46 THE YE OF DAY." 85 Al founde they Daunger1 for a tyme a lord, 160 171 Of hate, and songe alle of oon acorde, And lenynge on myn elbowe and my syde, 180 1 Although they found haughtiness. 2 Foolish. 3 Ethics, probably Aristotle's, though the expression is common. Cleobulus of Rhodes is said to have spoken of the "Golden Mean" three centu ries before the Stagirite. Arranged. And alle that loven floures, for hire sake!1 191 I nam withholden yit with never nother. For this thing is al of another tonne, 6 Of olde storye, er swiche thinge was begonne. Whan that the sonne out of the south gan weste, And that this floure gan close, and goon to reste, For derknesse of the nyght, the which she dredde, 201 Home to myn house full swiftly I me spedde Whan I was leyde, and hadde myn eyen hed, I fel on slepe, in-with an houre or twoo, Me mette how I lay in the medewe thoo, 210 1 Lines 152-187 are not found in the MS. marked Gg, 4, 27, in the Cambridge University Library, which is evidently an earlier one than the one followed in the text, Fairfax 16, Bodleian Library, Ox ford. 2 Cf. 1. 72. 3 More loath. 4 Know not. 5 Enjoy. 6 Cf Canterbury Tales, 1. 10,219. 7 Arbor. 8 Hidden. 9 Dreamed. THE DAISY-LIKE QUEEN. To seen this flour that I love so and drede; 87 So were the flowrouns of hire coroune white; For of oo perle, fyne, oriental, Hire white coroune was imaked al, 221 For which the white coroune above the grene Made hire lyke a daysie for to sene, Considered eke hir fret of golde above. Yclothed was this myghty god of Love The fresshest syn the worlde was first begonne. 1 Regal. 'Weight. 6 2 Ornament. 8 Things carved (graven), or groves Scarcely. Live coals. For sternely on me he gan byholde, So that his loking dooth myn herte colde. 240 And by the hande he helde this noble quene, Corowned with white, and clothed al in grene, So womanly, so benigne, and so meke, That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke, Half hire beute shulde men nat fynde In creature that formed ys by Kynde. And therfore may I seyn, as thynketh me, Ballad sung to Alceste. Hyd, Absalon, thy gilte tressis clere; Make of youre wifhode no comparysoune; Thy faire body lat yt nat appere, 4 25c Lavyne; and thou Lucresse of Rome toune, · 259 1 MS. Gg, 4, 27, which differs in many lines from the text here given, proves that "this lady fre" was Alceste, who died for Admetus, er husband. Cf. 1. 432. 2 Marcia, wife of Cato the younger. Se Clough's Plutarch, iv. 394. 8 Outshine. Lavinia, wife of Eneas Most of these names are taken from Ovid. OF WYMEN SWICH A TRAAS!" And thou, Tesbe, that hast of love suche peyne, My lady comith, that al this may disteyne. Hero, Dido, Laudomia, alle yfere, Maketh of your trouthe neythir boost ne soun, 8 89 270 This balade may ful wel ysongen be, As I have seyde erst, by my lady fre; For certeynly al thise mowe nat suffise To apperen wyth my lady in no wyse. For as the sonne wole the fire disteyne, So passeth al my lady sovereyne, That ys so good, so faire, so debonayre, I prey to God that ever falle hire faire. For nadde comfort ben of hire presence, I hadde ben dede, withouten any defence, For drede of Loves wordes, and his chere, 280 As, when tyme ys, herafter ye shal here. Behynde this god of Love upon the grene I saugh comyng of ladyes nientene In real habite, a ful esy paas; And after hem come of wymen swich a traas,5 That syn that God Adam hadde made of erthe, Together. 2 Ariadne. Concerning. Regal. Train |