BOOK I. Polynices and Tydeus meet, and become allies.

II. Tydeus sets out on an embassy to Eteocles at Thebes, and escapes an ambush by the way (ll. 1485-1491). He spares Mæon, one of his 50 assailants, and sends him to Thebes with the news, whilst he himself returns to Argos instead of proceeding to Thebes (1492-3).

III. Maeon (also called Haemonides, as being the son of Haemon, Bk. iii. l. 42) returns to Thebes, and relates how Tydeus had slain 49 men out of 50. At Argos, Amphiaraus, the augur, had concealed himself, hoping to delay the war against Thebes, which he prophesied would be disastrous; but Capaneus forces him from his retirement, and war is resolved upon (1494).

IV. The seven chiefs set out against Thebes. The army suffers from thirst, but Hypsipyle, a Lemnian princess, appears, and shews them a river (1495).

V. Hypsipyle relates the story of 'the furies of Lemnos,' i. e. of the Lemnian women who killed all the men in the island except Thoas, her father, whom she saved. (See Leg. of Good Women, 1467, and note.) While she is speaking, a snake, sent by Jupiter, kills her infant, named Archemorus. The snake is killed by Capaneus (1497, 8).

VI. Description of the obsequies of Archemorus, and of the funeral games (1499).

VII. Description of the temple of Mars (see Knightes Tale). The allies arrive before Thebes, and the city is attacked. Amphiaraus is swallowed up by an earthquake (1500).

VIII. Tydeus is slain, after a great slaughter of his enemies (1501).

IX. Hippomedon, after great deeds of valour, is drowned in the river. Death of Parthenopaeus (1502, 3).

X. Capaneus is killed by lightning whilst scaling the walls of Thebes (1504, 5).

XI. Single combat between Eteocles and Polynices; both are slain (1506-8).

XII. Creon forbids the burial of the slain invaders. The wives of the six chieftains seek assistance from Theseus, king of Athens (see Knightes Tale). Argia, wife of Polynices, finds and burns her husband's body. Theseus slays Creon, and the Thebans open their gates to him (1509-10).

1485-1491. From the Thebaid, Bk. i (see above). _felawe_, comrade, brother-in-law. _Polymites_, Polynices. _Ethyocles_, Eteocles.

1492-8. From the same, Books ii-v. _Hemonides_, Haemonides, i. e. Maeon, son of Haemon. _asterte_, escaped. _fifty_; but he only slew 49, though attacked by 50. _sevene_; the seven chieftains, who went to besiege Thebes. _holy serpent_, the snake sent by Jupiter. _welle_, (apparently) the stream Langia, which refreshed the army (end of Bk. iv). _The furies_, the furious women of Lemnos, who killed all the males (but one) in the island.

1499-1505. From the same, Bks. vi-x. _Archimoris_, Archemorus, infant son of Hypsipyle; honoured by funeral games. _Amphiorax_, Amphiaraus; see Bk. ii. 105, and note to Anelida, 57. _Argeyes_, Argives, people of Argos. _Ypomedon_, Hippomedon; _Parthonope_, Parthenopaeus; see note to Anelida, 58. _Cappaneus_, Capaneus; see note to Anelida, 59.

1506-1512. From the same, Bks. xi, xii. _Argyve_, Argia, wife of Polynices; cf. Bk. iv. l. 762, above. _brent_, burnt; see Kn. Ta. A 990; but Statius says that the Thebans opened their gates to Theseus, who entered in triumph. I find nothing about any harm done to the city on this occasion.

1514. But Tydeus was Meleager's brother; see note to l. 1480.

1518. _leef_, leave it alone. Usually _leve_.

1523. _seestow_, seest thou; a general observation, _not_ addressed to Cassandra in particular, but to every one at large.

1527. _Alceste_, Alcestis; see Leg. of Good Women, 432.

1528. _but_, except, unless. Yet Bell misunderstands it.

1530. _housbonde_; Admetus, king of Pherae, in Thessaly.

1545. _smitted_, smutted, disgraced; cf. l. 1546.

1548. _fyn of the paródie_, end of the period. Chaucer, not being a Greek scholar, has somewhat mistaken the form of the word; but, in MS. H., _parodie_ is duly glossed by 'duracion,' shewing the sense intended. It is from the O. F. fem. sb. _perióde_, or _peryóde_, of which Littré gives an example in the 14th century: '_Peryode_ est le temps et la mesure de la _duracion_ d'une chose;' Oresme, Thèse de Meunier. Chaucer, being more familiar with the prefix _per-_ than with the Greek [Greek: peri-], has dropped the _i_; and the confusion between _per-_ and _par-_ is extremely common, because both prefixes were denoted, in contracted writing, by the same symbol. We may give up the old attempts at explaining the word otherwise, as we know that the glosses are usually due to the author. 'The end of the period of Hector's life was nigh at hand.'

Lydgate uses the word in the same sense, having caught it up from the present passage:--

'When the _paródye_ of this worthy knyght [Hector] Aproche shall, without[e] wordes mo, Into the fyelde playnly if he go.' Siege of Troye, Bk. iii. ch. 27; ed. 1557, fol. R 6.

'And how that he [Ulysses] might[e] not escape The _párodye_ that was for hym shape; For Parchas haue his last[e] _terme_ set,' &c. Id., Bk. v. ch. 38; fol. Dd 3.

Observe that _parodye_ is here equated to _terme_.

1558. From Guido; according to whose account Hector, having taken a prisoner, was conveying him through the throng, when Achilles thrust him through with a spear in a cowardly manner, stealing up to him unperceived. See allit. Dest. of Troy, ll. 8649-8660; Lydgate, Siege of Troy, Bk. iii. ch. 27, fol. S 2, back; Shak. Troil. v. 6. 27, 8. 1.

1634. _kalendes_, an introduction to the beginning; see note to Bk. ii. 7.

1653. _Lollius_; this incident is in the Filostrato, viii. st. 8; I do not find it in Guido.

1669. _word and ende_, beginning and end; see note to Monk. Ta. B 3911; and note to Bk. ii. 1495.

1689. 'To present your new love with.'

1760. See note to Book i. 463.

1764. Here the story practically ends. Beyond this point, the lines taken from Boccaccio are less than twenty.

1771. _Dares_, i. e. Guido, who professes to follow Dares; see note to Book Duch. 1070.

1778. I. e. Chaucer was beginning to think of his Legend of Good Women.

1786. Here begins the Envoy (interrupted by ll. 1800-1827). Compare the last three lines of the Filostrato (ix. 8):--

'Or va'; ch' io prego Apollo che ti presti Tanto di grazia ch' ascoltata sii, E con lieta risposa a me t'invii.'

1787. 'Whereas may God send power to him that wrote thee to take part in composing some "comedy," before he die.'

1789. 'Do not envy any (other) poetry, but be humble.'

1791. Imitated from the concluding lines of the Thebaid, xii. 816:--

'nec tu diuinam Æneida tenta, Sed longe sequere, et _uestigia semper adora_.'

The sense is--'And kiss their footsteps, wherever you see Vergil, &c. pass along.' The reading _space_ is ridiculous; and, in l. 1792, the names _Virgíle_, &c., are accented on the second syllable. _Steppes_ means 'foot-prints,' Lat. _uestigia_; see Leg. Good Women, 2209.

1792. An important line. Chaucer, in this poem, has made use of Statius (see l. 1485), Ovid (in many places), Vergil (occasionally), and Homer (not at first hand). Lucan seems to be mentioned only out of respect; but see note to Bk. ii. 167. He is mentioned again in Boethius, Bk. iv. Pr. 6. 159.

1796. _mismetre_, scan wrongly. This shews that Chaucer was conscious of his somewhat archaic style, and that there was a danger that some of the syllables might be dropped.

1797. _red_, read (by a single person), _songe_, read aloud, recited in an intoned voice.

1802. _thousandes_ is to be taken in the literal sense. On one occasion, according to Guido, Troilus slew a thousand men at once. See the allit. Destruction of Troy, 9878; Lydgate, Siege of Troy, fol. U 3, back, l. 7.

1806. So in Guido; see allit. Destr. of Troy, 10302-11; Lydgate, Siege of Troye, Bk. iv. ch. 31. Cf. l. 1558, and the note.

1807-1827. These three stanzas are from Boccaccio's _Teseide_, xi. 1-3, where, however, they refer to Arcita:--

'Finito Arcita colei nominando La qual nel mondo più che altro amava, L'anima lieve se ne gì volando Vêr la concavità del cielo ottava: Degli elementi i conuessi lasciando, Quivi le stelle erratiche ammirava ... Suoni ascoltando pieni di dolcezza.

Quindi si volse in giù a rimirare Le cose abbandonate, e vide il poco Globo terreno, a cui d'intorno il mare Girava ... Ed ogni cosa da nulla stimare A respetto del ciel; e in fine al loco Là dove aveva il corpo suo lasciato Gli occhi fermò alquanto rivoltato.

E fece risa de' pianti dolenti Della turba lernea; la vanitate Forte dannando delle umane genti, Le qua' da tenebrosa cechitate Mattamente oscurate nelle menti Seguon del Mondo la falsa beltate: Lasciando il cielo, quindi se ne gio Nel loco a cui Mercurio la sortio.'

_holownesse_ translates 'concavità.' For _seventh_, B. has 'ottava,' eighth. The seventh sphere is that of Saturn, from which he might be supposed to observe the motion of Saturn and of all the inferior planets. But surely _eighth_ is more correct; else there is no special sense in 'holownesse.' The eighth sphere is that of the fixed stars; and by taking up a position on the _inner_ or _concave_ surface of this sphere, he would see all the planetary spheres revolving within it. (The 'spheres' were supposed to be concentric shells, like the coats of an onion.) The 'erratic stars,' or wandering stars, are the seven planets. As to the music of their spheres, see notes to Parl. Foules, ll. 59 and 61.

1810. _in convers leting_, leaving behind, on the other side. When, for example, he approached the sphere of Mars, it was _concave_ to him; after passing beyond it, it appeared _convex_. Some modern editions of the Teseide read _connessi_ (connected parts), but the right reading is _conuessi_ (convex surfaces), for which Chaucer substitutes _convers_. See _converse_ in the New E. Dictionary.

1815. Cf. Parl. Foules, 57. Boccaccio had in mind Cicero's _Somnium Scipionis_.

1825. _sholden_, and we ought; _we_ is understood.

1827. _sorted_, allotted; Ital. 'sortio.'

1828-1837. Chiefly from Il Filostrato, viii. 28, 29.

1838-1862. These lines are Chaucer's own, and assume a higher strain.

1840. 'This lyf, my sone, is but a chery-feyre.' Hoccleve, De Regim. Princ. ed. Wright, p. 47.

See four more similar comparisons in Halliwell's Dict., s. v. _Cherry-fair_.

1856. _moral Gower._ This epithet of Gower has stuck to him ever since; he moralises somewhat too much.

1857. _Strode._ Concerning this personage, Leland discovered the following note in an old catalogue of the worthies of Merton College, Oxford: 'Radulphus Strode, nobilis poeta fuit et versificavit librum elegiacum vocatum Phantasma Radulphi.' In the introduction to his edition of 'Pearl,' p. l., Mr. Gollancz says: 'This Ralph Strode is identical with the famous philosopher of that name whose philosophical works hold an important place in the history of medieval logic. He was also famous in his time as a controversialist with Wiclif, and from Wiclif MSS., still unprinted, it is possible to gain some insight into Strode's religious views.' He was, perhaps, related to the philosopher N. Strode, who is mentioned at the end of pt. ii. § 40 of the Treatise on the Astrolabe as being the tutor, at Oxford, of Chaucer's son Lewis.

1863-5. From Dante, Paradiso, xiv. 28-30:--

'Quell' uno e due e tre che sempre vive, E regna sempre in tre e due e uno, Non circonscritto, e tutto circonscrive.'

ADDITIONAL NOTE TO BOOK III. 674.

As the curious word _voidee_ has been suppressed in all previous editions, I add some more examples of it, for some of which I am indebted to Dr. Murray. It occurs, e.g., in the extremely interesting account of the death of James I of Scotland.

'Within an owre the Kyng askid the _voidee_, and drank, the travers yn the chambure edraw [= _y-drawe_, drawn], and every man depairtid and went to rist': (1400) JN. SHIRLEY, Dethe of James Stewarde, Kyng of Scotys, p. 13, ed. 1818.

Hence, no doubt, Mr. Rossetti, in his poem of The King's Tragedy, drew the line:--'Then he called for the _voidee_-cup.'

'A _voidy_ of spices': (1548) Hall's Chron. 14 Hen. VIII.

'A _voidee_ of spices': (1577-87) Holinshed's Chron. vol. iii. p. 849.

In A Collection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Royal Household, London, 1790, there are several examples of it.

'The Archbishoppe to stand on the Kinges right hand, and the King to make him a becke when hee shall take _spice and wine_. And when the _voide_ is donne, then the King to goe into his chamber; and all other estates to goe into their chambers, or where it shall please them,' &c.: p. 111; in Articles ordained by King Henry VII.

At p. 113, there are minute directions as to the _voidè_. The chamberlain and others fetch a towel, the cups, and the spice-plates; the king and the bishop take 'spice and wine,' and afterwards the lords and people are served 'largely' with spice and wine also; after which the cups are removed. At p. 36, we read: 'the bourde _avoyded_ [cleared] when wafyrs come with ypocras, or with other swete wynes. The King never taketh a _voyd_ [read _voydè_] of comfites and other spices, but standing.' At p. 121: 'as for the voide on twelfth day at night, the King and Queene ought to take it in the halle.' At the Coronation of Queen Anne Boleyn, there was a voidè 'of spice-plates and wine'; English Garner, ed. Arber, ii. 50.

The _voidee_ was, in fact, a sort of dessert. The word _spices_ included many things besides what it now implies. In the Ordinances above-mentioned, there is a list of spices, at p. 103. It includes pepper, saffron, ginger, cloves, maces, cinnamon, nutmegs, dates, prunes, quinces, comfits, raisins, currants, figs, and even rice. In the North of England, even at the present day, it includes sweetmeats, gingerbread, cakes, and dried fruits.

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Notes.

[1] Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. xxxix. See the whole chapter.

[2] Philosophy personified; see Book i, Prose 1, l. 3.

[3] See Book ii, Prose 1.

[4] See Book ii, Proses 5, 6.

[5] See Book iii, Prose 9.

[6] See Book iv, Metre 1.

[7] See Book iv, Prose 6.

[8] See Book v.

[9] See the Romaunt of the Rose (in vol. i.), ll. 5659-5666; and the note to l. 5661. It is also tolerably obvious, that Chaucer selected Metre 5 of Book ii. of Boethius for poetical treatment in his 'Former Age,' because Jean de Meun had selected for similar treatment the very same passage; see Rom. de la Rose, ll. 8395-8406.

[10] There is a copy of this in the British Museum, MS. Addit. 10341.

[11] MS. Harl. 44 (Wülker); _not_ MS. Harl. 43, as in Warton, who has confused this MS. with that next mentioned.

[12] MS. Harl. 43 (Wülker); _not_ MS. Harl. 44, as in Warton.

[13] There is a better copy than either of the above in MS. Royal 18 A. xiii. The B. M. Catalogue of the Royal MSS., by Casley, erroneously attributes this translation to Lydgate. And there is yet a fourth copy, in MS. Sloane 554. The Royal MS. begins, more correctly:--'In suffisaunce of cunnyng and of wyt.'

[14] MS. i. 53.

[15] MS. B. 5. There is yet another MS. in the library of Trinity College, Oxford, no. 75; and others in the Bodleian Library (MS. Rawlinson 151), in the Cambridge University Library (Gg. iv. 18), and in the Phillipps collection (as in note 5 below).

[16] 'The Boke of Comfort, translated into Englesse tonge. Enprented in the exempt Monastery of Tavestok in Denshyre, by me, Dan Thomas Rychard, Monke; 1525. 4to.'--Lowndes.

[17] The MS. is now in the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps; no. 1099.

[18] He here implies that Chaucer's translation was by no means the only one then in existence; a remarkable statement.

[19] MS. inserts _full_, needlessly.

[20] _Perhaps read_ In.

[21] MS. neye.

[22] MS. hy_m_self.

[23] MS. theym self.

[24] _Printed_ feldes _by_ Mr. Stewart.

[25] Observe that this line is due to Chaucer's _gloss_, not to his text.

[26] MS. Thisee (!).

[27] MS. hem self.

[28] _Printed_ thise _by_ Mr. Stewart.

[29] MS. This (giving no sense).

[30] Mr. Stewart _omits_ thus.

[31] MS. parelous (!). This shews that Walton's text can be corrected by Chaucer's.

[32] Yet we must remember that 'The Former Age' only reproduces a _part_ of this Metre; and that it also introduces a passage from Jerome, besides reminiscences of Ovid and of Le Roman de la Rose; as shewn in the notes.

[33] Mr. Stewart adds another instance, from Bk. iii. met. 5. 5:--

And that the last ile in the see That hight Tyle, be thral to thee.

I hope this was unintentional, for they are poor verses. It is higher praise to say that, especially in the Metres, Chaucer's prose often flows well, with a certain melody of its own. Mr. Stewart also gives some instances in which he supposes that Chaucer 'actually reproduces the original Latin metre;' but they are imperfect and unintended.

[34] Mr. Stewart quotes this as: 'a long unagreable dwellynges;' but 'draweth a-long' is a fair translation of 'protrahit.'

[35] 365 is the number of the line; see p. 164 below. I refer to Boethius by the letter 'B.', meaning the text as printed in the present volume, giving the _line_ of the text as well as the number of the Prose or Metre, so that every passage can easily be found.

[36] The prefixed asterisk marks a _doubtful_ or _wrong_ instance.

[37] I omit the comparison of Bk. iii. ll. 8-14 with Boethius; for the whole stanza is copied from the _Filostrato_, Bk. iii. st. 75. Also, that of l. 373 with B. iii. met. 9. 1; for l. 373 is copied from the _Filostrato_, Bk. iii. st. 15.

[38] I omit mention of l. 2839 (compared with B. ii. met. 3. 14); for it is taken from the _Teseide_, Bk. ix, 10, 11.

[39] The three points are: (1) Avarice is insatiable, l. 2321, which answers to 'finem quaerendi non inuenit,' quoted as from Seneca, but really from Palladius; see Albertani Brixiensis Liber Consolationis, ed. T. Sundby, p. 37: (2) Good and evil are two contraries, l. 2479; compare the same, p. 96: (3) Fortune the nurse, l. 2635, translated from 'fortuna usque nunc me fouit'; see the same, p. 89.

[40] I have noted a few inaccuracies, chiefly due to confusion of _c_ and _t_ (which are written alike), and to abbreviations. At p. 2, l. 13, for 'p_ro_cede' read 'p_er_cede.' At p. 9, l. 28, for 'basilicis' read 'basilius.' At p. 11, l. 32, read 'auauntede.' At p. 12, l. 10, read 'c_on_uict'; &c. Cf. note to Bk. v. pr. 6. 82.

[41] Here _recte_ is miswritten for _recta_, clearly because the scribe was still thinking of the latter syllable of the preceding _sponte_. But observe that Ch. has 'the rightes,' a translation of _recta_. This proves at once that Chaucer did not use _this particular copy_ as his original; and of course the peculiar mode in which it is written precludes such a supposition. But I believe it to be copied from Chaucer's copy, all the same.

[42] This shews how entirely wrong an editor would be who should change the forms into _Atrides_ and _Agamemnon_; unless, indeed, he were to give due notice. For it destroys the evidence. Note also, that _Agamenon_ is the usual M. E. form. It appears as _Agamenoun_ in Troil. iii. 382.

[43] Hence it is easy to see that when Chaucer's glosses agree, as they sometimes do, with those in Notker's Old High German version or in any other version, the agreement is due to the fact that both translators had similar _Latin_ glosses before them.

[44] My text has _thonder-light_, as in the MSS.; but _leyte_ or _leyt_ is better; see note to the line (p. 422), and see above, p. xlii, l. 8.

[45] There is a later edition by Peiper, said to be the best; but it is out of print, and I failed to obtain a copy. But I have also collated the Latin text in the Delphin edition, ed. Valpy, 1823, and the edition by Renatus Vallinus, 1656; both of these contain useful notes.

[46] Mr. Rossetti has a note, shewing that Prof. Morley's figures are incorrect. He himself reckons _Troilus_ as containing 8246 lines, because the number of stanzas in Book V. of Dr. Furnivall's print of MS. Harl. 3943 is wrongly given as 268 instead of 267.

[47] For a fuller comparison with this poem, see § 21 below; p. lxv.

[48] Lydgate accepts Chaucer's view without question. He says--'And of this syege wrote eke Lollius'; Siege of Troye, ed. 1555, fol. B 2, back.

[49] Usually called Guido de Colonna, probably because he was supposed to belong to a famous family named Colonna; but his name seems to have been taken from the name of a place (see note 1 on p. lvi). My quotations from Guido are from MS. Mm. 5. 14, in the Cambridge University Library.

[50] He refers to the story of Troy as existing 'in the Latyn and the Frenshe'; Siege of Troye, fol. B 1, back; and explains 'the Latyn' as 'Guido.'

[51] In an Italian work entitled 'Testi Inediti di Storia Trojana,' by E. Gorra, Turin, 1887, a passage is quoted at p. 137, from Book XIII of Guido, which says that Terranova, on the S. coast of Sicily, was also called 'columpne Herculis,' and Gorra suggests that this was the place whence Guido derived his name 'delle Colonne.' At any rate, Guido was much interested in these 'columns'; see Lydgate, Siege of Troye, fol. M 4. I think _Tropæus_, from Gk. [Greek: tropaia], may refer to these _columnæ_; or Guido may have been connected with _Tropea_, on the W. coast of Calabria, less than fifty miles from Messina, where he was a judge.

[52] 'Homerus ... fingens multa que non fuerunt, et que fuerunt aliter transformando'; Prologus. See the E. translation in the Gest Hystoriale, or alliterative Troy-book, ll. 38-47; Lydgate, Siege of Troye, fol. B 2.

[53] See allit. Troy-book, ll. 60-79.

[54] See allit. Troy-book, ll. 3922-34; Lydgate, Siege of Troye, fol. F 3, back.

[55] MS. penatos.

[56] The mention of Escaphilo, i.e. Ascalaphus, in Book V. 319, was perhaps suggested by the mention of Ascalaphus by Guido (after Dictys, i. 13, Homer, Il. ii. 512) as being one of the Grecian leaders; see allit. Troy-book, l. 4067.

[57] I. e. glove; from Gk. [Greek: cheir], hand, and [Greek: thêkê], case.

[58] Put for xenium ([Greek: xenion]), a gift, present.

[59] Cf. 'And save hir browes ioyneden y-fere'; Troil. v. 813.

[60] _Talke_ is not in the Glossary. As _lk_ is a common way of writing _kk_ (as shewn in my paper on 'Ghost-words' for the Phil. Soc.), the word is really _takke_, a variant of _take_; and the sense is 'let him take.'

[61] Lydgate began his Troy-book on Oct. 31, 1412, and finished it in 1420; see this shewn in my letter to the _Academy_, May 7, 1892.

[62] Hence it was not written by Sir Hugh Eglintoun, if he died either in 1376 or 1381; see Pref. to allit. Troy-book, pp. xvii, xxv.

[63] MS. to disport; _but_ to _is needless_.

[64] MS. I for; I _is needless_.

[65] Two false rimes; _ye_ and _aweye_; _dispyt_ and _bright_ (correctly, _bright e_).

[66] Not _clene_, as in the St. John's MS. and in the Phillipps MS.; for Chaucer never rimes _clene_ (with open _e_) with such words as _grene_, _quene_ (with close _e_); see, on this point, the remarks on my Rime-Index to Troilus, published for the Chaucer Society. MS. Harl. 2392 likewise has _sheene_, a word in which the long _e_ is of 'variable' quality.

[67] Some guess that it means 'Tres gentil Chaucer.' But this seems to me very improbable, if not stupid.