The Knightes Tale. The Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer. 1894. The Complete Poetical Works

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Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340–1400). The Complete Poetical Works. 1894.

The Canterbury Tales

The Knightes Tale

	Iamque domos patrias, Scithice post aspera gentis
	Prelia, laurigero, &c.
	[Statius, Theb. xii. 519.]

WHYLOM, as olde stories tellen us,

Ther was a duk that highte Theseus;

Of Athenes he was lord and governour,

And in his tyme swich a conquerour,

That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.

Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne;

What with his wisdom and his chivalrye,

He conquered al the regne of Femenye,

That whylom was y-cleped Scithia;

And weddede the quene Ipolita,

And broghte hir hoom with him in his contree

With muchel glorie and greet solempnitee,

And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.

And thus with victorie and with melodye

Lete I this noble duk to Athenes ryde,

And al his hoost, in armes, him bisyde.

And certes, if it nere to long to here,

I wolde han told yow fully the manere,

How wonnen was the regne of Femenye

By Theseus, and by his chivalrye;

And of the grete bataille for the nones

Bitwixen Athenës and Amazones;

And how asseged was Ipolita,

The faire hardy quene of Scithia;

And of the feste that was at hir weddinge,

And of the tempest at hir hoom-cominge;

But al that thing I moot as now forbere.

I have, God woot, a large feeld to ere,

And wayke been the oxen in my plough.

The remenant of the tale is long y-nough.

I wol nat letten eek noon of this route;

Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute,

And lat see now who shal the soper winne;

And ther I lefte, I wol ageyn biginne.

This duk, of whom I make mencioun,

When he was come almost unto the toun,

In al his wele and in his moste pryde,

He was war, as he caste his eye asyde,

Wher that ther kneled in the hye weye

A companye of ladies, tweye and tweye,

Ech after other, clad in clothes blake;

But swich a cry and swich a wo they make,

That in this world nis creature livinge,

That herde swich another weymentinge;

And of this cry they nolde never stenten,

Til they the reynes of his brydel henten.

‘What folk ben ye, that at myn hoom-cominge

Perturben so my feste with cryinge?’

Quod Theseus, ‘have ye so greet envye

Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye?

Or who hath yow misboden, or offended?

And telleth me if it may been amended;

And why that ye ben clothed thus in blak?’

The eldest lady of hem alle spak,

When she hadde swowned with a deedly chere,

That it was routhe for to seen and here,

And seyde: ‘Lord, to whom Fortune hath yiven

Victorie, and as a conquerour to liven,

Noght greveth us your glorie and your honour;

But we biseken mercy and socour.

Have mercy on our wo and our distresse.

Som drope of pitee, thurgh thy gentillesse,

Up-on us wrecched wommen lat thou falle.

For certes, lord, ther nis noon of us alle,

That she nath been a duchesse or a quene;

Now be we caitifs, as it is wel sene:

Thanked be Fortune, and hir false wheel,

That noon estat assureth to be weel.

And certes, lord, to abyden your presence,

Here in the temple of the goddesse Clemence

We han ben waytinge al this fourtenight;

Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy might.

I wrecche, which that wepe and waille thus,

Was whylom wyf to king Capaneus,

That starf at Thebes, cursed be that day!

And alle we, that been in this array,

And maken al this lamentacioun,

We losten alle our housbondes at that toun,

Whyl that the sege ther-aboute lay.

And yet now the olde Creon, weylaway!

That lord is now of Thebes the citee,

Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee,

He, for despyt, and for his tirannye,

To do the dede bodyes vileinye,

Of alle our lordes, whiche that ben slawe,

Hath alle the bodyes on an heep y-drawe,

And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent,

Neither to been y-buried nor y-brent,

But maketh houndes ete hem in despyt.’

And with that word, with-outen more respyt,

They fillen gruf, and cryden pitously,

‘Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy,

And lat our sorwe sinken in thyn herte.’

This gentil duk doun from his courser sterte

With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke.

Him thoughte that his herte wolde breke,

Whan he saugh hem so pitous and so mat,

That whylom weren of so greet estat.

And in his armes he hem alle up hente,

And hem conforteth in ful good entente;

100

And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knight,

He wolde doon so ferforthly his might

Up-on the tyraunt Creon hem to wreke,

That al the peple of Grece sholde speke

How Creon was of Theseus y-served,

105

As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved.

And right anoon, with-outen more abood,

His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood

To Thebes-ward, and al his host bisyde;

No neer Athenës wolde he go ne ryde,

110

Ne take his ese fully half a day,

But onward on his wey that night he lay;

And sente anoon Ipolita the quene,

And Emelye hir yonge suster shene,

Un-to the toun of Athenës to dwelle;

115

And forth he rit; ther nis namore to telle.

The rede statue of Mars, with spere and targe,

So shyneth in his whyte baner large,

That alle the feeldes gliteren up and doun;

And by his baner born is his penoun

120

Of gold ful riche, in which ther was y-bete

The Minotaur, which that he slough in Crete.

Thus rit this duk, thus rit this conquerour,

And in his host of chivalrye the flour,

Til that he cam to Thebes, and alighte

125

Faire in a feeld, ther as he thoghte fighte.

But shortly for to speken of this thing,

With Creon, which that was of Thebes king,

He faught, and slough him manly as a knight

In pleyn bataille, and putte the folk to flight;

130

And by assaut he wan the citee after,

And rente adoun bothe wal, and sparre, and rafter;

And to the ladyes he restored agayn

The bones of hir housbondes that were slayn,

To doon obsequies, as was tho the gyse.

135

But it were al to long for to devyse

The grete clamour and the waymentinge

That the ladyes made at the brenninge

Of the bodyes, and the grete honour

That Theseus, the noble conquerour,

140

Doth to the ladyes, whan they from him wente;

But shortly for to telle is myn entente.

Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus,

Hath Creon slayn, and wonne Thebes thus,

Stille in that feeld he took al night his reste,

145

And dide with al the contree as him leste.

To ransake in the tas of bodyes dede,

Hem for to strepe of harneys and of wede,

The pilours diden bisinesse and cure,

After the bataille and disconfiture.

150

And so bifel, that in the tas they founde,

Thurgh-girt with many a grevous blody wounde,

Two yonge knightes ligging by and by,

Bothe in oon armes, wroght ful richely,

Of whiche two, Arcita hight that oon,

155

And that other knight hight Palamon.

Nat fully quike, ne fully dede they were,

But by hir cote-armures, and by hir gere,

The heraudes knewe hem best in special,

As they that weren of the blood royal

160

Of Thebes, and of sustren two y-born.

Out of the tas the pilours han hem torn,

And han hem caried softe un-to the tente

Of Theseus, and he ful sone hem sente

To Athenës, to dwellen in prisoun

165

Perpetuelly, he nolde no raunsoun.

And whan this worthy duk hath thus y-don,

He took his host, and hoom he rood anon

With laurer crowned as a conquerour;

And there he liveth, in Ioye and in honour,

170

Terme of his lyf; what nedeth wordes mo?

And in a tour, in angwish and in wo,

Dwellen this Palamoun and eek Arcite,

For evermore, ther may no gold hem quyte.

This passeth yeer by yeer, and day by day,

175

Til it fil ones, in a morwe of May,

That Emelye, that fairer was to sene

Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene,

And fressher than the May with floures newe—

For with the rose colour stroof hir hewe,

180

I noot which was the fairer of hem two—

Er it were day, as was hir wone to do,

She was arisen, and al redy dight;

For May wol have no slogardye a-night.

The sesoun priketh every gentil herte,

185

And maketh him out of his sleep to sterte,

And seith, ‘Arys, and do thyn observaunce.’

This maked Emelye have remembraunce

To doon honour to May, and for to ryse.

Y-clothed was she fresh, for to devyse;

190

Hir yelow heer was broyded in a tresse,

Bihinde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse.

And in the gardin, at the sonne up-riste,

She walketh up and doun, and as hir liste

She gadereth floures, party whyte and rede,

195

To make a sotil gerland for hir hede,

And as an aungel hevenly she song.

The grete tour, that was so thikke and strong,

Which of the castel was the chief dongeoun,

(Ther-as the knightes weren in prisoun,

200

Of whiche I tolde yow, and tellen shal)

Was evene Ioynant to the gardin-wal,

Ther as this Emelye hadde hir pleyinge.

Bright was the sonne, and cleer that morweninge,

And Palamon, this woful prisoner,

205

As was his wone, by leve of his gayler,

Was risen, and romed in a chambre on heigh,

In which he al the noble citee seigh,

And eek the gardin, ful of braunches grene,

Ther-as this fresshe Emelye the shene

210

Was in hir walk, and romed up and doun.

This sorweful prisoner, this Palamoun,

Goth in the chambre, roming to and fro,

And to him-self compleyning of his wo;

That he was born, ful ofte he seyde, ‘alas!’

215

And so bifel, by aventure or cas,

That thurgh a window, thikke of many a barre

Of yren greet, and square as any sparre,

He caste his eye upon Emelya,

And ther-with-al he bleynte, and cryde ‘a!’

220

As though he stongen were un-to the herte.

And with that cry Arcite anon up-sterte,

And seyde, ‘Cosin myn, what eyleth thee,

That art so pale and deedly on to see?

Why crydestow? who hath thee doon offence?

225

For Goddes love, tak al in pacience

Our prisoun, for it may non other be;

Fortune hath yeven us this adversitee.

Som wikke aspect or disposicioun

Of Saturne, by sum constellacioun,

230

Hath yeven us this, al-though we hadde it sworn;

So stood the heven whan that we were born;

We moste endure it: this is the short and pleyn.’

This Palamon answerde, and seyde ageyn,

‘Cosyn, for sothe, of this opinioun

235

Thou hast a veyn imaginacioun.

This prison caused me nat for to crye.

But I was hurt right now thurgh-out myn yë

In-to myn herte, that wol my bane be.

The fairnesse of that lady that I see

240

Yond in the gardin romen to and fro,

Is cause of al my crying and my wo.

I noot wher she be womman or goddesse;

But Venus is it, soothly, as I gesse.’

And ther-with-al on kneës doun he fil,

245

And seyde: ‘Venus, if it be thy wil

Yow in this gardin thus to transfigure

Bifore me, sorweful wrecche creature,

Out of this prisoun help that we may scapen.

And if so be my destinee be shapen

250

By eterne word to dyen in prisoun,

Of our linage have som compassioun,

That is so lowe y-broght by tirannye.’

And with that word Arcite gan espye

Wher-as this lady romed to and fro.

255

And with that sighte hir beautee hurte him so,

That, if that Palamon was wounded sore,

Arcite is hurt as muche as he, or more.

And with a sigh he seyde pitously:

‘The fresshe beautee sleeth me sodeynly

260

Of hir that rometh in the yonder place;

And, but I have hir mercy and hir grace,

That I may seen hir atte leeste weye,

I nam but deed; ther nis namore to seye.’

This Palamon, whan he tho wordes herde,

265

Dispitously he loked, and answerde:

‘Whether seistow this in ernest or in pley?’

‘Nay,’ quod Arcite, ‘in ernest, by my fey!

God help me so, me list ful yvele pleye.’

This Palamon gan knitte his browes tweye:

270

‘It nere,’ quod he, ‘to thee no greet honour

For to be fals, ne for to be traytour

To me, that am thy cosin and thy brother

Y-sworn ful depe, and ech of us til other,

That never, for to dyen in the peyne,

275

Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne,

Neither of us in love to hindren other,

Ne in non other cas, my leve brother;

But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me

In every cas, and I shal forthren thee.

280

This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn;

I wot right wel, thou darst it nat withseyn.

Thus artow of my counseil, out of doute.

And now thou woldest falsly been aboute

To love my lady, whom I love and serve,

285

And ever shal, til that myn herte sterve.

Now certes, fals Arcite, thou shalt nat so.

I loved hir first, and tolde thee my wo

As to my counseil, and my brother sworn

To forthre me, as I have told biforn.

290

For which thou art y-bounden as a knight

To helpen me, if it lay in thy might,

Or elles artow fals, I dar wel seyn.’

This Arcitë ful proudly spak ageyn,

‘Thou shalt,’ quod he, ‘be rather fals than I;

295

But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly;

For par amour I loved hir first er thow.

What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now

Whether she be a womman or goddesse!

Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse,

300

And myn is love, as to a creature;

For which I tolde thee myn aventure

As to my cosin, and my brother sworn.

I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn;

Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe,

305

That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’

Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan,

Than may be yeve to any erthly man.

And therefore positif lawe and swich decree

Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree.

310

A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed.

He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed,

Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf.

And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf,

To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I;

315

For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily,

That thou and I be dampned to prisoun

Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun.

We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon,

They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon;

320

Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe,

And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe.

And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother,

Ech man for him-self, ther is non other.

Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal;

325

And soothly, leve brother, this is al.

Here in this prisoun mote we endure,

And everich of us take his aventure.’

Greet was the stryf and long bitwixe hem tweye,

If that I hadde leyser for to seye;

330

But to theffect. It happed on a day,

(To telle it yow as shortly as I may)

A worthy duk that highte Perotheus,

That felawe was un-to duk Theseus

Sin thilke day that they were children lyte,

335

Was come to Athenes, his felawe to visyte,

And for to pleye, as he was wont to do,

For in this world he loved no man so:

And he loved him as tendrely ageyn.

So wel they loved, as olde bokes seyn,

340

That whan that oon was deed, sothly to telle,

His felawe wente and soghte him doun in helle;

But of that story list me nat to wryte.

Duk Perotheus loved wel Arcite,

And hadde him knowe at Thebes yeer by yere;

345

And fynally, at requeste and preyere

Of Perotheus, with-oute any raunsoun,

Duk Theseus him leet out of prisoun,

Freely to goon, wher that him liste over-al,

In swich a gyse, as I you tellen shal.

350

This was the forward, pleynly for tendyte,

Bitwixen Theseus and him Arcite:

That if so were, that Arcite were y-founde

Ever in his lyf, by day or night or stounde

In any contree of this Theseus,

355

And he were caught, it was acorded thus,

That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed;

Ther nas non other remedye ne reed,

But taketh his leve, and homward he him spedde;

Let him be war, his nekke lyth to wedde!

360

How greet a sorwe suffreth now Arcite!

The deeth he feleth thurgh his herte smyte;

He wepeth, wayleth, cryeth pitously;

To sleen him-self he wayteth prively.

He seyde, ‘Allas that day that I was born!

365

Now is my prison worse than biforn;

Now is me shape eternally to dwelle

Noght in purgatorie, but in helle.

Allas! that ever knew I Perotheus!

For elles hadde I dwelled with Theseus

370

Y-fetered in his prisoun ever-mo.

Than hadde I been in blisse, and nat in wo.

Only the sighte of hir, whom that I serve,

Though that I never hir grace may deserve,

Wolde han suffised right y-nough for me.

375

O dere cosin Palamon,’ quod he,

‘Thyn is the victorie of this aventure,

Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure;

In prison? certes nay, but in paradys!

Wel hath fortune y-turned thee the dys,

380

That hast the sighte of hir, and I thabsence.

For possible is, sin thou hast hir presence,

And art a knight, a worthy and an able,

That by som cas, sin fortune is chaungeable,

Thou mayst to thy desyr som-tyme atteyne.

385

But I, that am exyled, and bareyne

Of alle grace, and in so greet despeir,

That ther nis erthe, water, fyr, ne eir,

Ne creature, that of hem maked is,

That may me helpe or doon confort in this.

390

Wel oughte I sterve in wanhope and distresse;

Farwel my lyf, my lust, and my gladnesse!

Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune

Of purveyaunce of God, or of fortune,

That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse

395

Wel bettre than they can hem-self devyse?

Som man desyreth for to han richesse,

That cause is of his mordre or greet siknesse.

And som man wolde out of his prison fayn,

That in his hous is of his meynee slayn.

400

Infinite harmes been in this matere;

We witen nat what thing we preyen here.

We faren as he that dronke is as a mous;

A dronke man wot wel he hath an hous,

But he noot which the righte wey is thider;

405

And to a dronke man the wey is slider.

And certes, in this world so faren we;

We seken faste after felicitee,

But we goon wrong ful often, trewely.

Thus may we seyen alle, and namely I,

410

That wende and hadde a greet opinioun,

That, if I mighte escapen from prisoun,

Than hadde I been in Ioye and perfit hele,

Ther now I am exyled fro my wele.

Sin that I may nat seen yow, Emelye,

415

I nam but deed; ther nis no remedye.’

Up-on that other syde Palamon,

Whan that he wiste Arcite was agon,

Swich sorwe he maketh, that the grete tour

Resouneth of his youling and clamour.

420

The pure fettres on his shines grete

Weren of his bittre salte teres wete.

‘Allas!’ quod he, ‘Arcita, cosin myn,

Of al our stryf, God woot, the fruyt is thyn.

Thow walkest now in Thebes at thy large,

425

And of my wo thou yevest litel charge.

Thou mayst, sin thou hast wisdom and manhede,

Assemblen alle the folk of our kinrede,

And make a werre so sharp on this citee,

That by som aventure, or som tretee,

430

Thou mayst have hir to lady and to wyf,

For whom that I mot nedes lese my lyf.

For, as by wey of possibilitee,

Sith thou art at thy large, of prison free,

And art a lord, greet is thyn avauntage,

435

More than is myn, that sterve here in a cage.

For I mot wepe and wayle, whyl I live,

With al the wo that prison may me yive,

And eek with peyne that love me yiveth also,

That doubleth al my torment and my wo.’

440

Ther-with the fyr of Ielousye up-sterte

With-inne his brest, and hente him by the herte

So woodly, that he lyk was to biholde

The box-tree, or the asshen dede and colde.

Tho seyde he; ‘O cruel goddes, that governe

445

This world with binding of your word eterne,

And wryten in the table of athamaunt

Your parlement, and your eterne graunt,

What is mankinde more un-to yow holde

Than is the sheep, that rouketh in the folde?

450

For slayn is man right as another beste,

And dwelleth eek in prison and areste,

And hath siknesse, and greet adversitee,

And ofte tymes giltelees, pardee!

What governaunce is in this prescience,

455

That giltelees tormenteth innocence?

And yet encreseth this al my penaunce,

That man is bounden to his observaunce,

For Goddes sake, to letten of his wille,

Ther as a beest may al his lust fulfille.

460

And whan a beest is deed, he hath no peyne;

But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne,

Though in this world he have care and wo:

With-outen doute it may stonden so.

The answere of this I lete to divynis,

465

But wel I woot, that in this world gret pyne is.

Allas! I see a serpent or a theef,

That many a trewe man hath doon mescheef,

Goon at his large, and wher him list may turne.

But I mot been in prison thurgh Saturne,

470

And eek thurgh Iuno, Ialous and eek wood,

That hath destroyed wel ny al the blood

Of Thebes, with his waste walles wyde.

And Venus sleeth me on that other syde

For Ielousye, and fere of him Arcite.’

475

Now wol I stinte of Palamon a lyte,

And lete him in his prison stille dwelle,

And of Arcita forth I wol yow telle.

The somer passeth, and the nightes longe

Encresen double wyse the peynes stronge

480

Bothe of the lovere and the prisoner.

I noot which hath the wofullere mester.

For shortly for to seyn, this Palamoun

Perpetuelly is dampned to prisoun,

In cheynes and in fettres to ben deed;

485

And Arcite is exyled upon his heed

For ever-mo as out of that contree,

Ne never-mo he shal his lady see.

Yow loveres axe I now this questioun,

Who hath the worse, Arcite or Palamoun?

490

That oon may seen his lady day by day,

But in prison he moot dwelle alway.

That other wher him list may ryde or go,

But seen his lady shal he never-mo.

Now demeth as yow liste, ye that can,

495

For I wol telle forth as I bigan.

Explicit prima Pars. Sequitur pars secunda.

Whan that Arcite to Thebes comen was,

Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde ‘allas,’

For seen his lady shal he never-mo.

And shortly to concluden al his wo,

500

So muche sorwe had never creature

That is, or shal, whyl that the world may dure.

His sleep, his mete, his drink is him biraft,

That lene he wex, and drye as is a shaft.

His eyen holwe, and grisly to biholde;

505

His hewe falwe, and pale as asshen colde,

And solitarie he was, and ever allone,

And wailling al the night, making his mone.

And if he herde song or instrument,

Then wolde he wepe, he mighte nat be stent;

510

So feble eek were his spirits, and so lowe,

And chaunged so, that no man coude knowe

His speche nor his vois, though men it herde.

And in his gere, for al the world he ferde

Nat oonly lyk the loveres maladye

515

Of Hereos, but rather lyk manye

Engendred of humour malencolyk,

Biforen, in his celle fantastyk.

And shortly, turned was al up-so-doun

Bothe habit and eek disposicioun

520

Of him, this woful lovere daun Arcite.

What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte?

Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two

This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo,

At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde,

525

Up-on a night, in sleep as he him leyde,

Him thoughte how that the winged god Mercurie

Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye.

His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte;

An hat he werede up-on his heres brighte.

530

Arrayed was this god (as he took keep)

As he was whan that Argus took his sleep;

And seyde him thus: ‘To Athenes shaltou wende;

Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.’

And with that word Arcite wook and sterte.

535

‘Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,’

Quod he, ‘to Athenes right now wol I fare;

Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare

To see my lady, that I love and serve;

In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.’

540

And with that word he caughte a greet mirour,

And saugh that chaunged was al his colour,

And saugh his visage al in another kinde.

And right anoon it ran him in his minde,

That, sith his face was so disfigured

545

Of maladye, the which he hadde endured,

He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe,

Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe,

And seen his lady wel ny day by day.

And right anon he chaunged his array,

550

And cladde him as a povre laborer,

And al allone, save oonly a squyer,

That knew his privetee and al his cas,

Which was disgysed povrely, as he was,

To Athenes is he goon the nexte way.

555

And to the court he wente up-on a day,

And at the gate he profreth his servyse,

To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse.

And shortly of this matere for to seyn,

He fil in office with a chamberleyn,

560

The which that dwelling was with Emelye.

For he was wys, and coude soon aspye

Of every servaunt, which that serveth here.

Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere,

For he was yong and mighty for the nones,

565

And ther-to he was strong and big of bones

To doon that any wight can him devyse.

A yeer or two he was in this servyse,

Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte;

And ‘Philostrate’ he seide that he highte.

570

But half so wel biloved a man as he

Ne was ther never in court, of his degree;

He was so gentil of condicioun,

That thurghout al the court was his renoun.

They seyden, that it were a charitee

575

That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree,

And putten him in worshipful servyse,

Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse.

And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is spronge

Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge,

580

That Theseus hath taken him so neer

That of his chambre he made him a squyer,

And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree;

And eek men broghte him out of his contree

From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente;

585

But honestly and slyly he it spente,

That no man wondred how that he it hadde.

And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde,

And bar him so in pees and eek in werre,

Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre.

590

And in this blisse lete I now Arcite,

And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte.

In derknesse and horrible and strong prisoun

This seven yeer hath seten Palamoun,

Forpyned, what for wo and for distresse;

595

Who feleth double soor and hevinesse

But Palamon? that love destreyneth so,

That wood out of his wit he gooth for wo;

And eek therto he is a prisoner

Perpetuelly, noght oonly for a yeer.

600

Who coude ryme in English proprely

His martirdom? for sothe, it am nat I;

Therefore I passe as lightly as I may.

It fel that in the seventhe yeer, in May,

The thridde night, (as olde bokes seyn,

605

That al this storie tellen more pleyn,)

Were it by aventure or destinee,

(As, whan a thing is shapen, it shal be,)

That, sone after the midnight, Palamoun,

By helping of a freend, brak his prisoun,

610

And fleeth the citee, faste as he may go;

For he had yive his gayler drinke so

Of a clarree, maad of a certeyn wyn,

With nercotikes and opie of Thebes fyn,

That al that night, thogh that men wolde him shake,

615

The gayler sleep, he mighte nat awake;

And thus he fleeth as faste as ever he may.

The night was short, and faste by the day,

That nedes-cost he moste him-selven hyde,

And til a grove, faste ther besyde,

620

With dredful foot than stalketh Palamoun.

For shortly, this was his opinioun,

That in that grove he wolde him hyde al day,

And in the night than wolde he take his way

To Thebes-ward, his freendes for to preye

625

On Theseus to helpe him to werreye;

And shortly, outher he wolde lese his lyf,

Or winnen Emelye un-to his wyf;

This is theffect and his entente pleyn.

Now wol I torne un-to Arcite ageyn,

630

That litel wiste how ny that was his care,

Til that fortune had broght him in the snare.

The bisy larke, messager of day,

Saluëth in hir song the morwe gray;

And fyry Phebus ryseth up so brighte,

635

That al the orient laugheth of the lighte,

And with his stremes dryeth in the greves

The silver dropes, hanging on the leves.

And Arcite, that is in the court royal

With Theseus, his squyer principal,

640

Is risen, and loketh on the myrie day.

And, for to doon his observaunce to May,

Remembring on the poynt of his desyr,

He on a courser, sterting as the fyr,

Is riden in-to the feeldes, him to pleye,

645

Out of the court, were it a myle or tweye;

And to the grove, of which that I yow tolde,

By aventure, his wey he gan to holde,

To maken him a gerland of the greves,

Were it of wodebinde or hawethorn-leves,

650

And loude he song ageyn the sonne shene:

‘May, with alle thy floures and thy grene,

Wel-come be thou, faire fresshe May,

I hope that I som grene gete may.’

And from his courser, with a lusty herte,

655

In-to the grove ful hastily he sterte,

And in a path he rometh up and doun,

Ther-as, by aventure, this Palamoun

Was in a bush, that no man mighte him see,

For sore afered of his deeth was he.

660

No-thing ne knew he that it was Arcite:

God wot he wolde have trowed it ful lyte.

But sooth is seyd, gon sithen many yeres,

That ‘feeld hath eyen, and the wode hath eres.’

It is ful fair a man to bere him evene,

665

For al-day meteth men at unset stevene.

Ful litel woot Arcite of his felawe,

That was so ny to herknen al his sawe,

For in the bush he sitteth now ful stille.

Whan that Arcite had romed al his fille,

670

And songen al the roundel lustily,

In-to a studie he fil sodeynly,

As doon thise loveres in hir queynte geres,

Now in the croppe, now doun in the breres,

Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.

675

Right as the Friday, soothly for to telle,

Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste,

Right so can gery Venus overcaste

The hertes of hir folk; right as hir day

Is gerful, right so chaungeth she array.

680

Selde is the Friday al the wyke y-lyke.

Whan that Arcite had songe, he gan to syke,

And sette him doun with-outen any more:

‘Alas!’ quod he, ‘that day that I was bore!

How longe, Iuno, thurgh thy crueltee,

685

Woltow werreyen Thebes the citee?

Allas! y-broght is to confusioun

The blood royal of Cadme and Amphioun;

Of Cadmus, which that was the firste man

That Thebes bulte, or first the toun bigan,

690

And of the citee first was crouned king,

Of his linage am I, and his of-spring

By verray ligne, as of the stok royal:

And now I am so caitif and so thral,

That he, that is my mortal enemy,

695

I serve him as his squyer povrely.

And yet doth Iuno me wel more shame,

For I dar noght biknowe myn owne name;

But ther-as I was wont to highte Arcite,

Now highte I Philostrate, noght worth a myte.

700

Allas! thou felle Mars, allas! Iuno,

Thus hath your ire our kinrede al fordo,

Save only me, and wrecched Palamoun,

That Theseus martyreth in prisoun.

And over al this, to sleen me utterly,

705

Love hath his fyry dart so brenningly

Y-stiked thurgh my trewe careful herte,

That shapen was my deeth erst than my sherte.

Ye sleen me with your eyen, Emelye;

Ye been the cause wherfor that I dye.

710

Of al the remenant of myn other care

Ne sette I nat the mountaunce of a tare,

So that I coude don aught to your plesaunce!’

And with that word he fil doun in a traunce

A longe tyme; and after he up-sterte.

715

This Palamoun, that thoughte that thurgh his herte

He felte a cold swerd sodeynliche glyde,

For ire he quook, no lenger wolde he byde.

And whan that he had herd Arcites tale,

As he were wood, with face deed and pale,

720

He sterte him up out of the buskes thikke,

And seyde: ‘Arcite, false traitour wikke,

Now artow hent, that lovest my lady so,

For whom that I have al this peyne and wo,

And art my blood, and to my counseil sworn,

725

As I ful ofte have told thee heer-biforn,

And hast by-iaped here duk Theseus,

And falsly chaunged hast thy name thus;

I wol be deed, or elles thou shalt dye.

Thou shalt nat love my lady Emelye,

730

But I wol love hir only, and namo;

For I am Palamoun, thy mortal fo.

And though that I no wepne have in this place,

But out of prison am astert by grace,

I drede noght that outher thou shalt dye,

735

Or thou ne shalt nat loven Emelye.

Chees which thou wilt, for thou shalt nat asterte.’

This Arcitë, with ful despitous herte,

Whan he him knew, and hadde his tale herd,

As fiers as leoun, pulled out a swerd,

740

And seyde thus: ‘by God that sit above,

Nere it that thou art sik, and wood for love,

And eek that thou no wepne hast in this place,

Thou sholdest never out of this grove pace,

That thou ne sholdest dyen of myn hond.

745

For I defye the seurtee and the bond

Which that thou seyst that I have maad to thee.

What, verray fool, think wel that love is free,

And I wol love hir, maugre al thy might!

But, for as muche thou art a worthy knight,

750

And wilnest to darreyne hir by batayle,

Have heer my trouthe, to-morwe I wol nat fayle,

With-outen witing of any other wight,

That here I wol be founden as a knight,

And bringen harneys right y-nough for thee;

755

And chees the beste, and leve the worste for me.

And mete and drinke this night wol I bringe

Y-nough for thee, and clothes for thy beddinge.

And, if so be that thou my lady winne,

And slee me in this wode ther I am inne,

760

Thou mayst wel have thy lady, as for me.’

This Palamon answerde: ‘I graunte it thee.’

And thus they been departed til a-morwe,

When ech of hem had leyd his feith to borwe.

O Cupide, out of alle charitee!

765

O regne, that wolt no felawe have with thee!

Ful sooth is seyd, that love ne lordshipe

Wol noght, his thankes, have no felaweshipe;

Wel finden that Arcite and Palamoun.

Arcite is riden anon un-to the toun,

770

And on the morwe, er it were dayes light,

Ful prively two harneys hath he dight,

Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreyne

The bataille in the feeld bitwix hem tweyne.

And on his hors, allone as he was born,

775

He carieth al this harneys him biforn;

And in the grove, at tyme and place y-set,

This Arcite and this Palamon ben met.

Tho chaungen gan the colour in hir face;

Right as the hunter in the regne of Trace,

780

That stondeth at the gappe with a spere,

Whan hunted is the leoun or the bere,

And hereth him come russhing in the greves,

And breketh bothe bowes and the leves,

And thinketh, ‘heer cometh my mortel enemy,

785

With-oute faile, he moot be deed, or I;

For outher I mot sleen him at the gappe,

Or he mot sleen me, if that me mishappe:’

So ferden they, in chaunging of hir hewe,

As fer as everich of hem other knewe.

790

Ther nas no good day, ne no saluing;

But streight, with-outen word or rehersing,

Everich of hem halp for to armen other,

As freendly as he were his owne brother;

And after that, with sharpe speres stronge

795

They foynen ech at other wonder longe.

Thou mightest wene that this Palamoun

In his fighting were a wood leoun,

And as a cruel tygre was Arcite:

As wilde bores gonne they to smyte,

800

That frothen whyte as foom for ire wood.

Up to the ancle foghte they in hir blood.

And in this wyse I lete hem fighting dwelle;

And forth I wol of Theseus yow telle.

The destinee, ministre general,

805

That executeth in the world over-al

The purveyaunce, that God hath seyn biforn,

So strong it is, that, though the world had sworn

The contrarie of a thing, by ye or nay,

Yet somtyme it shal fallen on a day

810

That falleth nat eft with-inne a thousand yere.

For certeinly, our appetytes here,

Be it of werre, or pees, or hate, or love,

Al is this reuled by the sighte above.

This mene I now by mighty Theseus,

815

That for to honten is so desirous,

And namely at the grete hert in May,

That in his bed ther daweth him no day,

That he nis clad, and redy for to ryde

With hunte and horn, and houndes him bisyde.

820

For in his hunting hath he swich delyt,

That it is al his Ioye and appetyt

To been him-self the grete hertes bane;

For after Mars he serveth now Diane.

Cleer was the day, as I have told er this,

825

And Theseus, with alle Ioye and blis,

With his Ipolita, the fayre quene,

And Emelye, clothed al in grene,

On hunting be they riden royally.

And to the grove, that stood ful faste by,

830

In which ther was an hert, as men him tolde,

Duk Theseus the streighte wey hath holde.

And to the launde he rydeth him ful right,

For thider was the hert wont have his flight,

And over a brook, and so forth on his weye.

835

This duk wol han a cours at him, or tweye,

With houndes, swiche as that him list comaunde.

And whan this duk was come un-to the launde,

Under the sonne he loketh, and anon

He was war of Arcite and Palamon,

840

That foughten breme, as it were bores two;

The brighte swerdes wenten to and fro

So hidously, that with the leeste strook

It seemed as it wolde felle an ook;

But what they were, no-thing he ne woot.

845

This duk his courser with his spores smoot,

And at a stert he was bitwix hem two,

And pulled out a swerd and cryed, ‘ho!

Namore, up peyne of lesing of your heed.

By mighty Mars, he shal anon be deed,

850

That smyteth any strook, that I may seen!

But telleth me what mister men ye been,

That been so hardy for to fighten here

With-outen Iuge or other officere,

As it were in a listes royally?’

855

This Palamon answerde hastily,

And seyde: ‘sire, what nedeth wordes mo?

We have the deeth deserved bothe two.

Two woful wrecches been we, two caytyves,

That been encombred of our owne lyves;

860

And as thou art a rightful lord and Iuge,

Ne yeve us neither mercy ne refuge,

But slee me first, for seynte charitee;

But slee my felawe eek as wel as me.

Or slee him first; for, though thou knowe it lyte,

865

This is thy mortal fo, this is Arcite,

That fro thy lond is banished on his heed,

For which he hath deserved to be deed.

For this is he that cam un-to thy gate,

And seyde, that he highte Philostrate.

870

Thus hath he Iaped thee ful many a yeer,

And thou has maked him thy chief squyer;

And this is he that loveth Emelye.

For sith the day is come that I shal dye,

I make pleynly my confessioun,

875

That I am thilke woful Palamoun,

That hath thy prison broken wikkedly.

I am thy mortal fo, and it am I

That loveth so hote Emelye the brighte,

That I wol dye present in hir sighte.

880

Therfore I axe deeth and my Iuwyse;

But slee my felawe in the same wyse,

For bothe han we deserved to be slayn.’

This worthy duk answerde anon agayn,

And seyde, ‘This is a short conclusioun:

885

Youre owne mouth, by your confessioun,

Hath dampned you, and I wol it recorde,

It nedeth noght to pyne yow with the corde.

Ye shul be deed, by mighty Mars the rede!’

The quene anon, for verray wommanhede,

890

Gan for to wepe, and so dide Emelye,

And alle the ladies in the companye.

Gret pitee was it, as it thoughte hem alle,

That ever swich a chaunce sholde falle;

For gentil men they were, of greet estat,

895

And no-thing but for love was this debat;

And sawe hir blody woundes wyde and sore;

And alle cryden, bothe lasse and more,

‘Have mercy, lord, up-on us wommen alle!’

And on hir bare knees adoun they falle,

900

And wolde have kist his feet ther-as he stood,

Til at the laste aslaked was his mood;

For pitee renneth sone in gentil herte.

And though he first for ire quook and sterte,

He hath considered shortly, in a clause,

905

The trespas of hem bothe, and eek the cause:

And al-though that his ire hir gilt accused,

Yet in his reson he hem bothe excused;

As thus: he thoghte wel, that every man

Wol helpe him-self in love, if that he can,

910

And eek delivere him-self out of prisoun;

And eek his herte had compassioun

Of wommen, for they wepen ever in oon;

And in his gentil herte he thoghte anoon,

And softe un-to himself he seyde: ‘fy

915

Up-on a lord that wol have no mercy,

But been a leoun, bothe in word and dede,

To hem that been in repentaunce and drede

As wel as to a proud despitous man

That wol maynteyne that he first bigan!

920

That lord hath litel of discrecioun,

That in swich cas can no divisioun,

But weyeth pryde and humblesse after oon.’

And shortly, whan his ire is thus agoon,

He gan to loken up with eyen lighte,

925

And spak thise same wordes al on highte:—

‘The god of love, a! benedicite,

How mighty and how greet a lord is he!

Ayeins his might ther gayneth none obstacles,

He may be cleped a god for his miracles;

930

For he can maken at his owne gyse

Of everich herte, as that him list devyse.

Lo heer, this Arcite and this Palamoun,

That quitly weren out of my prisoun,

And mighte han lived in Thebes royally,

935

And witen I am hir mortal enemy,

And that hir deeth lyth in my might also,

And yet hath love, maugree hir eyen two,

Y-broght hem hider bothe for to dye!

Now loketh, is nat that an heigh folye?

940

Who may been a fool, but-if he love?

Bihold, for Goddes sake that sit above,

Se how they blede! be they noght wel arrayed?

Thus hath hir lord, the god of love, y-payed

Hir wages and hir fees for hir servyse!

945

And yet they wenen for to been ful wyse

That serven love, for aught that may bifalle!

But this is yet the beste game of alle,

That she, for whom they han this Iolitee,

Can hem ther-for as muche thank as me;

950

She woot namore of al this hote fare,

By God, than woot a cokkow or an hare!

But al mot been assayed, hoot and cold;

A man mot been a fool, or yong or old;

I woot it by my-self ful yore agoon:

955

For in my tyme a servant was I oon.

And therfore, sin I knowe of loves peyne,

And woot how sore it can a man distreyne,

As he that hath ben caught ofte in his las,

I yow foryeve al hoolly this trespas,

960

At requeste of the quene that kneleth here,

And eek of Emelye, my suster dere.

And ye shul bothe anon un-to me swere,

That never-mo ye shul my contree dere,

Ne make werre up-on me night ne day,

965

But been my freendes in al that ye may;

I yow foryeve this trespas every del.’

And they him swore his axing fayre and wel,

And him of lordshipe and of mercy preyde,

And he hem graunteth grace, and thus he seyde:

970

‘To speke of royal linage and richesse,

Though that she were a quene or a princesse,

Ech of yow bothe is worthy, doutelees,

To wedden whan tyme is, but nathelees

I speke as for my suster Emelye,

975

For whom ye have this stryf and Ielousye;

Ye woot your-self, she may not wedden two

At ones, though ye fighten ever-mo:

That oon of yow, al be him looth or leef,

He moot go pypen in an ivy-leef;

980

This is to seyn, she may nat now han bothe,

Al be ye never so Ielous, ne so wrothe.

And for-thy I yow putte in this degree,

That ech of yow shal have his destinee

As him is shape; and herkneth in what wyse;

985

Lo, heer your ende of that I shal devyse.

My wil is this, for plat conclusioun,

With-outen any replicacioun,

If that yow lyketh, tak it for the beste,

That everich of yow shal gon wher him leste

990

Frely, with-outen raunson or daunger;

And this day fifty wykes, fer ne ner,

Everich of yow shal bringe an hundred knightes,

Armed for listes up at alle rightes,

Al redy to darreyne hir by bataille.

995

And this bihote I yow, with-outen faille,

Up-on my trouthe, and as I am a knight,

That whether of yow bothe that hath might,

This is to seyn, that whether he or thou

May with his hundred, as I spak of now,

1000

Sleen his contrarie, or out of listes dryve,

Him shal I yeve Emelya to wyve,

To whom that fortune yeveth so fair a grace.

The listes shal I maken in this place,

And God so wisly on my soule rewe,

1005

As I shal even Iuge been and trewe.

Ye shul non other ende with me maken,

That oon of yow ne shal be deed or taken.

And if yow thinketh this is wel y-sayd,

Seyeth your avys, and holdeth yow apayd.

1010

This is your ende and your conclusioun.’

Who loketh lightly now but Palamoun?

Who springeth up for Ioye but Arcite?

Who couthe telle, or who couthe it endyte,

The Ioye that is maked in the place

1015

Whan Theseus hath doon so fair a grace?

But doun on knees wente every maner wight,

And thanked him with al her herte and might,

And namely the Thebans ofte sythe.

And thus with good hope and with herte blythe

1020

They take hir leve, and hom-ward gonne they ryde

To Thebes, with his olde walles wyde.

Explicit secunda pars. Sequitur pars tercia.

I trowe men wolde deme it necligence,

If I foryete to tellen the dispence

Of Theseus, that goth so bisily

1025

To maken up the listes royally;

That swich a noble theatre as it was,

I dar wel seyn that in this world ther nas.

The circuit a myle was aboute,

Walled of stoon, and diched al with-oute.

1030

Round was the shap, in maner of compas,

Ful of degrees, the heighte of sixty pas,

That, whan a man was set on o degree,

He letted nat his felawe for to see.

Est-ward ther stood a gate of marbel whyt,

1035

West-ward, right swich another in the opposit.

And shortly to concluden, swich a place

Was noon in erthe, as in so litel space;

For in the lond ther nas no crafty man,

That geometrie or ars-metrik can,

1040

Ne purtreyour, ne kerver of images,

That Theseus ne yaf him mete and wages

The theatre for to maken and devyse.

And for to doon his ryte and sacrifyse,

He est-ward hath, up-on the gate above,

1045

In worship of Venus, goddesse of love,

Don make an auter and an oratorie;

And west-ward, in the minde and in memorie

Of Mars, he maked hath right swich another,

That coste largely of gold a fother.

1050

And north-ward, in a touret on the wal,

Of alabastre whyt and reed coral

An oratorie riche for to see,

In worship of Dyane of chastitee,

Hath Theseus don wroght in noble wyse.

1055

But yet hadde I foryeten to devyse

The noble kerving, and the portreitures,

The shap, the countenaunce, and the figures,

That weren in thise oratories three.

First in the temple of Venus maystow see

1060

Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde,

The broken slepes, and the sykes colde;

The sacred teres, and the waymenting;

The fyry strokes of the desiring,

That loves servaunts in this lyf enduren;

1065

The othes, that hir covenants assuren;

Plesaunce and hope, desyr, fool-hardinesse,

Beautee and youthe, bauderie, richesse,

Charmes and force, lesinges, flaterye,

Dispense, bisynesse, and Ielousye,

1070

That wered of yelwe goldes a gerland,

And a cokkow sitting on hir hand;

Festes, instruments, caroles, daunces,

Lust and array, and alle the circumstaunces

Of love, whiche that I rekne and rekne shal,

1075

By ordre weren peynted on the wal,

And mo than I can make of mencioun.

For soothly, al the mount of Citheroun,

Ther Venus hath hir principal dwelling,

Was shewed on the wal in portreying,

1080

With al the gardin, and the lustinesse.

Nat was foryeten the porter Ydelnesse,

Ne Narcisus the faire of yore agon,

Ne yet the folye of king Salamon,

Ne yet the grete strengthe of Hercules—

1085

Thenchauntements of Medea and Circes—

Ne of Turnus, with the hardy fiers corage,

The riche Cresus, caytif in servage.

Thus may ye seen that wisdom ne richesse,

Beautee ne sleighte, strengthe, ne hardinesse,

1090

Ne may with Venus holde champartye;

For as hir list the world than may she gye.

Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las,

Til they for wo ful ofte seyde ‘alas!’

Suffyceth heer ensamples oon or two,

1095

And though I coude rekne a thousand mo.

The statue of Venus, glorious for to see,

Was naked fleting in the large see,

And fro the navele doun all covered was

With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas.

1100

A citole in hir right hand hadde she,

And on hir heed, ful semely for to see,

A rose gerland, fresh and wel smellinge;

Above hir heed hir dowves flikeringe.

Biforn hir stood hir sone Cupido,

1105

Up-on his shuldres winges hadde he two;

And blind he was, as it is ofte sene;

A bowe he bar and arwes brighte and kene.

Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al

The portreiture, that was up-on the wal

1110

With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede?

Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede,

Lyk to the estres of the grisly place,

That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace,

In thilke colde frosty regioun,

1115

Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.

First on the wal was peynted a foreste,

In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste,

With knotty knarry bareyn treës olde

Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde;

1120

In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough,

As though a storm sholde bresten every bough:

And downward from an hille, under a bente,

Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotente,

Wroght al of burned steel, of which thentree

1125

Was long and streit, and gastly for to see.

And ther-out cam a rage and such a vese,

That it made al the gates for to rese.

The northren light in at the dores shoon,

For windowe on the wal ne was ther noon,

1130

Thurgh which men mighten any light discerne.

The dores were alle of adamant eterne,

Y-clenched overthwart and endelong

With iren tough; and, for to make it strong,

Every piler, the temple to sustene,

1135

Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene.

Ther saugh I first the derke imagining

Of felonye, and al the compassing;

The cruel ire, reed as any glede;

The pykepurs, and eek the pale drede;

1140

The smyler with the knyf under the cloke;

The shepne brenning with the blake smoke;

The treson of the mordring in the bedde;

The open werre, with woundes al bi-bledde;

Contek, with blody knyf and sharp manace;

1145

Al ful of chirking was that sory place.

The sleere of him-self yet saugh I ther,

His herte-blood hath bathed al his heer;

The nayl y-driven in the shode a-night;

The colde deeth, with mouth gaping up-right.

1150

Amiddes of the temple sat meschaunce,

With disconfort and sory contenaunce.

Yet saugh I woodnesse laughing in his rage;

Armed compleint, out-hees, and fiers outrage.

The careyne in the bush, with throte y-corve:

1155

A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm y-storve;

The tiraunt, with the prey by force y-raft;

The toun destroyed, ther was no-thing laft.

Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres;

The hunte strangled with the wilde beres:

1160

The sowe freten the child right in the cradel;

The cook y-scalded, for al his longe ladel.

Noght was foryeten by the infortune of Marte;

The carter over-riden with his carte,

Under the wheel ful lowe he lay adoun.

1165

Ther were also, of Martes divisioun,

The barbour, and the bocher, and the smith

That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his stith.

And al above, depeynted in a tour,

Saw I conquest sittinge in greet honour,

1170

With the sharpe swerde over his heed

Hanginge by a sotil twynes threed.

Depeynted was the slaughtre of Iulius,

Of grete Nero, and of Antonius;

Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,

1175

Yet was hir deeth depeynted ther-biforn,

By manasinge of Mars, right by figure;

So was it shewed in that portreiture

As is depeynted in the sterres above,

Who shal be slayn or elles deed for love.

1180

Suffyceth oon ensample in stories olde,

I may not rekne hem alle, thogh I wolde.

The statue of Mars up-on a carte stood,

Armed, and loked grim as he were wood;

And over his heed ther shynen two figures

1185

Of sterres, that been cleped in scriptures,

That oon Puella, that other Rubeus.

This god of armes was arrayed thus:—

A wolf ther stood biforn him at his feet

With eyen rede, and of a man he eet;

1190

With sotil pencel was depeynt this storie,

In redoutinge of Mars and of his glorie.

Now to the temple of Diane the chaste

As shortly as I can I wol me haste,

To telle yow al the descripcioun.

1195

Depeynted been the walles up and doun

Of hunting and of shamfast chastitee.

Ther saugh I how woful Calistopee,

Whan that Diane agreved was with here,

Was turned from a womman til a bere,

1200

And after was she maad the lode-sterre;

Thus was it peynt, I can say yow no ferre;

Hir sone is eek a sterre, as men may see.

Ther saugh I Dane, y-turned til a tree,

I mene nat the goddesse Diane,

1205

But Penneus doughter, which that highte Dane.

Ther saugh I Attheon an hert y-maked,

For vengeaunce that he saugh Diane al naked;

I saugh how that his houndes have him caught,

And freten him, for that they knewe him naught.

1210

Yet peynted was a litel forther-moor,

How Atthalante hunted the wilde boor,

And Meleagre, and many another mo,

For which Diane wroghte him care and wo.

Ther saugh I many another wonder storie,

1215

The whiche me list nat drawen to memorie.

This goddesse on an hert ful hye seet,

With smale houndes al aboute hir feet;

And undernethe hir feet she hadde a mone,

Wexing it was, and sholde wanie sone.

1220

In gaude grene hir statue clothed was,

With bowe in honde, and arwes in a cas.

Hir eyen caste she ful lowe adoun,

Ther Pluto hath his derke regioun.

A womman travailinge was hir biforn,

1225

But, for hir child so longe was unborn,

Ful pitously Lucyna gan she calle,

And seyde, ‘help, for thou mayst best of alle.’

Wel couthe he peynten lyfly that it wroghte,

With many a florin he the hewes boghte.

1230

Now been thise listes maad, and Theseus,

That at his grete cost arrayed thus

The temples and the theatre every del,

Whan it was doon, him lyked wonder wel.

But stinte I wol of Theseus a lyte,

1235

And speke of Palamon and of Arcite.

The day approcheth of hir retourninge,

That everich sholde an hundred knightes bringe,

The bataille to darreyne, as I yow tolde;

And til Athenes, hir covenant for to holde,

1240

Hath everich of hem broght an hundred knightes

Wel armed for the werre at alle rightes.

And sikerly, ther trowed many a man

That never, sithen that the world bigan,

As for to speke of knighthod of hir hond,

1245

As fer as God hath maked see or lond,

Nas, of so fewe, so noble a companye.

For every wight that lovede chivalrye,

And wolde, his thankes, han a passant name,

Hath preyed that he mighte ben of that game;

1250

And wel was him, that ther-to chosen was.

For if ther fille to-morwe swich a cas,

Ye knowen wel, that every lusty knight,

That loveth paramours, and hath his might,

Were it in Engelond, or elles-where,

1255

They wolde, hir thankes, wilnen to be there.

To fighte for a lady, benedicite!

It were a lusty sighte for to see.

And right so ferden they with Palamon.

With him ther wenten knightes many oon;

1260

Som wol ben armed in an habergeoun,

In a brest-plat and in a light gipoun;

And somme woln have a peyre plates large;

And somme woln have a Pruce sheld, or a targe;

Somme woln ben armed on hir legges weel,

1265

And have an ax, and somme a mace of steel.

Ther nis no newe gyse, that it nas old.

Armed were they, as I have you told,

Everich after his opinioun.

Ther maistow seen coming with Palamoun

1270

Ligurge him-self, the grete king of Trace;

Blak was his berd, and manly was his face.

The cercles of his eyen in his heed,

They gloweden bitwixe yelow and reed;

And lyk a griffon loked he aboute,

1275

With kempe heres on his browes stoute;

His limes grete, his braunes harde and stronge,

His shuldres brode, his armes rounde and longe.

And as the gyse was in his contree,

Ful hye up-on a char of gold stood he,

1280

With foure whyte boles in the trays.

In-stede of cote-armure over his harnays,

With nayles yelwe and brighte as any gold,

He hadde a beres skin, col-blak, for-old.

His longe heer was kembd bihinde his bak,

1285

As any ravenes fether it shoon for-blak:

A wrethe of gold arm-greet, of huge wighte,

Upon his heed, set ful of stones brighte,

Of fyne rubies and of dyamaunts.

Aboute his char ther wenten whyte alaunts,

1290

Twenty and mo, as grete as any steer,

To hunten at the leoun or the deer,

And folwed him, with mosel faste y-bounde,

Colers of gold, and torets fyled rounde.

An hundred lordes hadde he in his route

1295

Armed ful wel, with hertes sterne and stoute.

With Arcita, in stories as men finde,

The grete Emetreus, the king of Inde,

Up-on a stede bay, trapped in steel,

Covered in cloth of gold diapred weel,

1300

Cam ryding lyk the god of armes, Mars.

His cote-armure was of cloth of Tars,

Couched with perles whyte and rounde and grete.

His sadel was of brend gold newe y-bete;

A mantelet upon his shuldre hanginge

1305

Bret-ful of rubies rede, as fyr sparklinge.

His crispe heer lyk ringes was y-ronne,

And that was yelow, and glitered as the sonne.

His nose was heigh, his eyen bright citryn,

His lippes rounde, his colour was sangwyn,

1310

A fewe fraknes in his face y-spreynd,

Betwixen yelow and somdel blak y-meynd,

And as a leoun he his loking caste.

Of fyve and twenty yeer his age I caste.

His berd was wel bigonne for to springe;

1315

His voys was as a trompe thunderinge.

Up-on his heed he wered of laurer grene

A gerland fresh and lusty for to sene.

Up-on his hand he bar, for his deduyt,

An egle tame, as eny lilie whyt.

1320

An hundred lordes hadde he with him there,

Al armed, sauf hir heddes, in al hir gere,

Ful richely in alle maner thinges.

For trusteth wel, that dukes, erles, kinges,

Were gadered in this noble companye,

1325

For love and for encrees of chivalrye.

Aboute this king ther ran on every part

Ful many a tame leoun and lepart.

And in this wyse thise lordes, alle and some,

Ben on the Sonday to the citee come

1330

Aboute pryme, and in the toun alight.

This Theseus, this duk, this worthy knight,

Whan he had broght hem in-to his citee,

And inned hem, everich in his degree,

He festeth hem, and dooth so greet labour

1335

To esen hem, and doon hem al honour,

That yet men weneth that no mannes wit

Of noon estat ne coude amenden it.

The minstralcye, the service at the feste,

The grete yiftes to the moste and leste,

1340

The riche array of Theseus paleys,

Ne who sat first ne last up-on the deys,

What ladies fairest been or best daunsinge,

Or which of hem can dauncen best and singe,

Ne who most felingly speketh of love:

1345

What haukes sitten on the perche above,

What houndes liggen on the floor adoun:

Of al this make I now no mencioun;

But al theffect, that thinketh me the beste;

Now comth the poynt, and herkneth if yow leste.

1350

The Sonday night, er day bigan to springe,

When Palamon the larke herde singe,

Although it nere nat day by houres two,

Yet song the larke, and Palamon also.

With holy herte, and with an heigh corage

1355

He roos, to wenden on his pilgrimage

Un-to the blisful Citherea benigne,

I mene Venus, honurable and digne.

And in hir houre he walketh forth a pas

Un-to the listes, ther hir temple was,

1360

And doun he kneleth, and with humble chere

And herte soor, he seyde as ye shul here.

‘Faireste of faire, o lady myn, Venus,

Doughter to Iove and spouse of Vulcanus,

Thou glader of the mount of Citheroun,

1365

For thilke love thou haddest to Adoun,

Have pitee of my bittre teres smerte,

And tak myn humble preyer at thyn herte.

Allas! I ne have no langage to telle

Theffectes ne the torments of myn helle;

1370

Myn herte may myne harmes nat biwreye;

I am so confus, that I can noght seye.

But mercy, lady bright, that knowest weel

My thought, and seest what harmes that I feel,

Considere al this, and rewe up-on my sore,

1375

As wisly as I shal for evermore,

Emforth my might, thy trewe servant be,

And holden werre alwey with chastitee;

That make I myn avow, so ye me helpe.

I kepe noght of armes for to yelpe,

1380

Ne I ne axe nat to-morwe to have victorie,

Ne renoun in this cas, ne veyne glorie

Of pris of armes blowen up and doun,

But I wolde have fully possessioun

Of Emelye, and dye in thy servyse;

1385

Find thou the maner how, and in what wyse.

I recche nat, but it may bettre be,

To have victorie of hem, or they of me,

So that I have my lady in myne armes.

For though so be that Mars is god of armes,

1390

Your vertu is so greet in hevene above,

That, if yow list, I shal wel have my love.

Thy temple wol I worshipe evermo,

And on thyn auter, wher I ryde or go,

I wol don sacrifice, and fyres bete.

1395

And if ye wol nat so, my lady swete,

Than preye I thee, to-morwe with a spere

That Arcita me thurgh the herte bere.

Thanne rekke I noght, whan I have lost my lyf,

Though that Arcita winne hir to his wyf.

1400

This is theffect and ende of my preyere,

Yif me my love, thou blisful lady dere.’

Whan thorisoun was doon of Palamon,

His sacrifice he dide, and that anon

Ful pitously, with alle circumstaunces,

1405

Al telle I noght as now his observaunces.

But atte laste the statue of Venus shook,

And made a signe, wher-by that he took

That his preyere accepted was that day.

For thogh the signe shewed a delay,

1410

Yet wiste he wel that graunted was his bone;

And with glad herte he wente him hoom ful sone.

The thridde houre inequal that Palamon

Bigan to Venus temple for to goon,

Up roos the sonne, and up roos Emelye,

1415

And to the temple of Diane gan hye.

Hir maydens, that she thider with hir ladde,

Ful redily with hem the fyr they hadde,

Thencens, the clothes, and the remenant al

That to the sacrifyce longen shal;

1420

The hornes fulle of meth, as was the gyse;

Ther lakked noght to doon hir sacrifyse.

Smoking the temple, ful of clothes faire,

This Emelye, with herte debonaire,

Hir body wessh with water of a welle;

1425

But how she dide hir ryte I dar nat telle,

But it be any thing in general;

And yet it were a game to heren al;

To him that meneth wel, it were no charge:

But it is good a man ben at his large.

1430

Hir brighte heer was kempt, untressed al;

A coroune of a grene ook cerial

Up-on hir heed was set ful fair and mete.

Two fyres on the auter gan she bete,

And dide hir thinges, as men may biholde

1435

In Stace of Thebes, and thise bokes olde.

Whan kindled was the fyr, with pitous chere

Un-to Diane she spak, as ye may here.

‘O chaste goddesse of the wodes grene,

To whom bothe hevene and erthe and see is sene,

1440

Quene of the regne of Pluto derk and lowe,

Goddesse of maydens, that myn herte hast knowe

Ful many a yeer, and woost what I desire,

As keep me fro thy vengeaunce and thyn ire,

That Attheon aboughte cruelly.

1445

Chaste goddesse, wel wostow that I

Desire to been a mayden al my lyf,

Ne never wol I be no love ne wyf.

I am, thou woost, yet of thy companye,

A mayde, and love hunting and venerye,

1450

And for to walken in the wodes wilde,

And noght to been a wyf, and be with childe.

Noght wol I knowe companye of man.

Now help me, lady, sith ye may and can,

For tho thre formes that thou hast in thee.

1455

And Palamon, that hath swich love to me,

And eek Arcite, that loveth me so sore,

This grace I preye thee with-oute more,

As sende love and pees bitwixe hem two;

And fro me turne awey hir hertes so,

1460

That al hir hote love, and hir desyr,

And al hir bisy torment, and hir fyr

Be queynt, or turned in another place;

And if so be thou wolt not do me grace,

Or if my destinee be shapen so,

1465

That I shal nedes have oon of hem two,

As sende me him that most desireth me.

Bihold, goddesse of clene chastitee,

The bittre teres that on my chekes falle.

Sin thou are mayde, and keper of us alle,

1470

My maydenhede thou kepe and wel conserve,

And whyl I live a mayde, I wol thee serve.’

The fyres brenne up-on the auter clere,

Whyl Emelye was thus in hir preyere;

But sodeinly she saugh a sighte queynte,

1475

For right anon oon of the fyres queynte,

And quiked agayn, and after that anon

That other fyr was queynt, and al agon;

And as it queynte, it made a whistelinge,

As doon thise wete brondes in hir brenninge,

1480

And at the brondes ende out-ran anoon

As it were blody dropes many oon;

For which so sore agast was Emelye,

That she was wel ny mad, and gan to crye,

For she ne wiste what it signifyed;

1485

But only for the fere thus hath she cryed,

And weep, that it was pitee for to here.

And ther-with-al Diane gan appere,

With bowe in hond, right as an hunteresse,

And seyde: ‘Doghter, stint thyn hevinesse.

1490

Among the goddes hye it is affermed,

And by eterne word write and confermed,

Thou shalt ben wedded un-to oon of tho

That han for thee so muchel care and wo;

But un-to which of hem I may nat telle.

1495

Farwel, for I ne may no lenger dwelle.

The fyres which that on myn auter brenne

Shul thee declaren, er that thou go henne,

Thyn aventure of love, as in this cas.’

And with that word, the arwes in the cas

1500

Of the goddesse clateren faste and ringe,

And forth she wente, and made a vanisshinge;

For which this Emelye astoned was,

And seyde, ‘What amounteth this, allas!

I putte me in thy proteccioun,

1505

Diane, and in thy disposicioun.’

And hoom she gooth anon the nexte weye.

This is theffect, ther is namore to seye.

The nexte houre of Mars folwinge this,

Arcite un-to the temple walked is

1510

Of fierse Mars, to doon his sacrifyse,

With alle the rytes of his payen wyse.

With pitous herte and heigh devocioun,

Right thus to Mars he seyde his orisoun:

‘O stronge god, that in the regnes colde

1515

Of Trace honoured art, and lord y-holde,

And hast in every regne and every lond

Of armes al the brydel in thyn hond,

And hem fortunest as thee list devyse,

Accept of me my pitous sacrifyse.

1520

If so be that my youthe may deserve,

And that my might be worthy for to serve

Thy godhede, that I may been oon of thyne,

Than preye I thee to rewe up-on my pyne.

For thilke peyne, and thilke hote fyr,

1525

In which thou whylom brendest for desyr,

Whan that thou usedest the grete beautee

Of fayre yonge fresshe Venus free,

And haddest hir in armes at thy wille,

Al-though thee ones on a tyme misfille

1530

Whan Vulcanus had caught thee in his las,

And fond thee ligging by his wyf, allas!

For thilke sorwe that was in thyn herte,

Have routhe as wel up-on my peynes smerte.

I am yong and unkonning, as thou wost,

1535

And, as I trowe, with love offended most,

That ever was any lyves creature;

For she, that dooth me al this wo endure,

Ne reccheth never wher I sinke or flete.

And wel I woot, er she me mercy hete,

1540

I moot with strengthe winne hir in the place;

And wel I woot, withouten help or grace

Of thee, ne may my strengthe noght availle.

Than help me, lord, to-morwe in my bataille,

For thilke fyr that whylom brente thee,

1545

As wel as thilke fyr now brenneth me;

And do that I to-morwe have victorie.

Myn be the travaille, and thyn be the glorie!

Thy soverein temple wol I most honouren

Of any place, and alwey most labouren

1550

In thy plesaunce and in thy craftes stronge,

And in thy temple I wol my baner honge,

And alle the armes of my companye;

And evere-mo, un-to that day I dye,

Eterne fyr I wol biforn thee finde.

1555

And eek to this avow I wol me binde:

My berd, myn heer that hongeth long adoun,

That never yet ne felte offensioun

Of rasour nor of shere, I wol thee yive,

And ben thy trewe servant whyl I live.

1560

Now lord, have routhe up-on my sorwes sore,

Yif me victorie, I aske thee namore.’

The preyere stinte of Arcita the stronge,

The ringes on the temple-dore that honge,

And eek the dores, clatereden ful faste,

1565

Of which Arcita som-what him agaste.

The fyres brende up-on the auter brighte,

That it gan al the temple for to lighte;

And swete smel the ground anon up-yaf,

And Arcita anon his hand up-haf,

1570

And more encens in-to the fyr he caste,

With othere rytes mo; and atte laste

The statue of Mars bigan his hauberk ringe.

And with that soun he herde a murmuringe

Ful lowe and dim, that sayde thus, ‘Victorie:’

1575

For which he yaf to Mars honour and glorie.

And thus with Ioye, and hope wel to fare,

Arcite anon un-to his inne is fare,

As fayn as fowel is of the brighte sonne.

And right anon swich stryf ther is bigonne

1580

For thilke graunting, in the hevene above,

Bitwixe Venus, the goddesse of love,

And Mars, the sterne god armipotente,

That Iupiter was bisy it to stente;

Til that the pale Saturnus the colde,

1585

That knew so manye of aventures olde,

Fond in his olde experience an art,

That he ful sone hath plesed every part.

As sooth is sayd, elde hath greet avantage;

In elde is bothe wisdom and usage;

1590

Men may the olde at-renne, and noght at-rede.

Saturne anon, to stinten stryf and drede,

Al be it that it is agayn his kynde,

Of al this stryf he gan remedie fynde.

‘My dere doghter Venus,’ quod Saturne,

1595

‘My cours, that hath so wyde for to turne,

Hath more power than wot any man.

Myn is the drenching in the see so wan;

Myn is the prison in the derke cote;

Myn is the strangling and hanging by the throte;

1600

The murmure, and the cherles rebelling,

The groyning, and the pryvee empoysoning:

I do vengeance and pleyn correccioun

Whyl I dwelle in the signe of the leoun.

Myn is the ruine of the hye halles,

1605

The falling of the toures and of the walles

Up-on the mynour or the carpenter.

I slow Sampsoun in shaking the piler;

And myne be the maladyes colde,

The derke tresons, and the castes olde;

1610

My loking is the fader of pestilence.

Now weep namore, I shal doon diligence

That Palamon, that is thyn owne knight,

Shal have his lady, as thou hast him hight.

Though Mars shal helpe his knight, yet nathelees

1615

Bitwixe yow ther moot be som tyme pees,

Al be ye noght of o complexioun,

That causeth al day swich divisioun.

I am thin ayel, redy at thy wille;

Weep thou namore, I wol thy lust fulfille.’

1620

Now wol I stinten of the goddes above,

Of Mars, and of Venus, goddesse of love,

And telle yow, as pleynly as I can,

The grete effect, for which that I bigan.

Explicit tercia pars. Sequitur pars quarta.

Greet was the feste in Athenes that day,

1625

And eek the lusty seson of that May

Made every wight to been in swich plesaunce,

That al that Monday Iusten they and daunce,

And spenden it in Venus heigh servyse.

But by the cause that they sholde ryse

1630

Erly, for to seen the grete fight,

Unto hir reste wente they at night.

And on the morwe, whan that day gan springe,

Of hors and harneys, noyse and clateringe

Ther was in hostelryes al aboute;

1635

And to the paleys rood ther many a route

Of lordes, up-on stedes and palfreys.

Ther maystow seen devysing of herneys

So uncouth and so riche, and wroght so weel

Of goldsmithrie, of browding, and of steel;

1640

The sheeldes brighte, testers, and trappures;

Gold-hewen helmes, hauberks, cote-armures;

Lordes in paraments on hir courseres,

Knightes of retenue, and eek squyeres

Nailinge the speres, and helmes bokelinge,

1645

Gigginge of sheeldes, with layneres lacinge;

Ther as need is, they weren no-thing ydel;

The fomy stedes on the golden brydel

Gnawinge, and faste the armurers also

With fyle and hamer prikinge to and fro;

1650

Yemen on fote, and communes many oon

With shorte staves, thikke as they may goon;

Pypes, trompes, nakers, clariounes,

That in the bataille blowen blody sounes;

The paleys ful of peples up and doun,

1655

Heer three, ther ten, holding hir questioun,

Divyninge of thise Thebane knightes two.

Somme seyden thus, somme seyde it shal be so;

Somme helden with him with the blake berd,

Somme with the balled, somme with the thikke-herd;

1660

Somme sayde, he loked grim and he wolde fighte;

He hath a sparth of twenty pound of wighte.

Thus was the halle ful of divyninge,

Longe after that the sonne gan to springe.

The grete Theseus, that of his sleep awaked

1665

With minstralcye and noyse that was maked,

Held yet the chambre of his paleys riche,

Til that the Thebane knightes, bothe y-liche

Honoured, were into the paleys fet.

Duk Theseus was at a window set,

1670

Arrayed right as he were a god in trone.

The peple preesseth thider-ward ful sone

Him for to seen, and doon heigh reverence,

And eek to herkne his hest and his sentence.

An heraud on a scaffold made an ho,

1675

Til al the noyse of the peple was y-do;

And whan he saugh the peple of noyse al stille,

Tho showed he the mighty dukes wille.

‘The lord hath of his heigh discrecioun

Considered, that it were destruccioun

1680

To gentil blood, to fighten in the gyse

Of mortal bataille now in this empryse;

Wherfore, to shapen that they shul not dye,

He wol his firste purpos modifye.

No man therfor, up peyne of los of lyf,

1685

No maner shot, ne pollax, ne short knyf

Into the listes sende, or thider bringe;

Ne short swerd for to stoke, with poynt bytinge,

No man ne drawe, ne bere it by his syde.

Ne no man shal un-to his felawe ryde

1690

But o cours, with a sharp y-grounde spere;

Foyne, if him list, on fote, him-self to were.

And he that is at meschief, shal be take,

And noght slayn, but be broght un-to the stake

That shal ben ordeyned on either syde;

1695

But thider he shal by force, and ther abyde.

And if so falle, the chieftayn be take

On either syde, or elles slee his make,

No lenger shal the turneyinge laste.

God spede yow; goth forth, and ley on faste.

1700

With long swerd and with maces fight your fille.

Goth now your wey; this is the lordes wille.’

The voys of peple touchede the hevene,

So loude cryden they with mery stevene:

‘God save swich a lord, that is so good,

1705

He wilneth no destruccioun of blood!’

Up goon the trompes and the melodye.

And to the listes rit the companye

By ordinaunce, thurgh-out the citee large,

Hanged with cloth of gold, and nat with sarge.

1710

Ful lyk a lord this noble duk gan ryde,

Thise two Thebanes up-on either syde;

And after rood the quene, and Emelye,

And after that another companye

Of oon and other, after hir degree.

1715

And thus they passen thurgh-out the citee,

And to the listes come they by tyme.

It nas not of the day yet fully pryme,

Whan set was Theseus ful riche and hye,

Ipolita the quene and Emelye,

1720

And other ladies in degrees aboute.

Un-to the seetes preesseth al the route.

And west-ward, thurgh the gates under Marte,

Arcite, and eek the hundred of his parte,

With baner reed is entred right anon;

1725

And in that selve moment Palamon

Is under Venus, est-ward in the place,

With baner whyt, and hardy chere and face.

In al the world, to seken up and doun,

So even with-outen variacioun,

1730

Ther nere swiche companyes tweye.

For ther nas noon so wys that coude seye,

That any hadde of other avauntage

Of worthinesse, ne of estaat, ne age,

So even were they chosen, for to gesse.

1735

And in two renges faire they hem dresse.

Whan that hir names rad were everichoon,

That in hir nombre gyle were ther noon,

Tho were the gates shet, and cryed was loude:

‘Do now your devoir, yonge knightes proude!’

1740

The heraudes lefte hir priking up and doun;

Now ringen trompes loude and clarioun;

Ther is namore to seyn, but west and est

In goon the speres ful sadly in arest;

In goth the sharpe spore in-to the syde.

1745

Ther seen men who can Iuste, and who can ryde;

Ther shiveren shaftes up-on sheeldes thikke;

He feleth thurgh the herte-spoon the prikke.

Up springen speres twenty foot on highte;

Out goon the swerdes as the silver brighte.

1750

The helmes they to-hewen and to-shrede;

Out brest the blood, with sterne stremes rede.

With mighty maces the bones they to-breste.

He thurgh the thikkeste of the throng gan threste.

Ther stomblen stedes stronge, and doun goth al.

1755

He rolleth under foot as dooth a bal.

He foyneth on his feet with his tronchoun,

And he him hurtleth with his hors adoun.

He thurgh the body is hurt, and sithen y-take,

Maugree his heed, and broght un-to the stake,

1760

As forward was, right ther he moste abyde;

Another lad is on that other syde.

And som tyme dooth hem Theseus to reste,

Hem to refresshe, and drinken if hem leste.

Ful ofte a-day han thise Thebanes two

1765

Togidre y-met, and wroght his felawe wo;

Unhorsed hath ech other of hem tweye.

Ther nas no tygre in the vale of Galgopheye,

Whan that hir whelp is stole, whan it is lyte,

So cruel on the hunte, as is Arcite

1770

For Ielous herte upon this Palamoun:

Ne in Belmarye ther nis so fel leoun,

That hunted is, or for his hunger wood,

Ne of his praye desireth so the blood,

As Palamon to sleen his fo Arcite.

1775

The Ielous strokes on hir helmes byte;

Out renneth blood on bothe hir sydes rede.

Som tyme an ende ther is of every dede;

For er the sonne un-to the reste wente,

The stronge king Emetreus gan hente

1780

This Palamon, as he faught with Arcite,

And made his swerd depe in his flesh to byte;

And by the force of twenty is he take

Unyolden, and y-drawe unto the stake.

And in the rescous of this Palamoun

1785

The stronge king Ligurge is born adoun;

And king Emetreus, for al his strengthe,

Is born out of his sadel a swerdes lengthe,

So hitte him Palamon er he were take;

But al for noght, he was broght to the stake.

1790

His hardy herte mighte him helpe naught;

He moste abyde, whan that he was caught

By force, and eek by composicioun.

Who sorweth now but woful Palamoun,

That moot namore goon agayn to fighte?

1795

And whan that Theseus had seyn this sighte,

Un-to the folk that foghten thus echoon

He cryde, ‘Ho! namore, for it is doon!

I wol be trewe Iuge, and no partye.

Arcite of Thebes shal have Emelye,

1800

That by his fortune hath hir faire y-wonne.’

Anon ther is a noyse of peple bigonne

For Ioye of this, so loude and heigh with-alle,

It semed that the listes sholde falle.

What can now faire Venus doon above?

1805

What seith she now? what dooth this quene of love?

But wepeth so, for wanting of hir wille,

Til that hir teres in the listes fille;

She seyde: ‘I am ashamed, doutelees.’

Saturnus seyde: ‘Doghter, hold thy pees.

1810

Mars hath his wille, his knight hath al his bone,

And, by myn heed, thou shalt ben esed sone.’

The trompes, with the loude minstralcye,

The heraudes, that ful loude yolle and crye,

Been in hir wele for Ioye of daun Arcite.

1815

But herkneth me, and stinteth now a lyte,

Which a miracle ther bifel anon.

This fierse Arcite hath of his helm y-don,

And on a courser, for to shewe his face,

He priketh endelong the large place,

1820

Loking upward up-on this Emelye;

And she agayn him caste a freendlich yë,

(For wommen, as to speken in comune,

They folwen al the favour of fortune),

And she was al his chere, as in his herte.

1825

Out of the ground a furie infernal sterte,

From Pluto sent, at requeste of Saturne,

For which his hors for fere gan to turne,

And leep asyde, and foundred as he leep;

And, er that Arcite may taken keep,

1830

He pighte him on the pomel of his heed,

That in the place he lay as he were deed,

His brest to-brosten with his sadel-bowe.

As blak he lay as any cole or crowe,

So was the blood y-ronnen in his face.

1835

Anon he was y-born out of the place

With herte soor, to Theseus paleys.

Tho was he corven out of his harneys,

And in a bed y-brought ful faire and blyve,

For he was yet in memorie and alyve,

1840

And alway crying after Emelye.

Duk Theseus, with al his companye,

Is comen hoom to Athenes his citee,

With alle blisse and greet solempnitee.

Al be it that this aventure was falle,

1845

He nolde noght disconforten hem alle.

Men seyde eek, that Arcite shal nat dye;

He shal ben heled of his maladye.

And of another thing they were as fayn,

That of hem alle was ther noon y-slayn,

1850

Al were they sore y-hurt, and namely oon,

That with a spere was thirled his brest-boon.

To othere woundes, and to broken armes,

Some hadden salves, and some hadden charmes;

Fermacies of herbes, and eek save

1855

They dronken, for they wolde hir limes have.

For which this noble duk, as he wel can,

Conforteth and honoureth every man,

And made revel al the longe night,

Un-to the straunge lordes, as was right.

1860

Ne ther was holden no disconfitinge,

But as a Iustes or a tourneyinge;

For soothly ther was no disconfiture,

For falling nis nat but an aventure;

Ne to be lad with fors un-to the stake

1865

Unyolden, and with twenty knightes take,

O persone allone, with-outen mo,

And haried forth by arme, foot, and to,

And eek his stede driven forth with staves,

With footmen, bothe yemen and eek knaves,

1870

It nas aretted him no vileinye,

Ther may no man clepen it cowardye.

For which anon duk Theseus leet crye,

To stinten alle rancour and envye,

The gree as wel of o syde as of other,

1875

And either syde y-lyk, as otheres brother;

And yaf hem yiftes after hir degree,

And fully heeld a feste dayes three;

And conveyed the kinges worthily

Out of his toun a Iournee largely.

1880

And hoom wente every man the righte way.

Ther was namore, but ‘far wel, have good day!’

Of this bataille I wol namore endyte,

But speke of Palamon and of Arcite.

Swelleth the brest of Arcite, and the sore

1885

Encreesseth at his herte more and more.

The clothered blood, for any lechecraft,

Corrupteth, and is in his bouk y-laft,

That neither veyne-blood, ne ventusinge,

Ne drinke of herbes may ben his helpinge.

1890

The vertu expulsif, or animal,

Fro thilke vertu cleped natural

Ne may the venim voyden, ne expelle.

The pypes of his longes gonne to swelle,

And every lacerte in his brest adoun

1895

Is shent with venim and corrupcioun.

Him gayneth neither, for to gete his lyf,

Vomyt upward, ne dounward laxatif;

Al is to-brosten thilke regioun,

Nature hath now no dominacioun.

1900

And certeinly, ther nature wol nat wirche,

Far-wel, phisyk! go ber the man to chirche!

This al and som, that Arcita mot dye,

For which he sendeth after Emelye,

And Palamon, that was his cosin dere;

1905

Than seyde he thus, as ye shul after here.

‘Naught may the woful spirit in myn herte

Declare o poynt of alle my sorwes smerte

To yow, my lady, that I love most;

But I biquethe the service of my gost

1910

To yow aboven every creature,

Sin that my lyf may no lenger dure.

Allas, the wo! allas, the peynes stronge,

That I for yow have suffred, and so longe!

Allas, the deeth! allas, myn Emelye!

1915

Allas, departing of our companye!

Allas, myn hertes quene! allas, my wyf!

Myn hertes lady, endere of my lyf!

What is this world? what asketh men to have?

Now with his love, now in his colde grave

1920

Allone, with-outen any companye.

Far-wel, my swete fo! myn Emelye!

And softe tak me in your armes tweye,

For love of God, and herkneth what I seye.

I have heer with my cosin Palamon

1925

Had stryf and rancour, many a day a-gon,

For love of yow, and for my Ielousye.

And Iupiter so wis my soule gye,

To speken of a servant proprely,

With alle circumstaunces trewely,

1930

That is to seyn, trouthe, honour, and knighthede,

Wisdom, humblesse, estaat, and heigh kinrede,

Fredom, and al that longeth to that art,

So Iupiter have of my soule part,

As in this world right now ne knowe I non

1935

So worthy to ben loved as Palamon,

That serveth yow, and wol don al his lyf.

And if that ever ye shul been a wyf,

Foryet nat Palamon, the gentil man.’

And with that word his speche faille gan,

1940

For from his feet up to his brest was come

The cold of deeth, that hadde him overcome.

And yet more-over, in his armes two

The vital strengthe is lost, and al ago.

Only the intellect, with-outen more,

1945

That dwelled in his herte syk and sore,

Gan faillen, when the herte felte deeth,

Dusked his eyen two, and failled breeth.

But on his lady yet caste he his yë;

His laste word was, ‘mercy, Emelye!’

1950

His spirit chaunged hous, and wente ther,

As I cam never, I can nat tellen wher.

Therfor I stinte, I nam no divinistre;

Of soules finde I nat in this registre,

Ne me ne list thilke opiniouns to telle

1955

Of hem, though that they wryten wher they dwelle.

Arcite is cold, ther Mars his soule gye;

Now wol I speken forth of Emelye.

Shrighte Emelye, and howleth Palamon,

And Theseus his suster took anon

1960

Swowninge, and bar hir fro the corps away.

What helpeth it to tarien forth the day,

To tellen how she weep, bothe eve and morwe?

For in swich cas wommen have swich sorwe,

Whan that hir housbonds been from hem ago,

1965

That for the more part they sorwen so,

Or elles fallen in swich maladye,

That at the laste certeinly they dye.

Infinite been the sorwes and the teres

Of olde folk, and folk of tendre yeres,

1970

In al the toun, for deeth of this Theban;

For him ther wepeth bothe child and man;

So greet a weping was ther noon, certayn,

Whan Ector was y-broght, al fresh y-slayn,

To Troye; allas! the pitee that was ther,

1975

Cracching of chekes, rending eek of heer.

‘Why woldestow be deed,’ thise wommen crye,

‘And haddest gold y-nough, and Emelye?’

No man mighte gladen Theseus,

Savinge his olde fader Egeus,

1980

That knew this worldes transmutacioun,

As he had seyn it chaungen up and doun,

Ioye after wo, and wo after gladnesse:

And shewed hem ensamples and lyknesse.

‘Right as ther deyed never man,’ quod he,

1985

‘That he ne livede in erthe in som degree,

Right so ther livede never man,’ he seyde,

‘In al this world, that som tyme he ne deyde.

This world nis but a thurghfare ful of wo,

And we ben pilgrimes, passinge to and fro;

1990

Deeth is an ende of every worldly sore.’

And over al this yet seyde he muchel more

To this effect, ful wysly to enhorte

The peple, that they sholde hem reconforte.

Duk Theseus, with al his bisy cure,

1995

Caste now wher that the sepulture

Of good Arcite may best y-maked be,

And eek most honurable in his degree.

And at the laste he took conclusioun,

That ther as first Arcite and Palamoun

2000

Hadden for love the bataille hem bitwene,

That in that selve grove, swote and grene,

Ther as he hadde his amorous desires,

His compleynt, and for love his hote fires,

He wolde make a fyr, in which thoffice

2005

Funeral he mighte al accomplice;

And leet comaunde anon to hakke and hewe

The okes olde, and leye hem on a rewe

In colpons wel arrayed for to brenne;

His officers with swifte feet they renne

2010

And ryde anon at his comaundement.

And after this, Theseus hath y-sent

After a bere, and it al over-spradde

With cloth of gold, the richest that he hadde.

And of the same suyte he cladde Arcite;

2015

Upon his hondes hadde he gloves whyte;

Eek on his heed a croune of laurer grene,

And in his hond a swerd ful bright and kene.

He leyde him bare the visage on the bere,

Therwith he weep that pitee was to here.

2020

And for the peple sholde seen him alle,

Whan it was day, he broghte him to the halle,

That roreth of the crying and the soun.

Tho cam this woful Theban Palamoun,

With flotery berd, and ruggy asshy heres,

2025

In clothes blake, y-dropped al with teres;

And, passing othere of weping, Emelye,

The rewfulleste of al the companye.

In as muche as the service sholde be

The more noble and riche in his degree,

2030

Duk Theseus leet forth three stedes bringe,

That trapped were in steel al gliteringe,

And covered with the armes of daun Arcite.

Up-on thise stedes, that weren grete and whyte,

Ther seten folk, of which oon bar his sheeld,

2035

Another his spere up in his hondes heeld;

The thridde bar with him his bowe Turkeys,

Of brend gold was the cas, and eek the harneys;

And riden forth a pas with sorweful chere

Toward the grove, as ye shul after here.

2040

The nobleste of the Grekes that ther were

Upon hir shuldres carieden the bere,

With slakke pas, and eyen rede and wete,

Thurgh-out the citee, by the maister-strete,

That sprad was al with blak, and wonder hye

2045

Right of the same is al the strete y-wrye.

Up-on the right hond wente old Egeus,

And on that other syde duk Theseus,

With vessels in hir hand of gold ful fyn,

Al ful of hony, milk, and blood, and wyn;

2050

Eek Palamon, with ful greet companye;

And after that cam woful Emelye,

With fyr in honde, as was that tyme the gyse,

To do thoffice of funeral servyse.

Heigh labour, and ful greet apparaillinge

2055

Was at the service and the fyr-makinge,

That with his grene top the heven raughte,

And twenty fadme of brede the armes straughte;

This is to seyn, the bowes were so brode.

Of stree first ther was leyd ful many a lode.

2060

But how the fyr was maked up on highte,

And eek the names how the treës highte,

As ook, firre, birch, asp, alder, holm, popler,

Wilow, elm, plane, ash, box, chasteyn, lind, laurer,

Mapul, thorn, beech, hasel, ew, whippeltree,

2065

How they weren feld, shal nat be told for me;

Ne how the goddes ronnen up and doun,

Disherited of hir habitacioun,

In which they woneden in reste and pees,

Nymphes, Faunes, and Amadrides;

2070

Ne how the bestes and the briddes alle

Fledden for fere, whan the wode was falle;

Ne how the ground agast was of the light,

That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright;

Ne how the fyr was couched first with stree,

2075

And than with drye stokkes cloven a three,

And than with grene wode and spycerye,

And than with cloth of gold and with perrye,

And gerlandes hanging with ful many a flour,

The mirre, thencens, with al so greet odour;

2080

Ne how Arcite lay among al this,

Ne what richesse aboute his body is;

Ne how that Emelye, as was the gyse,

Putte in the fyr of funeral servyse;

Ne how she swowned whan men made the fyr,

2085

Ne what she spak, ne what was hir desyr;

Ne what Ieweles men in the fyr tho caste,

Whan that the fyr was greet and brente faste;

Ne how som caste hir sheeld, and som hir spere,

And of hir vestiments, whiche that they were,

2090

And cuppes ful of wyn, and milk, and blood,

Into the fyr, that brente as it were wood;

Ne how the Grekes with an huge route

Thryës riden al the fyr aboute

Up-on the left hand, with a loud shoutinge,

2095

And thryës with hir speres clateringe;

And thryës how the ladies gonne crye;

Ne how that lad was hom-ward Emelye;

Ne how Arcite is brent to asshen colde;

Ne how that liche-wake was y-holde

2100

Al thilke night, ne how the Grekes pleye

The wake-pleyes, ne kepe I nat to seye;

Who wrastleth best naked, with oille enoynt,

Ne who that bar him best, in no disioynt.

I wol nat tellen eek how that they goon

2105

Hoom til Athenes, whan the pley is doon;

But shortly to the poynt than wol I wende,

And maken of my longe tale an ende.

By processe and by lengthe of certeyn yeres

Al stinted is the moorning and the teres

2110

Of Grekes, by oon general assent.

Than semed me ther was a parlement

At Athenes, up-on certeyn poynts and cas;

Among the whiche poynts y-spoken was

To have with certeyn contrees alliaunce,

2115

And have fully of Thebans obeisaunce.

For which this noble Theseus anon

Leet senden after gentil Palamon,

Unwist of him what was the cause and why;

But in his blake clothes sorwefully

2120

He cam at his comaundement in hye.

Tho sente Theseus for Emelye.

Whan they were set, and hust was al the place,

And Theseus abiden hadde a space

Er any word cam from his wyse brest,

2125

His eyen sette he ther as was his lest,

And with a sad visage he syked stille,

And after that right thus he seyde his wille.

‘The firste moevere of the cause above,

Whan he first made the faire cheyne of love,

2130

Greet was theffect, and heigh was his entente;

Wel wiste he why, and what ther-of he mente;

For with that faire cheyne of love he bond

The fyr, the eyr, the water, and the lond

In certeyn boundes, that they may nat flee;

2135

That same prince and that moevere,’ quod he,

‘Hath stablissed, in this wrecched world adoun,

Certeyne dayes and duracioun

To al that is engendred in this place,

Over the whiche day they may nat pace,

2140

Al mowe they yet tho dayes wel abregge;

Ther needeth non auctoritee allegge,

For it is preved by experience,

But that me list declaren my sentence.

Than may men by this ordre wel discerne,

2145

That thilke moevere stable is and eterne.

Wel may men knowe, but it be a fool,

That every part deryveth from his hool.

For nature hath nat take his beginning

Of no partye ne cantel of a thing,

2150

But of a thing that parfit is and stable,

Descending so, til it be corrumpable.

And therfore, of his wyse purveyaunce,

He hath so wel biset his ordinaunce,

That speces of thinges and progressiouns

2155

Shullen enduren by successiouns,

And nat eterne be, with-oute lye:

This maistow understonde and seen at eyë.

‘Lo the ook, that hath so long a norisshinge

From tyme that it first biginneth springe,

2160

And hath so long a lyf, as we may see,

Yet at the laste wasted is the tree.

‘Considereth eek, how that the harde stoon

Under our feet, on which we trede and goon,

Yit wasteth it, as it lyth by the weye.

2165

The brode river somtyme wexeth dreye.

The grete tounes see we wane and wende.

Than may ye see that al this thing hath ende.

‘Of man and womman seen we wel also,

That nedeth, in oon of thise termes two,

2170

This is to seyn, in youthe or elles age,

He moot ben deed, the king as shal a page;

Som in his bed, som in the depe see,

Som in the large feeld, as men may se;

Ther helpeth noght, al goth that ilke weye.

2175

Thanne may I seyn that al this thing moot deye.

What maketh this but Iupiter the king?

The which is prince and cause of alle thing,

Converting al un-to his propre welle,

From which it is deryved, sooth to telle.

2180

And here-agayns no creature on lyve

Of no degree availleth for to stryve.

‘Thanne is it wisdom, as it thinketh me,

To maken vertu of necessitee,

And take it wel, that we may nat eschue,

2185

And namely that to us alle is due.

And who-so gruccheth ought, he dooth folye,

And rebel is to him that al may gye.

And certeinly a man hath most honour

To dyen in his excellence and flour,

2190

Whan he is siker of his gode name;

Than hath he doon his freend, ne him, no shame.

And gladder oghte his freend ben of his deeth,

Whan with honour up-yolden is his breeth,

Than whan his name apalled is for age;

2195

For al forgeten is his vasselage.

Than is it best, as for a worthy fame,

To dyen whan that he is best of name.

The contrarie of al this is wilfulnesse.

Why grucchen we? why have we hevinesse,

2200

That good Arcite, of chivalrye flour

Departed is, with duetee and honour,

Out of this foule prison of this lyf?

Why grucchen heer his cosin and his wyf

Of his wel-fare that loved hem so weel?

2205

Can he hem thank? nay, God wot, never a deel,

That bothe his soule and eek hem-self offende,

And yet they mowe hir lustes nat amende.

‘What may I conclude of this longe serie,

But, after wo, I rede us to be merie,

2210

And thanken Iupiter of al his grace?

And, er that we departen from this place,

I rede that we make, of sorwes two,

O parfyt Ioye, lasting ever-mo;

And loketh now, wher most sorwe is her-inne,

2215

Ther wol we first amenden and biginne.

‘Suster,’ quod he, ‘this is my fulle assent,

With al thavys heer of my parlement,

That gentil Palamon, your owne knight,

That serveth yow with wille, herte, and might,

2220

And ever hath doon, sin that ye first him knewe,

That ye shul, of your grace, up-on him rewe,

And taken him for housbonde and for lord:

Leen me your hond, for this is our accord.

Lat see now of your wommanly pitee.

2225

He is a kinges brother sone, pardee;

And, though he were a povre bacheler,

Sin he hath served yow so many a yeer,

And had for yow so greet adversitee,

It moste been considered, leveth me;

2230

For gentil mercy oghte to passen right.’

Than seyde he thus to Palamon ful right;

‘I trowe ther nedeth litel sermoning

To make yow assente to this thing.

Com neer, and tak your lady by the hond.’

2235

Bitwixen hem was maad anon the bond,

That highte matrimoine or mariage,

By al the counseil and the baronage.

And thus with alle blisse and melodye

Hath Palamon y-wedded Emelye.

2240

And God, that al this wyde world hath wroght,

Sende him his love, that hath it dere a-boght.

For now is Palamon in alle wele,

Living in blisse, in richesse, and in hele;

And Emelye him loveth so tendrely,

2245

And he hir serveth al-so gentilly,

That never was ther no word hem bitwene

Of Ielousye, or any other tene.

Thus endeth Palamon and Emelye;

And God save al this faire companye!—Amen.

Here is ended the Knightes Tale.

2250

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

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