Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookrmes hath his wyf y-nome, And pitously he weep, and shook his heed, And swor her that he fond her suster deed; 2345 For which this sely Progne hath swich wo, That ny her sorweful herte brak a-two; (120) And thus in teres lete I Progne dwelle, And of her suster forth I wol yow telle. This woful lady lerned had in youthe 2350 So that she werken and enbrouden couthe, And weven in her stole the radevore As hit of women hath be woned yore. And, shortly for to seyn, she hath her fille Of mete and drink, and clothing at her wille, 2355 And coude eek rede, and wel y-nogh endyte, But with a penne coude she nat wryte; (130) But lettres can she weven to and fro, So that, by that the yeer was al a-go, She had y-woven in a stamin large 2360 How she was broght from Athenes in a barge, And in cave how that she was broght; And al the thing that Tereus hath wroght, She waf hit wel, and wroot the story above, How she was served for her suster love; 2365 And to a knave a ring she yaf anoon, And prayed him, by signes, for to goon (140) Unto the quene, and beren her that clooth, And by signes swor him many an ooth, She sholde him yeve what she geten mighte. 2370 This knave anoon unto the quene him dighte, And took hit her, and al the maner tolde. And, whan that Progne hath this thing beholde, No word she spak, for sorwe and eek for rage; But feyned her to goon on pilgrimage 2375 To Bachus temple; and, in a litel stounde, Her dombe suster sitting hath she founde, (150) Weping in the castel her aloon. Allas! the wo, the compleint, and the moon That Progne upon her dombe suster maketh! 2380 In armes everich of hem other taketh, And thus I lete hem in hir sorwe dwelle. The remenant is no charge for to telle, For this is al and som, thus was she served, That never harm a-gilte ne deserved 2385 Unto this cruel man, that she of wiste. Ye may be war of men, yif that yow liste. (160) For, al be that he wol nat, for his shame, Doon so as Tereus, to lese his name, Ne serve yow as a mordrour or a knave, 2390 Ful litel whyle shul ye trewe him have, That wol I seyn, al were he now my brother, But hit so be that he may have non other. (166) EXPLICIT LEGENDA PHILOMENE. TITLE. _From_ F. _After which_, F. _has_ Deus dator formatorum; B. _has_ Deus dator formarum. 2233. C. T. A. fyn; _rest_ fende. 2239. C. A. his; F. Tn. B. this. T. that sorrowfull story. 2241. F. B. laste (_error for_ last); Tn. A. laft (!); C. lestyth; T. Th. lasteth. 2242. C. T. A. it; _rest om._ C. wele; T. wyll; Add. (12524) woll; _rest_ wolde. 2243. B. Th. Tereus; A. Tireus; C. Therius; T. Thereus; F. Teseus; Tn. Theseus (!). [_Of which I tolde_ = whom I mentioned (l. 2234).] _See next line._ 2246. C. T. A. a; _rest om._ 2249. C. T. A. lyst; Th. lyste; F. Tn. B. baste (!). 2252, 2253. C. Tn. A. brond, wond; _rest_ bronde, wonde. 2256. A. Lestith; _rest_ Laste (Last). 2277. _All but_ C. T. _badly insert_ I _after_ her. 2282. T. C. loueth. 2285. F. B. Tn. for; _rest_ of. 2286. _So_ F. Tn. Th. B.; C. T. she loueth so; A. sche loued so. 2287-92. T. _omits_. 2291. B. bounte; F. bounde (_error for_ bounte); _rest_ beaute (_but see_ l. 2289). A. twys; Th. to; _rest_ two (twoo); _see_ 736. 2294. C. wilis he so fayre hire preyede. 2297. C. T. A. here; _rest repeat_ dere. 2301. C. Tn. T. er; _rest_ or. 2311. F. T. in-to; _rest_ to. 2314. Tn. a-groos; A. agros; Th. agrose; F. agrosse; T. agrysyd; C. aros (!). 2316. C. Tn. Th. B. wepte; F. wepe; T. wepyd. 2319. F. Tn. Or of; B. Or; _rest_ Or as. 2320. F. Tn. B. _om._ his. 2324. C. he; _rest om._ 2325. F. Tn. B. _om._ of her. 2328. F. B. longe; _rest_ loude. 2329. C. A. and; _rest om._ 2332. F. B. Tn. ferde; A. fered; _rest_ fere. 2334. A. C. kerveth; T. kutteth; _rest_ kerf (kerfe). 2338. _So_ C. T. A.; Th. she ne might (_om._ him). F. Tn. B. _omit this line and have a spurious line after_ 2339. 2339. C. T. A. is; F. Tn. Th. B. is in. 2345. C. say (_for_ fond). 2346. F. B. the (_for_ this). 2350. C. T. A. lerned; _rest_ y-lerned. 2352. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ her. F. Tn. T. Th. B. radeuore (_or_ radenore); C. radyuore (_or_ radynore); A. raduor. 2353. F. wore (_error for_ yore); _rest_ yore. 2355. C. T. A. and; _rest_ of. 2356. C. A. coude; _rest_ kouthe (couthe, couth). P. Tn. Th. B. _put_ and _after_ y-nogh. 2357. C. A. coude she: T. couthe she; _rest_ she kouthe (couth, coulde). 2359. _All but_ T. A. _om. 2nd_ that. F. (_only_) _om._ al. 2360. A. C. ywouen; _rest_ wouen (woued). C. T. A. stamyn; _rest_ stames. 2364. C. waf; Tn. B. wafe; _rest_ waue (wave). 2369. F. Tn. Th. B. signe; _rest_ signes. C. swor hym; T. sware she; A. suore; Th. swore; F. B. sworne (!); Tn. sworen (!). 2375. C. Th. on; T. A. in; F. Tn. B. a. 2378. Tn. her; C. here (_for_ her); A. all hir; F. T. Th. B. hir self. 2379. _So_ A.; _so_ T. (_omitting 3rd_ the); C. Allas the compleynt the wo & the mone; F. Th. Allas the wo constreynt (!) and the mone. 2380. _So all._ 2388. C. his; _rest om._ 2389. C. so; _rest om._ 2390. B. mordrer; F. morderere; Th. murtherer; C. T. A. morderour; Tn. mordroure. 2393. C. T. A. non othir; _rest_ a-nother (!). VIII. THE LEGEND OF PHYLLIS. INCIPIT LEGENDA PHILLIS. By preve as wel as by auctoritee, That wikked fruit cometh of a wikked tree, 2395 That may ye finde, if that it lyketh yow. But for this ende I speke this as now, To telle you of false Demophon. In love a falser herde I never non, But-if hit were his fader Theseus. 2400 'God, for his grace, fro swich oon kepe us!' Thus may thise women prayen that hit here. Now to theffect turne I of my matere. (10) Destroyed is of Troye the citee; This Demophon com sailing in the see 2405 Toward Athenes, to his paleys large; With him com many a ship and many a barge Ful of his folk, of which ful many oon Is wounded sore, and seek, and wo begoon. And they han at the sege longe y-lain. 2410 Behinde him com a wind and eek a rain That shoof so sore, his sail ne mighte stonde, Him were lever than al the world a-londe, (20) So hunteth him the tempest to and fro. So derk hit was, he coude nowher go; 2415 And with a wawe brosten was his stere. His ship was rent so lowe, in swich manere, That carpenter ne coude hit nat amende. The see, by nighte, as any torche brende For wood, and posseth him now up now doun, 2420 Til Neptune hath of him compassioun, And Thetis, Chorus, Triton, and they alle, And maden him upon a lond to falle, (30) Wher-of that Phillis lady was and quene, Ligurgus doghter, fairer on to sene 2425 Than is the flour again the brighte sonne. Unnethe is Demophon to londe y-wonne, Wayk and eek wery, and his folk for-pyned Of werinesse, and also enfamyned; And to the deeth he almost was y-driven. 2430 His wyse folk to conseil han him yiven To seken help and socour of the queen, And loken what his grace mighte been, (40) And maken in that lond som chevisaunce, To kepen him fro wo and fro mischaunce. 2435 For seek was he, and almost at the deeth; Unnethe mig |