THE KN1GHTES  TALE.	135
Welcome be thou, wel faire fressche May,
I hope that I som grene gete may.'
And fro his courser, with a lusty herte,
Into the grove ful hastily he sterte,
And in a path he rometh up and doun,
Ther as by aventure this Palamoun
Was in a busche, that no man mighte him see.
For sore afered of his deth was he.
Nothing ne knew he that it was Arcite:
God wot he wolde han trowed it ful lite.
But soth is seyd, goon sithen many jyeres,
That feld hath eyen, and the woode hath eeres.
It is ful fair a man to bere him evene,
For al day meteth men at unset stevene.
Ful litel woot Arcite of his felawe,
That was so neih to herknen al his sawe,
For in the busche he sytteth now ful stille.
Whan that Arcite hadde romed al his fille,
And songen al the roundel lustily.
Into a studie he fel al sodeynly,
'As don thes loveres in here queynte geeres,
Now in the croppe, now doun in the breres,
Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.
Right as the Friday, sothly for to telle,
Now it schyneth, now it reyneth faste,
Right so gan gery Venus overcaste
The hertes of hire folk, right as hire day
Is gerful, right so chaungeth sche array.
Selde is the Fry day al the wyke i-like.
Whan that Arcite hadde songe, he gan to sike,
And sette him doun withouten eny more :
^4 Alas!' quod he, * that day that I was bore.!
How longe Juno, thurgh thy cruelte*,
Wilto^ werreyen Thebes the citee?
Alias ! i-broug/jt is to confusioun
The blood royal of Cadme and Amphioun ;
Of Cadmus, which that was the firste man