All for they fhulde fpeke wele.
Thus mow ye fe my befy whele,
That goth nought ideliche aboute.
And if her lift to riden oute
On pelrinage or other stede,
I come, though I be nought bede,
And take her in min arme alofte
And fet her in her fadel fofte
And fo forth lede her by the bridel,
For that I wolde nought ben idel.
And if her lift to ride in chare,
And than I may therof beware,
Anone I shape me to ride
Right even by the chares fide.
And as I may, I fpeke amonge,
And other while I finge a fonge,
Whiche Ovide in his bokes made,
And said: O which forwes glad,
O which wofull profperite
Belongeth to the proprete

Of love? who fo wold him ferve,

And yet there fro may no man fwerve,

That he ne mot his lawe obey.

And thus I ride forth my wey

And am right befy overall

With herte, and with my body all,

As I have faide you here to-fore.
My gode fader tell therfore

Of idelnesse if I have gilt.

My fone, but thou telle wilt

Ought elles, than I may now here,
Thou shalt have no penaunce here.
And netheles a man may se,
How now a daies that there be
Full many of fuch hertes flowe,
That woll nought befien hem to knowe
What thing love is, til ate laft,
That he with ftrengthe hem overcast
That malgre hem they mot obey
And done all idelship awey
To ferve wel and befiliche.
But fone, thou art none of fich,
For love shall the wel excufe.
But otherwise if thou refuse
To love thou might fo par cas
Ben idel, as fomtime was

A kinges doughter unavised,

Til that Cupide her hath chastised,

Wherof thou shalt a tale here
Accordant unto this matere.

Of Armenie I rede thus,
There was a king whiche Herupus
Was hote, and he a lufty maide
To doughter had, and as men faide
Her name was Rofiphele,
Which tho was of great renome.
For fhe was bothe wife and faire
And fhulde ben her faders heire.
But he had o defaulte of flouthe
Towardes love, and that was routhe.

Hic ponit confessor exemplum contra iftos, qui amoris occupacionem omittentes, gravioris infortunii cafus expectant, et narrat de quadam Armenie regis filia, que huiufmodi condicionis in principio juventutis ociofa perfiftens, mirabili poftea vifione caftigata in amoris obfequium pre ceteris diligencior efficitur.

For fo well couthe no man fay,
Which mighte fet her in the way
Of loves occupacion

Through none ymaginacion,

That scole wolde she nought knowe.
And thus fhe was one of the flowe
As of fuche hertes befineffe,

Till whanne Venus the goddeffe,
Which loves court hath for to reule,
Hath brought her into better reule
Forth with Cupide, and with his might,
For they merveile of suche a wight,
Which tho was in her lufty age
Defireth nouther mariage

Ne yet the love of paramours,

Which ever hath ben the comun cours
Amonges hem, that lufty were.

So was it fhewed after there.
For he, that highe hertes loweth,
With firy dartes, whiche he throweth
Cupide, whiche of love is god,
In chastifinge hath made a rod
To drive away her wantonneffe,
So that within a while I geffe
She had on fuche a chaunce fporned,
That all her mod was overtorned,
Which first she had of flowe manere.
For thus it felle, as thou fhalt here.

Whan come was the month of may, She wolde walke upon a day,

And that was er the fonne arift,
Of women but a fewe it wist.
And forth she wente prively
Unto the park was faste by,
All fofte walkend on the gras,
Till she came there the launde was,
Through which ther ran a great rivere.
It thought her faire and faide: Here
I woll abide under the fhawe,

And bad her women to withdrawe
And there fhe ftood alone stille
To thenke what was in her wille.
She figh the swote floures springe,
She herde gladde foules finge,
She figh the bestes in her kinde,

The buck, the doo, the hert, the hinde,

The male go with the femele.

And so began there a quarele

Betwene love and her owne herte,
Fro which the couthe nought afterte.
And as she caft her eye aboute,
She figh clad in one fute a route
Of ladies, where they comen ride
A longe under the wodes fide.
On faire amblende hors they fet,
That were all white, faire and great,
And everychone ride on fide.
The fadels were of fuche a pride
With perle and gold so well begone,

So riche figh fhe never none,

In kirtles and in copes riche
They weren clothed alle aliche
Departed even of white and blewe
With alle luftes, that fhe knewe,
They were embrouded over all,
Her bodies weren longe and small.
The beaute fair upon her face
It may none erthly thing deface,
Corounes on her hede they bere
As eche of hem a quene were,
That all the golde of Crefus halle
The lefte coronall of alle

Ne might have bought after the worth.
Thus comen they ridende forth.
The kinges doughter, which this figh,
For pure abas he drewe her adrigh
And helde her clofe under a bough
And let hem paffen stille inough.
For as her thought in her avise,
To hem that weren of fuche a price
She was nought worthy to axen there,

Fro whenne they come, or what they were,
But lever than this worldes good

She wolde have wift how that it stood

And put her hede a litel out,
And as fhe loked her aboute,
She figh comend under the linde

A woman upon an hors behinde.
The hors, on which fhe rode, was black,

All lene and galled upon the back