Opening the text

Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

General

Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400

Than wol we thus concluden and diffyne:
  We yow comaunde, our ministres, echoon
  That redy been to our hestes enclyne,                 465
  That of thise false men, our rebel foon,
  Ye do punisshëment, and that anoon!
  Voide hem our court and banish hem for ever
  So that ther-inne they ne come never.

  Fulfilled be it, cessing al delay;                    470
  Look that ther be non excusacioun.
  Writen in th'ayr, the lusty month of May,
  In our paleys (wher many a millioun
  Of loveres trewe han habitacioun)
  The yere of grace joyful and jocounde                 475
  A thousand and foure hundred and secounde.

EXPLICIT LITERA CUPIDINIS, DEI AMORIS, DIRECTA SUIS SUBDITIS AMATORIBUS.

From F (Fairfax); various readings from B (Bodley 638); T (Tanner 346); S
(Arch. Selden B. 24); A (Ashburnham MS.); Tr. (Trin. Coll. Cam. R. 3. 20).
_Also in_ Th. (Thynne, ed. 1532); D (Digby 181); Ff (Camb. Univ. Library,
Ff. 1. 6); _and in the_ Bannatyne MS. 2. F. goddis an. 3. F. pepill. F.
ben. 4. A. folk; F. folke. F. besely; A. bisyly. 5. F. Th. Of the; S. _om._
Of. S. Cithera; F. Sythera. S. sothly; F. oonly. 6. A. Tr. alle; F. al. 7.
F. sugetes. 8. A. wole; F. wol. 10. F. wymen. A. han I-sowe. 11. F. Suche.
12. A. doon; F. do. 13. F. oure. 14. F. pitouse; effecte. 15. A. And
passyng_e_ alle londes on this yle. 17. A. seyn; F. seye. 18. A.
dissimulen; F. dyssimule. 19. A. Tr. S. Th. in; F. on. F. her.

20. A. herte. 20-22. F. her. 23. A. And with so pitous. S. Tr. pitouse a.
24. A. trewely; F. truly. 25. F. hert. A. han swich. 26. A. seyn; F. sey.
F. her. 27. F. her. Tr. list. F. schew. 28. F. anoone. F. _om._ mot; S. Tr.
most; Th. must (_but read_ mot); cf. l. 35. 29. A. seyn; F. sey. F. yowe;
Th. you. 31. F. While. F. lyfe. A. lasten; F. last. 33. F. Th. thing as;
A.S. _om._ as. 34. F. youre. F. self; S. seluen. Th. lyste; F. lyst; A.
lykith. 35. A. moot myn herte; F. myn hert mote. A. breste; F. brest. 36.
F. herd. Th. knowe a mannes; F. know a manys. A. herte; F. hert. 37. F.
outwarde. 38. S. word; F. worde. F. non astert. 39. _So_ S. Tr.; A. sholde
any wight by reson; F. Th. by reson semed euery wight to queme. 40. F.
seyde; Th. sayd. F. hert; Th. herte. 41. F. _om._ of. 42. F. arte. F. be;
Th. by. 43. F. processe. A. Tr. S. wom_m_en meeued of; F. moveth oft woman.
44. S. that; _rest om._ 46. F. her. 47. F. hert set. 48. F. blesful. A.S.
they; F. ye. 49. F. And thus; A.S. Tr. _om._ And.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400

Than wol we thus concluden and diffyne:
  We yow comaunde, our ministres, echoon
  That redy been to our hestes enclyne,                 465
  That of thise false men, our rebel foon,
  Ye do punisshëment, and that anoon!
  Voide hem our court and banish hem for ever
  So that ther-inne they ne come never.

  Fulfilled be it, cessing al delay;                    470
  Look that ther be non excusacioun.
  Writen in th'ayr, the lusty month of May,
  In our paleys (wher many a millioun
  Of loveres trewe han habitacioun)
  The yere of grace joyful and jocounde                 475
  A thousand and foure hundred and secounde.

EXPLICIT LITERA CUPIDINIS, DEI AMORIS, DIRECTA SUIS SUBDITIS AMATORIBUS.

From F (Fairfax); various readings from B (Bodley 638); T (Tanner 346); S
(Arch. Selden B. 24); A (Ashburnham MS.); Tr. (Trin. Coll. Cam. R. 3. 20).
_Also in_ Th. (Thynne, ed. 1532); D (Digby 181); Ff (Camb. Univ. Library,
Ff. 1. 6); _and in the_ Bannatyne MS. 2. F. goddis an. 3. F. pepill. F.
ben. 4. A. folk; F. folke. F. besely; A. bisyly. 5. F. Th. Of the; S. _om._
Of. S. Cithera; F. Sythera. S. sothly; F. oonly. 6. A. Tr. alle; F. al. 7.
F. sugetes. 8. A. wole; F. wol. 10. F. wymen. A. han I-sowe. 11. F. Suche.
12. A. doon; F. do. 13. F. oure. 14. F. pitouse; effecte. 15. A. And
passyng_e_ alle londes on this yle. 17. A. seyn; F. seye. 18. A.
dissimulen; F. dyssimule. 19. A. Tr. S. Th. in; F. on. F. her.

20. A. herte. 20-22. F. her. 23. A. And with so pitous. S. Tr. pitouse a.
24. A. trewely; F. truly. 25. F. hert. A. han swich. 26. A. seyn; F. sey.
F. her. 27. F. her. Tr. list. F. schew. 28. F. anoone. F. _om._ mot; S. Tr.
most; Th. must (_but read_ mot); cf. l. 35. 29. A. seyn; F. sey. F. yowe;
Th. you. 31. F. While. F. lyfe. A. lasten; F. last. 33. F. Th. thing as;
A.S. _om._ as. 34. F. youre. F. self; S. seluen. Th. lyste; F. lyst; A.
lykith. 35. A. moot myn herte; F. myn hert mote. A. breste; F. brest. 36.
F. herd. Th. knowe a mannes; F. know a manys. A. herte; F. hert. 37. F.
outwarde. 38. S. word; F. worde. F. non astert. 39. _So_ S. Tr.; A. sholde
any wight by reson; F. Th. by reson semed euery wight to queme. 40. F.
seyde; Th. sayd. F. hert; Th. herte. 41. F. _om._ of. 42. F. arte. F. be;
Th. by. 43. F. processe. A. Tr. S. wom_m_en meeued of; F. moveth oft woman.
44. S. that; _rest om._ 46. F. her. 47. F. hert set. 48. F. blesful. A.S.
they; F. ye. 49. F. And thus; A.S. Tr. _om._ And.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer

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