For I lovede nevere doublenesse.
To many his herte that wole departe,1
Everiche shal have but litel parte.
But of hym drede I me right nought,
That in oo place settith his thought.
Therfore in oo place it sitte,
And lat it nevere thannys flitte.
For if thou gevest it in lenyng,'
I holde it but a wrecchid thyng.
Therfore geve it hoole and quyte,

And thou shalt have the more merite.
If it be lent than aftir soone,

The bounte3 and the thanke is doone,
But, in love, fre geven thing
Requyreth a gret guerdonyng.
Geve it in gift al quyte fully,
And make thi gift debonairly;

For men that gift holde more dere

That geven is with gladsome chere.

That gift nought to preisen is

That man geveth maugre his.*

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"Whanne thou hast geven thyn herte, as I Have seid thee heere openly,

Thanne aventures shulle thee falle,
Which harde and hevy ben with-alle.
For ofte whan thou bithenkist thee
Of thy lovyng, where-so thou be,
Fro folk thou must departe in hie,

2390

1 Divide. 'Lending. 8 Goodness. 4 In spite of himself

Haste.

MOURN IN QUIET.

That noon perceyve thi maladie,

But hyde thyne harme thou must alone,
And go forth sole, and make thy mone.
Thou shalt no whyle be in o state,

But whylom colde and whylom hate ;1

Nowe reed as rose, now yelowe and fade ;1

Such sorowe I trowe thou never hade.

"Cotidien, ne quarteyne,

It is nat so ful of peyne.

For often tymes it shal falle

In love, amonge thy paynes alle,

That thou thy selfe al holy
Forgeten shalt so utterly,

That many tymes thou shalt be

Styl as an ymage of tree,

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2400

Dome as a stoon, without steryng

Of fote or hande, wythoute spekyng.

2410

Than sone after alle thy payne,

To memorye shalt thou come agayne,

As man abashed wonder sore,
And after syghen more and more.
For wytte thou wele, withouten wene,*
In such estate ful ofte have bene
That have the yvel of love assayde,
Wherthrough thou art so dismayde.

66

After, a thought shal take the so, That thy love is to ferre the fro:

2420

Thou shalt saye, "God! what maye thys be,

Hot. Dull. A fever returning every day or every fourth Lay Doubt.

That I ne may my lady se?
Myne hert alone is to her go,
And I abyde al sole in wo,
Departed from myn owne thought,
And with myne eyen se ryght nought.
Alas, myne eyen sene I ne may,
My careful herte to convay!
Myne hertes gyde, but they be,
I prayse nothyng what ever they se.
Shule they abyde thanne? Nay;
But gonne and visite withoute delay
That myne herte desyreth so.
For certaynly, but yf they go,

A foole my selfe I may wel holde,

Whan I ne se what myne herte wolde.
Wherfore I wol gone her to sene,

Or eased shal I never bene,

But I have som tokenyng.'

2430

"Then gost thou forth withoute dwelling,

But oft thou faylest of thy desyre,
Er thou mayst come her any nere,
And wastest in vayn thi passage.
Thanne fallest thou in a newe rage;
For want of sight thou gynnest morne,
And homewarde pensyf thou dost retorne.
In gret myscheef thanne shalt thou bee,
For thanne agayne shalle come to thee
Sighes and pleyntes with newe woo,
That no ycchyng prikketh soo.
Who wote it nought, he may go lere,

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"THE PEYNE OF LOVE."

Of hem that bien 1 love so dere.
No thyng thyn herte appesen may,
That ofte thou wolt goon and
assay,
If thou maist seen by aventure
Thi lyves joy, thine hertis cure,
So that bi grace, if thou myght
Atteyne of hire to have a sight.

295

"Thanne shait thou done noon other dede,

But with that sight thyne eyen fede.

That faire freshe whanne thou maist see,
Thyne herte shalie so ravysshed be,
That nevere thou woldest, thi thankis, lete
Ne remove, for to see that swete.

The more thou seest, in sothfastnesse,
The more thou coveytest of that swetnesse,
The more thine herte brenneth in fier,
The more thine herte is in desire.
For who considreth every deelle,

8

It may be likned wondir welle,
The peyne of love unto a fere;
For evermore thou neighest nere
In thought, or howso that it bee,
For
verray sothe I telle it thee,

The hatter evere shalle thou brenne,
As experience shalle thee kenne.5
Where so comest in ony coost,

Who is next fuyre he brenneth moost.
And yitt forsothe for alle thine hete,
Though thou for love swelte and swete,

Suffer for. 2 Wiingly. Fire 4 Hotter. 5 Teach

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2480

Ne for no thyng thou felen may,

Thou shalt not willen to passen away.

"And though thou go, yitt must thee, nede, Thenke alle day on hir fairhede,

Whom thou biheelde with so good wille;

And holde thi-silf biguyled ille,

That thou ne haddest noon hardement,
To shewe hir ought of thyne entent.

Thyn herte fulle sore thou wolt dispise,
And eke repreve of cowardise,

That thou, so dulle in every thing,

Were domme for drede, withoute spekyng.
Thou shalt eke thenke thou didest folye,

That thou were hir so faste bye,
And durst not auntre2 thee to saye

Som thyng er thou cam awaye;
For thou haddist nomore wonne 8

To speke of hir whanne thou bigonne :
But yitt she wolde for thy sake

2490

In armes goodly thee have take,

2500

It shulde have be more worth to thee,

Than of tresour gret plente.

"Thus shalt thou morne and eke compleyne.

And gete enchesoun* to goone ageyne,

Unto thy walke, or to thi place,

Where thou biheelde her fleshly face.

And never for fals suspeccioun
Thou woldest fynde occasioun
For to gone unto hire hous.

1 Necessarily. Adventure. 3 Went.

4 Occasion