The flower and the leaf

When that Phebus his chaire of gold so hie

Hadde whirled up the sterrie sky alofte,

And in the Boole was entred certainely:

When shoures sweet of raine discended softe,

Causing the ground, fele times & ofte,

Up for to give many an wholesome aire,

And every plaine was eke yclothed faire

With newe green, and maketh smalle floures

To springen here and there in field & mede;

So very good & wholsome be the shoures,

That it renueth that was old and dede

In winter time; and out of every sede

Springeth the hearbe, so that every wight

Of this season wexeth ful glad and light.

And I, so glad of the season thus swete,

Was happed thus upon a certaine nighte:

As I lay in my bed, sleepe ful unmete

Was unto me, but why that I ne mighte

Rest, I ne wiste; for there nas earthly wight,

As I suppose, hadde more heartes ease

Than I, for I nadde sicknesse nor disease.

Wherefore I mervaile greatly of myselfe,

That I withouten sleepe so longe lay;

And up I rose three houres after twelfe,

Aboute the springing of the day,

And on I putte my geare and mine array,

And to a pleasaunt grove I gan to passe,

Long or the brighte Sonne uprisen was;

In which were okes great, streight as a line,

Under the which the grasse, so fresh of hewe,

Was newly sprong; and an eight foot or nine

Every tree well fro his fellow grew,

With branches brode, lade with leves newe,

That sprongen out ayen the sunne shene,

Some very red and some a glad light grene;

Which, as me thoughte, was right a plesant sight;

And eke the briddes songes for to here

Would have rejoiced any earthly wight;

And I, that couthe not yet, in no manere,

Heare the nightingale of all the year,

Ful busily herkened with hart & eare,

If I her voice perceive coud any where.

And, at the last, a path of little breede

I found, that greatly hadde not used be;

For it forgrowen was with grasse & weede,

That well unneth a wight ne might it se:

Thoght I, ‘This path some whider goth, pardé!’

And so I followede, till it me broughte

To right a pleasaunt herber, well ywrought,

That benched was, & eke with turfes new

Freshly turved, whereof the grene gras,

So small, so thicke, so short, so fresh of hewe,

That most ylike greene wool, I wot, it was:

The hegge also that yede in this compas,

And closed in all the green herbere,

With sicamour was set and eglatere,

Wrethen in fere so well and cunningly,

That every branch & leafe grew by mesure,

Plaine as a bord, of oon height by & by.

I ne segh never thing, I you ensure,

So well y-done; for he that tooke the cure

It for to make, Y trow did all his peine

To make it passe alle tho that men have seine.

And shapen was this herber, roofe and all,

As is a prety parlour; & also

The hegge as thicke as is a castle wall,

That who that list withoute to stond or go,

Though he would all day prien to and fro,

He shoulde not see if there were any wighte

Within or no; but one within wel mighte.

Perceive Alle tho that yeden there withoute

Into the field, that was on every side

Covered with corne & grasse; that out of doubt,

Though one woulde seeke all the worlde wide,

So rich a fielde ne coude not be espide

On any coast, as of the quantitie;

For of alle good thing there was plentie.

And I that all this pleasaunt sight ay sie,

Thought sodainly I felte so sweete an aire

Com of the eglentere, that certainely

There is no heart, I deme, in such dispaire,

Ne with no thoughtes froward and contraire

So overlaid, but it shoulde soone have bote,

If it had ones felt this savour sote.

And as I stood & cast aside mine eie,

I was of ware the fairest medler tree,

That ever yet in all my life I sie,

As full of blossomes as it mighte be;

Therein a goldfinch leaping pretile

Fro bough to bough; and, as him list, gan eete

Of buddes here and there and floures sweete.

And to the herber side ther was joyninge

This faire tree, of which I have you told;

And at the last the brid began to singe,

When he had eaten what he eate wolde,

So passing sweetly, that by manifolde

It was more pleasaunt than I coude devise.

And when his song was ended in this wise,

The nightingale with so mery a note

Answered him, that all the woode rong

So sodainly, that, as it were a sote,

I stood astonied; so was I with the song

Thorow ravished, that till late and longe,

Ne wist I in what place I was, ne where;

And ay, me thoughte, she song even by mine ere.

Wherefore about I waited busily,

On every side, if that I her mighte see;

And, at the last, I gan full well aspie

Where she sat in a fresh grene laurer tree,

On the further side, even right by me,

That gave so passing a delicious smell,

According to the eglentere full well.

Whereof I hadde so inly great pleasure,

That, as me thought, I surely ravished was

Into Paradice, where as my desire

Was for to be, and no ferther to passe

As for that day; and on the sote grasse

I sat me downe; for, as for mine entent,

The birddes song was more convenient,

And more pleasaunt to me by many fold,

Than meat or drinke, or any other thing.

Therto the herber was so fresh and cold,

The wholesome savours eke so comforting,

That, as I demede, sith the beginning

Of thilke world was never seene or than

So pleasaunt a ground of none earthly man.

And as I sat, the birddes harkening thus,

Me thoughte that I hearde voices sodainly,

The most sweetest & most delicious

That ever any wight, I trow truly,

Heard in here life; for sothe the armony

And sweet accord was in so good musike,

That the voices to angels most was like.

And at the last, out of a grove faste by,

That was right goodly & pleasant to sight,

I sie where there came, singing lustily,

A world of ladies; but, to tell aright

Here grete beautie, it lieth not in my might,

Ne here array; neverthelesse I shalle

Telle you a part, though I speake not of alle.

The surcotes white, of velvet wele sitting,

They were in clad, & the semes echone,

As it were a maner garnishing,

Was set with emeraudes, one and one.

But by and by ful many a riche stone

Was set on the purfiles, out of doute,

Of colors, sleves, and traines round aboute.

As greate pearles, round & oriente,

Diamondes fine, and rubies rede

And many another stone, of which I wente

The names now; and everich on her heade

A riche fret of gold, which, withoute dreade,

Was full of stately riche stones set;

And every lady had a chapelet.

Upon her head of floures fresh and greene

So wele ywrought & so mervellously,

That soth it was a noble sight to seene;

Some of laurer, and some full pleasantly

Hadde chapelets of woodbind, and sadly

Some of agnus castus were also

Chapelets freshe; but there were many tho

That song & daunced, ekeful soberly,

And all they yede in manner of compace;

But one there yede in mid the company,

Soole by herselfe; but alle followede the pace

Which that she kepte, whose heavenely faire face

So pleasaunt was, and her wele shape person,

That of beautie she past hem everichone.

And more richly beseene, by manifold,

She was also in every maner thing:

Upon her head, full pleasaunt to beholde,

A crowne of gold riche for any kinge:

A braunch of agnus castus eke bearing

In her hand; and to my sight truly,

She lady was of al the company.

And she began a roundell lustely,

That ‘Suse le foyle, devers moy,’ men calle,

‘Seen et mon joly cuer est endormy;’

And than the company answered alle,

With voices sweet entuned, and so smalle

That it me thoughte the sweetest melody

That ever I heard in my life soothly.

And thus they came, dauncing & singing

Into the middest of the mede echone,

Before the herber where I was sitting;

And, God wot, me thought I was wel bigone;

For then I might avise hem one by one,

Who fairest was, who coude best dance or singe,

Or who most womanly was in alle thinge.

They hadde not daunced but a little throwe,

When that I hearde not ferre off sodainely,

So great a noise of thundering trumpes blow,

As though it should have departed the skie;

And, after that, within a while I sie,

From the same grove where the ladies come oute,

Of men of armes coming such a route,

As alle the men on earth hadde ben assembled

In that place, wele horsed for the nones,

Stering so faste, that al the earth trembled:

But for to speake of riches and of stones,

And men and horse, I trow the large wones

Of Prestir John, ne all his tresorie,

Mighte not unneth have boght the tenth partie

Of here array: who so list heare more,

I shall rehearse so as I can a lite.

Out of the grove, that I of spake before,

I sie come first, all in here clokes white,

A company, that ware, for here delite,

Chapelets fresh of okes serialle,

Newly yspronge, and trumpets they were alle.

On every trumpe hanging a broad banere

Of fine tartarium ful richely bete;

Every trumpet his lordes armes bere;

About here neckes, with greate pearles sete,

Colleres brode; for cost they woulde not lete,

As it woulde seeme, for here scochones echone

Were set aboute with many a precious stone.

Here horse harneis was all white also.

And after hem next, in one company,

Came kinges of armes, & no mo,

In clokes of white cloth of gold richly;

Chapelets of greene on here heades on hie;

The crownes that they on here scochones bere,

Were set with pearle, ruby, and saphere,

And eke great diamondes many one:

But all here horse harneis & other geare

Was in a sute accordinge, everychone,

As ye have heard the foresaid trumpets were;

And, by seeming, they were nothing to lere,

And here guiding they dide so manerly.

And, after hem, came a great company

Of heraudes and pursevauntes eke,

Arrayed in clothes of whit velvette,

And, hardily, they were no thing to seke,

How they on hem shoulde the harneis sette;

And every man had on a chapelet;

Scochones and eke horse harneis, indede,

They had in sute of hem that before hem yede.

Next after hem camen, in armour bright

All save here heades, seemely knightes nine;

And every claspe and naile, as to my sight,

Of here harneis were of red golde fine;

With cloth of gold, and furred with ermine

Were the trappores of here stedes strong,

Wide and large, that to the ground dide honge.

And every bosse of bridle & paitrell

That hadde they, was worth, as I woulde wene,

A thousand pound; and on here heades, well

Dressed, were crowns of laurer grene,

The best ymade that ever I hadde sene;

And every knight had after him riding

Three henshemen on him ay awaiting.

Of which every first, on a short tronchoun,

His lordes helme bare, so richly dight,

That the worst was worth the ransoun

Of any king; the second a shield bright

Bare at his backe; the thridde bare upright

A mightie spere, full sharpe yground and kene,

And every child eke ware of leaves grene

A fresh chapelet upon his haires brighte:

And clokes white of fine velvet they were;

Here steedes trapped & arraied righte,

Withoute difference, as here lordes were;

And after hem, on many a fresh corsere,

There came of armede knightes such a route,

That they bespradde the large field aboute.

And all they ware, after here degrees,

Chapelets newe made of laurer grene;

Some of the oke, and some of other trees,

Some in here hondes bare boughes shene,

Some of laurer, and some of okes kene,

Some of hauthorne, and some of the woodbind,

And many mo which I hadde not in mind.

And so they came, here horses freshly stering

With bloodie sownes of her trompes loude;

There sie I many an uncouth disguising

In the array of these knightes proude;

And at the last, as evenly as they coude,

They took here places in middes of the mede,

And every knight turned his horse hede

To his fellow, & lightly laid a spere

In the arest; & so justes began

On every part abouten, here & there;

Some brake his spere, some drew down hors & manne;

Aboute the field astray the steedes ranne;

And, to behold here rule and governaunce,

I you ensure, it was a great pleasaunce.

And so the justes last an houre and more;

But tho that crowned were in laurer grene

Wanne the prise; here dintes were so sore,

That there was none ayenst hem mighte sustene:

And the justing all was yleft off clene,

And fro here horse the ninth alight anone,

And so did all the remnant everichone.

And forth they yede togider, twain and twain,

That to behold it was a worthy sight,

Toward the ladies on the greene plaine,

That song & daunced, as I saide now righte:

The ladies tho, soone as they goodly mighte,

They braken of bothe the song and dance,

And yede to meet hem with ful glad semblance.

And every lady tooke, full womanly,

By the right hond a knight, & forth they yede

Unto a faire laurer that stood fast by,

With leves lade, the boughes of great brede;

And to my dome there never was, indede,

Man that hadde seene halfe so faire a tree;

For underneath there might it well have be

An hundred persons, at here owne plesance,

Shadowed fro the heat of Phebus bright,

So that they shoulden have felt no grevaunce

Of raine ne haile that hem ne hurte mighte.

The savour eke rejoice would any wighte

That hadde be sicke or melancolius,

It was so very good and vertuous.

And with great reverence encline they lowe

To thilke tree so soot, and faire of hewe;

And after that, within a little throwe,

They beganne to singe and daunce of newe

Some song of love, some plaining of untrewe,

Envirouninge the tree that stood upright;

And ever yede a lady and a knight.

And at the last mine eye I caste aside,

And was ware of a lustie company

That came roming out of the field wide,

Hond in hond a knight and a lady;

The ladies all in surcotes, that richely

Purfiled were with many a rich stone,

And every knight of grene ware mantles on,

Embrouded well so as the surcotes were:

And everich had a chapelet on her hede,

Which dide right well upon the shining here

I-made of goodly floures white and rede;

The knightes eke, that they in hond gan lede,

In sute of hem ware chapelets everychone,

And before hem wente minstrels many one.

As harpes, pipes, lutes, and sautry,

All in greene; and on here heades bare,

Of divers floures, made full craftely,

All in a sute, goodly chapelets they ware;

And, so dauncing, into the mede they fare.

In mid the which they found a tuft that was

Al oversprad with floures in compas.

Whereto they enclined everychone

With great reverence, and that full humbly;

And, at the laste, there began anone

A lady for to singe right womanly

A bargaret in praising the daisie;

For, as me thought, among her notes swete,

She said ‘Si douse est la Margarete.’

Than they all answered her in fere,

So passingly well, & so plesauntly,

That soth it was a blisfull noise to here.

But, I not how, it happede suddainly

As aboute noone, the sonne so fervently

Waxe hote, that the pretie tendre floures

Hadde lost the beautie of her freshe colours,

Forshronke with heat; the ladies eke to-brent,

That they ne wiste where hem to bestowe;

The knightes swelte, for lack of shade nie shent;

And after that, within a little throwe,

The wind began so sturdily to blowe,

That down goeth alle the floures everichone,

So that in all the mede there laft not one;

Save such as succoured were among the leves

Fro every storme that mighte hem assaile,

Growing under hedges and thicke greves;

And after that there came a storme of haile

And raine in fere, so that, withouten faile,

The ladies ne the knightes nade o threed

Drie upon hem, so dropping was her weed.

And whan the storm was cleane passed away,

Tho clad in white that stoode under the tree,

They felte nothing of the great affray,

That they in greene without had in ybe;

To hem they yede for routhe and pité,

Hem to comfort after here greate disease,

So faine they were the helplesse for to ease.

Than was I ware how one of hem in grene

Had on a crowne, ful rich and wel sitting;

Wherefore I demed wel she was a quene,

And tho in greene on her were awaiting;

The ladies then in white that were comming

Towardes hem, and the knightes in fere,

Beganne hem to comfort, and make hem chere.

The queen in white, that was of great beauty,

Tooke by the hond the queen that was in grene,

And said, ‘Suster, I have right great pitie

Of your annoy, and of the troublous tene,

Wherein ye and your company have bene

So long, alas! and if that it you please

To go with me, I shall do you the ease,

In all the pleasure that I can or may;’

Whereof the tother, humbly as she mighte,

Thanked her; for in right ill array

She was with storm and heat, I you behighte;

And every lady, then anone right,

That were in white, one of hem took in grene

By the hond; which when the knightes hadde sene,

In like wise ech of hem tooke hir a knight

I-clad in greene, & forth with hem they fare,

Unto an hegge, where they anon gan right

To make here justes, woulde they not spare

Boughes to hewe down, and eke trees square,

Wherwith they made hem stately fires greate,

To dry here clothes that were wringing weate.

And after that, of hearbes that there grewe,

They made, for blisters of the sunne brenning,

Very good & wholesome ointmentes newe,

Where that they yede the sicke fast anointing;

And after that they yede aboute gadering

Pleasaunt salades, which they made hem eate,

For to refresh here greate unkindly heate.

The lady of the Leafe then gan to praye

Her of the Floure (for so to my seeming

They shoulde be, as by here arraye)

To soupe with her, & eek, for any thing,

That she shoulde with her all her people bringe;

And she ayen, in right goodly manere,

Thanketh her of her most friendly cheare,

Saying plainely, that she would obaye

With all her hart all her commaundement;

And then, anon, withoute lenger delaye,

The lady of the Leafe hath one ysent

For a palfray, as after her intent,

Arrayed well and faire in harneis of golde,

For nothing lacked, that to him long sholde.

And after that, to all her company

She made to purvey horse and every thing

That they needed; & then ful lustily,

Even by the herber where I was sitting,

They passed alle, so pleasantly singing,

That it would have comforted any wight.

But then I sie a passing wonder sight;

For then the nightingale, that all the day

Had in the laurer sete, & did her might

The whole service to singe longing to May,

All sodainly began to take her flight;

And to the lady of the Leafe, forthright,

She flew, and set her on her hond softly,

Which was a thing I marveled of greatly.

The goldfinch eke, that fro the medler tree

Was fled for heat into the bushes colde,

Unto the lady of the Flower gan flee,

And on her hond he set him as he wolde,

And pleasauntly his winges gan to folde;

And for to singe they pained hem both, as sore

As they hadde do of all the day before.

And so these ladies rode forth a great pace,

And all the rout of knightes eke in fere;

And I that hadde seene all this wonder case,

Thought I would assay in some manere,

To knowe fully the trouth of this matere;

And what they were that rode so pleasantly.

And when they were the herber passed by,

I dreste me forth, and happede to mete anone

Right a faire lady, I you ensure;

And she come riding by herselfe alone,

All in white; with semblance ful demure

I salued her, and bad her good aventure

Might her befall, as I coude most humbly;

And she answered, ‘My doughter, gramercy!’

‘Madame,’ quod I, ‘if that I durst enquere

Of you, I woulde faine, of that company,

Wite what they be that paste by this arbere?’

And she ayen answerede right friendly:

‘My faire doughter, all tho that passed here by

In white clothing, be servaunts everichone

Unto the Leafe, and I myselfe am one.

See ye not her that crowned is,’ quod she,

‘All in white?’—‘Madame,’ quod I, ‘yis:’

‘That is Diané, goddesse of chastité;

And for because that she a maiden is,

In her own hond the braunch she beareth iwis,

That agnus castus men calle properly;

And all the ladies in her company,

Which as ye se of that hearb chapelets weare,

Be such as han kept alway hir maidenheed:

And alle they that of laurer chapelets beare,

Be such as hardy were, and manly indeed,

Victorious name which never may be dede!

And alle they were so worthy of here honde,

That in her time none might hem withstonde.

And tho that weare chaplets on here hede

Of fresh woodbind, be such as never were

To love untrue in word, in thought, ne dede,

But aye stedfast; ne for pleasaunce, ne fere,

Thogh that they shuld here hertes al to-tere,

Woulde ne flitte, but ever were stedfaste,

Til that here lives there asunder braste.’

‘Now faire madame,’ quod I, ‘yet would I pray

Your ladiship, if that it mighte be,

That I mighte knowe, by some maner way,

(Sith that it hath i-liked your beauté,

The trouth of these ladies for to telle me);

What that these knightes be in rich armour,

And what tho be in grene and weare the flour?

And why that some dide reverence to the tre,

And some unto the plot of floures faire?’

‘With right good will, my fair doghter,’ quod she,

‘Sith your desire is good and debonaire;

Tho nine crowned be very exemplaire

Of all honour longing to chivalry;

And those certaine be called the Nine Worthy,

Which ye may see now riding all before

That in her time dide many a noble dede,

And for here worthinesse full oft have bore

The crowne of laurer leaves on here hede,

As ye may in your olde bookes rede;

And how that he that was a conquerour,

Hadde by laurer alway his most honour.

And tho that beare bowes in here honde

Of the precious laurer so notable,

Be such as were, I woll ye understonde,

Noble knightes of the rounde table,

And eke the Douseperis honourable,

Which they bearen in signe of victory;

It is witnesse of here deedes mightily.

Eke there be knightes old of the garter,

That in her time dide right worthily;

And the honour they dide to the laurer,

Is for by it they have here laud wholly,

Here triumph eke, and marshall glory;

Which unto hem is more parfit richesse,

Than any wight imagine can or gesse.

For one leafe given of that noble tree

To any wight that hath done worthily,

And it be done so as it oughte to be,

Is more honour than anything earthly;

Witnesse of Rome that founder was truly

Of all knighthood and deedes marvelous;

Record I take of Titus Livius.

And as for her that crowned is in greene,

It is Flora, of these floures goddesse;

And all that here on her awaiting beene,

It are such folk that loved idelnesse,

And not delite hadde of no businesse,

But for to hunt and hauke, and pley in medes,

And many other such idle dedes.

And for the greate delite and pleasaunce

They have to the floure, and so reverently

They unto it do such grete obeisaunce

As ye may se.’—‘Now faire Madame,’ quod I,

‘If I durst aske what is the cause and why,

That knightes have the signe of honour,

Wel rather by the leafe than by the flour?’

‘Soothly, doughter,’ quod she, ‘this is the trouth:

For knightes ever should be persevering,

To seeke honour without feintise or slouth,

Fro wele to better in all manner thing;

In signe of which, with leaves aye lasting

They be rewarded after here degré,

Whose lusty green may not appaired be,

But aie keping here beautie fresh & greene; For there nis storme that ne may hem deface,

Ne haile nor snow, ne winde nor frostes kene;

Wherfore they have this propertie and grace. And for the floure, within a little space

Woll be i-lost, so simple of nature

They be, that they no greevance may endure;

And every storme will blow hem soone awaye,

Ne laste they not but for oon season; That is the cause, the very trouth to saye,

That they maye not, by no way of reason,

Be put to no such occupation.’

‘Madame,’ quod I, ‘with all mine whole servise

I thanke you now, in my most humble wise;

For now I am acertained throughly,

Of every thing I desired to knowe.’

‘I am right glad that I have said, sothly,

Ought to your pleasure, if ye wille me trowe,’

Quod she ayen, ‘but to whom do ye owe

Your service? and which wolle ye honoure,

Tel me I pray, this yere, the Leafe or the Floure?’

‘Madame,’ quod I, ‘though I be least worthy,

Unto the Leafe I owe mine observaunce’: ‘That is,’ quod she, ‘right well done certainly; And pray I God to honour you avaunce,

And kepe you fro the wicked remembraunce

Of Malebouch, and all his crueltie,

And all that good and well conditioned be.

For here may I no lenger now abide,

I muste followe the greate company,

That ye maye see yonder before you ride.’ And tho forth, as I couthe, most humbly,

I tooke my leve of her, as she gan hie

After hem as fast as ever she mighte;

And I drow homeward, for it was nigh nighte,

And put all that I hadde seene in writing,

Under support of hem that lust it to rede.

O little booke, thou art so unconning,

How darst thou put thyself in prees, for drede?

It is wonder that thou wexest not rede!

Sith that thou wost full lite who shall beholde

Thy rude language, ful boistously unfolde.

HERE ENDS CHAUCER’S FLOWER AND THE LEAF. PRINTED AT THE ESSEX HOUSE PRESS UNDER THE CARE OF C. R. ASHBEE. THE ORNAMENTAL LETTERS HAVE BEEN DRAWN AND COLOURED IN BY EDITH HARWOOD. MDCCCCII.

Published in England by Edward Arnold, 37 Bedford Street, Strand, and in America by Samuel Buckley & Co., 100 William Street, New York.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The flower and the leaf

THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF.

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE