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Thenk eek Fortune, as wel thy-selven wost, 600

Helpeth hardy man to his enpryse,

And weyveth wrecches, for hir cowardyse.

`And though thy lady wolde a litel hir greve,

Thou shalt thy pees ful wel here-after make,

But as for me, certayn, I can not leve 605

That she wolde it as now for yvel take.

Why sholde than for ferd thyn herte quake?

Thenk eek how Paris hath, that is thy brother,

A love; and why shaltow not have another?

`And Troilus, o thing I dar thee swere, 610

That if Criseyde, whiche that is thy leef,

Now loveth thee as wel as thou dost here,

God helpe me so, she nil nat take a-greef,

Though thou do bote a-noon in this mischeef.

And if she wilneth fro thee for to passe, 615

Thanne is she fals; so love hir wel the lasse.

`For-thy tak herte, and thenk, right as a knight,

Thourgh love is broken alday every lawe.

Kyth now sumwhat thy corage and thy might,

Have mercy on thy-self, for any awe. 620

Lat not this wrecched wo thin herte gnawe,

But manly set the world on sixe and sevene;

And, if thou deye a martir, go to hevene.

`I wol my-self be with thee at this dede,

Though ich and al my kin, up-on a stounde, 625

Shulle in a strete as dogges liggen dede,

Thourgh-girt with many a wyd and blody wounde.

In every cas I wol a freend be founde.

And if thee list here sterven as a wrecche,

A-dieu, the devel spede him that it recche!' 630

This Troilus gan with tho wordes quiken,

And seyde, `Freend, graunt mercy, ich assente;

But certaynly thou mayst not me so priken,

Ne peyne noon ne may me so tormente,

That, for no cas, it is not myn entente, 635

At shorte wordes, though I dyen sholde,

To ravisshe hir, but-if hir-self it wolde.'

`Why, so mene I,' quod Pandarus, `al this day.

But tel me than, hastow hir wil assayed,

That sorwest thus?' And he answerde, `Nay.'

`Wher-of artow,' quod Pandare, `than a-mayed, 640

That nost not that she wol ben y-vel apayed

To ravisshe hir, sin thou hast not ben there,

But-if that Iove tolde it in thyn ere?

`For-thy rys up, as nought ne were, anoon, 645

And wash thy face, and to the king thou wende,

Or he may wondren whider thou art goon.

Thou most with wisdom him and othere blende;

Or, up-on cas, he may after thee sende

Er thou be war; and shortly, brother dere, 650

Be glad, and lat me werke in this matere.

`For I shal shape it so, that sikerly

Thou shalt this night som tyme, in som manere,

Com speke with thy lady prevely,

And by hir wordes eek, and by hir chere, 655

Thou shalt ful sone aperceyve and wel here

Al hir entente, and in this cas the beste;

And fare now wel, for in this point I reste.'

The swifte Fame, whiche that false thinges

Egal reporteth lyk the thinges trewe, 660

Was thorugh-out Troye y-fled with preste winges

Fro man to man, and made this tale al newe,

How Calkas doughter, with hir brighte hewe,

At parlement, with-oute wordes more,

I-graunted was in chaunge of Antenore. 665

The whiche tale anoon-right as Criseyde

Had herd, she, which that of hir fader roughte,

As in this cas, right nought, ne whanne he deyde,

Ful bisily to Iuppiter bisoughte

Yeve hem mischaunce that this tretis broughte. 670

But shortly, lest thise tales sothe were,

She dorste at no wight asken it, for fere.

As she that hadde hir herte and al hir minde

On Troilus y-set so wonder faste,

That al this world ne mighte hir love unbinde, 675

Ne Troilus out of hir herte caste;

She wol ben his, whyl that hir lyf may laste.

And thus she brenneth bothe in love and drede,

So that she niste what was best to rede.

But as men seen in toune, and al aboute, 680

That wommen usen frendes to visyte,

So to Criseyde of wommen com a route

For pitous Ioye, and wenden hir delyte;

And with hir tales, dere y-nough a myte,

These wommen, whiche that in the cite dwelle, 685

They sette hem doun, and seyde as I shal telle.

Quod first that oon, `I am glad, trewely,

By-cause of yow, that shal your fader see.'

A-nother seyde, `Y-wis, so nam not I,

For al to litel hath she with us be.' 690

Quod tho the thridde, `I hope, y-wis, that she