Page images
PDF
EPUB

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,
That fawe in dreme at pointe devise
Heven and erthe, hel and paradise,
Ne eke the bold wretche Dædalus,
Ne yet his childe, nice Icarus,
That flewe fo hiè that the hete
Hys wingis molte, and he fel wete
In mydde the fe, and there he dreinte,

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,
For in this regioun certaine
Dwellith many a citizeine,
Of whiche yspekith Dan Plato,
These ben the eyrishe bestis, lo!
And tho fawe I al the menye
That bothe ygone and also flye.

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,
That onis was brente with the hete,
Whan that the funn'is fonne the rede,
Which that hite Phaëton, wolde lede
Algate his fathir's carte and gie.
The carte horfis gan wel afpie
That he ne coude no govirnaunce,

435

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

And with this worde, fothe for to faine,

[blocks in formation]

Snowis, hailis, rainis, and windes,
And the engendringe in ther kindes,
Al the way thoroughe whiche I came;
O God! (quod I) that made Adame,
Moche is thy myght and noblenes!
And tho thought I upon Boece,

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.
Tho gan I wexin in a were,
And faid, I wote wel I am here,
But whether in body or in goft

I n'ot ywis, but God thou woft,
For a more clere entendèment
N'as to me nevir yet yfent.

And than thought I on Marcian,
And eke of Anticlaudian,

470

475

[blocks in formation]

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?

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

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,
And eke they femin here fo bright
That it fhulde fhendin al my fight
To loke on 'hem. That may wel be,
(Quod he;) and so forth bare he me
A while, and tho began to crie,
That nevir herde I thinge fo hie;
Holde up thine hed, for al is wel,

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
(Quod he) that romblith up and downe
In Fam'is Houfe, ful of tidinges

Bothe of faire fpeche and of chidinges,
And of falfe and fothe compownid;
Herkin wel, it is not rownid.

Herist thou not the gretè fwough?

320

Yes, perde, (quod I) well ynough.

And what sowne is it lyke? (quod he.)
Peter! lyke the' beting of the se

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
As men might caftin with a spere:
I ne wift howe, but in a strete
He fet me faire upon my fete,

540

« PreviousContinue »