Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookge, (120) And she hir deeth receyveth, with good chere, 700 For love of Antony, that was hir so dere:-- And this is storial sooth, hit is no fable. Now, er I finde a man thus trewe and stable, And wol for love his deeth so freely take, I pray god lat our hedes never ake! 705 EXPLICIT LEGENDA CLEOPATRIE, MARTIRIS. N.B.--_Readings not marked with any letter are from_ F. (Fairfax MS.) 580. deth. 582. queene. 583. swich. 586. tovne. 587. worlde. C. vn-to; T. vnder; _rest_ at. 589. oght. 591. tovne. 594. wold. 595. which. 597. full_e_. 598. F. (_only_) this; _rest_ his. gret. 599. swich. 600. laas. 601. F. Alle; C. Tn. Al. 602. worlde; noo. 603. C. there nas to hym no thyng so dewe; _rest_ there was no thing to him so due (_all too long_). 604. F. Tn. B. Cleopataras; _rest_ Cleopatras. 607. ek. C. lovede; F. loved. 608. Thurgh; decert. 609. bookes. 611. _All but_ T. A. Add. _insert_ of _after_ and; _I omit it_. 612. C. lyuyn; F. leven. 613. faire. 614. F. (_only_) _om._ for. 615. MSS. wax, wox; _read_ wex. 616. C. Tn. feste; F. fest. 617. swich. 619. T. A. P. Add. long; _rest_ longe. C. T. A. lest; F. lyst. 621. shippe. 622. A. Add. theffect; C. thefeect (_sic_); F. effect. 623. remenaunt. 624. woode. 625. oost. 627. Romaynes crewel. T. leou_n_; F. lyou_n_. 628. shippe. 630. Romaynes. 631. eke; rede; booth. 632. oost forthe went (C. wentyn). 633. stent; C. stente. 635. gooth. 637. sovne; gooth. 638. C. Tn. heterly; A. hatirly; F. hertely. hurtelen; attones. 639. dovne. 640. gooth. 641. C. Among; F. Amonge. 642. preseth. 643. By-hynde; maste begyneth. 646. sayle. 647. F. A. Add. him; _rest_ hem. 648. slidre. 649. to-gedre. 651. C. Tn. laste; F. last. 652. flyght. 653. folke to-goo; goo myght. 654. ek; queene; sayle. 655. went; thik; hayle. 656. myght. 657. C. saw; F. saugh. 658. borne. 659. worshippe; lorne. 660. dispeyre. 661. thurgh-. 662. went. 665. herkeneth. T. speke; _rest_ speken. 666. C. Tn. oth; F. oothe. 667. C. Tn. wroth; F. wroothe. 668. which. 669. C. Tn. Cleopatre; F. Cleopatrie. made. 671. C. morwe; F. morowe. 672. werknen (!). 673. Tn. rubies; F. rubees. 675. C. Tn. putte; F. put. 676. Tn. leet; C. F. let. C. cors; F. corps (_and in l._ 677). 678. C. pet; Tn. pyt; F. pitte. dooth. 679. C. alle; F. al. C. myghte; F. myght. 680. C. Tn. putte; F. put. sayde. 682. ferforthely. 683. ben. 687. woo. 688. couenaunt; thoo. 689. T. A. Th. wele; C. F. Tn. wel. 690. C. power; F. powere. 692. life; deethe. 693. couenaunt while. 694. seene. 696. C. word; F. worde. 700. C. receyuyth; F. receveth. 704. F. (_only_) wolde. 705. oure; neuere. F. take (!); _rest_ ake. II. THE LEGEND OF THISBE OF BABYLON. INCIPIT LEGENDA TESBE BABILONIE, MARTIRIS. At Babiloine whylom fil it thus, The whiche toun the queen Semiramus Leet dichen al about, and walles make Ful hye, of harde tyles wel y-bake. Ther weren dwellinge in this noble toun 710 Two lordes, which that were of greet renoun, And woneden so nigh, upon a grene, That ther nas but a stoon-wal hem bitwene, As ofte in grete tounes is the wone. And sooth to seyn, that o man hadde a sone, 715 Of al that londe oon of the lustieste. (11) That other hadde a doghter, the faireste, That estward in the world was tho dwellinge. The name of everich gan to other springe By wommen, that were neighebores aboute. 720 For in that contree yit, withouten doute, Maidens been y-kept, for Ielosye, Ful streite, lest they diden som folye. This yonge man was cleped Piramus, And Tisbe hight the maid, Naso seith thus; 725 And thus by report was hir name y-shove (21) That, as they wexe in age, wex hir love; And certein, as by reson of hir age, Ther mighte have been bitwix hem mariage, But that hir fadres nolde hit nat assente; 730 And bothe in love y-lyke sore they brente, That noon of alle hir frendes mighte hit lette But prively somtyme yit they mette By sleighte, and speken som of hir desyr; As, wry the gleed, and hotter is the fyr; 735 Forbede a love, and it is ten so wood. (31) This wal, which that bitwix hem bothe stood, Was cloven a-two, right fro the toppe adoun, Of olde tyme of his fundacioun; But yit this clifte was so narwe and lyte, 740 It as nat sene, dere y-nogh a myte. But what is that, that love can nat espye? Ye lovers two, if that I shal nat lye, Ye founden first this litel narwe clifte; And, with a soun as softe as any shrifte, 745 They lete hir wordes through the clifte pace, (41) And tolden, whyl that they stode in the place, Al hir compleynt of love, and al hir wo, At every tyme whan they dorste so. Upon that o syde of the wal stood he, 750 And on that other syde stood Tisbe, The swote soun of other to receyve, And thus hir wardeins wolde they deceyve. And every day this wal they wolde threte, And wisshe to god, that it were doun y-bete. 755 Thus wolde they seyn--'allas! thou wikked wal, (51) Through thyn envye thou us lettest al! Why nilt thou cleve, or fallen al a-two? Or, at the leste, but thou woldest so, Yit woldestow but ones lete us mete, 760 Or ones that we mighte kissen swete, Than were we covered of our cares colde. But natheles, yit be we to thee holde In as muche as thou suffrest for to goon Our wordes through thy lyme and eek thy stoon. 765 Yit oghte we with thee ben wel apayd.' (61) And whan thise ydel wordes weren sayd, The colde wal they wolden kisse of stoon, And take hir leve, and forth they wolden goon. And this was gladly in the even-tyde 770 Or wonder erly, lest men hit espyde; And longe tyme they wroghte in this manere Til on a day, whan Phebus gan to clere, Aurora with the stremes of hir hete Had dryed up the dew of herbes wete; 775 Unto this clifte, as it was wont to be, (71) Com Pyramus, and after com Tisbe, And plighten trouthe fully in hir fey That ilke same night to stele awey, And to begyle hir wardeins everichoon, 780 And forth out of the citee for to goon; And, for the feldes been so brode and wyde, For to mete in o place at o tyde, They sette mark hir meting sholde be Ther king Ninus was graven, under a tree; 785 For olde payens that ydoles heried (81) Useden tho in feldes to ben beried And faste by this grave was a welle. And, shortly of this tale for to telle, This covenant was affermed wonder faste; 790 And longe hem thoughte that the sonne laste, That hit nere goon under the see adoun. This Tisbe hath so greet affeccioun And so greet lyking Piramus to see, That, whan she seigh her tyme mighte be, 795 At night she stal awey ful prively (91) With her face y-wimpled subtilly; For alle her frendes--for to save her trouthe-- She hath for-sake; allas! and that is routhe That ever woman wolde be so trewe 800 To trusten man, but she the bet him knewe! And to the tree she goth a ful good pas, For love made her so hardy in this cas; And by the welle adoun she gan her dresse. Allas! than comth a wilde leonesse 805 Out of the wode, withouten more areste, (101) With blody mouthe, of strangling of a beste |