As his Rosarie maketh mencioun,

He saith right thus, withouten eny lye ;

Ther may no man Mercury mortifye,

But it be with his brother knowleching.

Lo, how that he, which that first sayd this thing,
Of philosophres fader was, Hermes :

He saith, how that the dragoun douteles
He dyeth nought, but if that he be slayn
With his brother. And that is for to sayn,
By the dragoun, Mercury, and noon other,
He understood, and brimstoon be his brother,
That out of Sol and Luna were i-drawe.

"And therfore," sayde he, "take heed to my sawe:
Let no man besy him this art to seche,

But if that he thentencioun and speche
Of philosophres understonde can;

And if he do, he is a lewed man.

For this sciens, and this connyng," quod he, "Is of the Secré of secretz, pardé."

13360

13370

13361-Lo. This word, which seems necessary to the sense, is not found either in MS. Harl. or in MS. Lansd.

13362-Hermes. The treatise of the philosopher's stone, ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, was popular in the Middle Ages; its author being supposed to have been the founder of the Hermetic philosophy.

13375-the Secré of secretz. "He alludes to a treatise, entitled Secreta Secretorum, which was supposed to contain the sum of Aristotle's instructions to Alexander. See Fabric. Bibl. Gr. v. ii, p. 167. It was very popular in the Middle Ages. Ægidius de Columna, a famous divine and bishop, about the latter end of the thirteenth century, built upon it his book De regimine principum, of which our Occleve made a free translation in English verse, and addressed it to Henry V while prince of Wales. A part of Lydgate's translation of the Secreta Secretorum is printed in Ashmole's Theat. Chem. Brit. p. 397. He did not translate more than about half of it, being prevented by death. See MS. Harl. 2251, and Tanner, Bib. Brit. in v. LYDGATE. The greatest part of the seventh book of Gower's Conf. Amant. is taken from this supposed work of Aristotle."-Tyrwhitt.

Also ther was a disciple of Plato,

That on a tyme sayde his maister to,

As his book Senior wil bere witnesse,

And this was his demaunde in sothfastnesse : 'Tel me the name of thilke privé stoon."

And Plato answered unto him anoon :

"Take the stoon that titanos men name."

13380

"Which is that?" quod he. "Magnasia is the same,"

Sayde Plato.

Ye, sire, and is it thus?

This is ignotum per ignotius.

What is magnasia, good sir, I you pray?"

"It is a water that is maad, I say,

Of elementes foure," quod Plato.

“Telle me the rote, good sire," quod he tho,

"Of that water, if it be your wille."

66

'Nay, nay," quod Plato, "certeyn that I nylle.
The philosophres sworn were everichoon,
That thay ne scholde discovere it unto noon,
Ne in no book it write in no manere;
For unto Crist it is so leef and deere,

That he wil not that it discovered be,
But wher it liketh to his deité

Man to enspire, and eek for to defende

Whom that him liketh; lo, this is the ende."

13390

Than thus conclude I, syn that God of hevene 13400

13378-his book Senior. The Harl. and Lansd. MSS. read Somer. Tyrwhitt observes on this passage," The book alluded to is printed in the Theatrum Chemicum, vol. v, p. 219, under this title: 'Senioris Zadith fil. Hamuelis tabula chymica.' The story which follows of Plato and his disciple, is there told (p. 249), with some variations, of Salomon. 'Dixit Salomon rex, Recipe lapidem qui dicitur Thitarios.Dixit sapiens, Assigna mihi illum. Dixit, est corpus magnesia-Dixit, Quid est magnesia? Respondit, Magnesia est aqua, composita, &c.'" 13389-rote. The Harl. MS. reads, rooche.

Ne wol not that the philosophres nevene,

How that a man schal come unto this stoon,

I rede as for the beste, let it goon.
For who so maketh God his adversarie,
As for to werke eny thing in contrarie
Unto his wil, certes never schal he thrive,
Though that he multiplie terme of al his lyve.
And ther a poynt; for ended is my tale.
God send every trewe man boote of his bale!

THE DOCTOURES PROLOGE.

["YE, let that passen," quod oure hoste, "as now. Sire Doctour of Physike, I praye you,

13411

The Doctoures Prologe. MS. Harl., with others of the best MSS., has no prologue to the tale of the Doctor of Physick. In two MSS. quoted by Tyrwhitt there is a mere colophon to the effect, Here endeth the Frankeleyns Tale, and biginneth the Phisiciens Tale without a prologe. Other MSS. have different prologues; that printed above is given by Tyrwhitt from one MS., but it is not much in Chaucer's style; the following, which is given in the Lansd. MS., is still less so :

"Now trewly," quod oure oste, "this a prati tale;
For litel merveile it is that thou lokest so pale,
Sethen thou hast medeled with so mony thinges;

With bloweinge att the cole to melte bothe brochez and ringes,
And other many jewels dar I undertake,

And that thi lorde couthe us tel if we might him overtake.

Bot lat him go a devel waye, the compaigny is never the wers;

And al suche fals harlotes I sette not be hem a kers;

Bot latt pas overe nowe al thes subtilitees,

And sume worthi man tel us summe veritees,

As

ye, worschipful maister of phisike,

Tellith us somme tale that is a cronyke,

That we may of yowe leren sum witte."

Quod the maister of phisik, " A tale that I finde writte

In cronyke passed of olde tyme,

Herkeneth, for I wil tel it yow in rime."

Tel us a tale of som honest matere."

It schal be don, if that ye wol it here,"

Said this doctour, and his tale began anon. "Now, good men," quod he, "herkeneth everichon."]

THE TALE OF THE DOCTOR OF PHISIK,

THER was, as telleth Titus Lyvius,
A knight, that cleped was Virginius,
Fulfild of honours and of worthines,
And strong of frendes, and of gret riches.
This knight a doughter hadde by his wyf,
And never ne hadde he mo in al his lyf.
Fair was this mayde in excellent beauté
Above every wight that men may se:
For nature hath with sovereyn diligence
I-formed hir in so gret excellence,

13420

As though sche wolde say, "Lo, I nature,
Thus can I forme and peynte a creature,
Whan that me lust; who can me counterfete ?
Pigmalion? nought, though he alwey forge and bete,
Or grave, or peynte: for I dar wel sayn,
Apelles, Zeuxis, schulde wirche in vayn,

13430

The Tale of the Doctor of Phisik. It is hardly necessary to state that this tale is the common story of Virginius and his daughter, related, as here stated, by Livy, but a little modified in its details to suit medieval notions. Chaucer seems to have followed chiefly the version of the story given in his favourite book the Roman de la Rose, (vol. ii, p. 74 et seqq. ed. Meon.) and perhaps he had also in his eye Gower, who gives the story of Virginius in the seventh book of his Confessio Amantis.

13420-This knight a doughter. MSS. Harl. and Lansd. omit the first two words, and read the line, A doughter he hadde by his wyf.

13431- Apelles, Zeuxis. The Harl. and Lansd. MSS. read the names

Other to grave, or paynte, or forge or bete,
If thay presumed me to counterfete.
For he that is the former principal,
Hath maad me his viker general

To forme and peynte erthely creature
Right as me lust, al thing is in my cure
Under the moone that may wane and waxe.
And for my werke no thing wol I axe;
My lord and I ben fully at accord.
I made hir to the worschip of my lord;
So do I alle myn other creatures,

What colour that thay been, or what figures."
Thus semeth me that nature wolde say.

This mayde was of age twelf yer and tway,
In which that nature hath suche delite.
For right as sche can peynte a lili white
And rody a rose, right with such peynture
Sche peynted hath this noble creature
Er sche was born, upon hir limes fre,
Wheras by right such colours schulde be:
And Phebus deyed hadde hire tresses grete,
I-lyk to the stremes of his borned hete.
And if that excellent was hir beauté,

A thousand fold more vertuous was sche.

In hire ne lakketh no condicioun,

13440

13450

corruptly, Appollus, Zepherus. This reference to the painters of antiquity as well as most of the ideas relating to the personification and operations of nature, are taken from the Roman de la Rose. See vol. iii, p. 102,3. ed. Meon. 13451. I have in this line adopted Tyrwhitt's reading. The Harl. MS. reads, Here als bright as such colour schulde be. MS. Lansd. has

the same reading.