162 THE KN1GHTES TALE.
With schorte staves, thikke as they may goon ; Pypes, trornpes, nakeres, clariounes, That In the bataille blowe bloody sownes; The paleys ful of peples up and doun, Heer thre, ther ten, holdyng here questioun, Dyvynyng of thise Thebane knightes two. Somme seyden thus, somme seyde it schal be so; Somme heelde with him with the blake berd, Somme with the balled, somme with the thikke
herd;
Somme sayde he lokede grym and he wolde fighte; He hath a sparth of twenti pound of wighte. Thus was the halle ful of divynynge, Longe after that the sonne gan to springe. The grete Theseus that of his sleep awaked With menstralcye and noyse that was maked, Held jyit the chambre of his paleys riche, Til that the Thebane knyghtes bothe i-liche Honoured weren into the paleys fet, Duk Theseus was at a wyndow set, Arrayed right as he were a god in trone. The peple presseth thider-ward ful sone Him for to seen, and doon heigh reverence, And eek to herkne his hest and his sentence. An heraud on a skafifold made an hoo, Til al the noyse of the peple was i-do j The whan he sawh the peple of noyse all stille, Tho schewede he the mighty dukes wille. * The lord hath of his heih discrecioun Considered, that it were destruccioun To gentil blood, to fighten in the gyse Of mortal bataille now in this emprise; Wherfore to schapen that they schuln not dye, He wol his firste purpos modifye. No man therfore, up peyne of los of lyf, No maner schot, ne pollax, ne schort knyf Into the lystes sende; or thider brynge;