V. THE LEGEND OF LUCRETIA.

Incipit Legenda Lucrecie Rome, martiris.

Now moot I seyn the exiling of kinges
Of Rome, for hir horrible doinges,
And of the laste king Tarquinius,
As saith Ovyde and Titus Livius.

But for that cause telle I nat this storie,
But for to preise and drawen to memorie
The verray wyf, the verray trewe Lucresse,
That, for her wyfhood and her stedfastnesse,
Nat only that thise payens her comende,
But he, that cleped is in our legende
The grete Austin, hath greet compassioun
Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun;
And in what wyse, I wol but shortly trete,
And of this thing I touche but the grete.
Whan Ardea beseged was aboute
With Romains, that ful sterne were and stoute,
Ful longe lay the sege, and litel wroghte,
So that they wer half ydel, as hem thoghte;
And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge

Gan for to Iape, for he was light of tonge,
And seyde, that 'it was an ydel lyf,
No man did ther no more than his wyf;

1681. F. B. dedes; rest doinges. 1682. Addit. (12524) And; rest om. 1685. F. B. to (for and); rest and. 1686. C. trewe; rest om.

1689. F. Tn. Th. om. he. 1693. F. omits this line; I give the spelling as in MS. T., changing thyng into thing. 1696, 1697. C. F. Tn. Th. B. wroughten, thoughten; but thoughten is bad grammar; T. A. wrought, thought. 1701. C. no; rest om.

And lat us speke of wyves, that is best;
Praise every man his owne, as him lest,
And with our speche lat us ese our herte.'

A knight, that highte Colatyne, up sterte,
And seyde thus, 'nay, for hit is no nede
To trowen on the word, but on the dede.
I have a wyf,' quod he, 'that, as I trowe,
Is holden good of alle that ever her knowe;
Go we to night to Rome, and we shul see.'
Tarquinius answerde, 'that lyketh me.'
To Rome be they come, and faste hem dighte/
To Colatynes hous, and doun they lighte,
Tarquinius, and eek this Colatyne.

1705

(30)

1710

The husbond knew the estres wel and fyne,

1715

And prively into the hous they goon;
Nor at the gate porter was ther noon;
And at the chambre-dore they abyde.

This noble wyf sat by her beddes syde
Dischevele, for no malice she ne thoghte;

And softe wolle our book seith that she wroghte
To kepen her fro slouthe and ydelnesse;
And bad her servants doon hir businesse,

(40)

1720

And axeth hem, 'what tydings heren ye?

How seith men of the sege, how shal hit be?
God wolde the walles weren falle adoun;
Myn husbond is so longe out of this toun,
For which the dreed doth me so sore smerte,
Right as a swerd hit stingeth to myn herte

1725

(50)

1710.

1705. C. highte; Tn. hat; rest hyght (perhaps read hatte). So C. T.; rest to Rome to nyght. 1715. B. estres; C. A. estris ; F. Tn. esters; T. estes (!); Th. efters (!!) 1716. All but T. needlessly insert ful after And. 1718. C. they gan abyde. 1720. C. Discheuele; F. Disshevely. 1721. T. oure boke seyth; C. seyth (om, our book); Th. saith Liui; rest seyth our boke. 1725. C. seith; F. sayne. 1727. C. Th. so; rest to. 1728. C. sore; rest to (badly). 1729, 1730. C. has-That with a swerd me thynkyth that to myn herte It styngith me whan I thynke on that place.

Whan I think on the sege or of that place;

God save my lord, I preye him for his grace: '-
And ther-with-al ful tenderly she weep,

And of her werk she took no more keep,

But mekely she leet her eyen falle;

And thilke semblant sat her wel with-alle.
And eek her teres, ful of honestee,
Embelisshed her wyfly chastitee;

Her countenaunce is to her herte digne,
For they acordeden in dede and signe.
And with that word her husbond Colatyn,
Or she of him was war, com sterting in,

And seide, 'dreed thee noght, for I am here!'

And she anoon up roos, with blisful chere,
And kiste him, as of wyves is the wone.

1730

1735

(60)

1740

Tarquinius, this proude kinges sone,
Conceived hath her beaute and her chere,
Her yelow heer, her shap, and her manere,
Her hew, her wordes that she hath compleyned,
And by no crafte her beaute nas nat feyned;
And caughte to this lady swich desyr,
That in his herte brende as any fyr

So woodly, that his wit was al forgeten.
For wel, thoghte he, she sholde nat be geten;
And ay the more that he was in dispair,
The more he coveteth and thoghte her fair.
His [sinful thoght] was al his covetinge.

A morwe, whan the brid began to singe,

1745

(70)

1750

1755

1730. T. A. the sege; F. Tn. B. these (error for the sege, i. e. the siege); Th. this. 1731. F. my; rest his (before grace). 1736.

A. T. honestee; C. oneste; B. heuyte (!); F. hevytee (!); Tn. Th. 1737. C. Emblemyschid (!). Th. chastnesse. C. puts

heuynesse.

11. 1738–9 after 1. 1743. A. shap; rest bounte.

B. brente; F. Tn. brent.

1744. C. kiste; rest kissed. 1747. C. T. 1749. C. nas; rest was. 1751. C. brende; 1752. C. is al; Th. A. was al; rest was. 1757. F. Tn. Th. B. On; rest A.

1754. C. T. A. that; rest om.

Unto the sege he comth ful privily,

And by himself he walketh sobrely,
Thimage of her recording alwey newe;

'Thus lay her heer, and thus fresh was her hewe;
Thus sat, thus spak, thus span; this was her chere,

Thus fair she was, and this was her manere.'

Al this conceit his herte hath now y-take,
And, as the see, with tempest al to-shake,
That, after whan the storm is al ago,
Yet wol the water quappe a day or two,
Right so, thogh that her forme wer absent,
The plesaunce of her forme was present;
But natheles, nat plesaunce, but delyt,
Or an unrightful talent with despyt;
'For, maugre her, [I wol again her see,]
Hap helpeth hardy man alday,' quod he;
'What ende that I make, hit shal be so;

And girt him with his swerde, and gan to go;

1775

And forth he rit til he to Rome is come,

And al aloon his wey than hath he nome

Unto the house of Colatyn ful right.

Doun was the sonne, and day hath lost his light; (100)

And in he com un-to a privy halke,

And in the night ful theefly gan he stalke,

Whan every night was to his reste broght,

1780

Ne no wight had of tresoun swich a thoght.
Were hit by window or by other gin,
With swerde y-drawe, shortly he comth in
Ther as she lay, this noble wyf Lucresse.

'I am the kinges sone, Tarquinius,'

1785

(110)

1770.

1760. C. Thymage; rest The ymage. 1763. F. This; rest Thus. 1764. C. A. now; rest newe (new). 1766. C. Yit (for That). C. om. But. 1773. C. T. A. alday; rest alway. 1776. C. forth he rit; A. forth he ride; F. Tn. Th. he forth right (!). C. T.A. Were hit; rest Whether.

Quod he, but and thou crye, or noise make,
Or if thou any creature awake,

By thilke god that formed man on lyve,
This swerd through-out thyn herte shal I ryve.'
And ther-withal unto her throte he sterte,
And sette the point al sharp upon her herte.
No word she spak, she hath no might therto.
What shal she sayn? her wit is al ago.
Right as a wolf that fynt a lomb aloon,
To whom shal she compleyne, or make moon?
What shal she fighte with an hardy knight?
Wel wot men that a woman hath no might.
What! shal she crye, or how shal she asterte
That hath her by the throte, with swerde at herte?
She axeth grace, and seith al that she can.
'Ne wolt thou nat,' quod he, this cruel man,
'As wisly Iupiter my soule save,

[Anon] thou shalt be deed, and also lese Thy name, for thou shalt non other chese.'

Thise Romain wyves loveden so hir name

At thilke tyme, and dredden so the shame,

1790

1795

(120)

1800

1805

1810

(132)

That, what for fere of slaundre and drede of deeth,
She loste bothe atones wit and breeth,

1815

And in a swough she lay and wex so deed,

Men mighte smyten of her arm or heed;

She feleth no-thing, neither foul ne fair.
Tarquinius, that art a kinges eyr,

(140)

1795.

1793. C. thour-out; T. thorout; A. throughout; rest om. out. C. T. A. point; rest swerd. C. vp-on; T. opon; Tn. Th. on; rest unto. 1798. C. T. A. fynt; rest fayneth or feyneth (!). C. lomb; T. A. Th. lambe; rest loue (!). 1801. C. T. A. that; rest om. 1802. F. 1804. C. T. A. seyth; rest seyde. 1805. 1811. C. T. A. non other; rest not. 1816. C. wex; B. wexe;

sterte; rest asterte (astert).
C. A. he; T. tho; rest om.
1815. C. at onys bothe; rest bothe atones.
Tn. wax; T. wexed; A. wox; F. Th. woxe.