But be a leon both in word and dede,

To hem that ben in repentance and drede,
As wel as to a proud difpitous man

That wol mainteinen that he first began.
That lord hath litel of difcretion

1780

That in fwiche cas can no divifion,

But weigheth pride and humbleffe after on.
And shortly whan his ire is thus agon
He gan to loken up with eyen light,
And spake thefe fame wordes all on hight.
The god of Love, à benedicite!

How mighty and how grete a lord is he?
Again his might ther gainen non obstacles,
He may be cleped a God for his miracles,
For he can maken at his owen gife
Of everich herte as that him lift devife."

Lo here this Arcite, and this Palamon,
That quitely weren out of my prifon,
And might have lived in Thebes really,
And weten I am hir mortal enemy,
And that hir deth lith in my might also,
And yet hath love, maugre hir eyen two,
Ybrought hem hither bothe for to die;
Now loketh, is not this an heigh folie?
Who may ben a fool, but if that he love?
Behold for Goddes fake that fitteth above,

Se how they blede! be they not wel araied?
Thus hath hir lord, the god of Love, hem paied

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.
And yet is this the befte game of alle,

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,
By God, than wot a cuckow or an hare.
But all mote ben affaied hote or cold;

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,
And wot how fore it can a man deftreine,
As he that oft hath ben caught in his las,
1 you foryeve all holly this trefpas,

At requeft of the quene that kneleth here,,
And eke of Emelie, my fufter dere,
And ye fhul bothe anon unto me swere
That never mo ye fhul my contree dere,

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 him of lordship and of mercie praid,

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,
Eche of you bothe is worthy douteles

I fpeke as for my fufter Emelie,

1835

For whom ye have this ftrif and jaloufie,

Ye wot yourself she may not wedden two
At ones, though ye fighten evermo;

But on of you, al be him loth or lefe,

He mot gon pipen in an ivy lefe:
This is to fay, fhe may not have you bothe,
Al be ye never fo jalous ne fo wrothe.

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,
Armed for liftes up at alle rightes,

Alle redy to darrein hire by bataille.

1855

And this behete I you withouten faille
Upon my trouth, and as I am a knight,

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,
Sle his contrary, or out of liftes drive,
Him fall I yeven Emelie to wive

To whom that Fortune yeveth fo fayr a grace.

The liftes fhal I maken in this place,
And God fo wifly on my foule rewe,
As I fhal even juge ben and trewe.

Ye fhal non other ende with me maken
That on of you ne shal be ded or taken;
And if you thinketh this is wel yfäid,
Saith your avis, and holdeth you apaid:
This is your ende and your conclufion.

Who loketh lightly now but Palamon?
Who fpringeth up for joye but Arcite?
Who coud it tell, or who coud it endite,
The joye that is maked in the place
Whan Thefeus hath don fo fayre a grace?

But doun on knees went every manere wight,
And thanked him with all hir hertes might,
And namely these Thebanes often fith.

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:
The circuite a mile was aboute

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
He letted not his felaw for to fee.

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,
In worship of Venus goddeffe of Love,

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