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

this; _rest_
thy. 1824. C. vileyn; A. T. vileyns; Add. vilons; F. B. Tn. vilenouse; Th.
villaynous. 1825. F. Tn. Th. B. _insert_ the _after_ to. 1829. F. Tn. Th.
B. _om._ al. C. herys; A. heeres; F. heer; Tn. T. Th. B. here (heare,
heere). C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907. 1840. Add. made; T. maden; A. maid;
_rest_ make. 1846. _So all but_ F. Tn. B.; F. B. That nolde she suffre; Tn.
That wolde she suffren nat. 1847. T. opon; A. vpon; _rest_ vnto (_badly_).
1857. T. A. Add. she hede; _rest_ hede she. 1862. _So_ T. A. Add.; _rest_
hath by hir chaste blood. 1873. T. A. Add. as; _rest om._ 1876. T. A. Add.
for the; _rest_ in her. 1879. _All_ him-self _or_ him-selfe. 1882. F. Add.
_om._ and. 1883. F. women; _rest_ men. C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907.




VI. THE LEGEND OF ARIADNE.

INCIPIT LEGENDA ADRIANE DE ATHENES.

  Iuge infernal, Minos, of Crete king,
  Now cometh thy lot, now comestow on the ring;
  Nat for thy sake only wryte I this storie,
  But for to clepe agein unto memorie
  Of Theseus the grete untrouthe of love;                              1890
  For which the goddes of the heven above
  Ben wrothe, and wreche han take for thy sinne.
  Be reed for shame! now I thy lyf beginne.
    Minos, that was the mighty king of Crete,
  That hadde an hundred citees stronge and grete,                      1895
  To scole hath sent his sone Androgeus,                               (11)
  To Athenes; of the whiche hit happed thus,
  That he was slayn, lerning philosophye,
  Right in that citee, nat but for envye.
    The grete Minos, of the whiche I speke,                            1900
  His sones deeth is comen for to wreke;
  Alcathoe he bisegeth harde and longe.
  But natheles the walles be so stronge,
  And Nisus, that was king of that citee,
  So chivalrous, that litel dredeth he;                                1905
  Of Minos or his ost took he no cure,                                 (21)
  Til on a day befel an aventure,
  That Nisus doghter stood upon the wal,
  And of the sege saw the maner al.
  So happed hit, that, at a scarmishing,                               1910
  She caste her herte upon Minos the king,
  For his beautee and for his chivalrye,
  So sore, that she wende for to dye.
  And, shortly of this proces for to pace,
  She made Minos winnen thilke place,                                  1915
  So that the citee was al at his wille,                               (31)
  To saven whom him list, or elles spille;
  But wikkedly he quitte her kindenesse,
  And let her drenche in sorowe and distresse,
  Nere that the goddes hadde of her pite;                              1920
  But that tale were to long as now for me.
    Athenes wan this king Minos also,
  And Alcathoe and other tounes mo;
  And this theffect, that Minos hath so driven
  Hem of Athenes, that they mote him yiven                             1925
  Fro yere to yere her owne children dere                              (41)
  For to be slayn, as ye shul after here.

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

this; _rest_
thy. 1824. C. vileyn; A. T. vileyns; Add. vilons; F. B. Tn. vilenouse; Th.
villaynous. 1825. F. Tn. Th. B. _insert_ the _after_ to. 1829. F. Tn. Th.
B. _om._ al. C. herys; A. heeres; F. heer; Tn. T. Th. B. here (heare,
heere). C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907. 1840. Add. made; T. maden; A. maid;
_rest_ make. 1846. _So all but_ F. Tn. B.; F. B. That nolde she suffre; Tn.
That wolde she suffren nat. 1847. T. opon; A. vpon; _rest_ vnto (_badly_).
1857. T. A. Add. she hede; _rest_ hede she. 1862. _So_ T. A. Add.; _rest_
hath by hir chaste blood. 1873. T. A. Add. as; _rest om._ 1876. T. A. Add.
for the; _rest_ in her. 1879. _All_ him-self _or_ him-selfe. 1882. F. Add.
_om._ and. 1883. F. women; _rest_ men. C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907.




VI. THE LEGEND OF ARIADNE.

INCIPIT LEGENDA ADRIANE DE ATHENES.

  Iuge infernal, Minos, of Crete king,
  Now cometh thy lot, now comestow on the ring;
  Nat for thy sake only wryte I this storie,
  But for to clepe agein unto memorie
  Of Theseus the grete untrouthe of love;                              1890
  For which the goddes of the heven above
  Ben wrothe, and wreche han take for thy sinne.
  Be reed for shame! now I thy lyf beginne.
    Minos, that was the mighty king of Crete,
  That hadde an hundred citees stronge and grete,                      1895
  To scole hath sent his sone Androgeus,                               (11)
  To Athenes; of the whiche hit happed thus,
  That he was slayn, lerning philosophye,
  Right in that citee, nat but for envye.
    The grete Minos, of the whiche I speke,                            1900
  His sones deeth is comen for to wreke;
  Alcathoe he bisegeth harde and longe.
  But natheles the walles be so stronge,
  And Nisus, that was king of that citee,
  So chivalrous, that litel dredeth he;                                1905
  Of Minos or his ost took he no cure,                                 (21)
  Til on a day befel an aventure,
  That Nisus doghter stood upon the wal,
  And of the sege saw the maner al.
  So happed hit, that, at a scarmishing,                               1910
  She caste her herte upon Minos the king,
  For his beautee and for his chivalrye,
  So sore, that she wende for to dye.
  And, shortly of this proces for to pace,
  She made Minos winnen thilke place,                                  1915
  So that the citee was al at his wille,                               (31)
  To saven whom him list, or elles spille;
  But wikkedly he quitte her kindenesse,
  And let her drenche in sorowe and distresse,
  Nere that the goddes hadde of her pite;                              1920
  But that tale were to long as now for me.
    Athenes wan this king Minos also,
  And Alcathoe and other tounes mo;
  And this theffect, that Minos hath so driven
  Hem of Athenes, that they mote him yiven                             1925
  Fro yere to yere her owne children dere                              (41)
  For to be slayn, as ye shul after here.

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

No reviews yet