Gan faillen whan the herte felte deth; Dufked his eyen two, and failled his breth: 2810 2815 Of hem, though that they writen wher they dwelle. Arcite is cold, ther Mars his foule gie. Now wolfpcken forth of Emelie. Shright Emelie, and houleth Palamon, That atte lafte certainly they die. 2820 2825 V. 2813. Therfore 1 flent] This is apparently a fling at Boccace's pompous defcription of the paffage of Arcite's foul to heaven, Thef. 1. xi. It thould be obferved however that our Author had already made ufe of the fame defcription in his Troilus, ver. 1806, feq. It is not in The Philoftrato. .2817 ther Mars his foule gie] The force of ther, in this pallage, will beft appear by a collation of other fimilar patlages. See particularly ver. 5022, 7143, 9182. Infinite ben the forwes and the teres No man might gladen this Duk Thefeus Right as ther died never man (quod he) That he ne lived in erth in fom degree, And over all this yet faid he mochel more 2830 2835 2840 2845 2850 To this effect, ful wifely to enhort The peple that they fhuld hem recomfort. 2855 He cafteth now wher that the fepulture V.2856. Ho cafteth] I have added He to complete the verfe. The ufe of pronouns redundantly is common in Chaucer. Of good Arcite may best ymaked be, That ther as first Arcite and Palamon 2860 Hadden for love the bataille hem betwene, That in that felve grove, fote and grene, He wolde make a fire, in which the office 2865 Of funeral he might all accomplise; And let anon commande to hack and hewe In culpons, wel araied for to brenne. His officers with fwifte feet they renne 2870 And after this, this Thefeus hath fent After a bere, and it all overspradde With cloth of gold the richest that he hadde, And of the fame fuit he cladde Arcite, 2875 Upon his hondes were his gloves white, Eke on his hed a croune of laurer grene, And in his hond a swerd ful bright and kene. 2862. in that felve grove] In The Thefeida Arcita is buried Nel befco, ove rancuna Aver fovente foleva de an ore. V. 2866. Of funera!] Of is a conjectural fupplement; or the verfe may be (perhaps better) completed by taking in the word fully from mf. NC. and ed. Ca. 2,-in which the office Funeral he might all fully accomplice. .2872. And after this] 'The fecond this is from conjecture only. Some mff. read-And after this Thefeus hath fentwhich perhaps is right. He laid him bare the visage on the bere, 2880 Tho came this woful Theban Paizmon With flotery berd and ruggy asfhy heres, 2885 In clothes blake, ydropped all with teres, And in as much as the fervice fhuld be 2890 . 2879. bare the riface]. If this expreffion were in Milton the criticks would not fail to call it an elegant Orteciâm; in Chaucer we can only hope that it may be allowed to be an cle gant Anglicifm. Foffart fays that the corpfe of our Edw. III. was carried" tout au long de la cité de Londres, à viaire de"couvert, jufques à Weitmonitier." V. i. c. 326. V. 2855. With Potgry-berd] Thefl. xi. ; Con rabuffata braza [or barbale triito crine E polverofo. Flotery feems literally to mean floting, as hair dishevelled (rabufata) may be laid to flote upon the air. Ruggy is rough. 2887. And (paffing over.] According to this reading the fet fe is plain that Palamon was the reufullest, c. patling over or excepting Emelie; but all the mii. that i have feen read-other. If we adhere to that we mult difpofe the parentheris thus; And (paffing other of weping) Emelie The reufulle, ✪ ̊C. -- and the fenfe will be, that with Palamon came alfo Emelie, (paffing others of or in weping the reuftileft, &. But fuch a construction would be very harth, and unlike Chaucer's ufual facility, and therefore i rather believe we thould read-over-→→→ with ed. Urr. Duk Thefeus let forth three fledes bring, The nobleft of the Grekes that ther were Upon hir fhuldres carrieden the bere, 2895 2900 Thurghout the citee, by the maister strete, That fprad was all with black, and wonder hie 2905 Right of the fame is all the ftrete ywrie. All ful of hony, milk, and blood, and wine; 2910 And after that came woful Emelie With fire in hond, as was that time the gife, 'To don the office of funeral fervice. High labour and ful gret apparailling 2915 Was at the fervice of that fire making, . 2897. his bow Turkeis] So in The Rom. de la R. Love is faid to have deux arcs Turquois, ver. 924. V. 2904. the maifter frete] The principal ftrect; "Le fou "verain carrefour." Froiffart, v. iv. c. 28. |