To you my purs / and to none other wight
Compleyne I for ye be my lady dere

I am sory now / that ye be light

For certes / ye now make me heuy chere
Me were as lief/ be leyd vpon a bere
For whiche/vnto your mercy thus I crye
Be heuy agayn / or ellis mote I dye

(2)

1

7

Now vouchesauf / this day or yet be nyght
That I of yow / the blisful sowne may here
Or see your colour like the sonne bright
That of yelownes had neuer pere

8

11

Ye be my lyf / ye be my hertes stere

Quene of confort / and of good companye

Be heuy agayn / or ellis mote I dye

(3)

Now purs that be to me my lyues light
And saueour/as doun in this world here
Out of this toun helpe me by your might
Syn that ye wil not be my tresorere

For I am shaue / as nyghe as ony frere
But I pray vnto your curtoisye
Be heuy agayn / or ellis mote I dye

Thenuoye of chaucer vnto the kynge

O conquerour of brutes albyon
Whiche that by lyne / and fre eleccion
Ben veray kynge / this to yow I sende
And ye that may / alle harmes amende
Haue mynde vpon my supplicacioñ

14

15

18

21

22

26

Appendix.

POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO CHAUCER.

1.

The Balade of Pytee.

[In Shirley's copy of the "complaint of Pitee made by Geffrey Chaucier," in Harl. MS 78, leaf 80 (see Parallel Texts, p. 41), the following Stanzas run on from st. 17 (Par. Texts, p. 49) as part of the Complaint (though with an extra mark on the division-line between the stanzas), and are headlined accordingly by Shirley "pe balade. of. Pytee. By Chauciers." In the MS almost every final g and t has a curl to it, and all the lines start level.]

(18)

The long nightes/whane euery creature /

[on leaf 82]

Shoulde haue peyre / rest in somwhat as be kynde /
Or ellys ne may peyre lyve / nought long endure /
Hit fallepe mooste / in to my / woofuł mynde /
Howe I so far / haue brought my self behinde
þat sauf pe deeth / þer may no thing me lisse /
So desespayred / I am frome al blisse /

(19)

¶ pis saame thought / me lastepe til þe morowe

And frome pe morowe forpe / til hit beo eve /

pere neodepe me no. care for to borowe /

123

123

ffor boope I haue / goode leyser and goode leve / 130 ber is no wight / þat wil / me / woe byreve

To weepe enougħe / and wayllen al my fille /

he soore sparke of peyne / nowe doope me spille / 133

(20)

This loue pat hape me sette / in suche a place /

hat my desire/ wol neuer fulfille

ffor neyper pitee / mercy / neyper grace

136

Kane I. not fynde / and yit my sorouful hert'

ffor to beo dede / I. cane hit nought. arace/ [leaf 82, back]

he more I love / pe more she dope me smert

139

Thorughe whiche .I. see with oute remedye / pat frome pe deeth / I may no wyse astert'

141

[? 5 lines wanting. No extra break in the MS.]

¶ Nowe sopely. what she higħt / I wol reherse
Hir name. is bounte/ sette in wommanhede/
Sadnesse in youpe / and beawte prydelesse /
And plesance / vnder gouuernance and dred

147

150

Hir surname is / eeke fayre routhelesse

be wyse eknytte / vn to goode aventure/ bat for I loue hir / she sleeth me giltlesse

153

Hir love I best / and shal whyle .I may dure/

¶ Bette pane my self'. an hundrepe thousand delle /

pane al pis wo[r]ldes richesse. or creature

156

Nowe hape not love / me bestowed weele

To love per / I neuer shal haue parte Ellas / right pus / is turned me þe wheele bus am I slayne / with loves fury darte

159

I cane but love hir best/ my sweete foo/

Loue hape me taugħt / no more of his art
But serue alwey / and stynt[e] for no woo/
(21)

¶ In my truwe 1 careful hert þer is /
So myche. woo/ and so lytel blisse/

hat woo is me / pat euer I was bore / ffor al pat thing / which I desyre I misse / And al þat euer / I wolde not / I-wisse

bat fynde I redy / to me / euermore / And of al pis / I not to whome me pleyne /

163

[ a word crost out]

ffor she pat might / me out of pis bring' /
Ne rechepe nought / wheper I weepe or sing

So lytel reuthe/ hape she vpon / my peyne

(22)

166

169

173

¶ Ellas whane sleeping' tyme is / loo panne I [a] waake / Whane I shoulde daunce/ for fere loo panne I qwaake/

pis hevy lyff I lede / loo for youre saake / baughe yee per of / in no wyse heede take/

no gaps in the MS.]

[ Myn hertes lady / and hoole my lyves qweene ffor truwly durst .I. seye / as þat .I feele / Me semepe/pat youre sweet hert of steele

Is whetted nowe ageyns me / to keene /

176

[leaf 83]

179

183

(23)

¶ My deere hert / and best beloued foo /

Why lykepe you / to doo me al pis woo/

What haue I doone / pat greuepe you or sayde/

186

But for I serue / and loue you and no moo /

And whylest I lyve / I wol euer do soo

And per-fore sweete / ne beope not yuel apaied

189

ffor so goode and so faire / as yee be/

Hit were right gret wonder but yee hadd

Of alle seruantes / boope of goode and badd And leest worthy of alle / hem / I. am. he/

(24)

¶ But neuer þe leese / my. right lady sweete / baughe pat I beo / vnkonnyng' and vnmeete

To serue as I koude best' /ay your hyenesse Yit is per noon / fayner þat wolde I heete pane I / to do youre ease / or ellys beete /

What so I wist/pat were / to youre hyenesse / And hade. I might / as goode as I haue wille /

pane shoulde yee feele/Where it were so or noon ffor/in þis worlde living / pane is per noon / pat fayner Wolde/youre hertes wille fulfille /

(25)

193

196

199

203

¶ ffor boope I loue / and eke dreed you so soore / And algates mote / and haue doon yowe ful yoore

þat better loued is noon / ne neuer shal

206

And yit I wolde beseche you / of no more /

But leuepe wele / and be not wrothe ther fore/

And let me serue you forth / loo pis is al

209

ffor I am nought / so hardy ne so woode/

ffor to desyre/pat yee shoulde Loue me / [leaf 83, back] ffor weele I wot / ellas pat may not be

I am so lytel worthy / and yee so goode

213