HKB
rare I saw him carry a windmell Under a walnut shell. Why should I make longer tale Of all the people I there say,* *saw From hence even to doomesday?
When I had all this folk behold, And found me loose, and not y-hold, at liberty and unrestrained And I had mused longe while Upon these walles of beryle, That shone lighter than any glass, And made well more than it was much greater To seemen ev’rything, y-wis, As kindly thing of Fame it is; <48> natural I gan forth roam until I fand found The castle-gate on my right hand, Which all so well y-carven was, That never such another n’as; was not And yet it was by Adventure chance Y-wrought, and not by subtile cure. careful art It needeth not you more to tell, To make you too longe dwell, Of these gates’ flourishings, Nor of compasses, nor carvings, devices Nor how they had in masonries, As corbets, <49> full of imageries. But, Lord! so fair it was to shew, For it was all with gold behew. coloured But in I went, and that anon; There met I crying many a one “A largess! largess! <50> hold up well! God save the Lady of this pell, *palace Our owen gentle Lady Fame, And them that will to have name Of us!” Thus heard I cryen all, And fast they came out of the hall, And shooke nobles and sterlings, coins <51> And some y-crowned were as kings, With crownes wrought fall of lozenges; And many ribands, and many fringes, Were on their clothes truely Then at the last espied I That pursuivantes and herauds, heralds That cry riche folke’s lauds, *praises They weren all; and ev’ry man Of them, as I you telle can, Had on him throwen a vesture Which that men call a coat-armure, <52> Embroidered wondrously rich, As though there were naught y-lich; nothing like it But naught will I, so may I thrive, Be aboute to descrive concern myself with describing All these armes that there were, That they thus on their coates bare, For it to me were impossible; Men might make of them a bible Twenty foote thick, I trow. For, certain, whoso coulde know Might there all the armes see’n Of famous folk that have been In Afric’, Europe, and Asie, Since first began the chivalry.