Quod fhe, to the I tell it, and to no mo,
My Husbonde hath long Affes Eres Two.
Now is myn Hert all hole, now it is out,
I myght no lenger kepe it out of dout.
Here mowe ye fe, though we a tyme abyde,
Yet out it mote, we can no counfayle hyde.
The remenaunt of the Tale if ye wyl here,
Redeth Ovyde, and there ye may it lere.

CXXVI.

The Poor Old Widow, as it was wristen by Geffrey Chaucer.

A Poor Wydowe, fom dele yftept in Age,
Was whilom dwelling in a pore Cotage,
Befide a Grotte, ftondyng in a Dale,
This Wydowe, of whiche I tel you my Tale,
Sens the Day that fhe was lalie a Wyfe,
In pacience ledde a ful fimple Lyfe:
For lytel was her Catet and her Rent
By Husbandrie, of fuch as God her fent,
She fonde her felfe, and eke her Doughters two:
Thre large Sowes had fhe; and no mo;
Thre Kyne, and eke a Shepe that hyght Mall;
Wel footy was her boure, and eke her Hall,
In whiche fhe ete many a flender Mele,
Of poynant Sauce ne knewe fhe never a dele,
Ne deynty Morcel paffed through her Throte,
Her Dyet was accordaunt to her Cote :
Repletion ne made her never lyke,
A temperate dyete was her Phifyke;
And Exercyfe, and Hertes fuffy faunce,
The Goute let her nothing for to Daunce,

Ne Apoplexie fhent not her Heed,

No wyne ne dranke fhe, whyte ne reed:
Her borde was moft ferved with whyte and blacke,
Milke, and broun Breed, in which the fonde no lack;
Seynde Bakon, and fomtyme an Ege or tway,
For fhe was at it were a maner dey.

A Yerde fhe had, enclosed al aboute
With Styckes, and drie dytched without,
In which the had a Cocke hyght Chaunte clere,
In al the londe of crowyng nas his pere;
His Voyce was meryer than the mery Orgon
On Maffe Dayes, that in the Churches gon;
Wel Sykerer was his Crowyng in his Loge,
Than is a Clocke, or in an Abbey an Orloge;
By Nature he knew eche affentioun

Of the Equinoctiall in the Toun;
For when Degrees XV were affended
Then Crew he that it might not be amended.
His Combe was redder than the fyne Corall,
And batelled, as it had be a Caftell Wall;
His Byll was Black, as any gete it fhone,
Lyke afure were his Legges and his Tone,
His Nayles whiter than the Lylly Floure,
And like the burned Gold was his Coloure..

Notes

Notes Explaining fome difficult Places.

PAg. 3. Phabus, or Apollo] (who was reckon'd the

God of Phyfick, Mufick, Poetry, &c.) fell in Love with the Virgin Daphne, who when he purfued her, that he might fecure herself from the Violence of his Paffion, was changed into a Lawrel, or Bay-Tree.

P. 4. So Nero] Nero, one of the Roman Emperors: He was fo Cruel, that every Tyrant after him was called Nero. This Prince fet the City of Rome on Fire; and while it was burning, he played on a Harp the Destruction of Troy.

P. 6. The Boy] Paris, the Son of Priamus, King of Troy, went to Greece, where he fell in Love with Helena, or Helen, the most celebrated Beau ty of that Country, and in her Husband Menelaus's Absence, carried her away home with him, which was the occafion of the Trojan War, that lafted ten Years, and ended in the Deftruction of Troy.

Echo] A Nymph who falling in Love with Nariffus, and being flighted by him, pined away to a Skeleton, having nothing left her but her Voice. Echo fignifies Voice or Sound.

P. 8. Narciffus A beautiful Youth, who feeing his own Face in a Fountain, fell in Love with himfelf, fo that he pined away; and dying, was changed into a Flower of his Name, the Daffodill.

P. 8. Zeuxis's Birds] He painted Grapes fo naturally, that the Birds took them for real ones.

P. 9. Theban-Wall] Amphion, the Son of Jupiter, was faid, by the Sound of his Harp, or Lute, to build the Walls of Thebes. That is, he was fo eloquent as to perfwade Men who lived a wild and favage Life before, to embrace the Rules and Manners of Civil Society.

P. 10. Bajazeth] in the Play. He was a proud Emperor of the Turks, whom Tamerlane, a Tartar, took Prifoner, and carried him about in an Irot Cage.

P. II. Clarinda] The Perfon whom Alexis was in Love with.

P. 26 Dagon] The great Idol of the Philiftims They fay, he taught them to Till the Ground, and the U of Corn. He was reprefented half a Man, and half a Fish, and had in his Right-Hand a Pomgranate.

P. 29. Brutur] One of the Confpirators that flew Julius Cefar, who flying upon it, and being afterwards routed by Octavius Augustus and Mark Astony at Philppi in Macedonia, killed himself. was a great Acquaintance of Tullys.

He

P. 26. Morning Crow] The Crowing of the Cock in the Morning.

P. 32. Sarpedon A King of Lysia, Hain by Patroclus in the Siege of Tray.

Xanthus) The Name of a River of Lycia, alfo of another in Troy.

P. 44. Flying-Towers] Ships

P-45. A Wall like that which Athens bad] The Athenians, upon the coming of Xerxes King of Perfis into Europe, confulted the Oracle of po at Delphi, what they fhould do. They were ad vis'd to fortify themselves with Wooden-Walls. Of which Answer, when mone knew the Maming, Themistocles perfwaded theth to put themselves and Effects

Effects a Shipboard, faying, That the Ships were the Wooden Walls that were meant. Which Advice proved afterwards very Fortunate to them.

So the Dictator] Quintus Cincinnatus, a Roman Senator, who after he had perform'd many Glorious Exploits, retir'd to his Country-Houfe, where he liv'd quietly, tilling his Grounds, which was but a little Spot: But upon a War with the Volfcians, he was taken from the Plough, and made Dictator, the greatest Poft in the Commonwealth: When having beaten the Enemy, he peaceably retired to his old Employments at his Country-House.

Accurfed Difeafe] The Small-Pox.

P. 50. Harmonious Nine] The Nine Muses, whofe Names were Calliope, Polymeia, Erato, Clio, atque and Thalia, Melpomene, Euterpe, Terpsichore, V

rania.

P. 58. Scalan Gate] One of the Gates of Troy

Meander] A large River in Phrygia, it runs with a great many Turnings and Windings. Hence any Difficulties or Misfortunes that one cannot easily be got out of, are called Meanders.

P. 59. Grecian Artift] Pygmalion, who having made a moft neat and beautiful Image of Venus, fell in Love with it, and begg'd of Venus that fhe would enliven the Ivory Statue, and turn it into a Woman; which, they fay, being granted, he married it.

P. 60. Ixion's Son] Perithous.

P. 67. Virgil] A famous Latin Poet, who liv'd in the Reign of Auguftus Cefar.

P. 68. Pegafus] The Mufes Horse.

P. 69. Young Grecian] Alexander the Great went to Lybia, that is, Africk, to confult the Oracle of Fupiter Ammon.