Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

misesy

      sorowe. And yet al this is litel ynough to be the ernest-silver in

      forwarde of this bargayne; for treble-folde so mokel muste I suffer

      er tyme come of myn ese. For he is worthy no welthe, that may

      no wo suffer. And certes, I am hevy to thinke on these thinges;

      155

      but who shal yeve me water ynough to drinke, lest myn eyen

      drye, for renning stremes of teres? Who shal waylen with me

      myn owne happy hevinesse? Who shal counsaile me now in

      my lyking tene, and in my goodly harse? I not. For ever the

      more I brenne, the more I coveyte; the more that I sorow, the

      160

      more thrist I in gladnesse. Who shal than yeve me a contrarious

      drink, to stanche the thurste of my blisful bitternesse? Lo, thus

      I brenne and I drenche; I shiver and I swete. To this reversed

      yvel was never yet ordeyned salve; forsoth al †leches ben unconning,

      save the Margaryte alone, any suche remedye to purveye.'

      Ch. III. 1. gladed; see l. 5. 2. somdele. 5. nowe. comforte. 6. nowe. 7. folke. 9. se. 10. the (twice). 11. light. 13. one. arte.

      15. sene. comforte. 16. puruey. 17. Nowe. comforte. 21. mayste. 25. the. set. 29. howe. 30. leaue. 32. londe-. 33. great. forthe. corne. 35. plentie. lyste. 37. doone. 38. I supply Tho gan I. 39. se. 40. werne. 41. swyne. 43. great. great. 44. gone; read gonne. 45. ware. 46. shypcrafte. 48. catche. 49. a-ferde. 51. lache.

      52. many; read meynee. knewe. 55. sayle. shyppe. 56. wynde. 58. olde. 59. kepte. storme. 61. made. 61, 62. nowe. 62. shyppe. 62, 64. great. 63. wethers; read weders. 64. I supply of. 65. as; read at. 66. catche. 67. thorowe. 69. came. 71. a-lyght. 72. great. disease. 75. shyppe. 76. lad. ware. 77. great. amonge. 79. to-forne came. 82. helde. 83. peace. great. 85. one. 86. nowe. 87. myne.

      88. nowe. 89. Nowe. 91. none. 92. disease. 94. sayne. 95. reasonably. 96. ferre. 97. disease. 103. folke. 106. mouthe. 107. arne. 108. howe. 111. caytife. 112. nowe. helpe. 113. protection. 114. helpe. howe. 115. socoure. 116. maye. 117. se. 119. comforte. 120. gladed. 121. none. hente. 122. lefte. 123. sel.

      126. harde. 127. deytie. 133. weare. 139. ther-thorowe. se. 141. daye. destenye. 143. maye. none. 145. se. 147. stretche. 148. arne. 150. miseasy. 151. ynoughe. 153. ease. maye. 156. teares. 157. myne. nowe. 158. harse (sic); for harme?

      161. drinke. 162. sweate. 163. lyches (for leches). 164. puruey.

      CHAPTER IV.

      And with these wordes I brast out to wepe, that every teere

      of myne eyen, for greetnesse semed they boren out the bal of

      my sight, and that al the water had ben out-ronne. Than thought

      me that Love gan a litel to hevye for miscomfort of my chere;

      5

      and gan soberly and in esy maner speke, wel avysinge what

      she sayd. Comenly the wyse speken esily and softe for many

      skilles. Oon is, their wordes are the better bileved; and also, in

      esy spekinge, avysement men may cacche, what to putte forth

      and what to holden in. And also, the auctoritè of esy wordes is

      10

      the more; and eke, they yeven the more understandinge to other

      intencion of the mater. Right so this lady esely and in a softe

      maner gan say these wordes.

      ¶ 'Mervayle,' quod she, 'greet it is, that by no maner of semblaunt,

      as fer as I can espye, thou list not to have any recour;

      15

      but ever thou playnest and sorowest, and wayes of remedye, for

      folisshe wilfulnesse, thee list not to seche. But enquyre of thy

      next frendes, that is, thyne inwit and me that have ben thy

      maystresse, and the recour and fyne of thy disese; [f]or of disese is

      gladnesse and joy, with a ful †vessel so helded, that it quencheth

      20

      the felinge of the firste tenes. But thou that were wont not only

      these thinges remembre in thyne herte, but also fooles therof to

      enfourmen, in adnullinge of their errours and distroying of their

      derke opinions, and in comfort of their sere thoughtes; now canst

      thou not ben comfort of thyn owne soule, in thinking of these

      25

      thinges. O where hast thou be so longe commensal, that hast so

      mikel eeten of the potages of foryetfulnesse, and dronken so of

      ignorance, that the olde souking[es] whiche thou haddest of me

      arn amaystred and lorn fro al maner of knowing? O, this is

      a worthy person to helpe other, that can not counsayle him-selfe!'

      30

      And with these wordes, for pure and stronge shame, I wox al

      reed.

      And she than, seing me so astonyed by dyvers stoundes,

      sodainly (which thing kynde hateth) gan deliciously me comforte

      with sugred wordes, putting me in ful hope that I shulde the

      35

      Margarite getten, if I folowed her hestes; and gan with a fayre

      clothe to wypen the teres that hingen on my chekes; and than

      sayd I in this wyse.

      'Now, wel of wysdom and of al welthe, withouten thee may

      nothing ben lerned; thou berest the keyes of al privy thinges.

      40

      In vayne travayle men to cacche any stedship, but-if ye, lady,

      first the locke unshet. Ye, lady, lerne us the wayes and the

      by-pathes to heven. Ye, lady, maken al the hevenly bodyes

      goodly and benignely to don her cours, that governen us beestes

      here on erthe. Ye armen your servauntes ayenst al debates with

      45

      imperciable harneys; ye setten in her hertes insuperable blood of

      hardinesse; ye leden hem to the parfit good. Yet al thing

      desyreth ye werne no man of helpe, that †wol don your

      lore. Graunt me now a litel of your grace, al my sorowes

      to cese.'

      50

      'Myne owne servaunt,' quod she, 'trewly thou sittest nye

      myne herte; and thy badde chere gan sorily me greve. But

      amonge thy playning wordes, me thought, thou allegest thinges to

      be letting of thyne helpinge and thy grace to hinder; wherthrough,

      me thinketh, that wanhope is crope thorough thyn hert. God

      55

      forbid that nyse unthrifty thought shulde come in thy mynde,

      thy wittes to trouble; sithen every thing in coming is contingent.