The Knight's Tale
Folio 15v
12 of 48 folios
515
Nat oonly / lik the loueris maladye
Of Hereos / but rather lyk Manye
Engendred / of humour malencolik
Biforn his owene Celle fantastik
And shortly / turned was al vp so doun
520
Bothe habit / and eek disposicioun
Of hym this woful louere daun Arcite
¶ What sholde I / al day of his wo endite
Whan he endured hadde / a yeer or two
This crueel torment and this peyne & wo
525
At Thebes in his contree / as I seyde
Vp on a nygħt / in sleepe as he hym leyde
Hym thoughte / how that the wynged god Mercurie
Biforn hym stood / and bad hym to be murie
His slepy yerde / in hond he bar vp rigħte
530
An hat he werede / vp hise heris brigħte
Arrayed was this god / as I took keepe
As he was / whan þt Argus took his sleepe
And seyde hym thus / to Atthenes shaltou wende
Ther is thee shapen / of thy wo an ende
535
And with that word / Arcite wook and sterte
Now trewely / hou soore þt me smerte
Quod he / to Atthenes / rigħt now wol I fare
Ne for the drede of deeth / shal I nat spare
To se my lady / that I loue and serue
540
In hir presence / I recche nat to sterue
¶ And wt that word / he caughte a greet Mirour
And saugħ / þt chaunged was al his colour
And saugħ his visage / al in another kynde
And rigħt anon / it ran hym in his mynde
545
That sith his face / was so disfigured
Of maladye / the which he hadde endured
He myghte wel / if þt he bar hym lowe
Lyue in Atthenes / eueremoore vnknowe
And seen his lady / wel ny day by day
550
And rigħt anon / he chaunged his array
And cladde hym / as a poure laborer
And al allone / saue oonly a Squier
That knew his piuetee / and al his cas
Which was disgised / pourely as he was
555
To Atthenes / is he goon the nexte way
And to the court he wente vp on a day
And at the gate / he profreth his seruyse
To drugge and drawe / what so men wol deuyse
And shortly / of this matere for to seyn
560
He fil in office / with a Chamberleyn
The which þt dwellynge was with Emelye
For he was wys / and koude soone espye