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

-THE HOUS OF FA ME.
Dan Claudian,l the sooth-to tell, "No wight shall speak of you, y-wis,
That bare up all the fame of hell, Good nor harm, nor that nor this."
Of Pluto, and of Proserpine, And with that word she gan to call
That queen is of the darke pine.2 Her messenger, that was in hall,
Why should I telle more of this? And bade tliat he should faste go'n,
The hall was alle full, y-wis,' Upon pain to be blind anon,
Of them that writen olde gests, For iEolus, the god of wind;
As be on trees rookes' nests; "In Thrace there ye shall him find,
But it a full confus'd mattere And bid him bring his clarioin,
Were all these gestes for to hear, That is full diverse of his soun',
That they of write,4 and how they hight. And it is called Cleare Laud,
But while that I beheld this sight, With which he wont is to heraudl7
I heard a noise approache blive, Them that me list y-praised be,
That far'd 6 as bees do in a hive, And also bid him how that he
Against their time of outflying; Bring eke his other clariofn,
Right such a manner murmuring, That hight Slander in ev'ry town,
For all the world, it seem'd to me. With which he wont is to diffame i
Then gan I look about, and see Them that me list, and do them shame."
That there came entering the hall This messenger gan faste go'n,
A right great company withal, And found where, in a cave of stone,
And that of sundry regions, In a country that highte Thrace,
Of all kinds and conditi6ns This AEolus, with harde 6race,19
That dwell in earth under the moon, Helde the windes in distress,20
Both poor and rich; and all so soon And gan them under him to press,
As they were come into the hall, That they began as bears to roar,
They gan adown on knees to fall, He bound and pressed them so sore.
Before this ilk8 7 noble queen, This messenger gan fast to cry,
And saide, " Grant us, Lady sheen, " Rise up," quoth he, "and fast thee hie,
Each of us of thy grace a boon." 9 Until thou at my Lady be,
And some of them she granted soon, And take thy clarions eke with thee,
And some she warned 0 well and fair, And speed thee forth." And he anon
And some she granted the contrair 1 Took to him one that hight Trit6n,21
Of their asking utterly; His clarions to beare tho,22
But this I say you trudly, And let a certain winde go,
What that her cause was, I n' ist;12 That blew so hideously and high,
For of these folk full well I wist, That it lefte not a sky 23
They hadde good fame each deserved, In all the welkin 24 long and broad.
Although they were diversely served. This.Eolus nowhere abode 23
Right as her sister, Dame Fortune, Till he was come to Fame's feet,
Is wont to serven in commune.l3 And eke the man that Triton hete,26
Now hearken how she gan to pay And there he stood as still as stone.
Them that gan of her grace to pray; And therewithal there came anon
And right, lo! all this company Another huge company
Saide sooth,14 and not a lie. Of goode folk, and gan to cry,
"Madamea," thus quoth they, " we be "Lady, grant us goode fame,
Folk that here beseeche thee And let our workes have that name,
That thou grant us now good fame, Now in honofr of gentleness;
And let our workes have good name. And all so God your soule bless;
In full recompensatiofin For we have well deserved it,
Of good work, give us good renown! " Therefore is right we be well quit." 27
"I warn 15 it you," quoth she anon; "As thrive I," quoth she, " ye shall fail;
" Ye get of me good fame none, Good workes shall you not avail
By God! and therefore go your way." To have of me good fame as now;
"Alas," quoth they, " and well-away! But, wot ye what, I grante you
Tell us what may your cause be." That ye shall have a shrewde 28 fame,
"For that'it list 1 me not," quoth she, And wicked los, and worse name,
1 Claudian of Alexandria, "the most modern of the 17 Proclaim or herald the praises of.
ancient poets," who lived some three centuries after 18 Disgrace, disparage.
Christ, and among other works wrote three books on 19 Evil favour attend him! 20 Constraint.
"The Rape of Proserpiae." 21 Triton was a son of Poseidon or Neptune, and
2 The dark (realm of) punishment or pain. represented usually as blowing a trumpet made of a
3 Histories, tales of great deeds, conch or shell; he is therefore introduced by Chaucer
4 Of which they write. 5 Quickly. as the squire of ZEolus. 22 Then.
6 Went. 7 Same. 8 Bright, lovely. 23 Cloud; Anglo-Saxon, "scua;" Greek, oKia.
9 A favour. o1 Refused. n Contrary. 24 Sky, heaven. 25 Tarried, delayed.
12 Wist not, know not. 13 Commonly, fsually 26 Is called. 27 Requited.
14 Truth. 15 Refuse. 16 Pleases. 28 Evil, cursed.
-^________________________________q