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And as I am avysed sodeynly,

So wol I telle yow, whyl it is hoot.

Me thinketh thus, that nouther ye nor I

Oughte half this wo to make skilfully. 1265

For there is art y-now for to redresse

That yet is mis, and sleen this hevinesse.

`Sooth is, the wo, the whiche that we ben inne,

For ought I woot, for no-thing elles is

But for the cause that we sholden twinne. 1270

Considered al, ther nis no-more amis.

But what is thanne a remede un-to this,

But that we shape us sone for to mete?

This al and som, my dere herte swete.

`Now that I shal wel bringen it aboute 1275

To come ayein, sone after that I go,

Ther-of am I no maner thing in doute.

For dredeles, with-inne a wouke or two,

I shal ben here; and, that it may be so

By alle right, and in a wordes fewe, 1280

I shal yow wel an heep of weyes shewe.

`For which I wol not make long sermoun,

For tyme y-lost may not recovered be;

But I wol gon to my conclusioun,

And to the beste, in ought that I can see. 1285

And, for the love of god, for-yeve it me

If I speke ought ayein your hertes reste;

For trewely, I speke it for the beste;

`Makinge alwey a protestacioun,

That now these wordes, whiche that I shal seye, 1290

Nis but to shewe yow my mocioun,

To finde un-to our helpe the beste weye;

And taketh it non other wyse, I preye.

For in effect what-so ye me comaunde,

That wol I doon, for that is no demaunde. 1295

`Now herkneth this, ye han wel understonde,

My goinge graunted is by parlement

So ferforth, that it may not be with-stonde

For al this world, as by my Iugement.

And sin ther helpeth noon avysement 1300

To letten it, lat it passe out of minde;

And lat us shape a bettre wey to finde.

`The sothe is, that the twinninge of us tweyne

Wol us disese and cruelliche anoye.

But him bihoveth som-tyme han a peyne, 1305

That serveth love, if that he wol have Ioye.

And sin I shal no ferthere out of Troye

Than I may ryde ayein on half a morwe,

It oughte lesse causen us to sorwe.

`So as I shal not so ben hid in muwe, 1310

That day by day, myn owene herte dere,

Sin wel ye woot that it is now a trewe,

Ye shal ful wel al myn estat y-here.

And er that truwe is doon, I shal ben here,

And thanne have ye bothe Antenor y-wonne 1315

And me also; beth glad now, if ye conne;

`And thenk right thus, "Criseyde is now agoon,

But what! She shal come hastely ayeyn;"

And whanne, allas? By god, lo, right anoon,

Er dayes ten, this dar I saufly seyn. 1320

And thanne at erste shul we been so fayn,

So as we shulle to-gederes ever dwelle,

That al this world ne mighte our blisse telle.

`I see that ofte, ther-as we ben now,

That for the beste, our counseil for to hyde, 1325

Ye speke not with me, nor I with yow

In fourtenight; ne see yow go ne ryde.

May ye not ten dayes thanne abyde,

For myn honour, in swich an aventure?

Y-wis, ye mowen elles lite endure! 1330

`Ye knowe eek how that al my kin is here,

But-if that onliche it my fader be;

And eek myn othere thinges alle y-fere,

And nameliche, my dere herte, ye,

Whom that I nolde leven for to see 1335

For al this world, as wyd as it hath space;

Or elles, see ich never Ioves face!

`Why trowe ye my fader in this wyse

Coveiteth so to see me, but for drede

Lest in this toun that folkes me dispyse 1340

By-cause of him, for his unhappy dede?

What woot my fader what lyf that I lede?

For if he wiste in Troye how wel I fare,

Us neded for my wending nought to care.

`Ye seen that every day eek, more and more, 1345

Men trete of pees; and it supposed is,

That men the quene Eleyne shal restore,

And Grekes us restore that is mis.

So though ther nere comfort noon but this,

That men purposen pees on every syde, 1350

Ye may the bettre at ese of herte abyde.

`For if that it be pees, myn herte dere,

The nature of the pees mot nedes dryve

That men moste entrecomunen y-fere,

And to and fro eek ryde and gon as blyve 1355

Alday as thikke as been flen from an hyve;

And every wight han libertee to bleve

Where-as him list the bet, with-outen leve.

`And