Well paid was Hercules of this.
And this geaunt also glad is
And toke this lady up alofte
And set her on his shulder softe
And in the flood began to wade
As he which no grucchingé made,
And bare her over sauf and sounde.
But whan he stood on drié grounde
And Hercules was fer behinde,
He set his trouth all out of minde,
Who so therof be lefe or loth
With Deianiré forth he goth,
As he that thoughté to dissever
The compaignie of hem for ever.
Whan Hercules therof toke hede,
As faste as ever he might him spede
He hiéth after in a throwe.

And hapneth that he had a bowe,
The whiche in allé hast he bende,
As he that wolde an arwé sende,
Whiche he to-fore had envenímed.
He hath so well his shotté timed,
That he him through the body

smette

And thus the falsé wight he lette.1
But list now, suche a felonie.
Whan Nessus wist he shuldé deie,
He toke to Deianire his sherte,
Which with the blood was of his
herte

Through out disteignéd over all,
And tolde how she it kepé shall
And privély to this entent,
That if her lorde his herté went
To love in any other place,
This shert, he saith, hath suche a
grace,

That if she may so mochel make
That he the sherte upon him take,
He shall all other lette in veine
And torne unto her love ayeine.

"Who was so glad but Deianire? Her thought her herte was on a fire,

1 Lette, delayed, stopped.

Till it was in her cofre loke,
So that no word therof was spoke.

"The daiés gone, the yerés passe,
The hertés waxen lasse and lasse
Of hem that ben to love untrewe.
This Hercules with herté newe
His love hath set on Eolen,
And therof speken allé men.
This Eolen, this fairé maide
Was as men thilké timé saide
The kingés doughter of Eurice.
And she made Hercules so nice
Upon her love and so assote,1
That he him clotheth in her cote,
And she in his was clothed ofte,
And thus feblésse is set alofte
And strengthé was put under fote.
There can no man therof do bote.
Whan Deianire hath herd this
speche,

There was no sorwe for to seche,
Of other helpé wot she none
But goth unto her cofre anone,
With wepend eye and wofull herte
She toke out thilke unhappy sherte,
As she that wendé wel to do,
And brought her werke abouté so,
That Hercules this shert on dede
To suche entent as she was
bede

Of Nessus, so as I said er.

But therof was she nought the ner, As no fortúné may be weived, With Fals Semblant she was deceived.

But whan she wendé best have

wonne,

She lost all that she hath begonne.
For thilké shert unto the bone
His body sette a fire anone
And cleveth so it may nought
twinne 2

For the venim, that was therinne.

1 Assote, made to dote.
2 Twinne, be separated.

And he than as a wildé man
Unto the highé wode he ran,
And as the clerke Ovidé telleth,
The greté trees to grounde he
felleth

With strengthe al of his owné might
And made an hughé fire upright
And lept therin him self at ones
And brent him self both flessh and
bones;

Which thingé cam through Fals Semblaúnt

That falsé Nessus the geaunt Made unto him and to his wife, Wherof that he hath lost his life, And she sorý for evermo.

"Forthy my sone, er thee be wo I redé be wel ware therfore. For whan so great a man was lore,1 It ought to yive a great conceipt To warne all other of such deceipt."—

"Graunt mercy, fader; I am ware So fer, that I no moré dare Of Fals Semblaunt take ácqueintaúnce,

But rather I wol do penaúnce,
That I have feignéd chere er this.
Now axeth forth, what so there is
Of that belongeth to my shrifte."-
"My soné, yet there is the fifte,
Whiche is conceived of envie
And clepéd is supplantarie,
Through whos compassément and
guile

Ful many a man hath lost his while
In love as wel as other wise,
Here after as I shall devise.

The Vice of Supplantáción
With many a fals collación
Whiche he conspireth all unknowe,
Full ofté time hath overthrowe
The worship of another man,
So wel no life awaité can

1 Lore, lost.

Ayein his sleighté for to caste,
That he his purpose atté laste
Ne hath, er that it be withset.1
But most of all his hert is set
In court upon these great offices
Of dignités and benefíces.
Thus goth he with his sleighte
about

To hinder and shove another out
And stonden with his sligh compás
In stedé there another was,
And so to set him selven inne.
He recheth nought be so he winne
Of that another man shall lese,
And thus full ofté chalk for chese
He chaungeth with full litel coste,
Wherof another hath the loste
And he the profit shall receive.
For his Fortúne is to deceive
And for to chaunge upon the whele
His wo with other mennés wele;
Of that another man availeth
His own estate thus he up haileth
And taketh the brid to his beyete,2
Where other men the busshes bete.
My sone, and in the samé wise
There ben lovers of suche emprise,
That shapen hem to be relieved
Where it is wronge to ben acheved,
For it is other mannés right
Whiche he hath taken, day and
night,

To kepé for his owné store,
Toward him self for evermore
And is his proper 3 by the lawe,
Which thing that axeth no felawe,
If Lové holde his covenaunt.
But they that worchen by supplant,
Yet wolden they a man supplant
And take a part of thilké plant,
Whiche he hath for him selvé set.
And so ful ofte is all unknet

faste.

For Súpplaunt with his slié caste Full ofté happeneth for to mowe Thing which another man hath sowe,

And maketh común of propreté With sleighte and with subtilité, As men may sen from yere to yere. Thus claimeth he the bote to stere Of whiche another maister is.

"Forthý my sone, if thou er this Hast ben of such professión, Discover thy confessión. Hast thou supplanted any man?".

"For ought that I you tellé can,
Min holy fader, as of dede
I am withouten any drede
And giltéles but of my thought,
My conscience excuse I nought.
For were it wronge or were it right,
Me lacketh no thingé but might
That I ne woldé longe er this
Of other mannés love iwis 1
By way of supplantatión
Have made appropriatión
And holde that I never bought,
Though it another man forthought.2
And all this speke I but of one,
For whom I let all other gone.
But her I may nought overpasse
That I ne mote alway compásse,
Me rought nought by what queïn-
tise, 3

So that I might in any wise
Fro suché that my lady serve,
Her herté maké for to swerve
Withouten any part of love.
For by the goddés alle above
I wolde it mighté so befalle,
That I aloné shuld hem alle
Supplant and welde her at my wille.
And that thing may I nought fulfille,

1 Iwis, certainly. 2 Forthought, grieved. 3 I should not care by what ingenious device.

And that I dare nought undertake
Though I were as was Alisaunder,
For therof might arise a sclaunder.
And certés that shall I do never,
For in good feith yet had I lever
In my simplessé for to deie,
Than worché such supplantarie.
Of other wise I woll nought say
That, if I founde a siker way,
I wolde as for conclusion
Worche after supplantacion
So highe a lové for to winne.
Now fader, if that this be sinne,
I am all redy to redresse
The gilt, of whiche I me confesse.".

"My godé sone, as of Supplant Thee theré nought drede tant ne quant

As for no thing that I have herde, But only that thou haste misferde Thenkend, and that me liketh

nought,

For God beholt1 a mannes thought.
And if thou understood in soth
In Lovés causé what it doth
A man to ben a supplantoúr,
Thou woldest for thin own honoúr
By double waié také kepe.

"First for thin own estate to kepe,
To be thy self so well bethought
That thou supplanted weré nought.
And eke for worship of thy name
Towardés other do the same
And suffre every man have his.
But nethéles it was and is
That in awaite 2 at all assaies
Supplant of love is in our waies ;
The lief full ofté for the lever
Forsaketh, and so it hath done

ever.

3

Supplanted hath the worthy knight
Achilles for that sweté wight,
Which naméd was Brisseïda ;
And also of Criseïda,
Whom Troilus to lové ches,1
Supplanted hath Diómedés.

Of Geta and Amphitrióne,
That whilom weré both as one
Of frendship and of compaignie,
I rede how that Supplantaríe
In Love, as it betidé tho,
Beguiled hath one of hem two.
For this Getá, that I of mene,
To whom the lusty faire Alcmene
Assuréd was by way of love,
Whan he best wende have ben above
And sikerest of that he hadde,
Cupído so the causé ladde,
That while he was out of the way,
Amphitrion her love away
Hath take, and in this forme he
wrought.

By night unto the chambre he sought

Where that she lay, and with a wile
He counterfeteth for the while
The vois of Get in suche a wise,
That made her of her bedde arise
Wenéndé, that it weré he,
She wendé, that it weré soth.
Lo, what supplant of Lové doth.
This Geta forth bejapéd went,
And yet ne wist he what it ment.
Amphitrion him hath supplanted
With sleight of love and her en-
chaunted,

And thus put every man out other.
The ship of Love hath lost his rother,
So that he can no reson stere.
And for to speke of this matere
Touchendé Love and his supplaunt
A talé, whiche is accordaúnt,
Unto thin ere I thenke enforme.
Now herken, for this is the forme.
1 Ches, chose.

"Of thilke citee chefe of alle,
Which men the noble Romé calle,
Er it was set to Cristés feith,
There was, as the croniqué saith,
An emperoúr, the whiche it ladde
In pees, that he no werrés hadde.
There was no thing disóbeisaúnt,
Which was to Rome appertenaúnt,
But all was tornéd into rest.
To some it thought hem for the
best,

To some it thought nothingé so.
And that was only unto tho
Whose herté stood upon knighthode.
But most of allé his manhode
The worthy sone of themperóur,
Which wolde ben a werrióur,
As he that was chivalerous,
Of worldés fame and desiroús,
Began his fader to beseche,
That he the werrés mighté seche
In straungé marchés for to ride.
His fader saide he shulde abide
And woldé graunté him no leve.
But he, which wolde nought be-
leve,1

A knight of his to whom he trist,
So that his fader nothing wist,
He toke and tolde him his corage,2
That he purpóseth a viage,
If that Fortúné with him stonde.
He said how that he woldé fonde 3
The Greté See 4 to passe unknowe
And there abidé for a throwe 5
Upon the werrés to travaile.
And to this point withouté faile
This knight, whan he hath herde
his lorde,

Is swore and stant of his accorde.
And they that bothé yongé were,
So that in privé counseil there

They ben assented for to wende; And therupon to make an ende Tresúre inough with hem they token.

loken

That sodeinlich in a galeie

Fro Romé-lond they went their waie And lond upon that other side.

"The worldé fell so thilké tide, Whiche ever his happés hath diverse,

The greté Souldan than of Perse
Ayein the Caliphe of Egipte
A werré, which that him beclipte,1
Hath in a marché costeaúnt.2
And he, which was a pursuivaunt
Worship of armés to atteigne,
This Romain, let anon ordeigne
That he was redy every dele.
And whan he was arraiéd wele
Of every thing which him be-

longeth,

Straught unto Kaire his wey he fongeth,3

Wher he the Souldan thanné fonde
And axeth that within his londe
He might him for the werré serve
As he which woll his thank deserve.
The Souldan was right glad withall
And well the more in speciáll,
Whan that he wist he was Romain.
But what was ellés incertaín
That might he wité by no way.
And thus the knight of whom I say
Toward the Souldan is belefte
And in the marches now and efte,
Where that the dedly werrés were,
He wroughté such knighthodé
there,

That every man spake of him good. “And thilké timé so it stood,

1 Beclipte, surrounded.

2 Marché costeaúnt, border country. 3 Fongeth, takes.

Her beauté many an herté drough
To bowen to that ilké lawe,
Fro which no life may be with-
drawe.

And that is Lové, whose natúre
Set life and deth in a ventúre
Of hem that knighthode undertake.
This lusty peine hath overtake
The hert of this Romaín so sore,
That to knighthodé more and more
Prowésse avaunteth his coráge.
Lich to the leon in his rage,
Fro whom that alle bestés fle;
Such was this knight in his degre.
Where he was arméd in the felde,
Ther dursté none abide his shelde.
Great price upon the werre he
hadde.

1

"But she, whiche all the chauncé
ladde,

Fortúné shope the marchés so,
That by thassent of bothé two
The Souldan and the Caliphe eke
Bataile upon a day they seke,
Which was in suche a wisé set,
That lenger shulde it nought be let.
They made hem stronge on every
side,

And whan it drough toward the tide,
That the batailé shuldé be,
The Souldan in great priveté
A gold ringe of his doughter toke
And made her swere upon a boke
| And eke upon the goddés all,
That if fortúné so befall
In the batailé that he deie,--
That she shall thilké man obeie
And take him to her husébonde,
Which thilké samé ring to honde
1 Price, praise.