And with that word he with a fobre chere THE MAN OF LAWES TALE. 4528 With thirst, with cold, with hunger, fo confounded, 4525 He mifdeparteth richeffe temporal; Thy neighbour thou witeft finfully, And fayft thou haft to litel and he hath all: Parfay (fayft thou) fomtime he reken fhall, 4530 Whan that his tayl fhal brennen in the glede, Herken what is the fentence of the wife, Bet is to dien than have indigence, Thy felve neighbour wol thee despise; 4535 bake, B. ɛ. 1.—have wee bauke, E.-have we bake, B. §. HA. hawe ybake, Ca. 2.-the whiche hath no lak,Ca. 1.-The reader may take his choice of them. The Man of LawesTale] Lady Cuftance, the Emperor's daughter of Rome, after her marriage with the Soudan of Surrey, through the malice of the Soudan's mother suffereth great trouble and mifery with her young child Maurice, but yet in the end is restored to comfort. V.45 34. Bet is to dien] This faying of Solomon is quoted in Rom. de la Ro. 8573," Mieux vault mourir que pauvres oftre.” If thou be poure farewel thy reverence. 4540 But with fis cink, that renneth for your chance; 4545 At Criftenmaffe mery may ye dance. Ye feken lond and fee for your winninges; As wife folk ye knowen all th' estat Of regnes; ye ben fathers of tidinges Now fell it that the maifters of that fort 4530 4555 4560 Non other meffage wold they thider fende, But comen hemfelf to Rome, this is the ende; 4565 This was the commun vois of every man: 4570 4575 4580 I pray to God in honour hire fuftene, In hire is high beaute withouten pride, Youthe withouten grenehed or folic: To all hire werkes vertue is hire guide; 4585 She is mirrour of alle curtefie, Hire herte is veray chambre of holineffe, Hire hond miniftre of fredom for almeffe. And al this vois was foth, as God is trewe; But now to purpos let us turne agein. 4590 These marchants han don fraught hir fhippes newe, And whan they han this blisful maiden fein 4595 Now fell it that these marchants stood in grace Of him that was the Soudan of Surrie; For whan they came from any strange place Make hem good chere, and befily espie Tidings of fundry regnes, for to lere 4600 Was for to love hire while his lif may dure. 4610 Which that men clepe the Heven ywritten was With fterres, whan that he his birthe took, 4615 The deth of every man withouten drede. In sterres many a winter therbeforn .4617. In ferres] This paffage is imitated from the Megacofmus of Bernardus Sylveftris, an eminent philofopher and Was writ the deth of Hector, Achilles, And fhortly of this matere for to pace, 4620 4625 And fayd hem certain, but he might have grace He n'as but ded, and charged hem in hie Diverfe men diverfe thinges faiden; 4630 poet about the middle of the 12th century. Fabric. Bibl. Med. Etat. in v. Bernardus Carnotenfis et Sylveftris. I will transcribe here the original lines from mf. Bod. 1265; Prajacet in fellis feries, quam longior ætas Altra notat Perfis, Egyptus parturit artes, The four lines in italicks are quoted in the margin of mf. C. |