V. There saw I dress' him, new out of haunt, In myddis where eftsoon1 I have espied Fortune, the goddess, houfing 2 on the ground; And right before her feet, of compass round, IX. The hare also, that oft goeth to the And ane surcoat she wearit long that tyde, That seemed to me of divers hewis, Whilom thus, when she would turn aside, Stood this goddess of fortune 0,4 A chaplet with many fresh anewis 5 She had upon her head; and with this hung A mantle on her shoulders large and long, 12 Hold, stop. 4 Askewis. 13 Sagacious. 14 Ravenous. Though thy beginning hath been retro grade, By froward' opposite, where till aspert, Now shall they turn, and look on thee dert: 2 XX. And therewith all unto the wheel in hye She hath me led, and bade me lear to climb, Upon the which I stepped suddenly; Now hold thy grippis, quoth she, for thy time, An hour and more it runis over prime ;3 To count the whole, the half is near away; That with thy flesh aye waking art in trouble, And sleeping eke, of pain so hast thou double. II. Covert myself all this mean I to loke,2 III. And therewith soon I dressed 5 me to rise, Spend well, therefore, the remnant of the And to myself I said in this wise,— day. XXI. Example (quoth she) take of this tofore, That from my wheel be rolled as a ball; For the nature of it is evermore After an height to vale,4 and give a fall, Thus when we liketh up or down to fall. Farewell, quoth she, and by the ear me toke, So earnestly, that therewithal I woke. What life is this? where hath my spirit be? Ah! mercy, Lord! what will ye do with me? Is this of my forethought impression ?❝ Or is it from the heaven a vision? IV. And gif ye goddis, of your purviance,7 Have shewed this for my recomforting, In release of my furious penance, I you beseech full humbly of this thing, That of your grace I might have more tokening, Gif it shall be, as in my sleep before |