Ryght' thus me mette / as I yow telle
That in the castell / ther was a belle
As hyt hadde smyte / oures twelve
Therewyth I/a-wooke my selve
And fonde me lyinge / in my bedde
And the booke / that I hadde redde
Of Alchione / and Seys the kynge
And of the goddys / of slepynge
I fond hyt/in myñ honde ful evene
Thoght I thys ys / so queynt a sweuene
That I wol / be processe of tyme
Foñde to put this / sweuene in ryme

1324

[leaf 147, back?

1328

1332

As I kan best / and that anoon

This was my sweuene / now hit ys doon

Explicit the Boke of the Duchesse

II.

The Complente to Pite.

[How Pity is dead in a cruel Lobed-One's Heart.]

(This is Chaucer's 1st Poem, and should be studied first. Its subject is alluded to in the Dethe of Blaunche the Duchesse and the Parlament of Foules. See my Trial-Forewords.)

[Fairfax MS 16 (vellum, ?1440-50; Bodl. Libr.), leaf 187.]

[t' is for t with a curl over it; ñ is for n.]

Balade.

[complainte of the deathe of pitie (in Stowe's hand)]

P

(1) [The Proem.]

Ite that I haue sought / so yore agoo

With hert soore / and ful of besy peyne

That in this worlde / was neuer wight so woo
With-oute dethe/ and yf I shal not feyne

My purpose was / to pite / to compleyne
Vpon the crueltee / and tirannye

Of loue / that for my trouthe doth me dye

(2) [The Story.]

And when that I be lengthe/ of certeyne yeres
Had euere in oon / soughte a tyme to speke

4

7

To pitee rañ I / al bespreynte with teres

To prayen hir oñ cruelte / me awreke

11

But er I myght/ with any worde out breke

Or tellen any of my peynes smerte

I fonde hir dede / and buried in an herte

14

(3)

Adovne I fel / when I saugħ the herse

Dede as stone/while that the swogh me laste

vp

But I roose / with coloure ful dyuerse
And petously on hir / myñ eyeñ I caste
And ner the corps / I gañ preseñ faste
And for the soule / I shope me for to prey

18

THE COMPLEYNTE TO PITE.

FAIRFAX 16.

41

(4)

Thus am I slayne / sith that pite is dede
Allas that day that euer hyt shuld falle

What maner man) / dar now hold vp his hede
To whom shal now /eny sorwful herte calle
Now cruelte hath caste / to slee vs alle

In ydel hope / folke redelesse of peyne

Syth she is dede / to whom shul we compleyne

(5)

But yet encreseth me / this wonder newe

That no wight woot / that she is dede but I
So mony men / as in her tyme hir knewe
And yet dyed not / sodeynly

For I haue sought hir euer / ful besely
Sith I hadde firste / witte or mynde
But she was dede /er I koude hir fynde

(6)

Aboute hir herse / there stoden lustely
Withoute any woo / as thoughte me
Bounte parfyt/ wel armed and richely
And fresshe beaute / lust and iolyte
Assured maner / youthe and honeste
Wisdome estaat / drede and gouernaunce
Confedred both by bonde / and Alliaunce

(7)

A compleynt had I writeñ / in myñ honde

To haue put to pittee / as a bille
But when I al this companye / ther fonde
That rather wolde / al my cause spille
Then do me helpe / I helde my pleynt stille
For to that folke / with-oute any fayle
Withoute pitee/ther may no bille a-vaile

42

THE COMPLEYNTE TO PITE. FAIRFAX 16.

(8)

Then leve we al vertues / saue oonly pite
Kepynge the corps / as ye haue herde me seyn
Cofedered by bonde / and by cruelte
And ben assented/ when I shal be sleyn
And I haue put my complaynt / vp ageyñ
For to my ffoes / my bille I dar not shewe
Theffect of which / seith thus in wordes fewe

(9) [The Bill of Complaint.] (Tern I. 1)
Humblest of herte / highest of reuerence
Benygne flour/ corovne of vertues alle
Sheweth vn-to youre rialle / excellence
Youre servaunt / yf I durst me / so calle
Hys mortal harme / in which he is falle
And noght' al oonly / for his euel fare
But for your renouñ / as he shal declare

(10) (I. 2)

Hit stondeth thus / that your contrary crueltee
Allyed is/ayenst your regalye

353

56

60

63

Vnder colour / of womanly beaute

For men shulde not / knowe hir tirannye

67

With bounte gentilesse / and curtesye

And hath depryved yow / of your place

That is hygħ beaute / apertenent to your grace

(11) (I. 3)

For kyndely / by youre herytage ryght'
Ye be annexed euer / vnto bounte
And verrely ye oughte/ do youre myght'
To helpe trouthe/ in his aduersyte
Ye be also the corowne / of beaute

And certes yf ye want / in these tweyñ

70

[leaf 188]

74