THINGES THAT I HERDE." The thinges that I herde there, Were the tydynge sothe or fals, And evermo with more encres Than yt was erst. Thus north and southe As fire ys wont to quyk and goo And whan that hit was ful yspronge, And woxen more on every tonge Short time. Increase (eke). 8 Mite, atom. 75 970 980 990 4 Grow livery. Hyt gan oute crepe at somme crevace, 66 "Lat me go first!" 'Nay, but let me ! Wyth the nones that thou wolt do so, But be thyn oune sworen brother! That no man, be they never so wrothe, At ones, al beside his leve, Come we a morwe or on eve, Be we cried or stille y-rouned.' Thus saugh I false and sothe, compouned, Togeder fle for oo tydynge. Thus out at holes gunne wringe Every tydynge streght to Fame; After hir disposicioun, 6 1000 ΠΟΙΟ 1020 1 A lie and an established truth. Struggle (throe). Occasion Mix. Whispered. Squeeze. (6 WENGED WONDRES." And gaf hem eke duracioun, Some to wexe and wane sone, As dothe the faire white mone, And lete hem goon. Ther myght I seen Twenty thousand in a route, And, lord! this hous in alle tymes O, many a thousand tymes twelve 2 Currours, and eke messangers, 8 With boystes crammed ful of lyes, That I had herd of somme contre That shal not now be tolde for me; For hit no nede is, redely; Folke kan hit synge bet than I. 77 1030 1040 For alle mote oute, other late or rathe, Alle the sheves in the lathe.' I herde a grete noyse In a corner of the halle, withalle 1050 1 Mingled. 2 Couriers. 8 Boxes (O. Fr. boiste, box). Fastest of all. 5 Learn. Early. 7 Barn. гобо Ther men of love tydynges tolde, A man of grete auctorite." And therwithalle I abrayde 8 Of that the god of thunder Hadde let me knowen; and began to write Wherefore to studye and rede alway, I purpose to do day by day. Thus in dreaming and in game 1070 Endeth this lytel booke of Fame. 1080 1 Knew not. 2 The remaining lines are from Thynne's edition 1532), whence they came from Caxton's (about 1483). 8 Started. LEGENDE OF GOODE WOMEN. 79 THE LEGENDE OF GOODE WOMEN. The Prologue. A THOUSANDE tymes I have herde telle, But, natheles, yet wot I wel also, But as he hath herd seyde, or founde it writen; ΙΟ But God forbede but men shulde leve Wel more thing then men han seen with eye! Men shal not wenen every thing a lye But-yf hymselfe yt seeth, or elles dooth; For, God wot, thing is never the lasse sooth, Thogh every wight ne may it not ysee. Bernarde, the monke, ne saugh nat alle, par de!2 Than mote we to bokes that we fynde, 4 20 1 Know. 2 Cf. Hamlet, act i., sc. 5, 1. 166: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." 8 W.se ones. 4 Reasonable. 5 Kingdoms. |