His deope wounde bledeþ fast, of hem we ohte munne! He haþ ous out of helle ycast, ybroht us out of sunne; ffor love of us his wonges waxeþ þunne, His herte blod he ȝaf for al mon kunne. Ever & oo, etc. (Song from Harleian MS. 2253. In BÖDDEKER'S _Altenglische Dichtungen_, p. 231.) This early religious lyric is of interest as containing the first known use of the five-stress couplet in English. Here it is only in a few lines that the couplet occurs, and so sporadic an occurrence should perhaps be regarded as due to nothing more than chance. See Schipper, vol. i. p. 439, and ten Brink's _Chaucer's Sprache und Verskunst_, p. 173 f. Ten Brink calls attention to another fairly regular five-stress verse, found on p. 253 of Wright's _Political Songs_: "For miht is riht, the loud is laweless."[19] And, as for me, though that my wit be lyte, On bokes for to rede I me delyte, And in myn herte have hem in reverence; And to hem yeve swich lust and swich credence, That ther is wel unethe game noon That from my bokes make me too goon, But hit be other up-on the haly-day, Or elles in the joly tyme of May; Whan that I here the smale foules singe, And that the floures ginne for to springe, Farwel my studie, as lasting that sesoun! Now have I therto this condicioun That, of alle the floures in the mede, Than love I most these floures whyte and rede, Swiche as men callen daysies in our toun. To them have I so greet affeccioun. (CHAUCER: _Legend of Good Women_, Prologue, ll. 29-44. Text A. ab. 1385.) A good man was ther of religioun, And was a povre Persoun of a toun; But riche he was of holy thoght and werk. He was also a lerned man, a clerk, That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche; His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche. Benigne he was, and wonder diligent, And in adversitee ful pacient;... He wayted after no pompe and reverence, Ne maked him a spyced conscience, But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taughte, and first he folwed it himselve. (CHAUCER: Prologue to _Canterbury Tales_, ll. 477-484, 525-528. ab. 1385.)