Of fine tartarium ful richely bete;
Every trumpet his lordes armes bere ;
About their neckes, with greate pearles sete,
Colleres brode; for cost they would not lete,
As it woulde seeme, for their scochones
echone
Were set aboute with many a precious stone.
Their horse harneis was all white also.
And after them next, in one company,
Came kinges of armes, and no mo,
In clokes of white cloth of gold richly ;
Chapelets of greene on their heades on hie;
The crownes that they on their scochones bere
Were set with pearle, ruby, and saphere,
And eke great diamondes many one :
But all their horse harneis and other geare
Was in a sute accordinge, everychone,
As ye have heard the foresaid trumpets were ;
And, by seeming, they were nothing to lere,
And their guiding they dide so manerly..
And, after hem, came a great company
Of heraudes and pursevauntes eke,
Arrayed in clothes of whit velvette,
And, hardily, they were no thing to seke,
How they on hem shoulde the harneis sette;
And every man had on a chapelet ;
Scochones and eke horse harneis, indede,
They had in sute of hem that before hem gede
Next after hem camen, in armour bright
1 A sort of cloth. Scutcheons.
All save their heades, seemely knightes nine;
And every claspe and naile, as to my sight,
Of their harneis were of red golde fine e;
With cloth of gold, and furred with ermine
Were the trappores of their stedes stronge,
Wide and large, that to the ground dide honge.
And every bosse of bridle and paitrell,
That hadde they, was worth, as I woulde wene,
A thousand pound; and on their heades, well
Dressed, were crownes of laurer grene,
The best ymade that ever I hadde sene;
And every knight had after him riding
Three henshemen on him ay awaiting.
Of which every first, on a short tronchoun, His lordes helme bare, so richly dight, That the worst was worth the ransoun Of any king; the second a shield bright Bare at his backe; the thridde bare upright A mightie spere, full sharpe yground and kene, And every child eke ware of leaves grene
A fresh chapelet upon his haires brighte; And clokes white of fine velvet they were; 261 Their steedes trapped and arraied righte, Withoute difference, as their lordes were ; And after hem, on many a fresh corsere, There came of armede knightes such a route, That they bespradde the large field aboute.
And all they ware, after their degrees, Chapelets newe made of laurer grene; Some of the oke, and some of other trees,
Some in their hondes bare boughes shene, 270 Some of laurer, and some of okes kene,
Some of hauthorne, and some of the woodbind, And many mo which I hadde not in mind.
And so they came, their horses freshly stering
With bloodie sownes of her trompes loude;
There sie I many an uncouth disguising
In the array of these knightes proude;
And at the last, as evenly as they coude,
They took their places in middes of the mede,
And every knight turned his horse hede
To his fellow, and lightly laid a spere
In the arest; and so justes began
On every part abouten, here and there;
Some brake his spere, some drew down hors and manne;
Aboute the field astray the steedes ranne ;
And, to behold their rule and governaunce,
I you ensure, it was a great pleasaunce.
And so the justes last an houre and more; But tho that crowned were in laurer grene Wanne the prise; their dintes were so sore, That there was none agenst hem mighte sus
And the justing all was yleft off clene,
And fro their horse the ninth alight anone,
And so did all the remnant everichone.
And forth they gede togider, twain and twain That to behold it was a worthy sight,
Toward the ladies on the greene plaine,
That song and daunced, as I saide now righte:
The ladies tho, soone as they goodly mighte,
They braken of bothe the song and dance, 300
And gede to meet hem with ful glad semblance.
And every lady tooke, full womanly,
By the right hond a knight, and forth they gede
Unto a faire laurer that stood fast by,
With leves lade, the boughes of great brede;
And to my dome there never was, indede,
Man that hadde seene halfe so faire a tree;
For underneath there might it well have be
An hundred persons, at their owne plesance,
Shadowed fro the heat of Phebus bright,
So that they shoulden have felt no grevaunce
Of raine ne haile that hem ne hurte mighte.
The savour eke rejoice would any wighte
That hadde be sicke or melancolius,
It was so very good and vertuous.
And with great reverence encline they lowe To thilke tree so soot, and faire of hewe; And after that, within a little throwe,
They beganne to singe and daunce of newe,
Some song of love, some plaining of untrewe,
Envirouninge the tree that stood upright; 321
And ever gede a lady and a knight.
And at the last mine eye I caste aside,
And was ware of a lustie company
hat came roming out of the field wide,
Fond in hond a knight and a lady;
The ladies all in surcotes, that richely
Purfiled were with many a rich stone,
And every knight of grene ware mantles on,
Embrouded well so as the surcotes were :
And everich had a chapelet on her hede, 331
Which dide right well upon the shining here,
I-made of goodly floures white and rede;
The knightes eke, that they in hond gan lede,
In sute of hem ware chapelets everychone,
And before hem wente minstrels many one.
As harpes, pipes, lutes, and sautry,
All in greene; and on their heades bare,
Of divers floures, made full craftely,
All in a sute, goodly chapelets they ware; 340
And, so dauncing, into the mede they fare.
In mid the which they found a tuft that was
Al oversprad with floures in compas.
Whereto they enclined everychone
With great reverence, and that full humbly;
And, at the laste, there began anone
A lady for to singe right womanly
A bargaret1 in praising the daisie ;
For, as me thought, among her notes swete,
She said, "Si douse est la Margarete."
Than they all answered her in fere,3
So passingly well, and so pleasauntly,
That soth it was a blisfull noise to here.
But, I not how, it happede suddainly
As aboute noone, the sonne so fervently
Together.
1 Pastoral (Fr. berger, shepherd).
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