409

But natheles, in this condicioun
Mot be the choys of everich that is here,
That she agree to his eleccioun,
Who-so he be that shulde been hir fere;
This is our usage alwey, fro yeer to yere ;
And who so may at this time have his
grace,

In blisful tyme he com in-to this place.'

With hed enclyned and with ful humble chere

This royal tercel spak and taried nought; Unto my sovereyn lady, and noght my fere, 416 I chese, and chese with wille and herte and thought,

The formel on your hond so wel ywrought,

Whos I am al and ever wol hir serve,
Do what hir list, to do me live or sterve.

Beseching hir of mercy and of grace, 421
As she that is my lady sovereyne;
Or let me dye present in this place.
For certes, long may I not live in peyne;
For in myn herte is corven every veyne;
Having reward [al] only to my trouthe, 426
My dere herte, have on my wo som
routhe.

And if that I to hir be founde untrewe,
Disobeysaunt, or wilful negligent,
Avanntour, or in proces love a newe, 430
I pray to you this be my jugement,
That with these foules I be al to-rent,
That ilke day that ever she me finde
To hir untrewe, or in my gilte unkinde.
And sin that noon loveth hir so wel as I,
Al be she never of love me behette, 436
Than oghte she be myn thourgh hir

mercy,

For other bond can I noon on hir knette.
For never, for no wo, ne shal I lette 439
To serven hir, how fer so that she wende;
Sey what yow list, my tale is at an ende.'

Right as the fresshe, rede rose newe
Ayen the somer-sonne coloured is,
Right so for shame al wexen gan the
hewe

Another tercel egle spak anoon

Of lower kinde, and seyde, 'that shal not be ; 450

I love hir bet than ye do, by seynt John, Or atte leste I love hir as wel as ye; And lenger have served hir, in my degree, And if she shulde have loved for long loving, 454

To me allone had been the guerdoning.

I dar eek seye, if she me finde fals,
Unkinde, jangler, or rebel any wyse,
Or jalous, do me hongen by the hals!
And but I bere me in hir servyse

As wel as that my wit can me suffyse, 460
Fro poynt to poynt, hir honour for to

Of this formel, whan she herde al this; She neyther answerde wel,' ne seyde amis. 446

Of al my lyf, sin that day I was born,
So gentil plee in love or other thing 485
Ne herde never no man me beforn,

How shulde a juge eyther party leve, For yee or nay, with-outen any preve?'

The goos, the cokkow, and the doke also So cryden 'kek, kek!'' kukkow!'". quek, quek!' hye,

That thorgh myn eres the noyse wente tho. The goos seyde, al this nis not worth a flye! 501

But I can shape hereof a remedye,
And I wol sey my verdit faire and swythe
For water-foul, who-so be wrooth or
blythe.'

And I for worm-foul,' seyde the fool cukkow,

505

For I wol, of myn owne auctorité, For comune spede, take the charge now, For to delivere us is gret charitè.' 'Ye may abyde a whyle yet, parde!' Seide the turtel, if hit be your wille 510 A wight may speke, him were as good be stille.

I am a seed-foul, oon the unworthieste, That wot I wel, and litel of kunninge; But bet is that a wightes tonge reste Than entremeten him of such doinge 515 Of which he neyther rede can nor singe. And who-so doth, ful foule himself acloyeth,

For office uncommitted ofte anoyeth.'

Nature, which that alway had an ere
To murmour of the lewednes behinde, 520
With facound voys seide, 'hold your
tonges there!

And I shal sone, I hope, a counseyl finde
You to delivere, and fro this noyse un-

binde;

I juge, of every folk men shal oon calle
To seyn the verdit for you foules alle.' 525
Assented were to this conclusioun
The briddes alle; and foules of ravyne
Han chosen first, by pleyn eleccioun,
The tercelet of the faucon, to diffyne 529
Al hir sentence, and as him list, termyne;
And to Nature him gonnen to presente,
And she accepteth him with glad entente.
The tercelet seide than in this manere :
'Ful hard were hit to preve hit by resoun
Who loveth best this gentil formel here;
For everich hath swich replicacioun, 536
That noon by skilles may be broght

dure!'

Now pees,' quod Nature, 'I comaunde here;

For I have herd al your opinioun,
And in effect yet be we never the nere;
But fynally, this is my conclusioun, 620
That she hir-self shal han the eleccioun
Of whom hir list, who-so be wrooth or
blythe,

Him that she cheest, he shal hir have as swythe.

For sith hit may not here discussed be Who loveth hir best, as seide the tercelet, Than wol I doon hir this favour, that