"I not my selfe not wisely, what it is,
But now I feele a new qualite,
Ye all another than I did er this:"
Pandare answerd and saied thus, "that he
That ones may in Heaven blisse be,
He feeleth other waies dare I lay,
Than thilke time he first heard of it say."

This is a worde for all, that Troilus
Was never ful to speke of this matere,
And for to praisen unto Pandarus
The bounte of his right lady dere,

And Pandarus to thanke, and maken chere,
This tale was aie span newe to begin,
Til that the tale departed hem a twinne.

Soone after this, for that fortune it would,
Icomen was the blisfull time swete,
That Troilus was warned, that he should,
There he was erst, Creseide his lady mete:
For which he felt his herte in ioy flete,
And faithfully gan all the goodes hery,
And let see now, if that he can be mery,
And holden was the forme, and al the gise
Of her comming, and of his also,
As it was erst, which nedeth nought devise,
But plainly to theffect right for to go:
In ioy and surete Pandarus hem two
Abedde brought, whan hem both lest,
And thus they ben in quiet and in rest.
Naught nedeth it to you sith they ben met
To aske at me, if that they blithe were,
For if it erst was well, tho was it bet
A thousand folde, this nedeth not enquere:
A go was every sorow and every fere,
And both iwis they had, and so they wend,
As much ioy as herte may comprehend.

This nis na litel thing of for to sey,
This passeth every wit for to devise,
For eche of hem gan others lust obey,
Felicite, which that these clerkes wise
Commenden so, ne may no here suffise,
This ioy ne may not iwritten be with inke,
This passeth al that herte may bethinke.

But cruel day, so welaway the stound,
Gan for to aproche, as they by signes knew,
For which hem thought felen dethes wound,
So wo was hem, that chaungen gan hir hew
And day they gonnen to dispise al new,
Calling it traitour, envious and worse,
And bitterly the daies light they corse.

(Quod Troilus) "Alas, now am I ware
That Pirous, and tho swifte stedes thre,
Which that drawen forth the Sunnes chare,
Han gon some by pathe in dispite of me,
And maketh it so sone day to be,
And for the Sunne him hasten thus to rise,
Ne shall I neve don him sacrifice.

But nedes day departe hem must sone,
And whan hir speech done was, and hir chere,
They twin anon, as they were wont to done,
And setten time of meting eft ifere :
And many a night they wrought in this manere:
And thus fortune a time ladde in ioie
Creseide, and eke this kinges son of Troie.

In suffisaunee, in blisse, and in singings,
This Troilus gan all his life to lede,
He spendeth, justeth, and maketh feestings,
He geveth frely oft, and chaungeth wede,
He helde about him alway out of drede
A world of folke, as come him well of kind,
The freshest and the best he coulde find.

That such a voice was of him, and a steven,
Throughout the world, of honour and largesse,
That it vp ronge vnto the yate of Heven,
And as in love he was in such gladnesse,
That in his herte he demed, as 1 gesse,
That there nis lover in this world at ease,
So wel as he, and thus gan love him please.

The goodlihede or beaute, which the kind,
In any other lady had isette,

Can not the mountenaunce of a gnat vnbind,
About his herte, of al Creseides nette:
He was so narowe imasked, and iknette,
That is vndon in any maner side,

That nil nat ben, for ought that may betide.

And by the hond full ofte he would take
This Pandarus, and into gardin lede,
And such a feest, and such a processe make
Him of Creseide, and of her womanhede,
And of her beaute, that withouten drede,
It was an Heven his wordes for to here,
And than he woulde sing in this manere:
"Love, that of erth and sea hath governaunce,
Love, that his heestes hath in Heven hie,
Love, that with an holsome aliaunce
Halte people ioyned, as him list hem gie,
Love, that knitteth law and companie,
And couples doth in vertue for to dwell,
Binde this accord, that I have told and tell

"That, that the world with faith, which that is
Diverseth so his staundes according, [stable,
That elements that bethe discordable,
Holden a bonde, perpetually during,
That Phebus mote his rosy day forth bring,

And that the Mone hath lordship over the nights,
Ál this doeth Love, aie heried be his mights.

66 That, that the sea, that greedy is to flowen,
Constraineth to a certaine ende so

His floodes, that so fiercely they ne growen
To drenchen earth and all for evermo,
And if that Love aught let his bridle go,
All that now loveth asunder should lepe,

And lost were all, that Love halt now to hepe.

"So would to God, that authour is of kind,
That with his bond, Love of his vertue list
To searchen hertes all, and fast bind,
That from his bond no wight the wey out wist,
And hertes cold, hem would I that hem twist,
To maken hem love, and that list hem aie rew
On hertes sore, and keep hem that ben trew."

In all needes for the townes werre
He was, and aye the first in armes dight,
And certainely, but if that bookes erre,
Save Hector, most idradde of any wight,
And this encrease of hardinesse and might
Come him of love, his ladies thanke to win,
That altered his spirit so within.

In time of truce on hanking would he ride,
Or els hunt bore, beare, or lioun,
The small beastes let he gon beside,
And whan that he come riding into the toun,
Full oft his lady from her window doun,
As fresh as faucon, comen out of mue,
Full redely was him goodly to salue.

And most of love and vertue was his speech,
And in dispite had all wretchednesse,
And doubtlesse no need was him beseech
To honouren hem that had worthinesse,
And easen hem that weren in distresse,
And glad was he, if any wight well ferde
That lover was, whan he it wist or herde.

For sooth to saine, he lost held every wight,
But if he were in Loves high servise,
I meane folke that aught it ben of right,
And over all this, so well could he devise
Of sentement, and in so vncouth wise
All his array, that every lover thought,
That al was wel, what so he said or wrought.

And though that he be come of blood roiall,
Him list of pride at no wight for to chace,
Benigne he was to ech in generall,

For which he gate him thank in every place:
Thus wolde Love, iheried by his grace,
That pride, and ire, envie, and avarice,
He gan to flie, and every other vice.

Thou lady bright, the doughter of Diane,
Thy blind and winged son eke dan Cupide,
Ye sustren nine eke, that by Helicone
In hill Pernaso, listen for to abide,
That ye thus ferre han deined me to gide,
I can no more, but sens that ye woll wend,
Ye heried ben for aye withouten end.

Through you have I said fully in my song
Theffect and ioy of Troilus servise,
All be that there was some disease among,
As mine authour listeth to devise,
My thirde booke now end I in this wise,
And Troilus in lust and in quiete,

Is with Creseide his owne herte swete.

EXPLICIT LIBER QUARTUS.

BUT all too little, welaway the while'
Lasteth such joy, ithonked bee Fortune,
That seemeth truest, whan she woll begile,
And can to fooles her songe entune,
That she hem hent, that blent, traitor commune:
And whan a wight is from her whele ithrow,
Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.

From Troilus she gan her bright face
Away to writhe, and tooke of him none hede,
And cast him clene out of his ladies grace,
And on her whele she set vp Diomede,
For which mine herte right now ginneth blede,
And now my pen alas, with which I write,
Quaketh for drede of that I must endite.

For how Creseide Troilus forsooke,
Or at the least, how that she was vnkind,
Mote henceforth ben matter of my booke,
As writen folk through which it is in mind,
Alas, that they should ever cause find
To speake her harme, and if they on her lie,
Iwis hemselfe should have the villanie.

O ye Herines, nightes doughters three,
That endelesse complaine ever in paine,
Megera, Alecto, and eke Tesiphonee,
Thou cruell Mars eke, father of Quirine,
This ilke fourth booke helpe me to fine,
So that the loos, and love, and life ifere
Of Troilus be fully shewed here.

INCIPIT LIBER QUARTUS.

LIGGING in host, as I have said ere this,
The Greekes strong, about Troy toun,
Befell, that whan that Phebus shining is
Upon the breast of Hercules Lion,
That Hector, with many a bold baron,
Cast on a day with Greekes for to fight,
As he was wont, to greve hem what he might.

Not I how long or short it was bitwene
This purpose, and that day they fighten ment,
But on a day well armed bright and shene,
Hector and many a worship knight out went
With speare in honde, and big bowes bent,
And in the berde withouten lenger lette,
Hir fomen in the field anone hem mette.

The longe day with speares sharpe iground
With arrows, dartes, swerds, and maces fell,
They fight, and bringen horse and man to ground,
And with hir axes out the braines quell,
But in the last shoure, sooth to tell,
The folke of Troy hem selven so misleden,
That with the worse at night home they fleden.

At whiche day was taken Anthenor,'
Maugre Polimidas, or Monesteo,
Xantippe, Sarpedon, Palestinor,
Polite, or eke the Troyan dan Rupheo,
And other lasse folke, as Phebuseo,

So that for harm that day the folk of Troy
Dreden to lese a great part of hir ioy.

Of Priamus was yeve at Grekes request
A time of truce, and tho they gonnen trete
Hir prisoners to chaungen most and lest,
And for the surplus yeven sommes grete,
This thing anon was couth in every strete,
Both in thassiege, in toune, and every where,
And with the first it came to Calcas ere.

Whan Calcas knew this tretise should hold
In consistorie among the Greekes soone
He gan in thringe, forth with lordes old,
And set him there as he was wont to done,
And with a chaunged face hem bade a boone
For love of God, to done that reverence,
To stinten noise, and yeve him audience.
Than said he thus, "Lo lordes mine I was
Troyan, as it is knowen out of drede,
And if that you remember, I am Calcas,
That alderfirst yave comfort to your nede,
And tolde well howe that you should spede,
For dredelesse through you shall in a stound
Ben Troy ibrent, and beaten doun to ground.
"And in what forme, or in what manner wise
This toun to shend, and all your lust atcheve,
Ye have ere this well herde me devise:
This know ye my lordes, as I leve,
And for the Greekes weren me so leve,
I came my selfe in my proper persone
To teach in this how you was best to done.

"Having vnto my treasour, ne my rent,
Right no regard in respect of your ease,
Thus all my good I left, and to you went,
Wening in this you lordes for to please,
But all that losse ne doth me no disease,
I vouchsafe, as wisely have I ioy,
For you to lese all that I have in Troy.

"Save of a doughter that I left, alas,
Sleeping at home, whan out of Troy I stert,
O sterne, O cruell father that I was,
How might I have in that so hard an herte?
Alas that I ne had brought her in my shert,
For sorow of which I wol nat live to morow,
But if ye lordes rew vpon my sorow.

"For because that I saw no time ere now
Her to deliver, iche holden have my pees,
But now or never, if that it like you,
I may her have right now doubtlees:
O belpe and grace, among all this prees,
Rew on this old caitife in distresse,
Sith I through you have all this hevinesse.

"Ye have now caught, and fettred in prison
Troyans inow, and if your willes be,
My child with one may have redemption,
Now for the love of God, and of bounte,
One of so fele alas, so yefe him me:
What need were it this praier for to werne,

Sith ye shull have both folk and toun as yerne.

"On perill of my life I shall nat lie,
Apollo hath me told full faithfully,
I have eke found by astronomie,
By sort, and by augurie truely,
And dare well say the time is fast by,
That fire and flambe on all the toun shall sprede,
And thus shall Troy turne to ashen dede.

"For certaine, Phebus and Neptunus both,
That makeden the walles of the toun,
Ben with the folke of Troy alway so wroth,
That they woll bring it to confusioun
Right in despite of king Laomedoun,
Because he nolde paien hem hir hire,
The toune of Troy shall ben set on fire."
Telling his tale alway this olde grey,
Humble in his speech and looking eke,
The salte teares from his eyen twey,
Full faste ronnen doune by either cheke,
So long he gan of succour hem beseke,
That for to heale him of his sorowes sore,
They gave him Antenor withouten more.

But who was glad inough, but Calcas tho,
And of this thing full soone his nedes leide
On hem that shoulden for the treatise go
And hem for Antenor full ofte preide,
To bringen home king Thoas and Creseide,
And whan Priam his safegarde sent,
Thembassadours to Troy streight they went.

The cause I told of hir comming, the old
Priam the king, full soone in generall,
Let here vpon his parliment hold,

Of which theffect rehearsen you I shall :
Thembassadours ben answerde for finall,
The eschaunge of prisoners, and all this nede
Hem liketh well, and forth in they procede.

This Troilus was present in the place,
When asked was for Antenor Creseide,
For which full sone chaungen gan his face,
As he that with tho wordes well nigh deide,
But nathelesse he no word to it seide,
Lest men should his affection espie,
With mannes herte he gan his sorowes drie.

And full of anguish and of gresly drede,
Abode what other lords would to it sey,
And if they would graunt, as God forbede,
Theschange of her, than thought he thinges twey :
First, how to save her honour, and what wey
He might best theschaunge of her withstond,
Full fast he cast how all this might stond.

Love him made all prest to done her bide,
And rather dien than she should go,
But Reason said him on that other side,
"Withouten assent of her do nat so,
Lest for thy werke she would be thy fo,
And saine, that through thy medling is yblow
Your brother love, there it was not erst know."

For which he gan deliberen for the best,
And though the lordes would that she went,
He would let hem graunt what hem lest,
And tell his lady first what that they ment,
And whan that she had said him her entent,
Thereafter would he worken also blive,
Tho all the world ayen it wolde strive,

The noise of people up stert than atones,
As brimme as blase of straw iset on fire,
For infortune it would for the nones,
They shoulden hir confusion desire: [spire
"Hector," (quod they) "what ghost may you en-
This woman thus to shild, and done us lese
Dan Antenore, a wrong way now ye chese.

"That is so wise, and eke so bold baroun,
And we have need of folke, as men may see,
He is one of the greatest of this toun:
O Hector, lette, thy fantasies bee,

O king Priam," (quod they) " thus segge wee,
That all our voice is to forgone Creseide,"
And to deliver Antenor they preide.

O Juvenall lord, true is thy sentence,
That little wenen folke what is to yerne,
That they ne finden in hir desire offence,
For cloud of errour ne lette hem discerne
What best is, and lo, here ensample as yerne :
These folke desiren now deliverance
Of Antenor, that brought hem to mischaunce.

For he was after traitour to the toun
Of Troy alas, they quitte him out to rathe,
O nice world, so thy discretioun,
Creseide, which that never did hem scathe,
Shall now no lenger in her blisse bathe,
But Antenor, he shall come home to toun,
And she shall out, thus said heere and houn.

For which delibered was by parliment,
For Antenor to yeelden out Creseide,
And it pronouced by the president,
Though that Hector nay full oft praid,
And finally, what wight that it withsaid,
It was for naught, it must ben, and should,
For substaunce of the parliment it would.

Departed out of the parliment echone,
This Troilus, without wordes mo,
Unto his chamber spedde him fast alone,
But if it were a man of his or two,
The which he bad out faste for to go,
Because he would slepen, as he said,
And hastely upon his bedde him laid.

And as in winter, leaves ben biraft
Ech after other, till trees be bare,

So that there nis but barke and branch ilaft,
Lithe Troilus, biraft of ech welfare,

I bounden in the blacke barke of care,
Disposed wode out of his witte to breide,
So sore him sate the chaunging of Creseide.

He rist him up, and every dore he shette,
And window eke, and tho this sorrowfull man
Upon his beddes side doune him sette,
Full like a dead image, pale and wan,
And in his breast the heaped wo began
Out brust, and he to worken in this wise
In his woodnesse, as I shall you devise.

Right as the wilde bull beginneth spring
Now here, now there, idarted to the herte,
And of his death roreth, in complaining,
Right so gan he about the chamber stert,
Smiting his breast aye with his fistes smert,
His head to the wall, his body to the ground,
Foll oft he swapt, himselven to confound."

His eyen two for pity of his herte
Out stremeden as swift as welles twey,
The highe sobes of his sorrowes smert
His speech him reft, unnethes might he sey,
"O death alas, why nilt thou do me dey?
Accursed be that day which that nature
Shope me to ben a lives creature."

But after whan the fury and all the rage
Which that his heart twist, and fast threst,
By length of time somewhat gan assuage,
Upon his bed he laid him doun to rest,
But tho begon his teares more out to brest,
That wonder is the body may suffise
To halfe this wo, which that I you devise.

Than said he thus: "Fortune alas the while
What have I done? what have I thee agilt ?
How mightest thou for routhe me begile?
Is there no grace? and shall I thus be spilt?
Shall thus Creseide away for that thou wilt?
Alas, how mightest thou in thine herte find
To ben to me thus cruell and unkind?

"Have I thee nat honoured all my live,
As thou well wotest, above the Gods all?
Why wilt thou me fro ioy thus deprive?
O Troilus, what may men now thee call,
But wretch of wretches, out of honour fall
Into misery, in which I woll bewaile
Creseide alas, till that the breath me faile.

"Alas Fortune, if that my life injoy
Displeased had unto thy foule envie,
Why ne haddest thou my father king of Troy
Biraft the life, or done my brethren die,

Or slaine my selfe, that thus complaine and crie?
I combre world, that may of nothing serve,
But ever dye, and never fully sterve.

"If that Creseide alone were me laft,
Naught raught I whider thou woldest me stere,
And her alas, than hast thou me byraft:
But evermore, lo this is thy manere,
To reve a wight that most is to him dere,
To preve in that thy gierfull violence :
Thus am I lost, there helpeth no defence.

"O very Lord, O Love, O God alas,

That knowest best mine herte and al my thought,
What shal my sorowfull life done in this caas,

If I forgo that I so dere have bought,
Sens ye Creseide and me have fully brought
Into your grace, and both our hertes sealed,
How may ye suffer alas it be repealed?

"What I may done, I shal while I may dure
On live, in turment and in cruell paine,
This infortune, or this disaventure,
Alone as I was borne I woll complaine,
Ne never woll I seene it shine or raine,
But end I woll as Edippe in derkenesse
My sorrowfull life, and dien in distresse.

"O wery ghost, that errest to and fro,
Why nilt thou flien out of the wofullest
Body, that ever might on grounde go?
O soule, lurking in this wofull neste,
Fly forthout mine herte, and let it breste,
And follow alway Creseide thy lady dere,
Thy right place is now no lenger here.

"O wofull eien two, sens your disport
Was all to seene Creseides eyen bright,
What shall ye done, but for my discomfort
Stoden for naught, and wepen out your sight,
Sens she is queint, that wont was you to light,
In veine from this forth have I eyen twey
Iformed, sens your vertue is awey.

"O my Creseide, O lady soveraine
Of this wofull soule that thus crieth,
Who shall now yeven comfort to thy paine?
Alas, no wight, but whan mine herte dieth,
My spirit, which that so unto you hieth,
Receive in gree, for that shall aye you serve,
Forthy no force is, though the body sterve.

"O ye lovers, that high upon the whele
Ben sette of Fortune in good aventure,
God lene that ye finded aye love of stele,
And long mote your life in joy endure,
But whan ye comen by my sepulture,
Remembreth that your fellow resteth there,
For I loved eke, though I unworthy were.
"O old unholsome and mislived man,
Calcas I meane, alas what eiled thee
To ben a Greek, sens thou art borne Trojan?
O Calcas, which that wolt my bane be,
In cursed time was thou borne for me,
As would blissfull Jove for his joy,
That I thee had where I would in Troy."

A thousand sighes hotter than the glede, Out of his breast, each after other went, Medled with plaint new, his wo to fede, For which his wofull teares never stent, And shortly so his sorowes him to rent, And woxe so mate, that joy or pennaunce He feeleth none, but lieth in a traunce.

Pandare, which that in the parliment
Had heard what every lord and burgess seid,
And how full graunted was by one assent,
For Antenor to yelden out Creseid:
Gan well nigh wood out of his wit to breid,
So that for wo he niste what he ment,
But in a rage to Troilus he went.

A certaine knight, that for the time kept
The chamber dore, undid it him anone,
And Pandare, that full tenderly wept,
Into the derke chamber as still as stone,
Toward the bedde gan softly to gone,
So confuse, that he nist what to say,
For very wo, his wit was nigh away.

And with chere and looking all to torne,
For sorow of this, and with his armes folden,
He stood this wofull Troilus beforne,
And on his pitous face he gan beholden,
But so oft gan his herte colden,
Seeing his friend in wo, whose heavinesse
His herte slough, as thought him for distresse.

This wofull wight, this Troilus that felt
His friend Pandare icomen him to see,
Gan as the snow ayenst the Sunne melt,
For which this wofull Pandare of pite
Gan for to weepe as tenderly as he:
And speechlesse thus ben these ilke twey,
That neither might for sorow o word sey.

But at the last, this wofull Troilus,
Nigh dead for smert, gan bresten out to rore,
And with a sorrowfull noise he said thus
Among his sobes and his sighes sore,
"Lo Pandare I am dead withouten more,
Hast thou not heard at parliament," he seide,
"For Antenor how lost is my Creseide?"

This Pandare full dead and pale of hew,
Full pitously answerde, and said, “Yes,
As wisely were it false as it is trew,

That I have heard, and wote all how it is,
O mercy God, who would have trowed this,
Who would have wend, that in so little a throw
Fortune our joy would have overthrow.

"For in this world there is no creature,
As to my dome, that ever saw ruine
Straunger than this, through case or aventure,
But who may al eschue or all devine,
Such is this world, forthy I thus define:
Ne trust no wight to find in Fortune
Aye property, her yeftes ben commune.

"But tell me this, why thou art now so mad
To sorrowen thus, why list thou in this wise,
Sens thy desire all holly hast thou had,
So that by right it ought inough suffise,
But I that never felt in my servise
A friendly chere or looking of an eie,
Let me thus wepe and wailen till I die.

"And over al this, as thou wel wost thy selve,
This toune is full of ladies all about,
And to my dome, fairer than such twelve
As ever she was, shal I finden in some rout,
Ye one or twey, withouten any dout:
Forthy be glade mine owne dere brother,
If she be lost, we shall recover another.

"What God forbid alway that ech pleasaunce
In o thing were, and in none other wight,
If one can sing, another can well daunce,
If this be goodly, she is glad and light,
And this is faire, and that can good aright,
Ech for his vertue holden is for dere,
Both heroner and faucon for rivere.

"And eke as writ Zansis, that was full wise,
The new love out chaseth oft the old:
And vpon new case lieth new avise,
Thinke eke thy selfe to saven art thou hold,
Such fire by processe shall of kind cold,
For sens it is but casuell pleasaunce,

Some case shall put it out of remembraunce.

"For also sure as day commeth after night,
The newe love, labour or other wo,
Or eles selde seeing of a wight,
Done old affections all overgo,

And for thy part, thou shalt haue one of tho
To abredge with thy bitter paines smart,
Absence of her shall driue her out of herte."