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For I must weep and wail, while that I live,

With all the woe that prison may me give,

And eke with pain that love me gives also,

That doubles all my torment and my woe."

Therewith the fire of jealousy upstart

Within his breast, and hent* him by the heart *seized

So woodly*, that he like was to behold *madly

The box-tree, or the ashes dead and cold.

Then said; "O cruel goddess, that govern

This world with binding of your word etern* *eternal

And writen in the table of adamant

Your parlement* and your eternal grant, *consultation

What is mankind more *unto you y-hold* *by you esteemed

Than is the sheep, that rouketh* in the fold! *lie huddled together

For slain is man, right as another beast;

And dwelleth eke in prison and arrest,

And hath sickness, and great adversity,

And oftentimes guilteless, pardie* *by God

What governance is in your prescience,

That guilteless tormenteth innocence?

And yet increaseth this all my penance,

That man is bounden to his observance

For Godde's sake to *letten of his will*, *restrain his desire*

Whereas a beast may all his lust fulfil.

And when a beast is dead, he hath no pain;

But man after his death must weep and plain,

Though in this worlde he have care and woe:

Withoute doubt it maye standen so.

"The answer of this leave I to divines,

But well I wot, that in this world great pine* is; *pain, trouble

Alas! I see a serpent or a thief

That many a true man hath done mischief,

Go at his large, and where him list may turn.

But I must be in prison through Saturn,

And eke through Juno, jealous and eke wood*, *mad

That hath well nigh destroyed all the blood

Of Thebes, with his waste walles wide.

And Venus slay'th me on that other side

For jealousy, and fear of him, Arcite."

Now will I stent* of Palamon a lite**, *pause **little

And let him in his prison stille dwell,

And of Arcita forth I will you tell.

The summer passeth, and the nightes long

Increase double-wise the paines strong

Both of the lover and the prisonere.

I n'ot* which hath the wofuller mistere**. *know not **condition

For, shortly for to say, this Palamon

Perpetually is damned to prison,

In chaines and in fetters to be dead;

And Arcite is exiled *on his head* *on peril of his head*

For evermore as out of that country,

Nor never more he shall his lady see.

You lovers ask I now this question,

Who lieth the worse, Arcite or Palamon?

The one may see his lady day by day,

But in prison he dwelle must alway.

The other where him list may ride or go,

But see his lady shall he never mo'.

Now deem all as you liste, ye that can,

For I will tell you forth as I began.

When that Arcite to Thebes comen was,

Full oft a day he swelt*, and said, "Alas!" *fainted

For see this lady he shall never mo'.

And shortly to concluden all his woe,

So much sorrow had never creature

That is or shall be while the world may dure.

His sleep, his meat, his drink is *him byraft*, *taken away from him*

That lean he wex*, and dry as any shaft. *became

His eyen hollow, grisly to behold,

His hue sallow, and pale as ashes cold,

And solitary he was, ever alone,

And wailing all the night, making his moan.

And if he hearde song or instrument,

Then would he weepen, he might not be stent*. *stopped

So feeble were his spirits, and so low,

And changed so, that no man coulde know

His speech, neither his voice, though men it heard.

And in his gear* for all the world he far'd *behaviour

Not only like the lovers' malady

Of Eros, but rather y-like manie* *madness

Engender'd of humours melancholic,

Before his head in his cell fantastic.

And shortly turned was all upside down,

Both habit and eke dispositioun,

Of him, this woful lover Dan* Arcite. *Lord

Why should I all day of his woe indite?

When he endured had a year or two

This cruel torment, and this pain and woe,

At Thebes, in his country, as I said,

Upon a night in sleep as he him laid,

Him thought how that the winged god Mercury

Before him stood, and bade him to be merry.

His sleepy yard* in hand he bare upright; *rod

A hat he wore