With lossom eye grete ant gode,
With browen blysfol under hode,
He that reste him on the Rode,
That leflych lyf honoure.

Blou northerne wynd, etc.

Hire lure lumes liht

Ase a launterne a nyht,
Hire bleo blykyeth so bryht,

So feyr heo is ant fyn.

A suetly swyre heo hath to holde,
With armes shuldre ase mon wolde,
Ant fingres feyre forte folde,
God wolde hue were myn!

Blou northerne wynd, etc.

Heo is coral of godnesse,
Heo is rubie of ryhtfulnesse,
Heo is cristal of clannesse,
Ant baner of bealtè.
Heo is lilie of largesse,

Heo is parvenke of prouesse,
Heo is solsecle of suetnesse,
Ant lady of lealtè.

For hire love y carke ant care,
For hire love y droupne ant dare,
For hire love my blisse is bare

Ant al ich waxe won,

5.

For hire love in slep y slake,
For hire love al nyht ich wake,
For hire love mournynge y make
More then eny mon.

Blou northerne wynd!

Send thou me my suetyng!

Blou northerne wynd! blou, blou, blou!

This World's Joy

WYNTER wakeneth al my care,

Nou this leves waxeth bare;

Ofte I sike ant mourne sare
When hit cometh in my thoht

Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht.

Nou hit is, and nou hit nys,

Al so hit ner nere, ywys;

That moni mon seith, soth hit ys:
Al goth bote Godes wille:

Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle.

Al that gren me graueth grene

Nou hit faleweth albydene:

Jesu, help that hit be sene

Ant shild us from helle!

C. 1300

For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle.

5. this leves] these leaves. sike] sigh.

nys] is not.

al so hit bote] but,

ner nere] as though it had never been. soth] sooth.

except thah] though.

faleweth] fadeth. albydene] altogether. her duelle] here dwell.

y not whider] I know not whither.

6.

A Hymn to the Virgin

OF

F on that is so fayr and bright
Velut maris stella,

Brighter than the day is light,

Parens et puella:

Ic crie to the, thou see to me,

Levedy, preye thi Sone for me,
Tam pia,

That ic mote come to thee

Maria.

Al this world was for-lore

Eva peccatrice,

Tyl our Lord was y-bore

De te genetrice.

With ave it went away

Thuster nyth and comz the day

C. 1300

Effecta.

on] one.

levedy] lady.

thuster] dark.

pris] prize.

7.

Of a rose, a lovely rose,
Of a rose is al myn song.

ESTENYT, lordynges, both elde and 3ynge,
How this rose began to sprynge;

Swych a rose to myn lykynge

In al this word ne knowe I non.

The Aungil came fro hevene tour,
To grete Marye with gret honour,
And seyde sche xuld bere the flour
That xulde breke the fyndes bond.
The flour sprong in heye Bedlem,
That is bothe bryht and schen:
The rose is Mary hevene qwyn,

Out of here bosum the blosme sprong.

The ferste braunche is ful of myht,
That sprang on Cyrstemesse nyht,
The sterre schon over Bedlem bryht
That is bothe brod and long.
The secunde braunche sprong to helle,
The fendys power doun to felle:
Therein myht non sowle dwelle;

Blyssid be the time the rose sprong!

The thredde braunche is good and swote,
It sprang to hevene crop and rote,
dwellyn and ben our bote;

Therein to

Every day it schewit in prystes hond.

lestenyt] listen. word] world. hevene qwyn] heaven's queen.

xuld] should.

bote] salvation.

C. 1350

schen] beautiful

8.

Prey we to here with gret honour,
Che that bar the blyssid flowr,
Che be our helpe and our socour

And schyd us fro the fyndes bond.

ROBERT MANNYNG OF BRUNNE

Praise of Women

NO thyng ys to man so dere

1260-1340

As wommanys love in gode manère.

A gode womman is mannys blys,
There her love right and stedfast ys.
There ys no solas under hevene
Of alle that a man may nevene
That shulde a man so moche glew
As a gode womman that loveth true.
Ne derer is none in Goddis hurde
Than a chaste womman with lovely worde.

9.

JOHN BARBOUR

Freedom

A! Fredome is a noble thing!

Fredome mayse man to haif liking;

Fredome all solace to man giffis,
He livis at ese that frely livis!
A noble hart may haif nane ese,
Na ellys nocht that may him plese,

8. nevene] name. glew] gladden. liberty. na ellys nocht] nor aught else.

d. 1395

hurde] flock.

9. liking]