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.

How Edippus slough his Father by ignorance, at the Castle of Pilotes.

King Laius, and cruelly him slough, Though the story telleth not hough, Ne no wight can of all the company, By no signe, it verily aspy By whose hond the King was slaw, For Edippus gan him in hast withdraw, And kept him coy of entencioun, Great was the noise and pitous soun In the castell, for slaughter of the king, Dole and complaint, sorrow, and weeping. * But for they saw that heauines & thought, Ayenst death auaileth lite or nought, They ordaine with rites full royall, For the feast called Funerall, And eke the custome of the days old, The corps they brent into ashes cold, And in a vessell round made as a ball, They closed him in gold and metall, And after that did her busie cure, In Thebes to make a Sepulture, And richly, hem list no lenger let, The ashes they did enclose and shet, Of this matter there is no more to sayen, But to Edippus I will retourne ayen, Which him enhasteth aie from day to day, Toward Thebes, in all that euer he may, Brenning in hert as whote as any fire, The fine to know of his fatall desire, But for that he failed of a guide, Out of his way went fer aside, Through a wild and a wast countree, By a mountaine that stood vpon the see.