Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 48

From hir childhede I finde that she fledde 3445 Office of wommen, and to wode she wente; And many a wilde hertes blood she shedde With arwes brode that she to hem sente.

She was so swift that she anon hem hente, And whan that she was elder, she wolde kille 3450 Leouns, lepardes, and beres al to-rente, (271) And in hir armes welde hem at hir wille.

She dorste wilde beestes dennes seke, And rennen in the montaignes al the night, And slepen under a bush, and she coude eke 3455 Wrastlen by verray force and verray might With any yong man, were he never so wight; Ther mighte no-thing in hir armes stonde.

She kepte hir maydenhod from every wight, To no man deigned hir for to be bonde. 3460

3455. E. Hn. Cm. the; _rest_ a. E. bussh.

[253: T. 14277-14308.]

But atte laste hir frendes han hir maried (281) To Odenake, a prince of that contree, Al were it so that she hem longe taried; And ye shul understonde how that he Hadde swiche fantasyes as hadde she. 3465 But nathelees, whan they were knit in-fere, They lived in Ioye and in felicitee; For ech of hem hadde other leef and dere.

3462. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; Cp. Ln. Hl. Odenake; Pt. Odonak. 3468. E.

oother lief.

Save o thing, that she never wolde a.s.sente By no wey, that he sholde by hir lye 3470 But ones, for it was hir pleyn entente (291) To have a child, the world to multiplye; And al-so sone as that she mighte espye That she was nat with childe with that dede, Than wolde she suffre him doon his fantasye 3475 Eft-sone, and nat but ones, out of drede.

And if she were with childe at thilke cast, Na-more sholde he pleyen thilke game Til fully fourty dayes weren past; Than wolde she ones suffre him do the same. 3480 Al were this Odenake wilde or tame, (301) He gat na-more of hir, for thus she seyde, 'It was to wyves lecherye and shame In other cas, if that men with hem pleyde.'

3481. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; _rest_ Odenake.

Two sones by this Odenake hadde she, 3485 The whiche she kepte in vertu and lettrure; But now un-to our tale turne we.

I seye, so worshipful a creature, And wys therwith, and large with mesure, So penible in the warre, and curteis eke, 3490 Ne more labour mighte in werre endure, (311) Was noon, thogh al this world men sholde seke.

3485. E. _om._ this. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; _rest_ Odenake. 3492. E.

though; Hn. thogh. E. wolde; _rest_ sholde (schulde).

[254: T. 14309-14340.]

Hir riche array ne mighte nat be told As wel in vessel as in hir clothing; She was al clad in perree and in gold, 3495 And eek she lafte noght, for noon hunting, To have of sondry tonges ful knowing, Whan that she leyser hadde, and for to entende To lernen bokes was al hir lyking, How she in vertu mighte hir lyf dispende. 3500

And, shortly of this storie for to trete, (321) So doughty was hir housbonde and eek she, That they conquered many regnes grete In the orient, with many a fair citee, Apertenaunt un-to the magestee 3505 Of Rome, and with strong hond helde hem ful faste; Ne never mighte hir fo-men doon hem flee, Ay whyl that Odenakes dayes laste.

3501. E. proces; _rest_ storie. 3508. Hl. Odenakes; _rest_ Onedakes, Odenake.

Hir batailes, who-so list hem for to rede, Agayn Sapor the king and othere mo, 3510 And how that al this proces fil in dede, (331) Why she conquered and what t.i.tle had therto, And after of hir meschief and hir wo, How that she was biseged and y-take, Let him un-to my maister Petrark go, 3515 That writ y-nough of this, I undertake.

3511. E. _omits_ that. 3512. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. had; _which_ E. Hn. Cm.

_omit._

When Odenake was deed, she mightily The regnes heeld, and with hir propre honde Agayn hir foos she faught so cruelly, That ther nas king ne prince in al that londe 3520 That he nas glad, if that he grace fonde, (341) That she ne wolde up-on his lond werreye; With hir they made alliaunce by bonde To been in pees, and lete hir ryde and pleye.

3517. _So_ Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl.; E. Hn. Cm. Onedake. 3518. E. hond_e_; Pt.

honde; Ln. hande; _rest_ hond. 3523. _MSS._ made; _read_ maden?

[255: T. 14341-14372.]

The emperour of Rome, Claudius, 3525 Ne him bifore, the Romayn Galien, Ne dorste never been so corageous, Ne noon Ermyn, ne noon Egipcien, Ne Surrien, ne noon Arabien, Within the feld that dorste with hir fighte 3530 Lest that she wolde hem with hir hondes slen, (351) Or with hir meynee putten hem to flighte.

3530. Cp. feeld; Hl. feld; Ln. felde; Pt. feelde; E. Hn. Cm. feeldes.

In kinges habit wente hir sones two, As heires of hir fadres regnes alle, And Hermanno, and Thymalao 3535 Her names were, as Persiens hem calle.

But ay fortune hath in hir hony galle; This mighty quene may no whyl endure.

Fortune out of hir regne made hir falle To wrecchednesse and to misaventure. 3540

Aurelian, whan that the governaunce (361) Of Rome cam in-to his hondes tweye, He shoop up-on this queen to do vengeaunce, And with his legiouns he took his weye Toward Cen.o.bie, and, shortly for to seye, 3545 He made hir flee, and atte laste hir hente, And fettred hir, and eek hir children tweye, And wan the lond, and hoom to Rome he wente.

Amonges othere thinges that he wan, Hir char, that was with gold wrought and perree, 3550 This grete Romayn, this Aurelian, (371) Hath with him lad, for that men sholde it see.

Biforen his triumphe walketh she With gilte cheynes on hir nekke hanging; Corouned was she, as after hir degree, 3555 And ful of perree charged hir clothing.

3553. _MSS._ Biforn, Bifore (Hl. Bifore this). 3555. E. _omits_ as.

[256: T. 14373-14708.]

Allas, fortune! she that whylom was Dredful to kinges and to emperoures, Now gaureth al the peple on hir, allas!

And she that helmed was in starke stoures, 3560 And wan by force tounes stronge and toures, (381) Shal on hir heed now were a vitremyte; And she that bar the ceptre ful of floures Shal bere a distaf, hir cost for to quyte. [T. 14380.

3560. E. shoures. 3562. Hl. wyntermyte. 3564. Hn. Cm. Ln. cost; Pt.

coste; E. Cp. costes; Hl. self.

(NERO _follows in_ T.; _see_ p. 259.)

DE PETRO REGE ISPANNIE.

O n.o.ble, o worthy Petro, glorie of Spayne, [T. 14685.

Whom fortune heeld so hy in magestee, 3566 Wel oughten men thy pitous deeth complayne!

Out of thy lond thy brother made thee flee; And after, at a sege, by subtiltee, Thou were bitrayed, and lad un-to his tente, 3570 Wher-as he with his owene hond slow thee, (391) Succeding in thy regne and in thy rente.

3570. E. Hn. Cm. bitraysed.

The feeld of snow, with thegle of blak ther-inne, [T. 14693.

Caught with the lymrod, coloured as the glede, He brew this cursednes and al this sinne. 3575 The 'wikked nest' was werker of this nede; Noght Charles Oliver, that ay took hede Of trouthe and honour, but of Armorike Genilon Oliver, corrupt for mede, Broghte this worthy king in swich a brike. 3580

3577. E. Hn. Cm. took ay; _rest_ ay took.

DE PETRO REGE DE CIPRO.

O worthy Petro, king of Cypre, also, (401) That Alisaundre wan by heigh maistrye, Ful many a hethen wroghtestow ful wo, Of which thyn owene liges hadde envye, And, for no thing but for thy chivalrye, 3585 They in thy bedde han slayn thee by the morwe.

Thus can fortune hir wheel governe and gye, And out of Ioye bringe men to sorwe. [T. 14708.

[257: T. 14709-14740.]

DE BARNABO DE LUMBARDIA.

Of Melan grete Barnabo Viscounte, G.o.d of delyt, and scourge of Lumbardye, 3590 Why sholde I nat thyn infortune acounte, (411) Sith in estaat thou clombe were so hye?

Thy brother sone, that was thy double allye, For he thy nevew was, and sone-in-lawe, With-inne his prisoun made thee to dye; 3595 But why, ne how, noot I that thou were slawe.

DE HUGELINO, COMITE DE PIZE.

Of the erl Hugelyn of Pyse the langour Ther may no tonge telle for pitee; But litel out of Pyse stant a tour, In whiche tour in prisoun put was he, 3600 And with him been his litel children three. (421) The eldeste scarsly fyf yeer was of age.