"A LYTEL CAVE."

127

And shortly, fro the tempest hire to save,
She fled hire selfe into a lytel cave,
And with hire wente this Eneas alsoo.
I not with hem yf ther went any moo;
The auctour maketh of hit no mencioun.
And here beganne the depe affeccioun
Betwix hem two; this was the firste morwe
Of hire gladnesse, and gynnynge of hir sorwe.
For there hath Eneas yknyled1 soo,

And tolde hir al his herte and al his woo,

1230

And sworne so depe to hire to be trewe
For wele or woo, and chaunge for noo newe,
And as a fals lover so wel kan pleyne,2
That sely Dido rewed on his peyne,

And toke hym for housbonde, and became his wife

For evermor, while that hem laste lyfe.

And after this, whan that the tempest stente, With myrth, out as they come, home they wente. The wikked fame up roos, and that anoon, How Eneas hath with the queene ygoon

3

Into the cave, and demed as hem liste.

1241

And whan the kynge that Yarbas hight hit

wiste,

As he that had hire loved ever his lyfe,

And wowed hire to have to hys wife,

Swiche sorowe as he hath maked, and suche chere,

1 Kneeled

2 Complain. 3 Judged. 4 Named Iarbus. He was an unsuccessful suitor of Dido. 5 Wooed.

Yt is a rewthe and pitee for to here.
But as in love alday it happeth soo,
That oon shal lawghen at anotheres woo;
Now lawghed Eneas, and is in joye,
And more riches than ever was in Troye.

1250

O sely1 woman, ful of innocence, Ful of pitee, of trouthe, and conscience, What maked yow to men to trusten soo? Have ye suche rewthe upon hir feyned woo, And han suche olde ensaumples yow beforne? Se ye nat alle how they ben forsworne? Where se ye oon that he ne hath lafte his leefe ? 2

Or ben unkynde, or don hir some myscheefe ? Or pilled hir, or bosted of hys dede?

8

Ye may as wel hit seen as ye may rede.
Take hede now of this grete gentilman,
This Trojan, that so wel hire plese kan,
That feyneth him so trewe and obeysinge,
So gentil, and so privy of his doynge;
And kan so wel doon al his obeysaunce
To hir, at festes and at daunce,

1260

And whan she gooth to temple, and home

ageyne,

And fasten til he hath his lady seyne;

And beren in his devyses for hire sake

1270

Wot I not what; and songes wolde he make, Justen, and doon of armes many thynges, Send hire letres, tokens, broches, rynges. Now herkneth how he shal his lady serve.

1 Weak. Love. Robbed.

Ther as he was in peril for to sterve For hunger and for myscheef in the see, And desolate, and fledde fro his contree, And al his folke with tempeste al to-driven, She hath hir body and eke hir reame1 given Into his hande, theras she myghte have beene Of other lande than of Cartage a queene, 1281 And lyved in joy ynogh; what wolde ye more?

8

This Eneas, that hath thus depe yswore, Ys wery of his crafte within a throwe ; 2 The hoote erneste is al overblowe. And prively he dooth his shippes dyghte, And shapeth him to steele awey by nyghte. This Dido hath suspecion of this, And thoughte wel that hit was al amys; 1289 For in his bedde he lythe a nyght and siketh, She asketh him anoon what him mysliketh.

"My dere herte, which that I love mooste, Certes," quod he, "thys nyght my fadres gooste Hath in my slepe me so sore turmentede, And eke Mercure his message hath presentede,

That nedes to the conqueste of Ytayle

My destany is soone for to sayle,

For whiche me thynketh brosten ys myn herte."
Therwith his false teeres oute they sterte,
And taketh hir within his armes twoo.
"Ys that in ernest?" quod she;

soo?

1 Realm.

VOL. III.

1300 "wol ye

2 Short time. 8 Causeth his ships to be prepared.

9

Have ye nat sworne to wife me to take?
Allas, what woman wol ye of me make?
I am a gentil woman, and a queene;

Ye wol nat fro your wyfe thus foule fleene!
That I was borne, allas! What shal I doo?"
To telle in short, this noble queene Dido
She seketh halwes,1 and doothe sacrifise;
She kneleth, crieth, that routhe is to devyse;
Conjureth him, and profereth him to bee 1310
Hys thral, hys servant, in the lest degre.
She falleth him to foote, and swowneth there,
Disshevely with hire bryghte gelte 2 here,
And seith, "Have mercy! let me with yow
ryde ;

These lordes, which that wonnen me besyde,
Wol me destroien oonly for youre sake.

And ye wole now me to wife take,

As

ye han sworn, than wol I give yow leve To sleen me with your swerd now soone at eve, For than shal I yet dien as youre wife.

1320

I am with childe, and give my childe his lyfe!
Mercy, lorde, have pitee in youre thought!"
But al this thing avayleth hire ryght nought,
For on a nyght sleping he let hir lye,
And staal 5 awey upon his companye,
And as a traytour forthe he gan to sayle
Towarde the large countree of Ytayle.

And thus hath he lefte Dido in woo and pyne,

1 Saints, i. e., goes to the temples. Cf. Canterbury Tales, 1. 14 Golden. 3 Dwell. Unless. Stole.

DIDO'S LETTER.

And weddid there a lady highte Lavyne.

131

A clooth he lefte, and eke his swerde stond

ynge

Whan he fro Dido staale in hire slepynge
Righte at hir beddes hed: so gan he hye,
Whanne that he staale awey to his navye.

1330

Which clooth, whan sely Dido gan awake,
She hath i-kyste ful ofte for hys sake;
And seyde, "O swete clooth, while Jupiter hit
leste,

Take my soule, unbynde me of this unreste,
I have fulfilled of fortune al the course."
And thus, allas, withouten hys socourse,1
Twenty tyme yswowned hath she thanne. 1340
And whan that she unto hir suster Anne
Compleyned had, of which I may not write,
So grete routhe I have hit for to endite,
And bad hir noryce 2 and hir sustren goon
To feche fire, and other thinges anoon,
And seyde that she wolde sacrifie ;
And whan she myght hir tyme wel espye,

Upon the fire of sacrifice she sterte,

And with his swerde she roof hire to the

herte.

4

But, as myn auctour seythe, yit, thus she

seyde,

Or she was hurte, beforne or she deide,

1350

She wroot a letter anoon, that thus biganne.

1 Succor. 2 Nurse. 3 Rived. free version of the Heroides, vii. 1-8.

4 Ovid. Lines 1354-1364 are a