While thou so slomrest in that thought,
That is so swete and delitable;
The which in soth[ė] nys but fable,
For it ne shall no while laste.
Thanne shalt thou sighe and wepė faste
And say, "Dere god, what thing is
this?

My dreme is turned all amys,
Which was full swete and apparent;
But now I wake, it is al shent !
How yede this mery thought away!
Twenty tymes upon a day

2581

2590

2600

I wolde this thought wolde come ageyne,
For it aleggith well my peyne;
It makith me full of joyfull thought.
It sleth me that it lastith noght
A lord, why nyl ye me socoure
Fro joye? I trowe that I langoure;
The deth I wolde me shuldė sloo
While I lye in hir armes twoo.
Myne harme is harde, withouten wene,
My gret unease full ofte I meene.
But wolde love do so I myght
Have fully joye of hir so bright,
My peyne were quytte me rychėly.
Allas, to grete a thing aske I !
Hit is but foly and wrong wenyng
To aske so outrageous a thyng;
And who so askith folily,
He mote be warned hastily.
And I ne wote what I may say,
I am so fer out of the way.
For I wolde have full gret likyng
And full gret joye of lasse thing;
For wolde she of hir gentylnesse
Withoutė more me oonys kysse,
It were to me a grete guerdoun,
Relees of all my passioun.
But it is harde to come therto,
All is but folye that I do;
So high I have myne hertė sette
Where I may no comfort gette;
I not where I seye well or nought,
But this I wote wel in my thought,
That it were better of hir alloone,
Fórto stynte my woo and moone,

2585. How, MSS. Now.

2610

2620

2592. Fro joye, MSS. The joye, which Skeat retains, construing as object of languor; but 'langour' is not used in this sense.

2617. MSS. wote not.

A loke on me I-caste goodly,
Than forto have al utterly
Of an other all hoole the pley.
A lord, where I shall byde the day
That evere she shall my lady be?
He is full cured that may hir see.
A god, whanne shal the dawnyng spring
To lye thus is an angry thyng ;
I have no joye thus heere to lye
Whanne that my love is not me bye.
A man to lye hath gret disese,
Which may not slepe ne reste in ese.
I wolde it dawed and were now day,
And that the nyght were went away;
For were it day I wolde uprise.
A slowè sonne, shewe thine enprise!
Spede thee to sprede thy beemys brig
And chace the derknesse of the night,
To putte away the stoundės stronge,
Whiche in me lasten all to longe!"
The nyght shalt thou contené soo
Withouté rest, in peyne and woo.
If evere thou knewe of love distresse,
Thou shalt mowe lerne in that sicknesse.
And thus enduryng shalt thou lye,
And ryse on morwė up erly
Out of thy bedde, and harneyse thee,
Er evere dawnyng thou maist see.
All pryvyly thanne shall thou goon,
What weder it be, thi silf alloon,
For reyne or hayle, for snowe, for siete,
Thider she dwellith that is so swete.
The which may fall a-slepé be,

And thenkith but lytel upon thee.
Thanne shalt thou goon ful foule a-feerd
Loke if the gatė be unspered,
And waite without in woo and peyne,
Full yvel acoolde, in wynde and reyne.
Thanne shal thou go the dore bifore,
If thou maist fynde ony score,

Or hoole, or reeft what evere it were.
Thanne shalt thou stoupe, and lay to ere.

2621. MSS. on hir I-caste. Skeat proposed the reading in the text; ? read of hir.

2624. where, whether; introducing a direct question.

2628. lye, MSS. liggen, but cp. rhymes in v 2629, 2630; 2645, 2646.

2631. to lye, i.e. in lying down.

2641. contene, continue; but Fr. 'te contend-as may have been rendered contende.

2650. weder, MSS. whider, Skeat's correction

1

If they withynne a-slepé be

I mene all save the lady free.
Whom wakyng if thou maist aspie,
Go putte thi-silf in jupartie,
To askė grace, and thee bimene,
That she may wite withoutė wene
That thou [a-]nyght no rest hast hadde,
So sore for hir thou were bystadde; 2670
Wommen wel ought pité to take
Of hem that sorwen for her sake.
And loke, for love of that relyke,
Thát thou thenke noon other lyke;
For whanne thou hast so gret annoy,
Shall kysse thee er thou go away,
And holde that in full gret deynte.
And for that noman shal thee see
Bifore the hous, ne in the way,
Loke thou be goone ageyn er day.

Such comyng and such goyng,
Such hevynesse and such wakyng
Makith lovers, withouten wene,
Under her clothės pale and lene.
For love leveth colour ne cleernesse,
Who loveth trewe hath no fatnesse;
Thou shalt wel by thy-silf [y-]see
That thou must nedis assaied be;
For men that shape hem other weye
Falsly her ladyes to bitraye,

2680

2690

It is no wonder though they be fatt,
With false othes her loves they gatt.
For oft I see suche losengours
Fátter than abbatis or priours.
Yit with o thing I thee charge,
That is to seye that thou be large
Unto the mayde that hir doith serve,
So best hir thanke thou shalt deserve.
Yéve hir yiftes, and gete hir grace,
Fór so thou may thank purchace,
That she thee worthy holde and free,
Thi lady, and all that may thee see.
Also hir servauntes worshipe ay,
And please as mych as thou may;
Grete good through hem may come to thee

2669. a-nyght, MSS. nyght.

2700

2673. Por l'amor du haut seintueire'; cp. the similar use of relyk in v. 2907.

2676. The Fr. directs the lover to kiss the door before leaving; so Kaluza reads wham for whan in verse above, and suggests Thou kisse the dore er thou go away for v. 2676.

2704. Read mychel, or insert ever before may.

Bi-cause with hir they ben pryve;
They shal hir telle hoe they thee fande
Curteis, and wys, and well doande,
And she shall preise well the mare.
Loke oute of londe thou be not fare, 2710
And if such cause thou have that thee
Bihoveth to gone out of contree,
Leve hoole thin hertė in hostage,
Till thou ageyn make thi passage.
Thenke longe to see the swete thyng,
That hath thine herte in hir kepyng.
Now have I tolde thee in what wise
A lovere shall do me servise ;
Dó it thanne if thou wolt have
The meede that thou aftir crave.'
Whanne Love all this hadde boden me,
I seide hym, Sire, how may it be
That lovers may in such manere
Endure the peyne ye have seid heere?
I merveyle me wonder faste
How ony man may lyve or laste
In such peyne and [in] such brennyng;
In sorwe and thought, and such sighing,
Aye unrelesed woo to make,
Whether so it be they slepe or wake, 2730
In such annoy contynuely,

As helpe me god, this merveile I

2720

How man, but he were maad of stele,
Myght lyve a monthe such peynes to fele.'

The God of Love thanne seidė me,
'Freend, by the feith I owe to thee,
May no man have good but he it bye;
A man loveth more tendirly

The thyng that he hath bought most dere.

For wite thou well, withouten were, 2740
In thanke that thyng is taken more
For which a man hath suffred sore.
Certis no wo ne may atteyne
Unto the sore of lovės peyne;
Noon yvel therto ne may amounte,
Nomore than a man [may] counte
The dropes that of the water be.
For drye as well the greete see
Thou myghtist, as the harmės telle
Óf hem that with love dwelle

In servysė; for peyne hem sleeth,
And yet ech man wolde fle the deeth.

2709. Perhaps insert thee before well. 2752. yet, toutes voies,' MSS. that.

2750

And trowe thei shulde nevere escape,
Nere that hope couthe hem make
Glád, as man in prisoun sett,
And may not geten forto ete
But barly breed and watir pure,
And lyeth in vermyn and in ordure;
With all this yitt can he lyve,

Good hope such comfort hath hym yive,
Which maketh wene that he shall be 2761
Delyvered and come to liberte.
In fortune is [his] full trust,
Though he lye in strawe or dust;
In hoope is all his susteynyng.
And so for lovers in her wenyng,
Whiche Love hath shitte in his prisoun,
Good hope is her salvacioun.

Good hope how sore that they smerte
Yeveth hem bothe will and herte
To profre her body to martire;
For hope so sore doith hem desire
To suffre ech harme that men devise

2770

2780

For joye that aftirward shall aryse.
Hope in desire hathe victorie,
In hope of love is all the glorie,
For hope is all that love may yive;
Nere hope ther shulde no lover lyve.
Blessid be hope, which with desire
Avaunceth lovers in such manere!
Good hope is curteis forto please,
To kepe lovers from all disese;
Hope kepith his bonde, and wole abide
For ony perill that may betyde;
For hope to lovers, as most cheef,
Doth hem endure all myscheef;
Hope is her helpe whanne myster is.
And I shall yeve thee eke I-wys
Three other thingis, that gret solas
Doith to hem that be in my las.
The firstė good that may be founde
To hem that in my lace be bounde
IS SWETE THOUGHT, forto recorde
Thing wherwith thou canst accorde
Best in thyne herte, where she be.

2790

Thenkyng in absence is good to thee.
Whanne ony lover doth compleyne,
And lyveth in distresse and in peyne.
Thanne Swetė-Thought shal come as bir
Awey his angre forto dryve.

It makith lovers to have remembrance.
Of comfort and of high plesaunce,
That hope hath hight hym forto wyrze
For Thought anoon thanne shall bygyz
As ferre, god wote, as he can fynde,
To make a mirrour of his mynde;
Forto biholde he wole not lette.
Hir persone he shall afore hym sette,
Hir laughing eyen, persaunt and clere,
Hir shappe, hir fourme, hir goodly chere:
Hir mouth, that is so gracious,
So swete and eke so saverous;

Of all hir fetures he shall take heede,
His eyen with all hir lymės fede.
Thus Swete-Thenkyng shall aswage
The peyne of lovers and her rage.
Thi joye shall double withouté gesse
Whanne thou thenkist on hir semlynesse.
Or of hir laughing, or of hir chere
That to thee made thi lady dere.
This comfort wole I that thou take;
And if the next thou wolt forsake,
Which is not lessė saverous,
Thou shuldist ben to daungerous.

The secounde shal be SWETE-SPECHE,
That hath to many oon be leche
To bringe hem out of woo and were,
And holpe many a bachilere,
And many a lady sent socoure,
Thát have loved paramour,

Through spekyng whanne they myght heere
Of hir lovers, to hem so dere.
To hem it voidith all her smerte,
The which is closed in her herte ;

In herte it makith hem glad and light,
Speche, whanne they mowe have[no]sight
And therfore now it cometh to mynde
In oldė dawės, as I fynde,

That clerkis writen that hir knewe;
Ther was a lady, fresh of hewe,
Which of hir love made a songe,

2796. Kal. reads Thought for Thenkyng; bet cp. v. 2815.

2808. he shall; cp. note to v. 2945.
2809. eyen, one syllable; cp. vv. 2913, 2814
2824. MSS. skuldest not, seroies."

2850

On hym forto remembre amonge,
In which she seyde: "Whanne that I here
Speken of hym that is so dere,
To me it voidith allé smerte.
I-wys, he sittith so nere myne herte
To speke of hym at eve or morwe
It cureth me of all my sorwe.
To me is noon so high plesaunce
As of his persone dalyaunce."
She wist full well that Swete-Spekyng
Comfortith in full myche thyng.
Hir love she hadde full well assaid,
Of him she was full well apaid;
To speke of hym hir joye was sett.
Therfore I rede thee that thou gett
A felowe that can well concele,
And kepe thi counsell, and well hele,
To whom go shewe hoolly thine herte,
Bothe well and woo, joye and smerte;
To gete comfort to hym thou goo,
And pryvyly bitwene yow twoo
Yee shall speke of that goodly thyng,
That hath thyne herte in hir kepyng.
Of hir beaute, and hir semblaunce,
And of hir goodly countenaunce;
Of all thi state, thou shalt hym seye,
And aske hym counseill how thou may
Do ony thyng that may hir plese;
For it to thee shall do gret ese,
That he may wite thou trust hym soo,
Bothe of thi wele and of thi woo.
And if his herte to love be sett,
His companye is myche the bett,
For resoun wole he shewe to thee
All uttirly his pryvyte,

2861

2870

2880

And what she is he loveth so.
To thee pleynly he shall undo,
Withoutė drede of ony shame,
Bothe tell hir renoun and hir name.
Thanne shall he forther, ferre and nere,
And namely to thi lady dere.
In syker wise yee every other
Shall helpen, as his owne brother,
In trouthe withoutė doublenesse,
And kepen cloos in sikernesse ;
For it is noble thing in fay
To have a man thou darst say
Thy pryve counsell every deell ;

2881. Then shall he go further, etc.
2888. (?) Supply that before thou.

2889

For that wole comforte thee right well,
And thou shalt holde thee well apayed,
Whanne such a freend thou hast assayed.

The thridde good of gret comforte,
That yeveth to lovers moste disporte,
Comyth of sight and of biholdyng,
That clepid is SWETE-LOKYNG.
The which may [thee] noon esė do
Whanne thou art fer thy lady fro.
Wherfore thou prese alwey to be
In place where thou maist hir see.
For it is thyng most amerous,
Most delytable and saverous,
Forto a-swage a mannès sorowe,
To sene his lady by the morwe.
For it is a full noble thing,
Whánne thyne eyen have metyng
With that relike precious
Wherof they be so désirous.
But al day after, soth it is,

2900

They have no drede to faren amysse; 2910
They dreden neither wynde ne reyne,
Né noon other maner peyne.

For whanne thyne eyen were thus in blisse,
Yit of hir curtesie, y-wysse,
Alloone they can not have her joye,
But to the herte they [it] convoye;
Parte of her blisse to hym they sende,
Of all this harme to make an ende.
The eye is a good messangere,
Which can to the herte in such manere
Tidyngis sendė, that hath sene
To voide hym of his peynės clene.
Wherof the herte rejoiseth soo,
That a gret partye of his woo

2921

Is voided, and putte awey to flight,
Right as the derknesse of the nyght
Is chased with clerenesse of the mone,
Right so is al his woo full soone
Devoided clene, whanne that the sight
Biholden may that freshe wight
That the herte desireth soo,
That al his derknesse is agoo.
For thanne the herte is all at ese,
Whanne the eyen sene that may hem plese.

2902. MSS. favorous, 'savorous.'

2917. they, MSS. thou.

2930

2920. The verse is made smoother by placing can after the first word of the next line.

Now have I declared thee all oute
Of that thou were in drede and doute,
For I have tolde thee feithfully
What thee may curen utterly.
And alle lovers that wole be
Feithfull and full of stabilite,
Good hope alwey kepe bi thi side,
And Swetė-Thought, make eke abide;
Swetė-Lokyng and Swetė-Speche.

2940

2950

Of all thyne harmes thei shall be leche :
Of every thou shalt have gret plesaunce,
If thou canst bidė in suffraunce,
And serve wel withoute feyntise;
Thou shalt be quyte of thyne emprise
With more guerdoun, if that thou lyve,
But at this tyme this I thee yive.'
The God of Love, whanne al the day
Had taught me as ye have herd say,
And enfourmed compendiously,
He vanyshide awey all sodeynly;
And I alloonė lefte all soole,
So full of compleynt and of doole,
For I sawe no man there me by.
My woundes me greved wondirly;
Me forto curen no thyng I knewe
Sáve the bothon bright of hewe,
Wheron was sett hoolly my thought.
Of other comfort knewe I nought,
But it were thrugh the God of Love.
I knewe not elles to my bihove
That myght me ease or comfort gete,
But if he wolde hym entermete.
The roser was withouté doute
Clósed with an haye withoute,
As ye toforn have herd me seyne.
And fast I bisiede, and wolde fayne 2970
Have passed the hay, if [that] I myght
Have geten ynne by ony slight
Unto the bothon so faire to see.
But evere I draddė blamed to be,
If men wolde have suspeccioun
That I wolde of entencioun

Have stole the roses that there were;

2960

2945. Of every, i.e. from each of them. Kaluza omits gret, but two unaccented syllables, one of which is shall, are not uncommon in the poem ; cp. vv. 28o8, 2813.

2950. at, 'des ore,' MSS. all.

2953. enfourmed. Perhaps supply me before enfourmed.

2954. awey does not seem to belong to the verse. 2968. haye, MSS. hegge; but cp. v. 3007.

Of good stature and of good hight;
And BIALACOIL forsothe he hight,
Sóne he was to Curtesie.

And he me grauntide full gladly

The passage of the outter hay,
And séidė Sir, how that yee may
Pásse, if [that] youre willé be
The freshe roser forto see,
And yee the swetė savour fele,
You warranté may [I] right wele.
So thou thee kepė fro folye,
Shall no man do thee vylanye;
If I may help you in ought,
I shall not feynė, dredeth nought,
For I am bounde to youre servise,
Fully devoide of feyntise.'
Thanne unto Bialacoil saide I:
'I thanke you, sir, full hertély
And youre biheestė take at gre,
That ye so goodly profer me.

To you it cometh of gret fraunchise
That ye me profer youre servise.'
Thanne aftir, full delyverly,
Thorough the breres anoon wente I,
Wherof encombred was the hay.
I was wel plesed, the soth to say,
To se the bothon faire and swote
So freshė spronge out of the rote.
And Bialacoil me served well

Whanne I so nygh me myghte fele
Of the bothon the swete odour
And so lusty hewed of colour.
But thanne a cherle (foule hym bityde!
Biside the roses gan hym hyde,
To kepe the roses of that roser
Of whom the name was DAUNGER.
This cherle was hid there in the greves,
Kovered with gras and with leves,
To spie and take whom that he fonde
Unto that Roser putte an honde.
He was not soole, for ther was moo;

2988. how, (?) now; cp. v. 2585. 2992. MSS. Youre warrante, and omit I; 'Ge vous i puis bien garantir.'

2998. Possibly devoided; but cp. v. 37233001. biheest, with inorganic as in Chaucer.

1