Neyther of us in love to hindre other, 1140 1145 1150 1155 For par amour I loved hire first or thou. .1157. par amour I loved hire] i. e. with love I loved her. This is a genuine old expreffion. See Froiffart, v. i. c. 196; “ It "aima adonc par amours, et depuis efpoufa, Madame Yfabelle "de Juillers”—and Boccace, Decam. x. 7," per amore ami"ate." So below, ver. 2114, That loveth par amour.-From hence paramour or paramours (in one word) was used vulgarly to fignify love, [fec ver. 3354, 4390,1 3772,] and a mistress, ver. 6036. What wolt thou fayn? thou wistest nat right now. Whether fhe were a woman or a goddeffe: Thin is affection of holineffe, And min is love as to a creature, 1160 I pofe that thou lovedeft hire heforne: Woft thou not wel the olde clerkes fawe, 1165 That who shall give a lover any lawe? Love is a greter lawe by my pan. Then may be yeven of any erthly man; 1170 All be fhe maid, or widewe, or elles wif. And eke it is not likely all thy lif To ftonden in hire grace, no more shal I; 1175 For wel thou woft thy felven veraily That thou and I be damned to prison: We strive as did the houndes for the bone, V. 1165. the olde clerkes fazve] The olde clerk is Boethius, from whose book De Confolatione Chaucer has borrowed largely in many places. The paffage alluded to is in 1. iii. met. 12; Quis legem det amantibus? 1 And therfore at the kinges court, my brother, Eche man for himself, ther is non other. 1185 And fothly, leve brother, this is al. Here in this prifon moften we endure, And everich of us take his aventure. Gret was the ftrif, and long betwix hem twey, If that I hadde leifer for to fey: 1190 But to th' effect. It happed on a day, (To tell it you as shortly as I may) Sin thilke day that they were children lite, 1195 I2CO That whan that on was dede, fothly to tell, His felaw wente and fought him doun in hell: Duk Perithous loved wel Arcite, And had him knowe at Thebes yere by yere: 1205 And finally, at request and praiere Of Perithous, withouten any raunson, In fwiche a gife as I you tellen fhall. 1210 This was the forword, plainly for to endite, In any countree of this Thefeus, 1215 And he were caught, it was accorded thus, That with a fwerd he fhulde lefe his hed; Ther was non other remedie ne rede; But taketh his leve, and homeward he him fpedde: How gret a forwe fuffereth now Arcite? He said, Alas the day that I was borne! Yfetered in his prifon evermo; Than had I ben in bliffe and not in wo: 1220 1225 1230 Only the fight of hire whom that I ferve, Though that I never hire grace may deferve, O dere cofin Palamon, quod he, 1235 . 1214. 0 found] One moment. For this reading we are bliged to mf. C. i, vulg. or floand. Thin is the victorie of this aventure; Alas! why plainen men fo in commune 1240 1245 1250 1259 Wel better than they can hemfelf devife ?· Som man defireth for to have richeffe, That caufe is of his murdre or gret fikneffe ;-.. That in his houfe is of his meynie flain. 1260 Infinite harmes ben in this matere: We wote not what thing that we praien here. A dronken man wot wel he hath an hous, . 1264. A dronken man] This is alfo from Boeth. I. iii. pr. z |