Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Have hem now in thy Legend alle in minde, I mene of hem that been in thy knowinge. For heer ben twenty thousand mo sittinge 560That thou knowest, that been good wommen alle And trewe of love, for aught that may befalle; Make the metres of hem as thee leste. I mot gon hoom, the sonne draweth weste, To Paradys, with al this companye; And serve alwey the fresshe dayesye. "At Cleopatre I wol that thou beginne; And so forth; and my love so shalt thou winne. For lat see now what man that lover be, Wol doon so strong a peyne for love as she. ”

“ Now as ye been a god, and eek a king, I, your Alceste, whylom quene of Trace, I aske yow this man, right of your grace, That ye him never hurte in al his lyve; And he shal sweren yow, and that as blyve, He shal no more agilten in this wyse; But he shal maken, as ye wil devyse, Of wommen trewe in lovinge al hir lyve, Wher-so ye wil, of maiden or of wyve, 440And forthren yow, as muche as he misseyde Or in the Rose or elles in Creseyde. ”

“ For certeynly, alle these now nat suffyse To apperen with my lady in no wyse. For as the sonne wol the fyr disteyne, So passeth al my lady sovereyne, That is so good, so fair, so debonaire; I prey to god that ever falle hir faire! For, nadde comfort been of hir presence, I had ben deed, withouten any defence, 280For drede of Loves wordes and his chere; As, when tyme is, her-after ye shal here. Behind this god of love, upon the grene, I saugh cominge of ladyes nyntene In real habit, a ful esy paas ”