WHY COMPLAIN OF PROVIDENCE? 49
Som man desireth for to han richesse,
That cause is of his moerdre, or greet sik
And som man wolde out of his prisoun fayn, That in his hous is of his meynee1 slayn. Infinite harmes been in this mateere,
We witen nat what thing we preyen heere. 1260
We faren as he that dronke is as a mous.
A dronke man woot wel that he hath an hous,
But he noot 2 which the righte wey is thider,
And to a dronke man the wey is slider ;
And certes in this world so faren we,
We seken faste after felicitee,
But we goon wrong ful often trewely.
Thus may we seyn alle, and namely I,
That wende and hadde a greet opinioun
That if I myghte escapen from prisoun, 1270
Thanne hadde I been in joye and perfit heele,
That now I am exiled fro my wele.
Syn that I may nat seen you, Emelye,
I nam but deed, there nys no remedye."
Upon that oother syde, Palamon,
Whan that he wiste Arcite was agon,
Swich sorwe he maketh that the grete tour
Resouned of his youlyng and clamour;
The pure fettres on his shynes grete
Weren of his bittre, salte teeres wete.
"Allas!" quod he, "Arcita, cosyn myn,
1 Domestics, menials. 2 Knows not. 8 Slippery. 4
Health. • Wealth, weal. 7 Yelling. Very.
Of al oure strif, God woot, the fruyt is thyn;
Thow walkest now in Thebes at thy large,
And of my wo thow gevest litel charge.
Thou mayst, syn thou hast wysdom and man
hede,
Assemblen alle the folk of oure kynrede,
And make a werre so sharpe on this citee,
That by som aventure, or som tretee,
Thow mayst have hire to lady and to wyf
For whom that I moste nedes lese my lyf. 1290
For as by wey of possibilitee,
Sith thou art at thy large of prisoun free,
And art a lord, greet is thyn avauntage,
Moore than is myn that sterve here in a
For I moot wepe and wayle whil I lyve,
With al the wo that prison may me geve,
And eek with peyne that love me geveth also,
That doubleth al my torment and my wo."
Ther with the fyr of jalousie up sterte
With-inne his brest, and hente1 him by the
So woodly, that he lyk was to biholde
The boxtree, or the asshen, dede and colde.8
Thanne seyde he, "O crueel gooddes that
(1305 T.)
This world with byndyng of youre word eterne,
And writen in the table of atthamaunt1
Youre parlement and youre eterne graunt,
1 Seized. 2 Madly. 3 Cf. 1. 1364. 4 Adamant.
What is mankynde moore un-to you holde
Than is the sheepe that rouketh' in the folde?
For slayn is man, right as another beest,
And dwelleth eek in prison and arreest,2 1310
And hath siknesse and greet adversitee,
And ofte tymes giltelees pardee.s
"What governance is in this prescience,
That giltelees tormenteth innocence ?
And yet encresseth this al my penaunce,
That man is bounden to his observaunce
For Goddes sake to letten of his wille,
Ther as a beest may al his lust fulfille ;
And whan a beest is deed he hath no peyne,
But after his deeth man moot wepe and pleyne,
Though in this world he have care and wo,
With-outen doute it may stonden so.
The answere of this lete I to dyvynys,
But well I woot that in this world greet pyne
Allas! I se a serpent or a theef,
That many a trewe man hath doon mescheef, Goon at his large, and where hym list may
But I moot been in prisoun thurgh Saturne,
And eek thurgh Juno, jalous and eek wood,
That hath destroyed wel ny al the blood 1330
Of Thebes with hise waste walles wyde;
And Venus sleeth me on that oother syde
For jalousie and fere of hym Arcite."
1 Huddleth. 2 Custody. 3 Par dieux, by the gods. 4 Refrain
Now wol I stynte of Palamon a lite And lete hym in his prisoun stille dwelle, And of Arcita forth I wol yow telle.
The summer1 passeth, and the nyghtes longe Encressen double wise the peynes stronge Bothe of the lovere and the prisoner.
I noot which hath the wofuller mester;
For shortly for to seyn this Palamoun
Perpetuelly is dampned to prisoun
In cheynes and in fettres to been deed,
And Arcite is exiled upon his heed
For evere mo as out of that contree,
Ne nevere mo he shal his lady see.
Yow loveres, axe I now this questioun,
Who hath the worse, Arcite or Palamoun?
That oon may seen his lady day by day,
But in prisoun he moot dwelle alway;
That oother wher hym list may ride or go,
But seen his lady shal he nevere mo.
Now demeth as yow liste, ye that kan,
For I wol telle forth as I bigan.
Whan that Arcite to Thebes comen was,
Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde, "Allas!" For seen his lady shal he nevere mo.
And, shortly to concluden al his wo,
So muche sorwe hadde nevere creature
2 Necessity. 3 Elles. MS. has
That is or shal whil that the world may dure. His slepe, his mete, his drynke, is hym bi
That lene he wexeth and drye as is a shaft ;
Hise eyen holwe, and grisly to biholde,
His hewe falow1 and pale as asshen colde,
And solitarie he was and evere allone,
And waillynge al the nyght makynge his mone:
And if he herde song or instrument
Thanne wolde he wepe he myghte nat be stent.
So feble eek were hise spiritz and so lowe, 1369
And chaunged so that no man koude knowe
His speche nor his voys, though men it herde
And in his geere 2 for al the world he ferde,
Nat oonly like the loveris maladye
Of Hereos, but rather lyk manye
Engendred of humour malencolik
Biforn his owene celle fantastik.
And shortly turned was al up-so-doun
Bothe habit and eek disposicioun
Of hym, this woful lovere daun' Arcite.
What, sholde I al day of his wo endite?
Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two
This crueel torment and this peyne and woo,
At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde,
Up-on a nyght in sleepe as he hym leyde,
Hym thoughte how that the wynged god Mer-
curie
* Manner. • Acted • Eros=Cupid. 5 Mania. Of the brain. 7 Sir.
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