Page:The Canterbury tales of Geoffrey Chaucer.djvu/65

 of tiers rising by sixty paces, that when a man was set on one tier he hindered not his neighbour from seeing. Eastward there stood a gate of white marble, and westward and opposite right such another. And shortly to conclude, such another building there was not on earth, within so little space. For there was no crafty man in the country that knew geometry or arithmetic, nor portrayer or carver of images, that Theseus gave him not meat and hire to plan and to build the theatre. And for to do his pious rites and sacrifice, eastward above upon the gate he caused an altar to be made and an oratory in worship of Venus, goddess of love, and westward he made right such another in celebration of Mars, that cost many a load of gold; and northward in a turret an oratory rich to look on, of red coral and alabaster white, hath Theseus wrought in noble wise in worship of Diane the chaste.

But I have forgotten to describe as yet the noble carving and the portraitures, the figures and the semblances, that were in these three oratories. First in the temple of Venus wrought full piteously in the wall mayst thou see the broken sleeps and the chilling sighs, the sacred tears, the lamentation and the fiery strokes of desire that love's servants endure in this life ; the oaths that confirm their covenants, gladness, hope, desire and fool-hardiness, beauty and youth, mirth, riches, spells and violence, lyings, flattery, waste and disquietude and jealousy, that wore a garland of yellow marigolds and had a cuckoo sitting in her hand. All delights, singing, dancing, festivals, instruments of music, fair array, and all the circumstance of love which I have recounted and shall recount were painted in order on the wall, and more than I can make mention of. For soothly all the mount of Citheroun, where Venus hath her principal dwelling,