And restẽlees travayleth ay,
And steleth from us so prively,
. . . . . .
As water that doun runneth ay,
But never drope returne may,' &c.
Romaunt of the Rose, l. 369.
See also Clerkes Tale, E. 118.
21. what. We now say—what with. It means, 'partly owing to.'
22. wakinge; strictly, it means watching; but here, in our wakinge = whilst we are awake.
23. Cf. Ovid, Art. Amat. iii. 62-65:—