11

Shal never be hole, til that you list of grace?
To stroken him with the platte in thilkes place
Ther4 he is hurt; this is as much to sain,
Ye motenó with the platté swerde again
Stroken him in the wound, and it wol close.
This is the veray soth, withouten glose ;7
It faileth not, while it is in your hold.”

And whan this knight hath thus his talé told,
He rideth out of halle, and down he light:
His stedé, which that shone as sonné bright,
Stant in the court as stille as any ston.
This knight is to his chambre ladde8 anon,
And is unarmed, and to the mete ysette.
Thise presents ben ful richélicho yfette,
This is to sain, the swerd and the mirroùr,
And borne anon into the highé tour
With certain officers ordained therfore;
And unto Canace the ring is bore
Solempnély, ther she sat at the table;
But, sikerley, withouten any fable,
The hors of bras, that may not be remued ; 12
It stant, as it were to the ground yglued :
Ther may no man out of the place it drive
For non engine, of windlas, or polive ; 13
And causé why, for they con 14 not the craft,
And therfore in the place they han it laft,
Til that the knight hath taught hem the manère
To voiden ' him, as ye shul after here.

Gret was the prees 16 that swarméd to and fro,
To gauren? on this hors that stondeth so;
For it so high was, and so brod and long,
So wel proportionéd for to be strong,
Right as it were a stede of Lumbardie ;
Therwith 18 so horsly,19 and so quik of eye,

(1) That you list of grace-that you please, as an act of favour. (2) Plattethe flat part.

(3) Thilke—the same. (4) Ther--where. (5) Ye moten you must. (6) Soth-sooth, truth. (7) Glose-deceit. (8) Ladde led. (9) Unarmed—we should now write “disarmed.” (10) Richelichrichly, with much ceremony. (11) Yfette-fetched. (12) Remued--from the French remuer, to stir-removed. (13) Polive-pulley. (14) Con-know. (15) Voiden-remove. (16) Prees--press. (17) Gauren-gaze.

(18) Ther. with-with that, at the same time. (19) Horsly—here applied to a horse, as manly is to a man.

2

As it a gentle Poileis courser' were;
For certes, fro his tayle unto his ere,
Nature ne art ne coud him not amend
In no degree, as all the peple wend.3

But evermore hir mosté wonder was,
How that it coudé gon, and was of bras;
It was of faerie, as the peple semed.
Diversé folk diversély han demed;
As many heds, as many wittés ben.
They murmuréd, as doth a swarme of been,
And maden skillés after hir fantasies,
Rehersing of the oldé poetries,
And sayd it was ylike the Pegasee,
The hors that haddé wingés for to flee;
Or, elles, it was the Grekés 6 hors Sinon,
That broughté Troyé to destruction
As men moun? in thise oldé gestéss rede.
“ Min herte," quodo on,

is evermore in drede ;
I trowe 10 some men of armés ben therin,
That shapen hem" this citee for to win:
It were right good that al swiche thing were know.”
Another rowned 12 to his felaw low,
And sayd, “He lieth, for it is rather like
An apparence ymade by some magike,
As jogelours 13 plaién at thise festés grete.”

Now after mete there goth this noble king
To seen this hors of bras, with all a route 14
Of lordés and of ladies him aboute.
Swiche wondring was ther on this hors of bras,
That sin the gret assege of Troyé was,

315 men wondred on an hors also,
Ne was ther swiche a wondring as was tho.16
But, finally, the king askèth the knight

:

Ther as

(1) Poileis courser-a horse of Apulia, in Italy, which in old French was called Poille. The horses of that country were much esteemed. (2) Certes-certainly, surely. (3) Wend-weened, thought. (4) Been-bees. (5) Maden skilles -made or gave reasons. (6) The Grekes, &c.-Sinon the Greek's horse. (7) Moun-for mowen, may. (8) Gestes—from the Latin gestum, an achieve. ment-adventures. (9) Quod-quoth. (10) Trowe-believe. (11) Shapen hem--prepare themselves, make ready. (12) Rowned-whispered. (13) Jogelours-jugglers (see note 7, p. 20). (14) Route--company (sce note 1, p. 132). (15) Ther as-whereas on which occasion. (16) Tho-then.

The vertue of this courser, and the might,
And praiéd him to tell his governaunce.

This hors, anon, gan for to trip and daunce,
Whan that the knight laid hond upon his rein;
And saidé, “Sire! ther n' is no more to sain,
But whan you list to riden any where,
Ye moten trilla a pin, stants in his ere,
Which I shal tellen you betwixt us two;
Ye moten nempne* him to what place also,
Or to what contree, that you list to ride.
And when ye come ther as you listó abide,
Bid him descend, and trill another pin,
(For therin lieth the effect of all the gin,9).
Ànd he wol doun descend and don your will,
And in that place he wol abiden stiil:
Though al the world had the contràry swore,
He shall not thennes be drawé ne be bore.?
Or if you list to biď him thennés gon,
Trillé this pin, and he wol vanish anon
Out of the sight of every maner wight,
And come agen, be it by day or night,
Whan that you list to clepen him again,
In swiche a guise as I shal to you sain
Betwixen

you
and
me,

and that ful sone.
Ride whan you list, ther n' is no more to done."

Enfourméd whan the king was of the knight,
And hath conceived in his wit aright
The maner and the forme of all this thing,
Ful glad and blith, this noble doughty king
Repaireth to his revel, as beforne.
The bridel is in to the tour yborne,
And kept among his jewels Iefe and dere ;
The hors vanisht, I not 10 in what manere,
Out of hir sight; ye get no more of me:
But thus I lete, 11 in lust 12 and jolitee,

(1) His governaunce—the mode of governing him. (2) Trill--twirl, turn round. This word is akin to drill, thrill, (wirl, tirl (see an article on the meaning and origin of the verb to tirl, by Sir G. C. Lewis, in the “ Classical Museum," vol. i. pp. 113–124). (3) Stant- i.e. which stands. (4) Moten nempnemust name. (5) Ther as you list, &c.-Where you wish to stop. (6) Gin -engine. (7) Bore-borne. (8) Clepen-call. (9) Lefe-pleasing, beloved. (10) N'ot-know not. (11) Lete-let, leave. (12) Lust-connected with list and lest-pleasure.

This Cambuscán his lordés festeying,
Til that wel nigh the day began to spring.'

6

GOOD COUNSAIL OF CHAUCER.?
Fly fro the prease, and dwell with sothfastnesse,*
Suffise unto thy good though it be small

,
For horde hath hate, and climbing tikelnesse,
Prease hath envy, and wele? is blent over all,
Savours no more than thee behové shall,
Redeo well thy selfe that other folk canst rede,
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.10
Peine thee not ech crooked to redresse,
In trust of her that tourneth 11 as a ball;
Great rest standèth in little businesse,
Beware! also to spurne againe a nall,13,
Strive not as doth a crocké 14 with a wall,

a

(1) Thus concludes what is called the first part of the story. The second describes the rising of Canace at daybreak, to try the effect of her ring. The sunrise is thus simply and freshly painted ;

“ The vapour, which that fro the erthé glode (glided),

Maketh the sonne to semé rody and brode;
But nathéles it was so faire a sight,
That it made all hir hertes for to light (lighten)
What for the seson, and the morwening (morning)
And for the foulés that she herdé sing:
For right anon she wisté what they ment,

Right by hir song, and knew al hir entent.” Her attention is soon attracted to a falcon, whose pitiful lamentation extends over nearly two hundred lines, and is for the most part very prolix and wearisome. Shortly after the piece abruptly closes, being evidently left-if we judge by the plan which the author lays down--even less than “half told." Spenser, in the "Faerie Queene” (book iv. cantos 2 and 3), afterwards attempted to supply the deficiency.

(2) This is said to have been Chaucer's last composition, and written upon his death-bed, “when he was in great anguish." (8) Prease--press, crowd. (4) Sothfastnesse--truth. (5) Suffise unto, &c.-Be satisfied with thy wealth. (6) Tikelnesse-uncertainty. (7) Wele is, &c.-Wealth or riches are blind (blent) or deceitful above all things. (8) Savour_taste, affect. (9) Rede-counsel, (10) It is no drede-there is no fear or doubt. (11) Her that tourneth, &c.--Fortune. (12) Beware—-take care not, like the French gardez-vous de.

(13) Nall -nail. (14) Crocke-earthen pitcher.

2

Demél thy selfe that demest others dede,2
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.
That thee is sent receive in buxomnesse, 3
The wrastling of this world asketh a fall,
Here is no home, here is but wildernesse,
Forth, pilgrime! forth, beast, out of thy stall !
Looke up on high, and thanké God of all!
Weive thy lusts, and let thy ghost thee lede,
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.

5

SPENSER.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS OF HIS LIFE.—Edmund Spenser—"The Prince of Poets in his time,"b_was, like Chaucer, a native of London. He was born in East Smithfield, in 1553. He was educated at Cambridge, and early in life became the friend of the accomplished Sir Philip Sidney, and a dependent on the powerful Earl of Leicester, Sidney's uncle. By this nobleman he was, in 1580, sent to Ireland, as secretary to Lord Grey of Wilton, who had been appointed the Lord Deputy of that country. For his services in this capacity, he subsequently obtained of the crown the grant of an estate in Cork, named Kilcolman, with a castle of the same name. During his residence here, his great poem, "The Faerie Queene,” was probably begun, and here he was visited by Sir Walter Raleigh, who, after Sir Philip Sidney’s death, had become Spenser's principal friend and patron, and who is said to have introduced him to Queen Elizabeth. His success as a courtier was doubtful, if we may believe his own experience, thus recorded :

“Full little knowest thou, that hast not tride,

What hell it is, in suing long to bide :
To loose good dayes that might be better spent,
To wast long nights in pensive discontent;
To speed to-day, to be put back to-morrow;
To feed on hope, to pine with feare and sorrow;
To have thy princes grace, yet want her peeres;
To have thy asking, yet waite manie yeeres ;

(1) Deme-judge. (2) Others dede-others' deed, that which is done by others. (3) Buxomnesse-obedience (see note 2, p. 125). (4) Weive-waive, forsake. (5) Ghost-spirit.

(6) So styled in the inscription on his tomb.