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Yet hider, though ther never pees ne were, 1360

I moste come; for whider sholde I goon,

Or how mischaunce sholde I dwelle there

Among tho men of armes ever in fere?

For which, as wisly god my soule rede,

I can not seen wher-of ye sholden drede. 1365

`Have here another wey, if it so be

That al this thing ne may yow not suffyse.

My fader, as ye knowen wel, pardee,

Is old, and elde is ful of coveityse,

And I right now have founden al the gyse, 1370

With-oute net, wher-with I shal him hente;

And herkeneth how, if that ye wole assente.

`Lo, Troilus, men seyn that hard it is

The wolf ful, and the wether hool to have;

This is to seyn, that men ful ofte, y-wis, 1375

Mot spenden part, the remenant for to save.

For ay with gold men may the herte grave

Of him that set is up-on coveityse;

And how I mene, I shal it yow devyse.

`The moeble which that I have in this toun 1380

Un-to my fader shal I take, and seye,

That right for trust and for savacioun

It sent is from a freend of his or tweye,

The whiche freendes ferventliche him preye

To senden after more, and that in hye, 1385

Whyl that this toun stant thus in Iupartye.

`And that shal been an huge quantitee,

Thus shal I seyn, but, lest it folk aspyde,

This may be sent by no wight but by me;

I shal eek shewen him, if pees bityde, 1390

What frendes that ich have on every syde

Toward the court, to doon the wrathe pace

Of Priamus, and doon him stonde in grace.

`So what for o thing and for other, swete,

I shal him so enchaunten with my sawes, 1395

That right in hevene his sowle is, shal he mete!

For al Appollo, or his clerkes lawes,

Or calculinge avayleth nought three hawes;

Desyr of gold shal so his sowle blende,

That, as me lyst, I shal wel make an ende. 1400

`And if he wolde ought by his sort it preve

If that I lye, in certayn I shal fonde

Distorben him, and plukke him by the sleve,

Makinge his sort, and beren him on honde,

He hath not wel the goddes understonde. 1405

For goddes speken in amphibologyes,

And, for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes.

`Eek drede fond first goddes, I suppose,

Thus shal I seyn, and that his cowarde herte

Made him amis the goddes text to glose, 1410

Whan he for ferde out of his Delphos sterte.

And but I make him sone to converte,

And doon my reed with-inne a day or tweye,

I wol to yow oblige me to deye.'

And treweliche, as writen wel I finde, 1415

That al this thing was seyd of good entente;

And that hir herte trewe was and kinde

Towardes him, and spak right as she mente,

And that she starf for wo neigh, whan she wente,

And was in purpos ever to be trewe; 1420

Thus writen they that of hir werkes knewe.

This Troilus, with herte and eres spradde,

Herde al this thing devysen to and fro;

And verraylich him semed that he hadde

The selve wit; but yet to lete hir go 1425

His herte misforyaf him ever-mo.

But fynally, he gan his herte wreste

To trusten hir, and took it for the beste.

For which the grete furie of his penaunce

Was queynt with hope, and ther-with hem bitwene 1430

Bigan for Ioye the amorouse daunce.

And as the briddes, whan the sonne is shene,

Delyten in hir song in leves grene,

Right so the wordes that they spake y-fere

Delyted hem, and made hir hertes clere. 1435

But natheles, the wending of Criseyde,

For al this world, may nought out of his minde;

For which ful ofte he pitously hir preyde,

That of hir heste he might hir trewe finde,

And seyde hire, `Certes, if ye be unkinde, 1440

And but ye come at day set in-to Troye,

Ne shal I never have hele, honour, ne Ioye.

`For al-so sooth as sonne up-rist on morwe,

And, god! So wisly thou me, woful wrecche,

To reste bringe out of this cruel sorwe, 1445

I wol my-selven slee if that ye drecche.

But of my deeth though litel be to recche,

Yet, er that ye me cause so to smerte,

Dwel rather here, myn owene swete herte!

`For trewely, myn owene lady dere, 1450

Tho sleightes yet that I have herd yow stere

Ful shaply been to failen alle y-fere.

For thus men seyn, "That