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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) BOOK III. - The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 3 (House of Fame, Legend of Good Women, Treatise on Astrolabe, Sources of Canterbury Tales)
BOOK III. - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 3 (House of Fame, Legend of Good Women, Treatise on Astrolabe, Sources of Canterbury Tales) [1899]Edition used:The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat (2nd ed.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). 7 vols.
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BOOK III.
Incipit liber tercius.
- Invocation.
- O god of science and of light,[ ]
- Apollo, through thy grete might,
- This litel laste book thou gye!
- Nat that I wilne, for maistrye,
- Here art poetical be shewed;1095
- But, for the rym is light and lewed,
- Yit make hit sumwhat agreable,
- Though som vers faile in a sillable;[ ]
- And that I do no diligence
- To shewe craft, but o sentence.(10) 1100
- And if, divyne vertu,
- Wilt helpe me to shewe
- That in myn hede y-marked is—
- Lo, that is for to menen this,
- The Hous of Fame descryve—1105
- Thou shalt see go, as blyve,
- Unto the nexte I see,
- And kisse hit, for hit is thy tree;
- Now entreth in my breste anoon!—
- The Dream.
-
- Whan I was fro this egle goon,(20) 1110
- I gan beholde upon this place.
- And certein, or I ferther pace,
- I wol yow al shap devyse
- Of hous and ; and al the wyse[ ]
- How I gan to place aproche1115
- That stood upon so high a roche,[ ]
- Hyer stant ther noon in Spaine.
- But up I clomb with alle paine,
- And though to climbe hit greved me,
- Yit I ententif was to see,(30) 1120
- And for to pouren wonder lowe,
- If I coude any weyes knowe
- What maner stoon this roche was;
- For hit was lyk a thing of glas,
- But that hit shoon ful more clere;1125
- But of what congeled matere
- Hit was, redely.
-
- But at the laste espyed I,
- And found that hit was, every deel,
- A roche of yse, and not of steel.(40) 1130
- Thoughte I, ‘By Seynt Thomas of Kent![ ]
- This were a feble
- To bilden on a place hye;
- He oughte him litel glorifye
- That her-on , god so me save!’1135
-
- Tho saw I the half y-grave
- With famous folkes names fele,
- That had y-been in mochel wele,
- And hir fames wyde y-blowe.
- But wel unethes coude I knowe(50) 1140
- Any lettres for to rede
- Hir names by; for, out of drede,
- They were almost of-thowed so,
- That of the lettres oon or two
- molte away of every name,1145
- So unfamous was wexe hir fame;
- But men seyn, ‘What may ever laste?’
-
- Tho gan I in myn herte caste,
- That they were molte awey with hete,
- And not awey with stormes bete.(60) 1150
- For on that other syde I sey
- Of this hille, that northward lay,[ ]
- How hit was writen ful of names
- Of that hadden grete fames
- Of olde , and yit were1155
- As fresshe as men had writen hem
- The selve day right, or that houre
- That I upon hem gan to poure.
- But wel I wiste what hit made ;
- Hit was conserved with the shade—(70) 1160
- Al this wrytinge that I sy—
- Of a castel, stood on hy,
- And stood eek on so cold a place,
- That hete mighte hit not deface.
-
- Tho gan I up the hille to goon,1165
- And fond upon the coppe a woon,
- That alle the men that ben on lyve[ ]
- Ne han the cunning to descryve
- The beautee of that ilke place,
- Ne coude casten no compace(80) 1170
- Swich another for to make,
- That mighte of beautee be his make
- Ne [be] so wonderliche y-wrought;
- That hit astonieth yit my thought,
- And maketh al my wit to swinke1175
- On this castel to bethinke.
- So that the grete , beautee,[ ]
- cast, the curiositee
- Ne can I not to yow devyse,
- My wit ne may me not suifyse.(90) 1180
-
- But natheles al the substance
- I have yit in my remembrance;
- For-why me thoughte, by Seynt Gyle !
- Al was of stone of beryle,
- Bothe and the tour,1185
- And eek the halle, and every bour,
- Withouten peces or Ioininges.
- But many subtil compassinges,
- and pinacles,[ ]
- Imageries and tabernacles,(100) 1190
- I saw; and ful eek of windowes,
- As flakes falle in grete snowes.
- And eek in ech of the pinacles
- Weren sondry habitacles ,
- In whiche , al withoute—1195
- Ful the castel , al aboute—
- alle maner of minstrales,[ ]
- And gestiours, that tellen tales
- Bothe of weping and of game,
- Of al that longeth unto Fame.(110) 1200
-
- Ther herde I pleyen an harpe
- That bothe wel and sharpe,
- Orpheus ful craftely,
- And on syde, faste by,
- Sat the harper Orion ,1205
- And Chiron ,
- And other harpers many oon,
- And the Glascurion;[ ]
- And smale harpers with her gleës
- under in seës,(120) 1210
- And gonne on hem upward to ,
- And countrefete hem as an ape,
- Or as craft countrefeteth kinde.
-
- Tho saugh I stonden hem behinde,
- A-fer fro hem, al by hemselve,1215
- Many thousand tymes twelve,
- That maden loude menstralcyes
- In cornemuse and shalmyes,[ ]
- And many other maner pype,
- That craftely begunne (130) 1220
- Bothe in doucet and in ,
- That ben at festes with the ;[ ]
- And many floute and lilting-horne ,
- And pypes made of grene corne,[ ]
- As han thise litel herde-gromes,1225
- That kepen bestes in the bromes.
-
- Ther saugh I than ,[ ]
- And of Athenes dan ,
- And Marcia that lost her skin,
- Bothe in face, body, and chin,(140) 1230
- For that she wolde envyen , lo!
- To pypen bet then Apollo.
- Ther saugh I , olde and yonge,
- Pypers of Duche tonge,
- To lerne love-daunces, springes,1235
- , and these straunge thinges.[ ]
-
- Tho saugh I in another place
- Stonden in a large space,
- Of hem that maken blody soun
- In trumpe, beme, and clarioun;(150) 1240
- For in and blood-shedinge
- Is used gladly clarioninge.
-
- Ther herde I trumpen Messenus ,
- Of whom that speketh Virgilius.
- Ther herde I also,1245
- Theodomas , and other mo;
- And alle that used clarion
- In Cataloigne and Aragon,
- That in hir tyme famous were
- To lerne, saugh I trumpe there.(160) 1250
-
- Ther saugh I sitte in other seës,
- Pleyinge upon sondry gleës,
- Whiche that I cannot nevene,
- Mo then sterres been in hevene,
- Of whiche I nil as ryme,1255
- For ese of yow, and losse of tyme:
- For tyme y-lost, this knowen ye,[ ]
- By no way may recovered be.
-
- Ther saugh I Iogelours ,
- Magiciens and tregetours ,(170) 1260
- And phitonesses , charmeresses,
- Olde , sorceresses,
- That use exorsisaciouns,
- And eek thise fumigaciouns;
- And clerkes eek, which conne wel1265
- Al this magyke naturel,[ ]
- That craftely don hir ententes,
- To make, in certeyn ascendentes ,
- Images, lo, through which
- To make a man ben hool or .(180) 1270
- Ther saugh I , queen Medea ,
- And eke, and Calipsa;[ ]
- Ther saugh I Hermes Ballenus,
- , and eek Simon Magus.[ ]
- Ther saugh I , and knew by name,1275
- That by such art don men han fame.
- Ther saugh I Colle tregetour
- Upon a table of sicamour
- Pleye an uncouthe thing to telle;
- I saugh him carien a wind-melle(190) 1280
- Under a walsh-note shale.
-
- What shuld I make lenger tale
- Of al the peple I say,
- Fro hennes in-to domesday?
-
- Whan I had al this beholde,1285
- And fond me lous, and noght ,
- And eft longe whyle
- Upon these walles of beryle,
- That shoon ful lighter than a glas,
- And made wel more than hit was(200) 1290
- To semen, every thing, y-wis,
- As kinde thing of fames is;
- I gan romen til I fond
- The castel-yate on my right hond,
- Which that so wel corven was1295
- That never swich another nas;
- And yit hit was by aventure
- Y-wrought, as often as by cure.
-
- Hit nedeth noght yow for to tellen,
- To make yow to longe dwellen,(210) 1300
- Of yates florisshinges,
- Ne of compasses, ne of kervinges,
- Ne in masoneries,
- As, fulle of imageries.[ ]
- But, lord! so fair hit was to shewe,1305
- For hit was al with gold behewe.
- But in I wente, and that anoon;
- Ther mette I crying many oon,—
- ‘A larges, larges, up wel![ ]
- God save the lady of this pel,(220) 1310
- Our owne gentil lady Fame,[ ]
- And hem that wilnen to have name
- Of us!’ Thus herde I cryen alle,
- And faste comen out of halle,
- And nobles and sterlinges.1315
- somme crouned were as kinges ,
- With crounes wroght ful of ;
- And many riban, and many
- Were on hir clothes trewely.
-
- Tho atte laste aspyed I(230) 1320
- That pursevauntes and ,
- That cryen riche folkes laudes,
- Hit weren alle; and every man
- Of hem, as I yow tellen can,
- Had on him throwen a vesture,1325
- Which that men a cote-armure ,
- Enbrowded riche,
- they nere nought y-liche.
- But noght nil I, so mote I thryve,[ ]
- Been aboute to discryve.(240) 1330
- Al these armes that ther weren,
- That they thus on hir beren,
- For hit to me were impossible;
- Men mighte make of hem a bible
- Twenty foot thikke, I trowe.1335
- For certeyn, who-so coude y-knowe
- Mighte ther alle the armes seen
- Of famous folk that han y-been
- In Auffrike, Europe, and Asye,
- Sith first began the chevalrye.(250) 1340
-
- Lo! how shulde I now telle al this?
- Ne of the halle eek what nede is[ ]
- To tellen yow, that every wal
- Of hit, and floor, and roof and al
- Was plated half a fote thikke1345
- Of gold, and that nas no-thing wikke ,
- But, for to prove in alle wyse,
- As fyn as ducat in Venyse,
- Of whiche to al in my pouche is?
- And they wer set as of nouchis(260) 1350
- of the fynest stones faire,
- That men rede in the Lapidaire ,
- greses growen in a mede;
- But hit were al to longe to rede
- The names; and therfore I pace.1355
-
- But in this place,
- That Fames halle called was,
- Ful moche prees of folk ther nas,
- Ne crouding, for to mochil prees.
- But al on hye, above a dees ,(270) 1360
- in a see imperial,[ ]
- That maad was of a rubee al,
- Which that a carbuncle is y-called,
- I saugh, perpetually y-stalled,
- A feminyne creature;1365
- That never formed by nature
- Nas swich another thing y-seye.
- For altherfirst, soth for to seye,[ ]
- Me thoughte she was so lyte,
- That the lengthe of a cubyte(280) 1370
- Was lenger than she ;
- But thus sone, in a whyle,
- Hir tho so streighte,
- That with hir feet she reighte,
- And with hir heed she touched hevene,1375
- Ther as shynen sterres sevene .
- And ther-to eek, as my wit,
- I saugh a gretter wonder yit,
- Upon hir eyen to beholde;
- But certeyn I hem never tolde ;(290) 1380
- For as fele eyen hadde she
- As fetheres upon foules be,
- Or weren on the bestes foure ,
- That goddes trone gunne honoure,
- As Iohn writ in thapocalips.1385
- Hir heer, that oundy was and crips,
- As burned gold hit shoon to see.
- And sooth to tellen, also she
- Had also fele up-stonding eres
- And tonges , as on bestes heres;(300) 1390
- And on hir feet wexen saugh I
- Partriches winges redely.
-
- But, lord! the perrie and the richesse
- I saugh sitting on this goddesse!
- And, lord! the hevenish melodye1395
- Of songes, ful of armonye,
- I herde aboute her trone y-songe,
- That al the paleys-walles ronge!
- So song the mighty Muse, she
- That cleped is Caliopee ,(310) 1400
- And hir eighte sustren eke,
- That in hir face semen meke;
- And evermo, eternally,
- They of Fame, as tho herde I:—
- ‘Heried be thou and thy name,1405
- Goddesse of renoun of fame!’
-
- Tho was I war, lo, atte laste,
- As I myn eyen gan up caste,
- That this ilke noble quene
- On hir shuldres gan sustene(320) 1410
- Bothe and the name[ ]
- Of tho that hadde large fame;
- Alexander , and Hercules
- That with a sherte his lyf lees!
- fond I sitting this goddesse,1415
- In , honour, and richesse;
- Of which I stinte a whyle now,
- Other thing to tellen yow.
-
- Tho saugh I stonde on either syde,
- Streight doun to the dores wyde,(330) 1420
- Fro the dees, many a
- Of metal, that shoon not ful cleer;
- But though they nere of no richesse,
- Yet they were maad for greet noblesse,
- And in hem greet sentence;1425
- And folk of digne reverence,
- Of whiche I wol yow telle fonde,
- Upon the piler saugh I stonde.
-
- Alderfirst, lo, ther I sigh,
- Upon a piler stonde on high,(340) 1430
- That was of lede and yren ,
- of secte Saturnyn,
- The Ebrayk Iosephus, the olde,[ ]
- That of Iewes gestes tolde;
- And upon his shuldres hye1435
- The fame of the Iewerye .
- And by him other sevene,[ ]
- Wyse and worthy for to nevene,
- To helpen him bere up the charge,
- Hit was so hevy and so large.(350) 1440
- And for they writen of batailes,
- As wel as ,
- Therfor was, lo, this ,
- Of which that I yow telle ,
- Of lede and yren bothe, y-wis.1445
- For yren Martes metal is,
- Which that god is of bataile;
- And the leed, withouten faile,
- Is, lo, the metal of Saturne,
- That hath large wheel to turne.(360) 1450
- Tho stoden forth, on every rowe,
- Of hem which that I coude knowe,
- Thogh I hem noght by ordre telle,
- To make yow to long to dwelle.
-
- These, of whiche I ginne rede,1455
- Ther saugh I , out of drede:
- Upon an yren piler strong,
- That peynted was, al endelong,
- With tygres blode in every place,[ ]
- The that highte Stace ,(370) 1460
- That bar of Thebes up the fame
- Upon his shuldres, and the name
- Also of cruel Achilles .
- And by him stood, withouten lees,
- Ful wonder hye on a pileer1465
- Of yren, he, the gret Omeer ;
- And with him Dares and Tytus[ ]
- Before, and eek he, Lollius ,
- And Guido eek de Columpnis,
- And English Gaufride eek, y-wis;(380) 1470
- And ech of these, as have I Ioye,
- Was besy for to bere up Troye.
- So hevy ther-of was the fame,
- That for to bere hit was no game.
- But yit I gan ful wel espye,1475
- Betwix hem was a litel envye.
- Oon made lyes,
- Feyninge in his poetryes,
- And was to Grekes favorable;
- Therfor held he hit but fable.(390) 1480
-
- Tho saugh I stonde on a pileer,
- That was of tinned yren cleer,[ ]
- That Latin poete, Virgyle,[ ]
- That bore hath up longe whyle
- The fame of Pius Eneas.1485
-
- And next him on a piler was,
- Of coper, Venus clerk, Ovyde ,
- That hath y-sowen wonder wyde
- The grete god of Loves name.
- And ther he bar up wel his fame,(400) 1490
- Upon this piler, also hye
- :
- For-why this halle, of whiche I rede
- Was woxe on , lengthe and brede,[ ]
- Wel more, by a thousand del,1495
- Than hit was erst, that saugh I wel.
-
- Tho saugh I, on a piler by,
- Of yren wroght ful ,
- The grete poete, Lucan ,
- And on his shuldres bar up than,(410) 1500
- As highe as that I mighte see,
- The fame of Iulius and Pompee.
- And by him stoden alle these clerkes,
- That writen of Romes mighty werkes,
- That, if I wolde hir names telle,1505
- Al to longe moste I dwelle.
-
- And next him on piler stood
- Of soulfre, lyk as he were wood,
- Dan Claudian , the soth to telle,
- That bar up the fame of helle,(420) 1510
- Of Pluto, and of Proserpyne,
- That quene is of the derke pyne.[ ]
-
- What shulde I more telle of this?
- The halle was al ful, y-wis,
- Of hem that writen gestes,1515
- As ben on treës rokes nestes;
- But hit a ful confus matere
- Were al the gestes for to here,
- That they of write , and how they highte.
- But whyl that I beheld this sighte,(430) 1520
- I herde a noise aprochen blyve,[ ]
- That ferde as been don in an hyve,
- Agen her tyme of out-fleyinge;
- Right swiche a maner murmuringe,
- For al the world, hit semed me.1525
-
- Tho gan I loke aboute and see,
- That ther com entring the halle[ ]
- A right gret company with-alle,
- And that of sondry regiouns,
- Of condiciouns,[ ](440) 1530
- That dwelle in erthe under the mone,
- Pore and ryche. And also sone
- As they were come into the halle,
- They gonne doun on kneës falle
- Before this ilke noble quene,1535
- And seyde, ‘Graunte us, lady shene,
- Ech of us, of thy grace, a bone!’
- And somme of hem she graunted sone,
- And somme she werned wel and faire;
- And somme she graunted the contraire(450) 1540
- Of hir axing utterly.
- But thus I seye yow trewely,
- What hir was, I niste.
- For this folk, ful wel I wiste,
- They hadde good fame ech deserved,1545
- Althogh they were diversly served;
- Right as hir suster, dame Fortune,
- Is wont to serven in comune.
-
- Now how she gan to paye
- That gonne hir of hir grace praye;[ ](460) 1550
- And , lo, al this companye
- Seyden sooth, and noght a lye.
-
- ‘Madame,’ they, ‘we be
- Folk that heer besechen thee,
- That thou graunte us now good fame,1555
- And lete our werkes han that name;
- In ful recompensacioun
- Of good werk, give us good renoun.’
-
- ‘I werne yow hit,’ quod she anoon,
- ‘Ye gete of me good fame noon,(470) 1560
- By god! and therfor go your wey.’
-
- ‘Alas,’ quod they, ‘and welaway!
- Telle us, what may your cause be?’
-
- ‘For me list hit noght,’ quod she;[ ]
- ‘No wight shal speke of yow, y-wis,1565
- Good ne harm, ne that ne this.’
- And with that word she gan to calle
- Hir messanger, that was in halle,
- And bad that he shulde faste goon,
- Up to be blind anoon,[ ](480) 1570
- For Eolus, the god of winde;—[ ]
- ‘ Trace ther ye shul him finde,
- And bid him bringe his clarioun,
- That is ful dyvers of his soun,
- And hit is cleped Clere Laude,1575
- With which he wont is to heraude
- Hem that me list y-preised be:
- And also bid him how that he
- Bringe his other clarioun,
- That highte Sclaundre in every toun,(490) 1580
- With which he wont is to diffame
- Hem that me list, and do hem shame.’
-
- This messanger gan faste goon,
- And found wher, in a cave of stoon,
- In a contree highte Trace,1585
- This Eolus, with harde grace,
- Held the windes in distresse,
- And gan hem under him to presse,
- That they gonne as beres rore,
- He bond and pressed hem so sore.(500) 1590
-
- This messanger gan faste crye,
- ‘Rys up,’ quod he, ‘and faste hye,
- Til that thou at my lady be;
- And tak thy eek with thee,
- And speed thee forth.’ And he anon1595
- Took to a man, that hight Triton,
- His to bere tho,
- And leet a certeyn wind to go,[ ]
- That blew so hidously hye,
- That hit ne lefte not a skye(510) 1600
- In al the welken longe and brood.
-
- This Eolus no-wher abood
- Til he was come Fames feet,
- And eek the man that Triton heet;
- And ther he stood, as still as stoon.1605
- And her-withal ther com anoon
- Another huge companye
- Of gode folk, and gunne crye,
- ‘Lady, graunte us good fame,
- And lat our werkes han that name(520) 1610
- Now, in honour of gentilesse,
- And also god your soule blesse!
- For we han wel deserved hit,
- Therfor is right that we ben quit.’
-
- ‘As thryve I,’ quod she, ‘ye shal faile,1615
- Good werkes shal yow noght availe
- To have of me good fame as now.
- But ye what? I graunte yow,[ ]
- That ye shal have a shrewed fame
- And wikked loos, and worse name,(530) 1620
- Though ye good loos have deserved.
- Now go your wey, for ye be served;
- Eolus, let see!
- Tak forth thy trumpe anon,’ quod she,
- ‘That is y-cleped Sclaunder light,1625
- And blow hir loos, that every wight
- Speke of hem harm and shrewednesse,
- In stede of good and worthinesse.
- For thou shalt trumpe al the contraire
- Of that they han don wel or faire.’(540) 1630
-
- ‘Alas,’ thoughte I, ‘what aventures
- Han these sory creatures!
- For they, amonges al the pres,
- Shul thus be shamed gilteles!
- But what! hit moste nedes be.’1635
-
- What did this Eolus, but he
- Tok out his trumpe of bras,
- That fouler than the devil was,
- And gan this trumpe for to blowe,
- As al the world shulde overthrowe ;(550) 1640
- That through-out every regioun
- Wente this foule trumpes soun,
- As swift as pelet out of gonne,
- Whan fyr is in the poudre ronne.
- And swiche a smoke gan out-wende1645
- Out of his foule trumpes ende,
- Blak, blo, grenish, reed,
- As doth wher that men melte leed,
- Lo, al on high fro the tuel!
- And therto oo thing saugh I wel,(560) 1650
- That, the ferther that hit ran,
- The gretter wexen hit began,
- As doth the river from a welle,
- And hit stank as the pit of helle.
- Alas, thus was hir shame y-ronge,1655
- And giltelees, on every tonge.
-
- Tho com the companye,
- And gunne up to the dees to hye,
- And doun on knees they fille anon,
- And seyde, ‘We ben everichon(570) 1660
- Folk that ful trewely
- Deserved fame rightfully,
- And praye yow, hit mot be knowe,
- Right as hit is, and forth y-blowe.’
- ‘I graunte,’ quod she, ‘for me list1665
- That now your gode ;
- And yit ye shul han better loos,
- in dispyt of alle your foos,
- Than worthy is; and that anoon:
- Lat now,’ quod she, ‘thy trumpe goon,(580) 1670
- Thou Eolus, that is so blak;
- And out thyn other trumpe tak
- That highte Laude, and blow hit so
- That through the world hir fame go
- esely, and not to faste,1675
- That hit be knowen atte laste.’
-
- ‘Ful gladly, lady myn,’ he seyde;
- And out his trumpe of golde he brayde
- Anon, and sette hit to his mouthe,
- And blew hit est, and west, and southe,(590) 1680
- And north, as loude as any thunder,
- That every wight
(Unfinished.)
THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN.
The Prologue to this Poem exists in two different versions, which differ widely from each other in many passages. The arrangement of the material is also different. For the sake of clearness, the earlier version is here called ‘Text A,’ and the later version ‘Text B.’ ‘Text A’ exists in one MS. only, but this MS. is of early date and much importance. It is the MS. marked Gg. 4. 27 in the Cambridge University Library, and is here denoted by the letter ‘C.’ It is the same MS. as that denoted by the abbreviation ‘Cm.’ in the footnotes to the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. This text is printed in the upper part of the following pages. The footnotes give the MS. spellings, where these are amended in the text. ‘Text B’ occupies the lower part of the following pages. It follows the Fairfax MS. mainly, which is denoted by ‘F.’ In many places, the inferior spellings of this MS. are relegated to the footnotes, amended spellings being given in the text. Various readings are given from Tn. (Tanner MS. 346); T. (Trinity MS., R. 3. 19); A. (Arch. Seld. B. 24 in the Bodleian Library); Th. (Thynne’s Edition, 1532); B. (Bodley MS. 638); P. (Pepys MS. 2006); and sometimes from C. (already mentioned) or Add. (Addit. 9832). Lines which occur in one text only are marked (in either text) by a prefixed asterisk. Lines marked with a dagger (†) stand just the same in both texts. The blank space after A 60 (p. 70) shews that there is nothing in Text A corresponding to B 69-72. Where the corresponding matter is transposed to another place, one or other text has a portion printed in smaller type. - ‘If thou to me of thine impart so much, . . .
- Thou shalt behold me of thy favour’d tree
- Come to the foot, and crown myself with leaves.’
- ‘Puis chalemiaus, et chalemele
- Et tabor, et fléute, et timbre . . .
- Puis prent sa muse, et se travaille
- As estives de Cornoaille.’
And in Le Remède de Fortune, by G. de Machault, 1849, p. 87, is a similar long list:—
- ‘Cornemuses, flaios, chevrettes,
- Dousainnes, cimbales, clochettes,
- Timbre, la flahute brehaigne,
- Et le grant cornet d’Alemaigne,
- Flaiot de saus, fistule, pipe’; &c.
And a few lines below there is mention of the muse de blez (see note to l. 1224). Warton, Hist. E. Poet., ed. Hazlitt, iii. 177, quotes a similar passage from Lydgate’s poem entitled Reason and Sensualite, ending with—
- ‘There were trumpes, and trumpettes,
- Lowde shallys [shalmys?] and doucettes.’
- ‘To meit was greithed beef and motoun,
- Bredes, briddes, and venysoun.’
- Kyng Alisaunder, ed. Weber, 5248.
- ‘Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue
- Si come quando Marsia traesti
- Della vagina delle membra sue.’
- ‘Que ja riens d’enchantement croie,
- Ne sorcerie, ne charroie,
- Ne Balenus, ne sa science,
- Ne magique, ne nigromance, . . .
- Onques ne pot tenir Medée
- Jason por nul enchantement;
- N’onc Circe ne tint ensement
- Ulixes qu’il ne s’enfoïst,’ &c.
- ‘Non saps balar ni tras-gitar
- a guiza de juglar guascon’;
- ‘It was a bridge ybuilt in goodly wise
- With curious corbes and pendants graven faire.’
- ‘Tutti li soprastava veramente
- Di ricche pietre coronata e d’oro’ . . .
- ‘Il suo vestire a guisa imperiale
- Era, e teneva nella man sinestra
- Un pomo d’oro; e’n trono alla reale
- Vidi sedeva’ . . .
- ‘Odi: che mai natura con sua arte
- Forma non diede a si bella figura’ . . .
- ‘Donna pareva li leggiadra e pura’ . . .
- ‘The Carbuncle eclipses by its blaze
- All shining gems, and casts its fiery rays
- Like to the burning coal; whence comes its name,
- Among the Greeks as Anthrax known to fame.
- Not e’en by darkness quenched, its vigour tires;
- Still at the gazer’s eye it darts its fires;
- A numerous race; within the Lybian ground
- Twelve kinds by mining Troglydytes are found.’
- ‘Et voit ses biaus crins blondoians
- Comme undes ensemble ondoians.’
- ‘Troiani belli scriptorem, maxime Lolli,
- Dum tu declamas Romæ, Præneste relegi.’
- ‘Now came I where the water’s din was heard, . . .
- Resounding like the hum of swarming bees,
- When forth together issued from a troop,’ &c.
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