Opening the text

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury TalesChaucer, Geoffrey

General

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Name: Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey

Chaucer, Geoffrey

English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500

After the deeth of Tholomee the king,                                 580
  That al Egipte hadde in his governing,
  Regned his quene Cleopataras;
  Til on a tyme befel ther swiche a cas,
  That out of Rome was sent a senatour,
  For to conqueren regnes and honour                                    585
  Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce,
  To have the world unto her obeisaunce;
  And, sooth to seye, Antonius was his name.
  So fil hit, as Fortune him oghte a shame                             (10)
  Whan he was fallen in prosperitee,                                    590
  Rebel unto the toun of Rome is he.
  And over al this, the suster of Cesar,
  He lafte hir falsly, er that she was war,
  And wolde algates han another wyf;
  For whiche he took with Rome and Cesar stryf.                         595
    Natheles, for-sooth, this ilke senatour
  Was a ful worthy gentil werreyour,
  And of his deeth hit was ful greet damage.
  But love had broght this man in swiche a rage,                       (20)
  And him so narwe bounden in his las,                                  600
  Al for the love of Cleopataras,
  That al the world he sette at no value.
  Him thoughte, nas to him no thing so due
  As Cleopatras for to love and serve;
  Him roghte nat in armes for to sterve                                 605
  In the defence of hir, and of hir right.
    This noble quene eek lovede so this knight,
  Through his desert, and for his chivalrye;
  As certeinly, but-if that bokes lye,                                 (30)
  He was, of persone and of gentilesse,                                 610
  And of discrecioun and hardinesse,
  Worthy to any wight that liven may.
  And she was fair as is the rose in May.
  And, for to maken shortly is the beste,
  She wex his wyf, and hadde him as hir leste.                          615
    The wedding and the feste to devyse,
  To me, that have y-take swiche empryse
  Of so many a storie for to make,
  Hit were to long, lest that I sholde slake                           (40)
  Of thing that bereth more effect and charge;                          620
  For men may overlade a ship or barge;
  And forthy to theffect than wol I skippe,
  And al the remenant, I wol lete hit slippe.
    Octovian, that wood was of this dede,
  Shoop him an ost on Antony to lede                                    625
  Al-outerly for his destruccioun,
  With stoute Romains, cruel as leoun;
  To ship they wente, and thus I let hem saile.
    Antonius was war, and wol nat faile                                (50)
  To meten with thise Romains, if he may;                               630
  Took eek his reed, and bothe, upon a day,
  His wyf and he, and al his ost, forth wente
  To shippe anoon, no lenger they ne stente;
  And in the see hit happed hem to mete--
  Up goth the trompe--and for to shoute and shete,                      635
  And peynen hem to sette on with the sonne.
  With grisly soun out goth the grete gonne,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury TalesChaucer, Geoffrey

General

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer, Geoffrey

English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500

After the deeth of Tholomee the king,                                 580
  That al Egipte hadde in his governing,
  Regned his quene Cleopataras;
  Til on a tyme befel ther swiche a cas,
  That out of Rome was sent a senatour,
  For to conqueren regnes and honour                                    585
  Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce,
  To have the world unto her obeisaunce;
  And, sooth to seye, Antonius was his name.
  So fil hit, as Fortune him oghte a shame                             (10)
  Whan he was fallen in prosperitee,                                    590
  Rebel unto the toun of Rome is he.
  And over al this, the suster of Cesar,
  He lafte hir falsly, er that she was war,
  And wolde algates han another wyf;
  For whiche he took with Rome and Cesar stryf.                         595
    Natheles, for-sooth, this ilke senatour
  Was a ful worthy gentil werreyour,
  And of his deeth hit was ful greet damage.
  But love had broght this man in swiche a rage,                       (20)
  And him so narwe bounden in his las,                                  600
  Al for the love of Cleopataras,
  That al the world he sette at no value.
  Him thoughte, nas to him no thing so due
  As Cleopatras for to love and serve;
  Him roghte nat in armes for to sterve                                 605
  In the defence of hir, and of hir right.
    This noble quene eek lovede so this knight,
  Through his desert, and for his chivalrye;
  As certeinly, but-if that bokes lye,                                 (30)
  He was, of persone and of gentilesse,                                 610
  And of discrecioun and hardinesse,
  Worthy to any wight that liven may.
  And she was fair as is the rose in May.
  And, for to maken shortly is the beste,
  She wex his wyf, and hadde him as hir leste.                          615
    The wedding and the feste to devyse,
  To me, that have y-take swiche empryse
  Of so many a storie for to make,
  Hit were to long, lest that I sholde slake                           (40)
  Of thing that bereth more effect and charge;                          620
  For men may overlade a ship or barge;
  And forthy to theffect than wol I skippe,
  And al the remenant, I wol lete hit slippe.
    Octovian, that wood was of this dede,
  Shoop him an ost on Antony to lede                                    625
  Al-outerly for his destruccioun,
  With stoute Romains, cruel as leoun;
  To ship they wente, and thus I let hem saile.
    Antonius was war, and wol nat faile                                (50)
  To meten with thise Romains, if he may;                               630
  Took eek his reed, and bothe, upon a day,
  His wyf and he, and al his ost, forth wente
  To shippe anoon, no lenger they ne stente;
  And in the see hit happed hem to mete--
  Up goth the trompe--and for to shoute and shete,                      635
  And peynen hem to sette on with the sonne.
  With grisly soun out goth the grete gonne,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

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