From
A. 75-80.

From

A. 93-96.

From
A. 106.

From
A. 97-104.

For, as to me, is leefer noon ne lother;
I am with-holde yit with never nother.
I not who serveth leef, ne who the flour;
That nis nothing the entent of my labour.
For this werk is al of another tunne,

Of olde story, er swich stryf was begunne.

And that the sonne out of the south gan weste,
And closed was the flour and goon to reste
For derknesse of the night, of which she dredde,
+Hoom to myn hous ful swiftly I me spedde

To seen that flour, as ye han herd devyse.

+And, in a litel erber that I have,
Y-benched newe with turves fresshe y-grave,
+I bad men shulde me my couche make;
+For deyntee of the newe someres sake,
I bad hem strowe floures on my bed.
+Whan I was layd, and had myn eyen hed,
I fel a-slepe within an houre or two.

Me mette how I was in the medew tho,

For, as to me, nis lever noon ne lother;

I nam with-holden yit with never nother.

Ne I not who serveth leef, ne who the flour;
Wel brouken they hir service or labour;

For this thing is al of another tonne,

75

80

100

Of olde story, er swich thing was be-gonne.

Whan that the sonne out of the south gan weste,

And that this flour gan close and goon to reste
For derknesse of the night, the which she dredde,

Hoom to myn hous ful swiftly I me spedde

*To goon to reste, and erly for to ryse,
To seen this flour to sprede, as I devyse.
And, in a litel herber that I have,

That benched was on turves fresshe y-grave,

I bad men sholde me my couche make;
+For deyntee of the newe someres sake,
†I bad hem strawen floures on my bed.

+ Whan I was leyd, and had myn eyen hed,

I fel on slepe in-with an houre or two;

195

200

205

*Til at the laste a larke song above:

*'I see,' quod she, 'the mighty god of love!
*Lo! yond he cometh, I see his winges sprede !'

From

A. 106.

| To seen that flour, as ye han herd devyse,

Tho gan I loken endelong the mede,

141

(B. 212)

145

And saw him come, and in his hond a quene,
Clothed in ryal abite al of grene.

†A fret of gold she hadde next hir heer,

†And up-on that a whyt coroun she beer

With many floures, and I shal nat lye;
For al the world, right as the dayesye
+I-coroned is with whyte leves lyte,

Swich were the floures of hir coroun whyte.

Me mette how I lay in the medew tho,

150

210

To seen this flour that I so love and drede.
And from a-fer com walking in the mede
The god of love, and in his hande a quene;
And she was clad in real habit grene.
†A fret of gold she hadde next hir heer,
†And upon that a whyt coroun she beer
With florouns smale, and I shal nat lye;
For al the world, ryght as a dayesye
†Y-corouned is with whyte leves lyte,

So were the florouns of hir coroun whyte;

B. 192. F. mother (!); rest nother. 194. F. browken; her.

215

220

196. T.

story; F. storye; Tn. storie. F. swiche thinge. 197. All west; read weste 198. F. floure. All rest; read reste (as in MS. Add.

199. Th. dredde (rightly); rest dred.

(as in MS. Add. 9832).

9832 and in 1. 201).

200. Tn. 202. F. B. (only) omit 210. Tn. medew; 211, 212. F. (only) transposes these lines.

F. medewe; T. A. medow.
211. T. A. Add. so love; rest love so.
214. Tn. habit; F. habite.

come.

216. C. whit; P. whyt; F. Tn. B. white.

209. F. twoo.

212. Tn. com; Th. cam; rest 215. C. hadde; rest had (badly).

T. coroun; C. corone; F. corwne;

Tn. Th. crowne (but corowne in ll. 220, 223). 217 (and 220). Th. florouns ;

Tn. floruns; F. flourouns; B. flowrouns; rest floures.

F. worlde. Tn. dayesie; F. daysye.

coroune; Tn. Th. B. corowne; A. croun.

218. C. world;

2 20. P. corown; F. corovne; T.

For of o perle fyn and oriental

† Hir whyte coroun was y-maked al;

For which the whyte coroun, above the grene,

† Made hir lyk a daysie for to sene,
Considered eek the fret of gold above.
†Y-clothed was this mighty god of love
Of silk, y-brouded ful of grene greves;
A garlond on his heed of rose-leves
*Steked al with lilie floures newe;
*But of his face I can nat seyn the hewe.
For sekirly his face shoon so brighte,
*That with the gleem a-stoned was the sighte;
A furlong-wey I mighte him nat beholde.
But at the laste in hande I saw him holde

†Two fyry dartes, as the gledes rede;
And aungellich his wenges gan he sprede.

For of o perle fyne, oriental,

+ Hir whyte coroun was y-maked al;

For which the whyte coroun, above the grene,

† Made hir lyk a daysie for to sene,
Considered eek hir fret of gold above.

+Y-clothed was this mighty god of love
In silke, enbrouded ful of grene greves,
In-with a fret of rede rose-leves,

*The fresshest sin the world was first bigonne.
*His gilte heer was corouned with a sonne,
*In-stede of gold, for hevinesse and wighte;
Therwith me thoughte his face shoon so brighte
That wel unnethes mighte I him beholde;

And in his hande me thoughte I saugh him holde
†Two fyry dartes, as the gledes rede;

And aungellyke his winges saugh I sprede.

160. hed; leuys.

155

160

165

225

230

235

161. Stekid; lylye

165. 168.

A. 159. I-broudede; greuys. flourys. 163. schon; bryhte. 164. glem a-stonede; syhte. 167. Tho (error for Two); fery dartis; gleedys. 179. the thebonoyre (sic). 180. preye; euere. F. corovne; C. coroun (and in l. 223).

myhte; not. hyse wengis.

B. 222. F. Hire. 225. F. eke; golde.

229. F. worlde; Tn. world.

224. F. hire lyke.

230. F. Tn. gilte;

† And al be that men seyn that blind is he,
Al-gate me thoughte, he mighte wel y-see;
A
†For sternely on me he gan biholde,

170

†So that his loking doth myn herte colde.
†And by the hande he held the noble quene,
†Corouned with whyte, and clothed al in grene,
†So womanly, so benigne, and so meke,

175

†That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke,

†Half hir beautee shulde men nat finde

†In creature that formed is by kinde,
Hir name was Alceste the debonayre;
I prey to god that ever falle she fayre!
†For ne hadde confort been of hir presence,
†I had be deed, withouten any defence,
†For drede of Loves wordes and his chere,
†As, whan tyme is, her-after ye shal here.

†And al be that men seyn that blind is he,
Al-gate me thoughte that he mighte see;
+For sternely on me he gan biholde,
†So that his loking doth myn herte colde.
And by the hande he held this noble quene,
†Corouned with whyte, and clothed al in grene,
†So womanly, so benigne, and so meke,

†That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke,
†Half hir beautee shulde men nat finde
+In creature that formed is by kinde.

That is so good, so fair, so debonaire;
I prey to god that ever falle hir faire!
From +For, nadde comfort been of hir presence,
B. 276-281. +I had ben deed, withouten any defence,
+For drede of Loves wordes and his chere;
+As, when tyme is, her-after ye shal here.

180

240

245

280

231. F. I stede; rest In stede.

F. golde; Tn. gold. 232. F. thoght. In 231, 232, most MSS. have wight, bright; but C. has bryhte, riming with syhte. 233. F. myght.

thoght.

235. F. Twoo. 238. F. thoght; myght.

234. F. 240. F. dooth;

C. both (!). C. herte; F. hert. 241. F. helde; C. held. C. the (for this).

242. F. Corowned. 244. F. om. wolde seke.

only nat fynde. C. Half hire beute schulde men;

Half.

G

245. F. imperfect; has

A. (only) inserts of after

Byhind this god of love, up-on this grene,
†I saw cominge of ladyës nyntene
†In ryal abite, a ful esy pas,

†And after hem com of wemen swich a tras

That, sin that god Adam made of erthe, The thredde part of wemen, ne the ferthe, †Ne wende I nat by possibilitee

185

190

Hadden ever in this world y-be;

(B. 289)

†And trewe of love thise wemen were echoon.

†Now whether was that a wonder thing or noon,
†That, right anoon as that they gonne espye
†This flour, which that I clepe the dayesye,
+Ful sodeinly they stinten alle at-ones,

195

And kneled adoun, as it were for the nones.
*And after that they wenten in compas,
*Daunsinge aboute this flour an esy pas,

Behind this god of love, upon the grene,
+I saugh cominge of ladyës nyntene
+In real habit, a ful esy paas;

200

From

+And after hem com of women swich a traas,
That, sin that god Adam had mad of erthe
The thridde part of mankynd, or the ferthe,
+Ne wende I nat by possibilitee,

285

solon thy.

247. F. therfore.

201.

209. destene. [287. C. thredde.

248. F. songe.

249. F. Tn. omit. C. Hyd absalon thynne gilte tressis clere. T. A. Th. ab250. C. meknesse; F. mekenesse. C. adoun; F. adowne. 253. C. Mak; rest Make. F. youre; Tn. your.

252. C. T. P. Penolope.