Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 47

This is to seyn, the princes everichoon, And eek three thousand bodies wer ther slayn With falling of the grete temple of stoon.

Of Sampson now wol I na-more seyn. 3280 Beth war by this ensample old and playn (101) That no men telle hir conseil til hir wyves Of swich thing as they wolde han secree fayn, If that it touche hir limmes or hir lyves.

HERCULES.

Of Hercules the sovereyn conquerour 3285 Singen his workes laude and heigh renoun; For in his tyme of strengthe he was the flour.

He slow, and rafte the skin of the leoun; He of Centauros leyde the boost adoun; He Arpies slow, the cruel briddes felle; 3290 He golden apples rafte of the dragoun; (111) He drow out Cerberus, the hound of h.e.l.le:

He slow the cruel tyrant Busirus, And made his hors to frete him, flesh and boon; He slow the firy serpent venimous; 3295 Of Achelois two hornes, he brak oon; [248: T. 14113-14148.]

And he slow Cacus in a cave of stoon; He slow the geaunt Antheus the stronge; He slow the grisly boor, and that anoon, And bar the heven on his nekke longe. 3300

3294. E. flessh. 3296. E. Cm. hornes two; _rest_ two hornes.

Was never wight, sith that the world bigan, (121) That slow so many monstres as dide he.

Thurgh-out this wyde world his name ran, What for his strengthe, and for his heigh bountee, And every reaume wente he for to see. 3305 He was so strong that no man mighte him lette; At bothe the worldes endes, seith Trophee, In stede of boundes, he a piler sette.

3308. E. stide; pileer.

A lemman hadde this n.o.ble champioun, That highte Dianira, fresh as May; 3310 And, as thise clerkes maken mencioun, (131) She hath him sent a sherte fresh and gay.

Allas! this sherte, allas and weylaway!

Envenimed was so subtilly with-alle, That, er that he had wered it half a day, 3315 It made his flesh al from his bones falle.

3310, 2. E. fressh. 3316. E. flessh.

But nathelees somme clerkes hir excusen By oon that highte Nessus, that it maked; Be as be may, I wol hir noght accusen; But on his bak this sherte he wered al naked, 3320 Til that his flesh was for the venim blaked. (141) And whan he sey noon other remedye, In hote coles he hath him-selven raked, For with no venim deyned him to dye.

Thus starf this worthy mighty Hercules; 3325 Lo, who may truste on fortune any throwe?

For him that folweth al this world of prees, Er he be war, is ofte y-leyd ful lowe.

Ful wys is he that can him-selven knowe.

Beth war, for whan that fortune list to glose, 3330 Than wayteth she hir man to overthrowe (151) By swich a wey as he wolde leest suppose.

[249: T. 14149-14180.]

NABUG.o.dONOSOR (NEBUCHADNEZZAR).

The mighty trone, the precious tresor, The glorious ceptre and royal magestee That hadde the king NabuG.o.donosor, 3335 With tonge unnethe may discryved be.

He twyes wan Ierusalem the citee; The vessel of the temple he with him ladde.

At Babiloyne was his sovereyn see, In which his glorie and his delyt he hadde. 3340

3336. Hl. vnnethes.

The fairest children of the blood royal (161) Of Israel he leet do gelde anoon, And maked ech of hem to been his thral.

Amonges othere Daniel was oon, That was the wysest child of everichoon; 3345 For he the dremes of the king expouned, Wher-as in Chaldey clerk ne was ther noon That wiste to what fyn his dremes souned.

This proude king leet make a statue of golde, Sixty cubytes long, and seven in brede, 3350 To which image bothe yonge and olde (171) Comaunded he to loute, and have in drede; Or in a fourneys ful of flambes rede He shal be brent, that wolde noght obeye.

But never wolde a.s.sente to that dede 3355 Daniel, ne his yonge felawes tweye.

3351. E. The; _rest_ To. E. Hn. Cm. he bothe; _rest omit_ he. 3352.

E. Hn. Cm. _omit_ he.

This king of kinges proud was and elaat, He wende that G.o.d, that sit in magestee, Ne mighte him nat bireve of his estaat: But sodeynly he loste his dignitee, 3360 And lyk a beste him semed for to be, (181) And eet hay as an oxe, and lay ther-oute; In reyn with wilde bestes walked he, Til certein tyme was y-come aboute.

[250: T. 14181-14212.]

And lyk an egles fetheres wexe his heres, 3365 His nayles lyk a briddes clawes were; Til G.o.d relessed him a certein yeres, And yaf him wit; and than with many a tere He thanked G.o.d, and ever his lyf in fere Was he to doon amis, or more tres.p.a.ce; 3370 And, til that tyme he leyd was on his bere, (191) He knew that G.o.d was ful of might and grace.

3365. Wexe _is the right reading, whence_ Cm. wexsyn, _and_ Hl. Cp.

were (_for_ wexe); E. Hn. wax; Pt. Ln. was (_for_ wax).

BALTHASAR (BELSHAZZAR).

His sone, which that highte Balthasar, That heeld the regne after his fader day, He by his fader coude nought be war, 3375 For proud he was of herte and of array; And eek an ydolastre was he ay.

His hye estaat a.s.sured him in pryde.

But fortune caste him doun, and ther he lay, And sodeynly his regne gan divyde. 3380

3377. E. he was; _rest_ was he.

A feste he made un-to his lordes alle (201) Up-on a tyme, and bad hem blythe be, And than his officeres gan he calle-- 'Goth, bringeth forth the vessels,' [tho] quod he, 'Which that my fader, in his prosperitee, 3385 Out of the temple of Ierusalem birafte, And to our hye G.o.ddes thanke we Of honour, that our eldres with us lafte.'

3384. _I supply_ tho. _For_ vessels, _see_ 3391, 3416, 3418.

His wyf, his lordes, and his concubynes Ay dronken, whyl hir appetytes laste, 3390 Out of thise n.o.ble vessels sundry wynes; (211) And on a wal this king his yen caste, And sey an hond armlees, that wroot ful faste, For fere of which he quook and syked sore.

This hond, that Balthasar so sore agaste, 3395 Wroot _Mane, techel, phares_, and na-more.

[251: T. 14213-14244.]

In al that lond magicien was noon That coude expoune what this lettre mente; But Daniel expouned it anoon, And seyde, 'king, G.o.d to thy fader lente 3400 Glorie and honour, regne, tresour, rente: (221) And he was proud, and no-thing G.o.d ne dradde, And therfor G.o.d gret wreche up-on him sente, And him birafte the regne that he hadde.

3400. Hn. lente; _rest_ sente (_but see_ l. 3403).

He was out cast of mannes companye, 3405 With a.s.ses was his habitacioun, And eet hey as a beste in weet and drye, Til that he knew, by grace and by resoun, That G.o.d of heven hath dominacioun Over every regne and every creature; 3410 And thanne had G.o.d of him compa.s.sioun, (231) And him restored his regne and his figure.

Eek thou, that art his sone, art proud also, And knowest alle thise thinges verraily, And art rebel to G.o.d, and art his fo. 3415 Thou drank eek of his vessels boldely; Thy wyf eek and thy wenches sinfully Dronke of the same vessels sondry wynes, And heriest false G.o.ddes cursedly; Therfor to thee y-shapen ful gret pyne is. 3420

This hand was sent from G.o.d, that on the walle (241) Wroot _mane, techel, phares_, truste me; Thy regne is doon, thou weyest noght at alle; Divyded is thy regne, and it shal be To Medes and to Perses yeven,' quod he. 3425 And thilke same night this king was slawe, And Darius occupyeth his degree, Thogh he therto had neither right ne lawe.

3422. E. Hn. Cp. Hl. truste; Pt. trest; Ln. trust; Cm. trust to. See B. 4214. 3425. E. _om._ yeven.

[252: T. 14245-14276.]

Lordinges, ensample heer-by may ye take How that in lordshipe is no sikernesse; 3430 For whan fortune wol a man forsake, (251) She bereth awey his regne and his richesse, And eek his freendes, bothe more and lesse; For what man that hath freendes thurgh fortune, Mishap wol make hem enemys, I gesse: 3435 This proverbe is ful sooth and ful commune.

3435. E. as I; _the rest omit_ as.

CEn.o.bIA (ZEn.o.bIA).

Cen.o.bia, of Palimerie quene, As writen Persiens of hir n.o.blesse, So worthy was in armes and so kene, That no wight pa.s.sed hir in hardinesse, 3440 Ne in linage, ne in other gentillesse. (261) Of kinges blode of Perse is she descended; I seye nat that she hadde most fairnesse, But of hir shape she mighte nat been amended.

3437. _So_ E. Hn. Cm.; _and_ Cp. _has the heading_--De Cen.o.bia Palymerie regina. 3441. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. ne in; E. nor in; Hn. ne; Cm.

nor; (ne in = n'in).