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

-260 PlOE, M OF GEOFFREY CH tUCER.
Norforto be in aught espied there, notion of delay, laughs to scorn her proposal
That wiste he an impossible were:.1 to send her ring. in pledge of her truth, and
A dr e s2 i. cl. ws t finally, by pitiable accounts of Troilus' grief,
And dreaddless 2 it clear was,in the wind
And dreadl lin duces her to receive him and reassure him at
Of ev'ry pie, and every let-game; 3once withher own lips.
Now all is well, for all this world is blind,
In this mattdre, bothe.fremd and tame; 4 This Troilus full soon on knees him set,
This timber is all ready for to frame; Full soberly, right by her bedde's head,
Us lacketh naught, but that we weete wo'ld And in his beste wise his lady gret; 3
A certain hour in which we come sho'ld. But Lord! how she wax'd suddenly all red,
- T'ri'-'c. ^1^Je h. ^Jd.~ And thought anon how.that she would be dead;
Troilus had informed his household, that if She could not one word aright out bring,
She couldd not one word aright out bring,
at anytime he was missing, he had gone to o sddenlyforhissuddencoming.
worship at a certain temple of Apollo, "and
first to see the holy laurel quake, or that the Cressida, though, thinking that her servant
godde spake out of the tree." So, at the and her knight should not have doubted her
changing of the moon, when "the welkin truth, yet sought to remove his jealousy, and
shope him for to rain," 6 Pandarus went to offered to submit to any ordeal or oath he might
invite his niece to supper; solemnly assuring impose; then, weeping, she covered her face,
herthat Troilus was out of the town-though all and lay silent. "But now," exclaims the
the time he was safely shut up, till midnight, poetin "a little stew," whence through a hole he But now help, od, to quenchen all this
joyously watched the arrival of his mistress and sorrow
her fair niece Antigone, with half a score of hero hope I that he shall, for he best may;
women. After supper Pandarus did everything For I have seen, of a full misty morrow,l4
to amuse his niece; "he sung, he play'd, he Followen oft a merry summer's day,
told a tale of Wade; " 7 at last she would take And after winter cometh greene May;
her leave; but Folk see all day, and eke men read in stories,
The bente Mooni with her horns pal That after sharp stour be victries.
Saturn, and Jove, in Cancer joined were,8 Believing his mistress to be angry, Troilus
That made such a rain from heav'n avail,9 felt the cramp of death seize on his heart, " and
That ev'ry manner woman that was there down he fell all suddenly in swoon." Pandarus
Had of this smoky 0 rain a very fear; "into bed him cast," and called on his niece to
At which Pandarus laugh'd, and saide then, pull out the thorn that stuck in his heart, by
"Now were it time a lady to go hen!" promising that she would "all forgive." She
whispered in his ear the assurance that she was
He therefore presses Cressida to remain all assurance thashe was.,~~ 4......'3. i not wroth; and at last, under her caresses he
night; she complies with a good grace; and, u r hr c,
recovered consciousness, to find her arm laid
after the sleeping cup has gone round, all re- consciousness, to find her arm id
over him, to hear the assurance of her forgivetire to their chambers-Cressida, that she may over him, to hear the assurance of her forgivenot be disturbed by the rain and thunder, being ness and receive her frequent kisses. Fresh
lodged-in the "inner closet "of Pandars, who, vowsnd explanations passed; and Cressida
to lull suspicion, occupies the outer chamber, implored forgiveness of "her own sweet heart,"
his niece's women sleeping in the intermediate for the pain she had causedhi Surprised
with sudden bliss, Troilus put all in God's hand,
apartment. When all is quiet, Pandarus liber- T put all in God's hand,
and strained his lady fast in his arms. {' WThat
ates Troilus, and by a secret passage brings andstrainedhisladyfast his s. ha
him to the chamber of Cressida; then, going might or may the seelyl6 larki say, when that
forward alone to his niece, after calming her the sperhawk 7 hath him in his foot?"
fears of discovery, he tells her that her lover Cressida, which that felt her thus y-take,
has "through a gutter, by a privy went," 12 come As write clerkis in their bookis old,
to his house in all this rain, mad with grief Right as an aspen leaf began to quake,
because a friend has told him that she loves When she him felt her in his armes fold;
HHorastes. Suddenly cold about her heart, But Troilus, all whole of caris cold,8
Cressida promises that on the morrow she will Gan thanke then the blissful goddes seren.lO
reassure her lover; but Pandarus scouts the Thus sundry paints bringe folk to heaven.
i And he knew that it was impossible that they could 6 When the sky was preparing to rain.
be discovered there. 2 Without doubt. 7 See note 16, page 106. /
3 To be "in the wind" of noisy magpies, or other 8 A conjunction that imported rain.
birds that might spoil sport by alarming the game, was 9 Descend.
not less desirable than to be on the " lee-side " of the 10 An admirably graphic description of dense rain.
game itself, that the hunter's presence might not be n1 Hence. 12 Secret way or passage.
betrayed by the scent. "In the wind of," thus signifies 13 Greeted. 14 Morn.
oot to windward of, but to leeward of-that is, in the 15 Conflicts, struggles. 16 Innocent, harmless.
wind that comes from the object of pursuit. 17 Sparrowhawk.
4'Both;foes and friends-literally, both wild and 18 Entirely healed from his painful sorrows. Forthe
tame, the.sporting metaphor being sustained. force of "cold," see note 2, page 169.
5 The lovers are supposed to say, that nothing is 19 The divinities who gave their names to the seven
wanting but to know the time at which they should planets, which, in association with the seven metals, are
meet. mentioned in The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, page 180.