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`But sin of fyne force I moot aryse,

I shal aryse as sone as ever I may;

And god, to whom myn herte I sacrifyse,

So sende us hastely the tenthe day!

For was ther never fowl so fayn of May, 425

As I shal been, whan that she cometh in Troye,

That cause is of my torment and my Ioye.

`But whider is thy reed,' quod Troilus,

`That we may pleye us best in al this toun?'

`Bi god, my conseil is,' quod Pandarus, 430

`To ryde and pleye us with king Sarpedoun.'

So longe of this they speken up and doun,

Til Troilus gan at the laste assente

To ryse, and forth to Sarpedoun they wente.

This Sarpedoun, as he that honourable 435

Was ever his lyve, and ful of heigh prowesse,

With al that mighte y-served been on table,

That deyntee was, al coste it greet richesse,

He fedde hem day by day, that swich noblesse,

As seyden bothe the moste and eek the leste, 440

Was never er that day wist at any feste.

Nor in this world ther is non instrument

Delicious, through wind, or touche, of corde,

As fer as any wight hath ever y-went,

That tonge telle or herte may recorde, 445

That at that feste it nas wel herd acorde;

Ne of ladies eek so fayr a companye

On daunce, er tho, was never y-seyn with ye.

But what avayleth this to Troilus,

That for his sorwe no-thing of it roughte? 450

For ever in oon his herte pietous

Ful bisily Criseyde his lady soughte.

On hir was ever al that his herte thoughte,

Now this, now that, so faste imagininge,

That glade, y-wis, can him no festeyinge. 455

These ladies eek that at this feste been,

Sin that he saw his lady was a-weye,

It was his sorwe upon hem for to seen,

Or for to here on instrumentz so pleye.

For she, that of his herte berth the keye, 460

Was absent, lo, this was his fantasye,

That no wight sholde make melodye.

Nor ther nas houre in al the day or night,

Whan he was ther-as no wight mighte him here,

That he ne seyde, `O lufsom lady bright, 465

How have ye faren, sin that ye were here?

Wel-come, y-wis, myn owene lady dere.'

But welaway, al this nas but a mase;

Fortune his howve entended bet to glase.

The lettres eek, that she of olde tyme 470

Hadde him y-sent, he wolde allone rede,

An hundred sythe, a-twixen noon and pryme;

Refiguringe hir shap, hir womanhede,

With-inne his herte, and every word and dede

That passed was, and thus he droof to an ende 475

The ferthe day, and seyde, he wolde wende.

And seyde, `Leve brother Pandarus,

Intendestow that we shal here bleve

Til Sarpedoun wol forth congeyen us?

Yet were it fairer that we toke our leve. 480

For goddes love, lat us now sone at eve

Our leve take, and homward lat us torne;

For trewely, I nil not thus soiourne.'

Pandare answerde, `Be we comen hider

To fecchen fyr, and rennen hoom ayeyn? 485

God helpe me so, I can not tellen whider

We mighten goon, if I shal soothly seyn,

Ther any wight is of us more fayn

Than Sarpedoun; and if we hennes hye

Thus sodeinly, I holde it vilanye. 490

`Sin that we seyden that we wolde bleve

With him a wouke; and now, thus sodeinly,

The ferthe day to take of him oure leve,

He wolde wondren on it, trewely!

Lat us holde forth our purpos fermely; 495

And sin that ye bihighten him to byde,

Hold forward now, and after lat us ryde.'

Thus Pandarus, with alle peyne and wo,

Made him to dwelle; and at the woukes ende,

Of Sarpedoun they toke hir leve tho, 500

And on hir wey they spedden hem to wende.

Quod Troilus, `Now god me grace sende,

That I may finden, at myn hom-cominge,

Criseyde comen!' And ther-with gan he singe.

`Ye, hasel-wode!' thoughte this Pandare, 505

And to him-self ful softely he seyde,

`God woot, refreyden may this hote fare,

Er Calkas sende Troilus Criseyde!'

But natheles, he Iaped thus, and seyde,

And swor, y-wis, his herte him wel bihighte, 510

She wolde come as sone as ever she mighte.

Whan they un-to the paleys were y-comen

Of Troilus, they doun of hors alighte,

And to the chambre hir wey than han they nomen.

And in-to tyme that it gan to nighte, 515

They spaken of Crysede the brighte.

And after this,