Whan kindled was the fire, with pitous chere Unto Diane lhe spake as ye may here:

Ochafte goddesse of the wodes grene, To whom both heven, and erthe, and see, is sene, Quene of the regne of Pluto derke and lowe, 2301 Goddesse of maydens, that min herte haft knowe Ful many a yere, and woft what I defire, As kepe me fro thy vengeance and thin ire, 'That Atteon aboughte cruelly!

2305 Chaste goddesse! wel woteft thou that I Desire to ben a mayden all my lif, Ne never wol I be no love ne wif: I am (thou woît) yet of thy compagnie, A mayde, and love hunting and venerie, 2310 And for to walken in the wodes wilde, And not to ben a wif and be with childe; Nought wol I knowen compagnie of man; Now helpe me, Lady, fith ye may and can, For tho three formes that thou hast in thee : 2315 And Palamon, that hath swiche love to me, Andeke Arcite, that loveth me fo fore, This grace I praie thee withouten more, As sende love and pees betwix hem two, And fro me torne away hir hertes so, 2320 That all hir hote love and hir defire, And all hir besy torment and hir fire Be queinte, or torned in another place. And if fo be thou wolt not do me grace,

2325

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2335

Or if my destinee be shapen so
That I shall nedes have on of hem two,
As sende me him that most defireth me.

Beholde, goddefie of clene Chastite !
The bitter teres that on my chekes fall:
Sin thou art mayde, and keper of us all,
My maydenhed thou kepe and wel conserve,
And while I live a mayde I wol thee serve.

The fires brenne upon the auter clere
While Emelie was thus in hire praiere,
But sodenly she saw a sighte queinte;
For right anon on of the fires queinte
And quiked again, and after that anon
That other fire was queinte and all agon,
And as it queinte it made a whisteling
As don these brondes wet in hir brenning;
And at the brondes ende outran anon
As it were blody dropes many on;
For which fo fore agast was Emelie,
That she was wel neigh mad, and gan to crie,
For she ne wiste what it fignified,
But only for the fere thus the cried
And wept, that it was pitee for to here.

And therwithall Diane gan appere
With bowe in hond, right as an hunteresse,
And sayde, Doughter, stint thin hevineffe.
Among the goddes highe it is affermed,
And by eterne word written and confermed,

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2355

2360

Thou shalt be wedded unto on of tho
That han for thee so mochel care and wo,
But unto which of hem I may not tell.
Farewel, for here I may no longer dwell;
The fires which that on min auter brenne
Shal thee declaren er that thou go henne
Thin aventure of love as in this cas.

And with that word the arwes in the cas
Of the goddesse clatteren fast and ring,
And forth she went and made a vanishing,
For which this Emelie astonied was,
And fayde, What amounteth this, alas!
I putte me in thy protection
Diane, and in thy difpofition.
And home she goth anon the nexte way.
This is the effecte; ther n'is no more to say.

The nexte houre of Mars folwing this
Arcite unto the temple walked is
Of fierce Mars, to don his facrifise
With all the rites of his payen wife.
With pitous herte and high devotion
Right thus to Mars he fayde his orison :

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2370

V. 2358. Spal thee declaren] This is improper, as the fires have already declared the event of the combat. In the origi. nal, as I remember, the appearance of Diana is prior to the omen.

Ñ. 2372. payen] This Fr. word is constantiy used in the beft mfl. instead of pagar.

O stronge god, that in the regnes cold 2375 Of Trace honoured art, and lord yhold, And hait in every regne and every lond Of armes all the bridel in thin hond, And hem fortuneit as thee lift devise, Accept of me my pitous facrifise!

2380 If fo be that my youthe may deserve, And that my might be worthy for to serve Thy godhed, that I may ben on of thine, Than praie I thee to rewe upon my pine, For thilke peine and thilke hote fire

2385 In which thou whilom brendest for defire Whanne that thou usedest the beautee Of fayre yonge Venus freshe and free, And haddeit hire in armes at thy wille; Although thee ones on a tine misaille,

2390 Whan Vulcanus had caught thee in his las, And fond thee ligging by his wif, alas! For thilke forwe that was cho in thin herte Have reuthe as wel upon my peines smerte.

*.2375. O stronge god] The prayer of Arcite in The The. Jeida begins in the same manner;

A forte dio, che ne i regni nivoli
Biftonii fervi le tue facre case
Se per aito volere la rnia ctate
Ele mie forze meritan, che io
De i toi fia deito, per quella pietatc,
Ch'cbe Neptuno, alor che con difio
Di Citharea usavi la beltate,
Rinchiuso da Vulcan, ad ogni idio
Facto palefe, humilmente te priego,
Che a li miei prieghi tu non fazi niego,

lo fun cumc tu vidi giovinetto, 6.

I am yonge and unkonning as thou woft, 2395 And, as I trow, with love offended most That ever was ony lives creature; For she that doth me all this wo endure Ne recceth never whether I finke or flete; And wel I wot or she me mercy hete

2400 I moste with strengthe win hire in the place; And wel i wot withouten helpe or grace Of thee ne may my strengthe not availle; Than helpe me, Lord, to-morwe in my bataille, For thilke fire that whilom brenned thee, 2405 As wel as that this fire now brenneth me, And do, that I to-morwe may han victorie: Min be the travaille and thin be the glorie. Thy foveraine temple wol I most honouren Of ony place, and alway most labouren

2410 In thy plefance and in thy craftes ilrong; And in thy temple I wol my baner hong, And all the armes of my compagnie, And evermore until that day I die Eterne fire I wol beforne thee find;

2415 And eke to this avow I wol me bind. Ñ. 2404. Than helpe me] So in The Thefeida ;

Dunque me ajuta per lo fanto focho,
Che te arie gia, fi come me arde hora.

I tempii tuoi eterni foneranno
De l'armi del mio vinto ccrrpagnone,
Et ancora le mic vi penderano
Eterni fochi sempre viorder10,
E la barboa [f. barbal ei mei con [f. crin) che offenfione
Di forro non fcntiron tc imprometto.