THE POET'S INDUSTRY. Thou herist neyther that nor this, "And therfore Joves, thorgh hys grace, Wol that I bere the to a place, Which that hight the House of Fame, To do the somme disport and game, Of labour and devocioun That thou hast had, loo! causeles, To Cupido the rechcheles. 25 150 160 And thus this god, thorgh his merite, Wol with somme maner thinge the quyte, So that thou wolt be of goode chere. 8 1 Hermit 2 Littie. Truth-sayings and lies. 170 That betyde, no man wote why, 6 But as a blende man stert an hare;' While that they fynde love of stele,1 And feyned reparaciouns; 2 Ymade, then greynes be of sondes ; Then on instrumentes ben cordes ; 180 Than ever cornes were in graunges; 5 190 Unnethe maistow trowen this?" Quod he. "Noo, helpe me God so wys!" Quod I. "Noo? why?" quod he. "For hytte Were impossible to my witte, 6 Though that Fame had al the pies True as steel. More persons duped in two hours. Cf. Can terbury Tales, 11. 4096, 10,403. 8 False accusations. ♦ Days fo the settlement of disputes in a friendly way. Cf Canterbury Tales 5 Barns. • Magpies. 258 THE NATURE OF THINGS. Quod he to me, "that kan I preve Be resoun, worthy for to leve,1 So that thou geve thyn advertence To understonde my sentence. 27 200 "First shalt thou here where she dwelleth, And so thyn oune boke hyt tellith, Hir paleys stant as I shal sey Ryght even in-myddes of the wey, Betwexen hevene, erthe, and see; That whatsoever in al these three Is spoken either prevy or aperte, The aire therto ys so overte, And stant eke in so juste a place, That every soune mot to hyt pace, Or what so cometh fro any tonge, Be hyt rouned, red, or songe, Or spoke in suerte or in drede, Certeyn hyt moste thider nede. 4 8 "Now herkene wel; for-why I wille Tellen the a propre skille, And worche a demonstracioun In myn ymagynacioun. "Geffrey, thou woste ryght wel this, That every kyndely thynge that is, 210 220 Be believed. 2 In this description Chaucer imitates his favorite Ovid, Metamorphoses, xii. 8 Open (Lat. apertus, Fr. ouvert). True distinction. 7 Natural place. Whan that it is awey therfro. As thus, loo, thou maist al day se As stoon or lede, or thynge of wight,' 230 Lyghte thinge upwarde, and dounwarde charge. "And for this cause mayste thou see, That every ryver to the see Enclyned ys to goo by kynde. 5 And by these skilles, as I fynde, Hath fyssh duellynge in floode and see, Thus every thinge by this reasoun Hath his propre mansyoun, 6 To which he seketh to repaire, As there hit shulde not apaire." Loo, this sentence ys knowen kouthe Of every philosophres mouthe, As Aristotile and daun Platoun, And other clerkys many oon, And to confirme my reasoun, Thou wost wel this, that speche is soun, Now herke what I wol the lere. 1 Weight. 2 Free (at large). Reasons. Abiding-place. 8 (Tend) upward. Suffer detriment. 240 250 Heavy thing Familiar'v. WHAT IS NOISE? "Soune ys noght but eyre ybroken,' And every speche that ys yspoken, Lowde or pryvee, foule or faire, In his substaurce ys but aire ; 29 260 For as flaumbe ys but lyghted smoke, But this may be in many wyse, As soune that cometh of pipe or harpe. Loo, with the stroke the ayre to-breketh ; Mote nede come to Fames House. I preve hyt thus take hede now And ryght anoon thow shalt see wele, 1 Cf. Canterbury Tales, l. 12,276. 2 Opinion. Pot-lid 270 280 |