(Compleint Damours.)

AN AMOROUS COMPLEINT, MADE AT WINDSOR.

I, which that am the sorwefulleste man That in this world was ever yit livinge, And leest recoverer of him-selven can, Beginne thus my deadly compleininge On hir, that may to lyf and deeth me bringe, Which hath on me no mercy ne no rewthe That love hir best, but sleeth me for my trewthe.

Can I noght doon ne seye that may yow lyke, [For] certes, now, allas! allas! the whyle! Your plesaunce is to laughen whan I syke, And thus ye me from al my blisse exyle. Ye han me cast in thilke spitous yle Ther never man on lyve mighte asterte; This have I for I lovë you, swete herte!

Sooth is, that wel I woot, by lyklinesse, If that it were thing possible to do Tacompte youre beutee and goodnesse, I have no wonder thogh ye do me wo; Sith I, thunworthiest that may ryde or go, Durste ever thinken in so hy a place, What wonder is, thogh ye do me no grace?

Allas! thus is my lyf brought to an ende, My deeth, I see, is my conclusioun; I may wel singe, 'in sory tyme I spende My lyf;' that song may have confusioun! For mercy, pitee, and deep affeccioun, I sey for me, for al my deedly chere, Alle thise diden, in that, me love yow dere.

And in this wyse and in dispayre I live In lovë; nay, but in dispayre I dye! But shal I thus [to] yow my deeth for-give, That causeles doth me this sorow drye? Ye, certes, I! For she of my folye Hath nought to done, although she do me sterve; Hit is nat with hir wil that I hir serve!

Than sith I am of my sorowe the cause And sith that I have this, withoute hir reed, Than may I seyn, right shortly in a clause, It is no blame unto hir womanheed Though swich a wrecche as I be for hir deed; [And] yet alwey two thinges doon me dyë, That is to seyn, hir beutee and myn yë.

So that, algates, she is the verray rote Of my disese, and of my dethe also; For with oon word she mighte be my bote, If that she vouched sauf for to do so. But [why] than is hir gladnesse at my wo? It is hir wone plesaunce for to take, To seen hir servaunts dyen for hir sake!

But certes, than is al my wonderinge, Sithen she is the fayrest creature As to my dome, that ever was livinge, The benignest and beste eek that nature Hath wrought or shal, whyl that the world may dure, Why that she lefte pite so behinde? It was, y-wis, a greet defaute in kinde.

Yit is al this no lak to hir, pardee, But god or nature sore wolde I blame; For, though she shewe no pite unto me, Sithen that she doth othere men the same, I ne oughte to despyse my ladies game; It is hir pley to laughen whan men syketh, And I assente, al that hir list and lyketh!

Yit wolde I, as I dar, with sorweful herte Biseche un-to your meke womanhede That I now dorste my sharpe sorwes smerte Shewe by worde, that ye wolde ones rede The pleynte of me, the which ful sore drede That I have seid here, through myn unconninge, In any worde to your displesinge.

Lothest of anything that ever was loth Were me, as wisly god my soule save! To seyn a thing through which ye might be wroth; And, to that day that I be leyd in grave, A trewer servaunt shulle ye never have; And, though that I on yow have pleyned here, Forgiveth it me, myn owne lady dere!

Ever have I been, and shal, how-so I wende, Outher to live or dye, your humble trewe; Ye been to me my ginning and myn ende, Sonne of the sterre bright and clere of hewe, Alwey in oon to love yow freshly newe, By god and by my trouthe, is myn entente; To live or dye, I wol it never repente!

This compleynt on seint Valentynes day, Whan every foul [ther] chesen shal his make, To hir, whos I am hool, and shal alwey, This woful song and this compleynt I make, That never yit wolde me to mercy take; And yit wol I [for] evermore her serve And love hir best, although she do me sterve.

_Explicit._

_In_ MS. Harl. 7333, fol. 133 b and 134. _Title_--And next folowyng begynnith an amerowse compleynte made at wyndesore in the laste May tofore Novembre (_sic_). _Also in_ F. (Fairfax) _and_ B. (Bodley 638); _entitled_ Complaynt Damours. N. B. Unmarked _readings are from_ Harl.

1. sorowfullest. 2. worlde; leving (F. lyvinge). 3. F. lest; Harl. B. leste. B. rekeuerer. 4. Begynne right thus; _so_ F. B.; _I omit_ right. 5. lyff; dethe. 6. Whiche hathe; rought (_for_ rewthe). 7. beste; sleethe. 8. F. Kan I noght doon to seyn; B. Kan I nought don to seyn; Harl. Cane I nought ne saye. 9. _All_ Ne; _read_ For. 10. Youre. 11. frome. 12. Yee. F. B. han; Harl. haue. caste. F. B. thilke; Harl. that. _All_ spitouse. 13. Harl. ne (_after_ lyve); F. B. _om._ 14. beste (_after_ you); F. B. _om._

15. Soothe; weele. 16. F. B. that; Harl. _om._ F. B. a thing; Harl. _om._ a. thinge; doo. 17. F. B. Tacompte youre; Harl. For to acounte your. 18. noo wondre; yee; woo. 19. Sithe; goo. 20. F. neuer; B. euyr; Harl. euer. hie. 21. wondir; doo; noo. 22. Ellas; Eonde. F. myshefe; B. myschef (_for_ my lyf). 23. dethe; concluciou_n_. 24. wele. F. sing; B. singe; Harl. say. Harl. sorye. 25. B. ys my (_for_ may have). Confuciou_n_. 26. B. my saluaciou_n_ (_for_ deep affeccioun). 27, 28. B. I sey for me I haue nou_n_ [neu_er_?] felte All_e_ thes diden me in despeire to melte. 27. fo (? _for_ for). 28. All_e_ this; yowe deere. 29. Harl. _om. 2nd_ in. 30. F. B. nay; Harl. nay nay. 31. _I supply_ to; yowe; dethe for-geve. 32. dothe. 33. certe (!); sheo. 34. Hathe; Al-thoughe sheo. 35. nought (_for_ nat). 36. Thane sithe. 37. sitthe; rede. 38. seyne. 39. noo; womanhede. 40. Thaugh suche; dede.

41. Yette; _I supply_ And; twoo; doone. 42. seyne; beaute; eye. 43. Harl. _om._ that. F. B. _om._ the. verraye Roote. 44. diseese; alsoo. 45. worde sheo myght; boote. 46. sheo wovched saufe; soo. 47. _I supply_ why; woo. 48. wonne; _all ins._ to _after_ wonne. 49. seon; sarvauntes; B. seruaunte. 50. thanne; all_e_; wondering. 51. sheo. 53. eke. 54. Hathe; shall_e_; Harl. _om._ that; worlde. 55. Whi; sheo lefe pitte; byhinde. Harl. so; F. alle; B. all. 56. ewisse; grete. 57. Yitte; noo. F. B. _om._ al. 58. Harl. _ins._ hem _before_ soore (_sic_); F. B. hem (_but om._ sore). 59. thowe (_for_ though); sheo; pette. 60. sheo doothe. 61. ought. 62. Harl. _om._ hir; pleye; lawhe when that men sikith. 63. liste; likethe. 64. B. Yit; F. Yet; Harl. Yeo (_sic_); _see_ 57. dare; sorowfull. 65. F. B. meke; Harl. mekly. 66. F. sorwes; B. sorwys; Harl. shoures. 67. Harl. and; F. B. that, yee; onys.

68. compleynte (_for_ pleynte); which I Fulle. 69. saide; thorowe. B. vnkonnynge; F. vnkunnynge; Harl. vnknowynge. F. B. _om._ here _and_ myn. 70. yowre. 71. Loothest; loothe. 72. als; sowle safe. 73. seyne; thorughe; yee; wrothe. 74. leyde. 75. sarvaunt ne shulde yee. F. shul; B. shall; Harl. shulde. 76. thaughe. F. B. on yow haue pleyned; Harl. haue playned vnto yow. 77. For-gyvethe yt me, myne oune lady so dere. 78. howe. 79. youre. 80. Yee ben; gynnynge. 81. Harl. of; F. ouer; B. ovyr. F. B. _om._ and clere. Sterre so bright; huwe. 82. Harl. And I ay oon; F. B. Alwey in oon. fresshely. 84. wolle. 85. Conpleynte; valantines. 86. foughel cheesen shall; _I supply_ ther _from_ Parl. Foules, 310. 87. was (F. B. whos); hole; shall. 88. wofull_e_ songe; conplaynte. 90. wolle; _I supply_ for. 91. all_e_-thowhe sheo. F. B. Explicit; Harl. _om._

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XXIII. A BALADE OF COMPLEYNT.

Compleyne ne coude, ne might myn herte never My peynes halve, ne what torment I have, Though that I sholde in your presence ben ever, My hertes lady, as wisly he me save That bountee made, and beutee list to grave In your persone, and bad hem bothe in-fere Ever tawayte, and ay be wher ye were.

As wisly he gye alle my Ioyes here As I am youres, and to yow sad and trewe, And ye, my lyf and cause of my good chere, And deeth also, whan ye my peynes newe, My worldes Ioye, whom I wol serve and sewe, My heven hool, and al my suffisaunce, Whom for to serve is set al my plesaunce.

Beseching yow in my most humble wyse Taccepte in worth this litel povre dyte, And for my trouthe my service nat despyse, Myn observaunce eek have nat in despyte, Ne yit to long to suffren in this plyte, I yow beseche, myn hertes lady dere, Sith I yow serve, and so wil yeer by yere.

_In_ MS. Addit. 16165, fol. 256, back; _headed_ Balade of compleynte.

1. koude; h_er_t. 2. turment. 3. Thaughe; shoulde; youre. 4. wissely. 5. beaute liste. 6. youre; bade; in-feere. 7. beo. 8. wissely. 9. yowe sadde; truwe. 10. lyff; gode. 11. dethe; whane; reewe, _altered by the scribe to_ newe. 12. whome; suwe. 13. hole; souffisaunce. 14. sette. 15. yowe; moste. 16. Taccept; worthe; pore. 17. not despice. 18. eke; not. 19. longe; suffre. 20. here (_error for_ dere; _see_ XXII. 77). 21. yowe; yere by yere.

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