Of any dreem, so holy was his herte. By God, I hadde levere than my sherte 300 In Affrike of the worthy Cipioun, Reed eek of Ioseph, and ther shul ye see 310 'Lo Cresus, which that was of Lyde king, 325 And eek it is ny day, I may nat dwelle. 330 Madame Pertelote, so have I blis, 335 395 Now every wys man, lat him herkne me; 390 That thou into that yerd flough fro the bemes! 415 420 Thou were ful wel y-warnèd by thy dremes, Or if his witing streyneth nevere a del 425 430 451 Thise been the cokkes wordes, and nat myne; yë. 460 This Chauntecleer, whan he gan him espye, He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon Seyde, Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ye gon? Be ye affrayed of me that am your freend? Now certes, I were worse than a feend, 466 If I to yow wolde harm or vileinye. I am nat come your counseil for tespye; But trewely, the cause of my cominge Was only for to herkne how that ye singe. For trewely ye have as mery a stevene, 471 As eny aungel hath, that is in hevene; Therwith ye han in musik more felinge Than hadde Boece, or any that can singe. My lord your fader (God his soule blesse!) And cek your moder, of hir gentilesse, 476 Han in myn hous y-been, to my gret ese; And certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese. But for men speke of singing, I wol saye, So mote I brouke wel myn eyen tweye, Save yow, I herde nevere man so singe, As dide your fader in the morweninge; Certes, it was of herte, al that he song. And for to make his voys the more strong, He wolde so peyne him, that with both his yën 485 480 490 496 He moste winke, so loude he wolde cryen, 500 505 For yet ne was ther no man that him sewed. Allas, his wyf ne roghte nat of dremes! 520 O Gaufred, dere mayster soverayn, That, whan thy worthy king Richard was slayn With shot, compleynedest his deth so sore, Why ne hadde I now thy sentence and thy lore, 530 550 And brende hir-selven with a stedfast herte. Withouten gilt this Nero hath hem slayn. This sely widwe, and eek hir doghtres two, Herden thise hennes crye and maken wo, 556 And out at dores sterten thay anoon, And syen the fox toward the grove goon, And bar upon his bak the cok away; And cryden, 'Out! harrow! and weylaway! Ha, ha, the fox!' and after him they ran, And eek with staves many another man; 562 Ran Colle our dogge, and Talbot, and Gerland, And Malkin, with a distaf in hir hand; 564 Ran cow and calf, and eek the verray hogges So were they fered for berking of the dogges And therwithal thay shrykèd and they houped; 580 It semèd as that hevene sholde falle. The hope and pryde eek of hir enemy! 2 590 I wol him ete in feith, and that anon." And as he spak that word, al sodeinly 595 601 But, sire, I dide it in no wikke entente; Com doun, and I shal telle yow what I 616 620 Lo, swich it is for to be recchelees, And necligent, and truste on flaterye. But ye that holden this tale a folye, As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, Taketh the moralitee, good men. For seint Paul seith, that al that writen is, To our doctryne it is y-write, y-wis. Taketh the fruyt, and lat the chaf be stille. Now, gode God, if that it be thy wille, 624 As seith my lord, so make us alle good men; And bringe us to his heighe blisse. Amen. O conquerour of Brutes Albioun! SIR THOMAS MALORY (c. 1400-1471) Concerning the life of the author of the Morte d'Arthur little is known. He was born about the year 1400, lived at Newbold Revell, was knighted, and represented Warwickshire in parliament in 1445. He was a gentleman of an ancient house and a soldier,' belonging to the most highly cultivated society of his day. Malory was prominent on the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses, and his military service extended to France, where he was associated with Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, a knight distinguished throughout Europe as the embodiment of the chivalric ideal and as the father of courtesy.' Certain of the Earl of Warwick's exploits provide a rapid and highly colored narrative not unlike that of the Morte d'Arthur itself. It would seem, then, that Sir Thomas Malory was in every way endowed for composing the chivalric compilation by which he is now chiefly known. William Caxton (c. 1422–1491) deserves a place by the side of Malory in the literary history of the fifteenth century not only because he edited and published the Morte d'Arthur, but also because he brought into print numerous other works of romance. After a considerable period of activity as a merchant, Caxton began his career as printer, translator, and editor by issuing at Bruges, about 1475, the first book printed in English, The Recuyell of the Histories of Troy. Caxton translated this work himself, from the French of Raoul le Fevre. In 1476 he returned to England, and set up his press in Westminster, where he finished printing, on November 18, 1477, The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers, the first dated book issued in England. From his press in Westminster, Caxton issued some seventy-one separate works, of which Malory's Morte d'Arthur was the fifty-second. LE MORTE D'ARTHUR PREFACE OF WILLIAM CAXTON and the third, Julius Cæsar, Emperor of Rome, of whom the histories be well known and had. And as for the three Jews which also were to-fore the Incar5 nation of our Lord, of whom the first was Duke Joshua which brought the children of Israel into the land of behest; the second, David, King of Jerusalem; and the third, Judas Maccabæus: of these three the Bible rehearseth all their noble histories and acts. And since the said Incarnation have been three noble christian men stalled and admitted through the universal world into the number of the nine best and worthy, of whom was first the noble Arthur, whose noble acts I purpose to write in this present book here following. The second was Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is had in many places, both in French and English; and the third and last was Godfrey of Boloine, of whose acts and life I made a book unto the excellent prince and king of noble memory, King Edward the After that I had accomplished and finished divers histories, as well of contemplation as of other historical and worldly acts of great conquerors and princes, and also certain books of ensamples and doctrine, many noble and divers gentlemen of this realm of England came and demanded me, many and ofttimes, wherefore that I 10 have not do made and enprint the noble history of the Sangreal, and of the most renowned christian king, first and chief of the three best christian and worthy, King Arthur, which ought most to be remem- 15 bered among us Englishmen to-fore all other christian kings. For it is notoriously known through the universal world that there be nine worthy and the best that ever were. That is to wit three pay- 20 nims, three Jews, and three christian men. As for the paynims they were to-fore the Incarnation of Christ, which were named, the first, Hector of Troy, of whom the history is come both in ballad and in 25 Fourth. The said noble gentlemen inprose; the second, Alexander the Great; stantly required me to enprint the history |