The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ Sequitur pars tercia

I trowe / men wolde deme it necligence If I foryete / to tellen the dispence Of Theseus / that gooth so bisily To maken vp / the lystes roially Line 1884 That swich a noble Theatre / as it was I dar wel seyn / in this world ther nas The circuit / a myle was aboute Walled of stoon / and dyched al with oute Line 1888 Round was the shape / in manere of compaas

fful of degrees / the heighte of sixty pas That whan a man / was set / on o degree He lette nat his felawe for to see Line 1892 ¶ Estward / ther stood a gate of Marbul whit/ Westward right swich another in the opposit ¶ And shortly to concluden / swich a place [folio 25a] Was noon in erthe / as in so litel space Line 1896 ffor in the lond / ther was no crafty man That geometrie or Ars Metrik kan Ne portreitour / ne keruere of ymages That Theseus / ne yaf [hem] mete and wages Line 1900 The Theatre / for to maken and deuyse And for to doon / his ryte and sacrifise He Estward / hath vp on the gate aboue In worshipe of Venus goddesse of loue Line 1904 Doon make an Auter / and an Oratorie And on the westward / in memorie Of Mars / he maked hath right swich another That coste largely / of gold a fother Line 1908 And Northward / in a Touret / on the wal Of Alabastre whit and reed coral An Oratorie / riche for to see In worshipe of Dyane of Chastitee Line 1912 Hath Theseus doon wroght in noble wyse ¶ But yet hadde I foryeten to deuyse The noble keruyng and the portreitures The shape / the contenaunce and the figures Line 1916 That weren / in thise Oratories thre ¶ ffirst in the temple of Venus / maystow se Wroght on the wal / ful pitous to biholde The broken slepes / and the sikes colde Line 1920 The sacred teeris / and the waymentynge The firy strokes / and the desirynge That loues seruauntz / in this lyf enduren The othes / that her couenantz assuren Line 1924 Plesaunce and hope / desir foolhardynesse

Beautee and youthe / bauderie richesse Charmes and force / lesynges flaterye Despense / bisynesse and Ialousye Line 1928 That wered of yelewe gooldes a gerland And a Cokkow / sittynge on hir hand ffestes / Instrumentz / caroles daunces Lust and array / and alle the circumstaunces Line 1932 Of loue / whiche þat I rekned haue / and rekne shal By ordre / weren peynted on the wal And mo / than I kan make of mencion ffor soothly / al the mount of Citheron Line 1936 Ther Venus / hath hir principal dwellynge Was shewed on the wal / in portreyynge With al the gardyn / and the lustynesse Nat was foryeten / the Porter ydelnesse Line 1940 Ne Narcisus the faire / of yore agon And yet the folye / of kyng Salamon ¶ And eek the grete strengthe of Ercules [folio 25b] Thenchauntementz of Medea and Circes Line 1944 Ne of Turnus / with the hardy fiers corage The riche Cresus / kaytyf / in seruage Thus may ye seen / þat wysdom ne richesse Beautee ne sleighte / strengthe hardynesse Line 1948 Ne may with Venus / holde champartie ffor as hir list the world than may she gye Lo alle thise folk so caught were in hir las Til they for wo / ful ofte seyde allas Line 1952 Suffiseth heere / ensamples oon or two And though / I koude rekene a thousand mo

The statue of Venus / glorious for to se Was naked / fletynge in the large see Line 1956 And fro the nauele doun / al couered was With wawes grene / and brighte as any glas A Citole / in hir right hand / hadde she And on hir heed / ful semely for to se Line 1960 A Rose gerland fressh / and wel smellynge

Aboue hir heed / hir dowues flikerynge Biforn hire / stood hir sone Cupido Vp on his shuldres / wynges hadde he two Line 1964 And blynd he was / as it was often seene A bowe he bar / and Arwes brighte and kene ¶ Why sholde I noght / as wel eek telle yow al The portreiture / that was vp on the wal Line 1968 With Inne the temple / of myghty Mars the rede Al peynted was the wal / in lengthe and brede Lyk to the estres / of the grisly place That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace Line 1972 In thilke colde / frosty Region Ther as Mars / hath his souereyn mansion ¶ ffirst on the wal / was peynted a forest In which ther dwelleth / neither man ne best Line 1976 With knotty knarry / bareyne trees olde Of stubbes sharpe / and hidouse to biholde In which ther ran / a rumbel and a swough As though a storm / sholde bresten euery bough Line 1980 And dounward from an hille / vnder a bente Ther stood the temple of Mars Armypotente Wroght al of burned steel / of which the entree Was long and streit and gastly for to see [.i. impetus] Line 1984 And ther out came a rage / and suche a veze That it made / al the gate for to rese The Northren lyght in at the dores shoon ffor wyndowe / on the wal ne was ther noon Line 1988 Thurgh which men myghten / any light discerne The dore was al / of Adamant eterne Yclenched / ouerthwart and endelong [folio 26a] With Iren tough / and for to make it strong Line 1992 Euery pyler the temple to sustene Was tonne greet of Iren bright and shene ¶ Ther saugh I first the dirke ymaginyng Of felonye / and the compassyng Line 1996 The crueel Ire / reed as any gleede

The pykepurs / and the pale drede The smylere / with the knyfe vnder the cloke The shepne / brennynge / with the blake smoke Line 2000 The treson / of the mordrynge in the bedde The open werre / with woundes al bibledde Contek with blody knyf and sharpe manace Al ful of chirkyng. was that sory place Line 2004 ¶ The sleere of hym self / yet saugh I ther His herte blood / hath bathed al his heer The nayl ydryuen / in the shode a nyght The colde deeth / with mouth gapyng vp right Line 2008 Amyddes of the temple / sat meschaunce With disconfort and sory contenaunce ¶ Yet saugh I woodnesse / laughynge in his rage Armed compleint out hees / and fiers outrage Line 2012 The careyne in the busk with throte ycorue A thousand slayn / and nat oon of qualm ystorue The tiraunt with the pray by force yraft The toun destroyed / ther was no thy[ng laft [[in a later hand]] ] ¶ Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres The hunte strangled / with the wilde beres The sowe / freten the child right in the Cradel The Cook yscalded / for al his longe ladel Line 2020 ¶ Noght was foryeten / by the Infortune of Marte The Cartere / ouer ryden with his Carte Vnder the wheel / ful lowe / he lay adoun ¶ Ther were also / of Martes diuisioun Line 2024 The laborer / and the Bocher and the Smyth That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his Styth ¶ And al aboue / depeynted in a tour Saugh I Conquest sittynge in greet honour Line 2028 With the sharpe swerd / ouer his heed Hangynge / by a soutil twynes threed ¶ Depeynted was / the slaughtre of Iulius Of grete Nero / and of Antonius Line 2032 Al be þat thilke tyme / they were vnborn

Yet was hir deth / depeynted ther biforn By manasynge of Mars / right by figure So was it shewed in that portreiture Line 2036 As is depeynted / in the Certres aboue Who shal be slayn / or elles deed for loue Suffiseth oon ensample in stories olde [folio 26b] I may nat rekene hem alle though I wolde Line 2040

The Statue of Mars / vp vn a Carte stood Armed / and looked grym as he were wood And ouer his heed / ther shynen two figures Of sterres / that been cleped in scriptures Line 2044 That oon Puella / that oother Rubeus This god of Armes / was arrayed thus A wolf ther stood / biforn hym at his feet With eyen rede / and of a man he eet Line 2048 With soutil pencel / was depeynted this storie In redoutynge / of Mars and of his glorie

NOw / to the temple / of Dyane the chaste As shortly as I kan I wol me haste Line 2052 To telle yow / al the descripsioun Depeynted been the walles vp and doun Of huntyng / and of shamefast chastitee ¶ Ther saugh I / how woful Calistopee Line 2056 Whan þat Diane / agreued was with here Was turned / from a womman to a Bere And after was she maad the loode sterre [¶ Vrsa maior] Thus was it peynted / I kan sey yow no ferre Line 2060 Hir sone is eek a sterre as men may see ¶ Ther saugh I Dane / yturned til a tree I mene nat the goddesse Diane But Penneus doughter / which þat highte Dane Line 2064 ¶ Ther saugh I Attheon / an hert ymaked ffor vengeance / þat he saugh Diane al naked I saugh / how þat hise houndes / haue hym caught And freeten hym / for þat they knewe hym naught Line 2068 ¶ Yet peynted / [was] a litel forther moor

How Atthalante / hunted the wilde boor And Meleagree / and many another mo ffor which Dyane / wroghte hym care and wo Line 2072 ¶ Ther saugh I / many another wonder storie The whiche / me list nat drawen to memorie ¶ This goddesse on an hert ful wel hye seet With smale houndes / al aboute hir feet Line 2076 And vndernethe hir feet she hadde a moone Wexynge it was / and sholde wanye soone In gaude grene / hir statue clothed was With bowe in honde / and Arwes in a cas Line 2080 Hir eyen caste she / ful lowe adoun Ther Pluto / hath his derke regioun ¶ A womman trauaillynge / was hire biforn But for hir child / so longe was vnborn Line 2084 fful pitously / Lucyna / gan she calle And seyde helpe / for thou mayst best of alle Wel koude he peynten lifly / that it wroghte [folio 27a] With many a floryn / he the hewes boghte Line 2088

NOw been the lystes maad / and Theseus That at his grete cost / arrayed thus The temples / and the Theatre euery deel Whan it was doon / hym lyked wonder weel Line 2092 But stynte I wole / of Theseus a lite And speke of Palamon / and of Arcite ¶ The day approcheth / of hir retournynge That euerich / sholde an hundred knyghtes brynge Line 2096 The bataille to darreyne / as I yow tolde And til Atthenes / hir couenantz for to holde Hath euerich of hem / broght an hundred knyghtes Wel armed for the werre / at alle rightes Line 2100 And sikerly / ther trowed many a man That neuere sithen / that the world bigan As for to speke / of knyghthod of hir hond As fer / as god hath maked see or lond Line 2104 Nas of so fewe / so noble a compaignye

ffor euery wight that louede chiualrye And wolde his thankes / han a passant name Hath preyd / þat he myghte been of that game Line 2108 And wel was hym / that ther to chosen was ffor if ther fille tomorwe swich a caas Ye knowen wel / þat euery lusty knyght That loueth paramours / and hath his myght Line 2112 Were it in Engelond / or elles where They wolde hir thankes / wilnen to be there To fighte for a lady / benedicitee It were a lusty sighte / for to see Line 2116 ¶ And right so / ferden they with Palamon With hym / ther wenten knyghtes many on Som wol ben armed in an haubergeon And in bristplate / and in a light gypon Line 2120 And somme woln haue / a paire plates large And somme woln haue / a Pruce sheeld / or a targe Somme woln ben armed / on hir legges weel And haue an Ax / and somme a Mace of steel Line 2124 Ther is no newe gyse / that it nas old Armed were they / as I haue yow told Everych / after his opinion Ther maistow seen / comynge with Palamon Line 2128 Lygurge hym self the grete kyng of Trace Blak was his berd / and manly was his face The cercles / of hise eyen in his heed They gloweden / bitwyxen yelow and reed Line 2132 And lik a grifphon / looked he aboute With kempe heeris / on hise browes stoute Hise lymes grete / hise brawnes harde and stronge [folio 27b] Hise shuldres brode / hise armes rounde and longe Line 2136 And as the gyse was in his contree fful hye / vpon a Chaar of gold / stood [he [[in a later hand]] ] With foure white boles in the trays In stede of Cote Armure / ouer his harnays Line 2140 With nayles yelewe / and brighte as any gold

He hadde a Beres skyn / colblak / for old His longe heer / was kembd / bihynde his bak As any Rauenes fethere / it shoon for blak Line 2144 A wrethe of gold arm greet / of huge wighte Vpon his heed / set ful of stones brighte Of fyne Rubyes / and of dyamauntz Aboute his Chaar / ther wenten white Alauntz Line 2148 Twenty and mo / as grete as any steer To hunten at the leon or [[MS. or / or]] / the deer And folwed hym / with mosel faste ybounde Colered of gold / and tourettes fyled rounde Line 2152 An hundred lordes / hadde he in his route Armed ful wel / with hertes stierne and stoute

With Arcite / in stories as men fynde The grete Emetreus / the kyng of Inde Line 2156 Vp on a steede bay / trapped in steel Couered in clooth of gold / dyapred weel Cam ridynge / lyk the god of Armes Mars His Cote Armure / was of clooth of Tars Line 2160 Couched with perles / white and rounde and grete His sadel / was of brend gold newe ybete A Mantel [was] / vp on his shulder hangynge Brat ful of Rubyes rede / as fyr sparklynge Line 2164 His crispe heer / lyk rynges was yronne And that was yelow / and glytered as the sonne His nose was heigh / hise eyen bright citryn Hise lippes rounde / his colour was sangwyn Line 2168 A fewe frakenes / in his face yspreynd Bitwixen yelow / and somdel blak ymeynd And as a leon / he his lookyng caste Of fyue and twenty yeer / his age I caste Line 2172 His berd was wel bigonne for to sprynge His voys / was as a trompe thondrynge Vp on his heed / he wered of laurer grene A gerland / fressh / and lusty for to sene Line 2176 Vp on his hand / he bar for his deduyt

An Egle tame / as any lilye whyt An hundred lordes / hadde he with hym there Al armed saue hir heddes / in al hir gere Line 2180 fful richely / in alle maner thynges ffor trusteth wel / þat dukes / Erles kynges Were gadered / in this noble compaignye [folio 28a] ffor loue / and for encrees of chiualrye Line 2184 Aboute this kyng ther ran on euery part fful many a tame leon / and leopard And in this wise / thise lordes alle and some Been on the Sonday to the Citee come Line 2188 Aboute pryme / and in the toun alight ¶ This Theseus / this duc this worthy knyght Whan he had broght hem / in to his Citee And Inned hem / euerich in his degree Line 2192 He festeth hem / and dooth so greet labour To esen hem / and doon hem al honour That yet men weneth / þat no maner wit Of noon estaat ne koude amenden it Line 2196 ¶ The Mynstralcye / the seruice / at the feeste The grete yiftes / to the meeste and leeste The riche array / of Theseus paleys Ne who sat first ne last vp on the deys Line 2200 What ladyes fairest been / or best daunsynge Or which of hem / kan dauncen best and synge Ne who moost felyngly speketh of loue What haukes / sitten on the perche aboue Line 2204 What houndes / liggen in the floor adoun Of al this / make I now no mencioun But al theffect that thynketh me the beste Now cometh the point and herkneth if yow leste Line 2208

The sonday nyght er day bigan to sprynge Whan Palamon / the larke herde synge Al though it nere nat day / by houres two Yet song the larke / and Palamon also Line 2212 With hooly herte / and with an heigh corage

He roos / to wenden on his pilgrymage Vn to the blisful Citherea benigne I mene Venus / honurable and digne Line 2216 And in hir houre / he walketh forth a paas Vn to the lystes / ther hire temple was And doun he kneleth / with ful humble cheer And herte soor / and seyde in this manere Line 2220

Faireste of faire / o lady myn Venus [¶ The preyere of Palamon.] Doughter to Ioue / and spouse of Vulcanus [¶ to Venus goddesse of loue.] Thow gladere / of the Mount of Citheron ffor thilke loue / thow haddest to Adoon Line 2224 Haue pitee / of my bittre teeris smerte And taak myn humble preyere at thyn herte Allas / I ne haue / no langage to telle Theffectes / ne the tormentz of myn helle Line 2228 Myn herte / may myne harmes nat biwreye I am so confus / that I kan noght seye But mercy lady bright that knowest weele [folio 28b] My thought and seest what harmes þat I feele Line 2232 Considere al this / and rewe vp on my soore As wisly / as I shal for eueremoore Emforth my myght thy trewe seruant be And holden werre / alwey with chastitee Line 2236 That make I myn auow / so ye me helpe I kepe noght of Armes for to yelpe Ne I ne axe nat tomorwe to haue victorie Ne renoun in this cas / ne veyne glorie Line 2240 Of pris of Armes / blowen vp and doun But I wolde haue / fully possessioun Of Emelye / and dye in thy seruyse ffynd thow the manere / hou and in what wyse Line 2244 I recche nat / but it may bettre be To haue victorie of hem / or they of me So that I haue / my lady in myne Armes ffor though so be / that Mars is god of Armes Line 2248 Youre vertu is so greet in heuene aboue

That if yow list I shal wel haue my loue ¶ Thy temple wol I worshipe eueremo And on thyn Auter / where I ride or go Line 2252 I wol doon sacrifice / and fires beete And if ye wol nat so / my lady sweete Thanne preye I thee / tomorwe / with a spere That Arcita / me thurgh the herte bere Line 2256 Thanne rekke I noght / whan I haue lost my lyf Though that Arcita / wynne hire to his wyf This is theffect and ende of my preyere Yif me my loue / thow blisful lady deere Line 2260 ¶ Whan the orison / was doon of Palamon His sacrifice he dide / and that anon fful pitously / with alle circumstance Al telle I noght as now / his obseruance Line 2264 But atte laste / the statue of Venus shook / And made a signe / wher by þat he took That his preyere / accepted was that day ffor thogh the signe / shewed a delay Line 2268 Yet wiste he wel / þat graunted was his boone And with glad herte / he wente hym hoom ful soone

The thridde houre in-equal that Palamon Bigan / to Venus temple for to gon Line 2272 Vp roos the sonne / and vp roos Emelye And to the temple of Dyane gan hye Hir maydens / þat she thider with hire ladde fful redily / with hem the fyr they ladde Line 2276 Thencens / the clothes / and the remenant al That to the sacrifice / longen shal The hornes fulle of Meeth / as was the gyse [folio 29a] Ther lakked noght to doon hir sacrifise Line 2280 ¶ Smokynge the temple / ful of clothes faire This Emelye / with herte debonaire Hir body wessh / with water of a welle But hou she dide hir ryte / I dar nat telle Line 2284 But it be / any thing in general

And yet it were a game / to heeren al To hym þat meneth wel / it were no charge But it is good / a man been at his large Line 2288 ¶ Hir brighte heer was kempd vntressed al A coroune / of a grene ook / cerial Vp on hir heed was set ful fair and meete Two fyres / on the auter / gan she beete Line 2292 And dide hir thynges / as men may biholde In Stace of Thebes / and thise bookes olde Whan kyndled was the fyr / with pitous cheere Vn to Dyane / she spak as ye may heere Line 2296

Ochaste goddesse / of the wodes grene [¶ The preyere of Emelye / to] To whom bothe heuene and erthe and see is sene Queene of the regne of Pluto derk / and lowe [dyane goddesse of Maydens.] Goddesse of maydens / that myn herte hast knowe Line 2300 fful many a yeer / and woost what I desire As keepe me / fro thy vengeance and thyn Ire That Attheon / aboughte cruelly Chaste goddesse / wel wostow þat I Line 2304 Desire / to ben a mayden al my lyf Ne neuere wol I be no loue ne wyf I am thow woost yet of thy compaignye A mayde / and loue huntynge and venerye Line 2308 And for to walken / in the wodes wilde And noght to ben a wyf / and be with childe Noght wol I knowe / the compaignye of man Now helpe me lady / sith ye may and kan Line 2312 ffor tho thre formes / þat thou hast in thee And Palamon / that hath swich loue to me And eek Arcite / that loueth me so soore This grace I preye thee with oute moore Line 2316 And sende loue and pees / bitwixe hem two And fro me / turne awey hir hertes so That al hire hoote loue / and hir desir And al hir bisy torment and hir fir Line 2320 Be queynt or turned / in another place

And if so be / thou wolt do me no grace And if my destynee / be shapen so That I shal nedes haue oon of hem two Line 2324 As sende me hym / þat moost desireth me Bihoold goddesse / of clene chastitee The bittre teeris / that on my chekes falle [folio 29b] Syn thou art mayde / and kepere of vs alle Line 2328 My maydenhede thou kepe and wel conserue And whil I lyue / a mayde I wol thee serue ¶ The fires brenne / vp on the Auter cleere Whil Emelye / was thus in hir preyere Line 2332 But sodeynly / she saugh a sighte queynte ffor right anon / oon of the fyres queynte And quyked agayn / and after that anon That oother fyr was queynt and al agon Line 2336 And as it queynte / it made a whistlynge As doon thise wete brondes in hir brennynge And at the brondes ende / out ran anon As it were / blody dropes many oon Line 2340 ffor which / so soore agast was Emelye That she was wel ny mad and gan to crye ffor she ne wiste / what it signyfied But oonly for the feere / thus hath she cried Line 2344 And weepe / that it was pitee for to heere And ther with al / Dyane gan appeere With bowe in honde / right as an hunteresse And seyde doghter / stynt thyn heuynesse Line 2348

Among the goddes hye / it is affermed [¶ The answere of Dyane] And by eterne word / writen and confermed [¶ to Emelye.] Thou shalt ben wedded vn to oon of tho That han for thee / so muchel care and wo Line 2352 But vn to which of hem / I may nat telle ffarwel / for I ne may no lenger dwelle The fires / whiche that on myn Auter brenne Shulle thee declare / er that thou go henne Line 2356 Thyn auenture of loue / as in this cas

And with that word / the Arwes in the Caas Of the goddesse / clateren faste and rynge And forth she wente / and made a vanysshynge Line 2360 ffor which / this Emelye / astoned was And seyde / what amounteth this Allas I putte me / in thy proteccion Dyane / and in thy disposicion Line 2364 And hoom she goth anon the nexte weye This is theffect ther is namoore to seye

The nexte houre of Mars folwynge this Arcite / vn to the temple walked is Line 2368 Of fierse Mars / to doon his sacrifise With alle the rytes / of his payen wyse With pitous herte / and heigh deuocion Right thus to Mars / he seyde his orison Line 2372

Ostronge god / that in the regnes colde [¶ The orison of Arcite] Of Trace / honoured art and lord yholde [¶ to Mars god of Armes] ¶ And hast in euery regne / and euery lond [folio 30a] Of armes / al the brydel in thyn hond Line 2376 And hem fortunest as thee lyst deuyse Accepte of me / my pitous sacrifise If so be that my youthe may deserue And þat my myght be worthy for to serue Line 2380 Thy godhede / þat I may been oon of thyne Thanne preye I thee / to rewe vp on my pyne ffor thilke peyne / and thilke hoote fir In which / thou whilom brendest for desir Line 2384 Whan þat thow vsedest the beautee Of faire yonge / fresshe Venus free And haddest hire / in armes at thy wille Al though thee ones / on a tyme mysfille Line 2388 Whan Vulcanus / hadde caught thee in his las And foond thee liggynge / by his wyf allas ffor thilke sorwe / that was in thyn herte Haue routhe as wel / vp on my peynes smerte Line 2392 I am yong and vnkonnynge as thow woost

And as I trowe / with loue offended moost That euere was / any lyues creature ffor she / þat dooth me / al this wo endure Line 2396 Ne reccheth neuere / wher I synke or fleete And wel I woot er she me mercy heete I moot with strengthe / wynne hire in the place And wel I woot withouten helpe or grace Line 2400 Of thee / ne may my strengthe noght auaille Thanne helpe me lord / tomorwe in my bataille For thilke fyr / that whilom brente thee As wel / as thilke fyr / now brenneth me Line 2404 And do / that I tomorwe haue victorie Myn be the trauaille / and thyn be the glorie Thy souereyn temple / wol I moost honouren Of any place / and alwey moost labouren Line 2408 In thy plesance / and in thy craftes stronge And in thy temple / I wol my baner honge And alle the Armes of my compaignye And euere mo / vn to that day I dye Line 2412 Eterne fir / I wol biforn thee fynde And eek to this auow / I wol me bynde My beerd / myn heer / that hongeth long adoun That neuere yet / ne felte offensioun Line 2416 Of rasour / nor of shere / I wol thee yeue And ben thy trewe seruant whil I lyue Now lord haue routhe vp on my sorwes soore Yif me the victorie / I aske thee namoore Line 2420

The preyere stynt of Arcita the stronge The rynges / on the temple dore that honge And eek the dores / clatereden ful faste [folio 30b] Of which Arcita / som what hym agaste Line 2424 The fyres brenden / vp on the Auter brighte That it gan / al the temple for to lighte And sweete smel / the ground anon vp yaf And Arcita / anon his hand vp haf Line 2428 And moore encens / in to the fyr he caste

With othere rytes mo / and atte last The Statue of Mars / bigan his hauberk rynge And with that soun / he herde a murmurynge Line 2432 fful lowe and dym / and seyde thus / Victorie ffor which / he yaf to Mars / honour and glorie And thus with ioye / and hope wel to fare Arcite anon / vn to his In is fare Line 2436 As fayn as fowel / is of the brighte sonne ¶ And right anon / swich strif / ther is bigonne For thilke grauntyng in the heuene aboue Bitwixe Venus / the goddesse of love Line 2440 And Mars / the stierne god Armypotente That Iuppiter / was bisy it to stente Til that the pale / Saturnus the colde That knew so manye / of auentures olde Line 2444 ffoond / in his olde experience and art That he ful soone / hath plesed euery part As sooth is seyd / elde hath greet auantage In elde / is bothe wysdom and vsage Line 2448 Men may the olde at renne / and noght at rede Saturne anon / to stynten strif and drede Al be it that it is / agayn his kynde Of al this strif / he gan remedie fynde Line 2452 ¶ My deere doghter Venus / quod Saturne My cours / that hath so wyde for to turne Hath moore power / than woot any man Myn is the drenchyng in the see so wan Line 2456 Myn is the prison / in the derke cote Myn is the stranglyng and hangyng by the throte The murmure and the cherles rebellyng The groynynge / and the pryuee empoysonyng Line 2460 I do vengeance / and pleyn correccion Whil[es] I dwelle / in signe of the leon Myn is the ruyne / of the hye halles The fallynge / of the toures / and of the walles Line 2464 Vp on the Mynour / or the Carpenter

I slow Sampson / shakynge the piler And myne be / the maladyes colde The derke tresons / and the castes olde Line 2468 My lookyng is the fader of pestilence Now weepe namoore / I shal doon diligence That Palamon / that is thyn owene knyght [folio 31a] Shal haue his lady / as thou hast him hight Line 2472 Though Mars shal helpe his knyght yet nathelees Bitwixe yow / ther moot be som tyme pees Al be ye noght of o compleccion That causeth al day swich diusion Line 2476 I am thyn Aiel / redy at thy wille Weepe now namoore / I wol thy lust fulfille ¶ Now wol I stynten / of the goddes above Of Mars / and of Venus goddesse of love Line 2480 And telle yow / as pleynly as I kan The grete effect for which that I bygan

¶ Explicit tercia pars