THE HUNT.

'A Goddes half in tyme,' quod i,
go we faste', and gan to ryde.
Whan we cam to the forest-syde
every man dide ryght anoon
as to huntyng fil to doon;
the mayster-hunte angon fot-hot
with a gręt hörn blew thrē một

at the uncouplyng of hys houndys.
Withynne a while the hert [y]founde ys,
ihalowed, and rechased faste

longe tyme; and at the laste
this hert rū'sed, and staal awey
from alle the houndes a privẽ wey:
the houndes had overshote hym alle
and were on a defaute yfalle.
Thęrwyth the hunte wonder faste
blēw a forloyne at the laste.
I was go walked frọ mỹ tree,
and as i wente ther cam bỹ mē

a whelp that fauned me as i stood,
that folwed hadde, and koude no good.
Hyt com and tō mē crepte as lowe
ryght as hyt hadde mē ykno̟we;

held doun hys hęd, and joyned hys ęres,
and leyde al smōthe doun hys heres.
I wolde have kaught hyt, and anoon
hyt fledde, and was fro me goon;
and i hym folwed. And hyt forth wente
doun by a floury grēne bente

ful thikke of gras ful softe and swēte,

with flourys fele, faire under fet

100. hadde yfolwed.

and litel used, hyt sẽmed thus;
for both Flora and Zephirus
they twō that māke floures grōwe
had mad her dwellyng ther, i trōwe.
For hit was on [for] tō beholde,
as thogh the erthe envỹe wolde
to be gayer than the heven;
to have moọ floures suche seven
as in the welken sterres bee.
Hyt had forgęte the povertee

that wynter thurgh hys colde morwes
had made hyt suffre, and his sorwes-
al was forgęte; and that was sēne.
For al the wŏde was waxen grēne;
swetnesse of dew had mad hyt waxe.
Hyt ys no ned ęk for tō axe
wher there were many grene grêves,
al thikke of trees so fulle of leves;
and every tree stood by hymselve
fro ōther wel ten foot or twelve;

115

120

125

130

of faunes, sowres, bukkes, dogs was ful the wŏde, and many roos, and many sqwirē·les that sete ful high upon the trees, and ēte, 127. where.

128. or th.; of th. MSS.

140

and in her maner maden festes.
Shortly, hyt was so ful of bęstes,
that thogh Argus, the noble counter,
sēte tō rekene in hys counter,
and counten with his figūres ten-
for by thọ figures mowe alle ken,
yf they be crafty, rekene and noumbre,
and telle of every thing the noumbre-
yet sholde he fayle to rekene even
the wondres me mette in my swęven.

VI.

PARLAMENT OF BIRDS.

I.

The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne,
th' assay so sharp, so hard the conqueryng,
the dredful joye that slit alwey sọ yērne—
al this mene i bi Love, that my felyng
astonyeth with his wonderful werkyng,
so sore iwis that whan i on hym thynke,
nat wọt i wēl whether i flēte or synke.

2.

For al be that i knowe nat Love in dede,
ne wọt how that he quiteth folk here hyre,
yet happeth mē ful ofte in bōkes ręęde
of hise myrakles and his cruel ỹre:
ther rede i wel, he wol be lord and syre;

ī dār nat seyn― his strokes been so sore;
but God save swich a lord-i seye na moore.
3. alwey that slit.

147. and rekene.

145

150

5

10

3.

Of ūsāģe, what for lust and what for lore,
on bōkes rede i ofte, as i yow tolde.
But wherfore that i spęke al this nat yoore
agon: it happede me for tō beholde
upon a bōk was write with letteres olde,
and therupon a certeyn thing tō lerne
the longe day ful faste i redde and yērne.

4.

For out of olde fēldes, as men sey,
cometh al this nēwe cōrn frọ yêr tō yêre,
and out of olde bōkes in good fey
cometh al this newe science that men lere.
But now to purpos as of this matere,
to rede forth so gan mē tō delīte
that al that day me thoghte but a lỹte.

5.

This bōk of which i make mencioun entytlt was al thus as i shal telle,

Tullyus, of the drem of Cipioun;

chapiteres sevene it hadde of heven and helle,
and erthe, and soules that thęrinne dwelle,
of which as shortly as i can it tręte,

15

20

25

30

of his sentence i wol yow seyn the gręęte:

35

6.

Fyrst telleth it, whan Cipioun was come
in Affrik, how he meteth Massynisse,
that hym for joie in armes hath inŏme;
thanne telleth he here speche, and of the blysse
that was betwix hem til that day gan mysse,
and how his auncestre Affrycan so deere
gan in his slēp that nyght tō hym apēre.

40

7.

Thanne telleth it that from a sterry place
how Affrycan hath hym Cartage schewed;
and warnede hym byforn of al his grace;
and seyde what man, lẽrned other lęwed,
that lovede comoun profyt, wēl ithewed,
he sholde into a blysful place wende,
there as joye is that last withouten ende.

8.

Thanne axede he if folk that now been dede
han lyf and dwellyng in anōther plāce?
and Affrican seyde 'yę, withouten drede,'
and that oure present worldes lyves space
nys but a maner dęth what weye wē trace,
and rightful folk shul gon after they dye
tō heven; and schęwede hym the galaxie.

9.

Thanne shewede he hym the litle erthe that here is
at regard of the hevenes quantitē ;

and after shewede he hym the nỹne spēres;
and after that the melodye herde hē,
that cometh of thilke spēres thrỹes thrē,
that welles been of musik and melodye
in this world here, and cause of armonỹe.

IO.

Than bad he hym, syn erthe was so lỹte,
and full of turment and of harde grace,
that he ne scholde hym in this world delyte.
Thanne tolde he hym, in certeyn yeres space
that every sterre sholde come into his place,
ther it was fyrst, and al scholde out of mynde
that in this world is dōn of al mankynde.