A wolf there stood before him at his feet
With eyen red, and of a man he eat:
With subtle pencil painted was this story,
In redouting583 of Mars and of his glory.
Now to the temple of Dian the chaste
As shortly as I can I will me haste,
To tellë you all the descriptioun.
Depainted be the wallës up and down
Of hunting and of shamefast chastity.
There saw I how woful Calistope,584
When that Dian aggrieved was with her,
Was turned from a woman till a bear,
And after was she made the lodëstar:585
Thus was it painted, I can say no far;586
Her son is eke a star as men may see.
There saw I Danë587 turn’d into a tree,
I meanë not the goddess Dianë,
But Peneus’ daughter, which that hight Danë.
There saw I Actaeon an hart y-maked,588
For vengeance that he saw Dian all naked:
I saw how that his houndës have him caught,
And freten589 him, for that they knew him not.
Yet painted was, a little farthermore
How Atalanta hunted the wild boar,
And Meleager, and many other mo’,
For which Diana wrought them care and woe.
There saw I many another wondrous story,
The which me list not drawen to memóry.
This goddess on an hart full high was set,590
With smallë houndës all about her feet,
And underneath her feet she had a moon,
Waxing it was, and shouldë wanë soon.
In gaudy green her statue clothed was,
With bow in hand, and arrows in a case.591
Her eyen castë she full low adown,
Where Pluto hath his darkë regioun.
A woman travailing was her beforn,
But, for her child so longë was unborn,
Full piteously Lucina592 gan she call,
And saidë; “Help, for thou may’st best of all.”
Well could he paintë lifelike that it wrought;
With many a florin he the hues had bought.
Now be these listës made, and Theseus,
That at his greatë cost arrayed thus
The temples, and the theatre every deal,593
When it was done, him liked wonder well.
But stint594 I will of Theseus a lite,595
And speak of Palamon and of Arcite.
The day approacheth of their returning,
That evereach an hundred knights should bring,
The battle to darraine596 as I you told;
And to Athens, their covenant to hold,
Hath ev’reach of them brought an hundred knights,
Well armed for the war at allë rights.
And sickerly597 there trowed598 many a man,
That never, sithen599 that the world began,
For to speaken of knighthood of their hand,
As far as God hath maked sea and land,
Was, of so few, so noble a company.600
For every wight that loved chivalry,
And would, his thankës,601 have a passant602 name,
Had prayed, that he might be of that game,
And well was him, that thereto chosen was.
For if there fell to-morrow such a case,
Ye knowë well, that every lusty knight,
That loveth par amour, and hath his might,
Were it in Engleland, or ellëswhere,
They would, their thankës, willen to be there,
T’ fight for a lady; benedicite,
It were a lusty603 sightë for to see.
And right so fared they with Palamon;
With him there wentë knightës many one.
Some will be armed in an habergeon,
And in a breastplate, and in a gipon;604
And some will have a pair of platës605 large;
And some will have a Prussë606 shield, or targe;
Some will be armed on their leggës weel;607
Some have an axe, and some a mace of steel.
There is no newë guise,608 but it was old.
Armed they weren, as I have you told,
Evereach after his opinión.
There may’st thou see coming with Palamon
Licurgus himself, the great king of Thrace:
Black was his beard, and manly was his face.
The circles of his eyen in his head
They glowed betwixtë yellow and red,
And like a griffin looked he about,
With kemped609 hairës on his browës stout;
His limbs were great, his brawns were hard and strong,
His shoulders broad, his armës round and long.
And as the guisë610 was in his country,
Full high upon a car of gold stood he,
With fourë whitë bullës in the trace.
Instead of coat-armour on his harness,
With yellow nails, and bright as any gold,
He had a bearë’s skin, coal-black for old.611
His long hair was y-kempt behind his back,
As any raven’s feather it shone for black.
A wreath of gold arm-great,612 of hugë weight,
Upon his head sate, full of stonës bright,
Of finë rubies and clear diamánts.
About his car there wentë white alauns,613
Twenty and more, as great as any steer,
To hunt the lion or the wildë bear,
And follow’d him, with muzzle fast y-bound,
Collars of gold, and torettes614 filed round.
An hundred lordës had he in his rout,615
Armed full well, with heartës stern and stout.
With Arcita, in stories as men find,
The great Emetrius the king of Ind,
Upon a steedë bay,616 trapped in steel,
Cover’d with cloth of gold diápred617 well,
Came riding like the god of armës, Mars.
His coat-armoúr was of a cloth of Tars,618
Couched619 with pearlës white and round and great.
His saddle was of burnish’d gold new beat;
A mantëlet on his shoulders hanging
Bretful620 of rubies red, as fire sparkling.
His crispë hair like ringës was y-run,621
And that was yellow, glittering as the sun.
His nose was high, his eyen bright citrine,622
His lips were round, his colour was sanguine,
A fewë fracknes in his face y-sprent,623
Betwixt yellow and black somedeal y-ment,624
And as a lion he his looking cast.625
Of five and twenty year his age I cast.626
His beard was well begunnen for to spring;
His voice was as a trumpet thundering.
Upon his head he wore of laurel green
A garland fresh and lusty to be seen;
Upon his hand he bare, for his delight,
An eagle tame, as any
