And thereupon to her he sought
In his fool-haste, and so besought
That she with him no reste had.
For ever upon her love he grad,
And she said ever unto him, " Nay."
So it befell upon a day,

Cupide, which hath every chance
Of love under his governance,
Saw Phœbus hasten him so sore;
And, for he should him hasten more,
And yet not speeden at the last,
A dart throughout his heart he cast
Which was of gold and all a-fire,
That made him many-fold desire
Of love more than he did.

To Daphne eke in that same stede
A dart of lead he cast and smote,
Which was all cold and nothing hot.
And thus Phoebus in love burneth
And in his haste aboute runneth
To look if that he mighte win;
But he was ever to begin.
For ever away fro' him she fled,
So that he never his love sped,
And, for to make him full believe
That no fool-haste might achieve
To getten love in such degree,
This Daphne into a laurel tree
Was turned; which is ever green,
In token, as yet it may be seen,
That she shall dwell a maiden still,
And Phœbus failen of his will.

Confessio Amantis, III.

RICHARD THE REDELESS

37

RICHARD THE REDELESS
(AUTHOR UNCERTAIN-1399)

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN 1398

AND whanne the tale was tolde anon to the ende,
A-morwe thei must, a-ffore mete, mete to-gedir,
The knygtis of the comunete, and carpe of the maters,
With citiseyns of shiris y-sent ffor the same,

To reherse the articlis and graunte all her askynge.
But yit ffor the manere, to make men blynde,
Somme argued agein rith then a good while,

And said, "We beth servauntis and sallere ffongen,
And y-sente ffro the shiris to shewe what hem greveth,
And to parle ffor her prophete, and passe no fferthere,
And to graunte of her gold to the grett wattis.
By no manere wronge way, but if werre were ;
And if we ben ffals to tho us here ffyndyth,
Evyll be we worthy to welden oure hire."
Than satte summe, as siphre doth in awgrym,
That noteth a place, and no thing availith;
And some had y-soupid with Symond overe even,
And schewed ffor the shire, and here schew lost;
And somme were tituleris, and to the kyng wente,
And fformed him of foos, that good ffrendis weren,
That bablid ffor the best and no blame served,
Of kynge ne conceill, ne of the comunes nother,
Ho so toke good kepe to the culorum;

And somme slombrid and slepte, and said but a lite;

And somme mafflid with the mouth, and nyst what they ment; And somme had hire, and helde ther-with evere,

a-inorwe on the morrow.

=
carpe discourse. her

their.

tith=right. sallere salary. ffongen receive. wattis persons. werre-war. ffyndyth=maintain. welden enjoy. siphre==cypher. awgrym arithmetic. tituleris holders of sinecures. end. mafflid stammered. nyst know not.

culorum=

And wolde no fforther a ffot, ffor ffer of her maistris ;
And some were so soleyne, and sad of her wittis,
That er they come to the clos a-combred they were,
That thei the conclucioun than constrewe ne couthe
No burne of the benche, of borowe nother ellis,
So blynde and so ballid and bare was the reson;
And somme were so ffers at the ffrist come,
That they bente on a bonet, and bare a topte saile
A-ffor the wynde ffresshely, to make a good ffare.

JOHN LYDGATE
(1370-1451)

DESCRIPTION OF A MEDIÆVAL SCHOOLBOY

VOID of reason; given to wilfulness;
Froward to virtue; of thrift gave little heed;
Loth to learne; loved no business

Save play or mirthe; strange to spell or read ;
Following all appetites 'longing to childhead;
Lightly turning; wild, and seldom sad;
Weeping for nought, and anon after glad.

For little wroth, to strive with my fellow
As my passions did my bridle lead;
Of the yarde sometime I stood in awe
To be scored; for that was all my dread.
Loth toward school, [I] lost my time indeed,
Like a young colt that ran withoute bridle;
Make my friendes their good to spend in idle.

I had in custom to come to school late,
Not for to learn but for a countenance,
With my fellows ready to debate,

To jangle and jape was set all my pleasaunce,
Whereof rebuked this was my chevisaunce
To forge a lesyng and thereupon to muse,
When I trespassed myselfe to excuse.

burne = baron. studding sail.

borowe borough.

=

SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE
To my betters I did no reverence;
Of my sovereigns gave no force at all;
Waxed obstinate by inobedience;
Ran into gardens, apples there I stall;
To gather fruites spared hedge nor wall;
To pluck grapes in other mennes vines
Was more ready than to say matines.

*

Loth to rise; lother to bed at eve;

With unwashed handes ready to dinnér ;
My Paternoster, my Creed, or my Believe,
Cast at the cook; lo! this was my manner;
Waved with each wind, as doth a reede-spear;
Snibbed of my friends such taches for to amend
Made deaf eare list not to them attend.

Testament.

39

SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE

(FOURTEENTH CENTURY)

(Translated by himself or by another hand)

THE LADY OF THE LAND

AND some men say that in the Isle of Lango is yet the daughter of Hippocrates, in form and likeness of a great dragon, that is a hundred fathom of length, as men say; for I have not seen her. And they of the Isles call her, Lady of the Land. And she lieth in an old castle, in a cave, and sheweth twice or thrice in the year. And she doth no harm to no man, but if men do her harm. And she was thus changed and transformed, from a fair damsel, into likeness of a dragon, by a goddess, that was cleped Diana. And men say, that she shall so endure in that form of a dragon, unto the time that a knight come, that is so hardy, that dare come to her and kiss her on the mouth: and

then shall she turn again to her own kind, and be a woman again. But after that she shall not live long. And it is not long since, that a knight of the Rhodes, that was hardy and doughty in arms, said that he would kiss her. And when he was upon his courser, and went to the castle, and entered into the cave, the dragon lift up her head against him. And when the knight saw her in that form so hideous and so horrible, he fled away. And the dragon bare the knight upon a rock, maugre his head; and from the rock she cast him into the sea and so was lost both horse and man. And also a young man, that wist not of the dragon, went out of a ship, and went through the Isle, till that he came to the castle, and came in to the cave, and went so long till that he found a chamber, and there he saw a damsel that combed her head, and looked in a mirror; and she had much treasure about her, and he trowed, that she had been a common woman, that dwelled there to receive men to folly. And he abode, till the damsel saw the shadow of him in the mirror. And she turned her toward him, and asked him, what he would. And he said, he would be her leman or paramour. And she asked him if that he were a knight. And he said, nay. And then she said that he might not be her leman: but she bade him go again unto his fellows, and make him knight, and come again upon the morrow, and she should come out of the cave before him, and then come and kiss her on the mouth, and have no dread; "for I shall do thee no manner of harm, albeit that thou see me in likeness of a dragon. For though thou see me hideous and horrible to look on, I do thee to witness, that it is made by enchantment. For without doubt, I am none other than thou seest now, a woman; and therefore dread thee nought. And if thou kiss me, thou shalt have all this treasure, and be my lord, and lord also of all that isle." And he departed from her and went to his fellows to ship, and let make him knight, and came again upon the morrow, for to kiss this damsel. And when he saw her come out of the cave, in form of a dragon, so hideous and so horrible, he had so great dread, that he fled again to the ship; and she followed him. And when she saw