The Knight's Tale
Folio 34v
2 of 58 folios
¶ Whan set was Theseus / ful ryche and hye
1720
Ypolita the queene / and Emelye
And othere ladyes / in degrees aboute
Vn to the setes / preeseth al the route
And westward / thurgh the gates vnder Marte.i. sub Marte
Arcite / and eek the hundred of his parte
1725
With baner reed / is entred right anon
¶ And in that selue moment Palamou
Is vnder Venus Estward in the place
With baner whit / and hardy cheere and face
In al the world / to seken vp and down
1730
So euene / with outen variacioun
Ther nere / swiche compaignyes tweye
For ther was noon so wys / þt koude seye
That any hadde / of oother auantage
Of worthynesse / ne of estaat ne age
1735
So euene were they chosen for to gesse
And in two renges / faire they hxem dresse
¶ Whan þt hir names / rad were euerichon
That in hir nombre / gyle were ther noon
Tho were the gates shet and cryd was loude
1740
Do now youre deuoir / yonge knyghtes proude
¶ The heraudes / lefte hir prikyng vp and down
Now ryngen trompes loude / and Clarioun
Ther is namoore to seyn / but West and Est
In goon the speres / ful sadly in the arest
1745
In gooth the sharpe spore / in to the syde
Ther seen men / who kan Iuste / and who kan ryde
Ther shyueren shaftes / vp on sheeldes thikke
He feeleth / thurgh the herte spoon the prykke
Vp spryngeth speres / twenty foot on highte
1750
Out goon the swerdes / as the siluer brighte
The helmes they tohewen / and to shrede
Out brest the blood / with sterne stremys rede
With myghty maces / the bones they tobreste
He thurgh the thikkest of the throng gan threste
1755
Ther stomblen steedes stronge / and doun gooth al
He rolleth vnder foot as dooth a bal
He foyneth on his feet with his tronchoun
And he hym hurteth / with his hors adoun