That never wakyng in the day or nyght, 685 690 And thilke covenaunt while me lasteth brethe I woll fulfille; and that shal wel be seene, Was never unto hir love a trewer queene.' 695 And wyth that worde, naked, with ful good herte, Amonge the serpents in the pit she sterte. And she hir deeth receveth with good chere, 700 705 EXPLICIT LEGENDA CLEOPATRE MARTYRIS. 686. nere, ne were, were not. 693. me, dative case; while breath lasteth to me. 697. sterte, leaped. 698. chees, past tense of chese, chose. 699. neddres, adders. 701. hir, dative case, to her. 702. storial, historical. Explicit legenda Cleopatre Martyris: Here endeth the legend of Cleopatra the martyr. INCIPIT LEGENDA TESBE BABILON, MARTIRIS. Α' T Babiloyne whylome fil it thus, The whiche toune the queene Simyramus Leet dichen al about, and walles make Ful hye, of harde tiles wel ybake: Ther were dwellynge in this noble toune, 710 Two lordes, which that were of grete renoune, And woneden so neigh upon a grene, That ther nas but a stoon wal hem betwene, As ofte in grette tounes ys the wone. And sooth to seyne, that o man had a sone, 715 Of al that londe oon the lustieste; That other had a doghtre, the faireste That esteward in the worlde was tho dwellynge. Incipit legenda Tesbe Babilon, Martiris: Here beginneth the legend of Thisbe, of Babylon, the Martyr. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is related in Ovid's Metamorphoses, iv. 55—166. 706. fil, past tense of falle, fell. 708. leet dichen, caused to be ditched. 712. woneden, past tense pl. of wone, dwelt. 713. nas, contraction of ne was, was not. 714. wone, custom, usage. 716. lustieste; the idea involved in lusty is that of a pleasurable vigor of body. 718. tho, then. 719. everyche, a contraction of every eche, i. e., every each. In La Mort d' Arthure, it is frequently given in full :-" and every each had a speare in his hand," v. 1, c. 83, Wright's ed.-"Sir Gareth and Sir Dinadan every each smote downe a good Knight," v. 2, c. 153..-"At the fifth day they departed, and every each held as fell them by adventure," v. 3, c. 44. "And then they were wedded together with great joy, and King Arthur gave unto every each of them a barony of lands," v. 3, c. 141. So everichon, everichone, or By wommen that were neyghebores aboute; This yonge man was cleped Piramus, 720 725 730 Be sleight, and spoken somme of hir desire, As wrie the glede and hotter is the fire; 735 Forbeede a love, and it is ten times so woode. This wal, which that bitwixe hem bothe stoode, 740 Was cloven atwoo, right fro the toppe adoune, everichoon, is a contraction of every eche on, or oon, one. i. e., every each "I would with pride have overcome you everyechone."—La Mort d'Arthure, v. 3, c. 120. 725. Naso, i. e., Publius Ovidius Naso. 726. yshove, past part. of shove, pushed (into notice). 727. woxe, past tense pl. of wexe, grew;—wax, past tense sing. of wexe. 730. nolde, contraction of ne wolde, would not. 731. brente, past tense of brenne, burned. 732. lette, hinder, prevent. 735. As wrie the glede and hotter is the fire: As cover the firebrand, etc. 736. woode, mad, furious; see note on woode, v. 624. Ye founden first this litel narwe clifte, And with a soune as softe as any shryfte, 745 They leete hir wordes thurgh the clifte pace, And tolden, while that they stoden in the place, Al hir compleynt of love, and al hire woo. At every tyme whan they durste soo, Upon the o syde of the walle stood he, 750 And thus hire wardeyns wolde they disceyve, And every day this walle they wolde threete, And wisshe to God that it were doune ybete. 755 Thus wolde they seyn:-' Allas, thou wikked walle! Thurgh thyne envye thow us lettest alle! Why nyltow cleve, or fallen al atwo? Or at the leest, but thow wouldest so, 760 765 Yet oghte we with thee ben wel apayde.' 745. a soune as softe as any shryfte, i. e., as Bell explains, "A voice as low as that with which one utters his confession." 753. wardeyns, guardians. 754. threete, threaten. 755. ybete, past part. of bete, beaten. 757. lettest, hinderest. 758. nyltow, wilt not thou. 760. woldestow, wouldst thou. 762. covered, for recovered. 763. yit be we to the holde, yet are we to thee beholden, or indebted. 766. apayde, satisfied. The colde walle they wolden kyssen of stoon, Or wonder erly, lest men it espyede. And longe tyme they wroghte in this manere, Til on a day, whanne Phebus gan to clere, 770 775 780 And, for the feeldes ben so broode and wide, They sette markes; hire metynge sholde bee Ther kyng Nynus was graven, under a tree; 785 And shortly of this tale for to telle, This covenaunt was affermed wonder faste, 790 And longe hem thoghte that the sonne laste, That it nere gone under the see adoune. 770. Alle this was gladly in the evetyde: Bell explains, "All this was done by preference at eventide."-" Gladly may mean commonly."-Tyrwhitt's Glossary. 776. clyfte, cleft. 778. faye, faith. 779. ilke same, self-same. 780. everychone, everyone; see note on everyche, v. 719. 785. ther, where ;-graven, buried. 786. payens, pagans;-heriede, past tense of herie, worshipped. 787. thoo, then. 791. hem thoghte, it seemed to them. 792. nere, contraction of ne were, were not. |