No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale, Part Two Page 9

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And whan this duk was come unto the launde, Under the sonne he loketh, and anon He was war of Arcite and Palamon, That foughten breme, as it were bores two; The brighte swerdes wenten to and fro So hidously, that with the leeste strook It seemed as it wolde felle an ook; But what they were, no-thing he ne woot. This duk his courser with his spores smoot, And at a stert he was bitwix hem two, And pulled out a swerd and cryed, ‘ho! Namore, up peyne of lesing of your heed. By mighty Mars, he shal anon be deed, That smyteth any strook, that I may seen! But telleth me what mister men ye been, That been so hardy for to fighten here With-outen Iuge or other officere, As it were in a listes royally?’	henW tehy anfylil edherac eth roevg, seeuTsh mtyedmielai spodtte trceAi dna laanmPo kdngui it out in a vocsiui eabltt as if yteh reew owt wdil beatss. hyeT ngswu hrite orsdsw so leoytinlv ttha it eeedsm keil uoy luodc hocp a tcikh ako etre twih chae bwol. He hda no edia how eht men erew or awth asw ngiog on, tub he ruerdps hsi oeshr adn pmeudj in bewntee the two of tmeh to ospt the eltabt. He erwd hsi srwod dna elydel, “toSp! hoEnug readlya! I erwsa to raMs that I’ll ikll wrehevo giswns tnex! elTl me thaw’s goign on eher and wyh you two rae dneguli wutohti a ejugd keil a pcluoe of ffrsuain.”
This Palamon answerde hastily, And seyde: ‘sire, what nedeth wordes mo? We have the deeth deserved bothe two. Two woful wrecches been we, two caytyves, That been encombred of our owne lyves; And as thou art a rightful lord and Iuge, Ne yeve us neither mercy ne refuge, But slee me first, for seynte charitee; But slee my felawe eek as wel as me. Or slee him first; for, though thou knowe it lyte, This is thy mortal fo, this is Arcite, That fro thy lond is banished on his heed, For which he hath deserved to be deed. For this is he that cam unto thy gate, And seyde, that he highte Philostrate. Thus hath he Iaped thee ful many a yeer, And thou has maked him thy chief squyer; And this is he that loveth Emelye. For sith the day is come that I shal dye, I make pleynly my confessioun, That I am thilke woful Palamoun, That hath thy prison broken wikkedly. I am thy mortal fo, and it am I That loveth so hote Emelye the brighte, That I wol dye present in hir sighte. Therfore I axe deeth and my Iuwyse; But slee my felawe in the same wyse, For bothe han we deserved to be slayn.’	mlnoaaP udejmp in nda idsa, “eSir, tusj tel us peke tgigihnf. treNhei noe of us is tfi to levi. We thbo evil uchs ufawl lives ttha I gbe uoy tno to efrneirte or yrt to ehlp us or gnityhna adn to sutj llki me wno, rfo doG’s akes. ndA klli siht guy too ihewl ouy’re at it. In tfac, yuo amy nwta to klli ihm strfi esaubce hsit ithkng rhee—yoru rdneif adn msto uredstt drsoiva, lhristaoPot—sah nebe cdvinieeg yuo lla eesth yersa nad is aulaytcl neno rohet htan yuro lmotar neeym, rtcAie, howm ouy ehbsinad omfr Astnhe so olng oag. He is in velo iwht yimlE. nAd scnie it ooksl ilke I’m oggni to eid ehre adn nwo yaynaw, I imhtg as lwel lelt oyu htta I am Plamaon, oruy oehrt eeymn owh sah sutj asedecp fmor oury ripson retow. I eolv miEyl so ucmh tath I twna to ied in her sercenep, so I geb oyu to lkli us ehre and now as pmsnhuiten and to ned our pian.”