APPENDIX.

SPECIMENS OF CHAUCER'S POETRY.

FROM THE MAN OF LAWE'S TALE.

CUSTANCE having been married to Alla, king of Northumberland, through the treachery of Donigeld, the king's mother, is banished, and set adrift on the ocean in a rudderless ship. Her behaviour on her departure is thus described :

Wepen both yong and old in al that place,
Whan that the king this cursed lettre sent :
And Custance, with a dedly palé face,
The fourthé day toward the ship she went:
But natheless she taketh in good intent
The will of Crist, and kneeling on the stronde
She sayde, "Lord, ay welcome be thy sonde*.

Behest; literally, message.

He that me kepté fro the falsé blame,
While I was in the lond amonges you,
He can me kepe fro harme, and eke fro shame,
In the salt see, although I see not how;
As strong as ever he was, he is yet now:
In him trust I, and in his mother dere,
That is to me my sail, and eke my stere *."

Hire litel child lay weping in hire arm,
And, kneling pitously, to him she said:
"Pees, litel sone; I wol do thee no harm.”

With that hire couverchief of hire head she braid, And over his litel eyen she it laid;

And in hire arme she lulleth it ful fast,

And into the heven hire eyen up she cast.

"Mother," quod she, "and mayden bright Marie, Soth is, that thurgh womanne's eggement + Mankind was borne, and damned ay to die; For which thy child was on a cross yrent: Thy blisful eyen saw all his turment, Than is ther no comparison betwene Thy wo, and any wo man may sustene.

"Thou saw thy child yslain before thin eyen,

And yet now liveth my litel child parfay:
Now, lady bright, to whom all woful crien-
Thou glory of womanhed! thou fairé May!

Rew on my child, that of thy gentillesse
Rewest on every rewful in distresse.

"O litel child, alas! what is thy gilt,
That never wroughtest sinne as yet parde?
Why wol thy harde father have thee spilt?
O mercy, dere Constable! (quod she,)

As let
my litel child dwell here with thee;
And if thou darst not saven him fro blame,
So kiss him ones in his fadres name."

Therwith she loketh backward to the lond,
And saide:- -" Farewell, housbond routheless!"
And up she rist, and walketh down the strond
Toward the ship, hire foloweth all the prees *;
And ever she praieth hire child to hold his pees,
And taketh hire leve; and with an holy intent
She blesseth hire, and into the ship she went.

FROM THE DUTCHESSE.

THE poet falling asleep while reading the story of Ceyx and Alcyone, dreams that he is in a chamber splendidly ornamented with paintings describing scenes from Trojan story, and from the "Romaunt of the Rose;" he is roused from his repose by the notes of a huntsman's horn, and, joining the chase, is conducted

* Crowd.

to the woodland scene, in which he discovers the mourning knight, by a whelp which had strayed from the pack.

And as I lay, thus wonder loud

Me thought I heard a hunté blow

T'assay his great horne, and for to know
Whether it was clere, or horse of sowne.

And I heard going both up and downe
Men, horse, hounds, and other thing,
And all men speake of hunting,

How they would slee the hart with strength,

And how the hart had upon length

So much embosed, I n'ot now, what.

Anon right whan I hearde that,
How that they would on hunting gone,
I was right glad, and up anone
Tooke my horse, and forth I went
Out of my chamber, I never stent
Till I come to the field without,
There overtooke I a great rout
Of hunters and eke forresters,
And many relaies* and limers †,
And highed hem to the forrest fast,

And I with hem, so at the last

I asked one lad, a lymere