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`And I to ben your verray humble trewe,

Secret, and in my paynes pacient,

And ever-mo desire freshly newe,

To serven, and been y-lyke ay diligent,

And, with good herte, al holly your talent 145

Receyven wel, how sore that me smerte,

Lo, this mene I, myn owene swete herte.'

Quod Pandarus, `Lo, here an hard request,

And resonable, a lady for to werne!

Now, nece myn, by natal Ioves fest, 150

Were I a god, ye sholde sterve as yerne,

That heren wel, this man wol no-thing yerne

But your honour, and seen him almost sterve,

And been so looth to suffren him yow serve.'

With that she gan hir eyen on him caste 155

Ful esily, and ful debonairly,

Avysing hir, and hyed not to faste

With never a word, but seyde him softely,

`Myn honour sauf, I wol wel trewely,

And in swich forme as he can now devyse, 160

Receyven him fully to my servyse,

`Biseching him, for goddes love, that he

Wolde, in honour of trouthe and gentilesse,

As I wel mene, eek mene wel to me,

And myn honour, with wit and besinesse 165

Ay kepe; and if I may don him gladnesse,

From hennes-forth, y-wis, I nil not feyne:

Now beeth al hool; no lenger ye ne pleyne.

`But nathelees, this warne I yow,' quod she,

`A kinges sone al-though ye be, y-wis, 170

Ye shal na-more have soverainetee

Of me in love, than right in that cas is;

Ne I nil forbere, if that ye doon a-mis,

To wrathen yow; and whyl that ye me serve,

Cherycen yow right after ye deserve. 175

`And shortly, dere herte and al my knight,

Beth glad, and draweth yow to lustinesse,

And I shal trewely, with al my might,

Your bittre tornen al in-to swetenesse.

If I be she that may yow do gladnesse, 180

For every wo ye shal recovere a blisse';

And him in armes took, and gan him kisse.

Fil Pandarus on knees, and up his eyen

To hevene threw, and held his hondes hye,

`Immortal god!' quod he, `That mayst nought dyen, 185

Cupide I mene, of this mayst glorifye;

And Venus, thou mayst maken melodye;

With-outen hond, me semeth that in the towne,

For this merveyle, I here ech belle sowne.

`But ho! No more as now of this matere, 190

For-why this folk wol comen up anoon,

That han the lettre red; lo, I hem here.

But I coniure thee, Criseyde, and oon,

And two, thou Troilus, whan thow mayst goon,

That at myn hous ye been at my warninge, 195

For I ful wel shal shape youre cominge;

`And eseth ther your hertes right y-nough;

And lat see which of yow shal bere the belle

To speke of love a-right!' ther-with he lough,

`For ther have ye a layser for to telle.' 200

Quod Troilus, `How longe shal I dwelle

Er this be doon?' Quod he, `Whan thou mayst ryse,

This thing shal be right as I yow devyse.'

With that Eleyne and also Deiphebus

Tho comen upward, right at the steyres ende; 205

And Lord, so than gan grone Troilus,

His brother and his suster for to blende.

Quod Pandarus, `It tyme is that we wende;

Tak, nece myn, your leve at alle three,

And lat hem speke, and cometh forth with me.' 210

She took hir leve at hem ful thriftily,

As she wel coude, and they hir reverence

Un-to the fulle diden hardely,

And speken wonder wel, in hir absence,

Of hir, in preysing of hir excellence, 215

Hir governaunce, hir wit; and hir manere

Commendeden, it Ioye was to here.

Now lat hir wende un-to hir owne place,

And torne we to Troilus a-yein,

That gan ful lightly of the lettre passe 220

That Deiphebus hadde in the gardin seyn.

And of Eleyne and him he wolde fayn

Delivered been, and seyde that him leste

To slepe, and after tales have reste.

Eleyne him kiste, and took hir leve blyve, 225

Deiphebus eek, and hoom wente every wight;

And Pandarus, as faste as he may dryve,

To Troilus tho com, as lyne right;

And on a paillet, al that glade night,

By Troilus he lay, with mery chere, 230

To tale; and wel was hem they were y-fere.

Whan every wight was voided but they two,

And alle the dores were faste y-shette,

To telle in short, with-oute wordes mo,

This Pandarus, with-outen any lette, 235

Up roos, and on his beddes syde him sette,

And gan to speken in a sobre