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Empryntith wel this lessoun on your mynde, For comun profyt, sith it may avayle:

Ye archewyves, stondith at defens,

Syn ye ben strong, as is a greet camaille, Ne suffre not that men yow don offens. And selendre wives, fieble as in batayle, Beth egre as is a tyger yond in Inde;

Ay clappith as a mylle, I yow counsaile.

Ne dred hem not, do hem no reverence,

For though thin housbond armed be in mayle, The arwes of thy crabbid eloquence

Schal perse his brest, and eek his adventayle: 2 In gelousy I rede eek thou him bynde,

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And thou schalt make him couche as doth a quayle.

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JOHN GOWER.

From his Tomb in St. Saviour's, Southwark.

John Gower's "Confessio Amantis" is an English poem devised towards the close of the fourteenth century, like Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," for the introduction of a number of good stories told in verse. It is so planned that the stories are grouped with a moral purpose into sections contrived each as a lesson, enforced by various examples, against one of the seven deadly sins. There is an eighth section that warns kings of their duty. In the poem next to be read, John Gower tells a story levelled against one of the five ministers of Pride, Presumption. He had found the tale in older collections. It was first told in the Spiritual Romance of " Barlaam and Josaphat,” written in Greek by a Greek monk, Joannes Damascenus, about the year 800, and translated into Latin before the thirteenth century. Vincent of Beauvais, who wrote a Historical Mirror, "Speculum Historiale,” about the year 1290, included in it this with the rest of the history of Barlaam and Josaphat. The tale had been repeated also in the "Gesta Romanorum," a mediæval collection of stories made for use in the teaching of the people. Thus it was told us by John Gower :

GOWER SHOOTING AT THE WORLD. From Cotton MS.-Tiberius A. IV., page 8.

THE TRUMP OF DEATH.

I find upon surquederie 13
How that whilom of Hungarie,
By oldé dayés, was a king

Wise and honest in all thing.

13 Surquederie, presumption; from Old French "surcniderie" and 'surquiderie "-there was also the form "outrecuidance "-from an old verb "cuider," to think, and "sur" or "outre," beyond. Chaucer

And so befel upon a day,

And that was in the month of May,
As thilké time it was usánce,
This king with noble purveyance
Hath for himself his chare1 arrayed
Wherein he woldé ride amayed 2
Out of the city for to pleie
With lordés and with great nobleie
Of lusty folk that were young,
Where some played and somé sung,
And somé gon and somé ride,
And some prick their horse aside

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And bridle them3 now in now out.

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And how the grené leavés sprung,
And how that love among the young
Began the heartés then awake,
And every bird hath chose his make.14
And thus the Mayés day to th' end
They lead and home again they wend.
The king was not so sooné come
That when he had his chamber nome'
His brother ne was ready there,
And brought a tale unto his ear
Of that he diddé such a shame
In hindring of his owné name.
When he himselfé woldé dreche 16
That to so vile a pouer wretch
Him deigneth shewé such simplesse
Against the state of his noblesse.
And saith, he shall it no more use,
And that he mot 17 himself excuse
Toward his lordés every one.
The king stood still as any stone
And to his tale an ear he laid,
And thoughté moré than he said.
But nathéles to that he heard
Well courteously the king answérd,
And told it shouldé ben amended.

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Towards his king that was not heil,20
Whereof to be the better lered 21
He thinketh to make him afeared.

It fell so that in thilke dawe 22

There was ordained by the law

A trumpé with a sterné breath,

says, in his "Parson's Tale," "Presumption is when a man undertaketh an emprise that him ought not to do, or elles that he may not do; and this is called surquidrie." 1 Chare, chariot.

2 Amayed, attended by his mates or companions. There is another word "amayed" or "amated," from another root, meaning dismayed. * Bridlen hem, the same form in other passages. From the old form "hem" we get the contraction 'em for "them."

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17 Mot, must or ought. First English unchanged: "ic mot, thu most, he mot, we móton;" past "ic moste." 18 Tho, then.

19 Through, by sounding of r, becomes a dissyllable, "thorough." 20 Heil (First English "hál"), whole, sound.

21 Lered, taught.

22 Dawe (First English "dæg"), day.

How that the jugément is give

Of death, which shall not be forgive.
The king, when it was night anon,
This man assent1 and bade him gon
To trumpen at his brother's gate.
And he, which mot so don algate,2
Goth forth and doth the kingé's hest.3
This lord, which heard of this tempést
That he to-fore his gaté blew,
Then wist het by the law and knew

That he was sickerliché dede,5
And as of help he wist no rede
Bade sendé for his friendés alle
And told them how it is befalle.
And they him aské causé why,
But he the soothe not forthy 7
Ne wist, and there was sorrow tho.
For it stood thilké timé so

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To tender with the kinges herte,
His gracé shulden go to seche 12
And pardon of the death beseche.
Thus passen they that woful night,
And early when they saw it light
They gon them forth, in such a wise
As thou to-fore hast heard devise,
All naked but their shirtés on,
They wept and madé mochel mone,
Their hair hangénd about their ears.
With sobbing and with sorry tears
This lord goth then an humble pas
That whilom proud and noble was;
Whereof the city sore a-flight 13

Of them that sawen thilké sight;

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"That they must fligger, scoff, deride, and jeer,
Appoint their servants certain hours to appear."
("History of Albino and Bellama," 1638.)

First English "flítan," to dispute, blame.

And all at onés down they fall,

If any pity may be found.

The king which seeth them go to ground
Hath asked them, what is the fear?

Why they be so despoiled there?
His brother said, "Ah, lord, mercy!
I wot none other causé why,
But only that this night full late
The Trump of Death was at my gate
In token that I shuldé deie;
Thus we be comé for to preie

That ye may worldés death respite."

"Ha, fool, how thou art for to wite," 19
The king unto his brother saith,
"That thou art of so little faith
That only for a trumpés soun 20
Hath gone despoiléd through the town,
Thou and thy wife, in such manere
Forth with thy children that ben here,
In sight of allé men about,

For that thou say'st thou art in doubt
Of death, which stand'th under the law
Of man,
and man it may withdraw,

So that it may perchancé fail.
Now shalt thou not forthy 21 merveile,
That I down from my chare alight,
When I beheld to-fore my sight,
In them that were of so great age,

Mine owné death through their imáge,
Which God hath set by law of kind

Whereof I may no boté 22 find.
For well I wot, such as they be,

Right such am I in my degree,
Of flesh and blood and so shall deie.23
And thus though I that law obeic
Of which that kingés ben put under,
It ought ben well the lassé 24 wonder
Than thou, which art, withouté nede,
For law of land in such a drede,
Which for t' account is but a jape 25
As thing which thou might overscape.
Therefore,26 my brother, after this
I rede, that sithen 27 so it is

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LONDON LICKPENNY.

To London once my steps I bent,
Where truth in nowise should be faint;
To Westminster-ward I forthwith went,
To a Man of Law to make complaint,
I said " For Mary's love, that holy saint,
Pity the poor that would proceed!"
But for lack of Money I could not speed.
And as I thrust the press among,

By froward chance my hood was gone,
Yet for all that I stayéd not long

Till to the King's Bench I was come.
Before the Judge I kneel'd anon,

And pray'd him for God's sake to take heed.
But for lack of Money I might not speed.

Beneath them sat clerks a great rout,

Which fast did write by one assent,
There stood up one and criéd about
"Richard, Robert, and John of Kent!"
I wist not well what this man meant,
He cried so thickly there indeed.
But he that lacked Money might not speed.

Unto the Common Pleas I yode1 tho,
Where sat one with a silken hood; 2

I did him reverence, for I ought to do so,

And told my case as well as I coud,

How my goods were defrauded me by falsehood.

I got not a mum of his mouth for my meed,

And for lack of Money I might not speed.

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JOHN LYDGATE.

From Harleian MS.-1766, page 5.

the village of Lydgate, a few miles from Newmarket, was an ordained priest of the monastery of Bury St. Edmund's, where he taught rhetoric in the monastery school, and lived in repute over all the country as poet himself and teacher of the art of versifying to others. He wrote many legends of saints; he versified the tales of Troy and Thebes, and also the Falls of Princes, from a French metrical version of a Latin prose book by Boccaccio. His religious feeling will be illustrated in another volume. Here let us show that he could be lively when he pleased. describing a poor Kentish countryman who has come in search of justice to London, the licker up of pence, once had the widest popularity, and is even at this day well known to many readers.

His poem

Within this Hall, neither rich nor yet poor Would do for me aught although I should die. Which seeing, I got me out of the door

Where Flemings began on me for to cry, "Master, what will you copen1 or buy? Finé felt hats, or spectacles to read?

Lay down your silver, and here you may speed."

1 Yode, went. First English "gán," to go; present, "ic ga," I go; past, "ic eode," I went. The initial g has disappeared after becoming soft before the vowel sounds. The y in yode represents it. The past form now used with the verb "to go" is from another verb "to wend."

2 Silken hood, badge of a serjeant-at-law. 3 Ray, a rayed or striped cloth.

⚫ Copen (Dutch "koopen"), buy. So in Dekker's "Shoemaker's Holiday," the skipper whose wonderful ship is bought to make Simon Eyre's fortune, recommends it as "good copen," well worth buying.

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Then I conveyed me into Kent;

For of the law would I meddle no more,

"Strawberry ripe!" and "Cherries in the rise!"2 60
One bade me come near and buy some spice,
Pepper and saffroné they gan me bede,3
But for lack of Money I might not speed.

Then to the Cheap I began me drawn,

Wheré much people I saw for to stand;
One offered me velvuet, silk, and lawn,
Another he taketh me by the hand,
"Here is Paris thread, the fin'st in the land!"

Becausé no man to me took intent,

I dight me to do as I did before.

110

Now Jesus, that in Bethlehem was bore,
Save London, and send true lawyers their meed!
For whoso wants Money with them shall not speed.

Geoffrey Chaucer, in his comic epilogue to the tale of "Griselda," counselled women not to imitate that heroine, "lest Chichevache you take." Among Lydgate's shorter poems is one written to accompany the public illustration of the popular myth, French in its origin, of Chichevache and Bicorn. French chiche (from the Latin ciccus, worthless) means niggardly, stingy; and vache is a cow. Chichevache means, therefore, the cow that has niggardly fare. Her husband, Bicornis the Two-horned, explains himselfas, indeed, Chichevache will also speak for herself-in the poem following.

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HEAD OF LYDGATE.

From Harleian MS.-4826, between pages 1 and 2.

BICORN AND CHICHEVCHE.

First there shall stand an image in Poet-wise, saying these

verses:

O prudent folkés, taketh heed,
And remembreth in your lives
How this story doth proceed

Of the husbands and their wives,

Of their accord and their strives,
With life or death which to darrain
Is granted to these beastés twain.

6 Darrain, decide. From Latin "do," and "rationes," pleadings. The three words of the Roman Prætor in execution of his office were "do," "dico," "addico;" "do" in granting that a cause be brought for judgment; "dico" in pronouncing judgment; and "addico in adjudging to either disputant the matter in debate. To "arraign" was to call ad rationes to the pleadings; to "darraign" was to proceed to settling of the question. So Chaucer writes ("Knight's Tale," 772-4)

"Two harneis hath he dight,

Both sufficient and meté to darrain
The battail in the field betwixt hem twain;"

and Spenser ("Faerie Queene," I. iv. 40)

"Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily Redoubted battail ready to darrain."

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