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

And thilke covenant, whyl me lasteth breeth,
  I wol fulfille, and that shal wel be sene;
  Was never unto hir love a trewer quene.'                              695
  And with that word, naked, with ful good herte,
  Among the serpents in the pit she sterte,
  And ther she chees to han hir buryinge.
  Anoon the neddres gonne hir for to stinge,                          (120)
  And she hir deeth receyveth, with good chere,                         700
  For love of Antony, that was hir so dere:--
  And this is storial sooth, hit is no fable.
    Now, er I finde a man thus trewe and stable,
  And wol for love his deeth so freely take,
  I pray god lat our hedes never ake!                                   705

EXPLICIT LEGENDA CLEOPATRIE, MARTIRIS.

N.B.--_Readings not marked with any letter are from_ F. (Fairfax MS.)

580. deth. 582. queene. 583. swich. 586. tovne. 587. worlde. C. vn-to; T.
vnder; _rest_ at. 589. oght. 591. tovne. 594. wold. 595. which. 597.
full_e_. 598. F. (_only_) this; _rest_ his. gret. 599. swich. 600. laas.
601. F. Alle; C. Tn. Al. 602. worlde; noo. 603. C. there nas to hym no
thyng so dewe; _rest_ there was no thing to him so due (_all too long_).
604. F. Tn. B. Cleopataras; _rest_ Cleopatras. 607. ek. C. lovede; F.
loved. 608. Thurgh; decert. 609. bookes. 611. _All but_ T. A. Add. _insert_
of _after_ and; _I omit it_. 612. C. lyuyn; F. leven. 613. faire. 614. F.
(_only_) _om._ for. 615. MSS. wax, wox; _read_ wex. 616. C. Tn. feste; F.
fest. 617. swich. 619. T. A. P. Add. long; _rest_ longe. C. T. A. lest; F.
lyst. 621. shippe. 622. A. Add. theffect; C. thefeect (_sic_); F. effect.
623. remenaunt. 624. woode. 625. oost. 627. Romaynes crewel. T. leou_n_; F.
lyou_n_. 628. shippe. 630. Romaynes. 631. eke; rede; booth. 632. oost
forthe went (C. wentyn). 633. stent; C. stente. 635. gooth. 637. sovne;
gooth. 638. C. Tn. heterly; A. hatirly; F. hertely. hurtelen; attones. 639.
dovne. 640. gooth. 641. C. Among; F. Amonge. 642. preseth. 643. By-hynde;
maste begyneth. 646. sayle. 647. F. A. Add. him; _rest_ hem. 648. slidre.
649. to-gedre. 651. C. Tn. laste; F. last. 652. flyght. 653. folke to-goo;
goo myght. 654. ek; queene; sayle. 655. went; thik; hayle. 656. myght. 657.
C. saw; F. saugh. 658. borne. 659. worshippe; lorne. 660. dispeyre. 661.
thurgh-. 662. went. 665. herkeneth. T. speke; _rest_ speken. 666. C. Tn.
oth; F. oothe. 667. C. Tn. wroth; F. wroothe. 668. which. 669. C. Tn.
Cleopatre; F. Cleopatrie. made. 671. C. morwe; F. morowe. 672. werknen (!).
673. Tn. rubies; F. rubees. 675. C. Tn. putte; F. put. 676. Tn. leet; C. F.
let. C. cors; F. corps (_and in l._ 677). 678. C. pet; Tn. pyt; F. pitte.
dooth. 679. C. alle; F. al. C. myghte; F. myght. 680. C. Tn. putte; F. put.
sayde. 682. ferforthely. 683. ben. 687. woo. 688. couenaunt; thoo. 689. T.
A. Th. wele; C. F. Tn. wel. 690. C. power; F. powere. 692. life; deethe.
693. couenaunt while. 694. seene. 696. C. word; F. worde. 700. C.
receyuyth; F. receveth. 704. F.

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

And thilke covenant, whyl me lasteth breeth,
  I wol fulfille, and that shal wel be sene;
  Was never unto hir love a trewer quene.'                              695
  And with that word, naked, with ful good herte,
  Among the serpents in the pit she sterte,
  And ther she chees to han hir buryinge.
  Anoon the neddres gonne hir for to stinge,                          (120)
  And she hir deeth receyveth, with good chere,                         700
  For love of Antony, that was hir so dere:--
  And this is storial sooth, hit is no fable.
    Now, er I finde a man thus trewe and stable,
  And wol for love his deeth so freely take,
  I pray god lat our hedes never ake!                                   705

EXPLICIT LEGENDA CLEOPATRIE, MARTIRIS.

N.B.--_Readings not marked with any letter are from_ F. (Fairfax MS.)

580. deth. 582. queene. 583. swich. 586. tovne. 587. worlde. C. vn-to; T.
vnder; _rest_ at. 589. oght. 591. tovne. 594. wold. 595. which. 597.
full_e_. 598. F. (_only_) this; _rest_ his. gret. 599. swich. 600. laas.
601. F. Alle; C. Tn. Al. 602. worlde; noo. 603. C. there nas to hym no
thyng so dewe; _rest_ there was no thing to him so due (_all too long_).
604. F. Tn. B. Cleopataras; _rest_ Cleopatras. 607. ek. C. lovede; F.
loved. 608. Thurgh; decert. 609. bookes. 611. _All but_ T. A. Add. _insert_
of _after_ and; _I omit it_. 612. C. lyuyn; F. leven. 613. faire. 614. F.
(_only_) _om._ for. 615. MSS. wax, wox; _read_ wex. 616. C. Tn. feste; F.
fest. 617. swich. 619. T. A. P. Add. long; _rest_ longe. C. T. A. lest; F.
lyst. 621. shippe. 622. A. Add. theffect; C. thefeect (_sic_); F. effect.
623. remenaunt. 624. woode. 625. oost. 627. Romaynes crewel. T. leou_n_; F.
lyou_n_. 628. shippe. 630. Romaynes. 631. eke; rede; booth. 632. oost
forthe went (C. wentyn). 633. stent; C. stente. 635. gooth. 637. sovne;
gooth. 638. C. Tn. heterly; A. hatirly; F. hertely. hurtelen; attones. 639.
dovne. 640. gooth. 641. C. Among; F. Amonge. 642. preseth. 643. By-hynde;
maste begyneth. 646. sayle. 647. F. A. Add. him; _rest_ hem. 648. slidre.
649. to-gedre. 651. C. Tn. laste; F. last. 652. flyght. 653. folke to-goo;
goo myght. 654. ek; queene; sayle. 655. went; thik; hayle. 656. myght. 657.
C. saw; F. saugh. 658. borne. 659. worshippe; lorne. 660. dispeyre. 661.
thurgh-. 662. went. 665. herkeneth. T. speke; _rest_ speken. 666. C. Tn.
oth; F. oothe. 667. C. Tn. wroth; F. wroothe. 668. which. 669. C. Tn.
Cleopatre; F. Cleopatrie. made. 671. C. morwe; F. morowe. 672. werknen (!).
673. Tn. rubies; F. rubees. 675. C. Tn. putte; F. put. 676. Tn. leet; C. F.
let. C. cors; F. corps (_and in l._ 677). 678. C. pet; Tn. pyt; F. pitte.
dooth. 679. C. alle; F. al. C. myghte; F. myght. 680. C. Tn. putte; F. put.
sayde. 682. ferforthely. 683. ben. 687. woo. 688. couenaunt; thoo. 689. T.
A. Th. wele; C. F. Tn. wel. 690. C. power; F. powere. 692. life; deethe.
693. couenaunt while. 694. seene. 696. C. word; F. worde. 700. C.
receyuyth; F. receveth. 704. F.

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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