With outen doute / it may stonden so
The answere of this / lete I to dyuynys
But well I woot þat in this world greet pyne ys
Line 1324
Allas / I se a serpent or a theef /
That many a trewe man / hath doon mescheef
Goon at his large / and where hym list may turne
But I moot been in prison / thurgh Saturne
Line 1328
And eek thurgh Juno / Ialous and eek wood
That hath destroyed / wel ny al the blood
Of Thebes / with hise waste walles wyde [folio 19a]
And venus / sleeth me on that oother syde
Line 1332
ffor Ialousie / and fere of hym Arcite
¶ Now wol I stynte of Palamon a lite
And lete hym / in his prison stille dwelle
And of Arcita / forth I wol yow telle
Line 1336
¶ The sonne passeth / and the nyghtes longe
Encressen double wise / the peynes stronge
Bothe / of the louere / and the prisoner
I noot which hath the wofuller mester
Line 1340
ffor shortly for to seyn / this Palamon
Perpetuelly / is dampned to prison
In cheynes and in fettres / to been deed
And Arcite / is exiled vpon his heed
Line 1344
ffor euere mo / as out of that contree
Ne neuere mo / he shal his lady see
NOw loueres / axe I now this question
Who hath the worse / Arcite / or Palamon?
Line 1348
That oon may seen his lady / day by day
But in prison / he moot dwelle alway
That oother / wher hym list may ride or go
But seen his lady / shal he neuere mo
Line 1352
Now demeth as yow list ye that kan
ffor I wol telle forth / as I bigan.
¶ Explicit prima Pars.
