Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/190



IRE Foucques de laual was a fayr knyght, clene & wel besene emong other, & was of good maner and of fayr maynten. It happed to hym, as he told me, that ones he was gone for to see his peramours in the wynter season, that the froste was grete and the wether passyng cold. He thenne hadde in the mornynge coynted hym self of a scarlatte gowne wel broudred, & of a hood of scarlatte sengle & wythoute furrynge, and nought els he had on hym sauf only his fyn sherte, for he had no mantell, neyther gloues in his handes. The wynd and the cold were grete, wher fore he had soo grete cold that he became of colour black and pale, for the perles ne the precious stones wiche were on the broudryng of his sengle gowne couthe gyue hym no hete ne kepe hym fro the cold. There came another knyght, whiche also was amerous of that lady, but he was not so gay aourned, ne so sengle of clothes, but he had on hym good and warme gownes, & had a mantell and a double hood, and was reed as a cok, and had a good lyuynge colour. The lady thenne welcomed this knyght, and maade to hym better chere than she dyd to Syre Foucques, and held with hym better companye, and sayd to Syre Foucques, "Syre, hold yow nere the fyre, for I doubte that ye be not al hool, for your colour is dede and pale." And he ansuerd that his herte was ioyous and well at his ease. This other knyght was fayrer to the lady syght than Foucques. But within a whyle after, Syre Foucques aspyed the knyght, whiche was goynge toward the place of his peramours. He arayed hym otherwyse than he was wonte to doo, and so moche hyed hym that he came thyder as soone as the other knyght dyd, for to preue how the mater and his faytte shold ende. But certaynly he was thenne take of his lady for the fayrest and best coloured, wherfore he told me how loue wylle be kepte hete and warme,