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CONFESSIO AMANTIS

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suote,

Of Othrin and Olimpe also,
And ek of othre hulles mo,
Sche fond and gadreth herbes suote,
Sche pulleth up som be the rote,
And manye with a knyf sche scherth,2
And alle into hir char sche berth.3
Thus whan sche hath the hulles sought,
The flodes ther forgat sche nought,
Eridian and Amphrisos,

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Peneie and ek Spercheidos.

To hem sche wente and ther sche nom

Bothe of the water and the fom,

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The sond and ek the smale stones, Whiche-as sche ches out for the nones; "

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And of the Rede See a part

That was behovelich to hire art Sche tok, and after that aboute

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Sche soughte sondri sedes oute
In feldes and in many greves,
And ek a part sche tok of leves;
Bot thing which mihte hire most availe
Sche fond in Crete and in Thessaile.

In daies and in nyhtes nyne,

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With gret travaile and with gret pyne, 4020
Sche was pourveid of every piece,
And torneth homward into Grece.
Before the gates of Eson

Hir char sche let áwai to gon,

And tok out ferst that was therinne;
For tho sche thoghte to beginne
Suche thing as semeth impossible,
And made birselven invisible,
As sche that was with air enclosed
And mihte of noman be desclosed.
Sche tok up turves of the lond
Withoute helpe of mannes hond,
Al heled 10 with the grene gras,
Of which an alter mad ther was
Unto Echates, the goddesse

Of art magique and the maistresse,
And eft" an other to Juvente,

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As sche which dede hir hole entente.
Tho tok sche fieldwode and verveyne,
Of herbes ben noght betre tueine; 13
Of which anon withoute let
These alters ben aboute set.
Tuo sondri puttes 14 faste by
Sche made, and with that hastely
A wether which was blak sche slouh,15
And out ther-of the blod sche drouh 18
And dede 17 into the pettes 14 tuo;
Warm melk sche putte also therto

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⚫ took 7 chose 8 for the purpose 9 groves 10 covered

11 again 12 entire purpose

16 drew 17 put

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twain, two 14 pits 15 slew

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And to the queene Proserpine.

And so sche soghte out al the line Of hem that longen to that craft, Behinde was no name laft,2

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And preide hem alle, as sche wel couthe,3 To grante Eson his ferste youthę.

This olde Eson broght forth was tho; Awei sche bad alle othre go,

Upon peril that mihte falle;

And with that word thei wenten alle,
And leften there hem tuo al-one.
And tho sche gan to gaspe and gone,5
And made signes many-on,
And seide hir wordes therupon;
So that with spellinge of hir charmes
Sche took Eson in both hire armes,★
And made him forto slepe faste,
And him upon hire herbes caste.

The blake wether tho sche tok,
And hiewh the fleissh, as doth a cok;
On either alter part sche leide,
And with the charmes that sche seide
A fyr doun fro the sky alyhte
And made it forto brenne lyhte.
Bot whan Medea sawh it brenne,
Anon sche gan to sterte and renne '
The fyri aulters al aboute.
Ther was no beste which goth oute
More wylde than sche semeth ther:
Aboute hir schuldres hyng hir her,
As thogh sche were oute of hir mynde
And torned in an other kynde.
Tho lay ther certein wode cleft,
Of which the pieces nou and eft 10
Sche made hem in the pettes wete,

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nature 10 now and again 11 where 12 place 13 like 14 lark

Somtime kacleth as a hen,
Somtime spekth as don the men;
And riht so as hir jargoun strangeth,1
In sondri wise hir forme changeth,
Sche semeth faie and no womman;
For with the craftes that sche can
Sche was, as who seith, a goddesse.
And what hir liste, more or lesse,
Sche dede, in bokes as we finde,
That passeth over manneskinde.3

Bot who that wole of wondres hiere,
What thing sche wroghte in this matiere,
To make an ende of that sche gan,*
Such merveile herde nevere man.
Apointed in the newe mone,
han it was time forto done,
Sche sette a caldron on the fyr,
In which was al the hole atir,"
Wheron the medicine stod,
Of jus, of water, and of blod,
And let it buile in such a plit,
Til that sche sawh the spume whyt;
And the sche caste in rynde' and rote,
And sed and flour that was for bote,
With many an herbe and many a ston,
Wherof sche hath ther many on.
And ek Cimpheius the serpent
To hire hath alle his scales lent,
Chelidre hire yaf his addres skin,
And sche to builen caste hem in;

A part ek of the horned oule,

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1 becomes strange 2 fairy 3 that surpasses human nature began equipment 6 boil 7 bark 8 remedy bill 10 intestine 11 healing 12 quickly 13 stir 14 meadow

Medea thanne knew and wiste
Hir medicine is forto triste,'
And goth to Eson ther2 he lay,
And tok a swerd was of assay
With which a wounde upon his side
Sche made, that therout mai slyde
The blod withinne, which was old

And sek and trouble and fieble and cold.
And tho sche tok unto his us 4

Of herbes al the beste jus,

And poured it into his wounde;

That made his veynes fulle and sounde.

And tho sche made his wounde clos,

And tok his hand, and up he ros.

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And tho sche yaf him drinke a drauhte, Of which his youthe ayein he cauhte,

His hed, his herte and his visage

Lich unto twenty wynter age;

Hise hore heres were away,

And lich unto the freisshe Maii,

Whan passed ben the colde schoures,

Riht so recovereth he his floures.

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For love of ur 15 Lord / liveden ful streite,
In hope for to have / hevene-riche blisse;
As ancres 17 and hermytes / that holdeth hem in
heore 18 celles,

Coveyte 19 not in cuntre / to cairen 20 aboute,
For non likerous lyflodę "/heore licam 22 to plese.
And summe chosen chaffare 23 / to cheeven
24 the
bettre,
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As hit semeth to ure sighte/ that suche men thryveth;

And summe, murthhes 25 to maken / as munstrals cunne,28

And gete gold with here 18 gle, / giltles, I trowe. Bote japers 27 and jangelers,2 / Judas children, Founden hem fantasyes / and fooles hem maaden, And habbeth wit at heore 18 wille / to worchen yif hem luste,20

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And hedden' leve to lyen / al heore lyf aftir.

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2 Grete lobres 3 and longe / that loth weore to swynke

Clotheden hem in copes / to beo knowen for bretheren;

And summe schopen hem to hermytes / heore ese

to have.

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I fond there freres," / all the foure ordres, Prechinge the peple / for profyt of heore wombes,' Glosynge the Gospel / as hem good liketh," For covetyse of copes / construeth hit ille; For monye 10 of this maistres/mowen hem at lyking,

For moneye

togedere;

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11 clothen.

and heore marchaundie / meeten

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Seththe 13 Charite hath be1 chapmon,15 / and cheef to schriven 10 lordes,

faste.

Mony ferlyes han 17 bifalle / in a fewe yeres. But 18 Holychirche and heo 1 / holde bet 20 togedere, The moste mischeef on molde 21/is mountyng up 22 he a prest 65 And brought forth a bulle / with bisschopes seles, And seide that himself mighte / asoylen 23 hem

Ther prechede a pardoner, / as

were,

alle

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Of falsnesse and fastinge / and of vouwes i-broken.24 The lewede men levide 20 him wel/ and likede his speche,

And comen up knelynge / to kissen his bulle; 70 He bonchede 27 hem with his brevet / and blered 28 heore eiyen,2

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1 had 2 I have omitted two lines, which probably were not in the earliest version. 3 lubbers labor shaped them to, became friars 7 bellies 8 interpreting according to their own desire 10 many may money 13 since 14 been 15 trader 16 shrive, confess many wonders have 18 unless 19 she, i.e. Charity 20 better 21 earth 22 as if 23 absolve 24 broken vows 25 ignorant 26 believed banged 28 blinded 29 eyes 30 reached, got 31 licence 32 33 your gluttons 34 rascals practice ears 37 it is not all the fault of 38 if it were not for them

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And yif we grucche of his gamen / he wil greve us alle,

Cracche 10 us, or clawe us / and in his cloches " holde,

That us lotheth the lyf / or 12 he lete us passe. 155 Myghte we with any witte / his wille withstonde, We myghte be lordes aloft / and lyven at owre ese." A raton 13 of renon,1 / most renable 15 of tonge, Seide for a sovereygne / help to hymselve: 16 "I have y-sein segges, quod he,/ "in the cité

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of London

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185 To cracchy us and al owre kynde, / though we croupe under benches.

For-thi I conseille alle the comune / to lat the catte worthe,"

And be we never so bolde / the belle hym to shewe;

For I herde my sire seyn,10/ is sevene yere ypassed, There" the catte is a kitoun / the courte is ful elyng; 12

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That witnisseth Holi-write,/who-so wil it rede, Ve terre ubi puer rex est,13 &c.

For may no renke 14 there rest have / for ratones bi nyghte.

The while he caccheth conynges 15/he coveiteth nought owre caroyne,"

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Ne carpyng' of this coler/ that costed me

nevre.

And though it had coste me catel3/ biknowen' it I nolde,s

But suffre as hym-self wolde / to do as hym liketh,

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Coupled and uncoupled / to cacche what thei mowe."

For-thi uche a wise wighte I warne / wite wel his owne.".

What this meteles bemeneth,10/ ye men that be

merye,

Devine ye, for I ne dar," / bi dere God in hevene!

FROM PASSUS VI (A—TEXT)

12 [Now riden this folk / and walken on fote, To seche 13 that seint 14/in selcouthe 15 londis;] Bote 16 ther were fewe men so wys/ that couthe 17 the wei thider,

Bote 16 blustrede forth as bestes / over valeyes and hulles;

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Til late and longe / that thei a leod metten
Apparayled as a palmere / in pilgrimes wyse.2
He bar a bordun " i-bounde / with a brod lyste 22
In a weth-bondes 23 wyse/i-writhen 24 aboute.
A bagge and a bolle / he bar bi his syde;
An hundred of ampolles / on his hat seten,26
Signes of Synay / and schelles of Galys;
Moni 28 cros on his cloke, / and keiyes 29 of Rome,
And the vernicle bi-fore, / for men schulde knowe
And seo be his signes / whom he sought 30 hedde.31
This folk fraynede 32 him feire 33 / from whenne
that he coome.

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"From Synay," he seide, / "and from the Sepul

cre;

At Bethleem and at Babiloyne, / I have ben in

bothe;

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