Troilus and Criseyde Part 18

In alle nedes, for the tounes werre, He was, and ay the firste in armes dight; And certeynly, but-if that bokes erre, Save Ector, most y-drad of any wight; 1775 And this encrees of hardinesse and might Cam him of love, his ladies thank to winne, That altered his spirit so with-inne.

In tyme of trewe, on haukinge wolde he ryde, Or elles hunten boor, bere, or lyoun; 1780 The smale bestes leet he gon bi-syde.

And whan that he com rydinge in-to toun, Ful ofte his lady, from hir window doun, As fresh as faucon comen out of muwe, Ful redy was, him goodly to saluwe. 1785

And most of love and vertu was his speche, And in despyt hadde alle wrecchednesse; And doutelees, no nede was him biseche To honouren hem that hadde worthinesse, And esen hem that weren in distresse. 1790 And glad was he if any wight wel ferde, That lover was, whan he it wiste or herde.

For sooth to seyn, he lost held every wight But-if he were in loves heigh servyse, I mene folk that oughte it been of right. 1795 And over al this, so wel coude he devyse Of sentement, and in so unkouth wyse Al his array, that every lover thoughte, That al was wel, what-so he seyde or wroughte.

And though that he be come of blood royal, 1800 Him liste of pryde at no wight for to chase; Benigne he was to ech in general, For which he gat him thank in every place.

Thus wolde love, y-heried be his grace, That Pryde, Envye, Ire, and Avaryce 1805 He gan to flee, and every other vyce.

Thou lady bright, the doughter to Dione, Thy blinde and winged sone eek, daun Cupyde; Ye sustren nyne eek, that by Elicone In hil Parnaso listen for to abyde, 1810 That ye thus fer han deyned me to gyde, I can no more, but sin that ye wol wende, Ye heried been for ay, with-outen ende!

Thourgh yow have I seyd fully in my song Theffect and Ioye of Troilus servyse, 1815 Al be that ther was som disese among, As to myn auctor listeth to devyse.

My thridde book now ende ich in this wyse; And Troilus in l.u.s.te and in quiete Is with Criseyde, his owne herte swete. 1820

Explicit Liber Tercius.

BOOK IV. Incipit Prohemium Liber Quartus.

But al to litel, weylaway the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!

That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.

From Troilus she gan hir brighte face Awey to wrythe, and took of him non hede, But caste him clene out of his lady grace, 10 And on hir wheel she sette up Diomede; For which right now myn herte ginneth blede, And now my penne, allas! With which I wryte, Quaketh for drede of that I moot endyte.

For how Criseyde Troilus forsook, 15 Or at the leste, how that she was unkinde, Mot hennes-forth ben matere of my book, As wryten folk through which it is in minde.

Allas! That they sholde ever cause finde To speke hir harm; and if they on hir lye, 20 Y-wis, hem-self sholde han the vilanye.

O ye Herines, Nightes doughtren three, That endelees compleynen ever in pyne, Megera, Alete, and eek Thesiphone; Thou cruel Mars eek, fader to Quiryne, 25 This ilke ferthe book me helpeth fyne, So that the los of lyf and love y-fere Of Troilus be fully shewed here.

Explicit prohemium.

Incipit Quartus Liber.

Ligginge in ost, as I have seyd er this, The Grekes stronge, aboute Troye toun, 30 Bifel that, whan that Phebus shyning is Up-on the brest of Hercules Lyoun, That Ector, with ful many a bold baroun, Caste on a day with Grekes for to fighte, As he was wont to greve hem what he mighte. 35

Not I how longe or short it was bitwene This purpos and that day they fighte mente; But on a day wel armed, bright and shene, Ector, and many a worthy wight out wente, With spere in hond and bigge bowes bente; 40 And in the herd, with-oute lenger lette, Hir fomen in the feld anoon hem mette.

The longe day, with speres sharpe y-grounde, With arwes, dartes, swerdes, maces felle, They fighte and bringen hors and man to grounde, 45 And with hir axes out the braynes quelle.

But in the laste shour, sooth for to telle, The folk of Troye hem-selven so misledden, That with the worse at night homward they fledden.

At whiche day was taken Antenor, 50 Maugre Polydamas or Monesteo, Santippe, Sarpedon, Polynestor, Polyte, or eek the Troian daun Ripheo, And othere la.s.se folk, as Phebuseo.

So that, for harm, that day the folk of Troye 55 Dredden to lese a greet part of hir Ioye.

Of Pryamus was yeve, at Greek requeste, A tyme of trewe, and tho they gonnen trete, Hir prisoneres to chaungen, moste and leste, And for the surplus yeven sommes grete. 60 This thing anoon was couth in every strete, Bothe in tha.s.sege, in toune, and every-where, And with the firste it cam to Calkas ere.

Whan Calkas knew this tretis sholde holde, In consistorie, among the Grekes, sone 65 He gan in thringe forth, with lordes olde, And sette him there-as he was wont to done; And with a chaunged face hem bad a bone, For love of G.o.d, to don that reverence, To stinte noyse, and yeve him audience. 70

Thanne seyde he thus, 'Lo! Lordes myne, I was Troian, as it is knowen out of drede; And, if that yow remembre, I am Calkas, That alderfirst yaf comfort to your nede, And tolde wel how that ye sholden spede. 75 For dredelees, thorugh yow, shal, in a stounde, Ben Troye y-brend, and beten doun to grounde.

'And in what forme, or in what maner wyse This town to shende, and al your l.u.s.t to acheve, Ye han er this wel herd it me devyse; 80 This knowe ye, my lordes, as I leve.

And for the Grekes weren me so leve, I com my-self in my propre persone, To teche in this how yow was best to done;

'Havinge un-to my tresour ne my rente 85 Right no resport, to respect of your ese.

Thus al my good I loste and to yow wente, Wening in this you, lordes, for to plese.

But al that los ne doth me no disese.

I vouche-sauf, as wisly have I Ioye, 90 For you to lese al that I have in Troye,

'Save of a doughter, that I lafte, allas!

Slepinge at hoom, whanne out of Troye I sterte.

O sterne, O cruel fader that I was!

How mighte I have in that so hard an herte? 95 Allas! I ne hadde y-brought hir in hir sherte!

For sorwe of which I wol not live to morwe, But-if ye lordes rewe up-on my sorwe.

'For, by that cause I say no tyme er now Hir to delivere, I holden have my pees; 100 But now or never, if that it lyke yow, I may hir have right sone, doutelees.

O help and grace! Amonges al this prees, Rewe on this olde caitif in destresse, Sin I through yow have al this hevinesse! 105

'Ye have now caught and fetered in prisoun Troians y-nowe; and if your willes be, My child with oon may have redempcioun.

Now for the love of G.o.d and of bountee, Oon of so fele, allas! So yeve him me. 110 What nede were it this preyere for to werne, Sin ye shul bothe han folk and toun as yerne?

'On peril of my lyf, I shal nat lye, Appollo hath me told it feithfully; I have eek founde it be astronomye, 115 By sort, and by augurie eek trewely, And dar wel seye, the tyme is faste by, That fyr and flaumbe on al the toun shal sprede; And thus shal Troye turne to a.s.shen dede.

'For certeyn, Phebus and Neptunus bothe, 120 That makeden the walles of the toun, Ben with the folk of Troye alwey so wrothe, That thei wol bringe it to confusioun, Right in despyt of king Lameadoun.

By-cause he nolde payen hem hir hyre, 125 The toun of Troye shal ben set on-fyre.'

Telling his tale alwey, this olde greye, Humble in speche, and in his lokinge eke, The salte teres from his eyen tweye Ful faste ronnen doun by eyther cheke. 130 So longe he gan of socour hem by-seke That, for to hele him of his sorwes sore, They yave him Antenor, with-oute more.

But who was glad y-nough but Calkas tho?

And of this thing ful sone his nedes leyde 135 On hem that sholden for the tretis go, And hem for Antenor ful ofte preyde To bringen hoom king Toas and Criseyde; And whan Pryam his save-garde sente, Themba.s.sadours to Troye streyght they wente. 140

The cause y-told of hir cominge, the olde Pryam the king ful sone in general Let here-upon his parlement to holde, Of which the effect rehersen yow I shal.

Themba.s.sadours ben answered for fynal, 145 Theschaunge of prisoners and al this nede Hem lyketh wel, and forth in they procede.

This Troilus was present in the place, Whan axed was for Antenor Criseyde, For which ful sone chaungen gan his face, 150 As he that with tho wordes wel neigh deyde.

But nathelees, he no word to it seyde, Lest men sholde his affeccioun espye; With mannes herte he gan his sorwes drye.

And ful of anguissh and of grisly drede 155 Abood what lordes wolde un-to it seye; And if they wolde graunte, as G.o.d forbede, Theschaunge of hir, than thoughte he thinges tweye, First, how to save hir honour, and what weye He mighte best theschaunge of hir withstonde; 160 Ful faste he caste how al this mighte stonde.

Love him made al prest to doon hir byde, And rather dye than she sholde go; But resoun seyde him, on that other syde, 'With-oute a.s.sent of hir ne do not so, 165 Lest for thy werk she wolde be thy fo, And seyn, that thorugh thy medling is y-blowe Your bother love, there it was erst unknowe.'

For which he gan deliberen, for the beste, That though the lordes wolde that she wente, 170 He wolde lat hem graunte what hem leste, And telle his lady first what that they mente.

And whan that she had seyd him hir entente, Ther-after wolde he werken also blyve, Though al the world ayein it wolde stryve. 175

Ector, which that wel the Grekes herde, For Antenor how they wolde han Criseyde, Gan it withstonde, and sobrely answerde: -- 'Sires, she nis no prisoner,' he seyde; 'I noot on yow who that this charge leyde, 180 But, on my part, ye may eft-sone hem telle, We usen here no wommen for to selle.'