*And that I romed in that same gyse,
To seen that flour, as ye han herd devyse.
*Fair was this medew, as thoughte me overal;
With floures swote enbrowded was it al;

As for to speke of gomme, or erbe, or tree, +Comparisoun may noon y-maked be.

For hit surmounted pleynly alle odoures, +And eek of riche beaute alle floures. +Forgeten had the erthe his pore estat

+Of winter, that him naked made and mat,

And with his swerd of cold so sore had greved.
Now had the atempre sonne al that releved,
And clothed him in grene al newe agayn.

From B. 212.

To seen this flour, that I so love and drede,

That was with floures swote enbrouded al, *Of swich swetnesse and swich odour over-al, That, for to speke of gomme, or herbe, or tree, +Comparisoun may noon y-maked be;

For hit surmounteth pleynly alle odoures, +And eek of riche beautee alle floures. +Forgeten had the erthe his pore estat +Of winter, that him naked made and mat, And with his swerd of cold so sore greved; Now hath the atempre sonne al that releved That naked was, and clad hit new agayn.

120

125

114.

112. om. eek; beute; flourys. 113. Forgetyn hadde. wyntyr; nakede. 115. hadde greuyd. 116. hadde the tempre ; releuyd. 117. clothede; a-geyn. B. 120. F. suetnesse. 124. A. F. beaute. F. (only) of (for alle). 125. F. estate; 126. F. wynter. F. B. hem; rest him. C. mat; Tn. maat; rest mate. 127. F. colde. 128. Th. the atempre; Tn. A. B. the attempre; F. thatempre; P. the a-tempred. F. alle.

eke; rest omit. C. Tn. estat.

[The same as B. 130-138.]

Somme songen [layes] on the braunches clere (B. 139) 127 Of love and [May], that Ioye hit was to here,

In worship and in preysing of hir make,

And of the newe blisful someres sake,

130

That songen, 'blissed be seynt Valentyn!

(B. 145)

+The smale foules, of the seson fayn,

130

+That from the panter and the net ben scaped,
+Upon the fouler, that hem made a-whaped
+In winter, and distroyed had hir brood,
+In his despyt, hem thoughte hit did hem good
+To singe of him, and in hir song despyse
+The foule cherl that, for his covetyse,

135

+Had hem betrayed with his sophistrye.

+This was hir song- the fouler we defye,

And al his craft!' And somme songen clere Layes of love, that Ioye hit was to here, In worshipinge and preisinge of hir make. And, for the newe blisful somers sake, *Upon the braunches ful of blosmes softe, *In hir delyt, they turned hem ful ofte, And songen, blessed be seynt Valentyne!

hire.

140

145

A. 127. I supply layes. 128. I supply May. 129. worschepe; 130. somerys. 131. sungyn blyssede; volentyn. 132. I supply For; ches. 133. repentynge. 134. here bekys. 135. C. is here corrupt; it has-The honour and the humble obeysaunce. I try to give some sense; in any case we must read obeisaunces. 136. dedyn othere. 137, 138. C. is again corrupt and imperfect; I supply plesing and doth wel. C. has natures, creatures; but read nature. B. 131. C. T. A. from; rest of. F. nette; C. Tn. net. I32. Tn. T. A. fouler; F. foweler. 133. F. hadde; broode. 134. F. dispite; C. dispit. F. goode; C. good. 135. C. song; F. songe. C. despise; F. dispise. 138. F. hire. Tn. T. A. fouler;

136. F. cherle.

[For] at his day I chees yow to be myn, +With-oute repenting, myn herte swete!' +And therwith-al hir bekes gunne mete. [They dide honour and] humble obeisaunces, And after diden other observaunces Right [plesing] un-to love and to nature; *So ech of hem [doth wel] to creature.

For on his day I chees yow to be myne
+Withouten repenting, myn herte swete !'
+And therwith-al hir bekes gonnen mete,
Yelding honour and humble obeisaunces
To love, and diden hir other observaunces
That longeth unto love and to nature;
*Construeth that as yow list, I do no cure.
*And tho that hadde doon unkyndenesse-
*As doth the tydif, for new-fangelnesse―
*Besoghte mercy of hir trespassinge,
*And humblely songen hir repentinge,
*And sworen on the blosmes to be trewe,
*So that hir makes wolde upon hem rewe,
*And at the laste maden hir acord.

*Al founde they Daunger for a tyme a lord,
*Yet Pitee, through his stronge gentil might,
*Forgaf, and made Mercy passen Right,
*Through innocence and ruled curtesye.

C. foulere; F. foweler.

B. in preysinge; rest om. in.

135

150

155

160

139. F. crafte; T. A. craft. 141. F. Tn.
144. F. hire.
146. C. ches; T.
147. C. herte;
151. F.

chase; P. chose; F. chees (rightly); rest chese.
148. F. -alle hire.

F. hert.
Tn. on to; T. A. Th. B. vnto.
F. vnkyndnesse.
154. F. dooth.
(trisyllabic); T. Th. humbly. A. P.
158. F. hire.

150. F. hire othere.
153. F. thoo. Tn. vnkyndenesse ;
156. F. Tn. B. humblely
songen; T. sangen; rest songe.
161. F. thurgh.

159. F. hire (and elsewhere). 162. Tn. T. Th. B. P. made F. mad.

163. F. Thurgh.

*This song to herkne I did al myn entente, *For-why I mette I wiste what they mente.

*But I ne clepe nat innocence folye,
*Ne fals pitee, for 'vertu is the mene,'

*As Etik saith, in swich maner I mene.

*And thus thise foules, voide of al malyce, *Acordeden to love, and laften vyce

*Of hate, and songen alle of oon acord,

140

165

*6

Welcome, somer, our governour and lord!' *And Zephirus and Flora gentilly

170

*Yaf to the floures, softe and tenderly,

*Hir swote breth, and made hem for to sprede,
*As god and goddesse of the floury mede;
*In which me thoghte I mighte, day by day,
*Dwellen alwey, the Ioly month of May,
*Withouten sleep, withouten mete or drinke.
*A-doun ful softely I gan to sinke;

175

*And, leninge on myn elbowe and my syde,
The longe day I shoop me for to abyde
*For nothing elles, and I shal nat lye,
But for to loke upon the dayesye,

A. 139. herkenyn; dede; entent. 140. ment.

180

B. 164. F. Tn. Th. P. clepe it nat; but T. A. om. it. T. also om. nat; and A. has that for nat. 165. F. vertue. 166. Tn. A. Etic; B. Etyk; F. etike; T. Ethik. 167. Tn. foules; F. foweles. 169. A. songen; T. songyn; F. Tn. B. songe. F. Tn. acorde; T. acord; A. accord.

From A. 71-80.

For trusteth wel, I ne have nat undertake (B. 188.)
As of the leef, ageyn the flour, to make;
Ne of the flour to make, ageyn the leef,
+No more than of the corn ageyn the sheef.
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,

*That wel by reson men hit calle may
*Thedayesye' or elles the 'ye of day,'
*The emperice and flour of floures alle.
*I pray to god that faire mot she falle,
*And alle that loven floures, for hire sake!
But natheles, ne wene nat that I make
In preysing of the flour agayn the leef,
+No more than of the corn agayn the sheef:
For, as to me, nis lever noon ne lother;
I nam with-holden yit with never nother.

75

80

185

190

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,

195

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

173. F. Hire swoote.

170. F. oure. F. Th. lorde; T. A. lord.
Zepherus.
176. F. Duellen. Tn. A. month; T. moneth; F. monyth.
sleep; F. slepe.

171. Tn. zephirus; F. 175. F. whiche; thoght; myght. 177. Tn. Tn. to

a-bide; F. tabide.

178. F. A-dovne.
181. F. ellis.

180. F. shoope.

182. Tn. dayesye; F. daysie.

184. Tn. dayesie; F.

186. T. mot; P. may; rest 192. F. mother (!); rest nother. 196. T. story; F. storye; Tn. storie. F.

190. F. corne; Tn. corn.

194. F. browken; her.

swiche thinge.