That every harme, that any man

Hath hadde syth the worlde began, too

Befalle him thereof, or he sterve,

And graunt he mote hit ful deserve,

Loo, with suche a conclusioun,

As had of his avisioun

Cresus, that was kynge of Lyde,

That high upon a gebet dide.

This prayer shal he have of me;

I am no bet in charitye.

Now herkeneth, as I have yow seyde, What that I met or I abreyde.1 no

The Dream.

Of Decembre the tenthe day,
Whan hit was nyght, to slepe I lay,
Ryght ther as I was wonte to done,
And fille on slepe wonder sone,
As he that wery was for-goo
On pilgrymage myles two
To the corseynt3 Leonarde,
To make lythe of that was harde.

But as I slepte, me mette I was
Withyn a temple y-made of glas; iso
In whiche ther were moo ymages
Of golde, stondynge in sondry stages,
And moo ryche tabernacles,
\nd with perre * moo pynacles,

1 Waked. 1 Holy body, i saint (Fr. eorft saint). * Stoat

And moo curiouse portreytures,

And queynt maner of figures

Of olde werke, then 1 I sawgh ever.

But certeynly I nyste never

Wher that I was, but wel wyste I,

Hyt was of Venus redely, 130

This temple; for in portreyture,

I sawgh anoon ryght hir figure

Naked fletynge2 in a see.

And also on hir hede, parde,

Hir rose garlonde white and rede,

And hir combe to kembe hyr hede,

Hir dowves, and daun Cupido,

Hir blynde sone, and Vulcano,

That in his face was ful broune.

But as I romed up and doune, 140
I fonde that on a walle ther was
Thus writen on a table of brass:
"I wol now say, gif that I kan,
The armes, and also the man,
That first came, thorgh his destanee,
Fugityfe of Troy countree,
In Itayle, with ful moche pyne,
Jnto the strondes of Labyne."'
And tho began the story anoon,
As I shal telle yow echoon. 150

First sawgh I the destruccioun
Of Troy, thorgh the Greke Synoun,4

• Than. 'Floating. * Laviniurn. Cf. Virgil's Mntid, I. i Cf. Canterbury Tales, 1. 14,0*5.

With his false forswerynge,
And his chere and his lesynge
Made the hors broght into Troye,
Thorgh which Troyens lost al her joye.

And aftir this was grave, allas!
How Ilyoun assayled was
And wonne, and kynge Priam y-slayne,
And Polite his sone, certayne, 160
Dispitously of daun Pirrus.

And next that sawgh I how Venus, Whan that she sawgh the castel brende, Doune fro the hevene gan descende, And bad hir sone Eneas flee; And how he fled, and how that he Escaped was from al the pres, And tooke his fader, Anchises, And bare hym on his bakke away, Cryinge " Allas, and welaway!" 170 The whiche Anchises in hys honde Bare the goddesse 1 of the londe, Thilke that unbrende were.

And I saugh next in al hys fere, How Creusa, daun Eneas wife, Which that he lovede as hys lyfe, And hir yonge sone Iulo2 Vnd eke Askanius also, Hedden eke with drery chere, That hyt was pitee for to here; 180 And in a forest as they wente,

1 Deities. * lulus, called a>so Ascauiu

At a turnynge of a wente,1

How Creusa was yloste, allas!

That dede, not2 I how she was;

How he hir soughte, and how hir goste

Bad hym to flee the Grekes oste,

And seyde he most unto Itayle,

As was hys destanye, sauns faille,

That hyt was pitee for to here,

When hir spirite gan appere,* 190

The wordes that she to hym seyde,

And for to kepe hir sone hym preyde.

Ther sawgh I grave eke how he,
Hys fader eke, and his meynee,4
With hys shippes gan to sayle
Towardes the contree of Itaylle,
And streight as that they myghte goo.

Ther saugh \ the, crewel Juno,
That art daun Jupiteres wife,
That hast y-hated, al thy lyfe, 200
Alle the Troyanysshe bloode,
Renne and crye, as thou were woode,*
On Eolus, the god of wyndes,
To blowe oute of alle kyndes
So lowde that he shulde drenche »
Lorde, lady, grome and wencheT
Of al the Troyan nacioun,
Withoute any savacioun.

Ther saugh I suche tempeste aryse,

1 Way. s Dead, know not. * The shade of Creusa appeared to /Eneas. 4 Household. * Mad. 6 Drown. 7 Man and woman o* koy and girl

THE JOURNEY OF vENEAS. 9

That every herte myght agryse,1 2io
To see hyt peynted on the walle.

Ther saugh I graven eke withalle,
Venus, how ye, my lady dere,
Wepynge with ful woful chere,
Prayen Jupiter an hye2
To save and kepe that navye
Of the Troyan Eneas,
Sythe that he hir sone was.

Ther saugh I Joves Venus kysse,
And graunted of the tempest lysse. 220

Ther saugh I how the tempest stente, And how with alle pyne he wente, And prevely toke arryvage * In the contree of Cartage; And on the morwe how that he And a knyghte highte Achate, Mette with Venus that day, Goynge in a queynt array, ^.s she hadde ben an hunteresse, With wynde blowynge upon hir tresse ;* 2jo How Eneas gan hym to pleyne,6 Whan that he knewe hir, of his peyne; And how his shippes dreynte were, Or elles lost, he nyste where; How she gan hym comforte thoo, And bad hym to Cartage goo, And ther he shulde his folke fynde, That in the see were lefte behynde.

1 Shudder. 'Aloud. < Came to shore. • Cf. Mntid, I |i»

120. 5 Complain.