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 Ethiocles sore was astonied, when he heard the death of his Knights.

Of hatefull ire he wext nigh wood, And in his teene and in his fell mood, Of cruell mallice to the knight he spake, And felly seid, that it was for lacke Only of manhode, & through her cowardise, That they were flaine in so mortall wise, And hanged be he high by the neck, That of your death or of your slaughter reck, Or you compleine, eyther one or all, Of the mischeefe that is you befall, I doe no force that none of you astert, But sigh vpon your false coward hert, That o knight hath through his renoun Brought you all to confusioun, Full gracelesse and full vnhappy to: Nay (qd. this knight) it is nothing so. It is thine vnhap plainly, and not ours, That so many worthy warriours, Which all her life neuer had shame, Except this querele, taken in thy name, That grounded was, & rooted on falsenesse, This was cause in very soothnesse, Of our vnhap, I wot wele, and none other, With thine vntrouth done vnto thy brother, And that thou were so openly forsworne, And percell cause, why that we were lorne, Was fals breaking of thine assured oth. And tho the king, mad almost for wroth, In purpose was for to slea this knight, Onely for he said, vnto him right, The which alas, both at eue and morrow, Suppressed was with a deadly sorrow, Renning aye in his remembraunce, With the pitous and vnhappy chaunce Of the great mischeefe and misauenture, Touching the death and discomfiture Of his fieres, and of himselfe also, That the shamefast importable wo So was on him, with such a mortall strife, That he was weary of his owne life, Hent he hath a swerd, and aside stert, And roue himself euen to the hert, The king himselfe being tho present: And the rumour and the noise is went Through Thebes, of the wood rage, By such as weren joyned by linage To the knights, slaine at hill, That all at ones of one heart and will, They wold haue arisen throughout y^• Citie, Vpon the king auenged for to be, Which of her death was cheefe occasioun: But the Barons and Lords of the toun Ful busie were this rumour and disease, Of high prudence, to stint and appease, In quiete euery thing to sette: And after that, the bodies home they fette Of the knights, like as ye haue herd Afore yslaine, with the bloody swerd Of Tideus, full sharpe whet and ground, And in the field, so as they hem found, Onely of loue, and of affectioun, Solemnely they brought hem to the toun, And like the manere of the rites old, They were first brent into ashes cold, And each one yburied, like to his degre, Lo here the kalends of aduersite, Sorrow vpon sorrow, and destruction, First of the king, and all the region,

For lacke onely, like as I you told, That behests truly were not hold: The first ground and root of this ruine, As the story clearely shall determine, And my tale hereafter shall you lere, If that you list the remnaunt for to here.