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

FRAGMENT B.
Whan I had smelled the savour swote, No wille hadde I fro thens yit go, But somdel neer it wente I tho, To take it; but myn hond, for drede, Ne dorste I to the rose bede, 1710 For thistels sharpe, of many maneres, Netles, thornes, and hoked breres; [Ful] muche they distourbled me, For sore I dradde to harmed be. The God of Love, with bowe bent, 1715 That al day set hadde his talent To pursuen and to spyen me, Was stonding by a fige-tree. ​And whan he sawe how that I Had chosen so ententifly 1720 The botoun, more unto my pay Than any other that I say, He took an arowe ful sharply whet, And in his bowe whan it was set, He streight up to his ere drough 1725 The stronge bowe, that was so tough, And shet at me so wonder smerte, That through myn eye unto myn herte The takel smoot, and depe it wente. And ther-with-al such cold me hente, 1730 That, under clothes warme and softe, Sith that day I have chevered ofte. Whan I was hurt thus in [that] stounde, I fel doun plat unto the grounde. Myn herte failed and feynted ay, 1735 And long tyme [ther] a-swone I lay. But whan I com out of swoning, And hadde wit, and my feling, I was al maat, and wende ful wel Of blood have loren a ful gret del. 1740 But certes, the arowe that in me stood Of me ne drew no drope of blood, For-why I found my wounde al dreye. Than took I with myn hondis tweye The arowe, and ful fast out it plight, 1745 And in the pulling sore I sight. So at the last the shaft of tree I drough out, with the fethers three. But yet the hoked heed, y-wis, The whiche Beautee callid is, 1750 Gan so depe in myn herte passe, That I it mighte nought arace; But in myn herte stille it stood, Al bledde I not a drope of blood. I was bothe anguissous and trouble 1755 For the peril that I saw double; I niste what to seye or do, Ne gete a leche my woundis to; For neithir thurgh gras ne rote, Ne hadde I help of hope ne bote. 1760 But to the botoun ever-mo Myn herte drew; for al my wo, My thought was in non other thing. For hadde it been in my keping, It wolde have brought my lyf agayn. 1765 For certeinly, I dar wel seyn, The sight only, and the savour, Alegged muche of my langour. Than gan I for to drawe me Toward the botoun fair to see; 1770 And Love hadde gete him, in [a] throwe, Another arowe into his bowe, And for to shete gan him dresse; The arowis name was Simplesse. And whan that Love gan nyghe me nere, 1775 He drow it up, withouten were, ​And shet at me with al his might, So that this arowe anon-right Thourghout [myn] eigh, as it was founde, Into myn herte hath maad a wounde. 1780 Thanne I anoon dide al my crafte For to drawen out the shafte, And ther-with-al I sighed eft. But in myn herte the heed was left, Which ay encresid my desyre, 1785 Unto the botoun drawe nere; And ever, mo that me was wo, The more desyr hadde I to go Unto the roser, where that grew The fresshe botoun so bright of hewe. 1790 Betir me were have leten be; But it bihoved nedes me To don right as myn herte bad. For ever the body must be lad Aftir the herte; in wele and wo, 1795 Of force togidre they must go. But never this archer wolde fyne To shete at me with alle his pyne, And for to make me to him mete. The thridde arowe he gan to shete, 1800 Whan best his tyme he mighte espye, The which was named Curtesye; Into myn herte it dide avale. A-swone I fel, bothe deed and pale; Long tyme I lay, and stired nought, 1805 Til I abraid out of my thought. And faste than I avysed me To drawen out the shafte of tree; But ever the heed was left bihinde For ought I couthe pulle or winde. 1810 So sore it stikid whan I was hit, That by no craft I might it flit; But anguissous and ful of thought, I felte such wo, my wounde ay wrought, That somoned me alway to go 1815 Toward the rose, that plesed me so; But I ne durste in no manere, Bicause the archer was so nere. For evermore gladly, as I rede, Brent child of fyr hath muche drede. 1820 And, certis yit, for al my peyne, Though that I sigh yit arwis reyne, And grounde quarels sharpe of stele, Ne for no payne that I might fele, Yit might I not my-silf withholde 1825 The faire roser to biholde; For Love me yaf sich hardement For to fulfille his comaundement. Upon my feet I roos up than Feble, as a forwoundid man; 1830 And forth to gon [my] might I sette, And for the archer nolde I lette. Toward the roser fast I drow; But thornes sharpe mo than y-now Ther were, and also thistels thikke, 1835 And breres, brimme for to prikke, That I ne mighte gete grace The rowe thornes for to passe, To sene the roses fresshe of hewe. I must abide, though it me rewe, 1840 The hegge aboute so thikke was, That closid the roses in compas. ​But o thing lyked me right wele; I was so nygh, I mighte fele Of the botoun the swote odour, 1845 And also see the fresshe colour; And that right gretly lyked me, That I so neer it mighte see. Sich Ioye anoon therof hadde I, That I forgat my malady. 1850 To sene [it] hadde I sich delyt, Of sorwe and angre I was al quit, And of my woundes that I had thar; For no-thing lyken me might mar Than dwellen by the roser ay, 1855 And thennes never to passe away. But whan a whyle I had be thar, The God of Love, which al to-shar Myn herte with his arwis kene, Caste him to yeve me woundis grene. 1860 He shet at me ful hastily An arwe named Company, The whiche takel is ful able To make these ladies merciable. Than I anoon gan chaungen hewe 1865 For grevaunce of my wounde newe, That I agayn fel in swoning, And sighed sore in compleyning. Sore I compleyned that my sore On me gan greven more and more. 1870 I had non hope of allegeaunce; So nigh I drow to desperaunce, I rought of dethe ne of lyf, Whither that love wolde me dryf. If me a martir wolde he make, 1875 I might his power nought forsake. And whyl for anger thus I wook, The God of Love an arowe took; Ful sharp it was and [ful] pugnaunt, And it was callid Fair-Semblaunt, 1880 The which in no wys wol consente, That any lover him repente To serve his love with herte and alle, For any peril that may bifalle. But though this arwe was kene grounde 1885 As any rasour that is founde, To cutte and kerve, at the poynt, The God of Love it hadde anoynt With a precious oynement, Somdel to yeve aleggement 1890 Upon the woundes that he had Through the body in my herte maad, To helpe hir sores, and to cure, And that they may the bet endure. But yit this arwe, withoute more, 1895 Made in myn herte a large sore, That in ful gret peyne I abood. But ay the oynement wente abrood; Throughout my woundes large and wyde It spredde aboute in every syde; 1900 Through whos vertu and whos might Myn herte Ioyful was and light. I had ben deed and al to-shent But for the precious oynement. The shaft I drow out of the arwe, 1905 Roking for wo right wondir narwe; ​But the heed, which made me smerte, Lefte bihinde in myn herte With other foure, I dar wel say, That never wol be take away; 1910 But the oynement halp me wele. And yit sich sorwe dide I fele, That al-day I chaunged hewe, Of my woundes fresshe and newe, As men might see in my visage. 1915 The arwis were so fulle of rage, So variaunt of diversitee, That men in everich mighte see Bothe gret anoy and eek swetnesse, And Ioye meynt with bittirnesse. 1920 Now were they esy, now were they wood, In hem I felte bothe harm and good; Now sore without aleggement, Now softening with oynement; It softned here, and prikked there, 1925 Thus ese and anger togider were. The God of Love deliverly Com lepand to me hastily, And seide to me, in gret rape, 'Yeld thee, for thou may not escape! 1930 May no defence availe thee here; Therfore I rede mak no daungere. If thou wolt yelde thee hastily, Thou shalt [the] rather have mercy. He is a fool in sikernesse, 1935 That with daunger or stoutnesse Rebellith ther that he shulde plese; In such folye is litel ese. Be meek, wher thou must nedis bowe; To stryve ageyn is nought thy prowe. 1940 Come at ones, and have y-do, For I wol that it be so. Than yeld thee here debonairly.' And I answerid ful humbly, 'Gladly, sir; at your bidding, 1945 I wol me yelde in alle thing. To your servyse I wol me take; For god defende that I shulde make Ageyn your bidding resistence; I wol not doon so gret offence; 1950 For if I dide, it were no skile. Ye may do with me what ye wile, Save or spille, and also sloo; Fro you in no wyse may I go. My lyf, my deth, is in your honde, 1955 I may not laste out of your bonde. Pleyn at your list I yelde me, Hoping in herte, that sumtyme ye Comfort and ese shulle me sende; Or ellis shortly, this is the ende, 1960 Withouten helthe I moot ay dure, But-if ye take me to your cure. Comfort or helthe how shuld I have, Sith ye me hurte, but ye me save? The helthe of lovers moot be founde 1965 Wher-as they token firste hir wounde. And if ye list of me to make Your prisoner, I wol it take Of herte and wil, fully at gree. Hoolly and pleyn I yelde me, 1970 Withoute feyning or feyntyse, To be governed by your empryse. Of you I here so much prys, I wol ben hool at your devys ​For to fulfille your lyking 1975 And repente for no-thing, Hoping to have yit in som tyde Mercy, of that [that] I abyde.' And with that covenaunt yeld I me, Anoon doun kneling upon my knee, 1980 Profering for to kisse his feet; But for no-thing he wolde me lete, And seide, 'I love thee bothe and preyse, Sen that thyn answer doth me ese, For thou answerid so curteisly. 1985 For now I wot wel uttirly, That thou art gentil, by thy speche. For though a man fer wolde seche, He shulde not finden, in certeyn, No sich answer of no vileyn; 1990 For sich a word ne mighte nought Isse out of a vilayns thought. Thou shalt not lesen of thy speche, For [to] thy helping wol I eche, And eek encresen that I may. 1995 But first I wol that thou obay Fully, for thyn avauntage, Anon to do me here homage. And sithen kisse thou shalt my mouth, Which to no vilayn was never couth 2000 For to aproche it, ne for to touche; For sauf of cherlis I ne vouche That they shulle never neigh it nere. For curteys, and of fair manere, Wel taught, and ful of gentilnesse 2005 He muste ben, that shal me kisse, And also of ful high fraunchyse, That shal atteyne to that empryse. And first of o thing warne I thee, That peyne and gret adversitee 2010 He mot endure, and eek travaile, That shal me serve, withoute faile. But ther-ageyns, thee to comforte, And with thy servise to desporte, Thou mayst ful glad and Ioyful be 2015 So good a maister to have as me, And lord of so high renoun. I bere of Love the gonfanoun, Of Curtesye the banere; For I am of the silf manere, 2020 Gentil, curteys, meek and free; That who [so] ever ententif be Me to honoure, doute, and serve, And also that he him observe Fro trespas and fro vilanye, 2025 And him governe in curtesye With wil and with entencioun; For whan he first in my prisoun Is caught, than muste he uttirly, Fro thennes-forth ful bisily, 2030 Caste him gentil for to be, If he desyre helpe of me.' Anoon withouten more delay, Withouten daunger or affray, I bicom his man anoon, 2035 And gave him thankes many a oon, And kneled doun with hondis Ioynt, And made it in my port ful queynt; The Ioye wente to myn herte rote. Whan I had kissed his mouth so swote, 2040 I had sich mirthe and sich lyking, It cured me of languisshing. He askid of me than hostages:— I have,' he seide, 'taken fele homages ​Of oon and other, where I have been 2045 Disceyved ofte, withouten wene. These felouns, fulle of falsitee, Have many sythes bigyled me, And through falshede hir lust acheved, Wherof I repente and am agreved. 2050 And I hem gete in my daungere, Hir falshed shulie they bye ful dere. But for I love thee, I seye thee pleyn, I wol of thee be more certeyn; For thee so sore I wol now binde, 2055 That thou away ne shalt not winde For to denyen the covenaunt, Or doon that is not avenaunt. That thou were fals it were gret reuthe, Sith thou semest so ful of treuthe.' 2060 'Sire, if thee list to undirstande, I merveile thee asking this demande. For-why or wherfore shulde ye Ostages or borwis aske of me, Or any other sikirnesse, 2065 Sith ye wote, in sothfastnesse, That ye have me surprysed so, And hool myn herte taken me fro, That it wol do for me no-thing But-if it be at your bidding? 2070 Myn herte is yours, and myn right nought, As it bihoveth, in dede and thought, Redy in alle to worche your wille, Whether so [it] turne to good or ille. So sore it lustith you to plese, 2075 No man therof may you disseise. Ye have theron set sich Iustise, That it is werreyd in many wise. And if ye doute it nolde obeye, Ye may therof do make a keye, 2080 And holde it with you for ostage.' Now certis, this is noon outrage,' Quoth Love, 'and fully I accord; For of the body he is ful lord That hath the herte in his tresor; 2085 Outrage it were to asken more.' Than of his aumener he drough A litel keye, fetys y-nough, Which was of gold polisshed clere, And seide to me, 'With this keye here 2090 Thyn herte to me now wol I shette; For al my Iowellis loke and knette I binde under this litel keye, That no wight may carye aweye; This keye is ful of gret poeste.' 2095 With which anoon he touchid me Undir the syde ful softely, That he myn herte sodeynly Without [al] anoy had spered, That yit right nought it hath me dered. 2100 Whan he had doon his wil al-out, And I had put him out of dout, Sire,' I seide, 'I have right gret wille Your lust and plesaunce to fulfille. Loke ye my servise take at gree, 2105 By thilke feith ye owe to me. I seye nought for recreaundyse, For I nought doute of your servyse. ​But the servaunt traveileth in vayne, That for to serven doth his payne 2110 Unto that lord, which in no wyse Can him no thank for his servyse.' Love seide, 'Dismaye thee nought, Sin thou for sucour hast me sought, In thank thy servise wol I take, 2115 And high of degree I wol thee make, If wikkidnesse ne hindre thee; But, as I hope, it shal nought be. To worship no wight by aventure May come, but-if he peyne endure. 2120 Abyde and suffre thy distresse; That hurtith now, it shal be lesse; I wot my-silf what may thee save, What medicyne thou woldist have. And if thy trouthe to me thou kepe, 2125 I shal unto thyn helping eke, To cure thy woundes and make hem clene, Wher-so they be olde or grene; Thou shalt be holpen, at wordis fewe. For certeynly thou shalt wel shewe 2130 Wher that thou servest with good wille, For to complisshen and fulfille My comaundementis, day and night, Whiche I to lovers yeve of right.' 'Ah, sire, for goddis love,' seide I, 2135 Er ye passe hens, ententifly Your comaundementis to me ye say, And I shal kepe hem, if I may; For hem to kepen is al my thought. And if so be I wot hem nought, 2140 Than may I [sinne] unwitingly. Wherfore I pray you enterely, With al myn herte, me to lere, That I trespasse in no manere.' The god of love than chargid me 2145 Anoon, as ye shal here and see, Word by word, by right empryse, So as the Romance shal devyse. The maister lesith his tyme to lere, Whan the disciple wol not here. 2150 It is but veyn on him to swinke, That on his lerning wol not thinke. Who-so lust love, let him entende, For now the Romance ginneth amende. Now is good to here, in fay, 2155 If any be that can it say, And poynte it as the resoun is Set; for other-gate, y-wis, It shal nought wel in alle thing Be brought to good undirstonding: 2160 For a reder that poyntith ille A good sentence may ofte spille. The book is good at the ending, Maad of newe and lusty thing; For who-so wol the ending here, 2165 The crafte of love he shal now lere, If that he wol so long abyde, Til I this Romance may unhyde, And undo the signifiaunce Of this dreme into Romaunce. 2170 The sothfastnesse that now is hid, Without coverture shal be kid, ​Whan I undon have this dreming, Wherin no word is of lesing. 'Vilany, at the biginning, 2175 I wol,' sayd Love, 'over alle thing, Thou leve, if thou wolt [not] be Fals, and trespasse ageynes me. I curse and blame generally Alle hem that loven vilany; 2180 For vilany makith vilayn, And by his dedis a cherle is seyn. Thise vilayns arn without pitee, Frendshipe, love, and al bounte. I nil receyve to my servyse 2185 Hem that ben vilayns of empryse. 'But undirstonde in thyn entent, That this is not myn entendement, To clepe no wight in no ages Only gentil for his linages. 2190 But who-so [that] is vertuous, And in his port nought outrageous, Whan sich oon thou seest thee biforn, Though he be not gentil born, Thou mayst wel seyn, this is a soth, 2195 That he is gentil, bicause he doth As longeth to a gentilman; Of hem non other deme I can. For certeynly, withouten drede, A cherl is demed by his dede, 2200 Of hye or lowe, as ye may see, Or of what kinrede that he be. Ne say nought, for noon yvel wille, Thing that is to holden stille; It is no worship to misseye. 2205 Thou mayst ensample take of Keye, That was somtyme, for misseying, Hated bothe of olde and ying; As fer as Gaweyn, the worthy, Was preysed for his curtesy, 2210 Keye was hated, for he was fel, Of word dispitous and cruel. Wherfore be wyse and aqueyntable, Goodly of word, and resonable Bothe to lesse and eek to mar. 2215 And whan thou comest ther men ar, Loke that thou have in custom ay First to salue hem, if thou may: And if it falle, that of hem som Salue thee first, be not dom, 2220 But quyte him curteisly anoon Without abiding, er they goon. 'For no-thing eek thy tunge applye To speke wordis of ribaudye. To vilayn speche in no degree 2225 Lat never thy lippe unbounden be. For I nought holde him, in good feith, Curteys, that foule wordis seith. And alle wimmen serve and preyse, And to thy power hir honour reyse. 2230 And if that any missayere Dispyse wimmen, that thou mayst here, Blame him, and bidde him holde him stille. And set thy might and al thy wille Wimmen and ladies for to plese, 2235 And to do thing that may hem ese, That they ever speke good of thee, For so thou mayst best preysed be. 'Loke fro pryde thou kepe thee wele; For thou mayst bothe perceyve and fele, 2240 ​That pryde is bothe foly and sinne; And he that pryde hath, him withinne, Ne may his herte, in no wyse, Meken ne souplen to servyse. For pryde is founde, in every part, 2245 Contrarie unto Loves art. And he that loveth trewely Shulde him contene Iolily, Withouten pryde in sondry wyse, And him disgysen in queyntyse. 2250 For queynt array, withouten drede, Is no-thing proud, who takith hede; For fresh array, as men may see, Withouten pryde may ofte be. 'Mayntene thy-silf aftir thy rent, 2255 Of robe and eek of garnement; For many sythe fair clothing A man amendith in mich thing. And loke alwey that they be shape, What garnement that thou shalt make, 2260 Of him that can [hem] beste do, With al that perteyneth therto. Poyntis and sleves be wel sittand, Right and streight upon the hand. Of shoon and botes, newe and faire, 2265 Loke at the leest thou have a paire; And that they sitte so fetisly, That these rude may uttirly Merveyle, sith that they sitte so pleyn, How they come on or of ageyn. 2270 Were streite gloves, with aumenere Of silk; and alwey with good chere Thou yeve, if thou have richesse; And if thou have nought, spend the lesse. Alwey be mery, if thou may, 2275 But waste not thy good alway. Have hat of floures fresh as May, Chapelet of roses of Whitsonday; For sich array ne cost but lyte. Thyn hondis wasshe, thy teeth make whyte, 2280 And let no filthe upon thee be. Thy nailes blak if thou mayst see, Voide it awey deliverly, And kembe thyn heed right Iolily. [Fard] not thy visage in no wyse, 2285 For that of love is not thempryse; For love doth haten, as I finde, A beaute that cometh not of kinde. Alwey in herte I rede thee Glad and mery for to be, 2290 And be as Ioyful as thou can; Love hath no Ioye of sorowful man. That yvel is ful of curtesye That [lauhwith] in his maladye; For ever of love the siknesse 2295 Is meynd with swete and bitternesse. The sore of love is merveilous; For now the lover [is] Ioyous, Now can he pleyne, now can he grone, Now can he singen, now maken mone. 2300 To-day he pleyneth for hevinesse, To-morowe he pleyeth for Iolynesse. ​The lyf of love is ful contrarie, Which stoundemele can ofte varie. But if thou canst [som] mirthis make, 2305 That men in gree wole gladly take, Do it goodly, I comaunde thee; For men sholde, wher-so-ever they be, Do thing that hem [best] sitting is, For therof cometh good loos and pris. 2310 Wher-of that thou be vertuous, Ne be not straunge ne daungerous. For if that thou good rider be, Prike gladly, that men may se. In armes also if thou conne, 2315 Pursue, til thou a name hast wonne. And if thy voice be fair and clere, Thou shalt maken no gret daungere Whan to singe they goodly preye; It is thy worship for to obeye. 2320 Also to you it longith ay To harpe and giterne, daunce and play; For if he can wel foote and daunce, It may him greetly do avaunce. Among eek, for thy lady sake, 2325 Songes and complayntes that thou make; For that wol meve [hem] in hir herte, Whan they reden of thy smerte. Loke that no man for scarce thee holde, For that may greve thee manyfolde. 2330 Resoun wol that a lover be In his yiftes more large and free Than cherles that been not of loving. For who ther-of can any thing, He shal be leef ay for to yeve, 2335 In [Loves] lore who so wolde leve; For he that, through a sodeyn sight, Or for a kissing, anon-right Yaf hool his herte in wille and thought, And to him-silf kepith right nought, 2340 Aftir [swich yift], is good resoun, He yeve his good in abandoun. 'Now wol I shortly here reherce, Of that [that] I have seid in verse, Al the sentence by and by, 2345 In wordis fewe compendiously, That thou the bet mayst on hem thinke, Whether-so it be thou wake or winke; For [that] the wordis litel greve A man to kepe, whanne it is breve. 2350 'Who-so with Love wol goon or ryde He mot be curteys, and void of pryde, Mery and fulle of Iolite, And of largesse alosed be. 'First I Ioyne thee, here in penaunce, 2355 That ever, withoute repentaunce, Thou set thy thought in thy loving, To laste withoute repenting; And thenke upon thy mirthis swete, That shal folowe aftir whan ye mete. 2360 ​'And for thou trewe to love shalt be, I wol, and [eek] comaunde thee, That in oo place thou sette, al hool, Thyn herte, withouten halfen dool, For trecherie, [in] sikernesse; 2365 For I lovede never doublenesse. To many his herte that wol depart, Everiche shal have but litel part. But of him drede I me right nought, That in oo place settith his thought. 2370 Therfore in oo place it sette, And lat it never thennes flette. For if thou yevest it in lening, I holde it but a wrecchid thing: Therfore yeve it hool and quyte, 2375 And thou shalt have the more merite. If it be lent, than aftir soon, The bountee and the thank is doon; But, in love, free yeven thing Requyrith a gret guerdoning. 2380 Yeve it in yift al quit fully, And make thy yift debonairly; For men that yift [wol] holde more dere That yeven is with gladsome chere. That yift nought to preisen is 2385 That man yeveth, maugre his. Whan thou hast yeven thyn herte, as I Have seid thee here [al] openly, Than aventures shulle thee falle, Which harde and hevy been withalle. 2390 For ofte whan thou bithenkist thee Of thy loving, wher-so thou be, Fro folk thou must depart in hy, That noon perceyve thy malady, But hyde thyn harm thou must alone, 2395 And go forth sole, and make thy mone. Thou shalt no whyl be in oo stat, But whylom cold and whylom hat; Now reed as rose, now yelowe and fade. Such sorowe, I trowe, thou never hade; 2400 Cotidien, ne [yit] quarteyne, It is nat so ful of peyne. For ofte tymes it shal falle In love, among thy peynes alle, That thou thy-self, al hoolly, 2405 Foryeten shalt so utterly, That many tymes thou shalt be Stille as an image of tree, Dom as a stoon, without stering Of foot or hond, without speking. 2410 Than, sone after al thy peyne, To memorie shalt thou come ageyn, As man abasshed wondre sore, And after sighen more and more. For wit thou wel, withouten wene, 2415 In swich astat ful oft have been That have the yvel of love assayd, Wher-through thou art so dismayd. 'After, a thought shal take thee so, That thy love is to fer thee fro: 2420 Thou shalt say, "God, what may this be, That I ne may my lady see? Myne herte aloon is to her go, And I abyde al sole in wo, ​Departed fro myn owne thought, 2425 And with myne eyen see right nought. '"Alas, myn eyen sende I ne may, My careful herte to convay! Myn hertes gyde but they be, I praise no-thing what ever they see. 2430 Shul they abyde thanne? nay; But goon visyte without delay That myn herte desyreth so. For certeynly, but-if they go, A fool my-self I may wel holde, 2435 Whan I ne see what myn herte wolde. Wherfore I wol gon her to seen, Or esed shal I never been, But I have som tokening." Then gost thou forth without dwelling; 2440 But ofte thou faylest of thy desyre, Er thou mayst come hir any nere, And wastest in vayn thy passage. Than fallest thou in a newe rage; For want of sight thou ginnest morne, 2445 And homward pensif dost retorne. In greet mischeef than shall thou be, For than agayn shal come to thee Sighes and pleyntes, with newe wo, That no icching prikketh so. 2450 Who wot it nought, he may go lere Of hem that byen love so dere. 'No-thing thyn herte appesen may, That oft thou wolt goon and assay, If thou mayst seen, by aventure, 2455 Thy lyves joy, thyn hertis cure; So that, by grace if thou might Atteyne of hir to have a sight, Than shall thou doon non other dede But with that sight thyn eyen fede. 2460 That faire fresh whan thou mayst see, Thyn herte shal so ravisshed be, That never thou woldest, thy thankis, lete, Ne remove, for to see that swete. The more thou seest in sothfastnesse, 2465 The more thou coveytest of that swetnesse; The more thyn herte brenneth in fyr, The more thyn herte is in desyr. For who considreth every del, It may be lykned wondir wel, 2470 The peyne of love, unto a fere; For ever [the] more thou neighest nere Thought, or who-so that it be, For verray sothe I telle it thee, The hatter ever shal thou brenne, 2475 As experience shal thee kenne. Wher-so [thou] comest in any cost, Who is next fyr, he brenneth most. And yit forsothe, for al thyn hete, Though thou for love swelte and swete, 2480 Ne for no-thing thou felen may, Thou shalt not willen to passe away. And though thou go, yet must thee nede Thenke al-day on hir fairhede, ​Whom thou bihelde with so good wille; 2485 And holde thysilf bigyled ille, That thou ne haddest non hardement To shewe hir ought of thyn entent. Thyn herte ful sore thou wolt dispyse, And eek repreve of cowardyse, 2490 That thou, so dulle in every thing, Were dom for drede, without speking. Thou shalt eek thenke thou didest foly, That thou were hir so faste by, And durst not auntre thee to say 2495 Som-thing, er thou cam away; For thou haddist no more wonne, To speke of hir whan thou bigonne: But yif she wolde, for thy sake, In armes goodly thee have take, 2500 It shulde have be more worth to thee Than of tresour greet plentee. 'Thus shalt thou morne and eek compleyn, And gete enchesoun to goon ageyn Unto thy walk, or to thy place, 2505 Where thou biheld hir fleshly face. And never, for fals suspeccioun, Thou woldest finde occasioun For to gon unto hir hous. So art thou thanne desirous 2510 A sight of hir for to have, If thou thine honour mightest save, Or any erand mightist make Thider, for thy loves sake; Ful fayn thou woldist, but for drede 2515 Thou gost not, lest that men take hede. Wherfore I rede, in thy going, And also in thyn ageyn-coming, Thou be wel war that men ne wit; Feyne thee other cause than it 2520 To go that weye, or faste by; To hele wel is no folye. And if so be it happe thee That thou thy love ther mayst see, In siker wyse thou hir salewe, 2525 Wherwith thy colour wol transmewe, And eke thy blood shal al to-quake, Thyn hewe eek chaungen for hir sake. But word and wit, with chere ful pale, Shul wante for to telle thy tale. 2530 And if thou mayst so fer-forth winne, That thou [thy] resoun durst biginne, And woldist seyn three thingis or mo, Thou shalt ful scarsly seyn the two. Though thou bithenke thee never so wel, 2535 Thou shalt foryete yit somdel, But-if thou dele with trecherye. For fals lovers mowe al folye Seyn, what hem lust, withouten drede, They be so double in hir falshede; 2540 For they in herte cunne thenke a thing And seyn another, in hir speking. And whan thy speche is endid al, Right thus to thee it shal bifal; ​If any word than come to minde, 2545 That thou to seye hast left bihinde, Than thou shalt brenne in greet martyr; For thou shalt brenne as any fyr. This is the stryf and eke the affray, And the batail that lastith ay. 2550 This bargeyn ende may never take, But-if that she thy pees wil make. 'And whan the night is comen, anon A thousand angres shal come upon. To bedde as fast thou wolt thee dight, 2555 Where thou shalt have but smal delyt; For whan thou wenest for to slepe, So ful of peyne shalt thou crepe, Sterte in thy bedde aboute ful wyde, And turne ful ofte on every syde; 2560 Now dounward groffe, and now upright, And walowe in wo the longe night, Thyne armis shalt thou sprede a-brede, As man in werre were forwerreyd. Than shal thee come a remembraunce 2565 Of hir shape and hir semblaunce, Wherto non other may be pere. And wite thou wel, withoute were, That thee shal [seme], somtyme that night, That thou hast hir, that is so bright, 2570 Naked bitwene thyn armes there, Al sothfastnesse as though it were. Thou shalt make castels than in Spayne, And dreme of Ioye, al but in vayne, And thee delyten of right nought, 2575 Whyl thou so slomrest in that thought, That is so swete and delitable, The which, in soth, nis but a fable, For it ne shal no whyle laste. Than shalt thou sighe and wepe faste, 2580 And say, "Dere god, what thing is this? My dreme is turned al amis, Which was ful swete and apparent, But now I wake, it is al shent! Now yede this mery thought away! 2585 Twenty tymes upon a day I wolde this thought wolde come ageyn, For it alleggith wel my peyn. It makith me ful of Ioyful thought, It sleeth me, that it lastith noght. 2590 A, lord! why nil ye me socoure, The Ioye, I trowe, that I langoure? The deth I wolde me shulde slo Whyl I lye in hir armes two. Myn harm is hard, withouten wene, 2595 My greet unese ful ofte I mene. But wolde Love do so I might Have fully Ioye of hir so bright, My peyne were quit me richely. Allas, to greet a thing aske I! 2600 It is but foly, and wrong wening, To aske so outrageous a thing. And who-so askith folily, He moot be warned hastily; And I ne wot what I may say, 2605 I am so fer out of the way; For I wolde have ful gret lyking And ful gret Ioye of lasse thing. ​For wolde she, of hir gentilnesse, Withouten more, me onis kesse, 2610 It were to me a greet guerdoun, Relees of al my passioun. But it is hard to come therto; Al is but foly that I do, So high I have myn herte set, 2615 Where I may no comfort get. I noot wher I sey wel or nought; But this I wot wel in my thought, That it were bet of hir aloon, For to stinte my wo and moon, 2620 A loke on [me] y-cast goodly, [Than] for to have, al utterly, Of another al hool the pley. A! lord! wher I shal byde the day That ever she shal my lady be? 2625 He is ful cured that may hir see. A! god! whan shal the dawning spring? To ly thus is an angry thing; I have no Ioye thus here to ly Whan that my love is not me by. 2630 A man to lyen hath gret disese, Which may not slepe ne reste in ese. I wolde it dawed, and were now day, And that the night were went away; For were it day, I wolde upryse. 2635 A! slowe sonne, shew thyn enpryse! Speed thee to sprede thy bemis bright, And chace the derknesse of the night, To putte away the stoundes stronge, Which in me lasten al to longe." 2640 'The night shalt thou contene so, Withoute rest, in peyne and wo; If ever thou knewe of love distresse, Thou shalt mowe lerne in that siknesse. And thus enduring shalt thou ly, 2645 And ryse on morwe up erly Out of thy bedde, and harneys thee Er ever dawning thou mayst see. Al privily than shalt thou goon, What [weder] it be, thy-silf aloon, 2650 For reyn, or hayl, for snow, for slete, Thider she dwellith that is so swete, The which may falle aslepe be, And thenkith but litel upon thee. Than shalt thou goon, ful foule aferd; 2655 Loke if the gate be unsperd, And waite without in wo and peyn, Ful yvel a-cold in winde and reyn. Than shal thou go the dore bifore, If thou maist fynde any score, 2660 Or hole, or reft, what ever it were; Than shalt thou stoupe, and lay to ere, If they within a-slepe be; I mene, alle save thy lady free. Whom waking if thou mayst aspye, 2665 Go put thy-silf in Iupartye, To aske grace, and thee bimene, That she may wite, withouten wene, That thou [a]night no rest hast had, So sore for hir thou were bistad. 2670 Wommen wel ought pite to take Of hem that sorwen for hir sake. And loke, for love of that relyke, That thou thenke non other lyke, ​For [whom] thou hast so greet annoy, 2675 Shal kisse thee er thou go away, And hold that in ful gret deyntee. And, for that no man shal thee see Bifore the hous, ne in the way, Loke thou be goon ageyn er day. 2680 Suche coming, and such going, Such hevinesse, and such walking, Makith lovers, withouten wene, Under hir clothes pale and lene, For Love leveth colour ne cleernesse; 2685 Who loveth trewe hath no fatnesse. Thou shalt wel by thy-selfe see That thou must nedis assayed be. For men that shape hem other wey Falsly her ladies to bitray, 2690 It is no wonder though they be fat; With false othes hir loves they gat; For oft I see suche losengeours Fatter than abbatis or priours. 'Yet with o thing I thee charge, 2695 That is to seye, that thou be large Unto the mayd that hir doth serve, So best hir thank thou shalt deserve. Yeve hir yiftes, and get hir grace, For so thou may [hir] thank purchace, 2700 That she thee worthy holde and free, Thy lady, and alle that may thee see. Also hir servauntes worshipe ay, And plese as muche as thou may; Gret good through hem may come to thee, 2705 Bicause with hir they been prive. They shal hir telle how they thee fand Curteis and wys, and wel doand, And she shal preyse [thee] wel the mare. Loke out of londe thou be not fare; 2710 And if such cause thou have, that thee Bihoveth to gon out of contree, Leve hool thyn herte in hostage, Til thou ageyn make thy passage. Thenk long to see the swete thing 2715 That hath thyn herte in hir keping. 'Now have I told thee, in what wyse A lover shal do me servyse. Do it than, if thou wolt have The mede that thou aftir crave.' 2720 Whan Love al this had boden me, I seide him:—'Sire, how may it be That lovers may in such manere Endure the peyne ye have seid here? I merveyle me wonder faste, 2725 How any man may live or laste In such peyne, and such brenning, In sorwe and thought, and such sighing, Ay unrelesed wo to make, Whether so it be they slepe or wake. 2730 In such annoy continuely, As helpe me god, this merveile I, ​How man, but he were maad of stele, Might live a month, such peynes to fele.' The God of Love than seide me, 2735 Freend, by the feith I owe to thee, May no man have good, but he it by. A man loveth more tendirly The thing that he hath bought most dere. For wite thou wel, withouten were, 2740 In thank that thing is taken more, For which a man hath suffred sore. Certis, no wo ne may atteyne Unto the sore of loves peyne. Non yvel therto ne may amounte, 2745 No more than a man [may] counte The dropes that of the water be. For drye as wel the grete see Thou mightist, as the harmes telle Of hem that with Love dwelle 2750 In servyse; for peyne hem sleeth, And that ech man wolde flee the deeth, And trowe they shulde never escape, Nere that hope couthe hem make Glad as man in prisoun set, 2755 And may not geten for to et But barly-breed, and watir pure, And lyeth in vermin and in ordure; With alle this, yit can he live, Good hope such comfort hath him yive, 2760 Which maketh wene that he shal be Delivered and come to liberte; In fortune is [his] fulle trust. Though he lye in strawe or dust, In hope is al his susteyning. 2765 And so for lovers, in hir wening, Whiche Love hath shit in his prisoun; Good-Hope is hir salvacioun. Good-Hope, how sore that they smerte, Yeveth hem bothe wille and herte 2770 To profre hir body to martyre; For Hope so sore doth hem desyre To suffre ech harm that men devyse, For Ioye that aftir shal aryse. Hope, in desire [to] cacche victorie; 2775 In Hope, of love is al the glorie, For Hope is al that love may yive; Nere Hope, ther shulde no lover live. Blessid be Hope, which with desyre Avaunceth lovers in such manere. 2780 Good-Hope is curteis for to plese, To kepe lovers from al disese. Hope kepith his lond, and wol abyde, For any peril that may betyde; For Hope to lovers, as most cheef, 2785 Doth hem enduren al mischeef; Hope is her help, whan mister is. And I shal yeve thee eek, y-wis, Three other thingis, that greet solas Doth to hem that be in my las. 2790 'The firste good that may be founde, To hem that in my lace be bounde, Is Swete-Thought, for to recorde Thing wherwith thou canst accorde ​Best in thyn herte, wher she be; 2795 Thought in absence is good to thee. Whan any lover doth compleyne, And liveth in distresse and peyne, Than Swete-Thought shal come, as blyve, Awey his angre for to dryve. 2800 It makith lovers have remembraunce Of comfort, and of high plesaunce, That Hope hath hight him for to winne. For Thought anoon than shal biginne, As fer, god wot, as he can finde, 2805 To make a mirrour of his minde; For to biholde he wol not lette. Hir person he shal afore him sette, Hir laughing eyen, persaunt and clere, Hir shape, hir fourme, hir goodly chere, 2810 Hir mouth that is so gracious, So swete, and eek so saverous; Of alle hir fetures he shal take heede, His eyen with alle hir limes fede. 'Thus Swete-Thenking shal aswage 2815 The peyne of lovers, and hir rage. Thy Ioye shal double, withoute gesse, Whan thou thenkist on hir semlinesse, Or of hir laughing, or of hir chere, That to thee made thy lady dere. 2820 This comfort wol I that thou take; And if the next thou wolt forsake Which is not lesse saverous, Thou shuldist been to daungerous. 'The secounde shal be Swete-Speche, 2825 That hath to many oon be leche, To bringe hem out of wo and were, And helpe many a bachilere; And many a lady sent socoure, That have loved par-amour, 2830 Through speking, whan they mighten here Of hir lovers, to hem so dere. To [hem] it voidith al hir smerte, The which is closed in hir herte. In herte it makith hem glad and light, 2835 Speche, whan they mowe have sight. And therfore now it cometh to minde, In olde dawes, as I finde, That clerkis writen that hir knewe Ther was a lady fresh of hewe, 2840 Which of hir love made a song On him for to remembre among, In which she seide, "Whan that I here Speken of him that is so dere, To me it voidith al [my] smerte, 2845 Y-wis, he sit so nere myn herte. To speke of him, at eve or morwe, It cureth me of al my sorwe. To me is noon so high plesaunce As of his persone daliaunce." 2850 She wist ful wel that Swete-Speking Comfortith in ful muche thing. Hir love she had ful wel assayed, Of him she was ful wel apayed; ​To speke of him hir Ioye was set. 2855 Therfore I rede thee that thou get A felowe that can wel concele And kepe thy counsel, and wel hele, To whom go shewe hoolly thyn herte, Bothe wele and wo, Ioye and smerte: 2860 To gete comfort to him thou go, And privily, bitween yow two, Ye shal speke of that goodly thing, That hath thyn herte in hir keping; Of hir beaute and hir semblaunce, 2865 And of hir goodly countenaunce. Of al thy state thou shalt him sey, And aske him counseil how thou may Do any thing that may hir plese; For it to thee shal do gret ese, 2870 That he may wite thou trust him so, Bothe of thy wele and of thy wo. And if his herte to love be set, His companye is muche the bet, For resoun wol, he shewe to thee 2875 Al uttirly his privite; And what she is he loveth so, To thee pleynly he shal undo, Withoute drede of any shame, Bothe telle hir renoun and hir name. 2880 Than shal he forther, ferre and nere, And namely to thy lady dere, In siker wyse; ye, every other Shal helpen as his owne brother, In trouthe withoute doublenesse, 2885 And kepen cloos in sikernesse. For it is noble thing, in fay, To have a man thou darst say Thy prive counsel every del; For that wol comfort thee right wel, 2890 And thou shall holde thee wel apayed, Whan such a freend thou hast assayed. 'The thridde good of greet comfort That yeveth to lovers most disport, Comith of sight and biholding, 2895 That clepid is Swete-Loking, The whiche may noon ese do, Whan thou art fer thy lady fro; Wherfore thou prese alwey to be In place, where thou mayst hir se. 2900 For it is thing most amerous, Most delitable and saverous, For to aswage a mannes sorowe, To sene his lady by the morowe. For it is a ful noble thing 2905 Whan thyn eyen have meting With that relyke precious, Wherof they be so desirous. But al day after, soth it is, They have no drede to faren amis, 2910 They dreden neither wind ne reyn, Ne [yit] non other maner peyn. For whan thyn eyen were thus in blis, Yit of hir curtesye, y-wis, Aloon they can not have hir Ioye, 2915 But to the herte they [it] convoye; Part of hir blis to him [they] sende, Of al this harm to make an ende. ​The eye is a good messangere, Which can to the herte in such manere 2920 Tidyngis sende, that [he] hath seen, To voide him of his peynes cleen. Wherof the herte reioyseth so That a gret party of his wo Is voided, and put awey to flight. 2925 Right as the derknesse of the night Is chased with clerenesse of the mone, Right so is al his wo ful sone Devoided clene, whan that the sight Biholden may that fresshe wight 2930 That the herte desyreth so, That al his derknesse is ago; For than the herte is al at ese, Whan they seen that [that] may hem plese. 'Now have I thee declared alout, 2935 Of that thou were in drede and dout; For I have told thee feithfully What thee may curen utterly, And alle lovers that wole be Feithful, and ful of stabilite. 2940 Good-Hope alwey kepe by thy syde, And Swete-Thought make eek abyde, Swete-Loking and Swete-Speche; Of alle thyn harmes they shal be leche. Of every thou shalt have greet plesaunce; 2945 If thou canst byde in sufferaunce, And serve wel without feyntyse, Thou shalt be quit of thyn empryse, With more guerdoun, if that thou live; But al this tyme this I thee yive.' 2950 The God of Love whan al the day Had taught me, as ye have herd say, And enfourmed compendiously, He vanished awey al sodeynly, And I alone lefte, al sole, 2955 So ful of compleynt and of dole, For I saw no man ther me by. My woundes me greved wondirly; Me for to curen no-thing I knew, Save the botoun bright of hew, 2960 Wheron was set hoolly my thought; Of other comfort knew I nought, But it were through the God of Love; I knew nat elles to my bihove That might me ese or comfort gete, 2965 But-if he wolde him entermete. The roser was, withoute doute, Closed with an hegge withoute, As ye to-forn have herd me seyn; And fast I bisied, and wolde fayn 2970 Have passed the haye, if I might Have geten in by any slight Unto the botoun so fair to see. But ever I dradde blamed to be, If men wolde have suspeccioun 2975 That I wolde of entencioun ​Have stole the roses that ther were; Therfore to entre I was in fere. But at the last, as I bithought Whether I sholde passe or nought, 2980 I saw come with a gladde chere To me, a lusty bachelere, Of good stature, and of good hight, And Bialacoil forsothe he hight. Sone he was to Curtesy, 2985 And he me graunted ful gladly The passage of the outer hay, And seide:—'Sir, how that ye may Passe, if [it] your wille be, The fresshe roser for to see, 2990 And ye the swete savour fele. Your warrant may [I be] right wele; So thou thee kepe fro folye, Shal no man do thee vilanye. If I may helpe you in ought, 2995 I shal not feyne, dredeth nought; For I am bounde to your servyse, Fully devoide of feyntyse.' Than unto Bialacoil saide I, 'I thank you, sir, ful hertely, 3000 And your biheest [I] take at gree, That ye so goodly prefer me; To you it cometh of greet fraunchyse, That ye me prefer your servyse.' Than aftir, ful deliverly, 3005 Through the breres anoon wente I, Wherof encombred was the hay. I was wel plesed, the soth to say, To see the botoun fair and swote, So fresshe spronge out of the rote. 3010 And Bialacoil me served wel, Whan I so nygh me mighte fele Of the botoun the swete odour, And so lusty hewed of colour. But than a cherl (foule him bityde!) 3015 Bisyde the roses gan him hyde, To kepe the roses of that roser, Of whom the name was Daunger. This cherl was hid there in the greves, Covered with grasse and with leves, 3020 To spye and take whom that he fond Unto that roser putte an hond. He was not sole, for ther was mo; For with him were other two Of wikkid maners, and yvel fame. 3025 That oon was clepid, by his name, Wikked-Tonge, god yeve him sorwe! For neither at eve, ne at morwe, He can of no man [no] good speke; On many a Iust man doth he wreke. 3030 Ther was a womman eek, that hight Shame, that, who can reken right, Trespas was hir fadir name, Hir moder Resoun; and thus was Shame [On lyve] brought of these ilk two. 3035 And yit had Trespas never ado ​With Resoun, ne never ley hir by, He was so hidous and ugly, I mene, this that Trespas hight; But Resoun conceyveth, of a sight, 3040 Shame, of that I spak aforn. And whan that Shame was thus born, It was ordeyned, that Chastitee Shulde of the roser lady be, Which, of the botouns more and las, 3045 With sondry folk assailed was, That she ne wiste what to do. For Venus hir assailith so, That night and day from hir she stal Botouns and roses over-al. 3050 To Resoun than prayeth Chastitee, Whom Venus flemed over the see, That she hir doughter wolde hir lene, To kepe the roser fresh and grene. Anoon Resoun to Chastitee 3055 Is fully assented that it be, And grauntid hir, at hir request, That Shame, bicause she is honest, Shal keper of the roser be. And thus to kepe it ther were three, 3060 That noon shulde hardy be ne bold (Were he yong, or were he old) Ageyn hir wille awey to bere Botouns ne roses, that ther were. I had wel sped, had I not been 3065 Awayted with these three, and seen. For Bialacoil, that was so fair, So gracious and debonair, Quitte him to me ful curteisly, And, me to plese, bad that I 3070 Shuld drawe me to the botoun nere; Prese in, to touche the rosere Which bar the roses, he yaf me leve; This graunt ne might but litel greve. And for he saw it lyked me, 3075 Right nygh the botoun pullede he A leef al grene, and yaf me that, The which ful nygh the botoun sat; I made [me] of that leef ful queynt. And whan I felte I was aqueynt 3080 With Bialacoil, and so prive, I wende al at my wille had be. Than wex I hardy for to tel To Bialacoil how me bifel Of Love, that took and wounded me, 3085 And seide: 'Sir, so mote I thee, I may no loye have in no wyse, Upon no syde, but it ryse; For sithe (if I shal not feyne) In herte I have had so gret peyne, 3090 So gret annoy, and such affray, That I ne wot what I shal say; I drede your wrath to disserve. Lever me were, that knyves kerve My body shulde in pecis smalle, 3095 Than in any wyse it shulde falle ​That ye wratthed shulde been with me.' Sey boldely thy wille,' quod he, I nil be wroth, if that I may, For nought that thou shalt to me say.' 3100 Thanne seide I, 'Sir, not you displese To knowen of my greet unese, In which only love hath me brought; For peynes greet, disese and thought, Fro day to day he doth me drye; 3105 Supposeth not, sir, that I lye. In me fyve woundes dide he make, The sore of whiche shal never slake But ye the botoun graunte me, Which is most passaunt of beautee, 3110 My lyf, my deth, and my martyre, And tresour that I most desyre.' Than Bialacoil, affrayed all, Seyde, 'Sir, it may not fall; That ye desire, it may not ryse. 3115 What? wolde ye shende me in this wyse? A mochel foole than I were, If I suffrid you awey to bere The fresh botoun, so fair of sight. For it were neither skile ne right 3120 Of the roser ye broke the rind, Or take the rose aforn his kind; Ye ar not courteys to aske it. Lat it stil on the roser sit, And growe til it amended be, 3125 And parfitly come to beaute. I nolde not that it pulled wer Fro the roser that it ber, To me it is so leef and dere.' With that sterte out anoon Daungere, 3130 Out of the place where he was hid. His malice in his chere was kid; Ful greet he was, and blak of hewe, Sturdy and hidous, who-so him knewe; Like sharp urchouns his here was growe, 3135 His eyes rede as the fire-glow; His nose frounced ful kirked stood, He com criand as he were wood, And seide, 'Bialacoil, tel me why Thou bringest hider so boldly 3140 Him that so nygh [is] the roser? Thou worchist in a wrong maner; He thenkith to dishonour thee, Thou art wel worthy to have maugree To late him of the roser wit; 3145 Who serveth a feloun is yvel quit. Thou woldist have doon greet bountee, And he with shame wolde quyte thee. Flee hennes, felowe! I rede thee go! It wanteth litel I wol thee slo; 3150 For Bialacoil ne knew thee nought, Whan thee to serve he sette his thought; For thou wolt shame him, if thou might, Bothe ageyn resoun and right. ​I wol no more in thee affye, 3155 That comest so slyghly for tespye; For it preveth wonder wel, Thy slight and tresoun every del.' I durst no more ther make abode, For the cherl, he was so wode; 3160 So gan he threten and manace, And thurgh the haye he did me chace. For feer of him I tremblid and quook, So cherlishly his heed he shook; And seide, if eft he might me take, 3165 I shulde not from his hondis scape. Than Bialacoil is fled and mate, And I al sole, disconsolate, Was left aloon in peyne and thought; For shame, to deth I was nygh brought. 3170 Than thought I on myn high foly, How that my body, utterly, Was yeve to peyne and to martyre; And therto hadde I so gret yre, That I ne durst the hayes passe; 3175 There was non hope, there was no grace. I trowe never man wiste of peyne, But he were laced in Loves cheyne; Ne no man [wot], and sooth it is, But-if he love, what anger is. 3180 Love holdith his heest to me right wele, Whan peyne he seide I shulde fele. Non herte may thenke, ne tunge seyne, A quarter of my wo and peyne. I might not with the anger laste; 3185 Myn herte in poynt was for to braste, Whan I thought on the rose, that so Was through Daunger cast me froo. A long whyl stood I in that state, Til that me saugh so mad and mate 3190 The lady of the highe ward, Which from hir tour lokid thiderward. Resoun men clepe that lady, Which from hir tour deliverly Come doun to me withouten more. 3195 But she was neither yong, ne hore, Ne high ne low, ne fat ne lene, But best, as it were in a mene. Hir eyen two were cleer and light As any candel that brenneth bright; 3200 And on hir heed she hadde a crown. Hir semede wel an high persoun; For rounde enviroun, hir crownet Was ful of riche stonis fret. Hir goodly semblaunt, by devys, 3205 I trowe were maad in paradys; Nature had never such a grace, To forge a werk of such compace. For certeyn, but the letter lye, God him-silf, that is so high, 3210 Made hir aftir his image, And yaf hir sith sich avauntage, That she hath might and seignorye To kepe men from al folye; Who-so wole trowe hir lore, 3215 Ne may offenden nevermore. And whyl I stood thus derk and pale, Resoun bigan to me hir tale; ​She seide: 'Al hayl, my swete frend! Foly and childhood wol thee shend, 3220 Which thee have put in greet affray; Thou hast bought dere the tyme of May, That made thyn herte mery to be. In yvel tyme thou wentist to see The gardin, wherof Ydilnesse 3225 Bar the keye, and was maistresse Whan thou yedest in the daunce With hir, and haddest aqueyntaunce: Hir aqueyntaunce is perilous, First softe, and aftir[ward] noyous; 3230 She hath [thee] trasshed, withoute ween; The God of Love had thee not seen, Ne hadde Ydilnesse thee conveyed In the verger where Mirthe him pleyed. If Foly have supprised thee, 3235 Do so that it recovered be; And be wel war to take no more Counsel, that greveth aftir sore; He is wys that wol himsilf chastyse. And though a young man in any wyse 3240 Trespace among, and do foly, Lat him not tarye, but hastily Lat him amende what so be mis. And eek I counseile thee, y-wis, The God of Love hoolly foryet, 3245 That hath thee in sich peyne set, And thee in herte tormented so. I can nat seen how thou mayst go Other weyes to garisoun; For Daunger, that is so feloun, 3250 Felly purposith thee to werrey, Which is ful cruel, the soth to sey. 'And yit of Daunger cometh no blame, In reward of my doughter Shame, Which hath the roses in hir warde, 3255 As she that may be no musarde. And Wikked-Tunge is with these two, That suffrith no man thider go; For er a thing be do, he shal, Where that he cometh, over-al, 3260 In fourty places, if it be sought, Seye thing that never was doon ne wrought; So moche tresoun is in his male, Of falsnesse for to [feyne] a tale. Thou delest with angry folk, y-wis; 3265 Wherfor to thee [it] bettir is From these folk awey to fare, For they wol make thee live in care. This is the yvel that Love they calle, Wherin ther is but foly alle, 3270 For love is foly everydel; Who loveth, in no wyse may do wel, Ne sette his thought on no good werk. His scole he lesith, if he be clerk; Of other craft eek if he be, 3275 He shal not thryve therin; for he In love shal have more passioun Than monke, hermyte, or chanoun. The peyne is hard, out of mesure, The Ioye may eek no whyl endure; 3280 ​And in the possessioun Is muche tribulacioun; The Ioye it is so short-lasting, And but in happe is the geting; For I see ther many in travaille, 3285 That atte laste foule fayle. I was no-thing thy counseler, Whan thou were maad the homager Of God of Love to hastily; Ther was no wisdom, but foly. 3290 Thyn herte was Ioly, but not sage, Whan thou were brought in sich a rage, To yelde thee so redily, And to Love, of his gret maistry. 'I rede thee Love awey to dryve, 3295 That makith thee recche not of thy lyve. The foly more fro day to day Shal growe, but thou it putte away. Take with thy teeth the bridel faste, To daunte thyn herte; and eek thee caste, 3300 If that thou mayst, to gete defence For to redresse thy first offence. Who-so his herte alwey wol leve, Shal finde among that shal him greve' Whan I hir herd thus me chastyse, 3305 I answerd in ful angry wyse. I prayed hir cessen of hir speche, Outher to chastyse me or teche, To bidde me my thought refreyne, Which Love hath caught in his demeyne:— 3310 What? wene ye Love wol consent, That me assailith with bowe bent, To draw myn herte out of his honde, Which is so quikly in his bonde? That ye counsayle, may never be; 3315 For whan he first arested me, He took myn herte so hool him til, That it is no-thing at my wil; He [taughte] it so him for to obey, That he it sparred with a key. 3320 I pray yow lat me be al stille. For ye may wel, if that ye wille, Your wordis waste in idilnesse; For utterly, withouten gesse, Al that ye seyn is but in veyne. 3325 Me were lever dye in the peyne, Than Love to me-ward shulde arette Falsheed, or tresoun on me sette. I wol me gete prys or blame, And love trewe, to save my name; 3330 Who me chastysith, I him hate.' With that word Resoun wente hir gate, Whan she saugh for no sermoning She might me fro my foly bring. Than dismayed, I lefte al sool, 3335 Forwery, forwandred as a fool, For I ne knew no chevisaunce. Than fel into my remembraunce, How Love bade me to purveye A felowe, to whom I mighte seye 3340 My counsel and my privete, For that shulde muche availe me. With that bithought I me, that I Hadde a felowe faste by, ​Trewe and siker, curteys, and hend, 3345 And he was called by name a Freend; A trewer felowe was no-wher noon. In haste to him I wente anoon, And to him al my wo I tolde, Fro him right nought I wold withholde. 3350 I tolde him al withoute were, And made my compleynt on Daungere, How for to see he was hidous, And to-me-ward contrarious; The whiche through his cruelte 3355 Was in poynt to have meygned me; With Bialacoil whan he me sey Within the gardyn walke and pley, Fro me he made him for to go, And I bilefte aloon in wo; 3360 I durst no lenger with him speke, For Daunger seide he wolde be wreke, Whan that he sawe how I wente The fresshe botoun for to hente, If I were hardy to come neer 3365 Bitwene the hay and the roser. This Freend, whan he wiste of my thought, He discomforted me right nought, But seide, 'Felowe, be not so mad, Ne so abaysshed nor bistad. 3370 My-silf I knowe ful wel Daungere, And how he is feers of his chere, At prime temps, Love to manace; Ful ofte I have ben in his caas. A feloun first though that he be, 3375 Aftir thou shalt him souple see. Of long passed I knew him wele; Ungoodly first though men him fele, He wol meek aftir, in his bering, Been, for service and obeysshing. 3380 I shal thee telle what thou shalt do.— Mekely I rede thou go him to, Of herte pray him specialy Of thy trespace to have mercy, And hote him wel, [him] here to plese, 3385 That thou shalt nevermore him displese. Who can best serve of flatery, Shal plese Daunger most uttirly.' My Freend hath seid to me so wel, That he me esid hath somdel, 3390 And eek allegged of my torment; For through him had I hardement Agayn to Daunger for to go, To preve if I might meke him so. To Daunger cam I, al ashamed, 3395 The which aforn me hadde blamed, Desyring for to pese my wo; But over hegge durst I not go, For he forbad me the passage. I fond him cruel in his rage, 3400 And in his hond a gret burdoun. To him I knelid lowe adoun, Ful meke of port, and simple of chere, And seide, 'Sir, I am comen here Only to aske of you mercy. 3405 That greveth me, [sir], ful gretly That ever my lyf I wratthed you, But for to amende I am come now, ​With al my might, bothe loude and stille, To doon right at your owne wille; 3410 For Love made me for to do That I have trespassed hidirto; Fro whom I ne may withdrawe myn herte; Yit shal I never, for Ioy ne smerte, What so bifalle, good or ille, 3415 Offende more ageyn your wille. Lever I have endure disese Than do that shulde you displese. 'I you require and pray, that ye Of me have mercy and pitee, 3420 To stinte your yre that greveth so, That I wol swere for evermo To be redressid at your lyking, If I trespasse in any thing; Save that I pray thee graunte me 3425 A thing that may nat warned be, That I may love, al only; Non other thing of you aske I. I shal doon elles wel, y-wis, If of your grace ye graunte me this. 3430 And ye [ne] may not letten me, For wel wot ye that love is free, And I shal loven, [sith] that I wil, Who-ever lyke it wel or il; And yit ne wold I, for al Fraunce, 3435 Do thing to do you displesaunce.' Than Daunger fil in his entent For to foryeve his maltalent; But al his wratthe yit at laste He hath relesed, I preyde so faste: 3440 Shortly he seide, 'Thy request Is not to mochel dishonest; Ne I wol not werne it thee, For yit no-thing engreveth me. For though thou love thus evermore, 3445 To me is neither softe ne sore. Love wher thee list; what recchith me, So [thou] fer fro my roses be? Trust not on me, for noon assay, In any tyme to passe the hay.' 3450 Thus hath he graunted my prayere. Than wente I forth, withouten were, Unto my Freend, and tolde him al, Which was right Ioyful of my tale. He seide, 'Now goth wel thyn affaire, 3455 He shal to thee be debonaire. Though he aforn was dispitous, He shal heeraftir be gracious. If he were touchid on som good veyne, He shuld yit rewen on thy peyne. 3460 Suffire, I rede, and no boost make, Til thou at good mes mayst him take. By suffraunce, and [by] wordis softe, A man may overcomen ofte Him that aforn he hadde in drede, 3465 In bookis sothly as I rede.' Thus hath my Freend with gret comfort Avaunced me with high disport, Which wolde me good as mich as I. And thanne anoon ful sodeynly 3470 ​I took my leve, and streight I went Unto the hay; for gret talent I had to seen the fresh botoun, Wherin lay my salvacioun; And Daunger took kepe, if that I 3475 Kepe him covenaunt trewly. So sore I dradde his manasing, I durst not breke[n] his bidding; For, lest that I were of him shent, I brak not his comaundement, 3480 For to purchase his good wil. It was [hard] for to come ther-til, His mercy was to fer bihinde; I wepte, for I ne might it finde. I compleyned and sighed sore, 3485 And languisshed evermore, For I durst not over go Unto the rose I loved so. Thurghout my deming outerly, [Than] had he knowlege certeinly, 3490 [That] Love me ladde in sich a wyse, That in me ther was no feyntyse, Falsheed, ne no trecherye. And yit he, ful of vilanye, Of disdeyne, and cruelte, 3495 On me ne wolde have pite, His cruel wil for to refreyne, Though I wepe alwey, and compleyne. And while I was in this torment, Were come of grace, by god sent, 3500 Fraunchyse, and with hir Pite Fulfild the botoun of bountee. They go to Daunger anon-right To forther me with al hir might, And helpe in worde and in dede, 3505 For wel they saugh that it was nede. First, of hir grace, dame Fraunchyse Hath taken [word] of this empryse: She seide, 'Daunger, gret wrong ye do To worche this man so muche wo, 3510 Or pynen him so angerly; It is to you gret vilany. I can not see why, ne how, That he hath trespassed ageyn you, Save that he loveth; wherfore ye shulde 3515 The more in cherete of him holde. The force of love makith him do this; Who wolde him blame he dide amis? He leseth more than ye may do; His peyne is hard, ye may see, lo! 3520 And Love in no wyse wolde consente That [he] have power to repente; For though that quik ye wolde him sloo, Fro Love his herte may not go. Now, swete sir, is it your ese 3525 Him for to angre or disese? Allas, what may it you avaunce To doon to him so greet grevaunce? What worship is it agayn him take, Or on your man a werre make, 3530 Sith he so lowly every wyse Is redy, as ye lust devyse? ​If Love hath caught him in his lace, You for tobeye in every caas, And been your suget at your wille, 3535 Shulde ye therfore willen him ille? Ye shulde him spare more, al-out, Than him that is bothe proud and stout. Curtesye wol that ye socour Hem that ben meke undir your cure. 3540 His herte is hard, that wole not meke, Whan men of mekenesse him biseke.' 'That is certeyn,' seide Pite; We see ofte that humilitee Bothe ire, and also felonye 3545 Venquissheth, and also melancolye; To stonde forth in such duresse, This crueltee and wikkednesse. Wherfore I pray you, sir Daungere, For to mayntene no lenger here 3550 Such cruel werre agayn your man, As hoolly youres as ever he can; Nor that ye worchen no more wo On this caytif that languisshith so, Which wol no more to you trespasse, 3555 But put him hoolly in your grace. His offense ne was but lyte; The God of Love it was to wyte, That he your thral so gretly is, And if ye harm him, ye doon amis; 3560 For he hath had ful hard penaunce, Sith that ye refte him thaqueyntaunce Of Bialacoil, his moste Ioye, Which alle his peynes might acoye. He was biforn anoyed sore, 3565 But than ye doubled him wel more; For he of blis hath ben ful bare, Sith Bialacoil was fro him fare. Love hath to him do greet distresse, He hath no nede of more duresse. 3570 Voideth from him your ire, I rede; Ye may not winnen in this dede. Makith Bialacoil repeire ageyn, And haveth pite upon his peyn; For Fraunchise wol, and I, Pite, 3575 That merciful to him ye be; And sith that she and I accorde, Have upon him misericorde; For I you pray, and eek moneste, Nought to refusen our requeste; 3580 For he is hard and fel of thought, That for us two wol do right nought.' Daunger ne might no more endure, He meked him unto mesure. 'I wol in no wyse,' seith Daungere, 3585 Denye that ye have asked here; It were to greet uncurtesye. I wol ye have the companye Of Bialacoil, as ye devyse; I wol him letten in no wyse.' 3590 To Bialacoil than wente in hy Fraunchyse, and seide ful curteisly:— Ye have to longe be deignous Unto this lover, and daungerous, ​Fro him to withdrawe your presence, 3595 Which hath do to him grete offence, That ye not wolde upon him see; Wherfore a sorowful man is he. Shape ye to paye him, and to plese, Of my love if ye wol have ese. 3600 Fulfil his wil, sith that ye knowe Daunger is daunted and brought lowe Thurgh help of me and of Pite; You [thar] no more afered be.' 'I shal do right as ye wil,' 3605 Saith Bialacoil, 'for it is skil, Sith Daunger wol that it so be.' Than Fraunchise hath him sent to me. Bialacoil at the biginning Salued me in his coming. 3610 No straungenes was in him seen, No more than he ne had wrathed been. As faire semblaunt than shewed he me, And goodly, as aforn did he; And by the honde, withouten doute, 3615 Within the haye, right al aboute He ladde me, with right good chere, Al environ the vergere, That Daunger had me chased fro. Now have I leve over-al to go; 3620 Now am I raised, at my devys, Fro helle unto paradys. Thus Bialacoil, of gentilnesse, With alle his peyne and besinesse, Hath shewed me, only of grace, 3625 The estres of the swote place. I saw the rose, whan I was nigh, Was gretter woxen, and more high, Fresh, rody, and fair of hewe, Of colour ever yliche newe. 3630 And whan I had it longe seen, I saugh that through the leves grene The rose spredde to spanishing; To sene it was a goodly thing. But it ne was so spred on brede, 3635 That men within might knowe the sede; For it covert was and [en]close Bothe with the leves and with the rose. The stalk was even and grene upright, It was theron a goodly sight; 3640 And wel the better, withouten wene, For the seed was not [y]-sene. Ful faire it spradde, [god it] blesse! For suche another, as I gesse, Aforn ne was, ne more vermayle. 3645 I was abawed for merveyle, For ever, the fairer that it was, The more I am bounden in Loves laas. Longe I abood there, soth to saye, Til Bialacoil I gan to praye, 3650 Whan that I saw him in no wyse To me warnen his servyse, That he me wolde graunte a thing, Which to remembre is wel sitting; ​This is to sayne, that of his grace 3655 He wolde me yeve leyser and space To me that was so desirous To have a kissing precious Of the goodly freshe rose, That swetely smelleth in my nose; 3660 For if it you displesed nought, I wolde gladly, as I have sought, Have a cos therof freely Of your yeft; for certainly I wol non have but by your leve, 3665 So loth me were you for to greve.' He sayde, 'Frend, so god me spede, Of Chastite I have suche drede, Thou shuldest not warned be for me, But I dar not, for Chastite. 3670 Agayn hir dar I not misdo, For alwey biddeth she me so To yeve no lover leve to kisse; For who therto may winnen, y-wis, He of the surplus of the pray 3675 May live in hope to get som day. For who so kissing may attayne, Of loves peyne hath, soth to sayne, The beste and most avenaunt, And ernest of the remenaunt.' 3680 Of his answere I syghed sore; I durst assaye him tho no more, I had such drede to greve him ay. A man shulde not to muche assaye To chafe his frend out of mesure, 3685 Nor put his lyf in aventure; For no man at the firste stroke Ne may nat felle doun an oke; Nor of the reisins have the wyne, Til grapes rype and wel afyne 3690 Be sore empressid, I you ensure, And drawen out of the pressure. But I, forpeyned wonder stronge, [Thought] that I abood right longe Aftir the kis, in peyne and wo, 3695 Sith I to kis desyred so: Til that, [rewing] on my distresse, Ther [to me] Venus the goddesse, Which ay werreyeth Chastite, Came of hir grace, to socoure me, 3700 Whos might is knowe fer and wyde, For she is modir of Cupyde, The God of Love, blinde as stoon, That helpith lovers many oon. This lady brought in hir right hond 3705 Of brenning fyr a blasing brond; Wherof the flawme and hote fyr Hath many a lady in desyr Of love brought, and sore het, And in hir servise hir hertes set. 3710 This lady was of good entayle, Right wondirful of apparayle; By hir atyre so bright and shene, Men might perceyve wel, and seen, She was not of religioun. 3715 Nor I nil make mencioun Nor of [hir] robe, nor of tresour, Of broche, [nor] of hir riche attour; ​Ne of hir girdil aboute hir syde, For that I nil not long abyde. 3720 But knowith wel, that certeynly She was arayed richely. Devoyd of pryde certeyn she was; To Bialacoil she wente a pas, And to him shortly, in a clause, 3725 She seide: 'Sir, what is the cause Ye been of port so daungerous Unto this lover, and deynous, To graunte him no-thing but a kis? To werne it him ye doon amis; 3730 Sith wel ye wote, how that he Is Loves servaunt, as ye may see, And hath beaute, wher-through [he] is Worthy of love to have the blis. How he is semely, biholde and see, 3735 How he is fair, how he is free, How he is swote and debonair, Of age yong, lusty, and fair. Ther is no lady so hauteyne, Duchesse, countesse, ne chasteleyne, 3740 That I nolde holde hir ungoodly For to refuse him outerly. His breeth is also good and swete, And eke his lippis rody, and mete Only to pleyen, and to kisse. 3745 Graunte him a kis, of gentilnesse! His teeth arn also whyte and clene; Me thinkith wrong, withouten wene, If ye now werne him, trustith me, To graunte that a kis have he; 3750 The lasse [to] helpe him that ye haste, The more tyme shul ye waste.' Whan the flawme of the verry brond, That Venus brought in hir right hond, Had Bialacoil with hete smete, 3755 Anoon he bad, withouten lette, Graunte to me the rose kisse. Than of my peyne I gan to lisse, And to the rose anoon wente I, And kissid it ful feithfully. 3760 Thar no man aske if I was blythe, Whan the savour soft and lythe Strook to myn herte withoute more, And me alegged of my sore, So was I ful of Ioye and blisse. 3765 It is fair sich a flour to kisse, It was so swote and saverous. I might not be so anguisshous, That I mote glad and Ioly be, Whan that I remembre me. 3770 Yit ever among, sothly to seyn, I suffre noye and moche peyn. The see may never be so stil, That with a litel winde it [nil] Overwhelme and turne also, 3775 As it were wood, in wawis go. Aftir the calm the trouble sone Mot folowe, and chaunge as the mone. Right so farith Love, that selde in oon Holdith his anker; for right anoon 3780 Whan they in ese wene best to live, They been with tempest al fordrive. ​Who serveth Love, can telle of wo; The stoundemele Ioye mot overgo. Now he hurteth, and now he cureth, 3785 For selde in oo poynt Love endureth. Now is it right me to procede, How Shame gan medle and take hede, Thurgh whom felle angres I have had; And how the stronge wal was maad, 3790 And the castell of brede and lengthe, That God of Love wan with his strengthe. Al this in romance wil I sette, And for no-thing ne wil I lette, So that it lyking to hir be, 3795 That is the flour of beaute; For she may best my labour quyte, That I for hir love shal endyte. Wikkid-Tunge, that the covyne Of every lover can devyne 3800 Worst, and addith more somdel, (For Wikkid-Tunge seith never wel), To me-ward bar he right gret hate, Espying me erly and late, Til he hath seen the grete chere 3805 Of Bialacoil and me y-fere. He mighte not his tunge withstonde Worse to reporte than he fonde, He was so ful of cursed rage; It sat him wel of his linage, 3810 For him an Irish womman bar. His tunge was fyled sharp, and squar, Poignaunt and right kerving, And wonder bitter in speking. For whan that he me gan espye, 3815 He swoor, afferming sikirly, Bitwene Bialacoil and me Was yvel aquayntaunce and privee. He spak therof so folily, That he awakid Ielousy; 3820 Which, al afrayed in his rysing, Whan that he herde [him] Iangling, He ran anoon, as he were wood, To Bialacoil ther that he stood; Which hadde lever in this caas 3825 Have been at Reynes or Amyas; For foot-hoot, in his felonye To him thus seide Ielousye:— Why hast thou been so necligent, To kepen, whan I was absent, 3830 This verger here left in thy ward? To me thou haddist no reward, To truste (to thy confusioun) Him thus, to whom suspeccioun I have right greet, for it is nede; 3835 It is wel shewed by the dede. Greet faute in thee now have I founde; By god, anoon thou shalt be bounde, And faste loken in a tour, Withoute refuyt or socour. 3840 For Shame to long hath be thee fro; Over sone she was agoo. Whan thou hast lost bothe drede and fere, It semed wel she was not here. She was [not] bisy, in no wyse, 3845 To kepe thee and [to] chastyse, And for to helpen Chastitee To kepe the roser, as thinkith me. For than this boy-knave so boldely Ne sholde not have be hardy, 3850 ​[Ne] in this verger had such game, Which now me turneth to gret shame.' Bialacoil nist what to sey; Ful fayn he wolde have fled awey, For fere han hid, nere that he 3855 Al sodeynly took him with me. And whan I saugh he hadde so, This Ielousye, take us two, I was astoned, and knew no rede, But fledde awey for verrey drede. 3860 Than Shame cam forth ful simply; She wende have trespaced ful gretly; Humble of hir port, and made it simple, Wering a vayle in stede of wimple, As nonnis doon in hir abbey. 3865 Bicause hir herte was in affray, She gan to speke, within a throwe, To Ielousye, right wonder lowe. First of his grace she bisought, And seide:—'Sire, ne leveth nought 3870 Wikkid-Tunge, that fals espye, Which is so glad to feyne and lye. He hath you maad, thurgh flatering, On Bialacoil a fals lesing. His falsnesse is not now anew, 3875 It is to long that he him knew. This is not the firste day; For Wikkid-Tunge hath custom ay Yongé folkis to bewreye, And false lesinges on hem leye. 3880 'Yit nevertheles I see among, That the loigne it is so longe Of Bialacoil, hertis to lure, In Loves servise for to endure, Drawing suche folk him to, 3885 That he had no-thing with to do; But in sothnesse I trowe nought, That Bialacoil hadde ever in thought To do trespace or vilanye; But, for his modir Curtesye 3890 Hath taught him ever [for] to be Good of aqueyntaunce and privee; For he loveth non hevinesse, But mirthe and pley, and al gladnesse; He hateth alle [trecherous], 3895 Soleyn folk and envious; For [wel] ye witen how that he Wol ever glad and Ioyful be Honestly with folk to pley. I have be negligent, in good fey, 3900 To chastise him; therfore now I Of herte crye you here mercy, That I have been so recheles To tamen him, withouten lees. Of my foly I me repente; 3905 Now wol I hool sette myn entente To kepe, bothe [loude] and stille, Bialacoil to do your wille.' 'Shame, Shame,' seyde Ielousy, 'To be bitrasshed gret drede have I. 3910 Lecherye hath clombe so hye, That almost blered is myn ye; No wonder is, if that drede have I. Over-al regnith Lechery, Whos might [yit] growith night and day. 3915 Bothe in cloistre and in abbey Chastite is werreyed over-al. Therfore I wol with siker wal ​Close bothe roses and roser. I have to longe in this maner 3920 Left hem unclosid wilfully; Wherfore I am right inwardly Sorowful and repente me. But now they shal no lenger be Unclosid; and yit I drede sore, 3925 I shal repente ferthermore, For the game goth al amis. Counsel I [mot take] newe, y-wis. I have to longe tristed thee, But now it shal no lenger be; 3930 For he may best, in every cost, Disceyve, that men tristen most. I see wel that I am nygh shent, But-if I sette my ful entent Remedye to purveye. 3935 Therfore close I shal the weye Fro hem that wol the rose espye, And come to wayte me vilanye, For, in good feith and in trouthe, I wol not lette, for no slouthe, 3940 To live the more in sikirnesse, [To] make anoon a forteresse, [To enclose] the roses of good savour. In middis shal I make a tour To putte Bialacoil in prisoun, 3945 For ever I drede me of tresoun. I trowe I shal him kepe so, That he shal have no might to go Aboute to make companye To hem that thenke of vilanye; 3950 Ne to no such as hath ben here Aforn, and founde in him good chere, Which han assailed him to shende, And with hir trowandyse to blende. A fool is eyth [for] to bigyle; 3955 But may I lyve a litel while, He shal forthenke his fair semblaunt.' And with that word cam Drede avaunt, Which was abasshed, and in gret fere, Whan he wiste Ielousye was there. 3960 He was for drede in such affray, That not a word durste he say, But quaking stood ful stille aloon, Til Ielousye his wey was goon, Save Shame, that him not forsook; 3965 Bothe Drede and she ful sore quook; [Til] that at laste Drede abreyde, And to his cosin Shame seyde: Shame,' he seide, 'in sothfastnesse, To me it is gret hevinesse, 3970 That the noyse so fer is go, And the sclaundre of us two. But sith that it is [so] bifalle, We may it not ageyn [do] calle, Whan onis sprongen is a fame. 3975 For many a yeer withouten blame We han been, and many a day; For many an April and many a May We han [y]-passed, not [a]shamed, Til Ielousye hath us blamed 3980 Of mistrust and suspecioun Causeles, withouten enchesoun. Go we to Daunger hastily, And late us shewe him openly, ​That he hath not aright [y]-wrought, 3985 Whan that he sette nought his thought To kepe better the purpryse; In his doing he is not wyse. He hath to us [y]-do gret wrong, That hath suffred now so long 3990 Bialacoil to have his wille, Alle his lustes to fulfille. He must amende it utterly, Or ellis shal he vilaynsly Exyled be out of this londe; 3995 For he the werre may not withstonde Of Ielousye, nor the greef, Sith Bialacoil is at mischeef.' To Daunger, Shame and Drede anoon The righte wey ben [bothe a]-goon. 4000 The cherl they founden hem aforn Ligging undir an hawethorn. Undir his heed no pilowe was, But in the stede a trusse of gras. He slombred, and a nappe he took, 4005 Til Shame pitously him shook, And greet manace on him gan make. Why slepist thou whan thou shulde wake?' Quod Shame; 'thou dost us vilanye! Who tristith thee, he doth folye, 4010 To kepe roses or botouns, Whan they ben faire in hir sesouns. Thou art woxe to familiere Where thou shulde be straunge of chere, Stout of thy port, redy to greve. 4015 Thou dost gret foly for to leve Bialacoil here-in, to calle The yonder man to shenden us alle. Though that thou slepe, we may here Of Ielousie gret noyse here. 4020 Art thou now late? ryse up [in hy], And stoppe sone and deliverly Alle the gappis of the hay; Do no favour, I thee pray. It fallith no-thing to thy name 4025 Make fair semblaunt, where thou maist blame. 'If Bialacoil be swete and free, Dogged and fel thou shuldist be; Froward and outrageous, y-wis; A cherl chaungeth that curteis is. 4030 This have I herd ofte in seying, That man [ne] may, for no daunting, Make a sperhauke of a bosarde. Alle men wole holde thee for musarde, That debonair have founden thee, 4035 It sit thee nought curteis to be; To do men plesaunce or servyse, In thee it is recreaundyse. Let thy werkis, fer and nere, Be lyke thy name, which is Daungere.' 4040 Than, al abawid in shewing, Anoon spak Dreed, right thus seying, And seide, 'Daunger, I drede me That thou ne wolt [not] bisy be To kepe that thou hast to kepe; 4045 Whan thou shuldist wake, thou art aslepe. ​Thou shalt be greved certeynly, If thee aspye Ielousy, Or if he finde thee in blame. He hath to-day assailed Shame, 4050 And chased awey, with gret manace, Bialacoil out of this place, And swereth shortly that he shal Enclose him in a sturdy wal; And al is for thy wikkednesse, 4055 For that thee faileth straungenesse. Thyn herte, I trowe, be failed al; Thou shalt repente in special, If Ielousye the sothe knewe; Thou shalt forthenke, and sore rewe.' 4060 With that the cherl his clubbe gan shake, Frouning his eyen gan to make, And hidous chere; as man in rage, For ire he brente in his visage. Whan that he herde him blamed so, 4065 He seide, 'Out of my wit I go; To be discomfit I have gret wrong. Certis, I have now lived to long, Sith I may not this closer kepe; Al quik I wolde be dolven depe, 4070 If any man shal more repeire Into this garden, for foule or faire. Myn herte for ire goth a-fere, That I lete any entre here. I have do foly, now I see, 4075 But now it shal amended bee. Who settith foot here any more, Truly, he shal repente it sore; For no man mo into this place Of me to entre shal have grace. 4080 Lever I hadde, with swerdis tweyne, Thurgh-out myn herte, in every veyne Perced to be, with many a wounde, Than slouthe shulde in me be founde. From hennesforth, by night or day, 4085 I shal defende it, if I may, Withouten any excepcioun Of ech maner condicioun; And if I any man it graunte, Holdeth me for recreaunte.' 4090 Than Daunger on his feet gan stonde, And hente a burdoun in his honde. Wroth in his ire, ne lefte he nought, But thurgh the verger he hath sought. If he might finde hole or trace, 4095 Wher-thurgh that men mot forth-by pace, Or any gappe, he dide it close, That no man mighte touche a rose Of the roser al aboute; He shitteth every man withoute. 4100 Thus day by day Daunger is wers, More wondirful and more divers, And feller eek than ever he was; For him ful oft I singe 'allas!' For I ne may nought, thurgh his ire, 4105 Recover that I most desire. Myn herte, allas, wol brest a-two, For Bialacoil I wratthed so. For certeynly, in every membre I quake, whan I me remembre 4110 Of the botoun, which [that] I wolde Fulle ofte a day seen and biholde. ​And whan I thenke upon the kisse, And how muche Ioye and blisse I hadde thurgh the savour swete, 4115 For wante of it I grone and grete. Me thenkith I fele yit in my nose The swete savour of the rose. And now I woot that I mot go So fer the fresshe floures fro, 4120 To me ful welcome were the deeth; Absens therof, allas, me sleeth! For whylom with this rose, allas, I touched nose, mouth, and face; But now the deeth I must abyde. 4125 But Love consente, another tyde, That onis I touche may and kisse, I trowe my peyne shal never lisse. Theron is al my coveityse, Which brent myn herte in many wyse. 4130 Now shal repaire agayn sighinge, Long wacche on nightis, and no slepinge; Thought in wisshing, torment, and wo, With many a turning to and fro, That half my peyne I can not telle. 4135 For I am fallen into helle From paradys and welthe, the more My turment greveth; more and more Anoyeth now the bittirnesse, That I toforn have felt swetnesse. 4140 And Wikkid-Tunge, thurgh his falshede, Causeth al my wo and drede. On me he leyeth a pitous charge, Bicause his tunge was to large. Now it is tyme, shortly that I 4145 Telle you som-thing of Ielousy, That was in gret suspecioun. Aboute him lefte he no masoun, That stoon coude leye, ne querrour; He hired hem to make a tour. 4150 And first, the roses for to kepe, Aboute hem made he a diche depe, Right wondir large, and also brood; Upon the whiche also stood Of squared stoon a sturdy wal, 4155 Which on a cragge was founded al, And right gret thikkenesse eek it bar. Abouten, it was founded squar, An hundred fadome on every syde, It was al liche longe and wyde. 4160 Lest any tyme it were assayled, Ful wel aboute it was batayled; And rounde enviroun eek were set Ful many a riche and fair touret. At every corner of this wal 4165 Was set a tour ful principal; And everich hadde, withoute fable, A porte-colys defensable To kepe of enemies, and to greve, That there hir force wolde preve. 4170 And eek amidde this purpryse Was maad a tour of gret maistryse; A fairer saugh no man with sight, Large and wyde, and of gret might. They [ne] dredde noon assaut 4175 Of ginne, gunne, nor skaffaut. [For] the temprure of the mortere Was maad of licour wonder dere; Of quikke lyme persant and egre, The which was tempred with vinegre. 4180 ​The stoon was hard [as] ademant, Wherof they made the foundement. The tour was rounde, maad in compas; In al this world no richer was, Ne better ordeigned therwithal. 4185 Aboute the tour was maad a wal, So that, bitwixt that and the tour, Rosers were set of swete savour, With many roses that they bere. And eek within the castel were 4190 Springoldes, gunnes, bows, archers; And eek above, atte corners, Men seyn over the walle stonde Grete engynes, [whiche] were nigh honde; And in the kernels, here and there, 4195 Of arblasters gret plentee were. Noon armure might hir stroke withstonde, It were foly to prece to honde. Without the diche were listes made, With walles batayled large and brade, 4200 For men and hors shulde not atteyne To neigh the diche over the pleyne. Thus Ielousye hath enviroun Set aboute his garnisoun With walles rounde, and diche depe, 4205 Only the roser for to kepe. And Daunger [eek], erly and late The keyes kepte of the utter gate, The which openeth toward the eest. And he hadde with him atte leest 4210 Thritty servauntes, echon by name. That other gate kepte Shame, Which openede, as it was couth, Toward the parte of the south. Sergeauntes assigned were hir to 4215 Ful many, hir wille for to do. Than Drede hadde in hir baillye The keping of the conestablerye, Toward the north, I undirstonde, That opened upon the left honde, 4220 The which for no-thing may be sure, But-if she do [hir] bisy cure Erly on morowe and also late, Strongly to shette and barre the gate. Of every thing that she may see 4225 Drede is aferd, wher-so she be; For with a puff of litel winde Drede is astonied in hir minde. Therfore, for stelinge of the rose, I rede hir nought the yate unclose. 4230 A foulis flight wol make hir flee, And eek a shadowe, if she it see. Thanne Wikked-Tunge, ful of envye, With soudiours of Normandye, As he that causeth al the bate, 4235 Was keper of the fourthe gate, And also to the tother three He went ful ofte, for to see. Whan his lot was to wake a-night, His instrumentis wolde he dight, 4240 For to blowe and make soun, Ofter than he hath enchesoun; And walken oft upon the wal, Corners and wikettis over-al ​Ful narwe serchen and espye; 4245 Though he nought fond, yit wolde he lye. Discordaunt ever fro armonye, And distoned from melodye, Controve he wolde, and foule fayle, With hornpypes of Cornewayle. 4250 In floytes made he discordaunce, And in his musik, with mischaunce, He wolde seyn, with notes newe, That he [ne] fond no womman trewe, Ne that he saugh never, in his lyf, 4255 Unto hir husbonde a trewe wyf; Ne noon so ful of honestee, That she nil laughe and mery be Whan that she hereth, or may espye, A man speken of lecherye. 4260 Everich of hem hath somme vyce; Oon is dishonest, another is nyce; If oon be ful of vilanye, Another hath a likerous ye; If oon be ful of wantonesse, 4265 Another is a chideresse. Thus Wikked-Tunge (god yeve him shame!) Can putte hem everichone in blame Withoute desert and causeles; He lyeth, though they been giltles. 4270 I have pite to seen the sorwe, That waketh bothe eve and morwe, To innocents doth such grevaunce; I pray god yeve him evel chaunce, That he ever so bisy is 4275 Of any womman to seyn amis! Eek Ielousye god confounde, That hath [y]-maad a tour so rounde, And made aboute a garisoun To sette Bialacoil in prisoun; 4280 The which is shet there in the tour, Ful longe to holde there soiour, There for to liven in penaunce. And for to do him more grevaunce, [Ther] hath ordeyned Ielousye 4285 An olde vekke, for to espye The maner of his governaunce; The whiche devel, in hir enfaunce, Had lerned [muche] of Loves art, And of his pleyes took hir part; 4290 She was [expert] in his servyse. She knew ech wrenche and every gyse Of love, and every [loveres] wyle, It was [the] harder hir to gyle. Of Bialacoil she took ay hede, 4295 That ever he liveth in wo and drede. He kepte him coy and eek privee, Lest in him she hadde see Any foly countenaunce, For she knew al the olde daunce. 4300 And aftir this, whan Ielousye Had Bialacoil in his baillye, And shette him up that was so free, For seure of him he wolde be, He trusteth sore in his castel; 4305 The stronge werk him lyketh wel. He dradde nat that no glotouns Shulde stele his roses or botouns. The roses weren assured alle, Defenced with the stronge walle. 4310 Now Ielousye ful wel may be Of drede devoid, in libertee, ​Whether that he slepe or wake; For of his roses may noon be take. But I, allas, now morne shal; 4315 Bicause I was without the wal, Ful moche dole and mone I made. Who hadde wist what wo I hadde, I trowe he wolde have had pitee. Love to deere had sold to me 4320 The good that of his love hadde I. I [wende a bought] it al queyntly; But now, thurgh doubling of my peyn, I see he wolde it selle ageyn, And me a newe bargeyn lere, 4325 The which al-out the more is dere, For the solace that I have lorn, Than I hadde it never aforn. Certayn I am ful lyk, indeed, To him that cast in erthe his seed; 4330 And hath Ioie of the newe spring, Whan it greneth in the ginning, And is also fair and fresh of flour, Lusty to seen, swote of odour; But er he it in sheves shere, 4335 May falle a weder that shal it dere, And maken it to fade and falle, The stalk, the greyn, and floures alle; That to the tilier is fordone The hope that he hadde to sone. 4340 I drede, certeyn, that so fare I; For hope and travaile sikerly Ben me biraft al with a storm; The floure nil seden of my corn. For Love hath so avaunced me, 4345 Whan I bigan my privitee To Bialacoil al for to telle, Whom I ne fond froward ne felle, But took a-gree al hool my play. But Love is of so hard assay, 4350 That al at onis he reved me, Whan I wend best aboven have be. It is of Love, as of Fortune, That chaungeth ofte, and nil contune; Which whylom wol on folke smyle, 4355 And gloumbe on hem another whyle; Now freend, now foo, [thou] shalt hir fele, For [in] a twinkling tourneth hir wheel. She can wrythe hir heed awey, This is the concours of hir pley; 4360 She can areyse that doth morne, And whirle adown, and overturne Who sittith hieghst, [al] as hir list; A fool is he that wol hir trist. For it [am] I that am com doun 4365 Thurgh change and revolucioun! Sith Bialacoil mot fro me twinne, Shet in the prisoun yond withinne, His absence at myn herte I fele; For al my Ioye and al myn hele 4370 Was in him and in the rose, That but yon [wal], which him doth close, Open, that I may him see, Love nil not that I cured be Of the peynes that I endure, 4375 Nor of my cruel aventure. A, Bialacoil, myn owne dere! Though thou be now a prisonere, ​Kepe atte leste thyn herte to me, And suffre not that it daunted be; 4380 Ne lat not Ielousye, in his rage, Putten thyn herte in no servage. Although he chastice thee withoute, And make thy body unto him loute, Have herte as hard as dyamaunt, 4385 Stedefast, and nought pliaunt; In prisoun though thy body be, At large kepe thyn herte free. A trewe herte wol not plye For no manace that it may drye. 4390 If Ielousye doth thee payne, Quyte him his whyle thus agayne, To venge thee, atte leest in thought, If other way thou mayest nought; And in this wyse sotilly 4395 Worche, and winne the maistry. But yit I am in gret affray Lest thou do not as I say; I drede thou canst me greet maugree, That thou emprisoned art for me; 4400 But that [is] not for my trespas, For thurgh me never discovered was Yit thing that oughte be secree. Wel more anoy [ther] is in me, Than is in thee, of this mischaunce; 4405 For I endure more hard penaunce Than any [man] can seyn or thinke, That for the sorwe almost I sinke. Whan I remembre me of my wo, Ful nygh out of my wit I go. 4410 Inward myn herte I fele blede, For comfortles the deeth I drede. Ow I not wel to have distresse, Whan false, thurgh hir wikkednesse, And traitours, that arn envyous, 4415 To noyen me be so coragious? A, Bialacoil! ful wel I see, That they hem shape to disceyve thee, To make thee buxom to hir lawe, And with hir corde thee to drawe 4420 Wher-so hem lust, right at hir wil; I drede they have thee brought thertil. Withoute comfort, thought me sleeth; This game wol bringe me to my deeth. For if your gode wille I lese, 4425 I mote be deed; I may not chese. And if that thou foryete me, Myn herte shal never in lyking be; Nor elles-where finde solace, If I be put out of your grace, 4430 As it shal never been, I hope; Than shulde I fallen in wanhope.
[Here, at l. 4070 of the French text, ends the work of G. de Lorris; and begins the work of Jean de Meun.]
Allas, in wanhope?—nay, pardee! For I wol never dispeired be. If Hope me faile, than am I 4435 Ungracious and unworthy; In Hope I wol comforted be, For Love, whan he bitaught hir me, ​Seide, that Hope, wher-so I go, Shulde ay be relees to my wo. 4440 But what and she my balis bete, And be to me curteis and swete? She is in no-thing ful certeyn. Lovers she put in ful gret peyn, And makith hem with wo to dele. 4445 Hir fair biheest disceyveth fele, For she wol bihote, sikirly, And failen aftir outrely. A! that is a ful noyous thing! For many a lover, in loving, 4450 Hangeth upon hir, and trusteth fast, Whiche lese hir travel at the last. Of thing to comen she woot right nought; Therfore, if it be wysly sought, Hir counseille, foly is to take. 4455 For many tymes, whan she wol make A ful good silogisme, I drede That aftirward ther shal in dede Folwe an evel conclusioun; This put me in confusioun. 4460 For many tymes I have it seen, That many have bigyled been, For trust that they have set in Hope, Which fel hem aftirward a-slope. But natheles yit, gladly she wolde, 4465 That he, that wol him with hir holde, Hadde alle tymes [his] purpos clere, Withoute deceyte, or any were. That she desireth sikirly; Whan I hir blamed, I did foly. 4470 But what avayleth hir good wille, Whan she ne may staunche my stounde ille? That helpith litel, that she may do, Outake biheest unto my wo. And heeste certeyn, in no wyse, 4475 Withoute yift, is not to pryse. Whan heest and deed a-sundir varie, They doon [me have] a gret contrarie. Thus am I possed up and doun With dool, thought, and confusioun; 4480 Of my disese ther is no noumbre. Daunger and Shame me encumbre, Drede also, and Ielousye, And Wikked-Tunge, ful of envye, Of whiche the sharpe and cruel ire 4485 Ful oft me put in gret martire. They han my Ioye fully let, Sith Bialacoil they have bishet Fro me in prisoun wikkidly, Whom I love so entierly, 4490 That it wol my bane be, But I the soner may him see. And yit moreover, wurst of alle, Ther is set to kepe, foule hir bifalle! A rimpled vekke, fer ronne in age, 4495 Frowning and yelowe in hir visage, Which in awayte lyth day and night, That noon of hem may have a sight. Now moot my sorwe enforced be; Ful soth it is, that Love yaf me 4500 ​Three wonder yiftes of his grace, Which I have lorn now in this place, Sith they ne may, withoute drede Helpen but litel, who taketh hede. For here availeth no Swete-Thought, 4505 And Swete-Speche helpith right nought. The thridde was called Swete-Loking, That now is lorn, without lesing. [The] yiftes were fair, but not forthy They helpe me but simply, 4510 But Bialacoil [may] loosed be, To gon at large and to be free. For him my lyf lyth al in dout, But-if he come the rather out. Allas! I trowe it wol not been! 4515 For how shuld I evermore him seen? He may not out, and that is wrong, Bicause the tour is so strong. How shulde he out? by whos prowesse, Out of so strong a forteresse? 4520 By me, certeyn, it nil be do; God woot, I have no wit therto! But wel I woot I was in rage, Whan I to Love dide homage. Who was in cause, in sothfastnesse, 4525 But hir-silf, dame Idelnesse, Which me conveyed, thurgh fair prayere, To entre into that fair vergere? She was to blame me to leve, The which now doth me sore greve. 4530 A foolis word is nought to trowe, Ne worth an appel for to lowe; Men shulde him snibbe bittirly, At pryme temps of his foly. I was a fool, and she me leved, 4535 Thurgh whom I am right nought releved. She accomplisshed al my wil, That now me greveth wondir il. Resoun me seide what shulde falle. A fool my-silf I may wel calle, 4540 That love asyde I had not leyde, And trowed that dame Resoun seyde. Resoun had bothe skile and right. Whan she me blamed, with al hir might, To medle of love, that hath me shent; 4545 But certeyn now I wol repent. 'And shulde I repent? Nay, parde! A fals traitour than shulde I be. The develles engins wolde me take, If I my [lorde] wolde forsake, 4550 Or Bialacoil falsly bitraye. Shulde I at mischeef hate him? nay, Sith he now, for his curtesye, Is in prisoun of Ielousye. Curtesye certeyn dide he me, 4555 So muche, it may not yolden be, Whan he the hay passen me lete, To kisse the rose, faire and swete; Shulde I therfore cunne him maugree? Nay, certeynly, it shal not be; 4560 For Love shal never, [if god wil], Here of me, thurgh word or wil, ​Offence or complaynt, more or lesse, Neither of Hope nor Idilnesse; For certis, it were wrong that I 4565 Hated hem for hir curtesye. Ther is not ellis, but suffre and thinke, And waken whan I shulde winke; Abyde in hope, til Love, thurgh chaunce, Sende me socour or allegeaunce, 4570 Expectant ay til I may mete To geten mercy of that swete. 'Whylom I thinke how Love to me Seyde he wolde taken atte gree My servise, if unpacience 4575 Caused me to doon offence. He seyde, "In thank I shal it take, And high maister eek thee make, If wikkednesse ne reve it thee; But sone, I trowe, that shal not be." 4580 These were his wordis by and by; It semed he loved me trewly. Now is ther not but serve him wele, If that I thinke his thank to fele. My good, myn harm, lyth hool in me; 4585 In Love may no defaute be; For trewe Love ne failid never man. Sothly, the faute mot nedis than (As God forbede!) be founde in me, And how it cometh, I can not see. 4590 Now lat it goon as it may go; Whether Love wol socoure me or slo, He may do hool on me his wil. I am so sore bounde him til, From his servyse I may not fleen; 4595 For lyf and deth, withouten wene, Is in his hand; I may not chese; He may me do bothe winne and lese. And sith so sore he doth me greve, Yit, if my lust he wolde acheve 4600 To Bialacoil goodly to be, I yeve no force what felle on me. For though I dye, as I mot nede, I praye Love, of his goodlihede, To Bialacoil do gentilnesse, 4605 For whom I live in such distresse, That I mote deyen for penaunce. But first, withoute repentaunce, I wol me confesse in good entent, And make in haste my testament, 4610 As lovers doon that felen smerte:— To Bialacoil leve I myn herte Al hool, withoute departing, Or doublenesse of repenting.'
Coment Raisoun vient a L'amant.
Thus as I made my passage 4615 In compleynt, and in cruel rage, And I not wher to finde a leche That couthe unto myn helping eche, Sodeynly agayn comen doun Out of hir tour I saugh Resoun, 4620 Discrete and wys, and ful plesaunt, And of hir porte ful avenaunt. The righte wey she took to me, Which stood in greet perplexite, That was posshed in every side, 4625 That I nist where I might abyde, Til she, demurely sad of chere, Seide to me as she com nere:— ​'Myn owne freend, art thou yit greved? How is this quarel yit acheved 4630 Of Loves syde? Anoon me telle; Hast thou not yit of love thy fille? Art thou not wery of thy servyse That thee hath [pyned] in sich wyse? What Ioye hast thou in thy loving? 4635 Is it swete or bitter thing? Canst thou yit chese, lat me see, What best thy socour mighte be? 'Thou servest a ful noble lord, That maketh thee thral for thy reward, 4640 Which ay renewith thy turment, With foly so he hath thee blent. Thou felle in mischeef thilke day, Whan thou didest, the sothe to say, Obeysaunce and eek homage; 4645 Thou wroughtest no-thing as the sage. Whan thou bicam his liege man, Thou didist a gret foly than; Thou wistest not what fel therto, With what lord thou haddist to do. 4650 If thou haddist him wel knowe, Thou haddist nought be brought so lowe; For if thou wistest what it were, Thou noldist serve him half a yeer, Not a weke, nor half a day, 4655 Ne yit an hour withoute delay, Ne never [han] loved paramours, His lordship is so ful of shoures. Knowest him ought?' L'Amaunt. 'Ye, dame, parde!' Raisoun. 'Nay, nay.' L'Amaunt. 'Yes, I.' Raisoun. 'Wherof, lat see?' 4660 L'Amaunt. 'Of that he seyde I shulde be Glad to have sich lord as he, And maister of sich seignory.' Raisoun. 'Knowist him no more?' L'Amaunt. 'Nay, certis, I, Save that he yaf me rewles there, 4665 And wente his wey, I niste where, And I abood bounde in balaunce.' Raisoun. 'Lo, there a noble conisaunce! But I wil that thou knowe him now Ginning and ende, sith that thou 4670 Art so anguisshous and mate, Disfigured out of astate; Ther may no wrecche have more of wo, Ne caitif noon enduren so. It were to every man sitting 4675 Of his lord have knowleching. For if thou knewe him, out of dout, Lightly thou shulde escapen out Of the prisoun that marreth thee.' L'Amaunt. 'Ye, dame! sith my lord is he, 4680 And I his man, maad with myn honde, I wolde right fayn undirstonde To knowen of what kinde he be, If any wolde enferme me.' Raisoun. 'I wolde,' seid Resoun, 'thee lere, 4685 Sith thou to lerne hast sich desire, ​And shewe thee, withouten fable, A thing that is not demonstrable. Thou shalt [here lerne] without science, And knowe, withoute experience, 4690 The thing that may not knowen be, Ne wist ne shewid in no degree. Thou mayst the sothe of it not witen, Though in thee it were writen. Thou shalt not knowe therof more 4695 Whyle thou art reuled by his lore; But unto him that love wol flee, The knotte may unclosed be, Which hath to thee, as it is founde, So long be knet and not unbounde. 4700 Now sette wel thyn entencioun, To here of love discripcioun. 'Love, it is an hateful pees, A free acquitaunce, without relees, [A trouthe], fret full of falshede, 4705 A sikernesse, al set in drede; In herte is a dispeiring hope, And fulle of hope, it is wanhope; Wyse woodnesse, and wood resoun, A swete peril, in to droune, 4710 An hevy birthen, light to bere, A wikked wawe awey to were. It is Caribdis perilous, Disagreable and gracious. It is discordaunce that can accorde, 4715 And accordaunce to discorde. It is cunning withoute science, Wisdom withoute sapience, Wit withoute discrecioun, Havoir, withoute possessioun. 4720 It is sike hele and hool siknesse, A thrust drowned [in] dronkenesse, An helthe ful of maladye, And charitee ful of envye, An [hunger] ful of habundaunce, 4725 And a gredy suffisaunce; Delyt right ful of hevinesse, And drerihed ful of gladnesse; Bitter swetnesse and swete errour, Right evel savoured good savour; 4730 Sinne that pardoun hath withinne, And pardoun spotted without [with] sinne; A peyne also it is, Ioyous, And felonye right pitous; Also pley that selde is stable, 4735 And stedefast [stat], right mevable; A strengthe, weyked to stonde upright, And feblenesse, ful of might; Wit unavysed, sage folye, And Ioye ful of turmentrye; 4740 A laughter it is, weping ay, Rest, that traveyleth night and day; Also a swete helle it is, And a sorowful Paradys; A plesaunt gayl and esy prisoun, 4745 And, ful of froste, somer sesoun; ​Pryme temps, ful of frostes whyte, And May, devoide of al delyte, With seer braunches, blossoms ungrene; And newe fruyt, fillid with winter tene. 4750 It is a slowe, may not forbere Ragges, ribaned with gold, to were; For al-so wel wol love be set Under ragges as riche rochet; And eek as wel be amourettes 4755 In mourning blak, as bright burnettes. For noon is of so mochel prys, Ne no man founden [is] so wys, Ne noon so high is of parage, Ne no man founde of wit so sage, 4760 No man so hardy ne so wight, Ne no man of so mochel might, Noon so fulfilled of bounte, [But] he with love may daunted be. Al the world holdith this way; 4765 Love makith alle to goon miswey, But it be they of yvel lyf, Whom Genius cursith, man and wyf, That wrongly werke ageyn nature. Noon suche I love, ne have no cure 4770 Of suche as Loves servaunts been, And wol not by my counsel fleen. For I ne preyse that loving, Wher-thurgh man, at the laste ending, Shal calle hem wrecchis fulle of wo, 4775 Love greveth hem and shendith so. But if thou wolt wel Love eschewe, For to escape out of his mewe, And make al hool thy sorwe to slake, No bettir counsel mayst thou take, 4780 Than thinke to fleen wel, y-wis; May nought helpe elles; for wite thou this:— If thou flee it, it shal flee thee; Folowe it, and folowen shal it thee.' L'Amaunt. Whan I hadde herd al Resoun seyn, 4785 Which hadde spilt hir speche in veyn: Dame,' seyde I, 'I dar wel sey Of this avaunt me wel I may That from your scole so deviaunt I am, that never the more avaunt 4790 Right nought am I, thurgh your doctryne; I dulle under your disciplyne; I wot no more than [I] wist [er], To me so contrarie and so fer Is every thing that ye me lere; 4795 And yit I can it al parcuere. Myn herte foryetith therof right nought, It is so writen in my thought; And depe graven it is so tendir That al by herte I can it rendre, 4800 And rede it over comunely; But to my-silf lewedist am I. 'But sith ye love discreven so, And lakke and preise it, bothe two, Defyneth it into this letter, 4805 That I may thenke on it the better; For I herde never [diffyne it ere], And wilfully I wolde it lere.' Raisoun. 'If love be serched wel and sought, It is a sykenesse of the thought 4810 ​Annexed and knet bitwixe tweyne, [Which] male and female, with oo cheyne, So frely byndith, that they nil twinne, Whether so therof they lese or winne. The roote springith, thurgh hoot brenning, 4815 Into disordinat desiring For to kissen and enbrace, And at her lust them to solace. Of other thing love recchith nought, But setteth hir herte and al hir thought 4820 More for delectacioun Than any procreacioun Of other fruyt by engendring; Which love to god is not plesing; For of hir body fruyt to get 4825 They yeve no force, they are so set Upon delyt, to pley in-fere. And somme have also this manere, To feynen hem for love seke; Sich love I preise not at a leke. 4830 For paramours they do but feyne; To love truly they disdeyne. They falsen ladies traitoursly, And sweren hem othes utterly, With many a lesing, and many a fable, 4835 And al they finden deceyvable. And, whan they her lust han geten, The hoote ernes they al foryeten. Wimmen, the harm they byen ful sore; But men this thenken evermore, 4840 That lasse harm is, so mote I thee, Disceyve them, than disceyved be; And namely, wher they ne may Finde non other mene wey. For I wot wel, in sothfastnesse, 4845 That [who] doth now his bisynesse With any womman for to dele, For any lust that he may fele, But-if it be for engendrure, He doth trespasse, I you ensure. 4850 For he shulde setten al his wil To geten a likly thing him til, And to sustene[n], if he might, And kepe forth, by kindes right, His owne lyknesse and semblable, 4855 For bicause al is corumpable, And faile shulde successioun, Ne were ther generacioun Our sectis strene for to save. Whan fader or moder arn in grave, 4860 Hir children shulde, whan they ben deede, Ful diligent ben, in hir steede, To use that werke on such a wyse, That oon may thurgh another ryse. Therfore set Kinde therin delyt, 4865 For men therin shulde hem delyte, And of that dede be not erke, But ofte sythes haunt that werke. For noon wolde drawe therof a draught Ne were delyt, which hath him caught. 4870 This hadde sotil dame Nature; For noon goth right, I thee ensure, Ne hath entent hool ne parfyt; For hir desir is for delyt, ​The which fortened crece and eke 4875 The pley of love for-ofte seke, And thralle hem-silf, they be so nyce, Unto the prince of every vyce. For of ech sinne it is the rote, Unlefulle lust, though it be sote, 4880 And of al yvel the racyne, As Tullius can determyne, Which in his tyme was ful sage, In a boke he made of Age, Wher that more he preyseth Elde, 4885 Though he be croked and unwelde, And more of commendacioun, Than Youthe in his discripcioun. For Youthe set bothe man and wyf In al perel of soule and lyf; 4890 And perel is, but men have grace, The [tyme] of youthe for to pace, Withoute any deth or distresse, It is so ful of wildenesse; So ofte it doth shame or damage 4895 To him or to his linage. It ledith man now up, now doun, In mochel dissolucioun, And makith him love yvel company, And lede his lyf disrewlily, 4900 And halt him payed with noon estate. Within him-silf is such debate, He chaungith purpos and entent, And yalt [him] into som covent, To liven aftir her empryse, 4905 And lesith fredom and fraunchyse, That Nature in him hadde set, The which ageyn he may not get, If he there make his mansioun For to abyde professioun. 4910 Though for a tyme his herte absente, It may not fayle, he shal repente, And eke abyde thilke day To leve his abit, and goon his way, And lesith his worship and his name, 4915 And dar not come ageyn for shame; But al his lyf he doth so mourne, Bicause he dar not hoom retourne. Fredom of kinde so lost hath he That never may recured be, 4920 But-if that god him graunte grace That he may, er he hennes pace, Conteyne undir obedience Thurgh the vertu of pacience. For Youthe set man in al folye, 4925 In unthrift and in ribaudye, In leccherye, and in outrage, So ofte it chaungith of corage. Youthe ginneth ofte sich bargeyn, That may not ende withouten peyn. 4930 In gret perel is set youth-hede, Delyt so doth his bridil lede. Delyt thus hangith, drede thee nought, Bothe mannis body and his thought, Only thurgh Youthe, his chamberere, 4935 That to don yvel is customere, And of nought elles taketh hede But only folkes for to lede Into disporte and wildenesse, So is [she] froward from sadnesse. 4940 'But Elde drawith hem therfro; Who wot it nought, he may wel go ​[Demand] of hem that now arn olde, That whylom Youthe hadde in holde, Which yit remembre of tendir age, 4945 How it hem brought in many a rage, And many a foly therin wrought. But now that Elde hath hem thurghsought, They repente hem of her folye, That Youthe hem putte in Iupardye, 4950 In perel and in muche wo, And made hem ofte amis to do, And suen yvel companye, Riot and avouterye. 'But Elde [can] ageyn restreyne 4955 From suche foly, and refreyne, And set men, by hir ordinaunce, In good reule and in governaunce. But yvel she spendith hir servyse, For no man wol hir love, ne pryse; 4960 She is hated, this wot I wele. Hir acqueyntaunce wolde no man fele, Ne han of Elde companye, Men hate to be of hir alye. For no man wolde bicomen olde, 4965 Ne dye, whan he is yong and bolde. And Elde merveilith right gretly, Whan they remembre hem inwardly Of many a perelous empryse, Whiche that they wrought in sondry wyse, 4970 How ever they might, withoute blame, Escape awey withoute shame, In youthe, withoute[n] damage Or repreef of her linage, Losse of membre, sheding of blode, 4975 Perel of deth, or losse of good. 'Wost thou nought where Youthe abit, That men so preisen in her wit? With Delyt she halt soiour, For bothe they dwellen in oo tour. 4980 As longe as Youthe is in sesoun, They dwellen in oon mansioun. Delyt of Youthe wol have servyse To do what so he wol devyse; And Youthe is redy evermore 4985 For to obey, for smerte of sore, Unto Delyt, and him to yive Hir servise, whyl that she may live. 'Where Elde abit, I wol thee telle Shortly, and no whyle dwelle, 4990 For thider bihoveth thee to go. If Deth in youthe thee not slo, Of this journey thou maist not faile. With hir Labour and Travaile Logged been, with Sorwe and Wo, 4995 That never out of hir courte go. Peyne and Distresse, Syknesse and Ire, And Malencoly, that angry sire, Ben of hir paleys senatours; Groning and Grucching, hir herbergeours, 5000 The day and night, hir to turment, With cruel Deth they hir present, And tellen hir, erliche and late, That Deth stant armed at hir gate. ​Than bringe they to hir remembraunce 5005 The foly dedis of hir infaunce, Which causen hir to mourne in wo That Youthe hath hir bigiled so, Which sodeynly awey is hasted. She wepeth the tyme that she hath wasted, 5010 Compleyning of the preterit, And the present, that not abit, And of hir olde vanitee, That, but aforn hir she may see In the future som socour, 5015 To leggen hir of hir dolour, To graunt hir tyme of repentaunce, For hir sinnes to do penaunce, And at the laste so hir governe To winne the Ioy that is eterne, 5020 Fro which go bakward Youthe [hir] made, In vanitee to droune and wade. For present tyme abidith nought, It is more swift than any thought; So litel whyle it doth endure 5025 That ther nis compte ne mesure. 'But how that ever the game go, Who list [have] Ioye and mirth also Of love, be it he or she, High or lowe, who[so] it be, 5030 In fruyt they shulde hem delyte; Her part they may not elles quyte, To save hem-silf in honestee. And yit ful many oon I see Of wimmen, sothly for to seyne, 5035 That [ay] desire and wolde fayne The pley of love, they be so wilde, And not coveite to go with childe. And if with child they be perchaunce, They wole it holde a gret mischaunce; 5040 But what-som-ever wo they fele, They wol not pleyne, but concele; But-if it be any fool or nyce, In whom that shame hath no Iustyce. For to delyt echon they drawe, 5045 That haunte this werk, bothe high and lawe, Save sich that ar[e]n worth right nought, That for money wol be bought. Such love I preise in no wyse, Whan it is given for coveitise. 5050 I preise no womman, though [she] be wood, That yeveth hir-silf for any good. For litel shulde a man telle Of hir, that wol hir body selle, Be she mayde, be she wyf, 5055 That quik wol selle hir, by hir lyf. How faire chere that ever she make, He is a wrecche, I undirtake, That loveth such one, for swete or sour, Though she him calle hir paramour, 5060 And laugheth on him, and makith him feeste. For certeynly no suche [a] beeste To be loved is not worthy, Or bere the name of druery. Noon shulde hir please, but he were wood, 5065 That wol dispoile him of his good. Yit nevertheles, I wol not sey [But] she, for solace and for pley, May a Iewel or other thing Take of her loves free yeving; 5070 ​But that she aske it in no wyse, For drede of shame of coveityse. And she of hirs may him, certeyn, Withoute sclaundre, yeven ageyn, And ioyne her hertes togidre so 5075 In love, and take and yeve also. Trowe not that I wolde hem twinne, Whan in her love ther is no sinne; I wol that they togedre go, And doon al that they han ado, 5080 As curteis shulde and debonaire, And in her love beren hem faire, Withoute vyce, bothe he and she; So that alwey, in honestee, Fro foly love [they] kepe hem clere 5085 That brenneth hertis with his fere; And that her love, in any wyse, Be devoid of coveityse. Good love shulde engendrid be Of trewe herte, iust, and secree, 5090 And not of such as sette her thought To have her lust, and ellis nought, So are they caught in Loves lace, Truly, for bodily solace. Fleshly delyt is so present 5095 With thee, that sette al thyn entent, Withoute more (what shulde I glose?) For to gete and have the Rose; Which makith thee so mate and wood That thou desirest noon other good. 5100 But thou art not an inche the nerre, But ever abydest in sorwe and werre, As in thy face it is sene; It makith thee bothe pale and lene; Thy might, thy vertu goth away. 5105 A sory gest, in goode fay, Thou [herberedest than] in thyn inne, The God of Love whan thou let inne! Wherfore I rede, thou shette him out, Or he shal greve thee, out of doute; 5110 For to thy profit it wol turne, If he nomore with thee soiourne. In gret mischeef and sorwe sonken Ben hertis, that of love arn dronken, As thou peraventure knowen shal, 5115 Whan thou hast lost [thy] tyme al, And spent [thy youthe] in ydilnesse, In waste, and woful lustinesse; If thou maist live the tyme to see Of love for to delivered be, 5120 Thy tyme thou shall biwepe sore The whiche never thou maist restore. (For tyme lost, as men may see, For no-thing may recured be). And if thou scape yit, atte laste, 5125 Fro Love, that hath thee so faste Knit and bounden in his lace, Certeyn, I holde it but a grace. For many oon, as it is seyn, Have lost, and spent also in veyn, 5130 In his servyse, withoute socour, Body and soule, good, and tresour, Wit, and strengthe, and eek richesse, Of which they hadde never redresse.' ​Thus taught and preched hath Resoun, 5135 But Love spilte hir sermoun, That was so imped in my thought, That hir doctrine I sette at nought. And yit ne seide she never a dele, That I ne understode it wele, 5140 Word by word, the mater al. But unto Love I was so thral, Which callith over-al his pray, He chasith so my thought [alway], And holdith myn herte undir his sele, 5145 As trust and trew as any stele; So that no devocioun Ne hadde I in the sermoun Of dame Resoun, ne of hir rede; It toke no soiour in myn hede. 5150 For alle yede out at oon ere That in that other she dide lere; Fully on me she lost hir lore, Hir speche me greved wondir sore. [Than] unto hir for ire I seide, 5155 For anger, as I dide abraide: Dame, and is it your wille algate, That I not love, but that I hate Alle men, as ye me teche? For if I do aftir your speche, 5160 Sith that ye seyn love is not good, Than must I nedis say with mood, If I it leve, in hatrede ay Liven, and voide love away From me, [and been] a sinful wrecche, 5165 Hated of all that [love that] tecche. I may not go noon other gate, For either must I love or hate. And if I hate men of-newe More than love, it wol me rewe, 5170 As by your preching semeth me, For Love no-thing ne preisith thee. Ye yeve good counseil, sikirly, That prechith me al-day, that I Shulde not Loves lore alowe; 5175 He were a fool, wolde you not trowe! In speche also ye han me taught Another love, that knowen is naught, Which I have herd you not repreve, To love ech other; by your leve, 5180 If ye wolde diffyne it me, I wolde gladly here, to see, At the leest, if I may lere Of sondry loves the manere.' Raison. 'Certis, freend, a fool art thou 5185 Whan that thou no-thing wolt allowe That I [thee] for thy profit say. Yit wol I sey thee more, in fay; For I am redy, at the leste, To accomplisshe thy requeste, 5190 But I not wher it wol avayle; In veyne, perauntre, I shal travayle. Love ther is in sondry wyse, As I shal thee here devyse. For som love leful is and good; 5195 I mene not that which makith thee wood, And bringith thee in many a fit, And ravisshith fro thee al thy wit, It is so merveilous and queynt; With such love be no more aqueynt. 5200 ​ Comment Raisoun diffinist Amistie.
'Love of Frendshipe also ther is, Which makith no man doon amis, Of wille knit bitwixe two, That wol not breke for wele ne wo; Which long is lykly to contune, 5205 Whan wille and goodis ben in comune; Grounded by goddis ordinaunce, Hool, withoute discordaunce; With hem holding comuntee Of al her goode in charitee, 5210 That ther be noon excepcioun Thurgh chaunging of entencioun; That ech helpe other at hir neede, And wysly hele bothe word and dede; Trewe of mening, devoid of slouthe, 5215 For wit is nought withoute trouthe; So that the ton dar al his thought Seyn to his freend, and spare nought, As to him-silf, without dreding To be discovered by wreying. 5220 For glad is that coniunccioun, Whan ther is noon suspecioun [Ne lak in hem], whom they wolde prove That trew and parfit weren in love. For no man may be amiable, 5225 But-if he be so ferme and stable, That fortune chaunge him not, ne blinde, But that his freend alwey him finde, Bothe pore and riche, in oon [e]state. For if his freend, thurgh any gate, 5230 Wol compleyne of his povertee, He shulde not byde so long, til he Of his helping him requere; For good deed, done [but] thurgh prayere, Is sold, and bought to dere, y-wis, 5235 To hert that of gret valour is. For hert fulfilled of gentilnesse Can yvel demene his distresse. And man that worthy is of name To asken often hath gret shame. 5240 A good man brenneth in his thought For shame, whan he axeth ought. He hath gret thought, and dredith ay For his disese, whan he shal pray His freend, lest that he warned be, 5245 Til that he preve his stabiltee. But whan that he hath founden oon That trusty is and trew as stone, And [hath] assayed him at al, And found him stedefast as a wal, 5250 And of his freendship be certeyne, He shal him shewe bothe Ioye and peyne, And al that [he] dar thinke or sey, Withoute shame, as he wel may. For how shulde he ashamed be 5255 Of sich oon as I tolde thee? For whan he woot his secree thought, The thridde shal knowe ther-of right nought; ​For tweyn in nombre is bet than three In every counsel and secree. 5260 Repreve he dredeth never a del, Who that biset his wordis wel; For every wys man, out of drede, Can kepe his tunge til he see nede; And fooles can not holde hir tunge; 5265 A fooles belle is sone runge. Yit shal a trewe freend do more To helpe his felowe of his sore, And socoure him, whan he hath nede, In al that he may doon in dede; 5270 And gladder [be] that he him plesith Than [is] his felowe that he esith. And if he do not his requeste, He shal as mochel him moleste As his felow, for that he 5275 May not fulfille his voluntee [As] fully as he hath requered. If bothe the hertis Love hath fered, Joy and wo they shul depart, And take evenly ech his part. 5280 Half his anoy he shal have ay, And comfort [him] what that he may; And of his blisse parte shal he, If love wol departed be. 'And whilom of this [amitee] 5285 Spak Tullius in a ditee; ["A man] shulde maken his request Unto his freend, that is honest; And he goodly shulde it fulfille, But it the more were out of skile, 5290 And otherwise not graunt therto, Except only in [cases] two: If men his freend to deth wolde dryve, Lat him be bisy to save his lyve. Also if men wolen him assayle, 5295 Of his wurship to make him faile, And hindren him of his renoun, Lat him, with ful entencioun, His dever doon in ech degree That his freend ne shamed be, 5300 In this two [cases] with his might, Taking no kepe to skile nor right, As ferre as love may him excuse; This oughte no man to refuse." This love that I have told to thee 5305 Is no-thing contrarie to me; This wol I that thou folowe wel, And leve the tother everydel. This love to vertu al attendith, The tothir fooles blent and shendith. 5310 'Another love also there is, That is contrarie unto this, Which desyre is so constreyned That [it] is but wille feyned; Awey fro trouthe it doth so varie, 5315 That to good love it is contrarie; For it maymeth, in many wyse, Syke hertis with coveityse; Al in winning and in profyt Sich love settith his delyt. 5320 This love so hangeth in balaunce That, if it lese his hope, perchaunce, Of lucre, that he is set upon, It wol faile, and quenche anon; For no man may be amorous, 5325 Ne in his living vertuous, But-[if] he love more, in mood, Men for hem-silf than for hir good. ​For love that profit doth abyde Is fals, and bit not in no tyde. 5330 [This] love cometh of dame Fortune, That litel whyle wol contune; For it shal chaungen wonder sone, And take eclips right as the mone, Whan she is from us [y]-let 5335 Thurgh erthe, that bitwixe is set The sonne and hir, as it may falle, Be it in party, or in alle; The shadowe maketh her bemis merke, And hir hornes to shewe derke, 5340 That part where she hath lost hir lyght Of Phebus fully, and the sight; Til, whan the shadowe is overpast, She is enlumined ageyn as faste, Thurgh brightnesse of the sonne bemes 5345 That yeveth to hir ageyn hir lemes. That love is right of sich nature; Now is [it] fair, and now obscure. Now bright, now clipsy of manere, And whylom dim, and whylom clere. 5350 As sone as Poverte ginneth take, With mantel and [with] wedis blake [It] hidith of Love the light awey, That into night it turneth day; It may not see Richesse shyne 5355 Til the blakke shadowes fyne. For, whan Richesse shyneth bright, Love recovereth ageyn his light; And whan it failith, he wol flit, And as she [groweth, so groweth] it. 5360 'Of this love, here what I sey:— The riche men are loved ay, And namely tho that sparand bene, That wol not wasshe hir hertes clene Of the filthe, nor of the vyce 5365 Of gredy brenning avaryce. The riche man ful fond is, y-wis, That weneth that he loved is. If that his herte it undirstood, It is not he, it is his good; 5370 He may wel witen in his thought, His good is loved, and he right nought. For if he be a nigard eke, Men wole not sette by him a leke, But haten him; this is the soth. 5375 Lo, what profit his catel doth! Of every man that may him see, It geteth him nought but enmitee. But he amende him of that vyce, And knowe him-silf, he is not wys. 5380 'Certis, he shulde ay freendly be, To gete him love also ben free, Or ellis he is not wyse ne sage No more than is a gote ramage. That he not loveth, his dede proveth, 5385 Whan he his richesse so wel loveth, That he wol hyde it ay and spare, His pore freendis seen forfare; To kepe [it ay is] his purpose, Til for drede his eyen close, 5390 And til a wikked deth him take; Him hadde lever asondre shake, And late his limes a sondre ryve, Than leve his richesse in his lyve. ​He thenkith parte it with no man; 5395 Certayn, no love is in him than. How shulde love within him be, Whan in his herte is no pite? That he trespasseth, wel I wat, For ech man knowith his estat; 5400 For wel him oughte be reproved That loveth nought, ne is not loved. 'But sith we arn to Fortune comen, And [han] our sermoun of hir nomen, A wondir wil I telle thee now, 5405 Thou herdist never sich oon, I trow. I not wher thou me leven shal, Though sothfastnesse it be [in] al, As it is writen, and is sooth, That unto men more profit doth 5410 The froward Fortune and contraire, Than the swote and debonaire: And if thee thinke it is doutable, It is thurgh argument provable. For the debonaire and softe 5415 Falsith and bigylith ofte; For liche a moder she can cherishe And milken as doth a norys; And of hir goode to hem deles, And yeveth hem part of her loweles, 5420 With grete richesse and dignitee; And hem she hoteth stabilitee In a state that is not stable, But chaunging ay and variable; And fedith hem with glorie veyne, 5425 And worldly blisse noncerteyne. Whan she hem settith on hir whele, Than wene they to be right wele, And in so stable state withalle, That never they wene for to falle. 5430 And whan they set so highe be, They wene to have in certeintee Of hertly frendis [so] gret noumbre, That no-thing mighte her stat encombre; They truste hem so on every syde, 5435 Wening with hem they wolde abyde In every perel and mischaunce, Withoute chaunge or variaunce, Bothe of catel and of good; And also for to spende hir blood 5440 And alle hir membris for to spille, Only to fulfille hir wille. They maken it hole in many wyse, And hoten hem hir ful servyse, How sore that it do hem smerte, 5445 Into hir very naked sherte! Herte and al, so hole they yeve, For the tyme that they may live, So that, with her flaterye, They maken foolis glorifye 5450 Of hir wordis [greet] speking, And han [there]-of a reioysing, And trowe hem as the Evangyle; And it is al falsheed and gyle, As they shal afterwardes see, 5455 Whan they arn falle in povertee, And been of good and catel bare; Than shulde they seen who freendis ware. For of an hundred, certeynly, Nor of a thousand ful scarsly, 5460 Ne shal they fynde unnethis oon, Whan povertee is comen upon. For [this] Fortune that I of telle, With men whan hir lust to dwelle, ​Makith hem to lese hir conisaunce, 5465 And nourishith hem in ignoraunce. 'But froward Fortune and perverse, Whan high estatis she doth reverse, And maketh hem to tumble doun Of hir whele, with sodeyn tourn, 5470 And from hir richesse doth hem flee, And plongeth hem in povertee, As a stepmoder envyous, And leyeth a plastre dolorous Unto her hertis, wounded egre, 5475 Which is not tempred with vinegre, But with poverte and indigence, For to shewe, by experience, That she is Fortune verely In whom no man shulde affy, 5480 Nor in hir yeftis have fiaunce, She is so ful of variaunce. Thus can she maken high and lowe, Whan they from richesse ar[e]n throwe, Fully to knowen, withouten were, 5485 Freend of effect, and freend of chere; And which in love weren trew and stable, And whiche also weren variable, After Fortune, hir goddesse, In poverte, outher in richesse; 5490 For al [she] yeveth, out of drede, Unhappe bereveth it in dede; For Infortune lat not oon Of freendis, whan Fortune is goon; I mene tho freendis that wol flee 5495 Anoon as entreth povertee. And yit they wol not leve hem so, But in ech place where they go They calle hem "wrecche," scorne and blame, And of hir mishappe hem diffame, 5500 And, namely, siche as in richesse Pretendith most of stablenesse, Whan that they sawe him set onlofte, And weren of him socoured ofte, And most y-holpe in al hir nede: 5505 But now they take no maner hede, But seyn, in voice of flaterye, That now apperith hir folye, Over-al where-so they fare, And singe, "Go, farewel feldefare." 5510 Alle suche freendis I beshrewe, For of [the] trewe ther be to fewe; But sothfast freendis, what so bityde, In every fortune wolen abyde; They han hir hertis in suche noblesse 5515 That they nil love for no richesse; Nor, for that Fortune may hem sende, They wolen hem socoure and defende; And chaunge for softe ne for sore, For who is freend, loveth evermore. 5520 Though men drawe swerd his freend to slo, He may not hewe hir love a-two. ​But, in [the] case that I shal sey, For pride and ire lese it he may, And for reprove by nycetee, 5525 And discovering of privitee, With tonge wounding, as feloun, Thurgh venemous detraccioun. Frend in this case wol gon his way, For no-thing greve him more ne may; 5530 And for nought ellis wol he flee, If that he love in stabilitee. And certeyn, he is wel bigoon Among a thousand that fyndith oon. For ther may be no richesse, 5535 Ageyns frendship, of worthinesse; For it ne may so high atteigne As may the valoure, sooth to seyne, Of him that loveth trew and wel; Frendship is more than is catel. 5540 For freend in court ay better is Than peny in [his] purs, certis; And Fortune, mishapping, Whan upon men she is [falling], Thurgh misturning of hir chaunce, 5545 And casteth hem oute of balaunce, She makith, thurgh hir adversitee, Men ful cleerly for to see Him that is freend in existence From him that is by apparence. 5550 For Infortune makith anoon To knowe thy freendis fro thy foon, By experience, right as it is; The which is more to preyse, y-wis, Than [is] miche richesse and tresour; 5555 For more [doth] profit and valour Poverte, and such adversitee, Bifore than doth prosperitee; For the toon yeveth conisaunce, And the tother ignoraunce. 5560 'And thus in poverte is in dede Trouthe declared fro falsehede; For feynte frendis it wol declare, And trewe also, what wey they fare. For whan he was in his richesse, 5565 These freendis, ful of doublenesse, Offrid him in many wyse Hert and body, and servyse. What wolde he than ha [yeve] to ha bought To knowen openly her thought, 5570 That he now hath so clerly seen? The lasse bigyled he sholde have been And he hadde than perceyved it, But richesse nold not late him wit. Wel more avauntage doth him than, 5575 Sith that it makith him a wys man, The greet mischeef that he [receyveth], Than doth richesse that him deceyveth. Richesse riche ne makith nought Him that on tresour set his thought; 5580 For richesse stont in suffisaunce And no-thing in habundaunce; For suffisaunce al-only Makith men to live richely. For he that hath [but] miches tweyne, 5585 Ne [more] value in his demeigne, Liveth more at ese, and more is riche, Than doth he that is [so] chiche, ​And in his bern hath, soth to seyn, An hundred [muwis] of whete greyn, 5590 Though he be chapman or marchaunt, And have of golde many besaunt. For in the geting he hath such wo, And in the keping drede also, And set evermore his bisynesse 5595 For to encrese, and not to lesse, For to augment and multiply. And though on hepis [it] lye him by, Yit never shal make his richesse Asseth unto his gredinesse. 5600 But the povre that recchith nought, Save of his lyflode, in his thought, Which that he getith with his travaile, He dredith nought that it shal faile, Though he have lytel worldis good, 5605 Mete and drinke, and esy food, Upon his travel and living, And also suffisaunt clothing. Or if in syknesse that he falle, And lothe mete and drink withalle, 5610 Though he have nought, his mete to by, He shal bithinke him hastely, To putte him out of al daunger, That he of mete hath no mister; Or that he may with litel eke 5615 Be founden, whyl that he is seke; Or that men shul him bere in hast, To live, til his syknesse be past, To somme maysondewe bisyde; He cast nought what shal him bityde. 5620 He thenkith nought that ever he shal Into any syknesse falle. 'And though it falle, as it may be, That al betyme spare shal he As mochel as shal to him suffyce, 5625 Whyl he is syke in any wyse, He doth [it], for that he wol be Content with his povertee Withoute nede of any man. So miche in litel have he can, 5630 He is apayed with his fortune; And for he nil be importune Unto no wight, ne onerous, Nor of hir goodes coveitous; Therfore he spareth, it may wel been, 5635 His pore estat for to sustene. 'Or if him lust not for to spare, But suffrith forth, as nought ne ware, Atte last it hapneth, as it may, Right unto his laste day, 5640 And taketh the world as it wolde be; For ever in herte thenkith he, The soner that [the] deeth him slo, To paradys the soner go He shal, there for to live in blisse, 5645 Where that he shal no good misse. Thider he hopith god shal him sende Aftir his wrecchid lyves ende. Pictagoras himsilf reherses, In a book that the Golden verses 5650 ​Is clepid, for the nobilitee Of the honourable ditee:— "Than, whan thou gost thy body fro, Free in the eir thou shalt up go, And leven al humanitee, 5655 And purely live in deitee."— He is a fool, withouten were, That trowith have his countre here. "In erthe is not our countree," That may these clerkis seyn and see 5660 In Boece of Consolacioun, Where it is maked mencioun Of our countree pleyn at the eye, By teching of philosophye, Where lewid men might lere wit, 5665 Who-so that wolde translaten it. If he be sich that can wel live Aftir his rente may him yive, And not desyreth more to have, That may fro povertee him save: 5670 A wys man seide, as we may seen, Is no man wrecched, but he it wene, Be he king, knight, or ribaud. And many a ribaud is mery and baud, That swinkith, and berith, bothe day and night, 5675 Many a burthen of gret might, The whiche doth him lasse offense, For he suffrith in pacience. They laugh and daunce, trippe and singe, And ley not up for her living, 5680 But in the tavern al dispendith The winning that god hem sendith. Than goth he, fardels for to bere, With as good chere as he dide ere; To swinke and traveile he not feynith, 5685 For for to robben he disdeynith; But right anoon, aftir his swinke, He goth to tavern for to drinke. Alle these ar riche in abundaunce, That can thus have suffisaunce 5690 Wel more than can an usurere, As god wel knowith, withoute were. For an usurer, so god me see, Shal never for richesse riche bee, But evermore pore and indigent, 5695 Scarce, and gredy in his entent. 'For soth it is, whom it displese, Ther may no marchaunt live at ese, His herte in sich a were is set, That it quik brenneth [more] to get, 5700 Ne never shal [enough have] geten; Though he have gold in gerners yeten, For to be nedy he dredith sore. Wherfore to geten more and more He set his herte and his desire; 5705 So hote he brennith in the fire Of coveitise, that makith him wood To purchase other mennes good. He undirfongith a gret peyne, That undirtakith to drinke up Seyne; 5710 For the more he drinkith, ay The more he leveth, the soth to say. [This is the] thurst of fals geting, That last ever in coveiting, And the anguisshe and distresse 5715 With the fire of gredinesse. ​She fighteth with him ay, and stryveth, That his herte asondre ryveth; Such gredinesse him assaylith, That whan he most hath, most he faylith. 5720 Phisiciens and advocates Gon right by the same yates; They selle hir science for winning, And haunte hir crafte for greet geting. Hir winning is of such swetnesse, 5725 That if a man falle in sikenesse, They are ful glad, for hir encrese; For by hir wille, withoute lees, Everiche man shulde be seke, And though they dye, they set not a leke. 5730 After, whan they the gold have take, Ful litel care for hem they make. They wolde that fourty were seke at onis, Ye, two hundred, in flesh and bonis, And yit two thousand, as I gesse, 5735 For to encresen her richesse. They wol not worchen, in no wyse, But for lucre and coveityse; For fysyk ginneth first by fy, The fysycien also sothely; 5740 And sithen it goth fro fy to sy; To truste on hem, it is foly; For they nil, in no maner gree, Do right nought for charitee. 'Eke in the same secte are set 5745 Alle tho that prechen for to get Worshipes, honour, and richesse. Her hertis arn in greet distresse, That folk [ne] live not holily. But aboven al, specialy, 5750 Sich as prechen [for] veynglorie, And toward god have no memorie, But forth as ypocrites trace, And to her soules deth purchace, And outward [shewen] holynesse, 5755 Though they be fulle of cursidnesse. Not liche to the apostles twelve, They deceyve other and hem-selve; Bigyled is the gyler than. For preching of a cursed man, 5760 Though [it] to other may profyte, Himsilf availeth not a myte; For oft good predicacioun Cometh of evel entencioun. To him not vailith his preching, 5765 Al helpe he other with his teching; For where they good ensaumple take, There is he with veynglorie shake. 'But lat us leven these prechoures, And speke of hem that in her toures 5770 Hepe up her gold, and faste shette, And sore theron her herte sette. They neither love god, ne drede; They kepe more than it is nede, And in her bagges sore it binde, 5775 Out of the sonne, and of the winde; They putte up more than nede ware, Whan they seen pore folk forfare, For hunger dye, and for cold quake; God can wel vengeaunce therof take. 5780 [Thre] gret mischeves hem assailith, And thus in gadring ay travaylith; ​With moche peyne they winne richesse; And drede hem holdith in distresse, To kepe that they gadre faste; 5785 With sorwe they leve it at the laste; With sorwe they bothe dye and live, That to richesse her hertis yive, And in defaute of love it is, As it shewith ful wel, y-wis. 5790 For if these gredy, the sothe to seyn, Loveden, and were loved ageyn, And good love regned over-alle, Such wikkidnesse ne shulde falle; But he shulde yeve that most good had 5795 To hem that weren in nede bistad, And live withoute fals usure, For charitee ful clene and pure. If they hem yeve to goodnesse, Defending hem from ydelnesse, 5800 In al this world than pore noon We shulde finde, I trowe, not oon. But chaunged is this world unstable; For love is over-al vendable. We see that no man loveth now 5805 But for winning and for prow; And love is thralled in servage Whan it is sold for avauntage; Yit wommen wol hir bodies selle; Suche soules goth to the devel of helle.' 5810
    [Here ends l. 5170 of the F. text. A great gap follows. The next line answers to l. 10717 of the same.]
1711. Th. thystels; G. thesteles. 1713. Ful] Both For. Th. moche; G. mych.
1721. G. botheum; Th. bothum; read botoun. 1727. Th. shotte. 1728. G. me nye (!) 1732. Both Sithen; Th. chyuered. 1733. I supply that. 1736. I supply ther; F. iluec. 1743. Th. drey; G. drie. 1749. Th. yet; G. atte. 1750. Th. whiche; G. which it. 1757. G. to do; Th. do. 1758. Both two (!). 1761. Both bothum. 1766. Both certis euenly. 1771. a] Both his.
1779. I supply myn. 1786. Both bothom; so in 1790. 1791. Both were to haue. 1797, 8. Th. fyne, pyne; G. feyne, peyne. 1806. Th. of; G. on. 1808. Both drawe. 1811. Th. stycked; G. stikith. 1814. felte] both lefte (!).
1845. Both bothom. 1848. Both mighte it. 1851. Both sene I hadde. 1853, 4. Both thore, more; see l. 1857. 1856. G. thens; Th. thence. 1860. G. Castith; Th. Casteth. 1863. G. which. 1873. Th. dethe; G. deth. 1874. G. Whader; Th. Whether. 1879. I supply ful. 1892. So Th.; G. (in late hand) That he hadde the body hole made. 1895. Both without.
Transpose 1913, 4? 1922. Th. hem; G. hym. 1924. Both softyng; see 1925. 1925. Both prikkith. 1929. Th. iape. 1933. Th. hastely; G. hastly. 1934. I supply the. 1946. Both al. 1965. Both loue (!). 1971. Both Without.
1982. G. om. me. 1984. Th. Sens. 1994. Supply to; see 2126. 1999. Th. sythe; G. sith; read sithen. 2002. For of read to? 2006. G. must. Both kysse. 2012. Both without. 2018. Both gonfenoun. 2022. I supply so. 2030. G. thens; Th. thence. 2033. Both without. 2038. Perhaps quoynt. 2044. Perhaps tan (for taken).
2046. Both Disteyned (F. deceus). 2049. Both ins. her after through. 2066. G. wole; Th. wot (F. savez). 2067. Both susprised. 2068. Perhaps tan (for taken). 2074. I supply it. 2076. G. disese; Th. desese (F. dessaisir). 2085. Th. tresore; G. tresour. 2099. I supply al. 2105. Th. at; G. atte.
2109. Om. But? 2116. Read gree? 2132. G. compleysshen; Th. accomplysshen. 2141. I supply sinne. 2142. Th. entierly. 2150. G. Whanne that; Th. Whan. 2154. Both bigynneth to amende. 2167. Th. he; G. ye.
2176. G. say; Th. saye. 2178. G. ageyns; Th. ayenst. 2183. G. withouten; Th. without. 2185. G. resseyue; Th. receyue. Both vnto (for to). 2191. I supply that. 2195. Both in (for a). 2208. G. yong; Th. yonge. 2215. G. more; Th. mare. 2218. Th. hem; G. him. 2219, 20. Both somme, domme. 2224. Th. rybaudye; G. rebaudrye. 2234. Th. sette; G. om.
2247. Both trewly. 2249, 2251, 2254. Both Without. 2261. I supply hem; both best. 2264. G. streght. Both on (for upon). 2268. G. ruyde; Th. rude (F. cil vilain). 2271. G. streit. Th. aumere; G. awmere; see 2087. 2278. Th. Whit-; G. wis-. 2279. Both costneth (F. couste). 2285. Both Farce. 2294. G. knowith (!); so Th. 2302. Both pleyneth (!).
2305. I supply som. 2309. I supply best. 2316. Th. tyl; G. to. 2318. G. om. no. 2327. Both meuen. 2336. Both londes; read Loues. 2341. G. this swiffte (so Th.; F. si riche don). Both it is; om. it. 2344, 9. I supply that. 2347. Both better. 2355. G. that heere; Th. om. that.
2362. I supply eek. 2365. Both and (for in). 2367, 8. Both departe, parte. 2371, 2. So Th.; G. sitte, flitte. 2383. I supply wol. 2384. G. om. is. 2388. I supply al. 2395-2442. Not in G.; from Th. 2401. I supply yit. 2403, 4. Th. fal, al. 2405. Th. holy. 2413. As] Th. A.
2427. Th. sene (F. envoier). 2432. Th. gone and visyten. 2437, 8. Th. sene, bene. 2443. G. begins again. 2446. Both thou dost; om. thou. 2454. For wolt read nilt? 2466. Om. of? 2472. I supply the. 2473. For Thought read That swete? 2477. I supply thou.
2492. Both domme. 2494, 2521. Th. faste; G. fast. 2499. G. yitt; Th. yet (for yif). 2532. I supply thy; F. ta raison. Th. durste; G. derst. 2541. a] Th. o.
2550. Th. batell; G. batelle. 2563, 4. Th. a-brede, forwerede; G. abrode, forweriede; see 3251. 2569. seme] Both se. 2576. Th. slombrest. 2578. G. om. a.
2610. Th. Withouten; G. Without. Th. kesse; G. kysse. 2617. Both I wote not; read I noot. 2619. Both better. 2621. Both on hir I caste. 2622. Both That (for Than). 2628. Both liggen. 2649. Th. shalt; G. shalle. 2650. Both whider (!). 2655, 6. Th. aferde, vnsperde; G. afeerd, unspered. 2660. Th. shore. 2664. Th. thy; G. the. 2668. Both without. 2669. Both om. a.
2675. Th. whan; G. whanne; read wham or whom; F. De qui tu ne pues avoir aise. 2676. Corrupt; F. Au departir la porte baise. Th. awey; G. away. 2683. Th. ins. any (G. ony) bef. wene. 2687. Th. selfe; G. silf. 2688. Th. assayed; G. assaid. 2690. Both for to (for to). 2693. Th. ofte; G. of. 2697. Th. dothe; G. doith. 2700. I supply hir. 2709, 2710. Both more, fore; read mare, fare. I supply thee. 2712. Perhaps omit to. 2729. Th. Aye; G. A-yee.
2746. I supply may. 2748. Th. great; G. greet. 2752. For that read yet? 2755, 6. Th. sete, ete; G. sett, ete. 2760. Both yeue. 2763. I supply his. Th. trust; G. trist. 2774. Both aftirward. 2775. I supply to. 2777. Both yeue. 2786. Both endure. 2789, 90. Th. solace, lace. G. Doith. 2791. Both first.
2796. G. Thenkyng; Th. Thynkyng; see 2804. 2798. Both and in peyne. 2801. Both ins. to bef. have. 2824. Both not ben; F. tu seroies. 2831. Both myght. 2833. Both me (for hem); see 2845. 2845. I supply my; see 2833. 2846. G. sittith; Th. sytteth. 2854. Th. him; G. hem. Th. apayde; G. apaied; see l. 2891.
2895. G. and of; Th. om. of. 2897. G. which. 2912. I supply yit. 2916. I supply it. Th. conuoye G. conueye. 2917. they] Both thou.
2921, 2. Both sene, clene; supply he. 2934. I supply that. 2935. Both declared thee. 2946. Th. sufferaunce; G. suffraunce. 2950. Both yeue. 2954. Th. vanysshed; G. vanyshide. 2960, 2973. Both bothom; read botoun. 2970. G. bisiede; Th. besyed. 2971. Th. haye; G. hay.
2981. Th. gladde; G. glad. 2984. F. Bel-Acueil. 2987. G. outter; Th. vtter. 2990. Th. fresshe; G. fresh. 2992. Both warrans; I supply I be; F. Ge vous i puis bien garantir. 3000. Th. hertely; G. hertly. 3001. I supply I. 3009, 3013. Both bothom; read botoun. 3010. Th: fresshe; G. fresh. Th. spronge; G. sprange. 3012. Both myght. 3020. Th. grasse; G. gras. 3029. I insert no. 3035. Both Brought; I supply On lyve (i. e. to life). Th. ylke; G. ilk.
3038. Th. so vgly; G. so oughlye; om. so. 3045. Both bothoms; read botouns. Th. las; G. lasse. 3046. Th. sondrie; G. sondre. 3047. Th. wyste; G. wist. 3050, 3064. Both Bothoms. 3052. Both Venus hath flemed. 3058. G. om. is. 3071, 6, 8. Both bothom. 3079. I supply me; F. me fis. 3083. G. waxe; Th. wext.
3109. Both bothom. 3115. Both arise; read ryse. 3125. Both And late (lette) it growe. 3127, 8. Both were, bere. 3136. G. om. Th. His eyes reed sparclyng as the fyre-glowe (too long); F. S'ot les yex rouges comme feus. 3037. Both kirked. 3150. I] G. it; Th. he; F. ge. 3154. Th. agayne; G. ageyns.
3164. Th. he; G. it. 3179. I supply wot. 3186. Th. brast; G. barste. 3188. G. That was; Th. m. That. Th. through; G. thurgh. 3191. Th. highe; G. high. 3195. Both without. 3201. on] G. in (!). 3207. Both For nature; I omit For. 3209. Both but if the. 3213. Th. seignorie; G. seignurie.
3219,20. G. freende, sheende; Th. frende, shende. 3221. Th. the; G. ye. 3227. G. didest (!). 3228. Th. had; G. hadde; read haddest. 3230. I supply ward. 3231,2. Both wene, sene; I supply thee. 3248. G. om. nat. 3251. Th. werrey; G. werye. 3264. Both seyne; feyne seems better. 3266. I supply it. 3274. Both he be a; I omit a. 3279. G. om. of.
3282. Th. moche; G. mych. 3292. G. arrage (!). 3301. After gete, Th. ins. the, and G. thee. 3315. Th. counsayle; G. counsele. 3320. Both thought; read taughte. 3331. Both Who that; I omit that. 3337. Both cherisaunce; F. chevissance. 3340. Both myght. 3344. Both fast.
3350. Both witholde. 3355. Th. whiche; G. which. 3356. G. om. have. Th. meymed. 3364. Th. fresshe; G. fresh. Both bothom. 3372. Th. fiers. 3379. Th. meke; G. make. 3385. I supply him. 3399. Th. forbode; G. fobede; read forbad. 3406. I supply sir. 3408. Both amenden.
3414. G. om. I. 3418. G. you shulde. 3429. G. doon elles welle; Th. done al wel; F. Toutes vos autres volentes Ferai. 3433. Th. suche; G. sichen; F. puis-qu'il me siet. 3447. Both where that the; I omit that. 3448. I supply thou; F. tu. 3454. Th. tale; G. talle. 3455. Th. affayre; G. affere. 3462. Both good mes (sic); F. en bon point; see l. 1453. 3464. Both -come. 3468. G. om. me.
3473. Both bothom. 3482. Morris supplies hard. 3490. Both That he had. 3491. G. Thanne; Th. Than; read That; F. Qu'Amors. 3498. G. Thou; Th. Tho. Both and me (for and). 3502. Both bothom. 3508. I supply word. 3510. Th. moche; G. mych. 3522. Both ye (for he); F. Que il. 3525. Both it is.
3534. G. to beye; Th. to bey. 3548. Both This; F. C'est; This = This is. 3552. Th. he; G. ye. 3554. Both Vpon (for On). 3560. Read mis (for amis). 3563. Th. moste; G. most. 3590. G. lette; Th. let. 3591. Th. hye; G. high.
3595-3690. Not in G.; from Th. 3599, 3600. Th. please, ease. 3604. Th. dare (for thar), wrongly. Th. aferde. 3615. Th. without. 3619. Th. hadde. 3620. Th. leaue. 3622. Th. hel. 3626. Th. eftres. 3633. Th. spannysshinge. 3641. Th. without. 3642. Th. sene. 3643. Th. the god of blesse; F. Diex la beneie. 3646. Th. marueyle.
3656. Th. leysar. 3660. Th. That so swetely. 3663. Th. cosse. 3667. Th. sayd. 3670, 1. Th. dare. 3674. Th. ywisse. 3676. Th. lyfe; read live. 3679. Th. best. 3687. Th. first. 3688. Th. fel downe. 3690. Th. grapes be ripe; om. be. 3691. G. begins again. 3694. Both Though. 3697. Both rennyng (for rewing). 3698. Both come (absurdly); see l. 3700; read to me. 3699. Th. werryeth; G. werieth; F. guerroie. 3707. Th. flame. 3709. Both hette. 3710. G. herte is; Th. hert is; read hertis = hertes. Both sette. 3716. G. nelle; Th. nyl. 3718. Both neithir (for nor).
3723. G. pruyde. 3730. Th. warne; G. worne. 3742. G. outterly; Th. vtterly. 3745. Both pleyne (playne). 3746. Both -nysse. 3748. G. thenkith. 3749. Th. warne; G. worne. 3751. Both ye helpe; read to helpe. 3755. Th. with his hete. 3756. Both ins. me after bad. 3757. G. Grauntede; Th. Graunt. 3761. Thar] Th. There nede. 3763. Both Stroke. 3774. G. it wille; Th. at wyl. 3779. Th. selde; G. yelde.
3790. G. strong; Th. stronge. 3803, 3811. Both bare. 3805. G. gret; Th. great. 3807. Both myght. 3808. G. report. 3812. Both square. 3832. Th. regarde. 3834. Th. thus; G. this. 3845. I supply not. 3846. I supply to. 3848. G. thenkith.
3852. I supply Ne. Both verge; see 3234. G. hadde; Th. had. 3862. Th. wende; G. wente. 3864. Th. vayle; G. bayle. Th. stede; G. stide. 3877. Both first. 3880. G. fals. Both lye. 3885. G. such. 3889. G. vylonye. 3891. M. supplies for. 3895. Both trechours. 3897. I supply wel. 3902. Both herte I crye. 3907. Both lowe. 3912. G. yhe; Th. eye. 3915. I supply yit. 3917. Th. werreyed; G. werried.
3928. Th. Counsayle. Both must; read mot, and supply take. 3942. Both Do; read To. Both fortresse; F. forteresce. 3943. Both Thanne (Than) close; F. Qui les Roses clorra entor. 3954. Th. blende; G. blynde. 3955. I supply for. 3967. I supply Til. Both last. 3971. Both ferre. 3973. I supply so. 3974. I supply do. 3977. Th. haue. 3979. Both shamed. 3982. G. withoute; Th. without.
3985, 6. G. om. he. 3994. Th. vilanously; G. vilaynesly. 4000. Both right. I supply bothe a-. 4009, 4016. G. doist. 4011. Both bothoms. 4015. Both Stoute, porte. 4021. G. an high; Th. an hye; read in hy. 4026. Both To make. 4036. Both sittith (-eth). 4044. I supply not.
4059. Th. sothe; G. sooth. G. knowe. 4063. as] G. a. 4065. G. om. he. 4072. G. gardyne. 4073. a-fere, i. e. on fire. 4089. Both put it after I. 4096. Both me (for men). 4098. Both myght. 4110. Th. quake; C. quoke. 4111. Both bothom. I supply that.
4114. Th. moche; G. mych. 4120. Th. fresshe; G. fresh. 4158. G. Aboute; Th. About. 4159. G. fademe. 4175. M. supplies ne. 4177. Supply For (F. Car). Both temprure.
4181. Both of; read as. 4188. Both Roses; read Rosers; F. rosiers. 4191. G. and bows; Th. bowes and. 4194. whiche] Both who. 4207. I supply eek. 4208. G. om. kepte. 4220. Th. lefte; G. lyft. 4222. M. supplies hir. 4142. Th. Ofter; G. Ofte.
4246. G. wole. 4254. M. supplies ne. 4264. Th. eye; G. ighe. 4269. Th. deserte; G. disseit. 4272. Both walketh (!). 4283. Both lyue. 4285. Both Which (for Ther); giving no sense. 4288. Th. whiche; G. which. 4289. I supply muche. 4291. Both except. 4293. I supply loveres. 4294. I supply the. 4308. Both bothoms.
4314. G. om. of. 4322. Both wente aboute (a = have). 4337. Both make. 4339. G. tiliers; Th. tyllers. 4344. Th. nyl; G. nel. 4352. Both wente; aboven to haue. 4355. Th. folke; G. folk. 4356. G. glowmbe; Th. glombe. 4357. M. supplies thou. 4358. I supply in. Th. tourneth; G. tourne. 4361. Th. areyse; G. arise. 4363. Th. hyest. Both but; read al. Both lust. 4364. Both trust. 4365. am] Both is. 4366. Both charge. 4372. wal] G. wole; Th. wol.
4394. Both maist. 4401. I supply is. 4403. Both ought. 4404. I supply ther. 4407. I supply man. 4413. Both Owe. 4414. Th. false; G. fals 4425. Both good. 4432. Both falle.
4440. G. reles; Th. relees. 4441. G. baalis; Th. bales. 4448. Th. vtterly. 4452. Th. traueyle. 4460. Th. put; G. putte. 4465. Th. nathelesse; G. neuertheles; after which G. has yit (Th. yet). 4467. Both her (for his). 4472. G. no; Th. ne. 4476. Both preise; read pryse. 4477. Th. a-sondre; G. asundry. 4478. I supply me have; F. Avoir me lest tant de contraires. 4483. G. Dre (!). 4486. G. putte. 4492. G. sonner. 4495. Both ferre.
4509. I supply The. 4510. Both symply; read simpilly? 4511. I supply may. 4513, 4. Th. dout, out; G. doute, oute. 4528. G. verger. 4537. G. Sheo. 4541. G. assayde; G. om. not. 4549. Th. engyns; G. engynnes. 4550. Both Loue; read lorde. 4556. Th. moche that it; G. mych that. 4557. Both lete = leet. 4561. Both yeue good wille; F. se Diex plaist.
4567, 4573, 4584. G. thenke. 4574. Both take. G. att; Th. at. 4587. Om. ne? 4614. G. om. Or. 4615. Rubrie in both. 4617. For not read nist? 4621. G. wijs. 4623. Both right. 4628. Th. came; G. come.
4634. Both the. I insert pyned. Th. suche. 4638. Both myght. 4647. Both liege. 4657. G. I lovede; Th. I loued; read han loved. 4659. (ends at parde); misnumbered 4660 in M. Th. Ye; G. Yhe. 4660. Th. Yes; G. Yhis. 4667. misnumbered 4670 in M. 4672. G. a state. 4680. G. Yhe. 4683. Both knowe. 4684. G. ony.
4689. I supply here lerne; both withouten. 4690. Both withouten. 4700. G. knette; Th. knytte. 4705. Both And through the; read A trouthe. Both frette. 4709. G. vode (for wood); Th. voyde. 4710. G. perelle. 4712. Th. weare. 4713. G. karibdous; Th. Carybdes; F. Caribdis. 4721. Th. lyke; G. like; read sike. Th. sickenesse; G. sekenesse. 4722. G. trust; Th. truste; (thrust = thirst). Both and (for in). 4723. Both And. G. helth. 4725. Both And. G. anger; Th. angre (!). 4728. Both dreried. 4731. Both Sen. 4732. Supply with. 4736. Supply stat; F. Estat trop fers et trop muable.
4755. Both by (for be). 4758. M supplies is. 4762. G. mychel; see 4757. 4764. Both That; read But. 4771, 2. Both bene, flene. 4793. I supply I. Both euer; read er. 4796. Both al by partuere. 4799. Both greven. 4802. Th. lewdest. 4804. Th. lacke; G. lak. 4807. Both diffyned here.
4811. G. kned; Th. knedde. Both bitwixt. 4812. Both With. 4813. Both frely that; I omit that. G. nylle. 4823. Both engendrure; see 6114. 4830. G. om. at. 4834. Both swerne. 4837. Both han her lust. 4839. Th. om. they. 4846. who] Both what. 4856. G. omits; from Th. 4858. Both their; read ther. 4865. Both sette. 4873. G. parfight; T. parfyte.
4875. Th. crease. 4878. Th. vyce; G. wise. 4882. Th. Tullyus; G. Tulius. 4889. Both sette. 4892. G. perell; Th. parel; read tyme. Th. youthe; G. yougth. 4904. Both yalte. I supply him. 4921. Both But that if. 4926. G. om. in. 4931. Th. youth-hede; G. youthede. 4933. thus] Both this. 4935. Both youthes chambre (chambere); read Youthe his chamberere; F. Par Ionesce sa chamberiere. 4936. G. custommere. 4940. Supply she.
4943. Both And mo of (!). 4945. Both remembreth. 4948. Both him; read hem. 4950. Th. ieopardye. 4951. Th. moche; G. mych. 4954. G. avoutrie; Th. avoutrye. 4955. can] Both gan. 4956. Th. suche; G. sich. 4960. Both neither preise. 4996. Th. courte; G. court. 5000. Th. herbegeours; G. herbeiours. 5004. Th. stondeth; G. stondith.
5010. Both weped. 5021. Both he (for hir). 5028. Both list to loue. 5030. Supply so. 5036. Supply ay. 5050. Both gouen. 5051. Both so; read she (or sho). 5059. Both loued. 5062. Th. suche; G. such; I supply a. 5064. Th. Drury; G. drurie. 5068. But] Both That; cf. 4764.
5085. they] Both to. 5099. G. om. thee. 5107. G. herberest hem; Th. herborest. 5111. G. profiȝt. 5116. thy] Both the; F. ton. 5117. Both by thought; F. ta Ionesce. 5124. Th. recouered.
5144. alway] G. ay; Th. aye. 5155. Both That; F. Lors. 5162. (say = assay?) 5165. I supply and been. 5166. I supply love that. 5168. Th. eyther; G. other. 5187. I supply thee.
5223. I supply Ne ... hem. 5229. Both oo state; read oon estate; see 5400. 5234, 49, 53. Supply but, hath, he.
5259. Th. in; G. of. 5261. G. dreded. 5271, 72, 82, 5314, 27. Supply be, is, him, it, if. 5277, 8. Supply As. Th. requyred, fyred. Perhaps om. the. 5283. his] Both this. 5285. Both vnyte. 5286. Th. Tullius; G. Tulius. 5287. A man] Both And. 5292. Th. causes; G. cause; see 5301, 5523. 5301. G. caas; Th. case. 5304. Both ought. 5325. G. amerous.
5330. Th. bydeth; G. bit. 5331, 48, 52, 53. Supply This, it, with, It. 5335. Both he; read she; see 5337, 5341. 5345. Both Thurgh the; I omit the. 5356. Th. blacke; G. blak. 5360. Both greueth so greueth. 5367. Th. fonde; G. fonned. 5375. Both sothe. 5376. Th. his; G. this. 5379. Both him silf (selfe) of. 5389. Both kepen ay his; see 5387. 5390. Th. eyne; G. iyen. 5393. G. alle hise lymes; Th. al his lymmes; I omit alle.
5399. Th. wate; G. wote. 5400, 1. Both estate; ought to be. 5403. Th. sithe; G. se. 5404. Both hath. 5408. in] G. it; Th. om. 5419, 20, 25, 27, 36. Both hym (!); F. les. 5425. G. glorie and veyne. 5431. Both high. 5433. so] Both to. 5446. G. om. very. 5451. I supply greet. 5452. Th. chere (for there); G. cheer (!). 5455. G. aftirward; Th. afterwarde. 5463. Both thus.
5465. Th. hem; G. men. 5470. Th. Of; G. Or with. 5478. Read She sheweth, by experience. 5485. Both without. 5486. Both affect; see note. 5489. Th. goddesse; G. goddes. 5491. Both For al that yeueth here out of drede. 5493. Th. lette; G. late. 5503. Th. they; G. the. 5505. Th. yholpe; G. I hope. 5510. G. feldfare. 5512. I supply the.
5523, 42, 85, 86, 88. Supply the, his, but, more, so. 5544. Both fablyng; F. cheans. 5546. Both caste. 5555. Both in; read is. 5556. Both depe (for doþ). 5569. Th. haue you to haue; G. ha yow to ha. 5577. Both perceyueth.
5590. G. mavis; Th. mauys. 5597. G. aument. 5598. it] Both that. 5611, 38. G. not; Th. nat. 5612. G. hastly. 5617. Both berne. 5627, 43. Supply it, the. 5633. Th. wyght; G. witte. G. honerous. 5640. Th. laste; G. last. 5641. Both take. 5649. G. Pictigoras; Th. Pythagoras.
5661. G. Boice. 5668. Both rent; yeue. 5675. G. wynkith (!). 5683. G. fardeles. 5685. G. feyntith. 5686. G. disdeyntith. 5699. Both where; F. guerre. 5700. I supply more; F. plus. 5701. Both shal thogh he hath geten (!). 5713. Both Thus is thurst.
5727. G. ther; Th. her (=hir). 5734. G. Yhe. 5740. G. phicicien; read fysycien. 5741. G. fy; Th. fye (for sy); see note. 5742. G. om. it. 5749, 51. Supply ne, for. 5755. Both shewing. 5761. Supply it, wh. follows Himself in 5762. 5763. Both ofte. 5771. G. fast. 5781. Both The; F. Trois.
5783. G. mych. 5788. Both vnto. 5791. Th. these; G. this. 5793. G. goode.