To tempt a shame the devil might owe him,
Resolv'd to leave the Squire for bail
And mainprize for him, to the gaol,
To answer, with his vessel, all
That might disastrously befall;
And thought it now the fittest juncture
To give the Lady a rencounter;
T'acquaint her with his expedition,
And conquest o'er the fierce magician;
Describe the manner of the fray,
And show the spoils he brought away;
His bloody scourging aggravate,
The number of the blows, and weight;
All which might probably succeed,
And gain belief h' had done the deed;
Which he resolv'd t' enforce, and spare
No pawning of his soul to swear;
But, rather than produce his back,
To set his conscience on the rack;
And in pursuance of his urging
Of articles perform'd and scourging,
And all things else, upon his part,
Demand deliv'ry of her heart,
Her goods, and chattels, and good graces,
And person up to his embraces.
Il jugea donc très-sagement
De s'en retirer vîtement
Sans tenter honte, que le diable
De lui garder était capable,
Et résolut, sans balancer,
De laisser à son écuyer
Essuyer toute la disgrace
Qui pût arriver, à sa place;
que c'était le moment D'aller attaquer vivement, Et faire à sa dame l'histoire De son entreprise et victoire Sur les braves magiciens, Lui détailler par quels moyens Le butin pris, et la manière Dont il s'était mis le derrière Tout en sang, et combien de coups, Le tout pour être son époux;
Ce qu'il comptait lui faire accroire.
Et pour accréditer l'histoire,
D'avance il était résolu
De la jurer comme un perdu;
Mettant conscience en arrière,
Plutôt que montrer le derrière;
La sommer de rendre son cœur,
Comme à lui, selon la teneur
Des conditions imposées,
Et qu'il avait exécutées;
Thought he, the ancient errant knights
Won all their ladies' hearts in fights;
And cut whole giants into fritters,
To put them into amorous twitters;
Whose stubborn bowels scorn'd to yield
Until their gallants were half kill'd.
But when their bones were drubb'd so sore
They durst not woo one combat more
The ladies' hearts began to melt,
Subdu'd by blows their lovers felt.
So Spanish heroes, with their lances,
At once wound bulls, and ladies' fancies;
And he acquires the noblest spouse
That widows greatest herds of cows:
Then what may I expect to do,
Wh' have quell'd so vast a buffalo ?
Meanwhile, the Squire was on his way The Knight's late orders to obey; Who sent him for a strong detachment Of beadles, constables, and watchmen, T'attack the cunning man for plunder
Et par conséquent corps et biens
De la dame devenaient siens.
Tout chevalier errant qui vaille,
Gagnait sa dame par bataille,
Dit-il, géants il pourfendait,
par ce moyen la gagnait.
Elle dédaignait de se rendre
Jusqu'à ce qu'on lui fit entendre
Qu'il était à moitié tué;
Mais quand il était bien rossé,
Et qu'il ne pouvait plus se battre
La dame l'aimait comme quatre;
La belle ne s'attendrissait
Qu'à mesure qu'on le rossait.
Ainsi les héros de Castille (199)
Blessent le cœur de noble fille,
Du même coup que le taureau;
Le mariage le plus beau
pour celui de ces bravaches, Qui rend veuves le plus de vaches. Il m'est donc dû bien de l'honneur, D'un si grand buffle étant vainqueur. Cependant Ralph, en conséquence De son ordre, fit diligence, Pour constable aller avertir
De venir le sorcier saisir,
Et le livrer à la justice
Pour vol commis avec malice;
Committed falsely on his lumber;
When he, who had so lately sack'd
The enemy, had done the fact,
Had rifled all his pokes and fobs
Of gimcracks, whims, and jiggumbobs,
Which he, by hook or crook, had gather'd,
And for his own inventions father'd:
And when they should, at gaol delivery,
Unriddle one another's thievery,
Both might have evidence enough,
To render either halter proof.
He thought it desperate to tarry,
And venture to be accessary;
But rather wisely slip his fetters,
And leave them for the Knight, his betters.
He call'd to mind th' unjust foul play
He would have offer'd him that day,
To make him curry his own hide,
Which no beast ever did beside,
Without all possible evasion,
But of the riding dispensation;
And therefore, much about the hour,
The Knight (for reasons told before)
Resolv'd to leave him to the fury
Of justice, and an unpack'd jury.
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