# Chaucer's Works (ed. Skeat) Vol. I/III

[ Skeat's Notes on this Poem ]
III. THE BOOK OF THE DUCHESSE.
The Proem.
I have gret wonder, by this lighte, How that I live, for day ne nighte I may nat slepe wel nigh noght; I have so many an ydel thoght Purely for defaute of slepe, 5 That, by my trouthe, I take kepe Of no-thing, how hit cometh or goth, Ne me nis no-thing leef nor loth. Al is y-liche good to me— Ioye or sorowe, wherso hit be— 10 For I have feling in no-thing, But, as it were, a mased thing, Alway in point to falle a-doun; For [sory] imaginacioun Is alway hoolly in my minde. 15 And wel ye wite, agaynes kinde Hit were to liven in this wyse; For nature wolde nat suffyse To noon erthely creature Not longe tyme to endure 20 Withoute slepe, and been in sorwe; And I ne may, ne night ne morwe, ​Slepe; and thus melancolye, And dreed I have for to dye, Defaute of slepe, and hevinesse 25 Hath sleyn my spirit of quiknesse, That I have lost al lustihede. Suche fantasyes ben in myn hede So I not what is best to do. But men mighte axe me, why so 30 I may not slepe, and what me is? But natheles, who aske this Leseth his asking trewely. My-selven can not telle why The sooth; but trewely, as I gesse, 35 I holdë hit be a siknesse That I have suffred this eight yere, And yet my bote is never the nere; For ther is phisicien but oon, That may me hele; but that is doon. 40 Passe we over until eft; That wil not be, moot nede be left; Our first matere is good to kepe. So whan I saw I might not slepe, Til now late, this other night, 45 Upon my bedde I sat upright, And bad oon reche me a book, A romaunce, and he hit me took To rede and dryve the night away; For me thoghte it better play 50 Then playen either at chesse or tables. And in this boke were writen fables ​That clerkes hadde, in olde tyme, And other poets, put in ryme To rede, and for to be in minde 55 Whyl men loved the lawe of kinde. This book ne spak but of such thinges, Of quenes lyves, and of kinges, And many othere thinges smale. Amonge al this I fond a tale 60 That me thoughte a wonder thing. This was the tale: Ther was a king That highte Seys, and hadde a wyf, The beste that mighte bere lyf; And this quene highte Alcyone. 65 So hit befel, therafter sone, This king wolde wenden over see. To tellen shortly, whan that he Was in the see, thus in this wyse, Soche a tempest gan to ryse 70 That brak hir mast, and made it falle, And clefte hir ship, and dreinte hem alle, That never was founden, as it telles, Bord ne man, ne nothing elles. Right thus this king Seys loste his lyf. 75 Now for to speken of his wyf:— This lady, that was left at home, Hath wonder, that the king ne come Hoom, for hit was a longe terme. Anon her herte gan to erme; 80 ​And for that hir thoughte evermo Hit was not wel [he dwelte] so, She longed so after the king That certes, hit were a pitous thing To telle hir hertely sorwful lyf 85 That hadde, alas! this noble wyf; For him she loved alderbest. Anon she sente bothe eest and west To seke him, but they founde nought. 'Alas!' quoth she, 'that I was wrought! 90 And wher my lord, my love, be deed? Certes, I nil never ete breed, I make a-vowe to my god here, But I mowe of my lorde here!' Such sorwe this lady to her took 95 That trewely I, which made this book, Had swich pite and swich rowthe To rede hir sorwe, that, by my trowthe, I ferde the worse al the morwe After, to thenken on her sorwe. 100 So whan [she] coude here no word That no man mighte fynde hir lord, Ful oft she swouned, and seide 'alas!' For sorwe ful nigh wood she was, Ne she coude no reed but oon; 105 But doun on knees she sat anoon, And weep, that pite was to here. 'A! mercy! swete lady dere!' Quod she to Iuno, hir goddesse; 'Help me out of this distresse, 110 ​And yeve me grace my lord to see Sone, or wite wher-so he be, Or how he fareth, or in what wyse, And I shal make you sacrifyse, And hoolly youres become I shal 115 With good wil, body, herte, and al; And but thou wilt this, lady swete, Send me grace to slepe, and mete In my slepe som certeyn sweven, Wher-through that I may knowen even 120 Whether my lord be quik or deed.' With that word she heng doun the heed, And fil a-swown as cold as ston; Hir women caughte her up anon, And broghten hir in bed al naked, 125 And she, forweped and forwaked, Was wery, and thus the dede sleep Fil on her, or she toke keep, Through Iuno, that had herd hir bone, That made hir [for] to slepe sone; 130 For as she prayde, so was don, In dede; for Iuno, right anon, Called thus her messagere To do her erande, and he com nere. Whan he was come, she bad him thus: 135 Go bet,' quod Iuno, 'to Morpheus, Thou knowest him wel, the god of sleep; Now understond wel, and tak keep. Sey thus on my halfe, that he Go faste into the grete see, 140 ​And bid him that, on alle thing, He take up Seys body the king, That lyth ful pale and no-thing rody. Bid him crepe into the body, Aud do it goon to Alcyone 145 The quene, ther she lyth alone, And shewe hir shortly, hit is no nay, How hit was dreynt this other day; And do the body speke so Right as hit was wont to do, 150 The whyles that hit was on lyve. Go now faste, and hy thee blyve!' This messager took leve and wente Upon his wey, and never ne stente Til he com to the derke valeye 155 That stant bytwene roches tweye Ther never yet grew corn ne gras, Ne tree, ne nothing that ought was, Beste, ne man, ne nothing elles, Save ther were a fewe welles 160 Came renning fro the cliffes adoun, That made a deedly sleping soun, And ronnen doun right by a cave That was under a rokke y-grave Amid the valey, wonder depe. 165 Ther thise goddes laye and slepe, Morpheus, and Eclympasteyre, That was the god of slepes heyre, That slepe and did non other werk. This cave was also as derk 170 ​As helle pit over-al aboute; They had good leyser for to route To envye, who might slepe beste; Some henge hir chin upon hir breste And slepe upright, hir heed y-hed, 175 And some laye naked in hir bed, And slepe whyles the dayes laste. This messager com flying faste, And cryed, 'O ho! awak anon!' Hit was for noght; ther herde him non. 180 Awak!' quod he, 'who is, lyth there?' And blew his horn right in hir ere, And cryed 'awaketh!' wonder hyë. This god of slepe, with his oon yë Cast up, axed, 'who clepeth there?' 185 Hit am I,' quod this messagere; Iuno bad thou shuldest goon'— And tolde him what he shulde doon As I have told yow here-tofore; Hit is no need reherse hit more; 190 And wente his wey, whan he had sayd. Anon this god of slepe a-brayd Out of his slepe, and gan to goon, And did as he had bede him doon; Took up the dreynte body sone, 195 And bar hit forth to Alcyone, His wyf the quene, ther-as she lay, Right even a quarter before day, And stood right at hir beddes fete, And called hir, right as she hete, 200 ​By name, and seyde, 'my swete wyf, Awak! let be your sorwful lyf! For in your sorwe ther lyth no reed; For certes, swete, I nam but deed; Ye shul me never on lyve y-see. 205 But good swete herte, [look] that ye Bury my body, [at whiche] a tyde Ye mowe hit finde the see besyde; And far-wel, swete, my worldes blisse! I praye god your sorwe lisse; 210 To litel whyl our blisse lasteth!' With that hir eyen up she casteth, And saw noght; '[A]!' quod she, 'for sorwe!' And deyed within the thridde morwe. But what she sayde more in that swow 215 I may not telle yow as now, Hit were to longe for to dwelle; My first matere I wil yow telle, Wherfor I have told this thing Of Alcione and Seys the king. 220 For thus moche dar I saye wel, I had be dolven everydel, And deed, right through defaute of sleep, If I nad red and taken keep Of this tale next before: 225 And I wol telle yow wherfore; For I ne might, for bote ne bale, Slepe, or I had red this tale Of this dreynte Seys the king, And of the goddes of sleping. 230 ​Whan I had red this tale wel, And over-loked hit everydel, Me thoughte wonder if hit were so; For I had never herd speke, or tho, Of no goddes that coude make 235 Men [for] to slepe, ne for to wake; For I ne knew never god but oon. And in my game I sayde anoon— And yet me list right evel to pleye— 'Rather then that I shulde deye 240 Through defaute of sleping thus, I wolde yive thilke Morpheus, Or his goddesse, dame Iuno, Or som wight elles, I ne roghte who— To make me slepe and have som reste— 245 I wil yive him the alder-beste Yift that ever he abood his lyve, And here on warde, right now, as blyve; If he wol make me slepe a lyte, Of downe of pure dowves whyte 250 I wil yive him a fether-bed, Rayed with golde, and right wel cled In fyn blak satin doutremere, And many a pilow, and every bere Of clothe of Reynes, to slepe softe; 255 Him thar not nede to turnen ofte. And I wol yive him al that falles To a chambre; and al his halles I wol do peynte with pure golde, And tapite hem ful many folde 260 Of oo sute; this shal he have, If I wiste wher were his cave, If he can make me slepe sone, As did the goddesse Alcione. And thus this ilke god, Morpheus, 265 May winne of me mo feës thus Than ever he wan; and to Iuno, That is his goddesse, I shal so do, I trow that she shal holde her payd.' I hadde unneth that word y-sayd 270 Right thus as I have told hit yow, That sodeynly, I niste how, Swich a lust anoon me took To slepe, that right upon my book I fil aslepe, and therwith even 275 Me mette so inly swete a sweven, So wonderful, that never yit I trowe no man hadde the wit To conne wel my sweven rede; No, not Ioseph, withoute drede, 280 Of Egipte, he that redde so The kinges meting Pharao, No more than coude the leste of us; Ne nat scarsly Macrobeus, (He that wroot al thavisioun 285 That he mette, king Scipioun, The noble man, the Affrican— Swiche mervayles fortuned than) I trowe, a-rede my dremes even. Lo, thus hit was, this was my sweven. 290 ​ The Dream.
Me thoughte thus:—that hit was May, And in the dawning ther I lay, Me mette thus, in my bed al naked:— [I] loked forth, for I was waked With smale foules a gret hepe, 295 That had affrayed me out of slepe Through noyse and swetnesse of hir song; And, as me mette, they sate among, Upon my chambre-roof withoute, Upon the tyles, al a-boute, 300 And songen, everich in his wyse, The moste solempne servyse By note, that ever man, I trowe, Had herd; for som of hem song lowe, Som hye, and al of oon acorde. 305 To telle shortly, at oo worde, Was never y-herd so swete a steven, But hit had be a thing of heven;— So mery a soun, so swete entunes, That certes, for the toune of Tewnes, 310 I nolde but I had herd hem singe, For al my chambre gan to ringe Through singing of hir armonye. For instrument nor melodye Was nowher herd yet half so swete, 315 Nor of acorde half so mete; For ther was noon of hem that feyned To singe, for ech of hem him peyned ​To finde out mery crafty notes; They ne spared not hir throtes. 320 And, sooth to seyn, my chambre was Ful wel depeynted, and with glas Were al the windowes wel y-glased, Ful clere, and nat an hole y-crased, That to beholde hit was gret Ioye. 325 For hoolly al the storie of Troye Was in the glasing y-wroght thus, Of Ector and king Priamus, Of Achilles and Lamedon, Of Medea and of Iason, 330 Of Paris, Eleyne, and Lavyne. And alle the walles with colours fyne Were peynted, bothe text and glose, [Of] al the Romaunce of the Rose. My windowes weren shet echon, 335 And through the glas the sunne shon Upon my bed with brighte bemes, With many glade gilden stremes; And eek the welken was so fair, Blew, bright, clere was the air, 340 And ful atempre, for sothe, hit was; For nother cold nor hoot hit nas, Ne in al the welken was a cloude. And as I lay thus, wonder loude Me thoughte I herde an hunte blowe 345 Tassaye his horn, and for to knowe ​Whether hit were clere or hors of soune. I herde goinge, up and doune, Men, hors, houndes, and other thing; And al men speken of hunting, 350 How they wolde slee the hert with strengthe, And how the hert had, upon lengthe, So moche embosed, I not now what. Anon-right, whan I herde that, How that they wolde on hunting goon, 355 I was right glad, and up anoon; [I] took my hors, and forth I wente Out of my chambre; I never stente Til I com to the feld withoute. Ther overtook I a gret route 360 Of huntes and eek of foresteres, With many relayes and lymeres, And hyed hem to the forest faste, And I with hem;—so at the laste I asked oon, ladde a lymere:— 365 Say, felow, who shal hunten here Quod I; and he answerde ageyn, Sir, themperour Octovien,' Quod he, 'and is heer faste by.' 'A goddes halfe, in good tyme,' quod I, 370 Go we faste!' and gan to ryde. Whan we came to the forest-syde, Every man dide, right anoon, As to hunting fil to doon. The mayster-hunte anoon, fot-hoot, 375 With a gret horne blew three moot ​At the uncoupling of his houndes. Within a whyl the hert [y]-founde is, Y-halowed, and rechased faste Longe tyme; and at the laste, 380 This hert rused and stal away Fro alle the houndes a prevy way. The houndes had overshote hem alle, And were on a defaute y-falle; Therwith the hunte wonder faste 385 Blew a forloyn at the laste. I was go walked fro my tree, And as I wente, ther cam by me A whelp, that fauned me as I stood, That hadde y-folowed, and coude no good. 390 Hit com and creep to me as lowe, Right as hit hadde me y-knowe, Hild doun his heed and Ioyned his eres, And leyde al smothe doun his heres. I wolde han caught hit, and anoon 395 Hit fledde, and was fro me goon; And I him folwed, and hit forth wente Doun by a floury grene wente Ful thikke of gras, ful softe and swete, With floures fele, faire under fete, 400 And litel used, hit seemed thus; For bothe Flora and Zephirus, They two that make floures growe, Had mad hir dwelling ther, I trowe; ​For hit was, on to beholde, 405 As thogh the erthe envye wolde To be gayer than the heven, To have mo floures, swiche seven As in the welken sterres be. Hit had forgete the povertee 410 That winter, through his colde morwes, Had mad hit suffren, and his sorwes; Al was forgeten, and that was sene. For al the wode was waxen grene, Swetnesse of dewe had mad it waxe. 415 Hit is no need eek for to axe Wher ther were many grene greves, Or thikke of trees, so ful of leves; And every tree stood by him-selve Fro other wel ten foot or twelve. 420 So grete trees, so huge of strengthe, Of fourty or fifty fadme lengthe, Clene withoute bough or stikke, With croppes brode, and eek as thikke— They were nat an inche a-sonder— 425 That hit was shadwe over-al under; And many an hert and many an hinde Was both before me and bihinde. Of founes, soures, bukkes, doës Was ful the wode, and many roës, 430 And many squirelles, that sete Ful hye upon the trees, and ete, And in hir maner made festes. Shortly, hit was so ful of bestes, ​That thogh Argus, the noble countour, 435 Sete to rekene in his countour, And rekened with his figures ten— For by tho figures mowe al ken, If they be crafty, rekene and noumbre, And telle of every thing the noumbre— 440 Yet shulde he fayle to rekene even The wondres, me mette in my sweven. But forth they romed wonder faste Doun the wode; so at the laste I was war of a man in blak, 445 That sat and had y-turned his bak To an oke, an huge tree. Lord,' thoghte I, 'who may that be? What ayleth him to sitten here?' Anoon-right I wente nere; 450 Than fond I sitte even upright A wonder wel-faringe knight— By the maner me thoughte so— Of good mochel, and yong therto, Of the age of four and twenty yeer. 455 Upon his berde but litel heer, And he was clothed al in blakke. I stalked even unto his bakke, And ther I stood as stille as ought, That, sooth to saye, he saw me nought, 460 For-why he heng his heed adoune. And with a deedly sorwful soune ​He made of ryme ten vers or twelve, Of a compleynt to him-selve, The moste pite, the moste rowthe, 465 That ever I herde; for, by my trowthe, Hit was gret wonder that nature Might suffren any creature To have swich sorwe, and be not deed. Ful pitous, pale, and nothing reed, 470 He sayde a lay, a maner song, Withoute note, withoute song, And hit was this; for wel I can Reherse hit; right thus hit began.— ¶ 'I have of sorwe so gret woon, 475 That Ioye gete I never noon, Now that I see my lady bright, Which I have loved with al my might, Is fro me deed, and is a-goon. 479 ¶ Allas, [o] deeth! what ayleth thee, 481 That thou noldest have taken me, Whan that thou toke my lady swete? That was so fayr, so fresh, so free, So good, that men may wel [y]-see 485 Of al goodnesse she had no mete!'— Whan he had mad thus his complaynte, His sorowful herte gan faste faynte, And his spirites wexen dede; The blood was fled, for pure drede, 490 ​Doun to his herte, to make him warm— For wel hit feled the herte had harm— To wite eek why hit was a-drad By kinde, and for to make hit glad; For hit is membre principal 495 Of the body; and that made al His hewe chaunge and wexe grene And pale, for no blood [was] sene In no maner lime of his. Anoon therwith whan I saw this, 500 He ferde thus evel ther he sete, I wente and stood right at his fete, And grette him, but he spak noght, But argued with his owne thoght, And in his witte disputed faste 505 Why and how his lyf might laste; Him thoughte his sorwes were so smerte And lay so colde upon his herte; So, through his sorwe and hevy thoght, Made him that he ne herde me noght; 510 For he had wel nigh lost his minde, Thogh Pan, that men clepe god of kinde, Were for his sorwes never so wrooth. But at the laste, to sayn right sooth, He was war of me, how I stood 515 Before him, and dide of myn hood, And [grette] him, as I best coude. Debonairly, and no-thing loude, He sayde, 'I prey thee, be not wrooth, I herde thee not, to sayn the sooth, 520 ​Ne I saw thee not, sir, trewely.' 'A! goode sir, no fors,' quod I, I am right sory if I have ought Destroubled yow out of your thought; For-yive me if I have mis-take.' 525 'Yis, thamendes is light to make,' Quod he, 'for ther lyth noon ther-to; Ther is no-thing missayd nor do.' Lo! how goodly spak this knight, As it had been another wight; 530 He made it nouther tough ne queynte And I saw that, and gan me aqueynte With him, and fond him so tretable, Right wonder skilful and resonable, As me thoghte, for al his bale. 535 Anoon-right I gan finde a tale To him, to loke wher I might ought Have more knowing of his thought. 'Sir,' quod I, 'this game is doon; I holde that this hert be goon; 540 Thise huntes conne him nowher see.' 'I do no fors therof,' quod he, My thought is ther-on never a del.' 'By our lord,' quod I, 'I trow yow wel, Right so me thinketh by your chere. 545 But, sir, oo thing wol ye here? Me thinketh, in gret sorwe I yow see; But certes, [good] sir, yif that ye Wolde ought discure me your wo, I wolde, as wis god helpe me so, 550 Amende hit, yif I can or may; Ye mowe preve hit by assay. ​For, by my trouthe, to make yow hool, I wol do al my power hool; And telleth me of your sorwes smerte, 555 Paraventure hit may ese your herte, That semeth ful seke under your syde.' With that he loked on me asyde, As who sayth, 'nay, that wol not be.' 'Graunt mercy, goode frend,' quod he, 560 I thanke thee that thou woldest so, But hit may never the rather be do. No man may my sorwe glade, That maketh my hewe to falle and fade, And hath myn understonding lorn, 565 That me is wo that I was born! May noght make my sorwes slyde, Nought the remedies of Ovyde; Ne Orpheus, god of melodye, Ne Dedalus, with playes slye; 570 Ne hele me may phisicien, Noght Ypocras, ne Galien; Me is wo that I live houres twelve; But who so wol assaye him-selve Whether his herte can have pite 575 Of any sorwe, lat him see me. I wrecche, that deeth hath mad al naked Of alle blisse that was ever maked, Y-worthe worste of alle wightes, That hate my dayes and my nightes; 580 My lyf, my lustes be me lothe, For al welfare and I be wrothe. The pure deeth is so my fo, [Thogh] I wolde deye, hit wolde not so; ​For whan I folwe hit, hit wol flee; 585 I wolde have [hit], hit nil not me. This is my peyne withoute reed, Alway deying, and be not deed, That Sesiphus, that lyth in helle, May not of more sorwe telle. 590 And who so wiste al, by my trouthe, My sorwe, but he hadde routhe And pite of my sorwes smerte, That man hath a feendly herte. For who so seeth me first on morwe 595 May seyn, he hath [y]-met with sorwe; For I am sorwe and sorwe is I. 'Allas! and I wol telle the why; My [song] is turned to pleyning, And al my laughter to weping, 600 My glade thoghtes to hevinesse, In travaile is myn ydelnesse And eek my reste; my wele is wo. My good is harm, and ever-mo In wrathe is turned my pleying, 605 And my delyt in-to sorwing. Myn hele is turned into seeknesse, In drede is al my sikernesse. To derke is turned al my light, My wit is foly, my day is night, 610 ​My love is hate, my sleep waking, My mirthe and meles is fasting, My countenaunce is nycete, And al abaved wher-so I be, My pees, in pleding and in werre; 615 Allas! how mighte I fare werre? 'My boldnesse is turned to shame, For fals Fortune hath pleyd a game Atte ches with me, allas! the whyle! The trayteresse fals and ful of gyle, 620 That al behoteth and no-thing halt, She goth upryght and yet she halt, That baggeth foule and loketh faire, The dispitousë debonaire, That scorneth many a creature! 625 An ydole of fals portraiture Is she, for she wil sone wryen; She is the monstres heed y-wryen, As filth over y-strawed with floures; Hir moste worship and hir [flour is] 630 To lyen, for that is hir nature; Withoute feyth, lawe, or mesure She is fals; and ever laughinge With oon eye, and that other wepinge. That is broght up, she set al doun. 635 I lykne hir to the scorpioun, That is a fals flatering beste; For with his hede he maketh feste, But al amid his flateringe With his tayle he wol stinge, 640 ​And envenyme; and so wol she. She is thenvyous charite That is ay fals, and semeth wele, So turneth she hir false whele Aboute, for it is no-thing stable, 645 Now by the fyre, now at table; Ful many oon hath she thus y-blent. She is pley of enchauntement, That semeth oon and is nat so, The false theef! what hath she do, 650 Trowest thou? by our lord, I wol thee seye. Atte ches with me she gan to pleye; With hir false draughtes divers She stal on me, and took my fers. And whan I saw my fers aweye, 655 Alas! I couthe no lenger pleye, But seyde, "farwel, swete, y-wis, And farwel al that ever ther is!" Therwith Fortune seyde "chek here!" And "mate!" in mid pointe of the chekkere 660 With a poune erraunt, allas! Ful craftier to pley she was Than Athalus, that made the game First of the ches: so was his name. But god wolde I had ones or twyes 665 Y-koud and knowe the Ieupardyes That coude the Grek Pithagores! I shulde have pleyd the bet at ches, ​And kept my fers the bet therby; And thogh wherto? for trewely 670 I hold that wish nat worth a stree! Hit had be never the bet for me. For Fortune can so many a wyle, Ther be but fewe can hir begyle, And eek she is the las to blame; 675 My-self I wolde have do the same, Before god, hadde I been as she; She oghte the more excused be. For this I say yet more therto, Hadde I be god and mighte have do 680 My wille, whan my fers she caughte, I wolde have drawe the same draughte. For, also wis god yive me reste, I dar wel swere she took the beste! 'But through that draughte I have lorn 685 My blisse; allas! that I was born! For evermore, I trowe trewly, For al my wil, my lust hoolly Is turned; but yet, what to done? By our lord, hit is to deye sone; 690 For no-thing I [ne] leve it noght, But live and deye right in this thoght. Ther nis planete in firmament, Ne in air, ne in erthe, noon element, That they ne yive me a yift echoon 695 Of weping, whan I am aloon. For whan that I avyse me wel, And bethenke me every-del, ​How that ther lyth in rekening, In my sorwe, for no-thing; 700 And how ther leveth no gladnesse May gladde me of my distresse, And how I have lost suffisance, And therto I have no plesance, Than may I say, I have right noght. 705 And whan al this falleth in my thoght, Allas! than am I overcome! For that is doon is not to come! I have more sorowe than Tantale.' And whan I herde him telle this tale 710 Thus pitously, as I yow telle, Unnethe mighte I lenger dwelle, Hit dide myn herte so moche wo. 'A! good sir!' quod I, 'say not so! Have som pite on your nature 715 That formed yow to creature, Remembre yow of Socrates; For he ne counted nat three strees Of noght that Fortune coude do.' 'No,' quod he, 'I can not so.' 720 'Why so? good sir! parde!' quod I; Ne say noght so, for trewely, Thogh ye had lost the ferses twelve, And ye for sorwe mordred your-selve, Ye sholde be dampned in this cas 725 By as good right as Medea was, That slow hir children for Iason; And Phyllis als for Demophon Heng hir-self, so weylaway! For he had broke his terme-day 730 ​To come to hir. Another rage Had Dydo, quene eek of Cartage, That slow hir-self, for Eneas Was fals; [a!] whiche a fool she was! And Ecquo dyed for Narcisus 735 Nolde nat love hir; and right thus Hath many another foly don. And for Dalida dyed Sampson, That slow him-self with a pilere. But ther is [noon] a-lyve here 740 Wolde for a fers make this wo!' 'Why so?' quod he; 'hit is nat so; Thou wost ful litel what thou menest; I have lost more than thou wenest.' 'Lo, [sir,] how may that be?' quod I; 745 Good sir, tel me al hoolly In what wyse, how, why, and wherfore That ye have thus your blisse lore.' 'Blythly,' quod he, 'com sit adoun; I telle thee up condicioun 750 That thou hoolly, with al thy wit, Do thyn entent to herkene hit.' Yis, sir.' 'Swere thy trouthe ther-to.' Gladly.' 'Do than holde her-to!' 'I shal right blythly, so god me save, 755 Hoolly, with al the witte I have, Here yow, as wel as I can.' 'A goddes half!' quod he, and began:— ​Sir,' quod he, 'sith first I couthe Have any maner wit fro youthe, 760 Or kyndely understonding To comprehende, in any thing, What love was, in myn owne wit, Dredeles, I have ever yit Be tributary, and yiven rente 765 To love hoolly with goode entente, And through plesaunce become his thral, With good wil, body, herte, and al. Al this I putte in his servage, As to my lorde, and dide homage; 770 And ful devoutly prayde him to, He shulde besette myn herte so, That it plesaunce to him were, And worship to my lady dere. 'And this was longe, and many a yeer 775 Or that myn herte was set o-wher, That I did thus, and niste why; I trowe hit cam me kindely. Paraunter I was therto most able As a whyt wal or a table; 780 For hit is redy to cacche and take Al that men wil therin make, Wher-so men wol portreye or peynte, Be the werkes never so queynte. 'And thilke tyme I ferde so 785 I was able to have lerned tho, And to have coud as wel or better, Paraunter, other art or letter. ​But for love cam first in my thought, Therfore I forgat it nought. 790 I chees love to my firste craft, Therfor hit is with me [y]-laft. Forwhy I took hit of so yong age, That malice hadde my corage Nat that tyme turned to no-thing 795 Through to mochel knowleching. For that tyme youthe, my maistresse, Governed me in ydelnesse; For hit was in my firste youthe, And tho ful litel good I couthe; 800 For al my werkes were flittinge, And al my thoghtes varyinge; Al were to me y-liche good, That I knew tho; but thus hit stood. 'Hit happed that I cam on a day 805 Into a place, ther I say, Trewly, the fayrest companyë Of ladies, that ever man with yë Had seen togedres in oo place. Shal I clepe hit hap other grace 810 That broghte me ther? nay, but Fortune, That is to lyen ful comune, The false trayteresse, pervers, God wolde I coude clepe hir wers! For now she worcheth me ful wo, 815 And I wol telle sone why so. 'Among thise ladies thus echoon, Soth to seyn, I saw [ther] oon ​That was lyk noon of [al] the route; For I dar swere, withoute doute, 820 That as the someres sonne bright Is fairer, clerer, and hath more light Than any planete, [is] in heven, The mone, or the sterres seven, For al the worlde, so had she 825 Surmounted hem alle of beaute, Of maner and of comlinesse, Of stature and wel set gladnesse, Of goodlihede so wel beseye— Shortly, what shal I more seye? 830 By god, and by his halwes twelve, It was my swete, right as hir-selve! She had so stedfast countenaunce, So noble port and meyntenaunce. And Love, that had herd my bone, 835 Had espyed me thus sone, That she ful sone, in my thoght, As helpe me god, so was y-caught So sodenly, that I ne took No maner [reed] but at hir look 840 And at myn herte; for-why hir eyen So gladly, I trow, myn herte seyen, That purely tho myn owne thoght Seyde hit were [bet] serve hir for noght Than with another to be wel. 845 And hit was sooth, for, everydel, ​I wil anoon-right telle thee why. 'I saw hir daunce so comlily, Carole and singe so swetely, Laughe and pleye so womanly, 850 And loke so debonairly, So goodly speke and so frendly, That certes, I trow, that evermore Nas seyn so blisful a tresore. For every heer [up]on hir hede, 855 Soth to seyn, hit was not rede, Ne nouther yelw, ne broun hit nas; Me thoghte, most lyk gold hit was. And whiche eyen my lady hadde! Debonair, goode, glade, and sadde, 860 Simple, of good mochel, noght to wyde; Therto hir look nas not a-syde, Ne overthwert, but beset so wel, Hit drew and took up, everydel, Alle that on hir gan beholde. 865 Hir eyen semed anoon she wolde Have mercy; fooles wenden so; But hit was never the rather do. Hit nas no countrefeted thing, It was hir owne pure loking, 870 That the goddesse, dame Nature, Had made hem opene by mesure, And close; for, were she never so glad, Hir loking was not foly sprad, Ne wildely, thogh that she pleyde; 875 But ever, me thoghte, hir eyen seyde, ​"By god, my wrathe is al for-yive!" 'Therwith hir liste so wel to live, That dulnesse was of hir a-drad. She nas to sobre ne to glad; 880 In alle thinges more mesure Had never, I trowe, creature. But many oon with hir loke she herte, And that sat hir ful lyte at herte, For she knew no-thing of hir thoght; 885 But whether she knew, or knew hit noght Algate she ne roghte of hem a stree! To gete hir love no ner nas he That woned at home, than he in Inde; The formest was alway behinde. 890 But goode folk, over al other, She loved as man may do his brother; Of whiche love she was wonder large, In skilful places that bere charge. 'Which a visage had she ther-to! 895 Allas! myn herte is wonder wo That I ne can discryven hit! Me lakketh bothe English and wit For to undo hit at the fulle; And eek my spirits be so dulle 900 So greet a thing for to devyse. I have no wit that can suffyse To comprehenden hir beaute; But thus moche dar I seyn, that she Was rody, fresh, and lyvely hewed; 905 And every day hir beaute newed. ​And negh hir face was alder-best; For certes, Nature had swich lest To make that fair, that trewly she Was hir cheef patron of beautee, 910 And cheef ensample of al hir werke, And moustre; for, be hit never so derke, Me thinketh I see hir ever-mo. And yet more-over, thogh alle tho That ever lived were now a-lyve, 915 [They] ne sholde have founde to discryve In al hir face a wikked signe; For hit was sad, simple, and benigne. 'And which a goodly softe speche Had that swete, my lyves leche! 920 So frendly, and so wel y-grounded, Up al resoun so wel y-founded, And so tretable to alle gode, That I dar swere by the rode, Of eloquence was never founde 925 So swete a sowninge facounde, Ne trewer tonged, ne scorned lasse, Ne bet coude hele; that, by the masse I durste swere, thogh the pope hit songe, That ther was never through hir tonge 930 Man ne woman gretly harmed; As for hir, [ther] was al harm hid; Ne lasse flatering in hir worde, That purely, hir simple recorde ​Was founde as trewe as any bonde, 935 Or trouthe of any mannes honde. Ne chyde she coude never a del, That knoweth al the world ful wel. 'But swich a fairnesse of a nekke Had that swete, that boon nor brekke 940 Nas ther non sene, that mis-sat. Hit was whyt, smothe, streght, and flat, Withouten hole; [and] canel-boon, As by seming, had she noon. Hir throte, as I have now memoire, 945 Semed a round tour of yvoire, Of good gretnesse, and noght to grete. 'And gode faire Whyte she hete, That was my lady name right. She was bothe fair and bright, 950 She hadde not hir name wrong. Right faire shuldres, and body long She hadde, and armes, every lith Fattish, flesshy, not greet therwith; Right whyte handes, and nayles rede, 955 Rounde brestes; and of good brede Hir hippes were, a streight flat bak. I knew on hir non other lak That al hir limmes nere sewing, In as fer as I had knowing. 960 'Therto she coude so wel pleye, Whan that hir liste, that I dar seye, ​That she was lyk to torche bright, That every man may take of light Ynogh, and hit hath never the lesse. 965 'Of maner and of comlinesse Right so ferde my lady dere; For every wight of hir manere Might cacche ynogh, if that he wolde, If he had eyen hir to beholde. 970 For I dar sweren, if that she Had among ten thousand be, She wolde have be, at the leste, A cheef mirour of al the feste, Thogh they had stonden in a rowe, 975 To mennes eyen that coude have knowe. For wher-so men had pleyd or waked, Me thoghte the felawship as naked Withouten hir, that saw I ones, As a coroune withoute stones. 980 Trewely she was, to myn yë, The soleyn fenix of Arabye, For ther liveth never but oon; Ne swich as she ne knew I noon. 'To speke of goodnesse; trewly she 985 Had as moche debonairte As ever had Hester in the bible, And more, if more were possible. And, soth to seyne, therwith-al She had a wit so general, 990 So hool enclyned to alle gode, That al hir wit was set, by the rode, ​Withoute malice, upon gladnesse; Therto I saw never yet a lesse Harmful, than she was in doing. 995 I sey nat that she ne had knowing What was harm; or elles she Had coud no good, so thinketh me. 'And trewly, for to speke of trouthe, But she had had, hit had be routhe. 1000 Therof she had so moche hir del— And I dar seyn and swere hit wel— That Trouthe him-self, over al and al, Had chose his maner principal In hir, that was his resting-place. 1005 Ther-to she hadde the moste grace, To have stedfast perseveraunce, And esy, atempre governaunce, That ever I knew or wiste yit; So pure suffraunt was hir wit. 1010 And reson gladly she understood, Hit folowed wel she coude good. She used gladly to do wel; These were hir maners every-del. 'Therwith she loved so wel right, 1015 She wrong do wolde to no wight; No wight might do hir no shame, She loved so wel hir owne name. Hir luste to holde no wight in honde; Ne, be thou siker, she nolde fonde 1020 To holde no wight in balaunce, By half word ne by countenaunce, ​But-if men wolde upon hir lye; Ne sende men in-to Walakye, To Pruyse and in-to Tartarye, 1025 To Alisaundre, ne in-to Turkye, And bidde him faste, anoon that he Go hoodles to the drye see, And come hoom by the Carrenare; And seye, "Sir, be now right ware 1030 That I may of yow here seyn Worship, or that ye come ageyn!" She ne used no suche knakkes smale. 'But wherfor that I telle my tale? Right on this same, as I have seyd, 1035 Was hoolly al my love leyd; For certes, she was, that swete wyf, My suffisaunce, my lust, my lyf, Myn hap, myn hele, and al my blisse, My worldes welfare and my [lisse], 1040 And I hirs hoolly, everydel.' 'By our lord,' quod I, 'I trowe yow wel! Hardely, your love was wel beset, I not how ye mighte have do bet.' 'Bet? ne no wight so wel!' quod he. 1045 I trowe hit, sir,' quod I, 'parde!' Nay, leve hit wel!' 'Sir, so do I; I leve yow wel, that trewely Yow thoghte, that she was the beste, And to beholde the alderfaireste, 1050 Who so had loked with your eyen.' 'With myn? nay, alle that hir seyen ​Seyde, and sworen hit was so. And thogh they ne hadde, I wolde tho Have loved best my lady fre, 1055 Thogh I had had al the beautee That ever had Alcipyades, And al the strengthe of Ercules, And therto had the worthinesse Of Alisaundre, and al the richesse 1060 That ever was in Babiloyne, In Cartage, or in Macedoyne, Or in Rome, or in Ninive; And therto al-so hardy be As was Ector, so have I Ioye, 1065 That Achilles slow at Troye— And therfor was he slayn also In a temple, for bothe two Were slayn, he and Antilegius, And so seyth Dares Frigius, 1070 For love of [hir] Polixena— Or ben as wys as Minerva, I wolde ever, withoute drede, Have loved hir, for I moste nede! "Nede!" nay, I gabbe now, 1075 Noght "nede," and I wol telle how, For of good wille myn herte hit wolde, And eek to love hir I was holde As for the fairest and the beste. 'She was as good, so have I reste, 1080 As ever was Penelope of Grece, Or as the noble wyf Lucrece, ​That was the beste—he telleth thus, The Romain Tytus Livius— She was as good, and no-thing lyke, 1085 Thogh hir stories be autentyke; Algate she was as trewe as she. 'But wherfor that I telle thee Whan I first my lady sey? I was right yong, [the] sooth to sey, 1090 And ful gret need I hadde to lerne; Whan my herte wolde yerne To love, it was a greet empryse. But as my wit coude best suffyse, After my yonge childly wit, 1095 Withoute drede, I besette hit To love hir in my beste wyse, To do hir worship and servyse That I tho coude, by my trouthe, Withoute feyning outher slouthe; 1100 For wonder fayn I wolde hir see. So mochel hit amended me, That, whan I saw hir first a-morwe, I was warished of al my sorwe Of al day after, til hit were eve; 1105 Me thoghte no-thing mighte me greve, Were my sorwes never so smerte. And yit she sit so in myn herte, That, by my trouthe, I nolde noght, For al this worlde, out of my thoght 1110 Leve my lady; no, trewly!' 'Now, by my trouthe, sir,' quod I, ​Me thinketh ye have such a chaunce As shrift withoute repentaunce.' 'Repentaunce! nay fy,' quod he; 1115 Shulde I now repente me To love? nay, certes, than were I wel Wers than was Achitofel, Or Anthenor, so have I Ioye, The traytour that betraysed Troye, 1120 Or the false Genelon, He that purchased the treson Of Rowland and of Olivere. Nay, whyl I am a-lyve here I nil foryete hir never-mo.' 1125 'Now, goode sir,' quod I [right] tho, Ye han wel told me her-before. It is no need reherse hit more How ye sawe hir first, and where; But wolde ye telle me the manere, 1130 To hir which was your firste speche— Therof I wolde yow be-seche— And how she knewe first your thoght, Whether ye loved hir or noght, And telleth me eek what ye have lore; 1135 I herde yow telle her-before.' 'Ye,' seyde he, 'thou nost what thou menest; I have lost more than thou wenest.' 'What los is that, [sir]?' quod I tho; 'Nil she not love yow? is hit so? 1140 Or have ye oght [y-]doon amis, That she hath left yow? is hit this? ​For goddes love, tel me al.' 'Before god,' quod he, 'and I shal. I saye right as I have seyd, 1145 On hir was al my love leyd; And yet she niste hit never a del Noght longe tyme, leve hit wel. For be right siker, I durste noght For al this worlde telle hir my thoght, 1150 Ne I wolde have wratthed hir, trewly. For wostow why? she was lady Of the body; she had the herte, And who hath that, may not asterte. 'But, for to kepe me fro ydelnesse, 1155 Trewly I did my besinesse To make songes, as I best coude, And ofte tyme I song hem loude; And made songes a gret del, Al-thogh I coude not make so wel 1160 Songes, ne knowe the art al, As coude Lamekes sone Tubal, That fond out first the art of songe; For, as his brothers hamers ronge Upon his anvelt up and doun, 1165 Therof he took the firste soun; But Grekes seyn, Pictagoras, That he the firste finder was Of the art; Aurora telleth so, But therof no fors, of hem two. 1170 ​Algates songes thus I made Of my feling, myn herte to glade; And lo! this was [the] alther-firste, I not wher [that] hit were the werste.— ¶ "Lord, hit maketh myn herte light, 1175 Whan I thenke on that swete wight That is so semely on to see; And wisshe to god hit might so be, That she wolde holde me for hir knight, My lady, that is so fair and bright!"— 1180 'Now have I told thee, sooth to saye, My firste song. Upon a daye I bethoghte me what wo And sorwe that I suffred tho For hir, and yet she wiste hit noght, 1185 Ne telle hir durste I nat my thoght. "Allas!" thoghte I, "I can no reed; And, but I telle hir, I nam but deed; And if I telle hir, to seye sooth, I am a-dred she wol be wrooth; 1190 Allas! what shal I thanne do?" 'In this debat I was so wo, Me thoghte myn herte braste a-tweyn! So atte laste, soth to seyn, I me bethoghte that nature 1195 Ne formed never in creature So moche beaute, trewely, And bounte, withouten mercy. ​'In hope of that, my tale I tolde With sorwe, as that I never sholde, 1200 For nedes; and, maugree my heed, I moste have told hir or be deed. I not wel how that I began, Ful evel rehersen hit I can; And eek, as helpe me god with-al, 1205 I trowe hit was in the dismal, That was the ten woundes of Egipte; For many a word I over-skipte In my tale, for pure fere Lest my wordes mis-set were. 1210 With sorweful herte, and woundes dede, Softe and quaking for pure drede And shame, and stinting in my tale For ferde, and myn hewe al pale, Ful ofte I wex bothe pale and reed; 1215 Bowing to hir, I heng the heed; I durste nat ones loke hir on, For wit, manere, and al was gon. I seyde "mercy!" and no more; Hit nas no game, hit sat me sore. 1220 'So atte laste, sooth to seyn, Whan that myn herte was come ageyn, To telle shortly al my speche, With hool herte I gan hir beseche That she wolde be my lady swete; 1225 And swor, and gan hir hertely hete Ever to be stedfast and trewe, And love hir alwey freshly newe, ​And never other lady have, And al hir worship for to save 1230 As I best coude; I swor hir this— "For youres is al that ever ther is For evermore, myn herte swete! And never false yow, but I mete, I nil, as wis god helpe me so!" 1235 'And whan I had my tale y-do, God wot, she acounted nat a stree Of al my tale, so thoghte me. To telle shortly as hit is, Trewly hir answere, hit was this; 1240 I can not now wel counterfete Hir wordes, but this was the grete Of hir answere; she sayde, "nay" Al-outerly. Allas! that day The sorwe I suffred, and the wo! 1245 That trewly Cassandra, that so Bewayled the destruccioun Of Troye and of Ilioun, Had never swich sorwe as I tho. I durste no more say therto 1250 For pure fere, but stal away; And thus I lived ful many a day. That trewely, I hadde no need Ferther than my beddes heed Never a day to seche sorwe; 1255 I fond hit redy every morwe, For-why I loved hir in no gere. 'So hit befel, another yere, I thoughte ones I wolde fonde To do hir knowe and understonde 1260 ​My wo; and she wel understood That I ne wilned thing but good, And worship, and to kepe hir name Over al thing, and drede hir shame, And was so besy hir to serve;— 1265 And pite were I shulde sterve, Sith that I wilned noon harm, y-wis. So whan my lady knew al this, My lady yaf me al hoolly The noble yift of hir mercy, 1270 Saving hir worship, by al weyes; Dredles, I mene noon other weyes. And therwith she yaf me a ring; I trowe hit was the firste thing; But if myn herte was y-waxe 1275 Glad, that is no need to axe! As helpe me god, I was as blyve, Reysed, as fro dethe to lyve, Of alle happes the alder-beste, The gladdest and the moste at reste. 1280 For trewely, that swete wight, Whan I had wrong and she the right, She wolde alwey so goodely For-yeve me so debonairly. In alle my youthe, in alle chaunce, 1285 She took me in hir governaunce. 'Therwith she was alway so trewe, Our Ioye was ever y-liche newe; Our hertes wern so even a payre, That never nas that oon contrayre 1290 ​To that other, for no wo. For sothe, y-liche they suffred tho Oo blisse and eek oo sorwe bothe; Y-liche they were bothe gladde and wrothe; Al was us oon, withoute were. 1295 And thus we lived ful many a yere So wel, I can nat telle how.' 'Sir,' quod I, 'wher is she now?' Now!' quod he, and stinte anoon. Therwith he wex as deed as stoon, 1300 And seyde, 'allas! that I was bore! That was the los, that her-before I tolde thee, that I had lorn. Bethenk how I seyde her-beforn, "Thou wost ful litel what thou menest; 1305 I have lost more than thou wenest"— God wot, allas! right that was she!' 'Allas! sir, how? what may that be?' She is deed!' 'Nay!' 'Yis, by my trouthe!' 'Is that your los? by god, hit is routhe!' 1310 And with that worde, right anoon, They gan to strake forth; al was doon, For that tyme, the hert-hunting. With that, me thoghte, that this king Gan [quikly] hoomward for to ryde 1315 Unto a place ther besyde, Which was from us but a lyte, A long castel with walles whyte, By seynt Iohan! on a riche hil, As me mette; but thus it fil. 1320 ​Right thus me mette, as I yow telle, That in the castel was a belle, As hit had smiten houres twelve.—
Therwith I awook my-selve, And fond me lying in my bed; 1325 And the book that I had red, Of Alcyone and Seys the king, And of the goddes of sleping, I fond it in myn honde ful even. Thoghte I, 'this is so queynt a sweven, 1330 That I wol, by processe of tyme, Fonde to putte this sweven in ryme As I can best'; and that anoon.— This was my sweven; now hit is doon. 1334
Explicit the Boke of the Duchesse.
The MSS. are: F. (Fairfax 16); Tn. (Tanner 346); B. (Bodley 638); the fourth authority is Th. (Thynne's edition of 1532). I follow F. mainly, and note all but very trifling variations from it. B. usually agrees with F.
Title: in F. 1. Tn. gret; F. grete. Th. by; F. Tn. be. 5. Tn. Th. defaute; F. defaulte. 6. All take no kepe. 8. Tn. Th. lefe (read leef); F. leve. 9. Tn. Th. good; F. goode. 10. Tn. Ioye; F. Ioy. 11, 12. F. no thynge, thynge. 14. All sorwful (badly); read sory. 15. F. hooly. 16. F. woote; Th. B. wote; Tn. wotte; read wite. 19. For To perhaps read Unto. F. ertherly (miswritten). 21. All be. 22. Th. Tn. B. ne (2nd time); F. no.
23. All this. 24. All drede. 25. Th. Tn. Defaute; F. Defaulte. 26. Th. slayne; Tn. slain; F. omits. 27. F. loste. Tn. omits ll. 31-96; F. has them in a later hand (the spelling of which I amend). 32. F. nathles whoe 33. F. trewly. 34. F. tell. 35. Th. sothe; F. southe (!) F. trewly. 36. F. hold it; Th. holde it; read hold-ë hit. F. sicknes. 38. F. boote. 39. Th. F. For ther. (phisicien = fízishén). F. one. 40. F. heale; done. 41. F. vntill efte. 42. F. mote. Th. nede; F. nedes. F. lefte. 43. F. mater. 44. Th. So whan; F. Soe when. F. sawe. 45. Th. Tyl nowe late: F. Til now late; but probably corrupt. 46. F. sate. 47. F. bade one. F. booke. 48. F. it; Th. he it. F. toke. 50. F. thought; beter. 51. F. play; Ten Brink reads playen. 52. F. written.
53. F. had. 56. F. While. Th. of; F. in (copied from line above). 57. F. boke. Th. spake; F. speake (read spak). 58. F. kings. 59. Th. smale: F. smalle. 60. Th. al; F. all. F. fonde. 61. F. thought. 62. F. There. 63. F. hight. Th. Seys; F. Seyes. F. had. F. wife. 64. Th. beste; F. best. F. might beare lyfe. 65. F. hight. 66. F. Soe it befill thereafter. 67. F. woll; Th. wol. 70. Perhaps read gan aryse. 71. F. brake. (hir=their). F. maste; fal. 72. Th. her; F. ther (see line above). F. dreint; all. 73. Th. F. founde (error for founden). 74. F. Borde. 75. Th. Seys; F. Seyes. F. life. 76. Th. F. Now for to speke of Alcyone his wyfe; read: Now for to speken of his wyf. F. wife. 79. Th. F. Home; it. 80. Th. Anon; F. Anone. Th. F. began (error for gan). Th. F. yerne (error for erme); see note.
81. F. thought. 82. F. It; wele; thought soe. Both her thought so, caught from l. 81; read he dwelte (delayed). 83. F. soe. 84. F. it. 85. F. tell. Th. hertely; F. hartely. F. life. 86. Th. F. she had; I omit she, and supply alas from l. 87. 87. Th. and F. insert alas after him. 88. F. Anone; sent. 91. F. where. 92. Th. nyl; F. will. F. eate breede. 94. Th. lorde; F. Lord. 95. F. toke. 96. F. trewly; booke. 97. The older hand recommences in F. F. had; Tn. I Had. F. suche (twice). F. pittee. 100. F. And aftir; but Th. Tn. B. omit And. 101. All this lady (for she; badly). 102. F. myght; lorde. 103. F. ofte; sayed. 104. F. woode. 105. F. rede. 106. F. doune; sate. 107. All wepte (read weep). F. pittee. 109. Th. to; which F. Tn. omit. 110. F. Helpe; B. Help.
112. F. Soone. Tn. B. wite; F. Th. wete. 114. F. yowe. 116. Th. Tn. B. good wyl; F. good wille (wil is here a monosyllable). 117. F. wilte. 118. Tn. Send; Th. F. Sende. 119. Th. som; F. somme. 120. Th. through; F. thorgh. F. knowe. 121. F. lorde; quyke; ded. 122. F. worde; henge; hed. 123. Th. Tn. fel; F. felle (see l. 128). F. A swowne, Tn. a swowe (for a-swowen = a-swown); Th. in a swowne. F. colde; Tn. cold. 124. F. kaught; anoon. 127. Tn. dede; F. ded. All slepe. 128. F. tooke. All kepe. 129. Th. Through; F. Throgh. F. herde. 130. I supply for. 131. Th. Tn. prayde; F. prayede; after which all insert right (but see next line). 134. F. come. 137, 138. All slepe, kepe. F. vnderstonde; take.
141. Tn. B. alle; F. al. 142. Th. He; F. Tn. That he. F. kynge. 144. Tn. B. Bid; F. Bud. 145. Th. Alcyone; F. Tn. Alchione. 146. Th. alone; F. allone. 149. After speke all insert right (see next line). 150. All woned. 151. Tn. on; F. a. 152. F. hye the. 153. F. toke; went. 154. Th. he (for ne). F. stent. 155. Tn. com; F. come. F. valey. 156. Th. bytwene; F. betwex; Tn. betwix. F. twey. 157. F. corne. 158, 159. All noght (for nothing). F. oughte. 162. F. dedely; Th. deedly; Tn. dedli. 166. F. There these; lay. 167. Th. F. B. Eclympasteyre (as in text); Tn. Etlympasteyre (with t for c). 168. Tn. heire; F. eyre. 169, 170. F. werke, derke.
171. Tn. pit; F. pitte. 173. F. To envye; Tn. Th. vie. 175. Tn. slepte; F. slept; see 177. Th. heed; F. hed. B. Tn. I-hid; Th. yhed; F. yhedde. 176. All lay. F. Tn. bedde. 177. F. slepe; Th. Tn. slepte. 178. F. com. Tn. flyyng; F. fleynge; Th. rennyng. 179. F. Tn. O how; Th. ho ho. F. awake. 180. F. there. 181. F. Awake; lythe. 182. F. horne. Tn. B. ere; F. heere. 184. Tn. oon; F. on. F. ye; Th. eye; Tn. eiȝe. 185. Th. Tn. Cast; F. Caste. All ins. and after up. 191. Th. wente; F. went. F. sayede; Tn. seide. 192. F. a-brayede; Tn. abraied. 195. F. Tooke; dreynt; see Cant. Ta. B. 69. 196. F. bare. Th. Alcione; F. Tn. Alchione. 197. F. wife. 199. Th. her; F. Tn. hys. F. fete; see note. 200. All hete.
201. F. sayede; wyfe. 202. F. Awake; lyfe. 203. F. there; rede. 204. I put nam; all have am. F. dede. 206. I supply look, for the sake of sense and metre; read—But good swet' hert-ë, look that ye. 207. All for suche; read at whiche. 210. F. pray; youre. 211. F. while oure. 213. All allas (for A). 214. F. deyede; Tn. deid. 215. F. sayede. Tn. swow; Th. B. swowe; F. sorowe (!). 216. F. nowe. 219. Tn. told; F. tolde. F. thynge. 220. Th. Alcione; F. Tn. Alchione. F. kynge. 221. All say. Tn. wel; F. welle. 222. Tn. eueridel; F. euerydelle. 223. F. thorgh. Tn. defaute; F. defaulte. All slepe. 224. Th. F. ne had (read nad); Tn. hade. Tn. red; F. redde. All take kepe. 226. F. omits I (by mistake). 228. F. redde. 229. F. kynge. 230. Th. goddes; F. Tn. goddis.
231. Tn. red; F. redde. 233. F. thoght. 234. Tn. herd; F. herde. 235. F. goddis. 236. I supply the former for. 237. I ne = I n'. 238. F. sayede. 239. F. pley. 240. F. dey. 241. F. Thorgh defaulte. Tn. sleping; F. slepynge. 244. Tn. sum; F. somme. F. ellis. F. roght; Th. Tn. rought. 245. Tn. som; F. some. 247. F. Yifte. F. abode. 248. B. on warde; rest onwarde. 251. F. yif (see l. 246). Tn. fethirbed; F. feder bedde. 252. Tn. cled; F. cledde. 253. Tn. fyn; F. fyne. Th. doutremere; Tn. doutermere; F. de owter mere. 254. Tn. pilow; F. pelowe. 257, 8. F. fallys, hallys.
264. All ins. quene after goddesse. Th. Alcione; F. Tn. Alchione. 267. All wanne (!). 269. F. payede. 270. Tn. woord; F. worde. F. y-sayede. 271. Th. Tn. B. as; which F. omits. Tn. told; F. tolde. 273. Tn. lust; F. luste. F. tooke. 274. F. booke. 275. F. evene. 276. F. swevene. 277. Tn. ȝit; F. yitte. 278. Th. trowe; F. trow; Tn. trov. 281. Th. Tn. B. he; F. ho. F. red; Th. Tn. rad (but read redde or radde). 282. F. metynge. 283. B. leste; F. lest. 285. Tn. wrot; F. wrote. 286. F. kynge. 288. Th. Suche meruayles fortuned than; F. Tn. B. omit this line.
291. F. thoght. 292. F. dawnynge. Th. there; rest om. 294. All And (for I). 295. Tn. gret; F. grete. 296. All insert my before slepe; it is not wanted. 297. F. Thorgh; swettenesse; songe. 298. Th. as; F. Tn. B. al (badly). F. amonge. 299. F. roofe. 300. All ouer al; but omit ouer. 301. All songe, song. 304. F. herde. Tn. B. som; F. somme. Tn. song; F. songe (it can be singular). 305. Tn. Som; F. Somme. F. high. 306. F. att. 307. F. harde; Tn. I-herd. 308. F. thynge. 309. F. soune. Th. Th. entunes; F. entewnes. 310. F. tewnes; Th. Tewnes; Tn. twnes. 311. F. herde. 313. F. Thorgh syngynge. 315. F. nowhere herde; halfe. 316. F. halfe. 318. Tn. ich; rest eche.
319. F. wrongly inserts of after out. F. notys. 320. F. throtys. 321. F. soothe. 323. F. y-glasyd. 324. F. hoole y-crasyd. 326. Tn. hoolly; F. holy. Tn. storie; F. story. 327. F. glasynge. 328. All and of king. 329. All repeat of king before Lamedon; the words were caught from l. 328. 330. All insert And eke before Of Medea. 331. All and of (for and). 332. Tn. colours; F. colouris. 334. All And; read Of. 335. Th. weren; F. were. Tn. shet; F. shette. 336. F. throgh. 337. F. bryght. 338. F. gilde; Th. B. gyldy; Tn. gilti; read gilden. 339. F. eke. F. welken; Th. Tn. welkyn. All faire. 340. F. ayre. 341. Th. atempre; F. Tn. attempre. 342. All ins. to bef. cold. F. colde; hoote. Th. nas; F. Tn. was. 343. F. welkene; Th. welkyn; Tn. walkyn. 345. F. thoght. 346. F. Tassay; horne.
347. Tn. B. hors; Th. F. horse. 348. All insert And at the beginning of the line; but read I herd-e. F. Th. goynge; Tn. goyng; after which all insert bothe (which is not wanted). 350. F. Th. speke; Tn. spake; but read speken. 355. F. huntynge. 357. I supply I. F. Tooke; forthe; went. 358. F. stent. 359. F. come; felde. 360. F. ouertoke; grete. 361. F. eke; foresterys. 362. F. lymerys. 364. Th. I; which F. Tn. omit. For at the perhaps read atte. 366. F. felowe whoo. All hunte (read hunten). 367. All answered (-id). 369. F. here fast. 370. Read goddes as god's. 373. F. didde. 374. F. huntynge fille. 375. F. fote hote. 376. F. blewe; mote.
377. F. vncoupylynge; Th. vncouplynge. 378. F. Withynne; while; herte. Th. F. founde; Tn. found; read y-founde. 380. All and so; om. so. 381. F. Tn. B. rused; Th. roused. F. staale. 383. Th. ouer-shot; F. ouershette; Tn. ouershet. Tn. hem; F. hym (wrongly). 384. Tn. on; F. vpon. Tn. defaute; F. defaulte. 386. F. Blewe. Th. Tn. forloyn; F. forleygne. Perhaps read atte for at the. 388. F. went; came. 389. F. whelpe. Th. fawned; F. Favned. F. stoode. 390. F. goode. 391. F. come. All have crepte (wrongly); read creep. 392. Tn. hade; F. had. 393. B. Hild; F. Hylde; Tn. Held. Th. heed; Tn. hed; F. hede. F. erys. 394. F. herys. 395. All haue; read han. 396. Tn. fledde; F. fled. 397. F. forthe went. 398. F. went. 399. All swete (correctly). 400. All fete; see 199. 402. Tn. bothe; F. both. 404. All made; read mad or maad. F dwellynge.
406. F. therthe; Th. the erthe. 408. F. moo; swche (sic). 409. Th. welken; F. walkene. F. sterris. 411. F. thorgh. 412. All suffre. 414. F. woode. 415. All made. 416. All nede eke. 417. F. Where there. 419. F. stoode. 420. Tn. ten; F. tene. Th. foote; F. fete; Tn. om. Th. or; F. Tn. fro other (repeated). 422. Th. Tn. B. Of; F. Or. Th. or; rest om. F. fedme; Th. fedome; Tn. fedim; read fadme. 424. Th. brode; F. Tn. bothe (wrongly). F. eke. 426. Tn. B. shadwe; F. shadewe. 427. Tn. hert; F. herte. 429. Th. fawnes; F. Tn. fovnes. F. Tn. sowres; Th. sowers. 430. Tn. wode; F. woode. 429, 430. B. doys, roys. 431. Th. squyrrels; F. sqwirels; Tn. squirels; B. squyrellys (three syllables). 432. F. high. 433. F. festys. 434. F. bestys.
435. Th. Tn. countour; F. counter (and so in l. 436). 437. F. Tn. rekene; Th. reken (caught from above); read rekened. F. figuris. 438. F. figuris. F. mowe; B. mow; Th. Tn. newe (reading doubtful). All have al ken; see note. 440. B. telle; rest tel. F. thinge. 441. F. evene. 442. F. swevene. 443. All ins. right bef. wonder. 444. F. Doune; woode. 446. Th. sate; F. Tn. sete. Tn. Iturned; F. turned. 447. F. ooke. 448. Th. Tn. thought; F. thogh (!). 450. F. went. 451. Tn. fond; F. founde. 452. F. farynge. 454. All but B. insert ryght before yong. Tn. ȝung; F. Th. yonge. 455. All yere; read yeer. 456. All heere, here; read heer. 457. Th. blacke; F. blake. 458. Tn. bakke; F. bake. 459. F. stoode. 460. F. sawe. 461. Tn. heng; F. henge. Th. heed; Tn. hed; F. hede. 462. Tn. dedly; F. dedely.
463. Th. Tn. twelue; F. twelfe. 464. Th. Tn. selue; F. selfe. 465. Tn. pite; F. pitee. 468. All suffre; read suffren. 469. F. suche. Th. deed; F. Tn. ded. 470. Tn. pitous; B. pitouse; F. petuose. Tn. nothing; F. no thynge. Th. reed; F. Tn. red. 471. F. sayed; Tn. said. 471, 2. Tn. song; F. songe. 473. B. alone supplies it (=hit); all insert ful before wel. 475. F. grete; Tn. gret. All wone; read woon. 476. F. Ioy; none. 477, 8. Read brighte, mighte? 479. Th. deed; F. ded. After l. 479 Thynne inserts And thus in sorowe lefte me alone; it is spurious; see note. [Hence there is no l. 480.] 481. Koch supplies o. Tn. deth; F. dethe. 483. Tn. that; which F. Tn. omit. 484. F. faire. F. freshe; Tn. fressh. 485. All se; but read y-see. 486. F. goodenesse. 487. All made. Th. B. complaynte; F. complaynt. 488. F. sorwful. Th. herte; F. hert. Th. B. faynte; F. faynt. 489. F. spiritis. 490. Tn. blood; F. bloode.
491. Th. herte; F. hert. All warme. 492. Th. herte; F. hert. All harme. 493. B. wite; F. wete. All eke. 498. All insert ther before no. F. noo bloode. All is; but read was. 499. Th. lymme; B. Tn. lyme; F. hym(!). 500. B. saw; F. saugh. 501. F. Th. there; Tn. for. All sete (fete is dat. pl.). 502. F. went; stoode. 503. All spake (wrongly). 504. Th. Tn. owne; F. ovne. 506. F. Th. lyfe; Tn. life. 507. F. thought. 509. F. throgh. B. sorwe; Tn. sorov; F. sorwes. 511. Tn. lost; F. loste. 512. F. inserts the before god; Th. Tn. omit. 513. F. wrothe. 514. Th. laste; F. last. F. sothe. 515. F. stoode. 516. All did. F. hoode. 517. All had ygret; Lange proposes grette (e unelided). 519. F. wrothe. 520. F. sothe.
521. B. saw; F. sawgh. F. trewly. 522. Tn. goode; F. good. 523, 4. F. oughte, thoughte. 526. F. thamendys. 527. F. lyeth; Tn. lith. 528. F. There. All myssayde. 529. Th. goodly; F. goodely. All spake (!). Th. knyght; F. knyghte. 530. B. ben; rest be. 531. F. towgh. 532. F. sawe; aqueynt. 533. F. fonde. 535. F. thoght. 537. F. oughte. 538. F. knowynge; thoughte. 541. F. These huntys konne. 543. F. there on; dele (Tn. del). 544. Tn. Bi; Th. By; F. Be. F. oure lorde; wele (Tn. wel). 545. B. thinketh; F. thenketh. 547. F. grete. 548. Ins. good; see 714, 721. Th. Tn. if; F. yif. 550. F. wys; Th. wyse; Tn. wisse.
554. Th. al; F. alle; Tn. om. 556. B. ese; F. ease. 560. Tn. frend; F. frende. 564. All fal. 565. F. vnderstondynge lorne. 566. F. borne. 568. F. Th. ins. al (Tn. of) before the. 570. All ins. his after with. 571. All ins. no after may. 573. Th. Tn. houres; F. oures. 574. All assay. 575. B. Th. herte; F. Tn. hert. 577. F. wrechch; Tn. wrecch; Tn. wretche (for wrecche). All made. 578. F. al; Th. Tn. al the; B. alle (read al-le). 579. B. alle; rest al. 581. All lyfe. F. loothe. 582. F. wroothe (it is plural). 583. All ins. ful after so. F. foo. 584. All That; read Thogh. F. soo.
586. For the former hit, all have him; but see line above. 587. Th. reed; F. rede. 588. F. deynge. Th. deed; F. dede. 589. F. B. Thesiphus; Tn. Tesiphus; Th. Tesyphus. (The two latter are miswritten for Cesiphus = Sesiphus). Tn. lithe; F. Th. lyeth. 591. Th. Tn. al; F. alle. Th. by; F. Tn. be. 592. Tn. hade; F. had. 594. Tn. feenli (sic); Th. F. fendely. 596. Tn. met; Th. F. mette (!); read y-met. 598. B. telle; rest tel. 599. For song, F. Th. have sorowe, and Tn. has sorov, which are absurd; the reading is obviously song, the ng being altered to rowe by influence of l. 597, which the scribes glanced at. Tn. pleynyng; F. pleynynge. 600. Tn. laughter; F. lawghtre. Tn. weping; F. wepynge. 601. F. thoghtys. 603. All eke. 604. Th. Tn. good; F. goode. All harme. 605. Th. playeng; F. pleynge. 606. F. sorwynge. 607. Tn. sekenes; F. sekeenesse (sic). 609. Tn. liȝt; F. lyghte; Th. syght. 610. Tn. wit; F. wytte. Th. Tn. nyght; F. nyghte.
611. All slepe. Tn. waking; F. wakynge. 612. Tn. fasting; F. fastynge. 614. Tn. abaved (sic); Th. F. abawed. All where so. 617. Tn. boldnes; Th. F. boldenesse. (Perhaps read y-turned.) 618. F. pleyde; Th. played; Tn. pleied. 619. F. Atte the (wrongly); Th. Tn. At the. Tn. ches; Th. F. chesse. 621. Tn. halt; F. Th. halte (!). 622. Tn. goth; Th. gothe; F. gethe (!). Th. halte; Tn. is halt; F. is halte. 627. Th. wrien; rest varien (!). 628. Th. Tn. monstres; F. Mowstres. Th. heed; F. Tn. hed. 629. B. filth; rest fylthe. Th. Tn. ystrowed. 630. F. worshippe. Th. Tn. floures; F. B. flourys; read flour is. 632. Tn. feith; F. feythe. 633. F. lawghynge. 634. Tn. oon; Th. F. one. Th. eye; Tn. eiȝ; F. yghe; B. ye. F. wepynge. 635. Th. set; F. sette. 637. F. flateyrynge; Tn. flateryng. 639. Th. Tn. amyd; F. amydde. 640. Th. he; F. hyt; Tn. it.
642. F. thenvyouse; Tn. thenvious; Th. the enuyous. 644. Th. false; F. Tn. fals. 645. F. no thynge. 647. Th. Ful; rest For. F. thus she; Tn. Th. she thus. 649. Th. nat; F. Tn. not. 650. Th. false; F. Tn. fals. Th. F. thefe; Tn. knaue. 651. F. oure lorde; the sey. 652. All At the; Atte is better. Tn. ches; Th. F. chesse. F. pley. 653. Th. Tn. false; F. fals. 654. F. staale; toke. F. Tn. fers; Th. feers. 655. F. sawgh. B. a-waye; rest away. 656. B. pleye; Th. F. play; Tn. pley. 657. All farewel (farewell); and in l. 658. 660. All insert the after in (badly). 661. F. povne; Tn. poun; Th. paune. Tn. erraunt; F. errante. 663. Tn. Athalaus. 664. Tn. ches; Th. F. chesse. 666. B. I-koude; Th. Tn. Iconde (!); F. y-konde (!); see l. 667. 667. Tn. Grek; F. Greke. Th. Pithagores; F. Tn. Pictagoras. 668. Tn. pleyd; F. pleyde.
670. Tn. thogh; Th. thoughe; F. thoght (sic). F. trewly. 671. F. holde; wysshe. 675. All eke. B. las; F. lasse; Tn. lesse. 676. F. -selfe. 677. Th. had I ben; F. as I be (wrongly). 678. F. oght. 681. All she my fers; read my fers she (Koch). All kaught, read caughte; and dranghte in ll. 682, 685. 683. Tn. wis; F. wys. 684. Th. she; F. Tn. B. he. F. tooke. 685. F. throgh; draught; lorne. 686. F. borne. 689. F. doone. 690. F. Be oure lorde; soone. 691. F. -thynge. I supply ne. 693. All For there (ther); but omit For. 694. F. ayre. 695. F. yifte. 696. F. wepynge.
699. Tn. lyth; F. lyeth. F. rekenynge. 700. Th. Tn. In; F. Inne. 701. F. levyth noe. 702. B. Tn. glade; F. glad; read gladde. 703. Th. lost; F. loste. 710. Tn. telle; F. tel. 711. Th. Tn. Thus; F. This. 712. F. myght; duelle. 713. Tn. dide, herte; F. dyd, hert. 714. Th. good; F. goode. 715. Tn. som; F. somme. 721. All insert yis (or yes) before parde; which spoils both sense and metre. 722. Th. say; rest om. F. trewly. 723. Th. lost; F. loste. 726. Th. good; F. goode. 727. Tn. slowe; F. slowgh. 728. All also; read als. 729. F. Henge.
732. All the quene; omit the. All eke. 733. Tn. slow; F. slough. F. selfe. 734. I supply former a. F. foole. 735. All Ecquo. 739. Tn. slow; F. slough. F. hym-selfe. 740. All no man; but read noon. 741. Perhaps read maken. 743. F. woste; menyst. 744. Th, lost; F. loste. F. thow wenyst. 745. F. Tn. Loo she that may be; Th. Howe that may be; here she is an error for sir, and Howe that may be for how may that be; (ed. 1550 has Howe may that be). 746. All sir. F. Tn. telle; Th. tel. F. hooly. 749. F. come. Tn. sit; F. sytte. 750. F. inserts hyt after telle; which Th. Tn. omit. Th. Tn. vpon a; F. vp a; but vp is right. 751. All ins. shalt after thou; omit it (Koch). F. hooly. Tn. wit; Th. wyt; F. wytte. 752. Tn. hit; F. hitte (!). 754. F. Tn. here lo; Th. here to. Accent thér- and hér-. 755. Perhaps right should be omitted. 756. F. Hooly. 758. B. half; F. halfe; (goddes = god's).
760. Tn. wit; F. wytte. 761. F. vnderstondynge. 763. Tn. wit; F. wytte. 764. Tn. yit; F. yitte. 765. Tn. youen; F. yive. 766. F. hooly. 767, 768. Th. thral, al; F. thralle, alle. Th. wyl; F. wille. 771. All deuoutely. All insert I before prayde. Th. prayde; F. prayed. 772. Th. Tn. herte; F. hert. 773. F. plesance; see l. 767. 774. F. worshippe. 775, 6. All yere, owhere. 778. Tn. cam; F. came. 779. F. Perauenture; see l. 788. All insert moste before able. 780. F. white walle. 781. F. cachche. 783. F. Tn. Whethir; Th. Whether; read Wher (contracted form). F. portrey or peynt; Tn. purtrey or paynte. 784. Tn. queynte; F. queynt. 785. All insert ryght before so. 787. Th. Tn. conde (for coude); F. kende (for kenned). 788. All arte.
789. Tn. kam; F. came. 790. All forgate. 791. Th. chees; Tn. chese; F. ches. Tn. fyrste; F. first. All crafte (but it will not rime). 792. All lafte (wrongly); read y-laft. 793. All For-why; read For? All toke. All yonge. 795. F. no thynge. 796. F. Thorgh. Tn. knowlechynge; F. knowlachynge. 799. Tn. firste; F. first. 800. F. goode; Th. good. 801. F. Tn. flyttynge. 802. All ins. That tyme (see l. 797) bef. And. Tn. thoughten; rest thoght. F. Tn. varyinge. 804. F. knewe; stoode. 805. F. came. Perhaps on (or a) should be omitted. 806. All ther that I; om. that. 808. F. euere. F. Tn. ye; Th. eye. 810. Tn. hap; F. happe. 811. F. broght; Tn. broghte. All there. 813. Tn. false; F. fals. 816. Tn. telle; F. tel. 817. F. Amonge these. 818. I supply ther.
819. All lyke (like). I supply al. 821. Tn. bryght; F. bryghte. 822. Th. lyght; F. lyghte. 823. All any other planete in; see note. F. hevene. 824. F. sevene. 826. Th. Tn. Surmounted; F. Surmountede. Tn. B. alle; F. al. 828. All ins. of after and. F. ins. so before wel; which Th. Tn. omit. Th. Tn. set; F. sette. 829. Th. goodlyhede; F. godelyhede. All ins. and before so, probably caught from the line above. B. beseye; rest besey. 830. Th. supplies more; F. Tn. omit. All sey. 831. Th. Tn. his; F. omits. 832. Tn. as; Th. F. al. 833. Th. stedfast; F. stedfaste. 835. F. Tn. had wel herd; om. wel. 838. F. y-kaught; Th. I cought; Tn. I caughte. 839. All toke. 840. All counseyl; I propose reed. All loke. 841. Th. And; F. Tn. But (caught from l. 840). Th. Tn. herte; F. hest (wrongly). All for why; read for? 842. F. hert; Th. Tn. herte. 843. F. ovne; read owne. 844. F. beter; Th. better; Tn. bettyr; read bet. 846. Tn. B. soth; F. Th. sothe.
848. Tn. saw; F. sawgh. F. comelely; Th. comely; Tn. comly. 850. F. Lawghe; pley. 852. Th. goodly; F. goodely. 854. Tn. seyn; F. seyne. 855. All on; read upon. 856. Tn. seyn; F. seyne. (For was probably read nas.) 857. F. yelowe; broune. 858. F. Tn. thoght. Th. F. lyke; Tn. likely. Th. golde; which F. Tn. absurdly omit. 861. F. goode. 862. F. looke. 863. F. ouertwert; Tn. ouyrthwerte; Th. ouertwhart (sic). Th. beset; Tn. biset; F. besette. 864. F. Tn. drewh. F. tooke. All enerydele. 865. Tn. B. Alle; F. Th. Al. 867. F. foolys; B. folys. 869. F. thynge. 870. F. lokynge. 873. Th. close; Tn. clos; F. cloos. 874. F. lokynge. Th. folyche. 876. Tn. thoghte; F. thoght.
877. Th. By; F. Tn. Be. 882. Th. trowe; F. Tn. trow. 883. Th. herte; Tn. hyrte; F. hert. 884. All sate. B. lyte; Tn. lite; F. litel. Th. Tn. herte; F. hert. 885. Tn. knew; F. knowe (sic). F. no thynge. 886. This line is in Th. only; Th. has knewe (twice). 887. Tn. roghte; Th. F. rought. 888. Tn. ner; F. nerre. F. was; Th. Tn. nas. 889. Th. than; Tn. then; F. that. 891. Tn. gode; Th. F. good. All folke. 893. F. wounder. 894. F. placis. 895. All But which; omit But. 898. Th. bothe; F. both. 900. All eke. B. spyritz; F. spiritis. 901. All grete a thynge. 902. Th. wyt; Tn. F. witte. 903. Th. F. comprehende; Tn. comprehend; read comprehenden. 904. Tn. seyn; F. sayn. 905. All insert white after Was, which spoils metre and story (see l. 948). F. fressh.
908. Th. Tn. certes; F. certys. 909. All faire or fayre. 910, 911. B. chief; rest chefe. Th. Tn. patron; F. patrone. 913. F. thynkyth. 914. Tn. B. alle; Th. F. al (it is plural). 916. I supply They; Th. Ne wolde haue; Tn. Ne sholde haue; F. Ne sholde ha. The right reading is They ne sholde have (They ne being read as They n'). 919. Th. goodly; F. goodely. 921. Th. frendly; F. frendely. 922. F. B. Vp; Th. Tn. Vpon; see l. 750. 923. Tn. B. alle; F. al. Tn. gode; F. goode. 924. After swere all insert wel (needlessly). Tn. rode; F. roode. 929. Th. Tn. pope; F. Pape. 930. All ins. yet after never. Th. through; F. throgh. 931. F. gretely. 932. Th. Tn. her; F. hit (sic). I supply ther (cf. l. 930); perhaps omitted, because her also ended in her. All harme. 933. F. flaterynge; word. ​ 937. All dele. 938. All worlde; wele. 939. All fairenesse (fayrenes). 941. Th. Tn. B. sene; F. seen. Th. F. myssatte; Tn. missate. 942. All badly insert pure (dissyllabic) before flat; but smothe has two syllables. Tn. flat; Th. F. flatte. 943. All or; I read and. 944. Th. by; rest be. 946. All rounde. Th. tour; F. Tn. toure. 947. Th. good; E. goode. F. gretenesse; grete. 948. B. het; rest hete. 949. Th. right; F. ryghte. 950. All faire. Th. bright; F. bryghte. 951. All had (but it is emphatic). All wronge. 952. All longe. 953. All had. 954. Th. great; F. Tn. grete. 957. Tn. bak; F. bakke. 958. B. knyw; rest knewe. All noon other; perhaps read no maner. Tn. lak; F. lakke. 959. All insert pure (dissyllabic) after nere; but limmes is dissyllabic. 960. Tn. fer; F. ferre. F. knowynge. 961. Th. playe; F. pley. 962. Tn. liste; F. list. Th. saye; F. sey.
963. All lyke. 965. F. hathe. 969. Tn. cacche; F. cachche. Th. Tn. if; F. yif (and in l. 970). 971. All swere wel; read sweren (omitting the expletive wel). 972. All thousande. 973. F. lest. 974. B. chieff; rest chefe. Th. Tn. myrrour; F. meroure. Th. Tn. feste; F. fest. 975. Th. F. stonde; read stonden. 976. Th. that; which Tn. F. omit. 977. Tn. B. pleyd; F. pleyed. 978. F. thoght. Th. felaushyp; Tn. feliship; F. felysshyppe. 979. Tn. saw; F. sawgh. 981. Th. F. Trewly; Tn. Truly. B. ye; Th. F. eye (note the rime). 982. Th. Tn. soleyn; F. soleyne. 983. Th. lyueth; F. levyth. 984. Tn. knew; rest knowe. 985. Th. goodnesse; F. godenesse. 988. Th. Tn. if; F. yif. 989. Tn. F. seyn; Th. sayne. F. alle. 990. Tn. wit; F. wytte. Th. general; F. generalle. 991. F. hoole. 992. All wytte.
994. All And thereto; but And is needless. F. sawgh. 995. Th. Harmful; F. Harmeful. 996. For ne had perhaps read nad. 997. I transpose; all have What harme was (but harm is monosyllabic, and the line is then bad). 998. Tn. F. coude. Th. thynketh; F. thenketh. 1000. F. had hadde hyt hadde. 1001. All dele. 1002. All wele. 1003. F. al and alle. 1004. Th. principal; F. principalle. 1007. F. stedefaste. 1008. Th. Tn. B. attempre; F. atempry. 1009. Tn. knew; F. knewe. Tn. yit; F. yitte. 1010. Tn. wit; F. wytte. 1011. F. vnderstoode. 1012. F. goode. 1016. All wronge. 1019. Tn. luste; F. lust 1020. All wolde not; an error for nolde (Koch). 1022. All halfe worde.
1025. Th. F. pruyse; Tn. pruse; B. sprewse. 1027. Th. bydde; F. bid. 1028. Th. hoodlesse; F. hoodeles. All in-to; read to. 1029. B. hom; rest home. Tn. Carrynare. 1030. F. Tn. sey; Th. omits. 1032. F. Worshyppe. 1034. F. wherfore. Tn. telle; F. tel. 1035. All seyde (sayde). 1036. F. hooly. All leyde (layde). 1037. All wyfe (wife). 1038. All luste. All lyfe (life). 1039. Tn. F. happe; Th. hope. 1040. F. worldys. I substitute lisse for goddesse; see note. 1041. F. hooly hires and; Th. Tn. holy hers and; B. hooly hyres. 1042. F. oure. 1043. Th. beset; F. besette; Tn. yset. 1044. F. myght haue doo bette. 1045. Th. Tn. Bet; F. Bette. F. wele. 1046. F. hit wel sir; Th. Tn. om. hit wel. 1047. F. sire. 1048. All trewly. 1049. Th. Tn. beste; F. best. 1050. Tn. fayreste; F. fayrest. 1051. All ins. her after loked. 1052. Tn. B. alle; F. al.
1053. All swore; read sworen. 1054. Perhaps read nadde. 1056. F. had hadde (better hadde had). 1057. All Alcipyades. 1060. Th. Tn. Alisaundre; F. Alisaunder. ? omit al or the. 1064. Th. therto; F. Tn. to (see 1059). Th. Tn. al so; F. also as. 1066. Tn. slow; F. slough. 1067. Tn. therfor; F. ther fore. 1069. Tn. slayn; F. slayne. Th. Tn. Antilegius; F. Antylegyus. 1071. I supply hir. 1074. Tn. moste; F. most. 1075. All insert trewly after nay; we must omit it. 1075, 6. F. nowe, howe. 1077. Th. good; F. goode. F. hert. 1078. All eke. 1081. All ins. was after ever. Th. Penelope; F. Penelopee; Tn. penelapie; read Pénelóp'. 1082. All wyfe (wife).
1083: Th. beste; F. best. 1084: Tn. romayn; F. Romayne. 1088: All wherfore. 1089: F. firste. Th. sey; F. say. 1090: All yonge. I supply the. 1091: F. grete nede. 1093: F. grete. 1094: All wytte. Tn. best; F. beste. 1095: All yonge. F. childely wytte. 1097: B. beste; rest best. 1098: F. worshippe. Th. F. insert the before servyse; but Tn. omits. 1099: All coude tho; read tho coude. Tn. by; F. be. 1100: F. Feynynge. 1101: Tn. fayn; F. feyne. 1103: Tn. saw; F. sawgh. 1104: Th. warysshed; F. Tn. warshed. 1106: F. thoght. 1108: Tn. sit; Th. syt; F. sytte. Th. Tn. in; F. om. 1110: Th. out; Tn. F. oute. 1111: All trewly.
1114. All shrifte (shryfte). 1117. Tn. certes; F. certis. 1118. Tn. Achitofell; F. Achetofel. 1120. Tn. traytour; F. traytore. Tn. F. B. betraysed; Th. betrayed. 1121. Th. false; F. fals. All Genellon. 1123. Tn. rowland; F. Rowlande. 1124. All while (whyle). 1126. F. good; Tn. gode. I supply right. 1127. All tolde. B. her-; F. here-. 1128. All nede. F. Th. Tn. insert to after need; B. omits it. Tn. hit; Th. it; F. om. 1129. Tn. sawe; F. sawgh. Th. first; F. firste. 1130. Tn. telle; F. tel. 1131. Tn. her; F. hire. B. firste; rest first. 1133. All knewe (subjunctive). 1135. All eke. 1136. Tn. her-; F. here-. 1137. Tn. seyde he; F. he seyde. F. menyst. 1138. F. wenyst. 1139. Tn. los; F. losse. I supply sir. 1141. F. doon; Tn. Th. done (read y-doon). 1142. F. bathe lefte.
1143. Th. tel; F. telle. Th. al; F. alle. 1144. Th. shal; F. shalle. 1145. All say. Tn. seyd; F. seyde. 1146. Tn. leyd; F. leyde. 1147. All needlessly insert not (or nat) after hit. 1150. F. tel. 1153. Tn. herte; F. hert. 1154. Th. asterte; F. astert. 1155. Omit But for? F. ins. so before fro; Tn. Th. omit. 1158. All songe. 1159. F. Th. Tn. ins. this (B. thus) before a. F. grete dele. 1160. All wele. 1161. Th. Tn. ne; B. to; F. the (!). F. knowe (infin.); Tn. know; Th. knewe (wrongly). All the arte; perhaps read that art. 1162. Th. Lamekes; F. lamekys. Th. Tubal; F. Tuballe; Tn. B. Tuballe. 1163. B. fonde; rest founde. Th. first; F. firste. All songe. 1164. Tn. brothers; F. brothres. 1165. Th. anuelt; Tn. anuelte; F. Anuelet. Tn. doun; F. doon. 1166. F. tooke. B. fyrste; rest first. Tn. soune; F. soon. 1167. Th. of Pithagoras. 1168. Tn. fyrste; F. first. 1169. All arte.
1171. F. Algatis. 1172. F. felynge; hert 1173. Th. this; F. Tn. thus. I supply the. Tn. firste; F. first. 1174. Th. werst; Tn. F. repeat first. I supply that. 1175. All Lorde. Tn. herte; F. hert. 1178. All myght (might). 1180. All faire (fayre). 1181. All tolde. Tn. soth; F. sothe. All say. 1182. Tn. firste; F. first. All songe; all day. 1183. Tn. bethoghte; F. bethoght. 1185. F. wyst. 1186. Tn. telle; F. tel. All durst. 1187. Tn. thoghte; F. thoght. F. rede. 1188. All am; grammar requires nam. F. dede. 1189. Tn. if; F. yif. All sey (say), after which ryght is needlessly inserted; I omit it. Tn. soth; F. sothe. 1190. Tn. wroth; F. wrothe. 1192. All debate. 1193. Tn. thoghte; F. thoght. F. brast; Th. Tn. braste (subj.). Tn. a tweyn; F. a tweyne. 1194. All at the; read atte. Tn. seyn; F. sayne. 1195. All bethoght (bethought) me. 1197. All trewly or truly. 1198. F. wyth oute; read withouten.
1201. F. nedys; Mawgree. Th. heed; F. hede. 1202. Tn. moste; F. most. All tolde. Th. deed; F. dede. 1203. Th. began; F. beganne (!). 1204. All reherse or reherce; but read rehersen. 1205, 6. All eke. Th. -al, dismal; F. Tn. -alle, dismalle. 1208. All worde. 1210. F. wordys. Tn. mysset; F. mys sette. 1212. F. quakynge. 1213. F. styntynge. 1215. Tn. wex; F. wexe. Th. reed; F. rede. 1216. F. Bowynge. Th. heed; F. hede. 1218. Tn. wit; F. witte. All maner. 1220. All sate (!). 1221. All at the; read atte. Tn. soth; F. sothe. Tn. seyn; F. seyne. 1222. Tn. herte; F. hert. Tn. agayn; F. ageyne. 1223. Th. shortly; F. shortely. Th. al; Tn. B. alle; F. at (!). 1226. All swore (!). 1228. F. fresshly.
1230. F. worshippe. 1231. All swore or swere(!). 1232. Th. al; F. alle. 1234. All ins. to before false. 1235. Tn. wisse; F. wysse; B. wys. 1237. All wote (!). 1238. Tn. thoghte; F. thoght. 1239. All ins. ryght before as. 1242. F. wordys. 1244. Th. Al; F. Alle. 1248. Th. Troye; F. Troy. 1250. Tn. durste; F. durst. 1251. F. stale. 1253. All trewly. All nede. 1254. All hede. 1256. All fonde or founde.
1261. F. vnderstode. 1262. Th. thyng; F. Tn. B. no thynge; but no is not required by idiom or metre. All goode, gode. 1263. F. worshippe. 1264. All al (or alle) thynges; but al thing is the right idiom. Th. drede; Tn. to drede; F. dred. 1266. For And read That (Lange). 1267. All harme. 1268. Tn. knew; F. knewe. 1269. F. hooly. 1270. F. yifte. 1271. F. Savynge hir worshippe. 1273. All rynge (!). 1274. Tn. firste; F. first. Th. thyng; F. thynge. 1275. Tn. if; F. yif. Tn. herte; F. hert. 1276. Tn. Glad; F. Gladde. All nede. 1279. Tn. alle; F. al. 1281. All trewly (treuly). 1282. Th. Tn. B. the; which F. omits. 1284. Th. debonairly; F. debonairely. 1285. Tn. B. alle (first time); the rest al. B. alle (second time); rest al. 1286. F. tooke. 1289. F. Oure. Th. F. werne; Tn. weren. Th. euen; F. evene. 1290. Th. Tn. contrayre; F. contrarye.
1293. All eke. 1294. All glad. 1300. Tn. B. wex; F. waxe; Th. woxe. Th. deed; F. dede. 1302. Tn. los; F. losse. 1303. F. hadde; rest had. All lorne (!). 1304. F. Bethenke. F. herebeforne. 1305. F. menyst. 1306. F. wenyst. 1307. F. wote. 1309. Th. deed; F. ded. Tn. bi; F. be. 1310. F. youre. Tn. los; F. losse. Th. by; F. be. 1312. Read rather They gonne forth straken (or striken). 1313. Th. hart; F. Tn. herte (!). 1314. F. thoght; kynge. 1315. I supply quikly; the line is too short. 1316. All insert was after place. 1318. All longe. F. wallys. 1319. Th. Tn. By; F. Be. Th. hyl; F. Tn. hille. 1320. Th. fyl; F. Tn. fille (!).
1322. F. castell. All ins. ther before was. 1323. Th. smytte; F. Tn. smyte; read smiten (pp.). Th. houres; F. oures. 1324. F. awooke. 1325. All fonde or founde. F. lyinge. Tn. bed; F. bedde. 1326. F. booke. Tn. had red; F. hadde redde. 1327. Th. Alcyone; F. Alchione. F. kynge. 1328. F. goddys of slepynge. 1329. Tn. euyn; F. evene. 1330. Tn. Thoghte; F. Thoght. Tn. sweuyn; F. sweuene. 1331. Th. by; F. be. 1332. All put. Tn. sweuyn; F. sweuene. 1334. Tn. sweuyn; F. sweuene. Colophon; so in F. B.