Min ben alfo the maladies colde,

The derke trefons, and the caftes olde:
My loking is the fader of Peftilence.
Now wepe no more, I fhal do diligence
That Palamon, that is thin owen knight,
Shal have his lady, as thou haft him hight.

2470

Thogh Mars fhal help his knight yet natheles. 2475 Betwixen ther mot fomtime be pees: you

All be ye not of o complexion

That causeth all day fwiche divifion.
I am thin ayel, redy at thy will;
Wepe now no more, I fhal thy luft fulfill.
Now wol I ftenten of the goddes above,
Of Mars and of Venus goddeffe of Love,
And tellen you as plainly as I can

The gret effect for which that I began.

2480

Gret was the fefte in Athenes thilke day, 2485 And eke the lufty fefon of that May

Made

every wight to ben in swiche plefance That all that Monday juften they and dance,

. 2469. Min ben alfo the maladies colde] I apprehend that maladies, in this verse, is to be pronounced as of four fyllables; Min ben alfo the máladiés colde.

So below, ver. 2495;

Ther was in th' hóftelríes áll aboute.

And ver. 2591;

Ther n'ére swiche cómpagníes néver twey.

However, if any one thould prefer a hobbling line with ano ther fyllable in it he may read, with the best mff. And min ben alfo, &c.

And spenden it in Venus highe fervise;
But by the caufe that they fhuiden rife
Erly a-morwe for to seen the fight,
Unto hir refte wenten they at night.

And on the mor we whan the day gan spring
Of hors and harneis noife and clattering

Ther was in the hostelries all aboute,
And to the paleis rode ther many a route
Of lordes upon stedes and palfreis.

2490

2495

Ther mayeft thou fee devifing of harneis

So uncouth and fo riche, and wrought fo wele
Of goldfmithry, of brouding and of stele;

2500

The fheldes brighte, tefteres, and trappures,
Gold-hewen helmes, hauberkes, cote armures;
Lordes in parementes on hir courseres,
Knightes of retenue, and eke squieres,
Nailing the fperes, and helmes bokeling,
Guiding of heldes, with lainers lacing;
Ther as nede is they weren nothing idel :
The fomy stedes on the golden bridel
Gnawing, and faft the armureres alfo
With file and hammer priking to and fro;
Yemen on foot, and communes many on
With fhorte ftaves, thicke as they may gon;

2505

2510

.2506. Gniding of heldes) Rubbing, from the Sax. gnidan, fricare. I have not fcrupled to infert this reading in the text from a fingle mf. (NC.) and that one of the leaft authority. Indeed both Caxton's editions support it, for they read guydyng, and in many mff. is undiftinguishable from u. The other read ings are gyngynge, gigging, grigging, girding, gyding, gryding.

Pipes, trompes, nakeres, and clariounes,
That in the bataille blowen blody founes;
The paleis ful of peple up and doun,

2515

Here three, ther ten, holding hir queftioun,
Devining of thefe Theban knightes two,
Som fayden thus, fom fayde it shall be so;
Som helden with him with the blacke berd,
Som with the balled, fom with the thick herd; 2520
Som faide he loked grim, and wolde fighte;
He hath a fparth of twenty pound of wighte.
Thus was the halle full of devining

Long after that the fonne gan up fpring.
The gret Thefeus that of his flepe is waked
With minftralcie and noise that was maked,
Held yet the chambre of his paleis riche,
Til that the Theban knightes bothe yliche
Honoured were, and to the paleis fette.

2525

2530

Duk Thefeus is at a window fette, Araied right as he were a god in trone: The peple prefeth thider ward ful fone

. 2513. Pipes, trompes] Thefeida, 1. ii.;

A una hora trombe, nachare, e tamburi

Sonaron forte.-

See Du Cange in v. Nacara, who defcribes it to be a kind of brazen drum ufed in the cavalry.

.2516. Here three] So in The Thefcida;

Qui tre, la quatro, e qui fei adunati,

Tra lor mostrando diverfe ragione.

2527. Held yet the chambre] So The Thefeida;

Anchor le riche camere tenea

Del fuo palagie.

Him for to feen and don high reverence,

And eke to herken his hefte and his fentence.

2535

An heraud on a fcaffold made an O,
Til that the noife of the peple was ydo,
And whan he saw the peple of noise al still
Thus fhewed he the mighty dukes will.

The lord hath of his high difcretion ·
Confidered that it were deftruction
To gentil blood to fighten in the gife
Of mortal bataille now in this emprife,
Wherfore to fhapen that they shul not die
He wol his firfte purpos modifie.

2540

No man therfore, up peine of loffe of lif,

2545

No maner fhot ne pollax ne fhort knif

Into the liftes fend or thider bring,

Ne fhort fwerd for to ftike with point biting
No man ne draw ne bere it by his fide;

Ne no man fhal unto his felaw ride

2550

But o cours, with a sharpe ygrounden spere;

Foin if him lift on foot, himfelf to were:

V. 2535. an O] It may be doubted whether this be an abbreviation of eyes, or whether the interjection bo were used to command a ceffation of noife as well as of fighting, &c. For the latter ufe fee ver. 1708, 2658, and Holinsh. p. 495; “The “Duke of Norfolke was not fullie fet forward when the king "caít downe his warder, and the heraldes cried, Ho, bo!"

V.2552. bimfelf to were] To defend : it is a Saxon word. See Chr. Sax. Gilf. p. 57, bine werede, fe defendit—and p. 143. See alfo Ly ig. Troy. b. iv;

That helde ne plate might his body were.

And he that is at mefchief shal be take,

And not flaine, but be brought unto the flake
That shal ben ordeined on eyther fide;
Thider he thal by force, and ther abide :
And if fo fall the chevetain be take

On eyther fide, or elles fleth his make,

2555

No longer thal the tourneying ylast.

God fpede you; goth forth and lay on faft :

2560

With longe fwerd and with mafe fighteth your fill.
Goth now your way; this is the lordes will.
The vois of the peple touched to the heven,

So loude crieden they with mery steven,
God fave fwiche a lord that is fo good,
He wilneth no deftruction of blood.

2565

Up gon the trompes and the melodie, And to the liftes rit the compagnie By ordinance, thurghout the cite large, Hanged with cloth of gold and not with farge. 2570 Ful like a lord this noble duk gan ride, And these two Thebans upon eyther fide,

V. 2559. ylaft] The prepofitive y is an addition of my own for the fake of the metre; but perhaps we might read "No "longer thal the tourneyinge laff." See the n. on ver. 1658. I should obferve that some mil. read tournament, and mf. D. tourmentenge, which may lead us to fufpect that Chaucer poffibly wrote tourneymenting.

V. 2563. The vois of the peple] So The Thefeida;

Di nobili e del populo il romore
Tocho le ftelle, fi fu alto e forte,
Li dei, decendo, fervi tal fignore
Che de gli amici fuoi fugic la mortė.