IV. (In ten-line stanzas.)

[With-in] my trewe careful herte ther is So moche wo, and [eek] so litel blis,

That wo is me that ever I was bore;
For al that thing which I desyre I mis,
And al that ever I wolde nat, I-wis,

That fynde I redy to me evermore;
And of al this I not to whom me pleyne.
For she that mighte me out of this bringe
Ne reccheth nat whether I wepe or singe;
So litel rewthe hath she upon my peyne.
Allas! whan sleping-tyme is, than I wake,
Whan I shulde daunce, for fere than I quake,

This hevy lyf I lede for your sake,

Thogh ye ther-of in no wyse hede take,

45

50

55

My hertes lady, and hool my lyves quene!
For trewly dorste I seye, as that I fele,
Me semeth that your swete herte of stele
Is whetted now ageynes me to kene.

My dere herte, and best beloved fo,

Why lyketh yow to do me al this wo,

What have I doon that greveth yow, or sayd,
But for I serve and love yow and no mo?
And whylst I live, I wol do ever so;

And therfor, swete, ne beth nat evil apayd.
For so good and so fair as [that] ye be,

Hit wer [a] right gret wonder but ye hadde Of alle servants, bothe goode and badde; And, leest worthy of alle hem, I am he.

45. I supply eek.

60

65

70

44. MS. In; I read With-in. 50. So in Annelida, 237. 54. MS. ins. lo after is. 55. MS. ins. lo after fere. 56, 59. Missing. 57. MS. ins. lo after lede. 68. MS. euer do. 70. I supply that. 71. I supply a. 72. MS. ins. of after bothe.

But never-the-les, my righte lady swete,
Thogh that I be unconning and unmete

To serve as I best coude ay your hynesse,
Yit is ther fayner noon, that wolde I hete,
Than I to do yow ese, or elles bete

What-so I wiste were to [yow distresse].
And had I might as good as I have wille,

Than shulde ye fele wher it wer so or noon;
For in this worlde living is ther noon

That fayner wolde your hertes [wish] fulfille.

For bothe I love, and eek dreed yow so sore,
And algates moot, and have doon yow, ful yore,
That bet loved is noon, ne never shal;
And yit I wolde beseche yow of no more
But leveth wel, and be nat wroth ther-fore,
And lat me serve yow forth; lo! this is al.
For I am nat so hardy ne so wood

For to desyre that ye shulde love me;
For wel I wot, allas! that may nat be;
I am so litel worthy, and ye so good.

For ye be oon the worthiest on-lyve,
And I the most unlykly for to thryve;
Yit, for al this, [now] witeth ye right wele,
That ye ne shul me fro your service dryve
That I nil ay, with alle my wittes fyve,

Serve yow trewly, what wo so that I fele.
For I am set on yow in swich manere

That, thogh ye never wil upon me rewe,
I moste yow love, and ever been as trewe
As any can or may on-lyve [here].

78. MS. youre ; MS. your hyenesse 82. MS. ins.

76. MS. koude best. 77. MS. noon fayner. read yow. 79. MS. wist that were; om. that. (repeated from 1. 76; wrongly); read yow distresse. pane before is. 83. MS. wille (badly); read wish. 96. I supply now. 98. MS. ne wil (for nil) set so hy vpon your whele. 102. MS. beon euer. can; I omit man. I supply here; the line is imperfect.

86. MS. better.

100.

ed. (1561) has 103. MS. man

The more that I love yow, goodly fre,
The lasse fynde I that ye loven me;

Allas! whan shal that harde wit amende?
Wher is now al your wommanly pitee,
Your gentilesse and your debonairtee,

Wil ye no-thing ther-of upon me spende?
And so hool, swete, as I am youres al,

And so gret wille as I have yow to serve,
Now, certes, and ye lete me thus sterve,
Yit have ye wonne ther-on but a smal.

For, at my knowing, I do no-thing why,
And this I wol beseche yow hertely,

That, ther ever ye fynde, whyl ye live,
A trewer servant to yow than am I,
Leveth [me] thanne, and sleeth me hardely,
And I my deeth to you wol al forgive.
And if ye fynde no trewer [man than me],

[Why] will ye suffre than that I thus spille, And for no maner gilt but my good wille? As good wer thanne untrewe as trewe to be.

104. MS. But the; I omit But. 114. MS. nought; read no-thing. 116. MS. whyles.

118. I supply me.

verrayly; ed. no trewer verely (false rime).

120. MS. no trewer so 121. I supply Why.

XXII. AN AMOROUS COMPLEINT.

An amorous Compleint, made at Windesor.

I, WHICH that am the sorwefulleste man
That in this world was ever yit levinge,
And leest recoverer of him-selven can,
Beginne thus my deedly compleyninge

On hir, that may to lyf and deeth me bringe,
Which hath on me no mercy ne no rewthe
That love hir best, but sleeth me for my trewthe.
[Ne] can I seyen nought that may yow lyke,
[For] certes, now, allas! allas! the whyle!

Your plesaunce is to laughen whan I syke,
And thus ye me from al my blisse exyle.
Ye have me cast in that despitous yle
Ther never man on lyve ne might asterte;
This have I for I love yow best, swete herte!
Soth is, that wel I wot, by lyklinesse,
If it wer thing possible [for] to do

For to acounte your beutee and goodnesse,
I have no wonder though ye do me wo;

Sith I, thunworthiest that may ryde or go,
Durste ever thinken in so hy a place,

5

10

15

20

What wonder is, though ye do me no grace?

In MS. Harl. 7333, fol. 133 b and 134. The title is-And next folowyng begynnith an amerowse compleynte made at wyndesore in the laste May tofore Nouembre (sic).

1. Harl. sorowfullest. 2. worlde; leving. 3. leste recouuerer. 4. Be-gynne right thus. 5. lyff; dethe. 6. Whiche hathe; rought

(sic). 7. beste; sleethe. 8. Harl. om. Ne, but inserts it at be-
ginning of 1. 9; Cane I nought ne saye (badly). 9. Ne (for For);
nowe ellas ellas. 10. Youre.
11. frome. 12. Yee; caste;
15. Soothe; weele; woot.
18. noo wondre; yee; woo. 19. Sithe;

spitouse (for despitous). 14. beste.
16. thinge; om. for; doo.
goo. 20. hie. 21. wondir; doo; noo.

Allas! thus is my lyf brought to an ende,
My deeth, I see, is my conclusioun ;
I may we say, in sory tyme I spende
My lyf, that so may have confusioun
For mercy, pitee, and deep affeccioun.
I sey for me, for al my deedly chere,
Alle thise diden, in that, me love yow dere.

25

And in this wyse and [in] dispayre I live
In love; nay, nay, but in dispayre I dye!
But shal I thus [to] yow my deeth for-give,
That causeles doth me this sorow drye?
Ye, certes, I! For she of my folye

30

Hath nought to done, although she do me sterve;
Hit is nat with hir wille that I hir serve!

35

Than sith I am of my sorowe the cause
And sith that I have this, withoute hir reed,
Than may I seyn, right shortly in a clause,
It is no blame unto hir womanheed
Though swich a wrecche as I be for hir deed;
Yet alwey [been] two thinges, doon me dyë,
That is to seyn, hir beutee and myn yë.

So algates, she is [than] the verray rote
Of my disese, and of my dethe also;
For with oon word she mighte be my bote,
If that she vouched sauf for to do so.
But [why] than is hir gladnesse at my wo?

40

45

22. Ellas; Eonde. 23. dethe; conclucioun. 24. wele; sorye. 25. song (! for so); Confucioun. 27. fo (!for for). 28. Alle this; deere. 29. I supply in. 31. I supply to; yowe; dethe for-geve. 33. certe (!); sheo. 34. Hathe; Al-thoughe sheo.

32. dothe.

35. nought (for nat).

seyne.

36. Thane sithe.

39. noo; womanhede.

41. Yette; I supply been; twoo; doone.

43. sheo; I supply than; verraye Roote.

38.

37. sitthe; rede. 40. Thaugh suche; dede.

42. seyne; beaute; eye.

44. diseese; alsoo.

worde sheo myght; boote. 46. sheo wovched saufe; soo.

I supply why; woo.

45.

47.