Not fully quik ne fully ded they were,
But by hir cote armure and by hir gere
The heraudes knew him wel in fpecial,
As tho that weren of the blod real
Of Thebes and of fuftren two yborne.
Out of the tas the pillours han hem torne,
And han hem caried foft unto the tente
Of Thefeus, and he ful fone hem fente

IC20

To Athenes, for to dwellen in prifon
Perpetuel, he n'olde no raunfon.

And whan this worthy duk had thus ydon
He toke his hoft, and home he rit anon,
With laurer crouned as a conquerour,
And ther he liveth in joye and in honour
Terme of his lif; what nedeth wordes mo?

And in a tour in anguifh and in wo

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1030

Dwellen this Palamon and eke Arcite

For evermo, ther may no gold hem quite.

Thus paffeth yere by yere, and day by day, 1035 Till it felle ones in a morwe of May

active with a paffive fignification. Seever. 1560, where I highte muft fignify I am called, as in the verfe preceding to highte fignifies to be called. According to this hypothefis, in the prefent inftance, and in ver. 618, 862, 1730, where highte fignifies was called, it is put for highted; and in ver. 3097, where it fignifies is called, for highteth.-It thould be obferved that the Sax. batan, vocare, promittere, from whence highte is derived, is a verb active ofthe common form, and fo is highte itfelf, when it fignifies to promife. See ver. 6606, 8372..

That Emelie, that fayrer was to fene

Than is the lilie upon his ftalke grene,

And fresher than the May with floures newe,

(For with the rofe colour ftrof hire hewe;

1049

I not which was the finer of hem two)
Er it was day, as he was wont to do,
She was arifen, and all redy dight,
For May wol have no flogardie a night;
The fefon priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh him out of his fiepe to ferte,
And fayth, Arife, and do thin obfervance.

This maketh Emelie han remembrance
To don honour to May, and for to rise :
Yclothed was the freshe for to devise.
Hire yelwe here was broided in a tresse
Behind hire back, a yerde long I geffe;
And in the gardin at the fonne uprist

1945

1050

She walketh up and doun wher as hire list:
She gathereth floures, partie white and red, 1055
To make a fotel gerloud for hire hed;

And as an angel hevenlich the fong.

The grete tour that was fo thikke and ftrong,
Which of the caftel was the chef dongeon,

. 1053. at the fonne uprist] I should have had no objection to the reading of ed. Urr. as the fonne uprift, i. e. uprifeth, if I had found it in any mf. The common reading is fupported by Lydgate, Tb. fol. 364, a. where uprift is uted for uprifing.

Of which I tolde you, and tellen shal)
Was even joinant to the gardin wall,

Ther as this Emelie had hire playing.

Bright was the fonne and clere that morwening, And Palamon, this woful prisoner,

1065

As was his wone, by leve of his gayler

Was rifen, and romed in a chambre on high,
In which he all the noble citec figh,

And eke the gardin, ful of branches grene,
Ther as this fresfhe Emelia the fhene
Was in hire walk, and romed up and doun.
This forweful prisoner, this Palamon,
Goth in his chambre roming to and fro,

1070

And to himselfe complaining of his wo:

That he was borne ful oft he fayd Alas!

1075

And fo befell, by aventure or cas,
That thurgh a window thikke of many a barre
Of yren gret, and fquare as any fparre,

He caft his eyen upon Emelia,

And therwithal he blent and cried A!

Ic80

As though he ftongen were unto the herte:
And with that crie Arcite anon up fterte,

. 1080. be blent] This word has various fenfes in Chaucer, as it is derived from blinnan, ceffare; blindan, cæcare; or blendan, mifcere. It feems here to be used in a fourth fenfe, the fame in which Shakespeare ufes the verb to blench, i. e. to shrink or ftart afide. Johnfon's Did. in v. Blench. See Glof. in v. Blent, pa. t. of Blench.

And faide, Cofin min, what eyleth thee

That art fo pale and dedly for to fee?

Why crideft thou? who hath thee don offence? 1085
For Goddes love take all in patience

Our prifon, for it may non other be;
Fortune hath yeven us this adverfite:
Som wikke afpect or difpofition

Of Saturne, by fom conftellation,

Hath yeven us this, although we had it fworn;
So ftood the heven whan that we were born:

We mofte endure; this is the fhort and plain.
This Palamon answerde, and fayde again,
Cofin, forfoth of this opinion

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1095

Thou haft a vaine imagination :

This prifon caufed me not for to crie,

But I was hurt right now thurghout min eye
Into min herte, that wol my bane be:

The fayrneffe of a lady that I fe

Yond in the gardin roming to and fro
Is caufe of all my crying and my wo:
I n'ot whe'r fhe be woman or goddeffe,
But Venus is it fothly as I geffe.

And therwithall on knees adoun he fill,

1105

And fayde; Venus, if it be your will

You in this gardin thus to transfigure,

Beforn me forweful wretched creature,

Out of this prifon helpe that we may scape;
And if fo be our deftine be shape

IIIO

By eterne word to dien in prifon,
Of our lignage have fom compassion,
That is fo low ybrought by tyrannie.
And with that word Arcita gan efpie
Wher as this lady romed to and fro,

And with that fight hire beaute hurt him fo,
That if that Palamon were wounded fore
Arcite is hurt as moche as he or more:
And with a figh he fayde pitously,
The fresfhe beaute fleth me fodenly
Of hire that rometh in the yonder place;
And but I have hire mercie and hire grace,
That I may feen hire at the lefte way,
In'am but ded; ther n'is no more to say.

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1120

This Palamon, whan he these wordes herd, 1125 Difpitoufly he loked, and answerd,

Whether fayeft thou this in erneft or in play?

Nay, quod Arcite, in erneft by my fay;
God helpe me fo, me luft full yvel pley.

This Palamon gan knit his browes twey.
It were, quod he, to thee no gret honour
For to be falfe, ne for to be traytour
To me, that am thy cofin and thy brother
Yfworne ful depe, and eche of us to other,
That never for to dien in the peine
Til that the deth departen fhal us tweine,

1130

1135

. 1135. to dien in the peine] So in Froilart, v. i. c. 206, Edw. III. declares that he will not return "jufques à tant qu'H * auroit fin de guerre, ou paix à fuflifance, ou à fon grand honneur: ou il mourroit en la peine." See alfo R. R. 3326.