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As love for love is skilful guerdoninge.

`Thenk eek, how elde wasteth every houre

In eche of yow a party of beautee;

And therfore, er that age thee devoure, 395

Go love, for, olde, ther wol no wight of thee.

Lat this proverbe a lore un-to yow be;

"To late y-war, quod Beautee, whan it paste;"

And elde daunteth daunger at the laste.

`The kinges fool is woned to cryen loude, 400

Whan that him thinketh a womman bereth hir hye,

"So longe mote ye live, and alle proude,

Til crowes feet be growe under your ye,

And sende yow thanne a mirour in to prye

In whiche that ye may see your face a-morwe!" 405

Nece, I bidde wisshe yow no more sorwe.'

With this he stente, and caste adoun the heed,

And she bigan to breste a-wepe anoon,

And seyde, `Allas, for wo! Why nere I deed?

For of this world the feith is al agoon! 410

Allas! What sholden straunge to me doon,

Whan he, that for my beste freend I wende,

Ret me to love, and sholde it me defende?

`Allas! I wolde han trusted, doutelees,

That if that I, thurgh my disaventure, 415

Had loved other him or Achilles,

Ector, or any mannes creature,

Ye nolde han had no mercy ne mesure

On me, but alwey had me in repreve;

This false world, allas! Who may it leve? 420

`What? Is this al the Ioye and al the feste?

Is this your reed, is this my blisful cas?

Is this the verray mede of your beheste?

Is al this peynted proces seyd, allas!

Right for this fyn? O lady myn, Pallas! 425

Thou in this dredful cas for me purveye;

For so astonied am I that I deye!'

With that she gan ful sorwfully to syke;

`A! May it be no bet?' quod Pandarus;

`By god, I shal no-more come here this wyke, 430

And god to-forn, that am mistrusted thus;

I see ful wel that ye sette lyte of us,

Or of our deeth! Allas! I woful wrecche!

Mighte he yet live, of me is nought to recche.

`O cruel god, O dispitouse Marte, 435

O Furies three of helle, on yow I crye!

So lat me never out of this hous departe,

If that I mente harm or vilanye!

But sith I see my lord mot nedes dye,

And I with him, here I me shryve, and seye 440

That wikkedly ye doon us bothe deye.

`But sith it lyketh yow that I be deed,

By Neptunus, that god is of the see,

Fro this forth shal I never eten breed

Til I myn owene herte blood may see; 445

For certayn, I wole deye as sone as he —'

And up he sterte, and on his wey he raughte,

Til she agayn him by the lappe caughte.

Criseyde, which that wel neigh starf for fere,

So as she was the ferfulleste wight 450

That mighte be, and herde eek with hir ere,

And saw the sorwful ernest of the knight,

And in his preyere eek saw noon unright,

And for the harm that mighte eek fallen more,

She gan to rewe and dredde hir wonder sore; 455

And thoughte thus, `Unhappes fallen thikke

Alday for love, and in swich maner cas,

As men ben cruel in hem-self and wikke;

And if this man slee here him-self, allas!

In my presence, it wol be no solas. 460

What men wolde of hit deme I can nat seye;

It nedeth me ful sleyly for to pleye.'

And with a sorwful syk she seyde thrye,

`A! Lord! What me is tid a sory chaunce!

For myn estat lyth in Iupartye, 465

And eek myn emes lyf lyth in balaunce;

But nathelees, with goddes governaunce,

I shal so doon, myn honour shal I kepe,

And eek his lyf;' and stinte for to wepe.

`Of harmes two, the lesse is for to chese; 470

Yet have I lever maken him good chere

In honour, than myn emes lyf to lese;

Ye seyn, ye no-thing elles me requere?'

`No, wis,' quod he, `myn owene nece dere.'

`Now wel,' quod she, `and I wol doon my peyne; 475

I shal myn herte ayeins my lust constreyne.

`But that I nil not holden him in honde,

Ne love a man, ne can I not, ne may

Ayeins my wil; but elles wol I fonde,

Myn honour sauf, plese him fro day to day; 480

Ther-to nolde I nought ones have seyd nay,

But that I dredde, as in my fantasye;

But cesse cause, ay cesseth maladye.

`And here I make a protestacioun,

That in this proces if ye depper go, 485

That certaynly, for no savacioun

Of yow, though that ye sterve