Previous: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book V, lines 925-1008: Criseyde does not affirm or deny Diomedes' intended love for her

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	The brighte Venus folwede and ay taughte
	The wey, ther brode Phebus doun alighte;
	And Cynthea hir char-hors overraughte
	To whirle out of the Lyon, if she mighte;
1020	And Signifer his candelse shewed brighte,
	Whan that Criseyde unto hir bedde wente
	In-with hir fadres faire brighte tente.

	Retorning in hir soule ay up and doun
	The wordes of this sodein Diomede,
1025	His greet estat, and peril of the toun,
	And that she was allone and hadde nede
	Of freendes help; and thus bigan to brede
	The cause why, the sothe for to telle,
	That she tok fully purpos for to dwelle.

1030	The morwe com, and goostly for to speke,
	This Diomede is come unto Criseyde,
	And shortly, lest that ye my tale breke,
	So wel he for himselve spak and seyde,
	That alle hir sykes sore adoun he leyde.
1035	And fynally, the sothe for to seyne,
	He refte hir of the grete of al hir peyne.

	And after this the story telleth us,
	That she him yaf the faire baye stede,
	The which he ones wan of Troilus;
1040	And eek a broche (and that was litel nede)
	That Troilus was, she yaf this Diomede.
	And eek, the bet from sorwe him to releve,
	She made him were a pencel of hir sleve.

	I finde eek in stories elleswhere,
1045	Whan thurgh the body hurt was Diomede
	Of Troilus, tho weep she many a tere,
	Whan that she saugh his wyde woundes blede;
	And that she took to kepen him good hede,
	And for to hele him of his sorwes smerte.
1050	Men seyn, I not, that she yaf him hir herte.

	But trewely, the story telleth us,
	Ther made never womman more wo
	Than she, whan that she falsed Troilus.
	She seyde, `Allas! For now is clene a-go
1055	My name of trouthe in love, for ever-mo!
	For I have falsed oon, the gentileste
	That ever was, and oon the worthieste!

	`Allas, of me, unto the worldes ende,
	Shal neither been ywriten nor ysonge
1060	No good word, for thise bokes wol me shende.
	O, rolled shal I been on many a tonge;
	Thurghout the world my belle shal be ronge;
	And wommen most wol hate me of alle.
	Allas, that swich a cas me sholde falle!

1065	`They wol seyn, in as muche as in me is,
	I have hem don dishonour, weylawey!
	Al be I not the first that dide amis,
	What helpeth that to do my blame awey?
	But syn I see there is no bettre way,
1070	And that to late is now for me to rewe,
	To Diomede algate I wol be trewe.

	`But Troilus, syn I no better may,
	And syn that thus departen ye and I,
	Yet preye I God, so yeve yow right good day
1075	As for the gentileste, trewely,
	That ever I say, to serven feithfully,
	And best can ay his lady honour kepe:' --
	And with that word she brast anon to wepe.

	`And certes yow ne haten shal I never,
1080	And freendes love, that shal ye han of me,
	And my good word, al mighte I liven ever.
	And, trewely, I wolde sory be
	For to seen yow in adversitee.
	And giltelees, I woot wel, I yow leve;
1085	But al shal passe; and thus take I my leve.'

	But trewely, how longe it was bitwene,
	That she forsook him for this Diomede,
	Ther is non auctor telleth it, I wene.
	Take every man now to his bokes hede;
1090	He shal no terme finden, out of drede.
	For though that he bigan to wowe hir sone,
	Er he hir wan, yet was ther more to done.

	Ne me ne list this sely womman chyde
	Ferther than the story wol devyse.
1095	Hir name, allas! Is publisshed so wyde,
	That for hir gilt it oughte ynough suffyse.
	And if I mighte excuse hir any wyse,
	For she so sory was for hir untrouthe,
	Y-wis, I wolde excuse hir yet for routhe.

Next: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book V, lines 1100-1204: Troilus awaits Criseyde's return