man shall se buried, shalbe kinge of syx kyngdomes, and Emperour of Rome."

Owen longheith sayth that "A lyon shalbe generated out of the sea by the full strengthe & natur of A dunne cowe, and that lyone shalbe gouerned by an Aungell, which Aungell shaft blede to death. And in the liijth yere thys lyon shalbe gonne. but verye few shall fynd him, & he shalbe awaie xvj monthes; and after xvj monthes hee shall come agayne, and execute iustice in his fathers house; & that which is darke shall he make lyght, & shall make free waye to the holye Crosse."

David Trevar sayth that the same lyone shal neuere be defyled, & that this is the lxxxxj of the house of Tuheodre that shall geue Armes, & Edward is his name & he shalb[e] crownid Twyse in Englond & once at Rome.

Merleon le Paule sayth "he shalbe the stronge buH that shall enter in the yerly wynter, & he shal destroye the hedd of the world; & by this tokene shatt you knowe him, ffor he shall neuere be borne of A woman. his name shalbe Edward of the house of Tuheodore, & he shalbe bakynge xviij score dayes, lx dayes, & xl dayes, & thene shall he entyer in-to Britaine with thre grevous bestes, A redd lyon, A redd dragone, & A white graye-hownd; & then shall the land of the mone reioyce."

Iohn Aprobardwyn sayth "the sonne of man is caled A commone proverbe maledene steremone for the generation of the Theodorse, otherwise caled tewthers, came out of Englond; and yt is profisied1 of him that he should kyll his mother, & yet shall have hir blesinge, & the blesinge of god and the britanes. & he shall make glade the people that shalbe out-castes in those dayes, & he shall labour to se the sedde of the egle; but he shall neuer fynd him, nor neuer anye after him,

1 MS. propised

[leaf 24]

& shall make A swifte requiring for the shepherdes that he lefte be-hind him. then shall euerye man to his owne livinge agayn, & stablish a lawe in Britaine. ther is no more to speake of him that is caled Edward in the liiijth yeare; but in the lyth yere he shall go forth conquere ; & or he shall ceasse, he shall plant a trve religion in syx kyngdons, & shaH make A vniuersal pease thoroughout all the worlde."

to

ffinis ffinis.

[leaf 24, back, blank.]

[leaf 25]

[A PROPHECY OF

A MOLE, A DRAGON, A LION, AND A WOLF.]

(Ashmole MS 378, leaf 25.)

After this lambe shal come a mold warpe, Cursed of goddes mouth, a caytife, A cowarde, an heare; he shall haue an elderly skyne as a gote /& vengeaunce shall falle vpon him for sinne. ¶ In the first yere of his regne he shall have, of all good, grett plentie in his lond, & toward him also / & in his londe he shall have great praysinge / till the tyme that he shall suffere his people liue in to moche pryde with-out chastisinge, wherfor god wilbe wrothe¶Thenne shall aryse vp a dragon of the north that shalbe full ferse & shal move warre agaynst the forsayd moule warpe / & shall yeue him battell vpon a stone. Thys dragon shall gader ayene into his company a wolfe, that shall come out of the west to move warre againste the forsayd mold warpe in his side / so shall the dragone, & bynd their tayles to-gyders ¶ Then shall come A lyon out of Irelond / that shall fall in company with them; And thene shall tremble the londe that shalbe calede IMS. their the

Englond, as an aspen lefe & in that time shall Casteles be felled downe vpon Tamyse. & yt shall seme that Seuerne shalbe drye / for the bodyes that shall [be] deed ther-in, The fower chefe floudes in England shall run in blode, & great dread shalbe, & anguish, that

shall Arisee.1 * After the mold warpe shall flee, & [* leaf 25, back] the dragon; The lyone, & the wolfe, shall them driue Awaye, & the l[y]one shalbe without them, & the mold warp shall haue no maner of power, save only a shippe wherto he maye winder, & after that he shall goo to lond where the see is withdrawne; & after that, he shall geue the third part of his londe, for to haue the fourth part in pease & in rest; & after he shall liue in sorowe al his lyftime; & in his tyme the hott bathes shalbe could, & after that the mold warpe dye, Auenturously & sodenly. Alase for sorow! for he shalbe drowned in A flode of the sea. his sed shalbe-come fatherles in strang lond for euer-more; & then shalle2 the lond be departed into iij partes, that is to saye, to the wolfe, to the dragon, & to the lyon; & so shal it be for ever-mor. & then shall this lond be called the lond of conqueste, & so shall the ryght heyers of Englond Ende.

[leaf 46]

122

APPENDIX VI.

THOMAS CHAUCER'S COMPLAINT ON PARTING
FROM HIS WIFE, WHEN HE WENT ON

EMBASSY TO FRANCE.

WRITTEN BY LYDGATE.

[Ashmole MS. 59, copied by Shirley, leaf 45, back.]

Here folowpe nexst a compleynte made by Lydegate for pe departing of Thomas Chaucier in-to fraunce by hes seruauntz vpoñ þe kynges ambassate.

Whe[n] pat his wille / bope thought and mynde /

Beo fully sette / on every syde:

12

And where so þat I. goo or ryde.

I ne cane be gladde / in no manere,
As god and fortune list provyde,

But whane I see / my ladye dere.

16

1 Heading to this page, ¶ þabsence of Thom[a]s Chaucier

by Lidegate.

Save whane I. see my lady dere /

¶ Eke phebus. in oure emyspere /
Affter pe derknes of þe night,
At his vprist, yolowe as golde clere,
Eorly on morowe / of kyndely rigħt,
2 Whane clowdes blake / haue no might
To chace aweye / pe clowdes clere /
Right so frome sorowe I. stonde vpright,
Whane pat I. see / my ladye dere /

The fooles pat flyen, in þe ayre,
And fressly singe / and mirthes make
In May þe sesoun. is so fayre,
With al right hem aught awake,
Reioyepe eche one / with his make /
With þeire hevenly notes clere /
Right so al sorowe / in me dope slake,
Whane pat I see. my 3 ladye dere/

1 MS. every.

2 MS. has heading to this page, ¶ Balade by Lidegate.

3 MS. my my.

24

28

32

36

[leaf 46, back]

40

44

48