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I hope of it to bringe answere anoon

Right of hir hond, and if that thou nilt noon, 1055

Lat be; and sory mote he been his lyve,

Ayeins thy lust that helpeth thee to thryve.'

Quod Troilus, `Depardieux, I assente;

Sin that thee list, I will aryse and wryte;

And blisful god preye ich, with good entente, 1060

The vyage, and the lettre I shal endyte,

So spede it; and thou, Minerva, the whyte,

Yif thou me wit my lettre to devyse:'

And sette him doun, and wroot right in this wyse. —

First he gan hir his righte lady calle, 1065

His hertes lyf, his lust, his sorwes leche,

His blisse, and eek these othere termes alle,

That in swich cas these loveres alle seche;

And in ful humble wyse, as in his speche,

He gan him recomaunde un-to hir grace; 1070

To telle al how, it axeth muchel space.

And after this, ful lowly he hir prayde

To be nought wrooth, though he, of his folye,

So hardy was to hir to wryte, and seyde,

That love it made, or elles moste he dye, 1075

And pitously gan mercy for to crye;

And after that he seyde, and ley ful loude,

Him-self was litel worth, and lesse he coude;

And that she sholde han his conning excused,

That litel was, and eek he dredde hir so, 1080

And his unworthinesse he ay acused;

And after that, than gan he telle his woo;

But that was endeles, with-outen ho;

And seyde, he wolde in trouthe alwey him holde; —

And radde it over, and gan the lettre folde. 1085

And with his salte teres gan he bathe

The ruby in his signet, and it sette

Upon the wex deliverliche and rathe;

Ther-with a thousand tymes, er he lette,

He kiste tho the lettre that he shette, 1090

And seyde, `Lettre, a blisful destenee

Thee shapen is, my lady shal thee see.'

This Pandare took the lettre, and that by tyme

A-morwe, and to his neces paleys sterte,

And faste he swoor, that it was passed pryme, 1095

And gan to Iape, and seyde, `Y-wis, myn herte,

So fresh it is, al-though it sore smerte,

I may not slepe never a Mayes morwe;

I have a Ioly wo, a lusty sorwe.'

Criseyde, whan that she hir uncle herde, 1100

With dreedful herte, and desirous to here

The cause of his cominge, thus answerde:

`Now by your feyth, myn uncle,' quod she, `dere,

What maner windes gydeth yow now here?

Tel us your Ioly wo and your penaunce, 1105

How ferforth be ye put in loves daunce.'

`By god,' quod he, `I hoppe alwey bihinde!'

And she to-laugh, it thoughte hir herte breste.

Quod Pandarus, `Loke alwey that ye finde

Game in myn hood, but herkneth, if yow leste; 1110

Ther is right now come in-to toune a geste,

A Greek espye, and telleth newe thinges,

For which I come to telle yow tydinges.

`Into the gardin go we, and we shal here,

Al prevely, of this a long sermoun.' 1115

With that they wenten arm in arm y-fere

In-to the gardin from the chaumbre doun.

And whan that he so fer was that the soun

Of that he speke, no man here mighte,

He seyde hir thus, and out the lettre plighte, 1120

`Lo, he that is al hoolly youres free

Him recomaundeth lowly to your grace,

And sent to you this lettre here by me;

Avyseth you on it, whan ye han space,

And of som goodly answere yow purchace; 1125

Or, helpe me god, so pleynly for to seyne,

He may not longe liven for his peyne.'

Ful dredfully tho gan she stonde stille,

And took it nought, but al hir humble chere

Gan for to chaunge, and seyde, `Scrit ne bille, 1130

For love of god, that toucheth swich matere,

Ne bring me noon; and also, uncle dere,

To myn estat have more reward, I preye,

Than to his lust; what sholde I more seye?

`And loketh now if this be resonable, 1135

And letteth nought, for favour ne for slouthe,

To seyn a sooth; now were it covenable

To myn estat, by god, and by your trouthe,

To taken it, or to han of him routhe,

In harming of my-self or in repreve? 1140

Ber it a-yein, for him that ye on leve!'

This Pandarus gan on hir for to stare,

And seyde, `Now is this the grettest wonder

That ever I sey! Lat be this nyce fare!

To deethe mote I smiten be with thonder, 1145

If, for the citee which that stondeth yonder,

Wolde