‘Hoste,’ quod he, ‘_depardieux_ ich assente,
To breke forward is not myn entente. 40
Biheste is dette, and I wol holde fayn
Al my biheste; I can no better seyn.
For swich lawe as man yeveth another wight,
He sholde him-selven usen it by right;
Thus wol our text; but natheles certeyn 45
I can right now no thrifty tale seyn,
But Chaucer, though he can but lewedly
On metres and on ryming craftily,
Hath seyd hem in swich English as he can
Of olde tyme, as knoweth many a man. 50
And if he have not seyd hem, leve brother,
In o book, he hath seyd hem in another.
For he hath told of loveres up and doun
Mo than Ovyde made of mencioun
In his Epistelles, that been ful olde. 55
What sholde I tellen hem, sin they ben tolde?
In youthe he made of Ceys and Alcion,
And sithen hath he spoke of everichon,
Thise noble wyves and thise loveres eek.
Who-so that wol his large volume seek 60
Cleped the Seintes Legende of Cupyde,
Ther may he seen the large woundes wyde
Of Lucresse, and of Babilan Tisbee;
[132: T. 4484-4518.]
The swerd of Dido for the false Enee;
The tree of Phillis for hir Demophon; 65
The pleinte of Dianire and Hermion,
Of Adriane and of Isiphilee;
The bareyne yle stonding in the see;
The dreynte Leander for his Erro;
The teres of Eleyne, and eek the wo 70
Of Brixseyde, and of thee, Ladomëa;
The crueltee of thee, queen Medëa,
Thy litel children hanging by the hals
For thy Iason, that was of love so fals!
O Ypermistra, Penelopee, Alceste, 75
Your wyfhod he comendeth with the beste!
43. Cm. man; _rest_ a man. 45. E. wole; Hn. wol. 47. MS. Camb. Dd.
4. 24 _has_ But; _rest_ That; _see note_. 55. Hl. Cm. Epistelles; E.
Hn. Cp. Epistles. 56. E. Hn. telle; _rest_ tellen. 64. Hl. sorwe;
_rest_ swerd. 66. E. Cm. Hl. Diane; Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Dianire, _or_
Dyanyre. 69. E. Hn. Ln. Leandre. 70. E. _omits_ eek. 71. E.
_omits_ of. 72. Cp. Hl. queen; _rest_ quene. 74. E. Cm. in; _rest_
of. 75. E. Hn. Cm. Penolopee. 76. E. wifhede.
But certeinly no word ne wryteth he
Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee,
That lovede hir owne brother sinfully;
Of swiche cursed stories I sey ‘fy’; 80
Or elles of Tyro Apollonius,
How that the cursed king Antiochus
Birafte his doghter of hir maydenhede,
That is so horrible a tale for to rede,
Whan he hir threw up-on the pavement. 85
And therfor he, of ful avysement,
Nolde never wryte in none of his sermouns
Of swiche unkinde abhominaciouns,
Ne I wol noon reherse, if that I may.
But of my tale how shal I doon this day? 90
Me were looth be lykned, doutelees,
To Muses that men clepe Pierides—
_Metamorphoseos_ wot what I mene:—
But nathelees, I recche noght a bene
Though I come after him with hawe-bake; 95
I speke in prose, and lat him rymes make.’
And with that word he, with a sobre chere,
Bigan his tale, as ye shal after here.
95. Hn. Cp. Pt. Hl. hawe bake; E. hawebake; Cm. aw bake; Ln. halve
bake.
[133: T. 4519-4553.]
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