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And cuppes full of wine, and milk, and blood,

Into the fire, that burnt as it were wood*; *mad

Nor how the Greekes with a huge rout* *procession

Three times riden all the fire about

Upon the left hand, with a loud shouting,

And thries with their speares clattering;

And thries how the ladies gan to cry;

Nor how that led was homeward Emily;

Nor how Arcite is burnt to ashes cold;

Nor how the lyke-wake* was y-hold *wake

All thilke* night, nor how the Greekes play *that

The wake-plays*, ne keep** I not to say: *funeral games **care

Who wrestled best naked, with oil anoint,

Nor who that bare him best *in no disjoint*. *in any contest*

I will not tell eke how they all are gone

Home to Athenes when the play is done;

But shortly to the point now will I wend*, *come

And maken of my longe tale an end.

By process and by length of certain years

All stinted* is the mourning and the tears *ended

Of Greekes, by one general assent.

Then seemed me there was a parlement

At Athens, upon certain points and cas*: *cases

Amonge the which points y-spoken was

To have with certain countries alliance,

And have of Thebans full obeisance.

For which this noble Theseus anon

Let* send after the gentle Palamon, *caused

Unwist* of him what was the cause and why: *unknown

But in his blacke clothes sorrowfully

He came at his commandment *on hie*; *in haste*

Then sente Theseus for Emily.

When they were set*, and hush'd was all the place *seated

And Theseus abided* had a space *waited

Ere any word came from his wise breast

*His eyen set he there as was his lest*, *he cast his eyes

And with a sad visage he sighed still, wherever he pleased*

And after that right thus he said his will.

"The firste mover of the cause above

When he first made the faire chain of love,

Great was th' effect, and high was his intent;

Well wist he why, and what thereof he meant:

For with that faire chain of love he bond* *bound

The fire, the air, the water, and the lond

In certain bondes, that they may not flee:

That same prince and mover eke," quoth he,

"Hath stablish'd, in this wretched world adown,

Certain of dayes and duration

To all that are engender'd in this place,

Over the whiche day they may not pace*, *pass

All may they yet their dayes well abridge.

There needeth no authority to allege

For it is proved by experience;

But that me list declare my sentence*. *opinion

Then may men by this order well discern,

That thilke* mover stable is and etern. *the same

Well may men know, but that it be a fool,

That every part deriveth from its whole.

For nature hath not ta'en its beginning

Of no *partie nor cantle* of a thing, *part or piece*

But of a thing that perfect is and stable,

Descending so, till it be corruptable.

And therefore of His wise purveyance* *providence

He hath so well beset* his ordinance,

That species of things and progressions

Shallen endure by successions,

And not etern, withouten any lie:

This mayst thou understand and see at eye.

Lo th' oak, that hath so long a nourishing

From the time that it 'ginneth first to spring,

And hath so long a life, as ye may see,

Yet at the last y-wasted is the tree.

Consider eke, how that the harde stone

Under our feet, on which we tread and gon*, *walk

Yet wasteth, as it lieth by the way.

The broade river some time waxeth drey*. *dry

The greate townes see we wane and wend*. *go, disappear

Then may ye see that all things have an end.

Of man and woman see we well also, —

That needes in one of the termes two, —

That is to say, in youth or else in age,-

He must be dead, the king as shall a page;

Some in his bed, some in the deepe sea,

Some in the large field, as ye may see:

There helpeth nought, all go that ilke* way: *same

Then may I say that alle thing must die.

What maketh this but Jupiter the king?

The which is prince, and cause of alle thing,

Converting all unto his proper will,

From which it is derived, sooth to tell

And hereagainst no creature alive,

Of no degree, availeth for to strive.

Then is it wisdom, as it thinketh