>

01

"Helpeth mi fone, ant crouneth him newe,
"For he is neft to buen y-core.

"Ich biqueth myn herte aryht,
"That hit be write at my devys,
"Over the fee that Hue * be diht,
"With fourfcore knyhtes al of prys,
"In werre that buen war ant wys,
"Azein the hethene for the fyhte,
"To wynne the croiz that lowe lys,
"Myfelf ycholde zef that y mythe.

Kyng of Fraunce, thou hevedeft finne,
That thou the counfail woldeft fonde,
To latte the wille of Edward kyng'
To wende to the holy londe:
That oure kyng hede take on honde

All Engelond to zeme ant wyffe
To wenden in to the holy londe
To wynnen us heveriche bliffe.

The meffager to the pope com,

And feyde that oure kyng wes ded:
Ys oune hond the lettre he nom,

Ywis his herte wes ful gret:

>The Pope him felf the lettre redde,
Ant fpec a word of gret honour.

"Alas! he feid, is Edward ded?
"Of Criftendome he ber the flour.,,

3a

35

49

45

This is probably the name of Some perfon,

*

to prefide over this business.

who was

Ver. 33. funne. MS,

Ver. 35. kyng Edward MS. Ver. 43. ys is probably a contraction of in hys or

yn his.

"So fain thou woldest hit hav y ◄ wonne.

Ver. 55. Me, i. e. Men. So in Robert of Cloucester passim.

*This little Sonnet, which hath escaped all the editors of Chaucer's works, is now printed for the first time from an ancient MS. in the Pepyfian library, that contains many other poems of its venerable author. The verfification is of that Species, which the French call RONDEAU, very naturally englished by our honest countrymen ROUND 0. Tho' So early adopted by them, our ancestors had not the honour of inventing it: Chaucer picked it up, along with other better things, among the neighbouring nations.

A fondneß

For

* Here follow in the original three lines more, which, as evidently Spurious, we chufe to throw to the bottom of the Page, viz.

That lafteth ay withouten ende,

Bidde we God, ant oure Ledy to thilke bliffe

Jefus us fende. Amen.

for laborious trifles hath always prevailed in the dawn of literature. The ancient Greek poets had their WINGS and AXES the great father of English poefy may therefore be pardoned one poor Solitary RONDEAU. — Dan Geofrey Chaucer died Oct. 25. 1400. aged 72.

I. I.

OURE two eyn will fle me fodenly,

Yo

I may the beaute of them not suftene,
So wendeth it thorowout my herte kene.

2.

And but your words wil helen hastely
My hertis wound, while that it is grene,
Youre two eyn will fle me fodenly.

3.

Upon my trouth I fey yow feithfully,

That ye ben of my liffe and deth the quene;
For with my deth the trouth fhal be fene.

Youre two eyn &c.

II. I.

So hath youre beaute fro your herte chafed
Pitee, that me n' availeth not to pleyn;
For daunger halt your mercy in his cheyne.

2.

Giltlefs my deth thus have ye purchased;
I fey yow foth, me nedeth not to fayn:"
So hath your beaute fro your herte chased.

3.

Alas, that nature hath in yow compassed
So grete beaute, that no man may atteyn
To mercy, though he fterve for the peyn.
So hath youre beaute &c.

III. I

III. I.

Syn I fro love escaped am so fat,
I nere thinke to ben in his prifon lene;
Syn I am fre, I counte hym not a bene.

2.

He may anfwere, and fey this and that,
I do not fors, I speak ryght as I mene;
Syn I fro love escaped am fo fat.

3.

Love hath my name i-ftrike out of his fclat,
And he is ftrike out of my bokes clene:

For ever mo *this is non other mene,

Syn I fro love efcaped &c.

IV.

THE TURNAMENT OF TOTTENHAM:

OR,

THE WOOEING, WINNING, AND WED"DING OF TIBBE, THE REEV'S DAUGHTER THERE.„,

It does honour to the good sense of this nation, that while all Europe was captivated with the bewitching charms of Chivalry and Romance, two of our writers in the rudest times could fee thro' the false glare that Surrounded them, and discover whatever was abfurd in them both. Chaucer wrote bis Rhyme of fir Tropas in ridicule of the latter, and in the following poem we have a humourous burlesque of the former. Without pretending to decide, whether the inftitution of chivalry was upon the whole useful or pernicious in the rude

ages,

Ther.