This riche Cresus, whylom king of Lyde,
Of whiche Cresus Cyrus sore him dradde,
Yit was he caught amiddes al his pryde,
And to be brent men to the fyr him ladde. 3920
But swich a reyn doun fro the welkne shadde (741)
That slow the fyr, and made him to escape;
But to be war no grace yet he hadde,
Til fortune on the galwes made him gape.
Whan he escaped was, he can nat stente 3925
For to biginne a newe werre agayn.
He wende wel, for that fortune him sente
Swich hap, that he escaped thurgh the rayn,
That of his foos he mighte nat be slayn;
And eek a sweven up-on a night he mette, 3930
Of which he was so proud and eek so fayn, (751)
That in vengeaunce he al his herte sette.
Up-on a tree he was, as that him thoughte,
Ther Iuppiter him wesh, bothe bak and syde,
And Phebus eek a fair towaille him broughte 3935
To drye him with, and ther-for wex his pryde;
And to his doghter, that stood him bisyde,
Which that he knew in heigh science habounde,
He bad hir telle him what it signifyde,
And she his dreem bigan right thus expounde. 3940
3936. Cm. Pt. Ln. wex; _rest_ wax.
[268: T. 14669-14684.]
‘The tree,’ quod she, ‘the galwes is to mene, (761)
And Iuppiter bitokneth snow and reyn,
And Phebus, with his towaille so clene,
Tho ben the sonne stremes for to seyn;
Thou shalt anhanged be, fader, certeyn; 3945
Reyn shal thee wasshe, and sonne shal thee drye;’
Thus warned she him ful plat and ful pleyn,
His doughter, which that called was Phanye.
3944. E. bemes; _rest_ stremes. 3947. Pt. Ln. Hl. she; _rest omit_.
Anhanged was Cresus, the proude king,
His royal trone mighte him nat availle.— 3950
Tragedie is noon other maner thing, (771)
Ne can in singing crye ne biwaille,
But for that fortune alwey wol assaille
With unwar strook the regnes that ben proude;
For when men trusteth hir, than wol she faille, 3955
And covere hir brighte face with a cloude. [See p. 256.
_Explicit Tragedia_.
=Here stinteth the Knight the Monk of his Tale.=
3951. Cm. Tragedy is; _so_ Cp. Pt.; Ln. Tregedrye in; E. Hn. Tragedies;
Hl. Tegredis(!). 3953. Cm. Hl. for; _rest omit_. [3956. _Reckoned
as 775 in the_ Aldine edition; _but really_ 776.] _After l._ 3956, E.
Hn. Cm. _have_ ll. 3565-3652. COLOPHON. _From_ E. Hn. Here is ended
the Monkes tale.
[269: T. 14773-14798.]
* * * * *