And forth he wentë, shortly for to telle,
Ther as Mercurie sorted hym to dwelle.

Swich fyn hath, lo! this Troilus for love!
Swich fyn hath al his gretë worthynesse!
Swich fyn hath his estat reäl1 above!

Swich fyn his lust, swich fyn hath his noblesse !
Swich fyn hath falsë worldës brotelnesse2 !
And thus bigan his lovynge of Cryseyde,
As I have told, and in this wise he deyde.

O yongë fresshë folkës, he or she,

In which that love up groweth with your age,
Repeireth hom fro worldly vanyté,

And of your herte up casteth the visage
To thilkë God, that after his ymage

Yow made, and thynketh al nys but a faire,
This world that passeth soon, as flourës faire.

And loveth hym the which that, right for love,
Upon a crois, our soulës for to beye,
First starf3 and roos, and sit in heven above,
For he nyl falsen no wight, dar I seye,
That wol his herte al holly on hym leye;
And syn he best to love is, and most meke,
What nedeth feyned loves for to seke?

Lo! here of payens corsed oldë rites!
Lo! here what alle hire goddës may availle !
Lo! here this wreched worldës appetites!
Lo! here the fyn and guerdon for travaille,
Of Jove, Apollo, of Mars, and swich rasca
Lo! here the forme of oldë clerkës spe
In poetrie, if ye hire bokës seche.

eyd,

ünde gent®, - our nede,

ferred to follows.]

THE PARLEMENT OF FOULES.

[Chaucer dreams that he sees the birds assembled on St. Valentine's Day to choose their mates, the Goddess Nature presiding. Among the mates is a formel, or female eagle, wooed by three tercels: the formel being probably Anne of Bohemia, and the tercel royal King Richard II.]

And in a launde, upon an hille of floures,
Was set this noble goddessë Nature;
Of braunches were hir hallës and hir boures
Ywrought, after hir crafte and hir mesure;
Ne ther nas fowl that cometh of engendrure,
That there ne werë prest1, in hir presence,
To take hir dome 2, and yeve hir audience.

*

There myghtë men the royal egle fynde,
That with his sharpë look perceth the Sonne;
And other egles of a lower kynde,

Of which that clerkës wel devysen konne;

There was the tiraunt with his fethres donne

Tnd grey, I mene the goshauke that doth pyne3
briddës, for his outrageous ravyne.

Το

That 1

Ther he'til faucoun*, that with his feet distreyneth
"s hond; the hardy sperhauk eke,

And in hymsfoo; the merlyon that peyneth.
Of hem that we the larke for to seke;
And dampned al`wvë, with hir eyën meke;

The blynde lust, the ayens hys deth that syngeth;
And sholden al our heflethe the bodë bryngeth.

1 From the seventh or uttermost heaven 2 judgment.
e peregrine.

convex, or convers.

The crane the geaunt, with his trompes soune :
The thefe the chough, and eke the janglyng pye;
The scornyng jay, the eles foo the heroune;
The false lapwyng, ful of trecherye ;
The starë, that the counseyl kan bewrye1;
The tamë ruddok2, and the coward kyte;
The cok, that orlogge ys of thropës lyte3.

The sparow, Venus sone, and the nyghtyngale
That clepeth forth the fresshë levës newe:
The swalow, mordrer of the beës smale,
That maken hony of floures fressh of hewe;
The wedded turtel, with hys hertë trewe;
The pecok, with his aungels fethers bryghte;
The fesaunt, scorner of the cok by nyghte.

4.

The waker goos, the cukkow ever unkynde,
The papinjay, ful of delycacye ;

The drakë, stroyer of his owën kynde;

The storkë, wreker of avowterie ;

Tho hoote cormeraunt, ful of glotonye;

The ravene and the crowe, with voys of care;
The throstel old, the frosty feldëfare.

*

*

*

*

*

[The question as to which tercel is to have the formel eagle is referred to the Parliament of Birds. Some of the opinions given are as follows.]

The watir foulës han her hedës leyd
Togedir, and of shorte avysëment,

5

Whan everych had hys large golee seyd,

They seyden sothly al by on assent,

How that the goos, with hir faconde gent®,

That soo desireth to pronounce our nede,

Shal telle our tale, and preyde to God hir spede.

And for these watir foulës tho began

The goos to speke, and in hir cakëlynge,

She seyde, 'Pes now, tak kepe1 every man,

And herkneth which a resoun I shal forth bringe!
My wyt ys sharpe, I love no taryinge!

I sey I rede2 hym, though he were my brother,
But she wol love hym, lat hym love another.'

'Loo! here a parfyte resoun of a goos!'
Quod the sperhaukë.

'Never mote she thee!

Loo, suche hyt ys to have a tongë loos!
Now pardé, fool, yet were hit bet for the
Have holde thy pes, than shewed thy nycëté;
Hyt lyth not in hys wyt, nor in hys wille;
But sooth ys seyd, a fool kan noght be stille.'

The laughtre aroos of gentil foulës alle,
And ryght anoon the sede-foul" chosen hadde
The turtel trewe, and ganne hir to hem calle;
And prayden hir to seyë the soth sadde
Of thys matere, and asked what she radde.
And she answerde, that pleynly hir entente
She woldë shewe, and sothly what she mente.
'Nay, God forbede a lover shulde chaunge!'
The turtel seyde, and wex for shame al reed:
Thoogh that hys lady evermore be straunge,
Yet let hym serve hir ever, tyl he be deed.
Forsoth, I preysë noght the gooses reed;
For though she deyed, I wolde noon other make';

I wol ben hirs til that the deth me take.'

'Wel bourded,' quod the dukë, ‘by my hat!
That men shulde alwey loven causëles,

Who kan a resoun fynde, or wyt in that?

9

Daunceth he murye that ys murtheles?

Who shulde rechche 10 of that ys rechcheles?

Ye! quek! yet,' quod the dukë, 'wel and faire !
There ben moo sterrës, God woot, than a paire.'

'Now fy, cherl!' quod the gentil tercëlet,—
'Out of the dunghil com that word ful ryght;
Thou kanst noght see which thing is wel beset;
Thou farest be love as owlës doon by lyght,—
The day hem blent, ful wel they see by nyght;
Thy kynde ys of so lowe a wrechednesse,
That what love is thou kanst not see ne gesse.'

Thoo gan the cukkow put hym forth in pres1
For foule that eteth worm, and seydë blyve2:—
'So I,' quod he, ‘may have my make in pes,
I rechë not how longë that ye strive.

Lat ech of hem be soleyn al her lyve,

This ys my reed, syne they may not acorde ;
This shortë lessoun nedeth noght recorde.'

'Yee, have the glotoun fild ynogh hys paunche,
Thanne are we wel!' seydë the merlyoun3:-
Thou mordrere of the haysogge1 on the braunche
That broghtë the forth! thou rewful glotoun!
Lyve thou soleyn, wormës corrupcioun !
For no fors ys of lak of thy nature5;

Goo, lewëd be thou while the world may dure!'

'Now pes,' quod Nature, 'I commaunde here,

For I have herd al your opynioun,

And in effect yet be we never the nere ;

But fynally, this ys my conclusioun,

That she hir self shal have the eleccioun

Of whom hir lyst, who-so be wrooth or blythe ;
Hym that she cheest", he shal han hir as swithe","

1 among the crowd. 5 failure of thy whole species would not matter.

2 quickly. 3 the merlin.