The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 101

And most of love and virtue was his speech, And *in despite he had all wretchedness* *he held in scorn all And doubtless no need was him to beseech despicable actions*

To honour them that hadde worthiness, And ease them that weren in distress; And glad was he, if any wight well far'd, That lover was, when he it wist or heard.

For he held every man lost unless he were in Love's service; and, so did the power of Love work within him, that he was ay [always] humble and benign, and "pride, envy, ire, and avarice, he gan to flee, and ev'ry other vice."

THE FOURTH BOOK

A BRIEF Proem to the Fourth Book prepares us for the treachery of Fortune to Troilus; from whom she turned away her bright face, and took of him no heed, "and cast him clean out of his lady's grace, and on her wheel she set up Diomede."

Then the narrative describes a skirmish in which the Trojans were worsted, and Antenor, with many of less note, remained in the hands of the Greeks. A truce was proclaimed for the exchange of prisoners; and as soon as Calchas heard the news, he came to the a.s.sembly of the Greeks, to "bid a boon." Having gained audience, he reminded the besiegers how he had come from Troy to aid and encourage them in their enterprise; willing to lose all that he had in the city, except his daughter Cressida, whom he bitterly reproached himself for leaving behind. And now, with streaming tears and pitiful prayer, he besought them to exchange Antenor for Cressida; a.s.suring them that the day was at hand when they should have both town and people. The soothsayer's pet.i.tion was granted; and the amba.s.sadors charged to negotiate the exchange, entering the city, told their errand to King Priam and his parliament.

This Troilus was present in the place When asked was for Antenor Cresside; For which to change soon began his face, As he that with the wordes well nigh died; But natheless he no word to it seid;* *said Lest men should his affection espy, With manne's heart he gan his sorrows drie;* *endure

And, full of anguish and of grisly dread, Abode what other lords would to it say, And if they woulde grant, -- as G.o.d forbid! -- Th'exchange of her, then thought he thinges tway:* *two First, for to save her honour; and what way He mighte best th'exchange of her withstand; This cast he then how all this mighte stand.

Love made him alle *prest to do her bide,* *eager to make her stay*

And rather die than that she shoulde go; But Reason said him, on the other side, "Without th'a.s.sent of her, do thou not so, Lest for thy worke she would be thy foe; And say, that through thy meddling is y-blow* *divulged, blown abroad Your bothe love, where it was *erst unknow."* *previously unknown*

For which he gan deliberate for the best, That though the lordes woulde that she went, He woulde suffer them grant what *them lest,* *they pleased*

And tell his lady first what that they meant; And, when that she had told him her intent, Thereafter would he worken all so blive,* *speedily Though all the world against it woulde strive.

Hector, which that full well the Greekes heard, For Antenor how they would have Cresseide, Gan it withstand, and soberly answer'd; "Sirs, she is no prisoner," he said; "I know not on you who this charge laid; But, for my part, ye may well soon him tell, We use* here no women for to sell." *are accustomed

The noise of the people then upstart at once, As breme* as blaze of straw y-set on fire *violent, furious For Infortune* woulde for the nonce *Misfortune They shoulde their confusion desire "Hector," quoth they, "what ghost* may you inspire *spirit This woman thus to s.h.i.+eld, and *do us* lose *cause us to*

Dan Antenor? -- a wrong way now ye choose, --

"That is so wise, and eke so bold baroun; And we have need of folk, as men may see He eke is one the greatest of this town; O Hector! lette such fantasies be!

O King Priam!" quoth they, "lo! thus say we, That all our will is to forego Cresseide;"

And to deliver Antenor they pray'd.

Though Hector often prayed them "nay," it was resolved that Cressida should be given up for Antenor; then the parliament dispersed. Troilus hastened home to his chamber, shut himself up alone, and threw himself on his bed.

And as in winter leaves be bereft, Each after other, till the tree be bare, So that there is but bark and branch y-left, Lay Troilus, bereft of each welfare, Y-bounden in the blacke bark of care, Disposed *wood out of his wit to braid,* *to go out of his senses*

*So sore him sat* the changing of Cresseide. *so ill did he bear*

He rose him up, and ev'ry door he shet,* *shut And window eke; and then this sorrowful man Upon his bedde's side adown him set, Full like a dead image, pale and wan, And in his breast the heaped woe began Out burst, and he to worken in this wise, In his woodness,* as I shall you devise.** *madness **relate

Right as the wilde bull begins to spring, Now here, now there, y-darted* to the heart, *pierced with a dart And of his death roareth in complaining; Right so gan he about the chamber start, Smiting his breast aye with his fistes smart;* *painfully, cruelly His head to the wall, his body to the ground, Full oft he swapt,* himselfe to confound. *struck, dashed

His eyen then, for pity of his heart, Out streameden as swifte welles* tway; *fountains The highe sobbes of his sorrow's smart His speech him reft; unnethes* might he say, *scarcely "O Death, alas! *why n'ilt thou do me dey?* *why will you not Accursed be that day which that Nature make me die?*

Shope* me to be a living creature!" *shaped

Bitterly reviling Fortune, and calling on Love to explain why his happiness with Cressicla should be thus repealed, Troilus declares that, while he lives, he will bewail his misfortune in solitude, and will never see it s.h.i.+ne or rain, but will end his sorrowful life in darkness, and die in distress.

"O weary ghost, that errest to and fro!

Why n'ilt* thou fly out of the woefulest *wilt not Body that ever might on grounde go?

O soule, lurking in this woeful nest!

Flee forth out of my heart, and let it brest,* *burst And follow alway Cresside, thy lady dear!

Thy righte place is now no longer here.

"O woeful eyen two! since your disport* *delight Was all to see Cressida's eyen bright, What shall ye do, but, for my discomfort, Stande for naught, and weepen out your sight, Since she is quench'd, that wont was you to light?

In vain, from this forth, have I eyen tway Y-formed, since your virtue is away!

"O my Cresside! O lady sovereign Of thilke* woeful soule that now cryeth! *this Who shall now give comfort to thy pain?

Alas! no wight; but, when my hearte dieth, My spirit, which that so unto you hieth,* *hasteneth Receive *in gree,* for that shall ay you serve; *with favour*

*Forthy no force is* though the body sterve.* *therefore no matter*

*die "O ye lovers, that high upon the wheel Be set of Fortune, in good adventure, G.o.d lene* that ye find ay** love of steel,<69> *grant **always And longe may your life in joy endure!

But when ye come by my sepulture,* *sepulchre Remember that your fellow resteth there; For I lov'd eke, though I unworthy were.

"O old, unwholesome, and mislived man, Calchas I mean, alas! what ailed thee To be a Greek, since thou wert born Trojan?

O Calchas! which that will my bane* be, *destruction In cursed time wert thou born for me!

As woulde blissful Jove, for his joy, That I thee hadde where I would in Troy!"

Soon Troilus, through excess of grief, fell into a trance; in which he was found by Pandarus, who had gone almost distracted at the news that Cressida was to be exchanged for Antenor. At his friend's arrival, Troilus "gan as the snow against the sun to melt;" the two mingled their tears a while; then Pandarus strove to comfort the woeful lover. He admitted that never had a stranger ruin than this been wrought by Fortune:

"But tell me this, why thou art now so mad To sorrow thus? Why li'st thou in this wise, Since thy desire all wholly hast thou had, So that by right it ought enough suffice?

But I, that never felt in my service A friendly cheer or looking of an eye, Let me thus weep and wail until I die. <70>

"And over all this, as thou well wost* thy selve, *knowest This town is full of ladies all about, And, *to my doom,* fairer than suche twelve *in my judgment*

As ever she was, shall I find in some rout,* *company Yea! one or two, withouten any doubt: Forthy* be glad, mine owen deare brother! *therefore If she be lost, we shall recover another.

"What! G.o.d forbid alway that each pleasance In one thing were, and in none other wight; If one can sing, another can well dance; If this be goodly, she is glad and light; And this is fair, and that can good aright; Each for his virtue holden is full dear, Both heroner, and falcon for rivere. <71>

"And eke as writ Zausis,<72> that was full wise, The newe love out chaseth oft the old, And upon new case lieth new advice; <73> Think eke thy life to save thou art hold;* *bound Such fire *by process shall of kinde cold;* *shall grow cold by For, since it is but casual pleasance, process of nature*

Some case* shall put it out of remembrance. *chance

"For, all so sure as day comes after night, The newe love, labour, or other woe, Or elles seldom seeing of a wight, Do old affections all *over go;* *overcome*

And for thy part, thou shalt have one of tho* *those T'abridge with thy bitter paine's smart; Absence of her shall drive her out of heart."

These wordes said he *for the nones all,* *only for the nonce*

To help his friend, lest he for sorrow died; For, doubteless, to do his woe to fall,* *make his woe subside*

He raughte* not what unthrift** that he said; *cared **folly But Troilus, that nigh for sorrow died, Took little heed of all that ever he meant; One ear it heard, at th'other out it went.

But, at the last, he answer'd and said, "Friend, This leachcraft, or y-healed thus to be, Were well sitting* if that I were a fiend, *recked To traisen* her that true is unto me: *betray I pray G.o.d, let this counsel never the,* *thrive But do me rather sterve* anon right here, *die Ere I thus do, as thou me wouldest lear!"* *teach

Troilus protests that his lady shall have him wholly hers till death; and, debating the counsels of his friend, declares that even if he would, he could not love another. Then he points out the folly of not lamenting the loss of Cressida because she had been his in ease and felicity -- while Pandarus himself, though he thought it so light to change to and fro in love, had not done busily his might to change her that wrought him all the woe of his unprosperous suit.

"If thou hast had in love ay yet mischance, And canst it not out of thine hearte drive, I that lived in l.u.s.t* and in pleasance *delight With her, as much as creature alive, How should I that forget, and that so blive?* *quickly O where hast thou been so long hid in mew,*<74> *cage That canst so well and formally argue!"

The lover condemns the whole discourse of his friend as unworthy, and calls on Death, the ender of all sorrows, to come to him and quench his heart with his cold stroke. Then he distils anew in tears, "as liquor out of alembic;" and Pandarus is silent for a while, till he bethinks him to recommend to Troilus the carrying off of Cressida. "Art thou in Troy, and hast no hardiment [daring, boldness] to take a woman which that loveth thee?" But Troilus reminds his counsellor that all the war had come from the ravis.h.i.+ng of a woman by might (the abduction of Helen by Paris); and that it would not beseem him to withstand his father's grant, since the lady was to be changed for the town's good. He has dismissed the thought of asking Cressida from his father, because that would be to injure her fair fame, to no purpose, for Priam could not overthrow the decision of "so high a place as parliament;" while most of all he fears to perturb her heart with violence, to the slander of her name -- for he must hold her honour dearer than himself in every case, as lovers ought of right:

"Thus am I in desire and reason twight:* *twisted Desire, for to disturbe her, me redeth;* *counseleth And Reason will not, so my hearte dreadeth."* *is in doubt

Thus weeping, that he coulde never cease He said, "Alas! how shall I, wretche, fare?

For well feel I alway my love increase, And hope is less and less alway, Pandare!

Increasen eke the causes of my care; So well-away! *why n' ill my hearte brest?* *why will not For us in love there is but little rest." my heart break?*

Pandare answered, "Friend, thou may'st for me Do as thee list;* but had I it so hot, *please And thine estate,* she shoulde go with me! *rank Though all this town cried on this thing by note, I would not set* all that noise a groat; *value For when men have well cried, then will they rown,* *whisper Eke wonder lasts but nine nights ne'er in town.