He thurgh the body is hurt, and fith ytake
Maugre his hed, and brought unto the stake,
As forword was, right ther he must abide;
Another lad is on that other fide:
And fomtime doth hem Thefeus to rest,
Hem to refresh and drinken if hem left.

Ful oft a day han thilke Thebanes two
Togeder met and wrought eche other wo:
Unhorfed hath eche other of hem twey.
Ther n'as no tigre in the vale ef Galaphey,
Whan that hire whelpe is ftole whan it is lite,
So cruel on the hunt as is Arcite
For jalous herte upon this Palamon;
Ne in Belmarie ther n'is fo fell leon
That hunted is, or for his hunger wood,
Ne of his prey defireth so the blood,
As Palamon to fleen his foo Arcite :
The jalous ftrokes on hir helmes bite;
Out renneth blood on both her fides rede.
Somtime an ende ther is of every dede;
For er the fonne unto the refte went
The ftrong King Emetrius gan hent
This Palamon, as he fought with Arcite,
And made his fwerd depe in his flesh to bite;
And by the force of twenty is he take
Unyolden, and ydrawen to the stake:
And in the refcous of this Palamon

The ftronge King Licurge is borne adoun;
And King Emetrius for all his strengthe
Is borne out of his fadel a fwerdes lengthe,
So hitte him Palamon or he were take:

But all for nought, he was brought to the stake:
His hardy herte might him helpen naught;
He mofte abiden whan that he was caught
By force and eke by composition.

Who forweth now but woful Palamon,
That mofte no more gon again to fight?
And whan that Thefeus had feen that fight
Unto the folk that foughten thus eche on
He cried, Ho! no more, for it is don.
I wol be trewe juge and not partie.
Arcite of Thebes fhal have Emelie,
That by his fortune hath hire fayre ywonne.
Anon ther is a noife of peple begonne
For joye of this fo loud and high withall
It feemed that the liftes fhulden fall.

What can now fayre Venus done above?
What faith fhe now? what doth this quene of Love
But wepeth fo for wanting of hire will
Til that hire teres in the liftes fill:
She fayde, I am afhamed doutelees.

Saturnus fayde, Daughter, hold thy pees: Mars hath his will, his knight hath all his bone, And by min hed thou shalt ben efed fone.

The trompoures with the loud minitralcie,
The heraudes, that fo loude yell and crie,
Ben in hir joye for wele of Dan Arcite.
But herkeneth me, and ftenteth noife a lite,
Whiche a miracle ther befell anon.

This fierce Arcite hath of his helme ydon,
And on a courfer for to fhew his face
He priketh endelong the large place,
Loking upward upon this Emelie,
And he again him caft a frendlich eye,

(For women, as to
ken in commune,
They folwen all thvour of Fortune)
And was all his in chere as his in herte.
Out of the ground a Fury infernal fterte,
From Pluto fent, at requeste of Saturne,
For which his hors for fere gan to turne,
And lepte afide, and foundred as he lepe;
And er that Arcite may take any kepe
He pight him on the pomel of his hed,
That in the place he lay as he were ded,
His breft to-broften with his fadel bow;
As blake he lay as any cole or crow,
So was the blood yronnen in his face.
Anon he was yborne out of the place,
With herte fore, to Thefeus paleis:
Tho was he corven out of his harncis,
And in a bed ybrought ful fayre and blive,
For he was yet in memorie and live,
And alway crying after Emelie.
Duk Thefeus with all his compagnie
Is comen home to Athens his citee
With alle bliffe and gret folempnite.
Al be it that this aventure was falle
He n'olde not discomforten hem alle.
Men fayden eke that Arcite fhal not die,
He fhal ben heled of his maladie.
And of another thing they were as fayn,
That of hem alle was ther non yslain,
Al were they fore yhurt, and namely on,
That with a spere was thirled his breft bone,
To other woundes and to broken armes
Som hadden falves and fome hadden charmes;
And fermacies of herbes, and eke fave
They dronken, for they wold hir lives have:
For which this noble duk, as he wel can,
Comforteth and honoureth every man,
And made revel all the longe night
Unto the strange lordes, as was right.
Ne ther n'as holden no difcomforting
But as at juftes or a tourneying;
For fothly ther n'as no difcomfiture,
For falling n'is not but an aventure:
Ne to be lad by force unto a stake
Unyolden, and with twenty knightes take,
O perfon all alone, withouten mo,

And haried forth by armes, foot, and too,
And eke his ftede driven forth with staves,
With footmen, bothe yemen and eke knaves,
It was aretted him no vilanie ;
Ther may no man clepen it cowardie.
For which anon Duk Thefeus let crie,
To ftenten alle rancour and envie,
The gree as wel of o fide as of other,
And cyther fide ylike, as others brother;
And yave hem giftes after hir degree,
And helde a fefte fully dayes three;
And conveyed the kinges worthily
Out of his toun a journee largely;

And home went every man the righte way; Ther n'as no more but Farewel, Have good day. Of this bataille I wol no more endite,

But fpeke of Palamon and of Arcite.

Swelleth the brest of Arcite, and the fore Encrefeth at his herte more and more.

The clotered blood for any leche-craft
Corrumpeth, and is in his bouke ylaft,
That neyther veine-blood ne ventouling,
Ne drinke of herbes, may ben his helping.
The vertue expulfif or animal,
Frothilke vertue cleped natural,
Ne may the venime voiden ne expell;
The pipes of his longes gan to fwell,
And every lacerte in his breft adoun
Is fhent with venime and corruptioun.
Him gaineth neyther for to get his lif
Vomit upward ne dounward laxatif :
All is to-broften thilke region;
Nature hath now no domination:
And certainly ther nature wol not werche.
Farewel phyfike; go bere the man to cherche.
This is all and fom, that Arcite mofte die;
For which he fendeth after Emelie,
And Palamon, that was his cofin dere;
Than fayd he thus, as ye fhuln after here.

Nought may the woful fpirit in myn herte
Declare o point of all my forwes fmerte
To you my lady, that I love most,
But I bequethe the fervice of my goft
To you aboven every creature,
Sin that my lif ne may no lenger dure.

Alas the wo! alas the peines ftrong,
That I for you have fuffered, and fo longe!
Alas the deth! alas min Emelie !
Alas departing of our compagnie !
Alas min hertes quene! alas my wif!
Min hertes ladie, ender of my lif!

What is this world? what axen men to have?
Now with his love, now in his colde grave
Alone withouten any compagnie.
Farewel my fwete, farewel min Emelic!
And fofte take me in your armes twey
For love of God, and herkeneth what I fey.
I have here with my cofin Palamon
Had ftrif and rancour many a day agon
For love of you, and for my jaloufie;
And Jupiter fo wis my foule gie,
To fpeken of a fervant proprely,
With alle circumstances trewely,

'That is to fayn, trouth, honour, and knighthede,
Wisdom, humbleffe, eftat, and high kinrede,
Fredom, and all that longeth to that art,
So Jupiter have of my foule part,

As in this world right now ne know I non
So worthy to be loved as Palamon,
That ferveth you, and woi don all his lif;
And if that ever ye fhal ben a wif,
Foryete not Palamon, the gentil man,

And with that word his fpeche faille began;
For from his feet up to his breft was come
The cold of deth that had him overnome;
And yet morcover in his armes two
The vital ftrength is loft and all ago;
Only the intellect, withouten more,
That dwelled in his herte fike and fore,
Gan faillen whan the herte felte deth;
Dusked his eyen two, and failled his breth:
But on his ladie yet caft he his eye;
His lafte word was, Mercy, Emelie !

His fpirit changed hous, and wente ther
As I cam never I cannat tellen wher;
Therfore I ftent, I am no diviniftre;
Of foules find I not in this registre:
Ne me luft not th' opinions to telle

Of hem, though that they written wher they dwelle,
Arcite is cold, ther Mars his foule gie.

Now wol I fpeken forth of Emelie.

Shright Emelie, and houleth Palamon,
And Thefeus his fifter toke anon

Swouning, and bare her from the corps away.
What helpeth it to tarien forth the day,

To tellen how fhe wep both even and morwe?
For in fwiche cas wimmen have fwiche forwe,
Whan that hir houfbonds ben fro hem ago,
That for the more part they forwen fo,
Or elles fallen in fwiche maladie,
That atte lafte certainly they die.

Infinite ben the forwes and the teres
Of olde folk and folk of tendre yeres

In all the toun for deth of this Theban;
For him ther wepeth bothe child and man :
So gret a weping was ther non certain
Whan Hector was ybrought all fresh yflain
To Troy: alas! the pitee that was there;
Cratching of chekes, rending eke of here.
Why woldeft thou be ded? thise women crie,
And haddeft gold ynough and Emelie.

No man might gladen this Duk Thefeus
Saving his olde fader Egeus,

That knew this worldes tranfmutation,
As he had feen it chaungen up and doun,
Joye after wo, and wo after gladnesse,
And fhewed him enfample and likenesse.

Right as ther died never man (quod he)
That he ne lived in erth in som degree,
Right fo ther lived never man (he seyd)
In all this world that fomtime he ne deyd:
This world n'is but a thurghfare ful of wo,
And we ben pilgrimes paffing to and fro:
Deth is an end of every worldes fore.

And over all this yet faid he mochel more
To this effect, ful wifely to enhort
The peple that they fhuld hem recomfort.
Duk Thefeus with all his befy cure
He cafteth now wher that the fepulture
Of good Arcite may best ymaked be,
And eke most honourable in his degree;
And at the last he toke conclufion
That ther as firft Arcite and Palamon
Hadden for love the bataille hem betwene,
That in that felve grove, fote and grene,
Ther as he hadde his amorous defires,
His complaint, and for love his hote fires,
He wolde make a fire, in which the office
Of funeral he might all accomplife;
And let anon commande to hack and hewd
The okes old, and lay hem on a rew
In culpons, wel araied for to brenne.
His officers with fwifte feet they renne
And ride anon at his commandement.
And after this, this Thefeus hath fent
After a bere, and it all overfpradde
With cloth of gold the richelt that he hadde,

And of the fame fuit he cladde Arcite.
Upon his hondes were his gloves white,
Eke on his hed a croune of laurer grene,
And in his hond a fwerd ful bright and kene.
He laid him bare the visage on the bere,
Therwith he wept that pitee was to here;
And for the peple fhulde feen him alle,
Whan it was day he brought him to the halle,
That roreth of the crying and the foun.

Tho came this woful Theban Palamon
With flotery berd and ruggy asihy heres,
In clothes blake, ydropped all with teres,
And (paffing over of weping Emelie)
The reufullest of all the compagnie.

And in as much as the fervice fhuld be
The more noble and riche in his degree,
Duk Thefeus let forth three ftedes bring,
That trapped were in ftele all glittering,
And covered with the armes of Dan Arcite;
And eke upon these stedes gret and white
Ther faten folk, of which on bare his fheld,
Another his fpere up in his hondes held;
The thridde bare with him his bow Turkeis,
Of brent gold was the cas and the harneis;
And riden forth a pas with forweful chere
Toward the grove, as ye fhal after here.

The nobleft of the Grekes that ther were
Upon hir fhuldres carrieden the bere,
With flacke pas, and eyen red and wete,
Thurghout the citee, by the maister strete,
That fprad was all with black, and wonder hie
Right of the fame is all the ftrete ywrie.
Upon the right hand went olde Egeus,
And on that other fide Duk Thefeus,
With veffels in hir hond of gold ful fine,
All ful of hony, milk, and blood, and wine;
Eke Palamon with ful gret compagnie,
And after that came woful Emelie
With fire in hond, as was that time the gife,
To don the office of funeral fervice.

High labour and ful gret apparailling
Was at the fervice of that fire making,
That with his grene top the heaven raught,
And twenty fadom of brede the armes kraught;
This is to fain, the boughes were fo brode.
Of tre first there was laied many a lode.

But how the fire was maked up on highte,
And eke the names how the trees highte,
As oke, fir, birch, afpe, alder, holm, poplere,
Wilow, elm, plane, afh, box, chestein, lind, laurere,
Maple, thorn, beche, hafel, ew, whipultre,
How they were feld, shal not be told for me;
Ne how the goddes rannen up and doun
Difherited of hir habitatioun,

In which they woneden in reft and pees,
Nimphes, Faunes, and Amidriades;
Ne how the beftes and the briddes alle
Fledden for fere whan the wood gan falle;
Ne how the ground agaft was of the light,
That was not wont to fee the fonne bright;
Ne how the fire was couched first with stre,
And then with drie ftickes cloven a-thre,
And than with grene wood and spicerie,
And than with cloth of gold and with perrie,

And gerlonds hanging with ful many a flour,
The mirre, the encense also with fwete odour;
Ne how Arcita lay among all this,

Ne what richeffe about his body is;
Ne how that Emilie, as was the gife,
Put in the fire of funeral fervice;
Ne how the fwouned whan the made the fire,
Ne what the fpake, ne what was hire defire;
Ne what jewelles men in the fire caste,
Whan that the fire was gret and brente faste
Ne how fom caft hir fheld and fom hir fpere,
And of hir veftimentes which they were,
And cuppes full of wine, and mlk, and blood,
Into the fire, that brent as it were wood;
Ne how the Grekes with a huge route
Three times riden all the fire aboute
Upon the left hond, with a loud fhouting,
And thries with hir fperes clatering,
And thries how the ladies gan to crie;
Ne how that led was homeward Emelie ;
Ne how Arcite is brent to afhen cold;
Ne how the liche-wake was yhold
All thilke night; ne how the Grekes play;
The wake-plaies ne kepe I not to say;
Who wrestled beft naked, with oile enoint,
Ne who that bare him beft in no disjoint:
I woll not tellen eke how they all gon
Home till Athenes whan the play is don,
But fhortly to the point now wol I wende,
And maken of my longe Tale an ende.

By proceffe and by lengthe of certain yeres
All tenten is the mourning and the teres
Of Grekes by on general affent :
Than femeth me ther was a parlement.
At Athenes upon certain points and cas;
Amonges the which points yfpoken was
To have with certain contrees alliance,
And have of Thebanes fully obeisance :
For which this noble Thefeus anon
Let fenden after gentil Palamon.
Unwift of him what was the cause and why
But in his blacke clothes forwefully
He came at his commandment on hie;
Tho fente Thefeus for Emelie.

Whan they were fet, and hufht was al the place And Thefeus abiden hath a space,

Or any word came from his wife breft
His eyen fet he ther as was his left,
And with a fad vifage he fiked still,
And after that right thus he fayd his will.

The firfte Mover of the cause above,
Whan he firste made the fayre chaine of love,
Gret was th' effect, and high was his entent;
Well wift he why and what therof he ment;
For with that fayre chaine of love he bond
The fire, the air, the watre, and the lond,
In certain bondes, that they may not flee :
That fame prince and Mover eke (quod he)

The custom of watching with dead bodies (lice, Sax.) is probably very ancient in this country. It was abufed, as other wakes and vigils were. See Du Cange in v. Virgiliac." In vigiliis circa corpora mortuorum vetantur choreae et cantilenae, feculares ludi et alii turpes et fa "tui." Synod. Wigorn, an. 1240, c. 5.

Hath ftablifht, in this wretched world adoun,
Certain of dayes and duration

To all that are engendred in this place,
Over the which day they ne mow not pace,
Al mow they yet the dayes well abrege.
Ther nedeth non autoritee allege,
For it is preved by experience,

But that me luft declaren my fentence.
Than may men by this ordre wel difcerne
That,thilke Mover ftable is and eterne;
Wel may men knowen, but it be a fool,
That every part deriveth from his hool;
For Nature hath not taken his beginning
Of no partie ne cantel of a thing,
But of a thing that parfit is and stable,
Defcending fo til it be corrumpable;
And therefore of his wife purveyance
He hath fo wel befet his ordinance,
That fpeces of thinges and progreffions
Shullen enduren by fucceffions,
And not eterne, withouten any lie;

This maieft thou understand and feen at eye.
Lo the oke, that hath fo long a norifhing
Fro the time that it ginneth first to spring,
And hath fo long a lif, as ye may see,
Yet at the lafte wafted is the tree.
Confidereth eke how that the harde stone
Under our feet, on which we trede and gon,
It wafteth as it lieth by the wey;
The brode river fometime wexeth drey;
The grete tounes fee we wane and wende;
Than may ye fee that all thing hathe an ende,
Of man and woman fee we wel alfo,
That nedes in on of the termes two,
That is to fayn, in youthe or elles age,
He mote be ded the king as shall a page;
Som in his bed, fom in the depe fee,
Som in the large feld, as ye may see :
Ther helpeth nought, all goth that ilke wey;
Than may I fayn that alle thing mote dey.
What maketh this but Jupiter the King,
The which is prince and caufe of alle thing,
Converting alle unto his propre wille,
From which it is derived, foth to telle?
And here-againes no creature on live
Of no degree availleth for to ftrive.
Than is it wisdom, as it thinketh me,
To maken vertue of neceflite,

And take it wel that we may not eschewe,
And namely that to us all is dewe;
And whofo grutcheth ought he doth folie,
And rebel is to him that all may gie.
And certainly a man hath most honour
To dien in his excellence and flour,
Whan he is fiker of his goode name;
Than hath he don his frend ne him no shame;
And glader ought his frend ben of his deth,
Whan with honour is yolden up his breth,

Than whan his name appalled is for age,
For all foryetten is his vaffalage:
Than is it beft as for a worthy fame,
To dein whan a man is beft of name.
The contrary of all this is wilfulnesse.
Why grutchen we? why have we hevinesse,
That good Arcite, of chivalry the flour,
Departed is, with dutee and honour,
Out of this foule prifon of this lif?
Why grutchen here his cofin and his wif
Of his welfare, that loven him so wel?
Can he hem thank? nay, God wot; never a del,
That both his foule and eke hemself offend,
And yet they mow her luftres not amend.
What may I conclude of this longe ferie,
But after forwe I rede us to be merie,
And thanken Jupiter of all his grace;
And er that we departen from this place,
I rede that we make of forwes two
O parfit joye lafting evermo :

And loketh now wher moft forwe is herein,
Ther wol I firfte amenden and begin.

Sifter, (quod he) this is my full affent,
With all th' avis here of my parlement,
That gentil Palamon, your owen knight,
That ferveth you with will, and herte, and might,
And ever hath don fin you firft him knew,
That ye shall of your grace upon him rew,
And taken him for hufbond and for lord:
Lene me your hand, for this is oure accord.
Let fee now of your womanly pitee:
He is a kinges brothers fome pardee;
And though he were a poure bachelere,
Sin he hath ferved you so many a yere,
And had for you so gret adversite,

It mofte ben confidered, leveth me,

For gentil mercy oweth to paffen right.
Than fayd he thus to Palamon the Knight;

I trow ther nedeth litel fermoning

To maken you affenten to this thing.
Cometh ner, and take your lady by the hond.
Betwixen hem was maked anon the bond
That highte Matrimoine or Mariage,
By all the confeil of the baronage;
And thus with alle bliffe and melodie
Hath Palamon ywedded Emelie ;

And God, that all this wide world hath wrought
Send him his love that hath it dere ybought.

For now is Palamon in alle wele,

Living in bliffe, in richeffe, and in hele,
And Emilie him loveth fo tendrely,

And he hire ferveth all fo gentilly,
That never was ther no word hem betwene
Of jaloufie, ne of non other tene.

Thus endeth Palamon and Emelie, And God fave all this fayre compagnie. 3

WHAN that the Knight had thus his Tale told,
In all the compagnie n'as ther young ne old
That he ne faid it was a noble storie,
And worthy to be drawen to memorie,
And namely the gentiles everich on.
Our Hofte lough and fwore, So mote I gon
This goth aright; unbokcled is the male;
Let fee now who shall tel another Tale,
For trewely this game is wel begonne :
Now telleth ye fire Monk, if that ye conne,
Somewhat to quiten with the Knightes Tale.
The Miller, that for-dronken was all pale,
So that unnethes upon his hors he fat,
He n'old avalen neither hood ne hat,
Ne abiden no man for his curtefie,
But in Pilates vois he gan to crie,

And fwore by armes, and by blood, and bones,
I can a noble Tale for the nones,

With which I will now quite the Knightes Tale.
Our Hofte saw that he was dronken of ale,
And fayd, abide, Robin, my leve brother,
Some better man fhall tell us first another;
Abide, and let us werken thriftily.

By Goddes foule (quod he) that wol not I,
For I wol fpeke, or elles go my way.

Our Hofte answered, Tell on a devil way; Thou art a fool; thy wit is overcome.

Now herkeneth, quod the Miller, all and fome : But first I make a proteftatioun

That I am dronke, I know it by my foun,
And therefore if that I miffpeke or fay
Wite it the ale of Southwerk I you pray;
For I woll tell a legend and a lif
Both of a carpenter and his wif,

How that a clerk has fet the wrightes cappe.
The Reve answerd and faide, Stint thy clappe;
Let be thy lewed dronken harlotrie.

It is a finne and cke a gret folie

To apeiren any man, or him defame,

And cke to bringen wives in swiche a name;

Thou mayft ynough of other thinges fain.
This dronken Miller spake ful fone again,
And fayde, Leve brother Ofewold,
Who hath no wif he is no cokewold;
But I fay not therefore that thou art on;
Ther ben ful goode wives many on*.
Why art thou angry with my Tale now?
I have a wif parde as wel as thou,
Yet n'olde I for the oxen in my plough
Taken upon me more than ynough
As demen of myfelf that I am on;
I wol beleven wel that I am non.
An hufbond fhuld not be inquifitif
Of Goddes privite ne of his wif:
So he may finden Goddes foifon there
Of the remenant nedeth not to enquere.

What fhuld I more fay, but this Millere
He n'olde his wordes for no man forbere,
But told his cherles Tale in his manere,
Me thinketh that I fhal reherse it here;
And therefore every gentil wight I pray,
For Goddes love, as deme not that I say
Of evil entent, but that I mote reherfe
Hir Tales alle, al be they better or werse,
Or elles falfen fom of my matere;
And therefore who fo lift it not to here
Turne over the leef, and chefe another Tale,
For he fhal find ynow bothe grete and smale,
Of ftorial thing that toucheth gentilleffe,
And eke moralite and holineffe.
Blameth not me if that ye chefe amis;
The Miller is a cherl, ye know well this,
So was the Reve, (and many other mo)
And harlotrie they tolden bothe two.
Avifeth you now, and put me out of blame;
And eke men fhuld not make erneft of game.

* After this verfe the two following are found in fo many mff, that perhaps they ought to have been inferted in the text;

And ever a thousand good ageins on badde,
That knoweit thou wel but if thou be madde,