To doon þat eny wight can him deuyse
A ȝeer or two he was in þis seruise
Page of þe chambre of Emelye þe bright
And Philostrate he seide þat he hight
Line 1428
But half so wel byloued a man as he
Ne was þer neuer in court of his degree
he was so gentil of his condicioun
That þoruh out al þe court was his renoun
Line 1432
They seyde þat it were a charite
That Theseus would enhaunsen his degree
And putten him in worschipful seruyse
Ther as he might his vertu excersise
Line 1436
And þus wiþinne a while his name spronge
Boþe of his dedes and of goode tonge
That Theseus haþ taken him so neer
That of his Chambre he made him squyer
Line 1440
And ȝaf him gold to mayntene his degree
And eek men brought him out of his countre
From ȝeer to ȝer ful pryuyly his rente [folio 20a]
But honestly and sleighly he it spente
Line 1444
That no man wondred how þat he it hadde
And þre ȝeer in þis wise his lyf he ladde
And bar him so in pees and eek in werre
Ther nas no man þat Theseus haþ so derre
Line 1448
And in þis blisse lete I now Arcite
And speke I wole of Palomon alyte
IN derknes and orrible and strong prisoun
This seuen ȝeer haþ seten Palomoun
Line 1452
Forpyned what for woo and for destresse
Who feleþ double sorwe and heuynesse
But Palamon þat loue destreyneþ so
That wood out of his witt he goþ for wo
Line 1456
And eek þerto he is a prisoner
Perpetuelly nat oonly for a ȝeer
Who couþe ryme in englissch propurly
His martirdam for-soþe it am nat .I.
Line 1460
