5. ne is; dwellyth; cuntre. 6. heuene. 10. goddis; schulde. 13. say (_better_ seigh). 14. neuere. 21. trowyn; aprouede storyis. 27. ou[gh]te; thanne; bokys. 28. There; othyr a-say (_see_ l. 9); be (_for_ by). 29. thow; myn. 30, 34. bokys. 33. onethe. 39. stodye; lastynge. 48. sen; flouris a-gen; sunne to sprede. 49. be (_for_ by); schene. 50. walkynge. 51. sunne be-gynnys. 52. it; drawith it. 53. it; a-ferid. 54. it; dayis. 55. flouris. 57. frosch. 58. wyntyr; somyr. 59. preysyn; a-ryht. 60. my_n_. 62. makynge ropyn. 63. C. _om._ And; aftyr glenynge; ther. 64. er. 65. ony; laft. 66. reherse. 67. here frosche songis. 68. wele; euele a-payed. 69. Sithe. 70. eythir seruyn lef. 71. trustyth; vndyr-take. 72. lef a-gayn. 73. lef. 74. a-gen; shef. 75. lefere non; lothere. 76. witholde; nothire. 77. ho seruyth lef. 80. old. 81. -fore. 82. bokys; don. 83. schulde autoriteis. 84. There; there; othyr a-say; be. 86. nakede tixt; englis. 87. manye (_twice_); ellis. 88. autourys; leuyth. 89. monyth. 90. hadde; somerys. 91. medewe. 92. frosche dayseie. 93. souht (!). 94. clothede (_error for_ closed). 95. derknese; nyht; sche dradde. 96. spadde. 97. lytyl. 98. I-benchede; turwis frorsche I-grawe (!). 99. schulde; myn. 100. somerys. 101. flouris. 102. hadde; hid (_for_ hed). 103. with-Inne; our. 104. medewe. 105. romede. 106. sen. 107. medewe. 108. flouris sote embroudit. 110. non I-makede. 111. surmountede; odours. 112. _om._ eek; beute; flourys. 113. Forgetyn hadde. 114. wyntyr; nakede. 115. hadde greuyd. 116. hadde the tempre; releuyd. 117. clothede; a-geyn. 127. _I supply_ layes. 128. _I supply_ May. 129. worschepe; hire. 130. somerys. 131. sungyn blyssede; volentyn. 132. _I supply_ For; ches. 133. repentynge. 134. here bekys gunne. 135. C. _is here corrupt; it has_--The honour and the humble obeysaunce. _I try to give some sense; in any case we must read_ obeisaunces. 136. dedyn othere. 137, 138. C. _is again corrupt and imperfect; I supply_ plesing _and_ doth wel. C. _has_ natures, cryaturys; _but read_ nature. 139. herkenyn; dede; entent. 140. ment. 143. comyth; hise wyngis. 144. loke. 146. Clothid. 147. frette; goold; hyre her. 148. corone sche ber. 149. mane (!) flourys. 150. dayseye. 151. I-corounede; leuys. 152. flourys; corene (_sic_). 159. I-broudede; greuys. 160. hed; leuys. 161. Stekid; lylye flourys. 163. schon; bryhte. 164. glem a-stonede; syhte. 165. myhte; not. 167. Tho (_error |