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 Minos hath a monstre, a wikked beste,
  That was so cruel that, without areste,
  Whan that a man was broght in his presence,                          1930
  He wolde him ete, ther helpeth no defence.
  And every thridde yeer, with-outen doute,
  They casten lot, and, as hit com aboute
  On riche, on pore, he moste his sone take,
  And of his child he moste present make                               1935
  Unto Minos, to save him or to spille,                                (51)
  Or lete his beste devoure him at his wille.
  And this hath Minos don, right in despyt;
  To wreke his sone was set al his delyt,
  And maken hem of Athenes his thral                                   1940
  Fro yere to yere, whyl that he liven shal;
  And hoom he saileth whan this toun is wonne.
  This wikked custom is so longe y-ronne
  Til that of Athenes king Egeus
  Mot sende his owne sone, Theseus,                                    1945
  Sith that the lot is fallen him upon,                                (61)
  To be devoured, for grace is ther non.
  And forth is lad this woful yonge knight
  Unto the court of king Minos ful right,
  And in a prison, fetered, cast is he                                 1950
  Til thilke tyme he sholde y-freten be.
    Wel maystow wepe, O woful Theseus,
  That art a kinges sone, and dampned thus.
  Me thinketh this, that thou were depe y-holde
  To whom that saved thee fro cares colde!                             1955
  And now, if any woman helpe thee,                                    (71)
  Wel oughtestow her servant for to be,
  And been her trewe lover yeer by yere!
  But now to come ageyn to my matere.
    The tour, ther as this Theseus is throwe                           1960
  Doun in the botom derke and wonder lowe,
  Was ioyning in the walle to a foreyne;
  And hit was longing to the doghtren tweyne
  Of king Minos, that in hir chambres grete
  Dwelten above, toward the maister-strete,                            1965
  In mochel mirthe, in Ioye and in solas.                              (81)
  Not I nat how, hit happed ther, per cas,
  As Theseus compleyned him by nighte,
  The kinges doghter, Adrian that highte,
  And eek her suster Phedra, herden al                                 1970
  His compleyning, as they stode on the wal
  And lokeden upon the brighte mone;
  Hem leste nat to go to bedde sone.
  And of his wo they had compassioun;
  A kinges sone to ben in swich prisoun                                1975
  And be devoured, thoughte hem gret pitee.                            (91)
    Than Adrian spak to her suster free,
  And seyde, 'Phedra, leve suster dere,
  This woful lordes sone may ye nat here,
  How pitously compleyneth he his kin,                                 1980
  And eek his pore estat that he is in,
  And gilteless? now certes, hit is routhe!
  And if ye wol assenten, by my trouthe,
  He shal be holpen, how so that we do!'

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 Minos hath a monstre, a wikked beste,
  That was so cruel that, without areste,
  Whan that a man was broght in his presence,                          1930
  He wolde him ete, ther helpeth no defence.
  And every thridde yeer, with-outen doute,
  They casten lot, and, as hit com aboute
  On riche, on pore, he moste his sone take,
  And of his child he moste present make                               1935
  Unto Minos, to save him or to spille,                                (51)
  Or lete his beste devoure him at his wille.
  And this hath Minos don, right in despyt;
  To wreke his sone was set al his delyt,
  And maken hem of Athenes his thral                                   1940
  Fro yere to yere, whyl that he liven shal;
  And hoom he saileth whan this toun is wonne.
  This wikked custom is so longe y-ronne
  Til that of Athenes king Egeus
  Mot sende his owne sone, Theseus,                                    1945
  Sith that the lot is fallen him upon,                                (61)
  To be devoured, for grace is ther non.
  And forth is lad this woful yonge knight
  Unto the court of king Minos ful right,
  And in a prison, fetered, cast is he                                 1950
  Til thilke tyme he sholde y-freten be.
    Wel maystow wepe, O woful Theseus,
  That art a kinges sone, and dampned thus.
  Me thinketh this, that thou were depe y-holde
  To whom that saved thee fro cares colde!                             1955
  And now, if any woman helpe thee,                                    (71)
  Wel oughtestow her servant for to be,
  And been her trewe lover yeer by yere!
  But now to come ageyn to my matere.
    The tour, ther as this Theseus is throwe                           1960
  Doun in the botom derke and wonder lowe,
  Was ioyning in the walle to a foreyne;
  And hit was longing to the doghtren tweyne
  Of king Minos, that in hir chambres grete
  Dwelten above, toward the maister-strete,                            1965
  In mochel mirthe, in Ioye and in solas.                              (81)
  Not I nat how, hit happed ther, per cas,
  As Theseus compleyned him by nighte,
  The kinges doghter, Adrian that highte,
  And eek her suster Phedra, herden al                                 1970
  His compleyning, as they stode on the wal
  And lokeden upon the brighte mone;
  Hem leste nat to go to bedde sone.
  And of his wo they had compassioun;
  A kinges sone to ben in swich prisoun                                1975
  And be devoured, thoughte hem gret pitee.                            (91)
    Than Adrian spak to her suster free,
  And seyde, 'Phedra, leve suster dere,
  This woful lordes sone may ye nat here,
  How pitously compleyneth he his kin,                                 1980
  And eek his pore estat that he is in,
  And gilteless? now certes, hit is routhe!
  And if ye wol assenten, by my trouthe,
  He shal be holpen, how so that we do!'

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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