And, shortly of this thyng to pace,
She made Eneas so in grace 240
Of Dido, quene of that contree,
That, shortly for to telle, she
Became hys love, and lete hym doo
That that weddynge longeth1 too.
What shulde I speke more queynte,
Or peyne me my wordes peynte,
To speke of love? hyt wol not be;
I kannot of that faculte.
And eke to telle the manere
How they aqueynteden in fere,s 250
Hyt were a longe processe to telle,
And over longe for yow to dwelle.

Ther sawgh I grave, how Eneas
Tolde Dido every caas,
That hym was tyd* upon the see.

And aftir grave was how shee
Made of hym, shortly at 00 worde,
Hyr lyfe, hir love, hir luste, hir lorde;
And did hym al the reverence,
And leyde on hym alle dispence, 260
That any woman myghte do,
Wenynge hyt had al be so,
As he hir swore; and herby demede
That he was good, for he suche semede.

Allas, what harme doth apparence, IVhan hit is fals in existence!

1 Belongeth. * Together. * Had happened him.

"WOMAN DOTHE AMYS." I I

For he to hir a traytour was;
Wherfore she slowe hir selfe, allas!

Loo, how a woman dothe amys,
To love hym that unknowe ys! 271f
For. be Cryste, lo thus yt fareth;
"Hyt is not al golde that glareth."
For, al-so browke1 I wel myn hede,
Ther may be under godelyhede
Kevered many a shrewde a vice;
Therfore be no wyght so nyce,*
To take a love oonly for chere,
Or for speche, or for frendly manere;
For this shal every woman fynde,
That some man of his pure kynde * 280
Wol shewen outward the fairest,
Til he have caught that what him lest;
And thanne wol he causes fynde,
And sweren how that she ys unkynde,
Or fals, or prevy double was.
Alle this sey I be Eneas
And Dido, and her nyce lest,*
That loved al to sone a gest;
Therfore I wol seye a proverbe,
That "he that fully knoweth therbe 290
May savely ley hyt to his ye ;"
Withoute drede, this ys no lye.

But let us speke of Eneas, How he betrayed hir, allas! \nd lefte hir ful unkyndely.

'Make useful. 2 Wicked. 2 Foolish. 4 Very nature. 'Fooliat W- 9 But not if he does not know its nature.

So whan she saw al utterly,
That he wolde hir of trouthe fayle,
And wende fro hir to Itayle,
She gan to wringe hir hondes two.
"Allas !" quod she, "what me ys wc! 300
Alias! is every man thus untrewe,
That every yere wolde have a newe,
Yf hit so longe tyme dure?
Or elles three, peraventure ?1
As thus: of oon he wolde have fame
In magnyfying of hys name;
Another for frendshippe, seyth he;
And yett ther shal the thridde be,
That shal be take for delyte,
Loo, or for synguler profite." 310

In suche wordes gan to pleyne
Dydo of hir grete peyne,
As me mette redely;
None other auttour alegge L*

"Allas !" quod she, "my swete herte, Have pitee on my sorwes smerte, And slee me not! goo noght awey!" "O woful Dido, weleaway!" Quod she to hir selfe thoo. "O Eneas! what wol ye doo? 320 O, that your love, ne your bonde, That ye han sworne with your ryght honde, Ne my crewel deth," quod she,

1 A satirical Latin gloss here reads, "Beware, ye innocent won ta 1" * Virgil suggests these thoughts of Dido, but the expressiot if them here is Chaucer's.

"O WIKKE FAME!" 13

"May holde yow stille here with me I

O, haveth of my deth pitee I

Ywys, my dere herte, ye

Knowen ful wel that never yit,

As fer-forth as ever I hadde wytte,

Agylte1 yowe in thoght ne dede.

O, have ye men suche godelyhede * 330

In speche, and never a dele of trouthe?

Allas, that ever hadde routhe

Any woman on any man!

Now see I wel, and telle kan,

We wrechched wymmen konne noon arte;

For certeyne, for the more parte,

Thus we be served everychone.

How sore that ye men konne grone,

Anoon as we have yow receyved,

Certeinly we ben deceyved; 340

For, though your love laste a sesoun,

Wayte upon the conclusyoun,

And eke how that ye determynen,

And for the more part diffynen.

"O, weleawey that I was borne! For thorgh yow is my name lorne, And al youre actes red and songe Over al thys londe, on every tonge. O wikke Fame! for ther nys Nothinge so swifte, lo, as she is.* 350 O, sothe ys, every thynge ys wyste,

1 Offended. * Goodliness. • lines 34*, 349 are imitltli bom

<he Aintid, iv 174.

Though hit be kevered with the myste.1

Eke, though I myghte dure ever,

That I have do rekever I never,

That I ne shal be seyde, alias,

Y-shamed be thourgh Eneas,

And that I shal thus juged be, —

Loo, ryght as she hath done, now she

Wol doo eftesones, hardely.*

Thus seyth the peple prevely." 360

But that is do nis not to done;

For al hir compleynt ne al hir moone,

Certeynly avayleth hir not a stre.'

And when she wiste sothely he Was forthe unto his shippes agoon, She into hir chambre wente anoon, And called on hir suster Anne,4 And gan her to compleyne thanne; And seyde, that she cause was, That she first lovede, alas, 370 And thus counseylled hir thertoo. But what! when this was seyde and doo, She rofe* hir selfe to the herte, And dyede thorgh the wounde smerte. But al the maner how she dyede, And al the wordes that she seyde, Who-so to knowe hit hath purpos, Rede Virgile in Eneydos, Or the Epistile of Ovyde,'

1 Cf. Matt. x. 26. • Certainly. * Straw. * Cf. Mm id, rr. 54I * Stabbed. • AZneid, end of book iv.; the Heroides, epistle vii.