| 1680 |
Now moot I seyn the exiling of kinges |
| |
Of Rome, for hir horrible doinges, |
| |
And of the laste king Tarquinius, |
| |
As saith Ovyde and Titus Livius. |
| |
But for that cause telle I nat this storie, |
| |
But for to preise and drawen to memorie |
| |
The verray wyf, the verray trewe Lucressel, |
| |
That, for her wyfhood and her stedfastnesse, |
| |
Nat only that thise payens her comende, |
| |
But he, that cleped is in our legende |
| 1690 |
The grete Austin, hath greet compassioun |
| |
Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun; |
| |
And it what wyse, I wol but shortly trete, |
| |
And of this thing I touche but the grete. |
| |
| |
Whan Ardea beseged was aboute |
| |
With Romains, that ful sterne were and stoute, |
| |
Ful longe lay the sege, and litel wroghte, |
| |
So that they were half ydel, as hem thoghte; |
| |
And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge |
| |
Gan for to iape, for he was light of tonge, |
| 1700 |
And seyde, that "it was an ydel lyf; |
| |
No man did ther no more that his wyf; |
| |
And lat us speke of wyves, that is best; |
| |
Praise every man his owne, as him lest, |
| |
And with our speche lat us ese our herte." |
| |
| |
A knight, that highte Colatyne, up sterte, |
| |
And seyde thus, "nay, for hit is no nede |
| |
To trowen on the word, but on the dede. |
| |
I have a wyf," quod he, "that, as I trowe, |
| |
Is holden good of alle that ever her knowe; |
| 1710 |
Go we to-night to Rome, and we shul see." |
| |
| |
Tarquinius answerde, "that lyketh me." |
| |
To Rome be they come, and faste hem dighte |
| |
To Colatynes hous, and doun they lighte, |
| |
Tarquinius, and eek this Colatyne. |
| |
The husbond knew the estres wel and fyne, |
| |
And privly into the hous they goon; |
| |
Nor at the gate porter was ther noon; |
| |
And at the chambre-dore they abyde. |
| |
This noble wyf sat by her beddes syde |
| 1720 |
Dischevele, for no malice she ne thoghte; |
| |
And softe wolle our book seith that she wroghte |
| |
To kepen her fro slouthe and ydelnesse; |
| |
And bad her servants doon hir businesse, |
| |
And axeth hem, "what tydings heren ye? |
| |
How seith men of the sege, how shal hit be? |
| |
God wolde the walles weren falle adoun; |
| |
Myn husbond is so longe out of this toun, |
| |
For which the dreed doth me so sore smerte, |
| |
Right as a swerd hit stingeth to myn herte |
| 1730 |
What I think on the sege or of that place; |
| |
God save my lord, I preye him for his grace:" -- |
| |
And ther-with-al ful tenderly she weep, |
| |
And of her werk she took no more keep, |
| |
But mekely she leet her eyen falle; |
| |
And thilke semblant sat her wel with-alle. |
| |
And eek her teres, ful of honestee, |
| |
Embelisshed her wyfly chastitee; |
| |
Her countenaunce is to her herte digne, |
| |
For they acordeden in dede and signe. |
| 1740 |
And with that word her husbond Colatyn, |
| |
Or she of him was war, com sterting in, |
| |
And seide, "dreed thee noght, for I am here!" |
| |
And she anoon up roos, with blisful chere, |
| |
And kiste him, as of wyves is the wone. |
| |
| |
Tarquinius, this proude kinges sone, |
| |
Conceived hath her beautee and her chere, |
| |
Her yelow heer, her shap, and manere, |
| |
Her hew, her wordes that she hath compleynded, |
| |
And by no crafte her beautee nas nat feyned; |
| 1750 |
And caughte to this lady swich desyr, |
| |
That in his herte brende as any fyr |
| |
So woodly, that his wit was al forgeten. |
| |
For wel, thoghte he, she sholde nat be geten |
| |
And ay the more that he was in dispair, |
| |
The more he coveteth and thoghte her fair. |
| |
His blinde lust was al his covetinge. |
| |
| |
A-morwe, whan the brid bragan to singe, |
| |
Unto the sege he comth ful privily, |
| |
And by himself he walketh sobrely, |
| 1760 |
Thimage of her recording alwey newe; |
| |
"Thus lay her heer, and thus fresh was her hewe; |
| |
Thus sat, thus spak, thus span; this was her chere, |
| |
Thus fair she was, and this was her manere." |
| |
Al this conceit his herte hath now y-take. |
| |
And, as the see, with tempest al to-shake, |
| |
That, after whan the storm is al ago, |
| |
Yet wol the water quappe a day or two, |
| |
Right so, thogh that her forme wer absent, |
| |
The plesaunce of her forme was present; |
| 1770 |
But natheles, nat plesaunce, but delyt, |
| |
Or an unrightful talent with despyt; |
| |
"For, maugre her, she shal my lemman be; |
| |
Hap helpeth hardy man alday," quod he; |
| |
"What ende that I make, hit shal be so;" |
| |
And girt him with his swerde, and gan to go; |
| |
And forth he rit til he to Rome is come, |
| |
And al aloon his wey than hath he nome. |
| |
Unto the house of Colatyn ful right. |
| |
Doun was the sonne, and day hath lost his light; |
| 1780 |
And in he com un-to privy halke, |
| |
And in the night ful theefly gan he stalke, |
| |
Whan every night was to his reste broght, |
| |
Ne no wight had of tresoun swich a thoght. |
| |
Were hit by window or by other gin, |
| |
With swerde y-drawe, shortly he comth in |
| |
Ther as she lay, this noble wyf Lucresse. |
| |
And, as she wook, her bed she felte presse. |
| |
"What beste is that," quod she, "that weyeth thus?" |
| |
"I am the kinges sone, Tarquinius," |
| 1790 |
Quod he, "but and thou crye, or noise make, |
| |
Or if thou any creature awake, |
| |
By thilke god that formed man on lyve, |
| |
This swerd through-out thyn herte shal I ryve." |
| |
And ther-withal unto her throte he sterte, |
| |
And sette the point al sharp upon her herte. |
| |
No word she spak, she hath no might therto. |
| |
What shal she sayn? her wit is al ago. |
| |
Right as a wolf that fynt a lomb aloon, |
| |
To whom shal she compleyne, or make moon? |
| 1800 |
What! shal she fighte with an hardy knight? |
| |
Wel wot men that a woman hath no might. |
| |
What! shal she crye, or how shal she asterte |
| |
That hath her by the throte, with swerde at herte? |
| |
She axeth grace, and seith al that she can. |
| |
"Ne wolt thou nat," quod he, this cruel man, |
| |
"As wisly Iupiter my soule save, |
| |
As I shal in the stable slee thy knave, |
| |
And leye him in thy bed, and loude crye, |
| |
That I thee finde in suche avouterye; |
| 1810 |
And thus thou shalt be deed, and also lese |
| |
Thy name, for thou shalt non other chese." |
| |
| |
Thise Romain wyves loveden so hir name |
| |
At thilke tyme, and dredden so the shame, |
| |
That, what for fere of slaundre and drede of deeth, |
| |
She loste bothe at-ones wit and breeth, |
| |
And in a swough she lay and wex so deed, |
| |
Men mighte smyten of her arm or heed; |
| |
She feleth no-thing, neither foul ne fair. |
| |
| |
Tarquinas, that art a kinges eyr, |
| 1820 |
And sholdest, as by linage and by right, |
| |
Doon as a lord and as a verray knight, |
| |
Why hastow doon dispyt to chivalrye? |
| |
Why hastow doon this lady vilanye? |
| |
Allas! of thee this was a vileins dede! |
| |
| |
But now to purpos; in the story I rede, |
| |
Whan he was goon, al this mischaunce is falle. |
| |
This lady sente after her frendes alle, |
| |
Fader, moder, husbond, al y-fere; |
| |
And al dischevele, with her heres clere, |
| 1830 |
In habit swich as women used tho |
| |
Unto the burying of her frendes go, |
| |
She sit in halle with a sorweful sighte. |
| |
Her frendes axen what her aylen mighte, |
| |
And who was deed? And she sit ay wepinge, |
| |
A word for shame ne may she forth out-bringe, |
| |
Ne upon hem she dorste nat beholde. |
| |
But atte laste of Tarquiny she hem tolde, |
| |
This rewful cas, and al this thing horrible. |
| |
The wo to tellen hit were impossible, |
| 1840 |
That she and alle her frendes made atones. |
| |
Al hadde folkes hertes been of stones, |
| |
Hit mighte have maked hem upon her rewe, |
| |
Her herte was so wyfly and so trewe. |
| |
She seide, that, for her gilt ne for her blame, |
| |
He husbond sholde nat have the foule name, |
| |
That wolde she nat suffre, by no wey. |
| |
And they answerden alle, upon hir fey, |
| |
That they foryeve hit her, for hit was right; |
| |
Hit was no gilt, hit lay nat in her might; |
| 1850 |
And seiden her ensamples many oon. |
| |
But al for noght; for thus she seide anoon, |
| |
"Be as be may," quod she, "of forgiving, |
| |
I wol nat have no forgift for no-thing." |
| |
But prively she caughte forth a knyf, |
| |
And therwith-al she rafte her-self her lyf; |
| |
And as she fel adoun, she caste her look, |
| |
And of her clothes yit she hede took; |
| |
For in her falling yit she hadde care |
| |
Lest that her feet or swiche thing lay bare; |
| 1860 |
So wel she loved clennesse and eek trouthe. |
| |
| |
Of her had al the toun of Rome routhe, |
| |
And Brutus by her chaste blode hath swore |
| |
That Tarquin sholde y-banisht be ther-fore, |
| |
And al his kin; and let the peple calle, |
| |
And openly the tale he tolde hem alle, |
| |
And openly let carie her on a bere |
| |
Through al the toun, that men may see and here |
| |
The horrible deed of her oppressioun. |
| |
Ne never was ther king in Rome toun |
| 1870 |
Sin thilke day; and she was holden there |
| |
A seint, and ever her day y-halwed dere |
| |
As in hir lawe: and thus endeth Lucresse, |
| |
The noble wyf, as Titus bereth witnesse. |
| |
| |
I tell hit, for she was of love so trewe, |
| |
Ne in her wille she chaunged for no newe. |
| |
And for the stable herte, sad and kinde, |
| |
That in these women men may alday finde; |
| |
Ther as they caste hir herte, ther hit dwelleth. |
| |
For wel I wot, that Crist him-selve telleth, |
| 1880 |
That in Israel, as wyd as is the lond, |
| |
That so gret feith in al the lond he ne fond |
| |
As in a woman; and this is no lye. |
| |
And as of men, loketh which tirannye |
| |
They doon alday; assay hem who so liste, |
| |
The trewest is ful brotel for to triste. |
| |
| |
Explicit Legenda Lucrecie Rome, Martiris. |
