But if so be that there ought faile,
Of that thou slouthest to travaile
In armés, for to ben absént, •
And for thou makest an argument
Of that thou saidest here above,
How Achillés through strength of
love
His armés lefté for a throwe,
Thou shalt an other talé knowe,
Whiche is contrarie, as thou shalt
wite.
For this a man may findé write, Whan that knighthodé shall be werred,
Lust may nought thanné be preferred,
The bed mot thanné be forsake And shield and spere on hondé take, Which thing shall make hem after glad,
Whan they be worthy knightés made,
Wherof, so as it cometh to honde, A talé thou shalt understonde, How that a knight shall armés sue, And for the while his ese eschue. "Apon knighthode I redé thus, How whilom whan the king Nauplus,
The fader of Palamides,
Came for to preien Ulixes
With other Gregois eke also,
That he with hem to Troié go,
Where that the siegé shuldé be,
Anone upon Penelope,
His wife, whom that he loveth hote,
Thenkend, woldé hem nought be-
But he shope than a wonder wile How that he shulde hem best beguile,
So that he mighté dwellé stille
At home and weld his love at wille.
Wherof erly the morwe day
Out of his bed where that he lay
Whan he was up, he gan to fare
Into the felde and loke and stare
As he which feigneth to be wode,1
He toke a plough where that it stood,
Wherin anone in stede of oxes
He let do yoken greté foxes,
And with great salt the londe he sewe.
But Nauplus, which the causé knewe,
Ayein the sleighté which he feigneth
Another sleight anone ordeigneth.
And fell that time Ulixes hadde
A childe to sone, and Nauplus radde
How men that soné také sholde
And setten him upon the molde,
Where that his fader held the plough
Inthilké furgh which he tho drough.
For in such wise he thought assay
Howe it Ulixes shuldé pay,
If that he weré wode or none.
The knightés for this child forth
gone,
Telemacus anone was fette
To-fore the plough and even sette,
Where that his fader shuldé drive,
But whan he sigh his childe as blive?
He drof the plough out of the way,
And Nauplus tho began to say
And hath half in a japé cried:
'O Ulixés, thou art aspied,
What is all this thou woldest mene?
For openlich it is now sene
That thou hast feignéd all this thing,
Which is great shamé to a king
Whan that for lust of any slouthe
Thou wolt in a quarél of trouthe
Of armés thilke honoúr forsake
And dwelle at home for lovés sake.
For better it were honour to winne
Than lové which likínge is inne.
Forthý také worship on honde
And ellés thou shalt understonde
These other worthy kingés alle
Of Grecé, which unto thee calle,
Towardés thee wol be right wroth
1 Wede, mad. 2 As blive, quickly.
And grevé the par chauncé both,
Which shall be to thee double shame
Most for the hindringe of thy name,
That thou for slouthe of any love
Shalt so thy lustés set above
And leve of armés the knighthode,
Whiche is the prise of thy manhode
And oughté first to be desired.'
"But he, which had his herté
fired,
Upon his wife, whan he this herd, Nought o1 word there ayein answerd,
But torneth home halving ashamed
And hath within him self so tamed
His herté, that all the sotie
Of love for chivalerie
He lefte, and be him leef or loth
To Troié with hem forth he goth
That he him mighté nought excuse.
Thus stant it, if a knight refuse
The lust of armés to travaile;
There may no worldés ese availe,
But if worshípé be with all.
And that hath shewéd overall,
For it sit wel in alle wise
A knight to ben of high emprise
And putten allé drede away,
For in this wise I have herd say,
"The worthy knight Prothe-
salay
On his passágé where he lay
Towardés Troié thilké siege
She which was all his owné liege
Laodomie his lusty wife,
Which for his lové was pensife
As he whiche all her herté hadde,
Upon a thing wherof she dradde
A letter for to make him dwelle
Fro Troié send him, thus to telle,
How she hath axéd of the wise
Touchend of him in suche a wise,
That they have done her under-
stonde,
Towardés other how so it stonde,
The destiné it hath so shape,
That he shall nought the deth escape
In cas that he arrive at Troy.
Forthý as to her worldés joy
With all her herté she him preide
And many another cause alleide,
That he with her at home abide.
But he hath cast her letter aside
As he which tho no maner hede
Toke of her wommanisché drede
And forth he goth, as nought ne
To Troy, and was the firsté there
Which londeth and toke arrivaile,
For him was lever in the bataile
He saith to deien as a knight
Than for to live in all his might
And be reprovéd of his name.
Lo, thus upon the worldés fame
Knighthode hath ever yet beset,
Which with no cowardis is let.
"Of kingé Saul also I finde, Whan Samuel out of his kinde, Through that the Phitonesse hath lered,
In Samarié was arered1
Long time after that he was dede.
The kingé Saul him axeth rede,
If that he shall go fight or none.
And Samuel him said anone:
The firsté day of the bataile
Thou shalt be slain withouté faile
And Jonathas thy sone also.
But how as ever it felle so,
This worthy knight of his coráge
Hath undertake the viáge
And woldé nought his knighthode
let 2
For no períll he couthé set;
Wherof that bothe his sone and he
Upon the mounte of Gelboé
Assemblen with her enemies.
For they knighthode of such a pris
1 Arered, raised up. 2 Let, hinder.
By oldé daiés thanné helden, That they none other thing behelden.
And thus the fader for worship Forth with his sone of felaship Through lust of armés weren dede As men may in the bible rede, They whos knighthode is yet in mínde
And shall be to the worldés ende,
"And for to loken overmore It hath and shall ben evermore, That of knighthodé the prowesse Is grounded upon hardiesse Of him that dare wel undertake. And who that wolde ensample take Upon the forme of knightés lawe, How that Achilles was forth drawe With Chiro, which Centaurus hight, Of many a wonder here he might. For it stood thilké timé thus, That this Chiro this Centaurus Within a large wildernesse, Where was león and leonesse, The lepard and the tigre also With hert and hindé, buk and doo, Had his dwelling as tho befell Of Peleon upon the hill, Wherof was thanné mochel speche, There hath Chiro this child to teche What time he was of twelve yere
Wherfore to maken his corage
The more hardý by other wey
In the forest to hunt and pley,
Whan that Achilles walké wolde
Centaurus bad that he ne sholde
After no besté make his chas
Which wolde fleen out of his place
As buk and doo and hert and hinde,
With which he may no werré finde.
But tho that wolden him withstonde,
There shuld he with his dart on
honde
Upon the tigre and the león
Purchace and make his venisón,1
As to a knight is accordaúnt,
And therupon a covenaunt
This Chiro with Achilles set,
That every day withouten let
He shuldé such a cruel beste
Or sle or wounden atté leste,
So that he might a token bring
Of blood upon his home coming.
And thus of that Chiro him taught
Achilles such an herté caught,
That he no more a leon drad
Whan he his dart on hondé had
Than if a león were an asse.
And that hath made him for to passe
All other knightés of his dede,
Whan it cam to the greté nede,
As it was afterward wel knowe.
"Lo, thus, my soné, thou might
knowe
That the coráge of hardiesse
Is of knighthodé the prowesse,
Which is to Lové suffisaúnt
Aboven all the remenaunt
That unto Lovés Court pursue.
But who that wol no Slouth eschue
Upon knighthode and nought tra,
I not what love him shuld availe,
But every labour axeth why
Of some reward, wherof that I
Ensamples couthé tel inough
Of hem that toward lové drough
By oldé daiés, as they shulde."-
"My fader, therof here Į
wolde."-
66 My sone, it is wel resonable
In placé which is honourable
If that a man his herté sette,
That than he for no Slouthé lette
To do what longeth to manhede,
For if thou wolt the bokés rede
Of Launcelot and other mo,
There might thou seen how it was tho
1 Venison, hunted game.
Of armés, for they wold atteigne
To Love which withouten peine
May nought be get of Idelnesse,
And that I také to witnesse
An old cronique in speciall,
The whiche into memoriall
Is writé, for his loves sake
How that a knight shal undertake.
Ther was a king, which Oënes Was hoten and he under pees Held Calidoine in his empire And had a doughter Deianire; Men wist in thilké timé none So fair a wight as she was one. And as she was a lusty wight, Right so was than a noble knight, To whom Mercúrie fader was. This knight the two pillérs of bras, The whiché yet a man may finde, Set up in the desért of Ynde, That was the worthy Hercules, Whos name shall be endéles For the merveiles which he wrought, This Hercules the lové sought Of Deianire, and of his thing Unto her fader which was king He spake touchénd of mariáge, The king knowénd his high lignage And drad also his mightés sterne To him ne durst his doughter werne 1
And nethéles, this he him saide, How Achelous, er he, first preide To wedden her, and in accorde They stood, as it was of recórde. But for all that this he him graunteth,
That which of hem that other daunteth
In armés, him she shuldé take,
And that the king hath undertake.
This Achelous was a geaúnt,
A subtil man, a déceivaúnt,
1 Werne, refuse.
Which through magique and sorcerie
Couth all the worlde of trecherie.
And whan that he this talé herde,
How upon that the king answerde,
With Hercules he musté feight,
He trusteth nought upon his sleight
Al onely, whan it cometh to nede;
But that which voideth allé drede
And every noble herté stereth,
The love that no life forbereth
For his lady whom he desireth,
With hardiesse his herté fireth,
And send him word withouté faile,
That he woll také the bataile.
They setten day, they chosen felde,
The knightés covered under shelde
To-gider come at timé sette
And eche one is with other mette.
It fel they foughten both on foot,
There was no stone, there was no
Whiche mighté letten hem the wey,
But all was voide and take awey,
They smiten strokés but a fewe,
For Hercules, which wolde shewe
His greté strengthe as for the nones,
He stert upon him all at ones
And caught him in his armés
stronge.
This geaunt wote he may nought longe
Endure under so hardé bondes, And thought he wold out of his hondes
By sleight in some manér escape. And as he couthe him self forshape, In likenesse of an adder he slipte Out of his honde and forth he
And efte, as he that fighté wolle,
He torneth him into a bolle
And gan to belwe in suche a soune,
As though the world shuld al go
doune.
The grounde he sporneth and he traunceth,
His largé hornés he avaunceth And cast hem here and there aboute.
But he which stant of hem no doubte
Awaiteth wel whan that he cam
And him by bothé hornes nam
And all at onés he him caste
Unto the grounde and held him
faste,
That he ne mighté with no sleight
Out of his hond get upon height,
Till he was overcome and yolde,
And Hercules hath what he wolde.
The kinge him graunteth to fulfille
His axing at his owné wille;
And she, for whom he haddé served, Her thought he hath her wel deserved.
"Eneas eke within Itaile
Ne had he wonné the bataile
And done his might so besily
Ayein king Turne his enemy,
He haddé nought Laviné wonne,
But for he hath him over ronne
And gete his pris, he gat her love.
"By these ensamples here above
Lo, now, my sone, as I have told,
Thou might wel se, who that is bold
And bar travaile and undertake
The cause of Love, he shall be take
The rather unto Lovés grace;
For comunliche in worthy place
The women loven worthinesse
Of manhode and of gentilesse,
For the gentils ben most desired."-
"My fader, but I were enspired Through lore of you, I wot no way What gentilesse is for to say, Wherof to telle I you beseche."
"The ground, my soné, for to seche Upon this diffiniciön
The worldes constitucion
Hath set the name of gentilesse
Upon the fortune of richesse,
Which of long time is falle in age.
Than is a man of high lignage
After the forme as thou might here
But no thing after the matére.
For who that reson understond
Upon richesse it may nought stond,
For that is thing which faileth ofte.
For he that stant to day alofte
And all the worlde hath in his
wones, 1
To morwe he falleth all at ones
Out of richesse into pouerte;
So that therof is no deserte,
Which gentilessé maketh abide.
And for to loke on other side
How that a gentilman is bore,
Adam, whiche allé was to-fore
With Eve his wife, as of hem two,
All was aliché gentil tho;
So that of generaciön,
To make declaraciön,
There may no gentilessé be.
For to the reson if we se
Of mannés birthé the mesúre,
It is so comun to natúre,
That it yiveth every man aliche,
As well to the pouer as to the riche,
For naked they ben boré bothe;
The lorde hath no more for to clothe
As of him self that ilké throwe,
Than hath the pouerest of the rowe.
And whan they shullen bothé passe,
I not of hem whiche hath the lasse
Of worldés good, but as of charge
The lorde is moré for to charge,
Whan God shall his accompté here,
For he hath had his lustés here.
But of the body which shall deie,
All though there be diversé wey
To deth, yet is there but one ende,
To which that every man shall wende
1 Wones, dwellings.
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