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

appetyteth; _rest_ appeteth (!). 1583. F.
Tn. Th. B. to (_for_ in-to). 1585. A. (_only_) this false; _rest om._ this.
F. Th. B. _om._ fals. (_Accent_ Right.) 1590. C. T. Iaconitos; A.
Iacomitos; F. Tn. Th. B. Iasonicos; (Latin _Iaconites_). 1593. F. Vnto tho
(!). C. Oetes; Add. Cetes; T Cytees (!); _rest_ Otes. 1599. F. Tn. B. Add.
and so feyre. 1605. C. T. Th. B. Add. as a leoun (lyoun). 1613. C. han; T.
A. Add. haue; _rest_ and (!). 1626. T. A. Th. lowly; F. louly; B. loulye;
C. louely; Tn. lowe. 1631. C. T. A. Add. And; _rest om._ F. Tn. _om._ in.
1634. C. T. A. Add. to the point right; _rest_ ryght to the poynt. 1642. C.
T. sauyth; _rest_ saued. F. B. there; _rest_ here. 1643. F. Tn. B. _omit_;
C. _has_ And here vp a nyght, &c. 1649. C. T. gat; A. gatt; Add. Th. gate;
_rest_ gete. F. B. (_only_) _om._ him. T. gret; Add. grete; A. _om.; rest_
a. C. ryth as; T. A. ryght as; Add. lyke as; _rest_ as. 1652. F. Tn. Th. B.
tresoures; C. tresor; T. A. Add. tresour. 1657. T. A. his; C. hire; _rest
om._ 1659. C. thef and (_for_ cheef). 1661. C. A. the; _rest om._ 1667. F.
(_only_) _om._ the. 1668. C. T. A. Add. ther; _rest_ neuer. 1671. C. Fyrst
of his falsenesse whan she hym vpbreyde.




V. THE LEGEND OF LUCRETIA.

INCIPIT LEGENDA LUCRECIE ROME, MARTIRIS.

  Now moot I seyn the exiling of kinges                                1680
  Of Rome, for hir horrible doinges,
  And of the laste king Tarquinius,
  As saith Ovyde and Titus Livius.
  But for that cause telle I nat this storie,
  But for to preise and drawen to memorie                              1685
  The verray wyf, the verray trewe Lucresse,
  That, for her wyfhood and her stedfastnesse,
  Nat only that thise payens her comende,
  But he, that cleped is in our legende                                (10)
  The grete Austin, hath greet compassioun                             1690
  Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun;
  And in what wyse, I wol but shortly trete,
  And of this thing I touche but the grete.
    Whan Ardea beseged was aboute
  With Romains, that ful sterne were and stoute,                       1695
  Ful longe lay the sege, and litel wroghte,
  So that they were half ydel, as hem thoghte;
  And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge
  Gan for to iape, for he was light of tonge,                          (20)
  And seyde, that 'it was an ydel lyf;                                 1700
  No man did ther no more than his wyf;
  And lat us speke of wyves, that is best;
  Praise every man his owne, as him lest,
  And with our speche lat us ese our herte.'
    A knight, that highte Colatyne, up sterte,                         1705
  And seyde thus, 'nay, for hit is no nede
  To trowen on the word, but on the dede.
  I have a wyf,' quod he, 'that, as I trowe,
  Is holden good of alle that ever her knowe;                          (30)
  Go we to-night to Rome, and we shul see.'                            1710
    Tarquinius answerde, 'that lyketh me.'

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

appetyteth; _rest_ appeteth (!). 1583. F.
Tn. Th. B. to (_for_ in-to). 1585. A. (_only_) this false; _rest om._ this.
F. Th. B. _om._ fals. (_Accent_ Right.) 1590. C. T. Iaconitos; A.
Iacomitos; F. Tn. Th. B. Iasonicos; (Latin _Iaconites_). 1593. F. Vnto tho
(!). C. Oetes; Add. Cetes; T Cytees (!); _rest_ Otes. 1599. F. Tn. B. Add.
and so feyre. 1605. C. T. Th. B. Add. as a leoun (lyoun). 1613. C. han; T.
A. Add. haue; _rest_ and (!). 1626. T. A. Th. lowly; F. louly; B. loulye;
C. louely; Tn. lowe. 1631. C. T. A. Add. And; _rest om._ F. Tn. _om._ in.
1634. C. T. A. Add. to the point right; _rest_ ryght to the poynt. 1642. C.
T. sauyth; _rest_ saued. F. B. there; _rest_ here. 1643. F. Tn. B. _omit_;
C. _has_ And here vp a nyght, &c. 1649. C. T. gat; A. gatt; Add. Th. gate;
_rest_ gete. F. B. (_only_) _om._ him. T. gret; Add. grete; A. _om.; rest_
a. C. ryth as; T. A. ryght as; Add. lyke as; _rest_ as. 1652. F. Tn. Th. B.
tresoures; C. tresor; T. A. Add. tresour. 1657. T. A. his; C. hire; _rest
om._ 1659. C. thef and (_for_ cheef). 1661. C. A. the; _rest om._ 1667. F.
(_only_) _om._ the. 1668. C. T. A. Add. ther; _rest_ neuer. 1671. C. Fyrst
of his falsenesse whan she hym vpbreyde.




V. THE LEGEND OF LUCRETIA.

INCIPIT LEGENDA LUCRECIE ROME, MARTIRIS.

  Now moot I seyn the exiling of kinges                                1680
  Of Rome, for hir horrible doinges,
  And of the laste king Tarquinius,
  As saith Ovyde and Titus Livius.
  But for that cause telle I nat this storie,
  But for to preise and drawen to memorie                              1685
  The verray wyf, the verray trewe Lucresse,
  That, for her wyfhood and her stedfastnesse,
  Nat only that thise payens her comende,
  But he, that cleped is in our legende                                (10)
  The grete Austin, hath greet compassioun                             1690
  Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun;
  And in what wyse, I wol but shortly trete,
  And of this thing I touche but the grete.
    Whan Ardea beseged was aboute
  With Romains, that ful sterne were and stoute,                       1695
  Ful longe lay the sege, and litel wroghte,
  So that they were half ydel, as hem thoghte;
  And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge
  Gan for to iape, for he was light of tonge,                          (20)
  And seyde, that 'it was an ydel lyf;                                 1700
  No man did ther no more than his wyf;
  And lat us speke of wyves, that is best;
  Praise every man his owne, as him lest,
  And with our speche lat us ese our herte.'
    A knight, that highte Colatyne, up sterte,                         1705
  And seyde thus, 'nay, for hit is no nede
  To trowen on the word, but on the dede.
  I have a wyf,' quod he, 'that, as I trowe,
  Is holden good of alle that ever her knowe;                          (30)
  Go we to-night to Rome, and we shul see.'                            1710
    Tarquinius answerde, 'that lyketh me.'

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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