Appendix

[Camb. Univ. MS. Ii. 3. 21, fol. 52 b.]

Chawcer vp-on this fyfte metur of the second book

A Blysful lyf a paysyble and a swete

Ledden the poeples in the former age

They helde hem paied of the fructes þat þey ete

Whiche þat the feldes yaue hem by vsage

They ne weere nat forpampred with owtrage

Onknowyn was þe quyerne and ek the melle

They eten mast hawes and swych pownage

And dronken water of the colde welle

¶ Yit nas the grownd nat wownded with þe plowh

But corn vp-sprong vnsowe of mannes hond

Þe which they gnodded and eete nat half .I.-nowh

No man yit knewe the forwes of his lond

No man the fyr owt of the flynt yit fonde

Vn-koruen and vn-grobbed lay the vyne

No man yit in the morter spices grond

To clarre ne to sawse of galentyne

¶ No Madyr welde or wod no litestere

Ne knewh / the fles was of is former hewe

No flessh ne wyste offence of egge or spere

No coyn ne knewh man which is fals or trewe

No ship yit karf the wawes grene and blewe

No Marchaunt yit ne fette owt-landissh ware

No batails trompes for the werres folk ne knewe

Ne towres heye and walles rownde or square

¶ What sholde it han avayled to werreye

Ther lay no profyt ther was no rychesse

But corsed was the tyme .I. dar) wel seye

Þat men fyrst dede hir swety bysynesse

To grobbe vp metal lurkynge in dirkenesse

And in þe Ryuerys fyrst gemmys sowhte

Allas than sprong+ vp al the cursydnesse

Of coueytyse þat fyrst owr sorwe browhte

¶ Thyse tyrauntȝ put hem gladly nat in pres

No places wyldnesse ne no busshes for to wynne

Ther pouerte is as seith diogenes

Ther as vitayle ek is so skars and thinne

Þat nat but mast or apples is ther Inne

But þer as bagges ben and fat vitaile

Ther wol they gon and spare for no synne

With al hir ost the Cyte forto a-sayle

¶ Yit was no paleis chaumbres ne non halles

In kaues and wodes softe and swete

Sleptin this blyssed folk+ with-owte walles

On gras or leues in parfyt Ioye reste and quiete

No down of fetheres ne no bleched shete

Was kyd to hem but in surte they slepte

Hir hertes weere al on with-owte galles

Euerych of hem his feith to oother kepte

¶ Vnforged was the hawberke and the plate

Þe lambyssh poeple voyded of alle vyse

Hadden no fantesye to debate

But eche of hem wolde oother wel cheryce

No pride non enuye non Auaryce

No lord no taylage by no tyranye

Vmblesse and pes good feith the emperice

¶ Yit was nat Iuppiter the lykerous

Þat fyrst was fadyr of delicasie

Come in this world ne nembroth desyrous

To regne had nat maad his towres hye

Allas allas now may [men] wepe And crye

For in owre dayes nis but couetyse

Dowblenesse and tresoun and enuye

Poyson and manslawhtre and mordre in sondry wyse

39, 40 MS. transposes the lines

44 On—MS. Or

56 A line omitted, but no gap left for one.

BALADES DE VILAGE SANZ PEINTURE.

Causer / Balades de vilage sanz peinture

¶ This wrecched worlde-is transmutacioun

As wele / or wo / now poeere and now honour

With-owten ordyr or wis descresyoun

Gouerned is by fortunes errour

But natheles the lakke of hyr fauowr)

Ne may nat don me syngen thowh I. deye

Iay tout perdu moun temps et moun labour

For fynaly fortune .I. the deffye

¶ Yit is me left the lyht of my resoun

To knowen frend fro foo in thi merowr)

So mochel hath yit thy whirlynge vp and down

I-tawht me for to knowe in an howr

But trewely no fors of thi reddowr)

To hym þat ouer hym self hath the maystrye

My suffysaunce shal be my socour)

For fynaly fortune I. thee deffye

¶ O socrates þou stidfast chaumpyoun

She neuer myht[e] be thi tormentowr

Thow neuer dreddest hyr oppressyoun

Ne in hyr chere fownde thow no sauour)

Thow knewe wel the deseyte of hyr colour)

And þat hir most[e] worshipe is to lye

I knew hir ek a fals dissimulour)

For fynaly fortune .I. the deffye

Le respounce de fortune a pleintif.

¶ No man ys wrechchyd but hym self yt wene

And he þat hath hym self hat suffisaunce

Whi seysthow thanne y am [to] the so kene

Þat hast thy self owt of my gouernaunce

Sey thus graunt mercy of thyn haboundaunce

That thow hast lent or this why wolt þou stryue

What woost thow yit how y the wol auaunce

And ek thow hast thy beste frende a-lyue

¶ I haue the tawht deuisyoun by-twene

Frend of effect+ and frende of cowntenaunce

The nedeth nat the galle of no hyene

Þat cureth eyen derkyd for penaunce

Now se[st] thow cleer þat weere in ignoraunce

Yit halt thin ancre and yit thow mayst aryue

Ther bownte berth the keye of my substaunce

And ek þou hast thy beste frende alyue

¶ How manye haue .I. refused to sustigne

Syn .I. the fostred haue in thy plesaunce

Wolthow thanne make a statute on þy quyene

Þat .I. shal ben ay at thy ordynaunce

Thow born art in my regne of varyaunce

Abowte the wheel with oother most thow dryue

My loore is bet than wikke is thi greuaunce

And ek þou hast thy beste frende a-lyue

37 se[st]—partly erased and ist written on it in a later hand.

41 igne of sustigne is in a later hand.

Le Respounce du pleintif countre fortune.

¶ Thy loore y dempne / it is aduersyte

My frend maysthow nat reuen blynde goddesse

Þat .I. thy frendes knowe .I. thanke to the

Tak hem agayn / lat hem go lye on presse

The negardye in kepynge hyr rychesse

Prenostik is thow wolt hir) towr) asayle

Wikke appetyt comth ay before sykenesse

In general this rewle may nat fayle

Le respounce de fortune countre le pleintif

¶ Thow pynchest at my mutabylyte

For .I. the lente a drope of my rychesse

And now me lykyth to with-drawe me

Whi sholdysthow my realte apresse

The see may ebbe and flowen moore or lesse

The welkne hath myht to shyne reyne or hayle

Ryht so mot .I. kythen my brutelnesse

In general this rewle may nat fayle

Le pleintif

¶ Lo excussyoun of the maieste

Þat al purueyeth of his ryhtwysnesse

That same thinge fortune clepyn ye

Ye blynde beestys ful of lewednesse

The heuene hath proprete of sykyrnesse

This world hath euer resteles trauayle

Thy laste day is ende of myn inter[e]sse

In general this rewele may nat fayle

Lenuoy de fortune

¶ Prynses .I. prey yow of yowre gentilesses

Lat nat this man on me thus crye and pleyne

And .I. shal quyte yow yowre bysynesse

At my requeste as thre of yow or tweyne

Þat but yow lest releue hym of hys peyne

Preyeth hys best frend of his noblesse

That to som betere estat he may attayne

The following section contains the text alone of Chaucer’s translation of De Consolatione Philosophiae, without the editor’s annotations. It is followed by the Glossarial Index.