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The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 12Dryden, John

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The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 12

Name: The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 12
Author: Dryden, John

Dryden, John

English literature

The Epithalamium of Helen and Menelaus,                        292

  The Despairing Lover,                                          296

  Daphnis and Chloris,                                           300


  TRANSLATIONS FROM LUCRETIUS.

  Book  I.                                                       311

       II.                                                       314

      III.                                                       317

       IV.                                                       327

        V.                                                       337


  TRANSLATIONS FROM HORACE.

  The Third Ode of the First Book of Horace,                     341

  The Ninth Ode of the First Book,                               344

  The Twenty-ninth Ode of the First Book,                        346

  The Second Epode of Horace,                                    351


  TRANSLATIONS FROM HOMER.

  The First Book of Homer's Iliad,                               357

  The last Parting of Hector and Andromache,                     382




                            APPENDIX
                               TO
                           THE FABLES.

_This Appendix contains the Original Tales of Chaucer, which Dryden
has modernized. The Novels of Boccacio are subjoined to the several
Poetical English Versions._




THE KNIGHTES TALE,

BY GEOFFREY CHAUCER.


    Whilom, as old stories tellen us,
    There was a duk that highte Theseus;
    Of Athenes he was lord and governour,
    And in his time swiche a conquerour,
    That greter was ther non under the sonne;
    Ful many a riche contree had he wonne.
    What with his wisdom and his chevalrie,
    He conquerd all the regne of Feminie,
    That whilom was ycleped Scythia,
    And wedded the fresshe Quene Ipolita,
    And brought hire home with him to his contree
    With mochel glorie and solempnitee,
    And eke hire yonge suster Emelie.
    And thus with victorie and with melodie
    Let I this worthy duk to Athenes ride,
    And all his host in armes him beside.
      And certes, if it n'ere to long to here,
    I wolde have told you fully the manere
    How wonnen was the regne of Feminie
    By Theseus, and by his chevalrie:
    And of the grete bataille for the nones
    Betwix Athenes and Amasones:
    And how asseged was Ipolita,
    The faire hardie quene of Scythia;
    And of the feste, that was at hire wedding,
    And of the temple at hire home coming:
    But all this thing I moste as now forbere;
    I have, God wot, a large feld to ere,
    And weke ben the oxen in my plowe:
    The remenent of my tale is long ynow.
    I wil not letten eke non of this route;
    Let every felaw telle his tale aboute,
    And let se now who shal the souper winne,
    There as I left, I will agen beginne.
      This duk, of whom I made mentioun,
    Whan he was comen almost to the toun,
    In all his wele and his moste pride,
    He was ware, as he cast his eye aside,

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The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 12

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