Troilus and Criseyde Part 4

But Troilus lay tho no lenger doun, But up anoon up-on his stede bay, And in the feld he pleyde tho leoun; Wo was that Greek that with him mette that day. 1075 And in the toun his maner tho forth ay So goodly was, and gat him so in grace, That ech him lovede that loked on his face.

For he bicom the frendlyeste wight, The gentileste, and eek the moste free, 1080 The thriftieste and oon the beste knight, That in his tyme was, or mighte be.

Dede were his Iapes and his crueltee, His heighe port and his manere estraunge, And ech of tho gan for a vertu chaunge. 1085

Now lat us stinte of Troilus a stounde, That fareth lyk a man that hurt is sore, And is somdel of akinge of his wounde Y-lissed wel, but heled no del more: And, as an esy pacient, the lore 1090 Abit of him that gooth aboute his cure; And thus he dryveth forth his aventure.

Explicit Liber Primus

BOOK II. Incipit Prohemium Secundi Libri.

Out of these blake wawes for to sayle, O wind, O wind, the weder ginneth clere; For in this see the boot hath swich travayle, Of my conning, that unnethe I it stere: This see clepe I the tempestous matere 5 Of desespeyr that Troilus was inne: But now of hope the calendes biginne.

O lady myn, that called art Cleo, Thou be my speed fro this forth, and my muse, To ryme wel this book, til I have do; 10 Me nedeth here noon other art to use.

For-why to every lovere I me excuse, That of no sentement I this endyte, But out of Latin in my tonge it wryte.

Wherfore I nil have neither thank ne blame 15 Of al this werk, but prey yow mekely, Disblameth me if any word be lame, For as myn auctor seyde, so seye I.

Eek though I speke of love unfelingly, No wondre is, for it no-thing of newe is; 20 A blind man can nat Iuggen wel in hewis.

Ye knowe eek, that in forme of speche is chaunge With-inne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho That hadden prys, now wonder nyce and straunge Us thinketh hem; and yet they spake hem so, 25 And spedde as wel in love as men now do; Eek for to winne love in sondry ages, In sondry londes, sondry ben usages.

And for-thy if it happe in any wyse, That here be any lovere in this place 30 That herkneth, as the storie wol devyse, How Troilus com to his lady grace, And thenketh, so nolde I nat love purchace, Or wondreth on his speche or his doinge, I noot; but it is me no wonderinge; 35

For every wight which that to Rome went, Halt nat o path, or alwey o manere; Eek in som lond were al the gamen shent, If that they ferde in love as men don here, As thus, in open doing or in chere, 40 In visitinge, in forme, or seyde hire sawes; For-thy men seyn, ech contree hath his lawes.

Eek scarsly been ther in this place three That han in love seid lyk and doon in al; For to thy purpos this may lyken thee, 45 And thee right nought, yet al is seyd or shal; Eek som men grave in tree, som in stoon wal, As it bit.i.t; but sin I have begonne, Myn auctor shal I folwen, if I conne.

Exclipit prohemium Secundi Libri.

Incipit Liber Secundus.

In May, that moder is of monthes glade, 50 That fresshe floures, blewe, and whyte, and rede, Ben quike agayn, that winter dede made, And ful of bawme is fleting every mede; Whan Phebus doth his brighte bemes sprede Right in the whyte Bole, it so bitidde 55 As I shal singe, on Mayes day the thridde,

That Pandarus, for al his wyse speche, Felt eek his part of loves shottes kene, That, coude he never so wel of loving preche, It made his hewe a-day ful ofte grene; 60 So shoop it, that hym fil that day a tene In love, for which in wo to bedde he wente, And made, er it was day, ful many a wente.

The swalwe Proigne, with a sorwful lay, Whan morwe com, gan make hir waymentinge, 65 Why she forshapen was; and ever lay Pandare a-bedde, half in a slomeringe, Til she so neigh him made hir chiteringe How Tereus gan forth hir suster take, That with the noyse of hir he gan a-wake; 70

And gan to calle, and dresse him up to ryse, Remembringe him his erand was to done From Troilus, and eek his greet empryse; And caste and knew in good plyt was the mone To doon viage, and took his wey ful sone 75 Un-to his neces paleys ther bi-syde; Now Ia.n.u.s, G.o.d of entree, thou him gyde!

Whan he was come un-to his neces place, 'Wher is my lady?' to hir folk seyde he; And they him tolde; and he forth in gan pace, 80 And fond, two othere ladyes sete and she, With-inne a paved parlour; and they three Herden a mayden reden hem the geste Of the Sege of Thebes, whyl hem leste.

Quod Pandarus, 'Ma dame, G.o.d yow see, 85 With al your book and al the companye!'

'Ey, uncle myn, welcome y-wis,' quod she, And up she roos, and by the hond in hye She took him faste, and seyde, 'This night thrye, To goode mote it turne, of yow I mette!' 90 And with that word she doun on bench him sette.

'Ye, nece, ye shal fare wel the bet, If G.o.d wole, al this yeer,' quod Pandarus; 'But I am sory that I have yow let To herknen of your book ye preysen thus; 95 For G.o.ddes love, what seith it? tel it us.

Is it of love? O, som good ye me lere!'

'Uncle,' quod she, 'your maistresse is not here!'

With that they gonnen laughe, and tho she seyde, 'This romaunce is of Thebes, that we rede; 100 And we han herd how that king Laius deyde Thurgh Edippus his sone, and al that dede; And here we stenten at these lettres rede, How the bisshop, as the book can telle, Amphiorax, fil thurgh the ground to h.e.l.le.' 105

Quod Pandarus, 'Al this knowe I my-selve, And al the a.s.sege of Thebes and the care; For her-of been ther maked bokes twelve: -- But lat be this, and tel me how ye fare; Do wey your barbe, and shew your face bare; 110 Do wey your book, rys up, and lat us daunce, And lat us don to May som observaunce.'

'A! G.o.d forbede!' quod she. 'Be ye mad?

Is that a widewes lyf, so G.o.d you save?

By G.o.d, ye maken me right sore a-drad, 115 Ye ben so wilde, it semeth as ye rave!

It sete me wel bet ay in a cave To bidde, and rede on holy seyntes lyves; Lat maydens gon to daunce, and yonge wyves.'

'As ever thryve I,' quod this Pandarus, 120 'Yet coude I telle a thing to doon you pleye.'

'Now, uncle dere,' quod she, 'tel it us For G.o.ddes love; is than the a.s.sege aweye?

I am of Grekes so ferd that I deye.'

'Nay, nay,' quod he, 'as ever mote I thryve! 125 It is a thing wel bet than swiche fyve.'

'Ye, holy G.o.d,' quod she, 'what thing is that?

What! Bet than swiche fyve? Ey, nay, y-wis!

For al this world ne can I reden what It sholde been; som Iape, I trowe, is this; 130 And but your-selven telle us what it is, My wit is for to arede it al to lene; As help me G.o.d, I noot nat what ye meene.'

'And I your borow, ne never shal, for me, This thing be told to yow, as mote I thryve!' 135 'And why so, uncle myn? Why so?' quod she.

'By G.o.d,' quod he, 'that wole I telle as blyve; For prouder womman were ther noon on-lyve, And ye it wiste, in al the toun of Troye; I iape nought, as ever have I Ioye!' 140

Tho gan she wondren more than biforn A thousand fold, and doun hir eyen caste; For never, sith the tyme that she was born, To knowe thing desired she so faste; And with a syk she seyde him at the laste, 145 'Now, uncle myn, I nil yow nought displese, Nor axen more, that may do yow disese.'

So after this, with many wordes glade, And freendly tales, and with mery chere, Of this and that they pleyde, and gunnen wade 150 In many an unkouth glad and deep matere, As freendes doon, whan they ben met y-fere; Til she gan axen him how Ector ferde, That was the tounes wal and Grekes yerde.

'Ful wel, I thanke it G.o.d,' quod Pandarus, 155 'Save in his arm he hath a litel wounde; And eek his fresshe brother Troilus, The wyse worthy Ector the secounde, In whom that ever vertu list abounde, As alle trouthe and alle gentillesse, 160 Wysdom, honour, fredom, and worthinesse.'

'In good feith, eem,' quod she, 'that lyketh me; They faren wel, G.o.d save hem bothe two!

For trewely I holde it greet deyntee A kinges sone in armes wel to do, 165 And been of good condiciouns ther-to; For greet power and moral vertu here Is selde y-seye in o persone y-fere.'

'In good feith, that is sooth,' quod Pandarus; 'But, by my trouthe, the king hath sones tweye, 170 That is to mene, Ector and Troilus, That certainly, though that I sholde deye, They been as voyde of vyces, dar I seye, As any men that liveth under the sonne, Hir might is wyde y-knowe, and what they conne. 175

'Of Ector nedeth it nought for to telle: In al this world ther nis a bettre knight Than he, that is of worthinesse welle; And he wel more vertu hath than might.

This knoweth many a wys and worthy wight. 180 The same prys of Troilus I seye, G.o.d help me so, I knowe not swiche tweye.'

'By G.o.d,' quod she, 'of Ector that is sooth; Of Troilus the same thing trowe I; For, dredelees, men tellen that he dooth 185 In armes day by day so worthily, And bereth him here at hoom so gentilly To every wight, that al the prys hath he Of hem that me were levest preysed be.'

'Ye sey right sooth, y-wis,' quod Pandarus; 190 'For yesterday, who-so hadde with him been, He might have wondred up-on Troilus; For never yet so thikke a swarm of been Ne fleigh, as Grekes fro him gonne fleen; And thorugh the feld, in everi wightes ere, 195 Ther nas no cry but "Troilus is there!"

'Now here, now there, he hunted hem so faste, Ther nas but Grekes blood; and Troilus, Now hem he hurte, and hem alle doun he caste; Ay where he wente, it was arayed thus: 200 He was hir deeth, and sheld and lyf for us; That as that day ther dorste noon with-stonde, Whyl that he held his blody swerd in honde.

'Therto he is the freendlieste man Of grete estat, that ever I saw my lyve; 205 And wher him list, best felaws.h.i.+pe can To suche as him thinketh able for to thryve.'

And with that word tho Pandarus, as blyve, He took his leve, and seyde, 'I wol go henne.'

'Nay, blame have I, myn uncle,' quod she thenne. 210

'What eyleth yow to be thus wery sone, And namelich of wommen? Wol ye so?

Nay, sitteth down; by G.o.d, I have to done With yow, to speke of wisdom er ye go.'

And every wight that was a-boute hem tho, 215 That herde that, gan fer a-wey to stonde, Whyl they two hadde al that hem liste in honde.