But they, that crowned were in laurer grene, 290 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, 296 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, 300 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, 310 Of raine, ne haile, that hem hurte might: That had be sicke, or melancolious; It was so very good and vertuous, 315 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, The Ladies all in surcotes, that richly And every Knight of greene ware mantels on, 325 Embrouded well, so as the surcotes were; 330 And everich had a chapelet on her hed, As Harpes, Pipes, Lutes, and Sautry, 335 340 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. 350 Then they alle answered her in feré, So passingly well, and so plesauntly, 355 Waxe whote, that the prety tender floures 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, 361 The wind began so sturdily to blow, That down goeth all the floures everichone, So that in all the mede there left hot one; 366 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 370 And raine in fere, so that withouten faile And when the storm was cleane passed away, They felt nothing of the great affray, 375 380 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, your annoy, and of the troublous tene, In all the plesure that I can or may: Whereof the other, humbly as she might, 390 Thanked her; for in right ill array 395 She was, with storm and heat, I you behight: * 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 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,) 411 415 To soupe with her, and eke for any thing That she should with her all her people bring; 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. 421 |