Till that the palë Saturnus the cold,703
That knew so many of adventures old,
Found in his old experience such an art,
That he full soon hath pleased every part.
As sooth is said, eld704 hath great advantage,
In eld is bothë wisdom and uságe:705
Men may the old out-run, but not out-rede.706
Saturn anon, to stint the strife and drede,
Albeit that it is against his kind,
Of all this strife gan a remédy find.
“My dearë daughter Venus,” quoth Saturn,
“My course,707 that hath so widë for to turn,
Hath morë power than wot any man.
Mine is the drowning in the sea so wan;
Mine is the prison in the darkë cote,708
Mine the strangling and hanging by the throat,
The murmur, and the churlish rebelling,
The groyning,709 and the privy poisoning.
I do vengeance and plein710 correctión,
I dwell in the sign of the lión.
Mine is the ruin of the highë halls,
The falling of the towers and the walls
Upon the miner or the carpenter:
I slew Samson in shaking the pillar:
Mine also be the maladiës cold,
The darkë treasons, and the castës711 old:
My looking is the father of pestilence.
Now weep no more, I shall do diligence
That Palamon, that is thine owen knight,
Shall have his lady, as thou hast him hight.712
Though Mars shall help his knight, yet natheless
Betwixtë you there must sometime be peace:
All be ye not of one complexión,
That each day causeth such división,
I am thine ayel,713 ready at thy will;
Weep now no more, I shall thy lust714 fulfil.”
Now will I stenten715 of the gods above,
Of Mars, and of Venus, goddess of love,
And tellë you as plainly as I can
The great effect, for which that I began.
Great was the feast in Athens thilkë716 day;
And eke the lusty season of that May
Made every wight to be in such pleasance,
That all that Monday jousten they and dance,
And spenden it in Venus’ high servíce.
But by the causë that they shouldë rise
Early a-morrow for to see that fight,
Unto their restë wentë they at night.
And on the morrow, when the day gan spring,
Of horse and harness717 noise and clattering
There was in the hostelries all about:
And to the palace rode there many a rout718
Of lordës, upon steedës and palfreys.
There mayst thou see devising of harness
So uncouth719 and so rich, and wrought so weel
Of goldsmithry, of brouding,720 and of steel;
The shieldës bright, the testers,721 and trappures;722
Gold-hewen helmets, hauberks, coat-armures;
Lordës in parements723 on their coursérs,
Knightës of retinue, and eke squiérs,
Nailing the spears, and helmës buckëling,
Gniding724 of shieldës, with lainers725 lacing;
There as need is, they werë nothing idle:
The foamy steeds upon the golden bridle
Gnawing, and fast the armourers also
With file and hammer pricking to and fro;
Yeomen on foot, and knavës726 many one
With shortë stavës, thick as they may gon;727
Pipës, trumpets, nakéres,728 and clariouns,
That in the battle blowë bloody souns;
The palace full of people up and down,
There three, there ten, holding their questioun,729
Divining730 of these Theban knightës two.
Some saiden thus, some said it shall he so;
Some helden with him with the blackë beard,
Some with the ballëd,731 some with the thick-hair’d;
Some said he lookëd grim, and wouldë fight:
He had a sparth732 of twenty pound of weight.
Thus was the hallë full of divining733
Long after that the sunnë gan up spring.
The great Theseus that of his sleep is waked
With minstrelsy, and noisë that was maked,
Held yet the chamber of his palace rich,
Till that the Theban knightës both y-lich734
Honoúred were, and to the palace fet.735
Duke Theseus is at a window set,
Array’d right as he were a god in throne:
The people presseth thitherward full soon
Him for to see, and do him reverence,
And eke to hearken his hest736 and his sentence.737
An herald on a scaffold made an O,738
Till the noise of the people was y-do:739
And when he saw the people of noise all still,
Thus shewed he the mighty Dukë’s will.
“The lord hath of his high discretión
Considered that it were destructión
To gentle blood, to fighten in the guise
Of mortal battle now in this emprise:
Wherefore to shapë740 that they shall not die,
He will his firstë purpose modify.
No man therefore, on pain of loss of life,
No manner741 shot, nor poleaxe, nor short knife
Into the lists shall send, or thither bring.
Nor short sword for to stick with point biting
No man shall draw, nor bear it by his side.
And no man shall unto his fellow ride
But one course, with a sharp y-grounden spear:
Foin742 if him list on foot, himself to wear.743
And he that is at mischief744 shall be take,
And not slain, but be brought unto the stake,
That shall be ordained on either side;
Thither he shall by force, and there abide.
And if so fall745 the chiefëtain be take
On either side, or ellës slay his make,746
No longer then the tourneying shall last.
God speedë you; go forth and lay on fast.
With long sword and with macë fight your fill.
Go now your way; this is the lordës will.”
The voice of the people touched the heaven,
So loudë criëd they with merry steven:747
“God savë such a lord that is so good,
He willeth no destructión of blood.”
Up go the trumpets and the melody,
And to the listës rode the company
By ordinance,748 throughout the city large,
Hanged with cloth of gold, and not with sarge.749
Full like a lord this noble Duke gan ride,
And these two Thebans upon either side:
And after rode the queen and Emily,
And after them another company
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