Min hertes ladie, euder of my lif! 
  What is this world? what axen[37] men to have? 
  Now with his love, now in his colde grave
  Alone withouten any compagnie. 
  Farewel my swete, farewel min Emelie,
  And softe take me in your armes twey,[38]
  For love of God, and herkeneth[39] what I sey.

[Footnote 35:  One.] [Footnote 36:  Since.] [Footnote 37:  Ask.] [Footnote 38:  Two.] [Footnote 39:  Hearken.]

EMELIE IN THE GARDEN.

[From the Knightes Tale.]

  Thus passeth yere by yere, and day by day,
  Till it felle ones in a morwe[40] of May
  That Emelie, that fayrer was to sene[41]
  Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene,
  And fresher than the May with floures newe,
  (For with the rose colour strof hire hewe;
  I n’ot[42] which was the finer of hem two)
  Er it was day, as she was wont to do,
  She was arisen and all redy dight,[43]
  For May wol have no slogardie a-night. 
  The seson priketh every gentil herte,
  And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte,
  And sayth, “Arise, and do thin observance.” 
  This maketh Emelie han remembrance
  To dou honour to May, and for to rise. 
  Yclothed was she fresh for to devise.[44]
  Hire yelwe here was broided in a tresse
  Behind hire back, a yerde long I gesse. 
  And in the gardin at the sonne uprist[45]
  She walketh up and doun wher as hire list.[46]
  She gathereth floures, partie white and red,
  To make a sotel[47] gerlond for hire bed,
  And as an angel hevenlich she song.

[Footnote 40:  Morning.] [Footnote 41:  See.] [Footnote 42:  Know not.] [Footnote 43:  Dressed.] [Footnote 44:  Describe.] [Footnote 45:  Sunrise.] [Footnote 46:  Wherever it pleases her.] [Footnote 47:  Subtle, cunningly enwoven.]

ALISON.

[From the Millere’s Tale.]

  Fayre was this yonge wif, and therwithal
  As any wesel hire body gent and smal[48]
  A seint[49] she wered, barred al of silk,
  A barm-cloth[50] eke as white as morne milk[51]
  Upon hire lendes[52] ful of many a gore,
  White was hire smok, and brouded[53] al before
  And eke behind on hire colere[54] aboute
  Of cole-black silk within and eke withoute. 
  The tapes of hire white volupere[55]
  Were of the same suit of hire colere;
  Hire fillet brode of silk and set ful hye;
  And sikerly[56] she had a likerous[57] eye,
  Ful smal ypulled[58] were hire browes two,
  And they were bent and black as any slo,
  She was wel more blisful on to see
  Than is the newe perjenete[59] tree,
  And softer than the wolle is of a wether. 
  And by hire girdle heng a purse of lether,
  Tasseled with silk and perled with latoun,[60]
  In all this world to seken up and doun
  Ther n’is no man so wise that coude