And the ladyes of hire avise
Preyed,' for nede was to be wise,
In eschewing tales and songes,

That by hem make wolde ille tonges;*
And seye they were lightly conqueste,
And preyed to a pore feste,

2

And foule hadde hire worschipe weived,
Whanne so unwisely they conceived,
Hire riche tresor, and hire hele,
Hire famous name, and hire wele,
To putte in swiche an aventure ;*
Of which the sclaundre ever dure
Was like, withoute helpe of appele.
Wherfor they nede hadde of counsele,
For every wight of hem wolde seye,
Hire closed yle an open weye
Was become to every wight,
And wele appreved by a knight,

1 That is, 'Asked the ladies for their advice.'

2 In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, society was in that stage of its progress when the great are particularly exposed to popular satire. Refinement had not yet drawn so wide a distinction between the habits and sympathies of the various classes as to place the higher orders above the reach of such lampoons as the minstrel might disseminate in the course of his wanderings from castle to castle, and from fair to tournament. The following is the first verse of a curious satirical ballad on Richard, King of the Romans, brother to Henry III., on the occasion when they were taken prisoners, together with Prince Edward, by Simon de Montfort, at the battle of Lewes, in the year 1264. It is printed in Political Songs, edited by Mr. Wright for the Camden Society :

'Sitteth alle stille, and herkneth to me;
The Kyng of Alemaigne, bi mi leaute

Thritti thousende pounde askede he
For to make the pees in the countre,

And so he dude more.

Richard, thah thou be ever trichard,
Further shal thou nevermore.'

3 And say that they were easily overcome, and had been invited to but a poor entertainment; and that they had been disgracefully forgetful of the respect due to themselves, when they consented to put their rich treasure, &c., into such jeopardy.'

Which he, alas! withoute paysaunce,
Had sone acheved thobeisaunce.
Al this was moved at counseyle thrise,
And concluded dayly twise,

That bet was dye withoute blame,
Than lose the riches of hire name.
Wherfor the dethes acqueintaunce
They chese, and lefte have hire plesaunce,
For doute to live as repreved,

In that they you so sone beleved.

And made their othes with one accorde,
That ete, ne drinke, ne speke worde,
They sholde never, but ever weping
Bide in a place withoute parting;
And use their dayes in penaunce,
Withoute desire of allegeaunce.1

Of which the trouth anone con preve;
For why the quene forth with hire leve
Toke, at hem alle that were presente,
Of hire defautes, fully repente,"
And dyed ther, withouten more;
Thus are we loste for evermore.

What scholde I more hereof reherse?

Cometh withinne, cometh se hire herse;
Wher ye schal se the pitous sight,

That ever yet was schewen to knight.
For ye schalle se ladyes stonde,
Ech with a grete rod in honde,
Cladde in blak, with visage white,

Redy ech othere for to smite,

If any be that wil not wepe;

Or who that makes countenaunce to slepe,

1 Alleviation.

2 The meaning appears to be,The queen immediately, with their leave, received the penitential confession (repente, like the French repentir) of the faults of all those who were present; and then

died.'

3 Speght reads comen, and is followed by Urry; but the context seems to require the imperative, cometh.

They be so bet, that al so blewe
They be as cloth that dyed is newe.'
Swich is hire parfite repentaunce;
And thus they kepe hire ordinaunce,
And wille do ever to the dethe,
While hem endures any brethe.'

This knight tho in armes tweyne,
This lady toke and gan her seyne,
Alas, my birth! wo worth my life!'
And even with that he drew a knife,
And thorugh gowne, doublet, and sherte,
He made the blode come from his herte,
And sette him downe upon the grene,
And ful repente' closed his ene;
And sauf that ones he drewe his brethe,
Withoute more, thus he toke his dethe.
For whiche cause the lusty host,
Which in a battaile on the cost,

At ones for sorwe swich a crye

Gan rere thorow the compaignye,

That to the heven herd was the sowne,
And under therth als fer adowne;

That wilde bestes for the fere,

So sodeynly afrayed were,

That for the doute, while they might dure,
They ronne as of their lives unsure,

From the woodes unto the pleyne.

And from the valleys the heigh mountaine

1 This is an allusion to those penitential flagellations of which Chaucer had probably himself witnessed a curious example. Quo quidem anno (1350) venerunt in Angliam penitentes viri nobiles, et alienigenæ, qui sua nuda corpora usque ad effusionem sanguinis, nunc flendo, nunc canendo, acerrime flagellabant; tamen. ut dicebatur, nimis hoc faciebant inconsulte, quia sine licentiâ sedis apostolicæ.'WALSINGHIAM. There is a letter from the Pope to Edward III., of the date of 1349, warning him against these flagellants.-See Epist. Secret, p. 104, apud Odor. Rainal. This discipline, however, under certain restrictions, continued to be part of the rule of some religious orders. 2 Repente is the past participle, from the French repenti. Having fully repented, he closed his eyes.'

They soughte, and ronne as bestes blinde,
That clene forgotten hadde hire kinde.
This wo not cesed, to counseyle wente
Thise lordes, and for that lady sente;
And of avise what was to done,

They hire besoughte sche seye wolde sone.
Weping ful sore, al clad in blak,
This lady softely to hem spak,

And seyde, My lordes, by my trouthe,
This mischefe it is of your slouthe;
And if ye hadde, that juge wolde right,
A prince that were a very knight,
Ye that ben of astate echone,
Dye for his faute sholde one and one.
And if he holde had the promesse,
And done that longes to gentilnesse,
And fulfilled the princes beheste,
This hastyf arme1 had bene a feste,
And now is unrecoverable,
And us a sclaundre aye durable.
Wherfor I seye, as of counsaile,
In me is none that may availe;
But if ye liste for remembraunce,
Purveye and make swich ordinaunce,
That the quene that was so meke,
With alle hire women, dede or seke,
Mighte in youre land a chapelle have,
With some remembraunce of hire grave,
Shewing hire ende with the pite,
In some notable olde cite,

Neigh unto an heighe weye,

Wher every wight might for her preye,
And for alle hires that have ben trewe.'
And even with that sche changed hewe,

1 Speght reads hastie forme, which is evidently corrupt. The letter f of hastij was probably carried on by mistake to the following word by the ignorant transcriber. Hastif arme, or erme, means sudden grief. The meaning of the passage is, If the knight had held his promise, &c., instead of this sudden grief, we should have been celebrating a feast.'

And twise wishede after the death.
And sighte, and thus passed hire brethe.
Thanne seyde the lordes of the oste,
And so conclude leste and moste,
That they wolde ever in houses of thak,1
Their lives lede, and were but blak,
And forsake alle hire plesaunces,

And turne al joye to penaunces.

And bare the dede prince to the barge,
And namede hem sholde han the charge.
And to the herse wher leye the quene,
The remenaunt wente and down on kneen,
Holding hire hondes on heigh,

gonne crye,
'Mercy, mercy!' everich thrye;"

And cursed the time that ever slouthe
Sholde han swich masterdom of trouthe.
And to the barge, a longe mile,
They bare hire forth; and in a while
Alle the ladies, one and one,

By compaignyes were broughte echone,
And past the se, and toke the land,
And in new herses, on a sand,
Putte and broghte were alle anone,

Unto a cite closed with stone,
Wher it hadde ben used aye
The kinges of the land to leye,
After they reigned in honoures;

And writ was which were conqueroures,
In an abbeye of nonnes blake,
Which accustomed were to wake,
And of usage rise ech a night,3

To

preye for every lives wight. And so befel as in the guise,

Ordeynt and seyde was the servise,

1 They determine that, for a penance, they will live in thatched sheds, instead of in regular houses.

2 Perhaps this is an allusion to the threefold repetition of the Kyrie eleison in the Church service.

3 Matins were said at midnight by the religious.