Paraunter, thou hast cause for to singe!
Lat be thy wo and turning to the grounde;
For who- so list have helping of his leche,
To him bihoveth first unwrye his wounde.
To Cerberus in helle ay be I bounde,
Were it for my suster, al thy sorwe, 860
By my wil, she sholde al be thyn to-morwe.
Anoon, that I may goon aboute thy nede;
Knowe ich hir ought? for my love, tel me this; 864
Than wolde I hopen rather for to spede.’
Tho gan the veyne of Troilus to blede,
For he was hit, and wex al reed for shame;
‘A ha!’ quod Pandare, ‘here biginneth game!’
And seyde, ‘theef, thou shalt hir name telle.’ 870
But tho gan sely Troilus for to quake
As though men sholde han lad him in-to helle,
And seyde, ‘allas! of al my wo the welle,
Than is my swete of called Criseyde!’
And wel nigh with the word for fere he deyde. 875
Lord, he was glad, and seyde, ‘freend so dere,
Now fare a-right, for Joves name in hevene,
Love hath biset thee wel, be of good chere;
For of good name and wysdom and manere 880
She hath y-nough, and eek of gentilesse;
If she be fayr, thow wost thy-self, I gesse.
Of hir estat, ne a gladder, ne of speche
A freendlier, ne a more gracious 885
For to doon; wel, ne lasse hadde nede to seche
What for to doon; and al this bet to eche,
In honour, to as fer as she may strecche,
A kìnges herte semeth by hires a wrecche.
For certeinly, the firste poynt is this
Of noble corage and wel ordeynè,
A man to have pees with him-self, y-wis;
So oughtest thou, for nought but good it is
To loven wel, and in a worthy place; 895
Thee oughte not to clepe it hap, but grace.
That sith thy lady vertuous is al,
So folweth it that ther is som pitee
Amonges alle thise othere in general; 900
And for-thy see that thou, in special
Requere nought that is ayein hir name;
For vertue streccheth not him-self to shame.
That thou biset art in so good a place; 905
For by my trouthe, in love I dorste have sworn,
Thee sholde never han tid thus fayr a grace;
And wostow why? for thou were wont to chace
At love in scorn, and for despyt him calle
“Seynt Idiot, lord of thise foles alle.” 910
And seyd, that loves servants everichone
Of nycetee ben verray goddes apes;
And some wolde monche hir mete alone,
Ligging a-bedde, and make hem for to grone; 915
And som, thou seydest, hadde a blaunche fevere,
And preydest god he sholde never kevere!
More than y-nough, so seydestow ful ofte;
And some han feyned ofte tyme, and tolde
How that they wake, whan they slepen softe; 921
And thus they wolde han brought hemself a-lofte,
And nathelees were under at the laste;
Thus seydestow, and japedest ful faste.
These loveres wolden speke in general,
And thoughten that it was a siker art,
For fayling, for to assayen over-al.
Now may I jape of thee, if that I shal!
But natheless, though that I sholde deye,
That thou art noon of tho, that dorste I seye. 931
“Thy grace, lord! for now I me repente
If I mis spak, for now my-self I love:”
Thus sey with al thyn herte in good entente.’ 935
Quod Troilus, ‘a! lord! I me consente,
And pray to thee my japes thou foryive,
And I shall never-more whyl I live.’
That thou the goddes wratthe hast al apesed; 940
And sithen thou hast wepen many a drope,
And seyd swich thing wher-with thy god is plesed,
Now
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