Page:The Canterbury tales of Geoffrey Chaucer.djvu/70

 have said, each after his own liking. There, coming with Palamon, mayst thou see Ligurge himself, the great King of Thrace. Manly was his countenance and black was his beard; the circles of his eyes glowed betwixt yellow and red, with rough hairs on his heavy brow, and like a grifon he looked about ; his limbs great, his shoulders broad, his brawn hard and arms round and long. And he stood, as the usage was in his country, full high upon a car of gold with four white bulls in the trace. Over his harness instead of a coat-of-arms, with claws yellow and bright as gold, he had a bear's skin, coal-black and very ancient. His long hair was combed behind; as any raven's feather it shone black; a wreath of gold great as an arm was upon his head, huge of weight, set full of bright stones, of diamonds and rubies fine. About his car went white mastiffs as great as any steer, twenty and more, to hunt at the lion or the hart, and followed him with muzzle fast bound and collars of gold with rings filed therein. An hundred lords, armed full well, he had in his troop, with hearts stout and stern.

With Arcite, as men read in stories, came the great Emetreus, the King of Ind, riding like the god of arms Mars, upon a bay steed, trapped in steel, covered with diapered cloth of gold. His saddle was of burnished gold new beaten out. The vesture, whereon were blazed his arms, was of cloth of Tartary, laid with pearls white and round and great ; a mantlet hung upon his shoulder, full of rubies sparkling as fire. His crisp hair ran in yellow rings and glittered as the sun. Bright citron in hue were his eyes and high his nose, his lips were round and his colour sanguine, a few freckles sprinkled on his face, betwixt yellow and black. And as a lion he cast his look. I account his age at five and twenty; his beard was well begun to spring, and