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

On metres and on riming craftily)

Hath fayd hem in fwiche English as he can
Of olde time, as knoweth many a man;
And if he have not fayd hem, leve brother,

In o book, he bath fayd hem in another-.-.

Who fo that wol his large Volume feke. TALES, ver. 4465.
Dan CHAUCER, well of English undefil'd,

On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be fil'd----
Old Dan Geffrey, in whofe gentle spright
The pure well-head of poetry did dwell-
He whilft he lived was the foveraigne head
Of thepherds all-------

Old CHAUCER, like the morning star,
To us discovers day from far;

His light thofe mifts and clouds diffolv'd
Which our dark nation long involv'd;
But he defcending to the fhades

Darkness again the age invades.

SPENSER.

DENHAM

AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE.

MANY menne faine that in fweveninges
Ther n'is but fables and lefinges;

But yet menne maie fome fwevin fene
Whiche hardily that falfe ne bene,
But aftirwarde ben apparaunt,.
This maie I drawin to warraunt.

An author that hight Macrobes,
That halte not dremis faife ne lese,
But undoth us the avifioun

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 Clo pinell, 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 : fay'th he,There was one called Johannes Meldinenfis 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 Christ. Urry,