| 580 | After the deth of Tholome the kyng, |
| That al Egipt hadde in his governyng, |
| Regned his queene Cleopataras; |
| Tyl on a tyme befel there swich a cas |
| That out of Rome was sent a senatour |
| 585 | For to conqueren regnes and honour |
| Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce, |
| To han the world at hire obesaunce, |
| And soth to seyne, Antonius was his name. |
| So fil it, as Fortune hym oughte a shame, |
| 590 | Whan he was fallen in prosperite |
| Rebel unto the toun of Rome is he. |
| And over al this, the suster of Cesar, |
| He lafte hire falsly, or that she was war, |
| And wolde algates han another wyf, |
| 595 | For which he tok with Rome and Cesar stryf. |
| Natheles, for sothe, this ilke senatour |
| Was a ful worthy gentil werreyour, |
| And of his deth it was ful gret damage. |
| But love hadde brought this man in swich a rage |
| 600 | And hym so narwe bounden in his las, |
| Al for the love of Cleopataras, |
| That al the world he sette at no value. |
| Hym thoughte there nas nothyng to hym so due |
| As Cleopatras for to love and serve; |
| 605 | Hym roughte nat in armes for to sterve |
| In the defence of hyre and of hire ryght. |
| This noble queene ek lovede so this knyght, |
| Thourgh his desert, and for his chyvalrye; |
| As certeynly, but if that bokes lye, |
| 610 | He was, of persone and of gentillesse, |
| And of discrecioun and hardynesse, |
| Worthi to any wyght that liven may; |
| And she was fayr as is the rose in May. |
| And, for to make shortly is the beste, |
| 615 | She wax his wif, and hadde hym as hire leste. |
| The weddynge and the feste to devyse, |
| To me, that have ytake swich empryse |
| Of so many a story for to make, |
| It were to longe, lest that I shulde slake |
| 620 | Of thyng that bereth more effect and charge; |
| For men may overlade a ship or barge. |
| And forthy to th' effect thanne wol I skyppe, |
| And al the remenaunt, I wol lete it slippe. |
| Octovyan, that wod was of this dede, |
| 625 | Shop hym an ost on Antony to lede |
| Al uterly for his destruccioun, |
| With stoute Romeyns, crewel as lyoun; |
| To ship they wente, and thus I lat hem sayle. |
| Antonius was war, and wol nat fayle |
| 630 | To meten with these Romeyns, if he may; |
| Tok ek his red, and bothe, upon a day, |
| His wif and he, and al his ost, forth wente |
| To shipe anon, no lengere they ne stente; |
| And in the se it happede hem to mete. |
| 635 | Up goth the trompe, and for to shoute and shete, |
| And peynen hem to sette on with the sunne. |
| With grysely soun out goth the grete gonne, |
| And heterly they hurtelen al atones, |
| And from the top doun come the grete stones. |
| 640 | In goth the grapenel, so ful of crokes; |
| Among the ropes renne the sherynge-hokes. |
| In with the polax preseth he and he; |
| Byhynde the mast begynnyth he to fle, |
| And out ageyn, and dryveth hym overbord; |
| 645 | He styngeth hym upon his speres ord; |
| He rent the seyl with hokes lyke a sithe; |
| He bryngeth the cuppe and biddeth hem be blythe; |
| He poureth pesen upon the haches slidere; |
| With pottes ful of lyme they gon togidere; |
| 650 | And thus the longe day in fyght they spende, |
| Tyl at the laste, as every thyng hath ende, |
| Antony is schent and put hym to the flyghte, |
| And al his folk to-go that best go myghte. |
| Fleth ek the queen, with al hire purpre sayl, |
| 655 | For strokes, whiche that wente as thikke as hayl; |
| No wonder was she myghte it nat endure. |
| And whan that Antony saw that aventure, |
| "Allas," quod he, "the day that I was born! |
| My worshipe in this day thus have I lorn." |
| 660 | And for dispeyr out of his wit he sterte |
| And rof hymself anon thourghout the herte |
| Or that he ferther wente out of the place. |
| His wif, that coude of Cesar have no grace, |
| To Egipt is fled for drede and for destresse. |
| 665 | But herkeneth, ye that speken of kyndenesse, |
| Ye men that falsly sweren many an oth |
| That ye wol deye if that youre love be wroth, |
| Here may ye sen of wemen which a trouthe! |
| This woful Cleopatre hath mad swich routhe |
| 670 | That ther is tonge non that may it telle. |
| But on the morwe she wolde no lengere dwelle, |
| But made hire subtyl werkmen make a shryne |
| Of alle the rubyes and the stones fyne |
| In al Egypte that she coude espie, |
| 675 | And putte ful the shryne of spicerye, |
| And let the cors enbaume, and forth she fette |
| This dede cors, and in the shryne it shette. |
| And next the shryne a pit thanne doth she grave, |
| And alle the serpentes that she myghte have, |
| 680 | She putte hem in that grave, and thus she seyde: |
| "Now, love, to whom my sorweful herte obeyde |
| So ferforthly that from that blisful houre |
| That I yow swor to ben al frely youre -- |
| I mene yow, Antonius, my knyght -- |
| 685 | That nevere wakynge, in the day or nyght, |
| Ye nere out of myn hertes remembraunce, |
| For wel or wo, for carole or for daunce; |
| And in myself this covenaunt made I tho, |
| That ryght swich as ye felten, wel or wo, |
| 690 | As fer forth as it in my power lay, |
| Unreprovable unto my wyfhod ay, |
| The same wolde I fele, lyf or deth -- |
| And thilke covenant whil me lasteth breth |
| I wol fulfille; and that shal ben wel sene, |
| 695 | Was nevere unto hire love a trewer quene." |
| And with that word, naked, with ful good herte, |
| Among the serpents in the pit she sterte, |
| And there she ches to have hire buryinge. |
| Anon the nadderes gonne hire for to stynge, |
| 700 | And she hire deth receyveth with good cheere |
| For love of Antony that was hire so dere. |
| And this is storyal soth, it is no fable. |
| Now, or I fynde a man thus trewe and stable, |
| And wol for love his deth so frely take, |
| 705 | I preye God let oure hedes nevere ake! Amen. |