Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Booke her streyneth so, And dreed of death doth her so moche wo, 2685 That thryes doun she fil in swiche a were. She rist her up, and stakereth heer and there, And on her handes faste loketh she. 'Allas! and shul my handes blody be? I am a maid, and, as by my nature, 2690 And by my semblant and by my vesture, (130) Myn handes been nat shapen for a knyf, As for to reve no man fro his lyf. What devil have I with the knyf to do? And shal I have my throte corve a-two? 2695 Than shal I blede, allas! and me beshende; And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende; Or he or I mot nedes lese our lyf. Now certes,' quod she, 'sin I am his wyf, And hath my feith, yit is it bet for me 2700 For to be deed in wyfly honestee (140) Than be a traitour living in my shame. Be as be may, for ernest or for game, He shal awake, and ryse and go his way Out at this goter, or that hit be day!'-- 2705 And weep ful tenderly upon his face, And in her armes gan him to embrace, And him she roggeth and awaketh softe; And at the window leep he fro the lofte Whan she hath warned him, and doon him bote. 2710 This Lino swifte was, and light of fote, (150) And from his wyf he ran a ful good pas. This sely woman is so wayk, allas! And helples so, that, or that she fer wente, Her cruel fader dide her for to hente. 2715 Allas! Lino! why art thou so unkinde? Why ne haddest thou remembred in thy minde To taken her, and lad her forth with thee? For, whan she saw that goon awey was he, And that she mighte nat so faste go, 2720 Ne folwen him, she sette her doun right tho, (160) Til she was caught and fetered in prisoun. This tale is seid for this conclusioun.... [_Unfinished._] 2563. C. clepid; _rest_ called. 2571. F. B. in; _rest_ of. 2574. F. B. hyt (_for_ her). 2577. C. T. thewis goode I-born. 2578. Tn. B. goddesse (!); F. goddesses (!). 2581. C. mot; _rest_ moste (muste, most). 2582. F. B. Pitouse (_fem._); C. Pyetous; Tn. T. Piteous. Th. sadde (_fem.?_); _rest_ sad. C. T. and; _rest om._ 2590. C. beraft. 2592. Th. And what; C. T. That what; F. Tn. B. And; _I propose_ What. 2597. C. F. Tn. B. To; T. Ryght; Th. Two. 2598. C. for; _rest om._ 2599. C. T. As; _rest_ And. 2600. Th. Of (_for_ To); _without authority_. 2601. C. Al thow; _rest_ And thogh (_less clearly_). 2603. T. C. Th. lyked; _rest_ lyketh. 2606. F. Tn. B. witterly; _rest_ vttyrly. 2615. F. Tn. B. _om._ of soun. 2619. F. Tn. B. _om._ right. 2620. F. Tn. Th. B. that (_for_ the). 2624. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ he. 2625. F. Tn. Th. B. voided was. F. B. _om._ hem. 2627. F. _om._ after. 2629. F. _om. 1st_ that. 2632. C. myn; T. A. _ins._ my _before_ doghter; _rest om._ 2633. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ I. T. say; A. seye; _rest_ seyth. 2637. C. A., I; _rest om._ 2640. C. A. as in this; T. now on thys; F. Tn. Th. B. as seyn these. 2643. C. nescapist; Tn. Th. B. ne scapest; F. ne schapest (!). 2652. F. Tn. Th. B. be to me. 2655. Tn. Th. y-sene; _rest_ sene. 2656. Tn. y-goo; A. ygo; _rest_ goo (go). 2661. F. make; _rest_ haue. 2666. _So_ C. T. A. (_but with_ costret _for_ costrel); _rest_ And with-al a costrel taketh he tho (_badly_). 2667. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ or three (_leaving the line too short_). 2668. A. to; _rest om._ 2670. F. B. Martotikes (_for_ narcotikes). T. A. opies; C. opijs; Th. apies; F. Tn. B. Epies (_for_ opies). 2671. F. Tn. Th. B. _ins._ to _before_ longe. 2674. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ is. 2676. F. B. beth. T. sone byn; _rest om._ sone. C. a (_for_ to). 2682. F. hushst (_for_ husht); Th. hushte; C. A. hust; Tn. houste. 2684. F. Tn. B. streyneth hir; Th. strayned her; C. T. hire streynyth; A. hir stryngith. 2686. F. Th. B. swich (suche) a were; Tn. suche awere; C. this awer; A. this awere; T. that were. 2689. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ and. 2696. F. Tn. Th. B. _om._ me. 2697. F. B. (_only_) Or _for_ And. 2709. C. T. A. at a (_for_ at the). 2712. _So_ T. A.; C. from his wif ran; _rest_ from her ran. 2714. C. A. or that; _rest om._ that. C. forth (_for_ fer). 2717. C. T. haddist; _rest_ hast. 2718. C. T. To; _rest_ And. 2721. Addit (12524), sette hyr; C. set hire; T. A. sat hyr; _rest_ sate (_om._ her). 2722. F. Tn. Th. And til (_for_ Til); B. And then. A TREATISE ON THE ASTROLABE. PROLOGUE. Litell Lowis my sone, I have perceived wel by certeyne evidences thyn abilite to lerne sciencez touchinge noumbres and proporciouns; and as wel considere I thy bisy preyere in special to lerne the Tretis of the Astrolabie. Than, for as mechel as a philosofre seith, 'he wrappeth him in his frend, that condescendeth 5 to the rightful preyers of his frend,' ther-for have I geven thee a suffisaunt Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned after the latitude of Oxenford; up-on which, by mediacion of this litel tretis, I purpose to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusions apertening to the same instrument. I seye a certein of conclusiouns, 10 for three causes. The furste cause is this: truste wel that alle the conclusiouns that han ben founde, or elles possibly mighten be founde in so noble an instrument as an Astrolabie, ben un-knowe perfitly to any mortal man in this regioun, as I suppose. A-nother cause is this; that sothly, in any tretis of the Astrolabie that I have 15 seyn, there ben some conclusions that wole nat in alle thinges performen hir bihestes; and some of hem ben to harde to thy tendre age of ten yeer to conseyve. This tretis, divided in fyve parties, wole I shewe thee under ful lighte rewles and naked wordes in English; for Latin ne canstow yit but smal, my lyte 20 sone. But natheles, suffyse to thee thise trewe conclusiouns in English, as wel as suffyseth to thise noble clerkes Grekes thise same conclusiouns in Greek, and to Arabiens in Arabik, and to Iewes in Ebrew, and to the Latin folk in Latin; whiche Latin folk han hem furst out of othre diverse langages, and writen in hir owne tonge, 25 that is to sein, in Latin. And god wot, that in alle thise langages, and in many mo, han thise conclusiouns ben suffisantly lerned and taught, and yit by diverse rewles, right as diverse pathes leden diverse folk the righte wey to Rome. Now wol I prey meekly every discret persone that redeth or hereth this litel tretis, to have 30 my rewde endyting for excused, and my superfluite of wordes, for two causes. The firste cause is, for that curious endyting and hard sentence is ful hevy atones for swich a child to lerne. And the seconde cause is this, that sothly me semeth betre to wryten un-to a child twyes a good sentence, than he for-gete it ones. And 35 Lowis, yif so be that I shewe thee in my lighte English as trewe conclusiouns touching this matere, and naught only as trewe but as many and as subtil conclusiouns as ben shewed in Latin in any commune tretis of the Astrolabie, con me the more thank; and preye god save the king, that is lord of this langage, and alle that 40 him feyth bereth and obeyeth, everech in his degree, the more and the lasse. But considere wel, that I ne usurpe nat to h |