1901

THE THEATRE FOR THE ORDEAL. 73
Was noon in erthe, as in so litel space;
For in the lond ther was no crafty man
That geometrie or ars metrik1 kan, (1900 T.)
Ne portreitour, ne kervere of ymages,
That Theseus ne gaf hem 2 mete and wages,
The theatre for to maken and devyse.
And, for to doon his ryte and sacrifise,
He estward hath up-on the gate above,
In worshipe of Venus, goddesse of love,
Doon make an auter and an oratorie;
And on the westward side,2 in memorie
Of Mars, he maked hath right swich another,
That coste largely of gold a fother.3

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

1910

Hath Theseus doon wroght in noble wyse.
But yet hadde I forgeten to devyse
The noble kervyng and the portreitures,*
The shape, the contenaunce, and the figures
That weren in thise oratories thre.

5

First, in the temple of Venus maystow se, Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde, The broken slepes, and the sikes colde, 1920 The sacred teeris, and the waymentynge, 8 The firy strokes, and the desirynge,

That loves servauntz in this lyf enduren ;

1 Arithmetic (ars metrica).

Designs.
Wailing.

5 Appearance.

2

Not in Elles. MS. 3 Load. Sighs. 7 Camb. MS. has "secret."

The othes that her covenantz assuren.
Plesaunce and Hope, Desir, Foolhardynesse,
Beautee and Youthe, Bauderie, Richesse,
Charmes and Force, Lesynges, Flaterye,
Despense, Bisynesse and Jalousye

That wered of yelewe gooldes1 a gerland
And a cokkow 2 sitynge on hir hand ; 1930
Festes, instrumentz, caroles, daunces,

Lust and array, and alle the circumstaunces
Of love, whiche that I rekned have, and rekne
shal,

1940

By ordre weren peynted on the wal,
And mo than I kan make of mencioun ;
For soothly al the mount of Citheroun,
Ther Venus hath hir principal dwellynge,
Was shewed on the wal in portreyynge,
With al the gardyn and the lustynesse.
Nat was forgeten the porter Ydelnesse,
Ne Narcisus the faire of yore agon,
Ne yet the folye of kyng Salamon,
And eek the grete strengthe of Ercules,
Thenchauntementz of Medea and Circes,
Ne of Turnus with the hardy fiers corage,
The riche Cresus, kaytyf in servage. (1948 T.)
Thus may ye seen that Wysdom ne Richesse,
Beautee ne Sleighte, Strengthe, Hardynesse,
Ne may with Venus holde champartie,*
For as hir list the world than may she gye.5

1949

1 Turnsols. 2 Emblem of marital faithlessness. 3 Elles. MS. has and." Partnership in power. 5 Guide.

THE TEMPLES OF VENUS AND MARS. 75 Lo alle thise folk so caught were in hir las 1 Til they for wo ful ofte seyde, "Allas!" Suffiseth heere ensamples oon or two, And though I koude rekone a thousand mo. The statue of Venus, glorious for to se, Was naked, fletynge 2 in the large see, And fro the navele doun al covered was With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas. A citole in hir right hand hadde she,

8

And on hir heed, ful semely for to se, 1960
A rose gerland, fressh and wel smellynge,
Above hir heed hir dowves flikerynge.
Biforn hire stood hir sone Cupido,

Up-on his shuldres wynges hadde he two,
And blind he was, as it is often seene;
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
With-inne the temple of myghty Mars the rede?
Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede,
Lyk to the estres of the grisly place

1971

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 nor best, With knotty, knarry, bareyne trees olde Of stubbes sharpe and hidouse to biholde,

1 Snare. 2 Floating. 3 A stringed instrument.

passages.

4 Interior,

In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough,1

2

As though a storm sholde bresten every

bough;

1980

5

And dounward from an hille, under a bente,
Ther stood the temple of Mars armypotente,
Wroght al of burned steel, of which the entree
Was long and streit and gastly for to see ;
And ther out came a rage, and such a veze
That it made all the gate for to rese."
The Northren Lyght in at the dores shoon,
For wyndowe on the wal ne was ther noon
Thurgh which men myghten any light dis-

The dore was al of adamant eterne,

Yclenched overthwart and endelong

With iren tough, and for to make it strong,
Every pyler the temple to sustene

1990

Was tonne greet," of iren bright and shene.
Ther saugh I first the derke ymaginyng
Of felonye, and the compassyng ;.
The crueel ire, reed as any gleede ;

11

The pykepurs, and eke the pale drede; (2000 T.) The smyiere, with the knyfe under the cloke; The shepne,10 brennynge with the blake smoke; The tresoun of the mordrynge in the bedde;11 The open werre, with woundes al bi-bledde ; Contek 12 with blody knyf, and sharpe manace: Al ful of chirkyng 18 was that sory place. 2004

1 A rumble and a general, confused noise. Burnished. 5 Rush of wind. Quake. Live coal. 9 Pickpocket. 10 Sheep pens. Danaïdes. 12 Contest. 13 Shrieking.

2 Burst. 3 Declivity.

Of the size of a tun. 11 This refers to the

THE TEMPLES OF VENUS AND MARS. 77

1

The sleere of hym self yet saugh I ther, His herte blood hath bathed al his heer, The nayl ydryven in the shode 1 a-nyght;2 The colde deeth, with mouth gapyng up right; Amyddes of the temple sat Meschaunce, With disconfort and sory contenaunce.

4

8

2010

Yet saugh I Woodnesse, laughynge in his

rage,

6

8

Armed compleint, out-hees," and fiers outrage,
The careyne, in the busk," with throte ycorve,
A thousand slayn and not of qualm ystorve;
The tiraunt with the pray by force yraft;
The toun destroyed, ther was no thyng laft.

9

Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres ;" The hunte 10 strangled with the wilde beres ; The sowe freten 11 the child right in the cradel; The cook yscalded for al his longe ladel. 2020 Noght was forgeten by the infortune of

Marte,

The cartere over-ryden with his carte ;
Under the wheel ful lowe he lay adoun.
Ther were also of Martes divisioun,

The barbour and the bocher, and the smyth
That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his styth;
And al above, depeynted in a tour,

Saugh I Conquest 12 sittynge in greet honour
With the sharpe swerd over his heed
Hangynge by a soutil twynes threed.

Cf. 1. 8654.

2030

Anger. 5 Out8 Dead of disease. Dancing ships, or 11 Devoured. 12 Damocles (?).

1 Parting of the hair. 2 Sisera. cries. 6 Corpse. 7 Bush. pposing ships. 10 Hunter.