And not to be a wife, and be with child.
Nought will I know the company of man.
Now help me, lady, since ye may and can,
For those three formës667 that thou hast in thee.
And Palamon, that hath such love to me,
And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore,
This grace I prayë thee withoutë more,
As sendë love and peace betwixt them two:
And from me turn away their heartës so,
That all their hotë love, and their desire,
And all their busy torment, and their fire,
Be queint,668 or turn’d into another place.
And if so be thou wilt do me no grace,
Or if my destiny be shapen so
That I shall needës have one of them two,
So send me him that most desireth me.
Behold, goddess of cleanë chastity,
The bitter tears that on my cheekës fall.
Since thou art maid, and keeper of us all,
My maidenhead thou keep and well conserve,
And, while I live, a maid I will thee serve.”
The firës burn upon the altar clear,
While Emily was thus in her prayére:
But suddenly she saw a sightë quaint.669
For right anon one of the firës queint
And quick’d670 again, and after that anon
That other fire was queint, and all agone:
And as it queint, it made a whisteling,
As doth a brandë wet in its burning.
And at the brandës end outran anon
As it were bloody droppës many one:
For which so sore aghast was Emily,
That she was well-nigh mad, and gan to cry,
For she ne wistë what it signified;
But onëly for fearë thus she cried,
And wept, that it was pity for to hear.
And therewithal Diana gan appear
With bow in hand, right as an hunteress,
And saidë; “Daughter, stint671 thine heaviness.
Among the goddës high it is affirm’d,
And by eternal word writ and confirm’d,
Thou shalt be wedded unto one of tho672
That have for thee so muchë care and woe:
But unto which of them I may not tell.
Farewell, for here I may no longer dwell.
The firës which that on mine altar brenn,673
Shall thee declaren, ere that thou go henne,674
Thine áventure of love, as in this case.”
And with that word, the arrows in the case675
Of the goddess did clatter fast and ring,
And forth she went, and made a vanishing,
For which this Emily astonied was,
And saidë; “What amounteth this,676 alas!
I put me under thy protectión,
Diane, and in thy dispositión.”
And home she went anon the nextë677 way.
This is th’ effect, there is no more to say.
The nextë hour of Mars follówing this
Arcite to the temple walked is
Of fiercë Mars, to do his sacrifice
With all the ritës of his pagan guise.
With piteous678 heart and high devotión.
Right thus to Mars he said his orison.
“O strongë god, that in the regnës679 cold
Of Thracë honoured art, and lord y-hold,680
And hast in every regne, and every land
Of armës all the bridle in thine hand,
And them fortúnest as thee list devise,681
Accept of me my piteous sacrifice.
If so be that my youthë may deserve,
And that my might be worthy for to serve
Thy godhead, that I may be one of thine,
Then pray I thee to rue upon my pine,682
For thilkë683 pain, and thilkë hotë fire,
In which thou whilom burned’st for desire
Whennë that thou usedest684 the beauty
Of fairë youngë Venus, fresh and free,
And haddest her in armës at thy will:
And though thee onës on a time misfill,685
When Vulcanus had caught thee in his las,686
And found thee ligging687 by his wife, alas!
For thilkë sorrow that was in thine heart,
Have ruth688 as well upon my painë’s smart.
I am young and unconning,689 as thou know’st,
And, as I trow,690 with love offended most,
That e’er was any living creature:
For she, that doth691 me all this woe endure,
Ne recketh ne’er whether I sink or fleet.692
And well I wot, ere she me mercy hete,693
I must with strengthë win her in the place:
And well I wot, withoutë help or grace
Of thee, ne may my strengthë not avail:
Then help me, lord, to-morr’w in my bataille,
For thilkë fire that whilom burned thee,
As well as this fire that now burneth me;
And do694 that I to-morr’w may have victóry.
Mine be the travail, all thine be the glory.
Thy sovereign temple will I most honoúr
Of any place, and alway most laboúr
In thy pleasance and in thy craftës strong.
And in thy temple I will my banner hong,695
And all the armës of my company,
And evermore, until that day I die,
Eternal fire I will before thee find.
And eke to this my vow I will me bind:
My beard, my hair that hangeth long adown,
That never yet hath felt offensión696
Of razor nor of shears, I will thee give,
And be thy truë servant while I live.
Now, lord, have ruth upon my sorrows sore,
Give me the victory, I ask no more.”
The prayer stint697 of Arcita the strong,
The ringës on the temple door that hong,
And eke the doorës, clattered full fast,
Of which Arcita somewhat was aghast.
The firës burn’d upon the altar bright,
That it gan all the temple for to light;
A sweetë smell anon the ground up gaf,698
And Arcita anon his hand up haf,699
And more incénse into the fire he cast,
With other ritës more and at the last
The statue of Mars began his hauberk ring;
And with that sound he heard a murmuring
Full low and dim, that saidë thus, “Victóry.”
For which he gave to Mars honour and glory.
And thus with joy, and hopë well to fare,
Arcite anon unto his inn doth fare.
As fain700 as fowl is of the brightë sun.
And right anon such strife there is begun
For thilkë granting,701 in the heav’n above,
Betwixtë Venus the goddéss of love,
And Mars the sternë god armipotent,
That Jupiter
