The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

THE ASSEMBL Y OF FOWLS. 221
The drake, destroyer of his owen kind; 1 And as your hap 17 is, shall ye win or lose;
The stork, the wreaker of adultery; 2 But which of you that love most entriketh,ls
The hot corm6rant, full of gluttony; 3 God send him her that sorest for him siketh." 19
The raven and the crow, with voice of care; 4 And therewithal the tercel gan'she call,
The throstle old; 5 and the frosty fieldfare.6 And said, " My son, the choice is to thee fall
What should I say? Of fowls of ev'ry kind "But natheless, in this conditi6n
That in this world have feathers and statfire, Must be the choice of ev'reach that is here,
Men mighten in that place assembled find, That she agree to his electi6n,
Before that noble goddess of Natfire; Whoso he be, that shoulde be her fere; 20
And each of them did all his busy cure 7 This is our usage ay, from year to year;
Benignely to choose, or for to take, And whoso may at this time have this grace,
By her accord,8 his formel or his make.9 In blissful time 21 he came into this place."
But to the point. Nature held on her hand With head inclin'd, and with full humble
A formel eagle, of shape the gentilest cheer,22
That ever she among her workes fand, This royal tercel spake, and tarried not:
The most benign, and eke the goodliest; "Unto my sov'reign lady, and not my fere,23
In her was ev'ry virtue at its rest,10 I chose and choose, with will, and heart, and
So farforth that Natfre herself had bliss thought,
To look on her, and oft her beak to kiss. The formel on your hand, so well y-wrought,
Nature, the vicar of th' Almighty Lord,- Whose I am all, and ever will her serve,
That hot, cold, heavy, light, and moist, and dry, Do what her list, to do me live or sterve.24
Hath knit, by even number of accord,- " Beseeching her of mercy and of grace,
In easy voice began to speak, and say: As she that is my lady sovereign,
" Fowls, take heed of my sentence,11 I pray; Or let me die here present in this place,
And for your ease, in furth'ring of your need, For certes long may I not live in pain;
As far as I may speak, I will me speed. For in my heart is carven ev'ry vein:25
"Ye know well how, on SaintValentine's Day, Having regard only unto my truth,
By my statute, and through my governance, My deare heart, have on my woe some ruth.29
Ye choose your mates, and after fly away "And if that I be found to her untrue,
With them, as I you pricke with pleasance; 12 Disobeisant,27 or wilful negligent,
But nathless, as by rightful ordinance, Avaunter, or in process love a new,28
May I not let,13 for all this world to win, I pray to you, this be my judgement,
But he that most is worthy shall begin. That with these fowles I be all to-rent,23
"The tercel eagle, as ye know full weel, 14 That iike 30 day that she me ever find
The fowl royal, above you all in degree, To her untrue, or in my guilt unkind.
The wise and worthy, secret, true as steel, And since none loveth her so well as I,
The which I formed have, as ye may see, Although she never of love me behet,3
In ev'ry part, as it best liketh me,- Then ought she to be mine, through her mercy;
It needeth not his shape you to idevise,'5e- For other bond can I none on her knit; 32
He shall first choose, and speaken in his guise.6 For weal or for woe, never shall I let 3
" And, after him, by order shall ye choose, To serve her, how far so that she wend; 34
After your kind, evereach as you liketh; Say what you list, my tale is at an end."
1 Of the ducklings-which, if not prevented, he will 5 Long-lived.
kill wholesale. 6 Which visits this country only in hard wintry
2 The stork is conspicuous for faithfulness to all weather.
family obligations, devotion to its young, and care of 7 Care, pains. 8 Consent.
its parent birds in their old age. Mr Bell quotes from 9 Female or mate; "formel," strictly or originally
Bishop Stanley's "History of Birds" a little story which applied to the female of the eagle and hawk, is here
peculiarly justifies the special character Chaucer has used generally of the female of all birds; "tercel" is
given:-" A French surgeon, at Smyrna, wishing to the corresponding word applied to the male.
procure a stork, and finding great difficulty, on account 10 At its highest point of excellence-so that it rested,
of the extreme veneration in which they are held by the unable to proceed farther.
Turks, stole all the eggs out of a nest, and replaced them 11 Opinion, discourse.
with those of a hen: in process of time the young 12 Inspire you with pleasure. 13 Hinder.
chickens came forth, much to the astonishment of Mr 14 Well. 15 Describe.
and Mrs Stork. In a short time Mr S. went off, and was 16 In his own way. 17 Fortune.
not seen for two or three days, when he returned with 18 Entangles, ensnares; French, "intriguer," to peran immense crowd of his companions, who all assembled plex; hence "intricate." 19 Sigheth.
in the place, and formed a circle, taking no notice of 20 Companion, mate. 21 In a happy hour.
the numerous spectators whom so unusual an occurrence 22 Demeanour.
had collected. Mrs Stork was brought forward into the 23 Not my mate merely, but my queen.
midst of the circle, and, after some consultation, the 24 Let her do what she will, to make me live or die,
whole flock fell upon her and tore her to pieces; after 25 Every vein in my heart is wounded with love.
which they immediately dispersed, and the nest was 26 Compassion. 27 Disobedient.
entirely abandoned." 28 (If I should be found) a bragger (of her favours) or
3 The cormorant feeds upon fish, so voraciously, that in process (of time) should love a new (lady).
when the stomach is crammed it will often have the 29 Rent in pieces. 30 Very, self-same,
gullet and bill likewise full, awaiting the digestion of 31 Made me promise of love.
the rest. 32 For I can bind her by no other obligation.
4 So called from the evil omens supposed to be 33 Cease, fail.
afforded by their harsh cries. 34 Go.