+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, 520 525 530 +As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse! 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, + 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, * 'But er I go, thus muche I wol thee telle, 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 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 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. *Wol doon so strong a peyne for love as she. 570 *I wot wel that thou mayst nat al hit ryme, And with that word my bokes gan I take, 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; 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. Til on a tyme befel ther swiche a cas, 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. 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, N.B.-Readings not marked with any letter are from F. (Fairfax MS.) (20) 600 587. worlde. 594. wold. 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, As certeinly, but-if that bokes lye, To me, that have y-take swiche empryse Hit were to long, lest that I sholde slake With stoute Romains, cruel as leoun; To ship they wente, and thus I let hem saile. To meten with thise Romains, if he may; 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; shippe. 630. Romaynes. 624. 628. |