| So after this, with many wordes glade, |
| And freendly tales, and with mery chere, |
| 150 | Of this and that they pleyde, and gunnen wade |
| In many an unkouth glad and deep matere, |
| As freendes doon, whan they ben met yfeere; |
| Til she gan axen him how Ector ferde, |
| That was the tounes wal and Grekes yerde. |
| 155 | `Ful wel, I thanke it God,' quod Pandarus, |
| `Save in his arm he hath a litel wounde; |
| And eek his fresshe brother Troilus, |
| The wyse worthy Ector the secounde, |
| In whom that ever vertu list abounde, |
| 160 | As alle trouthe and alle gentillesse, |
| Wysdom, honour, fredom, and worthinesse.' |
| `In good feith, em,' quod she, `that lyketh me; |
| They faren wel, God save hem bothe two! |
| For trewely I holde it greet deyntee |
| 165 | A kinges sone in armes wel to do, |
| And been of good condiciouns ther-to; |
| For greet power and moral vertu here |
| Is selde y-seye in o persone y-fere.' |
| `In good feith, that is sooth,' quod Pandarus; |
| 170 | `But, by my trouthe, the king hath sones tweye, |
| That is to mene, Ector and Troilus, |
| That certainly, though that I sholde deye, |
| They been as voyde of vyces, dar I seye, |
| As any men that liveth under the sonne, |
| 175 | Hir might is wyde yknowe, and what they konne. |
| `Of Ector nedeth it nought for to telle: |
| In al this world ther nis a bettre knight |
| Than he, that is of worthinesse welle; |
| And he wel more vertu hath than might. |
| 180 | This knoweth many a wys and worthy wight. |
| The same prys of Troilus I seye, |
| God help me so, I knowe not swich tweye.' |
| `By God,' quod she, `of Ector that is sooth; |
| Of Troilus the same thing trowe I; |
| 185 | For, dredelees, men tellen that he dooth |
| In armes day by day so worthily, |
| And bereth him here at hoom so gentilly |
| To every wight, that al the prys hath he |
| Of hem that me were levest preysed be.' |
| 190 | `Ye sey right sooth, y-wis,' quod Pandarus; |
| `For yesterday, who-so hadde with him been, |
| He might have wondred up-on Troilus; |
| For never yet so thikke a swarm of been |
| Ne fleigh, as Grekes fro him gonne fleen; |
| 195 | And thorugh the feld, in everi wightes eere, |
| Ther nas no cry but "Troilus is there!" |
| `Now here, now there, he hunted hem so faste, |
| Ther nas but Grekes blood; and Troilus, |
| Now hem he hurte, and hem alle doun he caste; |
| 200 | Ay where he wente, it was arayed thus: |
| He was hir deeth, and sheld and lyf for us; |
| That as that day ther dorste noon withstonde, |
| Whyl that he held his blody swerd in honde. |
| `Therto he is the freendlieste man |
| 205 | Of grete estat, that ever I saw my lyve; |
| And wher him list, best felawshipe can |
| To suche as him thinketh able for to thryve.' |
| And with that word tho Pandarus, as blyve, |
| He took his leve, and seyde, `I wol go henne.' |
| 210 | `Nay, blame have I, myn uncle,' quod she thenne. |
| `What eyleth yow to be thus wery sone, |
| And namelich of wommen? Wol ye so? |
| Nay, sitteth down; by God, I have to done |
| With yow, to speke of wisdom er ye go.' |
| 215 | And every wight that was aboute hem tho, |
| That herde that, gan fer a-wey to stonde, |
| Whyl they two hadde al that hem liste in honde. |
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