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intuitive geniuses, it is only thus that any of us can ever hope to be educated into independence of judgment; and I am sure that some, acknowledging this, will be grateful for notes of admiration, by which I have sometimes called their attention to that which otherwise might not obtain it, or might not obtain it to the full of its deserts.

LONDON: May 8th, 1868.

A

HOUSEHOLD BOOK

OF

ENGLISH POETRY.

PART THE FIRST.

I

GOOD COUNSAIL OF CHAUCER.

Fly fro the prease, and dwell with soothfastnesse,
Suffise unto thy good though it be small,
For horde hath hate, and climbing tikelnesse,
Prease hath envy, and wele is blent over all,
Savour no more than thee behove shall,

Rede well thy selfe that other folke canst rede,
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.

Paine thee not ech crooked to redresse
In trust of her that tourneth as a ball,
Great rest standeth in little businesse,
Beware also to spurne againe a nall,
Strive not as doth a crocke with a wall,
Deme thy selfe that demest others dede,
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.

B

5

ΙΟ

That thee is sent receive in buxomnesse,
The wrastling of this world asketh a fall,
Here is no home, here is but wildernesse,
Forth pilgrime! forth, beast, out of thy stall!
Looke up on high, and thanke God of all!
Weive thy lusts, and let thy ghost thee lede,
And trouth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.

Geoffrey Chaucer.

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Such toys as neither perfect are,
And cannot long endure ;
Our greatest skill, our sweetest joy,
Uncertain and unsure.

For life is short, and learning long,

All pleasure mixt with woe;
Sickness and sleep steal time unseen,
And joys do come and go.

IO

15

20

Thus learning is but learned by halves,

And joy enjoyed no while;

That serves to show thee what thou want'st,

This helps thee to beguile.

But after death is perfect skill,

And joy without decay;

When sin is gone, that blinds our eyes,.

And steals our joys away;

No crowing cock shall raise us up,

To spend the day in vain;

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30

No weary labour shall us drive

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The fairest pearls that northern seas do breed,

For precious stones from eastern coasts are sold;
Nought yields the earth that from exchange is freed;
Gold values all, and all things value gold.

Where goodness wants an equal change to make,
There greatness serves, or number place doth take.

No mortal thing can bear so high a price,

But that with mortal thing it may be bought; The corn of Sicil buys the western spice;

French wine of us, of them our cloth is sought. No pearls, no gold, no stones, no corn, no spice, No cloth, no wine, of Love can pay the price.

5

10

What thing is Love, which nought can countervail ?
Nought save itself, ev'n such a thing is Love.
All worldly wealth in worth as far doth fail,
As lowest earth doth yield to heaven above.
Divine is Love, and scorneth worldly pelf,
And can be bought with nothing but with self.

Anon.

IV

A POESY TO PROVE AFFECTION IS NOT LOVE.

Conceit, begotten by the eyes,

Is quickly born, and quickly dies;
For while it seeks our hearts to have,
Meanwhile there reason makes his grave :
For many things the eyes approve,

Which yet the heart doth seldom love.

For as the seeds, in springtime sown,
Die in the ground ere they be grown;
Such is conceit, whose rooting fails,
As child that in the cradle quails;
Or else within the mother's womb
Hath his beginning, and his tomb.

15

5

10

Affection follows Fortune's wheels,
And soon is shaken from her heels;
For following beauty or estate,

15

Her liking still is turned to hate;

For all affections have their change,

And Fancy only loves to range.

Desire himself runs out of breath,
And, getting, doth but gain his death;

20

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