‘What folk ben ye, that at myn hoom-cominge 905
Perturben so my feste with cryinge?’
Quod Theseus, ‘have ye so greet envye
Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye? (50)
Or who hath yow misboden, or offended?
And telleth me if it may been amended; 910
And why that ye ben clothed thus in blak?’
The eldest lady of hem alle spak,
When she hadde swowned with a deedly chere,
That it was routhe for to seen and here,
And seyde: ‘Lord, to whom Fortune hath yiven 915
Victorie, and as a conquerour to liven,
Noght greveth us your glorie and your honour;
But we biseken mercy and socour. (60)
Have mercy on our wo and our distresse.
[28: T. 922-957.]
Som drope of pitee, thurgh thy gentillesse, 920
Up-on us wrecched wommen lat thou falle.
For certes, lord, ther nis noon of us alle,
That she nath been a duchesse or a quene;
Now be we caitifs, as it is wel sene:
Thanked be Fortune, and hir false wheel, 925
That noon estat assureth to be weel.
And certes, lord, to abyden your presence,
Here in the temple of the goddesse Clemence (70)
We han ben waytinge al this fourtenight;
Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy might. 930
912. Cm. eldest; E. eldeste. 914. E. routhe; Ln. rewthe; Slo.
reuthe. Hl. or; _rest_ and. 915. Hn. yiuen; E. yeuen. 916. Hn.
conquerour; E. conqueror. 917. Hn. Hl. Noght; E. Pt. Ln. Nat. Hl.
_om. 2nd _ your. 922. Hl. nys; _rest_ is. 923. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. ne
hath. 924. Cp. Hl. caytifs; E. Hn. Pt. caytyues.
I wrecche, which that wepe and waille thus,
Was whylom wyf to king Capaneus,
That starf at Thebes, cursed be that day!
And alle we, that been in this array,
And maken al this lamentacioun, 935
We losten alle our housbondes at that toun,
Whyl that the sege ther-aboute lay.
And yet now the olde Creon, weylaway! (80)
That lord is now of Thebes the citee,
Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee, 940
He, for despyt, and for his tirannye,
To do the dede bodyes vileinye,
Of alle our lordes, whiche that ben slawe,
Hath alle the bodyes on an heep y-drawe,
And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent, 945
Neither to been y-buried nor y-brent,
But maketh houndes ete hem in despyt.’
And with that word, with-outen more respyt, (90)
They fillen gruf, and cryden pitously,
‘Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy, 950
And lat our sorwe sinken in thyn herte.’
931. E. crie; Hn. Hl. waille; Cp. Pt. weile. 938. _Only_ Hl. _om._
now. 943. Hl. i-slawe. 944. E. He hath; _rest_ Hath.
This gentil duk doun from his courser sterte
With herte pitous, whan he herde hem speke.
Him thoughte that his herte wolde breke,
Whan he saugh hem so pitous and so mat, 955
[29: T. 958-995.]
That whylom weren of so greet estat.
And in his armes he hem alle up hente,
And hem conforteth in ful good entente; (100)
And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knight,
He wolde doon so ferforthly his might 960
Up-on the tyraunt Creon hem to wreke,
That al the peple of Grece sholde speke
How Creon was of Theseus y-served,
As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved.
And right anoon, with-outen more abood, 965
His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood
To Thebes-ward, and al his host bisyde;
No neer Athenës wolde he go ne ryde, (110)
Ne take his ese fully half a day,
But onward on his wey that night he lay; 970
And sente anoon Ipolita the quene,
And Emelye hir yonge suster shene,
Un-to the toun of Athenës to dwelle;
And forth he rit; ther nis namore to telle.