The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Errata and Addenda
• Introduction
• I: The Testament of Love.
• Book I Prologue. [ ]
• Book II.
• Book III.
• II.: The Plowmans Tale.
• III.: Jack Upland.
• IV.: John Gower Unto the Worthy and Noble Kinge Henry the Fourth.
• V.: Thomas Hoccleve. the Letter of Cupid.
• VI.: To the Kinges Most Noble Grace; and to the Lordes and Knightes of the Garter.
• VII.: A Moral Balade.
• VIII.: John Lydgate. the Complaint of the Black Knight; Or, the Complaint of a Loveres Lyfe.
• IX.: The Flour of Curtesye.
• X.: A Balade; In Commendation of Our Lady.
• XI.: To My Soverain Lady.
• XII.: Ballad of Good Counsel.
• XIII.: Beware of Doubleness.
• XIV.: A Balade: Warning Men to Beware of Deceitful Women.
• XV.: Three Sayings.
• XVI.: La Belle Dame Sans Mercy. Translated Out of French By Sir Richard Ros.
• XVII.: The Testament of Cresseid.
• XVIII.: The Cuckoo and the Nightingale; Or the Book of Cupid, God of Love.
• XIX.: Envoy to Alison.
• XX.: The Flower and the Leaf.
• XXI.: The Assembly of Ladies.
• XXII.: A Goodly Balade.
• XXIII.: Go Forth, King.
• XXIV.: The Court of Love.
• XXV.: Virelai.
• XXVI.: Prosperity.
• XXVII.: Leaulte Vault Richesse.
• XXVIII.: Sayings Printed By Caxton.
• XXIX.: Balade In Praise of Chaucer.
• Notes.
• Glossarial Index.
• List of Subscribers.

XV.

THREE SAYINGS.

A. From Stowe (ed. 1561).

B. From the same.

C. From the same.

• • (A). A SAYING OF DAN JOHN.
  • THER beth four thinges that maketh a man a fool ,
  • Hónour first putteth him in outrage,
  • And alder-next solitarie and sool ;
  • The second is unweldy croked age;
  • Women also bring men in dotage;5
  • And mighty wyne, in many dyvers wyse,
  • Distempreth folk which [that] ben holden wyse.
• • (B). YET OF THE SAME.
  • Therbeth four thinges causing gret folye,
  • Honour first, and [than] unweldy age;
  • Women and wyne, I dar eek specifye ,
  • Make wyse men [to ] fallen in dotage;
  • Wherfore, by counseil of philosophers sage,5
  • In gret honour, lerne this of me,
  • With thyn estat have [eek ] humilitee.
• • (C). BALADE DE BON CONSAIL.
  • If it befalle , that god thee list visyte
  • With any tourment or adversitee ,
  • Thank first the lord ; and [than], thyself to quyte,
  • Upon suffrauncë and humilitee
  • Found thou thy quarrel , what-ever that it be;5
  • Mak thy defence (and thou shalt have no losse)
  • The rémembraunce of Crist and of his crosse.

[1. ]bethe foure; foole.

[3. ]soole.

[7. ]Distempren (!); folke whiche; supply that; bene.

[1. ]bene (read beth, as above) foure.

[2. ]I supply than; vnwildy.

[3. ]dare eke specify.

[4. ]I supply to.

[6. ]learne.

[7. ]thine estate; I suppy eek.

[1. ]befall; the.

[2. ]aduersite.

[3. ]Thanke; lorde; I supply than; selfe.

[4. ]humilite.

[5. ]Founde; quarel.

[6. ]Make.

[(A). 2.]Honour, i. e. advancement. The Lat. proverb is—‘Honores mutant mores’; on which Ray remarks—‘As poverty depresseth and debaseth a man’s mind, so great place and estate advance and enlarge it, but many times corrupt and puff it up.’ outrage, extravagant self-importance.