Ful many a yeer, and woost what I desire,
As keepe me fro thy vengeaunce and thyn ire
That Attheon aboughte1 cruelly;

Chaste goddesse, wel wostow that I
Desire to ben a mayden al my lyf,

Ne nevere wol I be no love, ne wyf.
I am, thow woost, yet of thy compaignye
A mayde, and love huntynge and venerye,2
And for to walken in the wodes wilde, 2309
And noght to ben a wyf and be with childe;
Noght wol I knowe the compaignye of man.
Now helpe me, lady, sith ye may and kan,
For tho thre formes & that thou hast in thee.
And Palamon, that hath swich love to me,
And eek Arcite that loveth me so soore,
This grace I preye thee with oute moore;
And sende love and pees bitwixe hem two,
And fro me turne awey hir hertes so
That al hire hoote love and hir desir,
And al hir bisy torment and hir fir,
Be queynt or turned in another place.
And if so be thou wolt do me no grace,
And if my destynee be shapen so
That I shal nedes have oon of hem two,
As sende me hym that moost desireth me.
Bihoold, goddesse of clene chastitee,

The bittre teeres that on my chekes falle.
Syn thou art mayde, and kepere of us alle,

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1 Actæon atoned for. 2 The chase. This goddess is known as Luna, Lucina, Proserpina.

DIANA APPEARS TO EMELYE.

89

My maydenhede thou kepe and wel conserve
And whil I lyve a mayde I wol thee serve." 2330
The fires brenne up-on the auter cleere
Whil Emelye was thus in hir preyere,
But sodeynly she saugh a sighte queynte,1
For right anon oon of the fyres queynte 2
And quyked agayn, and after that, anon
That oother fyr was queynt and al agon,

3

And as it queynte it made a whistlynge,

As doon thise wete brondes in hir brennynge;

And at the brondes ende out ran anon

As it were blody dropes many oon;

For which so soore agast was Emelye

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That she was wel ny mad, and gan to crye,
For she ne wiste what it signyfied,
But oonly for the feere thus hath she cried,
And weepe that it was pitee for to heere ;
And ther with al Dyane gan appeere, (2348 T.)
With bowe in honde right as an hunteresse,
And seyde, "Doghter, stynt thyn hevynesse.
Among the goddes hye it is affermed,

And by eterne word writen and confermed, 2350
Thou shalt ben wedded un-to oon of tho
That han for thee so muchel care and wo,
But un-to which of hem I may nat telle.
Farwel, for I ne may no lenger dwelle.
The fires whiche that on myn auter brenne
Shulle thee declare, er that thou go henne,
Thyn aventure of love, as in this cas.”

1 Strange. 2 Languished. Quenched. 4 Brands.

And with that word the arwes in the caas
Of the goddesse clateren faste and rynge,
And forth she wente and made a vanysshynge,
For which this Emelye astoned was, 2361

And seyde, "What amounteth this, allas!
I putte me in thy proteccioun,
Dyane, and in thy disposicioun."

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And hoom she goth anon the nexte weye.
This is theffect, ther is namoore to seye.
The nexte houre of Mars folwynge this,1
Arcite un-to the temple walked is
Of fierse Mars, to doon his sacrifise
With alle the rytes of his payen wyse.2
With pitous herte and heigh devocioun
Right thus to Mars he seyde his orisoun:
"O stronge god, that in the regnes colde
Of Trace honoured art and lord yholde,
And hast in every regne and every lond
Of armes al the brydel in thyn hond,
And hem fortunest as thee lyst devyse,
Accepte of me my pitous sacrifise.
If so be that my youthe may deserve,
And that my myght be worthy for to serve
Thy godhede, that I may been oon of thyne,
Thanne preye I thee to rewe up-on my pyne.
For thilke peyne, and thilke hoote fir,
In which thou whilom brendest for desir,
Whan that thou usedeste the beautee
Of faire, yonge, fresshe Venus free,

1 The fourth hour of the day. 2 Pagan custom.

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And haddest hire in armes at thy wille,
Al though thee ones on a tyme mysfille,
Whan Vulcanus hadde caught thee in his las,1
And foond thee liggynge by his wyf, -allas!
For thilke sorwe that was in thyn herte, 2391
Have routhe as wel up-on my peynes smerte.
I am yong and unkonnynge, as thow woost,
And, as I trowe, with love offended moost
That evere was any lyves2 creature; (2397 T.)
For she that dooth me al this wo endure
Ne reccheth nevere wher I synke or fleete.3
And wel I woot er she me mercy heete *
I moot with strengthe wynne hire in the place,
And wel I woot withouten helpe or grace 2400
Of thee, ne may my strengthe noght availle.
Thanne helpe me, lord, tomorwe in my bataille,
For thilke fyr that whilom brente thee,
As wel as thilke fyr now brenneth me,
And do that I tomorwe have victorie.
Myn be the travaille, and thyn be the glorie.
Thy sovereyn temple wol I moost honouren
Of any place, and alwey moost labouren
In thy plesaunce, and in thy craftes stronge;
And in thy temple I wol my baner honge, 2410
And alle the armes of my compaignye,

And evere mo, un-to that day I dye,
Eterne fir I wol biforn thee fynde :
And eek to this avow I wol me bynde.
My beerd, myn heer, that hongeth long adoun,
1 Snare. 2 Live. 8 Whether I sink or float. 4 Promise.

That nevere yet ne felte offensioun

Of rasour nor of shere, I wol thee geve,
And ben thy trewe servant whil I lyve.
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Now, lord, have routhe up-on my sorwes soore,
Gif me the victorie, I aske thee namoore!"
The preyere stynt1 of Arcita the stronge,
The rynges on the temple dore that honge,
And eek the dores, clatereden ful faste,
Of which Arcita som what hym agaste.
The fyres brende up-on the auter brighte,
That it gan al the temple for to lighte;
And sweete smel the ground anon up gaf,
And Arcita anon his hand up haf 2
And moore encens in to the fyr he caste,
With othere rytes mo, and atte last 2430
The statue of Mars bigan his hauberk rynge;
And with that soun he herde a murmurynge
Ful lowe and dym, that3 seyde thus: "Victo-
rie !"

For which he gaf to Mars honour and glorie.
And thus with joye and hope wel to fare,
Arcite anon un-to his in is fare,

As fayn as fowel is of the brighte sonne.
And right anon swich strif ther is bigonne
For thilke grauntyng in the hevene above,
Bitwixe Venus, the goddesse of love,
And Mars, the stierne god armypotente,
That Juppiter was bisy it to stente;
Til that the pale Saturnus the colde,

1 Ended. 2 Heaved. Elles. MS. has "and."

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