Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookn. Th. B. _om._ hit. 2119. C. ensure. 2124. C. Th. hertely; B. hertilye; _rest_ hertly (hertely _is more correct_). F. Tn. Th. B. and at his chere. 2126. C. T. A. Al; _rest_ And. 2134. C. her-of us; _rest_ us her-of. 2138. _All_ was performed; _the improvement is obvious_. 2139. F. B. the; _rest_ this. 2149. F. hath thys beste; _rest_ this beste hath. 2150-2153. F. Tn. B. _omit from_ geten _to_ gayler (_owing to repetition of_ gayler). 2150. _So_ C.; T. _has_ getyn he hath; A. Th. gotten hath. 2151. _So_ C. T. Th.; A. _has_ he _for_ hit. 2152. _So_ C. T. A. Th. 2155. C. Ennepye; F. Tn. B. Eunopye _or_ Ennopye; T. Ennopy; A. Ennopie; Th. Enupye. 2160. C. T. A. newe; _rest_ noble. 2161. F. Tn. B. _om._ ful. 2164. C. dwellede; B. Th. dwelte; Tn. A. dwelt; F. T. dwelleth. 2168. F. Tn. B. _om._ that. 2182. C. atake; _rest_ y-take. 2184. C. now; T. A. gret; _rest om._ 2186. C. T. graspeth; A. grapid; _rest_ gropeth. 2188. C. & al hire her. 2193. F. B. _omit this line_. 2194. C. shynede; T. shynyd; A. schyneth; F. Tn. Th. B. shone. 2199. C. Hadde; T. A. Had; _rest_ Hath. F. Tn. Th. _needlessly insert_ he _after_ that. 2201. F. thy (_for_ his). 2202, 2203. T. _omits these lines_. 2203. C. Tn. Th. B. Ascaunce; A. Ascances; F. Aschaunce. C. A. that; _rest om._ 2206. C. I-gon; A. ygone; T. agone; _rest_ goon (gone). 2207. C. T. A. upon; _rest_ on. 2208. C. kyssith; _rest_ kyssed (_but read_ kiste). 2210. C. _om._ she. 2213. C. thyn; T. A. thy; _rest_ the. C. I-gon; A. y-gone; _rest_ goon (gone). 2214. C. wreche. 2215. _So_ T.; A. that any bote her come; C. that boot here ne come (_wrongly_); Tn. F. B. that bote none here come (_wrongly_); _see note._ 2217. C. myn selue; F. my selfe (_read_ my selven); _rest_ my self. 2221. C. T. A. I telle; _rest_ telle I. 2226, 2227. A. _omits these lines_. 2226. C. T. Th. this false louer; F. Tn. B. these false lovers. 2227. C. Tn. T. Th. His; F. Hyr; B. Her; _but all have_ him. _Perhaps_ him quyte _would give a smoother line_. VII. THE LEGEND OF PHILOMELA. INCIPIT LEGENDA PHILOMENE. _Deus dator formarum._ Thou yiver of the formes, that hast wroght The faire world, and bare hit in thy thoght Eternally, or thou thy werk began, 2230 Why madest thou, unto the slaundre of man, Or--al be that hit was not thy doing, As for that fyn to make swiche a thing-- Why suffrest thou that Tereus was bore, That is in love so fals and so forswore, 2235 That, fro this world up to the firste hevene, Corrumpeth, whan that folk his name nevene? (10) And, as to me, so grisly was his dede, That, whan that I his foule story rede, Myn eyen wexen foule and sore also; 2240 Yit last the venim of so longe ago, That hit enfecteth him that wol beholde The story of Tereus, of which I tolde. Of Trace was he lord, and kin to Marte, The cruel god that stant with blody darte; 2245 And wedded had he, with a blisful chere, King Pandiones faire doghter dere, (20) That highte Progne, flour of her contree, Thogh Iuno list nat at the feste be, Ne Ymeneus, that god of wedding is; 2250 But at the feste redy been, y-wis, The furies three, with alle hir mortel brond. The owle al night aboute the balkes wond, That prophet is of wo and of mischaunce. This revel, ful of songe and ful of daunce, 2255 Lasteth a fourtenight, or litel lasse. But, shortly of this story for to passe, (30) For I am wery of him for to telle, Five yeer his wyf and he togeder dwelle, Til on a day she gan so sore longe 2260 To seen her suster, that she saw nat longe, That for desyr she niste what to seye. But to her husband gan she for to preye, For goddes love, that she moste ones goon Her suster for to seen, and come anoon, 2265 Or elles, but she moste to her wende, She preyde him, that he wolde after her sende; (40) And this was, day by day, al her prayere With al humblesse of wyfhood, word, and chere. This Tereus let make his shippes yare, 2270 And into Grece him-self is forth y-fare Unto his fader in lawe, and gan him preye To vouche-sauf that, for a month or tweye, That Philomene, his wyves suster, mighte On Progne his wyf but ones have a sighte-- 2275 'And she shal come to yow again anoon. Myself with her wol bothe come and goon, (50) And as myn hertes lyf I wol her kepe.' This olde Pandion, this king, gan wepe For tendernesse of herte, for to leve 2280 His doghter goon, and for to yive her leve; Of al this world he lovede no-thing so; But at the laste leve hath she to go. For Philomene, with salte teres eke, Gan of her fader grace to beseke 2285 To seen her suster, that her longeth so; And him embraceth with her armes two. (60) And therwith-al so yong and fair was she That, whan that Terëus saw her beautee, And of array that ther was noon her liche, 2290 And yit of bountee was she two so riche, He caste his fyry herte upon her so That he wol have her, how so that hit go, And with his wyles kneled and so preyde, Til at the laste Pandion thus seyde:-- 2295 'Now, sone,' quod he, 'that art to me so dere, I thee betake my yonge doghter here, (70) That bereth the key of al my hertes lyf. And grete wel my doghter and thy wyf, And yive her leve somtyme for to pleye, 2300 That she may seen me ones er I deye.' And soothly, he hath mad him riche feste, And to his folk, the moste and eek the leste, That with him com; and yaf him yiftes grete, And him conveyeth through the maister-strete 2305 Of Athenes, and to the see him broghte, And turneth hoom; no malice he ne thoghte. (80) The ores pulleth forth the vessel faste, And into Trace arriveth at the laste, And up into a forest he her ledde, 2310 And to a cave privily him spedde; And, in this derke cave, yif her leste, Or leste noght, he bad her for to reste; Of whiche her herte agroos, and seyde thus, 'Wher is my suster, brother Tereus?' 2315 And therwith-al she wepte tenderly, And quook for fere, pale and pitously, (90) Right as the lamb that of the wolf is biten; Or as the colver, that of the egle is smiten, And is out of his clawes forth escaped, 2320 Yet hit is afered and awhaped Lest hit be hent eft-sones, so sat she. But utterly hit may non other be. By force hath he, this traitour, doon that dede, That he hath reft her of her maydenhede, 2325 Maugree her heed, by strengthe and by his might. Lo! here a dede of men, and that a right! (100) She cryeth 'suster!' with ful loude stevene, And 'fader dere!' and 'help me, god in hevene!' Al helpeth nat; and yet this false theef 2330 Hath doon this lady yet a more mischeef, For fere lest she sholde his shame crye, And doon him openly a vilanye, And with his swerd her tong of kerveth he, And in a castel made her for to be 2335 Ful privily in prison evermore, And kepte her to his usage and his store, (110) So that she mighte him nevermore asterte. O sely Philomene! wo is thyn herte; God wreke thee, and sende thee thy bone! 2340 Now is hit tyme I make an ende sone. This Tereus is to his wyf y-come, And in his a |