+The god of love gan smyle, and than he seyde, +'Wostow,' quod he, 'wher this be wyf or mayde, +Or quene, or countesse, or of what degree, +That hath so litel penance yeven thee, +That hast deserved sorer for to smerte? 490 +But pitee renneth sone in gentil herte; +That mayst thou seen, she kytheth what she is.' +And I answerde, 'nay, sir, so have I blis, +No more but that I see wel she is good.' +'That is a trewe tale, by myn hood,' 495 +Quod Love, 'and that thou knowest wel, pardee, +If hit be so that thou avyse thee. +Hastow nat in a book, lyth in thy cheste, +The grete goodnesse of the quene Alceste, +That turned was into a dayesye: 500 +She that for hir husbonde chees to dye, +And eek to goon to helle, rather than he, +And Ercules rescued hir, pardee, +And broghte hir out of helle agayn to blis?' +And I answerde ageyn, and seyde, 'yis, 505 +Now knowe I hir! And is this good Alceste, +The dayesye, and myn owne hertes reste? +Now fele I wel the goodnesse of this wyf, +That bothe after hir deeth, and in hir lyf, +Hir grete bountee doubleth hir renoun! 510 +Wel hath she quit me myn affeccioun +That I have to hir flour, the dayesye! +No wonder is thogh Iove hir stellifye, +As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse! +Hir whyte coroun berth of hit witnesse; 515 +For also many vertues hadde she, +As smale floures in hir coroun be. +In remembraunce of hir and in honour, +Cibella made the dayesy and the flour +Y-coroned al with whyt, as men may see; 520 +And Mars yaf to hir coroun reed, pardee, +In stede of rubies, set among the whyte.' +Therwith this quene wex reed for shame a lyte, +Whan she was preysed so in hir presence. +Than seyde Love, 'a ful gret negligence 525 Was hit to thee, to write unstedfastnesse *Of women, sith thou knowest hir goodnesse *By preef, and eek by stories heer-biforn; *Let be the chaf, and wryt wel of the corn. *Why noldest thou han writen of Alceste, 530 *And leten Criseide been a-slepe and reste? *For of Alceste shulde thy wryting be, Sin that thou wost that kalender is she (B. 542) Of goodnesse, for she taughte of fyn lovinge, +And namely of wyfhood the livinge, 535 +And alle the boundes that she oghte kepe; +Thy litel wit was thilke tyme a-slepe. +But now I charge thee, upon thy lyf, +That in thy Legend thou make of this wyf, Whan thou hast othere smale mad before; 540 +And fare now wel, I charge thee no more. (B. 551) +At Cleopatre I wol that thou beginne; (B. 566)