This addition of seven lines was due to my fortunate discovery of a new MS.; for which I was indebted to the excellent MS. 'Index of First Lines' in the British Museum. This told me that a poem (hitherto unrecognised) existed in MS. Sloane 1212, of which the first line is 'A thousand stories,' &c. On examining the MS., it turned out to be a copy, on paper, of Hoccleve's De Regimine Principum, with four leaves of vellum at the beginning, and two more at the end, covered with writing of an older character. The two vellum leaves at the end were then transposed, but have since been set right, at my suggestion. They contain a few lines of the conclusion of some other piece, followed by the unique _complete_ copy of the present Balade. This copy turned out to be much the best, and restored several of the readings. Indeed, the Ashmole MS. is very imperfect, having in it a lacuna of eight stanzas (ll. 64-119). I am thus able to give quite a presentable text. The correction that most interested me was one in l. 134, where the Ashmole MS. and Thynne have _probatyf piscyne_. On June 5, 1896, I read a paper at the Philological Society, in which (among other things) I pointed out that the right reading must certainly be _probatik_. The very next day I found the Sloane MS.; and behold, its reading was _probatyk_! It is not often that a 'conjectural emendation' is confirmed, on unimpeachable authority, within twenty-four hours. Another remarkable correction is that of _dyamaunt_ for _dyametre_ in l. 87. It was all very well to compare Our Lady to a diamond; but to call her a _diameter_ (as in all the editions) is a little too bad. Again, in l. 121 (now first printed) we have the remarkable expression _punical pome_ for a pomegranate, which is worthy of notice; and in l. 123 we find a new word, _agnelet_, which is not to be found in the New English Dictionary. All the printed editions print the next piece as if it _formed a part_ of the present one; but they have absolutely no point in common beyond the fact of having a common authorship. § 39. XI. TO MY SOVERAIN LADY. In all the old editions, this piece forms part of the preceding, though it is obviously distinct from it, when attention is once drawn to the fact. Instead of being addressed, like no. X, to the Virgin, it is addressed to a lady whose name the poet wishes to commend (l. 7); and from whom he is parted (51); whereas two lovers ought to be together, if they wish to live 'well merry' (64). Her goodly fresh face is a merry mirror (73); and he has chosen her as his Valentine (111). It is evidently a conventional complimentary poem, written to please some lady of rank or of high renown (93), one, in fact, who is 'of women chief princesse' (70). It is prettily expressed, and does Lydgate some credit, being a favourable specimen of his more playful style; I wish we had more of the same kind. L. 68--'Let him go love, and see wher [_whether_] it be game'--is excellent.