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But al another thenketh his ledere."

Your sire is wys, and seyd is, out of drede, 1455

"Men may the wyse at-renne, and not at-rede."

`It is ful hard to halten unespyed

Bifore a crepul, for he can the craft;

Your fader is in sleighte as Argus yed;

For al be that his moeble is him biraft, 1460

His olde sleighte is yet so with him laft,

Ye shal not blende him for your womanhede,

Ne feyne a-right, and that is al my drede.

`I noot if pees shal ever-mo bityde;

But, pees or no, for ernest ne for game, 1465

I woot, sin Calkas on the Grekis syde

Hath ones been, and lost so foule his name,

He dar no more come here ayein for shame;

For which that weye, for ought I can espye,

To trusten on, nis but a fantasye. 1470

`Ye shal eek seen, your fader shal yow glose

To been a wyf, and as he can wel preche,

He shal som Grek so preyse and wel alose,

That ravisshen he shal yow with his speche,

Or do yow doon by force as he shal teche. 1475

And Troilus, of whom ye nil han routhe,

Shal causeles so sterven in his trouthe!

`And over al this, your fader shal despyse

Us alle, and seyn this citee nis but lorn;

And that thassege never shal aryse, 1480

For-why the Grekes han it alle sworn

Til we be slayn, and doun our walles torn.

And thus he shal yow with his wordes fere,

That ay drede I, that ye wol bleve there.

`Ye shul eek seen so many a lusty knight 1485

A-mong the Grekes, ful of worthinesse,

And eche of hem with herte, wit, and might

To plesen yow don al his besinesse,

That ye shul dullen of the rudenesse

Of us sely Troianes, but-if routhe 1490

Remorde yow, or vertue of your trouthe.

`And this to me so grevous is to thinke,

That fro my brest it wol my soule rende;

Ne dredeles, in me ther may not sinke

A good opinioun, if that ye wende; 1495

For-why your faderes sleighte wol us shende.

And if ye goon, as I have told yow yore,

So thenk I nam but deed, with-oute more.

`For which, with humble, trewe, and pitous herte,

A thousand tymes mercy I yow preye; 1500

So reweth on myn aspre peynes smerte,

And doth somwhat, as that I shal yow seye,

And lat us stele away bitwixe us tweye;

And thenk that folye is, whan man may chese,

For accident his substaunce ay to lese. 1505

`I mene this, that sin we mowe er day

Wel stele away, and been to-gider so,

What wit were it to putten in assay,

In cas ye sholden to your fader go,

If that ye mighte come ayein or no? 1510

Thus mene I, that it were a gret folye

To putte that sikernesse in Iupertye.

`And vulgarly to speken of substaunce

Of tresour, may we bothe with us lede

Y-nough to live in honour and plesaunce, 1515

Til in-to tyme that we shal ben dede;

And thus we may eschewen al this drede.

For everich other wey ye can recorde,

Myn herte, y-wis, may not ther-with acorde.

`And hardily, ne dredeth no poverte, 1520

For I have kin and freendes elles-where

That, though we comen in oure bare sherte,

Us sholde neither lakke gold ne gere,

But been honured whyl we dwelten there.

And go we anoon, for, as in myn entente, 1525

This is the beste, if that ye wole assente.'

Criseyde, with a syk, right in this wyse

Answerde, `Y-wis, my dere herte trewe,

We may wel stele away, as ye devyse,

And finde swich unthrifty weyes newe; 1530

But afterward, ful sore it wol us rewe.

And help me god so at my moste nede

As causeles ye suffren al this drede!

`For thilke day that I for cherisshinge

Or drede of fader, or of other wight, 1535

Or for estat, delyt, or for weddinge,

Be fals to yow, my Troilus, my knight,

Saturnes doughter, Iuno, thorugh hir might,

As wood as Athamante do me dwelle

Eternaly in Stix, the put of helle! 1540

`And this on every god celestial

I swere it yow; and eek on eche goddesse,

On every Nymphe and deite infernal,

On Satiry and Fauny more and lesse,

That halve goddes been of wildernesse; 1545

And Attropos my threed of lyf to-breste

If I be fals; now trowe me if thow leste!

`And thou, Simoys, that as an arwe clere

Thorugh Troye rennest ay downward to the see,

Ber witnesse of this