But thurgh his magike, for a day or tway,
It femed all the rockes were away.
Aurelius, which that defpeired is
Whether he shal han his love or fare amis,
Awaiteth night and day on this miracle;
And whan he knew that ther was non obftacle,
That voided were thise rockes everich on,
Doun to his maisters feet he fell anon,
And fayd, I, woful wretch Aurelius,
Thanke you, my lord, and lady min Venus,
That me han holpen fro my cares cold.
And to the temple his way forth hath he hold,
Theras he knew he fhuld his lady fee;
And whan he faw his time anon right he
With dredful herte and with ful humble chere
Salued hath his foveraine lady dere.
My rightful Lady, quod this woful man,
Whom I moft drede and love as I best can,
And lotheft were of all this world difplefe, 11625
N'ere it that I for you have fwiche difese
That I muft die here at your foot anon,
Nought wold I tell how me is wo begon;
But certes other muft I die or plaine;
Ye ile me gilteles for veray peine :
But of my deth though that ye han no routh
Avifeth you or that you breke your trouth:
Repenteth you, for thilke God above,
Or ye me fle, because that I you love:
For, Madame, wel ye wote what ye have hight;
Not that I chalenge any thing of right
Of you my foveraine Lady, but of grace;
But in a gardin yond, in swiche a place,
Ye wote right wel what ye behighten me,
And in myn hond your trouthe plighten ye 11640
To love me beft: God wote ye faied fo,
Although that I unworthy be therto.
Madame, I speke it for the honour of you,
More than to fave my hertes lif right now,
I have don fo as ye commanded me,
And if ye vouchefauf ye may go see.
Doth as you lift, have your behest in mind,
For quick or ded right ther ye fhul me find.
lith all to do me live or dey,
In you
But wel I wote the rockes ben awey.'
He taketh his leve, and she astonied stood;
In all hire face n'as o drope of blood:
She wened never han come in swiche a trappe.
Alas! quod fhe, that ever this should happe! For wend I never by poffibilitee
11655 That fwiche a monftre or mervaille might be:
It is again the proceffe of Nature.
And home she goth a forweful creature;
For veray fere unnethes may the go.
She wepeth, waileth, all a day or two,
And fwouneth that it routhe was to fee,
But why it was to no wight tolde fhe,
For out of toun was gon Arviragus;
But to hireself she spake, and faied thus,
With face pale, and with ful fory chere,
In hire complaint, as ye fhul after here.
Alas! quod fhe, on thee, Fortune, I plain,
That unaware haft me wrapped in thy chain,
Fro which to escapen wote I no foccour
Sauf only deth or elles difhonour:
On of thise two behoveth me to chefe.
But natheles, yet had I lever lefe
My iif than of my body have a shame,
Or know myfelven falfe, or lefe my name :
And with my deth I may be quit ywis;
Hath ther not many a nobie wif or this,
And many a maid, yflaine hirefelf, alas!
Rather than with hire body don trespas?
Yes certes; lo, thife ftortes bere witneffe.
Whan thirty tyrants ful of curfedneffe
Had flain Phidon in Athens at the feft,
They commanded his doughtren for to arrest
And bringen hem beforne hem in defpit
Al naked, to fulfill hir foule delit;
And in hir fadres blood they made hem dance 11685
Upon the pavement, God yeve hem mefchance!
For which thife woful maidens, ful of drede,
Rather than they wold lefe hir maidenhede,
They prively ben ftert into a welle,
And dreint hemselven, as the bookes telle.
. 11679. thife flories bere witnesse] 'They are all taken from Hieronymus contra Jovinianum, l. i. c. 39.
They of Meffene let enquere and feke
Of Lacedomie fifty maidens eke
On which they wolden don hir lecherie;
But ther was non of all that compagnie
That the n'as flaine, and with a glad entent
Chees rather for to dien than affent
To ben oppreffed of hire maidenhede.
Why fhuld I than to dien ben in drede?
Lo eke the tyrant Aristoclides,
That loved a maid hight Stimphalides,
Whan that hire father flaine was on a night,
Unto Dianes temple goth fhe right,
And hente the image in hire handes two,
Fro which image wold fhe never go;
No wight her handes might of it arrace
'Til fhe was flaine right in the felve place.
Now fin that maidens hadden swiche defpit
To be defouled with mannes foule delit,
Wel ought a wif rather hirefelven fle
Than be defouled, as it thinketh me.
What fhal I fayn of Hafdrubales wif,
That at Cartage beraft hirefelf hire lif?
For whan fhe faw that Romains wan the toun
She toke hire children all, and skipt adoun
Into the fire, and chees rather to die
Than any Romain did hire vilanie.
Hath not Lucrece yflaine hirefelf, alas!
At Rome, whan that fhe oppreffed was
Of Tarquine? for hire thought it was a fhame
To liven whan fhe hadde loft hire name.
The feven maidens of Milefie also
Han flaine hemself, for veray drede and wo,
Rather than folk of Gaule hem shuld oppreffe.
Mo than a thousand flories, as I geffe,
Coude I now tell as touching this matere.
Whan Abradate was flain, his wif fo dere
Hirefelven flow, and let hire blood to glide
In Abradates woundes depe and wide,
And fayd, My body at the lefte way
Ther fhal no wight defoulen if I may.
What shuld I mo enfamples hereof fain?
Sin that fo many han hemselven flain,
Wel rather than they wold defouled be,
I wol conclude that it is bet for me
To fle myself than be defouled thus:
1 wol be trewe unto Arviragus,
Or elles fle myself in fome manere,
As did Demotiones doughter dere,
Because the wolde not defouled be.
O Sedafus! it is ful gret pitee
To reden how thy doughtren died, alas!
That flowe hemfelven for fwiche maner cas.
As gret a pitee was it, or wel more,
The Theban maiden that for Nichanore
Hirefelven flow right for fwiche manere wo. 11745 Another Theban mayden did right so,
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