_belif_. We find in Cotgrave's French Dictionary, "_Belic_, a kind of red or geueles, in Blazon."

_enseignes_, tokens, message.

P. xlix. _mestier_, serviceable.

_dillec_, thence.

_pourneant_, for nothing, in vain.

_voire_, truly.

_commanday a dieu_, commended to G.o.d, bade farewell.

P. li. _mestier en est_, there is need of it.

_greigneur bien_, exceedingly well, very highly.

P. lii. _greigneure_, greater.

_anuytoit_, became night.

_ie me doibz pener_, I ought to take pains.

P. liii. _ouen_, this year.

The Romans of Lancelot of the Laik.

[PROLOGUE.]

[Sidenote: In April, when the fresh luminary upriseth,]

++THe ?oft morow ande The lu?tee Aperill, [Fol. 1.]

The wynt{er} set, the stormys in exill, Quhen that the bry{ch}t {and} fre?ch illumynare Upri?ith arly in his fyre chare 4 His hot cour in to the orient, [Sidenote: and sendeth from his sphere his golden streams,]

And frome h{is} ?pere his goldine ?tremis sent Wpone the grond, in man{er} off me?ag, One eu{er}y thing to valkyne thar curage, 8 That natur haith set wnd{er} hire mycht, Boith gyr, and flour, {and} eu{er}y lu?ty vicht: And namly thame that felith the a??ay Of lufe, to ?chew the kalendis of may, 12 Throw birdis ?onge w{i}t{h} opine wox one hy, That ?e??it not one lufar{is} for to cry, Le?t thai for?het, throw ?lewth of Ignorans, The old w?age of lowis ob?{er}uans. 16

[Headnote: THE POET BEWAILS HIS LOT.]

[Sidenote: and when I espy his bright face,]

And frome I can the bricht face a??py, It deuit me no langare fore to ly, Nore that loue schuld ?leuth In to me finde, [Sidenote: I walk forth, bewailing my sad life.]

Bot walkine furth, bewalinge in my mynde 20 the dredful lyve endurit al to longe, Sufferans in loue of ?orouful harmys ?tronge, The ?charpe dais and the hewy ?erys, Quhill phebus thris haith pa??ith al h{is} ?peris, 24 Vithoutine hope ore trai?tinge of comfort; So be such meine fat.i.t was my sort.

Thus in my ?aull Rolinge al my wo, [Sidenote: The sword of love carves my heart.]

My carful hart carwing can In two 28 The derdful ?uerd of lowis hot di??ire; So be the morow set I was a-fyre In felinge of the acce hot {and} colde, That haith my hart in ?ich a fevir holde, 32 Only to me thare was none vthir e Bot thinkine qhow I ?chulde my lady ple.

The ?charp a??ay and ek the Inwart peine Of dowblit wo me neulyng{is} can con?trein, 36 Quhen that I have remembrit one my tho{ch}t [Sidenote: My lady knoweth not how I am wobegone.]

How sche, quhois bewte al my harm haith wrocht, Ne knouith not how I ame wo begone, [Fol. 1b.]

Nor how that I ame of hire ?{er}uand{is} one; 40 And in my ?elf I can nocht fynde the meyne In to quhat wy I ?al my wo compleine.

[Sidenote: I walked thus in the field, and came to a well-beseen garden.]

Thus in the feild I walkith to {and} froo, As tho{ch}tful wicht that felt of no{ch}t bot woo, 44 Syne to o gardinge, that we weil be?en, Of quiche the feild was al depaynt w{i}t{h} gren.

The tendyre and the lu?ty flour{is} new Up throue the gren vpone thar ?talk{is} grew 48 A?hane the ?one, and thare levis ?pred, Quharw{i}t{h} that al the gardinge was I-clede; That pryapus, in to his tyme before, In o lu?tear walkith nevir more; 52 [Sidenote: It was closely environed with leaves.]

And al about enweronyt and Iclo?it One ?ich o wy, that none w{i}t{h}in ?uppo?it Fore to be ?en w{i}t{h} ony vicht thare owt; So dide the levis clo? it[T1] all about. 56 Thar was the flour, thar was the quen alphe?t,[T2]

Ry{ch}t wering being of the ny{ch}t{is} re?t, Wnclo?i{n}g gane the crownel for the day; [Sidenote: The sun illumined the sprays;]

The bry{ch}t ?one illumynit haith the ?pray, 60 The ny{ch}t{is} ?obir ande the mo?t ?chowr{is}, As cri?toll terys w{i}t{h}hong vpone the flour{is}, Haith vpwarpith In the lu?ty aire, The morow makith soft, ameyne, and faire; 64 [Sidenote: the birds sang till the woods resounded;]

And the byrd{is} thar my{ch}ty voce out-throng, Quhill al the wood re?onite of thar ?onge, That gret confort till ony vicht It wer That ple??ith thame of lu?tenes to here. 68 Bot gladne til the tho{ch}tful, eu{er} mo The more he ?eith, the more he haith of wo.

[Sidenote: the garden was adorned with flowers.]

[Footnote T1: MS. "clo?it."]

[Footnote T2: May we read "alcest"?]

[Headnote: HE SEES A VISION OF A GREEN BIRD.]

Thar was the garding w{i}t{h} the flour{is} ourfret, Quich is in po?y fore my lady set, 72 That hire Repre?ent to me oft befor, {And} thane al?o; thus al day gan be ?or[T3]

Of tho{ch}t my go?t w{i}t{h} torment occupy, 75 That I became In to one exa?y, [Fol. 2.]

Ore ?lep, or how I wot; bot ?o befell My wo haith done my livis go?t expell, And in ?ich wi weil long I can endwr, So me betid o wondir aventur. 80 [Sidenote: I fell there into an ecstasy or sleep, and saw in my dream a green bird, who said:]

As I thus lay, Ry{ch}t to my ?preit vas ?en A birde, yat was as ony lawrare gren, A-licht, and ?ayth in to hir bird{is} chere;

[Footnote T3: MS. "be?or."]

[Headnote: THE BIRD'S MESSAGE.]

"O woful wrech, that levis in to were! 84 To ?chew the thus the G.o.d of loue me ?ent, That of thi ?{er}uice no thing is content, [Sidenote: "The G.o.d of Love is discontent with thee.]

For in his court yhoue lewith i{n} di??par, And vilfully su?tenis al thi care, 88 And ?chapith no thinge of thine awn remede, Bot clepith ay and cryith apone dede.

Yhow callith the bird{is} be morow fro thar bour{is}, Yhoue devith boith the erbis and the flour{is}, 92 And clepit hyme vnfaithful king of lowe, Yow dewith hyme in to h{is} rigne abufe, Yhow tempith hyme, yhoue doith thi ?elf no gud, Yhoue are o mon of wit al de?t.i.tude. 96 [Sidenote: You are dest.i.tute of wit.]

Wot yhoue no{ch}t that al liwis creatwre Haith of thi wo i{n} to h{is} hand the cwre?

[Sidenote: Though you call on trees, your lady hears not.]

And ?et yhoue clep one erbis and one treis, Sche her{is} not thi wo, nore ?hit ?che ?eis; 100 For none may know the dirkne of thi tho{ch}t, Ne blamyth h{er} thi wo ?che knowith no{ch}t.

And It is weil accordinge It be so He ?uffir harme, that to redre h{is} wo 104 Previdith not; for long ore he be ?onde, Holl of his leich, that ?chewith not h{is} vound.

[Sidenote: Ovid says it is better to shew, than to conceal love.]

And of owid ye autor ?chall yhow knaw Of lufe that ?eith, for to con?el or ?chow, 108 The la?t he clepith althir-be?t of two; And that is ?uth, and ?al be eu{er} mo.

And loue al?o haith chargit me to ?ay, 111 Set yhoue pre?ume, ore beleif, ye a??ay [Fol. 2b.]

Of his ?{er}uice, as It wil ryne ore go, Pre?wme It not, fore It wil not be so; Al magre thine a ?{er}uand ?chal yow bee.

[Sidenote: As touching thine adversity, seek the remedy."]

And as tueching thine adu{er}?ytee, 116 Complen and sek of the ramed, the cwre, Ore, gif yhow likith, furth thi wo endure."

And, as me tho{ch}t, I an?uerde a?aine [Sidenote: Then answered I:]

Thus to the byrde, in word{is} ?chort and plane: 120 "It ganyth not, as I have harde Recorde, The ?{er}uand for to di?put w{i}t{h} ye lord; [Sidenote: "Love knows the reason of my wo."]

Bot well he knowith of al my vo the quhy, And in quhat wy he hath me ?et, quhar I 124 Nore may I not, nore can I not attane, Nore to hir hienes dare I not complane."

[Sidenote: "Fool," said the bird, "despair not;]

"Ful!" q{uo}d the bird, "lat be thi ny di?pare, For in this erith no lady is ?o fare, 128 So hie e?tat, nore of ?o gret empri, That in hire ?elf haith vi?dome ore gentrice, Yf that o wicht, that worthy is to be Of lovis court, ?chew til hir that he 132 Seruith hire in lovis hartly wy, That ?chall thar for hyme hating or di?pi.

[Headnote: SHE BIDS HIM WRITE A POEM.]

[Sidenote: the G.o.d of Love charges thee to speak out your love, or else to write thy plaint;]

The G.o.d of love thus chargit the, at ?chort, That to thi lady yhoue thi wo Report; 136 Yf yhoue may not, thi plant ?chall yhov vrit.

Se, as yhoue cane, be man{er} oft endit In metir, quhich that no ma{n} haith ?u??pek, Set oft tyme thai contenyng gret effecc; 140 Thus one ?ume wy yhow ?chal thi wo dwclar.

And, for thir ?edulis and thir billis are So gen{er}all, and ek ?o ?chort at lyte, And ?wme of thai{m} is lo?t the appet.i.t, 144 [Sidenote: write, then, some treatise for her to read;]

Sum trety ?chall yhoue for yi lady ?ak, That wnkouth is, als tak one hand and mak, Of love, ore armys, or of ?u{m} othir thing, That may hir one to thi Reme{m}bry{n}g brynge; 148 Qwich ?oundith Not one to no hewynes, [Fol. 3.]

Bot one to gladne and to lu?tene, [Sidenote: one that may please her and get her thanks.]

That yhoue belevis may thi lady ple, To have hir thonk and be one to hir e; 152 That ?che may wit in ?{er}uice yhow art one.

[Sidenote: Farewell, and be merry."]

Faire weil," q{uo}d ?che, "thus ?chal yhow the di?pone, And mak thi ?elf als mery as yhoue may, It helpith not thus fore to wex al way." 156 W{i}t{h} that, the bird ?che haith hir leif tak, [Sidenote: Thereon I awoke, and wondered what it might mean.]

For fere of quich I can onone to wak; Sche was ago, and to my ?elf tho{ch}t I Quhat may yis meyne? quhat may this ?ig{n}ify? 160 Is It of troucht, or of Illu?ioune?

[Headnote: HE RESOLVES TO DO SO.]

Bot finaly, as in conclu?ioune, Be as be may, I ?chal me not discharge, Sen It apperith be of lovis charg; 164 And ek myne hart none othir bi??ynes Haith bot my ladice ?{er}uice, as I ge; [Sidenote: I determined to take in hand this occupation.]

Among al vther{is} I ?chal one honde tak This litil occupatioune for hire ?ak. 168 Bot hyme I pray, the my{ch}ty G.o.de of loue, That ?it.i.th hie in to his ?pir abuf, (At {com}mand of o wy quhois vi?ioune My go?t haith takin this opvnioune,) 172 That my lawboure may to my lady ple And do wnto hir lade?chip ?u{m} e, So that my t{ra}uell be no{ch}t tynt, and I Quhat vther{is} ?ay ?et.i.th nothing by. 176 [Sidenote: I know it will but hurt my name, when men hear my feeble negligence.]