Geoffrey Chaucer

“ As I best mighte, I hidde fro him my sorwe, 595
And took him by the hond, seint Iohn to borwe,
And seyde him thus: "lo, I am youres al;
Beth swich as I to yow have been, and shal." (590)
What he answerde, it nedeth noght reherce,
Who can sey bet than he, who can do werse? 600
Whan he hath al wel seyd, thanne hath he doon.
"Therfor bihoveth him a ful long spoon
That shal ete with a feend," thus herde I seye.
So atte laste he moste forth his weye,
And forth he fleeth, til he cam ther him leste. ”

“ Ther is no foul that fleeth under the hevene
That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene, 150
And knowe his mening openly and pleyn,
And answere him in his langage ageyn.
And every gras that groweth up-on rote
She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do bote,
Al be his woundes never so depe and wyde. 155
This naked swerd, that hangeth by my syde,
Swich vertu hath, that what man so ye smyte,
Thurgh-out his armure it wol kerve and byte, (150)
Were it as thikke as is a branched ook ”

“ And with a galping mouth hem alle he keste, 350
And seyde, 'it was tyme to lye adoun,
For blood was in his dominacioun;
Cherissheth blood, natures freend,' quod he.
They thanken him galpinge, by two, by three,
And every wight gan drawe him to his reste, 355
As slepe hem bad; they toke it for the beste.
Hir dremes shul nat been y-told for me;
Ful were hir hedes of fumositee, (350)
That causeth dreem, of which ther nis no charge. ”

“ Hath swich a might, that men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee
Un-to your regne or to your-self also; 135
And openly who is your freend or foo.
And over al this, if any lady bright
Hath set hir herte on any maner wight, (130)
If he be fals, she shal his treson see,
His newe love and al his subtiltee 140
So openly, that ther shal no-thing hyde. ”

“ As men may in thise olde gestes rede,
'Myn herte,' quod oon, 'is evermore in drede;
I trowe som men of armes been ther-inne,
That shapen hem this citee for to winne.
It were right good that al swich thing were knowe.' 215
Another rowned to his felawe lowe,
And seyde, 'he lyeth, it is rather lyk
An apparence y-maad by som magyk, (210)
As Iogelours pleyen at thise festes grete.'
Of sondry doutes thus they Iangle and trete, 220
As lewed peple demeth comunly
Of thinges that ben maad more subtilly
Than they can in her lewednes comprehende;
They demen gladly to the badder ende. ”

“ Solempnely, ther she sit at the table.
But sikerly, with-outen any fable, 180
The hors of bras, that may nat be remewed,
It stant as it were to the ground y-glewed.
Ther may no man out of the place it dryve
For noon engyn of windas or polyve;
And cause why, for they can nat the craft. 185
And therefore in the place they han it laft
Til that the knight hath taught hem the manere
To voyden him, as ye shal after here. (180)
Greet was the prees, that swarmeth to and fro,
To gauren on this hors that stondeth so ”

“ And ever, whyl that oon hir sorwe tolde, 495
That other weep, as she to water wolde,
Til that the faucon bad hir to be stille;
And, with a syk, right thus she seyde hir wille. (490)
'Ther I was bred (allas! that harde day!) ”

“ Til that the god Mercurius hous the slye— [T. om.
Variae Lectiones, etc.
{{smaller|Heading (after l. 8) . So E. Hn. Pt. Hl.—20. Hn. Pietous and Iust and euere moore yliche; E. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. And pitous and Iust alwey yliche (with first syllable deficient) .—23. and strong] E. strong and.—35. nin] Cp. Pt. Ln. ne in; Hl. ne.—38. E. I moste, miswritten; Hl. He moste; rest It moste.—46. Hn. thurghout; rest thurgh.—53. E. Hn. foweles.—62. E. Hl. om. ne.—68. E. nor; rest ne.—78. E. Hn. mynstrals.—86. E. spoken; Cm. spokyn ”