For lays and romances, both French and English, the four-stress couplet was an easy and favorite form. Compare the remarks of ten Brink: "We see how the short couplet, which is the standing form of the court-romance, was not only transmitted to it from the legendary, didactic, and historical poems, but was also suggested to it by those songs to which it was indebted for its own subject-matter. Other tokens indicate that a short strophe composed of eight-syllabled lines, with single or alternating rhymes, was a favorite form for many subjects in this _jongleur_ poetry.... The simple form of the short couplet offered to the romance-poet no scope to compete in metrical technique with the skilled court-lyrists. He could prove his art only within a limited portion of this field: in the treatment of the _enjambement_ and particularly of rhyme. The poet strove not only to form pure rhymes, but often to carry them forward with more syllables than were essential, and he was fond of all sorts of grammatical devices in rhyme." (_English Literature_, Kennedy trans., vol. i. pp. 174, 175.) The world stant ever upon debate, So may be siker none estate; Now here, now there, now to, now fro, Now up, now down, the world goth so, And ever hath done and ever shal; Wherof I finde in special A tale writen in the bible, Which must nedes be credible, And that as in conclusion Saith, that upon division Stant, why no worldes thing may laste, Til it be drive to the laste, And fro the firste regne of all Unto this day how so befall Of that the regnes be mevable, The man him self hath be coupable, Whiche of his propre governaunce Fortuneth al the worldes chaunce. (JOHN GOWER: Prologue to _Confessio Amantis_. Ed. PAULI, vol. i. pp. 22, 23. ab. 1390.) O god of science and of light, Apollo, through thy grete might, This litel laste bok thou gye! Nat that I wilne, for maistrye, Here art poetical be shewed; But, for the rym is light and lewed, Yit make hit sumwhat agreable, Though som vers faile in a sillable; And that I do no diligence To shewe craft, but o sentence. And if, divyne vertu, thou Wilt helpe me to shewe now That in myn hede y-marked is-- Lo, that is for to menen this, The Hous of Fame to descryve-- Thou shalt see me go, as blyve, Unto the nexte laure I see, And kisse hit, for hit is thy tree. (CHAUCER: _House of Fame_, ll. 1091-1108. ab. 1385.)