Home to my countree dar I not for drede;

I kan my selfe in this case not rede.'

What shulde I telle more hire compleynynge?

Hyt ys so longe hyt were an hevy thynge.
In hire epistel Naso telleth alle,

But shortly to the ende tel I shalle.
The goddys have hire holpen for pitee,
And in the sygne of Taurus men may see
The stones of hire corowne shyne clere;
I wol no more speke of thys matere.
But thus these false loveres kan begyle

2215

2220

Hire trewe love; the devel quyte hym hys while! 2225

EXPLICIT LEGENDA ADRIANE DE ATHENES.

2215. rede, advise, counsel.

2216. what, why.

2218. In hire epistel Naso telleth alle: See Ovid's Heroides, Ep. x. In Ariadne's address to her bed, Chaucer has followed his original very closely :

"Incumbo, lachrymisque toro manante profusis,
'Pressimus,' exclamo, 'te duo: redde duos.

Venimus huc ambo; cur non discedimus ambo?

Perfide, pars nostri, lectule, major ubi est ?'"'-v. 55-58.

2225. quyte hym hys while, requite him his time, pains, labour,

etc.

"Satan, that ever us wayteth to begile,

Sawe of Constaunce al hir perfeccioun,

And cast anoon how he might quyt hir while."-C. T. 5004.

TH

INCIPIT LEGENDA PHILOMENE.

HOW yiver of the formes, that haste wroghte
The fayre worlde, and bare hit in thy thoghte
Eternally or thow thy werke began,

Why madest thow unto the sklaunder of man,-
Or al be that hyt was not thy doynge,
As for that fyne to make suche a thynge,-
Why suffrest thou that Tereus was bore,
That ys in love so fals and so forswore,

2230

Incipit Legenda Philomene: Here beginneth the legend of Philomela. See Ovid's Metam. vi. 412-676.

2226-2228. Thow yiver of the formes, etc. In these verses the Platonic doctrine of forms or ideas is expressed.

"Plato agreed with the rest of the ancient philosophers in thisthat all things consist of matter and form; and that matter of which all things were made, existed from eternity, without form; but he likewise believed that there are eternal forms of all possible things which exist, without matter; and to those eternal and immaterial forms he gave the name of ideas.

"In the Platonic sense, then, ideas were the patterns according to which the Deity fashioned the phenomenal or ectypal world.”— Sir William Hamilton.

"What time this worlds great Workmaister did cast

To make al things such as we now behold,

It seems that he before his eyes had plast
A goodly paterne, to whose perfect mould
He fashiond them as comely as he could,
That now so faire and seemely they appeare

As nought may be amended any wheare."

Spenser's Hymne in Honour of Beautie, st. 5. For whatever knowledge Chaucer may have had of the philosophy of Plato, he was probably indebted to the Italian poets, with whom, especially Petrarch, Plato was a great favourite.

That fro thys worlde up to the firste hevene
Corrumpeth, whanne that folke hys name nevene? 2235
And as to me, so grisly was hys dede,

That whanne that I this foule story rede,
Myn eyen wexen foule and sore also ;
Yet laste the venyme of so longe ago,
That enfecteth hym that wolde beholde
The story of Tereus, of which I tolde.

2240

Of Trace was he lorde, and kynne to Marte,

The cruelle god that stante with blody darte,
And wedded had he, with blisful chere,

King Pandyones faire doghter dere,

2245

That hyghte Proygne, floure of hire countree;

Though Juno liste not at the feste bee,

Ne Ymenens, that god of weddyng is.

But at the feste redy ben, ywys,

The furies thre, with al hire mortal bronde.
The owle al nyghte about the balkes wonde,
That prophete ys of woo and of myschaunce.
This revel, ful of songe, and ful of daunce,
Laste a fourtenyghte or lyttel lasse.

2250

But shortly of this story for to passe,

2255

(For I am wery of hym for to telle)

Fyve yere hys wyf and he togeder dwelle;

Til on a day she gan so sore longe

To seen hire suster, that she sawgh not longe,

2235. corrumpeth, corrupteth; nevene, name, or mention. 2236. grisly, what causes one to agrise, or shudder; horrible. 2242. Marte, Mars; the ablative form of the word, as Jove is of Jupiter.

2243. stante, pres. tense, 3d sing. of stande, or stonde, standeth. 2246. hyghte, was called.

2247. liste not at the feste bee, did not please to be at the feast. 2249. ywis, indeed.

2250. bronde, torch.

2251. balkes, the beams, or rafters ;-wonde, dwelt, remained. 2259. that she sawgh not longe, whom she had not seen for a long time.

That for desire she nyste what to seye,

But to hire housbonde gan she for to preye
For Goddys love, that she moste ones goon
Hire suster for to seen, and come anoon.
Or elles but she moste to hire wende,

She preyde hym that he wolde after hire sende.
And thys was day be day al hire prayere,
With al humblesse of wyfhode, worde and chere.
This Tereus let make hys shippes yare,
And into Grece hymselfe ys forthe yfare,
Unto hys fader in lawe, and gan hym preye,
To vouche sauf that for a moneth or tweye,
That Philomene, his wyfes suster, myghte
On Progne hys wyf but ones have a syghte;
'And she shal come to yow agayne anoon,
My selfe with hire, I wil bothe come and goon,
And as myn hertes lyf I wol hire kepe.'

2260

2265

2270

2275

Thys olde Pandeon, thys kynge, gan wepe

For tendernesse of herte for to leve

Hys doghtre goon, and for to yive hire leve;

Of al thys worlde he loved nothinge soo;

2280

But at the laste leve hath she to go.
For Philomene with salte teres eke
Gan of hire fader grace to beseke,

To seen hire sustre that hire longeth soo,
And hym embraceth with hire armes twoo.
And ther alle so yonge and faire was she,
That whanne that Tereus sawgh hire beaute,

2285

2260. nyste, ne wyste, knew not.

2262. moste ones, might once.

2264. but, equivalent here to if not; or elles but she moste, or else if she might not.

2268. let make hys shippes yare, caused his ships to be made ready.

2269. yfare, past part. of fare, gone.

2279. yive, give.

2284. longeth, longs for, desires.

And of array that ther nas noon hire lyche,
And yet of bounte was she to so ryche,

He caste hys firy herte upon hire soo,

2290

That he wol have hire how soo that hyt goo,

And with hys wiles kneled and so preyde,

Til at the laste Pandeon thus seyde:

'Now sone,' quod he, 'that arte to me so dere,

I the betake my yonge doghtre dere,

2295

That bereth the key of al myn hertes lyf.
And grete wel my doghter and thy wyf,
And yeve hire leve sommetyme for to pleye,
That she may seen me oones or I deye.'
And sothely he hath made him ryche feste,

2300

And to hys folke, the moste and eke the leste,

That with him come and yaf him yeftes grete,

And him conveyeth thurgh the maister strete

Of Athenes, and to the see him broghte,

And turneth home; no malyce he ne thoghte.

2305

The ores pulleth forthe the vessel faste,
And into Trace arryveth at the laste;
And up into a forest he hire ledde,
And into a cave ful prively hym spedde,
And in this derke cave, yif hire leste,
Or leste noghte, he bad hire for to reste;

2310

Of which hire herte agrose, and seyde thus:'Where ys my suster, brother Tereus?'

2288. ther nas noon hire lyche, there was none like her; hire is

dative, to her.

2289. bounte, goodness; Fr. bonté.

2298. yeve, give.

2299. or, ere.

2301. moste, greatest.

2302. yaf, gave ;-yeftes, gifts.

2303. maister strete, main, or principal street.

2310. yif hire leste, or leste noghte, if it pleased her, or pleased

her not.

2311. to reste, to remain.

2312. agrose, past tense of agrise, shuddered.