No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale, Part Two Page 2

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Original Text	Modern Text
What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte? Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo, At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde, Upon a night, in sleep as he him leyde, Him thoughte how that the winged god Mercurie Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye. His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte; An hat he werede upon his heres brighte. Arrayed was this god (as he took keep) As he was whan that Argus took his sleep; And seyde him thus: ‘To Athenes shaltou wende; Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.’ And with that word Arcite wook and sterte. ‘Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,’ Quod he, ‘to Athenes right now wol I fare; Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare To see my lady, that I love and serve; In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.’	What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte? Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo, At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde, Upon a night, in sleep as he him leyde, Him thoughte how that the winged god Mercurie Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye. His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte; An hat he werede upon his heres brighte. Arrayed was this god (as he took keep) As he was whan that Argus took his sleep; And seyde him thus: ‘To Athenes shaltou wende; Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.’ And with that word Arcite wook and sterte. ‘Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,’ Quod he, ‘to Athenes right now wol I fare; Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare To see my lady, that I love and serve; In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.’
And with that word he caughte a greet mirour, And saugh that chaunged was al his colour, And saugh his visage al in another kinde. And right anoon it ran him in his minde, That, sith his face was so disfigured Of maladye, the which he hadde endured, He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe, Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe, And seen his lady wel ny day by day. And right anon he chaunged his array, And cladde him as a povre laborer, And al allone, save oonly a squyer, That knew his privetee and al his cas, Which was disgysed povrely, as he was, To Athenes is he goon the nexte way. And to the court he wente upon a day, And at the gate he profreth his servyse, To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse. And shortly of this matere for to seyn, He fil in office with a chamberleyn, The which that dwelling was with Emelye. For he was wys, and coude soon aspye Of every servaunt, which that serveth here. Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere, For he was yong and mighty for the nones, And ther-to be was strong and big of bones To doon that any wight can him devyse. A yeer or two he was in this servyse, Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte; And ‘Philostrate’ he seide that he highte. But half so wel biloved a man as he Ne was ther never in court, of his degree; He was so gentil of condicioun, That thurghout al the court was his renoun. They seyden, that it were a charitee That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree, And putten him in worshipful servyse, Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse. And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge, That Theseus hath taken him so neer That of his chambre he made him a squyer, And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree; And eek men broghte him out of his contree From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente; But honestly and slyly he it spente, That no man wondred how that he it hadde. And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde, And bar him so in pees and eek in werre, Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre. And in this blisse lete I now Arcite, And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte.	And with that word he caughte a greet mirour, And saugh that chaunged was al his colour, And saugh his visage al in another kinde. And right anoon it ran him in his minde, That, sith his face was so disfigured Of maladye, the which he hadde endured, He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe, Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe, And seen his lady wel ny day by day. And right anon he chaunged his array, And cladde him as a povre laborer, And al allone, save oonly a squyer, That knew his privetee and al his cas, Which was disgysed povrely, as he was, To Athenes is he goon the nexte way. And to the court he wente upon a day, And at the gate he profreth his servyse, To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse. And shortly of this matere for to seyn, He fil in office with a chamberleyn, The which that dwelling was with Emelye. For he was wys, and coude soon aspye Of every servaunt, which that serveth here. Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere, For he was yong and mighty for the nones, And ther-to be was strong and big of bones To doon that any wight can him devyse. A yeer or two he was in this servyse, Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte; And ‘Philostrate’ he seide that he highte. But half so wel biloved a man as he Ne was ther never in court, of his degree; He was so gentil of condicioun, That thurghout al the court was his renoun. They seyden, that it were a charitee That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree, And putten him in worshipful servyse, Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse. And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge, That Theseus hath taken him so neer That of his chambre he made him a squyer, And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree; And eek men broghte him out of his contree From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente; But honestly and slyly he it spente, That no man wondred how that he it hadde. And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde, And bar him so in pees and eek in werre, Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre. And in this blisse lete I now Arcite, And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte.

Original Text	Modern Text
What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte? Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo, At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde, Upon a night, in sleep as he him leyde, Him thoughte how that the winged god Mercurie Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye. His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte; An hat he werede upon his heres brighte. Arrayed was this god (as he took keep) As he was whan that Argus took his sleep; And seyde him thus: ‘To Athenes shaltou wende; Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.’ And with that word Arcite wook and sterte. ‘Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,’ Quod he, ‘to Athenes right now wol I fare; Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare To see my lady, that I love and serve; In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.’	What sholde I al-day of his wo endyte? Whan he endured hadde a yeer or two This cruel torment, and this peyne and wo, At Thebes, in his contree, as I seyde, Upon a night, in sleep as he him leyde, Him thoughte how that the winged god Mercurie Biforn him stood, and bad him to be murye. His slepy yerde in hond he bar uprighte; An hat he werede upon his heres brighte. Arrayed was this god (as he took keep) As he was whan that Argus took his sleep; And seyde him thus: ‘To Athenes shaltou wende; Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.’ And with that word Arcite wook and sterte. ‘Now trewely, how sore that me smerte,’ Quod he, ‘to Athenes right now wol I fare; Ne for the drede of deeth shal I nat spare To see my lady, that I love and serve; In hir presence I recche nat to sterve.’
And with that word he caughte a greet mirour, And saugh that chaunged was al his colour, And saugh his visage al in another kinde. And right anoon it ran him in his minde, That, sith his face was so disfigured Of maladye, the which he hadde endured, He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe, Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe, And seen his lady wel ny day by day. And right anon he chaunged his array, And cladde him as a povre laborer, And al allone, save oonly a squyer, That knew his privetee and al his cas, Which was disgysed povrely, as he was, To Athenes is he goon the nexte way. And to the court he wente upon a day, And at the gate he profreth his servyse, To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse. And shortly of this matere for to seyn, He fil in office with a chamberleyn, The which that dwelling was with Emelye. For he was wys, and coude soon aspye Of every servaunt, which that serveth here. Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere, For he was yong and mighty for the nones, And ther-to be was strong and big of bones To doon that any wight can him devyse. A yeer or two he was in this servyse, Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte; And ‘Philostrate’ he seide that he highte. But half so wel biloved a man as he Ne was ther never in court, of his degree; He was so gentil of condicioun, That thurghout al the court was his renoun. They seyden, that it were a charitee That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree, And putten him in worshipful servyse, Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse. And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge, That Theseus hath taken him so neer That of his chambre he made him a squyer, And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree; And eek men broghte him out of his contree From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente; But honestly and slyly he it spente, That no man wondred how that he it hadde. And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde, And bar him so in pees and eek in werre, Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre. And in this blisse lete I now Arcite, And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte.	And with that word he caughte a greet mirour, And saugh that chaunged was al his colour, And saugh his visage al in another kinde. And right anoon it ran him in his minde, That, sith his face was so disfigured Of maladye, the which he hadde endured, He mighte wel, if that he bar him lowe, Live in Athenes ever-more unknowe, And seen his lady wel ny day by day. And right anon he chaunged his array, And cladde him as a povre laborer, And al allone, save oonly a squyer, That knew his privetee and al his cas, Which was disgysed povrely, as he was, To Athenes is he goon the nexte way. And to the court he wente upon a day, And at the gate he profreth his servyse, To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse. And shortly of this matere for to seyn, He fil in office with a chamberleyn, The which that dwelling was with Emelye. For he was wys, and coude soon aspye Of every servaunt, which that serveth here. Wel coude he hewen wode, and water bere, For he was yong and mighty for the nones, And ther-to be was strong and big of bones To doon that any wight can him devyse. A yeer or two he was in this servyse, Page of the chambre of Emelye the brighte; And ‘Philostrate’ he seide that he highte. But half so wel biloved a man as he Ne was ther never in court, of his degree; He was so gentil of condicioun, That thurghout al the court was his renoun. They seyden, that it were a charitee That Theseus wolde enhauncen his degree, And putten him in worshipful servyse, Ther as he mighte his vertu excercyse. And thus, with-inne a whyle, his name is spronge Bothe of his dedes, and his goode tonge, That Theseus hath taken him so neer That of his chambre he made him a squyer, And yaf him gold to mayntene his degree; And eek men broghte him out of his contree From yeer to yeer, ful prively, his rente; But honestly and slyly he it spente, That no man wondred how that he it hadde. And three yeer in this wyse his lyf he ladde, And bar him so in pees and eek in werre, Ther nas no man that Theseus hath derre. And in this blisse lete I now Arcite, And speke I wol of Palamon a lyte.