"The prince, the queen,[29] and all the rest Unto my lady made request And her besought oftén, and pray'd To me-wards to be well apaid And cónsider mine olde truth, And on my paines haven ruth, And me accept to her servíce In suche form and in such wise That we both mighten be as one; Thus pray'd the queen and every one, And, for there should ne be no Nay, They stinten jousting all a day To pray my lady, and requere To be content and out of fear, And with good heart make friendly cheer, And said it was a happy year; At which she smiled, and said 'Ywis I trow well he my servant is, And would _my_ welfare, as I trist,[30] So would I _his_; and would he wist How; and I knewe that his truth Continue would, withouten sloth, And be such as ye here report. Restraining both couráge and sport, I could consent at your request To be ynamèd of your feast, And doen after your usánce In obeying of your pleäsance. At your request this I consent, To pleasen you in your intent: _And eke the sovèreign above, Commanded hath me for to love, And before others him prefer_; Against which prince may be no wer;[31] For his power o'er all reigneth, That other would for nought him paineth; And sith his will and yours is one, Contráry in me shall be none.'" Here we have passed the boundaries of fact. That the lady had not yet said what the poet so delicately tells her she should say, much less that the marriage had taken place amidst all the ceremonies and gladness and splendour that he next so picturesquely describes, the poet presently proceeds to tell us. The sounds "Round about, and in all the tents, With thousandès of instruments," trouble him in his sleep; he wakes, and finds no lady, alas! And now the mask, assumed for the moment, is dropped; he avows his prayer that his lady will accept of his service in such a manner that the substance of his dream may prove true, or that he may return into the same pleasant isle of fancy. And then, in direct appeal to her for grace (under the title of L'Envoy), he concludes the poem.