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And yet it maketh sharpe kerving-tolis.

And ther thou woost that I have ought miswent,

Eschewe thou that, for swich thing to thee scole is;

Thus ofte wyse men ben war by folis. 635

If thou do so, thy wit is wel biwared;

By his contrarie is every thing declared.

`For how might ever sweetnesse have be knowe

To him that never tasted bitternesse?

Ne no man may be inly glad, I trowe, 640

That never was in sorwe or som distresse;

Eek whyt by blak, by shame eek worthinesse,

Ech set by other, more for other semeth;

As men may see; and so the wyse it demeth.

`Sith thus of two contraries is a lore, 645

I, that have in love so ofte assayed

Grevaunces, oughte conne, and wel the more

Counsayllen thee of that thou art amayed.

Eek thee ne oughte nat ben yvel apayed,

Though I desyre with thee for to bere 650

Thyn hevy charge; it shal the lasse dere.

`I woot wel that it fareth thus by me

As to thy brother Parys an herdesse,

Which that y-cleped was Oenone,

Wrot in a compleynte of hir hevinesse: 655

Ye say the lettre that she wroot, y gesse?'

`Nay, never yet, y-wis,' quod Troilus.

`Now,' quod Pandare, `herkneth, it was thus. —

"Phebus, that first fond art of medicyne,'

Quod she, `and coude in every wightes care 660

Remede and reed, by herbes he knew fyne,

Yet to him-self his conning was ful bare;

For love hadde him so bounden in a snare,

Al for the doughter of the kinge Admete,

That al his craft ne coude his sorwe bete." — 665

`Right so fare I, unhappily for me;

I love oon best, and that me smerteth sore;

And yet, paraunter, can I rede thee,

And not my-self; repreve me no more.

I have no cause, I woot wel, for to sore 670

As doth an hauk that listeth for to pleye,

But to thyn help yet somwhat can I seye.

`And of o thing right siker maystow be,

That certayn, for to deyen in the peyne,

That I shal never-mo discoveren thee; 675

Ne, by my trouthe, I kepe nat restreyne

Thee fro thy love, thogh that it were Eleyne,

That is thy brotheres wif, if ich it wiste;

Be what she be, and love hir as thee liste.

`Therfore, as freend fullich in me assure, 680

And tel me plat what is thyn enchesoun,

And final cause of wo that ye endure;

For douteth no-thing, myn entencioun

Nis nought to yow of reprehencioun,

To speke as now, for no wight may bireve 685

A man to love, til that him list to leve.

`And witeth wel, that bothe two ben vyces,

Mistrusten alle, or elles alle leve;

But wel I woot, the mene of it no vyce is,

For to trusten sum wight is a preve 690

Of trouthe, and for-thy wolde I fayn remeve

Thy wrong conseyte, and do thee som wight triste,

Thy wo to telle; and tel me, if thee liste.

`The wyse seyth, "Wo him that is allone,

For, and he falle, he hath noon help to ryse;" 695

And sith thou hast a felawe, tel thy mone;

For this nis not, certeyn, the nexte wyse

To winnen love, as techen us the wyse,

To walwe and wepe as Niobe the quene,

Whos teres yet in marbel been y-sene. 700

`Lat be thy weping and thi drerinesse,

And lat us lissen wo with other speche;

So may thy woful tyme seme lesse.

Delyte not in wo thy wo to seche,

As doon thise foles that hir sorwes eche 705

With sorwe, whan they han misaventure,

And listen nought to seche hem other cure.

`Men seyn, "To wrecche is consolacioun

To have an-other felawe in his peyne;"

That oughte wel ben our opinioun, 710

For, bothe thou and I, of love we pleyne;

So ful of sorwe am I, soth for to seyne,

That certeynly no more harde grace

May sitte on me, for-why ther is no space.

`If god wole thou art not agast of me, 715

Lest I wolde of thy lady thee bigyle,

Thow wost thy-self whom that I love, pardee,

As I best can, gon sithen longe whyle.

And sith thou wost I do it for no wyle,

And sith I am he that thou tristest most, 720

Tel me sumwhat, sin al my wo thou wost.'

Yet Troilus, for al this, no word seyde,

But longe he ley as stille as he ded were;

And after this with sykinge he abreyde,

And to Pandarus voys he lente his ere, 725

And up his eyen caste he, that in fere

Was Pandarus, lest that in frenesye