The parlament of foules, by Geoffrey Chaucer. Ed., with introduction, notes, and glossary, by T. R. Lounsbury.

THE PARLAMENT OF FOULES.

69

LV.
Nature the viker of the Almyghty Lord,
That hot, cold, heuy, lyght, and moyst, and dreye, 380
Hath knyt with euene noumberis of acord,
In esy voys gan for to speke and seye,
"Foulis, tak hed of my centence, I preye;
And for youre ese in fortheryng of youre nede,
As faste as I may speke I wil yow spede. 385
LVI.
" Ye knowe wel how, seynt Valentines day,
By my statute and thurh my governaunce,
Ye come for to chese and fle youre wey
With makis as I prike yow with plesaunce:
But natheless my ryghtful ordenaunce 390
May I nat breke, for al this world to wynne,
That he that most is worthi shal begynne.
LVII.
"The terslet egle, as that ye knowe ful wel
The foul ryal, aboue yow in degre,
The wyse and worthi, secre, trewe as stel, 395
Whiche I haue formyd, as ye may wel se,
In euery part as it best likyth me, -
It nedith not his shap yow to deuyse, -
He shal ferst chese and spekyn in his gyse.
379. [the viker of] vicarye o. 387. [thurh] thorw.
380. and before moyst, not in any MS. 388. [chese] cheese.
384. [youre before ese] yore. 389. [with] youre.
385. [spede] speede. 394. [aboueyow in] abouyn euery.
386. [Valentines] Volantynys. 399. [chese] schese.