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But they, that crowned were in laurer grene,
Wanne the prise; their dintes were so sore,

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That there was none ayenst hem might susteine;

And the justing alle was left of clene:

And fro their horse the nine alight anon,

And so did all the remnant everichon.

And forth they yede togider, twain and twain,

That to behold it was a worthy sight,

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Toward the Ladies on the greene plain,

That song and daunced, as I said now right:

The Ladies as soone as they goodly might,

They brake of both the song and daunce,

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And yede to meet hem with full glad semblaunce.

And every Lady took ful womanly

By the hond a Knight; and forth they yede

Unto a faire laurer that stood fast by,

With leaves lade the boughes of great brede; 305

And to my dome there never was indede

Man that had seene half so faire a tre;

For underneath it there might wel have be

An hundred persons, at their own plesaunce,

Shadowed fro the heat of Phebus bright,
So that they should have felte no grevaunce

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Of raine, ne haile, that hem hurte might:
The savour eke rejoice would any wight

That had be sicke, or melancolious;

It was so very good and vertuous,

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And with great reverence they enclined low

To the tre so soot, and faire of hew;

And after that, within a little throw,

They began to sing and daunce of new:

Some song of love, some plaining of untrew; 320 Environing the tre that stood upright;

And ever yede a Lady and a Knight.

And at the last I cast mine eie aside,
And was ware of a lusty company,
That came roming out of the field wide,
Hond in hond, a Knight and a Lady;

The Ladies all in surcotes, that richly
Purfiled were with many a rich stone;

And every Knight of greene ware mantels on,

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Embrouded well, so as the surcotes were; 330

And everich had a chapelet on her hed,
Which did right well upon the shining here,
Made of goodly floures white and red;
The Knightes eke, that they in honde led,
In sute of hem ware chapelets everichone,
And before hem went Minstrels many one:

As Harpes, Pipes, Lutes, and Sautry,
Alle in grene; and on their heades bare
Of divers floures, made full craftely
All in a sute, goodly chapelets they ware;
And so dauncing unto the mede they fare.
In mid the which they found a tuft that was
All oversprad with floures in compas.

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Whereto they enclined everichon

With great reverence, and that full humbly; 345 And at the last there began anon

A Lady for to sing right womanly

A bargaret in praising the daisie:

For, as me thought, among her notes swete,

She saide, Si douce est la margarete.

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Then they alle answered her in feré,

So passingly well, and so plesauntly,
That it was a blisful noise to here;
But I n'ot how it happed sodainly,
As about noone the sunne so fervently

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Waxe whote, that the prety tender floures
Had lost the beauty of her fresh coloures.

For shronke with heat the Ladies eke to-brent, That they ne wist where they hem might bestow; The Knightes swelt for lack of shade nie shent; And after that, within a little throw,

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The wind began so sturdily to blow,

That down goeth all the floures everichone,

So that in all the mede there left hot one;

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Save such as succoured were among the leves Fro every storme that might hem assaile, Growing under [the] hegges and thicke greves; And after that there came a storme of haile

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And raine in fere, so that withouten faile
The Ladies ne the Knightes n'ade o threed
Dry on them, so dropping [wet] was her weed.
F f

And when the storm was cleane passed away,
Tho in white that stood under the tre,

They felt nothing of the great affray,
That they in grene without had in ybè:
To them they yede, for routhe and pitè,
Them to comfort after their great disease;
So faine they were the helplesse for to ease.

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When I was ware how one of hem in grene Had on a crowne rich and well *sitting; Wherefore I demed wel she was a Quene, And tho in grene on her were awaiting: The Ladies then in white that were coming. Toward them, and the Knights in fere, Began to comfort hem and make hem chere. 385

The Queen in white, that was of great beauty,
Took by the hond the Queen that was in grene,
And said, Suster, I have right great pity
Of

your annoy, and of the troublous tene,
Wherein ye and your company have bene
So long, alas! and if that it you please
To go with me, I shall do you the ease

In all the plesure that I can or may: Whereof the other, humbly as she might,

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Thanked her; for in right ill array

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She was, with storm and heat, I you behight:
And every Lady then anon right,

* Urry, fitting,

That were in white, one of them took in grene By the hond; which when the Knights had sene,

In like wise ech of them [then] took a Knight Cladde in grene, and forth with hem they fare 401 To an hegge, where they anon right,

To make their justs they would not spare
Boughes to hew down, and eke trees square,
Wherewith they made hem stately fires great, 405
To dry their clothes that were wringing weat.

And after that of hearbes that there grew They made for blisters of the sunne brenning, * Very good and wholsome ointmentes new, Where that they yede the sick fast anointing; And after that they yede about gadering Plesaunt salades which they made hem eat, For to refresh their great unkindly heat.

The Lady of the Leafe then gan to pray Her of the Floure, (for so to my seeming They should be called as by their array,)

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To soupe with her, and eke for any thing

That she should with her all her people bring;
And she ayen in right goodly manere

Thanketh her [then] of her most friendly cheare;

Saying plainely, that she would obay

*The old reading. Urry thus transposes the line,

Ointmentes very gode, wholsome, and new.

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