POETICAL WORKS

OF

GEOFF. CHAUCER.

IN FOURTEEN VOLUMES.

THE MISCELLANEOUS PIECES

From Urry's Edition 1721,

THE CANTERBURY TALES

From Tyrwhitt's Edition 1775.

Grete well CHAUCER whan ye mete---

Of ditees and of fonges glade,

The which be---made,

The londe fullfilled is over all.

GOWER.

My maifter CHAUCER---chiefe poete of Bretayne----
Whom all this londe fchulde of ryght preferre,
Sith of our langage he was the lode-iterre----
That made firft to dyftyile and rayne

The gold dewe dropys of fpeche and eloquence
Into our tunge thrugh his excellence.

The honour of English tong is dede----
My mayfler CHAUCER, floure of eloquence,
Mirrour of fructuous entendement,

Univerfel fadir in fcience---

This londis verray trefour and richeffe-...

The firfte fynder of our fayre langage.

LYDGATE.

OCCLEVE.

Venerabill CHAUCER,principall pocte but pere,
Hevinly trumpet, oriege andrégulere,
In eloquence balme, condit and diall,
Mylky fountane, clere ftrand, and rois rial!,
Of frefche endite throw Albioun iland braid.

O reverend CHAUCER! rofe of rethouris all,
As in oure toung flour imperial

That raife in Brittane evír, quha reidis right
Thou beiris of Makers the triumphs royall,
The frefche enamilt termes celcftiall:
This mater couth haif illuminit full bricht,
Was thou nocht, of our Inglis all the light,
Surmounting every toung terreftriall
As far as Mayi's morrow dois midnight.

VOL. VII.

EDINBURG:

DOUGLAS.

DUNBAR.

AT THE Apollo Preis, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

Seades Family

THE

4.29 POETICAL WORKS

OF

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

VOL. VII.

CONTAINING HIS

MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, viz.

THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE.

But natheles certain

I can right now no thrifty Tale fain,

Bat CHAUCER, (though he can but lewedly
On metres and on riming craftily)

Hath fayd hem in fwiche English as he can
Of olde time, as knoweth many a man;
And if he have not fayd hem, leve brother,
In o book, he bath fayd hem in another---- ~
Who fo that wol his large Volume feke.

TALES, ver. 4465.

Dan CHAUCER, well of English undefil'd,
On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be fil'd----
Old Dan Geffrey, in whofe gentle spright
The pure well-head of poetry did dwell----
He whilft he lived was the foveraigne head
Of thepherds all-------

To us difcovers day from far;

SPENSER.

Old CHAUCER, like the morning flar,

AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE.

MANY menne faine that in fweveninges
Ther n'is but fables and lefinges;

But yet menne maie fome fwevin fene
Whiche hardily that falfe ne bene,
But aftirwarde ben apparaunt,.
This maie I drawin to warraunt.

An author that hight Macrobes,
That halte not dremis faife ne lefe,
But undoth us the avifioun

That whilom mette King Cipioun.

5

10

The Romaunt of the Rofe] This book was begun in French verfe by William de Lorris, and finished forty years after by John Clopinell, alias John Moone, born at Mewen upon the river of Loyer, not far from Paris, as appeareth by Molinet the French author upon the morality of The Romaunt, and afterward tranflated for the moft part into English metre by Geffrey Chaucer, but not finished. It is entituled The Romaunt of the Rofe, or The Art of Love; wherein are thewed the helps and furtherances as alfo the lets and impediments that lovers have in their fuits. In this book the author hath many glances at the hypo crify of the clergy, whereby he got himself fuch hatred amongst them that Gerfon Chancellor of Paris writeth thus of him: Lay'th he,There was one called Johannes Meldinentis who wrote a book called The Romaunt of the Rofe, which book if I only had, and that there were no more in the world, if I might have 500 pound for the fame I would rather burn it than take the money. He faith more, that if he thought the author thereof did not repent him for that book before he dyed he would vouchsafe to pray for him no more than he would for Judas that betrayed Chrift. Urry.