And in grete councell toke the quene;
Long were the talis them betwene:
And ovir her bill he red thrise,
And wondir gladly gan devise
Her fetures faire and her visage,
And bad gode thrift on that image,
And saied he trowid her compleint
Should aftir cause her be corseint;
And in his fleve he put the bill,
Was there none that yknew his will,
And forth he walke apace about,
Beholding all the lusty rout,
Halfe in a thought with smiling chere,
Till at the last, as ye shall here,
He turned unto the quene ageine,
And said, To morne here in this pleine
I woll that ye be and all yours,
That purposid ben to were flours,
Or of my lusty colour use,
It may not be to you excuse,
Ne to none of yours in no wise,
That able be to my servise ;
For as I said have here before
I will be lord for evirmore
Of you, and of this yle, and all,
And of all yours that havin fhall
Joy, pece, or ese, or in plesaunce
Your livis use without noyfaunce;
Here will I in ftate be ysene,
And turned his visage to the quere,
And you give knowledge of my will,
And a full answere of your bill.
Was there no nay, ne wordis none,
But very' obeisaunt semed echone;
The
quene
and othir that were there
Well femid it they had grete fere,
And there toke lodging every knight,
Was none departid of that night,
And some to rede old romances
Them occupied for ther plefances,
Some to make verèlaies and laies,
And some to othir diverse plaies,
And I to me a romance toke,
And as I reding was the beke
Methought the spherè had so run
That it was rising of the fun,
And such a presinto the plaine
Assemble
gone,
that with grete paine
One might for othir go ne stand,
Ne none take othir by the hand,
Withoutin they distourbid were,
So huge and
gret
the
pres
And aftir that within two houres
This mighty lord clad all in floures
of divers colours many’a paire
in his estate up in the aire
Well nigh two fathom, as his hight,
He fet him there in all ther fight,
And for the quene and for the knight,
And for my lady' and every wight,
In haft he sent, so that ner one
Was there absent, but come echone:
And when they thus affemblid were,
As ye have herd me say you here,
Without more tarrying on hight,
There to be sene of every wight,
Up Itode among the pres above
A counsaylir, fervaunt of Love,
Which femid well of grer estate,
And shewid there how no debate
Othir then godely might be used
In gentilnefse and be excused,
Wherefore he said his lord'is will
Was every wight there should be ftih
And in pees, and of one accord,
And thus commaundid at a word,
And can his tongue to swiche language
To turne, that yet in all mine age
Herd I nevir so conningly
Man speke, ne halfe so faithfully,
For every thing he said there
Semid as it inselid were,
Or approvid for very trew:
Swiche was his cunning language newe,
And well according to his chere,
That where I be me thinke I here
Him yet alway, when I mine one
In any place may be alone;
First con he of the lusty yle
All the astate in lityl whyle
Reherse, and wholly every thing
That caufid there his lord's comming,
And every wele and every wo,
And for what cause eche thing was fo
Well shewed he there in efie fpech,
And how the ficke had nede of lech;
And that whiche whole was and in
grace
He told plainly why ech thing was,
And at the last he con conclude,
Voidid every language rude,
And said, That prince, that mighty lord,
Or his departing would accord
All the parties were there present,
And was the fine of his entent,
Witnesse his presence in your sight,
Which sits among you in his might;
And knelid downe withoutin more,
And not o word yspake he more.
Tho gan this mighty lord himn dresse,
With chere avised, to do largesse,
And said unto this knight and me,
Tilall to joy restorid be,
And for ye have ben true ye twainc
1
graunt
you here for every paine
A thousand joies every weke,
And loke ye be no lengir feke,
And both your ladies, lo'hem here!
Take ech his own; beth of gode chere,
Your happie day is new begun
Sith it was rising of the sun,
And to all othir in this place
I graunt wholly to stand in grace
That servith truely without flouth,
And to avauncid be by trouch.
Tho gan this knight and I downe knele,
Wening to doin wondir wele,
Seing, o lord! your grete mercy
Us hath enriched so opinly
That we deserve may nevir more
The leftè part, but evirmore
With foule and body truely serve
You and yours till that we ysterve:
And to ther ladies there they stode
This knight, that couth so mikil gode,
Ywent in hast, and I also;
Joyous and glad werin we tho,
And al so rich in every thought
As he that all hath and ought nought,
And then besought in humble wise
Us to accept to ther service,
|