POETICAL WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER. VOL. XIII. CONTAINING HIS MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, viz. BOKE OF FAME. IN THREE TOGETHER WITH TESTIMO BOKES, BALADES, WORDES TO A. SCRIVENERE, NIES OF LEARNED MEN CON- Fc. &c. c. But natheles certain I can right now no thrifty Tale fain, But CHAUCER, (though he can but lewedly 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 hath fayd hem in another.... Who fo that wol his large Volume feke. TALES, ver. 4465. On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be fil'd- Old CHAUCER, like the morning ftar, His light thofe mifts and clouds diffolv'd Darkness again the age invades. SPENSER, DENHAM. THE HOUSE OF FAME. IN THREE BOKES. In this book is fherved how the deeds of all men and women, be they good or bad, are carry'd by report to pofterity.. THE PROLOGUE. GOD tourne us everie dreme to gode, And why the' effecte foloweth of fome, Why this a dreme, why that a fweven, 5 10 To bufie my witte for to swinke 20 Or if folkis complexions Make 'hem dreme of reflexions; Or ellis thus, as othir faine, For the' grete febleneffe of ther braine, By abftinence or by fickneffe, By prifon, ftrief, or grete diftreffe; Or ellis by difordinaunce, That no man maie 'hem botè rede; Of fome and contemplacion Caufin to them foche dremis ofte; 25 30 35 40 But that our fleshe ne hath no might To understandin it aright, For it is warnid to derkely, 50 Tournin us every dreme to gode, For nevir fithin I was borne, The tenthe daie now of December, Upon a ftreme that cometh fro Lete, 60 65 70 That is a flode of hell unfwete, 75 |