‘Than nedeth,’ quod Deiphebus hardely,
Na-more to speke, for trusteth wel, that I
Wol be hir champioun with spore and yerde; 1427
I roughte nought though alle hir foos it herde.
How I might best avaylen? now lat see.’
Quod Pandarus, ‘if ye, my lord so dere,
Wolden as now don this honour to me,
To prayen hir to-morwe, lo, that she
Com un-to yow hir pleyntes to devyse,
Hir adversaries wolde of hit agryse. 1435
And chargen yow to have so greet travayle,
To han som of your bretheren here with yow,
That mighten to hir cause bet avayle,
Than, woot I wel, she mighte never fayle
For to be holpen, what at your instaunce,
What with hir othere freendes governaunce.’ 1442
To al honour and bountee to consente,
Answerde, ‘it shal be doon; and I can finde 1445
Yet gretter help to this in myn entente.
What wolt thow seyn, if I for Eleyne sente
To speke of this? I trow it be the beste;
For she may leden Paris as hir leste.
It nedeth nought to preye him freend to be;
For I have herd him, otyme and eek other,
Speke of Criseyde swich honour, that he
May seyn no bet, swich hap to him hath she.
It nedeth nought his helpes for to crave; 1455
He shal be swich, right as we wole him have.
On my bihalve, and pray him with us dyne.’
‘Sire, al this shal be doon,’ quod Pandarus;
And took his leve, and never gan to fyne, 1460
But to his neces hous, as streght as lyne,
He com; and fond hir fro the mete aryse;
And sette him doun, and spak right in this wyse.
Lo, nece myn, see ye nought how I swete?
I noot whether ye the more thank me conne. 1466
Be ye nought war how that fals Poliphete
Is now aboute eft-sones for to plete,
And bringe on yow advocacyës newe?’
‘I? no,’ quod she, and chaunged al hir hewe. 1470
And doon me wrong? What shal I do, allas?
Yet of him-self no-thing ne wolde I recche,
Nere it for Antenor and Eneas,
That been his freendes in swich maner cas; 1475
But, for the love of god, myn uncle dere,
No fors of that, lat him have al y-fere;
‘Nay,’ quod Pandare, ‘it shal no-thing be so. 1479
For I have been right now at Deiphebus,
And Ector, and myne othere lordes mo,
And shortly maked eche of hem his of;
That by my thrift, he shal it never winne
For ought he can, whan that so he biginne.’
Deiphebus, of his owene curtasye,
Com hir to preye, in his propre persone,
To holde him on the morwe companye
At diner, which she nolde not denye,
But goodly gan to his preyere obeye. 1490
He thonked hir, and wente up-on his weye.
To telle in short, and forth gan for to wende
To Troilus, as stille as any stoon,
And al this thing he tolde him, word and ende; 1495
And how that he Deiphebus gan to blende;
And seyde him, ‘now is tyme, if that thou conne,
To bere thee wel to-morwe, and al is wonne.
Lat not for nyce shame, or drede, or slouthe; 1500
Som- tyme a man mot telle his owene peyne;
Bileve it, and she shal han on thee routhe;
Thou shalt be saved by thy feyth, in trouthe.
But wel wot I, thou art now in a drede;
And what it is, I leye, I can arede. 1505
For by my cheres mosten folk aspye,
That for hir love is that I fare a-mis;
Yet hadde I lever unwist for sorwe dye.”
Now thenk not so, for thou dost greet folye. 1510
For right now have I founden o manere
Of sleighte, for to coveren al thy chere.
Un-to Deiphebus hous, as thee to pleye,
Thy maladye a-wey the bet to dryve, 1515
For-why thou semest syk, soth for to seye.
Sone after that, doun in thy bed
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