Page images
PDF
EPUB

Though I have loft my maidenhede,
Shall no man se my chekes rede.
Thus medleth she with joie wo
And with her forwe merth also,
So that of loves maladie

She maketh divers melodie

And faith Love is a wofull bliffe,
A wisdom, which can no man wiffe,
A lufty fever, a wounde fofte.
This note fhe reherseth ofte

To hem, which understonde her tale.
Now have I of this nightingale,
Which erft was cleped Philomene,
Told all that ever wolde mene,
Both of her forme and of her note,
Wherof men may the ftory note.
And of her fufter Progne I finde,
How she was torned out of kinde
Into a swalwe fwift of wing,
Which eke in winter lith fwouning
There as she may no thing be fene,
But whan the world is woxe grene
And comen is the fomer tide.

[ocr errors]

Than fleeth the forth and ginneth to chide

And chitereth out in her langage,

What fallhede is in mariage,

And telleth in a maner fpeche

Of Tereus the spouse breche.
She wol nought in the wodes dwelle,
For the wold openliche telle,

suxilon/ Progne

brinks secret's

And eke for that she was a spouse
Among the folk fhe cometh to house
To do these wives understonde
The falfhode of her husbonde,
That they of hem beware also,
For there be many untrewe of tho.

Thus ben the fufters briddes both
And ben toward the men fo loth,
That they ne woll for pure fhame
Unto no mannes hond be tame,
For ever it dwelleth in her minde
Of that they found a man unkinde,
And that was falfe Tereus.

If fuche one be amonge us,
I not, but his condition
Men say in every region
Withinne town and eke without
Now regneth comunlich about.
And netheles in remembraunce
I woll declare, what vengeaunce
The goddes hadden him ordeigned,
Of that the fufters hadden pleigned.
For anone after he was chaunged
And from his owne kinde ftraunged,
A lappewinke made he was

And thus he hoppeth on the gras,
And on his heed there ftont upright
A creft in token of a knight,
And yet unto this day, men faith,
A lappewinke hath loft his feith

[ocr errors]

Confeffor.

Amans,

9.

And is the brid falsest of alle.

Beware, my fone, er the fo falle,
For if thou be of such covine
Το get of love by ravine
Thy luft, it may the falle thus,
As it befell of Tereus.

My fader, goddes forbode,
Me were lever be fortrode
With wilde hors and be to-drawe,
Er I ayein love and his lawe
Did any thing or loude or ftill,
Which were nought my ladies will.
Men faien, that every love hath drede,
So folweth it, that I her drede,

For I her love, and who fo dredeth
To plese his love and ferve him nedeth.
Thus may ye knowen by this skill,

That no ravine done I will

Ayein her will by such a wey.
But while I live, I will obey
Abiding on her courtefie,
If any mercy wolde her plie.

Forthy my fader, as of this
I wot nought I have do amis.
But furthermore I you befeche,
Some other point that ye me teche,
And axeth forth if there be ought,
That I may be the better taught.

Vivat ut ex fpoliis grandi quam fepe tumultu,
Quo graditur populus, latro perurget iter.

Sic amor ex cafu poterit quo carpere predam,
Si locus eft aptus, cetera nulla timet.

Whan covetise in pouer estate

Stont with him self

upon

debate

Through lacke of his mifgovernaunce,
That he unto his fuftenaunce

Ne can non other waie finde

To get him good, than as the blinde,
Which feeth nought what shal after fall,
That ilke vice, which men call
Of robbery, he taketh on honde,
Wherof by water and by londe
Of thing, which other men beswinke
get
him cloth and mete and drinke,
Him reccheth nought, what he beginne
Through thefte, fo that he may winne.
Forthy to maken his purchas

He

[blocks in formation]

And what thing that he feeth ther paffe
He taketh his parte or more or laffe,
If it be worthy to be take

He can the packes well ranfake.
So prively bereth none about
His gold, that he ne fint it out,
Or other juell what it be
He taketh it as his proprete
In wodes and in feldes eke.
Thus robberie goth to seke,
Where as he may his purchas finde.
And right fo in the fame kinde

[blocks in formation]

My gode fone, as thou might here,
To fpeke of love in the matere
And make a verray resemblance

Right as a thefe maketh his chevefance
And robbeth mennes goodes about
In wode and felde, where he goth out,
So be there of these lovers fome
In wilde stedes where they come
And finden there a woman able
And therto place covenable,
Withoute leve er that they fare
They take a parte of that chaffare.
Ye, though the were a fhepherdeffe
Yet woll the lorde of wantonneffe
Affay, all though she be unmete.
For other mennes good is fwete.
But therof wot nothing the wife
At home, which loveth as her life
Her lord and fit all day wishing
After her lordes home coming.
But whan he cometh home at eve,
Anone he maketh his wife beleve,
For the nought elles fhulde knowe
He telleth her, how his hunt hath blowe,
And howe his houndes have well ronne,

And how there fhone a mery fonne,
And how his hawkes flowen wele.
But he wol telle her never a dele,

How he to love untrewe was
Of that he robbed in the

pas

« PreviousContinue »