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

I-wronge; A. yronne (_error for_
ywronge); F. Tn. Th. B. wronge. 2529. A. Quhethir ther may (_but this is
Scottish_). 2532. _All_ mayde. 2539. C. T. A. for by; _rest_ forth by.
2546. A. C. T. subtilitee. 2549. C. T. A. him; _rest om._ A. _has lost_ ll.
2551-2616. 2555. F. Tn. B. _om._ sent. 2561. _So_ C. T.; _so_ Tn. Th.
(_with_ now _for_ as); F. B. And as in love truste no man but me.




IX. THE LEGEND OF HYPERMNESTRA.

INCIPIT LEGENDA YPERMISTRE.

  In Grece whylom weren brethren two,
  Of whiche that oon was called Danao,
  That many a sone hath of his body wonne,
  As swiche false lovers ofte conne.                                   2565
  Among his sones alle ther was oon
  That aldermost he lovede of everichoon.
  And whan this child was born, this Danao
  Shoop him a name, and called him Lino.
  That other brother called was Egiste,                                2570
  That was of love as fals as ever him liste,                          (10)
  And many a doghter gat he in his lyve;
  Of which he gat upon his righte wyve
  A doghter dere, and dide her for to calle
  Ypermistra, yongest of hem alle;                                     2575
  The whiche child, of her nativitee,
  To alle gode thewes born was she,
  As lyked to the goddes, or she was born,
  That of the shefe she sholde be the corn;
  The Wirdes, that we clepen Destinee,                                 2580
  Hath shapen her that she mot nedes be                                (20)
  Pitouse, sadde, wyse, and trewe as steel;
  And to this woman hit accordeth weel.
  For, though that Venus yaf her greet beautee,
  With Iupiter compouned so was she                                    2585
  That conscience, trouthe, and dreed of shame,
  And of her wyfhood for to kepe her name,
  This, thoughte her, was felicitee as here.
  And rede Mars was, that tyme of the yere,
  So feble, that his malice is him raft,                               2590
  Repressed hath Venus his cruel craft;                                (30)
  What with Venus and other oppressioun
  Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun,
  That Ypermistra dar nat handle a knyf
  In malice, thogh she sholde lese her lyf.                            2595
  But natheles, as heven gan tho turne,
  To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne,
  That made her for to deyen in prisoun,
  As I shal after make mencioun.
    To Danao and Egistes also--                                        2600
  Al-thogh so be that they were brethren two,                          (40)
  For thilke tyme nas spared no linage--
  Hit lyked hem to maken mariage
  Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino,
  And casten swiche a day hit shal be so;                              2605
  And ful acorded was hit witterly;
  The array is wroght, the tyme is faste by.
  And thus Lino hath of his fadres brother
  The doghter wedded, and eche of hem hath other.
    The torches brennen and the lampes brighte,                        2610

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

I-wronge; A. yronne (_error for_
ywronge); F. Tn. Th. B. wronge. 2529. A. Quhethir ther may (_but this is
Scottish_). 2532. _All_ mayde. 2539. C. T. A. for by; _rest_ forth by.
2546. A. C. T. subtilitee. 2549. C. T. A. him; _rest om._ A. _has lost_ ll.
2551-2616. 2555. F. Tn. B. _om._ sent. 2561. _So_ C. T.; _so_ Tn. Th.
(_with_ now _for_ as); F. B. And as in love truste no man but me.




IX. THE LEGEND OF HYPERMNESTRA.

INCIPIT LEGENDA YPERMISTRE.

  In Grece whylom weren brethren two,
  Of whiche that oon was called Danao,
  That many a sone hath of his body wonne,
  As swiche false lovers ofte conne.                                   2565
  Among his sones alle ther was oon
  That aldermost he lovede of everichoon.
  And whan this child was born, this Danao
  Shoop him a name, and called him Lino.
  That other brother called was Egiste,                                2570
  That was of love as fals as ever him liste,                          (10)
  And many a doghter gat he in his lyve;
  Of which he gat upon his righte wyve
  A doghter dere, and dide her for to calle
  Ypermistra, yongest of hem alle;                                     2575
  The whiche child, of her nativitee,
  To alle gode thewes born was she,
  As lyked to the goddes, or she was born,
  That of the shefe she sholde be the corn;
  The Wirdes, that we clepen Destinee,                                 2580
  Hath shapen her that she mot nedes be                                (20)
  Pitouse, sadde, wyse, and trewe as steel;
  And to this woman hit accordeth weel.
  For, though that Venus yaf her greet beautee,
  With Iupiter compouned so was she                                    2585
  That conscience, trouthe, and dreed of shame,
  And of her wyfhood for to kepe her name,
  This, thoughte her, was felicitee as here.
  And rede Mars was, that tyme of the yere,
  So feble, that his malice is him raft,                               2590
  Repressed hath Venus his cruel craft;                                (30)
  What with Venus and other oppressioun
  Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun,
  That Ypermistra dar nat handle a knyf
  In malice, thogh she sholde lese her lyf.                            2595
  But natheles, as heven gan tho turne,
  To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne,
  That made her for to deyen in prisoun,
  As I shal after make mencioun.
    To Danao and Egistes also--                                        2600
  Al-thogh so be that they were brethren two,                          (40)
  For thilke tyme nas spared no linage--
  Hit lyked hem to maken mariage
  Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino,
  And casten swiche a day hit shal be so;                              2605
  And ful acorded was hit witterly;
  The array is wroght, the tyme is faste by.
  And thus Lino hath of his fadres brother
  The doghter wedded, and eche of hem hath other.
    The torches brennen and the lampes brighte,                        2610

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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