Cenobia, of Palimerie quene,
As writen Persiens of hir noblesse,
So worthy was in armes and so kene,
That no wight passed hir in hardinesse, 3440
Ne in linage, ne in other gentillesse. (261)
Of kinges blode of Perse is she descended;
I seye nat that she hadde most fairnesse,
But of hir shape she mighte nat been amended.
3437. _So_ E. Hn. Cm.; _and_ Cp. _has the heading_—De Cenobia
Palymerie regina. 3441. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. ne in; E. nor in; Hn. ne; Cm.
nor; (ne in = n’in).
From hir childhede I finde that she fledde 3445
Office of wommen, and to wode she wente;
And many a wilde hertes blood she shedde
With arwes brode that she to hem sente.
She was so swift that she anon hem hente,
And whan that she was elder, she wolde kille 3450
Leouns, lepardes, and beres al to-rente, (271)
And in hir armes welde hem at hir wille.
She dorste wilde beestes dennes seke,
And rennen in the montaignes al the night,
And slepen under a bush, and she coude eke 3455
Wrastlen by verray force and verray might
With any yong man, were he never so wight;
Ther mighte no-thing in hir armes stonde.
She kepte hir maydenhod from every wight,
To no man deigned hir for to be bonde. 3460
3455. E. Hn. Cm. the; _rest_ a. E. bussh.
[253: T. 14277-14308.]
But atte laste hir frendes han hir maried (281)
To Odenake, a prince of that contree,
Al were it so that she hem longe taried;
And ye shul understonde how that he
Hadde swiche fantasyes as hadde she. 3465
But nathelees, whan they were knit in-fere,
They lived in Ioye and in felicitee;
For ech of hem hadde other leef and dere.
3462. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; Cp. Ln. Hl. Odenake; Pt. Odonak. 3468. E.
oother lief.
Save o thing, that she never wolde assente
By no wey, that he sholde by hir lye 3470
But ones, for it was hir pleyn entente (291)
To have a child, the world to multiplye;
And al-so sone as that she mighte espye
That she was nat with childe with that dede,
Than wolde she suffre him doon his fantasye 3475
Eft-sone, and nat but ones, out of drede.
And if she were with childe at thilke cast,
Na-more sholde he pleyen thilke game
Til fully fourty dayes weren past;
Than wolde she ones suffre him do the same. 3480
Al were this Odenake wilde or tame, (301)
He gat na-more of hir, for thus she seyde,
‘It was to wyves lecherye and shame
In other cas, if that men with hem pleyde.’
3481. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; _rest_ Odenake.
Two sones by this Odenake hadde she, 3485
The whiche she kepte in vertu and lettrure;
But now un-to our tale turne we.
I seye, so worshipful a creature,
And wys therwith, and large with mesure,
So penible in the warre, and curteis eke, 3490
Ne more labour mighte in werre endure, (311)
Was noon, thogh al this world men sholde seke.
3485. E. _om._ this. E. Hn. Cm. Onedake; _rest_ Odenake. 3492. E.
though; Hn. thogh. E. wolde; _rest_ sholde (schulde).
[254: T. 14309-14340.]
Hir riche array ne mighte nat be told
As wel in vessel as in hir clothing;
She was al clad in perree and in gold, 3495
And eek she lafte noght, for noon hunting,
To have of sondry tonges ful knowing,
Whan that she leyser hadde, and for to entende
To lernen bokes was al hir lyking,
How she in vertu mighte hir lyf dispende. 3500
And, shortly of this storie for to trete, (321)
So doughty was hir housbonde and eek she,
That they conquered many regnes grete
In the orient, with many a fair citee,
Apertenaunt un-to the magestee 3505
Of Rome, and with strong hond helde hem ful faste;
Ne never mighte hir fo-men doon hem flee,
Ay whyl that Odenakes dayes laste.
3501. E. proces; _rest_ storie. 3508. Hl. Odenakes; _rest_ Onedakes,
Odenake.
Hir batailes, who-so list hem for to rede,
Agayn Sapor the king and othere mo, 3510
And how that al this proces fil in dede, (331)
Why she conquered and what title had therto,
And after of hir meschief and hir wo,
How that she was biseged and y-take,
Let him un-to my maister Petrark go, 3515
That writ y-nough of this, I undertake.
3511. E. _omits_ that. 3512. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. had; _which_ E. Hn. Cm.
_omit._
When Odenake was deed, she mightily
The regnes heeld, and with hir propre honde
Agayn hir foos she faught so cruelly,
That ther nas king ne prince in al that londe 3520
That he nas glad, if that he grace fonde, (341)
That she ne wolde up-on his lond werreye;
With hir they made alliaunce by bonde
To been in pees, and lete hir ryde and pleye.
3517. _So_ Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl.; E. Hn. Cm. Onedake. 3518. E. hond_e_; Pt.
honde; Ln. hande; _rest_ hond. 3523. _MSS._ made; _read_ maden?
[255: T. 14341-14372.]
The emperour of Rome, Claudius, 3525
Ne him bifore, the Romayn Galien,
Ne dorste never been so corageous,
Ne noon Ermyn, ne noon Egipcien,
Ne Surrien, ne noon Arabien,
Within the feld that dorste with hir fighte 3530
Lest that she wolde hem with hir hondes slen, (351)
Or with hir meynee putten hem to flighte.
3530. Cp. feeld; Hl. feld; Ln. felde; Pt. feelde; E. Hn. Cm. feeldes.
In kinges habit wente hir sones two,
As heires of hir fadres regnes alle,
And Hermanno, and Thymalaö 3535
Her names were, as Persiens hem calle.
But ay fortune hath in hir hony galle;
This mighty quene may no whyl endure.
Fortune out of hir regne made hir falle
To wrecchednesse and to misaventure. 3540
Aurelian, whan that the governaunce (361)
Of Rome cam in-to his hondes tweye,
He shoop up-on this queen to do vengeaunce,
And with his legiouns he took his weye
Toward Cenobie, and, shortly for to seye, 3545
He made hir flee, and atte laste hir hente,
And fettred hir, and eek hir children tweye,
And wan the lond, and hoom to Rome he wente.
Amonges othere thinges that he wan,
Hir char, that was with gold wrought and perree, 3550
This grete Romayn, this Aurelian, (371)
Hath with him lad, for that men sholde it see.
Biforen his triumphe walketh she
With gilte cheynes on hir nekke hanging;
Corouned was she, as after hir degree, 3555
And ful of perree charged hir clothing.
3553. _MSS._ Biforn, Bifore (Hl. Bifore this). 3555. E. _omits_ as.
[256: T. 14373-14708.]
Allas, fortune! she that whylom was
Dredful to kinges and to emperoures,
Now gaureth al the peple on hir, allas!
And she that helmed was in starke stoures, 3560
And wan by force tounes stronge and toures, (381)
Shal on hir heed now were a vitremyte;
And she that bar the ceptre ful of floures
Shal bere a distaf, hir cost for to quyte. [T. 14380.
3560. E. shoures. 3562. Hl. wyntermyte. 3564. Hn. Cm. Ln. cost; Pt.
coste; E. Cp. costes; Hl. self.
(NERO _follows in_ T.; _see_ p. 259.)