Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 50

DE OLOFERNO (HOLOFERNES).

Was never capitayn under a king (561) That regnes mo putte in subieccioun, Ne strenger was in feeld of alle thing, As in his tyme, ne gretter of renoun, Ne more pompous in heigh presumpcioun 3745 Than Oloferne, which fortune ay kiste So likerously, and ladde him up and doun Til that his heed was of, er that he wiste.

[262: T. 14477-14508.]

Nat only that this world hadde him in awe For lesinge of richesse or libertee, 3750 But he made every man reneye his lawe. (571) 'NabuG.o.donosor was G.o.d,' seyde he, 'Noon other G.o.d sholde adoured be.'

Ageyns his heste no wight dar tres.p.a.ce Save in Bethulia, a strong citee, 3755 Wher Eliachim a prest was of that place.

3751. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. _omit_ he. 3753. E. Hn. Cm. adoured; Cp. Pt. Ln.

Hl. honoured. 3754. E. Hn. dorste; _rest_ dar.

But tak kepe of the deeth of Olofern; Amidde his host he dronke lay a night, With-inne his tente, large as is a bern, And yit, for al his pompe and al his might, 3760 Iudith, a womman, as he lay upright, (581) Sleping, his heed of smoot, and from his tente Ful prively she stal from every wight, And with his heed unto hir toun she wente.

DE REGE ANTHIOCHO ILl.u.s.tRI.

What nedeth it of King Anthiochus 3765 To telle his hye royal magestee, His hye pryde, his werkes venimous?

For swich another was ther noon as he.

Rede which that he was in Machabee, And rede the proude wordes that he seyde, 3770 And why he fil fro heigh prosperitee, (591) And in an hil how wrechedly he deyde.

Fortune him hadde enhaunced so in pryde That verraily he wende he mighte attayne Unto the sterres, upon every syde, 3775 And in balance weyen ech montayne, And alle the flodes of the see restrayne.

And G.o.ddes peple hadde he most in hate, Hem wolde he sleen in torment and in payne, Wening that G.o.d ne mighte his pryde abate. 3780

3777. Cm. flodys; _rest_ floodes. 3778. E. Hn. moost.

[263: T. 14509-14540.]

And for that Nichanor and Thimothee (601) Of Iewes weren venquisshed mightily, Unto the Iewes swich an hate hadde he That he bad greithe his char ful hastily, And swoor, and seyde, ful despitously, 3785 Unto Ierusalem he wolde eft-sone, To wreken his ire on it ful cruelly; But of his purpos he was let ful sone.

3784. E. greithen; Hn. greithe; Cm. ordeyne. E. Hn. chaar; Cm. char.

G.o.d for his manace him so sore smoot With invisible wounde, ay incurable, 3790 That in his guttes carf it so and boot (611) That his peynes weren importable.

And certeinly, the wreche was resonable, For many a mannes guttes dide he peyne; But from his purpos cursed and dampnable 3795 For al his smert he wolde him nat restreyne;

But bad anon apparaillen his host, And sodeynly, er he of it was war, G.o.d daunted al his pryde and al his bost.

For he so sore fil out of his char, 3800 That it his limes and his skin to-tar, (621) So that he neither mighte go ne ryde, But in a chayer men aboute him bar, Al for-brused, bothe bak and syde.

3797, 9. E. hoost, boost. 3801. E. lemes; Hn. Cp. Hl. lymes; Cm.

lymys; Ln. limes.

The wreche of G.o.d him smoot so cruelly 3805 That thurgh his body wikked wormes crepte; And ther-with-al he stank so horribly, That noon of al his meynee that him kepte, Whether so he wook or elles slepte, Ne mighte noght for stink of him endure. 3810 In this meschief he wayled and eek wepte, (631) And knew G.o.d lord of every creature.

3807. E. _om._ so; E. horriblely. 3809. E. Hn. Cm. so; Pt. Hl. that; Cp. Ln. so that. 3810. E. Hn. for; _rest_ the.

[264: T. 14541-14572.]

To al his host and to him-self also Ful wlatsom was the stink of his careyne; No man ne mighte him bere to ne fro. 3815 And in this stink and this horrible peyne He starf ful wrecchedly in a monteyne.

Thus hath this robbour and this homicyde, That many a man made to wepe and pleyne, Swich guerdon as bilongeth unto pryde. 3820

DE ALEXANDRO.

The storie of Alisaundre is so comune, (641) That every wight that hath discrecioun Hath herd somwhat or al of his fortune.

This wyde world, as in conclusioun, He wan by strengthe, or for his hye renoun 3825 They weren glad for pees un-to him sende.

The pryde of man and beste he leyde adoun, Wher-so he cam, un-to the worldes ende.

3827. beste] Hl. bost.

Comparisoun might never yit be maked Bitwixe him and another conquerour; 3830 For al this world for drede of him hath quaked, (651) He was of knighthode and of fredom flour; Fortune him made the heir of hir honour; Save wyn and wommen, no-thing mighte aswage His hye entente in armes and labour; 3835 So was he ful of leonyn corage.

3830. E. Hn. Bitwixen. 3832. E. Hn. Cm. _omit_ was. 3834. E. man: _rest_ thing.

What preys were it to him, though I yow tolde Of Darius, and an hundred thousand mo, Of kinges, princes, erles, dukes bolde, Whiche he conquered, and broghte hem in-to wo? 3840 I seye, as fer as man may ryde or go, (661) The world was his, what sholde I more devyse?

For though I write or tolde you evermo Of his knighthode, it mighte nat suffyse.

3837. Cm. preys; E. Hn. pris: Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. pite. 3843. Hl.

_omits._

[265: T. 14573-14604.]

Twelf yeer he regned, as seith Machabee; 3845 Philippes sone of Macedoyne he was, That first was king in Grece the contree.

O worthy gentil Alisaundre, allas!

That ever sholde fallen swich a cas!

Empoisoned of thyn owene folk thou were; 3850 Thy _sys_ fortune hath turned into _as;_ (671) And yit for thee ne weep she never a tere!

3851. E. Hn. Cm. aas; Cp. Pt. Hl. an aas; Ln. an as. 3852. E. Hn. Cm.

_omit_ yit; Hl. _has_ right.

Who shal me yeven teres to compleyne The deeth of gentillesse and of fraunchyse, That al the world welded in his demeyne, 3855 And yit him thoughte it mighte nat suffyse?

So ful was his corage of heigh empryse.

Allas! who shal me helpe to endyte False fortune, and poison to despyse, The whiche two of al this wo I wyte? 3860

DE IULIO CESARE.

By wisdom, manhede, and by greet labour (681) Fro humble bed to royal magestee, Up roos he, Iulius the conquerour, That wan al thoccident by lond and see, By strengthe of hond, or elles by tretee, 3865 And un-to Rome made hem tributarie; And sitthe of Rome the emperour was he, Til that fortune wex his adversarie.

3861. E. Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit_ greet. 3862. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. humble bed; Pt. Cp. Ln. humblehede.

O mighty Cesar, that in Thessalye Ageyn Pompeius, fader thyn in lawe, 3870 That of thorient hadde al the chivalrye (691) As fer as that the day biginneth dawe, Thou thurgh thy knighthode hast hem take and slawe, Save fewe folk that with Pompeius fledde, Thurgh which thou puttest al thorient in awe. 3875 Thanke fortune, that so wel thee spedde!

3870. _MSS._ Pompeus, Pompius.

[266: T. 14605-14636.]

But now a litel whyl I wol biwaille This Pompeius, this n.o.ble governour Of Rome, which that fleigh at this bataille; I seye, oon of his men, a fals traitour, 3880 His heed of smoot, to winnen him favour (701) Of Iulius, and him the heed he broghte.

Allas, Pompey, of thorient conquerour, That fortune unto swich a fyn thee broghte!

[3881. _Misnumbered_ 700 _in the_ Aldine edition.]

To Rome ageyn repaireth Iulius 3885 With his triumphe, laureat ful hye, But on a tyme Brutus Ca.s.sius, That ever hadde of his hye estaat envye, Ful prively hath maad conspiracye Ageins this Iulius, in subtil wyse, 3890 And cast the place, in whiche he sholde dye (711) With boydekins, as I shal yow devyse.

3887. _So in the MSS.; observe_ hath _in l._ 3889.