They helde hem paied of fruitės that they

ete,

Whiche that the feldės yave hem by usage, They ne were nat for-pampred with out

rage.

Unknowėn was the quern and eek the melle, They eten mast, hawės, and swych pounage, And dronken water of the colde welle.

Yit nas the ground nat wounded with the plough,

But corn up-sprong, unsowe of mannes hond,

ΙΟ

Yit were no paleis chaumbrės, ne

halles ;

In caves and [in] wodės softe and swes Slepten this blissed folk withowté wals On gras or leves in parfit joye and que No down of fetherės, ne no bleched she Was kid to hem, but in seurtee they sle Hir hertės were al oon withoutė galle Everich of hem his feith to other kepte

Unforged was the hauberke and the plate;

y-nough;

No shipyit karf the wawes grene and blewe; No marchaunt yit ne fette outlandissh ware; No trompes for the werres folk ne knewe, Netowres heye and wallės rounde or square.

What sholde it han avayled to werreye? Ther lay no profit, ther was no richesse; But cursed was the tyme, I dar wel seye, That men first dide hir swety besynesse To grobbe up metal lurkyng in darknesse, And in the ryverės fyrst gemmės soghte; Allas! than sprong up al the cursednesse Of covetyse that fyrst our sorwe broughte!

Thise tyraunts putte hem gladly nat in
pres

No wyldnesse ne no busshes for to wynne.
Ther póverte is, as seith Diogenes,
Ther as vitaile is eek so skars and thinne,
That noght but mast or apples is ther-inne;
But ther as baggės been and fat vitaile
Ther wol they gon and spare for no synne
With al hir ost the cyte forto asayle.

3. Both MSS. read the fruites.

40

34. li reads places wyldnesse; Hh place of wyldnesse.

But ech of hem wolde other wel cheryce
No pridė, non envye, non avaryce,
No lord, no taylage by no tyranye,
Humblesse, and pes, good feith, the
emperice,

For in our dayes nis but covetyse, [And] dowblenesse, and tresoun, ani

IV. LA RESPOUNSE DE FOrtune
COUNTRE LE PLEINTIF

Thou pinchest at my mutabilitee,
For I thee lente a drope of my richesse,
And now me lyketh to withdrawė me.
Why sholdestow my realtee oppresse? 60
The seemay ebbe and flowen more or lesse;
The welkne hath might to shynė, reyne
or hayle;

Right so mot I kythen my brotelnesse :
In general, this reulė may nat fayle.

Lo, thexecucion of the magestee
That al purveyeth of his rightwysnesse
That same thyng Fortune' clepen ye,
Ye blyndė bestės, ful of lewėdnesse !
The hevene hath propretee of sikernesse;
This world hath ever restéles travayle; 70
Thy laste day is ende of myn intresse :
In general, this reulė may nat fayle.

LENVOY DE FORTUNE

Princes, I prey you of your gentilesse Lat nat this man on me thus crye and pleyne,

51. li to for it.

75

And I shal quytė you your bisynesse
At my requeste, as three of you or tweyne ;
And but you list releve him of his peyne,
Preyeth his beste frend, of his noblesse
That to som bettre estat he may atteyne.

Made thee of noght, and in especiál
Draw unto him, and pray in general
For thee, and eek for other, hevenlich
mede;

And trouthe shall delivere, it is no dred
Explicit le bon conseil de G. Chaucer.

TRUTH

ΙΟ

Tempest thee noght al croked to redresse
In trust of hir that turneth as a bal :
Greet resté stant in litel besynesse ;
An eek be war to sporne ageyn an al;
Stryve noght, as doth the crokke with the
wal.

Dauntė thy-self, that dauntest otherės dede,
And trouthe shall delivere, it is no drede.

That thee is sent, receyve in buxumnesse, The wrastling for this worlde axeth a fal. Her nis non hoom, her nis but wildernesse. Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beste, out

GENTILESSE

MORAL BALADE OF CHAUCER THE firstė stok and fader of gentilesse,What man that claymeth gentil for to be Moste folwe his trace and alle his wittes dresse

Vertu to sewe and vyces for to flee.

For unto vertu longeth dignitee, And nought the revers, saufly dar I deme. Al were he mytre, croune, or diademe. This firstė stok was ful of rightwysnesse,

Trewe of his word, sobre, pitous and free, Clene of his goste and loved besynesse, Ageynst the vyce of slouthe, in honester; And but his heir love vertu, as dide be, He nis nought gentil though he riche seme Al were he mitre, croune, or diademe.

Vyce may wel be heyr to old richesse, But there may no man, as ye may we

see,

Bequethe his heyr his vertuous noblesse: That is approprėd unto no degree,

But to the firste Fader in magestee, That maketh his heyr him that wol hir queme,

Al were he mytre, croune, or diademe.

LAK OF STEDFASTNESSE

BALADE

SOM tyme this world was so stedfast and stable

That mannes word was obligacioun, And now hit is so fals and deceivable That word and deed, as in conclusioun.

1. A The first fader and founder; H fa and fynder; Harl. fader fynder.

2. THC Ha. desireth; Add. coueytetk.

worthynesse,

Mowe wepe and wayle, and passioun endure,

As may in erthe a mortale creature. Allas! fro whennės may this thing procede?

Of whiche errour I deye almost for drede.

By worde eterne whilom was it y-shape, That fro the fifté cercle, in no manére, Ne myghte a drope of terès doun eschape. But now so wepeth Venus in hir spere, 11 That with hir terès she wol drenche us here.

Allas, Scogan! this is for thyn offence! Thou causest this deluge of pestilence.

Hast thou not seyd in blaspheme of this goddės,

Through pride, or through thy gretė rekelnesse,

Swich thing as in the lawe of love forbode is?

That, for thy lady saw nat thy distresse, Therfor thou yave hir up at Michelmesse? Allas, Scogan! of oldė folk ne yonge, 20 Was never erst Scogan blamed for his tonge.

Thou drowe in scorn Cupide eek to recorde

Of thilke rebel word that thou hast spoken, For which he wol no lenger be thy lord.

Explicit.

LENVOY DE CHAUCER A
SCOGAN

TO-BROKEN been the statutes hye in
hevene,

That creat were eternally to dure,
Sith that I see the bryghté goddės sevene

5. Ct. F Harl. 7578 Is no thing lyke; Add. Ar nothing like.

10. Tr. Th. Ct. F Add. Harl. 7578 For amonge us; Bann. Among us now.

17. Harl. 7578 Ct. F man for wyght.
28. Harl. 7578 Ct. F Tr. Th. And wed.

broken,

He wol nat with his arwès been y-wroken On thee, ne me, ne noon of our figure; We shul of him have neyther hurte ne cure.

Now certės, frend, I drede of thyn unhappe,

Leste for thy gilte the wreche of love procede

30 On alle hem that ben hore and rounde of shape,

That ben so lykly folk in love to spede. Than shul we for our labour han no mede; But wel I wot, thou wilt answere and seye, 'Loo, tholdė Grisel list to ryme and pleye!'

4. wepe and wayle. Probably a reference to the heavy rains and floods of 1393.