Troilus and Criseyde Part 24

For ay with gold men may the herte grave Of him that set is up-on coveityse; And how I mene, I shal it yow devyse.

'The moeble which that I have in this toun 1380 Un-to my fader shal I take, and seye, That right for trust and for savacioun It sent is from a freend of his or tweye, The whiche freendes ferventliche him preye To senden after more, and that in hye, 1385 Whyl that this toun stant thus in Iupartye.

'And that shal been an huge quant.i.tee, Thus shal I seyn, but, lest it folk aspyde, This may be sent by no wight but by me; I shal eek shewen him, if pees bityde, 1390 What frendes that ich have on every syde Toward the court, to doon the wrathe pace Of Priamus, and doon him stonde in grace.

'So what for o thing and for other, swete, I shal him so enchaunten with my sawes, 1395 That right in hevene his sowle is, shal he mete!

For al Appollo, or his clerkes lawes, Or calculinge avayleth nought three hawes; Desyr of gold shal so his sowle blende, That, as me lyst, I shal wel make an ende. 1400

'And if he wolde ought by his sort it preve If that I lye, in certayn I shal fonde Dis...o...b..n him, and plukke him by the sleve, Makinge his sort, and beren him on honde, He hath not wel the G.o.ddes understonde. 1405 For G.o.ddes speken in amphibologyes, And, for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes.

'Eek drede fond first G.o.ddes, I suppose, Thus shal I seyn, and that his cowarde herte Made him amis the G.o.ddes text to glose, 1410 Whan he for ferde out of his Delphos sterte.

And but I make him sone to converte, And doon my reed with-inne a day or tweye, I wol to yow oblige me to deye.'

And treweliche, as writen wel I finde, 1415 That al this thing was seyd of good entente; And that hir herte trewe was and kinde Towardes him, and spak right as she mente, And that she starf for wo neigh, whan she wente, And was in purpos ever to be trewe; 1420 Thus writen they that of hir werkes knewe.

This Troilus, with herte and eres spradde, Herde al this thing devysen to and fro; And verraylich him semed that he hadde The selve wit; but yet to lete hir go 1425 His herte misforyaf him ever-mo.

But fynally, he gan his herte wreste To trusten hir, and took it for the beste.

For which the grete furie of his penaunce Was queynt with hope, and ther-with hem bitwene 1430 Bigan for Ioye the amorouse daunce.

And as the briddes, whan the sonne is shene, Delyten in hir song in leves grene, Right so the wordes that they spake y-fere Delyted hem, and made hir hertes clere. 1435

But natheles, the wending of Criseyde, For al this world, may nought out of his minde; For which ful ofte he pitously hir preyde, That of hir heste he might hir trewe finde, And seyde hire, 'Certes, if ye be unkinde, 1440 And but ye come at day set in-to Troye, Ne shal I never have hele, honour, ne Ioye.

'For al-so sooth as sonne up-rist on morwe, And, G.o.d! So wisly thou me, woful wrecche, To reste bringe out of this cruel sorwe, 1445 I wol my-selven slee if that ye drecche.

But of my deeth though litel be to recche, Yet, er that ye me cause so to smerte, Dwel rather here, myn owene swete herte!

'For trewely, myn owene lady dere, 1450 Tho sleightes yet that I have herd yow stere Ful shaply been to failen alle y-fere.

For thus men seyn, "That oon thenketh the bere, But al another thenketh his ledere."

Your sire is wys, and seyd is, out of drede, 1455 "Men may the wyse at-renne, and not at-rede."

'It is ful hard to halten unespyed Bifore a crepul, for he can the craft; Your fader is in sleighte as Argus yed; For al be that his moeble is him biraft, 1460 His olde sleighte is yet so with him laft, Ye shal not blende him for your womanhede, Ne feyne a-right, and that is al my drede.

'I noot if pees shal ever-mo bityde; But, pees or no, for ernest ne for game, 1465 I woot, sin Calkas on the Grekis syde Hath ones been, and lost so foule his name, He dar no more come here ayein for shame; For which that weye, for ought I can espye, To trusten on, nis but a fantasye. 1470

'Ye shal eek seen, your fader shal yow glose To been a wyf, and as he can wel preche, He shal som Grek so preyse and wel alose, That ravisshen he shal yow with his speche, Or do yow doon by force as he shal teche. 1475 And Troilus, of whom ye nil han routhe, Shal causeles so sterven in his trouthe!

'And over al this, your fader shal despyse Us alle, and seyn this citee nis but lorn; And that tha.s.sege never shal aryse, 1480 For-why the Grekes han it alle sworn Til we be slayn, and doun our walles torn.

And thus he shal yow with his wordes fere, That ay drede I, that ye wol bleve there.

'Ye shul eek seen so many a l.u.s.ty knight 1485 A-mong the Grekes, ful of worthinesse, And eche of hem with herte, wit, and might To plesen yow don al his besinesse, That ye shul dullen of the rudenesse Of us sely Troianes, but-if routhe 1490 Remorde yow, or vertue of your trouthe.

'And this to me so grevous is to thinke, That fro my brest it wol my soule rende; Ne dredeles, in me ther may not sinke A good opinioun, if that ye wende; 1495 For-why your faderes sleighte wol us shende.

And if ye goon, as I have told yow yore, So thenk I nam but deed, with-oute more.

'For which, with humble, trewe, and pitous herte, A thousand tymes mercy I yow preye; 1500 So reweth on myn aspre peynes smerte, And doth somwhat, as that I shal yow seye, And lat us stele away bitwixe us tweye; And thenk that folye is, whan man may chese, For accident his substaunce ay to lese. 1505

'I mene this, that sin we mowe er day Wel stele away, and been to-gider so, What wit were it to putten in a.s.say, In cas ye sholden to your fader go, If that ye mighte come ayein or no? 1510 Thus mene I, that it were a gret folye To putte that sikernesse in Iupertye.

'And vulgarly to speken of substaunce Of tresour, may we bothe with us lede Y-nough to live in honour and plesaunce, 1515 Til in-to tyme that we shal ben dede; And thus we may eschewen al this drede.

For everich other wey ye can recorde, Myn herte, y-wis, may not ther-with acorde.

'And hardily, ne dredeth no poverte, 1520 For I have kin and freendes elles-where That, though we comen in oure bare sherte, Us sholde neither lakke gold ne gere, But been honured whyl we dwelten there.

And go we anoon, for, as in myn entente, 1525 This is the beste, if that ye wole a.s.sente.'

Criseyde, with a syk, right in this wyse Answerde, 'Y-wis, my dere herte trewe, We may wel stele away, as ye devyse, And finde swich unthrifty weyes newe; 1530 But afterward, ful sore it wol us rewe.

And help me G.o.d so at my moste nede As causeles ye suffren al this drede!

'For thilke day that I for cherisshinge Or drede of fader, or of other wight, 1535 Or for estat, delyt, or for weddinge, Be fals to yow, my Troilus, my knight, Saturnes doughter, Iuno, thorugh hir might, As wood as Athamante do me dwelle Eternaly in Stix, the put of h.e.l.le! 1540

'And this on every G.o.d celestial I swere it yow; and eek on eche G.o.ddesse, On every Nymphe and deite infernal, On Satiry and Fauny more and lesse, That halve G.o.ddes been of wildernesse; 1545 And Attropos my threed of lyf to-breste If I be fals; now trowe me if thow leste!

'And thou, Simoys, that as an arwe clere Thorugh Troye rennest ay downward to the see, Ber witnesse of this word that seyd is here, 1550 That thilke day that ich untrewe be To Troilus, myn owene herte free, That thou retorne bakwarde to thy welle, And I with body and soule sinke in h.e.l.le!

'But that ye speke, awey thus for to go 1555 And leten alle your freendes, G.o.d for-bede, For any womman, that ye sholden so, And namely, sin Troye hath now swich nede Of help; and eek of o thing taketh hede, If this were wist, my lif laye in balaunce, 1560 And your honour; G.o.d shilde us fro mischaunce!

'And if so be that pees her-after take, As alday happeth, after anger, game, Why, lord! The sorwe and wo ye wolden make, That ye ne dorste come ayein for shame! 1565 And er that ye Iuparten so your name, Beth nought to hasty in this hote fare; For hasty man ne wanteth never care.

'What trowe ye the peple eek al aboute Wolde of it seye? It is ful light to arede. 1570 They wolden seye, and swere it, out of doute, That love ne droof yow nought to doon this dede, But l.u.s.t voluptuous and coward drede.

Thus were al lost, y-wis, myn herte dere, Your honour, which that now shyneth so clere. 1575

'And also thenketh on myn honestee, That floureth yet, how foule I sholde it shende, And with what filthe it spotted sholde be, If in this forme I sholde with yow wende.

Ne though I livede un-to the worldes ende, 1580 My name sholde I never ayeinward winne; Thus were I lost, and that were routhe and sinne.

'And for-thy slee with reson al this hete; Men seyn, "The suffraunt overcometh," pardee; Eek "Who-so wol han leef, he lief mot lete;" 1585 Thus maketh vertue of necessitee By pacience, and thenk that lord is he Of fortune ay, that nought wol of hir recche; And she ne daunteth no wight but a wrecche.

'And trusteth this, that certes, herte swete, 1590 Er Phebus suster, Lucina the shene, The Leoun pa.s.se out of this Ariete, I wol ben here, with-outen any wene.

I mene, as helpe me Iuno, hevenes quene, The tenthe day, but-if that deeth me a.s.sayle, 1595 I wol yow seen with-outen any fayle.'

'And now, so this be sooth,' quod Troilus, 'I shal wel suffre un-to the tenthe day, Sin that I see that nede it moot be thus.

But, for the love of G.o.d, if it be may, 1600 So lat us stele prively away; For ever in oon, as for to live in reste, Myn herte seyth that it wol been the beste.'

'O mercy, G.o.d, what lyf is this?' quod she; 'Allas, ye slee me thus for verray tene! 1605 I see wel now that ye mistrusten me; For by your wordes it is wel y-sene.

Now, for the love of Cynthia the shene, Mistrust me not thus causeles, for routhe; Sin to be trewe I have yow plight my trouthe. 1610

'And thenketh wel, that som tyme it is wit To spende a tyme, a tyme for to winne; Ne, pardee, lorn am I nought fro yow yit, Though that we been a day or two a-twinne.

Dryf out the fantasyes yow with-inne; 1615 And trusteth me, and leveth eek your sorwe, Or here my trouthe, I wol not live til morwe.

'For if ye wiste how sore it doth me smerte, Ye wolde cesse of this; for G.o.d, thou wost, The pure spirit wepeth in myn herte, 1620 To see yow wepen that I love most, And that I moot gon to the Grekes ost.

Ye, nere it that I wiste remedye To come ayein, right here I wolde dye!

'But certes, I am not so nyce a wight 1625 That I ne can imaginen a wey To come ayein that day that I have hight.

For who may holde thing that wol a-way?

My fader nought, for al his queynte pley.

And by my thrift, my wending out of Troye 1630 Another day shal torne us alle to Ioye.

'For-thy, with al myn herte I yow beseke, If that yow list don ought for my preyere, And for the love which that I love yow eke, That er that I departe fro yow here, 1635 That of so good a comfort and a chere I may you seen, that ye may bringe at reste Myn herte, which that is at point to breste.

'And over al this I pray yow,' quod she tho, 'Myn owene hertes soothfast suffisaunce, 1640 Sin I am thyn al hool, with-outen mo, That whyl that I am absent, no plesaunce Of othere do me fro your remembraunce.

For I am ever a-gast, for-why men rede, That "love is thing ay ful of bisy drede." 1645