• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

That thei wol bringe it to confusioun,

Right in despyt of king Lameadoun.

By-cause he nolde payen hem hir hyre, 125

The toun of Troye shal ben set on-fyre.'

Telling his tale alwey, this olde greye,

Humble in speche, and in his lokinge eke,

The salte teres from his eyen tweye

Ful faste ronnen doun by eyther cheke. 130

So longe he gan of socour hem by-seke

That, for to hele him of his sorwes sore,

They yave him Antenor, with-oute more.

But who was glad y-nough but Calkas tho?

And of this thing ful sone his nedes leyde 135

On hem that sholden for the tretis go,

And hem for Antenor ful ofte preyde

To bringen hoom king Toas and Criseyde;

And whan Pryam his save-garde sente,

Thembassadours to Troye streyght they wente. 140

The cause y-told of hir cominge, the olde

Pryam the king ful sone in general

Let here-upon his parlement to holde,

Of which the effect rehersen yow I shal.

Thembassadours ben answered for fynal, 145

Theschaunge of prisoners and al this nede

Hem lyketh wel, and forth in they procede.

This Troilus was present in the place,

Whan axed was for Antenor Criseyde,

For which ful sone chaungen gan his face, 150

As he that with tho wordes wel neigh deyde.

But nathelees, he no word to it seyde,

Lest men sholde his affeccioun espye;

With mannes herte he gan his sorwes drye.

And ful of anguissh and of grisly drede 155

Abood what lordes wolde un-to it seye;

And if they wolde graunte, as god forbede,

Theschaunge of hir, than thoughte he thinges tweye,

First, how to save hir honour, and what weye

He mighte best theschaunge of hir withstonde; 160

Ful faste he caste how al this mighte stonde.

Love him made al prest to doon hir byde,

And rather dye than she sholde go;

But resoun seyde him, on that other syde,

`With-oute assent of hir ne do not so, 165

Lest for thy werk she wolde be thy fo,

And seyn, that thorugh thy medling is y-blowe

Your bother love, there it was erst unknowe.'

For which he gan deliberen, for the beste,

That though the lordes wolde that she wente, 170

He wolde lat hem graunte what hem leste,

And telle his lady first what that they mente.

And whan that she had seyd him hir entente,

Ther-after wolde he werken also blyve,

Though al the world ayein it wolde stryve. 175

Ector, which that wel the Grekes herde,

For Antenor how they wolde han Criseyde,

Gan it withstonde, and sobrely answerde: —

`Sires, she nis no prisoner,' he seyde;

`I noot on yow who that this charge leyde, 180

But, on my part, ye may eft-sone hem telle,

We usen here no wommen for to selle.'

The noyse of peple up-stirte thanne at ones,

As breme as blase of straw y-set on fyre;

For infortune it wolde, for the nones, 185

They sholden hir confusioun desyre.

`Ector,' quod they, `what goost may yow enspyre

This womman thus to shilde and doon us lese

Daun Antenor? — a wrong wey now ye chese —

`That is so wys, and eek so bold baroun, 190

And we han nede to folk, as men may see;

He is eek oon, the grettest of this toun;

O Ector, lat tho fantasyes be!

O king Priam,' quod they, `thus seggen we,

That al our voys is to for-gon Criseyde;' 195

And to deliveren Antenor they preyde.

O Iuvenal, lord! Trewe is thy sentence,

That litel witen folk what is to yerne

That they ne finde in hir desyr offence;

For cloud of errour let hem not descerne 200

What best is; and lo, here ensample as yerne.

This folk desiren now deliveraunce

Of Antenor, that broughte hem to mischaunce!

For he was after traytour to the toun

Of Troye; allas! They quitte him out to rathe; 205

O nyce world, lo, thy discrecioun!

Criseyde, which that never dide hem skathe,

Shal now no lenger in hir blisse bathe;

But Antenor, he shal com hoom to toune,

And she shal out; thus seyden here and howne. 210

For which delibered was by parlement

For Antenor to yelden out Criseyde,

And it pronounced by the president,

Al-theigh that Ector `nay' ful ofte preyde.

And fynaly, what wight that it with-seyde, 215

It was for nought, it moste been, and sholde;

For substaunce of the parlement it