Wherof the nimphés of the welles
And other that there weren elles
Unto the wodés belongénde
The body, which was dede ligénde,
For puré pité that they have
Under gravé they begrave.1
And than out of his sepulture
There spronge anone peráventúre
Of flourés suche a wonder sight,
That men ensample také might
Upon the dedés whiche he dede.
And tho was sene in thilké stede,
For in the winter fressh and faire
The flourés ben, whiche is contraire
To kinde, and so was the folie
Which felle of his Surquederie.

"Thus he which Love had in

disdeigne,

Worst of all other was beseine, And as he set his prise most hie, He was lest worthy in Lovés eye And most bejapéd in his wit, Wherof the remembraunce is yit; So that thou might ensample take, And eke all other, for his sake."

"My fader, as touchénd of me This Vice I thenké for to fle, Whiche of his wening overthroweth And namélich 2 of thing which groweth

In Lovés cause or well or wo,
Yet prided I me never so.
But woldé God that gracé sende,
That toward me my lady wende
As I towardés hiré wene,
My lové shuldé so be sene
There shuldé go no Pride a place.
But I am fer fro thilké grace
And for to speke of time nowe
So mote I suffre and praié you
That ye woll axe on other side,
If there be any point of Pride
Wherof it nedeth me to be
shrive."—

1 Begrave, bury. 2 Namelich, especially.

"My soné, God it thee foryive, If thou have any thing misdo Touchend of this, but evermo Ther is another yet of Pride Which couthé never his wordés hide,

That he ne wold him selfe avaunt.
There may nothing his tungé daunt,
That he ne clappeth as a belle, 1
Wherof if thou wolt that I telle
It is behovely for to here,
So that thou might thy tungé stere
Toward the worlde and stonde in

grace,

Which lacketh ofte in many a place To him that can nought sitté stille, Whiche ellés shuld have all his wille

Boasting.

The vice clepéd Avauntánce 1 With Pride hath take his ácqueintánce,

So that his owné prise he lasseth Whan he such mesure overpasseth, That he his owné herald. is.

That first was wel is thanné mis, That was thankworthy is than blame,

And thus the worship of his name Through pride of his avauntarie He torneth into vilenie.

I rede, how that this proudé Vice Hath thilké wind in his office Which through the blastés that he bloweth

The mannés fame he overthroweth Of vertue which shulde ellés

springe

Unto the worldés knoulechinge.
But he fordoth it all to sore,
And right of such a maner lore
There ben lovers; forthý if thou
Art one of hem, tell and say how,
1 Avauntánce, vaunting, boasting.

F

Whan thou hast taken any thinge Of loves yefte or ouche1 or ringe, Or toke upon thee for the colde Some goodly word that thee was tolde

Of frendly chere or token or letter, Wherof thin herté was the better, Of that she sendé thee gretinge, Hast thou for pride of thy likinge Made thin avaunt where as thee liste?"

"I woldé, fader, that ye wiste
My consciêncé lith not here.
Yet had I never such matere,
Wherof min herté might amende,
Nought of so mochel as she sende
By mouth and saidé, 'grete him
wel.'

And thus for that there is no dele
Wherof to maké min avaunt,
It is to reson accordaunt,
That I may never, but I lie,
Of lové make avauntarie.

I wote nought what I shulde have do
If that I had encheson so

As ye have said here many one;
But I found causé never none,
But Daunger which me welnigh
slough.

Therof I couthé telle inough
And of none other avauntaunce.
Thus nedeth me no repentaunce.
Now axeth further of my life,
For herof am I nought gultife."-

"My sone, I am wel paid withall,
For wite it wel in speciall,
That love of his verray justice
Above all other ayein this Vice
At allé timés most debateth
With all his hert and most it hateth.
And eke in allé maner wise
Avauntarie is to despise,
As by ensample thou might wite,
Whiche I finde in the bokés write.
1 Ouche, jewel in its setting.

Of hem that we Lombárdes now
calle

Albinus was the firste of alle
Which baré crowne of Lombardie,
And was of great chivalerie
In werre ayeïnst divers kinges.
So felle it amonge other thinges
That he that time a werré had
With Gurmund which the Geptes
lad,1

And was a mightie kinge also.
But nethéles it fell him so
Albinus slough him in the felde,
Ther halpe him nouther spere ne
shelde,

That he ne smote his heved of thanne,

Wherof he toke awey the panne,
Of whiche he saide he woldé make
A cuppé for Gurmundés sake
To kepe and drawe into memoire
Of his bataile the victoire.
And thus when he the felde had

wonne,

The londe anon was overronne
And seséd in his owné honde ;
Where he Gurmundés doughter
fonde,

Which maidé Rosemundé hight,
And was in every mannés sight
A fair, a fressh, a lusty one.
His herté fell to her anone,
And suche a love on her he cast,
That he her wedded atté last.
And after that long time in reste
With her he dwelleth, and to the
beste

They love eche other wonder wele. But she that kepeth the blindé whele,

Venus, when they be most above
In all the hottest of her love,
Her whele she torneth: and they
felle

1 Lad, led.

In the manér, as I shall telle.
This king which stood in all his
welth

Of pees, of worship and of helth,
And felt him on no sidé greved
As he that hath his worlde acheved,
Tho thought he wolde a festé make
And that was for his wivés sake,
That she the lordés atté feste,
That were obeisaunt to his heste,
May knowe. And so forth there

upon

He lette ordeigne and send anon
By letters and by messengers
And warned all his officers,
That every thing be well arraied,
The greaté stedés were assaied
For justinge and for tornement,
And many a perléd garnément
Embrouded was ayein the day.
The lordés in her beste array
Be comen at the timé set;
One justeth well, an other bet,
And other while they torney;
And thus they casten care awey
And token lustés upon honde.
And after thou shalt understonde
To mete into the kingés halle
They comen, as they be bidden alle.
And whan they weré set and served
Than after, as it was deserved
To hem that worthy knightés were,
So as they setten here and there,
The prise was yove and spoken out
Among the heralds all about.
And thus benethe and eke above
All was of armés and of love,
Wherof abouten atté bordes
Men had many sondry wordes,
That of the mirthé which they made
The kinge him self began to glade
Within his hert and toke a Pride
And sigh the cuppé stonde aside,
Which made was of Gurmundés

hed,

As ye have herd, when he was ded,
And was with golde and riché stones
Beset and boundé for the nones,
And stode upon a fote on highte
Of burnéd golde, and with great
slighte

Of werkmenship it was begrave
Of such worke as it shuldé have
And was polisséd eke so clene
That no signe of the scull was sene
But as it were a gripés1 eye.
The king bad bere his cuppe awey
Which stood before him on the borde
And fetté thilke.2 Upon his worde
The sculle is fette and wine ther-
inne,

Wherof he bad his wife beginne :
'Drink with thy fader, dame,' he

said.

And she to his bidding obeid
And toke the sculle, and what her list
Shedrank, as she which nothing wist
What cup it was. And than all out
The kinge in audience about
Hath tolde, it was her faders sculle,
1
So that the lordés knowé shulle
Of his bataile a soth witnesse,
And made avaunt through what
prowesse

He hath his wivés lové wonne,
Whiche of the sculle hath so be-

gonne.

Tho was there mochel pride alofte, They spoken all, and she was softe, Thenkend on thilke unkindé Pride, Of that her lord, so nigh her side, Avaunteth him that he hath slaine And piked out her faders braine And of the sculle had made a cuppe. She suffreth all till they were uppe, And tho she hath sekenessé feigned And goth to chambre and hath compleigned

1 Gripes, eagle's.

2 Fette thilke, fetch that one.

Unto a maidé which she triste,1
So that none other wight it wiste.
This maidé Glodeside is hote,
To whom this lady hath behote?
Of ladiship all that she can
To vengen her upon this man,
Which did her drink 3 in suche a
plite

Among hem allé for despite
Of her and of her fader bothe,
Wherof her thoughtés ben SO
wrothe,

She saith, that she shall nought be glad,

Till that she se him so bestad
That he no moré make avaunt.
And thus they felle in covenaunt,
That they accorden atté laste
With suché wilés as they caste,
That they wol get of here accorde
Some orpéd knight tosle this lorde.
And with this sleighté they beginne,
How they Helmegé mighten winne,
Which was the kingés botéler,
A proude and lusty bachiler,
And Glodeside he loveth hote.
And she to make him more assote 5
Her lové graunteth, and by nighte
They shape how they to-gider
mighte

And axeth him what he hath do,
And who she was she tolde him tho
And said: 'Helmege, I am thy quene,
Now shall thy lové well be sene
Of that thou hast thy willé wrought;
Or it shall soré ben abought,
Or thou shalt worche, as I thee saie.
And if thou wolt by suche a waie
Do my plesaúnce and holde it stille,
For ever I shall ben at thy wille
Bothe I and all min heritage.'

Anone the wildé lovés rage,
In which no man him can governe,
Hath made him that he can nought
werne,1

But felle all hole to her assent, And thus the whele is all miswent, The which Fortúne hath upon

fonde

A chambre derké without light
And goth to beddé to this knight.
And he to kepe his observaunce
To lové doth his obeisaunce
And weneth it be Glodeside.
And she than after lay a side

1 Triste, trusted.

2 Behote, promised.

3 Did her drink, caused her to drink. 4 Orpéd, bold. Assote, to dote.

And he, so as they him besought,
A placé graunteth for to dwelle.
But after, whan he herdé telle
Of the manér how they have do,
The duke let shapé for hem so,
That of a poison which they drunke
They hadden that they have be-
swunke. 2

1 Werne, refuse.
2 Beswunke, laboured for.