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27. A COMPLAINT FOR MY LADY OF GLOUCESTER AND HOLLAND.

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[MS. Trin. Coll. Camb. R. 3. 20, pp. 363–367.]

Here bygynneþe a complaynte of a solitarye persone compleyning þabsence of þe moste renommed and best beloued pryncesse þat euer of hire estate in þeos dayes came in to þis reaume of Logres by þe weye of mariage and so sodeynly vnordynatly departed hens, as hit is sayde and spouken in many regyouns by þe hegheste estates þer.

1

A Solytarye, soore compleynyng,
Sat weping by a water syde,
Yeeris and dayes a wayting,
Which with goode hope dyd ay abyde,
On folke þat rowe or forby ryde,
To here tyþinges in þeyre passage,
Þat might his hertely sorowe aswage.
609

2

And many a-noþer creature
Sat wayting on þat fresshe ryver,
In feythful hope for to recure
At some on daye of al þe yeere,
Þat þe sonne shal shyne clere
Tenchace awaye with his brightnesse
Þe cloudes of alle þeyre hevynesse.

3

Þer were boþe olde and yonge of age,
Wheche vowed with hole entencyoun
To faste, and goon on pilgrymage
Til sayntes of al þat regyoun,
Þat God wolde here þeyre orysoun
To sende hire home amonges þeyme alle,
For whame so offt þey clepe and calle.

4

Þey wepped for hir long absence
And cryed owte on fals Fortune,
Þat sheo not did hire dilygence
To glade þeyre hertes in comune.
With sobbing þayre song þey gane entune,
Preying þe Lord of Rightwysnesse
Of mercy þeyre haromes to redresse.

5

And þus compleynyng of pitee
Þe ladyes of þat regyoun,
Wymmen of heghe and lowe degree,
Gane make þayre lamentacioun
And sayde, “O Lord, sende vs nowe downe
610

Þe pryncesse to stynten oure woo
Whiche þat so long haþe beon vs froo.

6

“Sende hire soone home as it is right,
And graunt hire grace and goode passage,
For to reioysse hire owen knight
With-outen stryff and al owtrage,
Tavoyden al þe hevy rage
Of folkes, moo þane oon or tweyne,
Þat sorest for hire sake compleyne.”

7

Whyle þey þeos pytous wordes sayde
Vppon þe stronde in þeyre distresse,
Hem thought þey saughe a myrmayde
Ressemblyng vn-to a chaunteresse,
Of faace lyke a soreceresse,
Vppon a toure with a gret route
Of wychches sittyng rounde abowte.

8

Þey were of courage serpentyne
By apparence of looke and sight
Besy to bowe and tenclyne,
With al þeyre power and þeyre might,
Þe prynces hert ageynst al right,
His noblesse night and day to trouble
His hert in love to make hit double.

9

Þeos fals Circes songe ful lowde
And with hire song hire wychches alle,
611

Which of coustume ful weele coude
With þayre sugre tempre galle.
Vengeaunce of right mot on hem falle!
For whoo supplaunteþe, of equytee,
By processe shal supplaunted be.

10

Þis cirenes nuwe crafft oute sought
By þayre fals incantacyouns,
And fals medecynes þey wrought
To tempre þeyre confeccyouns,
In metys and dyuers pocyouns,
Þe prynce[s] hert agaynst al lawe
Frome his promesse his hande to drawe;

11

To make him strange and beo forsworne
Vn-to þat goodely fayre pryncesse,
Wher thorughe his name and fame are lorne,
But God þe sonner þayme redresse,
As al þis lande cane bere witnesse,
Yong and olde crying in oone,
“Owt on þe wychches euerych oone.”

12

Þe Solytarye tooke here-of kepe,
Hade pytee of þeyre woful sownes,
In his drem as he laye and slepe,
Herde in alle citees and alle townes,
Howe wymmen made þeyre orysouns
Desyrouse þat pryncesse to see,
And for hire comyng raunsoned to be.
612

13

“God bryng hire home,” þus þey gan crye,
“And gyff vs grace to seon hire soone,
Our ioye, oure gladnesse, to multeplye;
O Lorde above, nowe here oure boone,
Or chaungyng of þe nexst[e] moone;”
Þat with þe noyce þey did make,
He gane owt of his slepe awake.

14

And so as he coude vnderstande,
He gane to do his besy cure,
Tooke towardes morowe his penne on hande,
And thought remembre it by scripture,
Þey song lyche to þe Chaunteplure,
Þe peoples menyng for tacquyte,
Was cause why þat he did it wryte.

15

Þis dreme he wrote of truwe entent,
Off feyth and hoole affeccioun,
Thre hundreþe thousand dyd assente
Of peples in þat regyoun;
And eke for right conclusyoun
Alle þe folk boþe yong and olde,
Which þat dwell in þat housholde.

16

Þeyre truwe names shal beo knowe
Affterwardes, with Goddes grace,
Whane blake mystes ar leyde lowe
And clere trouth shall shewe his face,
Wychches, bawdes, away tenchace,
613

Flaterieres and al raskayle,
Ageynst trouth þat may not vayle.

17

And vnder colour of þis dreme,
Þis Solytarye bereþe witnesse,
Ryche and pore of al þis reme
With hole hert and al lownesse
Hem recomaunden to þat pryncesse,
Preying with al humylytee
Þat þey may it soone see.

18

Awayting on hire eche a day,
Affter hir comyng clepe and crye,
Þey thenke she is to long aweye,
She is beloued so entierely,
Thorughe al þe londe; and specyally
Of hye and lowe, to reken alle,
Hir godsone affter hire doþe calle.
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