| By preve as wel as by autorite, |
| 2395 | That wiked fruit cometh of a wiked tre, |
| That may ye fynde, if that it like yow. |
| But for this ende I speke this as now, |
| To tellen yow of false Demophon. |
| In love a falser herde I nevere non, |
| 2400 | But if it were his fader Theseus. |
| "God, for his grace, fro swich oon kepe us!" |
| Thus may these women preyen that it here. |
| Now to the effect turne I of my matere. |
| Destroyed is of Troye the cite; |
| 2405 | This Demophon com seylynge in the se |
| Toward Athenes, to his paleys large. |
| With hym com many a ship and many a barge |
| Ful of his folk, of whiche ful many oon |
| Is wounded sore, and sek, and wo begon, |
| 2410 | As they han at th' asege longe yleyn. |
| Byhynde hym com a wynd and ek a reyn |
| That shof so sore his sayl ne myghte stonde; |
| Hym were levere than al the world a-londe, |
| So hunteth hym the tempest to and fro. |
| 2415 | So derk it 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 it nat amende. |
| The se, by nyghte, as any torche it brende |
| 2420 | For wod, and possith hym now up, now doun, |
| Til Neptune hath of hym compassioun, |
| And Thetis, Thorus, Triton, and they alle, |
| And maden hym upon a lond to falle, |
| Wherof that Phillis lady was and queene, |
| 2425 | Ligurges doughter, fayrer on to sene |
| Than is the flour ageyn the bryghte sonne. |
| Unnethe is Demophon to londe ywonne, |
| Wayk, and ek wery, and his folk forpyned |
| Of werynesse, and also enfamyned, |
| 2430 | That to the deth he almost was ydriven. |
| His wise folk to conseyl han hym yiven |
| To seken help and socour of the queen, |
| And loke what his grace myghte been, |
| And maken in that lond som chevysaunce, |
| 2435 | To kepen hym fro wo and fro myschaunce. |
| For syk he was, and almost at the deth; |
| Unnethe myghte he speke or drawe his breth, |
| And lyth in Rodopeya hym for to reste. |
| Whan he may walke, hym thoughte it was the beste |
| 2440 | Unto the court to seken for socour. |
| Men knewen hym wel and diden hym honour; |
| For of Athenes duk and lord was he, |
| As Theseus his fader hadde be, |
| That in his tyme was of gret renoun, |
| 2445 | No man so gret in al the regyoun, |
| And lyk his fader of face and of stature, |
| And fals of love; it com hym of nature. |
| As doth the fox Renard, the foxes sone, |
| Of kynde he coude his olde faders wone |
| 2450 | Withoute lore, as can a drake swimme |
| Whan it is caught and caryed to the brymme. |
| This honurable Phillis doth hym chere; |
| Hire liketh wel his port and his manere. |
| But, for I am agroted herebyforn |
| 2455 | To wryte of hem that ben in love forsworn, |
| And ek to haste me in my legende, |
| (Which to performe God me grace sende) |
| Therfore I passe shortly in this wyse. |
| Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse |
| 2460 | In the betraysynge of fayre Adryane |
| That of hire pite kepte him from his bane. |
| At shorte wordes, ryght so Demophon |
| The same wey, the same path hath gon, |
| That dide his false fader Theseus. |
| 2465 | For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus, |
| To wedden hire, and hire his trouthe plyghte, |
| And piked of hire al the good he myghte, |
| Whan he was hol and sound, and hadde his reste; |
| And doth with Phillis what so that hym leste, |
| 2470 | As wel coude I, if that me leste so, |
| Tellen al his doynge to and fro. |
| He seyde unto his contre moste he sayle, |
| For there he wolde hire weddynge aparayle, |
| As fel to hire honour and his also. |
| 2475 | And openly he tok his leve tho, |
| And hath hire sworn he wolde nat sojorne, |
| But in a month he wolde ageyn retorne; |
| And in that lond let make his ordenaunce |
| As verray lord, and tok the obeysaunce |
| 2480 | Wel and homly, and let his shipes dighte, |
| And hom he goth the nexte wey he myghte. |
| For unto Phillis yit ne com he nought, |
| And that hath she so harde and sore abought -- |
| Allas! -- that, as the storyes us recorde, |
| 2485 | She was hire owene deth ryght with a corde, |
| Whan that she saw that Demophon hire trayed. |
| But to hym first she wrot, and faste him prayed |
| He wolde come and hire delyvere of peyne, |
| As I reherce shal a word or tweyne. |
| 2490 | Me lyste nat vouche-sauf on hym to swynke, |
| Ne spende on hym a penne ful of ynke, |
| For fals in love was he, ryght as his syre. |
| The devil sette here soules bothe afyre! |
| But of the letter of Phillis wol I wryte |
| 2495 | A word or two, althogh it be but lyte. |
| "Thyn hostesse," quod she, "O Demophon, |
| Thy Phillis, which that is so wo begon, |
| Of Rodopeye, upon yow mot compleyne |
| Over the terme set bytwixe us tweyne, |
| 2500 | That ye ne holde forward, as ye seyde. |
| Youre anker, which ye in oure haven leyde, |
| Hyghte us that ye wolde comen, out of doute, |
| Or that the mone wente ones aboute. |
| But tymes foure the mone hath hid hire face, |
| 2505 | Syn thilke day ye wente from this place, |
| And foure tymes lyghte the world ageyn. |
| But for al that, yif I shal soothly seyn, |
| Yit hath the strem of Sytho nat ybrought |
| From Athenes the ship; yit cometh it noght. |
| 2510 | And if that ye the terme rekene wolde |
| As I or as a trewe lovere shulde, |
| I pleyne nat, God wot, byforn my day." |
| But al hire letter wryten I ne may |
| By order, for it were to me a charge; |
| 2515 | Hire letter was ryght long and therto large. |
| But here and ther in rym I have it layd, |
| There as me thoughte that she wel hath sayd. |
| She seyde, "Thy sayles come nat agen, |
| Ne to thy word there is no fey certeyn; |
| 2520 | But I wot why ye come nat," quod she, |
| "For I was of my love to yow to fre. |
| And of the goddes that ye han forswore, |
| Yif hire vengeaunce falle on yow therfore, |
| Ye be nat suffisaunt to bere the peyne. |
| 2525 | To moche trusted I, wel may I pleyne, |
| Upon youre lynage and youre fayre tonge, |
| And on youre teres falsly out yronge. |
| How coude ye wepe so by craft?" quod she. |
| "May there swiche teres feyned be? |
| 2530 | Now certes, yif ye wol have in memorye, |
| It oughte be to yow but lyte glorye |
| To han a sely mayde thus betrayed! |
| To God," quod she, "preye I, and ofte have prayed, |
| That it mot be the grettest prys of alle |
| 2535 | And most honour that evere the shal befalle! |
| And whan thyne olde auncestres peynted be, |
| In which men may here worthynesse se, |
| Thanne preye I God thow peynted be also |
| That folk may rede forby as they go, |
| 2540 | `Lo! this is he that with his flaterye |
| Bytraised hath and don hire vilenye |
| That was his trewe love in thought and dede!' |
| But sothly, of oo poynt yit may they rede, |
| That ye ben lyk youre fader as in this, |
| 2545 | For he begiled Adriane, ywis, |
| With swich an art and with swich subtilte |
| As thow thyselven hast begyled me. |
| As in that poynt, althogh it be nat fayr, |
| Thow folwest hym, certayn, and art his ayr. |
| 2550 | But syn thus synfully ye me begile, |
| My body mote ye se withinne a while, |
| Ryght in the haven of Athenes fletynge, |
| Withoute sepulture and buryinge, |
| Thogh ye ben harder than is any ston." |
| 2555 | And whan this letter was forth sent anon, |
| And knew how brotel and how fals he was, |
| She for dispeyr fordide hyreself, allas. |
| Swych sorwe hath she, for she besette hire so. |
| Be war, ye wemen, of youre subtyl fo, |
| 2560 | Syn yit this day men may ensaumple se; |
| And trusteth, as in love, no man but me. |