+Hyd, Absolon, thy gilte tresses clere; +Ester, ley them thy meknesse al a-doun; +Hyd, Ionathas, al thy frendly manere; 205 +Penalopee, and Marcia Catoun, +Mak of your wyfhod no comparisoun; +Hyde ye your beautes, Isoude and Eleyne, Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. +Thy faire body, lat hit nat appere, 210 +Lavyne; and thou, Lucresse of Rome toun, +And Polixene, that boghte love so dere, Eek Cleopatre, with al thy passioun, Hyde ye your trouthe in love and your renoun; And thou, Tisbe, that hast for love swich peyne: 215 Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. Herro, Dido, Laudomia, alle in-fere, Eek Phyllis, hanging for thy Demophoun, +And Canace, espyed by thy chere, Ysiphile, betrayed with Jasoun, 220 Mak of your trouthe in love no bost ne soun; Nor Ypermistre or Adriane, ne pleyne; Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. Whan that this balade al y-songen was, (B. 270) _From_ A. 179-198. Hir name was Alceste the debonayre; I prey to god that ever falle she fayre! 180 +For ne hadde confort been of hir presence, +I had be deed, withouten any defence, +For drede of Loves wordes and his chere, +As, whan tyme is, her-after ye shal here. Byhind this god of love, up-on this grene, 185 +I saw cominge of ladyës nyntene +In ryal abite, a ful esy pas, +And after hem com of wemen swich a tras, That, sin that god Adam made of erthe, The thredde part of wemen, ne the ferthe, 190 +Ne wende I nat by possibilitee Hadden ever in this world y-be. +And trewe of love these wemen were echoon. +Now whether was that a wonder thing or noon, +That, right anon as that they gonne espye 195 +This flour, which that I clepe the dayesye, +Ful sodeinly they stinten alle atones, And kneled adoun, as it were for the nones.