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

234 POEMS OF GEOFFREY CHA UCER.
and gold work. About three hundred and fifty That, faste by the sun on high,
lines are devoted to the description; but they As kennen might I 15 with mine eye,
merely embody Virgil's account of AEneas' ad- Me thought I saw an eagle soar,
ventures from the destruction of Troy to his But that it seemed muche more16
arrival in Italy; and the only characteristic Than I had any eagle seen;
passage is the following reflection, suggested by This is as sooth as death, certain,
the death of Dido for her perfidious but fate- It was of gold, and shone so bright,
compelled guest: That never saw men such a sight,
Lo! how a woman doth amiss, But if 17 the heaven had y-won,
To love hi that unknowen is! All new from God, another sun;
To love him that unknowen is!
Tor, — I C~hrist, lo i ths love him nt So shone the eagle's feathers bright:
For, by Christ, lo! thus it fareth,
IFor, by Christ, lo tha s it fareth And somewhat downward gan it light.18
It is not all gold that glareth.1
For, all so brook I well my head, The Second Book opens with a brief invocaThere may be under goodlihead tion of Venus and of Thought; then it proceeds:
Cover'd many a shrewid vice; 2
Therefore let no wight be so nice This eagle, of which I have you told,
To take a love only for cheer,3 That shone with feathers as of gold,
Or speech, oro for friendly mannere Which that so high began to soar,
Or speech, or for friendly mannere; I g b m an more
For this shall ev'ry woman find, I ganbeholde more and more,
That some man, of his pure kind,4To see her beauty and the wonder;
Will showen outward the fairest, But never was there dint of thunder,
Till he have caught that which him lest; Nor that thing that men calle foudre,l'
~And then anon will causes find, That smote sometimes a town to powder,
And sweare how she is unkind, And in his swifte coming brenn'd,2
Or false, or privy 6 double was. That so swith g descend,
All this say I by7 iEneas As this fowl, when that it beheld
And Dido, and her nice lest,8 That I a-roam was in the feld; 22
That loved all too soon a guest; And with his grim paws strong,
Therefore I will say a prov6rb, Within his sharpe nailes long,
That he that fully knows the herb Me, fying, at a swap he hent,23
May safely lay it to his eye;9 And with his sours 24 again up went,
[Withoute dread,10 this is no lie. Me carrying in his clawes stark 2
Witho' t dr 0this isno lie.As light as I had been a lark,
When the dreamer had seen all the sight in igh I cant tl yu,
the temple, he became desirous to know who For I ca e, I it nt ho.'-,. ^ -,.,, n ^ ^.,, J For I came up, I wist not how.
had worked all those wonders, and in what
country he was; so he resolved to go out at the The poet faints through bewilderment and
wicket, in search of somebody who might tell fear; but the eagle, speaking with the voice of
him. a man, recalls him to himself, and comforts
When I out at the doores came, him by the assurance that what now befalls
I fast aboute me beheld; him is for his instruction and profit. AnswerThen saw I but a large feld,11 ing the poet's unspoken inquiry whether he is
As far as that I mighte see, not to die otherwise, or whether Jove will him
Without6i town, or house, or tree, stellify, the eagle says that he has been sent
Or bush, or grass, or eredl2 land, by Jupiter out of his "great ruth,"
For all the field was but of sand, " For that thou hast so truely
As small as men may see it lie So long served ententively 26
In the desert of Libye; His blinde nephew27 Cupido,
Nor no manner creature And faire Venus als6,
That is formed by Nature, Withoute guerdon 28 ever yet,
There saw I, me to rede or wiss.l3 And natheless hast set thy wit
" Christ! " thought I, "that art in bliss, (Although that in thy head full lite 29 is)
From phantom and illusi6n 14 To make bookes, songs, and ditties,
Me save! " and with devoti6n In rhyme or elles in caddnce,
Mine eyen to the heav'n I cast. As thou best canst, in reverence
Then was I ware at the last Of Love, and of his servants eke,
1 Glitters. 14 Vain fancy and deception.
2 May I possess, or use, my head well, as surely as 15 As well as I might discern.
many a cursed vice may be cloaked by fair show. 16 Larger. 17 ITnless.
3 On account of looks and demeanour. 18 Alight, descend.
4 By simple force of his nature. 19 Thunderbolt; French, "foudre."
5 Pleases. 6 Secretly. 20 Burned. 21 Rapidly.
7 With reference to. 8 Foolish pleasure, caprice. 22 Was roaming (on the roam) in the field.
9 Only he who fully knows the virtues of the herb, 23 At a swoop he seized.
nmay apply it without danger. 24 Soaring ascent; a hawk was said to be "on the
o0 Doubt. 11 Field, open country. soar" when he mounted, "on the sours" or "souse"
12 Ploughed; Latin, "arare," Anglo-Saxen, "erean," when he descended on the prey, and took it in flight.
cplough. 25 Strong. 26 With attentive zeal.
a1 To advise or direct. 27 Grandson. 28 Reward. 29 Little.