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

Under the cope of heven that is above;                              (160)
  And he was wys, hardy, secree, and riche.--
  Of thise three pointes ther nas noon him liche;
  Of freedom passed he, and lustihede,                                 1530
  Alle tho that liven or ben dede;
  Ther-to so greet a gentil-man was he,
  And of Tessalie lykly king to be.
  Ther nas no lak, but that he was agast
  To love, and for to speke shamefast.                                 1535
  He hadde lever him-self to mordre, and dye
  Than that men shulde a lover him espye:--                           (170)
  'As wolde almighty god that I had yive
  My blood and flesh, so that I mighte live,
  With the nones that he hadde o-wher a wyf                            1540
  For his estat; for swich a lusty lyf
  She sholde lede with this lusty knight!'
    And al this was compassed on the night
  Betwixe him Iasoun and this Ercules.
  Of thise two heer was mad a shrewed lees                             1545
  To come to hous upon an innocent;
  For to be-dote this queen was hir assent.                           (180)
  And Iasoun is as coy as is a maide,
  He loketh pitously, but noght he saide,
  But frely yaf he to her conseileres                                  1550
  Yiftes grete, and to her officeres.
  As wolde god I leiser hadde, and tyme,
  By proces al his wowing for to ryme.
  But in this hous if any fals lover be,
  Right as him-self now doth, right so dide he,                        1555
  With feyning and with every sotil dede.
  Ye gete no more of me, but ye wil rede                              (190)
  Thoriginal, that telleth al the cas.
    The somme is this, that Iasoun wedded was
  Unto this quene, and took of her substaunce                          1560
  What-so him liste, unto his purveyaunce;
  And upon her begat he children two,
  And drow his sail, and saw her never-mo.
    A lettre sente she to him certein,
  Which were to long to wryten and to sein,                            1565
  And him repreveth of his grete untrouthe,
  And preyeth him on her to have som routhe.                          (200)
  And of his children two, she seide him this,
  That they be lyke, of alle thing, y-wis,
  To Iasoun, save they coude nat begyle;                               1570
  And preyed god, or hit were longe whyle,
  That she, that had his herte y-raft her fro,
  Moste finden him to her untrewe al-so,
  And that she moste bothe her children spille,
  And alle tho that suffreth him his wille.                            1575
  And trew to Iasoun was she al her lyf,
  And ever kepte her chast, as for his wyf;                           (210)
  Ne never had she Ioye at her herte,
  But dyed, for his love, of sorwes smerte.

      PART II. THE LEGEND OF MEDEA.

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

Under the cope of heven that is above;                              (160)
  And he was wys, hardy, secree, and riche.--
  Of thise three pointes ther nas noon him liche;
  Of freedom passed he, and lustihede,                                 1530
  Alle tho that liven or ben dede;
  Ther-to so greet a gentil-man was he,
  And of Tessalie lykly king to be.
  Ther nas no lak, but that he was agast
  To love, and for to speke shamefast.                                 1535
  He hadde lever him-self to mordre, and dye
  Than that men shulde a lover him espye:--                           (170)
  'As wolde almighty god that I had yive
  My blood and flesh, so that I mighte live,
  With the nones that he hadde o-wher a wyf                            1540
  For his estat; for swich a lusty lyf
  She sholde lede with this lusty knight!'
    And al this was compassed on the night
  Betwixe him Iasoun and this Ercules.
  Of thise two heer was mad a shrewed lees                             1545
  To come to hous upon an innocent;
  For to be-dote this queen was hir assent.                           (180)
  And Iasoun is as coy as is a maide,
  He loketh pitously, but noght he saide,
  But frely yaf he to her conseileres                                  1550
  Yiftes grete, and to her officeres.
  As wolde god I leiser hadde, and tyme,
  By proces al his wowing for to ryme.
  But in this hous if any fals lover be,
  Right as him-self now doth, right so dide he,                        1555
  With feyning and with every sotil dede.
  Ye gete no more of me, but ye wil rede                              (190)
  Thoriginal, that telleth al the cas.
    The somme is this, that Iasoun wedded was
  Unto this quene, and took of her substaunce                          1560
  What-so him liste, unto his purveyaunce;
  And upon her begat he children two,
  And drow his sail, and saw her never-mo.
    A lettre sente she to him certein,
  Which were to long to wryten and to sein,                            1565
  And him repreveth of his grete untrouthe,
  And preyeth him on her to have som routhe.                          (200)
  And of his children two, she seide him this,
  That they be lyke, of alle thing, y-wis,
  To Iasoun, save they coude nat begyle;                               1570
  And preyed god, or hit were longe whyle,
  That she, that had his herte y-raft her fro,
  Moste finden him to her untrewe al-so,
  And that she moste bothe her children spille,
  And alle tho that suffreth him his wille.                            1575
  And trew to Iasoun was she al her lyf,
  And ever kepte her chast, as for his wyf;                           (210)
  Ne never had she Ioye at her herte,
  But dyed, for his love, of sorwes smerte.

      PART II. THE LEGEND OF MEDEA.

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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