And, lord this hous, in alle tymes, With scrippes bret-ful of lesinges, For hit no nede is, redely; 2125 (1040) 2130 2135 Folk can singe hit bet than I; For al mot out, other late or rathe, Alle the sheves in the lathe ;— I herde a gret noise withalle Ther men of love tydings tolde, (1050) 2140 For I saugh renninge every wight, 2115. Th. wane; F. B. wynne (!). 2129. F. boystes; Th. boxes; B. bowgys. F. begunne. 2145 (1060) 2150 2123. Th. scrippes; F. B. shrippes. 2150. Th. gonne; B. bigonne; 2151, 3. F. other; B. othir; read othere (oth're), plural. 2155 (1c68) 2158 2152. F. noyse an highen (!); Th. noyse on hyghen (!); B. nose and yen; read on hye 2153. F. B. other; Th. others. (Koch). Th. stampe. 2154. F. B. stampen ; 2156. I supply nevene. 2158. Here F. B. end; Cx. Th. add 12 spurious lines. THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. THE Prologue to this Poem exists in two different versions, which differ widely from each other in many passages. The arrangement of the material is also different. For the sake of clearness, the earlier version is here called 'Text A,' and the later version 'Text B.' 'Text A' exists in one MS. only, but this MS, is of early date and much importance. It is the MS. marked Gg. 4. 27 in the Cambridge University Library, and is here denoted by the letter 'C.' It is the same MS. as that denoted by the abbreviation 'Cm.' in the footnotes to the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. This text is printed in the upper part of the following pages. The footnotes give the MS. spellings, where these are amended in the text. 'Text B' occupies the lower part of the following pages. It follows the Fairfax MS. mainly, which is denoted by 'F.' In many places, the inferior spellings of this MS. are relegated to the footnotes, amended spellings being given in the text. Various readings are given from Tn. (Tanner MS. 346); T. (Trinity MS., R. 3. 19); A. (Arch. Seld. B. 24 in the Bodleian Library); Th. (Thynne's Edition, 1532); B. (Bodley MS. 638); P. (Pepys MS, 2006); and sometimes from C. (already mentioned) or Add. (Addit. 9832). Lines which occur in one text only are marked (in either text) by a prefixed asterisk. Lines marked with a dagger (†) stand just the same in both texts. The blank space after A 60 (p. 70) shews that there is nothing in Text A corresponding to B 69-72. Where the corresponding matter is transposed to another place, one or other text has a portion printed in smaller type. The prologe of .ix. goode Wimmen. A THOUSAND Sythes have I herd men telle, The prologe of .ix. goode Wimmen. B. 1. T. C. A. have I herd; rest I have herd. F. B. P. om. men; the rest have it. 2. F. B. (only) om. That. And I acorde wel that hit be so; But natheles, this wot I wel also, That ther nis noon that dwelleth in this contree, 5 Ne may of hit non other weyes witen, †But as he hath herd seyd, or founde hit writen; And I acorde wel that hit is so; But natheles, yit wot I wel also, That ther nis noon dwelling in this contree, †Ne may of hit non other weyes witen, 10 15 † But as he hath herd seyd, or founde hit writen ; 10 15 †Thogh every wight ne may hit nat y-see. †Than mote we to bokes that we finde, †And to the doctrine of these olde wyse, And trowen on these olde aproved stories And, as for me, though that my wit be lyte, †On bokes for to rede I me delyte, †And in myn herte have hem in reverence; And to hem yeve swich lust and swich credence, That from my bokes make me to goon, †And to the doctrine of these olde wyse, And to hem yeve I feyth and ful credence, T. A. om. 16. F. monke; all. 23. 8. F. seyde. 13. F. -selfe; dooth. 14. F. sooth. 18. F. ben. 20. C. Yeuyn (for Yeve). 27. F. ought; thanne. F. sondry. 25. F. awey; C. Tn. A. aweye. 26. F. Y-lorne; C. I-loryn; P. I-lore. F. key; C. Tn. A. keye. there; noon. 31. F. yiue; rest yeue. A. hertfully. 28. F. 29. F. though. A. Th. P. can; T. con; F. Tn. konne. 33. F. hertly; Tn. Th. B. hertely; T. hertyly; |