That other bowe was of a plant
Withoute wem,1 I dar warant,
Ful evene, and by proporcioun
Treitys and long, of ful good fasoun.
And it was peynted wel and twythen,
And over al diapred and writen
With ladyes and with bacheleris,
Fulle lyghtsom and glad of cheris.
These bowes two helde Swete-lokyng,
That semede lyk no gadelyng.*
And ten brode arowis hilde he there,
Of which five in his right hond were.
But they were shaven wel and dight,
Nokked and fethered right;
And alle they were with gold bygoon,
And stronge poynted everychoon,
And sharpe for to kerven welle.
But iren was ther noon ne stelle,
For al was golde, men myght it see,
Outake the fetheres and the tree.
The swiftest of these arowis fyve
Out of a bowe for to dryve,
And best fethered for to flee,
And fairest eke, was clepid Beaute.
That other arowe that hurteth lasse
Was clepid (as I trowe) Symplesse.
The thridde cleped was Fraunchise,
That fethred was in noble wise
1 Blemish. Well proportioned. Cf. Canterbury Tales, 1. rga Whittled.
FIVE ARROWS, AND FIVE MORE. 241
With valour and with curtesye.
The fourthe was cleped Compaignye,
That hevy for to shoten ys;
But who-so shetith right, ywys,
May therwith doon grete harme and wo.
The fifte of these, and laste also,
Faire-semblaunt men that arowe calle,
'The leeste grevous of hem alle.
Yit can it make a ful grete wounde,
But he may hope his soris sounde,
That hurt is with that arowe, ywys;
His wo the bette bistowed is.
For he may sonner have gladnesse,
Hir langour oughte be the lesse.
Five arowis were of other gise,
That ben ful foule to devyse;
For shaft and ende, soth for to telle,
Were also blak as fende in helle.
The first of hem is called Pride,
'That other arowe next him biside,
It was ycleped Vylanye;
That arowe was as with felonye
Invenymed, and with spitous blame.
The thridde of hem was cleped Shame.
The fourthe Wanhope clepid is;
The fifte, the Newe-thought, ywys.
These arowis that I speke of heere
Were alle fyve on oon maneere,
And alle were they resemb.able.
To hem was wel sittyng and able,
The foule croked bowe hidous,
That knotty was, and al roynous.1
That bowe semede wel to shete
These arowis fyve, that ben unmete
And contrarye to that other fyve.
But though I telle not as blyve
Of her power, ne of her myght,
Herafter shal I tellen right
The soothe, and eke signyfiaunce,
As fer as I have remembraunce:
Alle shal be seid, I undirtake,
Er of this book an ende I make.2
Now come I to my tale ageyn.
But aldirfirst, I wole you seyn
The fasoun and the countenaunces
Of alle the folk that on the daunce is.
The god of Love, jolyf and lyght,
Ladde on his honde a lady bright,
Of high prys, and of grete degre.
This lady called was BEAUTE,
And an arowe, of which I tolde.
Ful wel thewed was she holde,
Ne she was derk ne broun, but bright,
And clere as the mone-lyght,
Ageyn whom alle the sterres semen
But smale candels, as we demen.
Hir flesh was tendre as dewe of flour,
Hir chere was symple as byrde in bour;
As whyte as lylye or rose in rys,*
William of Lorris died without doing what he here Of good character. 4 On twig.
Hir face gentyl and tretys.
Fetys she was, and smale to se,
No wyntred browis hadde she,
Ne popped hir, for it nedede nought
To wyndre hir, or to peynte hir ought. 1020 Hir tresses yelowe, and longe straughten,*
Unto hir helys doun they raughten:
Hir nose, hir mouth, and eyhe and cheke
Wel wrought, and alle the remenaunt eke.
A ful grete savour and a swote,
Me thoughte in myn herte rote,
As helpe me God, whan I remembre,
Of the fasoun of every membre !
In world is noon so faire a wight;
For yonge she was, and hewed bright
Sore plesaunt, and fetys with alle,
Gente, and in hir myddille smalle.
Biside Beaute gede RICHESSE,
And highte "Lady" of gret noblesse,
And gret of prys in every place.
But who so durste to hir trespace,
Or til hir folk, in werk or dede,
He were fulle hardy, out of drede,
For bothe she helpe and hyndre may.
And that is nought of yisterday
That riche folk have fulle gret myght
To helpe, and eke to greve a wyght.
Probably, rouged. Made a puppet of herself. 8 The corresponding word in the French original is guignier, a sort of cherry tree, and the meaning is that Beauty needed no artificial coloring. Fardée, painted, is used in connection with guignier. Stretched. Gentle. Went (Ger. gehen, to go)
The beste and the grettest of valour
Diden Rychesse ful gret honour,
And besy weren hir to serve,
For that they wolde hir love deserve.
They cleped hir "Lady," grete and smalle;
This wide world hir dredith alle.
This world is alle in hir daungere,1
Hir court hath many a losengere,2
And many a traytour envyous,
That ben ful besy and curyous
For to dispreisen, and to blame
That best deserven love and name.
Bifore the folk hem to bigilen,
These losengeris hem preyse and smylen,
And thus the world with word anoynten ;
But aftirward they prile and poynten
The folk right to the bare boon,
Bihynde her bak whan they ben goon,
And foule abate the folkis prys;
Ful many a worthy man, ywys,
An hundrid, have they do to dye.
These losengers thorough flaterye
Have maad folk ful straunge be,
There hem oughte be pryve.
Wel yvel mote they thryve and thee,"
And yvel a chyved mote they be
These losengers ful of envye!
No good man loveth her companye.
Richesse a robe of purpur on hadde,
1 Jurisdiction. 2 Liar. 3 Pierce. Caused. Prosper.
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