The god of love, a! benedicite! And he can make, within a little stoundė1 To tell his might my wit may not suffyse; For he may do all that he will devysé 5 10 15 For he can make of wise folk full nice, And eke in lyther3 folk destroyen vice; And proudė heartės he can make agrysė.♦ Shortly, all that e'er he wills he may; Ageinės him there dare no wight say nay. For he can glad and grieve whom him liketh; And whom he will, he laugheth or he syketh;" And most his might he showeth ever in May. 20 For every trewe gentle heartė free That with him is, or thinketh for to be, Ageinės May now shall have some stirring, Either to joy, or allés to mourning, In no sesóun so great, as thinketh me. 25 50 To whom be yeve3 praise, honour, and gloriė. By crafty writing of his sawės sweet. 55 55 THE TESTAMENT OF JOHN LYDGATE (From Testamentum Johannis Lydgate) Midst of a cloister, painted on a wall, 743 Tarry no longer towards thine heritage: Thomas Hoccleve or Occleve c. 1370-c. 1450 THOMAS HOCCLEVE'S COMPLAINT THE PROLOGUE After that Harvest gathered had his sheaves, And that the brown sesóun of Michaelmessé1 Was come, and gan the trees rob of their leavés That green had been and in lustý freshnessé, Say. • Sayings. 3 Given. 4 Unfamiliar. 1 Entire, complete. 1 The feast of St. Michael and All Angels, or Michaelmas, which falls on Sept. 29th. 1958 A LAMENT FOR CHAUCER (From The Regimen of Princes,1 c. 1412) But welaway! so is my hearte woe That the honour of English tongue is deed,2 Of whom I used to have counsel and rede. O master dear, and father reverent! My master Chaucer, flower of eloquence, Mirror of fructuous entendement, O, universal father in sciénce! Alas! that thou thine excellent prudénce 1965 On thy bed mortal mightest not bequeathe! What ailed death? alas! why would he slay thee? O death! thou didest not harm singular 5 In slaying him, but all this land it smarteth; But ne'ertheless, thou hast not any power 1970 His name to slay; his high virtúe upstarteth Unslain by thee, which aye us lively hearteth With bookes of his ornate inditing, That are to all this land illumining. Simple my spirit, scarce my letterure Unto your excelléncy for to write Mine inward love, and yet, in aventure I put myself, although I can but lyte.8 My deare master-(God his soul requite!) And father, Chaucer, fain would have me taught; But I was dull, and little learned or naught. 7 Appease. 6 Care. 8 Possibly an allusion to the proverb: "He that gives thee a bone would not have thee die." 1 A long didactic the future Henry V, dedicated to Prince Henry, The Prologue contains many autobiographical confessions, as well as the familiar passage on Chaucer, given above. 2 Dead. 3 Instruction. A single injury. Security. 7 Learning. 4 Understanding. 6 Hearteneth i. e. cheers. 8 Know but little. Quoth she: "Sister, let be your heavy cheer; "I haf great wonder," quoth the silly Mouse, "How thou can'st float without feathér or fin! This river is sa deep and dangerous, 31 Methinks that thou would drowned be therein. Tell me, therefore, what facultie or gin,7 Thou hast to bring thee o'er this water?' Thans Thus to declare, the Paddock soon began: 35 "With my twa feet," quoth she, "webbed and braid,' Instead of oars, I row the stream full still; And though the flood be perilous to wade, Baith to and fra I row at my ain will. I may not drown,-for why?-my open gill 40 Devoidis 10 aye the water I resaif,11 Therefore to droun, forsooth, na dreid I haif." 12 The Mouse looked hard upon her fronsit13 face, Her wrinkled cheekes, and her lippės wide; Her hanging browės, and her voice sa hace; Her sprawling leggės, and her harsky 15 hide. She ran aback, and to the Paddock cried: “If I have ony skill in phisnomie, 18 Thou hast some part of falsehood and envíe. 14 45 50 To guid or ill, as nature will applie; A twisted face, a twisted phisnomie. The auld provérb is witness of this lorum:17 Distortum vultum, sequitur distortio morum.' 55 The blue-berries, though they be sad of hue, Are gathered when the primrose is forsaken The face may fail to be the heart's true takin, Therefore I find this Scripture all in place: Thou should not judge a man after his face. "Though I unwholesome be to luik upon, 62 I have na cause why I should blamed be; 65 Were I as fair as jolie Absalom, I am na causer of that great beautie. This difference in form and qualitie Almighty God hath caused Dame Natúre To print, and set in every creature. 70 "Of some the face may be full flourishing; Of silken tongue and cheer richt amorous; With mind inconstant, false, and varying, With tricky ways, and full of sly deceit." "Leave preaching," quoth the Mouse, who longed to eat, “And by what craft, now mak me understand, You mean to bear me unto yonder land!" 77 Then foot for foot they leapt baith in the brim; But in their minds they were quite different: The Mouse thought of na thing but for to swim, The Paddock for to drown25 set her intent. When they had gained mid-stream, as on they went, 103 With all her force the Paddock pressed down, And thought the Mouse without mercie to drown. 19 Token. 21 Thread. 105 20 Contrive. 22 Hurt. 23 Apparently an oath by which a person solemnly binds himself not to murder or injure another, or deceive him to his hurt. 4 Short time. 5 Have. 5 The sense is, For (i. e. because) the world's trash, refuse (wrack), without ("but") spiritual well-being (welfare) avails nothing. & Care. ? The passage is thus paraphrased by Hailes:"What riches give us, let us then explore; Meat, drink, and clothes; what else? a sight of more.' 8 Scroll. 1 Mahomet, here the devil. In the Middle Ages, Mahomet and other false prophets were confused or identified with Satan. 2 Fastens or fastings even, Shrove Tuesday, the evening preceding the fast of Lent. It was a season of riotous festivity. |
