132

THE HOUSE OF FAME. PEPYS 2006.

And on thy tipet suche a bet

Ma Dam quod he soth to tell

I am that ilk shrew I wys

[Pepys 2006 Fame ends the Mars follows.]

1842

5.

The Legend of Good Women

FROM

ADDITIONAL MS. 28,617, British Museum (has lost 20 leaves); all, from line 513 to the end, 1.2723; less, lines 610-807, 1106-1305, 1802-1851, 2111-2125, 2136-2151

MS. Ff. 1. 6, University Library, Cambridge.

...

...

p. 134-212

134

LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. ADDIT. MS. 28,617.

THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN.

[Addit. MS. 28,617, Brit. Mus. (paper), leaf 1, incomplete: begins at line 513 and has lost 9 other leaves.]

[There's a kind of || at the end of every line.]

She that For hire housbonde chees to dye
And eke to gooñ to helle rather thanne he
And hercules Rescowed hire parde
And brouht oute off helle ageyne to blysse
And I answerde ayen And seyde yisse
Now knowe I hire And ys this goode Alceste
The deyesye And myn owne hertys Reste
Now Feele I well the goodnesse off this wyff
And that both affter deeth and in hire lyff
Hire grete bounte doubleth her Renoun
Well hath she quytte me myñe Affeccioun
That I have tyl hire Floure the Deyesye
No wondir ys thouħ Ioue hire stellyfye
And as tellith Agatoon For hire goodnesse
Hire white Corovne berith off hit wytnesse

[leaf 1] 513

516

520

524

For also many vertues hadde she

528

As smale Floures in hire Corovne be

In remembraunce off hire and in honour

Cybella made the deyse and the Flour

I-Corovned al with with white as men may se
And Mars thanne to hire Corovne Rede parde

532

LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. ADDIT. MS. 28,617.

In stede off Rubyes sette amōnge the white
Ther with she wexe rede For shame [ ]yte
whanne she was preysed so in hire presence
Thanne seyde love a FuH grete necligence
Was yt to the that ylke tyme thow made
[No gap in the MS.]

Hyde Absolon thy Tresses in Bal[ade]
[No gap in the MS.]

135

536

And thow Forgate hire in thy songe to sette [leaf 1, back] 540 [No gap in the MS.]

Syn that thow art so gretely in hire dette

whanne other smale ben made byfore
And Fare now well I charge the nomore
But or I goo thus myche I wole the telle
Ne shalt no trewe lover komen in helle
Thes other ladyes sytten here a Rowe

552

B[en i]n thy Balade yiff thow kanst hem knowe

And in thy bookes thow shalt hem ffynde

556

Have hem now in thy legende alle in mynde

I mene off theym that ben in thy knowynge

For here ben .xx .M'. and moo syttynge
Thanne thow knewest goode wommen alle

560

And trewe off love For auħt that may befalle

Make thy Metres off thaym as the leste

I mote goo home the sonne drawith west

To Paradys with alle this Companye
And serve ay well the Fressh deyesye
At Cleopatre I wole at thow begynne

564

[leaf 2]