| Ther was, as telleth Titus Livius, |
| A knyght that called was Virginius, |
| Fulfild of honour and of worthynesse, |
| And strong of freendes, and of greet richesse. |
| 5 | This knyght a doghter hadde by his wyf; |
| No children hadde he mo in al his lyf. |
| Fair was this mayde in excellent beautee |
| Aboven every wight that man may see; |
| For Nature hath with sovereyn diligence |
| 10 | Yformed hire in so greet excellence, |
| As though she wolde seyn, "Lo! I, Nature, |
| Thus kan I forme and peynte a creature, |
| Whan that me list; who kan me countrefete? |
| Pigmalion noght, though he ay forge and bete, |
| 15 | Or grave, or peynte; for I dar wel seyn |
| Apelles, Zanzis, sholde werche in veyn |
| Outher to grave, or peynte, or forge, or bete, |
| If they presumed me to countrefete. |
| For He that is the formere principal |
| 20 | Hath maked me his vicaire general, |
| To forme and peynten erthely creaturis |
| Right as me list, and ech thyng in my cure is |
| Under the moone, that may wane and waxe, |
| And for my werk right no thyng wol I axe; |
| 25 | My lord and I been ful of oon accord. |
| I made hire to the worshipe of my lord; |
| So do I alle myne othere creatures, |
| What colour that they han or what figures." |
| Thus semeth me that Nature wolde seye. |
| 30 | This mayde of age twelve yeer was and tweye, |
| In which that Nature hadde swich delit. |
| For right as she kan peynte a lilie whit, |
| And reed a rose, right with swich peynture |
| She peynted hath this noble creature, |
| 35 | Er she were born, upon hir lymes fre, |
| Where as by right swiche colours sholde be; |
| And Phebus dyed hath hire tresses grete |
| Lyk to the stremes of his burned heete. |
| And if that excellent was hire beautee, |
| 40 | A thousand foold moore vertuous was she. |
| In hire ne lakked no condicioun |
| That is to preyse, as by discrecioun. |
| As wel in goost as body chast was she, |
| For which she floured in virginitee |
| 45 | With alle humylitee and abstinence, |
| With alle attemperaunce and pacience, |
| With mesure eek of beryng and array. |
| Discreet she was in answeryng alway; |
| Though she were wis as Pallas, dar I seyn, |
| 50 | Hir facound eek ful wommanly and pleyn, |
| No countrefeted termes hadde she |
| To seme wys, but after hir degree |
| She spak, and alle hire wordes, moore and lesse, |
| Sownynge in vertu and in gentillesse. |
| 55 | Shamefast she was in maydens shamefastnesse, |
| Constant in herte, and evere in bisynesse |
| To dryve hire out of ydel slogardye. |
| Bacus hadde of hir mouth right no maistrie; |
| For wyn and youthe dooth Venus encresse, |
| 60 | As men in fyr wol casten oille or greesse. |
| And of hir owene vertu, unconstreyned, |
| She hath ful ofte tyme syk hire feyned, |
| For that she wolde fleen the compaignye |
| Where likly was to treten of folye, |
| 65 | As is at feestes, revels, and at daunces, |
| That been occasions of daliaunces. |
| Swich thynges maken children for to be |
| To soone rype and boold, as men may se, |
| Which is ful perilous and hath been yoore. |
| 70 | For al to soone may she lerne loore |
| Of booldnesse, whan she woxen is a wyf. |
| And ye maistresses, in youre olde lyf, |
| That lordes doghtres han in governaunce, |
| Ne taketh of my wordes no displesaunce. |
| 75 | Thenketh that ye been set in governynges |
| Of lordes doghtres oonly for two thynges: |
| Outher for ye han kept youre honestee, |
| Or elles ye han falle in freletee, |
| And knowen wel ynough the olde daunce, |
| 80 | And han forsaken fully swich meschaunce |
| For everemo; therfore, for Cristes sake, |
| To teche hem vertu looke that ye ne slake. |
| A theef of venysoun, that hath forlaft |
| His likerousnesse and al his olde craft, |
| 85 | Kan kepe a forest best of any man. |
| Now kepeth wel, for if ye wole, ye kan. |
| Looke wel that ye unto no vice assente, |
| Lest ye be dampned for youre wikke entente; |
| For whoso dooth, a traitour is, certeyn. |
| 90 | And taketh kep of that that I shal seyn: |
| Of alle tresons sovereyn pestilence |
| Is whan a wight bitrayseth innocence. |
| Ye fadres and ye moodres eek also, |
| Though ye han children, be it oon or mo, |
| 95 | Youre is the charge of al hir surveiaunce, |
| Whil that they been under youre governaunce. |
| Beth war, if by ensample of youre lyvynge, |
| Or by youre necligence in chastisynge, |
| That they ne perisse; for I dar wel seye |
| 100 | If that they doon, ye shul it deere abeye. |
| Under a shepherde softe and necligent |
| The wolf hath many a sheep and lamb torent. |
| Suffiseth oon ensample now as heere, |
| For I moot turne agayn to my matere. |
| 105 | This mayde, of which I wol this tale expresse, |
| So kepte hirself hir neded no maistresse, |
| For in hir lyvyng maydens myghten rede, |
| As in a book, every good word or dede |
| That longeth to a mayden vertuous, |
| 110 | She was so prudent and so bountevous. |
| For which the fame out sprong on every syde, |
| Bothe of hir beautee and hir bountee wyde, |
| That thurgh that land they preised hire echone |
| That loved vertu, save Envye allone, |
| 115 | That sory is of oother mennes wele |
| And glad is of his sorwe and his unheele. |
| (The Doctour maketh this descripcioun.) |
| This mayde upon a day wente in the toun |
| Toward a temple, with hire mooder deere, |
| 120 | As is of yonge maydens the manere. |
| Now was ther thanne a justice in that toun, |
| That governour was of that regioun. |
| And so bifel this juge his eyen caste |
| Upon this mayde, avysynge hym ful faste, |
| 125 | As she cam forby ther as this juge stood. |
| Anon his herte chaunged and his mood, |
| So was he caught with beautee of this mayde, |
| And to hymself ful pryvely he sayde, |
| "This mayde shal be myn, for any man!" |
| 130 | Anon the feend into his herte ran, |
| And taughte hym sodeynly that he by slyghte |
| The mayden to his purpos wynne myghte. |
| For certes, by no force ne by no meede, |
| Hym thoughte, he was nat able for to speede; |
| 135 | For she was strong of freendes, and eek she |
| Confermed was in swich soverayn bountee |
| That wel he wiste he myghte hire nevere wynne |
| As for to make hire with hir body synne. |
| For which, by greet deliberacioun, |
| 140 | He sente after a cherl, was in the toun, |
| Which that he knew for subtil and for boold. |
| This juge unto this cherl his tale hath toold |
| In secree wise, and made hym to ensure |
| He sholde telle it to no creature, |
| 145 | And if he dide, he sholde lese his heed. |
| Whan that assented was this cursed reed, |
| Glad was this juge, and maked him greet cheere, |
| And yaf hym yiftes preciouse and deere. |
| Whan shapen was al hire conspiracie |
| 150 | Fro point to point, how that his lecherie |
| Parfourned sholde been ful subtilly, |
| As ye shul heere it after openly, |
| Hoom gooth the cherl, that highte Claudius. |
| This false juge, that highte Apius, |
| 155 | (So was his name, for this is no fable, |
| But knowen for historial thyng notable; |
| The sentence of it sooth is, out of doute), |
| This false juge gooth now faste aboute |
| To hasten his delit al that he may. |
| 160 | And so bifel soone after, on a day, |
| This false juge, as telleth us the storie, |
| As he was wont, sat in his consistorie, |
| And yaf his doomes upon sondry cas. |
| This false cherl cam forth a ful greet pas, |
| 165 | And seyde, "Lord, if that it be youre wille, |
| As dooth me right upon this pitous bille, |
| In which I pleyne upon Virginius; |
| And if that he wol seyn it is nat thus, |
| I wol it preeve, and fynde good witnesse, |
| 170 | That sooth is that my bille wol expresse." |
| The juge answerde, "Of this, in his absence, |
| I may nat yeve diffynytyf sentence. |
| Lat do hym calle, and I wol gladly heere; |
| Thou shalt have al right, and no wrong heere." |
| 175 | Virginius cam to wite the juges wille, |
| And right anon was rad this cursed bille; |
| The sentence of it was as ye shul heere: |
| "To yow, my lord, sire Apius so deere, |
| Sheweth youre povre servant Claudius |
| 180 | How that a knyght, called Virginius, |
| Agayns the lawe, agayn al equitee, |
| Holdeth, expres agayn the wyl of me, |
| My servant, which that is my thral by right, |
| Which fro myn hous was stole upon a nyght, |
| 185 | Whil that she was ful yong; this wol I preeve |
| By witnesse, lord, so that it nat yow greeve. |
| She nys his doghter nat, what so he seye. |
| Wherfore to yow, my lord the juge, I preye, |
| Yeld me my thral, if that it be youre wille." |
| 190 | Lo, this was al the sentence of his bille. |
| Virginius gan upon the cherl biholde, |
| But hastily, er he his tale tolde, |
| And wolde have preeved it as sholde a knyght, |
| And eek by witnessyng of many a wight, |
| 195 | That al was fals that seyde his adversarie, |
| This cursed juge wolde no thyng tarie, |
| Ne heere a word moore of Virginius, |
| But yaf his juggement, and seyde thus: |
| "I deeme anon this cherl his servant have; |
| 200 | Thou shalt no lenger in thyn hous hir save. |
| Go bryng hire forth, and put hire in oure warde. |
| The cherl shal have his thral, this I awarde." |
| And whan this worthy knyght Virginius |
| Thurgh sentence of this justice Apius |
| 205 | Moste by force his deere doghter yiven |
| Unto the juge, in lecherie to lyven, |
| He gooth hym hoom, and sette him in his halle, |
| And leet anon his deere doghter calle, |
| And with a face deed as asshen colde |
| 210 | Upon hir humble face he gan biholde, |
| With fadres pitee stikynge thurgh his herte, |
| Al wolde he from his purpos nat converte. |
| "Doghter," quod he, "Virginia, by thy name, |
| Ther been two weyes, outher deeth or shame, |
| 215 | That thou most suffre; allas, that I was bore! |
| For nevere thou deservedest wherfore |
| To dyen with a swerd or with a knyf. |
| O deere doghter, endere of my lyf, |
| Which I have fostred up with swich plesaunce |
| 220 | That thou were nevere out of my remembraunce! |
| O doghter, which that art my laste wo, |
| And in my lyf my laste joye also, |
| O gemme of chastitee, in pacience |
| Take thou thy deeth, for this is my sentence. |
| 225 | For love, and nat for hate, thou most be deed; |
| My pitous hand moot smyten of thyn heed. |
| Allas, that evere Apius the say! |
| Thus hath he falsly jugged the to-day" -- |
| And tolde hire al the cas, as ye bifore |
| 230 | Han herd; nat nedeth for to telle it moore. |
| "O mercy, deere fader!" quod this mayde, |
| And with that word she bothe hir armes layde |
| Aboute his nekke, as she was wont to do. |
| The teeris bruste out of hir eyen two, |
| 235 | And seyde, "Goode fader, shal I dye? |
| Is ther no grace, is ther no remedye?" |
| "No, certes, deere doghter myn," quod he. |
| "Thanne yif me leyser, fader myn," quod she, |
| "My deeth for to compleyne a litel space; |
| 240 | For, pardee, Jepte yaf his doghter grace |
| For to compleyne, er he hir slow, allas! |
| And, God it woot, no thyng was hir trespas, |
| But for she ran hir fader first to see, |
| To welcome hym with greet solempnitee." |
| 245 | And with that word she fil aswowne anon, |
| And after, whan hir swownyng is agon, |
| She riseth up, and to hir fader sayde, |
| "Blissed be God that I shal dye a mayde! |
| Yif me my deeth, er that I have a shame; |
| 250 | Dooth with youre child youre wyl, a Goddes name!" |
| And with that word she preyed hym ful ofte |
| That with his swerd he wolde smyte softe; |
| And with that word aswowne doun she fil. |
| Hir fader, with ful sorweful herte and wil, |
| 255 | Hir heed of smoot, and by the top it hente, |
| And to the juge he gan it to presente, |
| As he sat yet in doom in consistorie. |
| And whan the juge it saugh, as seith the storie, |
| He bad to take hym and anhange hym faste; |
| 260 | But right anon a thousand peple in thraste, |
| To save the knyght, for routhe and for pitee, |
| For knowen was the false iniquitee. |
| The peple anon had suspect in this thyng, |
| By manere of the cherles chalangyng, |
| 265 | That it was by the assent of Apius; |
| They wisten wel that he was lecherus. |
| For which unto this Apius they gon |
| And caste hym in a prisoun right anon, |
| Ther as he slow hymself; and Claudius, |
| 270 | That servant was unto this Apius, |
| Was demed for to hange upon a tree, |
| But that Virginius, of his pitee, |
| So preyde for hym that he was exiled; |
| And elles, certes, he had been bigyled. |
| 275 | The remenant were anhanged, moore and lesse, |
| That were consentant of this cursednesse. |
| Heere may men seen how synne hath his merite. |
| Beth war, for no man woot whom God wol smyte |
| In no degree, ne in which manere wyse; |
| 280 | The worm of conscience may agryse |
| Of wikked lyf, though it so pryvee be |
| That no man woot therof but God and he. |
| For be he lewed man, or ellis lered, |
| He noot how soone that he shal been afered. |
| 285 | Therfore I rede yow this conseil take: |
| Forsaketh synne, er synne yow forsake. |