The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

128 THE CANTERB'UR Y TALES.
But in a garden yond', in such a place, Of Lacedsemon fifty maidens eke,
Ye wot right well what ye behighte me, On which they woulde do their lechery:
And in mine hand your trothe plighted ye, But there was none of all that company
To love me best; God wot ye saide so, That was not slain, and with a glad intent
Albeit that I unworthy am thereto; Chose rather for to die, than to assent
Madame, I speak it for th' honouir of you, To be oppressed 10 of her maidenhead.
More than to save my hearti's life right now; Why should I then to dien be in dread?
I have done so as ye commanded me, Lo, eke the tryrant Aristoclides,
And if ye vouch6safe, ye may go see. That lov'd a maiden hight Stimphalides,
Do as you list, have your behest in mind, When that her father slain was on a night,
For, quick or dead, right there ye shall me find; Unto Diana's temple went she right,
In you lies all to do 1 me live or dey;' And hent 11 thy image in her hand6s two,
But well I wot the rock6s be away." From which imge she woulde never go;
He took his leave, and she astonish'd stood; No wight her hand's might off it arace,l
In all her face was not one drop of blood: Till she was slain right in the selfe13 place.
She never ween'd t' have come in such a trap. Now since that maidens haddi such despite
"Alas! " quoth she, " that ever this should hap! To be defouled with man's foul delight,
For ween'd I ne'er, by possibility, Well ought a wife rather herself to s16,14
That such a monster or marvfil might be; Than be defouled, as it thinketh me.
It is against the process of natfire." What shall I say of Hasdrubale's wife,
And home she went a sorrowful creatufre; That at Carthage bereft herself of life?
For very fear unnethes 3 may she go.. For, when she saw the Romans win the town,
She weeped, wailed, all a day or two, She took her children all, and skipt adown
And swooned, that it ruthe was to see: Into the fire, and rather chose to die,
But why it was, to no wight tolde she, Than any Roman did her villainy.
For out of town was gone Arviragus. Hath not Lucretia slain herself, alas!
But to herself she spake, and saide thus, At Romi, when that she oppressed 15 was
With face pale, and full sorrowful cheer, Of Tarquin? for her thought it was a shame
In her complaint, as ye shall after hear. To livi, when she haddi lost her name.
"Alas!" quoth she, "on thee, Fortfine, I The seven maidens of Milesie also
plain,4 Have slain themselves for very dread and woe,
That unware hast me wrapped in thy chain, Rather than folk of Gaul them should oppress.
From which to scape, wot I no succofir, More than a thousand stories, as I guess,
Save only death, or elles dishonour; Could I now tell as touching this mattere.
One of these two behoveth me to choose. When Abradate was slain, his wife so dear 16
But natheless, yet had I lever 5 lose Herselfe slew, and let her blood to glide
My life, than of my body have shame, In Abradati's woundes, deep and wide,
Or know myselfi false, or lose my name; And said,' My body at the leaste way
And with my death I may be quit y-wis.6 There shall no wight defoul, if that I may.'
Hath there not many a noble wife, ere this, Why should I more examples hereof sayn?
And many a maiden, slain herself, alas! Since that so many have themselves slain,
Rather than with her body do trespass? Well rather than they would defouled be,
Yes, certes; lo, these stories bear witn6ss.7 I will conclude that it is betl for me
When thirty tyrants full of cursedness 8 To slay myself, than be defouled thus.
Had slain Phidon in Athens at the feast, I will be true unto Arviragus,
They commanded his daughters to arrest, Or elles slay myself in some mannere,
And bringe them before them, in despite, As did DemotionS's daughter dear,
All naked, to fulfil their foul delight; Because she woulde not defouled be.
And in their father's blood they made them 0 Sedasus, it is full great pity
dance To reade how thy daughters died, alas!
Uponthe pavement,-God give them mischance. That slew themselves for such6 manner cas.18
For which these woeful maidens, full of dread, As great a pity was it, or well more,
Rather than they would lose their maiden- The Theban maiden, that for Nican6r
head, Herselfe slew, right for such manner woe.
They privily be start 9 into a well, Another Theban maiden did right so;
And drowned themselves, as the bookes tell. For one of Macedon had her oppress'd,
They of Messen6 let inquire and seek She with her death her maidenhead redress'd.19
1 Cause. 2 Die. 3 Scarcely. 14 Slay. 15 Ravished.
4 Complain. 5 Sooner, rather. 16 Panthea. Abradatas, King of Susa, was an ally of
6 I may certainly purchase my exemption, the Assyrians against Cyrus; and his wife was taken at
7 They are all taken from the book of St Jerome the conquest of the Assyrian camp. Struck by the
"Contra Jovinianum," from which the Wife of Bath honourable treatment she received atthecaptor's hands,
drew so many of her ancient instances. See note 5, Abradatas joined Cyrus, and fell in battle against his
page 71. 8 Wickedness. former allies. His wife, inconsolable at his loss, slew
9 Suddenly leaped. 10 Forcibly bereft. herself immediately. 17 Better.
11 Caught, clasped. 18 In circumstances of the same kind.
12 Pluck away by force. 13 Same. 19 Avenged, vindicated.