Chaucer himself, before reciting his Tale of Melibeus, said much the same thing:—

'And let me tellen al my tale, I preye.'

I do not know why Mr. Wright, when reprinting this piece, omitted the Prologue. It is a pity that half of the sixth stanza is missing.

[§ 22]. At l. 1065 we meet with a most important statement:—

'Of freres I have told before

In a making of a Crede.'

It is generally agreed that the author here claims to have previously written the well-known piece entitled Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, which I edited for the Early English Text Society in 1867. I then took occasion to compare the language of these two pieces (which I shall shortly call the Crede and the Tale), and I found ample confirmation, from internal evidence, that the claim is certainly true. There are many similarities of expression, some of which I here lay before the reader.

From the Crede. From the Tale.
Curteis Crist (1, 140). curteys Christ (482).
cutted cote (434). cutted clothes (929).
y can nohȝt my Crede (8). Suche that conne nat hir Crede (413).
At marketts and myracles, we medleth us nevere (107). Market-beters, and medling make (871).
For we buldeth a burwȝ, a brod and a large (118). And builde als brode as a citè (743).
portreid and peint (121). I-paynted and portred (135).
peynt and portred (192).
y sey coveitise catel to fongen (146). To catche catell as covytous (385; cf. 856).
Of double worstede y-dyȝt (228). With double worsted well y-dight (1002).
Than ther lefte in Lucifer, er he were lowe fallen (374). As lowe as Lucifer such shall fall (124).
opon the plow hongen (421). honged at the plow (1042).
povere in gost God him-self blisseth (521). The pore in spirit gan Christ blesse (915).
ben maysters icalled, That the gentill Jesus ... purly defended (574). Maysters be called defended he tho (1115).
to brenne the bodye in a bale of fijr (667). Thou shalt be brent in balefull fyre (1234).
Thei shulden nouȝt after the face ... demen (670). They nolde nat demen after th face (714).
Thei schulden delven and diggen and dongen the erthe, Threshing and dyking fro town to town,
And mene mong-corn bred to her mete fongen (785). With sory mete, and not half y-now (1043).
He miȝte no maistre ben kald, for Crist that defended (838). Maysters be called defended he tho (1115).

The Crede is written in alliterative verse; and it will be observed that alliteration is employed in the Tale very freely. Another peculiarity in the Tale may here be noticed, viz. the use of the same rime, fall or befall, throughout Part I, with the exception of ll. 205-228. Indeed, in the first line of Part II, the author apologizes for being unable to find any more rimes for fall, and proceeds to rime upon amend throughout that Part. In Part III, he begins to rime upon grace in the first two stanzas, but soon abandons it for the sake of freedom; however, at l. 1276, he recurs to grace, and continues to rime upon it till the end. It is clear that the author possessed considerable facility of expression. We can date these pieces approximately without much error. The proceedings against Walter Brute, expressly alluded to in the Crede, l. 657, lasted from Oct. 15, 1391, to Oct. 6, 1393, when he submitted himself to the bishop of Hereford. We may well date the Crede about 1394, and the Tale (which probably soon followed it, as the author repeats some of his expressions) about 1395[[13]].

Both these pieces are written in a spirited style, and are of considerable interest for the light which they throw upon many