The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 99

And though I dare not, cannot, to you plain, Y-wis, I suffer not the lesse pain.

"This much as now, O womanlike wife!

I may *out bring,* and if it you displease, *speak out*

That shall I wreak* upon mine owne life, *avenge Right soon, I trow, and do your heart an ease, If with my death your heart I may appease: But, since that ye have heard somewhat say, Now reck I never how soon that I dey." *die

Therewith his manly sorrow to behold It might have made a heart of stone to rue; And Pandare wept as he to water wo'ld, <41> And saide, "Woe-begone* be heartes true," *in woeful plight And procur'd* his niece ever new and new, *urged "For love of G.o.dde, make *of him an end,* *put him out of pain*

Or slay us both at ones, ere we wend."* *go

"Ey! what?" quoth she; "by G.o.d and by my truth, I know not what ye woulde that I say;"

"Ey! what?" quoth he; "that ye have on him ruth,* *pity For G.o.dde's love, and do him not to dey." *die "Now thenne thus," quoth she, "I would him pray To telle me the *fine of his intent;* *end of his desire*

Yet wist* I never well what that he meant." *knew

"What that I meane, sweete hearte dear?"

Quoth Troilus, "O goodly, fresh, and free!

That, with the streames* of your eyne so clear, *beams, glances Ye woulde sometimes *on me rue and see,* *take pity and look on me*

And then agreen* that I may be he, *take in good part Withoute branch of vice, in any wise, In truth alway to do you my service,

"As to my lady chief, and right resort, With all my wit and all my diligence; And for to have, right as you list, comfort; Under your yerd,* equal to mine offence, *rod, chastis.e.m.e.nt As death, if that *I breake your defence;* *do what you And that ye deigne me so much honour, forbid <42>*

Me to commanden aught in any hour.

"And I to be your very humble, true, Secret, and in my paines patient, And evermore desire, freshly new, To serven, and be alike diligent, And, with good heart, all wholly your talent Receive in gree,* how sore that me smart; *gladness Lo, this mean I, mine owen sweete heart."

With that she gan her eyen on him* cast, <43> *Pandarus Full easily and full debonairly,* *graciously *Advising her,* and hied* not too fast, *considering* **went With ne'er a word, but said him softely, "Mine honour safe, I will well truely, And in such form as ye can now devise, Receive him* fully to my service; *Troilus

"Beseeching him, for G.o.dde's love, that he Would, in honour of truth and gentleness, As I well mean, eke meane well to me; And mine honour, with *wit and business,* *wisdom and zeal*

Aye keep; and if I may do him gladness, From henceforth, y-wis I will not feign: Now be all whole, no longer do ye plain.

"But, natheless, this warn I you," quoth she, "A kinge's son although ye be, y-wis, Ye shall no more have sovereignety Of me in love, than right in this case is; Nor will I forbear, if ye do amiss, To wrathe* you, and, while that ye me serve, *be angry with, chide To cherish you, *right after ye deserve.* *as you deserve*

"And shortly, deare heart, and all my knight, Be glad, and drawe you to l.u.s.tiness,* *pleasure And I shall truely, with all my might, Your bitter turnen all to sweeteness; If I be she that may do you gladness, For ev'ry woe ye shall recover a bliss:"

And him in armes took, and gan him kiss.

Pandarus, almost beside himself for joy, falls on his knees to thank Venus and Cupid, declaring that for this miracle he hears all the bells ring; then, with a warning to be ready at his call to meet at his house, he parts the lovers, and attends Cressida while she takes leave of the household -- Troilus all the time groaning at the deceit practised on his brother and Helen. When he has got rid of them by feigning weariness, Pandarus returns to the chamber, and spends the night with him in converse. The zealous friend begins to speak "in a sober wise" to Troilus, reminding him of his love-pains now all at an end.

"So that through me thou standest now in way To fare well; I say it for no boast; And know'st thou why? For, shame it is to say, For thee have I begun a game to play, Which that I never shall do eft* for other,** *again **another Although he were a thousand fold my brother.

"That is to say, for thee I am become, Betwixte game and earnest, such a mean* *means, instrument As make women unto men to come; Thou know'st thyselfe what that woulde mean; For thee have I my niece, of vices clean,* *pure, devoid So fully made thy gentleness* to trust, *n.o.bility of nature That all shall be right *as thyselfe l.u.s.t.* *as you please*

"But G.o.d, that *all wot,* take I to witness, *knows everything*

That never this for covetise* I wrought, *greed of gain But only to abridge* thy distress, *abate For which well nigh thou diedst, as me thought; But, goode brother, do now as thee ought, For G.o.dde's love, and keep her out of blame; Since thou art wise, so save thou her name.

"For, well thou know'st, the name yet of her, Among the people, as who saith hallow'd is; For that man is unborn, I dare well swear, That ever yet wist* that she did amiss; *knew But woe is me, that I, that cause all this, May thinke that she is my niece dear, And I her eme,* and traitor eke y-fere.** *uncle <17> **as well

"And were it wist that I, through mine engine,* *arts, contrivance Had in my niece put this fantasy* *fancy To do thy l.u.s.t,* and wholly to be thine, *pleasure Why, all the people would upon it cry, And say, that I the worste treachery Did in this case, that ever was begun, And she fordone,* and thou right naught y-won." *ruined

Therefore, ere going a step further, Pandarus prays Troilus to give him pledges of secrecy, and impresses on his mind the mischiefs that flow from vaunting in affairs of love. "Of kind,"[by his very nature] he says, no vaunter is to be believed:

"For a vaunter and a liar all is one; As thus: I pose* a woman granteth me *suppose, a.s.sume Her love, and saith that other will she none, And I am sworn to holden it secre, And, after, I go tell it two or three; Y-wis, I am a vaunter, at the least, And eke a liar, for I break my hest.*<44> *promise

"Now looke then, if they be not to blame, Such manner folk; what shall I call them, what?

That them avaunt of women, and by name, That never yet behight* them this nor that, *promised (much Nor knowe them no more than mine old hat? less granted) No wonder is, so G.o.d me sende heal,* *prosperity Though women dreade with us men to deal!

"I say not this for no mistrust of you, Nor for no wise men, but for fooles nice;* *silly <45> And for the harm that in the world is now, As well for folly oft as for malice; For well wot I, that in wise folk that vice No woman dreads, if she be well advised; For wise men be by fooles' harm chastised."* *corrected, instructed

So Pandarus begs Troilus to keep silent, promises to be true all his days, and a.s.sures him that he shall have all that he will in the love of Cressida: "thou knowest what thy lady granted thee; and day is set the charters up to make."

Who mighte telle half the joy and feast Which that the soul of Troilus then felt, Hearing th'effect of Pandarus' behest?

His olde woe, that made his hearte swelt,* *faint, die Gan then for joy to wasten and to melt, And all the reheating <46> of his sighes sore At ones fled, he felt of them no more.

But right so as these *holtes and these hayes,* *woods and hedges*

That have in winter deade been and dry, Reveste them in greene, when that May is, When ev'ry *l.u.s.ty listeth* best to play; *pleasant (one) wishes*

Right in that selfe wise, sooth to say, Wax'd suddenly his hearte full of joy, That gladder was there never man in Troy.

Troilus solemnly swears that never, "for all the good that G.o.d made under sun," will he reveal what Pandarus asks him to keep secret; offering to die a thousand times, if need were, and to follow his friend as a slave all his life, in proof of his grat.i.tude.

"But here, with all my heart, I thee beseech, That never in me thou deeme* such folly *judge As I shall say; me thoughte, by thy speech, That this which thou me dost for company,* *friendship I shoulde ween it were a bawdery;* *a bawd's action *I am not wood, all if I lewed be;* *I am not mad, though It is not one, that wot I well, pardie! I be unlearned*

"But he that goes for gold, or for richess, On such messages, call him *as thee l.u.s.t;* *what you please*

And this that thou dost, call it gentleness, Compa.s.sion, and fellowship, and trust; Depart it so, for widewhere is wist How that there is diversity requer'd Betwixte thinges like, as I have lear'd. <47>

"And that thou know I think it not nor ween,* *suppose That this service a shame be or a j.a.pe, *subject for jeering I have my faire sister Polyxene, Ca.s.sandr', Helene, or any of the frape;* *set <48> Be she never so fair, or well y-shape, Telle me which thou wilt of ev'ry one, To have for thine, and let me then alone."

Then, beseeching Pandarus soon to perform out the great enterprise of crowning his love for Cressida, Troilus bade his friend good night. On the morrow Troilus burned as the fire, for hope and pleasure; yet "he not forgot his wise governance [self- control];"

But in himself with manhood gan restrain Each rakel* deed, and each unbridled cheer,** *rash **demeanour That alle those that live, sooth to sayn, Should not have wist,* by word or by mannere, *suspicion What that he meant, as touching this mattere; From ev'ry wight as far as is the cloud He was, so well dissimulate he could.

And all the while that I now devise* *describe, narrate This was his life: with all his fulle might, By day he was in Marte's high service, That is to say, in armes as a knight; And, for the moste part, the longe night He lay, and thought how that he mighte serve His lady best, her thank* for to deserve. *grat.i.tude

I will not swear, although he laye soft, That in his thought he n'as somewhat diseas'd;* *troubled Nor that he turned on his pillows oft, And would of that him missed have been seis'd;* *possessed But in such case men be not alway pleas'd, For aught I wot, no more than was he; That can I deem* of possibility. *judge

But certain is, to purpose for to go, That in this while, as written is in gest,* *the history of He saw his lady sometimes, and also these events She with him spake, when that she *durst and lest;* *dared and pleased*

And, by their both advice,* as was the best, *consultation *Appointed full warily* in this need, *made careful preparations*

So as they durst, how far they would proceed.

But it was spoken in *so short a wise, *so briefly, and always in such In such await alway, and in such fear, vigilance and fear of being Lest any wight divinen or devise* found out by anyone*

Would of their speech, or to it lay an ear, *That all this world them not so lefe were,* *they wanted more than As that Cupido would them grace send anything in the world*

To maken of their speeches right an end.

But thilke little that they spake or wrought, His wise ghost* took ay of all such heed, *spirit It seemed her he wiste what she thought Withoute word, so that it was no need To bid him aught to do, nor aught forbid; For which she thought that love, all* came it late, *although Of alle joy had open'd her the gate.

Troilus, by his discretion, his secrecy, and his devotion, made ever a deeper lodgment in Cressida's heart; so that she thanked G.o.d twenty thousand times that she had met with a man who, as she felt, "was to her a wall of steel, and shield from ev'ry displeasance;" while Pandarus ever actively fanned the fire. So pa.s.sed a "time sweet" of tranquil and harmonious love the only drawback being, that the lovers might not often meet, "nor leisure have, their speeches to fulfil." At last Pandarus found an occasion for bringing them together at his house unknown to anybody, and put his plan in execution.

For he, with great deliberation, Had ev'ry thing that hereto might avail* *be of service Forecast, and put in execution, And neither left for cost nor for travail;* *effort Come if them list, them shoulde nothing fail, *Nor for to be in aught espied there, That wiste he an impossible were.* *he knew it was impossible*

that they could be discovered there*

And dreadeless* it clear was in the wind *without doubt Of ev'ry pie, and every let-game; <49> Now all is well, for all this world is blind, In this mattere, bothe fremd* and tame; <50> *wild This timber is all ready for to frame; Us lacketh naught, but that we weete* wo'ld *know A certain hour in which we come sho'ld. <51>

Troilus had informed his household, that if at any time he was missing, he had gone to worship at a certain temple of Apollo, "and first to see the holy laurel quake, or that the G.o.dde spake out of the tree." So, at the changing of the moon, when "the welkin shope him for to rain," [when the sky was preparing to rain] Pandarus went to invite his niece to supper; solemnly a.s.suring her that Troilus was out of the town -- though all the time he was safely shut up, till midnight, in "a little stew,"