ANELIDA AND ARCITE. HARLEIAN MS. 7333.

(41) (Compl. 11; Mov. II. 4)

121

¶ For þaughe/I hade yowe / nuwe agayne to morowe/ 308 I mygħt als weele kepe / Auery from) Rayne

As holde yow trewe / and make yowe hoole stedfaste /
Almyghti god of trowthe soverayne

Where is pe trowthe of man whoo hathe it slayne
Sheo that hem trustithe shall hem fynde als faste

312

Of all my worlde/ and my goode Aventure/

324

For in this worlde nys Creature

Wakynge in moore discomfiture

pane I ne more sorowe endure

And yf I Slepe A furlonge wey or tweye/

328

Than thinkithe me pat youre figure

Be-fore me stante Clooped in Asure/

To profren efte and nuwe ensure/

For to be trewe / and love me til I dye

332

(43) (Compl. 13; Mov. II. 6)

The longe Nygħt / þis wonder sight I drye

333

And on the day for þilke a fraye I dye

And of Al this right nought ewysse yee rechche

Ne never mo/myne eyen two beo drye

And to youre rought / and to your trouthe I

122

ANELIDA AND ARCITE. HARLEIAN MS. 7333.

But welawaye to fer ben thei to Fecche

pus holdithe me my destenye a wrechche

But me to Rede oute of this drede /or crye

Ne may my witte / so weyke is it nought strecche

341

Tpanne eondid I thus sithe I may do namore
And yeve it vp for now and evir more
For shall I neuer efte put in balaunse
My sikurnesse / or leorne of love þe lore
But as pe swane / I have harde sey fuH
Ageynist his dethe / shall synge his penavnse/
So sey I here / my destenye or chaunce/
How pat Arcyte / Anelyda so sore

yore

342

346

Hape thrilled with pe poynte of Rememberaunce/

350

(45) [Continuation] [From Tanner MS. 346]

[when that Annelida this woful quene

351

Hath of her hande writen in this wise

with face dede betwix pale and grene

She felle a swow and sith she gan to rise

354

And vnto Mars avoyth sacrifice

with-Inne the temple with a sorofuH chere

That shapyn was as ye shall aftyr here]

?

357

[Imperfect: never finisht. See the description of the

Temple of Mars in The Knight's Tale.]

VIII.

The Former Ige.

[From the 5th Metre of the 2nd Book of Boethius de

Consolatione Philosophiae. Line 56 is wanting.]

124

THE FORMER AGE. MS. Ii. 3. 21, CAMBR.

THE FORMER AGE.

[Camb. Univ. MS. Ii. 3. 21, leaf 52, back.]

Chawcer vp-on this fyfte metur of the second book

A

(1)

Blysful lyf a paysyble and a swete

Ledden the poeples in the former age

They helde hem paied of the fructes pat þey ete
Whiche pat the feldes yaue hem by vsage
They ne weere nat forpampred with owtrage
Onknowyn was pe quyerne and ek the melle
They eten mast hawes and swych pownage
And dronken water of the colde welle

(2)

1

8

¶ Yit nas the grownd nat wownded with pe plowh

9

But corn vp-sprong vnsowe of mannes hond

be which they gnodded and eete nat half .I.-nowh

12

No man yit knewe the forwes of his lond
No man the fyr owt of the flynt yit fonde
Vn-koruen and vn-grobbed lay the vyne
No man yit in the morter spices grond
To clarre ne to sawse of galentyne

(3)

16

¶ No Madyr welde or wod no litestere
Ne knewh/ the fles was of is former hewe
No flessh ne wyste offence of egge or spere
No coyn ne knewh man which is fals or trewe
No ship yit karf the wawes grene and blewe
No Marchaunt yit ne fette owt-landissh ware
No batails trompes for the werres folk ne knewe

17

20

Ne towres heye and walles rownde or square

24

t

THE FORMER AGE.

MS. Ii. 3. 21, CAMBR.

125

(4)

¶ What sholde it han avayled to werreye
Ther lay no profyt ther was no rychesse
But corsed was the tyme .I. dar' wel seye
hat men fyrst dede hir' swety bysynesse
To grobbe vp metal lurkynge in dirkenesse
And in þe Ryuerys fyrst gemmys sowhte
Allas than sprong vp al the cursydnesse
Of coueytyse pat fyrst owr sorwe browhte

(5)

¶ Thyse tyraunt; put hem gladly nat in pres

No places wyldnesse ne no busshes for to wynne
Ther pouerte is as seith diogenes

Ther as vitayle is ek so skars and thinne

33

36

bat nat but mast or apples is ther Inne
But per as bagges ben and fat vitaile
Ther wol they gon and spare for no synne
With al hir ost the Cyte forto a-sayle

(6)

¶ Yit was no paleis chaumbres ne non halles
In kaues and wodes softe and swete
Sleptin this blyssed folk with-owte walles

[† MS. transposes lines 39, 40.]

Or gras or leues in parfyt Ioye reste and quiete
No down of fetheres ne no bleched shete
Was kyd to hem but in surte they slepte
Hir hertes weere al on with-owte galles
Euerych of hem his feith to oother kepte

+39

+40

41

44

[for -ete ryme]

48