Allas!' quod she, 'that ever I was so

kinde!'

'Now, dame,' quod he, 'lat al passe out of minde. 2390 Com doun, my lief, and if I have missayd, God help me so, as I am yvel apayd. But, by my fader soule, I wende han seyn, How that this Damian had by thee leyn, And that thy smok had leyn up-on his brest.' (1151) 2395 'Ye, sire,' quod she, 'ye may wene as yow lest;

But, sire, a man that waketh out of his sleep,

He may nat sodeynly wel taken keep
Up-on a thing, ne seen it parfitly,
Til that he be adawed verraily;
Right so a man, that longe hath blind y-be,
Ne may nat sodeynly so wel y-see,

2400

'Er! goddes mercy!' seyde our Hoste tho, 'Now swich a wyf I pray god kepe me fro! Lo, whiche sleightes and subtilitees 2421 In wommen been! for ay as bisy as bees Ben they, us sely men for to deceyve, And from a sothe ever wol they weyve; By this Marchauntes Tale it preveth weel. But doutelees, as trewe as any steel 2426 I have a wyf, though that she povre be; But of hir tonge a labbing shrewe is she, And yet she hath an heep of vyces mo; (11) Ther-of no fors, lat alle swiche thinges go.

But, wite ye what? in conseil be it seyd, Me reweth sore I am un-to hir teyd. 2432 For, and I sholde rekenen every vyce Which that she hath, y-wis, I were to

nyce,

And cause why; it sholde reported be 2435
And told to hir of somme of this meynee;
Of whom, it nedeth nat for to declare,
Sin wommen connen outen swich chaf-
fare;
(20)

And eek my wit suffyseth nat ther-to
To tellen al; wherfor my tale is do.' 2440

25

And ther-to he was hardy, wys, and riche,
And +piëtous and just, alwey y-liche; 20
Sooth of his word, benigne and honurable,
Of his corage as any centre stable;
Yong, fresh, and strong, in armes desirous
As any bacheler of al his hous.
A fair persone he was and fortunat,
And kepte alwey so wel royal estat,
That ther was nowher swich another man.
This noble king, this Tartre Cambinskan
Hadde two sones on Elpheta his wyf, (21)
Of whiche th'eldeste highte Algarsyf, 30
That other sone was cleped Cambalo.
A doghter hadde this worthy king also,
That yongest was, and highte Canacee.
But for to telle yow al hir beautee,

It lyth nat in my tonge, n'in my conning;
I dar nat undertake so heigh a thing. 36
Myn English eek is insufficient;
It moste been a rethor excellent,
That coude his colours longing for that art,
If he sholde hir discryven every part. 40
I am non swich, I moot speke as I can.

(30)

45

And so bifel that, whan this Cambinskan Hath twenty winter born his diademe, As he was wont fro yeer to yeer, I deme, He leet the feste of his nativitee Don cryen thurghout Sarray his citee, The last Idus of March, after the yeer. Phebus the sonne ful joly was and cleer; For he was neigh his exaltacioun

(41)

50

In Martes face, and in his mansioun
In Aries, the colerik hote signe.
Ful lusty was the weder and benigne,
For which the foules, agayn the sonne
shene,

55

What for the seson and the yonge grene,
Ful loude songen hir affecciouns;
Hem semed han geten hem protecciouns
Agayn the swerd of winter kene and cold.
This Cambinskan, of which I have yow
told,

(50)

Ful bisily ther wayten yonge and olde. This strange knight, that cam thus .sodeynly,

(81)

90

Al armed save his heed ful richely,
Saluëth king and queen, and lordes alle,
By ordre, as they seten in the halle,
With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce
As wel in speche as in contenaunce,
That Gawain, with his olde curteisye, 95
Though he were come ageyn out of Fairye,
Ne coude him nat amende with a word.
And after this, biforn the heighe bord, (90)
He with a manly voys seith his message,
After the forme used in his langage,
With-outen vyce of sillable or of lettre ;
And, for his tale sholde seme the bettre,
Accordant to his wordes was his chere,
As techeth art of speche hem that it
lere;

100

Al-be-it that I can nat soune his style, 105 Ne can nat climben over so heigh a style, Yet seye I this, as to commune entente, Thus muche amounteth al that ever he

(100)

He seyde, the king of Arabie and of Inde,

110

My lige lord, on this solempne day
Saluëth yow as he best can and may,
And sendeth yow, in honour of your feste,

121

(121) 130

see

Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee
Un-to your regne or to your-self also; 135
And openly who is your freend or foo.
And over al this, if any lady bright
Hath set hir herte on any maner wight,
If he be fals, she shal his treson see, (131)
140
His newe love and al his subtiltee
So openly, that ther shal no-thing hyde.
Wherfor, ageyn this lusty someres tyde,
This mirour and this ring, that ye may see,
He hath sent to my lady Canacee,
Your excellente doghter that is here. 145
The vertu of the ring, if ye wol here,
Is this; that, if hirlust it for to were (139)
Up-on hir thombe, or in hir purs it bere,
Ther is no foul that fleeth under the
hevene

That she ne shal wel understonde his 150 stevene,

And knowe his mening openly and pleyn, And answere him in his langage ageyn. And every gras that groweth up-on rote She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do bote,

Al be his woundes never so depe and wyde.

This naked swerd, that hangeth by my syde, 156 Swich vertu hath, that what man so ye smyte,

Thurgh-out his armure it wol kerve and byte, (150) Were it as thikke as is a branched ook; And what man that is wounded with the strook

160 Shal never be hool til that yow list, of grace,

To stroke him with the platte in thilke place

Ther he is hurt: this is as muche to seyn Ye mote with the platte swerd ageyn Stroke him in the wounde, and it wol close; 165

This is a verray sooth, with-outen glose, It failleth nat whyl it is in your hold.' And whan this knight hath thus his tale told, (160) He rydeth out of halle, and doun he lighte. His stede, which that shoon as sonne brighte,

170

Stant in the court, as stille as any stoon. This knight is to his chambre lad anon, And is unarmed and to mete y-set.

176

180

The presents been ful royally y-fet, This is to seyn, the swerd and the mirour, And born anon in-to the heighe tour With certeine officers ordeyned therfore; And un-to Canacee this ring was bore (170) Solempnely, ther she sit at the table. But sikerly, with-outen any fable, The hors of bras, that may nat be remewed, It stant as it were to the ground y-glewed. Ther may no man out of the place it dryve For noon engyn of windas or polyve; 184 And cause why, for they can nat the craft. And therefore in the place they han it laft

Til that the knight hath taught hem the

manere

To voyden him, as ye shal after here. (180) Greet was the prees, that swarmeth to and fro, 189

To gauren on this hors that stondeth so; For it so heigh was, and so brood and long, So wel proporcioned for to ben strong, Right as it were a stede of Lumbardye; Ther-with so horsly, and so quik of ye

It was of Fairye, as the peple semed.
Diverse folk diversely they demed;
As many hedes, as many wittes ther been.
They murmureden as dooth a swarm of
been,

And maden skiles after hir fantasyes, 205
Rehersinge of thise olde poetryes,

And seyden, it was lyk the Pegasee, The hors that hadde winges for to flee; (200) Or elles it was the Grekes hors Synon, That broghte Troye to destruccion, As men may in thise olde gestes rede. 'Myn herte,' quod oon, 'is evermore in drede ;

210

That wolde percen thurgh-out every-thing; And fille in speche of Thelophus the king, And of Achilles with his queynte spere, For he coude with it bothe hele and dere, Right in swich wyse as men may with the swerd (233) 241

Of which right now ye han your-selven herd.

They speken of sondry harding of metal, And speke of medicynes ther-with-al, And how, and whanne, it sholde y-harded be; 245 Which is unknowe algates unto me. Tho speke they of Canaceës ring, And seyden alle, that swich a wonder thing

(240)

Of craft of ringes herde they never non, Save that he, Moyses, and king Salomon Hadde a name of konning in swich art. 251 Thus seyn the peple, and drawen hem apart.

But nathelees, somme seyden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-asshen glas, And yet nis glas nat lyk asshen of fern; But for they han y-knowen it so fern, 256 Therfore cesseth her jangling and her wonder.

As sore wondren somme on cause of thonder, (250)

On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer, and on mist,

259 And alle thing, til that the cause is wist. Thus jangle they and demen and devyse, Til that the king gan fro the bord aryse. Phebus hath laft the angle meridional, And yet ascending was the beest royal, The gentil Leon, with his Aldiran, 265 Whan that this Tartre king, this Cambinskan, (258) Roos fro his bord, ther that he sat ful hye. Toforn him gooth the loude minstralcye, Til he cam to his chambre of parements, Ther as they sownen diverse instruments, That it is lyk an heven for to here. Now dauncen lusty Venus children dere, For in the Fish hir lady sat ful hye, And loketh on hem with a freendly yë.

271

That is nat able a dul man to devyse. 279 He moste han knowen love and his servyse, And been a festlich man as fresh as May,

That sholde yow devysen swich array.

Who coude telle yow the forme of
daunces,

So uncouthe and so fresshe contenaunces,
Swich subtil loking and dissimulinges 285.
For drede of jalouse mennes aperceyvinges?
No man but Launcelot, and he is deed.
Therefor I passe of al this lustiheed; (280)
I seye na-more, but in this jolynesse
I lete hem, til men to the soper dresse. 290
The styward bit the spyces for to hye,
And eek the wyn, in al this melodye.
The usshers and the squyers ben y-goon;
The spyces and the wyn is come anoon.
They ete and drinke; and whan this hadde
an ende,
295

Un-to the temple, as reson was, they wende.

The service doon, they soupen al by day. What nedeth yow rehercen hir array? (290) Ech man wot wel, that at a kinges feeste Hath plentee, to the moste and to the

305

Swich wondring was ther on this hors of bras That, sin the grete sege of Troye was, Ther-as men wondreden on an hors also, Ne was ther swich a wondring as was tho. But fynally the king axeth this knight (301) The vertu of this courser and the might, And preyede him to telle his governaunce. This hors anoon bigan to trippe and daunce, 312 Whan that this knight leyde hand up-on his reyne,

And seyde, sir, ther is na-more to seyne, But, whan yow list to ryden any-where,315 Ye moten trille a pin, stant in his ere, Which I shall telle yow bitwix vs two. (309) Ye mote nempne him to what place also Or to what contree that yow list to ryde.319 And whan ye come ther as yow list abyde,