Chapter LIII: Part III (10)

544. done; came; anone. 547. A. Whan; Th. T. And wha_n_. done. 548. -layne. 549. A. til; T. to; Th. vnto. 551. Voyde backe; preace. 552. Make. A. larger; Th. T. large. roume; loke. 553. take; secretarye. 554. -layne. 555. came agayne. 556. -tarye. 558. onely. 559. agayne. 560. -layne. 562. Th. secretarye ye do make come; A. T. secretary make hir come. 565. maye. A. avise; T. auyse. 566. counsayle. 567. Loke; done; fayle. 568. A. The chambrelayn whan she wist; Th. T. Whan the chamberlayne wyste of. 569. -tarye. 571. A. _om._ it. 572. A. ye rede hem al; T. yow there cal (!); Th. ye hem cal (!). 573. A. gode.

576. came. Th. shuld; A. T. to. T. red; A. Th. redde. 578. Rayson. A. T. wold that; Th. wyl. spedde. 579. spredde. 580. -tarie; downe echone. 581. T. rad. T. theym (= hem); Th. A. _om._ one by one. 582. bearyng. 583. A. T. in; Th. on. 585. made. 587. deserte; partye. 588. A. matier. Th. T. a remedy; A. _om._ a. 589. A. next felawes word; Th. T. next folowing her word. 590. A. Une; Th. T. Vng. T. saunz chaunger. co_m_playne. 592. toke; payne. 593. restrayne. 594. case. 595. reason. 596. twayne. 597. wrote. 598. A. Oncques; Th. Vncques; T. Vnques. playne. 599. A. grevous (_for_ pitous). 600. great reason. 601. A. And; Th. T. _om._ 602. processe. 603. made. 604. comforte. 605. Th. surete; A. suerte; T. seurte.

606. A. fonde; Th. T. sayd (!). 607. Nowe; wele. 608. Th. humbly; A. humble (!); _read_ humbelly. her high grace; A. _om._ high. 609. A. Som remedy to chewe (!) in; Th. T. Soone to shewe her remedy in. 610. sayde. 611. playnynge. 612. wrothe. wele apayde. 613. se; wolde. _I supply_ that. 614. wrothe. 615. worde; wote. 616. wrote. 617. great. 618. done. 620. mynde. A. thus; Th. T. there. 621. whiche; boone. 622. Rehersynge. _I supply_ that. 623. Besechynge. 624. lyke; done. 626. A. vp; Th. T. _om._ 627. One; wrote. 628. hole. A. Of hir compleynt also the cause why; T. _om. this line_. 629. writinge. 630. A. knowlachyng; Th. T. knowynge. 631. wote. 632. herte. 633. toke. 634. one. A. til. A. it; Th. T. _om._ smerte. 635. thanke; deserte.

636. comforte. A. wayted; Th. T. wanted. comynge. 637. -thynge. 638. besechynge. 639. A. T. for her wold; Th. wolde for her. 640. A. al; Th. T. _om._ lyuynge. 641. trewe. A. so; Th. T. _om._ 642. saye. 643. nexte. A. after; Th. T. _om._ forthe. 645. _diu_; wrote. 646. A. any; Th. T. _om._ fayle. 647. T. takyn; Th. A. take. 648. meruaile. 649. auayle. 652. shulde. 653. great. _All_ encombraunce. 654. moche. 655. Th. T. al her; A. _om._ al. 656. made. 659. wrote. 660. thinge. 661. felte great. 662. A. _om._ right. 663. sate; passynge. 664. lothe; wrytynge. 665. A. his; T. a; Th. _om._ thinge.

666. A. _Se iour_ (for _Soyes_). worde certayne. 667. wrote. A. but; Th. T. _om._ 668. vayne. 670. Th. T. humbly; A. humble (!); _see_ 607. desyrynge. 671. comforte; sorowe. 672. ease. 675. Th. _moneste_; T. A. _monest_. farre; coude. 676. worde. 678. T. tell (_for_ say). 679. wolde. 681. lete se. 683. Nowe. 684. A. T. parde have knowlache; Th. haue knowlege parde. 686. selfe. 687. wote. A. that; Th. T. _om._ thinke. 688. herde. 689. Nowe. _All_ hate (= hote). 691. A. wite; Th. T. wete. reason. 692. A. knowe al that hath be done afore; Th. T. haue knowlege of that was done before. 693. A. it; Th. T. it is (_om._ is). _All_ without. A. any (_for_ wordes). 694. Nothynge. A. lief; T. leef; Th. lefe. dethe. 695. payne.

697. aforne; certayne. 698. wote. 699. helpe; thinge. 700. thinke. T. I; Th. A. it. 702. _I supply_ you. 703. longe. 706. thanke _I supply_ a. 707. deserte. A. des_er_vith; Th. T. serueth. 708. -one. 709. A. This lady; Th. T. The ladyes. toke. 710. A. ech; Th. T. _om._ 712. A. yaf; Th. T. yaue. T. in; Th. A. _om._ 713. one. 714. A. hem there hir answere; Th. T. hem her answere in. 716. spake; -selfe. 717. sene. 718. A. T. ful; Th. _om._ 720. shorte; courte. 721. A. T. paleys. 722. fynde. 724. _I supply_ a. A. shul; Th. T. shal. 725. T. thoroughly; Th. throughly; A. triewly. 726. shal (_see_ 724); knowe. 728. _So_ Th.; A. shal bryng it yow bi; T. shall hyt yow tell by.

729. moste. 730. eche one by one. 732. A. vs (_for 1st_ we). trauayle. 733. _I supply_ a. 734. toke. 735. forthe; shulde. 736. sprange anone. 737. woke. 738. nowe; gone. 739. A. Al amased vp; Th. T. Al mased and vp (_read_ And al amased up). loke. 740. boke. 741. _All_ simply. 742. shulde. Th. T. be out; A. out (_om._ be). 743. Nowe; dreame. 745. stode. 746. shulde; none. _All_ encombraunce. 747. toke; great. 748. nowe; boke. 749. A. wite; Th. T. wete. 750. boke. 751. _So_ A.; Th. T. Of the name to tel you in certaynte (T. certayn). 752. A. La semble; T. Lassembyll. 753. Howe thynke. A. the; Th. T. _om._ 754. Nowe. 756. dreme; done. COLOPHON: _in_ T. _only_.

* * * * *

XXII. A GOODLY BALADE.

¶ Moder of norture, best beloved of al,
And fresshest flour, to whom good thrift god sende.
Your child, if it list you me so to cal,
Al be I unable my-self so to pretende,
To your discrecioun I recommende 5
Myn herte and al, with every circumstaunce,
Al hoolly to be under your governaunce.

Most desyre I, and have, and ever shal
Thing, whiche might your hertës ese amende;
Have me excused, my power is but smal; 10
Natheles, of right ye ought[e] to commende
My good[e] will, which fayn wolde entende
To do you service; for al my suffisaunce
Is hoolly to be under your governaunce.

_Meulx un_: in herte, which never shal apal, 15
Ay fresshe and newe, and right glad to dispende
My tyme in your servyce, what-so befal,
Beseching your excéllence to defende
My simplenesse, if ignoraunce offende
In any wyse; sith that myn affiaunce 20
Is hoolly to be under your governaunce.

¶ Daisy of light! very ground of comfort!
The sonnes doughter ye hight, as I rede;
For when he westreth, farwel your disport!
By your nature anon, right for pure drede 25
Of the rude night, that with his boystous wede
Of derkness shadoweth our emispere,
Than closen ye, my lyves lady dere!

Dawing the day to his kinde resort,
Phebus your fader, with his stremes rede, 30
Adorneth the morow, cónsuming the sort
Of misty cloudës, that wolde overlede
Trewe humble hertës with hir mistihede,
Nere comfort a-dayes, whan eyën clere
Disclose and sprede my lyves lady dere. 35

[_A stanza lost; lines 36-42._]

¶ _Je vouldray_:--but [the] gret[e] god disposeth
And maketh casuel by his providence
Such thing as mannës frelë wit purposeth; 45
Al for the best, if that our conscience
Nat grucche it, but in humble pacience
It receyve; for god saith, without[e] fable,
A faithful hertë ever is acceptáble.

Cautels who useth gladly, gloseth; 50
To eschewe suche it is right high prudence;
What ye said[e] onës, [now] myn herte opposeth,
"That my wryting japës, in your absence,
Plesed you moche bet than my presence!"
Yet can I more, ye be nat excusáble; 55
A faithful hertë ever is acceptáble.

Quaketh my penne; my spirit supposeth
That in my wryting ye finde wol som offence;
Myn herte welkeneth thus sone, anon it +roseth;
Now hot, now cold, and eft in [al] fervence; 60
That mis is, is caused of negligence
And not of malice; therfor beth merciable;
A faithful hertë ever is acceptáble.

LENVOY.

¶ Forth, complaynt! forth, lakking eloquence,
Forth, litel lettre, of endyting lame! 65
I have besought my ladies sapience
Of thy behalfe, to accept in game
Thyn inabilitee; do thou the same!
Abyd! have more yet; _Je serve Jonesse_.
Now forth; I close thee, in holy Venus name; 70
Thee shal unclose my hertes governeresse.

_Finis._

_From_ Th. (Thynne's ed. 1532). TITLE. A goodly balade of Chaucer. _I note here rejected spellings._ 3. childe; lust. 4. selfe. 5. discrecion; recomende. 7. holy. 9. ease. 10. small. 11. Nathelesse; ought. 12. good; whiche fayne. 14. holy. 17. befall. 20. sythe. 21. holy; ben.

22. grounde; comforte. 24. disporte. 27. derkenesse. 29. resorte. 30. And Phebus (_I omit_ And); father. 31. morowe; sorte. 32. wolden. 34. comforte. 43. great (_read_ the grete). 45. Suche; mans (_read_ mannes); witte. 47. grutche. 48. _Read_ Receyve it (?); saythe withoute. 52. sayd; _I supply_ now. 53. _Read_ wryting of iapes (?). 54. Pleased; better (_read_ bet). 58. _Omit_ wol (?); some. 59. ryseth (!); _read_ roseth. 60. Nowe hotte, nowe colde; efte; _I supply_ al.

61. mysse. 62. therfore bethe. 64. _Headed_ Lenuoye. Forthe; forthe lackyng. 65. Forthe. 68. inabylite. 69. Iouesse. 70. Nowe; the. 71. The.

* * * * *

XXIII. GO FORTH, KING.

Rex sine sapiencia: Episcopus sine doctrina.
Dominus sine consilio: Mulier sine castitate.
Miles sine probitate: Iudex sine Iusticia.
Diues sine elemosina: Populus sine lege.
Senex sine religione: Seruus sine timore.
Pauper superbus: Adolescens sine obediencia.

Go forth, king, rule thee by sapience;
Bishop, be able to minister doctryne;
Lord, to trew consayl yeve audience;
Womanheed, to chastitè ever enclyne;
Knight, let thy dedes worship determyne; 5
Be rightwis, jugë, in saving thy name;
Rich, do almesse, lest thou lese blis with shame.

People, obey your king and the lawe;
Age, be thou ruled by good religioun;
Trew servant, be dredful, and keep thee under awe, 10
And thou, povre, fy on presumpcioun;
Inobedience to youth is utter distruccioun;
Remembre you how god hath set you, lo!
And do your part, as ye be ordained to.

_From_ Th. (Thynne, ed. 1532); _I give rejected spellings_. 1. forthe; the. 2. Bishoppe. 3. Lorde; trewe counsayle. 4. Womanhede. 5. lette. 6. rightous (_read_ rightwis); iuge. 7. blysse. 9. relygion. 10. Trewe; dredeful; kepe. 11. poore; presumption. 12. distruction. 13. howe. 14. parte.

* * * * *

XXIV. THE COURT OF LOVE.

With timerous hert and trembling hand of drede,
Of cunning naked, bare of eloquence,
Unto the flour of port in womanhede
I write, as he that non intelligence
Of metres hath, ne floures of sentence; 5
Sauf that me list my writing to convey,
In that I can to please her hygh nobley.

The blosmes fresshe of Tullius garden soote
Present thaim not, my mater for to borne:
Poemes of Virgil taken here no rote, 10
Ne crafte of Galfrid may not here sojorne:
Why nam I cunning? O well may I morne,
For lak of science that I can-not write
Unto the princes of my life a-right

No termes digne unto her excellence, 15
So is she sprong of noble stirpe and high:
A world of honour and of reverence
There is in her, this wil I testifie.
Calliope, thou sister wise and sly,
And thou, Minerva, guyde me with thy grace, 20
That langage rude my mater not deface.

Thy suger-dropes swete of Elicon
Distill in me, thou gentle Muse, I pray;
And thee, Melpomene, I calle anon,
Of ignoraunce the mist to chace away; 25
And give me grace so for to write and sey,
That she, my lady, of her worthinesse,
Accepte in gree this litel short tretesse,

That is entitled thus, 'THE COURT OF LOVE.'
And ye that ben metriciens me excuse, 30
I you besech, for Venus sake above;
For what I mene in this ye need not muse:
And if so be my lady it refuse
For lak of ornat speche, I wold be wo,
That I presume to her to writen so. 35

But myn entent and all my besy cure
Is for to write this tretesse, as I can,
Unto my lady, stable, true, and sure,
Feithfull and kind, sith first that she began
Me to accept in service as her man: 40
To her be all the plesure of this boke,
That, whan her like, she may it rede and loke.

When I was yong, at eighteen yere of age,
Lusty and light, desirous of pleasaunce,
Approching on full sadde and ripe corage, 45
Love arted me to do myn observaunce
To his astate, and doon him obeysaunce,
Commaunding me the Court of Love to see,
A lite beside the mount of Citharee,

There Citherea goddesse was and quene 50
Honoured highly for her majestee;
And eke her sone, the mighty god, I wene,
Cupid the blind, that for his dignitee
A thousand lovers worship on their knee;
There was I bid, on pain of death, t'apere, 55
By Mercury, the winged messengere.

So than I went by straunge and fer contrees,
Enquiring ay what costes +to it drew,
The Court of Love: and thiderward, as bees,
At last I sey the peple gan pursue: 60
Anon, me thought, som wight was there that knew
Where that the court was holden, ferre or ny,
And after thaim ful fast I gan me hy.

Anone as I theim overtook, I said,
'Hail, frendes! whider purpose ye to wend?' 65
'Forsooth,' quod oon that answered lich a maid,
'To Loves Court now go we, gentill frend.'
'Where is that place,' quod I, 'my felowe hend?'
'At Citheron, sir,' seid he, 'without dowte,
The King of Love, and all his noble rowte, 70

Dwelling within a castell ryally.'
So than apace I jorned forth among,
And as he seid, so fond I there truly.
For I beheld the towres high and strong,
And high pinácles, large of hight and long, 75
With plate of gold bespred on every side,
And presious stones, the stone-werk for to hide.

No saphir ind, no rubè riche of price,
There lakked than, nor emeraud so grene,
Baleis Turkeis, ne thing to my devise, 80
That may the castell maken for to shene:
All was as bright as sterres in winter been;
And Phebus shoon, to make his pees agayn,
For trespas doon to high estates tweyn,

Venus and Mars, the god and goddesse clere, 85
Whan he theim found in armes cheined fast:
Venus was then full sad of herte and chere.
But Phebus bemes, streight as is the mast,
Upon the castell ginneth he to cast,
To plese the lady, princesse of that place, 90
In signe he loketh aftir Loves grace.

For there nis god in heven or helle, y-wis,
But he hath ben right soget unto Love:
Jove, Pluto, or what-so-ever he is,
Ne creature in erth, or yet above; 95
Of thise the révers may no wight approve.
But furthermore, the castell to descry,
Yet saw I never non so large and high.

For unto heven it streccheth, I suppose,
Within and out depeynted wonderly, 100
With many a thousand daisy, rede as rose,
And white also, this saw I verily:
But what tho daises might do signify,
Can I not tell, sauf that the quenes flour
Alceste it was that kept there her sojour; 105

Which under Venus lady was and quene,
And Admete king and soverain of that place,
To whom obeyed the ladies gode ninetene,
With many a thowsand other, bright of face.
And yong men fele came forth with lusty pace, 110
And aged eke, their homage to dispose;
But what thay were, I coud not well disclose.

Yet ner and ner furth in I gan me dresse
Into an halle of noble apparaile,
With arras spred and cloth of gold, I gesse, 115
And other silk of esier availe:
Under the cloth of their estate, saunz faile,
The king and quene ther sat, as I beheld:
It passed joye of Helisee the feld.

There saintes have their comming and resort, 120
To seen the king so ryally beseyn,
In purple clad, and eke the quene in sort:
And on their hedes saw I crownes tweyn,
With stones fret, so that it was no payn,
Withouten mete and drink, to stand and see 125
The kinges honour and the ryaltee.

And for to trete of states with the king,
That been of councell chief, and with the quene,
The king had Daunger ner to him standing,
The Quene of Love, Disdain, and that was seen: 130
For by the feith I shall to god, I wene,
Was never straunger [non] in her degree
Than was the quene in casting of her ee.

And as I stood perceiving her apart,
And eke the bemes shyning of her yen, 135
Me thought thay were shapen lich a dart,
Sherp and persing, smale, and streight as lyne.
And all her here, it shoon as gold so fyne,
Dishevel, crisp, down hinging at her bak
A yarde in length: and soothly than I spak:-- 140

'O bright Regina, who made thee so fair?
Who made thy colour vermelet and white?
Where woneth that god? how fer above the eyr?
Greet was his craft, and greet was his delyt.
Now marvel I nothing that ye do hight 145
The Quene of Love, and occupy the place
Of Citharee: now, sweet lady, thy grace.'

In mewet spak I, so that nought astert,
By no condicion, word that might be herd;
B[ut] in myn inward thought I gan advert, 150
And oft I seid, 'My wit is dulle and hard:'
For with her bewtee, thus, god wot, I ferd
As doth the man y-ravisshed with sight,
When I beheld her cristall yen so bright,

No respect having what was best to doon; 155
Till right anon, beholding here and there,
I spied a frend of myne, and that full soon,
A gentilwoman, was the chamberer
Unto the quene, that hote, as ye shall here,
Philobone, that lovëd all her life: 160
Whan she me sey, she led me furth as blyfe;

And me demaunded how and in what wise
I thider com, and what myne erand was?
'To seen the court,' quod I, 'and all the guyse;
And eke to sue for pardon and for grace, 165
And mercy ask for all my greet trespace,
That I non erst com to the Court of Love:
Foryeve me this, ye goddes all above!'

'That is well seid,' quod Philobone, 'in-dede:
But were ye not assomoned to apere 170
By Mercury? For that is all my drede.'
'Yes, gentil fair,' quod I, 'now am I here;
Ye, yit what tho, though that be true, my dere?'
'Of your free will ye shuld have come unsent:
For ye did not, I deme ye will be shent. 175

For ye that reign in youth and lustinesse,
Pampired with ese, and +jolif in your age,
Your dewtee is, as fer as I can gesse,
To Loves Court to dressen your viage,
As sone as Nature maketh you so sage, 180
That ye may know a woman from a swan,
Or whan your foot is growen half a span.

But sith that ye, by wilful necligence,
This eighteen yere have kept yourself at large,
The gretter is your trespace and offence, 185
And in your nek ye moot bere all the charge:
For better were ye ben withouten barge,
Amiddë see, in tempest and in rain,
Than byden here, receiving woo and pain,

That ordeined is for such as thaim absent 190
Fro Loves Court by yeres long and fele.
I ley my lyf ye shall full soon repent;
For Love will reyve your colour, lust, and hele:
Eke ye must bait on many an hevy mele:
No force, y-wis, I stired you long agoon 195
To draw to court,' quod litell Philobon.

'Ye shall well see how rough and angry face
The King of Love will shew, when ye him see;
By myn advyse kneel down and ask him grace,
Eschewing perell and adversitee; 200
For well I wot it wol non other be,
Comfort is non, ne counsel to your ese;
Why will ye than the King of Love displese?'

'O mercy, god,' quod ich, 'I me repent,
Caitif and wrecche in hert, in wille, and thought! 205
And aftir this shall be myne hole entent
To serve and plese, how dere that love be bought:
Yit, sith I have myn own penaunce y-sought,
With humble spirit shall I it receive,
Though that the King of Love my life bereyve. 210

And though that fervent loves qualitè
In me did never worch truly, yit I
With all obeisaunce and humilitè,
And benign hert, shall serve him til I dye:
And he that Lord of +might is, grete and highe, 215
Right as him list me chastice and correct,
And punish me, with trespace thus enfect.'

Thise wordes seid, she caught me by the lap,
And led me furth intill a temple round,
Large and wyde: and, as my blessed hap 220
And good avénture was, right sone I found
A tabernacle reised from the ground,
Where Venus sat, and Cupid by her syde;
Yet half for drede I gan my visage hyde.

And eft again I loked and beheld, 225
Seeing full sundry peple in the place,
And mister folk, and som that might not weld
Their limmes well, me thought a wonder cas;
The temple shoon with windows all of glas,
Bright as the day, with many a fair image; 230
And there I sey the fresh quene of Cartage,

Dido, that brent her bewtee for the love
Of fals Eneas; and the weymenting
Of hir, Anelida, true as turtill-dove,
To Arcite fals: and there was in peinting 235
Of many a prince, and many a doughty king,
Whose marterdom was shewed about the walles;
And how that fele for love had suffered falles.

But sore I was abasshed and astonied
Of all tho folk that there were in that tyde; 240
And than I asked where thay had [y-]woned:
'In dyvers courtes,' quod she, 'here besyde.'
In sondry clothing, mantil-wyse full wyde,
They were arrayed, and did their sacrifice
Unto the god and goddesse in their guyse. 245

'+Lo! yonder folk,' quod she, 'that knele in blew,
They were the colour ay, and ever shall,
In sign they were, and ever will be trew
Withouten chaunge: and sothly, yonder all
That ben in blak, with morning cry and call 250
Unto the goddes, for their loves been
Som fer, som dede, som all to sherpe and kene.'

'Ye, than,' quod I, 'what doon thise prestes here,
Nonnes and hermits, freres, and all thoo
That sit in white, in russet, and in grene?' 255
'For-soth,' quod she, 'they wailen of their wo.'
'O mercy, lord! may thay so come and go
Freely to court, and have such libertee?'
'Ye, men of ech condicion and degree,

And women eke: for truly, there is non 260
Excepcion mad, ne never was ne may:
This court is ope and free for everichon,
The King of Love he will nat say thaim nay:
He taketh all, in poore or riche array,
That meekly sewe unto his excellence 265
With all their herte and all their reverence.'

And, walking thus about with Philobone,
I sey where cam a messenger in hy
Streight from the king, which let commaund anon,
Through-out the court to make an ho and cry: 270
'A! new-come folk, abyde! and wot ye why?
The kinges lust is for to seen you soon:
Com ner, let see! his will mot need be doon.'

Than gan I me present to-fore the king,
Trembling for fere, with visage pale of hew, 275
And many a lover with me was kneling,
Abasshed sore, till unto tyme thay knew
The sentence yeve of his entent full trew:
And at the last the king hath me behold
With stern visage, and seid, 'What doth this old, 280

Thus fer y-stope in yeres, come so late
Unto the court?' 'For-soth, my liege,' quod I,
'An hundred tyme I have ben at the gate
Afore this tyme, yit coud I never espy
Of myn acqueyntaunce any with mine y; 285
And shamefastnes away me gan to chace;
But now I me submit unto your grace.'

'Well! all is perdoned, with condicion
That thou be trew from hensforth to thy might,
And serven Love in thyn entencion: 290
Swere this, and than, as fer as it is right,
Thou shalt have grace here in my quenes sight.'
'Yis, by the feith I ow your crown, I swere,
Though Deth therfore me thirlith with his spere!'

And whan the king had seen us everichoon, 295
He let commaunde an officer in hy
To take our feith, and shew us, oon by oon,
The statuts of the court full besily.
Anon the book was leid before their y,
To rede and see what thing we must observe 300
In Loves Court, till that we dye and sterve.

And, for that I was lettred, there I red
The statuts hole of Loves Court and hall:
The _first_ statut that on the boke was spred,
Was, To be true in thought and dedes all 305
Unto the King of Love, the Lord ryall;
And to the Quene, as feithful and as kind,
As I coud think with herte, and will and mind.

The _secund_ statut, Secretly to kepe
Councell of love, nat blowing every-where 310
All that I know, and let it sink +or flete;
It may not sown in every wightes ere:
Exyling slaunder ay for dred and fere,
And to my lady, which I love and serve,
Be true and kind, her grace for to deserve. 315

The _thrid_ statut was clerely write also,
Withouten chaunge to live and dye the same,
Non other love to take, for wele ne wo,
For brind delyt, for ernest nor for game:
Without repent, for laughing or for grame, 320
To byden still in full perseveraunce:
Al this was hole the kinges ordinaunce.

The _fourth_ statut, To purchace ever to here,
And stiren folk to love, and beten fyr
On Venus awter, here about and there, 325
And preche to thaim of love and hot desyr,
And tell how love will quyten well their hire:
This must be kept; and loth me to displese:
If love be wroth, passe forby is an ese.

The _fifth_ statut, Not to be daungerous, 330
If that a thought wold reyve me of my slepe:
Nor of a sight to be over squeymous;
And so, verily, this statut was to kepe,
To turne and walowe in my bed and wepe,
When that my lady, of her crueltè, 335
Wold from her herte exylen all pitè.

The _sixt_ statut, it was for me to use,
Alone to wander, voide of company,
And on my ladys bewtee for to muse,
And to think [it] no force to live or dye; 340
And eft again to think the remedy,
How to her grace I might anon attain,
And tell my wo unto my souverain.

The _seventh_ statut was, To be pacient,
Whether my lady joyfull were or wroth; 345
For wordes glad or hevy, diligent,
Wheder that she me helden lefe or loth:
And hereupon I put was to myn oth,
Her for to serve, and lowly to obey,
Shewing my chere, ye, twenty sith a-day. 350

The _eighth_ statut, to my rememb[e]raunce,
Was, To speke, and pray my lady dere,
With hourly labour and gret attendaunce,
Me for to love with all her herte entere,
And me desyre, and make me joyfull chere, 355
Right as she is, surmounting every faire,
Of bewtie well, and gentill debonaire.

The _ninth_ statut, with lettres writ of gold,
This was the sentence, How that I and all
Shuld ever dred to be to over-bold 360
Her to displese; and truly, so I shall;
But ben content for thing[es] that may falle,
And meekly take her chastisement and yerd,
And to offende her ever ben aferd.

The _tenth_ statut was, Egally discern 365
By-twene thy lady and thyn abilitee,
And think, thy-self art never like to yern,
By right, her mercy, nor of equitee,
But of her grace and womanly pitee:
For though thy-self be noble in thy strene, 370
A thowsand-fold more nobill is thy quene,

Thy lyves lady, and thy souverayn,
That hath thyn herte all hole in governaunce.
Thou mayst no wyse hit taken to disdayn,
To put thee humbly at her ordinaunce, 375
And give her free the rein of her plesaunce;
For libertee is thing that women loke,
And truly, els the mater is a-croke.

The _eleventh_ statut, Thy signes for to +con
With y and finger, and with smyles soft, 380
And low to cough, and alway for to shon,
For dred of spyes, for to winken oft:
But secretly to bring a sigh a-loft,
And eke beware of over-moch resort;
For that, paraventure, spilleth al thy sport. 385

The _twelfth_ statut remember to observe:
For al the pain thow hast for love and wo,
All is to lite her mercy to deserve,
Thow must then think, where-ever thou ryde or go;
And mortall woundes suffer thow also, 390
All for her sake, and thinke it well beset
Upon thy love, for it may be no bet.

The _thirteenth_ statut, Whylom is to thinke,
What thing may best thy lady lyke and plese,
And in thyn hertes botom let it sinke: 395
Som thing devise, and take [it] for thyn ese,
And send it her, that may her herte +apese:
Some hert, or ring, or lettre, or device,
Or precious stone; but spare not for no price.

The _fourteenth_ statut eke thou shalt assay 400
Fermly to kepe the most part of thy lyfe:
Wish that thy lady in thyne armes lay,
And nightly dreme, thow hast thy hertes wyfe
Swetely in armes, straining her as blyfe:
And whan thou seest it is but fantasy, 405
See that thow sing not over merily,

For to moche joye hath oft a wofull end.
It longith eke, this statut for to hold,
To deme thy lady evermore thy frend,
And think thyself in no wyse a cocold. 410
In every thing she doth but as she shold:
Construe the best, beleve no tales newe,
For many a lie is told, that semeth full trewe.

But think that she, so bounteous and fair,
Coud not be fals: imagine this algate; 415
And think that tonges wikke wold her appair,
Slaundering her name and worshipfull estat,
And lovers true to setten at debat:
And though thow seest a faut right at thyne y,
Excuse it blyve, and glose it pretily. 420

The _fifteenth_ statut, Use to swere and stare,
And counterfet a lesing hardely,
To save thy ladys honour every-where,
And put thyself to fight [for her] boldly:
Sey she is good, virtuous, and gostly, 425
Clere of entent, and herte, and thought and wille;
And argue not, for reson ne for skille,

Agayn thy ladys plesir ne entent,
For love wil not be countrepleted, indede:
Sey as she seith, than shalt thou not be shent, 430
The crow is whyte; ye, truly, so I rede:
And ay what thing that she thee will forbede,
Eschew all that, and give her sovereintee,
Her appetyt folow in all degree.

The _sixteenth_ statut, kepe it if thow may:-- 435
Seven sith at night thy lady for to plese,
And seven at midnight, seven at morow-day;
And drink a cawdell erly for thyn ese.
Do this, and kepe thyn hede from all disese,
And win the garland here of lovers all, 440
That ever come in court, or ever shall.

Ful few, think I, this statut hold and kepe;
But truly, this my reson giveth me fele,
That som lovers shuld rather fall aslepe,
Than take on hand to plese so oft and wele. 445
There lay non oth to this statut a-dele,
But kepe who might, as gave him his corage:
Now get this garland, lusty folk of age.

Now win who may, ye lusty folk of youth,
This garland fresh, of floures rede and whyte, 450
Purpill and blewe, and colours +ful uncouth,
And I shal croune him king of all delyt!
In al the court there was not, to my sight,
A lover trew, that he ne was adred,
When he expresse hath herd the statut red. 455

The _seventeenth_ statut, Whan age approchith on,
And lust is leid, and all the fire is queint,
As freshly than thou shalt begin to fon,
And dote in love, and all her image paint
In rémembraunce, til thou begin to faint, 460
+As in the first seson thyn hert began:
And her desire, though thou ne may ne can

Perform thy living actuell, and lust;
Regester this in thy rememb[e]raunce:
Eke when thou mayst not kepe thy thing from rust, 465
+Yit speke and talk of plesaunt daliaunce;
For that shall make thyn hert rejoise and daunce.
And when thou mayst no more the game assay,
The statut +bit thee pray for hem that may.

The _eighteenth_ statut, hoolly to commend, 470
To plese thy lady, is, That thou eschewe
With sluttishness thy-self for to offend;
Be jolif, fresh, and fete, with thinges newe,
Courtly with maner, this is all thy due,
Gentill of port, and loving clenlinesse; 475
This is the thing that lyketh thy maistresse.

And not to wander lich a dulled ass,
Ragged and torn, disgysed in array,
Ribaud in speche, or out of mesure pass,
Thy bound exceding; think on this alway: 480
For women +been of tender hertes ay,
And lightly set their plesire in a place;
Whan they misthink, they lightly let it passe.

The _nineteenth_ statut, Mete and drink forgete:
Ech other day, see that thou fast for love, 485
For in the court they live withouten mete,
Sauf such as cometh from Venus all above;
They take non heed, in pain of greet reprove,
Of mete and drink, for that is all in vain;
Only they live by sight of their soverain. 490

The _twentieth_ statut, last of everichoon,
Enroll it in thyn hertes privitee;
To wring and wail, to turn, and sigh and grone,
When that thy lady absent is from thee;
And eke renew the wordes [all] that she 495
Bitween you twain hath seid, and all the chere
That thee hath mad thy lyves lady dere.

And see thyn herte in quiet ne in rest
Sojorn, to tyme thou seen thy lady eft;
But wher she won by south, or est, or west, 500
With all thy force, now see it be not left:
Be diligent, till tyme thy lyfe be reft,
In that thou mayst, thy lady for to see;
This statut was of old antiquitee.

An officer of high auctoritee, 505
Cleped Rigour, made us swere anon:
He nas corrupt with parcialitee,
Favour, prayer, ne gold that cherely shoon;
'Ye shall,' quod he, 'now sweren here echoon,
Yong and old, to kepe, in that +ye may, 510
The statuts truly, all, aftir this day.'

O god, thought I, hard is to make this oth!
But to my pouer shall I thaim observe;
In all this world nas mater half so loth,
To swere for all; for though my body sterve, 515
I have no might the hole for to reserve.
But herkin now the cace how it befell:
After my oth was mad, the trouth to tell,

I turned leves, loking on this boke,
Where other statuts were of women shene; 520
And right furthwith Rigour on me gan loke
Full angrily, and seid unto the quene
I traitour was, and charged me let been:
'There may no man,' quod he, 'the statut[s] know,
That long to woman, by degree ne low. 525

In secret wyse thay kepten been full close,
They sowne echon to libertie, my frend;
Plesaunt thay be, and to their own purpose;
There wot no wight of thaim, but god and fend,
Ne naught shall wit, unto the worldes end. 530
The quene hath yeve me charge, in pain to dye,
Never to rede ne seen thaim with myn ye.

For men shall not so nere of councell ben,
With womanhode, ne knowen of her gyse,
Ne what they think, ne of their wit th'engyn; 535
I me report to Salamon the wyse,
And mighty Sampson, which begyled thryes
With Dalida was: he wot that, in a throw,
There may no man statut of women knowe.

For it paravénture may right so befall, 540
That they be bound by nature to disceive,
And spinne, and wepe, and sugre strewe on gall,
The hert of man to ravissh and to reyve,
And whet their tong as sharp as swerd or gleyve:
It may betyde, this is their ordinaunce; 545
So must they lowly doon the observaunce,

And kepe the statut yeven thaim of kind,
Or such as love hath yeve hem in their lyfe.
Men may not wete why turneth every wind,
Nor waxen wyse, nor ben inquisityf 550
To know secret of maid, widow, or wyfe;
For they their statutes have to thaim reserved,
And never man to know thaim hath deserved.

Now dress you furth, the god of Love you gyde!'
Quod Rigour than, 'and seek the temple bright 555
Of Cither[e]a, goddess here besyde;
Beseche her, by [the] influence and might
Of al her vertue, you to teche a-right,
How for to serve your ladies, and to plese,
Ye that ben sped, and set your hert in ese. 560

And ye that ben unpurveyed, +pray her eke
Comfort you soon with grace and destinee,
That ye may set your hert there ye may lyke,
In suche a place, that it to love may be
Honour and worship, and felicitee 565
To you for ay. Now goth, by one assent.'
'Graunt mercy, sir!' quod we, and furth we went

Devoutly, soft and esy pace, to see
Venus the goddes image, all of gold:
And there we founde a thousand on their knee, 570
Sum freshe and feire, som dedely to behold,
In sondry mantils new, and som were old,
Som painted were with flames rede as fire,
Outward to shew their inward hoot desire:

With dolefull chere, full fele in their complaint 575
Cried 'Lady Venus, rewe upon our sore!
Receive our billes, with teres all bedreint;
We may not wepe, there is no more in store;
But wo and pain us frettith more and more:
Thou +blisful planet, lovers sterre so shene, 580
Have rowth on us, that sigh and carefull been;

And ponish, Lady, grevously, we pray,
The false untrew with counterfet plesaunce,
That made their oth, be trew to live or dey,
With chere assured, and with countenaunce; 585
And falsly now thay foten loves daunce,
Barein of rewth, untrue of that they seid,
Now that their lust and plesire is alleyd.'

Yet eft again, a thousand milion,
Rejoysing, love, leding their life in blis: 590
They seid:--'Venus, redresse of all division,
Goddes eterne, thy name +y-heried is!
By loves bond is knit all thing, y-wis,
Best unto best, the erth to water wan,
Bird unto bird, and woman unto man; 595

This is the lyfe of joye that we ben in,
Resembling lyfe of hevenly paradyse;
Love is exyler ay of vice and sin;
Love maketh hertes lusty to devyse;
Honour and grace have thay, in every wyse, 600
That been to loves law obedient;
Love makith folk benigne and diligent;

Ay stering theim to drede[n] vice and shame:
In their degree it maketh thaim honorable;
And swete it is of love [to] bere the name, 605
So that his love be feithfull, true, and stable:
Love prunith him, to semen amiable;
Love hath no faut, there it is exercysed,
But sole with theim that have all love dispised.

Honour to thee, celestiall and clere 610
Goddes of love, and to thy celsitude,
That yevest us light so fer down from thy spere,
Persing our hertes with thy pulcritude!
Comparison non of similitude
May to thy grace be mad in no degree, 615
That hast us set with love in unitee.

Gret cause have we to praise thy name and thee,
For [that] through thee we live in joye and blisse.
Blessed be thou, most souverain to see!
Thy holy court of gladness may not misse: 620
A thousand sith we may rejoise in this,
That we ben thyn with harte and all y-fere,
Enflamed with thy grace, and hevinly fere.'

Musing of tho that spakin in this wyse,
I me bethought in my rememb[e]raunce 625
Myne orison right goodly to devyse,
And plesauntly, with hartes obeisaunce,
Beseech the goddes voiden my grevaunce;
For I loved eke, sauf that I wist nat where;
Yet down I set, and seid as ye shall here. 630

'Fairest of all that ever were or be!
+Lucerne and light to pensif crëature!
Myn hole affiaunce, and my lady free,
My goddes bright, my fortune and my ure,
I yeve and yeld my hart to thee full sure, 635
Humbly beseching, lady, of thy grace
Me to bestowe into som blessed place.

And here I vow me feithfull, true, and kind,
Without offence of mutabilitee,
Humbly to serve, whyl I have wit and mind, 640
Myn hole affiaunce, and my lady free!
In thilkë place, there ye me sign to be:
And, sith this thing of newe is yeve me, ay
To love and serve, needly must I obey.

Be merciable with thy fire of grace, 645
And fix myne hert there bewtie is and routh,
For hote I love, determine in no place,
Sauf only this, by god and by my trouth,
Trowbled I was with slomber, slepe, and slouth
This other night, and in a visioun 650
I sey a woman romen up and down,

Of mene stature, and seemly to behold,
Lusty and fresh, demure of countynaunce,
Yong and wel shap, with here [that] shoon as gold,
With yen as cristall, farced with plesaunce; 655
And she gan stir myne harte a lite to daunce;
But sodenly she vanissh gan right there:
Thus I may sey, I love and wot not where.

For what she is, ne her dwelling I not,
And yet I fele that love distraineth me: 660
Might ich her know, that wold I fain, god wot,
Serve and obey with all benignitee.
And if that other be my destinee,
So that no wyse I shall her never see,
Than graunt me her that best may lyken me, 665

With glad rejoyse to live in parfit hele,
Devoide of wrath, repent, or variaunce;
And able me to do that may be wele
Unto my lady, with hertes by plesaunce:
And, mighty goddes! through thy purviaunce 670
My wit, my thought, my lust and love so gyde,
That to thyne honour I may me provyde

To set myne herte in place there I may lyke,
And gladly serve with all affeccioun.
Gret is the pain which at myn hert doth stik. 675
Till I be sped by thyn eleccioun:
Help, lady goddes! that possessioun
I might of her have, that in all my lyfe
I clepen shall my quene and hertes wife.

And in the Court of Love to dwell for ay 680
My wille it is, and don thee sacrifice:
Daily with Diane eke to fight and fray,
And holden werre, as might well me suffice:
That goddes chaste I kepen in no wyse
To serve; a fig for all her chastitee! 685
Her lawe is for religiositee.'

And thus gan finish preyer, lawde, and preise,
Which that I yove to Venus on my knee,
And in myne hert to ponder and to peise,
I gave anon hir image fressh bewtie; 690
'Heil to that figure sweet! and heil to thee,
Cupide,' quod I, and rose and yede my way;
And in the temple as I yede I sey

A shryne sormownting all in stones riche,
Of which the force was plesaunce to myn y, 695
With diamant or saphire; never liche
I have non seyn, ne wrought so wonderly.
So whan I met with Philobone, in hy
I gan demaund, 'Who[s] is this sepulture?'
'Forsoth,' quod she, 'a tender creature 700

Is shryned there, and Pitè is her name.
She saw an egle wreke him on a fly,
And pluk his wing, and eke him, in his game,
And tender herte of that hath made her dy:
Eke she wold wepe, and morn right pitously 705
To seen a lover suffre gret destresse.
In all the court nas non that, as I gesse,

That coude a lover +half so well availe,
Ne of his wo the torment or the rage
+Aslaken, for he was sure, withouten faile, 710
That of his grief she coud the hete aswage.
In sted of Pitè, spedeth hot corage
The maters all of court, now she is dede;
I me report in this to womanhede.

For weile and wepe, and crye, and speke, and pray,-- 715
Women wold not have pitè on thy plaint;
Ne by that mene to ese thyn hart convey,
But thee receiven for their own talent:
And sey, that Pitè causith thee, in consent
Of rewth, to take thy service and thy pain 720
In that thow mayst, to plese thy souverain.

But this is councell, keep it secretly;'
Quod she, 'I nold, for all the world abowt,
The Quene of Love it wist; and wit ye why?
For if by me this matter springen out, 725
In court no lenger shuld I, owt of dowt,
Dwellen, but shame in all my life endry:
Now kepe it close,' quod she, 'this hardely.

Well, all is well! Now shall ye seen,' she seid,
'The feirest lady under son that is: 730
Come on with me, demene you liche a maid,
With shamefast dred, for ye shall spede, y-wis,
With her that is the mir[th] and joy and blis:
But sumwhat straunge and sad of her demene
She is, be ware your countenaunce be sene, 735

Nor over light, ne recheless, ne to bold,
Ne malapert, ne rinning with your tong;
For she will you abeisen and behold,
And you demaund, why ye were hens so long
Out of this court, without resort among: 740
And Rosiall her name is hote aright,
Whose harte +as yet [is] yeven to no wight.

And ye also ben, as I understond,
With love but light avaunced, by your word;
Might ye, by hap, your fredom maken bond, 745
And fall in grace with her, and wele accord,
Well might ye thank the god of Love and lord;
For she that ye sawe in your dreme appere,
To love suche one, what are +ye than the nere?

Yit wot ye what? as my rememb[e]raunce 750
Me yevith now, ye fayn, where that ye sey
That ye with love had never acqueintaunce,
Sauf in your dreme right late this other day:
Why, yis, parde! my life, that durst I lay,
That ye were caught upon an heth, when I 755
Saw you complain, and sigh full pitously;

Within an erber, and a garden fair
With floures growe, and herbes vertuous,
Of which the savour swete was and the eyr,
There were your-self full hoot and amorous: 760
Y-wis, ye ben to nice and daungerous;
A! wold ye now repent, and love som new?'--
'Nay, by my trouth,' I seid, 'I never knew

The goodly wight, whos I shall be for ay:
Guyde me the lord that love hath made and me.' 765
But furth we went in-till a chambre gay,
There was Rosiall, womanly to see,
Whose stremes sotell-persing of her ee
Myn hart gan thrill for bewtie in the stound:
'Alas,' quod I, 'who hath me yeve this wound?' 770

And than I dred to speke, till at the last
I gret the lady reverently and wele,
Whan that my sigh was gon and over-past;
And down on knees full humbly gan I knele,
Beseching her my fervent wo to kele, 775
For there I took full purpose in my mind,
Unto her grace my painfull hart to bind.

For if I shall all fully her discryve,
Her hede was round, by compace of nature,
Her here as gold,--she passed all on-lyve,-- 780
And lily forhede had this crëature,
With lovelich browes, flawe, of colour pure,
Bytwene the which was mene disseveraunce
From every brow, to shewe[n] a distaunce.

Her nose directed streight, and even as lyne, 785
With fourm and shap therto convenient,
In which the goddes milk-whyt path doth shine;
And eke her yen ben bright and orient
As is the smaragde, unto my juggement,
Or yet thise sterres hevenly, smale and bright; 790
Her visage is of lovely rede and whyte.

Her mouth is short, and shit in litell space,
Flaming somdele, not over-rede, I mene,
With pregnant lippes, and thik to kiss, percas;
(For lippes thin, not fat, but ever lene, 795
They serve of naught, they be not worth a bene;
For if the basse ben full, there is delyt,
Maximian truly thus doth he wryte.)

But to my purpose:--I sey, whyte as snow
Ben all her teeth, and in order thay stond 800
Of oon stature; and eke hir breth, I trow,
Surmounteth alle odours that ever I fond
In sweetnes; and her body, face, and hond
Ben sharply slender, so that from the hede
Unto the fote, all is but womanhede. 805

I hold my pees of other thinges hid:--
Here shall my soul, and not my tong, bewray:--
But how she was arrayed, if ye me bid,
That shall I well discover you and say:
A bend of gold and silk, full fressh and gay; 810
With here in tresse[s], browdered full well,
Right smothly kept, and shyning every-del.

About her nek a flour of fressh devyse
With rubies set, that lusty were to sene;
And she in gown was, light and somer-wyse, 815
Shapen full wele, the colour was of grene,
With aureat seint about her sydes clene,
With dyvers stones, precious and riche:--
Thus was she rayed, yet saugh I never her liche.

For if that Jove had [but] this lady seyn, 820
Tho Calixto ne [yet] Alcmenia,
Thay never hadden in his armes leyn;
Ne he had loved the faire Europa;
Ye, ne yet Dane ne Antiopa!
For al their bewtie stood in Rosiall; 825
She semed lich a thing celestiall

In bowntè, favor, port, and semliness,
Plesaunt of figure, mirrour of delyt,
Gracious to sene, and rote of gentilness,
With angel visage, lusty rede and white: 830
There was not lak, sauf daunger had a lite
This goodly fressh in rule and governaunce;
And somdel straunge she was, for her plesaunce.

And truly sone I took my leve and went,
Whan she had me enquyred what I was; 835
For more and more impressen gan the dent
Of Loves dart, whyl I beheld her face;
And eft again I com to seken grace,
And up I put my bill, with sentence clere
That folwith aftir; rede and ye shall here. 840

'O ye [the] fressh, of [all] bewtie the rote,
That nature hath fourmed so wele and made
Princesse and Quene! and ye that may do bote
Of all my langour with your wordes glad!
Ye wounded me, ye made me wo-bestad; 845
Of grace redress my mortall +grief, as ye
Of all myne +harm the verrey causer be.

Now am I caught, and unwar sodenly,
With persant stremes of your yën clere,
Subject to ben, and serven you meekly, 850
And all your man, y-wis, my lady dere,
Abiding grace, of which I you requere,
That merciles ye cause me not to sterve;
But guerdon me, liche as I may deserve.

For, by my troth, the dayes of my breth 855
I am and will be youre in wille and hert,
Pacient and meek, for you to suffre deth
If it require; now rewe upon my smert;
And this I swere, I never shall out-stert
From Loves Court for none adversitee, 860
So ye wold rewe on my distresse and me.

My destinee, +my fate, and ure I bliss,
That have me set to ben obedient
Only to you, the flour of all, y-wis:
I trust to Venus never to repent; 865
For ever redy, glad, and diligent
Ye shall me finde in service to your grace,
Till deth my lyfe out of my body race.

Humble unto your excellence so digne,
Enforcing ay my wittes and delyt 870
To serve and plese with glad herte and benigne,
And ben as Troilus, [old] Troyes knight,
Or Antony for Cleopatre bright,
And never you me thinkes to reney:
This shall I kepe unto myne ending-day. 875

Enprent my speche in your memorial
Sadly, my princess, salve of all my sore!
And think that, for I wold becomen thrall,
And ben your own, as I have seyd before,
Ye must of pity cherissh more and more 880
Your man, and tender aftir his desert,
And yive him corage for to ben expert.

For where that oon hath set his herte on fire,
And findeth nether refut ne plesaunce,
Ne word of comfort, deth will quyte his hire. 885
Allas! that there is none allegeaunce
Of all their wo! allas, the gret grevaunce
To love unloved! But ye, my Lady dere,
In other wyse may govern this matere.'

'Truly, gramercy, frend, of your good will, 890
And of your profer in your humble wyse!
But for your service, take and kepe it still.
And where ye say, I ought you well cheryse,
And of your gref the remedy devyse,
I know not why: I nam acqueinted well 895
With you, ne wot not sothly where ye dwell.'