And faid, Seift thou any token, Or ought that in this worlde's of spoken ? I answered Naye. No wondir is, (Quod he) for halfe fo hye as this N'as Alexandre', of Macedon Kynge, ne of Rome Dan Scipion, 405 410 415 For whom was made a grete complainte. Nowe tourne upwarde (quod he) thy face, And beholde here this largè place, This eyre, but loke that thou ne be Adrad of 'hem that thou fhalt fe, 420 425 Lo there! (quod he) cast up thine eye, Se yondir, lo! the Galaxie, The whiche men clepe The Milky Way, For it is white, and fome parfay 430 Ycallin it han Watlynge ftrete, 435 And with this worde, fothe for to faine, Snowis, hailis, rainis, and windes, 460 That writeth a thought may flye fo hic 465 With fethirs of philosophie To paffin everyche element; And when he hath fo farre ywent Than may ben fene behinde his backe Cloude, erthe, and al that I of spake. I n'ot ywis, but God thou woft, And than thought I on Marcian, 470 475 Nay, certainly, (quod I) right nought. And why? (quod he.) For I am olde. Or ellis wolde I the have tolde (Quod he) the fterris namis, lo! And al the hevin's fignis to, 490 And whiche they be. No force (quod I.) Yes perde, (quod he;) woft thou why? No force, (quod I;) it is no nede; As wel I leve, fo God me fpede, 'Hem that writin of this matere 305 As though I knewe ther placis here, 510 Sainte Julian, lo! bonne hoftel! Se here The Houfe of Fame, lo! 515 Mayift thou not here that I do? Here what? (quod I.) The gretè fowne Bothe of faire fpeche and of chidinges, Herist thou not the gretè fwough? 320 Yes, perde, (quod I) well ynough. And what sowne is it lyke? (quod he.) 525 (Quod I) against the rochis halowe, Whan tempeftes done ther shippis swalow, And that a man ftande out of doute 530 A myle off thens and here it route; Or ellis lyke to the humblinge Aftir the clappe of a thundringe, Whan Jovis hath the eyre ybete, But it doth me for fere to fwete. Nay, drede the not therof, (quod he) 535 It 'is nothing that will bytin the; Thou fhalte have no harme truily. And with that worde both he and I As nighe the place arivid were 540 |