paigne
Qui me solace et acompaigne,
(C'est dame Astenance-Contrainte),
Autre desguiseure mainte,
Si cum il li vient a plesir
Por acomplir le sien desir.
Autre ore vest robe de fame;
Or sui damoisele, or sui dame,
Autre ore sui religieuse,
Or sui rendue, or sui prieuse,
Or sui nonain, or sui abesse,
Or sui novice, or sui professe;
Et vois par toutes regions
Cerchant toutes religions. Mes de religion, sans faille,
G'en pren le grain et laiz la paille;
Por gens avulger i abit,
Ge n'en quier, sans plus, que l'abit.
Que vous diroie? en itel guise
Cum il me plaist ge me desguise;
Moult sunt en moi mue li vers,
Moult sunt li faiz aux diz divers.
Si fais cheoir dedans mes pieges
Le monde par mes privileges;
Ge puis confesser et assoldre,
(Ce ne me puet nus prelas toldre,)
Toutes gens ou que ge les truisse;
Ne sai prelat nul qui ce puisse,
Fors l'apostole solement
Qui fist cest establissement
Tout en la faveur de nostre ordre.'

FOOTNOTES:

[77] This is an account of the battle of thirty Englishmen and thirty
Bretons in the Edwardian wars.

[78] There is, it appears, no authority for the Christian name of Robert
which used to be given to Wace.

[79] Wace's _Brut_ is not the only one. The title seems to have become a
common name.

[80] The old edition of the _Roman de Rou_, by Pluquet, has been
entirely superseded by that of Dr. Hugo Andresen. 2 vols. Heilbronn,
1877-1879.

[81] Discovered recently in the Middlehill collection, and known chiefly
by an article in _Romania_ (Jan. 1882), giving an abstract and
specimens.

[82] Ed. Reiffenberg. Brussels, 1835-1845.

[83] Ed. Scheler. Brussels, 1866-1868.

[84] Well edited by Koch. Heilbronn, 1879.

[85] See especially _Hysminias and Hysmine_.

[86] Ed. F. Michel. 2 vols. Paris, 1864.

[87] _Dangier_ is not exactly 'danger.' To be 'en dangier de quelqu'un'
is to be 'in somebody's power.' _Dangier_ is supposed to stand for the
guardian of the beloved, father, brother, husband, etc. This at least
has been the usual interpretation, and seems to me to be much the more
probable. M. Gaston Paris, however, and others, see in _Dangier_ the
natural coyness and resistance of the beloved object, not any external
influence.

[88] Chaucer's authorship of the existing translation has been denied.
It is, however, certain that he did translate the poem.