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2.

Hic loquitur con

And ftant of alle vertue bare

Here after as I fhall declare.

Qui nichil attemptat, nichil expedit, oreque muta
Munus amicicie vir fibi raro capit.

Eft modus in verbis, fed ei qui parcit amori
Verba referre fua non favet ullus amor.

Touchend of flouth in his degre,

feffor de quadam There is yet pufillamite, fpecie accidie, que

pufillanimitas dicta Which is to fay in this langage

eft, cuius ymagina

tiva formido neque He that hath litel of corage

virtutes aggredi,

neque vicia fugere And dare no mannes werk beginne, audet, ficque utri

ufque vite tam ac- So may he nought by refon winne.

tive quam contem

plative premium For who that nought dare undertake, By right he shall no profit take.

non attingit.

But of this vice the nature

Dare nothing fet in aventure,

Him lacketh bothe worde and dede,
Wherof he shuld his cause spede.
He woll no manhode understonde,
For ever he hath drede upon honde
All is perill that he shall say,

Him thenketh the wolfe is in the way.
And of ymaginacion

He maketh his excusacion

And feigneth caufe of pure drede

And ever he faileth ate nede,

Till all be spilt, that he with deleth.
He hath the fore, which no man heleth,
The whiche is cleped lacke of herte,
Though every grace about him fterte,

He woll nought ones ftere his fote,
So that by refon lese he mote,
That woll nought aunter for to winne.
And fo forth, fone, if we beginne
To speke of love and his service,
There ben truantes in fuche a wife,
That lacken herte, whan best were
They speken of love, and right for fere
They waxen dombe and dare nought telle
Withouten foun, as doth the belle,
Whiche hath no clapper for to chime.
And right fo they, as for the time
Ben herteles withoute fpeche
Of love and dare nothing befeche.
And thus they lefe and winne nought.
Forthy my fone, if thou art ought
Coulpable as touchend of this flouthe,
Shrive the therof and tell me trouthe.
My fader, I am all beknowe,
That I have ben one of the flowe
As for to telle in loves cas.

Min herte is yet and ever was,

As though the world fhuld al to-breke,
So ferful, that I dare nought speke
Of what purpos that I have nome,
Whan I toward my lady come,
But let it paffe and overgo.
My fone, do no more fo.
For after that a man pursueth,
To love fo fortune fueth

Confeffor.

Amans.

Confeffor.

Hic in amoris caufa

loquitur contra pu

fillanimes et dicit,

quod amans pro ti

more verbis obtumef

Ful oft and yiveth her happy chaunce
To him, which maketh continuaunce
To preie love and to beseche,
As by enfample I shall the teche.
I finde, how whilom there was one,
Whose name was Pigmaleon,

Which was a lufty man of youthe.

cere non debet, fed The werkes of entaile he couthe concinnando preces

fui amoris expedicio- Above all other men as tho.

nem tucius profequa

tur, et ponit confef- And through fortune it felle him fo

for exemplum, quali

ter Pigmaleon pro eo, As he, whom love shall travaile, quod preces continu

avit, quandam ymagi- He made an ymage of entaile nem eburneam, cuius Lich to a woman in semblaunce pulcritudinis concu

pifcencia illaqueatus Of feture and of contenaunce,

extitit, in carnem et

fanguinem ad latus So faire yet never was figure.

fuum transformatam fenciit.

Right as a lives creature

She femeth, for of yvor white
He hath it wrought of such delite,
That she was rody on the cheke
And rede on both her lippes eke,
Wherof that he him felf beguileth.
For with a goodly loke the smileth,
So that through pure impreffion
Of his ymagination

With all the herte of his corage
His love upon this faire ymage
He fet, and her of love preide.
But she no worde ayeinward said.
The longe day what thing he dede
This ymage in the same stede

Was ever by, that ate mete

He wold her ferve and praide her ete And put unto her mouth the cup. And whan the bord was taken up, He hath her unto his chambre nome, And after whan the night was come, He laide her in bed all naked. He was forwept, he was forwaked, He kiste her colde lippes ofte And wissheth, that they weren fofte. And ofte he rouneth in her ere, And ofte his arm now here now there He laide, as he her wolde embrace. And ever among he axeth grace, As though the wifte what it mente. And thus him felf he gan tormente With fuch difefe of loves peine, That no man might him more peine. But how it were of his penaunce He made fuche contenaunce Fro day to night and praid fo longe, That his praiere is underfonge, Which Venus of her grace herde By night, and whan that he worst ferde And it lay in his naked arme, The colde ymage he feeleth warme Of flesshe and bone and full of life. Lo, thus he wanne a lufty wife, Whiche obeifaunt was at his will. And if he wolde have hold him still

Confeffor.

Hic ponit exemplum fuper eodem, qualiter

And nothing spoke, he fhuld have failed.
But for he hath his word travailed

And durfte speke, his love he spedde
And had all that he wolde abedde.
For er they wente than a two,
A knave child betwene hem two
They gete, which was after hote
Paphus, of whom yet hath the note
A certain ile, which Paphos

Men clepe, and of his name it rose.

By this ensample thou might finde,
That word may worche above kinde.
Forthy my fone, if that thou spare
To speke, loft is all thy fare,
For flouthe bringeth in alle wo.
And over this to loke alfo
The god of love is favorable
To hem, that ben of love ftable.
And many a wonder hath befalle,
Wherof to speke amonges alle,
If that the lift to taken hede,
Therof a folempne tale I rede,

Whiche I fhall telle in remembraunce
Upon the forte of loves chaunce.

The king Ligdus upon a ftrife

rex Ligdus uxori fue Spake unto Thelacuse his wife, Thelacufe pregnanti Which thanne was with childe minabatur, quod fi fi

grete,

liam pareret, infans He fwore it fholde nought be lette,

occideretur, que ta

men poftea cum fili- That if the have a doughter bore, am ediderat, Yfis dea

partus tunc prefens That it ne fholde be forlore

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