ne half so freo,

Whose wole of love be trewe, do lystne me.

Herkneth me, y ou telle,

In such wondryng for wo y welle,
Nys no fur so hot in helle,

al to mon,

That loveth derne ant darnout telle whet him ys on.

Ich unne hire wel ant heo me wo;
Ycham hire frend ant heo my fo;

Me thuncheth min herte wol breke a two, for sorewe ant syke!

In Godes greting mote heo go, that wayle whyte.

Ich wold ich were a threstelcok.
A bountyng other a lavercok,

swete bryd!

Bituene hire curtel ant hire smok

y wolde ben hyd.

XII.

[Fol. 70, vo.]

OF a mon Matheu thohte,
Tho he the wynzord whrohte,
ant wrot hit on ys boc;
In marewe men he sohte,
At under mo he brohte,

ant nom and non forsoc.

At mydday ant at non
He sende hem thider fol son,
to helpen hem with hoc;
Huere foreward wes to fon,
So the furmest hevede y-don,
ase the erst undertoc.

At evesong even neh,
Ydel men zet he seh,

lomen habbe an honde;

To hem he sayde an heh,
That suythe he wes undreh,

so ydel forte stonde.

So hit wes bistad,

That nomon hem ne bad,

huere lomes to fonde;

Anon he was by-rad,

To werk that he hem lad,

for nyht nolde he nout wonde.

Huere hure a nyht hue nome,
He that furst ant last come,

a peny brod ant bryht; This other swore alle ant some, That er were come with lome, that so nes hit nout ryht;

Ant swore somme unsaht, That hem wes werk by-taht, longe er hit were lyht; For ryht were that me raht, The mon that al day wraht, the more mede a nyht.

Thenne seith he y-wis,

"Why, nath nout uch mon his?

holdeth nou or pees; A-way, thou art unwis

Tak al that thin ys.

ant fare ase foreward wees.

zef y may betere beode,

To mi latere leode,

to leve nam y nout lees, To alle that ever hider eode, To do to day my neode,

ichulle be wraththe-lees."

LENTEN ys come with love to toune, With blosmen ant with briddes roune,

that al this blisse bryngeth;

Dayes-ezes in this dales,

Notes suete of nyhtegales,

uch foul song singeth.

The threstelcoc him threteth oo,

A-way is huere wynter wo,

when woderove springeth;

This foules singeth ferly fele,
Ant wlyteth on huere wynter wele,

that al the wode ryngeth.

The rose rayleth hire rode,
The leves on the lyhte wode

waxen al with wille;

The mone mandeth hire bleo,
The lilie is lossom to seo,

the fenyl ant the fille; Wowes this wilde drakes,

Miles murgeth huere makes,

ase strem that striketh stille Mody meneth, so doh mo, Ichot ycham on of tho,

for love that likes ille.

;

The mone mandeth hire lyht,
So doth the semly sonne bryht,
when briddes singeth breme;
Deowes donketh the dounes,
Deores with huere derne rounes,

domes forte deme;

Wormes woweth under cloude, Wymmen waxeth wounder proude,

so wel hit wol hem seme.

3ef me shal wonte wille of on,

This wunne weole y wole for-gon,

ant wyht in wode be fleme.