And many an amorous loking and devys.
This Eneas is come to Paradys

Out of the swolow of helle, and thus in Ioye
Remembreth him of his estat in Troye.
To dauncing-chambres ful of parements,
Of riche beddes, and of ornaments,
This Eneas is lad, after the mete.

And with the quene whan that he had sete,
And spyces parted, and the wyn agoon,
Unto his chambres was he lad anoon
To take his ese and for to have his reste,
With al his folk, to doon what so hem leste.
Ther nas coursere wel y-brydled noon,
Ne stede, for the Iusting wel to goon,
Ne large palfrey, esy for the nones,
Ne Iuwel, fretted ful of riche stones,
Ne sakkes ful of gold, of large wighte,
Ne ruby noon, that shynede by nighte,
Ne gentil hautein faucon heronere,

Ne hound, for hert or wilde boor or dere,
Ne coupe of gold, with florins newe y-bete,
That in the lond of Libie may be gete,
That Dido ne hath hit Eneas y-sent;
And al is payed, what that he hath spent.
Thus can this [noble] quene her gestes calle,
As she that can in freedom passen alle.
Eneas sothly eek, with-outen lees,
Hath sent un-to his shippe, by Achates,
After his sone, and after riche thinges,
Both ceptre, clothes, broches, and eek ringes,
Som for to were, and som for to presente
To her, that all thise noble thinges him sente;
And bad his sone, how that he sholde make
The presenting, and to the quene hit take.

1107. C. T. Add. ornamentis; rest pavements (error for parements, caught from 1. 1106). 1112. C. For his ese and for to take. 1115. C. to iuste (for the Iusting). 1117. C. T. Add. frettid; A. P. fretted; F. B. frette; Tn. Th. 1119. F. B. rubee; rest ruby. C. shynede; Tn. P. shyned; F. T. A. Th. B. shyneth. 1126. For noble all have honourable, giving two syllables too many; see l. 1143, 1210, 1222. 1129. A. vnto; C. on to; rest to.

fret.

Repaired is this Achates again,
And Eneas ful blisful is and fain
To seen his yonge sone Ascanius.
But natheles, our autour telleth us,
That Cupido, that is the god of love,
At preyere of his moder, hye above,
Hadde the lyknes of the child y-take,
This noble quene enamoured to make
On Eneas; but, as of that scripture,
Be as be may, I make of hit no cure.
But sooth is this, the quene hath mad swich chere
Un-to this child, that wonder is to here;
And of the present that his fader sente
She thanked him ful ofte, in good entente.

Thus is this quene in plesaunce and in Ioye,

With al this newe lusty folk of Troye.
And of the dedes hath she more enquered
Of Eneas, and al the story lered

Of Troye; and al the longe day they tweye
Entendeden to speken and to pleye;

Of which ther gan to breden swich a fyr,
That sely Dido hath now swich desyr

1140

(220)

1145

1150

(230)

1155

With Eneas, her newe gest, to dele,

That she hath lost her hewe, and eek her hele.
Now to theffect, now to the fruit of al,
Why I have told this story, and tellen shal.
Thus I beginne; hit fil, upon a night,
When that the mone up-reysed had her light,
This noble quene un-to her reste wente;
She syketh sore, and gan her-self turmente.
She waketh, walweth, maketh many a brayd,
As doon thise loveres, as I have herd sayd.
And at the laste, unto her suster Anne

1160

(240)

1165

She made her moon, and right thus spak she thanne.

1139. So C. P.; F. Tn. Th. B. For to him yt was reported thus (badly). 1143. C. holy; rest noble. 1144. F. T. Th. B. om. as.

Th. B. om. ful.

1149. F. Tn.

1155. All but C. P. needlessly put for to (for to) twice.

1159. C. T. A. P. Add. hath; rest om.

1160. C. now comyth the freut.

1163. F. Tn. vp-reyseth (error for vp-reysed).

C. A. Th. P. hadde (had); F.

Tn. B. hath. C. his; rest hire (hir, her); see note. 1169. P. mon (= A. S. mán); rest mone; read moon.

'Now, dere suster myn, what may hit be
That me agasteth in my dreme?' quod she.
'This ilke Troyan is so in my thoght,
For that me thinketh he is so wel y-wroght,
And eek so lykly for to be a man,
And therwithal so mikel good he can,

1170

(250)

1175

That al my love and lyf lyth in his cure.

Have ye not herd him telle his aventure?

Now certes, Anne, if that ye rede hit me,
I wolde fain to him y-wedded be;
This is theffect; what sholde I more seye?

In him lyth al, to do me live or deye.'

Her suster Anne, as she that coude her good,

1180

Seide as her thoughte, and somdel hit with-stood. (260)
But her-of was so long a sermoning,

Hit were to long to make rehersing;

1185

But fynally, hit may not been with-stonde;

Love wol love-for no wight wol hit wonde.

The dawening up-rist out of the see;

This amorous quene chargeth her meynee

The nettes dresse, and speres brode and kene ;
An hunting wol this lusty fresshe quene;

1190

So priketh her this newe Ioly wo.
To hors is al her lusty folk y-go;

(270)

Un-to the court the houndes been y-broght,
And up-on coursers, swift as any thoght,
Her yonge knightes hoven al aboute,
And of her wommen eek an huge route.
Up-on a thikke palfrey, paper-whyt,
With sadel rede, enbrouded with delyt,
Of gold the barres up-enbossed hye,
Sit Dido, al in gold and perre wrye;
And she is fair, as is the brighte morwe,
That heleth seke folk of nightes sorwe.

1171. C. slep; rest dreme.

C. T. P. Add. for; rest om.

C. ek thereto; F. Tn. om. ther.

1195

I 200

(280)

1174.

1173. C. Me thynkith that he. 1175. T. A. P. therwith al; Th. therwith; 1178. C. rede it me; rest om. it. 1179. 1195. Add. coursers; 1196. F. Tn. Th. heuen (!); rest 1200, 1201. C. hye, wrye; F. heighe, wreighe. 1203. A. B. P. folk; F. Tn. T. Th. folkes; C. men.

C. T. A. P. Add. wolde; F. Tn. wil; Th. wol.

C. B. courseris; F. Tn. Th. coursere. houen (houyn).

C. bright (for fair).

I 202.

Up-on a courser, startling as the fyr,
Men mighte turne him with a litel wyr,
Sit Eneas, lyk Phebus to devyse;
So was he fresshe arayed in his wyse.
The fomy brydel with the bit of gold
Governeth he, right as him-self hath wold.
And forth this noble quene thus lat I ryde
An hunting, with this Troyan by her syde.
The herd of hertes founden is anoon,

1205

1210

With hey! go bet! prik thou! lat goon, lat goon! (290)
Why nil the leoun comen or the bere,

That I mighte ones mete him with this spere?'
Thus seyn thise yonge folk, and up they kille
These hertes wilde, and han hem at hir wille.
Among al this to-romblen gan the heven,
The thunder rored with a grisly steven;

Doun com the rain, with hail and sleet so faste,
With hevenes fyr, that hit so sore agaste
This noble quene, and also her meynee,
That ech of hem was glad a-wey to flee.
And shortly, fro the tempest her to save,
She fledde her-self into a litel cave,
And with her wente this Eneas al-so;
I noot, with hem if ther wente any mo;
The autour maketh of hit no mencioun.
And heer began the depe affeccioun
Betwix hem two; this was the firste morwe
Of her gladnesse, and ginning of her sorwe.
For ther hath Eneas y-kneled so,

1215

1220

(300)

1225

1230

And told her al his herte, and al his wo,
And sworn so depe, to her to be trewe,
For wele or wo, and chaunge for no newe,
And as a fals lover so wel can pleyne,
That sely Dido rewed on his peyne,

(310)

1235

1210. F. om. noble. T. thus lat; Addit. thus late; rest this lady (!!). 1211. T. Add. An; A. In; rest On; see l. 1191. 1215. T. A. P. ones mete him; rest him ones mete. 1217. C. T. A. Add. These; rest The. C. bestys wilde; T. A. P. wild bestys; rest wilde hertes; but read hertes wilde. 1221. C. A. it; F. Tn. B. P. is (!).

And took him for husband, [to been] his wyf
For ever-mo, whyl that hem laste lyf.

And after this, whan that the tempest stente,

1240

With mirth out as they comen, hoom they wente.
The wikked fame up roos, and that anon,

How Eneas hath with the quene y-gon

In-to the cave; and demed as hem liste ;

(320)

And whan the king, that Yarbas hight, hit wiste, 1245

As he that had her loved ever his lyf,

And wowed her, to have her to his wyf,

Swich sorwe as he hath maked, and swich chere,

Hit is a routhe and pitee for to here.

But, as in love, al-day hit happeth so,

That oon shal laughen at anothers wo;

Now laugheth Eneas, and is in Ioye

And more richesse than ever he was in Troye.

1250

(330)

O sely womman, ful of innocence,

Ful of pitee, of trouthe, and conscience,
What maked yow to men to trusten so?
Have ye swich routhe upon hir feined wo,
And han swich olde ensamples yow beforn?
See ye nat alle, how they been for-sworn?
Wher see ye oon, that he ne hath laft his leef,
Or been unkinde, or doon her som mischeef,
Or pilled her, or bosted of his dede?
Ye may as wel hit seen, as ye may rede;
Tak heed now of this grete gentil-man,
This Troyan, that so wel her plesen can,
That feineth him so trewe and obeising,
So gentil and so privy of his doing,
And can so wel doon alle his obeisaunces,
And waiten her at festes and at daunces,

1255

1260

(340)

1265

1238. I propose to read to been; all have and becom (became), which cannot possibly be scanned. fame a-ros.

1239. C. Tn. -mo; F. -mor. 1247. F. Tn. Th. B. om. 2nd her.

1242. C. wikke 1251. C. of; rest at.

1253. T. A. Add. he; rest om. 1255. F. and (for 2nd of). 1258. C. T. A. Th. olde ensamples; F. ensamples olde. 1259. C. A. how that; rest how. 1267. C. trewe; A. besy; rest privy. 1268, 1269. F. Tn. Th. B. -aunce; C. T. A. P. -aunces. 1269. C. And waytyn hire; T. Add. And plesyn hyr; Tn. A. And hir (!); F. Th. To hir (!).