If land to thee be falle of heritage,
Which that thy fadir heeld 10 in reste and pees,
With title just and trewe in al his age,
And his fadir before him brygelees,"
And his and his, and so forth douteless,
I am ful seur 12 who-so wolde it thee reve,13
Thow woldest thee deffende and putte in prees;
Thy right thow woldest nat, thy thankes,15 leve.
Right so where-as our goode fadres olde
Possessid were, and hadden the seisyne
Peisible of Crystes feith, and no man wolde
Impugne hir right, it sit 17 us to enclyne
Ther-to. Let us no ferthere ymagyne
But as that they dide; occupie 18 our right;
And in oure hertes fully determyne
And prayd hym for Gods sake to take heede;
But for lack of mony I myght not speede.
Beneth hem sat clarkes a great rout,1
Which fast dyd wryte by one assent,
There stoode up one and cryed about,
"Rychard, Robert, and John of Kent."
I wyst not well what this man ment,
He cryed so thycke there in dede.
But he that lackt mony myght not spede.
Unto the Common Place I yode thoo,*
Where sat one with a sylken hoode;
I dyd hym reverence, for I ought to do so,
And told my case as well as I coode,
How my goodes were defrauded me by falshood.
I gat not a mum of his mouth for my meed,5
And for lack of mony I myght not spede.
Unto the Rolles I gat me from thence,
Before the Clarkes of the Chauncerye,
Where many I found earnyng of pence,
But none at all once regarded mee.
I gave them my playnt uppon my knee;
They lyked it well, when they had it reade;
But, lackyng mony, I could not be sped.
In Westmynster-hall I found out one,
Which went in a long gown of raye;"
I crowched and kneled before hym anon,
For Maryes love, of help I hym praye.
"I wot not what thou meanest," gan he say. 40
To get me thence he dyd me bede;
For lack of mony, I cold not speed.
Within this hall, nether rich nor yett poore
Wold do for me ought, although I shold dye.
Which seing, I gat me out of the doore,
Where Flemynges began on me for to cry, "Master, what will you copen or by? Fyne felt hattes, or spectacles to reede? Lay down your sylver, and here you may speede." Then to Westmynster-gate I presently went, When the sonne was at hyghe pryme; Cookes to me they tooke good entente,
And proferred me bread, with ale and wyne, Rybbes of befe, both fat and ful fyne;
A fayre cloth they gan for to sprede.
But, wantyng mony, I myght not then speede.
Then unto London I dyd me hye;'
Of all the land it beareth the pryse.10
"Hot pescodes," one began to crye,
"Strabery rype," and 'cherryes in the ryse;" "1 One bad me come nere and by some spyce; 61
By a geyn path, that ley oute a-side,
Secrely, that no man hem espie,
Only of tresoun and of felonye.
They haste hem forth al the longe day,
Of cruel malys, forto stoppe his way,
Thorgh a forest, alle of oon assent,
Ful covartly to leyn a busshement
Under an hille, at a streite passage,
To falle on hym at mor avantage,
The same way that Tydeus gan drawe
At thylke mount wher that Spynx was slawe.8
He, nothing war in his opynyoun 9
Of this conpassed 10 conspiracioun,
But innocent and lich " a gentyl knyght, Rood ay forth to 12 that it drowe 13 to nyght, Sool by hym-silf with-oute companye, Havyng no man to wisse 14 hym or to gye.15
But at the last, lifting up his hede, Toward eve, he gan taken hede; Mid of his waye, right as eny lyne, Thoght he saugh, ageyn the mone shyne, Sheldes fresshe and plates borned bright, The which environ 17 casten a gret lyght; Ymagynyng in his fantasye
Ther was treson and conspiracye
Wrought by the kyng, his journe 18 forto lette.19
How Tydeus outraged fifty knyghtes that lay in
And of al that he no-thyng ne sette,20 But wel assured in his manly herte,
List 21 nat onys a-syde to dyverte,
"Thou scapst not here," quod he, "under two
But kepte his way, his sheld upon his brest, And cast his spere manly in the rest,
1 heed 2 prepared myself 3 ambush purely because of greater advantage 8 slain 9 not at all aware in his thought formed 11 like 12 till
7 the same 10 arranged, 13 drew 14 direct 15 guide 19 hinder
And the first platly that he mette
Thorgh the body proudely he hym smette,
That he fille ded, chief mayster of hem alle;
And than at onys they upon hym falle
On every part, be compas envyroun.
But Tydeus, thorgh his hegh renoun,
His blody swerde lete about hym glyde,
Sleth and kylleth upon every side
In his ire and his mortal tene; 3
That mervaile was he myght so sustene
Ageyn hem alle, in every half besette;'
But his swerde was so sharpe whette,
That his foomen founde ful unsoote.
But he, allas! was mad light a foote,
Be force grounded,' in ful gret distresse;
But of knyghthod and of gret prouesse
Up he roos, maugre alle his foon,10
And as they cam, he slogh " hem oon be oon,
Lik a lyoun rampaunt in his rage,
And on this hille he fond a narow passage,
Which that he took of ful high prudence;
And liche a boor, stondyng at his diffence,
As his foomen proudly hym assaylle,
Upon the pleyn he made her blode to raylle
Al enviroun, that the soyl wex rede,
Now her, now ther, as they fille dede,
That her lay on, and ther lay two or thre,
So mercyles, in his cruelte,
Thilke day he was upon hem founde;
And, attonys 14 his enemyes to confounde,
Wher-as he stood, this myghty champioun,
Be-side he saugh, with water turned doun,
An huge stoon large, rounde, and squar;
And sodeynly, er that thei wer war,
As 15 it hadde leyn ther for the nonys,10
Upon his foon he rolled it at onys,
That ten of hem 17 wenten unto wrak,
And the remnaunt amased drogh 18 a-bak; 1170
For on by on they wente to meschaunce.19
And fynaly he broght to outraunce 20
1 absolutely 2 by 3 pain beset on every side unsweet, bitter made to alight on foot 7 brought to ground 8 prowess in spite of 10 foes
13 flow 14 at once
17 them 18 drew
22 sorely 23 crowd
11 slew 15 as if 16 for the purpose
19 defeat 20 destruction 21 quickly moon 25 to tell it briefly 20 died
The longe dayes and the nyghtis eke
I wold bewaille my fortune in this wise, For quhich, agane distresse confort to seke, My custum was on mornis for to ryse Airly as day; O happy exercise, By the come I to joye out of turment! Bot now to purpose of my first entent:
Bewailing in my chamber thus allone,
Despeired of all joye and remedye,
For-tirit of my thoght, and wo begone,
Unto the wyndow gan I walk in hye,10
To se the warld and folk that went forby;
And for the tyme, though I of mirthis fude 17
Myght have no more, to luke it did me gude.
1 succeeded, fared 2 pledge
& sinned • since 7 nature
pity 11 if 12 planned
Throw quhich anon I knew and understude
Wele that sche was a warldly creature;
On quhom to rest myn eye, so mich gude
It did my wofull hert, I yow assure,
That it was to me joye without mesure;
And, at the last, my luke unto the hevin
I threwe furthwith, and said thir" versis sevin:
"O Venus clere! of goddis stellifyit l1
To quhom I yelde homage and sacrifise,
Fro this day forth your grace be magnifyit,
That me ressavit have in suich a wise,
To lyve under your law and do service;
Now help me furth, and for your merci lede
My hert to rest, that deis nere for drede."
Quhen I with gude entent this orisoun
Thus endid had, I stynt 10
a lytill stound; "
And eft 12 myn eye full pitously adoun
I kest, behalding unto hir lytill hound, That with his bellis playit on the ground; Than wold I say, and sigh there-with a lyte, 370 "A! wele were him that now were in thy plyte!" An-othir quhile the lytill nyghtingale,
That sat apon the twiggis, wold I chide, And say ryght thus; "Quhare are thy notis smale, That thou of love has song this morowe-tyde? Seis thou noght hire that sittis the besyde? For Venus sake, the blisfull goddesse clere, Sing on agane, and mak my lady chere."
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