To doon / that any wight / kan hym deuyse
A yeer or two / he was in this seruyse
Page of the chambre / of Emelye the brighte
And Philostrate / he seyde þat he highte
Line 1428
But half / so wel / biloued a man as he
Ne was ther neuere in Court of his degree
He was so gentil of his condicioun
That thurghout al the Court was his renoun
Line 1432
They seyden / that it were a charitee
That Theseus / wolde enhauncen his degree
And putten hym / in worshipful seruyse
Ther as he myghte / his vertu excercise
Line 1436
And thus / with Inne a while / his name is spronge
Bothe of hise dedes / and his goode tonge
That Theseus / hath taken hym so neer
That of his chambre / he made hym a Squier
Line 1440
And gaf him gold / to mayntene his degree
And eek men broghte hym / out of his contree
ffrom yeer to yeer / ful pryuely his rente
But honestly / and slyly he it spente
Line 1444
That no man wondred / how þat he it hadde
And thre yeer in this wise / his lif he ladde
And bar hym so / in pees / and eek in werre
Ther was no man / þat Theseus hath derre
Line 1448
And in this blisse / lete I now Arcite
And speke I wole / of Palamon a lite
IN derknesse and horrible / and strong prison
Thise seuen yeer / hath seten Palamon
Line 1452
fforpyned / what for wo / and for distresse
Who feeleth / double soor heuynesse
But Palamon / that loue destreyneth so
That wood out of his wit he goth for wo
Line 1456
And eek ther to / he is a prisoner
Perpetuelly / noght oonly / for a yer
¶ Who koude ryme in englyssh proprely
His martirdom / for sothe it am nat I.
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