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

-'70 POEMS OF GEOFFRE C UCER.
Troilus hoping to find Cressida again in the city, Toward my death, with wind I steer and sail;
randarus entertaining a scepticism which he For which, the tenthe night, if that I fail6
concealed from his friend..The morning after The guiding of thy beames bright an hour,
their return, Troilus was impatient till he had My ship and me Charybdis will devour."
gone to the palace of Cressida; but when he By night he prayed the moon to run fast
found her doors all closed, "well nigh fofsorrow about her sphere; by day he reproached the
adown hegan tofall." tardy sun-dreading that Phaethon had come
Therewith, when he wasware, and gan behold to life again, and was driving the chariot of
How shut was ev'ry window of the place, Apollo out of its straight course. Meanwhile
As frost him thought his hearte gan to cold; Cressida, among the Greeks, was bewailing the
For which, with changed deadly pale face, refusal of her father to let her return, the cerWithoute word, he forth began to pace; tainty that her lover would think her false, and
And, as God would, he gan so faste ride, the hopelessness of any attempt to steal away
That no wight of his countenance espied. by night. Her bright face waxed pale, her limbs
Then said he thus: " O palace desolate! lean, as she stood all day looking toward Troy;
O house of houses, whilom beste hight! thinking on her love and all her past delights,
O palace empty and disconsolate! regretting that she had not followed the counsel
O thou lant6rn, of which quench'd is the light! of Troilus to steal away with him, and finally
o 0 palace, whilom day, that now art night! vowing that she would at all hazards return to
Well oughtest thou to fall, and I to die, the city. But she was fated, ere two months
Since she is gone that wont was us to guy! 2 to be full far from any such intention; for
"0- palace,. wh. cDiomede now brought all his skill into play, to
palce, whlom c of houses all, entice Cressida into his net. On the tenth day,:llumined with sun of all. bliss!
Diomede, " as fresh as branch in May," came
O ring, from which the ruby is out fall!
ring, fromwhich thefal! to the tent of Cressida, feigning business with
O cause of woe, that cause hast been of bliss alchas
Yet, since I may no bet, fain would I kiss
Thy colde doores, durst I for this rout 3 Cresside, at shorte words 7 for to tell,
And farewell shrine, of which the saint is out! " Welcomed him, and down by her him set,
-. *,.. ~ t... And he was eath enough to make dwell; 8
From thence forth he rideth up and down, And after this, without long let,9
nThes and the wi th hom let,9
And ev'ry thing came him to remembrance, spices and the wine men forth himfet,
As he rode by the places of the town, And forth they speak of this and that y-fere,"
-In which he whilom had all his pleasance; As friendes do, of which some shall ye hear.
" Lo! yonder saw I mine own lady dance; He gan first fallen of the war in speech
And in that temple, with her eyen clear, Between them and the folk of Troye town,
Me caughte first my righte lady dear. And of the siege he gan eke her beseech
And yonder have I heard full lustily To tell him what was her opinio;
My deare hearte laugh; and yonder play From that demand he so descended down
Saw I her ones eke full blissfully; To aske her, if that her strange thought
And yonder ones to me gan she say, The Greekes' guise,'2 and workes that they'Now, goode sweet! love me well, I pray;' wrought.
Andyond so gladly gan she me behold, And why her father tarrid 13 so long
That to the death my heart is to her hold.4 To wedd6 her unto some worthy wight.
" And at that corner, in the yonder house, Cressida, that was in her paines strong
Heard I mine allerlevest 5 lady dear, For love of Troilus, her owen knight,
So womanly, with voice melodious, So farforth as she cunning 4 had or might,
Sing6 so well, so goodly and so clear, Answer'd him then; but, as for his intent,15
That in my soule yet me thinks I hear It seemed not she wist 16 what he meant.
The blissful sound; and in that yonder place But natheless this ilke 17 Diomede
My lady first me took unto her grace." Gan in-himself assure,l8 and thus he said:
Then he went to the gates, and gazed along " If I aright have taken on you heed,19
the way by which he had attended Cressida at Me thinketh thus, O lady mine Cresside,
her departure; "then he fancied that all the That since I first hand on your bridle laid,
passers-by pitied him; and thus he drove forth When ye out came of Troye by the morrow,
a day or two more, singing a song, of few words, Ne might I never see you but in sorrow.
which he had made to lighten his heart: " cannot say what may the cause be,
"O star, of which I lost have all the light, But if for love of some Trojan it were;
With hearte sore well ought I to bewail, The which right sore would a-thinke me,2
Thint ever dark in torment, night by night, That ye for any wight that dwelleth there
1 To grow cold. 2 Guide, rule. 11 Together, 12 Fashion.
3 Company. 4 Holden, bound, 13 Delayed. 14 Ability.
5 Dearest of all, 6 Miss; be left without. 15 Purpose. 16 Knew.
7 Briefly, 17 Same 18 Grow confident.
8 Easy enough to persu to to stay. 19 If I have observed you aright.
9 Delay. 10 Fetched. 20 Which it would much pain me to think.