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This is to seyn; that men ful ofte; y…wis; 1375
Mot spenden part; the remenant for to save。
For ay with gold men may the herte grave
Of him that set is up…on coveityse;
And how I mene; I shal it yow devyse。
‘The moeble which that I have in this toun 1380
Un…to my fader shal I take; and seye;
That right for trust and for savacioun
It sent is from a freend of his or tweye;
The whiche freendes ferventliche him preye
To senden after more; and that in hye; 1385
Whyl that this toun stant thus in Iupartye。
‘And that shal been an huge quantitee;
Thus shal I seyn; but; lest it folk aspyde;
This may be sent by no wight but by me;
I shal eek shewen him; if pees bityde; 1390
What frendes that ich have on every syde
Toward the court; to doon the wrathe pace
Of Priamus; and doon him stonde in grace。
‘So what for o thing and for other; swete;
I shal him so enchaunten with my sawes; 1395
That right in hevene his sowle is; shal he mete!
For al Appollo; or his clerkes lawes;
Or calculinge avayleth nought three hawes;
Desyr of gold shal so his sowle blende;
That; as me lyst; I shal wel make an ende。 1400
‘And if he wolde ought by his sort it preve
If that I lye; in certayn I shal fonde
Distorben him; and plukke him by the sleve;
Makinge his sort; and beren him on honde;
He hath not wel the goddes understonde。 1405
For goddes speken in amphibologyes;
And; for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes。
‘Eek drede fond first goddes; I suppose;
Thus shal I seyn; and that his cowarde herte
Made him amis the goddes text to glose; 1410
Whan he for ferde out of his Delphos sterte。
And but I make him sone to converte;
And doon my reed with…inne a day or tweye;
I wol to yow oblige me to deye。'
And treweliche; as writen wel I finde; 1415
That al this thing was seyd of good entente;
And that hir herte trewe was and kinde
Towardes him; and spak right as she mente;
And that she starf for wo neigh; whan she wente;
And was in purpos ever to be trewe; 1420
Thus writen they that of hir werkes knewe。
This Troilus; with herte and eres spradde;
Herde al this thing devysen to and fro;
And verraylich him semed that he hadde
The selve wit; but yet to lete hir go 1425
His herte misforyaf him ever…mo。
But fynally; he gan his herte wreste
To trusten hir; and took it for the beste。
For which the grete furie of his penaunce
Was queynt with hope; and ther…with hem bitwene 1430
Bigan for Ioye the amorouse daunce。
And as the briddes; whan the sonne is shene;
Delyten in hir song in leves grene;
Right so the wordes that they spake y…fere
Delyted hem; and made hir hertes clere。 1435
But natheles; the wending of Criseyde;
For al this world; may nought out of his minde;
For which ful ofte he pitously hir preyde;
That of hir heste he might hir trewe finde;
And seyde hire; ‘Certes; if ye be unkinde; 1440
And but ye come at day set in…to Troye;
Ne shal I never have hele; honour; ne Ioye。
‘For al…so sooth as sonne up…rist on morwe;
And; god! So wisly thou me; woful wrecche;
To reste bringe out of this cruel sorwe; 1445
I wol my…selven slee if that ye drecche。
But of my deeth though litel be to recche;
Yet; er that ye me cause so to smerte;
Dwel rather here; myn owene swete herte!
‘For trewely; myn owene lady dere; 1450
Tho sleightes yet that I have herd yow stere
Ful shaply been to failen alle y…fere。
For thus men seyn; 〃That oon thenketh the bere;
But al another thenketh his ledere。〃
Your sire is wys; and seyd is; out of drede; 1455
〃Men may the wyse at…renne; and not at…rede。〃
‘It is ful hard to halten unespyed
Bifore a crepul; for he can the craft;
Your fader is in sleighte as Argus yed;
For al be that his moeble is him biraft; 1460
His olde sleighte is yet so with him laft;
Ye shal not blende him for your womanhede;
Ne feyne a…right; and that is al my drede。
‘I noot if pees shal ever…mo bityde;
But; pees or no; for ernest ne for game; 1465
I woot; sin Calkas on the Grekis syde
Hath ones been; and lost so foule his name;
He dar no more come here ayein for shame;
For which that weye; for ought I can espye;
To trusten on; nis but a fantasye。 1470
‘Ye shal eek seen; your fader shal yow glose
To been a wyf; and as he can wel preche;
He shal som Grek so preyse and wel alose;
That ravisshen he shal yow with his speche;
Or do yow doon by force as he shal teche。 1475
And Troilus; of whom ye nil han routhe;
Shal causeles so sterven in his trouthe!
‘And over al this; your fader shal despyse
Us alle; and seyn this citee nis but lorn;
And that thassege never shal aryse; 1480
For…why the Grekes han it alle sworn
Til we be slayn; and doun our walles torn。
And thus he shal yow with his wordes fere;
That ay drede I; that ye wol bleve there。
‘Ye shul eek seen so many a lusty knight 1485
A…mong the Grekes; ful of worthinesse;
And eche of hem with herte; wit; and might
To plesen yow don al his besinesse;
That ye shul dullen of the rudenesse
Of us sely Troianes; but…if routhe 1490
Remorde yow; or vertue of your trouthe。
‘And this to me so grevous is to thinke;
That fro my brest it wol my soule rende;
Ne dredeles; in me ther may not sinke
A good opinioun; if that ye wende; 1495
For…why your faderes sleighte wol us shende。
And if ye goon; as I have told yow yore;
So thenk I nam but deed; with…oute more。
‘For which; with humble; trewe; and pitous herte;
A thousand tymes mercy I yow preye; 1500
So reweth on myn aspre peynes smerte;
And doth somwhat; as that I shal yow seye;
And lat us stele away bitwixe us tweye;
And thenk that folye is; whan man may chese;
For accident his substaunce ay to lese。 1505
‘I mene this; that sin we mowe er day
Wel stele away; and been to…gider so;
What wit were it to putten in assay;
In cas ye sholden to your fader go;
If that ye mighte come ayein or no? 1510
Thus mene I; that it were a gret folye
To putte that sikernesse in Iupertye。
‘And vulgarly to speken of substaunce
Of tresour; may we bothe with us lede
Y…nough to live in honour and plesaunce; 1515
Til in…to tyme that we shal ben dede;
And thus we may eschewen al this drede。
For everich other wey ye can recorde;
Myn herte; y…wis; may not ther…with acorde。
‘And hardily; ne dredeth no poverte; 1520
For I have kin and freendes elles…where
That; though we comen in oure bare sherte;
Us sholde neither lakke gold ne gere;
But been honured whyl we dwelten there。
And go we anoon; for; as in myn entente; 1525
This is the beste; if that ye wole assente。'
Criseyde; with a syk; right in this wyse
Answerde; ‘Y…wis; my dere herte trewe;
We may wel stele away; as ye devyse;
And finde swich unthrifty weyes newe; 1530
But afterward; ful sore it wol us rewe。
And help me god so at my moste nede
As causeles ye suffren al this drede!
‘For thilke day that I for cherisshinge
Or drede of fader; or of other wight; 1535
Or for estat; delyt; or for weddinge;
Be fals to yow; my Troilus; my knight;
Saturnes doughter; Iuno; thorugh hir might;
As wood as Athamante do me dwelle
Eternaly in Stix; the put of helle! 1540
‘And this on every god celestial
I swere it yow; and eek on eche goddesse;
On every Nymphe and deite infernal;
On Satiry and Fauny more and lesse;
That halve goddes been of wildernesse; 1545
And Attropos my threed of lyf to…breste
If I be fals; now trowe me if thow leste!
‘And thou; Simoys; that as an arwe clere
Thorugh Troye rennest ay downward to the see;
Ber witnesse of this word that seyd is here; 1550
That thilke day that ich untrewe be
To Troilus; myn owene herte free;
That thou retorne bakwarde to thy welle;
And I with body and soule sinke in helle!
‘But that ye speke; awey thus for to go 1555
And leten alle your freendes; god for…bede;
For any womman; that ye sholden so;
And namely; sin Troye hath now swich nede
Of help; and eek of o thing taketh hede;
If this were wist; my lif laye in balaunce; 1560
And your honour; god shilde us fro mischaunce!
‘And if so be that pees her…after take;
As alday happeth; after anger; game;
Why; lord! The sorwe and wo ye wolden make;
That ye ne dorste come ayein for shame! 1565
And er that ye Iuparten so your name;
Beth nought to hasty in this hote fare;
For hasty man ne wanteth never care。
‘What trowe ye the peple eek al aboute
Wolde of it seye? It is ful light to arede。 1570
They wolden seye; and swere it; out of doute;
That love ne droof yow nought to doon this dede;
But lust voluptuous and coward drede。
Thus were al lost; y…wis; myn herte dere;
Your honour; which that now shyneth so clere。 1575
‘And also thenketh on myn honestee;
That floureth yet; how foule I sholde it shende;
And with what filthe it spotted sholde be;
If in this forme I sholde with yow wende。