Madame, for your newe-fangelnesse,
Many a servaunt have ye put out of grace,
I take my leve of your unstedfastnesse,
For wel I wot, whyl ye have lyves space,
Ye can not love ful half yeer in a place; 5
To newe thing your lust is ever kene;
In stede of blew, thus may ye were al grene.
Right as a mirour nothing may enpresse,
But, lightly as it cometh, so mot it pace,
So fareth your love, your werkes bereth witnesse. 10
Ther is no feith that may your herte enbrace;
But, as a wedercok, that turneth his face
With every wind, ye fare, and that is sene;
In stede of blew, thus may ye were al grene.
Ye might be shryned, for your brotelnesse, 15
Bet than Dalyda, Creseide or Candace;
For ever in chaunging stant your sikernesse,
That tache may no wight fro your herte arace;
If ye lese oon, ye can wel tweyn purchace;
Al light for somer, ye woot wel what I mene, 20
In stede of blew, thus may ye were al grene.
_Explicit._
TITLE. _None in_ Ct.; Balade _in_ F.; ed. 1561 _has_--A Balade which
Chaucer made agaynst woman unconstaunt.
_The text is from_ Ct. (Cotton, Cleopatra D. 7); _that in_ ed. 1561 _is
much the same, except in spelling. Another copy in_ F. (Fairfax 16). _A
third in_ Ha. (Harl. 7578); _of less value_.
2. Ct. Manie; F. many. Ct. F. of youre; Ha. _om._ youre. 4. Ct. wote while.
F. have lyves; Ct. to lyve haue. 5. Ct. kunnought; F. Ha. kan not. 6. F.
thing; Ct. Ha. thinges. Ct. _inserts_ so _before_ kene; ed. (1561) _omits_
so; F. _has_ ay so. 7. Ct. sted; F. stede. Ct. Blue; F. blew. 8. Ct.
Mirro_ur_; ed. mirour. Ct. Ha. ed. _ins._ that _bef._ nothing; F. _om._ 11.
Ct. F. hert; Ha. ed. herte. 12. Ha. _om._ a. Ha. wethirkoc. 14. Ct. _om._
al; F. Ha. ed. _retain it_.
15. Ct. _om._ your; F. Ha. ed. _retain it_. 16. Ct. Bettir; F. Ha. ed.
Better; _read_ Bet. F. Dalyda; Ct. Dalide. Ct. Cresside; F. Creseyde. 17.
Ct. Changeng; F. chaungyng. _All_ stondeth; _read_ stant. 18. F. tache; Ct.
tacche: ed. tatche. F. Ha. herte; Ct. ed. hert. 19. Ct. Ha. lese; F. ed.
lose. Ct. kunne; F. kan; ed. can; Ha. kanne. Ct. ed. tweine; F. tweyn. 20.
Ct. All; ed. Al. Ct. F. wote; Ha. woote; ed. wot; _cf._ Cant. Ta. A 740,
829. 21. Ct. _om._ al; F. ed. _retain it_. Ct. _adds_ Explicit.
* * * * *