| 1680 | Now mot I seyn the exilynge of kynges |
| Of Rome, for here horible doinges, |
| And of the laste kyng Tarquinius, |
| As seyth Ovyde and Titus Lyvius. |
| But for that cause telle I nat this storye, |
| 1685 | But for to preyse and drawe to memorye |
| The verray wif, the verray trewe Lucresse, |
| That for hyre wifhod and hire stedefastnesse |
| Nat only that these payens hire comende, |
| But he that cleped is in oure legende |
| 1690 | The grete Austyn hath gret compassioun |
| Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun; |
| And in what wise, I wol but shortly trete, |
| And of this thyng I touche but the grete. |
| Whan Ardea beseged was aboute |
| 1695 | With Romeyns, that ful sterne were and stoute, |
| Ful longe lay the sege and lytel wroughten, |
| So that they were half idel, as hem thoughten; |
| And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge |
| Gan for to jape, for he was lyght of tonge, |
| 1700 | And seyde that it was an ydel lyf; |
| No man dide there no more than his wif. |
| "And lat us speke of wyves, that is best; |
| Preyse every man his owene as hym lest, |
| And with oure speche lat us ese oure herte." |
| 1705 | A knyght that highte Colatyn up sterte, |
| And seyde thus: "Nay, sire, it is no nede |
| To trowen on the word, but on the dede. |
| I have a wif," quod he, "that, as I trowe, |
| Is holden good of alle that evere hire knowe. |
| 1710 | Go we to-nyght to Rome, and we shal se." |
| Tarquinius answerde, "That liketh me." |
| To Rome be they come, and faste hem dyghte |
| To Colatynes hous and doun they lyghte, |
| Tarquinius and ek this Colatyn. |
| 1715 | The husbonde knew the estris wel and fyn, |
| And prively into the hous they gon, |
| Nor at the yate porter nas there non, |
| And at the chambre-dore they abyde. |
| This noble wif sat by hire beddes side |
| 1720 | Dischevele, for no malyce she ne thoughte; |
| And softe wolle oure bok seyth that she wroughte |
| To kepen hire from slouthe and idelnesse; |
| And bad hire servaunts don hire besynesse, |
| And axeth hem, "What tydyngs heren ye? |
| 1725 | How seyth men of the sege, how shal it be? |
| God wolde the walles were falle adoun! |
| Myn husbonde is to longe out of this toun, |
| For which the drede doth me so to smerte |
| That with a swerd it stingeth to myn herte |
| 1730 | Whan I thynke on the sege or on that place. |
| God save my lord, I preye hym for his grace!" |
| And therwithal ful tenderly she wep, |
| And of hire werk she tok no more kep, |
| And mekely she let hyre eyen falle; |
| 1735 | And thilke semblaunt sat hire wel withalle. |
| And eek hire teres, ful of honeste, |
| Embelished hire wifly chastite; |
| Hyre contenaunce is to hire herte dygne, |
| For they acorde bothe in dede and sygne. |
| 1740 | And with that word hire husbonde Colatyn, |
| Or she of him was war, com stertynge in |
| And seyde, "Drede the nat, for I am here!" |
| And she anon up ros with blysful chere |
| And kiste hym, as of wives is the wone. |
| 1745 | Tarquinius, this proude kynges sone, |
| Conceyved hath hire beaute and hyre cheere, |
| Hire yelwe her, hire shap, and hire manere, |
| Hire hew, hire wordes, that she hath compleyned |
| (And by no craft hire beaute nas nat feyned), |
| 1750 | And caughte to this lady swich desyr |
| That in his herte brende as any fyr, |
| So wodly that his wit was al forgeten. |
| For wel thoghte he she wolde nat ben geten; |
| And ay the more that he was in dispayr, |
| 1755 | The more he coveyteth and thoughte hire fayr. |
| His blynde lust was al his coveytynge. |
| A-morwe, whan the brid began to synge, |
| Unto the sege he cometh ful privily, |
| And by hymself he walketh soberly, |
| 1760 | Th' ymage of hire recordynge alwey newe: |
| "Thus lay hire her, and thus fresh was hyre hewe; |
| Thus sat, thus spak, thus span; this was hire chere; |
| Thus fayr she was, and this was hire manere." |
| Al this conseit hys herte hath newe ytake. |
| 1765 | And as the se, with tempest al toshake, |
| That after, whan the storm is al ago, |
| Yit wol the water quappe a day or two, |
| Ryght so, thogh that hire forme were absent, |
| The plesaunce of hire forme was present; |
| 1770 | But natheles, nat plesaunce but delit, |
| Or an unrightful talent, with dispit -- |
| "For, maugre hyre, she shal my leman be! |
| Hap helpeth hardy man alday," quod he; |
| "What ende that I make, it shal be so." |
| 1775 | And girte hym with his swerd and gan to go, |
| And forth he rit til he to Rome is come, |
| And al alone his wey than hath he nome |
| Unto the hous of Colatyn ful ryght. |
| Doun was the sonne and day hath lost his lyght; |
| 1780 | And in he cometh into a prive halke, |
| And in the nyght ful thefly gan he stalke, |
| Whan every wight was to his reste brought, |
| Ne no wight hadde of tresoun swich a thought. |
| Were it by wyndow or by other gyn, |
| 1785 | With swerd ydrawe shortly he com in |
| There as she lay, this noble wif Lucresse. |
| And as she wok, hire bed she felte presse. |
| "What beste is that," quod she, "that weyeth thus?" |
| "I am the kynges sone, Tarquinius," |
| 1790 | Quod he, "but, and thow crye or noyse make, |
| Or if there any creature awake, |
| By thilke God that formed man alyve, |
| This swerd thourghout thyn herte shal I ryve." |
| And therwithal unto hire throte he sterte, |
| 1795 | And sette the poynt al sharp upon hire herte. |
| No word she spak, she hath no myght therto. |
| What shal she seyn? Hire wit is al ago. |
| Ryght as a wolf that fynt a lomb alone, |
| To whom shal she compleyne or make mone? |
| 1800 | What, shal she fyghte with an hardy knyght? |
| Wel wot men that a woman hath no myght. |
| What, shal she crye, or how shal she asterte |
| That hath hire by the throte with swerd at herte? |
| She axeth grace, and seyth al that she can. |
| 1805 | "Ne wilt thow nat," quod he, this crewel man, |
| "As wisly Jupiter my soule save, |
| As I shal in the stable slen thy knave, |
| And ley hym in thy bed, and loude crye |
| That I the fynde in swich avouterye. |
| 1810 | And thus thow shalt be ded and also lese |
| Thy name, for thow shalt non other chese." |
| These Romeyns wyves lovede so here name |
| At thilke tyme, and dredde so the shame, |
| That, what for fer of sclaunder and drede of deth, |
| 1815 | She loste bothe at ones wit and breth, |
| And in a swogh she lay, and wex so ded |
| Men myghte smyten of hire arm or hed; |
| She feleth no thyng, neyther foul ne fayr. |
| Tarquinius, that art a kynges eyr, |
| 1820 | And sholdest, as by lynage and by ryght, |
| Don as a lord and as a verray knyght, |
| Whi hastow don dispit to chivalrye? |
| Whi hastow don this lady vilanye? |
| Allas, of the this was a vileyns dede! |
| 1825 | But now to purpos; in the story I rede, |
| Whan he was gon and this myschaunce is falle, |
| This lady sente after hire frendes alle, |
| Fader, moder, husbonde, alle yfeere; |
| And al dischevele, with hire heres cleere, |
| 1830 | In habit swich as women used tho |
| Unto the buryinge of hire frendes go, |
| She sit in halle with a sorweful sighte. |
| Hyre frendes axen what hire eylen myghte, |
| And who was ded; and she sit ay wepynge; |
| 1835 | A word, for shame, forth ne myght she brynge, |
| Ne upon hem she durste nat beholde. |
| But atte last of Tarquyny she hem tolde |
| This rewful cas and al thys thing horryble. |
| The woo to tellen were an impossible, |
| 1840 | That she and al hir frendes made attones. |
| Al hadde folkes hertes ben of stones, |
| Hyt myght have maked hem upon hir rewe, |
| Hir herte was so wyfly and so trewe. |
| She sayde that, for hir gylt ne for hir blame, |
| 1845 | Hir husbonde shulde nat have the foule name, |
| That wolde she nat suffre by no wey. |
| And they answerden alle, upon hir fey, |
| That they forgave yt hyr, for yt was ryght; |
| It was no gilt, it lay not in hir myght; |
| 1850 | And seyden hir ensamples many oon. |
| But al for noght; for thus she seyde anoon: |
| "Be as be may," quod she, "of forgyvyng, |
| I wol not have noo forgyft for nothing." |
| But pryvely she kaughte forth a knyf, |
| 1855 | And therwithal she rafte hirself hir lyf; |
| And as she fel adoun, she kaste hir lok, |
| And of hir clothes yet she hede tok. |
| For in hir fallynge yet she had a care, |
| Lest that hir fet or suche thyng lay bare; |
| 1860 | So wel she loved clennesse and eke trouthe. |
| Of hir had al the toun of Rome routhe, |
| And Brutus by hir chaste blood hath swore |
| That Tarquyn shulde ybanysshed be therfore, |
| And al hys kyn; and let the peple calle, |
| 1865 | And openly the tale he tolde hem alle, |
| And openly let cary her on a bere |
| Thurgh al the toun, that men may see and here |
| The horryble dede of hir oppressyoun, |
| Ne never was ther kyng in Rome toun |
| 1870 | Syn thilke day; and she was holden there |
| A seynt, and ever hir day yhalwed dere |
| As in hir lawe; and thus endeth Lucresse, |
| The noble wyf, as Tytus bereth witnesse. |
| I telle hyt for she was of love so trewe, |
| 1875 | Ne in hir wille she chaunged for no newe; |
| And for the stable herte, sadde and kynde, |
| That in these wymmen men may alday fynde. |
| Ther as they kaste hir herte, there it dwelleth. |
| For wel I wot that Crist himselve telleth |
| 1880 | That in Israel, as wyd as is the lond, |
| That so gret feyth in al that he ne fond |
| As in a woman; and this is no lye. |
| And as of men, loke ye which tirannye |
| They doon alday; assay hem whoso lyste, |
| 1885 | The trewest ys ful brotel for to triste. |