than man can telle; nevere was it nyght, but ay cler day to any mannes syght.

31.

Under a tre besÿde a welle i say

Cupide oure lord hise arwes forge and file;
and at his fēt his bowe al redy lay;
and wel his doghter temperede al the whyle
the hevedes in the welle, and with hire file
she couchede hem after as they sholde serve
some for tō slę, and some to wounde and kerve.

32.

Thọ was i war of Plesaunce anon-ryght,

and of Aray, and Lust, and Curteysie,

and of the Craft that can and hath the myght
tō dōn by force a wight to dōn folye-
disfigūrāt was shē, i nyl nat lye;
and by himself un'der an ok, i gesse,
say i Delyt that stōd with Gentilesse.

I

33.

say Bēutē withouten any atỹr;
and Youthe, ful of game and jolytē;

Foolhardynesse, and Flaterye, and Desyr;
Messagerye, and Meede, and other thrē—
here names shul nat hēre bē told for me;
and upon pilēres gręęte of jasper longe
i say a temple of bras ifounded stronge.
34,

Aboute that temple daunseden alwey
wommen inowe, of whiche some ther weere
fayre of hemself, and some of hem were gay,
in kirteles al dischevele wente they there-
that was here offys alwey yer by yeere;

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and on the temple of dowves white and fayre say i syttynge many an hundred peyre.

35.

Byfore the temple-dore ful sobrely

dāme Pęs sat with a curtyn in hire hond;

and by hire syde wonder discretly dāme Pacience syttynge there i fond with face pale upon an hil of sond;

and aldernext withinne and ęk withoute Byheste and Art, and of here folk a route.

36.

Withinne the temple of sykes hoote as fyr
i herde a swowgh that gan aboute renne;
whiche sīkes were engendred with desỹr
that maden every autēr for tō brenne
of newe flaume; and wēl espỹed i thenne
that al the cause of sorwe that they drye
cam of the bitter goddesse Jelousye.

37.

The god Priapus say ī, as i wente
withinne the temple, in sovereyn place stonde,
in swich aray as whan the asse hym shente
with cri by nyght, with sceptre in his hond;
ful besyly men gunne asaye and fonde
upon his hęd to sette of sundry hēwe
gerlandes fulle of floures fresshe and newe.

38.

And in a privē corner in desport
fond i Venus, and hire portēr Richesse,
that was ful noble and hautayn of hyre port;
derk was that place; but afterward lightnesse
i say a lyte-unnēthe it myghte be lesse-

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and on a bed of gōld shē lay tō reste tyl that the hote sunne yēde to weste.

39.

Hyre gilte heres with a golden thręd ibounden were, untrussed as shē lay;

265

and naked from the brēst up to the hęd
men myghte hyre sēn; and, sōthly for tō seye,
the remenaunt was wel kevered tō mỹ paye
ryght with a sübtyl kerchef of valence:
ther nas no thikker cloth of no defense.

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40.

The place yaf a thousand savoures swōte; and Bācus, god of wỹn, sat hire besÿde,

275

and Cēres next, that dōth of hunger boote;

and, as i seyde, amyddes lay Cypride;

tō whōm on knees twō yonge folk there crỹede

tō bēn here helpe; but thus ī lēt hem lỹe; and ferther in the temple i gan espie

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4I.

that in despit of Dyane the chaste

ful many a bowe ibroke heng on the wal

of maydens swiche as gunne here tymes waste
in hyre servÿse; and peynt were overal
ful many a story of whiche i touche shal

a fewe, as of Calyxte, and Athalante,

and many a mayde of which the name i wante;

42.

Semyramus, Candace, and Hercules,
Biblis, Didō, Thisbe, and Piramus,
Tristram, Isaude, Paris, and Achilles
Eleyne, Cleopatre and Trōylus

Silla, and ęk the mōder of Rōmulus

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al thise were peynted on that other sÿde,

and al here luve, and in what plyt they dyede.

43.

Whan i was come agayn unto the place
that i of spak, that was so swōte and grēne,
forth welk i thọ myselven to solace;
thọ was i war wher that ther sat a queene,
that, as of lyght the somers sunne shēne
pass'eth the sterre, right so over mesūre
she fayrer was than any creature.

44.

And in a launde upon an hil of floures

was set this noble goddesse Nature;

of braunches were hire halles and hire boures,
iwroght after hire craft and hire mesūres;
ne there nas foul that cometh of engendrure,
that they ne were al prest in hire presence,
tō tāke hire dōm, and yive hire audyence.

45.

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For this was on Seynt Valentīnes day,

whan every bryd cometh there to chese his make of every kynde that men thynke may,

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and that so huge a noyse gan they make

that erthe, and eyre, and trẽ, and every lake
so ful was that unnēthe was there space
for me to stonde-so ful was al the place.

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46.

And right as Aleyn in the Pleynt of Kynde devyseth Nātūre in aray and face,

in swich aray men myghte hire there fynde. This noble emperīce ful of grace

bad every foul to take his owene plāce

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as they were wont alwey frọ yer tō yêêre Seynt Valentynes day tō stonden theere.

47.

That is to seyn, the foules of ravyne were hyest set, and thanne foules smale, that eten as that nature wolde enclyne

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as werm, or thyng of which i telle no tāleand waterfoul sat louest in the dāle;

but foul that lyveth by sed sat on the greneand that so fęle that wonder was tō sēne.

48.

There myghte men the rỹal ęgle fynde,

330

that with his sharpe lõk per seth the sunne,

and other egles of a lower kynde,

of whiche that clerkes wēl devỹse cunne:

ther was the tiraunt with his fetheres dunne

and greye, i mene the goshauk that dōth pyne to bryddes for his outrageous ravỹne;

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49.

the gerfaucoun that with his feet distrayneth
the kynges hond; the hardy sparhauk ēke,
the quayles foọ; the merlioun that payneth
hymself ful ofte the larke for tō sēke.
There was the douve with hire yen mēke;

the jelous swan, agayn hire dęth that syngeth;
the oule ęk that of dęth the bode bryngeth;

50.

340

the crane geaunt with his trompes soun;

the thef, the crow; and ęk the janglynge pye;

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the skornyng jay; the eles fọ heroun;

the false lapwynge, ful of trecherỹe;

the starlyng, that the conseyl can bewrēye; 337. gentyl faucoun.