148. As indicated by a side-note in Hn., this passage is taken directly
from the Liber Aureolus de Nuptiis of Theophrastus, as cited by St. Jerome
near the end of the first Book of his treatise against Jovinian. Cf. note
to D. 221.
The passage from Theophrastus is:--'Verum quid prodest etiam diligens
custodia: cum uxor seruari impudica non possit, pudica non debeat? Infida
enim custos est castitatis necessitas: et illa uere pudica dicenda est, cui
licuit peccare si uoluit. Pulchra cito adamatur, foeda facile concupiscit.
Difficile custoditur, quod plures amant.'--Hieron. Opus Epistolarum (Basil.
1534); ii. 51.
161. Cf. Horace, Epist. I. x. 24--'Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque
recurret,' &c. And this is the very passage which Chaucer had [440] in
view, as it is quoted and commented on in Le Roman de la Rose, 14221-8, &c.
Jean de Meun adds the comment:--
'Que vaut ce? Toute créature
Vuet retorner à sa nature.
Jà nel' erra por violence
De force, ne de convenance.'
This passage in Le Roman is _preceded_ by the illustration of the caged
bird, and _followed_ by that of the cat; see ll. 163, 175. Further, Jean de
Meun took the illustration of the caged bird from Boethius; see next note.
163. From Boethius; see the note to F. 607. It reappears in Le Roman de la
Rose, 14145-62; beginning--
'Li oisillons du vert boscage,
Quant il est pris et mis en cage,' &c.
Compare Sq. Ta., F. 611-617. It is interesting to see how Chaucer has
repeated the passage, and yet so greatly varied the form of it. We find,
however, that _silk_ and _milk_ rime together in both cases.