INCIPIT LEGENDA LUCRECIE ROME, MARTIRIS.

Nof Rome, for the horrible doynges

OW mote I sayne thexilynge of kynges

Of

Of the last kynge Tarquynyus,

As saythe Ovyd, and Titus Lyvyus.
But for that cause telle I nat thys story,
But for to preysen, and drawen to memory
The verray wif, the verray Lucresse,
That for hire wifhode, and hire stedfastnesse,
Nat oonly that these payens hire commende,
But that cleped ys in oure legende
The grete Austyne, hath grete compassyoun
Of this Lucresse that starf in Rome toun.
And in what wise I wol but shortly trete,
And of this thynge I touche but the grete.

1680

1685

1690

Incipit legenda Lucrecie Rome, Martiris: Here beginneth the legend of Lucretia of Rome, the martyr.

1681. as saythe Ovyd, and Titus Lyvyus: Ovid, Fast. II. 741,

Livy, Hist. I. 57.

1684. verray, true.

"Povert a spectacle is, as thinketh me,

Thurgh which he may his verray frendes se."-C. T. 6786.

1686. payens, pagans.

1688. The grete Austyne: St. Augustin, commenting on this story in the milder and more rational spirit of Christian morality, while he admires the purity of Lucrece, blames her folly in committing the crime of self-murder as a punishment on herself for that of which she was really innocent. 'cur laudata? Si pudica, cur occisa?' xix.-Bell.

'Si adultera,' he asks, AUG. De Civitat. Dei, c.

1689. starf, past tense of sterve, died; see note on sterve, v. 605. 1691. I touche but the grete: i. e., I give only the leading features of the story, avoiding details.

Whanne Ardea beseged was aboute

With Romaynes, that ful sterne were and stoute,
Ful longe lay the sege, and lytel wroghten,
So that they were halfe ydel, as hem thoghten.
And in his pley Tarquynyus the yonge
Gan for to jape, for he was lyghte of tonge;
And seyde, that hit was an idel lyf;
No man dide ther more than hys wif.
'And lat us speke of wives that is best;
Preise every man hys owne as him lest,
And with oure speche let us ese oure herte.'
A knyghte, that highte Colatyne, up sterte,
And sayde thus :-'Nay, for hit ys no nede
To trowen on the worde, but on the dede.
I have a wif,' quod he, 'that as I trowe
Ys holden good of alle that ever hire knowe.
Go we to Rome to nyghte, and we shul se.'
Tarquynyus answerde, That lyketh me.'
To Rome they be come, and faste hem dighte
To Colatynes house, and doune they lyghte,
Tarquynyus, and eke this Colatyne.

1695

1700

1705

1710

The housbonde knywe the efters wel and fyne,

And ful prevely into the house they goon,

For at the gate porter was there noon :

1715

And at the chambre dore they abyde.
This noble wyf sate by hir beddes syde
Disshevelyd, for no malice she ne thoghte,

And softe wolle, sayeth our boke, that she wroghte,

1697. jape, to jest.

1705. trowen, to believe.

1713. efters; this seems to be the same word as estres, used in the following passage from the Canterbury Tales, and meaning the inmost parts of a building :

"Al peynted was the wal in length and breede

Like to the estres of the grisly place,

That hight the great tempul of Mars in Trace."-v. 1973.

See also v. 4293.

To kepen hire fro slouthe and ydelnesse;
And bad hire servauntes doon hire besynesse ;
And axeth hem, 'What tydynges heren ye?
How sayne men of the sege? how shal yt be?
God wolde the walles werne falle adoune !
Myn housbonde ys to longe out of this toune,
For which the drede doth me so to smerte;
Ryghte as a swerde hyt styngeth to myn herte,
Whanne I thenke on these or of that place.
God save my lorde, I pray him for his grace!'
And therwithalle ful tenderly she wepe,
And of hire werke she toke no more kepe,

1720

1725

1730

But mekely she let hire eyen falle,

And thilke semblant sate hire wel withalle.

And eke the teres ful of hevytee,

Embelysshed hire wifly chastitee.

1735

Hire countenaunce ys to her herte digne,
For they acordeden in dede and signe.

And with that worde hire housbonde Colatyne,
Or she of him was ware, come stertyng ynne,
And sayede, 'Drede the noght, for I am here!'
And she anoon up roos, with blysful chere,
And kyssed hym, as of wives ys the wone.
Tarquynyus, this prowde kynges sone,
Conceyved hath hire beaute and hire chere,
Hire yelow heer, her bounte, and hire manere,
Hire hywe, hire wordes that she hath compleyned,
And by no crafte hire beaute was not feyned;

And kaught to this lady suche desire,

That in his herte brent as any fire

1731. kepe, care.

1740

1745

1733. thilke semblant sate hire wel: that same appearance be

came her well.

1739. or, ere.

1742. wone, custom.

1745. bounte, goodness.

1746. hywe, hue.

1749. brent, past tense of brenne, burned,

So wodely that hys witte was foryeten,
For wel thoghte he she shulde nat be geten.

1750

And ay the more he was in dispaire,

The more he coveteth, and thoghte hire faire;
Hys blynde lust was al hys covetynge.

On morwe, whanne the brid began to synge,

1755

Unto the sege he cometh ful pryvely,

And by himselfe he walketh sobrely,

The ymage of hire recordyng alwey newe;

Thus lay hire heer, and thus fressh was hire hewe,

Thus sate, thus spak, thus spanne, this was hire

1760

chere,

Thus faire she was, and thys was hire manere.
Al this conceyte hys herte hath newe ytake,
And as the see, with tempeste al to-shake,
That after whanne the storme
y's al agoo,
Yet wol the water quappe a day or twoo;

1765

Ryghte so, thogh that hire forme were absente,
The plesaunce of hire forme was presente.

But natheles, nat plesaunce, but delyte,
Or an unryghtful talent with dispite,

'For mawgree hire, she shal my lemman be:
Happe helpeth hardy man alway,' quod he,
'What ende that I make, hit shal be soo !'

1770

And gyrt hym with his swerde, and gan to goo,
And he fortheryghte til he to Rome ys come,
And al allon hys way thanne hath he nome,

1775

1750. wodely, madly, furiously.

1763. al to-shake, all betossed; see note on al to-rente, v. 820.

1765. quappe, be agitated; see quappe, v. 865.

1770. mawgree hire, in spite of herself; Fr. malgré;—lemman, mistress; supposed to be from the Fr. l'aimante, by an incorporation of the article.

1771. happe, hap, chance, luck;-hardy, bold; see v. 1526. 1772. What ende that I make, i. e., what end or object I propose to myself.

1775. nome, past part. of nime, taken.

Unto the house of Colatyne ful ryghte;

Doune was the sonne, and day hath lost his lyghte.
And inne he come unto a prevy halke,

And in the nyghte ful thefely gan he stalke,
Whanne every wyghte was to his reste broghte,
Ne no wyghte had of tresoun suche a thoghte,
Whether by wyndow, or by other gynne.
With swerde ydraw, shortly he commeth ynne
There as she lay, thys noble wyfe Lucresse,
And as she woke, hire bedde she felte presse :

1780

1785

'What beste ys that,' quod she, 'that weyeth thus ?' 'I am the kynges sone Tarquynyus,'

Quod he; but and thow crye, or noyse make,
Or yf thou any creature awake,

1778. halke, corner.

1779. stalke, to take long, slow, and stealthy steps.

"Into the chamber he stalked him ful stille."-C. T. 8401.
"With dredful foot than stalketh Palamon."-C. T. 1481.
"And to the bed stalkend he ferde
And sodeinly, er she it wiste,

Beclipt in armes he her kiste."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 1, sect. 5.

"And to the bed he stalketh stille,

Where that he wiste was the wife,

And in his honde a rasour knife

He bar, with whiche her throte he cut."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 2, sect. 3.

"Jason, that wolde his time kepe,

Goth forth stalkend all prively

Unto the chambre."-Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 4.

"He stalketh upon every side

And sought aboute with his honde

That other bed, till that he fonde,

Where lay bewimpled a visage."

Gower's Confessio Amantis, lib. 5, sect. 11.

"Into the chamber wickedly he stalks

And gazeth on her yet unstained bed."

Shakspeare's Rape of Lucrece, st. 53.

1782. gynne, sly means.

1788. but and, but if.