Geoffrey Chaucer, The Knyghtes Tale

The Knyghtes Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer

And thus with victorie and with melodyeLete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde,
And thus with victory and with festivity
I leave this noble duke riding to Athens, 872-3
He was war, as he caste his eye aside,He was aware, as he cast his eye aside 896
A compaignye of ladyes, tweye and tweye,A company of ladies, two by two 898
For, certes, lord, ther is noon of us alleThat she ne hath been a duchesse or a queene.For, certainly, lord, there is not one of us allWho has not been a duchesse or a queen. 922-3

And yet now the olde Creon -- weylaway! --That lord is now of Thebes the citee,Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee,He, for despit and for his tirannye,To do the dede bodyes vileynye
Of alle oure lordes whiche that been yslawe,
Hath alle the bodyes on an heep ydrawe,And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent,Neither to been yburyed nor ybrent,But maketh houndes ete them in despit."And yet now the old Creon -- woe oh woe! –
Who is now lord of the city of Thebes,Filled with anger and with iniquity,
He, for spite and for his tyranny,To do dishonor to the dead bodiesOf all our lords who are slain,Has dragged all the bodies in a heap,And will not allow them, not at all, Neither to be buried nor burned,But makes hounds eat them as an insult." 938-47

And right anoon, withouten moore abood,His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood
And right away, without more delay,He displays his banner, and rode forth 965-6

And by assaut he wan the citee after,And rente adoun bothe wall and sparre and rafter;And by assault he won the city afterwards,And tore down both wall and beam and rafter; 989-90

Nat fully quyke, ne fully dede they were,They were not fully alive, nor fully dead 1015

She was arisen and al redy dight,For May wole have no slogardie anyght.
She was arisen and all ready prepared,For May will have no laziness at night. 1041-2


Fortune hath yeven us this adversitee.Som wikke aspect or disposiciounOf Saturne, by som constellacioun,
Fortune has given us this adversity.Some wicked aspect or dispositionOf Saturn, by some arrangement of the heavenly bodies 1086-8
This prison caused me nat for to crye,But I was hurt right now thurghout myn yeThis prison did not cause me to cry out,But I was hurt right now through my eye 1095-6

The fresshe beautee sleeth me sodeynlyThe fresh beauty slays me suddenly 1118
And but I have hir mercy and hir grace,That I may seen hire atte leeste weye,
I nam but deed; ther nis namoore to seye.
And unless I have her mercy and her grace,So that I can at least see her, I am as good as dead; there is no more to say. 1120-2
Thyn is affeccioun of hoolynesse,And myn is love as to a creature;Thine is a feeling of holiness,
And mine is love as to a creature 1158-9

To stonden in hir grace; namoore shal ITo stand in her good graces; no more shall I 1173

We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon;They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon.
Ther cam a kyte, whil that they were so wrothe,And baar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe.And therfore, at the kynges court, my brother,Ech man for hymself, ther is noon oother.Love, if thee list, for I love and ay shal;And soothly, leeve brother, this is al.
We strive as the hounds did for the bone;They fought all day, and yet their share was nothing.There came a kite, while they were so angry,
And carried away the bone between them both.
And therefore, at the king's court, my brother,
Each man for himself, there is no other (way).Love, if it please thee, for I love and always shall;And truly, dear brother, this is all 1177-84


Greet was the strif and long bitwix hem tweye,
If that I hadde leyser for to seye; Great and long was the strife between them two,
If I had leisure to tell (it) 1187-8
So wel they lovede, as olde bookes sayn,That whan that oon was deed, soothly to telle,His felawe wente and soughte hym doun in helleSo well they loved, as old books say,That when one was dead, truly to tell,
His friend went and sought him down in hell 1198-1200
That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed.Ther nas noon oother remedie ne reed;That with a sword he should lose his head.
There was no other remedy nor course of action 1215-6
To sleen hymself he waiteth prively.To slay himself he secretly awaits (an opportunity). 1222
For possible is, syn thou hast hire presence,And art a knyght, a worthy and an able,For it is possible, since thou hast her presence,And art a knight, a worthy and an able (one) 1240-1
Allas, why pleynen folk so in communeOn purveiaunce of God, or of Fortune,That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyseWel bettre than they kan hemself devyse?Alas, why do folk so commonly complain About the providence of God, or of Fortune, That gives them full often in many a manner Much better than they can themselves imagine? 1251-4

We faren as he that dronke is as a mous.A dronke man woot wel he hath an hous,But he noot which the righte wey is thider,And to a dronke man the wey is slider.We act like one who is drunk as a mouse.
A drunk man knows well he has a house,
But he does not know which is the right way to it, And to a drunk man the way is slippery 1261-4

Ther now I am exiled fro my wele.Whereas now I am exiled from my source of happiness 1272

And make a werre so sharp on this citeeThat by som aventure or some tretee
Thow mayst have hire to lady and to wyf
And make a war so sharp on this cityThat by some chance or some treatyThou mayest have her as lady and as wife 1287-9

And whan a beest is deed he hath no peyne;And when a beast is dead he has no pain 1319

Yow loveres axe I now this questioun:Yow lovers now I ask this question 1347
That oother wher hym list may ride or go,But seen his lady shal he nevere mo.That other where he pleases may ride or walk,
But he shall see his lady nevermore 1351-2
His slep, his mete, his drynke, is hym biraft,That lene he wex and drye as is a shaft;He is bereft of his sleep, his food, his drink
So that he became lean and dry as is a stick 1361-2
So feble eek were his spiritz, and so lowe,And chaunged so, that no man koude knowe
His speche nor his voys, though men it herde.
So feeble also were his spirits, and so low,And changed so, that no man could knowHis speech nor his voice, though men heard it 1369-71

Hym thoughte how that the wynged god MercurieBiforn hym stood and bad hym to be murie.
It seemed to him that the winged god MercuryStood before him and commanded him to be merry 1385-6

From yeer to yeer, ful pryvely his rente;But honestly and slyly he it spente,
From year to year, very secretly, his income;But properly and slyly he spent it 1443-4

The bisy larke, messager of day,Salueth in hir song the morwe gray,
And firy Phebus riseth up so bright
That al the orient laugheth of the light,
And with his stremes dryeth in the greves
The silver dropes hangynge on the leves.
The busy lark, messenger of day,Salutes the morning gray in her song,And fiery Phoebus rises up so brightThat all the orient laughs because of the light,And with his rays dries in the grovesThe silver drops hanging on the leaves 1491-6

Is risen and looketh on the myrie day.And for to doon his observaunce to May, Remembrynge on the poynt of his desir,
He on a courser, startlynge as the fir,
Is riden into the feeldes hym to pleye,
Out of the court, were it a myle or tweye.
Is risen and looks on the merry day.And to do his observance to May,Meditating on the object of his desire,He on a war horse, leaping about like the fire,Has ridden into the fields to amuse himself,Out of the court, about a mile or two 1499-1504

And from his courser, with a lusty herte,Into the grove ful hastily he sterte,
And in a path he rometh up and doun,
And from his war horse, with an eager heart,He rushed into the grove hastily,And in a path he roams up and down 1513-5

As doon thise loveres in hir queynte geres,Now in the crope, now doun in the breres,
Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.
As these lovers do in their strange manners,Now in the tree top, now down in the briars,Now up, now down, like a bucket in a well 1531-3

And yet dooth Juno me wel moore shame,For I dar noght biknowe myn owene name;
And yet Juno does me much more shame,For I dare not acknowledge my own name 1555-6

He felte a coold swerd sodeynliche glyde,
For ire he quook; no lenger wolde he byde.
He felt a cold sword suddenly glide,For anger he trembled; no longer would he wait 1575-6

And if so be that thou my lady wynne,
And sle me in this wode ther I am inne,
Thow mayst wel have thy lady as for me."
And if it so be that thou win my lady,And slay me in this wood where I am in,Thou mayest well have thy lady as far as I am concerned 1617-9

Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreyneThe bataille in the feeld bitwix hem tweyne;
Both sufficient and suitable to decideThe battle in the field between them two 1631-2

Everich of hem heelp for to armen ootherAs freendly as he were his owene brother;
Each one of them helped to arm the otherAs friendly as if he were his own brother 1651-2

That frothen whit as foom for ire wood.Up to the ancle foghte they in hir blood.
That froth at the mouth white as foam for mad anger. They fought up to the ankle in their blood. 1659-60

…though the world had swornThe contrarie of a thyng by ye or nay,
Yet somtyme it shal fallen on a day
So strong it is that, though the world had swornThe contrary of a thing by yes or no,Yet sometimes it shall happen on one day 1666-8

That for to hunten is so desirus,And namely at the grete hert in May,
That in his bed ther daweth hym no day
That he nys clad, and redy for to ryde
Who is so desirous to hunt,And especially at the large hart in May,That in his bed there dawns for him no dayThat he is not clad, and ready to ride 1674-7

That it is al his joye and appetitTo been hymself the grete hertes bane,
For after Mars he serveth now Dyane.
That it is all his joy and desireTo be himself the large hart's slayer,For next to Mars he now serves Diana 1680-2

This duc wol han a cours at hym or tweyeThis duke will have a run or two at him 1694

And whan this duc was come unto the launde,Under the sonne he looketh, and anon
He was war of Arcite and Palamon,
And when this duke was come unto the glade,He looks toward the sun, and immediatelyHe was aware of Arcite and Palamon 1696-8

But sle me first, for seinte charitee!But sle my felawe eek as wel as me;
But slay me first, by holy charity!But slay my fellow also as well as me 1721-2

Wherfore I axe deeth and my juwise;Therefore I ask death and my judicial sentence 1739

Youre owene mouth, by youre confessioun,Hath dampned yow, and I wol it recorde;
It nedeth noght to pyne yow with the corde.
Ye shal be deed, by myghty Mars the rede!"
Your own mouth, by your confession,Has condemned you, and I will pronounce it;There is no deed to torture you with the cord.You shall be dead, by mighty Mars the red!" 1744-7

For gentil men they were of greet estaat,And no thyng but for love was this debaat;
For they were gentle men of high rank,And this debate was for nothing but love 1753-4

And eek his herte hadde compassiounOf wommen, for they wepen evere in oon,
And also his heart had compassionOf women, for they weep continually 1770-1

But been a leon, bothe in word and dede,To hem that been in repentaunce and drede,
As wel as to a proud despitous man
That wol mayntene that he first bigan.
That lord hath litel of discrecioun,
But be a lion, both in word and deed,To those who are in repentance and fear,As well as to a proud, spiteful manWho will persist in what he first began.
That lord has little sound judgment 1775-9

Now looketh, is nat that an heigh folye?Now look, is that not a great folly? 1798

She woot namoore of al this hoote fare,By God, than woot a cokkow or an hare!She knows no more of all this passionate business, By God, than knows a cuckoo or a hare! 1809-10

And they hym sworen his axyng faire and weel,And they fairly and well swore to him (to do) his request 1826

Who looketh lightly now but Palamoun?Who spryngeth up for joye but Arcite?
Who but Palamon looks happy now?Who springs up for joy but Arcite? 1870-1

That swich a noble theatre as it wasI dar wel seyen in this world ther nas.The circuit a myle was aboute,
Walled of stoon, and dyched al withoute.
Round was the shap, in manere 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.
That such a noble theatre as it was
I dare well say there was not (another such) in this world.The circumference was a mile around,Walled with stone, and surrounded by a ditch.Round was the shape, in the manner of a circle,Full of tiers of seats, the height of sixty paces,That when a man was set on one tier of seats,He did not hinder his fellow from seeing 1885-92

For in the lond ther was no crafty manThat geometrie or ars-metrike kan,
Ne portreyour, ne kervere of ymages,
That Theseus ne yaf him mete and wagesThe theatre for to maken and devyse.
And for to doon his ryte and sacrifise,
He estward hath, upon the gate above,
In worshipe of Venus, goddesse of love,
Doon make an auter and an oratorie;
And on the gate westward, in memorie
Of Mars, he maked hath right swich another,
That coste largely of gold a fother.
And northward, in a touret on the wal,
Of alabastre whit and reed coral,
An oratorie, riche for to see,
In worshipe of Dyane of chastitee,
For in the land there was no skilled manWho knows geometry or arithmetic,Nor painter, nor carver of images,
That Theseus did not give him food and wagesTo make and devise the theatre.And to do his rite and sacrifice,He has eastward, upon the gate above,In worship of Venus, goddess of love,Had made an altar and a chapel;And on the westward gate, in memoryOf Mars, he has made just such another,That cost fully a cartload of gold.And northward, in a turret on the wall,Of white alabaster and red coral,A chapel, rich to look upon,In worship of Diana of chastity 1897-1912

For as hir list the world than may she gye.For she may rule the world as she pleases 1950

And fro the navele doun al covered wasWith wawes grene, and brighte as any glas.
A citole in hir right hand hadde she,
And on hir heed, ful semely for to se,A rose gerland, fressh and wel smellynge;
Above hir heed hir dowves flikerynge.
And from the navel down all was covered With waves green and bright as any glass.She had a citole (zither-like instrument) in her right hand, And on her head, very elegant to look upon,A rose garland, fresh and fragrant;Above her head her doves fluttering 1957-62

Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al
The portreiture that was upon the wal
Withinne the temple of myghty 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
Ther as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.
/
First on the wal was peynted a forest,In which ther dwelleth neither man ne best,
With knotty, knarry, bareyne trees olde,
Of stubbes sharpe and hidouse to biholde,In which ther ran a rumbel in a swough,
As though a storm sholde bresten every bough.
And dounward from an hille, under a bente,
Ther stood the temple of Mars armypotente
Why should I not as well also tell you allThe portraiture that was upon the wallWithin the temple of mighty Mars the red?All painted was the wall, in length and breadth,Like to the interior of the grisly placeThat is called the Great Temple of Mars in Thrace,In that same cold, frosty regionWhere Mars has his most excellent mansion. /
First a forest was painted on the wall,In which there dwells neither man nor beast,With knotty, gnarled, barren old trees,Of stumps sharp and hideous to behold,Through which there ran a rumbling in a moaning of wind,As though a storm should burst every bough.And downward from a hill, close to a grassy slope,There stood the temple of Mars, powerful in arms 1967-82

The smylere with the knyf under the cloke;The smiler with the knife under the cloak 1999

The careyne in the busk, with throte ycorve;A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm ystorve;
The corpse in the woods, with (its) throat cut;A thousand slain, and not killed by the plague 2013-4

Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres;The hunte strangled with the wilde beres;
The sowe freten the child right in the cradel;
The cook yscalded, for al his longe ladel.
Noght was foryeten by the infortune of Marte.
The cartere overryden with his carte --
Yet I saw burned the ships dancing (on the waves);
The hunter killed by the wild bears;The sow devouring the child right in the cradle;The cook scalded, despite his long-handled spoon.Nothing concerning the evil influence of Mars was forgotten.The wagon driver run over by his wagon 2017-22

Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,Yet was hir deth depeynted ther-biforn
By manasynge of Mars, right by figure;
Although at that same time they were unborn,Yet was their death depicted before thenBy menacing of Mars, according to the horoscope; 2033-5

A wolf ther stood biforn hym at his feetWith eyen rede, and of a man he eet;
A wolf stood there before him at his feetWith red eyes, and he ate of a man 2047-8

Ther saugh I Dane, yturned til a tree --I mene nat the goddesse Diane,
But Penneus doghter, which that highte Dane.
Ther saugh I Attheon an hert ymaked,
For vengeaunce that he saugh Diane al naked;
I saugh how that his houndes have hym caught
And freeten hym, for that they knewe hym naught.Yet peynted was a litel forther moorHow Atthalante hunted the wilde boor,
And Meleagre, and many another mo,
There I saw Daphne, turned into a tree --I mean not the goddess Diana,But Penneus' daughter, who is called Daphne.There I saw Actaeon changed into a hart,For vengeance that he saw Diana all naked;I saw how his hounds have caught him And devoured him, because they did not know him. Yet was painted a little further on How Atalanta hunted the wild boar,And Meleager, and many more others 2062-71

This goddesse on an hert ful hye seet,With smale houndes al aboute hir feet,And undernethe hir feet she hadde a moone --Wexynge it was and sholde wanye soone.
In gaude grene hir statue clothed was,With bowe in honde and arwes in a cas.
This goddess sat full high on a hart,
With small hounds all about her feet,
And underneath her feet she had a moon --Waxing it was and should wane soon.
Her statue was clothed in yellowish green,With bow in hand and arrows in a quiver 2075-80

To fighte for a lady, benedicitee!It were a lusty sighte for to see.
To fight for a lady, bless me! It would be a pleasing sight to see 2115-6

His longe heer was kembd bihynde his bak;As any ravenes fethere it shoon for blak;
His long hair was combed behind his back;Like any raven's feather it shone because of its blackness 2143-4

The mynstralcye, the service at the feeste,The grete yiftes to the meeste and leeste,
The riche array of Theseus paleys,
Ne who sat first ne last upon the deys,
What ladyes fairest been or best daunsynge,
Or which of hem kan dauncen best and synge,Ne who moost felyngly speketh of love;What haukes sitten on the perche above,
What houndes liggen on the floor adoun --
Of al this make I now no mencioun,
The music, the service at the feast,The great gifts to every one,The rich adornment of Theseus' palace,Nor who sat first nor last upon the dais,What ladies are fairest or best in dancing,
Or which of them can dance best and sing,
Nor who speaks most feelingly of love;What hawks sit on the perch above,What hounds lie down on the floor --I now make no mention of all this 2197-2206

And holden werre alwey with chastitee.And make war always against chastity 2236

Thy temple wol I worshipe everemo,And on thyn auter, where I ride or go,
I will worship thy temple evermore,And on thy altar, whether I ride or walk (whatever I do) 2251-2

Up roos the sonne, and up roos EmelyeAnd to the temple of Dyane gan hye.
Hir maydens, that she thider with hire ladde,
Ful redily with hem the fyr they hadde,
Up rose the sun, and up rose EmelyeAnd to the temple of Diana did hasten.Her maidens, whom she led thither with her,They had the fire full readily with them 2273-6

I am, thow woost, yet of thy compaignye,A mayde, and love huntynge and venerye,
And for to walken in the wodes wilde,And noght to ben a wyf and be with childe.
I am, thou knowest, yet of thy company,A maiden, and love hunting and the chase,
And to walk in the wild woods,And not to be a wife and be with child 2307-10

The fires brenne upon the auter cleere,Whil Emelye was thus in hir preyere.
The fires burn brightly upon the altar,While Emelye was thus in her prayer 2331-2

For which so soore agast was EmelyeThat she was wel ny mad and gan to crye,
For she ne wiste what it signyfied,
For which so sorely frightened was EmelyeThat she was well nigh mad and began to cry,For she did not know what it signified 2341-3

And hast in every regne and every londOf armes al the brydel in thyn hond,
And hast in every reign and every landAll the control of arms in thy hand, 2375-6

For thilke peyne and thilke hoote firIn which thow whilom brendest for desir,
For that same pain and that same hot fire
In which thou once burned for desire 2383-4

For thilke fyr that whilom brente thee,For that same fire that once burned thee 2403

A sweete smel the ground anon up yaf,And Arcita anon his hand up haf,
And moore encens into the fyr he caste,
With othere rytes mo; and atte laste
A sweet smell the ground at once yielded up,And Arcite immediately raised up his hand,And he cast more incense into the fire,With more other rites; and at the last 2427-30

As fayn as fowel is of the brighte sonne.As happy as a fowl is for the bright sun 2437

Til that the pale Saturnus the colde,Until the pale Saturn the hostile 2443

Men may the olde atrenne and noght atrede.One can outrun the old but not outwit them 2449

"My cours, that hath so wyde for to turne,Hath moore power than woot any man.
Myn is the drenchyng in the see so wan;
Myn is the prison in the derke cote;
"My orbit, that has so wide (a course) to turn,Has more power than any man knows.Mine is the drowning in the sea so dark;Mine is the imprisonment in the dark cell 2454-7

I do vengeance and pleyn correccioun,Whil I dwelle in the signe of the leoun.
I exact vengeance and do full punishment,While I dwell in the (zodiacal) sign of the lion 2461-2

Made every wight to been in swich plesaunceThat al that Monday justen they and daunce, Made every person to be in such delightThat all that Monday they joust and dance 2485-6

But by the cause that they sholde ryseEerly, for to seen the grete fight,Unto hir reste wenten they at nyght.But because they must rise
Early, to see the great fight,
Unto their rest they went at nightfall 2488-90

The heraudes lefte hir prikyng up and doun;Now ryngen trompes loude and clarioun.
Ther is namoore to seyn, but west and est
The heralds left their spurring up and down;Now trumpets and bugles ring loud. There is no more to say, but from west and east 2599-60

Ther stomblen steedes stronge, and doun gooth al,He rolleth under foot as dooth a bal;
There strong steeds stumble, and down goes all,He rolls under foot as does a ball 2613-4

Ful ofte a day han thise Thebanes twoTogydre ymet, and wroght his felawe wo;
Many times these two Thebans have Met together, and (each) wrought woe to his opponent 2623-4

Ne in Belmarye ther nys so fel leon,That hunted is, or for his hunger wood,
Ne of his praye desireth so the blood,
Nor in Benmarin there is not so fierce a lion,That is hunted, or maddened by his hunger,
Nor of his prey desires so the blood 2630-2

But al for noght; he was broght to the stake.His hardy herte myghte hym helpe naught:But all for naught; he was brought to the stake. His hardy heart could not help him 2648-9

Who sorweth now but woful Palamoun,That moot namoore goon agayn to fighte?
Who sorrows now but woeful Palamon,That must no more go again to fight? 2652-3

This fierse Arcite hath of his helm ydon,And on a courser, for to shewe his face,
He priketh endelong the large place
This fierce Arcite has taken off his helm,And on a war horse, to show his face,He spurs from one end to the other of the large open space 2676-8


To othere woundes and to broken armesSomme hadden salves, and somme hadden charmes;
Fermacies of herbes, and eek saveThey dronken, for they wolde hir lymes have.
For which this noble duc, as he wel kan,
Conforteth and honoureth every man,
To other wounds and to broken armsSome had salves, and some had charms; Medicines made of herbs, and also of sageThey drank, for they wanted to have their limbs cured.For which this noble duke, as he well knows how,Comforts and honors every man 2711-6

Ther may no man clepen it cowardye.No man there may call it cowardice 2730

And yaf hem yiftes after hir degree,And fully heeld a feeste dayes three,
And gave them gifts in accordance with their ranks,And held a feast for fully three days 2735-6

Hym gayneth neither, for to gete his lif,Vomyt upward, ne dounward laxatif.
Avails him neither, to preserve his life,Vomit upward, nor downward laxative 2755-6

And certeinly, ther Nature wol nat wirche,Fare wel phisik! Go ber the man to chirche!
And certainly, where Nature will not work,Fare well medicine! Go bear the man to church! 2759-60

Allas, the wo! Allas, the peynes stronge,That I for yow have suffred, and so longe!Alas, the woe! Alas, the strong pains,
That I have suffered for you, and so long! 2771-2

For from his feet up to his brest was comeThe coold of deeth, that hadde hym overcome, For from his feet up to his breast had comeThe cold of death, which had overcome him 2799-800

His spirit chaunged hous and wente ther,As I cam nevere, I kan nat tellen wher.
His spirit changed house and went where,Since I came never (there), I can not tell where 2809-10

Shrighte Emelye, and howleth Palamon,Emelye shrieked, and Palamon howls 2817

"Why woldestow be deed," thise wommen crye,"And haddest gold ynough, and Emelye?"
"Why wouldst thou be dead," these women cry,"Since thou haddest gold enough, and Emelye?" 2835-6

This world nys but a thurghfare ful of wo,This world is nothing but a thoroughfare full of woe 2847

To this effect, ful wisely to enhorteThe peple that they sholde hem reconforte.
To this effect, full wisely to exhortThe people that they should comfort themselves. 2851-2

That in that selve grove, swoote and grene,That in that same grove, sweet-smelling and green 2860

With slakke paas and eyen rede and wete,Thurghout the citee by the maister strete,
With slow pace and eyes red and wet,Throughout the city by the main street 2901-2

Ne hou the goddes ronnen up and doun,Disherited of hire habitacioun,
Nor how the gods ran up and down,Disinherited of their habitation 2925-6

Ne what jeweles men in the fyre caste,Whan that the fyr was greet and brente faste;
Ne how somme caste hir sheeld, and somme hir spere,
And of hire vestimentz, whiche that they were,
Nor what jewels men threw in the fire,When the fire was great and burned fast;Nor how some threw their shields, and some their spears,And of their vestments, which they wore 2945-8

Who wrastleth best naked with oille enoynt,Who wrestles best, naked with oil anointed 2961

Unwist of hym what was the cause and why,But in his blake clothes sorwefully
He cam at his comandement in hye.
Unknown by him (Palamon) what was the cause and why,But in his black clothes sorrowfullyHe came at his (Theseus's) commandment in haste 2977-9

"The Firste Moevere of the cause above,Whan he first made the faire cheyne of love,
Greet was th'effect, and heigh was his entente.
Wel wiste he why, and what thereof he mente,
"The First Mover of the First Cause above,When he first made the faire chain of love,Great was the effect, and noble was his plan.Well knew he why, and what thereof he meant 2987-90

For it is preeved by experience,But that me list declaren my sentence.
For it is proven by experience,Unless I wish to make my meaning more clear 3001-2


Yet wasteth it as it lyth by the weye.The brode ryver somtyme wexeth dreye;
The grete tounes se we wane and wende.
Thanne may ye se that al this thyng hath ende.
Eventually it is worn away as it lies by the way.The broad river sometimes grows dry;We see the great cities grow weak and pass away.Then you can see that all things have an end. 3023-6

To maken vertu of necessitee,To make virtue of necessity 3042

And certeinly a man hath moost honourTo dyen in his excellence and flour,
Whan he is siker of his goode name;
Thanne hath he doon his freend, ne hym, no shame.And certainly a man has most honorTo die in his (time of) excellence and flower,When he is sure of his good name;
Then he has not done his friend, nor himself, any shame. 3047-50

Out of this foule prisoun of this lyf?Out of this foul prison of this life? 3061

That both his soule and eek hemself offende,And yet they mowe hir lustes nat amende.
They offend both his soul and themselves as well,And as yet they may not change their desires. 3065-6

"I trowe ther nedeth litel sermonyngTo make yow assente to this thyng.
Com neer, and taak youre lady by the hond."
"I suppose little preaching is needed hereTo make you assent to this thing.Come near, and take your lady by the hand." 3091-3

For now is Palamon in alle wele,
Lyvynge in blisse, in richesse, and in heele,For now is Palamon in complete happiness
Living in bliss, in riches, and in health 3101-2