He seyde, "Syn I shal bigynne the game,
What, welcome be the cut a Goddes name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.”
And with that word we ryden forth oure weye,
And he bigan with right a myrie cheere
His tale anon, and seyde in this manere. (860 T.)

TALES OF THE FIRST DAY.

Heere bigynneth The Knyghtes Tale.1

(861 T.) 860

WHILOM, as olde stories tellen us, Ther was a duc that highte Theseus ; Of Atthenes he was lord and governour, And in his tyme swich a conquerour, That gretter was ther noon under the sonne. Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne ; That with his wysdom and his chivalrie He conquered al the regne of Femenye That whilom was ycleped Scithia; And weddede the queene Ypolita,

4

And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree

1 Mr. Furnivall says with regard to the origin of this tale, which has been styled "a translation" of the Teseide of Boccaccio, "Of Chaucer's lines he has translated two hundred and seventy (less than one eighth) from Boccaccio; only three hundred and seventy-four more bear a general likeness to Boccaccio; only one hundred and 'hirty-two more a slight likeness." A few lines are taken from Boethius, but the entire poem is an adaptation of the Teseide, which, however, comprises over nine thousand lines, the treatment of the details being very dissimilar at many points. 2 Knightly exploits Kingdom. 4 Amazons.

THESEUS AND HIPPOLYTA.

35

With muchel glorie and greet solempnytee, 870
And eek hir faire suster Emelye.

And thus with victorie and with melodye
Lete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde
And al his hoost in armes hym bisyde.

And certes, if it nere to long to heere,
I wolde have toold yow fully the manere
How wonnen was the regne of Femenye
By Theseus and by his chivalrye;"
And of the grete bataille for the nones
Bitwixen Atthenes and Amazones;
And how asseged was Ypolita,
The faire, hardy queene of Scithia,

And of the feste that was at hir weddynge,
And of the tempest at hir hoom comynge;
But al that thyng I moot as now forbere.
I have, God woot, a large feeld to ere,*
And wayke been the oxen in my plough.
The remenant of the tale is long ynough,
I wol nat letten 5 eek noon of this route.
Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute,
And lat se now who shal the soper wynne,
And ther I lefte I wol ageyn bigynne.

This duc of whom I make mencioun,
Whan he was come almost un-to the toun
In al his wele, and in his mooste pride,

6

He was war, as he caste his eye aside,
Where that ther kneled in the weye

1 Were not. • Knights. • Besieged
Opulence.

880

890

(899 T.)

Plow.

& Hinder

A compaignye of ladyes, tweye and tweye,
Ech after oother clad in clothes blake;
But swich a cry and swich a wo they make 900
That in this world nys creature lyvynge
That herde swich another waymentynge: 1
And of this cry they nolde nevere stenten,
Til they the reynes of his brydel henten."
"What folk been ye, that at my hom
comynge

2

Perturben so my feste with criynge?"
Quod Theseus. "Have ye so greet envye
Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye?
Or who hath yow mysboden or offended?
And telleth me if it may been amended
And why that ye been clothed thus in blak?"
The eldeste lady of hem alle spak
Whan she hadde swowned with a deedly
cheere 6

910

That it was routhe' for to seen and heere,
And seyde, "Lord, to whom fortune hath geven
Victorie, and as a conqueror to lyven,

Nat greveth us youre glorie and youre hon

our,

But we biseken mercy and socour.

Have mercy on oure wo and oure distresse. Som drope of pitee thurgh thy gentillesse 920

8 Seized. ♦ Injured.

1 Wailing. 2 Would not. 5 Fainted. Countenance. 7 Pity. The story of the Seven against Thebes relates that it was Adrastus, one of the Seven, the one who survived who went to ask Theseus to take vengeance on Creon, and to enforce the burial of the bodies of the heroes who had lost their lives during the siege.

THE WAILING QUEENS.

Up-on us wrecched wommen lat thou falle,
For certes, lord, ther is noon of us alle
That she nath 1 been a duchesse or a queene.

2

37

Now be we caytyves, as it is wel seene:
Thanked be Fortune and hire false wheel,
That noon estat assureth to be weel.
And certes, lord, to abyden youre presence
Heere in the temple of the goddesse Clemence
We han ben waitynge al this fourtenyght;
Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy myght. 930
"I wrecche, which that wepe and crie thus,
Was whilom wyf to kyng Cappaneus,

That starf at Thebes, 8

- cursed be that day, —

And alle we that been in this array,

And maken al this lamentacioun.

We losten alle oure housbondes at that toun,
Whil that the seege ther aboute lay,
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 slawe,
Hath alle the bodyes on an heepe ydrawe
And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent,
Neither to been yburyed nor ybrent,
But maketh houndes ete hem in despit."

940

And with that word, with-outen moore respit,

(950 T.)

1 Ne hath. Elles. MS. 2 Captives. 3 Died. He was struck by ightning from Jove. Cf. Troylus and Cryseyde, v. 1509, 1517.

They fillen gruf,1 and criden pitously, "Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy 950 And lat oure sorwe synken in thyn herte."

2

960

This gentil duc doun from his courser sterte With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke. Hym thoughte that his herte wolde breke Whan he saugh hem, so pitous and so maat, That whilom weren of so greet estaat ; And in his armes he hem alle up hente,3 And hem conforteth in ful good entente, And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knyght, He wolde doon so ferforthly his myght Upon the tiraunt Creon hem to wreke, That all the peple of Grece sholde speke How Creon was of Theseus yserved As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved. And right anoon, with-outen moore abood, His baner he desplayeth and forth rood To Thebesward, and al his hoost biside. No neer Atthenes wolde he go ne ride, Ne take his ese fully half a day,

5

But onward on his wey that nyght he lay; 970 And sente anon Ypolita the queene,

And Emelye hir yonge suster sheene,

Un-to the toun of Atthenes to dwelle,

And forth he rit; ther is namoore to telle.
The rede statue of Mars with spere and targe
So shyneth in his white baner large,
That alle the feeldes' glyteren up and doun,

1 Flat. 2 Dejected. 8 Seized. 4 Nearer. 5 Walk. 6 Rides

Heraldic fields.