And what hir liste, more or lesse, Sche dede, in bokes as we finde, That passeth over manneskinde.1

Bot who that wole of wondres hiere,

What thing sche wroghte in this matiere,
To make an ende of that sche gan,2
Such merveile herde nevere man.
Apointed in the newe mone,
Whan it was time forto done,
Sche sette a caldron on the fyr,
In which was al the hole atir,3
Whereon the medicine stod,
Of jus, of water, and of blod,
And let it buile in such a plit,
Til that sche sawh the spume whyt;
And tho sche caste in rynde and rote,
And sed and flour that was for bote,6
With many an herbe and many a ston,
Whereof sche hath ther many on.
And ek Cimpheius the serpent
To hire hath alle his scales lent,
Chelidre hire yaf his addres skin,
And sche to builen caste hem in;
A part ek of the horned oule,
The which men hiere on nyhtes houle;
And of a raven, which was told
Of nyne hundred wynter old,

Sche tok the hed with al the bile; 7
And as the medicine it wile,
Sche tok therafter the bouele 8
Of the seewolf, and for the hele
Of Eson, with a thousand mo
Of thinges that sche hadde tho,
In that caldroun togedre as blyve 10
Sche putte; and tok thanne of olyve
A drie branche hem with to stere,"1
The which anon gan floure and bere
And waxe al freissh and grene ayein.
Whan sche this vertu hadde sein,
Sche let the leste drope of alle
Upon the bare flor doun falle;
Anon ther sprong up flour and gras,
Where-as the drope falle was,
And wox anon al medwe grene,
So that it mihte wel be sene.
Medea thanne knew and wiste
Hir medicine is forto triste,13
And goth to Eson ther 14 he lay,
And tok a swerd was of assay
With which a wounde upon his side
Sche made, that therout mai slyde

12

15

3

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1 that surpasses human nature 2 began equip

And whatso pleased her, more or less,
She did, as we in books may find,
Deeds that pass skill of human kind.
But whoso will of wonders hear,
What things she wrought by magic clear
To make an end of all her spell,
Of crafts like hers heard no man tell.
Just as the moon had changed to new,
When it was time her task to do,
She laid a cauldron on the fire,

In which was placed the mass entire
Wherein the magic virtues stood
Of juice, of water, and of blood,
And let it boil therein aright
Till she could see the bubbles white;
And then she cast in bark and root,
And seed and flower both to boot,
With many a herb and many a stone,
Whereof she hath there many a one.
And eke Cimpheius, the serpent,
To her hath all his scales now lent,
Chelidre, the adder, gave his skin,
And she to the boiling cast them in;
A part too of the horned owl,
The which men hear at night-time howl;
And of a raven which had told
His full nine hundred winters old
She took the head with all the bill;
And as the medicine it will,
Of sea wolf she the bowel took,
And for the healing did it cook
Of Eson; and a thousand more
Of things that she had still in store
Within that cauldron cast full quick.
Of olive then a withered stick
She took, to stir that mixture rare.
And lo, the stick did flower and bear,
And waxed again all fresh and green!
When she this virtue well had seen,
She let the smallest drop of all
Upon the barren earth down fall;

At once there sprang up flower and grass,
Just where the falling drop did pass,
And waxed at once all meadow-green,
So that it clearly might be seen.
Medea then full surely knew
Her medicine was strong and true;
And goes to Eson where he lay,
And took a sword of good assay,
With which a wound within his side
She made, that so thereout may slide

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9 healing 14 where 15 proof

The blod withinne, which was old
And sek and trouble and fieble and cold.
And tho sche tok unto his us1
Of herbes al the beste jus,
And poured it into his wounde;
That made his veynes fulle and sounde.
And tho sche made his wounde clos,
And tok his hand, and up he ros.
And tho sche yaf 2 him drinke a drauhte,
Of which his youthe ayein he cauhte,
His hed, his herte and his visage

Lich 3 unto twenty wynter age;
Hise hore heres were away,
And lich unto the freisshe Maii,
Whan passed ben the colde schoures,
Riht so recovereth he his floures.

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The blood within him, which was old
And sick and troubled and feeble and cold.
And then she took unto his use
Of all the herbs the potent juice,
And poured it all into his wound,
That made his veins all full and sound;
And then she made his wound to close;
And took his hand, and up he rose.
A draught to drink she gave him then,
From which his youth he caught again,
His head, his heart, and his viságe,
Like unto twenty winters' age;
His hoary hairs vanished away;

And like unto the lusty May,

When passed are all the chilling showers, Right so recovereth he his flowers.

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And neigh the dore, ay under shames drede,
Simple of atyr, and debonaire of chere,
With ful assured loking and manere.

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This Troilus, as he was wont to gyde
His yonge knightes, ladde hem up and doun
In thilke1 large temple on every syde,
Biholding ay the ladyes of the toun,
Now here, now there, for no devocioun
Hadde he to noon, to reven 2 him his reste,
But gan to preyse and lakken3 whom him
leste.4

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Among thise othere folk was Criseyda,
In widewes habite blak; but nathelees,
Right as our firste lettre is now an A,
In beautee first so stood she, makelees;
Hir goodly looking gladede al the prees.14
Nas 15
never seyn thing to ben preysed derre,16
Nor under cloude blak so bright a sterre 175
As was Criseyde, as folk seyde everichoon 17
That hir bihelden in hir blake wede;
And yet she stood ful lowe and stille alloon,
Bihinden othere folk, in litel brede,19

1

18

use 2 gave like it happened 5 meadow 6 spring sweet their 9of the Palladium 10

cially

7

8

not more dearly

12 14 crowd peerless yea 17 18 garment every one

19

16

15

5

11

14

9

y-ronne,

5

And bathed every veyne 8 in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt 10 and heeth
The tendre croppes," and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours 12
And smale foweles 13 maken melodye
That slepen al the nyght with open eye,
So priketh hem Nature in hir corages, 14.
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,"
To ferne halwes,16 kowthe 17 in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,

-- II

15

15

That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

19

Bifil 18 that in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay, Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,1s At nyght was come into that hostelrye Wel 20 nyne-and-twenty in a compaignye, Of sondry folk, by aventure 21 y-falle

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25

1 although 2 know 3 abandon think without doubt do 7 showers sweet 8 vein 9 such 10 forest 11 twigs 12 In April the sun's course lies partly in the zodiacal sign of the Ram and partly in that of the Bull. 13 birds 14 in their hearts 15 foreign strands 16 distant shrines 17 known 18 it happened 19 heart 20 full 21 chance

But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, Er that I ferther in this tale pace, Me thynketh it accordaunt to resoun To telle yow al the condicioun 1

45

Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,
And whiche' they weren and of what degree,
And eek in what array that they were inne;
And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne. 42
A Knyght ther was and that a worthy man,
That fro the tyme that he first bigan
To riden out, he lovede chivalrie,
Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie.
Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,
And thereto 6 hadde he riden, no man ferre,7
As wel in Cristendom as in hethenesse,
And ever honoured for his worthynesse.
At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne;
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne 8
Aboven alle nacions in Pruce.

11

50

In Lettow 10 hadde he reysed " and in Ruce,12
No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.13
55
In Gernade 14 at the seege eek hadde he be
Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.15

At Lyeys 16 was he, and at Satalye,16
Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete
See 17

60

At many a noble armee 18 hadde he be.
At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,
And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene 16
In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo.
This ilke 19 worthy knyght hadde been also
Somtyme with the lord of Palatye 16
Agayn 20 another hethen in Turkye;
And evermoore he hadde a sovereyn prys.21
And though that he were worthy, he was wys,
And of his port 22 as meeke as is a mayde.
He never yet no vileynye ne sayde

23

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