HKB
of the gods above, *cease speaking Of Mars, and of Venus, goddess of love, And telle you as plainly as I can The great effect, for which that I began.
Great was the feast in Athens thilke* day; that And eke the lusty season of that May Made every wight to be in such pleasance, That all that Monday jousten they and dance, And spenden it in Venus’ high service. But by the cause that they shoulde rise Early a-morrow for to see that fight, Unto their reste wente they at night. And on the morrow, when the day gan spring, Of horse and harness noise and clattering armour There was in the hostelries all about: And to the palace rode there many a rout train, retinue Of lordes, upon steedes and palfreys. There mayst thou see devising of harness decoration So uncouth and so rich, and wrought so weel unkown, rare Of goldsmithry, of brouding, and of steel; embroidery The shieldes bright, the testers, and trappures** helmets<73> Gold-hewen helmets, hauberks, coat-armures; trappings Lordes in parements on their coursers, ornamental garb <74>; Knightes of retinue, and eke squiers, Nailing the spears, and helmes buckeling, Gniding of shieldes, with lainers lacing; polishing <75> There as need is, they were nothing idle: lanyards The foamy steeds upon the golden bridle Gnawing, and fast the armourers also With file and hammer pricking to and fro; Yeomen on foot, and knaves many one servants With shorte staves, thick as they may gon; close walk Pipes, trumpets, nakeres, and clariouns, drums <76> That in the battle blowe bloody souns; The palace full of people up and down, There three, there ten, holding their questioun, conversation Divining of these Theban knightes two. conjecturing Some saiden thus, some said it shall he so; Some helden with him with the blacke beard, Some with the bald, some with the thick-hair’d; Some said he looked grim, and woulde fight: He had a sparth of twenty pound of weight. double-headed axe Thus was the halle full of divining conjecturing Long after that the sunne gan up spring. The great Theseus that of his sleep is waked With minstrelsy, and noise that was maked, Held yet the chamber of his palace rich, Till that the Theban knightes both y-lich alike Honoured were, and to the palace fet. fetched Duke Theseus is at a window set, Array’d right as he were a god in throne: The people presseth thitherward full soon Him for to see, and do him reverence, And eke to hearken his hest and his sentence. *command *speech An herald on a scaffold made an O, <77> Till the noise of the people was y-do: done And when he saw the people of noise all still, Thus shewed he the mighty Duke’s will. “The lord hath of his high discretion Considered that it were destruction To gentle blood, to fighten in the guise Of mortal battle now in this emprise: Wherefore to shape that they shall not die, arrange, contrive He will his firste purpose modify. No man therefore, on pain of loss of life, No manner shot, nor poleaxe, nor short knife kind of Into the lists shall send, or thither bring. Nor short sword for to stick with point biting No man shall draw, nor bear it by his side. And no man shall unto his fellow ride But one course, with a sharp y-grounden spear: Foin if him list on foot, himself to wear. He who wishes can And he that is at mischief shall be take, fence on foot to defend And not slain, but be brought unto the stake, himself, and he that That shall be ordained on either side; is in peril shall be taken Thither he shall by force, and there abide. And if so fall the chiefetain be take should happen On either side, or elles slay his make, equal, match No longer then the tourneying shall last. God speede you; go forth and lay on fast. With long sword and with mace fight your fill. Go now your way; this is the lordes will. The voice of the people touched the heaven, So loude cried they with merry steven: *sound God save such a lord that is so good, He willeth no destruction of blood.