Of well feyng first in our language,

Cheefe registrer in this pilgrimage,

All that was told for yeting nought at all,
Feined tales nor thing hiftoriall,

With many proverbs divers and uncouthe,
By reherfaile of his fugred mouthe,
Of eche thyng kepyng in fubitaunce
The fentence hole withoutin variaunce,
Voidyng the chaffe, fothely for to feine,
Enlumining the true piked greine
By craftie writyng of his fawes fwete
Fro the tyme that they did mcte.

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20

23

The fame author, in the prologue to his tranflation of Boccace

of The Fall of Princes.

My maifter Chaucer, with his fresh comedies,

Is dede, alas! chiefe poete of Bretayne,
That whilom made ful piteous tragedies,

The fall of princes he did alfo complayne,
As he that was of makyng foverayne,
Whom all this londe fchulde of ryght preferre,
Sith of our langage he was the lode-fterre.

And femblably, as I have told toforne,

My maister Chaucer did his befineffe,
And in his dayes hath fo well him borne
Out of our tong t'avoyden all rudeneffe,
And to reforme it with colors of fweteneffe,
Wherfore let us yeve him laude and glorye,
And put his name with poetes in memorye.

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14

Of whose labour to make mencioun, Wherethurgh of right he fhulde commcndid be, In youthe he made a tranflacioun

Of a boke which called is Trophe

In Lumbard tong, as men may rede and fe,
And in our vulgare, long or that he deyde,
Gave it the name of Troylus and Creffeyde.
Which for to rede lovers them delite,
They have therin fo grete devocioun ;-
And this poete also himfelfe to quite,
Of Boecius boke The Confolacioun
Made in his tyme an hole tranflacioun;
And to his fonne that called was Lowis

21

He made a Tretife, ful noble and of great prife, 28
Upon th' Aftrolabour, in full noble forme
Set them in ordre with ther divifions,
Mennys wittes t'applien and conforme,
To understond by full expert refons,
By domifieng of fundrie manfions,
The rote out fought at the afcendent,
Toforne or he gafe any jugement.

He wrote alfo ful many a day agone
Dante in English, himself fo doth expreffe,
The piteous ftory of Ceix and Alcion,

And the Dethe eke of Blaunche the Ducheffe ;
And notably did his besineffe,

By grete avyfe his wittes to difpofe

To tranflate The Romans of the Rofe.

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42

Thus in vertue he fet all his entent,
Ydelnes and vices for to fle;

Of Fowles alle he wrote The Parliament,
Therin remembring of royall egles thre,
Howe in their choyfe they felte adverfite,
Tofore Nature profered the batayle
Eche for his partie, if it would avayle.

He did alfo his diligence and payne
In our vulgare to tranflate and endite
Origene upon the Maudelayne;
And of the Lyon a boke he did write;
Of Annelida and of falfe Arcite ...
He made a Complaynt doleful and piteous;
And of the Broche which that Vulcanus

At Thebes wrought full divers of nature;
Ovide writeth who therof had a fight,
For high defyre he shuld not endure,
But he it had never be glade ne light,
And if he had it onys in his might,

Like as my maifter faith and writeth in dede,
It to conferve he fhuld aye live in drede.

This poete wrote, at the request of the quene,
A Legende of perfite holyneffe,

Of Good Women to fynd out nynetene
That did excell in bounte and fayrenes,
But for his labour and befineffe
Was importable his wittes to encombre
In all this world to fynd fo grete a nombre.

He made the boke of Caunterbury Tales,
Whan the Pylgryms rode on pylgrymage
Throughout Kent, by hylles and by dales,
And all the flories told in their paffage,
Endited them full well in our langage,
Some of knighthade, fome of gentilneffe,
And fome of love, and fome of perfitenes,
And fome alfo of grete moralite,

Some of difporte, including grete sentence:
In profe he wrote The Tale of Melibe
And of his wife, that called was Prudence;
And of Grifildes perfite pacience;

And how the Monke of stories new and olde
Pitous tragedies by the weye tolde.

This fayed poete, my maister, in his dayes
Made and compiled ful many a fresh dite,
Complaintes, ballades, roundeles, virelaies,
Ful delectable to heren and to fe,

For which men fhulde of right and equite,
Sith he of English in making was the best,
Pray unto God to yeve his foule good reft.

The fame author, ibid. l. 1, c. 6.

BUT if ye lift have clere infpectioun

Of this story upon every

fide

Reade The Legende of Cupide,

Which that Chaucer in order as they ftode
Compyled of Women that were called Gode.

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84

5

Touchyng the flory of Kyng Pandion,
And of his godely fayre doughters twayne,
How Theraus, falfe of condicion,
Them to deceive did his befy payne;
They bothe named of beauty foverayne,
Godely Progne and yonge Philomene,
Bothe innocentis of intent full clene..
Their pitous fate in open to expreffe
It were to me but a prefumption,
Syth that Chaucer did his befineffe
In his Legende as made is mencion,
Their martyrdome and their paffion
For to reherfe them did his befy payne,
As chiefe poete called of Brytayne.

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Of Good Women a boke he did write, The number uncomplete fully of nynetene, And there the flory plainely he did endite Of Thereus, Progne, and Philomene, Where ye may fe their legende; thus I mene Do them worfhyp, and forth their life do fhewe For a clere myrror, because there be but fewe. 26

The fame, on the praife of the Virgin Mary, printed by Wyllyam Caxton, cap. xxxiii. A commendacion of Chau

ceres.

AND eke my master Chauceris now is grave,
The noble rethor poete of Brytayne,

That worthy was the lawrer to have