214 LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. MS. Gg. 4. 27, CAMB.

*Hast thow thyn self alle ful of storyis grete *That bothe romaynys & ek grekis trete

Fx. li.
*

Gg. li.

*Of sundery wemen whiche lyf that they ledde * *And euere an hunderede goode a-geyn on badde * *This knowith god & alle clerkis ek

276

*That vsyn sweche materis for to sek

*What seith Valerye Titus or Claudyan

*What seith Ierome agayns Iouynyan

*How clene maydenys1 & how trewe wyuys
*How stedefaste wedewys durynge alle here lyuys *
*Tellyth Ierome & that nat of a fewe [2h corr.]
*But I dar seyn an hunderede on a rewe
*That it is pete for to rede & routhe
*The wo that they endure for here trouthe
§3ffor to hyre loue were they so trewe
*That rathere than they wole take a newe3
*They chose to be ded in sundery wyse
*And deiedyn as the story wele deuyse

280

[1s corr.]

284

3348 288

*And some were brend & some were cut the hals *
*And some dreynkt for thy woldyn not be fals
*ffor alle kepid1 they here maydynhed

[3_3 corr.]

292

[pid corr.]

*Or ellis wedlek or here wedewehed

*And this thing was nat kept for holynesse

296

*But al for verray vertu & clennesse

*And for men schulde sette on hem no lak

*And 3it they were hethene al the pak

*That were so sore a-drad of alle schame [leaf 449]
*These olde wemen kepte so here name
*That in this world I trowe men schal nat fynde *

*A man that coude be so trowe & kynde
*As was the leste woman in that tyde
*What seyth also the epistelle of Ouyde

[see Fx * [3 t corr.]

568]

304

*Of trewe wyuys & of here labour

*What vincent in his estoryal myrour

*Ek al te world of autourys mayst tow here *Cristene & hethene trete of swich matere

308

LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. FAIRFAX MS. 16. 215

Gg. lines.

Fx. lines.

288 that ben as trewe / as euer was any steel

8 334

216

LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. MS. Gg. 4. 27, CAMB.

*It nedyth nat al day thus for to endite

*But 3it I seye what eylyth the to wryte
*The draf of storyis & forgete1 the corn [1 gete corr.]

§Be seynt venus of whom that I was born
+Al-thow thow reneyist hast myn lay

§As othere olde folys manye a day

*

*

312

3388
336+

337

315

§Thow schalt repente it so that it schal be sene 340§

§Thanne spak Alceste the worthyere queene 2 341§ [2 2nd e corr.]

And seyde god ry3t of 30ure curteysye

342

3e motyn herkenyn If he can replye

343

+A-geyns these poyntys that 3e han to hym 3mevid3† [3—3 corr.]

A god ne schulde not thus been a-greuyd

§But of his dede / he schal be stable

346

§And therto ry3tful & ek mercyable
*He schal nat ryghtfully his yre wreke

*

*

*Or he haue herd the tothyr partye speke
*Al ne is nat gospel that is to 30w pleynyd
*The god of love hereth manye a tale I-feynyd *
ffor in 30ure court is manye a losenger
And manye aqueynte totulour acusour

352 328

353

3558

3568 332

358§

3588
359

360 336

§That tabourryn in 3oure eres / manye a thyng 354§
§ffor hate or for Ielous ymagynyng
§And for to han with 30u sum dalyaunce
§Enuye I prere to god 3eue hire myschaunce
§Is lauender In the grete court alway
ffor che ne partyth neythir nygh ne day
Out of the hous of Cesar thus seyth dante
§Who-so that goth alwey sche mote wante
+This man to 30w may wrongly ben acused
There as be ryght hym oughte ben excusid
§Or ellis sere for that this man is nyce
§He may translate a thyng in no malyce
§ But for he vsyth bokis for to make

LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. FAIRFAX MS. 16. 217

Gg. lines.

*Of thyn answere/ avise the rygħt weel 314+For thogħ thou reneyed / hast my lay 315§As other wrecches hañ doon / many a day 313§By seynt Venus / that my moder ys 316§If that thou lyve / thou shalt repenten this 316§So cruelly / that it shal wele be sene 317§Thoo spake this lady / clothed al in grene 318 And seyde / god rygħt of youre curtesye 319 Ye moten herken / yf he can replye 320+Agayns al this/ that ye haue to him meved 321 A god/ne sholde nat be thus agreued 322§ But of hys deitee / he shal be stable 323§And therto gracious/ and merciable

*And yf ye nere a god / that knowen alle *Thanne myght yt be / as I yow telleñ shalle 337+This mane to yow / may falsly ben accused 338 That as by right / him oughte ben excused 328 For in youre courte / ys many a losengeour 329 And many aqueynt totelere / accusour 330§That tabouren in youre eres / many a swoñ 331§Ryght aftir hire / ymagynacion 332§To have youre daliance / and for envie

*Thise ben the causes / and I shal not lye

Fx. lines.

335

+

337

Snota.

§ 340 §

[leaf 87, back]

333-4§Envie ys lauendere / of the Court alway
335 For she ne parteth / neither nyght ne day
336 Out of the house of Cesar / thus seith dante
337§ Who so that gooth / algate she wol nat wante §

340§ And eke perauntere / for this mañ ys nyce 341§He myght dooñ yt / gessyng no malice 342§ For he vseth thynges / for to make

со со со соо

360

§ 364

343§Hym rekketh noght / of what matere he take §

218 LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN. MS. Gg. 4. 27, CAMB.

Fx. li.
*•

Gg. li.

344

*

366

367

*

*Therfore he wrot the rose & ek 1Crisseyde [1i corr.]
*Of innocence & nyste what he seyde
Or hym was bodyn make thilke tweye
Of sum persone & durste it not with-seye
*ffor he hath wrete manye a bok er this
He ne hath not don so greuosly a-mys
To translate that olde clerkis wryte
+As thow that he of maleys wolde endyte
+Despit of loue & hadde hym self I-wrouht
This schulde a ryghtwys lord han in his thou3t 373
And not ben lyk tyrauntis of lumbardye

348

369

349

370 371+

372+ 352

374

§That vsyn wilfulhed & tyrannye

ffor he that kyng or lord is naturel

3758

376 356

+Hym oughte nat be tyraunt & crewel 377† [leaf 449, back, line 20]

379

360

As is a fermour to don the harm he can 378 [leaf 450, line 19] He must thynke it is his lige man *And that hym owith o verry duetee *Schewyn his peple pleyn benygnete *And wel to heryn here excusacyouns *And here compleyntys & petyciouns *In duewe tyme whan they schal it profre This is the sentens of the philysophre A kyng to kepe hise lygis in iustise Which oughtyn doute that is his offise *And therto is a kyng ful depe I-sworn *fful manye an hunderede wyntyr here be-forn +And for to kepe his lordys hir degre

As it is ryght and skylful that they be +Enhaunsede and / honoured most dere ffor they ben half goddys in this world here †This schal he don bothe to pore ryche Al be that here stat be nat a-lyche And han of pore folk compassioun ffor lo the gentyl kynde of the lyoun ffor whan a flye offendyth hym or bytith He with his tayl awey the flye smytyth

[2 s corr.]