To clerkes grete apparteneth3 that aart;
The knowleche of that God hath fro yow shit;
Stynte and leve of," for right sclendre is your paart.
Oure fadres olde and modres lyved wel,
And taghte hir children as hem self taght were
Of Holy Chirche and axid nat a del
"Why stant this word heere?" and "why this
word there?"
"Why spake God thus and seith thus elles where?" "Why dide he this wyse and mighte han do thus ?" Our fadres medled no thyng of swich gere:" That oghte been a good mirour to us.
If land to thee be falle of heritage,
Which that thy fadir heeld 10 in reste and pees,
With title just and trewe in al his age,
And his fadir before him brygelees,"
And his and his, and so forth douteless,
I am ful seur 12 who-so wolde it thee reve,13
Thow woldest thee deffende and putte in prees;
Thy right thow woldest nat, thy thankes,15 leve.
Right so where-as our goode fadres olde
Possessid were, and hadden the seisyne
Peisible of Crystes feith, and no man wolde
Impugne hir right, it sit " us to enclyne
Ther-to. Let us no ferthere ymagyne
But as that they dide; occupie our right;
And in oure hertes fully determyne
Our title good, and keepe it with our might! 176
And prayd hym for Gods sake to take heede;
But for lack of mony I myght not speede.
Beneth hem sat clarkes a great rout,1
Which fast dyd wryte by one assent,
There stoode up one and cryed about,
"Rychard, Robert, and John of Kent."
I wyst not well what this man ment,
He cryed so thycke there in dede.
But he that lackt mony myght not spede.
Unto the Common Place I yode thoo,*
Where sat one with a sylken hoode;
I dyd hym reverence, for I ought to do so,
And told my case as well as I coode,
How my goodes were defrauded me by falshood.
I gat not a mum of his mouth for my meed,5
And for lack of mony I myght not spede.
Unto the Rolles I gat me from thence,
Before the Clarkes of the Chauncerye,
Where many I found earnyng of pence,
But none at all once regarded mee.
I gave them my playnt uppon my knee;
They lyked it well, when they had it reade;
But, lackyng mony, I could not be sped.
In Westmynster-hall I found out one,
Which went in a long gown of raye;"
I crowched and kneled before hym anon,
For Maryes love, of help I hym praye.
"I wot not what thou meanest," gan he say. 40
To get me thence he dyd me bede; 7
For lack of mony, I cold not speed.
Within this hall, nether rich nor yett poore
Wold do for me ought, although I shold dye.
Which seing, I gat me out of the doore,
Where Flemynges began on me for to cry, "Master, what will you copen or by? Fyne felt hattes, or spectacles to reede? Lay down your sylver, and here you may speede." Then to Westmynster-gate I presently went, 50 When the sonne was at hyghe pryme; Cookes to me they tooke good entente,
And proferred me bread, with ale and wyne, Rybbes of befe, both fat and ful fyne;
A fayre cloth they gan for to sprede.
But, wantyng mony, I myght not then speede.
Then unto London I dyd me hye;'
Of all the land it beareth the pryse." 10
"Hot pescodes," one began to crye,
"Strabery rype," and "cherryes in the ryse;' One bad me come nere and by some spyce; 61 went
1 crowd 2 fast 3 Court of Common Pleas then 5 reward a striped cloth
10 superiority 11 on the bough
And the first platly that he mette
Thorgh the body proudely he hym smette,
That he fille ded, chief mayster of hem alle;
And than at onys they upon hym falle
On every part, be 2 compas envyroun.
But Tydeus, thorgh his hegh renoun,
His blody swerde lete about hym glyde,
Sleth and kylleth upon every side
In his ire and his mortal tene; 3
That mervaile was he myght so sustene
Ageyn hem alle, in every half besette; *
But his swerde was so sharpe whette,
That his foomen founde ful unsoote.5
But he, allas! was mad light a foote,"
Be force grounded,' in ful gret distresse;
But of knyghthod and of gret prouesse
Up he roos, maugre alle his foon,10
And as they cam, he slogh " hem oon be oon,
Lik a lyoun rampaunt in his rage,
1151
And on this hille he fond a narow passage,
Which that he took of ful high prudence;
And liche 12 a boor, stondyng at his diffence,
As his foomen proudly hym assaylle,
Upon the pleyn he made her blode to raylle 13
Al enviroun, that the soyl wex rede,
Now her, now ther, as they fille dede,
That her lay on, and ther lay two or thre,
So mercyles, in his cruelte,
Thilke day he was upon hem founde;
And, attonys 14 his enemyes to confounde,
Wher-as he stood, this myghty champioun,
Be-side he saugh, with water turned doun,
An huge stoon large, rounde, and squar;
And sodeynly, er that thei wer war,
As 15 it hadde leyn ther for the nonys,'
Upon his foon he rolled it at onys,
That ten of hem 17 wenten unto wrak,
And the remnaunt amased drogh 18
For on by on they wente to meschaunce.19
And fynaly he broght to outraunce 20
Hem everychoon, Tydeus, as blyve,21
That non but on left of ham 17 alyve:
Hym-silf yhurt, and ywounded kene,"
Thurgh his harneys bledyng on the grene;
The Theban knyghtes in compas rounde aboute
In the vale lay slayne, alle the hoole route,23
Which pitously ageyn the mone
24 gape;
For non of hem, shortly, 25 myght eskape, 1180
But dede 20 echon as thei han deserved,
Save oon excepte, the which was reserved
Bewailing in my chamber thus allone,
Despeired of all joye and remedye,
For-tirit 15 of my thoght, and wo begone,
Unto the wyndow gan I walk in hye,16
To se the warld and folk that went forby;
And for the tyme, though I of mirthis fude 17
Myght have no more, to luke it did me gude.
1 succeeded, fared 2 pledge
So thik the bewis 3 and the leves grene
Beschadit all the aleyes that there were, And myddis every herbere myght be sene The scharpe grene suete jenepere,
Growing so faire with branchis here and there,
That, as it semyt to a lyf without,
The bewis spred the herbere all about;
2 living creature 3 boughs
Eft wald I think; "O Lord, quhat may this be,
That lufe is of so noble myght and kynde,2
Lufing his folk? and suich prosperitee
Is it of him as we in bukis fynd?
May he oure hertes setten and unbynd?
Hath he upon oure hertis suich maistrye?
Or all this is bot feynyt fantasye!
"For gif 3 he be of so grete excellence,
That he of every wight hath cure and charge,
Quhat have I gilt to him or doon offense,
That I am thrall, and birdis gone at large,
Sen him to serve he myght set my corage?
And gif he be noght so, than may I seyne,'
Quhat makis folk to jangill of him in veyne?
"Can I noght elles fynd, bot-gif that he
Be lord, and as a god may lyve and regne,
To bynd and louse, and maken thrallis free,
Than wold I pray his blisfull grace benigne,
To hable me unto his service digne;
And evermore for to be one of tho "
Him trewly for to serve in wele and wo."
And there-with kest I doun myn eye ageyne,
Quhare-as I sawe, walking under the toure,
Full secretly new cummyn hir to pleyne,12
The fairest or the freschest yonge floure
That ever I sawe, me thoght, before that houre,
For quhich sodayn abate,13 anon astert 14
The blude of all my body to my hert.
And though I stude abaisit 15 tho a lyte,10
No wonder was; for-quhy " my wittis all
Were so overcom with plesance and delyte,
Onely throu latting of myn eyen fall,
That sudaynly my hert became hir thrall,
For ever, of free wyll; for of manace
There was no takyn 18 in hir suete face.
And in my hede I drewe right hastily,
And eft-sones 19 I lent it forth ageyne,
And sawe hir walk, that verray womanly,
With no wight mo, bot onely wommen tueyne.
Than gan I studye in my-self and seyne,20
"A! suete, ar ye a warldly creature,
Or hevinly thing in likenesse of nature?
"Or ar ye god Cupidis owin princesse,
And cummyn are to louse 22 me out of band?
Or ar ye verray Nature the goddesse,
That have depaynted with your hevinly hand
This gardyn full of flouris, as they stand?
4 twigs 1 again 2 nature 3 if 4 sinned go 6 since 5 sweet hymns couplet 8 time ceased 10 below 8 except 9 enable 10 worthy 11 those 12 play 15 mates feigned 13 surprise 14 leaped 15 abashed 16 little 17 because 20 19 immediately 21 earthly
On quhom to rest myn eye, so mich gude
It did my wofull hert, I yow assure,
That it was to me joye without mesure;
And, at the last, my luke unto the hevin
I threwe furthwith, and said thir" versis sevin:
"O Venus clere! of goddis stellifyit !1
To quhom I yelde homage and sacrifise,
Fro this day forth your grace be magnifyit,
That me ressavit have in suich a wise,
To lyve under your law and do service;
Now help me furth, and for your merci lede
My hert to rest, that deis nere for drede."
I kest, behalding unto hir lytill hound, That with his bellis playit on the ground; Than wold I say, and sigh there-with a lyte, 370 "A! wele were him that now were in thy plyte!" An-othir quhile the lytill nyghtingale,
That sat apon the twiggis, wold I chide, And say ryght thus; "Quhare are thy notis smale, That thou of love has song this morowe-tyde? Seis thou noght hire that sittis the besyde? For Venus sake, the blisfull goddesse clere, Sing on agane, and mak my lady chere."
Off verry forss 19 behuvit hir to byd,
And to and fro upone that rever deip
Scho ran, cryand 20 with mony peteuss peip.
1 bearing 2 liberality 3 intelligence well 7 stellified 8 received 9 dies 10 ceased 12 again 13 frog
22 cloak 23 before 24 little 25 half loose 26 goodliness
19 of very necessity 32 crying
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