And, shortly of this thyng to pace, And eke to telle the manere 8 That hym was tyd upon the see. And aftir grave was how shee Made of hym, shortly at oo worde, Hyr lyfe, hir love, hir luste, hir lorde ; And did hym al the reverence, And leyde on hym alle dispence, 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, Whan hit is fals in existence ! 1 Belongeth. 2 Together. Had happened him. 240 250 260 " WOMAN DOTHE AMYS." For he to hir a traytour was ; Loo, how a woman dothe amys, 66 'Hyt is not al golde that glareth.” For, al-so browke1 I wel myn hede, 4 And sweren how that she ys unkynde, Alle this sey I be Eneas 'Make useful. 2 Wicked. 3 Foolish. 4 Very nature. 6 But not if he does not know its nature. 5 Foolist So whan she saw al utterly, Or elles three, peraventure? 1 1 As thus of oon he wolde have fame In suche wordes gan to pleyne Dydo of hir grete peyne, As me mette redely; None other auttour alegge I.3 "Allas!" quod she, "my swete herte, Have pitee on my sorwes smerte, And slee me not! goo noght awey!" 300 310 O, that your love, ne your bonde, That ye han sworne with your ryght honde, 320 1 A satirical Latin gloss here reads, "Beware, ye innocent wom en!" Virgil suggests these thoughts of Dido, but the expression of them here is Chaucer's. "O WIKKE FAME!" "May holde yow stille here with me! O, haveth of my deth pitee! Ywys, my dere herte, ye 13 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, For, though your love laste a sesoun, "O, weleawey that I was borne ! O, sothe ys, every thynge ys wyste, 340 350 1 Offended. 2 Goodliness. • Lines 348 349 are imitated from he Eneid, iv. 174. Though hit be kevered with the myste.' Thus seyth the peple prevely." But that is do nis not to done; For al hir compleynt ne al hir moone, And when she wiste sothely he And gan her to compleyne thanne ; 360 That she first lovede, alas, And thus counseylled hir thertoo. 370 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, Or the Epistile of Ovyde," 1 Cf. Matt. x. 26. 2 Certainly. 8 Straw. Cf. Eneid, iv. 548 Stabbed. Eneid, end of book iv.; the Heroides, epistle vii. |