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

2390

'Now, dame,' quod he, 'lat al passe out of mynde. Com doun, my lief, and if I have myssayd, God helpe me so, as I am yvele apayd. But, by my fader soule! I wende han seyn How that this Damyan hadde by thee leyn,

And that thy smok hadde leyn upon his brest.'

'Ye, sire,' quod she, 'ye may wene as yow lest,

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

2400

He may nat sodeynly wel taken keepe
Upon a thyng, ne seen it parfitly,
Til that he be adawed verraily.
Right so a man that longe hath blynd y-be,
Ne may nat sodeynly so wel y-se,
First whan his sighte is newè come ageyn,
As he that hath a day or two y-seyn.
Til that youre sighte y-satled be a while,
Ther may ful many a sightė yow bigile.
Beth war, I prey yow, for, by hevene kyng,
2405. y-satled, H5 y-stablid.

fro !

2420

Lo, whichè sleightės and subtilitees
In wommen been! for ay as bisy as bees
Been they, us sely men for to deceyve ;
And from a sooth ever wol they weyve.
By this Marchauntės tale it preveth weel;
But doutėlees, as trewe as any steel

I have a wyf, though that she pourė be;
But of hir tonge a labbyng shrewe is she;
And yet she hath an heepe of vicės mo,
Therof no fors, lat alle swiche thynges
go;

But wyte ye what? In conseil be it seyd,
Me reweth soore I am unto hire teyd;
For, and I sholdė rekenen every vice
Which that she hath, y-wis I were to nyce;
And cause why, it sholde reported be,
And toold to hire of somme of this meynee,
Of whom it nedeth nat for to declare
(Syn wommen konnen outen swich chaf-
fare),

And eek my wit suffiseth nat therto, 2439
To tellen al, wherfore my tale is do.'

2419. E heads this The Prologe of the Squieres Tale, printing with it the first eight lines of Group F. Camb., Corp. and Lansd. omit.

Words of the Host to the Squire

2. sey somwhat of love, H say us a tale. Squire's Tale. Keightley in his Tales and Popular Fictions (1834) suggested that the local colour of this Tale was derived from Marco Polo, and Col. Yule notes that Cambyuscan is only a corruption of Chinghiz (or the great') Khan. Dr. Skeat has quoted passages from Marco Polo's description of Kublai Khan as the sources of some of Chaucer's lines, but the resemblances are not at all close. On magic horses, rings and mirrors Mr. Clouston has written a whole book for the Chaucer Society.

16. longeth, H5 longed.

Of his coráge as any centre stable;
Yong, fressh, and strong, in armés desirous
As any bacheler of al his hous.

A fair persone he was, and fortunat,
And kepte alwey so wel roial estat
That ther was nowher swich another man.
This noble kyng, this Tartre Cambyus-
kan,

Hadde two sones on Elpheta his wyf,
Of which the eldeste hightė Algarsyf; 30
That oother sone was cleped Cambalo.
A doghter hadde this worthy kyng also
That yongest was, and hightẻ Canacee,
But for to telle yow al hir beautee

It lyth nat in my tonge, nyn my konnyng;
I dar nat undertake so heigh a thyng;
Myn Englissh eek is insufficient ;
It mostė been a rethor excellent,
That koude his colours longynge for that

art,

If he sholde hire discryven every part; 40 I am noon swich, I moot speke as I kan,

And so bifel that whan this Cambyuskan Hath twenty wynter born his diademe, As he was wont fro yeer to yeer, I deme, He leet the feeste of his nativitee Doon cryen thurghout Sarray his citee, The last Idus of March after the yeer. Phebus, the sonne, ful joly was and cleer,

50

For he was neigh his exaltacioun
In Martes face, and in his mansioun
In Aries, the colerik hooté signe.
Ful lusty was the weder and benigne,
For which the foweles agayn the sonné
sheene,

What for the sesoun and the yonge grene,
Ful loudė songen hire affecciouns,

31. Cambalo. Keightley suggests that the name was taken from Kublai Khan's capital, Cambaluc. 47. The last Idus, March 15. On this day the sun would be in the 4th degree of Aries, approaching his highest exaltation in the 19th degree. The first ten degrees of Aries were called the face of Mars.

Hem semed han geten hem protecciouns Agayn the swerd of wynter, keene and coold.

This Cambyuskan-of which I have
yow toold-

In roial vestiment sit on his deys,
With diademe, ful heighe in his paleys, 60
And halt his feeste so solempne and so
ryche,

That in this world ne was ther noon it lyche;
Of which, if I shal tellen al tharray,
Thanne wolde it occupie a someres day;
And eek it nedeth nat for to devyse
At every cours the ordre of hire servyse.
I wol nat tellen of hir strange sewes,
Ne of hir swannes, ne of hire heronsewes.
Eek in that lond, as tellen knyghtės olde,
Ther is som mete that is ful deyntė holde 70
That in this lond men recche of it but smal;
Ther nys no man that may reporten al.

I wol nat taryen yow, for it is pryme, And for it is no fruyt, but los of tyme; Unto my firste I wole have my recours.

80

And so bifel that after the thridde cours, Whil that this kyng sit thus in his nobleye, Herknynge his mynstralės hir thyngės pleye | Biforn hym at the bord deliciously, In at the halle dore, al sodeynly, Ther cam a knyght upon a steede of bras, And in his hand a brood mirour of glas; Upon his thombe he hadde of gold a ring, And by his syde a naked swerd hangyng; And up he rideth to the heighė bord. In al the halle ne was ther spoken a word, For merveille of this knyght; hym to biholde

Ful bisily ther wayten yonge and olde.

This strangė knyght that cam thus
sodeynly,

Al armed, save his heed, ful richely, 90
Saleweth kyng and queene, and lordės alle,
By ordre, as they seten in the halle,
With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce,
As wel in speché as in contenaunce,
That Gawayn, with his oldė curteisye,
Though he were comenageyn out of fairye,
Ne koude hym nat amende with a word;
And after this, biforn the heighė bord,
He with a manly voys seith his message
After the forme used in his langage,

100

119

Beren youre body into every place
To which youre herte wilneth for to pace,
Withouten wem of yow, thurgh foul or fair;
Or, if yow lyst to fleen as hye in the air
As dooth an egle whan hym list to soore,
This same steede shal bere yowever moore,
Withouten harm, til ye be ther yow leste,
Though that ye slepen on his bak, or reste;
And turne ageyn with writhyng of a pyn.
He that it wroghtė koude ful many a gyn.
He wayted many a constellacioun
Er he had doon this operacioun,

130

And knew ful many a seel, and many a bond. This mirrour cek, that I have in myn hond,

Hath swich a myght that men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee
Unto youre regne, or to youreself also,
And openly who is youre freend or foo;
And over al this, if any lady bright
Hath set hire herte on any maner wight,
If he be fals she shal his tresoun see,
His newe love, and al his subtiltee,
So openly that ther shal no thyng hyde.
Wherfore, ageyn this lusty someres tyde,
This mirour and this ryng that ye may see
He hath sent to my lady Canacee,
Youre excellentė doghter that is heere.

140

180

The presentes been ful roially y-fet,This is to seyn, the swerd and the mirour,And born anon into the heighé tour, With certeine officers ordeyned therfore; And unto Canacee this ryng was bore Solempnély, ther she sit at the table; But sikerly, withouten 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 wyndas ne polyve; And cause why? for they kan nat the craft; And therfore in the place they han it laft, 165. strike, H5 stroke.

To gauren on this hors that stondeth so;
For it so heigh was, and so brood and long,
So wel proporcioned for to been strong,
Right as it were a steede of Lumbardye;
Ther-with so horsly, and so quyk of eye,
As it a gentil Poilleys courser were ;
For certés, fro his tayl unto his ere,
Nature ne art ne koude hym nat amende
In no degree, as al the peple wende.
But evermoore hir moosté wonder was
How that it koudė go, and was of bras!
It was of fairye, as al the peple semed. 201
Diverse folk diversely they demed;
As many heddes as manye wittes ther been.
They murmureden as dooth a swarm of
been,

And maden skiles after hir fantasies,
Rehersynge of thise oldė poetries;
And seyde that it was lyk the Pegasee,
The hors that hadde wynges for to flee;
Or elles it was the Grekės hors, Synoun,
That broghte Troie to destruccioun,
As men may in thise olde geestes rede.
'Myn herte,' quod oon, 'is evermoore
in drede;

210

How men myghte in it swichẻ thyngės se. Another answerde and seyde it myghte wel be

Naturelly, by composiciouns

230

Of angles, and of slye reflexiouns;
And seyden that in Rome was swich oon.
They speken of Alocen and Vitulon,
And Aristotle, that writen in hir lyves
Of queyntė mirours, and of prospectives,
As knowen they that han hir bookės herd.
And oother folk han wondred on the
swerd

That wolde percen thurghout every thyng;
And fille in speche of Thelophus the kyng,
And of Achilles with his queyntė spere,
For he koude with it bothe heele and dere,
Right in swich wise as men may with the
swerd

241

Phebus hath laft the angle meridional, And yet ascendynge was the beest roial, The gentil Leon, with his Aldrian, Whan that this Tartré kyng Cambyuskan Roos fro his bord, ther as he sat ful hye. Toforn hym gooth the loude mynstralcye Til he cam to his chambre of parementz; Ther as they sownen diverse instrumentz That it is lyk an hevene for to heere. 271 Now dauncen lusty Venus children deere, For in the Fyssh hir lady sat ful hye, And looketh on hem with a freendly eye.

This noble kyng is set up in his trone; This strangė knyght is fet to hym ful soone, And on the daunce he gooth with Canacee. Heere is the revel and the jolitee

That is nat able a dul man to devyse; 279 Hemoste han knowen love and his servyse,

herd.

They speken of sondry hardyng of metal,
And speke of medicynės therwithal,
And how and whanne it sholde y-harded be,
Which is unknowe, algatės unto me.

Tho speeke they of Canacées ryng, And seyden alle that swich a wonder thyng Of craft of ryngés herde they never noon; Save that he Moyses and kyng Salomon Hadden a name of konnyng in swich art; Thus seyn the peple and drawen hem apart.

But nathélees somme seiden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-asshen glas, And yet nys glas nat lyk asshen of fern, But for they han i-knowen it so fern Therfore cesseth hir janglyng and hir wonder.

As soore wondren somme on cause of thonder,

On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer, and on myst,

259

And on alle thyng til that the cause is wyst, Thus jangle they, and demen and devyse, Til that the kyng gan fro the bord aryse.

231. in Rome, an allusion to the wizardries attributed to Virgil.

232. Alocen and Vitulon. Alhazen was an Arab astronomer of the 11th century, and Vitellio a Polish one of the 13th.

238. Thelophus, Telephus of Mysia, wounded and healed by the spear of Achilles.

Who koude telle yow the forme of daunces

So unkouthe, and so fresshė contenaunces,
Swich subtil lookyng and dissymulynges
For drede of jalouse mennes aperceyv-
ynges?

No man but Launcelet, and he is deed.
Therfore I passe of al this lustiheed;
I sey namoore, but in this jolynesse
I lete hem til men to the soper dresse.

The styward byt the spices for to hye, And eek the wyn, in al this melodye. The usshers and the squiers been y-goon, The spices and the wyn is come anoon. They ete and drynke, and whan this hadde an ende,

Unto the temple, as reson was, they wende. The service doon they soupen al by day; What nedeth yow rehercen hire array? Éch man woot wel that a kynges feeste 299 Hath plentee to the mooste and to the leeste, And deyntees mo than been in my knowyng.

At after soper gooth this noble kyng To seen this hors of bras, with all the route

Of lordés and of ladyes hym aboute.

263. angle meridional. The southern angle answered to the time from 10 A.M. to noon.

265. Aldrian, or Aldiran, the star marking the Lion's fore-paws.

273. the Fyssh. Venus is 'exalted' in Piscis.