Page:The Canterbury tales of Geoffrey Chaucer.djvu/71

 his voice as a thunderous trump. Upon his head he wore a fresh and lusty garland of green laurel, and bare upon his hand a tame eagle, for his pleasure, white as any lily. An hundred lords he had there with him, all armed save their heads in all their gear, and full richly. For trust well that in this noble company were gathered both dukes and earls and kings, for love and exalting of chivalry. About this king upon each side there ran full many a tame lion and leopard.

And in this wise these lords one and all were come, upon the Sunday about prime, and dismounted in the town. When this Theseus, this duke, this worthy knight, had brought them into his city and lodged them each after his degree, he feasted them and strove so to entertain and honour them that men ween yet that no man's cunning in the world could amend it. The service at the feast, the precious gifts to great and small, the minstrelsy, the rich array of Theseus' palace; what ladies be fairest or best can dance, or which can best dance and sing, or who speaketh of love most feelingly, or who sitteth first or last upon the dais, what hawks perch above, what hounds lie beneath on the floor: of all this now I make no mention. The pith, methinketh, is best to tell; now cometh the point. Hearken if ye list.

The Sunday night, when Palamon heard the lark sing, ere day began to break (though it were not day by two hours, yet sang the lark and Palamon also), with holy thoughts and an high heart he rose, to wend on his pilgrimage unto the blessed, benign Citherea, I mean Venus the honourable and worthy. And in her hour he walked forth softly unto the lists, where her temple was, and down he knelt and with humble cheer and sore heart he said as I shall tell you.

"Fairest of fair, O lady mine, spouse of Vulcanus and