Quod she, to the I tell it, and corro. mos
My Husbonde hath long Afes 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 lert.

CXXVI.

The Poor Old Widow, as it was written by

,

Geffrey Chaucer.
A Poor Wydowe, fom dek yftept in Age,

Was whilone dwelling in a pore Cotages
Beride a Grotte, stondrag in a Dale,
This Wydowe, of whiche I tel you my Talie,
Sens the Day that fhe was bafie a Wjfe,
In pacience ledde a ful simple Lyfe:
For lytel was her Catet and her Rent;
By Husbondrie, of such as God her fent,
She fonde her felfe, and eke her Doughters two:
Thre large Sowes had she; and no nio;
Thre Kyne, and eke a Shepe that hyght Mall,
Wel footy was her boure, and eke her Hall,
In which the ete many a llender Mele,
O poynant Sauce ne knewe she never a dele,
Ne deynty Morcel passed through her Throteg.
Her Dyet was accordaunt to her Cote :
Repletion ne made her never lyke,
A temperate dyete was her Phisyke;
And Exercyse, and Hertes fuffy faunce ;
The Gouté let her nothing for to Daunce,

re

Ne Apoplexie shent not her Heed,
No wyne ne dranke fhe, whyte ne reed:
Her borde was most ferved with whyte and blacke,
Milke, and broun Breed, in which she fonde no lackz
Seynde Bakon, and somityme an Ege or tway,
For she was at it were a maner dey.

A Yerde she had, enclosed al aboute
With Styckes, and drie dytched without,
In which she had a Cocke hyght Chaunte clere,
In al the londe of crowyng nas his pere;
His Voyce was meryer than the mery Orgon
On Massa 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 assentioun
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 Castell Wally
His Byll was Black, as any gete, it shone,
Lyke afure were his Legges and his Tone,
His Nayles whiter than the Lylly Floure,
And like the burned. Gold was his Coloure.

Notes Explairing some difficult Places.

PAg. 3. Phabus, or Apollo) (who was reckond the

God of Physick, Musick, Poetry, Oc.) fell in Love with the Virgin Daphne, who when he pursued her, that she might secure herself from the Violence of his Passion, was changed into a Lawrel, or Bay-Tree.

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

P. 6. The Bay] Paris, the Son of Priamus, King of Troy, went to Greece, where he fell in Love with Helena, or Helen, the most celebrated-Beauty of thát Country, and in her Husband Menelaus's Absence, carried her away home with him, which was the occasion of the Trojan War, that lasted ten Years, and ended in the Destruction of Troy.

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

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

. P. 8. Zeuxis's Birds] He painted Grapes so na. turally, that the Birds took them for real ones.

P. 9. Theban-Wall] Amphion, the Son of Jupiter, was said, by the Sound of his Harp, or Lute, to build the Walls of Thebes. That is, he was fo eloquent as to perswade Men who lived å 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 carsied him about in an Iroj Cage

P. II. Clorindo The Pesfon whom Alexis was in Love with.

P. 26 Dragon) The great Idal of the Philiftimes They say, he taught them to Till the Ground, and the UE of Corre. He was representet half a Man, and half z Fish, and had ia bisRight-Hand a Porr granate.

P. 29. Brutary One of the Conspirators that fler Julius Cefar, who fying upon it, and being afterwards routed by Octavius Auguftus and Mark Artony at Philppi in Macedonia, killed himself. He was a great Acquaintance of Takyse

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

P. 32. Sarpedon) A King of Lyois, Hain by Pa troclus in the Siege of Tray.

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

P. 44. Flying-Toppers] Ships

P.45. A Wall like that which Athers had] The Athenians, upon the coming of Xerxes King of Perfis insto Europe, confulted the Oracle of porte at Delphi, what they fhould do. They were act vis'd to fortify then

fetves with Wooden-Walls Of which Answer, when none knew shine Maming, Themiftocles perfuaded them to put themselves and

Effects

Effects a Shipboard; saying, 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 House, where he liv'd quietly, tilling his Grounds, which was but a little Spot: But upon a War with the Volscians, he was taken from the Plough, and made Dictator, the greatest Post in the Commonwealth : When having beaten the Enemy, he peaceably retired to his old Employments at his Country-House.

Accursed Disease] The Small-Pox.

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

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

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

P. 59. Grecian Artist) Pygmalion, who having made a most neat and beautiful Image of Venus, fell in Love with it, and begg'd of Venus that she would enliven the Ivory Statue, and turn it into a Woman; which, they say, 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 Augustus Cefar.

P. 68. Pegasus] The Muses. Horse.

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