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His complaint, and for love his hote fires,

He woulde make a fire*, in which th' office *funeral pyre

Of funeral he might all accomplice;

And *let anon command* to hack and hew *immediately gave orders*

The oakes old, and lay them *on a rew* *in a row*

In culpons*, well arrayed for to brenne**. *logs **burn

His officers with swifte feet they renne* *run

And ride anon at his commandement.

And after this, Duke Theseus hath sent

After a bier, and it all oversprad

With cloth of gold, the richest that he had;

And of the same suit he clad Arcite.

Upon his handes were his gloves white,

Eke on his head a crown of laurel green,

And in his hand a sword full bright and keen.

He laid him *bare the visage* on the bier, *with face uncovered*

Therewith he wept, that pity was to hear.

And, for the people shoulde see him all,

When it was day he brought them to the hall,

That roareth of the crying and the soun'.

Then came this woful Theban, Palamon,

With sluttery beard, and ruggy ashy hairs,

In clothes black, y-dropped all with tears,

And (passing over weeping Emily)

The ruefullest of all the company.

And *inasmuch as* the service should be *in order that*

The more noble and rich in its degree,

Duke Theseus let forth three steedes bring,

That trapped were in steel all glittering.

And covered with the arms of Dan Arcite.

Upon these steedes, that were great and white,

There satte folk, of whom one bare his shield,

Another his spear in his handes held;

The thirde bare with him his bow Turkeis*, *Turkish.

Of brent* gold was the case** and the harness: *burnished **quiver

And ride forth *a pace* with sorrowful cheer** *at a foot pace*

Toward the grove, as ye shall after hear. **expression

The noblest of the Greekes that there were

Upon their shoulders carried the bier,

With slacke pace, and eyen red and wet,

Throughout the city, by the master* street, *main

That spread was all with black, and wondrous high

Right of the same is all the street y-wrie.* *covered

Upon the right hand went old Egeus,

And on the other side Duke Theseus,

With vessels in their hand of gold full fine,

All full of honey, milk, and blood, and wine;

Eke Palamon, with a great company;

And after that came woful Emily,

With fire in hand, as was that time the guise*, *custom

To do th' office of funeral service.

High labour, and full great appareling* *preparation

Was at the service, and the pyre-making,

That with its greene top the heaven raught*, *reached

And twenty fathom broad its armes straught*: *stretched

This is to say, the boughes were so broad.

Of straw first there was laid many a load.

But how the pyre was maked up on height,

And eke the names how the trees hight*, *were called

As oak, fir, birch, asp*, alder, holm, poplere, *aspen

Willow, elm, plane, ash, box, chestnut, lind*, laurere, *linden, lime

Maple, thorn, beech, hazel, yew, whipul tree,

How they were fell'd, shall not be told for me;

Nor how the goddes* rannen up and down *the forest deities

Disinherited of their habitatioun,

In which they wonned* had in rest and peace, *dwelt

Nymphes, Faunes, and Hamadryades;

Nor how the beastes and the birdes all

Fledden for feare, when the wood gan fall;

Nor how the ground aghast* was of the light, *terrified

That was not wont to see the sunne bright;

Nor how the fire was couched* first with stre**, *laid **straw

And then with dry stickes cloven in three,

And then with greene wood and spicery*, *spices

And then with cloth of gold and with pierrie*, *precious stones

And garlands hanging with full many a flower,

The myrrh, the incense with so sweet odour;

Nor how Arcita lay among all this,

Nor what richess about his body is;

Nor how that Emily, as was the guise*, *custom

*Put in the fire* of funeral service; *appplied the torch*

Nor how she swooned when she made the fire,

Nor what she spake, nor what was her desire;

Nor what jewels men in the fire then cast

When that the fire was great and burned fast;

Nor how some cast their shield, and some their spear,

And of their vestiments,