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Was found as true as any bond
Or troth of any mannes hond ...
Her throat, as I have now memoire,
Seemed as a round tower of ivoire,
Of good greatness, and not too great ;1
And goodè fairè White' she hete.3
That was my Lady's namè right:
She was thereto fair and bright;
She had not her name wrong.

A LOVE STORY.

When I first my lady sey1
I was right young, sooth to say;
And full great need I had to learn,
When my heartè wolde yearn
To love, it was a great emprise.5
But, as my wit wold best suffise,
After my young childly wit,
Without drede" I be-set it.
To love her in my best wise,
To do her worship and servise,
That I could tho,8 by my troth,
Without feigning either sloth.
For wonder fain10 I wold her see :
So mickle11 it amended me

12

That, when I saw her first a-morrow,"
I was warshed13 of all my sorrow;
Of all day after till it were eve

Me thought nothing might me grieve...

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1 Burst asunder.

5 Halting.

9 Finished.

Methought mine heartè brast atwain.1
So at the last, sooth for to sayn,

I bethought me that Nature
Ne formed never in creature
So muchè beauty, truely,
And bounty, without mercy.
In hope of that, my tale I told.
I n'ot2 well how that I began ;
Full evil rehearse it I can ;
And eke, as help me God withal,

I trow it was in the3 dismal

That was the ten wounds of Egypt;
For many a word I overskipt

In my tale for purè fear

Lest wordès mis-set were.

With sorrowful heart and woundès dead,1

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Soft and quaking for pure dread
And shame, and stinting in my tale
For-feared, and my hue all pale,
Full oft I waxt both pale and red;
Bowing to her I heng' the head
I durst not onès look her on,
For wit, manner, and all was gone;
I said "Mercy!" and no more.
It n'as no game, it sate me sore!
So, at the laste, sooth to sayn,

When that mine heart was come again,
To tellè shortly all my speech,
With whole heart I gan her beseech
That she wold be my lady sweet...
And, when I had my tale y-do,9
God wot, she accounted not a stree10
Of all my tale, so thoughtè me.
To tell shortly right as it is,
Truly her answer it was this:
I cannot now well counterfeit
Her wordès, but this was the grete11
Of her answer;-she said "Nay,"
All utterly. Alas that day!
The sorrow I suffered and the woe,
That truly Cassandra, that so
Bewailed the destruction

Of Troye and of Ilion,

2 Ne wot.
6 Terrified.

10 Straw.

3 To that degree dismal.
7 Hung.

11 Substance.

4 Deathly 8 Once.

Had never such sorrow as I tho.1
I durst no more say thereto
For pure fear, but stole away.
And thus I lived full many a day,
That truely I had no need
Further than my beddès head
Never a day to seeke sorrow;
I found it ready every morrow
So it befell another year
I thought onès2 I woldè fond3
To do1 her know and understond
My woe. And she well understood
That I ne wilned thing but good,
And worship, and to keep her name
Over all things, and dread her shame,
And was so busy her to serve,
And pity were that I should sterve,
Sith that I willed none harm, I wiss."
So, when my lady knew all this,
My lady gave me all wholly
The noble gift of her mercy.

FROM TROILUS AND CRESEIDE.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

But, as she sat alone and thoughtè thus,
The ascry arose at skarmochR all without;
And men cried in the street, "See, Troilus

Hath right now put to flight the Greekès' rout !”
With that gan all her meinie9 for to shout

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Ah, go we see! Cast up the gatès wide;

For through this street he mote1o to palace ride!

"For other way is fro the gatès none.
Of Dardanus there open is the chain."
With that come he, and all his folk anon,
An easy pace riding in routes11 twain;
Right as his happy day was, sooth to sayn ;
For that, men saith, may not disturbèd be
That shall betidè of necessity.

This Troilus sat on his bayè steed,

All armed save his head full richely;

And wounded was his horse, and gan to bleed,

4 Make.
5 Desired.
9 All Creseide's household. 10 Must.

1 Then.

7 I know.

2 Once.
8 Skirmish.

3 Try.

6 Perish, 11 Companies

On which he rode apace full softely.
But such a knightly sightè, truely,
As was on him it was withouten fail
To look on Mars that god is of batail,

So like a man of armes and a knight
He was to seen; fulfilled of high prowess;
For both he had a body and a might
To done that thing, as well as hardiness.
And eke to seen him in his geare1 dress,
So fresh, so young, so wieldy seemèd he,
It was an heaven upon him for to see.2

His helm to-hewen3 was in twenty places,
That by a tissue hong his back behind;

His shield to-dashed with swordès and with maces,
In which men mighte many an arrow find

That thirled1 had both horn, and nerf,5 and rind.
And aye the people cried, “Here cometh our joy,
And, next his brother, holder up of Troy !"

For which he waxt a little red for shame
When he so heard the people upon him crien ;
That to behold it was a noble game
How soberly he cast adown his eyen.
Creseid anon gan all his chere espien,
And let it so soft in her heartè sink

That to herself she said, "Who gave me drink?"

For all her ownè thought she wox all red,
Remembering her right thus, "Lo! this is he
Which that mine uncle sweareth he mote dead?
But I on him have mercy and pity."
And with that thought for purè shame she
Gan in her head to pull, and that as fast,
While he and all the people forth-by passed.

1 War.

5 Sinew.

9 Began.

THE PARTING OF TROILUS AND CRESEIDE.

Approachen gan9 the fatal destiny
That Jove hath in disposition,

And to you, angry Parcas,10 sistren11 three,
Committeth to done12 execution:

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For which1 Creseidè must out of the town,
And Troilus shall dwell henceforth in pine,2
Till Lachesis his thread no longer twine.

The golden-tressèd Phoebus high on loft
Thrice haddè allè with his beamès clear
The snowès molt,3 and Zephyrus as oft
Y-brought again the tender leavès green,
Since that the son of Hecuba the queen
Began to love her first, for whom his sorrow
Was all that she departè should a-morrow.

Full ready was at primè Diomede
Creseid unto the Greekès' host to lead ;

For sorrow of which she felt her heartè bleed,
As she that wist ne what was best to rede.1
And truely, as men in bookès read,
Men wiste never woman had the care,
Ne was so loth out of a town to fare.6

5

This Troilus withouten rede or lore,"
As man that hath his joyes eke forlore,8
Was waiting on his lady evermore,

As she that was soothfast, and crop1o and more
Of all his lust or joyès heretofore.

But, Troilus, now farewell all thy joy;

For thou shalt never see her eft11 in Troy!.

Creseidè, when she ready was to ride,
Full sorrowfully she sighed, and said "Alas!"
But forth she mote for aught that may betide;
And forth she rode full sorrowfully apace.
There is no other remedy in this case.
What wonder is though that her sorè smart
When one forgoeth her own sweetè heart!

This Troilus, in guise of courtesy,
With hawk on hand, and with an hugè rout
Of knightès, rode and did her company ;12
Passing all the valley far without;

And farther would have ridden, out of doubt,
Full fain;13 and wo was him to gone so soon;
But turn he must, and it was eke to done.14

1 In accordance with which destiny.

4 Advise.

8 Lost utterly. 12 Accompany.

5 So much care.

9 Truthful.

13 Willingly.

2 In woe.

6 To.go.

10 Root.

3 Melted.

7 Quite beside himself. 11 After this day.

14 Had to be done.

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