| Glorye and honour, Virgil Mantoan, |
| 925 | Be to thy name! and I shal, as I can, |
| Folwe thy lanterne, as thow gost byforn, |
| How Eneas to Dido was forsworn. |
| In thyn Eneyde and Naso wol I take |
| The tenor, and the grete effectes make. |
| 930 | Whan Troye brought was to destruccioun |
| By Grekes sleyghte, and namely by Synoun, |
| Feynynge the hors offered unto Mynerve, |
| Thourgh which that many a Troyan moste sterve; |
| And Ector hadde, after his deth, apeered; |
| 935 | And fyr so wod it myghte nat been steered |
| In al the noble tour of Ylioun, |
| That of the cite was the chef dongeoun; |
| And al the contre was so lowe ybrought, |
| And Priamus the kyng fordon and nought; |
| 940 | And Enyas was charged by Venus |
| To fleen awey, he tok Ascanius, |
| That was his sone, in his ryght hand and fledde; |
| And on his bak he bar and with hym ledde |
| His olde fader cleped Anchises, |
| 945 | And by the weye his wif Creusa he les. |
| And moche sorwe hadde he in his mynde, |
| Or that he coude his felaweshipe fynde. |
| But at the laste, whan he hadde hem founde, |
| He made hym redy in a certeyn stounde, |
| 950 | And to the se ful faste he gan him hye, |
| And sayleth forth with al his companye |
| Toward Ytayle, as wolde his destinee. |
| But of his aventures in the se |
| Nis nat to purpos for to speke of here, |
| 955 | For it acordeth nat to my matere. |
| But, as I seyde, of hym and of Dido |
| Shal be my tale, til that I have do. |
| So longe he saylede in the salte se |
| Tyl in Libie unnethe aryvede he |
| 960 | With shipes sevene and with no more navye; |
| And glad was he to londe for to hye, |
| So was he with the tempest al toshake. |
| And whan that he the haven hadde ytake, |
| He hadde a knyght, was called Achates, |
| 965 | And hym of al his felawshipe he ches |
| To gon with hym, the cuntre for t' espie. |
| He tok with hym no more companye, |
| But forth they gon, and lafte his shipes ryde, |
| His fere and he, withouten any gyde. |
| 970 | So longe he walketh in this wildernesse, |
| Til at the laste he mette an hunteresse. |
| A bowe in hande and arwes hadde she; |
| Hire clothes cutted were unto the kne. |
| But she was yit the fayreste creature |
| 975 | That evere was yformed by Nature; |
| And Eneas and Achates she grette, |
| And thus she to hem spak whan she hem mette: |
| "Saw ye," quod she, "as ye han walked wyde, |
| Any of my sustren walke yow besyde |
| 980 | With any wilde bor or other best, |
| That they han hunted to, in this forest, |
| Ytukked up, with arwes in hire cas?" |
| "Nay, sothly, lady," quod this Eneas; |
| "But by thy beaute, as it thynketh me, |
| 985 | Thow myghtest nevere erthly woman be, |
| But Phebus syster art thow, as I gesse. |
| And if so be that thow be a goddesse, |
| Have mercy on oure labour and oure wo." |
| "I n' am no goddesse, sothly," quod she tho; |
| 990 | "For maydens walken in this contre here, |
| With arwes and with bowe, in this manere. |
| This is the reyne of Libie there ye ben, |
| Of which that Dido lady is and queen" -- |
| And shortly tolde hym al the occasyoun |
| 995 | Why Dido cam into that regioun, |
| Of which as now me lesteth nat to ryme; |
| It nedeth nat, it were but los of tyme. |
| For this is al and som, it was Venus, |
| His owene moder, that spak with him thus, |
| 1000 | And to Cartage she bad he sholde hym dighte, |
| And vanyshed anon out of his syghte. |
| I coude folwe, word for word, Virgile, |
| But it wolde lasten al to longe while. |
| This noble queen that cleped was Dido, |
| 1005 | That whilom was the wif of Sytheo, |
| That fayrer was than is the bryghte sonne, |
| This noble toun of Cartage hath bigonne; |
| In which she regneth in so gret honour |
| That she was holden of alle queenes flour |
| 1010 | Of gentillesse, of fredom, of beaute, |
| That wel was hym that myghte hire ones se; |
| Of kynges and of lordes so desyred |
| That al the world hire beaute hadde yfyred, |
| She stod so wel in every wightes grace. |
| 1015 | Whan Eneas was come unto that place, |
| Unto the mayster temple of al the toun |
| Ther Dido was in hire devocyoun, |
| Ful pryvyly his weye than hath he nome. |
| Whan he was in the large temple come, |
| 1020 | I can nat seyn if that it be possible, |
| But Venus hadde hym maked invysible -- |
| Thus seyth the bok, withouten any les. |
| And whan this Eneas and Achates |
| Hadden in this temple ben overal, |
| 1025 | Thanne founde they, depeynted on a wal, |
| How Troye and al the lond destroyed was. |
| "Allas, that I was born!" quod Eneas; |
| "Thourghout the world oure shame is kid so wyde, |
| Now it is peynted upon every syde. |
| 1030 | We, that weren in prosperite, |
| Been now desclandred, and in swich degre, |
| No lenger for to lyven I ne kepe." |
| And with that word he brast out for to wepe |
| So tenderly that routhe it was to sene. |
| 1035 | This fresshe lady, of the cite queene, |
| Stod in the temple in hire estat real, |
| So rychely and ek so fayr withal, |
| So yong, so lusty, with hire eyen glade, |
| That, if that God, that hevene and erthe made, |
| 1040 | Wolde han a love, for beaute and goodnesse, |
| And womanhod, and trouthe, and semelynesse, |
| Whom shulde he loven but this lady swete? |
| Ther nys no woman to hym half so mete. |
| Fortune, that hath the world in governaunce, |
| 1045 | Hath sodeynly brought in so newe a chaunce |
| That nevere was ther yit so fremde a cas. |
| For al the companye of Eneas, |
| Which that he wende han loren in the se, |
| Aryved is nat fer from that cite; |
| 1050 | For which the gretteste of his lordes some |
| By aventure ben to the cite come, |
| Unto that same temple, for to seke |
| The queene, and of hire socour to beseke, |
| Swich renoun was there sprongen of hire goodnesse. |
| 1055 | And whan they hadden told al here distresse, |
| And al here tempest and here harde cas, |
| Unto the queen apeered Eneas, |
| And openly biknew that it was he. |
| Who hadde joye thanne but his meyne, |
| 1060 | That hadde founde here lord, here governour? |
| The queen saugh that they dide hym swych honour, |
| And hadde herd ofte of Eneas er tho, |
| And in hire herte she hadde routhe and wo |
| That evere swich a noble man as he |
| 1065 | Shal ben disherited in swich degre; |
| And saw the man, that he was lyk a knyght, |
| And suffisaunt of persone and of myght, |
| And lyk to been a verray gentil man; |
| And wel his wordes he besette can, |
| 1070 | And hadde a noble visage for the nones, |
| And formed wel of braunes and of bones. |
| For after Venus hadde he swich fayrnesse |
| That no man myghte be half so fayr, I gesse; |
| And wel a lord he semede for to be. |
| 1075 | And, for he was a straunger, somwhat she |
| Likede hym the bet, as, God do bote, |
| To som folk ofte newe thyng is sote. |
| Anon hire herte hath pite of his wo, |
| And with that pite love com in also; |
| 1080 | And thus, for pite and for gentillesse, |
| Refreshed moste he been of his distresse. |
| She seyde, certes, that she sory was |
| That he hath had swych peryl and swich cas; |
| And, in hire frendly speche, in this manere |
| 1085 | She to hym spak, and seyde as ye may here: |
| "Be ye nat Venus sone and Anchises? |
| In good feyth, al the worshipe and encres |
| That I may goodly don yow, ye shal have. |
| Youre shipes and youre meyne shal I save." |
| 1090 | And many a gentil word she spak hym to, |
| And comaunded hire messageres to go |
| The same day, withouten any fayle, |
| His shippes for to seke, and hem vitayle. |
| Ful many a beste she to the shippes sente, |
| 1095 | And with the wyn she gan hem to presente, |
| And to hire royal paleys she hire spedde, |
| And Eneas alwey with hire she ledde. |
| What nedeth yow the feste to descrive? |
| He nevere beter at ese was in his lyve. |
| 1100 | Ful was the feste of deyntees and rychesse, |
| Of instruments, of song, and of gladnesse, |
| Of many an amorous lokyng and devys. |
| This Eneas is come to paradys |
| Out of the swolow of helle, and thus in joye |
| 1105 | Remembreth hym of his estat in Troye. |
| To daunsynge chaumberes ful of paramentes, |
| Of riche beddes, and of ornementes, |
| This Eneas is led after the mete. |
| And with the quene, whan that he hadde sete, |
| 1110 | And spices parted, and the wyn agon, |
| Unto his chambres was he led anon |
| To take his ese and for to have his reste, |
| With al his folk, to don what so hem leste. |
| There nas courser wel ybrydeled non, |
| 1115 | Ne stede, for the justing wel to gon, |
| Ne large palfrey, esy for the nones, |
| Ne jewel, fretted ful of ryche stones, |
| Ne sakkes ful of gold, of large wyghte, |
| Ne ruby non, that shynede by nyghte, |
| 1120 | Ne gentil hawtein faucoun heroner, |
| Ne hound for hert or wilde bor or der, |
| Ne coupe of gold, with floreyns newe ybete, |
| That in the land of Libie may be gete, |
| That Dido ne hath it Eneas ysent; |
| 1125 | And al is payed, what that he hath spent. |
| Thus can this quene honurable hire gestes calle, |
| As she that can in fredom passen alle. |
| Eneas sothly ek, withouten les, |
| Hadde sent unto his ship by Achates |
| 1130 | After his sone, and after riche thynges, |
| Bothe sceptre, clothes, broches, and ek rynges, |
| Some for to were, and some for to presente |
| To hire that alle thise noble thynges hym sente; |
| And bad his sone how that he shulde make |
| 1135 | The presenting, and to the queen it take. |
| Repeyred is this Achates agayn, |
| And Eneas ful blysful is and fayn |
| To sen his yonge sone Ascanyus. |
| But natheles, oure autour telleth us, |
| 1140 | That Cupido, that is the god of love, |
| At preyere of his moder hye above, |
| Hadde the liknesse of the child ytake, |
| This noble queen enamored to make |
| On Eneas; but, as of that scripture, |
| 1145 | Be as be may, I take of it no cure. |
| But soth is this, the queen hath mad swich chere |
| Unto this child, that wonder is to here; |
| And of the present that his fader sente |
| She thanked hym ful ofte, in good entente. |
| 1150 | Thus is this queen in plesaunce and in joye, |
| With alle these newe lusty folk of Troye. |
| And of the dedes hath she more enquered |
| Of Eneas, and al the story lered |
| Of Troye, and al the longe day they tweye |
| 1155 | Entendeden to speken and to pleye; |
| Of which ther gan to breden swich a fyr |
| That sely Dido hath now swich desyr |
| With Eneas, hire newe gest, to dele, |
| That she hath lost hire hewe and ek hire hele. |
| 1160 | Now to th' effect, now to the fruyt of al, |
| Whi I have told this story, and telle shal. |
| Thus I begynne: it fil upon a nyght, |
| Whan that the mone up reysed hadde his lyght, |
| This noble queene unto hire reste wente. |
| 1165 | She siketh sore, and gan hyreself turmente; |
| She waketh, walweth, maketh many a breyd, |
| As don these lovers, as I have herd seyd. |
| And at the laste, unto hire syster Anne |
| She made hire mone, and ryght thus spak she thanne: |
| 1170 | "Now, dere sister myn, what may it be |
| That me agasteth in my drem?" quod she. |
| "This newe Troyan is so in my thought, |
| For that me thynketh he is so wel ywrought, |
| And ek so likly for to ben a man, |
| 1175 | And therwithal so moche good he can, |
| That al my love and lyf lyth in his cure. |
| Have ye nat herd him telle his aventure? |
| Now certes, Anne, if that ye rede it me, |
| I wolde fayn to hym ywedded be; |
| 1180 | This is th' effect; what sholde I more seye? |
| In hym lyth al, to do me live or deye." |
| Hyre syster Anne, as she that coude hire good, |
| Seyde as hire thoughte, and somdel it withstod. |
| But herof was so long a sermounynge |
| 1185 | It were to long to make rehersynge. |
| But finaly, it may nat ben withstonde; |
| Love wol love, for nothing wol it wonde. |
| The dawenyng up-rist out of the se. |
| This amorous queene chargeth hire meyne |
| 1190 | The nettes dresse, and speres brode and kene; |
| An huntyng wol this lusty freshe queene, |
| So priketh hire this newe joly wo. |
| To hors is al hir lusty folk ygo; |
| Into the court the houndes been ybrought; |
| 1195 | And upon coursers swift as any thought |
| Hire yonge knyghtes hoven al aboute, |
| And of hire women ek an huge route. |
| Upon a thikke palfrey, paper-whit, |
| With sadel red, enbrouded with delyt, |
| 1200 | Of gold the barres up enbosede hye, |
| Sit Dido, al in gold and perre wrye; |
| And she as fair as is the bryghte morwe, |
| That heleth syke folk of nyghtes sorwe. |
| Upon a courser stertlynge as the fyr -- |
| 1205 | Men myghte turne hym with a litel wyr -- |
| Sit Eneas, lik Phebus to devyse, |
| So was he fressh arayed in his wyse. |
| The fomy brydel with the bit of gold |
| Governeth he ryght as hymself hath wold. |
| 1210 | And forth this noble queen thus lat I ride |
| On huntynge, with this Troyan by hyre side. |
| The herde of hertes founden is anon, |
| With "Hay! Go bet! Pryke thow! Lat gon, lat gon! |
| Why nyl the leoun comen, or the bere, |
| 1215 | That I myghte ones mete hym with this spere?" |
| Thus seyn these yonge folk, and up they kylle |
| These bestes wilde, and han hem at here wille. |
| Among al this to rumbelen gan the hevene; |
| The thunder rored with a grisely stevene; |
| 1220 | Doun cam the reyn with hayl and slet so faste, |
| With hevenes fyr, that it so sore agaste |
| This noble queen, and also hire meyne, |
| That ech of hem was glad awey to fle. |
| And shortly, from the tempest hire to save, |
| 1225 | She fledde hireself into a litel cave, |
| And with hire wente this Eneas also. |
| I not, with hem if there wente any mo; |
| The autour maketh of it no mencioun. |
| And here began the depe affeccioun |
| 1230 | Betwixe hem two; this was the firste morwe |
| Of hire gladnesse, and gynning of hire sorwe. |
| For there hath Eneas ykneled so, |
| And told hire al his herte and al his wo, |
| And swore so depe to hire to be trewe |
| 1235 | For wel or wo and chaunge hire for no newe; |
| And as a fals lovere so wel can pleyne, |
| That sely Dido rewede on his peyne, |
| And tok hym for husbonde and becom his wyf |
| For everemo, whil that hem laste lyf. |
| 1240 | And after this, whan that the tempest stente, |
| With myrthe out as they comen, hom they wente. |
| The wikke fame upros, and that anon, |
| How Eneas hath with the queen ygon |
| Into the cave; and demede as hem liste. |
| 1245 | And whan the kyng that Yarbas highte it wiste, |
| As he that hadde hir loved evere his lyf, |
| And wowede hyre, to han hire to his wyf, |
| Swich sorwe as he hath maked, and swich cheere, |
| It is a routhe and pite for to here. |
| 1250 | But as in love, alday it happeth so |
| That oon shal laughen at anothers wo. |
| Now laugheth Eneas and is in joye |
| And more richesse than evere he was in Troye. |
| O sely wemen, ful of innocence, |
| 1255 | Ful of pite, of trouthe and conscience, |
| What maketh yow to men to truste so? |
| Have ye swych routhe upon hyre feyned wo, |
| And han swich olde ensaumples yow beforn? |
| Se ye nat alle how they ben forsworn? |
| 1260 | Where sen ye oon that he ne hath laft his leef, |
| Or ben unkynde, or don hire som myscheef, |
| Or piled hire, or bosted of his dede? |
| Ye may as wel it sen as ye may rede. |
| Tak hede now of this grete gentil-man, |
| 1265 | This Troyan, that so wel hire plesen can, |
| That feyneth hym so trewe and obeysynge, |
| So gentil, and so privy of his doinge, |
| And can so wel don alle his obeysaunces, |
| And wayten hire at festes and at daunces, |
| 1270 | And whan she goth to temple and hom ageyn, |
| And fasten til he hath his lady seyn, |
| And beren in his devyses, for hire sake, |
| Not I not what; and songes wolde he make, |
| Justen, and don of armes many thynges, |
| 1275 | Sende hire lettres, tokens, broches, rynges -- |
| Now herkneth how he shal his lady serve! |
| There as he was in peril for to sterve |
| For hunger, and for myschef in the se, |
| And desolat, and fled from his cuntre, |
| 1280 | And al his folk with tempest al todryven, |
| She hath hire body and ek hire reame yiven |
| Into his hand, there as she myghte have been |
| Of othere land than of Cartage a queen, |
| And lyved in joye ynogh; what wole ye more? |
| 1285 | This Eneas, that hath so depe yswore, |
| Is wery of his craft withinne a throwe; |
| The hote ernest is al overblowe. |
| And pryvyly he doth his shipes dyghte, |
| And shapeth hym to stele awey by nyghte. |
| 1290 | This Dido hath suspecioun of this, |
| And thoughte wel that it was al amys. |
| For in hir bed he lyth a-nyght and syketh. |
| She axeth hym anon what hym myslyketh -- |
| "My dere herte, which that I love most?" |
| 1295 | "Certes," quod he, "this nyght my faderes gost |
| Hath in my slep so sore me tormented, |
| And ek Mercurye his message hath presented, |
| That nedes to the conquest of Ytayle |
| My destine is sone for to sayle; |
| 1300 | For which, me thynketh, brosten is myn herte!" |
| Therwith his false teres out they sterte, |
| And taketh hire withinne his armes two. |
| "Is that in ernest?" quod she; "Wole ye so? |
| Have ye nat sworn to wyve me to take? |
| 1305 | Allas, what woman wole ye of me make? |
| I am a gentil woman and a queen. |
| Ye wole nat from youre wif thus foule fleen? |
| That I was born, allas! What shal I do?" |
| To telle in short, this noble quen Dydo, |
| 1310 | She seketh halwes and doth sacryfise; |
| She kneleth, cryeth, that routhe is to devyse; |
| Conjureth hym, and profereth hym to be |
| His thral, his servant in the leste degre; |
| She falleth hym to fote and swouneth ther, |
| 1315 | Dischevele, with hire bryghte gilte her, |
| And seyth, "Have mercy; let me with yow ryde! |
| These lordes, which that wonen me besyde, |
| Wole me distroyen only for youre sake. |
| And, so ye wole me now to wive take, |
| 1320 | As ye han sworn, thanne wol I yeve yow leve |
| To slen me with youre swerd now sone at eve! |
| For thanne yit shal I deyen as youre wif. |
| I am with childe, and yeve my child his lyf! |
| Mercy, lord! Have pite in youre thought!" |
| 1325 | But al this thing avayleth hire ryght nought, |
| For on a nyght, slepynge he let hire lye, |
| And stal awey unto his companye, |
| And as a traytour forth he gan to sayle |
| Toward the large contre of Ytayle. |
| 1330 | Thus he hath laft Dido in wo and pyne, |
| And wedded ther a lady hyghte Lavyne. |
| A cloth he lafte, and ek his swerd stondynge, |
| Whan he from Dido stal in hire slepynge, |
| Ryght at hire beddes hed, so gan he hie, |
| 1335 | Whan that he stal awey to his navye; |
| Which cloth, whan sely Dido gan awake, |
| She hath it kyst ful ofte for his sake, |
| And seyde, "O swete cloth, whil Juppiter it leste, |
| Tak now my soule, unbynd me of this unreste! |
| 1340 | I have fulfild of fortune al the cours." |
| And thus, allas, withouten his socours, |
| Twenty tyme yswouned hath she thanne. |
| And whanne that she unto hire syster Anne |
| Compleyned hadde -- of which I may nat wryte, |
| 1345 | So gret a routhe I have it for t' endite -- |
| And bad hire norice and hire sister gon |
| To fechen fyr and other thyng anon, |
| And seyde that she wolde sacryfye -- |
| And whan she myghte hire tyme wel espie, |
| 1350 | Upon the fir of sacryfice she sterte, |
| And with his swerd she rof hyre to the herte. |
| But, as myn auctour seith, yit thus she seyde; |
| Or she was hurt, byforen or she deyde, |
| She wrot a lettre anon that thus began: |
| 1355 | "Ryght so," quod she, "as that the white swan |
| Ayens his deth begynnyth for to synge, |
| Right so to yow make I my compleynynge. |
| Not that I trowe to geten yow ageyn, |
| For wel I wot that it is al in veyn, |
| 1360 | Syn that the goddes been contraire to me. |
| But syn my name is lost thourgh yow," quod she, |
| "I may wel lese on yow a word or letter, |
| Al be it that I shal ben nevere the better; |
| For thilke wynd that blew youre ship awey, |
| 1365 | The same wynd hath blowe awey youre fey." |
| But who wol al this letter have in mynde, |
| Rede Ovyde, and in hym he shal it fynde. |