Before him went the loudë minstrelsy,
Till he came to his chamber of parëments,3094
There as they sounded diverse instruments,
That it was like a heaven for to hear.
Now danced lusty Venus’ children dear:
For in the Fish3095 their lady sat full high,
And looked on them with a friendly eye.
This noble king is set upon his throne;
This strangë knight is fetched to him full sone,3096
And on the dance he goes with Canacé.
Here is the revel and the jollity,
That is not able a dull man to devise:3097
He must have knowen love and his servíce,
And been a feastly3098 man, as fresh as May,
That shouldë you devisë such array.
Who couldë tellë you the form of dances
So úncouth,3099 and so freshë countenances,3100
Such subtle lookings and dissimulances,
For dread of jealous men’s appérceivíngs?
No man but Launcelot,3101 and he is dead.
Therefore I pass o’er all this lustihead;3102
I say no more, but in this jolliness
I leave them, till to supper men them dress.
The steward bids the spices for to hie3103
And eke the wine, in all this melodý;
The ushers and the squiërs be y-gone,
The spices and the wine is come anon;
They eat and drink, and when this hath an end,
Unto the temple, as reason was, they wend;
The service done, they suppen all by day.
What needeth you rehearsë their array?
Each man wot well, that at a kingë’s feast
Is plenty, to the most3104 and to the least,
And dainties more than be in my knowíng.
At after supper went this noble king
To see the horse of brass, with all a rout
Of lordës and of ladies him about.
Such wond’ring was there on this horse of brass,
That, since the greatë siege of Troyë was,
There as men wonder’d on a horse also,
Ne’er was there such a wond’ring as was tho.3105
But finally the king asked the knight
The virtue of this courser, and the might,
And prayed him to tell his governance.3106
The horse anon began to trip and dance,
When that the knight laid hand upon his rein,
And saidë, “Sir, there is no more to sayn,
But when you list to riden anywhere,
Ye mustë trill3107 a pin, stands in his ear,
Which I shall tellë you betwixt us two;
Ye mustë name him to what place also,
Or to what country that you list to ride.
And when ye comë where you list abide,
Bid him descend, and trill another pin
(For therein lies th’ effect of all the gin3108),
And he will down descend and do your will,
And in that place he will abidë still;
Though all the world had the contráry swore,
He shall not thence be throwen nor be bore.
Or, if you list to bid him thennës gon,
Trill this pin, and he will vanísh anon
Out of the sight of every manner wight,
And come again, be it by day or night,
When that you list to clepë3109 him again
In such a guise, as I shall to you sayn
Betwixtë you and me, and that full soon.
Ride3110 when you list, there is no more to do’n.”
Informed when the king was of the knight,
And had conceived in his wit aright
The manner and the form of all this thing,
Full glad and blithe, this noble doughty king
Repaired to his revel as beforn.
The bridle is into the tower borne,
And kept among his jewels lefe3111 and dear;
The horse vanish’d, I n’ot3112 in what mannére,
Out of their sight; ye get no more of me:
But thus I leave in lust and jollitý
This Cambuscan his lordës feastying,3113
Until well nigh the day began to spring.
Pars Secunda
The norice3114 of digestión, the sleep,
Gan on them wink, and bade them takë keep,3115
That muchë mirth and labour will have rest:
And with a gaping3116 mouth he all them kest,3117
And said, that it was timë to lie down,
For blood was in his dominatioún:
“Cherish the blood,3118 natúrë’s friend,” quoth he.
They thanked him gaping, by two and three;
And every wight gan draw him to his rest;
As sleep them bade, they took it for the best.
Their dreamës shall not now be told for me;
Full are their headës of fumosity,3119
That caused dreams of which there is no charge.3120
They sleptë till that, it was primë large,3121
The mostë part, but3122 it was Canacé;
She was full measuráble,3123 as women be.
For of her father had she ta’en her leave,
To go to rest, soon after it was eve;
Her listë not appalled3124 for to be,
Nor on the morrow unfeastly for to see;3125
And slept her firstë sleep, and then awoke.
For such a joy she in her heartë took
Both of her quaintë3126 a ring and her mirroúr,
That twenty times she changed her coloúr;
And in her sleep, right for th’ impressión
Of her mirrór, she had a visión.
Wherefore, ere that the sunnë gan up glide,
She call’d upon her mistress’3127 her beside,
And saidë, that her listë for to rise.
These oldë women, that be gladly wise,
As are her mistresses, answér’d anon,
And said; “Madamë, whither will ye gon
Thus early? for the folk be all in rest.”
“I will,” quoth she, “arisë, for me lest
No longer for to sleep, and walk about.”
Her mistresses call’d women a great rout,
And up they rosë, well a ten or twelve;
Up rosë freshë Canacé herselve,
As ruddy and bright as is the youngë sun
That in the Ram is four degrees y-run;
No higher was he, when she ready was;
And forth she walked easily a pace,
Array’d after the lusty3128 season swoot,3129
Lightëly for to play, and walk on foot,
Nought but with five or six of her meinie;3130
And in a trench3131 forth in the park went she.
The vapour, which up from the earthë glode,
