Troilus and Criseyde Part 9

Now for the love of me, my nece dere, 1210 Refuseth not at this tyme my preyere.'

'Depar-dieux,' quod she, 'G.o.d leve al be wel!

G.o.d help me so, this is the firste lettre That ever I wroot, ye, al or any del.'

And in-to a closet, for to avyse hir bettre, 1215 She wente allone, and gan hir herte unfettre Out of disdaynes prison but a lyte; And sette hir doun, and gan a lettre wryte,

Of which to telle in short is myn entente Theffect, as fer as I can understonde: -- 1220 She thonked him of al that he wel mente Towardes hir, but holden him in honde She nolde nought, ne make hir-selven bonde In love, but as his suster, him to plese, She wolde fayn to doon his herte an ese. 1225

She shette it, and to Pandarus in gan goon, There as he sat and loked in-to the strete, And doun she sette hir by him on a stoon Of Iaspre, up-on a quiss.h.i.+n gold y-bete, And seyde, 'As wisly helpe me G.o.d the grete, 1230 I never dide a thing with more peyne Than wryte this, to which ye me constreyne;'

And took it him: He thonked hir and seyde, 'G.o.d woot, of thing ful ofte looth bigonne Cometh ende good; and nece myn, Criseyde, 1235 That ye to him of hard now ben y-wonne Oughte he be glad, by G.o.d and yonder sonne!

For-why men seyth, "Impressiounes lighte Ful lightly been ay redy to the flighte.'

'But ye han pleyed tyraunt neigh to longe, 1240 And hard was it your herte for to grave; Now stint, that ye no longer on it honge, Al wolde ye the forme of daunger save.

But hasteth yow to doon him Ioye have; For trusteth wel, to longe y-doon hardnesse 1245 Causeth despyt ful often, for destresse.'

And right as they declamed this matere, Lo, Troilus, right at the stretes ende, Com ryding with his tenthe some y-fere, Al softely, and thiderward gan bende 1250 Ther-as they sete, as was his way to wende To paleys-ward; and Pandare him aspyde, And seyde, 'Nece, y-see who cometh here ryde!

'O flee not in, he seeth us, I suppose; Lest he may thinke that ye him eschuwe.' 1255 'Nay, nay,' quod she, and wex as reed as rose.

With that he gan hir humbly to saluwe With dreedful chere, and oft his hewes muwe; And up his look debonairly he caste, And bekked on Pandare, and forth he paste. 1260

G.o.d woot if he sat on his hors a-right, Or goodly was beseyn, that ilke day!

G.o.d woot wher he was lyk a manly knight!

What sholde I drecche, or telle of his aray?

Criseyde, which that alle these thinges say, 1265 To telle in short, hir lyked al y-fere, His persone, his aray, his look, his chere,

His goodly manere, and his gentillesse, So wel, that never, sith that she was born, Ne hadde she swich routhe of his distresse; 1270 And how-so she hath hard ben her-biforn, To G.o.d hope I, she hath now caught a thorn, She shal not pulle it out this nexte wyke; G.o.d sende mo swich thornes on to pyke!

Pandare, which that stood hir faste by, 1275 Felte iren hoot, and he bigan to smyte, And seyde, 'Nece, I pray yow hertely, Tel me that I shal axen yow a lyte: A womman, that were of his deeth to wyte, With-outen his gilt, but for hir lakked routhe, 1280 Were it wel doon?' Quod she, 'Nay, by my trouthe!'

'G.o.d help me so,' quod he, 'ye sey me sooth.

Ye felen wel your-self that I not lye; Lo, yond he rit!' Quod she, 'Ye, so he dooth!'

'Wel,' quod Pandare, 'as I have told yow thrye, 1285 Lat be youre nyce shame and youre folye, And spek with him in esing of his herte; Lat nycetee not do yow bothe smerte.'

But ther-on was to heven and to done; Considered al thing, it may not be; 1290 And why, for shame; and it were eek to sone To graunten him so greet a libertee.

'For playnly hir entente,' as seyde she, 'Was for to love him unwist, if she mighte, And guerdon him with no-thing but with sighte.' 1295

But Pandarus thoughte, 'It shal not be so, If that I may; this nyce opinioun Shal not be holden fully yeres two.'

What sholde I make of this a long sermoun?

He moste a.s.sente on that conclusioun, 1300 As for the tyme; and whan that it was eve, And al was wel, he roos and took his leve.

And on his wey ful faste homward he spedde, And right for Ioye he felte his herte daunce; And Troilus he fond alone a-bedde, 1305 That lay as dooth these loveres, in a traunce, Bitwixen hope and derk desesperaunce.

But Pandarus, right at his in-cominge, He song, as who seyth, 'Lo! Sumwhat I bringe,'

And seyde, 'Who is in his bed so sone 1310 Y-buried thus?' 'It am I, freend,' quod he.

'Who, Troilus? Nay, helpe me so the mone,'

Quod Pandarus, 'Thou shalt aryse and see A charme that was sent right now to thee, The which can helen thee of thyn accesse, 1315 If thou do forth-with al thy besinesse.'

'Ye, through the might of G.o.d!' quod Troilus.

And Pandarus gan him the lettre take, And seyde, 'Pardee, G.o.d hath holpen us; Have here a light, and loke on al this blake.' 1320 But ofte gan the herte glade and quake Of Troilus, whyl that he gan it rede, So as the wordes yave him hope or drede.

But fynally, he took al for the beste That she him wroot, for somwhat he biheld 1325 On which, him thoughte, he mighte his herte reste, Al covered she the wordes under sheld.

Thus to the more worthy part he held, That, what for hope and Pandarus biheste, His grete wo for-yede he at the leste. 1330

But as we may alday our-selven see, Through more wode or col, the more fyr; Right so encrees hope, of what it be, Therwith ful ofte encreseth eek desyr; Or, as an ook cometh of a litel spyr, 1335 So through this lettre, which that she him sente, Encresen gan desyr, of which he brente.

Wherfore I seye alwey, that day and night This Troilus gan to desiren more Than he dide erst, thurgh hope, and dide his might 1340 To pressen on, as by Pandarus lore, And wryten to hir of his sorwes sore Fro day to day; he leet it not refreyde, That by Pandare he wroot somwhat or seyde;

And dide also his othere observaunces 1345 That to a lovere longeth in this cas; And, after that these dees turnede on chaunces, So was he outher glad or seyde 'Allas!'

And held after his gestes ay his pas; And aftir swiche answeres as he hadde, 1350 So were his dayes sory outher gladde.

But to Pandare alwey was his recours, And pitously gan ay til him to pleyne, And him bisoughte of rede and som socours; And Pandarus, that sey his wode peyne, 1355 Wex wel neigh deed for routhe, sooth to seyne, And bisily with al his herte caste Som of his wo to sleen, and that as faste;

And seyde, 'Lord, and freend, and brother dere, G.o.d woot that thy disese dooth me wo. 1360 But woltow stinten al this woful chere, And, by my trouthe, or it be dayes two, And G.o.d to-forn, yet shal I shape it so, That thou shalt come in-to a certayn place, Ther-as thou mayst thy-self hir preye of grace. 1365

'And certainly, I noot if thou it wost, But tho that been expert in love it seye, It is oon of the thinges that furthereth most, A man to have a leyser for to preye, And siker place his wo for to biwreye; 1370 For in good herte it moot som routhe impresse, To here and see the giltles in distresse.

'Paraunter thenkestow: though it be so That kinde wolde doon hir to biginne To han a maner routhe up-on my wo, 1375 Seyth Daunger, "Nay, thou shalt me never winne; So reuleth hir hir hertes goost with-inne, That, though she bende, yet she stant on rote; What in effect is this un-to my bote?"

'Thenk here-ayeins, whan that the st.u.r.dy ook, 1380 On which men hakketh ofte, for the nones, Receyved hath the happy falling strook, The grete sweigh doth it come al at ones, As doon these rokkes or these milne-stones.

For swifter cours cometh thing that is of wighte, 1385 Whan it descendeth, than don thinges lighte.

'And reed that boweth doun for every blast, Ful lightly, cesse wind, it wol aryse; But so nil not an ook whan it is cast; It nedeth me nought thee longe to forbyse. 1390 Men shal reioysen of a greet empryse Acheved wel, and stant with-outen doute, Al han men been the lenger ther-aboute.

'But, Troilus, yet tel me, if thee lest, A thing now which that I shal axen thee; 1395 Which is thy brother that thou lovest best As in thy verray hertes privetee?'

'Y-wis, my brother Deiphebus,' quod he.

'Now,' quod Pandare, 'er houres twyes twelve, He shal thee ese, unwist of it him-selve. 1400

'Now lat me allone, and werken as I may,'

Quod he; and to Deiphebus wente he tho Which hadde his lord and grete freend ben ay; Save Troilus, no man he lovede so.

To telle in short, with-outen wordes mo, 1405 Quod Pandarus, 'I pray yow that ye be Freend to a cause which that toucheth me.'

'Yis, pardee,' quod Deiphebus, 'wel thow wost, In al that ever I may, and G.o.d to-fore, Al nere it but for man I love most, 1410 My brother Troilus; but sey wherfore It is; for sith that day that I was bore, I nas, ne never-mo to been I thinke, Ayeins a thing that mighte thee for-thinke.'

Pandare gan him thonke, and to him seyde, 1415 'Lo, sire, I have a lady in this toun, That is my nece, and called is Criseyde, Which some men wolden doon oppressioun, And wrongfully have hir possessioun: Wherfor I of your lords.h.i.+p yow biseche 1420 To been our freend, with-oute more speche.'

Deiphebus him answerde, 'O, is not this, That thow spekest of to me thus straungely, Criseyda, my freend?' He seyde, 'Yis.'

'Than nedeth,' quod Deiphebus, 'hardely, 1425 Na-more to speke, for trusteth wel, that I Wol be hir champioun with spore and yerde; I roughte nought though alle hir foos it herde.

'But tel me how, thou that woost al this matere, How I might best avaylen? Now lat see.' 1430 Quod Pandarus; 'If ye, my lord so dere, Wolden as now don this honour to me, To preyen hir to-morwe, lo, that she Come un-to yow hir pleyntes to devyse, Hir adversaries wolde of it agryse. 1435

'And if I more dorste preye as now, And chargen yow to have so greet travayle, To han som of your bretheren here with yow, That mighten to hir cause bet avayle, Than, woot I wel, she mighte never fayle 1440 For to be holpen, what at your instaunce, What with hir othere freendes governaunce.'

Deiphebus, which that comen was, of kinde, To al honour and bountee to consente, Answerde, 'It shal be doon; and I can finde 1445 Yet gretter help to this in myn entente.

What wolt thow seyn, if I for Eleyne sente To speke of this? I trowe it be the beste; For she may leden Paris as hir leste.

'Of Ector, which that is my lord, my brother, 1450 It nedeth nought to preye him freend to be; For I have herd him, o tyme and eek other, Speke of Criseyde swich honour, that he May seyn no bet, swich hap to him hath she.

It nedeth nought his helpes for to crave; 1455 He shal be swich, right as we wole him have.

'Spek thou thy-self also to Troilus On my bihalve, and pray him with us dyne.'