As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale,
Whoso be rebel to my juggement

Shal paye for all that by the wey is spent!
Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne.2 835
He which that hath the shorteste shal bigynne.
Sire Knyght," quod he, "my mayster and my lord,
Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord.
Cometh neer,'
,"3 quod he, “my lady Prioresse,
And ye, sire Clerk, lat be your shamefastnesse,
Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man."

Anon to drawen every wight bigan,
And, shortly for to tellen as it was,

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As of the secte1 of which that he was born He kepte his lay, to which that he was sworn; And ther-to he was hardy, wys, and riche, Pitous and just, and evermore yliche; 3

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Sooth of his word, benigne and honurable,
Of his corage as any centre stable;"
Yong, fresh, and strong, in armes desirous
As any bacheler of al his hous.
A fair persone he was and fortunat,
And kepte alwey so wel roial estat,
That ther was no-wher swich another man.
This noble king, this Tartre Cambyuskan
Hadde two sones on Elpheta his wyf,
Of whiche the eldeste highte' Algarsyf,
That other sone was cleped Cambalo.
A doughter hadde this worthy king also,
That yongest was, and highte Canacee.
But for to telle yow al hir beautee
It lyth nat in my tonge, nin' my conning;

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I dar nat undertake so hy a thing.

Myn English eek is insufficient;

It moste ben a rethor 10 excellent,

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To kepe his forward by his free assent,
He seyde, "Syn I shal bigynne the game,
What, welcome be the cut a Goddes name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye."
And with that word, we ryden forth oure weye;
And he bigan with right a myrie cheere
His tale anon, and seyde in this manere.

I am non swich, I mot speke as I can.

And so bifel that, whan this Cambyuskan

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At every cours the ordre of her servyse.
I wol nat tellen of her strange sewes,'
Ne of her swannes, ne of her heronsewes."
Eek in that lond, as tellen knyghtes olde,
Ther is som mete that is ful deyntee holde,
That in this lond men recche of 3 it but smal;
Ther nis no man that may reporten al.
I wol nat tarien yow, for it is pryme,
And for it is no fruyt but los of tyme;
Un-to my firste I wol have my recours.

4

Ther cam a knyght upon a stede of bras,
And in his hond a brood mirour of glas;
Upon his thombe he hadde of gold a ring,
And by his syde a naked swerd hanging;
And up he rydeth to the hye bord."
In al the halle ne was ther spoke a word
For merveille of this knyght; him to biholde
Ful bisily ther wayten yonge and olde.
This strange knyght, that cam thus sodeynly,
Al armed save his heed ful richely,
Salueth king and queen, and lordes alle,
By ordre as they seten 10 in the halle,

With so hy reverence and obeisance
As wel in spechë as in contenance,11
That Gawayn with his olde curteisye,
Though he were come ageyn out of Fairye,
Ne coude him nat amende with a word.
And after this, biforn the hye bord,
He with a manly voys seith his message,
After the forme used in his langage,
With-outen vice 12 of sillable or of lettre.
And, for his tale sholde seme the bettre,
Accordant to his wordes was his chere,
As techeth art of speche hem that it lere.13
Al-be-it that I can nat soune 14 his style,
Ne can nat clymben over so hy a style,
Yet seye I this, as to commune entente,
Thus much amounteth al that ever he mente,
If it so be that I have it in mynde.

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This is to seyn, in foure and twenty houres,
Wher-so yow list, in droughte or elles shoures,
Beren your body in-to every place

To which your herte wilneth for to pace
With-outen wem 2 of yow, thurgh foul or fair;
Or, if yow list to fleen as hy in the air
As doth an egle, whan him list to sore,
This same stede shal bere yow ever-more
With-outen harm, til ye be ther yow leste,*
Though that ye slepen on his bak or reste;
And turne ageyn, with wrything of a pin.
He that it wroughte coude ful many a gin;7
He wayted many a constellacion

8

Er he had don this operacion;

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And knew ful many a seel and many a bond.'
"This mirour eek, that I have in myn hond,
Hath swich a myght, that men may in it see
Whan ther shal fallen any adversitee
Un-to your regne or to your-self also;
And openly who is your frend or foo.
And over 10 al this, if any lady bryght
Hath set hir herte on any maner wyght,"
If he be fals, she shal his treson see,
His newe love, and al his subtiltee,
So openly that ther shal no thing hyde.
Wherfor, ageyn 12 this lusty someres tyde,
This mirour and this ring, that ye may see,
He hath sent to my lady Canacee,
Your excellente doughter that is here.

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'The vertu of the ring, if ye wol here, Is this; that, if hir lust 13 it for to were Up-on hir thombe, or in hir purs it bere, Ther is no foul that fleeth 14 under the hevene That she ne shal wel understonde his stevene,15 And knowe his mening openly and pleyn, And answere him in his langage ageyn. And every gras 18 that groweth up-on rote She shal eek knowe, and whom it wol do bote,17 Al 18 be his woundes never so depe and wyde. "This naked swerd, that hangeth by my syde, 156 Swich vertu hath, that what man so ye smyte, Thurgh-out his armure it wol kerve and byte, Were it as thikke as is a branched ook; And what man that is wounded with the strook Shal never be hool til that yow list,19 of grace, To stroke him with the platte in thilke 20 place Ther 2 he is hurt: this is as muche to seyn, Ye mote with the platte swerd ageyn Stroken him in the wounde, and it wol close; This is a verray sooth, 23 with-outen glose,

22

1 where-ever 2 spot, soilure 3 fly please 5 twisting 6 knew 7 device

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where you 8 observed

9 magical seals and bonds 10 besides 11 kind of per

son

12 toward

13 learn

16 plant

same

13 she pleases 14 flies 15 speech

you please 23 deceit

17 help 18 although 19 21 where 22 truth

20 the

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12

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Greet was the pres,16 that swarmeth to and fro, To gauren on this hors that standeth so; For it so hy was, and so brood and long, So wel proporcioned for to ben strong, Ryght as it were a stede of Lumbardye; Ther-with so horsly, and so quik of ye As it a gentil Poileys courser were; For certes, fro his tayl un-to his ere, Nature ne art ne coude him nat amende In no degree, as al the peple wende.19 But evermore her moste 20 wonder was, How that it coude gon, and was of bras; It was of Fairye, as the peple semed.21 Diverse folk diversely they demed;

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As many heedes, as many wittes ther been.
They murmurede as doth a swarm of been,22
And maden skiles 23 after her fantasyes,
Rehersinge of thise olde poetryes,
And seyden, it was lyk the Pegasee,
The hors that hadde winges for to flee;
Or elles it was the Grekes hors Synon,24
That broughte Troye to destruccion,
As men may in thise olde gestes 25 rede.
"Myn herte," quod oon, "is evermore in drede;
I trowe som men of armes ben ther-inne,
That shapen hem this citee for to winne.
It were ryght good that al swich thing were
knowe."

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where 11 pulley 13 trick 14 left 15 get him away 16 throng gaze 18 Apulian 19 thought 20 their greatest 21 seemed

12 know

17

to the people 22 bees 23 explanations 24 the horse of Sinon the Greek 25 tales

1

Another rowned to his felawe lowe,
And seyde, "He lyeth; it is rather lyk
An apparence ymaad by som magyk,
As jogelours pleyen at thise festes grete."

Of sondry doutes thus they jangle and trete,2
As lewed peple demeth comunly

3

Of thinges that ben maad more subtilly
Than they can in her lewednes comprehende;
They demen gladly to the badder ende.

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And somme of hem wondrede on the mirour, 225
That born was up in-to the maister tour,
How men myghte in it swiche thinges se.
Another answerde and seyde it myghte wel be
Naturelly, by composicions

Of angles and of slye reflexions,
And seyde that in Rome was swich oon.
They speken of Alocen and Vitulon,
And Aristotle, that writen in her lyves
Of queynte mirours and of prospectyves,
As knowen they that han her bokes herd.

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And othere folk han wondred on the swerd That wolde percen thurgh-out every-thing; And fille in speche of Thelophus the king, And of Achilles with his queynte spere, For he coude with it bothe hele and dere," Ryght in swich wyse as men may with the swerd Of which ryght now ye han your-selven herd. They speke of sondry harding of metal, And speke of medicynes ther-with-al, And how, and whan, it sholde yharded be; Which is unknowe, algates unto me.

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Tho' speke they of Canaceës ring, And seyden alle, that swich a wonder thing Of craft of ringes herde they never non, Save that he Moyses and king Salomon Hadden a name of cunning in swich art. Thus seyn the peple, and drawen hem apart. But natheles somme seyden that it was Wonder to maken of fern-asshen 10 glas, And yet nis glas nat lyk asshen of fern; But for they han yknowen it so fern," Therfor cesseth her jangling and her wonder. As sore wondren somme on cause of thonder, On ebbe, on flood, on gossomer,12 and on mist, And on al thing, til that the cause is wist.13 260 Thus jangle they and demen and devyse, Til that the king gan fro the bord aryse.

To-forn him goth the loude minstralcye,
Til he cam to his chambre of parementz,1
Ther-as they sownen diverse instrumentz,
That it is lyk an heven for to here.
Now dauncen lusty Venus children dere,
For in the Fish her lady sat ful hye,3
And loketh on hem with a frendly yë.
This noble king is set up in his trone.
This strange knyght is fet to him ful sone,
And on the daunce he goth with Canacee.
Heer is the revel and the jolitee
That is nat able a dul man to devyse.5

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What nedeth yow rehercen her array?
Ech man wot wel that at a kinges feste
Hath plentee, to the moste and to the leste,
And deyntees mo than ben in my knowing.
At after-soper goth this noble king
To sen this hors of bras, with al the route
Of lordes and of ladyes him aboute.
Swich wondring was ther on this hors of bras
That, sin 12 the grete sege of Troye was,
Ther-as 13 men wondreden on an hors also,
Ne was ther swich a wondring as was tho.1
But fynally the king axeth this knyght
The vertu 15 of this courser and the myght,
And preyede him to telle his governaunce.
This hors anon bigan to trippe and daunce,
Whan that this knyght leyde hond up-on his

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3 Their lady, Venus, was in fetched 5 describe 6 strange 10 hasten 11 15 excellence

• bids

14 then

19 which stands

company

16 say

Ye mote nempne1 him to what place also
Or to what, contree that yow list2 to ryde.
And whan ye come ther-as 3 yow list abyde, 320
Bidde him descende, and trille another pin,-
For ther-in lyth the effect of al the gin,*
And he wol doun descende and don your wille;
And in that place he wol abyde stille;
Though al the world the contrarie hadde yswore,
He shal nat thennes ben ydrawe ne ybore.
Or, if yow liste2 bidde him thennes gon,
Trille this pin, and he wol vanishe anon
Out of the syghte of every maner wyght,
And come agayn, be it by day or nyght,
When that yow list to clepen him ageyn
In swich a gyse 8
as I shal to yow seyn
Bitwixe yow and me, and that ful sone.

Ryd whan yow list, ther is namore to done."
Enformed whan the king was of 10 that knyght,
And hath conceyved in his wit aryght

The maner and the forme of al this thing,
Thus glad and blythe this noble doughty king
Repeireth to his revel as biforn.
The brydel is un-to the tour yborn,
And kept among his jewels leve" and dere.
The hors vanisshed, I noot
12 in what manere,
Out of her syghte; ye gete namore of me.
But thus I lete 13 in lust 14 and jolitee
This Cambyuskan his lordes festeyinge,
Til wel ny the day bigan to springe.

Explicit prima pars. Sequitur pars secunda The norice 15 of digestioun, the Slepe, Gan on hem winke, and bad hem taken kepe That muchel drink and labour wolde han reste; And with a galping " mouth hem all he keste, And seyde, it was tyme to lye adoun, For blood was in his dominacioun; "Cherissheth blood, natures frend," quod he. They thanken him galpinge," by two, by thre, And every wyght gan drawe him to his reste, 355 As Slepe hem bad; 18 they toke it for the beste. Her dremes shul nat ben ytold for me; Ful were her heedes of fumositee, That causeth dreem of which ther nis no charge." They slepen til that it was pryme large,20 The moste part, but it were Canacee; She was ful mesurable, as wommen be. For of hir fader hadde she take leve To gon to reste, sone after it was eve; 1 name, mention 5 drawn nor borne way say 10 by 11 precious 12 know not 14 pleasure 16 heed 17 gaping 19 importance, significance

Hir liste nat appalled 1 for to be,
Nor on the morwe 2 unfestlich 3 for to se;
And slepte hir firste slepe, and thanne awook.
For swich a joye she in hir herte took
Bothe of hir queynte ring and hir mirour,
That twenty tyme she changed hir colour;
And in hir slepe, ryght for impression
Of hir mirour, she hadde a vision.

Wherfor, er that the sonne gan up glyde,
She cleped on hir maistresse 5 hir bisyde,
And seyde that hir liste for to ryse.
Thise olde wommen that been gladly wyse,
As is hir maistresse, answerde hir anon,
And seyde, "Madame, whider wole" ye gon'
Thus erly, for the folk ben alle on reste?"
"I wol," quod she, "aryse, for me leste
No lenger for to slepe; and walke aboute."

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Hir maistresse clepeth wommen a gret route, And up they rysen, wel a ten or twelve; Up ryseth fresshe Canacee hir-selve, As rody 10 and bryght as doth the yonge sonne, That in the Ram " is four degrees up-ronne; 386 Noon hyer was he, whan she redy was; And forth she walketh esily a pas, Arrayed after the lusty seson sote Lyghtly, for to pleye and walke on fote; Nat but with fyve or six of hir meynee; And in a trench," forth in the park, goth she. The vapour, which that fro the crthe glood,15 Made the sonne to seme rody 10 and brood; But natheles, it was so fair a syghte That it made alle her hertes for to lyghte, What for the seson and the morweninge, And for the foules that she herde singe; For ryght anon she wiste what they mente Ryght by her song, and knew al her entente.18

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The knotte why that every tale is told, If it be taried til that lust 17 be cold Of hem that han it after herkned yore,' The savour passeth ever lenger the more, For fulsomnesse of his prolixitee. And by the same reson, thinketh me,19 I sholde to the knotte condescende, And maken of hir walking sone an ende. Amidde a tree fordrye, 20 as whyt as chalk, As Canacee was pleying in hir walk, Ther sat a faucon over hir heed ful hye, That with a pitous voys so gan to crye That all the wode resouned of hir cry. Ybeten hath she hir-self so pitously With bothe hir winges til the rede blood

9

12 sweet

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4 called 10 ruddy 13 household

1 made pale 2 morning 3 unfitting a feast 5 duenna 6 will 7 go 8 calls company 11 The zodiacal sign Aries. 14 closed walk 16 glided 16 meaning 17 desire 19 me-thinks 20 dried up 21 beaten

18 long

Ran endelong1 the tree ther-as2 she stood.
And ever-in-oon3 she cryde alwey and shryghte,*
And with hir beek hir-selven so she pryghte,
That ther nis tygre, ne non so cruel beste,
That dwelleth either in wode or in foreste,
That nolde han wept, if that he wepe coude,
For sorwe of hir, she shryghte1 alwey so loude.
For ther nas never yet no man on lyve1.

If that I coude a faucon wel discryve —
That herde of swich another of fairnesse
As wel of plumage as of gentillesse

Of shap, and al that myghte yrekened be.

A faucon peregryn than semed she

Of fremde londe; and evermore, as she stood, She swowneth now and now for lakke of blood, Til wel ny is she fallen fro the tree.

This faire kinges doughter, Canacee, That on hir finger bar the queynte ring, Thurgh which she understood wel every thing That any foul may in his ledene seyn, And coude answere him in his ledene 10 ageyn, Hath understonde what this faucon seyde, And wel ny for the rewthe " almost she deyde. And to the tree she goth ful hastily, And on this faucon loketh pitously, And held hir lappe abrood, for wel she wiste 12 The faucon moste fallen fro the twiste,13 When that it swowned next, for lakke of blood. A longe while to wayten " hir she stood, Til atte laste she spak in this manere Un-to the hauk,15 as ye shul 18 after here. "What is the cause, if it be for to telle, That ye be in this furial pyne 17 of helle?" Quod Canacee un-to this hauk above. "Is this for sorwe of deth or los of love? For, as I trowe, thise ben causes two That causen most a gentil herte wo. Of other harm it nedeth nat to speke, For ye your-self upon your-self yow wreke; Which proveth wel that either love or drede Mot ben encheson 18 of your cruel dede, Sin 19 that I see non other wyght yow chace. For love of God, as doth your-selven grace! Or what may ben your help? for West nor Est Ne sey 20 I never er now no brid ne best That ferde 2 with him-self so pitously. Ye sle 22 me with your sorwe, verraily; I have of yow so gret compassioun. For Goddes love, com fro the tree adoun; And, as I am a kinges doughter trewe, If that I verraily the cause knewe