146 THE KNIGHTES TALE.
First in the temple of Venus maystow se Wrought on the wal, ful pitous to byholde, The broken slepes, and the sykes colde; The sacred teeres, and the waymentyng \ The fyry strokes of the desiryng, That loves servauntz in this lyf enduren; The othes, that here covenantz assuren. Plesaunce and hope, desyr, fool-hardynesse, Beaute and j^outhe, bauderye and richesse, Charmes and force, lesynges and flaterye, Dispense, busynesse, and jelousye, That werede of yelwe guides a gerland, And a cokkow sittyng on hire hand; Festes, instrumentz, caroles, daunces, Lust and array, and alle the circumstaunces Of love, whiche that I rekned have and schal, By ordre weren peynted on the wal. And mo than I can make of mencioun. For sothly al the mount of Citheroun, Ther Venus hath hire principal dwellyng, Was sche wed on the wal in portreying, With al the gardyn, and the lustynesse. Nought was foryete the porter Ydelnesse, Ne Narcisus the fayre of yore agon, Nejyet the folye of kyng Salamon, Ne eek the grete strengthe of Hercules, Thenchauntementz of Medea and Circes, Ne of Turnus with the hardy fiers corage, The riche Cresus caytif in, servage,. Thus may ye seen that wisdom ne richesse, Beautd ne sleighte, strengthe, ne hardynesse, Ne may with Venus holde champartye, For as hire lust the world than may sche gye, Lo, alle thise folk i-caught were in hire las, Til they for wo ful often sayde alias, Sufficeth heere ensamples oon or tuo, And though I couthe rekne a thousand mo.