1

will,

Parformed shulde be ful sotilly,
As ye shul here it after openly,
Home goth this cherl, that highte 178) Claudius ;
This false juge, that highte Appius,
(So was his name, for it is no fable,
But knowen for an historial 119) thing notable;
The sentence 120) of it soth 121) is out of doute )
This false jugę goth now fast aboute
To hasten his delit all that he may.
And so befell, sone after on a day
This false juge, as telleth us the storie,
As he was wont, sat in his consistorie 122),
And yaf bis domes 523) upon sundry 12*) cas,
This false cherl came forth a ful gret pas,
And saide: Lord, if that it be your
As 125) doth me right upon this pitous 126) bill,
In which I plaine 127) upon Virginius;
And if ihat he wol sayn it is not thus
I wol it preve 128), and linden good witnesse
That soth 129) is that my bille wol expresse.

The juge answerd: Of this in his absence
I may not yeve diffinitif sentence.
Let don him call, and I wol gladly here:
Thou shalt have right and no wrong as now here:

Virginius came to wete 130) the juges will,
And right anon was red this cursed bill;
The sentence of it was as ye shul here.

To you my Lord Sire Appius so dere
Sheweth your poure i 31) servant Claudius
How that a knight called Virgimus
Agein the lawe, agein all equitee,
Holdeth, expresse agein the will of me, .
My servant which that is my thral 132) by right,
Which from min hous was stolen on a night

While that she was ful yong; I wol it preve
By witnesse, Lord, so that it you not greve 133): -
She n'is 134) his doughter nought, what so he say;
Wherefore to you, my Lord the juge, I pray;
Yelde 135) me my thral, if that it be

your

will. Lo, this was all the sentetice 156) of his bill.

Virginius gan 13?) upon the cherl behold;
But hastily er he his tale told,
And wold han preved it as shuld a knight,
And eke by witnessing of many a wight
That all was false that said his adversary,

This cursed juge wolde nothing tary 138),
Ne here a word more of Virginius,
But yave bis jugement, and saide thus :

I deme 139) anon this cherl his servant have;
Thou shalt no lenger in thin hous hire save;
Go bring hire forth, and put hire in our ward:
The cherl shal have bis thral; thus I award.

Aud whan this worthy knight Virginius,
Thurgh **) sentence of this justice Appius, .
Muste by force his dere doughter yeven
Unto ilie juge, in lecherie to liven,
He goth him home, and set him in his hall,
And let anon his dere doughter call;
And with a face ded as ashen 141) cold
Upon hire bumble face he gan behold,
With fadres pitee stiking "+2) thurgh his herte,
Al wold he from his purpos not converte.

Doughter, quod he, Virginia by thy name,
Ther ben 143) two waies, ozber deth or slame,
That thou must suffre, alas that I was bore!
For never thou deservedest wherfore
To dien with a swerd or with a knif.
0 dere doughter, ender "**) of any lif! !
Which I have fostred 1+5) up with swiche plesance

135)

135) to greve to hurt, to grieve. 134) n'is is not. Yelde só yield, co give. 136) sentence sense, meaning. 137) gau began. 138) tary vermuthlich für tarry, to wait for. 139) deme to judge. "*°) thurgh through. 1*') ashen ashes. 142) stika to 'stics, pierce. 1+) ben are. 1**) tnder, vielleicht: die du endigst. **5) fostred nourished.

That thou were never out of

my

remembrance;
O doughter! which that 1+6) art my laste wo **?)
And in my lif my laste joye also;
O gemme of chastitee! in patience
Take thou thy deth, for this is my sentence;
For love and not for hate tlou must be ded;
My pitous hond "*8) must smiten of thin hed.
Alas that ever Appius thee say! 149)
Thus hath he falsely juged thee to - day. -
And told hire all the cas, as ye before
Han herd; it nedeth 1509) not to tell it more.

O mercy, dere father! quod this maid.
And with that word she both hire armes laid
About his necke, as she was wont to do,
(The teres brast 151) out of hire eyen two)
And said: 0 goode father! shal I die?
Is ther no grace? is ther no remedie?

No certes, dere doughter min! quod he.
Than yeve me leiser 152), father min, quod she,
My deth for to complaine a' titel space;
For parde 153) Jepte "5*) yave his doughter grace
For to complaine or 155, he hire slow 156) alas.
And God it wot nothing was hire trespas,
But for she ran hire father first to see,
To welcome him with gret solempnitee.
And with that word she fell áswoune'15?) anon,
And after; whan hire swouning was agon 158),
She riseth up, and to hire father said;
Blessed be God that I shal die a maid!
Yeve me my deth or that I have a shame:
Doth 159) with your child your wille a Goddes name.
And with that word she praied him ful oft
That with his swerd he wolde smite bire soft;

sor

TOW.

146) which that instead of which only. 14?) Wo

148) hond hand. 149) say saw. 15°) nedeth not is not necessary.

IST) brast to break, broke. 159) leiser leisure: 1537 parde pardieux, a common french oath, which most of the personages in Chaucer express very frequently in English with as little ceremony as the Greeks used their yn 2006, and with as little meaning too. 15) Jepre Jephta, s. Buch der Richter, Kap. 11. v. 50. u. ff. 155) or ere, before. 1:6) slow slew. 157) aswoune in a swoon. 156) agon gone, past. 159) doth do ye.

And with that word aswoune again she fell.
Hire father, with ful sorweful 160) herte and will,
Hire hed of smote, and by the top it hent 161),
And to the juge he gan

it to present, As he sat yet in dome in consistorie.

And whan the juge it saw, as saith the storie,
He bad to take him and anhang 162) him fast:
But right anon a thousand peple in thrast 163)
To save the knight for routh 104) and for pitee,
Fot knowen was the false iniquitee.

The peple anon had suspect in this thing,
By maner of the cherles chalenging,
That it was by the assent of Appius;
They wisten 165) wel that he was lecherous :
For which unto this Appius they gon,
And caste him in a prison right anon,
Whereas he slow 156) himself; and Claudius,
That servant was unto this Appius,
Was demed for to hange upon a tree,
But that Virginius of his piteo :
So prayed for him that he was exiled,
And elles 16.7) certes had he ben begiled 168):
The reinenant 169) were anhanged, more and lesse,
Thai were consentant 170y of this cursednesse.

Here men may see how sin hath his merite:
Beth i?!) ware, for no man wot whom God wol smite
In no degree, ne in which maner wise
The worme of conscience may agrise 172)
Of wicked lif, though it so privee be
That no man wote therof sauf 173) God and he;
For be lie lewed 1?) man or elles lered 175)
He n'ot 176) how sone that he shal been afered 177):
Therefore I rede 178) you this conseil take
Forsakech sinne or sinne you forsake.

169) sorwe sorrow. 161) hente to take hold of, to catch. 162) anhang to hang up.' 163) thrast of threste, to thrust. 16*) routh compassion. 165) 'wis to know. 160) slow slev. 167) elles else. 16,8) begiled beguiled. 169) remenant remain ing part. 170) consentant consenting. 171) beth be ye. 172) agrise to make to shudder. 1?)) sauf safe., 174) lewed ignorant. 175) lered, part, to learn. 176) n'ot ne wot, know not. 17?) afered afraid. 578) rede to advise.

17

SPENSE R.

Das an

EpxvxD SPENSER wurde (nach der gewöhnlichen, aber gewiss ganz unrichtigen Angabe) im Jahre 1510 zu London geboren. Er studierte im Pembroke - College zu Cambridge, und begab sich darauf, weil er sich in seiner Hoffnung, an dieseni Orte eine Collegiatenstelle zu erhalten, getäuscht sah, auf das Gut eines seiner Freunde in Yorkshire. Hier war es veriuthlich, wo er das Frauenzimmer kennen lernte, dessen er so oft in seinem Schäfer-Kalender (Sheplerd's Ca. lendar) unter dem Namen Rosalinde erwähnt. geführte Werk besteht aus 12 Eklogen, und ist dem Sir Philip Sidney, dem Müzen seiner Zeit, zugeschrieben. Diesen vortrefflichen Mann hatte Spenser schon früher, und der gewöhnlichen Erzählung nach, auf eine Art kennen gelernt, welche für den jungen Dichter sehr ehrenvoll war. Dieser nämlich überreichte dem Sir Philip 'Sidney einige Proben vom gten Gesang der Fairy Queen, die er eben damals zu schreiben anfing. Sidney erstaunte über die Schönkeit des Gedichts, vorzüglich über die Beschreibung der Vera zweiflung. Als er einige Strophen gelesen hutte, befahl er seinem Haushofmeister, dem Überbringer des Gedichts - 50 l. auszuzahlen. Nachdem er hierauf etwas weiter gelesen hatte, befahl er die Summe zu verdoppeln. Als der Haushofmeister einigen Anstand nahm, die Befehle seines Herrn zu vollziehen, erhöhte Sidney das Geschenk auf 200l, und kiess denselben diese Summe sogleich auszahler, damit er nicht in Versuchung geriethe, sein Vermögen wegzugebent. Von der Zeit an stand unser Spenser mit Sir Sidney in genauer Verbindung, wurde durch ihn bei Hofe empfohlen, und, jedoch eine Zeitlang ohne Gehalt, zu einem der Hofdichter der Königin Elisabeth ernannt. Vielleicht hätte er bei Hofe mehr Glück gemacht, wenn nicht der Lord - Schatz-, meister' Burleigh sein Feind gewesen, sein Günner dagegen. so oft durch Geschäfte vom Hofe entfernt worden wäre. 1579 wurde Spenser von dem Grafen von Leicester in auswärtigen Geschäften versandt; man weiss indessen nicht, von welcher Arc dieselben gewesen sind. Hierauf erhielt er die Stelle eines Sekretärs bei dem zum Deputirten von Irland emannten Lord Grey von Walton. Dass der Dichter