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PALAMON AND ARCITE:

OR, THE KNIGHT's TALE.

BOOK II.

WHILE Arcite lives in bliss, the story turns

Where hopeless Palamon in prison mourns. For fix long years immur'd, the captive knight Had dragg'd his chains, and fcarcely feen the light: Loft liberty, and love, at once he bore : His prifon pain'd him much, his paffion more : Nor dares he hope his fetters to remove,

Nor ever wishes to be free from love.

But when the sixth revolving year was run,
And May within the Twins receiv'd the sun,
Were it by chance, or forceful destiny,
Which forms in causes first whate’er shall be,
Assisted by a friend, one moonless night,
This Palamon from prison took his flight:
A pleasant beverage he prepar'd before
Of wine and honey mix'd with added store
Of opium; to his keeper this he brought,
Who fwallow'd unaware the sleepy draught,
And fnor'd fecure till morn, his fenfes bound
In slumber, and in long oblivion drown'd.
Short was the night, and careful Palamon
Sought the next covert ere the rising fun.
A thick spread forest near the city lay,
To this with lengthen'd ftrides he took his
(For far he could not fly, and fear'd the day).

way

Safe

Safe from purfuit, he meant to shun the light,
Till the brown shadows of the friendly night
To Thebes might favour his intended flight.
When to his country come, his next design
Was all the Theban race in arms to join,
And war on Thefeus, till he loft his life,
Or won the beauteous Emily to wife.

Thus while his thoughts the lingering day beguile,
To gentle Arcite let us turn our ftile;

Who little dreamt how nigh he was to care,

Till treacherous fortune caught him in the fnare.
The morning-lark, the meffenger of day,
Saluted in her fong the morning gray;

And foon the fun arose with beams so bright,
That all th' horizon laugh'd to see the joyous fight;
He with his tepid rays the rose renews,

And licks the drooping leaves, and dries the dews ;
When Arcite left his bed, refolv'd to pay
Obfervance to the month of merry May:
Forth on his fiery steed betimes he rode,

}

That fcarcely prints the turf on which he trod :
At eafe he feem'd, and, prancing o'er the plains,
Turn'd only to the grove his horfe's reins,
The grove I nam'd before; and, lighted there,
A woodbine garland fought to crown his hair;
Then turn'd his face against the rifing day,
And rais'd his voice to welcome in the May.
For thee, fweet month, the groves green liveries wear,
If not the first, the fairest of the year:

For

For thee the Graces lead the dancing hours,
And Nature's ready pencil paints the flowers:
When thy fhort reign is past, the feverish fun
The fultry tropic fears, and moves more flowly on.
So may thy tender bloffoms fear no blight,
Nor goats with venom'd teeth thy tendrils bite,
As thou shalt guide my wandering feet to find
The fragrant greens I feek, my brows to bind.

His vows addrefs'd, within the grove he stray'd,
Till fate, or fortune, near the place convey'd
His fteps where fecret Palamon was laid.
Full little thought of him the gentle knight,

Who flying death had there conceal'd his flight,

In brakes and brambles hid, and fhunning mortal fight:

And lefs he knew him for his hated foe,

But fear'd him as a man he did not know.

But as it has been faid of ancient years,

That fields are full of eyes, and woods have ears;
For this the wife are ever on their guard,
For, unforeseen, they fay, is unprepar'd.
Uncautious Arcite thought himself alone,
And less than all fufpected Palamon,

Who liftening heard him, while he fearch'd the grove,
And loudly fung his roundelay of love :
But on the fudden stopp'd, and filent food,
As lovers often mufe, and change their mood;
Now high as heaven, and then as low as hell;
Now up, now down, as buckets in a well:

For Venus, like her day, will change her cheer,
And seldom shall we fee a Friday clear.
Thus Arcite, having fung, with alter'd hue
Sunk on the ground, and from his bosom drew
A desperate sigh, accufing heaven and fate,
And angry Juno's unrelenting hate.
Curs'd be the day when first I did appear;
Let it be blotted from the calendar,

Left it pollute the month, and poison all the year.
Still will the jealous Queen pursue our race?
Cadmus is dead, the Theban city was:
Yet ceases not her hate: for all who come
From Cadinus are involv'd in Cadmus' doom.
I fuffer for my blood: unjust decree!
That punishes another's crime on me.
In mean estate I ferve my mortal foe,
The man who caus'd my country's overthrow.
This is not all; for Juno, to my shame,
Has forc'd me to forfake my former name;
Arcite I was, Philoftratus I am.

That fide of heaven is all my enemy:

Mars ruin'd Thebes, his mother ruin'd me.
Of all the royal race remains but one
Befides myself, th' unhappy Palamon,

Whom Thefeus holds in bonds, and will not free;
Without a crime, except his kin to me.

Yet these, and all the reft, I could endure;
But Love's a malady without a cure;

Fierce Love has pierc'd me with his fiery dart,
He fires within, and hiffes at my heart.

}

}

Your

Your eyes, fair Emily, my fate pursue ;

I fuffer for the reft, I die for you.

Of fuch a Goddefs no time leaves record,
Who burn'd the temple where she was ador'd :
And let it burn, I never will complain,

Pleas'd with my fufferings, if you knew

my pain.
At this a fickly qualm his heart afssail'd,
His ears ring inward, and his fenfes fail'd.
No word mifs'd Palamon of all he spoke,
But foon to deadly pale he chang'd his look:
He trembled every limb, and felt a smart,
As if cold fteel had glided through his heart;
No longer ftaid, but, starting from his place,
Discover'd stood, and fhew'd his hoftile face:
Falle traitor Arcite, traitor to thy blood,
Bound by thy facred oath to feek my good,
Now art thou found forefworn, for Emily;
And dar'ft attempt her love, for whom I die.
So haft thou cheated Thefeus with a wile,
Against thy vow, returning to beguile
Under a borrow'd name: as falfe to me,
So falfe thou art to him who fet thee free:
But reft affur'd, that either thou shalt die,
Or else renounce thy claim in Emily:

For, though unarm'd I am, and (free'd by chance)
Am here without my fword, or pointed launce :
Hope not, bafe man, unqueftion'd hence to go,
For I am Palamon, thy mortal foe.

Arcite, who heard his tale, and knew the man,
His fword unfheath'd, and fiercely thus began :

Now

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