And sholdest, as by linage and by right,
Doon as a lord and as a verray knight,
Why hastow doon dispyt to chivalrye?
Why hastow doon this lady vilanye?

Allas! of thee this was a vileins dede!

But now to purpos; in the story I rede,

Whan he was goon, al this mischaunce is falle.
This lady sente after her frendes alle,
Fader, moder, husbond, al y-fere;
And al dischevele, with her heres clere,
In habit swich as women used tho
Unto the burying of her frendes go,
She sit in halle with a sorweful sighte.

1820

1825

(150) 1830

Her frendes axen what her aylen mighte,

And who was deed? And she sit ay wepinge,

A word for shame ne may she forth out-bringe,

1835

Ne upon hem she dorste nat beholde.

But atte laste of Tarquiny she hem tolde,
This rewful cas, and al this thing horrible.
The wo to tellen hit wer impossible,
That she and alle her frendes made atones.
Al hadde folkes hertes been of stones,
Hit mighte have maked hem upon her rewe,
Her herte was so wyfly and so trewe.
She seide, that, for her gilt ne for her blame,
Her husbond sholde nat have the foule name,
That wolde she nat suffre, by no wey.
And they answerden alle, upon hir fey,

(160) 1840

1845

1821. F. Tn. Th. B. om. 2nd as. C. worthi (for verray). C. T. A. this; rest thy. vilenouse; Th. villaynous.

1823.

1824. C. vileyn; A. T. vileyns; F. B. Tn. 1825. F. Tn. Th. B. insert the after 1829. F. Tn. Th. B. om. al. C. herys; A. heeres; F. heer; Tn. T. Th. B. here (heare, heere). C. has lost 11. 1836-1907. 1840.

to.

1847. T.

T. maden; A. maid; rest make. 1846. So all but F. Tn. B.; F. B. That nolde she suffre; Tn. That wolde she suffren nat. opon; A. vpon; rest vnto (badly).

That they foryeve hit her, for hit was right;
Hit was no gilt, hit lay nat in her might;
And seiden her ensamples many oon.
But al for noght; for thus she seide anoon,
'Be as be may,' quod she, 'of forgiving,
I wol nat have no forgift for no-thing.'
But prively she caughte forth a knyf,
And therwith-al she rafte her-self her lyf;
And as she fel adoun, she caste her look,
And of her clothes yit she hede took;
For in her falling yit she hadde care
Lest that her feet or swiche thing lay bare;
So wel she loved clennesse and eek trouthe.
Of her had al the toun of Rome routhe,
And Brutus by her chaste blode hath swore
That Tarquin sholde y-banisht be ther-fore,
And al his kin; and let the peple calle,
And openly the tale he tolde hem alle,

(170)

1850

1855

(180)

1860

1865

And openly let carie her on a bere

Through al the toun, that men may see and here

The horrible deed of her oppressioun.

Ne never was ther king in Rome toun

(190) 1870

Sin thilke day; and she was holden there

A seint, and ever her day y-halwed dere
As in hir lawe: and thus endeth Lucresse,
The noble wyf, as Titus bereth witnesse.

I telle hit, for she was of love so trewe,
Ne in her wille she chaunged for no newe.
And for the stable herte, sad and kynde,
That in these women men may alday fynde;
Ther as they caste hir herte, ther hit dwelleth.
For wel I wot, that Crist him-selve telleth,

1857. T. A. she hede; rest hede she.
by hir chaste blood.
for the; rest in her.

1875

(200)

1862. So T. A.; rest hath 1876. T. A.

1873. T. A. as; rest om. 1879. All him-self or him-selfe.

That in Israel, as wyd as is the lond,
That so gret feith in al the lond he ne fond

As in a woman; and this is no lye.
And as of men, loketh which tirannye
They doon alday; assay hem who so liste,
The trewest is ful brotel for to triste.

Explicit Legenda Lucrecie Rome, Martiris.

1882. F. (only) om. and. 1883. F. women; rest men.

1880

1885

VI. THE LEGEND OF ARIADNE.

Incipit Legenda Adriane de Athenes.

IUGE infernal, Minos, of Crete king,

Now cometh thy lot, now comestow on the ring;
Nat only for thy sake wryte I this storie,

But for to clepe agein unto memorie

Of Theseus the grete untrouthe of love;

For which the goddes of the heven above

Ben wrothe, and wreche han take for thy sinne.
Be reed for shame! now I thy lyf beginne.

Minos, that was the mighty king of Crete,
That hadde an hundred citees stronge and grete,
To scole hath sent his sone Androgeus,
To Athenes; of the whiche hit happed thus,
That he was slayn, lerning philosophye,
Right in that citee, nat but for envye.

The grete Minos, of the whiche I speke,
His sones deth is comen for to wreke;
Alcathoe he bisegeth harde and longe.
But natheles the walles be so stronge,
And Nisus, that was king of that citee,
So chivalrous, that litel dredeth he;
Of Minos or his ost took he no cure,
Til on a day befel an aventure,

C. has lost 11. 1836-1907.

1890

1895

(11)

1900

1905

(21)

1886. F. B. Tn. Grece; rest Crete; see 1. 1894. 1888. F. B. oonly for thy sake; rest for thy sake only. F. Tn. Th. B. writen is; T. A. wryte I. 1890. F. vntrewe; rest vntrouthe (vntrouth). 1891. T. A. the; rest om. (after of). 1895. T. A. Th. had; B. wanne; F. whan (!); Tn. om. 1897. F. happeth; A. hapned; rest happed. 1902. Th. Alcathoe (rightly); A. Alcitoe; Tn. Alcie; T. All the cyte; F. B. And the citee.

That Nisus doghter stood upon the wal,
And of the sege saw the maner al.
So happed hit, that, at a scarmishing,
She caste her herte upon Minos the king,
For his beaute and for his chivalrye,
So sore, that she wende for to dye.
And, shortly of this proces for to pace,
She made Minos winnen thilke place,
So that the citee was al at his wille,
To saven whom him list, or elles spille;
But wikkedly he quitte her kyndenesse,
And let her drenche in sorowe and distresse,
Ner that the goddes hadde of her pite;
But that tale wer to long as now for me.
Athenes wan this king Minos also,

And Alcathoe and other tounes mo;
And this theffect, that Minos hath so driven
Hem of Athenes, that they mote him yiven
Fro yere to yere her owne children dere
For to be slayn, as ye shul after here.

This Minos hath a monstre, a wikked beste,

That was so cruel that, without areste,
Whan that a man was broght in his presence,
He wolde him ete, ther helpeth no defence.
And every thridde yeer, with-outen doute,
They casten lot, and, as hit com aboute

1930

On riche, on pore, he moste his sone take,
And of his child he moste present make

1935

1910. F. B. hyt happed; rest happed hit. 1911. C. caughte. 1912. C. T. A. for; rest om. C. om. 1922, 1923. 1923. Th. As Alcathoe; A. As Alcitoe; F. B. And Alcites; T. With all the cyte; see 1. 1902. 1924. C. But (for And). 1925. F. B. Tn. om. that. 1927. C. T. righ[t] as ye shal here; A. rycht thus as ye schall here. 1930. C. T. A. in; rest in-to. 1932. C. om. yeer. 1933. C. T. A. and; rest C. fil (for com). 1934. C. or; Th. and; rest on.

om.