Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 92

'Is ther non other grace in yow,' quod he.

'No, by that lord,' quod she, 'that maked me! 1000 For wel I woot that it shal never bityde.

Lat swiche folies out of your herte slyde.

What deyntee sholde a man han in his lyf For to go love another mannes wyf, That hath hir body whan so that him lyketh?' 1005

Aurelius ful ofte sore syketh; Wo was Aurelie, whan that he this herde, And with a sorweful herte he thus answerde: (280)

'Madame,' quod he, 'this were an inpossible!

Than moot I dye of sodein deth horrible.' 1010 And with that word he turned him anoon.

Tho come hir othere freendes many oon, And in the aleyes romeden up and doun, And no-thing wiste of this conclusioun, But sodeinly bigonne revel newe 1015 [491: T. 11328-11362.]

Til that the brighte sonne loste his hewe; For thorisonte hath reft the sonne his light; This is as muche to seye as it was night. (290) And hoom they goon in Ioye and in solas, Save only wrecche Aurelius, allas! 1020 He to his hous is goon with sorweful herte; He seeth he may nat fro his deeth asterte.

Him semed that he felte his herte colde; Up to the hevene his handes he gan holde, And on his knowes bare he sette him doun, 1025 And in his raving seyde his orisoun.

For verray wo out of his wit he breyde.

He niste what he spak, but thus he seyde; (300) With pitous herte his pleynt hath he bigonne Un-to the G.o.ddes, and first un-to the sonne: 1030

1010. E. Thanne. 1011. MSS. anon, anone. 1012. E. Hn. coome.

1017. Ln. the orizonte; 1025. Cm. kneis; Cp. Pt. knees.

He seyde, 'Appollo, G.o.d and governour Of every plaunte, herbe, tree and flour, That yevest, after thy declinacioun, To ech of hem his tyme and his sesoun, As thyn herberwe chaungeth lowe or hye, 1035 Lord Phebus, cast thy merciable ye On wrecche Aurelie, which that am but lorn.

Lo, lord! my lady hath my deeth y-sworn (310) With-oute gilt, but thy benignitee Upon my dedly herte have som pitee! 1040 For wel I woot, lord Phebus, if yow lest, Ye may me helpen, save my lady, best.

Now voucheth sauf that I may yow devyse How that I may been holpe and in what wyse.

1035. E. Hn. or; _rest_ and. Pt. hie; E. Hn. Cp. heighe; Cm. hyghe; Ln. hihe. 1036. Pt. ye; Cm. lye; E. Hn. Cp. eighe; Ln. eyhe. 1037.

E._om._ that. 1044. E. holpen.

Your blisful suster, Lucina the shene, 1045 That of the see is chief G.o.ddesse and quene, Though Neptunus have deitee in the see, Yet emperesse aboven him is she: (320) Ye knowen wel, lord, that right as hir desyr Is to be quiked and lightned of your fyr, 1050 [492: T. 11363-11400.]

For which she folweth yow ful bisily, Right so the see desyreth naturelly To folwen hir, as she that is G.o.ddesse Bothe in the see and riveres more and lesse.

Wherfore, lord Phebus, this is my requeste-- 1055 Do this miracle, or do myn herte breste-- That now, next at this opposicioun, Which in the signe shal be of the Leoun, (330) As preyeth hir so greet a flood to bringe, That fyve fadme at the leeste it overspringe 1060 The hyeste rokke in Armorik Briteyne; And lat this flood endure yeres tweyne; Than certes to my lady may I seye: "Holdeth your heste, the rokkes been aweye."

1045. E. Lucina, _glossed_ i. luna. 1048. E. Emperisse. 1050. Hn.

lighted; Cm. lyghtenyd. 1063. E. Hn. Cm. Cp. Thanne.

Lord Phebus, dooth this miracle for me; 1065 Preye hir she go no faster cours than ye; I seye, preyeth your suster that she go No faster cours than ye thise yeres two. (340) Than shal she been evene atte fulle alway, And spring-flood laste bothe night and day. 1070 And, but she vouche-sauf in swiche manere To graunte me my sovereyn lady dere, Prey hir to sinken every rok adoun In-to hir owene derke regioun Under the ground, ther Pluto dwelleth inne, 1075 Or never-mo shal I my lady winne.

Thy temple in Delphos wol I barefoot seke; Lord Phebus, see the teres on my cheke, (350) And of my peyne have som compa.s.sioun.'

And with that word in swowne he fil adoun, 1080 And longe tyme he lay forth in a traunce.

1069. E. Hn. Cm. Cp. Thanne. 1074. E. Hn. dirke. 1078. E. teeris.

His brother, which that knew of his penaunce, Up caughte him and to bedde he hath him broght.

Dispeyred in this torment and this thoght Lete I this woful creature lye; 1085 Chese he, for me, whether he wol live or dye.

1086. E. wheither.

Arveragus, with hele and greet honour, As he that was of chivalrye the flour, (360) [493: T. 11401-11436.]

Is comen hoom, and othere worthy men.

O blisful artow now, thou Dorigen, 1090 That hast thy l.u.s.ty housbonde in thyne armes, The fresshe knight, the worthy man of armes, That loveth thee, as his owene hertes lyf.

No-thing list him to been imaginatyf If any wight had spoke, whyl he was oute, 1095 To hire of love; he hadde of it no doute.

He noght entendeth to no swich matere, But daunceth, Iusteth, maketh hir good chere; (370) And thus in Ioye and blisse I lete hem dwelle, And of the syke Aurelius wol I telle. 1100

1096. Cp. Pt. Ln. ther-of (_for_ of it). 1100. E. Cm. I wol (wele) yow; _rest_ wol (wil) I.

In langour and in torment furious Two yeer and more lay wrecche Aurelius, Er any foot he mighte on erthe goon; Ne confort in this tyme hadde he noon, Save of his brother, which that was a clerk; 1105 He knew of al this wo and al this werk.

For to non other creature certeyn Of this matere he dorste no word seyn. (380) Under his brest he bar it more secree Than ever dide Pamphilus for Galathee. 1110 His brest was hool, with-oute for to sene, But in his herte ay was the arwe kene.

And wel ye knowe that of a sursanure In surgerye is perilous the cure, But men mighte touche the arwe, or come therby. 1115 His brother weep and wayled prively, Til atte laste him fil in remembraunce, That whyl he was at Orliens in Fraunce, (390) As yonge clerkes, that been likerous To reden artes that been curious, 1120 Seken in every halke and every herne Particuler sciences for to lerne, He him remembred that, upon a day, At Orliens in studie a book he say [494: T. 11437-11471.]

Of magik natural, which his felawe, 1125 That was that tyme a bacheler of lawe, Al were he ther to lerne another craft, Had prively upon his desk y-laft; (400) Which book spak muchel of the operaciouns, Touchinge the eighte and twenty mansiouns 1130 That longen to the mone, and swich folye, As in our dayes is nat worth a flye; For holy chirches feith in our bileve Ne suffreth noon illusion us to greve.

And whan this book was in his remembraunce, 1135 Anon for Ioye his herte gan to daunce, And to him-self he seyde prively: 'My brother shal be warisshed hastily; (410) For I am siker that ther be sciences, By whiche men make diverse apparences 1140 Swiche as thise subtile tregetoures pleye.

For ofte at festes have I wel herd seye, That tregetours, with-inne an halle large, Have maad come in a water and a barge, And in the halle rowen up and doun. 1145 Somtyme hath semed come a grim leoun; And somtyme floures springe as in a mede; Somtyme a vyne, and grapes whyte and rede; (420) Somtyme a castel, al of lym and stoon; And whan hem lyked, voyded it anoon. 1150 Thus semed it to every mannes sighte.

1101. E. Hn. Cm. furyus. 1109. E. Hn. baar. 1118. Cm. whil; _rest_ whiles. Ln. Cp. Pt. Orliaunce. 1125. E. natureel. 1129. Pt. _om._ the (_which seems better_). 1140. E. whee(!); _for_ whiche. 1141.

Cm tregettourys; Cp. tregetoures; _rest_ tregetours. 1147, 8. Cp. Pt.

Ln. _omit these two lines_. 1150. E. Cm. Ln. hym; _rest_ hem.

Now than conclude I thus, that if I mighte At Orliens som old felawe y-finde, That hadde this mones mansions in minde, Or other magik naturel above, 1155 He sholde wel make my brother han his love.

For with an apparence a clerk may make To mannes sighte, that alle the rokkes blake (430) Of Britaigne weren y-voyded everichon, [495: T. 11472-11507.]

And shippes by the brinke comen and gon, 1160 And in swich forme endure a day or two; Than were my brother warisshed of his wo.

Than moste she nedes holden hir biheste, Or elles he shal shame hir atte leste.'

1152. E. thanne. 1155. E. natureel. 1161. E. Hn. Pt. enduren. Hn.

Cm. day; E. wowke; Cp. Pt. Ln. yeer. 1162, 3. E. Thanne.

What sholde I make a lenger tale of this? 1165 Un-to his brotheres bed he comen is, And swich confort he yaf him for to gon To Orliens, that he up stirte anon, (440) And on his wey forthward thanne is he fare, In hope for to ben lissed of his care. 1170

Whan they were come almost to that citee, But-if it were a two furlong or three, A yong clerk rominge by him-self they mette, Which that in Latin thriftily hem grette, And after that he seyde a wonder thing: 1175 'I knowe,' quod he, 'the cause of your coming'; And er they ferther any fote wente, He tolde hem al that was in hir entente. (450)

This Briton clerk him asked of felawes The whiche that he had knowe in olde dawes; 1180 And he answerde him that they dede were, For which he weep ful ofte many a tere.

Doun of his hors Aurelius lighte anon, And forth with this magicien is he gon Hoom to his hous, and made hem wel at ese. 1185 Hem lakked no vitaille that mighte hem plese; So wel arrayed hous as ther was oon Aurelius in his lyf saugh never noon. (460)

1184. E. Hn. Cm. _put_ forth _before_ is. 1185. E. Hn. maden.

He shewed him, er he wente to sopeer, Forestes, parkes ful of wilde deer; 1190 Ther saugh he hertes with hir homes hye, The gretteste that ever were seyn with ye.

He saugh of hem an hondred slayn with houndes, And somme with arwes blede of bittre woundes.

He saugh, whan voided were thise wilde deer, 1195 [496: T. 11508-11543.]

Thise fauconers upon a fair river, That with hir haukes han the heron slayn.

1191-1196. Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit six lines._ 1192. Cm. Iye; E. Hn. eye.

Tho saugh he knightes Iusting in a playn; (470) And after this, he dide him swich plesaunce, That he him shewed his lady on a daunce 1200 On which him-self he daunced, as him thoughte.

And whan this maister, that this magik wroughte, Saugh it was tyme, he clapte his handes two, And farewel! al our revel was ago.

And yet remoeved they never out of the hous, 1205 Whyl they saugh al this sighte merveillous, But in his studie, ther-as his bookes be, They seten stille, and no wight but they three. (480)

To him this maister called his squyer, And seyde him thus: 'is redy our soper? 1210 Almost an houre it is, I undertake, Sith I yow bad our soper for to make, Whan that thise worthy men wenten with me In-to my studie, ther-as my bookes be.'

'Sire,' quod this squyer, 'whan it lyketh yow, 1215 It is al redy, though ye wol right now.'

'Go we than soupe,' quod he, 'as for the beste; This amorous folk som-tyme mote han reste.' (490)

1216. E. though; Hn. thogh. 1217. E. Hn. Cm. thanne. 1218. E. Hn.

hir reste; _rest om._ hir.