188宝金博页面版

THE LEGEND OF PHYLLIS By preve as wel as by auctoritee, That wikked fruit cometh of a wikked tree, That may ye finde, if that it lyketh yow. But for this ende I speke this as now, To telle you of false Demophon. In love a falser herde I never non, 2400 But-if hit were his fader Theseus. "God, for his grace, fro swich oon kepe us!" Thus may thise women prayen that hit here. (10) Now to theffect turne I of my matere. Destroyed is of Troye the citee; This Demophon com sailing in the see Toward Athenes, to his paleys large; With him com many a ship and many a barge Ful of his folk, of which ful many oon Is wounded sore, and seek, and wo begoon. 2410 And thay han at the sege longe y-lain. Behinde him com a wind and eek a rain That shoof so sore, his sail ne mighte stonde, (20) Him were lever than al the world a-londe, So hunteth him the tempest to and fro. So derk hit was, he coude nowher go; And with a wawe brosten was his stere. His ship was rent so lowe, in swich manere, That carpenter ne coude hit nat amende. The see, by nighte, as any torche brende 2420 For wood, and posseth him now up now doun, Til Neptune hath of him compassioun, And Thetis, Chorus, Triton, and they alle, (30) And maden him upon a lond to falle, Wher-of that Phillis lady was and quene, Ligurgus doghter, fairer on to sene Than is the flour again the brighte sonne. Unnethe is Demophon to londe y-wonne, Wayk and eek wery, and his folk for-pyned Of werinesse, and also enfamyned; 2430 And to the deeth he almost was y-driven. His wyse folk to conseil han him yiven To seken help and socour of the queen, (40) And loken what his grace mighte been, And maken in that lond som chevisaunce, To kepen him fro wo and fro mischaunce. For seek was he, and almost at the deeth; Unnethe mighte he speke or drawe his breeth, And lyth in Rodopeya him for to reste. Whan he may walke, him thoughte hit was the beste 2440 Unto the court to seken for socour. Men knewe him wel, and diden him honour; For at Athenes duk and lord was he, (50) As Theseus his fader hadde y-be, That in his tyme was of greet renoun, No man so greet in al his regioun; And lyk his fader of face and of stature, And fals of love; hit com him of nature; As doth the fox Renard, the foxes sone, Of kinde he coude his olde faders wone 2450 Withoute lore, as can a drake swimme, Whan hit is caught and caried to the brimme. This honourable Phillis doth him chere, (60) her lyketh wel his port and his manere. But for I am agroted heer-biforn To wryte of hem that been in love forsworn, And eek to haste me in my legende, Which to performe god me grace sende, Therfor I passe shortly in this wyse; Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse 2460 In the betraising of fair Adriane, That of her pite kepte him from his bane. At shorte wordes, right so Demophon (70) The same wey, the same path hath gon That dide his false fader Theseus. For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus, To wedden her, and her his trouthe plighte, And piked of her al the good he mighte, Whan he was hool and sound and hadde his reste; And doth with Phillis what so that him leste. 2470 And wel coude I, yif that me leste so, Tellen al his doing to and fro. He seide, unto his contree moste he saile, (80) For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile As fil to her honour and his also. And openly he took his leve tho, And hath her sworn, he wolde nat soiorne, But in a month he wolde again retorne. And in that lond let make his ordinaunce As verray lord, and took the obeisaunce 2480 Wel and hoomly, and let his shippe dighte, And hoom he goth the nexte wey be mighte; For unto Phillis yit ne com he noght. (90) And that hath she so harde and sore aboght, Allas! that, as the stories us