That now, next at this oppositión,
Which in the sign shall be of the Lión,
As prayë her so great a flood to bring,
That five fathóm at least it overspring
The highest rock in Armoric’ Bretágne,
And let this flood endurë yearës twain:
Then certes to my lady may I say,
“Holdë your hest,3297 the rockës be away.”
Lord Phoebus, this mirácle do for me,
Pray her she go no faster course than ye;
I say this, “pray your sister that she go
No faster course than ye these yearës two:
Then shall she be even at full alway,
And spring-flood lastë bothë night and day.
And but she3298 vouchësafe in such mannére
To grantë me my sov’reign lady dear,
Pray her to sink every rock adown
Into her owen darkë regioún
Under the ground, where Pluto dwelleth in
Or nevermore shall I my lady win.
Thy temple in Delphos will I barefoot seek.
Lord Phoebus! see the tearës on my cheek
And on my pain have some compassioún.”
And with that word in sorrow he fell down,
And longë time he lay forth in a trance.
His brother, which that knew of his penánce,3299
Up caught him, and to bed he hath him brought,
Despaired in this torment and this thought
Let I this woeful creatúrë lie;
Choose he for me whe’er3300 he will live or die.
Arviragus with health and great honoúr
(As he that was of chivalry the flow’r)
Is comë home, and other worthy men.
Oh, blissful art thou now, thou Dorigen!
Thou hast thy lusty husband in thine arms,
The freshë knight, the worthy man of arms,
That loveth thee as his own heartë’s life:
Nothing list him to be imaginatif3301
If any wight had spoke, while he was out,
To her of love; he had of that no doubt;3302
He not intended3303 to no such mattére,
But danced, jousted, and made merry cheer.
And thus in joy and bliss I let them dwell,
And of the sick Aurelius will I tell.
In languor and in torment furious
Two year and more lay wretch’d Aurelius,
Ere any foot on earth he mightë gon;
Nor comfort in this timë had he none,
Save of his brother, which that was a clerk.3304
He knew of all this woe and all this work;
For to none other creatúre certáin
Of this matter he durst no wordë sayn;
Under his breast he bare it more secré
Than e’er did Pamphilus for Galatee.3305
His breast was whole withoutë for to seen,
But in his heart aye was the arrow keen,
And well ye know that of a sursanure3306
In surgery is perilous the cure,
But3307 men might touch the arrow or come thereby.
His brother wept and wailed privily,
Till at the last him fell in rémembránce,
That while he was at Orleans3308 in France—
As youngë clerkës, that be likerous3309
To readen artës that be curious,
Seeken in every halk and every hern3310
Particular sciénces for to learn—
He him remember’d, that upon a day
At Orleans in study a book he say3311
Of magic natural, which his felláw,
That was that time a bachelor of law,
All3312 were he there to learn another craft,
Had privily upon his desk y-laft;
Which book spake much of operatións
Touching the eight and-twenty mansións
That longë to the Moon, and such follý
As in our dayës is not worth a fly;
For holy church’s faith, in our believe,3313
Us suff’reth none illusión to grieve.
And when this book was in his rémembránce,
Anon for joy his heart began to dance,
And to himself he saidë privily;
“My brother shall be warish’d3314 hastily:
For I am sicker3315 that there be sciénces,
By which men makë divers apparences,
Such as these subtle tregetourës3316 play.
For oft at feastës have I well heard say,
That tregetours, within a hallë large,
Have made come in a water and a barge,
And in the hallë rowen up and down.
Sometimes hath seemed come a grim lioún,
And sometimes flowers spring as in a mead;
Sometimes a vine, and grapës white and red;
Sometimes a castle all of lime and stone;
And, when them liked, voided3317 it anon:
Thus seemed it to every mannë’s sight.
Now then conclude I thus; if that I might
At Orleans some oldë fellow find,
That hath these Moonë’s mansións in mind,
Or other magic natural above,
He should well make my brother have his love.
For with an áppearánce a clerk3318 may make,
To mannë’s sight, that all the rockës blake
Of Brétagne werë voided3319 every one,
And shippës by the brinkë come and gon,
And in such form endure a day or two;
Then were my brother warish’d3320 of his woe,
Then must she needës holdë her behest,3321
Or ellës he shall shame her at the least.”
Why should I make a longer tale of this?
Unto his brother’s bed he comen is,
And such comfórt he gave him, for to gon
To Orleans, that he upstart anon,
And on his way forth-ward then is he fare,3322
In hope for to be lissed3323 of his care.
When they were come almost to that citý,
But if it were3324 a two furlong or three,
A young clerk roaming by himself they met,
Which that in Latin thriftily3325 them gret.3326
And after that he said a wondrous thing;
“I know,” quoth he, “the cause of your comíng;”
And ere they farther any footë went,
He told them all that was in their intent.
The Breton clerk him asked of felláws
The which he haddë known in oldë daws,3327
And he answér’d him that they deadë were,
For which he wept full often many a tear.
Down off his horse Aurelius light anon,
And forth with this magician is be gone
Home to his house, and made him well at ease;
Them lacked no vitáil that might them please.
So well-array’d a house as there was one,
Aurelius in his life saw never none.
He shewed him, ere they went to suppére,
Forestës, parkës, full of wildë deer.
There saw he hartës with their hornës high,
The greatest that were ever seen with eye.
He saw of them an hundred slain
