Amours, sachiez que pas ne le vueil dire
Pour moy getter hors des amoureux las; 50
Car j'ay porté si long temps mon martire
Que mon vivant ne le guerpiray pas.
Il me souffist d'avoir tant de soulas
Que veoir puisse la [belle et] gracieuse;
Combien qu'el est [en]vers moy dangereuse, 55
De li servir ne serai jamaiz las.
Certes, Amours, quant bien droit [je] remire
Les haulx estas, les moyens et les bas,
Vous m'avez fait de tous les bons eslire,
A mon avis, le meilleur, en tous cas. 60
<<
Now love wel, herte, and look thou never stente;
And let the Ielous putte hit in assay
That, for no peyne wol I nat sey nay;
To love him best ne shal I never repente.
Herte, to thee hit oghte y-nogh suffyse 65
That Love so hy a grace to thee sente,
To chese the worthiest in alle wyse
And most agreable unto myn entente.
Seche no ferther, neyther wey ne wente,
Sith I have suffisaunce unto my pay. 70
Thus wol I ende this compleynt or lay;
To love him best ne shal I never repente.
Lenvoy.
Princess, receyveth this compleynt in gree,
Unto your excellent benignitee
Direct after my litel suffisaunce. 75
For eld, that in my spirit dulleth me,
Hath of endyting al the soteltee
Wel ny bereft out of my remembraunce;
And eek to me hit is a greet penaunce,
Sith rym in English hath swich scarsitee, 80
To folowe word by word the curiositee
Of Graunson, flour of hem that make in Fraunce.
>>
Or aime, cuer, ainsy que tu pourras;
Car ja n'aras paine si doulereuse,
Pour ma dame, que ne me soit joieuse;
De li servir ne seray jamaiz las.
Cuer, il te doit assez plus que souffire 65
D'avoir choisy ce[lle] que choisi as.
Ne quiers [or] plus royaume ne empire,
Car si bonne jamaiz ne trouveras,
Ne si belle par mes yeux ne verras:
C'est jeunesce sachant et savoureuse. 70
Ja soit elle de m'amour desdaigneuse,
De li servir ne seray jamaiz las.
TITLE: _so in_ F. Ff. Ar.; _see_ Notes. _The_ MSS. _are_: T. (Trin. Coll.
Cambridge, R. 3. 20); A. (Ashmole 59); Tn. (MS. Tanner 346); F. (Fairfax
16); Ff. (MS. Ff. I. 6. Camb. Univ. Library); Ar. (Arch. Seld. P. 24); P.
(Pepys 2006); etc. Th.=Thynne (1532). _I follow_ F. _mainly._
1. F. high; T. A. hye (hy _is better_). 2. F. When; eny. 4. F. manhod; _the
rest have final_ e. 5. F. stidfastnesse. 6. F. whiles; A. whilest; _rest_
while. 7. F. oght; Tn. oghte to. 9. F. ys bounte. F. T. A. Th. _insert_ and
_after_ wisdom; _but the rest omit it_. 10. F. eny manes witte. 11. F.
wolde (_wrongly_); Ff. wold. F. fersorthe. 12. F. p_ar_fite.
14. F. well. 16. F. preysith. 18. F. hert; grete. 19. F. werk. 21. F.
sikirnesse. 22. F. oght. 25. F. certis. 26. T. A. Tn. Th. thy; F. Ff. the.
27. F. a-bed; T. A. a-bedde. 28. F. Wepinge; laugh; sing; compleynynge.
29. F. cast; _the rest_ caste. F. lokynge. 30. F. chaunge visage
(_wrongly_); change hewe _in_ MS. Arch. Selden, B. 24; T. A. chaunge huwe.
31. MSS. Pley, Pleye; _read_ Pleyne (F. _Plaindre_). F. dreme; T. Tn. Ff.
Th. dremen. 32. F. reuerse; eny. 33. Ff. T. Ialousye; F. Ielosie. Ff. P.
be; F. Th. he (!). Ialousye be] T. þaughe Ialousye wer. T. Tn. Th. by; F.
be; Ff. with. 34. F. wold; thro; espyinge. 35. F. dothe. 36. F. nys harme;
ymagenynge. 37. F. yevynge. 38. F. yifeth. Ff. withouten; _rest_ withoute.
40. F. reuerse; felynge. 42. T. Ff. encomberous; F. encombrouse. F. vsynge.
43. Tn. sotell; F. subtil. F. Ielosie. 44. T. destourbing; F. derturbynge
(_sic_).
45. F. suffrynge; P. sufferyng; T. souffering. 46. F. Ff. noun-certeyn; T.
noun-certaine; A. nouncerteine. F. langvisshen. 47. F. harde. F. _wrongly
repeats_ penaunce; T. A. meschaunce. 48. F. reuerse; ony; felynge. 49. F.
certys; not. 50. F. youre; ment. 51. F. be; _the rest_ ben _or_ been. 52.
F. wil; T. A. Ff. wol. F. assent. 53. F. fors; turment. 55. F. certys. 56.
F. _om._ ne, _which_ T. A. P. _insert_; Ar. _has_ that. Tn. _inserts_ me
_before_ never. 57. F. certis; when. 58. F. eny estate; represent. 59. F.
Tn. Then; _rest_ Than, Thanne, Thane. T. Ff. P. maked; _rest_ made. F.
thro. 60. F. went.
61. F. hert; loke; stent. 62. P. Ielous; A. Ialous; T. Ialouse; F.
Ielousie. A. putte; F. put. 63. F. peyn wille I not. 64. F. yow (_for_
him); T. A. Tn. Ar. him (_see_ l. 56). 65. F. Hert; the; ought ynogh. 66.
F. highe; T. A. hye. T. A. Ff. Ar. thee; F. yow; Tn. you. F. sent. 67. F.
al. 68. F. entent. 69. F. went. 70. F. Sithe. F. Tn. ye (_for_ I); _rest_
I. 71. _All but_ Ju. (Julian Notary's edition) _repeat_ this _before_ lay.
72. _See_ l. 56. 73. T. A. Pryncesse; _rest_ Princes. F. resseyueth. 74. F.
excelent benignite. 75. F. Directe aftir. 76. F. elde. 77. Tn. soteltee; F.
subtilite. 78. F. nighe. 79. F. eke; grete. 80. F. ryme; englissh hat
(_sic_) such skarsete. 81. F. worde by worde; curiosite. 82. F. floure;
maken.
* * * * *