The works of our ancient, learned, & excellent English poet, Jeffrey Chaucer as they have lately been compar'd with the best manuscripts, and several things added, never before in print : to which is adjoyn'd The story of the siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate ... : together with The life of Chaucer, shewing his countrey, parentage, education, marriage, children, revenues, service, reward, friends, books, death : also a table, wherein the old and obscure words in Chaucer are explained, and such words ... that either are, by nature or derivation, Arabick, Greek, Latine, Italian, French, Dutch, or Saxon, mark'd with particular notes for the better understanding of their original.

Primum igitur, pateris ne me pauculis rogationi∣bus statum tuae mentis attingere, atque tentare? ut quis modus sit tuae curationis intelligam, &c.

FIrst wouldest thou suffer mee to touch and assay the estate of thought by a few demaunds, so y^t I may understond by the maner of thy curacion? Aske me (qd. I) at thy will, that thou wolt, & I shall answer. Tho sayd she thus: Whether wenest thou (qd. she) that this world be gouerned foolishly by haps & fortunes, or els wenest thou that there be in it any gouernement of reason? B. Certes (qd. I) I ne trowe nat in no manner, y^t so certain things should bee mooued by For∣tunous fortune. But I wote well, that God, maker & maister, is gouernour of his werk, ne was neuer yet day that might put me out of the soothnesse of that sentence. P. So is it (qd. shee) for y^e same thing sang thou a lit∣tle here beforne, and bewailedest and weptest, that onely men were put out of the cure of God, for of all other things thou ne doubtest nat, that they nere gouerued by reason. But ough, I wonder certes greatly why y^t thou art sicke, sens that thou art put in so holsome a sentence: But let vs seeken deeper, I con∣jecte, that there lacketh I not what. But say me this. Sens that thou ne doubtest not y^t this world be gouerned by God, with which gouernaile takest thou heed that it is gouer∣ned? Vnneth (qd. I) know I y^e sentence of thy question, so that I ne may not yet answeren to thy demands. I was not deceiued (qd. she) y^t there ne failed somewhat, by which y^e mala∣die of perturbation is crept into thy thought, so as the strength of thy paleis shining is o∣pen: but say me this. Remembrest thou w^t is y^e end of things, & whider the entention of all kind tendeth? I haue heard told it some time (qd. I) but drerinesse hath dulled my memo∣rie. Certes (qd. she) thou wotest well whence all things be comen, & proceden. I wote well (qd. I) & aunswerde, that God is beginning of all. And how may this be (qd. she) y^e sens thou knowest the beginning of thinges, y^t thou knowest nat what is y^e end of thinges, but suche beene y^e customes of perturbation, and this power they han, y^t they may moue a man from his place, that is to say, from y^• stablenesse and perfection of his knowing: but certes, they may nat al arace him, ne alien him in all: but I would y^t thou woldest an∣swere to this. Remembrest thou y^t thou art a man? B. Why should I not remember y^t (qd. I.) Phi. Mayst thou not tell me then (qd. she) what thing is a man? Asketh thou not me (qd. I) whether y^t I be a reasonable mortall

beast, I wote well and confesse that I am it. Wilt thou neuer yet that thou were any other thing (qd. she.) No (qd. I.) Now well know I (qd. she) other cause of thy malady, and that right great: Thou hast left for to knowen thy selfe what thou art, through which I haue plainly founden the cause of thy malady, or els the entre of re∣couering of thy heale. For why? For thou art confounded with foryeting of thy selfe: For thou sorowdest that thou art exiled of thy proper goods. And for thou ne wist what is the end of things, for thy, demest thou that fellonous and wicked men be mightie and welefull: and for thou hast foryetten by which gouernments the world is gouerned, for thy, wenest thou that these mutations of fortune fleten without gouernour. These ben the causes not only to malady, but certes gret causes to death: But I thanke the actour and the maker of heale, that nature hath not all forleten thee. I haue great no∣rishing of thine heale, and that is the sooth sentence of gouernaunce of the world, that thou beleeuest, that the gouerning of it is not subiect ne underput to the folly of these haps auenturous, but to the reason of God: and therfore doubt thee nothing, for of this little sparke thine heat of life shall shine. But for as much as it is not time yet of faster remedies, and the nature is of thoughts thus deceiued, that as oft as they cast away sooth opinions, they clothen hem in false opinions. Of the which false opinions, the derkenesse of perturbation wexeth up, that confoundeth the very insight. And that dark∣nesse shall I somewhat assay to maken thinne and weak, by light and meaneliche reme∣dies, so that after that the darkenesse of de∣ceyuing things be done away, thou may know the shining of very light.