That stant ful low upon his boures wall:
To Alifon wol I now tellen all

My love longing; for yet I fhal not misse
That at the lefte way I fhal hire kiffe.
Some maner comfort fhal I have parfay,
My mouth hath itched al this longe day;
That is a figne of kiffing at the lefte:
All night me mette eke I was at a fefte:
Therfore, I wol go flepe an houre or twey,

3680

3685

And all the night than wol I wake and pley.

Whan that the firfte cock hath crowe anon Up rift this joly lover Abfolon,

And him arayeth gay, at point devise;

But first he cheweth grein and licorife,

3690

To smellen fote or he had spoke with here.

Under his tonge a trewe love he bere,

For therby wend he to ben gracious.
He cometh to the carpenteres hous,

And still he ftant under the fhot window;

3695

Unto his breft it raught, it was so low;

And soft he cougheth with a femifoun.

What do ye, honycombe, fwete Alifoun,

My faire bird, my fwete finamome!

Awaketh, lemman min, and fpeketh to me. 3700 Ful litel thinken ye upon my wo,

That for your love I fwete ther as I go.

v. 3692. a trewe love] What kind of thing this was to be borne under the tongue I do not underftand.

No wonder is though that I fwelte and fwete,
I mourne as doth a lamb after the tete.
Ywis, lemman, I have fwiche love longing
That like a turtel trewe is my mourning.
I may not ete no more than a maid.

Go fro the window, jacke fool, flie faid:
As helpe me God it wol not be, compame.
I love another, or elles I were to blame,
Wel bet than thee by Jefu, Abfolon.
Go forth thy way, or I wol cast a ston;
And let me flepe; a twenty divel way.
Alas! (quod Absolon) and wala wa!
That trewe love was ever fo yvel befette :
Than kiffe me, fin that it may be no bette,

For Jefus love, and for the love of me.

3705

3710

3715

Wilt thou than go thy way therwith? quod fhe. Ya certes, lemman, quod this Abfolon.

Than make thee redy, (quod fhe) I come anon. 3720 This Abfolon doun fet him on his knees,

And faide, I am a lord at all degrees:

V. 3703. Ifwelte and fwete] Swelt in, Sax. fignifies to die.. Chaucer ufes fwelte to fignify the effect of a great oppreffion of fpirits. See ver. 1358, 9650, R. R. 2430. Hience our word fultry (feltry) to exprefs a fuffocating heat.

3709. it wol not be, compame] So mit. C. 1. It is put (for the fake of the rhyme) instead of the Fr. compaine, comp izan. We use friend in the fame fente. In mf. C. it is written com‐ paine; in fome of the beft mff. com bame. The editions read— As helpe me God and fweet Saint Jame.

For after this I hope ther cometh more;
Lemman, thy grace, and, fwete bird! thyn ore.

The window fhe undoth, and that in hafte. 3725 Have don, (quod fhe) come of, and spede thee faste, Left that our neighboures thee cfpie.

This Abfolon gan wipe his mouth ful drie.
Derke was the night as pitch or as the cole,
And at the window fhe put out hire hole,
And Abfolon him felle ne bet ne wers,
But with his mouth he kifl hire naked ers
Ful favorly, er he was ware of this.

Abak he flerte, and thought it was amis,
For we! he wift a woman hath no berd.
He felt a thing all rowe, and long yherd,
And faide, Fy, alas! what have I do?

Te he, quod fhe, and clapt the window to;
And Abfolon goth forth a fory pas.

A berd, a berd! faid Hendy Nicholas; By Goddes corpus this goth faire and wel.

This fely Abfolon herd every del, And on his lippe he gan for anger bite, And to himself he faid I fhal thee quite.

3730

3735

3740

.3724. thyn ore] The editt. have made it thy nore. But ore is the right word; it fignifies grace, favour, protection. See R. G. p. 381, mylce and ore, mercy and grace-p. 475, In was one ich am ido, In whofe protection I am put. And Li beaus difconut, mf. Cotton, Cal. A. ii. fol. 49, b. ;

Syr Ly beaus thurftede fore,

And feyde, Maugys thrn ore

To drinke lette me go.

Where thyme ore must be understood to mean with thy favour, as in this paffage of Chaucer.

Who rubbeth now, who froteth now his lippes 3745
With duft, with fond, with straw, with cloth, with
But Abfolon? that faith full oft Alas!
[chippes,

My foule betake I unto Sathanas

But me were lever than all this toun (quod he)
Of this defpit awroken for to be.

3730

Alas! alas! that I ne had yblent.

His hote love is cold and all yqueint;

For fro that time that he had kist hire ers

Of paramours ne raught he not a kers,
For he was heled of his maladie;
Ful often paramours he gan defie,

And wepe as doth a child that is ybete.
A fofte
pas he went him over the ftrete

3755

Until a smith, men callen Dan Gerveis,
That in his forge fmithed plow-harneis;

5760

He sharpeth share and cultre befily.
This Abfolon knocketh all efily,

And faid, Undo, Gerveis, and that anon.
What, who art thou? It am I Abfolon.

What, Abfolon? what, Crifles fwete tre,
Why rise ye so rath? ey benedicite!

3765

What eileth you? fome gay girle, God it wote,
Hath brought you thus upon the viretote:

By
Seint Neote ye wote wel what I mene.
This Abfolon ne raughte not a bene

3770

.3768. the viretote] This is the reading of the best mff. The explanation of the word I leave to the reader's fagacity. Volume 11.

Of all his play; no word again he yaf:

He hadde more tawe on his distaf

Than Gerveis knew, and faide, Frend fo dere,
That hote culter in the cheminee here

As lene it me, I have therwith to don;
I wol it bring again to thee ful fone.

Gerveis anfwered, Certes were it gold,

Or in a poke nobles all untold,

'Thou fhuldeft it have, as I am trewe fmith.

3775

Ey, Criftes foot, what wol ye don therwith? 3780
Therof, quod Absolon, be as be may,

I fhal wel tellen thee another day;
And caught the culter by the colde ftele.
Ful foft out at the dore he gan to ftele,
And went unto the carpenteres wall;
He coughed firft, and knocked therwithall
Upon the window, right as he did er.

This Alifon anfwered, Who is ther
That knocketh fo? I warrant him a thefe.

3785

Nay, nay, (quod he) God wot, my fwete lefe,

I am thin Abfolon, thy dereling.

Of gold (quod he) I have thee brought a ring;

My mother yave it me,

fo God me fave,

Ful fine it is, and therto wel ygrave;

This wol I yeven thee if thou me kiffe.

3798

3795

This Nicholas was rifen for to piffe,

3772. more tarve on his difiaf] So in Froiffart, v. iv. p;

92, edit. 1574, "Il aura en bref temps autres eftoupes en f

*quenoille."