And thereupon to her he sought
In his fool-haste, and so besought
That she with him no restë had.
For ever upon her love he grad,1
And she said ever unto him, Nay.
So it befell upon a day,

Cupidë, which hath every chance
Of love under his governance,
Saw Phoebus hasten him so sore;
And, for2 he should him hasten more,
And yet not speeden at the last,
A dart throughout3 his heart he cast,
Which was of gold and all a-fire,
That made him many-fold desire
Of love more than he did.

For Daphne eke in that same stede1
A dart of lead he cast and smote,
Which was all cold and nothing hot.
And thus Phoebus in love brenneth5
And in his haste aboutë renneth
To look if that he mightẽ win;
But he was ever to begin.
For ever away fro him she fled,
So that he never his love sped.
And for to make him full believe
That no fool-hastẽ might achieve
To getten love in such degree,
This Daphne into a lorer? tree
Was turned; which is ever green,
In token, as yet it may be seen,
That she shall dwell a maiden still,
And Phoebus failen of his will.

LANGLAND

(OUTLINE HISTORY, § 13)

PROLOGUE

(From The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman) IN a somer seson⚫ whan soft was the sonne,

as3 I a shepe1 were
unholy of workes,5
wondres to here.
on Maluerne hulles,"
me thoughte.

I shope me1 in shroudes2
In habite as an hermite
Went wyde in this world
Ac on a May mornynge
Me befel a ferly8 • of fairy,9
I was very forwandred 10 and went me to rest
Under a brode bank. Bi a bornes11 side;

13

and loked in the wateres,
it sweyued12 so merye.
a marvelouse sweuene, 15
wist I never where.
an heigh17 to the sonne
trielich ymaked. 19

And as I lay and lened⚫
I slombred in a slepyng
Then gan I to meten14
That I was in a wildernesse
As I behilde 16 into the est
I seigh a toure on a toft18.
A depe dale binethe

a dongeon 20 there-inne,

With depe dyches and derke · and dredful of sight.
A faire felde21 ful of folke · fond I there bitwene,
Of alle maner of men. the mene and the riche,
Worchying and wandryng⚫ as the worlde asketh.
Some putten hem22 to the plow, pleyed23 ful silde,24
In settyng and sowyng swonken25 ful harde,

And wonnen that26 wastours with glotonye destruyeth. And some putten hem to pryde· apparailed hem thereafter, 27

Not a truly holy hermit.

3 As if. • Shepherd.
• But.
? Hills.

8 A strange thing. • Wrought by fairy influence.

10 Weary and worn out with wandering.

11 Brook's.

14 Dream.

17 On high, upward.

19 Choicely built. This is the Castle of Truth.

20 The Castle of Falsehood.

In countenance of clothyng⚫ comen disgised.1
In prayers and in penance⚫ putten hem manye,

Al for loue of owre Lorde · lyueden full streyte, 2

In hope for to have

hevenriche blisse ;3

As ancres and heremites that holden hem in here" selles And coueiten nought in contre

to kairen aboute,?

For no likerous liflode". her10 lykam11 to plese.

And some chosen chaffare12 · they cheven13 the bettere, As it seemeth to oure sight that such men thriveth; And some murthes to make • as mynstralles conneth,1

And geten gold with here glee⚫ giltless, I leue.

MAUNDEVILLE

(OUTLINE HISTORY, § 14)

THE LAND OF DARKNESS

(From Travels, Chapter XXVIII.)

14

IN that kingdom of Abchaz is a great marvel. For a province of the country that hath well in circuit three journeys, 15 that men clepe16 Hanyson, is all covered with darkness, without any brightness or light; so that no man may see ne hear, ne no man dare enter into him. And, natheles, they of the country say, that sometimes men hear voice of folk, and horses neighing, and cocks crowing. And men wit well, that men dwell there, but they know not what men. And they say, that the darkness befell by miracle of God. For a cursed emperor of Persia, that hight1 Saures, pursued all Christian men to destroy them, and to compel them to make sacrifice to his idols, and rode with great host, in all that ever he might, for to confound the Christian men. And there in that country dwelled

1 Adorned with outward
2 Strictly.

Anchorites.

show of dress.

The bliss of the kingdom of heaven.
5 Their.
• Cells.

'And care nought to move about in the country.

8 Luxurious.

11 Body.

• Way of life.

12 Trade.

14 Some know how to make mirths as minstrels. 15 Journey (journée)=one day's travel.

10 Call.

17 Was named.

10 Their.

13 Thrive.

C

many good Christian men, the which that left their goods and would have fled into Greece. And when they were in a plain that hight Megon, anon this cursed emperor met with them with his host, for to have slain them and hewn them to pieces. And anon the Christian men kneeled to the ground, and made their prayers to God to succour them. And anon a great thick cloud came and covered the emperor and all his host. And so they endure in that manner that they ne may not go out on no side; and so shall they evermore abide in that darkness till the day of doom, by the miracle of God. And then the Christian men went where them liked best, at their own pleasance, without letting1 of any creature, and their enemies enclosed and confounded in darkness, without any stroke. Wherefore we may well say with David, A Domino factum est istud; et est mirabile in oculis nostris. And that was a great miracle that God made for them. . . . Also ye shall understand that out of that land of darkness goeth out a great river that sheweth well that there be folk dwelling, by many ready tokens; but no man dare enter into it.

THE LAND OF PRESTER JOHN

(From Travels, Chapter XXX.)

THIS emperor, Prester John, holds full great land, and hath many full noble cities and good towns in his realm, and many great diverse isles and large. For all the country of Ind is devised in isles for2 the great floods that come from Paradise, that depart all the land in many parts. And also in the sea he hath full many isles. And the best city in the Isle of Pentexoire is Nyse, that is a full royal city, and a noble, and full rich.

This Prester John hath under him many kings and many isles and many diverse folk of diverse conditions. And this land is full rich and good, but not so rich as is the land of the great Chan. For the merchants come not thither so commonly for to buy merchandises, as they do in the land of the great Chan, for it is too far to travel to. And in that other part, in the Isle of Cathay, men

find all manner thing that is need to man-cloths of gold, of silk, of spicery, and all manner avoirdupois.1 And therefore, albeit that men have greater cheap2 in the Isle of Prester John, natheless, men dread the long way and the great perils in the sea in those parts.

For in many places of the sea be great rocks of stones of the adamant, that of his proper nature draweth iron to him. And therefore there pass no ships that have either bonds or nails of iron within them. And if there do, anon the rocks of the adamants draw them to them, that never they may go thence. I myself have seen afar in that sea, as though it had been a great isle full of trees and buscaylle,3 full of thorns and briars, great plenty. And the shipmen told us, that all that was of ships that were drawn thither by the adamants, for the iron that was in them. And of the rottenness, and other thing that was within the ships, grew such buscaylle, and thorns and briars and green trees, and such manner of thing; and of the masts and the sail yards; it seemed a great wood or a grove. And such rocks be in many places thereabouts. And therefore dare not the merchants pass them, but if they know well the passages, or else that they have good lodesmen.5

HOCCLEVE

(OUTLINE HISTORY, § 16)

LAMENT FOR CHAUCER
(From The Governail of Princes)

ALAS, my worthy master honorable,
These landēs very treasure and richesse,
Death, by thy death, hath harm irreparable
Unto us done; his vengeable duresse
Despoiled hath this land of the sweetnesse
Of rhetoric; for unto Tullius?

Was never man so like amongest us.

1 Merchandise. • Unless.

5 Pilots.

Can buy more cheaply.

Revengeful cruelty.

3 Brushwood. 2 Cicero.