Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 13

yellinge. 1290. _All_ moste, most, muste; _but read_ mot: _see_ l.

1295. 1296. Hl. [gh]yue; E. yeue. 1297. E. yeueth. 1299. Hl.

Ielousye; E. Ialousie. 1303. Hl. Tho; E. Thanne. E. crueel gooddes(!). 1305. Hl. Cm. athamaunte; E. Atthamaunt. 1309. Cm. Hl.

beste; E. beest. 1310. Cm. areste; Hl. arreste; E. arreest. 1312, 1314. Cm. Cp. Hl. gilteles; E. giltlees.

What governaunce is in this prescience, That giltelees tormenteth innocence?

And yet encreseth this al my penaunce, 1315 [39: T. 1318-1353.]

That man is bounden to his observaunce, For G.o.ddes sake, to letten of his wille, Ther as a beest may al his l.u.s.t fulfille. (460) And whan a beest is deed, he hath no peyne; But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne, 1320 Though in this world he have care and wo: With-outen doute it may stonden so.

The answere of this I lete to divynis, But wel I woot, that in this world gret pyne is.

Allas! I see a serpent or a theef, 1325 That many a trewe man hath doon mescheef, Goon at his large, and wher him list may turne.

But I mot been in prison thurgh Saturne, (470) And eek thurgh Iuno, Ialous and eek wood, That hath destroyed wel ny al the blood 1330 Of Thebes, with his waste walles wyde.

And Venus sleeth me on that other syde For Ielousye, and fere of him Arcite.'

1315. Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. encreseth; E. encresseth. 1320. _So_ Hn. Cm.

Hl.; _rest_ after his deeth man. 1323. _So_ Hl.; _rest_ lete I.

1331. E. hise. 1333. E. Ialousie.

Now wol I stinte of Palamon a lyte, And lete him in his prison stille dwelle, 1335 And of Arcita forth I wol yow telle.

The somer pa.s.seth, and the nightes longe Encresen double wyse the peynes stronge (480) Bothe of the lovere and the prisoner.

I noot which hath the wofullere mester. 1340 For shortly for to seyn, this Palamoun Perpetuelly is dampned to prisoun, In cheynes and in fettres to ben deed; And Arcite is exyled upon his heed For ever-mo as out of that contree, 1345 Ne never-mo he shal his lady see.

1337. E. (_alone_) sonne. 1338. E. Encressen. 1344. Cm. Cp. Pt. vp (_perhaps rightly_).

Yow loveres axe I now this questioun, Who hath the worse, Arcite or Palamoun? (490) That oon may seen his lady day by day, But in prison he moot dwelle alway. 1350 That other wher him list may ryde or go, [40: T. 1354-1386.]

But seen his lady shal he never-mo.

Now demeth as yow liste, ye that can, For I wol telle forth as I bigan.

1347. E. Now (_wrongly_); rest Yow. 1350. Hn. Cp. Pt. moot he.

1353. Ln. liste; Cm. lyste; Hl. l.u.s.te; _rest_ list.

EXPLICIT PRIMA PARS. SEQUITUR PARS SECUNDA.

Whan that Arcite to Thebes comen was, 1355 Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde 'allas,'

For seen his lady shal he never-mo.

And shortly to concluden al his wo, (500) So muche sorwe had never creature That is, or shal, whyl that the world may dure. 1360 His sleep, his mete, his drink is him biraft, That lene he wex, and drye as is a shaft.

His eyen holwe, and grisly to biholde; His hewe falwe, and pale as a.s.shen colde, And solitarie he was, and ever allone, 1365 And wailling al the night, making his mone.

And if he herde song or instrument, Then wolde he wepe, he mighte nat be stent; (510) So feble eek were his spirits, and so lowe, And chaunged so, that no man coude knowe 1370 His speche nor his vois, though men it herde.

And in his gere, for al the world he ferde Nat oonly lyk the loveres maladye Of Hereos, but rather lyk manye Engendred of humour malencolyk, 1375 Biforen, in his celle fantastyk.

And shortly, turned was al up-so-doun Bothe habit and eek disposicioun (520) Of him, this woful lovere daun Arcite.

1359. Hl. Pt. Ln. had; _rest_ hadde. 1362. E. Pt. wexeth. 1364. Hi.

Cm. Cp. falwe; E. Hn. falow. 1369. E. spiritz. 1376. E. Biforn his owene; Cm. Be-forn hese owene; Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. Biforn his; Hl. Beforne in his.

What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte? 1380 Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo, At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde, Up-on a night, in sleep as he him leyde, [41: T. 1387-1424.]

Him thoughte how that the winged G.o.d Mercurie 1385 Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye.

His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte; An hat he werede up-on his heres brighte. (530) Arrayed was this G.o.d (as he took keep) As he was whan that Argus took his sleep; 1390 And seyde him thus: 'To Athenes shaltou wende; Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.'

And with that word Arcite wook and sterte.

'Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,'

Quod he, 'to Athenes right now wol I fare; 1395 Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare To see my lady, that I love and serve; In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.' (540)

1382. E. crueel. 1388. E. vp (_perhaps rightly_); _rest_ vp-on.

1389. E. I; _rest_ he.

And with that word he caughte a greet mirour, And saugh that chaunged was al his colour, 1400 And saugh his visage al in another kinde.

And right anoon it ran him in his minde, That, sith his face was so disfigured Of maladye, the which he hadde endured, He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe, 1405 Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe, And seen his lady wel ny day by day.

And right anon he chaunged his array, (550) And cladde him as a povre laborer, And al allone, save oonly a squyer, 1410 That knew his privetee and al his cas, Which was disgysed povrely, as he was, To Athenes is he goon the nexte way.

And to the court he wente up-on a day, And at the gate he profreth his servyse, 1415 To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse.

And shortly of this matere for to seyn, He fil in office with a chamberleyn, (560) The which that dwelling was with Emelye.

For he was wys, and coude soon aspye 1420 Of every servaunt, which that serveth here.

Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere, [42: T. 1425-1461.]

For he was yong and mighty for the nones, And ther-to be was strong and big of bones To doon that any wight can him devyse. 1425 A yeer or two he was in this servyse, Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte; And 'Philostrate' he seide that he highte. (570) But half so wel biloved a man as he Ne was ther never in court, of his degree; 1430 He was so gentil of condicioun, That thurghout al the court was his renoun.

They seyden, that it were a charitee That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree, And putten him in worshipful servyse, 1435 Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse.

And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is sp.r.o.nge Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge, (580) That Theseus hath taken him so neer That of his chambre he made him a squyer, 1440 And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree; And eek men broghte him out of his contree From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente; But honestly and slyly he it spente, That no man wondred how that he it hadde. 1445 And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde, And bar him so in pees and eek in werre, Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre. (590) And in this blisse lete I now Arcite, And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte. 1450

1424. E. Cm. long; _rest_ strong. 1431. E. Hl. _ins._ his _after_ of. 1441. E. Hn. Cp. gaf.

In derknesse and horrible and strong prisoun This seven yeer hath seten Palamoun, Forpyned, what for wo and for distresse; Who feleth double soor and hevinesse But Palamon? that love destreyneth so, 1455 That wood out of his wit he gooth for wo; And eek therto he is a prisoner Perpetuelly, noght oonly for a yeer. (600) Who coude ryme in English proprely [43: T. 1462-1497.]

His martirdom? for sothe, it am nat I; 1460 Therefore I pa.s.se as lightly as I may.

1454. E. Hn. Pt. soor; Cp. Ln. sore; Cm. Hl. sorwe. E. _om._ and.

It fel that in the seventhe yeer, in May, The thridde night, (as olde bokes seyn, That al this storie tellen more pleyn,) Were it by aventure or destinee, 1465 (As, whan a thing is shapen, it shal be,) That, sone after the midnight, Palamoun, By helping of a freend, brak his prisoun, (610) And fleeth the citee, faste as he may go; For he had yive his gayler drinke so 1470 Of a clarree, maad of a certeyn wyn, With nercotikes and opie of Thebes fyn, That al that night, thogh that men wolde him shake, The gayler sleep, he mighte nat awake; And thus he fleeth as faste as ever he may. 1475 The night was short, and faste by the day, That nedes-cost he moste him-selven hyde, And til a grove, faste ther besyde, (620) With dredful foot than stalketh Palamoun.

For shortly, this was his opinioun, 1480 That in that grove he wolde him hyde al day, And in the night than wolde he take his way To Thebes-ward, his freendes for to preye On Theseus to helpe him to werreye; And shortly, outher he wolde lese his lyf, 1485 Or winnen Emelye un-to his wyf; This is theffect and his entente pleyn.

1470. Hl. [gh]iue; E. yeue. 1472. E. Of; _rest_ With. 1477. E.

moot; _rest_ moste, most, muste. 1479. E. Hn. Cm. thanne; _rest_ than.

Now wol I torne un-to Arcite ageyn, (630) That litel wiste how ny that was his care, Til that fortune had broght him in the snare. 1490

1488. E. Hn. Ln. to; _rest_ vn-to.

The bisy larke, messager of day, Salueth in hir song the morwe gray; And fyry Phebus ryseth up so brighte, That al the orient laugheth of the lighte, And with his stremes dryeth in the greves 1495 [44: T. 1498-1532.]

The silver dropes, hanging on the leves.

And Arcite, that is in the court royal With Theseus, his squyer princ.i.p.al, (640) Is risen, and loketh on the myrie day.

And, for to doon his observaunce to May, 1500 Remembring on the poynt of his desyr, He on a courser, sterting as the fyr, Is riden in-to the feeldes, him to pleye, Out of the court, were it a myle or tweye; And to the grove, of which that I yow tolde, 1505 By aventure, his wey he gan to holde, To maken him a gerland of the greves, Were it of wodebinde or hawethorn-leves, (650) And loude he song ageyn the sonne shene: 'May, with alle thy floures and thy grene, 1510 Wel-come be thou, faire fresshe May, I hope that I som grene gete may.'

And from his courser, with a l.u.s.ty herte, In-to the grove ful hastily he sterte, And in a path he rometh up and doun, 1515 Ther-as, by aventure, this Palamoun Was in a bush, that no man mighte him see, For sore afered of his deeth was he. (660) No-thing ne knew he that it was Arcite: G.o.d wot he wolde have trowed it ful lyte. 1520 But sooth is seyd, gon sithen many yeres, That 'feeld hath eyen, and the wode hath eres.'

It is ful fair a man to bere him evene, For al-day meteth men at unset stevene.

Ful litel woot Arcite of his felawe, 1525 That was so ny to herknen al his sawe, For in the bush he sitteth now ful stille.

1491. day] Hl. May. 1495. E. hise. 1497. Hl. Arcite; _rest_ Arcita. 1502. E. Hn. Cm. a; _rest_ his. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. stertyng; E. Hn. startlynge; Cm. stertelynge. 1511. Hl. wel faire; _rest om._ wel. 1512. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. In; _rest_ I. 1514. E. a; _rest_ the.

1518. Hn. Hl. afered; Cm. ofered; _rest_ aferd. E. (_alone_) _ins._ thanne _bef._ was. 1521. Hl. Pt. goon; Cm. Ln. gon; E. Hn. Cp. go.

1526. E. Hn. al; _rest_ of.

Whan that Arcite had romed al his fille, (670) And songen al the roundel l.u.s.tily, In-to a studie he fil sodeynly, 1530 [45: T. 1533-1567.]

As doon thise loveres in hir queynte geres, Now in the croppe, now doun in the breres, Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.

Right as the Friday, soothly for to telle, Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste, 1535 Right so can gery Venus overcaste The hertes of hir folk; right as hir day Is gerful, right so chaungeth she array. (680) Selde is the Friday al the wyke y-lyke.

1530. E. fil al: _rest om._ al. 1532. E. Hn. Cm. crop; Cp. Hl. Pt.

croppe. 1536. E. Hn. Cm. kan; _rest_ gan. 1538. E. gereful; Cp.