As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale, Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent! 842 As of the secte1 of which that he was born 20 25 30 851 As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo? 857 35 I dar nat undertake so hy a thing. Myn English eek is insufficient; At every cours the ordre of her servyse. And so bifel that, after the thridde cours, Ther cam a knyght upon a stede of bras, With so hy reverence and obeisance 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 1 This is to seyn, in foure and twenty houres, To which your herte wilneth for to pace 8 5 120 And knew ful many a seel and many a bond.' 125 130 15 135 140 145 151 "The vertu of the ring, if ye wol here, Is this; that, if hir lust 13 it for to were Up-on hir thombe, or in hir purs it bere, Ther is no foul that fleeth 14 under the hevene That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene," And knowe his mening openly and pleyn, And answere him in his langage ageyn. And every gras 16 that groweth up-on rote She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do bote,17 Al 18 be his woundes never so depe and wyde. "This naked swerd, that hangeth by my syde, 156 Swich vertu hath, that what man so ye smyte, Thurgh-out his armure it wol kerve and byte, Were it as thikke as is a branched ook; And what man that is wounded with the strook Shal never be hool til that yow list,19 of grace, To stroke him with the platte in thilke 20 place Ther 21 he is hurt: this is as muche to seyn, Ye mote with the platte swerd ageyn Stroken him in the wounde, and it wol close; This is a verray sooth, with-outen glose, 166 1 where-ever 2 spot, soilure 3 fly 4 where you please twisting • knew 7 device 8 observed magical seals and bonds 10 besides 11 kind of person 12 toward 13 she pleases 14 flies 12 fault 13 learn 16 plant same 17 help 18 although 19 you please 22 truth 21 where 23 deceit 15 speech 20 the The hors of bras, that may nat be remewed,' 17 186 190 195 200 Greet was the pres,18 that swarmeth to and fro, To gauren on this hors that standeth so; For it so hy was, and so brood and long, So wel proporcioned for to ben strong, Ryght as it were a stede of Lumbardye; Ther-with so horsly, and so quik of yë As it a gentil Poileys 18 courser were; For certes, fro his tayl un-to his ere, Nature ne art ne coude him nat amende In no degree, as al the peple wende.10 But evermore her moste 20 wonder was, How that it coude gon, and was of bras; It was of Fairye, as the peple semed.21 Diverse folk diversely they demed; As many heedes, as many wittes ther been. They murmurede as doth a swarm of been,22 And maden skiles 23 after her fantasyes, Rehersinge of thise olde poetryes, And seyden, it was lyk the Pegasee, The hors that hadde winges for to flee; Or elles it was the Grekes hors Synon, That broughte Troye to destruccion, As men may in thise olde gestes 25 rede. "Myn herte," quod oon, "is evermore in drede; I trowe som men of armes ben ther-inne, That shapen hem this citee for to winne. 24 205 210 Another rowned to his felawe lowe, 4 Of thinges that ben maad more subtilly 221 And somme of hem wondrede on the mirour, 225 That born was up in-to the maister tour, How men myghte in it swiche thinges se. Another answerde and seyde it myghte wel be Naturelly, by composicions Of angles and of slye reflexions, And seyde that in Rome was swich oon. 230 235 240 And othere folk han wondred on the swerd That wolde percen thurgh-out every-thing; And fille in speche of Thelophus the king, And of Achilles with his queynte spere, For he coude with it bothe hele and dere," Ryght in swich wyse as men may with the swerd Of which ryght now ye han your-selven herd. They speke of sondry harding of metal, And speke of medicynes ther-with-al, And how, and whan, it sholde yharded be; Which is unknowe, algates unto me. Tho speke they of Canaceës ring, And seyden alle, that swich a wonder thing Of craft of ringes herde they never non, Save that he Moyses and king Salomon Hadden a name of cunning in swich art. Thus seyn the peple, and drawen hem apart. But natheles somme seyden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-asshen glas, And yet nis glas nat lyk asshen of fern; But for they han yknowen it so fern," Therfor cesseth her jangling and her wonder. As sore wondren somme on cause of thonder, On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer," and on mist, And on al thing, til that the cause is wist.1 260 Thus jangle they and demen and devyse, Til that the king gan fro the bord aryse. Phebus hath laft the angle meridional," And yet ascending was the beste roial, The gentil Leon, with his Aldiran,15 Whan that this Tartre king, this Cambyuskan, Ros fro his bord, ther 10 that he sat ful hye. 1 whispered 2 discuss ignorant ignorance prospective glasses fell 7 injure at all events 9 then 10 fern ashes 11 long 12 fog 13 known 14 The thirty degrees just preceding the zenith. 15 a star 16 where This noble king is set up in his trone. He moste han knowen love and his servyse, 9 270 275 280 285 290 300 Un-to the temple, as reson was, they wende. 14 306 310 315 Which I shall telle yow bitwixe us two. Ye mote nempne1 him to what place also 8 7 326 330 Bitwixe yow and me, and that ful sone. The maner and the forme of al this thing, The brydel is un-to the tour yborn, 336 340 345 16 351 Explicit prima pars. Sequitur pars secunda The norice 15 of digestioun, the Slepe, Gan on hem winke, and bad hem taken kepe That muchel drink and labour wolde han reste; And with a galping 17 mouth hem all he keste, And seyde, it was tyme to lye adoun, For blood was in his dominacioun; "Cherissheth blood, natures frend," quod he. They thanken him galpinge,17 by two, by thre, And every wyght gan drawe him to his reste, 355 As Slepe hem bad; 18 they toke it for the beste. Her dremes shul nat ben ytold for me; Ful were her heedes of fumositee, 1 9 mention name, drawn nor borne way say 14 pleasure 10 by 15 nurse you please where • kind of person 7 call 11 precious 12 know not 16 heed 17 gaping 1 device 8 wise, 13 leave 18 bade 19 importance, significance 20 fully nine o'clock 8 12 13 7 375 380 390 Hir maistresse clepeth wommen a gret route, And up they rysen, wel a ten or twelve; Up ryseth fresshe Canacee hir-selve, As rody 10 and bryght as doth the yonge sonne, That in the Ram " is four degrees up-ronne; 386 Noon hyer was he, whan she redy was; And forth she walketh esily a pas, Arrayed after the lusty seson sote Lyghtly, for to pleye and walke on fote; Nat but with fyve or six of hir meynee; And in a trench," forth in the park, goth she. The vapour, which that fro the erthe glood,15 Made the sonne to seme rody 10 and brood; But natheles, it was so fair a syghte That it made alle her hertes for to lyghte, What for the seson and the morweninge, And for the foules that she herde singe; For ryght anon she wiste what they mente Ryght by her song, and knew al her entente.16 The knotte why that every tale is told, 395 435 This faire kinges doughter, Canacee, That on hir finger bar the queynte ring, Thurgh which she understood wel every thing That any foul may in his ledene 10 seyn, And coude answere him in his ledene 10 ageyn, Hath understonde what this faucon seyde, And wel ny for the rewthe " almost she deyde. And to the tree she goth ful hastily, And on this faucon loketh pitously, And held hir lappe abrood, for wel she wiste11 The faucon moste fallen fro the twiste, 13 When that it swowned next, for lakke of blood. A longe while to wayten " hir she stood, Til atte laste she spak in this manere Un-to the hauk,15 as ye shul 16 after here. 440 445 401 If it be taried til that lust 17 be cold 405 410 'What is the cause, if it be for to telle, That ye be in this furial pyne 17 of helle?" Quod Canacee un-to this hauk above. "Is this for sorwe of deth or los of love? For, as I trowe, thise ben causes two That causen most a gentil herte wo. Of other harm it nedeth nat to speke, For ye your-self upon your-self yow wreke; Which proveth wel that either love or drede Mot ben encheson 18 of your cruel dede, Sin 10 that I see non other wyght yow chace. For love of God, as doth your-selven grace! Or what may ben your help? for West nor Est Ne sey 20 I never er now no brid ne best That ferde" with him-self so pitously. Ye sle 22 me with your sorwe, verraily; I have of yow so gret compassioun. 450 455 460 |