'THE WODE HATH ERES."

But sooth is seyd, gonsithen many yeres,

59

That feeld hath eyen, and the wode hath eres ;

It is ful fair a man to bere hym evene,

For al day meeteth men at unset stevene.1

Ful litel woot Arcite of his felawe

That was so ny to herknen al his sawe,
For in the bussh he sitteth now ful stille.
Whan that Arcite hadde romed al his fille,
And songen al the roundel lustily,
In to a studie he fil al sodeynly,

1530

As doon thise loveres in hir queynte geres,
Now in the crope,2 now doun in the breres,
Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.
Right as the Friday, soothly for to telle,
Now it shyneth, and now it reyneth faste,
Right so kan geery Venus over-caste
The hertes of hir folk; right as hir day 5
Is gereful, right so chaungeth she array,
Selde is the Friday al the wowke ylike.

Whan that Arcite had songe, he gan to

sike,

6

1540

And sette hym doun with outen any moore:
"Allas," quod he, "that day that I was bore !
How longe, Juno, thurgh thy crueltee,
Woltow werreyen Thebes the citee?
Allas, ybroght is to confusioun

(1547 T.)

The blood roial of Cadme and Amphioun,
Of Cadmus, which that was the firste man

1 Time. Top. 3 Not in Elles. MS. Fickle. 5 Friday. Cf 8958.

Sigh.

That Thebes bulte or first the toun bigan,
And of the citee first was crouned kyng.
Of his lynage am I, and his of-spryng
By verray ligne, as of the stok roial;
And now I am so caytyf and so thral,
That he that is my mortal enemy,

1550

I serve hym as his squier povrely.
And yet dooth Juno me wel moore shame,
For I dar noght biknowe myn owene name,
But ther as I was wont to highte Arcite,
Now highte I Philostrate, noght worth a myte.
Allas, thou felle Mars! allas, Juno!

Thus hath youre ire oure kynrede al fordo, 1560
Save oonly me, and wrecched Palamoun,
That Theseus martireth in prisoun.
And over al this, to sleen me outrely,
Love hath his firy dart so brennyngly
Ystiked thurgh my trewe, careful herte,

That shapen was my deeth erst than my sherte.

Ye sleen me with youre eyen, Emelye;
Ye been the cause wherfore that I dye.
Of al the remenant of myn oother care
Ne sette I nat the montance of a tare,
So that I koude doon aught to youre ples-

aunce."

1570

And with that word he fil doun in a traunce

A longe tyme, and after he up sterte.

This Palamoun, that thought that thurgh his herte

PALAMON STARTS UP.

61

He felte a coold swerd sodeynliche glyde,
For ire he quook, no lenger wolde he byde.
And whan that he had herd Arcites tale,
As he were wood, with face deed and pale,
He stirte hym up out of the buskes thikke,
And seide, "Arcite, false traytour wikke! 153
Now artow hent,1 that lovest my lady so,
For whom that I have al this peyne and "o,
And art my blood and to my conseil sworn,
As I ful ofte have seyd thee heer biforn,
And hast byjaped 2 heere duc Theseus,
And falsly chaunged hast thy name thus ;
I wol be deed, or elles thou shalt dye;
Thou shalt nat love my lady Emelye,
But I wol love hire oonly, and namo,
For I am Palamon, thy mortal foo,
And though that I no wepene have in this
place,

But out of prison am astert by grace,

I drede noght, that outher thow shalt dye,
Or thow ne shalt nat loven Emelye.

1590

Chees which thou wolt or thou shalt nat as terte ! "

This Arcite, with ful despitous herte,

Whan he hym knew, and hadde his tale herd, As fiers as leoun pulled out his swerd, (1600 T.) And seyde thus, " By God that sit above,

Nere it that thou art sik and wood for love, 1600 And eek that thow no wepne hast in this place, Caught. 2 Tricked. 8 No other. • Escaped.

5 Ne were

Thou sholdest nevere out of this grove pace, That thou ne sholdest dyen of myn hond, For I defye the seurete and the bond

Which that thou seist that I have maad to thee.

What, verray fool, thynk wel that love is fre! And I wol love hire mawgree1 al thy myght. But for as muche thou art a worthy knyght, And wilnest to darreyne 2 hire by bataille, Have heer my trouthe, tomorwe I wol nat

faile,

8

With-oute wityng of any oother wight,

That heere I wol be founden as a knyght

1611

And bryngen harneys right ynough for thee And chese the beste and leve the worste for

me;

And mete and drynke this nyght wol I brynge Ynough for thee, and clothes for thy bed

dynge;

And if so be that thou my lady wynne
And sle me in this wode that I am inne,
Thou mayst wel have thy lady as for me."

This Palamon answerde, "I graunte it thee. And thus they been departed * til amorwe, 1621 Whan ech of hem had leyd his feith to borwe.

O Cupide, out of alle charitee!

O regne, that wolt no felawe have with thee !

1 In spite of. Pledge. • Ruler.

2 Contest. * Knowledge. • Separated

64 THE BATAILLE IN THE FEELD."

Ful sooth is seyd that love ne lordshipe
Wol noght, hir thankes,1 have no felaweshipe.
Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamoun.

Arcite is riden anon un-to the toun, And on the morwe, er it were dayes light, Ful prively two harneys hath he dight,2 Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreyne

63

1630

The bataille in the feeld bitwix hem tweyne;
And on his hors, allone as he was born,
He carieth al the harneys hym biforn,
And in the grove, at tyme and place yset,
This Arcite and this Palamon ben met.
To chaungen gan the colour in hir face,
Right as the hunters in the regne3 of Trace,
That stondeth at the gappe with a spere,
Whan hunted is the leoun and the bere, 1640
And hereth hym come russhyng in the greves
And breketh bothe bowes and the leves,
And thynketh, "Heere cometh my mortal en-

emy,

With-oute faile he moot be deed or I ;

5

For outher I moot sleen hym at the gappe,
Or he moot sleen me if that me myshappe:"
So ferden they in chaungyng of hir hewe,
As fer as everich of hem oother knewe. (1650 T.)
Ther nas no "Good day," ne no saluyng,
But streight with-outen word or rehersyng 1650

1 Willingly. Cf 1. 10,314. • Furnished. • Kingdom.

Groves.

• Acted