Of Saturne, by sum constellacioun, Hath geven us this, although we hadde it sworn; 1090 We moste endure it: this is the schort and pleyn." This Palamon answered, and seyde ageyn; Cosyn, for sothe of this opynyoun Thou hast a veyn ymaginacioun. This prisoun caused me not for to crye. I not whethur sche be womman or goddesse; And therwithal on knees adoun he fil, And seyde: "Venus, if it be youre wil Out of this prisoun help that we may scape. 1100 1110 1090.-Saturne. According to the old astrological system, this was a very unpropitious star to be born under. It may be observed, that in the present story there is a constant allusion to medieval astrology, which could not be fully illustrated without long notes. Wher as this lady romed to and fro. And with that sight hire beauté hurt him so, Of hir that rometh yonder in the place; I nam but deed; ther nys no more to seye." 66 66 Nay," quoth Arcite, "in ernest, in good fey. It nere," quod he, "to the no gret honour, 1120 1130 1134-I-swore. It was a common practice in the middle ages for persons to take formal oaths of fraternity and friendship, and a breach of the oath was considered something worse than perjury. This incident enters into the plots of some of the medieval romances. A curious example will be found in the Romance of Athelston, Reliq. Antiq. ii, p. 85. 1135.-deyen in the payne. This appears to have been a proverbial expression, taken from the French. In Froissart, as cited by Tyrwhitt, Edward III is made to declare, that he would bring the war to a successful issue, or il mourroit en la peine. Neyther of us in love to hynder other, "Thou schalt," quoth he, "be rather fals than I. For par amour I loved hir first then thow. What wolt thou sayn? thou wost not yit now And myn is love, as of a creature ; For which I tolde the myn aventure As to my cosyn, and my brother sworn. I pose, that thou lovedest hire biforn: 1137.-love. The Harl. MS. has lande. 1140 1150 1160 E Wost thou nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, A man moot needes love maugré his heed. He may nought fle it, though he schulde be deed, Al be sche mayde, or be sche widewe or wyf. And that it is nat likly al thy lyf To stonden in hire grace, no more schal I: For wel thou wost thyselven verrily, That thou and I been dampned to prisoun We stryve, as doth the houndes for the boon, 1170 They foughte al day, and yit here part was noon. 1180 Ther com a kyte, whil that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. And therfore at the kynges court, my brother, Eche man for himself, ther is non other. Love if the list; for I love and ay schal : And sothly, leeve brother, this is al. Eke in this prisoun moote we endure, And every of us take his aventure." 1165.-the olde clerkes sawe. Boethius, who says, in his treatise De Consolat. Philos. lib. iii, met. 12, Quis legem det amantibus? 1179.-houndes. Major lex amor est sibi. This is a medieval fable which I have not met with elsewhere, though it may probably be found in some of the inedited collections. Gret was the stryf and long bytwixe hem tweye, If that I hadde leysir for to seye : Syn thilke day that they were children lyte, So wel they loved, as olde bookes sayn, Duk Perotheus loved wel Arcite, And hadde him knowe at Thebes yeer by yeer: That if so were, that Arcite were founde 1190 1200 1210 1202.-in helle. An allusion to the classic story of Theseus and Pirithous. |