XI. The Legend of Good Women. [Of the first cast of the Prologue to this Poem, only one copy is known, that in MS. Gg. 4. 27, Cambridge University Library. To show the differences between the two casts of the Prologue, the two are here printed opposite to one another-as they were in my Odd Texts, Part I-with double line-numbers, so as to show which lines in one cast correspond to the same, or the like lines, in the other cast. Those lines which differ slightly' from their mates in the other cast are marktt; those which differ more are markt §; those which are only in one cast, *. The differences between the two casts are spoken of in my Trial-Forewords, at the end.] 1 A few differences I've thought too slight to need a mark, 192 LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. MS. Gg. 4. 27, CAMB. THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. [Cambr. Univ. MS. Gg. 4. 27, leaf 445. No gaps in MS.] [THE PROLOGUE. First Cast.] Fx. lines. Gg. li. +Thousent sythis haue I herd men telle 1+ That there is Ioye in heuene & peyne in helle † +And I a-corde wel that it be so +But natheles this wit I1 wel also 3+ 3 4 wit I corrected] +That there ne is non that dwellyth 2 In this cuntre 5† [2 I corr.] ffor by asay / there may no man it preue +But goddis forbode / but men schulde leue That eythir hath in helle or heuene I-be 6 Ne may of it non othere weyis wytyn 7 But as he hath herd seyd/ or founde it wrytyn 8 8 9 10+ 11 12 12 138 148 15 Bernardus non uidit omnia [3 e corr.] Wel more thyng / than men han seyn with eye Of loue / of hate / of othere sundery thyngis 23 Of whiche I may nat make rehersyngys LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. FAIRFAX MS. 16. 193 THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. [Fairfax MS. 16, leaf 83.] [ñ is printed for n. t'fort with a curl te generally. There are no gaps in the MS.] ¶ The prologe of .ix. goode Wymmen./ [2nd Cust.] Gg. lines. 1+ 2+ ther ys Ioy in heuene / and peyne in helle + 3+ and I acord wel / that it ys so 4+But netheles yet / wot I wel also + 4 5+that ther is nooñ duellyng / in this contree + 6 That eythir hath in heuene / or in helle y-be 7 Ne may of hit / noon other weyes witen 8 but as he hath herd seyde / or founde it writeñ 9 for by assay/ther may no mañ it preve 10+But god forbede / but meñ shulde leve + 8 Monachus non vidit omnia. 12 11 Wel more thing / then men han seen with eye 12 Men shal not wenen / euery thing a lye 13§ But yf him-selfe yt seeth/or elles dooth 148 For god wot / thing is neuer the lasse sooth 15 Thogh euery wight / ne may it nat y-see 16 Bernarde the monke / ne saugħ nat all pardee Bernardus 17 Than mote we / to bokes that we fynde 18 Thurgh which / that olde thinges ben in mynde 19 And to the doctrine / of these olde wyse 20 Yeve credence / in euery skylful wise 21§That tellen of these olde appreued / stories 22 of holynesse / of Regnes of victories 23 of love of hate / of other sondry thynges 24 of whiche I may not maken / rehersynges 25 And yf that olde bokes / were a-wey 26 Y-lorne were / of Remembraunce the key 20 24 |