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And for to walken in the woodes wild,

And not to be a wife, and be with child.

Nought will I know the company of man.

Now help me, lady, since ye may and can,

For those three formes that thou hast in thee.

And Palamon, that hath such love to me,

And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore,

This grace I pray thee withoute more,

As sende love and peace betwixt them two:

And from me turn away their heartes so,

That all their hote love, and their desire,

And all their busy torment, and their fire,

Be queint*, or turn'd into another place. *quenched

And if so be thou wilt do me no grace,

Or if my destiny be shapen so

That I shall needes have one of them two,

So send me him that most desireth me.

Behold, goddess of cleane chastity,

The bitter tears that on my cheekes fall.

Since thou art maid, and keeper of us all,

My maidenhead thou keep and well conserve,

And, while I live, a maid I will thee serve.

The fires burn upon the altar clear,

While Emily was thus in her prayere:

But suddenly she saw a sighte quaint*. *strange

For right anon one of the fire's *queint

And quick'd* again, and after that anon *went out and revived*

That other fire was queint, and all agone:

And as it queint, it made a whisteling,

As doth a brande wet in its burning.

And at the brandes end outran anon

As it were bloody droppes many one:

For which so sore aghast was Emily,

That she was well-nigh mad, and gan to cry,

For she ne wiste what it signified;

But onely for feare thus she cried,

And wept, that it was pity for to hear.

And therewithal Diana gan appear

With bow in hand, right as an hunteress,

And saide; "Daughter, stint* thine heaviness. *cease

Among the goddes high it is affirm'd,

And by eternal word writ and confirm'd,

Thou shalt be wedded unto one of tho* *those

That have for thee so muche care and woe:

But unto which of them I may not tell.

Farewell, for here I may no longer dwell.

The fires which that on mine altar brenn*, *burn

Shall thee declaren, ere that thou go henne*, *hence

Thine aventure of love, as in this case."

And with that word, the arrows in the case* *quiver

Of the goddess did clatter fast and ring,

And forth she went, and made a vanishing,

For which this Emily astonied was,

And saide; "What amounteth this, alas!

I put me under thy protection,

Diane, and in thy disposition."

And home she went anon the nexte* way. *nearest

This is th' effect, there is no more to say.

The nexte hour of Mars following this

Arcite to the temple walked is

Of fierce Mars, to do his sacrifice

With all the rites of his pagan guise.

With piteous* heart and high devotion *pious

Right thus to Mars he said his orison

"O stronge god, that in the regnes* old *realms

Of Thrace honoured art, and lord y-hold* *held

And hast in every regne, and every land

Of armes all the bridle in thine hand,

And *them fortunest as thee list devise*, *send them fortune

Accept of me my piteous sacrifice. as you please*

If so be that my youthe may deserve,

And that my might be worthy for to serve

Thy godhead, that I may be one of thine,

Then pray I thee to *rue upon my pine*, *pity my anguish*

For thilke* pain, and thilke hote fire, *that

In which thou whilom burned'st for desire

Whenne that thou usedest* the beauty *enjoyed

Of faire young Venus, fresh and free,

And haddest her in armes at thy will:

And though thee ones on a time misfill*, *were unlucky

When Vulcanus had caught thee in his las*, *net

And found thee ligging* by his wife, alas! *lying

For thilke sorrow that was in thine heart,

Have ruth* as well upon my paine's smart. *pity

I am young and unconning*, as thou know'st, *ignorant, simple

And, as I trow*, with love offended most *believe

That e'er was any living creature:

For she, that doth* me all this woe endure, *causes

Ne recketh ne'er whether I sink or fleet* *swim

And well I wot, ere she me mercy hete*, *promise, vouchsafe

I must with strengthe win her in the place:

And well I wot, withoute help or grace

Of thee, ne may my strengthe not