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The annotated edition of the English poets, by R. Bell (1855)
The annotated edition of the English poets by R Bell - 1855 Author:Robert Bell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: men seyen that in swevenynges, Ther nys but fables and lesynges; But men maye some swevene sen, Which hardely that false ne ben, But afterward ben apparaunte. Th... more »is may I drawe to waraunte, An auctour that hight Macrobes,1 That halt" not dremes false ne lees, But undoth us the avisioun, That whilom mette kyng Cipioun. And who so sayth, or weneth it be A jape, or elles nycete To wene that dremes after falle, Let who so list a fool me calle. For this trowe I, and saye for me, That dremes signifiaunce be Of good and harme to many wightes, That dremen in her sleep a-nightes Ful many thiuges covertly, That fallen after al openly." Within my twentie yere of age, When that love taketh his corage Of yonge folk, I went soon To bedde, as I was wont to doon, And fast I slept; and in slepyng, Me mette such a swevenyng, That lyked me wondrous wele ; But in that swevene is never a dele That it nys afterward befalle, Right as this dreme wol telle us alle. Now this dreme wol I ryme aright, To make your hertes gay and light ; 1 See vol. iv. p. 18 9, note i. 2 Halt is the contracted form otholdeth.—See vol. v. p. S3, note z. 3 The question of the significance of dreams is more fully entered into in Tlte House of fame.—See vol. vi. p. 194. For Love it prayeth, and also Comaundeth me that it be so. And if ther any axe me, Wheither that it be he or she, How this book which is here Shal hatte, that I rede you here; It is the Romaunt of the Rose, In which alle the art of love1 I close. The matere faire is of to make; God graunte me in gre that she it take For whom that it bygonnen is! And that is she that hath, ywys, So mochel pris; and ther to she" So worthy is biloved to be, That she wel oughte of pris and right, Be cleped Rose of every wight.3 That it was May me tho...« less