ow after Pridé the secoúnde

There is, which many a wofull stounde, Towardés other berth aboute Within him self and nought with

oute.

For in his thought he brenneth ever,
Whan that he wote an other lever1
Or moré vertuós than he,
Which passeth him in his degré ;
Therof he taketh his maladie.
That Vice is clepéd hot Envie.
Forthý, my sone, if it be so,
Thou art or hast ben one of tho,2
As for to speke in Lovés cas
If ever yet thin herté was
Seke of another mannes hele ? "3_

"So god avauncé my quaréle,
My fader, ye a thousand sithe.
Whan I have sene another blithe
Of love and hadde a goodly chere,
Ethna, which brenneth yere by yere,
Was thanné nought so hote as I
Of thilké sore which privély
Mine hertés thought withinné bren-
neth.

The ship, which on the wawes renneth

And is forstormed and forblowe,5

Is nought more peined for a throwe1
Than I am thanné whan I se
Another which that passeth me
In that fortúne of Lovés yifte.
But fader, this I telle in shrifte,
That is no where but in o place.
For who that lese or findé grace
In other stede, it may nought greve.
But this ye may right well beleve,
Toward my lady that I serve,
Though that I wisté for to sterve,
Min hert is full of such folý,
That I my selfe may nought chastý,
Whan I the Court se of Cupíde
Approche unto my lady side
Of hem that lusty ben and fresshe,
Though it availe hem nought a
resshe,

But only that they ben of speche.
My sorwe is than nought to seche.
But whan they rounen in her ere,
Than groweth all my mosté fere.
And namely whan they talen
longe,

My sorwes thanné be so stronge,
Of that I see hem well at ese
I can nought tellé my disese.
But, sire, as of my lady selve,
Though she have wowers, ten or
twelve,

1 Throwe, space of time.

2 Resshe, rush.

3 Rounen, whisper.

4 Namely, especially.

chere,

Though I therof have nought to

done,

My thought woll entermete 2 him

sone.

For though I be my selven straunge
Envié maketh min herté chaunge,
That I am sorwefully bestad
Of that I se another glad
With hiré, but of other all
Of Love what so may befall,
Or that he faile or that he spede,
Therof take I but litel hede.
Nowe have I said, my fader, all,
As of this point in speciall
As ferforthly as I have wiste."
Nowaxeth, fader, what you liste."

"My sone, ere I axe any more
I thenké somdele for thy lore
Tell an ensample of this matére
Touchend Envý, as thou shalt here.

"Write in Civilé this I finde, Though it be nought the houndés kinde

To eté chaff, yet woll he werne
An oxe, which cometh to the berne,
Therof to taken any fode.

And thus who that it understode

1 Throwe, space of time. Entermete, go apart from.

3 As far forth as I have known.

And for hem lacketh that they

wolde,

They kepé that none other sholde Touchend of love his causé spede; Wherof a great ensample I rede, Whiche unto this matére accordeth, As Ovide in his boke recordeth, How Poliphemus whilom wrought, Whan that he Galathé besought Of love, whiche he may nought lacche, 2

That made him for to waite and wacche

By allé waiés howe it ferde;

Till at the last he knewe and herde
How that an other haddé leve
To love there, as he mot leve
As for to speke of any spede;
So that he knew none other rede
But for to waiten upon alle
Till he may se the chauncé falle,
That he her lové mighté greve,
Whiche he him self may nought

acheve.

This Galathé, saith the poéte,
Above all other was unmete 3

Of beauté, that men thanné knewe,
And had a lusty love, and trewe

1 For, because.

2 Lacche, catch, secure.

3 Unmete, beyond measure.

G

A bacheler in his degré,
Right such an other as was she;
On whom she hath her herté set,
So that it mighté nought be let 1
For yifté ne for no beheste,

6

That she ne was all at his heste.
This yongé knight Acís was hote,”
Whiche her ayeinwarde also hote
All only loveth and no mo.
Herof was Poliphemus wo
Through pure Envíe and ever aspide
And waiteth upon every side,
Whan he to-gider mighté se
This yonge Acís with Gaiathé.
So longe he waiteth to and fro,
Till at the laste he founde hem two
In privé placé, where they stood
To speke and have her wordés good.
The placé, where as he hem sigh,7
It was under a banke nigh
The greaté se, and he above
Stood and behelde the lusty love,
Whiche eche of hem to other made
With goodly chere and wordés glade
That all his hert hath sette a fire
Of pure Envíe. And as a vire 8
Which flieth out of a mighty bowe,
Away he fleddé for a throwe,9
As he that was for lové wode,
Whan that he sigh how that it
stode.

This Polipheme a geaunt was.
And whan he sigh the sothé cas,
How Galathé him hath forsake
And Acis to her lové take,
His herté may it nought forbere
That he ne roreth as a bere
And as it were a wildé beast
In whom no reson might areste.
He ranne Ethná the hill about,
Where never yet the fire was out,

Fulfilled of sorwe and great disese
That he sigh Acis well at ese.
Till atté last he him bethoughte
As he which all Envié soughte,
And torneth to the banke ayein
Where he with Galathé hath sein
That Acis, whom he thoughté

greve,

Though he him self may nought releve.

This geaunt with his rudé might Part of the banke he shof down right,

The whiche even upon Acis fille,1
So that with falling of this hille
This Poliphemus Acis slough,
Wherof she madé sorwe inough.
And as she fleddé from the londe,
Neptúnus toke her by the honde
And kept her in so faste a place
Fro Polipheme and his manáce,
That he with al his false Envie
Ne might atteigne her compaignie.
This Galathé, of whom I speke,
That of her self may nought be
wreke,2

Withouten any semblaunt feigned
She hath her lovés deth com-

pleigned,

And with her sorwe and with her

WO

She hath the goddés moved so,
That they of pité and of grace
Have Acis in the samé place,
There he lay dede, into a welle
Transforméd, as the bokes telle,
With fresshé stremés and with clere,
As he whilom with lusty chere
Was fressh his love for to queme.3
And with this rudé Polipheme
For his Envie and for his hate
They were wroth. And thus
algate,

1 Fille, fell.

8 Vire, arrow. 9 Throwe, space of time.

"My soné, thou might under

stonde,

That if thou wolt in gracé stonde
With Lové, thou must leve Envie:
And as thou wolt for thy partie
Toward thy lové stondé fre
So must thou suffre another be,
What so befalle upon thy chaunce.
For it is an unwise vengeaúnce
Which to none other man is lefe
And is unto him selvé grefe.”—
"My fader, this ensample is
good,

But how so ever that it stood
With Poliphemus love as tho,2
It shall nought stondé with me so
To worchen any felonie
In love for no suche envie.
Forthý if there ought ellés be,
Now axeth forth, in what degré
It is, and I me shall confesse
With shrifte unto your holinesse.
"My godé soné, yet there is
A Vicé revers unto this,
Whiche envioús taketh his glad-
nésse

66

Of that he seeth the hevinesse
Of other men. For his welfare
Is, whan he wote another care
Of that an other hath a falle,
He thenketh him selfe arist with
alle.

Suche is the gladship of Envie
In worldés thing and in partie
Full ofté timés eke also

In Loves cause it stant right so.
If thou, my sone, hast joié had,
Whan thou an other sigh unglad,
Shrive thee therof."-"My fader,

yis.

I am beknowe 4 unto you this

1 Which pleases no other man and grieves oneself.

2 Tho, then.

3 Arist, lifted up.

Beknowe, to confess.

Of these lovers that loven streite,1 And for that point which they

coveite

Ben pursuaúntes from yere to yere In Lovés court, when I may here How that they climbe upon the whele,

And whan they wene all shall be wele

They ben down throwen atté laste,
Than am I fed of that they faste,
And laugh of that I se hem loure.
And thus of that they brewé soure
I drinké swete, and am well esed
Of that I wote they ben disesed.
But this whiche I you tellé here
Is only for my lady dere,

That for none other that I knowe
Me recheth nought who overthrowe
Ne who that stonde in love upright;
But be he squier, be he knight,
Which to my lady warde2 pursueth
The more he lost of that he sueth,
The more me thenketh that I winne,
And am the moré glad withinne
Of that I wote him sorwe endure;
For ever upon suche aventure
It is a comfort, as men sain,
To him the which is wo besein 3
To sene an other in his peine,
So that they bothé may compleine.
Where I myself may nought availe,
To sene an other man travaile
I am right glad if he be let.+
And though I faré nought the bet,
His sorwe is to min herte a game,
Whan that I knowe it is the same
Which to my lady stant enclined
And hath his lové nought termíned,5
I am right joyfull in my thought.
If such Envié greveth ought,

1 Streite, strictly, intensely.

To my lady warde, toward my lady. 3 Wo besein, clothed in sorrow.

4 Let, hindered.

Termined, brought to the desired end.

As I beknowé me coupable,
Ye that be wise and resonable,
My fader, telleth your avise.”-

"My sone, Envie in to no prise
Of such a forme I understonde
Ne mighté by no reson stonde.
For this Envie hath such a kinde,
That he woll set himself behinde
To hinder with another wight,
And gladly lese1 his owné right
To make another lesé his.
And for to knowen how so it is
A talé lich to his matere
I thenké telle, if thou wolte here,
To shewé properly the Vice
Of this Envie and the malíce.

"Of Jupiter thus I finde iwrite, How whilom that he woldé wite 2 Upon the pleinté 3 whiche he herde Among the men, how that it ferde, As of her wrong condición To do justificación.

And for that causé down he sent An aungel, which abouté went That he the sothé knowé may. So it befell upon a day

This aungel which him shuld enforme

Was clothed in a mannés forme
And overtoke, I understonde,
Two men that wenten over londe,
Through which he thoughté to
aspie

His cause and goth in compaignie.
This aungel with his wordés wise
Opposeth hem in sondry wise,
Now loudé wordés and now softe,
That made hem to desputen ofte.
And eche of hem his reson hadde,
And thus with talés he hem ladde
With good examinación
Till he knew the condición
What men they weré bothé two;
1 Lese, lose.
2 Wite, know.
3 Pleinte, complaint.

And sigh wel atté lasté tho,
That one of hem was coveitoús,
And his felaw was envioús.
And thus, whan he hath knoulech-
ing,

Anone he feignéd departing
And said he mote algaté wende.
But herken now what fell at ende,
For than he made hem understonde,
That he was there of Goddes
sonde ; 1

And said hem for the kindéship
That they have done him felaship
He woldé do some grace ayein,
And bad that one of hem shuld sain
What thinge him is levést to crave,
And he it shall of yifté have.
And over that 2 eke forth with all
He saith that other havé shall
The double of that his felawe axeth:
And thus to hem his grace he taxeth.
The coveitous was wonder glad,
And to that other man he bad
And saith, that he first axé sholde;
For he supposeth that he wolde
Make his axíng of worldés good;
For than he knewe well howe it

stood,

That he him self by double weight
Shall efté take; and thus by sleight
By causé that he woldé winne
He badde his felaw first beginne.
This envioús, though it be late
Whan that he sigh3 he mote algate
Make his axíngé first, he thought
If he worship or profit sought,
It shall be doubled to his fere : 4
That wold he chese in no manere.
But than he sheweth what he was
Towarde Envíe, and in this cas
Unto this aungel thus he saide
And for his yifté this he praide,

1 Sonde, sending.

2 Over that, beyond that. 3 Sigh, saw.

4 Fere, companion.