POETICAL WORKS OF GEOFF. CHAUCER. IN FOURTEEN VOLUMES. THE MISCELLANEOUS PIECES From Urry's Edition 1721, THE CANTERBURY TALES From Tyrwhitt's Edition 1775. Grete well CHAUCER whan ye mete--- Of ditees and of fonges glade, The which be---made, The londe fullfilled is over all. GOWER. My maifter CHAUCER---chiefe poete of Bretayne---- The gold dewe dropys of fpeche and eloquence The honour of English tong is dede---- Univerfel fadir in fcience--- This londis verray trefour and richeffe-... The firfte fynder of our fayre langage. LYDGATE. OCCLEVE. Venerabill CHAUCER,principall pocte but pere, O reverend CHAUCER! rofe of rethouris all, That raife in Brittane evír, quha reidis right VOL. VII. EDINBURG: DOUGLAS. DUNBAR. AT THE Apollo Preis, BY THE MARTINS. Seades Family THE 4.29 POETICAL WORKS OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER. VOL. VII. CONTAINING HIS MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, viz. THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE. But natheles certain I can right now no thrifty Tale fain, Bat CHAUCER, (though he can but lewedly Hath fayd hem in fwiche English as he can TALES, ver. 4465. Dan CHAUCER, well of English undefil'd, To us difcovers day from far; SPENSER. Old CHAUCER, like the morning flar, AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS. THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE. MANY menne faine that in fweveninges But yet menne maie fome fwevin fene An author that hight Macrobes, That whilom mette King Cipioun. 5 10 The Romaunt of the Rofe] This book was begun in French verfe by William de Lorris, and finished forty years after by John Clopinell, alias John Moone, born at Mewen upon the river of Loyer, not far from Paris, as appeareth by Molinet the French author upon the morality of The Romaunt, and afterward tranflated for the moft part into English metre by Geffrey Chaucer, but not finished. It is entituled The Romaunt of the Rofe, or The Art of Love; wherein are thewed the helps and furtherances as alfo the lets and impediments that lovers have in their fuits. In this book the author hath many glances at the hypo crify of the clergy, whereby he got himself fuch hatred amongst them that Gerfon Chancellor of Paris writeth thus of him: Lay'th he,There was one called Johannes Meldinentis who wrote a book called The Romaunt of the Rofe, which book if I only had, and that there were no more in the world, if I might have 500 pound for the fame I would rather burn it than take the money. He faith more, that if he thought the author thereof did not repent him for that book before he dyed he would vouchsafe to pray for him no more than he would for Judas that betrayed Chrift. Urry. |