So wodely that hys witte was forveten,
For wel thoghte he she shulde nat be geten.

1750

And ay the more he was in dispaire,

The more he coveteth, and thoghte hire faire;
Hys blynde lust was al hys covetynge.

On morwe, whanne the brid began to synge,

1755

Unto the sege he cometh ful pryvely,

And by himselfe he walketh sobrely,

The ymage of hire recordyng alwey newe;

Thus lay hire heer, and thus fressh was hire hewe,

Thus sate, thus spak, thus spanne, this was hire 1760

chere,

Thus faire she was, and thys was hire manere.

Al this conceyte hys herte hath newe ytake,
And as the see, with tempeste al to-shake,
That after whanne the storme ys al agoo,
Yet wol the water quappe a day or twoo;
Ryghte so, thogh that hire forme were absente,
The plesaunce of hire forme was presente.
But natheles, nat plesaunce, but delyte,
Or an unryghtful talent with dispite,

1765

For mawgree hire, she shal my lemman be: Happe helpeth hardy man alway,' quod he, 'What ende that I make, hit shal be soo!'

1770

And gyrt hym with his swerde, and gan to goo,

And he fortheryghte til he to Rome ys come,

And al allon hys way thanne hath he nome,

1775

1750. wodely, madly, furiously.

1763. al to-shake, all betossed; see note on al to-rente, v. 820.

1765. quappe, be agitated; see quappe, v. 865.

1770. mawgree hire, in spite of herself; Fr. malgré;-lemman, mistress; supposed to be from the Fr. l'aimante, by an incorporation of the article.

1771. happe, hap, chance, luck;-hardy, bold; see v. 1526. 1772. What ende that I make, i. e., what end or object I propose to myself.

1775. nome, past part. of nime, taken.

Unto the house of Colatyne ful ryghte;

Doune was the sonne, and day hath lost his lyghte.
And inne he come unto a prevy halke,

And in the nyghte ful thefely gan he stalke,

Whanne every wyghte was to his reste broghte, 1780
Ne no wyghte had of tresoun suche a thoghte,
Whether by wyndow, or by other gynne.
With swerde ydraw, shortly he commeth ynne
There as she lay, thys noble wyfe Lucresse,
And as she woke, hire bedde she felte presse :
'What beste ys that,' quod she, 'that weyeth thus?'
'I am the kynges sone Tarquynyus,'

Quod he; but and thow crye, or noyse make,
Or yf thou any creature awake,

1778. halke, corner.

1779. stalke, to take long, slow, and stealthy steps.

"Into the chamber he stalked him ful stille."-C. T. 8401.
"With dredful foot than stalketh Palamon."-C. T. 1481.
"And to the bed stalkend he ferde

And sodeinly, er she it wiste,

Beclipt in armes he her kiste."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 1, sect. 5.

"And to the bed he stalketh stille,

Where that he wiste was the wife,

And in his honde a rasour knife

He bar, with whiche her throte he cut."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 2, sect. 3.

"Jason, that wolde his time kepe,

Goth forth stalkend all prively

1785

Unto the chambre."-Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 4.

"He stalketh upon every side

And sought aboute with his honde

That other bed, till that he fonde,

Where lay bewimpled a visage."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 11.

"Into the chamber wickedly he stalks

And gazeth on her yet unstained bed."

Shakspeare's Rape of Lucrece, st. 53.

1782. gynne, sly means.

1788. but and, but if.

Be thilke God that formed man on lyve,
This swerde thurgh thyn herte shall I ryve.'
And therwithalle unto hire throte he sterte,
And sette the swerde al sharpe unto hire herte.
No worde she spak, she hath no myghte thereto,
What shal she sayne? hire witte ys al agoo!
Ryghte as a wolfe that fynt a lamb allone,
To whom shal she compleyne or make mone?
What? shal she fyghte with an hardy knyghte?
Wel wote men a woman hath no myghte.
What? shal she crye, or how shal she asterte,

1790

1795

1800

That hath hire by the throte, with swerde at herte!

She axeth grace, and seyde all that she kan.

'Ne wolt thou nat?' quod this cruelle man;

'As wisly Jupiter my soule save,

I shal in the stable slee thy knave,

1805

And lay him in thy bed, and lowde crye,

That I the fynde in suche avowtrye;

And thus thou shalt be ded, and also lese

Thy name, for thou shalt nat chese.'

Thise Romaynes wyfes loveden so hire name

1810

At thylke tyme, and dredden so the shame

That what for fere of sklaundre, and drede of dethe,

1790. Be thilke God, by that same God;-on lyve, early form of alive.

1791. ryve, thrust.

1796. fynt, pres. tense, 3d sing. of finde, findeth. The Fairfax MS. reads "Right as a wolfe that fayneth a love allone." This 8 evidently a mere clerical error.-Bell.

1798. hardy, bold; see v. 1526.

1799. wote, pres. tense of witen, know.

1800. asterte, escape.

1804. wisly, certainly, truly.

1805. slee, slay;-knave, servant.

1807. avowtrye, adultery.

1808. lese, lose.

1809. chese, chose.

1811. thilke, that same.

She loste both attones wytte and brethe;
And in a swowgh she lay, and wax so ded,
Men myghten smyte of hire arme or hed,
She feleth nothinge, neither foule ne feyre.

Tarquynyus, that art a kynges eyre,
And sholdest as by lynage and by ryghte
Doon as a lorde and a verray knyghte,
Why hastow doon dispite to chevalrye?
Why hastow doon this lady vylanye?
Allas, of the thys was a vilenouse dede!

1815

1820

But now to the purpose; in the story I rede,

Whan he was goon al this myschaunce ys falle.

Thys lady sent after her frendes alle,

1825

Fader, moder, housbond, alle yfere,

And disshevelee with hire heere clere,
In habyte suche as wymmen used thoo
Unto the buryinge of hire frendes goo,

She sytte in halle with a sorowfull syghte.

1830

Hire frendes axen what hire aylen myghte,

And who was dede, and she sytte aye wepynge.

A worde for shame ne may she forthe oute brynge,

Ne upon hem she durste nat beholde,

But atte last of Tarquyny she hem tolde

1835

This rewful case, and al thys thing horryble.
The woo to telle hyt were impossyble

That she and alle hire frendes made attones.
Al had folkes hertes ben of stones,

Hyt myghte have maked hem upon her rewe,
Hire herte was so wyfely and so trewe.

1840

She sayde that for hire gilte ne for hire blame
Hire housbonde shulde nat have the foule name;

1817. eyre, heir.

1819. verray, true.

1824. myschaunce, misfortune.

1826. yfere, together.

1839. al, although.

That nolde she nat suffren by no wey.

And they answerde alle unto hire fey,

1845

That they forgave hyt hire, for hyt was ryghte.
Hit was no gilt; hit lay nat in hire myghte.
And seyden hire ensamples many oon.

But al for noghte, for thus she seyde anoon :
Be as be may,' quod she, of forgyfynge;

I wol not have no forgyft for nothinge.'

But pryvely she kaughte forthe a knyfe,

And therwithalle she rafte hire selfe hire lyfe;
And as she felle adoun she kast hire loke,
And of hire clothes yet hede she toke;
For in hire fallynge yet she hadde care,
Lest that hire fete or suche thynge lay bare,
So wel she loved clennesse, and eke trouthe!
Of hire had al the toune of Rome routhe,
And Brutus hath by hire chaste bloode swore,
That Tarquyny shulde ybanysshed be therfore,
And al hys kynne; and let the peple calle,
And openly the tale he tolde hem alle;
And openly let cary hire on a bere

1850

1855

1860

Thurgh al the toune, that men may see and here 1865 The horryble dede of hire oppressyoun.

Ne never was ther kynge in Rome toun

Syn thilke day; and she was holden there
A seynt, and ever hire day yhalwed dere,
As in hire law. And thus endeth Lucresse
The noble wyf, Titus bereth witnesse.
I telle hyt, for she was of love so trewe,
Ne in hire wille she chaunged for no newe,
And in hire stable herte, sadde and kynde,

1844. nolde, ne wolde, would not.

1845. fey, faith.

1853. rafte, past tense of reve, bereft.

1870

1862. and let the peple calle, caused the people to be called; so

in the 2d verse below: let cary hire, caused her to be carried.

1871. Titus, Titus Livius, lib. 1, c. 57.

1874. sadde, steady, firm.