XIX. THE COMPLEINT OF CHAUCER TO HIS

EMPTY PURSE.

To you, my purse, and to non other wight
Compleyne I, for ye be my lady dere!
I am so sory, now that ye be light;
For certes, but ye make me hevy chere,
Me were as leef be leyd up-on my bere;
For whiche un-to your mercy thus I crye:
Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I dye!

Now voucheth sauf this day, or hit be night,
That I of you the blisful soun may here,
Or see your colour lyk the sonne bright,
That [as] of yelownesse hadde never pere.
Ye be my lyf, ye be myn hertes stere,
Quene of comfort and of good companye:
Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I dye!

Now purs, that be to me my lyves light,

And saveour, as doun in this worlde here,
Out of this toune help me through your might,
Sin that ye wole nat ben my tresorere;
For I am shave as nye as any frere.
But yit I pray un-to your curtesye:
Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I dye!

5

10

15

20

The MSS. are: F. (Fairfax 16); Harl. (Harl. 7333); Ff. (Camb. Univ. Library, Ff. 1. 6); P. (Pepys 2006); Add. (Addit. 22139); also Cx. (Caxton's edition). I follow F. mainly.

TITLE. So in Cx. (but with Un-to for to); F. om. empty; P. La compleint de Chaucer a sa Bourse Voide.

1. F. yow.

be; F. been.

F. H. but yf ye;

yow; sovne.

lyfe; hertys.

2. F. Complayn; Harl. P. Compleyne.

now.

3. Harl.

4. Add. That; P. But; rest For. P. Add. but ye; Ff. but yif ye; Cx. ye 5. Add. leyd; F. 8. F. hyt; nyght. II. I supply as. 12. F.

layde. 7. F. Beeth; ageyne; mote. 10. F. lyke; bryght.

purse. F. ben. 19. Harl. P. any;

moote.

9. F.

18. F. bene.

14. F. ageyne; moote. 15. P. Cx. purs; F. Add.
17. F. Oute; helpe; thurgh.
Add. eny; Cx. ony; F. is a. 21. F. Bethe; ayen;

Lenvoy de Chaucer.

O conquerour of Brutes Albioun !

Which that by lyne and free eleccioun

Ben verray king, this song to you I sende;
And ye, that mowen al myn harm amende,
Have mynde up-on my supplicacioun !

25

F. Lenvoy de Chaucer; Harl. P. Lenvoye; Cx. Thenuoye of Chaucer vnto the kynge. 23. F. Whiche. F. lygne; Harl. Cx. Ff. P. lyne. 24. F. Been; kynge; yow. 25. F. alle myn harme; Ff. alle oure harmes; Harl. all oure harmous; P. Cx. alle harmes.

XX. PROVERBS.

I.

WHAT shul thees clothes many-fold,
Lo! this hote somers day?-
After greet heet cometh cold;

No man caste his pilche away.

4

II.

Of al this world the wyde compas

Hit wol not in myn armes tweyne.―
Who-so mochel wol embrace

Litel therof he shal distreyne.

The MSS. are: F. (Fairfax 16); Ha. (Harl. 7578); Ad. (Addit. 16165). I follow F. mainly.

1. Ad. pees; F. Ha. these.

All needlessly insert thus after clothes.

F. many-folde. 2. F. Loo; hoote. 3. F. grete hete; Ha. greet hete; Ad. heet. F. colde. 4. Ha. pilche; F. pilch. 5. F. all; worlde. Ad. wyde; F. Ha. large. Ad. Ha. compas; F. compace. 6. Ad. Hit; F. Yt. Ad. wol; F. Ha. wil. Ad. myn; F. Ha. my. 7. F. Whoo-so.

APPENDIX.

XXI. A COMPLEINT TO HIS LADY.

I. (In seven-line stanzas.)

THE longe night, whan every creature

Shulde have hir rest in somwhat, as by kynde,
Or elles ne may hir lyf nat long endure,
Hit falleth most in-to my woful mynde

How I so fer have broght my-self behynde,

That, sauf the deeth, ther may no-thing me lisse,
So desespaired I am from alle blisse.

This same thoght me lasteth til the morwe,
And from the morwe forth til hit be eve;

Ther nedeth me no care for to borwe,

For bothe I have good leyser and good leve;
Ther is no wight that wol me wo bereve

To wepe y-nogh and wailen al my fille;
The sore spark of peyne doth me spille.

II. (In Terza Rima; imperfect.)

[The sore spark of peyne doth me spille;] This Love hath [eek] me set in swich a place

15

Of these fragments there is but one MS. copy, in MS. Harl. 78, in which (as in ed. 1561) it is written in continuation of the Complaint unto Pity. The spelling is bad, and I alter it throughout.

1. MS. nyghtes; see 1. 8. 2, 3. hir; MS. theyre. 7. ed. (1561) dispaired. 12. MS. me; ed. my. 14. Both insert now before doth. 15. It seems necessary to repeat this line in order to start the series of rimes. 16. MS. This loue that hathe me set; I omit that, and supply eek.

That my desyr [he] never wol fulfille;

For neither pitee, mercy, neither grace

Can I nat fynde; yit [from] my sorwful herte,
For to be deed, I can hit nat arace.

The more I love, the more she doth me smerte;
Through which I see, with-oute remedye,
That from the deeth I may no wyse asterte;
[For this day in her servise shal I dye].

III. (In Terza Rima; imperfect.)

[Thus am I slain, with sorwes ful dyverse;
Ful long agoon I mighte have taken hede].
Now sothly, what she hight I wol reherse;
Her name is Bountee, set in womanhede,
Sadnesse in youthe, and beautee prydelees,
And plesaunce, under governaunce and drede;
Her surname eek is Faire Rewthelees,
The Wyse, y-knit un-to good Aventure,
That, for I love her, sleeth me giltelees.
Her love I best, and shal whyl I may dure,
Bet than my-self an hundred thousand deel,
Than al this worldes richesse or creature.
Now hath nat Lovë me bestowed weel
To love, ther I never shal have part?
Allas! right thus is turned me the wheel,
Thus am I slayn with loves fyry dart.
I can but love her best, my swete fo;
Love hath me taught no more of his art
But serve alwey, and stinte for no wo.

26.

17. I supply he (i. e. Love). 19. MS. and yit my; I omit and, and supply from. 24. Supplied to complete the rime from Compl. Mars, 189. 25. Supplied from Compl. Pite, 22, 17. Supplied from Annelida, 307. 31. MS. is eek. wyse eknytte (corrupt?). 33. MS. hir she; I omit she. Corrupt? Perhaps read riche creature. 40. MS. fury.

of alle his?

32. MS. The

36. 42. Read