Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde

About this Item

Title
Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde
Author
Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400
Publication
London ; New York: Longman
1984
Rights/Permissions

Oxford Text Archive number: U-1689-A

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Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/Troilus
Cite this Item
"Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/Troilus. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 25, 2025.

Pages

Stanzas 141 through 150

"And for to speke of hire in specyal, Line 981 Hire beaute to bithynken and hire youthe, Line 982 It sit hire naught to ben celestial Line 983 As ȝet, though that hire liste bothe and kowthe; Line 984 But trewely, it sate hire wel right nowthe Line 985 A worthi knyght to louen and cherice -- Line 986 And but she do, I holde it for a vice. Line 987
"Wher-fore I am and wol ben ay redy Line 988 To peyne me to do ȝow this seruyse; Line 989 ffor bothe ȝow to plese thus hope I Line 990 Her-afterward; for ȝe ben bothe wyse, Line 991 And konne it counseil kepe in swych a wyse Line 992 That no man shal the wiser of it be -- Line 993 And so we may ben gladed alle thre. Line 994
"And, by my trouthe, I haue right now of the Line 995 A good conceyte in my wit, as I gesse, Line 996 And what it is, I wol now that thow se: Line 997 I thenke, sith that loue of his goodnesse Line 998 Hath the conuerted out of wikkednesse, Line 999 That thow shalt ben the beste post, I leue, Line 1000 Of al his lay, and moost his foos to greue. Line 1001
"Ensample why, se now thise wise clerkes, Line 1002 That erren aldermost a ȝeyn a lawe, Line 1003 And ben conuerted from hire wikked werkes Line 1004 Thorugh grace of god that list hem to hym drawe, Line 1005 Thanne arn they folk that han moost god in awe, Line 1006 And strengest feythed ben, I vndirstonde, Line 1007 And konne an errowre alderbest withstonde." Line 1008
Whan Troilus hadde herd Pandare assented Line 1009 To ben his help in louyng of Cryseyde, Line 1010 Weex of his wo, as who seith, vntormented, Line 1011 But hotter weex his loue and thus he seyde, Line 1012 With sobre chere, although his herte pleyde: Line 1013 "Now blisful Venus help, er that I sterue, Line 1014 Of the, Pandare, I mowe som thank deserue. Line 1015

Page 146

"But deere frende, how shal my wo be lesse Line 1016 Til this be doon? and, good, ek telle me this: Line 1017 How wiltow seyn of me and my destresse, Line 1018 Lest she be wroth -- this drede I moost, ywys -- Line 1019 Or nyl nat here or trowen how it is? Line 1020 Al this drede I, and ek for the manere Line 1021 Of the, hire Em, she nyl no swich thyng here." Line 1022
Quod Pandarus, "thow hast a ful gret care Line 1023 Lest that the Cherl may falle out of the moone. Line 1024 Whi, lord, I hate of the thi nyce fare. Line 1025 Whi, entremete of that thow hast to doone! Line 1026 ffor goddes loue, I bidde the a boone: Line 1027 So lat malone, and it shal be thi beste." Line 1028 "Whi, frende," quod he, "now do right as the leste. Line 1029
"But herke, Pandare, o word, for I nolde Line 1030 That thow in me wendest so gret folie, Line 1031 That to my lady I desiren sholde Line 1032 That toucheth harm or any vilenye; Line 1033 ffor dredeles me were leuere dye Line 1034 Than she of me aught elles vnderstode Line 1035 But that that myghte sownen in-to goode." Line 1036
Tho lough this Pandare, and anon answerde, Line 1037 "And I thi borugh? fy, no wight doth but so; Line 1038 I roughte naught though that she stood and herde Line 1039 How that thow seist; but fare wel, I wol go. Line 1040 A-dieu, be glad, god spede vs bothe two! Line 1041 Ȝef me this labour and this bisynesse, Line 1042 And of my spede be thyn al that swetnesse." Line 1043
Tho Troilus gan doun on knees to falle, Line 1044 And Pandare in his armes hente faste, Line 1045 And seyde, "now, fy on the Grekes alle! Line 1046 Ȝet, parde, god shal helpe vs atte laste; Line 1047 And dredelees, if that my lyf may laste, Line 1048 And god to-forn, lo, som of hem shal smerte; Line 1049 And ȝet mathenketh that this auant masterte. Line 1050
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