Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookhte he speke or drawe his breeth, And lyth in Rodopeya him for to reste. Whan he may walke, him thoughte hit was the beste Unto the court to seken for socour. 2440 Men knewe him wel, and diden him honour; For at Athenes duk and lord was he, As Theseus his fader hadde y-be, (50) That in his tyme was of greet renoun, No man so greet in al his regioun; 2445 And lyk his fader of face and of stature, And fals of love; hit com him of nature; As doth the fox Renard, the foxes sone, Of kinde he coude his olde faders wone Withoute lore, as can a drake swimme, 2450 Whan hit is caught and caried to the brimme. This honourable Phillis doth him chere, Her lyketh wel his port and his manere. (60) But for I am agroted heer-biforn To wryte of hem that been in love forsworn, 2455 And eek to haste me in my legende, Which to performe god me grace sende, Therfor I passe shortly in this wyse; Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse In the betraising of fair Adriane, 2460 That of her pite kepte him from his bane. At shorte wordes, right so Demophon The same wey, the same path hath gon (70) That dide his false fader Theseus. For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus, 2465 To wedden her, and her his trouthe plighte, And piked of her al the good he mighte, Whan he was hool and sound and hadde his reste; And doth with Phillis what so that him leste. And wel coude I, yif that me leste so, 2470 Tellen al his doing to and fro. He seide, unto his contree moste he saile, For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile (80) As fil to her honour and his also. And openly he took his leve tho, 2475 And hath her sworn, he wolde nat soiorne, But in a month he wolde again retorne. And in that lond let make his ordinaunce As verray lord, and took the obeisaunce Wel and hoomly, and let his shippes dighte, 2480 And hoom he goth the nexte wey he mighte; For unto Phillis yit ne com he noght. And that hath she so harde and sore aboght, (90) Allas! that, as the stories us recorde, She was her owne deeth right with a corde, 2485 Whan that she saw that Demophon her trayed. But to him first she wroot and faste him prayed He wolde come, and her deliver of peyne, As I reherse shal a word or tweyne. Me list nat vouche-sauf on him to swinke, 2490 Ne spende on him a penne ful of inke, For fals in love was he, right as his syre; The devil sette hir soules bothe a-fyre! (100) But of the lettre of Phillis wol I wryte A word or tweyne, al-thogh hit be but lyte. 2495 'Thyn hostesse,' quod she, 'O Demophon, Thy Phillis, which that is so wo begon, Of Rodopeye, upon yow moot compleyne, Over the terme set betwix us tweyne, That ye ne holden forward, as ye seyde; 2500 Your anker, which ye in our haven leyde, Highte us, that ye wolde comen, out of doute, Or that the mone ones wente aboute. (110) But tymes foure the mone hath hid her face Sin thilke day ye wente fro this place, 2505 And foure tymes light the world again. But for al that, yif I shal soothly sain, Yit hath the streem of Sitho nat y-broght From Athenes the ship; yit comth hit noght. And, yif that ye the terme rekne wolde, 2510 As I or other trewe lovers sholde, I pleyne not, god wot, beforn my day.'-- But al her lettre wryten I ne may (120) By ordre, for hit were to me a charge; Her lettre was right long and ther-to large; 2515 But here and there in ryme I have hit laid, Ther as me thoughte that she wel hath said.-- She seide, 'thy sailes comen nat again, Ne to thy word ther nis no fey certein; But I wot why ye come nat,' quod she; 2520 'For I was of my love to you so free. And of the goddes that ye han forswore, Yif that hir vengeance falle on yow therfore, (130) Ye be nat suffisaunt to bere the peyne. To moche trusted I, wel may I pleyne, 2525 Upon your linage and your faire tonge, And on your teres falsly out y-wronge. How coude ye wepe so by craft?' quod she; 'May ther swiche teres feyned be? Now certes, yif ye wolde have in memorie, 2530 Hit oghte be to yow but litel glorie To have a sely mayde thus betrayed! To god,' quod she, 'preye I, and ofte have prayed, (140) That hit be now the grettest prys of alle, And moste honour that ever yow shal befalle! 2535 And whan thyn olde auncestres peynted be, In which men may hir worthinesse see, Than, preye I god, thou peynted be also, That folk may reden, for-by as they go, "Lo! this is he, that with his flaterye 2540 Betrayed hath and doon her vilanye That was his trewe love in thoghte and dede!" But sothly, of oo point yit may they rede, (150) That ye ben lyk your fader as in this; For he begyled Adriane, y-wis, 2545 With swiche an art and swiche sotelte As thou thy-selven hast begyled me. As in that point, al-thogh hit be nat fayr, Thou folwest him, certein, and art his eyr. But sin thus sinfully ye me begyle, 2550 My body mote ye seen, within a whyle, Right in the haven of Athenes fletinge, With-outen sepulture and buryinge; (160) Thogh ye ben harder then is any stoon.' And, whan this lettre was forth sent anoon, 2555 And knew how brotel and how fals he was, She for dispeyr for-dide herself, allas! Swich sorwe hath she, for she besette her so. Be war, ye women, of your sotil fo, Sin yit this day men may ensample see; 2560 And trusteth, as in love, no man but me. (168) EXPLICIT LEGENDA PHILLIS. 2400. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ if. 2402. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ may. 2408. C. his; _rest om._ 2409. C. sek (_read_ seek); _rest_ seke. 2410. A. Th. the sege; F. Tn. B. a sege; T. sege; C. thasege (_good_). 2412. C. T. A. ne myghte; _rest_ myght not. 2418. C. A. ne; T. noon; _rest om._ 2420. A. So wood. C. A. now vp now doun; T. now vp and doun; _rest_ vp and doun. 2422. Th. Chorus; T. Thora; _rest_ Thorus (_see note_). F. Tn. B. _om._ Triton. 2423. F. Th. B. vp; _rest_ vp-on. 2425. A. B. Ligurgus; C. Tn. T. Ligurges; Th. Lycurgus; F. Bygurgus (_error for_ Lygurgus). 2430. C. That (_for_ And). C. almost was (_better than_ was almost _in the rest_). 2435. C. T. A. To; _rest_ And. 2437. C. T. A. his; _rest om._ 2438. A. _om._ for. 2440. C. T. A. court; _rest_ contree. 2443. F. Tn. Th. B. hath. 2444. C. T. A. of gret; _rest_ grete of. 2445. C. of (_for_ in). C. the; T. A. that; _rest_ his. 2449. C. owene (_for_ olde). 2452. A. phillis; C. Philes; Th. T. quene Phillis; _rest_ quene. 2453. F. B. And; _rest_ Her (Hire, Hir). 2454. A. Th. agroted; B. agrotyd; C. agrotyed; F. Tn. agroteyd; T. agroteyed. 2455. C. T. ben in love; A. ar of loue; _rest_ in loue ben. 2459. C. T. A. deuyse; F. Tn. B. the nyse (_sic_); Th. the gyse. 2470, 1. T. I couthe ryght well, yef that hyt lykyd me Tell all hys doyng; but hyt ys vanyte. 2472. C. T. vnto; A. into; _rest_ to. F. Th. B. him; _rest_ he. 2475. F. B. _omit_. 2476. C. hath hire sworn; A. hath to hir suorn; Tn. to her sworne; F. T. Th. B. to hir swore. 2477. _So_ C. A.; F. Tn. Th. B. ageyn he wolde. 2480. C. homly; F. T. B. homely; A. hui_m_ly; Tn. humble; Th. hombly. C. let; _rest om._ 2482. C. ne; _ |