Remembrynge on the poynt of his desir,
He on a courser, stertyng as the fir,
Is riden into the feeldės hym to pleye,
Out of the court, were it a myle or tweye;
And to the grove of which that I yow tolde,
By áventure, his wey he gan to holde,
To maken hym a gerland of the greves,
Were it of wodėbynde, or hawethorn leves,
And loude he song ageyn the sonnė shene:
"Máy, with alle thy floures and thy grene,
Welcome be thou, faire, fresshė May,

I hope that I som grenė getė may."

1505

1510

After a seven years' imprisonment, Palamon, by the help of a friend, escapes, and seeks concealment in the grove to which Arcite has repaired, till the night will enable him to take his way toward Thebes. The two lovers encounter each other, and Arcite engages to make all preparations to decide, on the morrow, the right of one or the other to Emily.

Description of the Combat between Palamon and Arcite

O Cupide, out of alle charitee!

O regne, that wolt no felawe have with thee !

Ful sooth is seyd that love ne lordshipe
Wol noght, his thankės, have no felaweshipe.
Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamoun!

Arcite is riden anon unto the toun,
And on the morwe, er it were dayės light,
Ful privėly two harneys hath he dight,

1625

1630

"Bothe suffisaunt and metė to darreyne

The bataille in the feeld betwix hem tweyne ;

And on his hors, allone as he was born,

He carieth al the harneys hym biforn:

And in the grove, at tyme and place y-set,
This Arcite and this Palamon ben met.
To chaungen gan the colour in hir face,
Right as the hunter in the regne of Trace,
That stondeth at the gappe with a spere,
Whan hunted is the leoun or the bere,

1635

1640

And hereth hym come russhyng in the greves,

And breketh bothe bowės and the leves,

And thynketh, "Heere cometh my mortal enemy,
With-oute faile he moot be deed or I;

For outher I moot sleen hym at the gappe,

1645

Or he moot sleen me, if that me myshappe:"
So ferden they in chaungyng of hir hewe,
As fer as everich of hem oother knewe.

Ther nas no "Good day," ne no saluyng,
But streight, withouten word or rehersyng,
Everich of hem heelp for to armen oother,
As frendly as he were his owene brother;
And after that, with sharpė sperès stronge,
They foynen ech at oother wonder longe.
Thou myghtest wenė that this Palamoun,
In his fightyng were a wood leoun,
And as a crueel tigre was Arcite :

1650

1655

As wildė borės gonnė they to smyte,

That frothen whit as foom for irė wood,

Up to the anclee foghte they in hir blood.

1660

Duke Theseus, who has gone a-hunting, the same morning, with his queen and Emily and attendants, comes upon the lovers while they are engaged in mortal combat, and swears by mighty Mars that he shall be dead who strikes another blow. Palamon tells the whole story, — who he is, who Philostrate really is, who has been the Duke's squire in disguise, and the occasion of their combat. Theseus, in his anger, condemns them both to death; but by the entreaties of the queen and

Emily, and of all the ladies in the company, he is softened, and forgives their offence, and thereupon appoints a tournament, this day fifty weeks,' each of the lovers to bring a hundred knights, of which Emily shall be the prize.

Grand preparations for the coming tournament are devised by the Duke, among which is a noble theatre, a mile in circuit, 'walled of stone and ditchéd all without.' Arcite makes his devotions to Mars, Palamon to Venus, and Emily to Diana.

Description of the Symbolic Images in the Temple of Venus

First, in the temple of Venus maystow se,
Wroght on the wal, ful pitous to biholde,
The broken slepės, and the sikės colde,
The sacred teeris, and the waymentynge,
The firy strokes, and the desirynge,
That loves servauntz in this lyf enduren;
The othes that her covenantz assuren.

1920

Plesaunce and Hope, Desir, Foolhardynesse,
Beautee and Youthė, Bauderie, Richesse,
Charmes and Force, Lesyngės, Flaterye,
Despense, Bisynesse and Jalousye,
That wered of yelewe gooldės a gerland
And a cokkow sitynge on hir hand;

1925

1930

Féstes, instrumentz, carólės, daunces,

Lust and array, and alle the circumstaunces

Of love, whiche that I reken, and rekne shal,

By ordre weren peynted on the wal,
And mo than I kan make of mencioun;
For soothly al the mount of Citheroun,
Ther Venus hath hir principal dwellynge,
Was shewed on the wal in portreyynge,
With al the gardyn and the lustynesse.
Nat was forgeten the porter Ydelnesse,

1935

1940

Ne Narcisus the faire of yore agon,
Ne yet the folye of kyng Salamon,
Ne yet the gretė strengthe of Ercules,
Thenchauntementz of Medea and Circes,
Ne of Turnus, with the hardy fiers corage,
The riche Cresus, kaytyf in servage.

Thus may ye seen that Wysdom ne Richesse
Beautee ne Sleightė, Strengthė, Hardynesse,
Ne may with Venus holdė champartie,
For as hir list the world than may she gye.
Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las
Til they for wo ful ofte seyde, "Allas!"
Suffiseth heere ensamples oon or two,
And though I koudė rekene a thousand mo.
The statue of Venus, glorious for to se,

Was naked, fletynge in the largè see,
And fro the navele doun al covered was

1945

1950

1955

With wawės grene, and brighte as any glas.

A citole in hir right hand haddė she,

1960

And on hir heed, ful semely for to se,
A rosé gerland, fressh and wel smellynge,
Above hir heed hir dowvės flikerynge.
Biforn hire stood hir sone Cupido,

Upon his shuldrės wyngės hadde he two,
And blind he was, as it is often seene;

1965

A bowe he bar and arwės brighte and kene.

The Paintings on the Wall within the Temple of Mars

Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al
The portreiture that was upon the wal
Withinne the temple of myghty Mars the rede?
Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede,

1970

Lyk to the estrès of the grisly place

That highte the gretė temple of Mars in Trace,
In thilke coldė, frosty regioun

Ther as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.
First, on the wal was peynted a forest,

In which ther dwelleth neither man nor best,
With knotty, knarry, bareyne trees olde
Of stubbės sharpe and hidouse to biholde,
In which ther ran a rumbel in a swough,

1975

As though a storm sholde bresten every bough;
And dounward from an hille, under a bente,
Ther stood the temple of Mars armypotente,
Wroght al of burned steel, of which the entree
Was long and streit, and gastly for to see;
And ther out came a rage, and such a veze
That it made all the gates for to rese.
The northren lyght in at the dorės shoon, -
For wyndowe on the wal ne was ther noon
Thurgh which men myghten any light discerne,—

1980

1985

The dores were al of adamant eterne,

1990

Y-clenched overthwart and endėlong

With iren tough, and for to make it strong,

Every pylér the temple to sustene

Was tonnė greet, of iren bright and shene.

Ther saugh I first the derke ymaginyng

1995

Of felonye, and al the compassyng;
The crueel ire, reed as any gleede;
The pykepurs, and eke the palė drede;
The smylere, with the knyfe under the cloke;
The shepne, brennynge with the blakė smoke;
The tresoun of the mordrynge in the bedde;
The open werre, with woundės al bi-bledde ;
Contek with blody knyf, and sharpe manace

2000