Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

      swetnesse may I not ataste. Alas! that your benigne eyen, in

      whiche that mercy semeth to have al his noriture, nil by no

      waye tourne the clerenesse of mercy to me-wardes! Alas! that

      your brennande vertues, shyning amonges al folk, and enlumininge

      105

      al other people by habundaunce of encresing, sheweth to me

      but smoke and no light! These thinges to thinke in myn herte

      maketh every day weping in myn eyen to renne. These liggen

      on my backe so sore, that importable burthen me semeth on my

      backe to be charged; it maketh me backwarde to meve, whan

      110

      my steppes by comune course even-forth pretende. These

      thinges also, on right syde and lift, have me so envolved with

      care, that wanhope of helpe is throughout me ronne; trewly,

      †I leve, that graceles is my fortune, whiche that ever sheweth it

      me-wardes by a cloudy disese, al redy to make stormes of tene;

      115

      and the blisful syde halt stil awayward, and wol it not suffre to

      me-wardes to turne; no force, yet wol I not ben conquered.

      O, alas! that your nobley, so moche among al other creatures

      commended by †flowinge streme †of al maner vertues, but

      ther ben wonderful, I not whiche that let the flood to come

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      in-to my soule; wherefore, purely mated with sorowe thorough-sought,

      my-selfe I crye on your goodnesse to have pitè on this

      caytif, that in the in[ne]rest degree of sorowe and disese is left,

      and, without your goodly wil, from any helpe and recovery.

      These sorowes may I not sustene, but-if my sorowe shulde be

      125

      told and to you-wardes shewed; although moche space is bitwene

      us twayne, yet me thinketh that by suche †joleyvinge wordes my

      disese ginneth ebbe. Trewly, me thinketh that the sowne of my

      lamentacious weping is right now flowe in-to your presence, and

      there cryeth after mercy and grace, to which thing (me semeth)

      130

      thee list non answere to yeve, but with a deynous chere ye

      commaunden it to avoide; but god forbid that any word shuld of

      you springe, to have so litel routh! Pardè, pitè and mercy in

      every Margarite is closed by kynde amonges many other vertues,

      by qualitees of comfort; but comfort is to me right naught worth,

      135

      withouten mercy and pitè of you alone; whiche thinges hastely

      god me graunt for his mercy!

      Ch. I. 2. enioy. 3. sondrye. 5. nowe. 6. disease outwarde. 7. comforte. 8. ferre. 9. hell. dethe. 10. endelesse. 12. hent. 13. swynke. 14. dwellynge-. wytlesse. 15. syghtlesse. prisone. 16. caytisned (for caytifued). 17. wode (!); for worde; read word. 18. made. reason. herde. 20. disease. 21. beames. 22. For be-went, Th. has be-went. 23. one. 25. wyl of; apparently an error for whyles (which I adopt). luste. 26. dede (for drede). 27. myne. 28. twynckelynge. disease. 29. lette (twice). dey. measure. 30. myne. comforte. 31. diseased. maye. aueyle. 32. endlesse.

      33. wote; myne hert breaketh. 34. howe. grounde. forthe. 35. howe. shippe. great. 36. Howe. 39. nowe. sayne. 40. arte. weate. 44. stretche. 45. stey. endlesse. 46. wotte. I supply am. spurveyde. arte. nowe. 47. frenshyppe (sic). 48. nowe arte. 49. weareth. 51. Nowe. 53. leaue. 57. lythe. 59. frendes (sic); for ferdnes: cf. p. 9, l. 9. 60. Christe. 61. great. bounties. 62. hel. 63. veyned (sic); for weyued. 64. shapte. Nowe. 65. wretched. 66. heate. 68. wytte.

      69. wote. 72. ease. sythe. 73. qualyties. 74. wote. wemme ne spotte maye. 75. Read unimaginable. 77. knytte. fal. 78. wol wel (for wot wel). 80. sonded; read souded. maye. 81. pleased. charyte. 82. eased. 83. comforte. fal. 85. out caste. daye. se. 86. flodde. 87. diseases. 89. perfectyon. knytte. dethe. 91. togyther is endelesse in blysse(!). dwel. 92. eased. 93. thentent. 94. great. Nowe. 95. arte wonte. 98. Nowe. haste. 100. I supply ther. 104. folke.

      105. encreasing. 110. forthe. 112, 113. trewly and leue; read trewly I leve. 113. gracelesse. 114. disease. 115. halte. 117. (The sentence beginning O, alas seems hopelessly corrupt; there are pause-marks after vertues and wonderful.) 118. folowynge; read flowinge. by; read of. 119. flode. 122. caytife. inrest. disease. lefte. 124. maye. 125. tolde. 126. ioleynynge (sic). 127. disease. 128. nowe. 130. the lyst none. 131. worde. 134. qualites of comforte. worthe.

      CHAPTER II.

      Rehersinge these thinges and many other, without tyme

      or moment of rest, me semed, for anguisshe of disese, that

      al-togider I was ravisshed, I can not telle how; but hoolly all my

      passions and felinges weren lost, as it semed, for the tyme; and

      5

      sodainly a maner of drede lighte in me al at ones; nought suche

      fere as folk have of an enemy, that were mighty and wolde hem

      greve or don hem disese. For, I trowe, this is wel knowe to many

      persones, that otherwhyle, if a man be in his soveraignes presence,

      a maner of ferdnesse crepeth in his herte, not for harme, but of

      10

      goodly subjeccion; namely, as men reden that aungels ben aferde

      of our saviour in heven. And pardè, there ne is, ne may no

      passion of disese be; but it is to mene, that angels ben adradde,

      not by †ferdnes of drede, sithen they ben perfitly blissed, [but]

      as [by] affeccion of wonderfulnesse and by service of obedience.

      15

      Suche ferde also han these lovers in presence of their loves, and

      subjectes aforn their soveraynes. Right so with ferdnesse myn

      herte was caught. And I sodainly astonied, there entred in-to

      the place there I was logged a lady, the semeliest and most

      goodly to my sight that ever to-forn apered to any creature; and

      20

      trewly, in the blustringe of her looke, she yave gladnesse and

      comfort sodaynly to al my wittes; and right so she doth to

      every wight that cometh in her presence. And for she was so

      goodly, as me thought, myn herte began somdele to be enbolded,

      and wexte a litel hardy to speke; but yet, with a quakinge

      25

      voyce, as I durste, I salued her, and enquired what she was;

      and why she, so worthy to sight, dayned to entre in-to so foule

      a dongeon, and namely a prison, without leve of my kepers.

      For