But be a leon both in word and dede, To hem that ben in repentance and drede, That wol mainteinen that he first began. 1780 That in fwiche cas can no divifion, But weigheth pride and humbleffe after on. How mighty and how grete a lord is he? Lo here this Arcite, and this Palamon, Se how they blede! be they not wel araied? 1785 " 1790 1795 1800 Hir wages, and hir fees for hir service, And yet they wenen for to be ful wife That ferven Love for ought that may befalle. 1805 That the for whom they have this jolite Con hem therfore as mochel thank as me. 3810 She wot no more of alle this hote fare, A man mote ben a fool other yonge or old; I wot it by myself ful yore agon, 1815 For in my time a fervant was I on; And therfore fith I know of loves peine, At requeft of the quene that kneleth here,, 1820 Ne maken werre upon me night ne day, 1825 But ben my frendes in alle that ye may. I you foryeve this trespas every del. And they him fware his axing fayr and wel, And he hem granted grace, and thus he said: 1830 . 1817. And therfore] Imitated from The Thefeida, 1. v. g Ma pero che gai inamorato fui E per amor fovente folegiai, M'e caro molto il perdonare altrui. To fpeke of real linage and richesse, To wedden whan time is, but natheles Though that fhe were a quene or a princeffe, I fpeke as for my fufter Emelie, 1835 For whom ye have this ftrif and jaloufie, Ye wot yourself she may not wedden two But on of you, al be him loth or lefe, He mot gon pipen in an ivy lefe: 1840 And forthy I you put in this degree, That eche of you fhall have his definee As him is fhape, and herkneth in what wife; 1845 Lo here your ende of that I shal devife. My will is this for plat conclufion Withouten any replication, If that you liketh, take it for the beste, That everich of you fhal gon wher him lefte 1850 Freely withouten raunson or dangere, And this day fifty wekes, ferre ne nere, Everich of you fhal bring an hundred knightes, Alle redy to darrein hire by bataille. 1855 And this behete I you withouten faille That whether of you bothe hath that might, This is to fayn, that whether he or thou May with his hundred, as I spake of now, To whom that Fortune yeveth fo fayr a grace. The liftes fhal I maken in this place, Ye fhal non other ende with me maken Who loketh lightly now but Palamon? But doun on knees went every manere wight, 1860 1865 1870 1875 And thus with good hope and with herte blith 1880 They taken hir leve, and homeward gan they ride To Thebes, with his olde walles wide. I trowe men wolde deme it negligence If I foryete to tellen the difpence V. 1861. Sle bis contrary] The terms in The Thefeida are fimply Chi l'altra parte caccera di fuore Per fora d'arme, mar.to li fia. Of Thefeus, that goth so befily 1885 To maken up the listes really, That fwiche a noble theatre as it was I dare wel fayn in all this world ther n'as: Walled of stone, and diched all withoute; 1890 Round was the shape, in manere of a compas Ful of degrees, the hight of fixty pas, That whan a man was fet on o degree Eftward ther ftood, a gate of marbel white, 1895 Weftward right fwiche another in th' oppofite; And shortly to concluden, swiche a place Was never in erthe in fo litel a fpace, He eftward hath upon the gate above, 1905 Don make an auter and an oratorie, And weftward, in the minde and in memorie . 1900. arfmetrike] So arithmetick was commonly called in our ancient language. See below, ver. 7804, and The Seven Sages of Rome, mf. Cotton, Galba. E. ix. ; Geometrie and ars metrike, Fifik and alfo retorike. Volume II. I |