quotes lines from his own translation[259]. The relationship between the MSS. and Thynne's edition has been investigated by Koch, in _Anglia_, vol. iv. Anzeiger, p. 95, and by Max Lange, in his excellent dissertation entitled _Untersuchungen über Chaucer's Boke of the Duchesse_, Halle, 1883. They both agree in representing the scheme of relationship so as to give the following result: { [beta] ---- Thynne. [alpha] ---- { { [gamma] ---- { Tanner MS. { { { Fairfax MS. { [delta] ---- { { Bodley MS. Here [alpha] represents a lost original MS., and [beta] and [gamma] are lost MSS. derived from it. Thynne follows [beta]; whilst [gamma] is followed by the Tanner MS. and a lost MS. [delta]. The Fairfax and Bodley MSS., which are much alike, are copies of [delta]. The MS. [gamma] had lost a leaf, containing ll. 31-96; hence the same omission occurs in the three MSS. derived from it. However, a much later hand has filled in the gap in MS. F, though it remains blank in the other two MSS. On the whole, the authorities for this poem are almost unusually poor; I have, in general, followed MS. F, but have carefully amended it where the other copies seemed to give a better result. Lange gives a useful set of 'Konjecturen,' many of which I have adopted. I have also adopted, thankfully, some suggestions made by Koch and Ten Brink; others I decline, with thanks. This poem is written in the common metre of four accents, which was already in use before Chaucer's time, as in the poem of Havelok the Dane, Robert of Brunne's Handling Synne, Hampole's Pricke of Conscience, &c. Chaucer only used it once afterwards, viz. in his House of Fame. It is the metre employed also in his translation (as far as we have it) of the French _Roman de la Rose_. § 21. IV. THE COMPLEYNT OF MARS.