Imatges de pàgina
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+As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse! Athenian food thone +Hir whyte coroun berth of hit witnesse; -hapedy 515 The had +For also many vertues hadde she,

+As smale floures in hir coroun be.

+In remembraunce of hir and in honour,
+Cibella made the dayesy and the flour
+Y-coroned al with whyt, as men may see;
+And Mars yaf to hir coroun reed, pardee,
+In stede of rubies, set among the whyte.'
+Therwith this quene wex reed for shame a lyte,
+Whan she was preysed so in hir presence.
+Than seyde Love, 'a ful gret negligence
Was hit to thee, to write unstedfastnesse
*Of women, sith thou knowest hir goodnesse
*By preef, and eek by stories heer-biforn;
*Let be the chaf, and wryt wel of the corn.

520

525

530

+As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse!
+Hir whyte coroun berth of hit witnesse ;
+For also many vertues hadde she,
+As smale floures in hir coroun be.
+In remembraunce of hir and in honour,
+Cibella made the dayesy and the flour
+Y-coroned al with whyt, as men may see;
+And Mars yaf to hir coroun reed, pardee,
+In stede of rubies, set among the whyte.'
+Therwith this quene wex reed for shame a lyte, 535
+ Whan she was preysed so in hir presence.
+Than seyde Love, 'a ful gret negligence
Was hit to thee, that ilke tyme thou made
*"Hyd, Absolon, thy tresses," in balade,
*That thou forgete hir in thy song to sette,
*Sin that thou art so gretly in hir dette,

540

C. hath (badly). 529. F. Th. florouns; rest floures. 530. F. honoure. 531. In margin of F.-Cibella mater deorum. F. maade; daysye; floure. 532. C. I-coroned; F. Y-crowned. F. white.

F. reede.

533. C. corone; F. corowne. 534. C. set; F. sette. 537. F. Thanne. C. gret; F. grete. F. necligence. 538. F. ys (wrongly); rest hit, it. 540. Th. forgete; F. Tn. forgate; T. A. forgat. F. songe.

*Why noldest thou han writen of Alceste,
*And leten Criseide been a-slepe and reste?
*For of Alceste shulde thy wryting be,
Sin that thou wost that kalender is she
Of goodnesse, for she taughte of fyn lovinge,
+And namely of wyfhood the livinge,
+And alle the boundes that she oghte kepe;
+Thy litel wit was thilke tyme a-slepe.

+ But now I charge thee, upon thy lyf,

(B. 542).

530

535

+That in thy Legend thou make of this wyf,

Whan thou hast othere smale mad before;

540

+And fare now wel, I charge thee no more. (B. 551).

And wost so wel, that kalender is she

*To any woman that wol lover be.

For she taughte al the craft of fyn lovinge,
+And namely of wyfhood the livinge,
+And alle the boundes that she oghte kepe;
+Thy litel wit was thilke tyme a-slepe.
+ But now I charge thee, upon thy lyf,
+That in thy Legend thou make of this wyf,
Whan thou hast other smale y-maad before;
+And fare now wel, I charge thee no more.

* 'But er I go, thus muche I wol thee telle,
*Ne shal no trewe lover come in helle.
*Thise other ladies sittinge here arowe
*Ben in thy balade, if thou canst hem knowe,
*And in thy bokes alle thou shalt hem finde;
*Have hem now in thy Legend alle in minde,
*I mene of hem that been in thy knowinge.
*For heer ben twenty thousand mo sittinge

A. 530. noldist; writyn. 533. wist (badly); calandier.

B. 542. T. A. Add. so; rest om. F. taught. F. crafte; Tn. T. A. F. al; oght. 547. F. witte. F. legende. C. wif; F. wyfe. namore. 552. F. goo; the.

545

550

555

531. latyn; ben. 532. thyn wrytynge. 544. slep. 545. myn legende. F.shee. 543. F. bee. 544. C. taughte; craft. 545. F. wyfhode; lyvyng. 546.

548. F. the. C. lyf; F. lyfe. 549. 550. F. y-maade. 551. C. no more; F. 555. F. Th. my; rest thy. 556. F. bookes.

557. F. misplaces now after legende; Tn. Th. place now after hem.

558.

(B. 566).

+At Cleopatre I wol that thou beginne;
+And so forth; and my love so shalt thou winne.'

And with that word of sleep I gan a-awake, (B. 578). +And right thus on my Legend gan I make.

Explicit prohemium.

545

*Than thou knowest, that been good wommen alle
*And trewe of love, for aught that may befalle;
*Make the metres of hem as thee leste.

560

*I mot gon hoom, the sonne draweth weste,

*To Paradys, with al this companye;

*And serve alwey the fresshe dayesye.

565

+At Cleopatre I wol that thou beginne;

+And so forth; and my love so shalt thou winne.
*For lat see now what man that lover be,

*Wol doon so strong a peyne for love as she.

570

*I wot wel that thou mayst nat al hit ryme,
*That swiche lovers diden in hir tyme;
*It were to long to reden and to here;
*Suffyceth me, thou make in this manere,
*That thou reherce of al hir lyf the grete,
*After thise olde auctours listen to trete.
*For who-so shal so many a storie telle,
*Sey shortly, or he shal to longe dwelle.'

And with that word my bokes gan I take,
+And right thus on my Legend gan I make.

575

F. ben; knowyng.

559. F. here; thousande moo sittyng.

560. F.

F. oght.

564. F.

566. F. wole.

571. F. Tn.

Thanne. A. that ben; T. Add. and; rest om. 561. Tn. aught;
562. F. lest: Tn. leste. 563. F. home. F. west: Tn. weste.
thise; rest this. 565. F. fressh; Th. fresshe; A. fresche.
567. F. forthe. C. Tn. shalt; F. shal.

569. F. stronge.

A. swich; T. Th. P. suche. F. Tn. dide; T. dedyn; P. deden; Add. diden. 573. B. Suffyceth; F. Suffich (!).

574. A. lyf; F. lyfe.

575. A.

listen trete; Tn. the lasse to trete (!); Add. the lesse to trete (!); rest listen for 576. F. storye. 578. A. word; F. worde.

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Til on a tyme befel ther swiche a cas,
That out of Rome was sent a senatour,
For to conqueren regnes and honour
Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce,
To have the world unto her obeisaunce;
And, sooth to seye, Antonius was his name.
So fil hit, as Fortune him oghte a shame
Whan he was fallen in prosperitee,
Rebel unto the toun of Rome is he.

And over al this, the suster of Cesar,

585

(10)

590

He lafte hir falsly, er that she was war,

And wolde algates han another wyf;

For whiche he took with Rome and Cesar stryf.
Natheles, for-sooth, this ilke senatour

595

Was a ful worthy gentil werreyour,

And of his deeth hit was ful greet damage.

But love had broght this man in swiche a rage,
And him so narwe bounden in his las,
Al for the love of Cleopataras,

N.B.-Readings not marked with any letter are from F. (Fairfax MS.)

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600

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587. worlde. 594. wold.

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That al the world he sette at no value.

Him thoughte, nas to him no thing so due

As Cleopatras for to love and serve ;

605

Him roghte nat in armes for to sterve

In the defence of hir, and of hir right.

This noble quene eek lovede so this knight,
Through his desert, and for his chivalrye;

As certeinly, but-if that bokes lye,
He was, of persone and of gentilesse,
And of discrecioun and hardinesse,
Worthy to any wight that liven may.
And she was fair as is the rose in May.
And, for to maken shortly is the beste,
She wex his wyf, and hadde him as hir leste.
The wedding and the feste to devyse,

To me, that have y-take swiche empryse
Of so many a storie for to make,

Hit were to long, lest that I sholde slake
Of thing that bereth more effect and charge;
For men may overlade a ship or barge;
And forthy to theffect than wol I skippe,
And al the remenant, I wol lete hit slippe.
Octovian, that wood was of this dede,
Shoop him an ost on Antony to lede
Al-outerly for his destruccioun,

With stoute Romains, cruel as leoun;

To ship they wente, and thus I let hem saile.
Antonius was war, and wol nat faile

To meten with thise Romains, if he may;
Took eek his reed, and bothe, upon a day,

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602. worlde; noo.

rest Cleopatras. 609. bookes.

603. C. there nas to hym no thyng so dewe; rest

612.

there was no thing to him so due (all too long). 604. F. Tn. B. Cleopataras; 607. ek. C. lovede; F. loved. 608. Thurgh; decert. 611. All but T. A. Add. insert of after and; I omit it. 613. faire. 614. F. (only) om. for. · 615. MSS. 616. C. Tn. feste; F. fest. 617. swich. rest longe. C. T. A. lest; F. lyst.

C. lyuyn; F. leven.

wax, wox; read wex.

619. 621. shippe.

T. A. P. Add. long;
622. A. Add. theffect; C. thefeect (sic); F. effect. 623. remenaunt.
woode. 625. oost. 627. Romaynes crewel. T. leoun; F. lyoun.
631. eke; rede; booth.

shippe.

630. Romaynes.

624.

628.

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