Thei pleide hem there a day or tuo, And as it was fortuned so, It fell that time in such a wise, To Bachus that a sacrifise Thes yonge ladys scholden make; And for the strange mennes sake, 3140 That comen fro the Siege of Troie, Thei maden wel the more joie. Ther was Revel, ther was daunsinge, And every lif which coude singe Of lusti wommen in the route A freissh carole hath sunge aboute; Bot for al this yit natheles The Greks unknowe of Achilles So weren, that in no degre Thei couden wite which was he, 3150 Ne be his vois, ne be his pas. Ulixes thanne upon this cas A thing of hih Prudence hath wroght: For thilke aray, which he hath broght To yive among the wommen there, He let do fetten al the gere Forth with a knihtes harneis eke,— In al a contre forto seke Men scholden noght a fairer se,— And every thing in his degre 3160 Endlong upon a bord he leide. To Lichomede and thanne he preide That every ladi chese scholde What thing of alle that sche wolde, And take it as be weie of yifte; For thei hemself it scholde schifte, He seide, after here oghne wille. Achilles thanne stod noght stille: Whan he the bryhte helm behield, The swerd, the hauberk and the Schield, 3170 His herte fell therto anon; Of all that othre wolde he non, The knihtes gere he underfongeth, And thilke aray which that belongeth Unto the wommen he forsok. And in this wise, as seith the bok, Thei knowen thanne which he was: For he goth forth the grete pas Into the chambre where he lay; Anon, and made no delay, 3180 He armeth him in knyhtli wise, That bettre can noman devise, And as fortune scholde falle, He cam so forth tofore hem alle, As he which tho was glad ynowh. But Lichomede nothing lowh, Whan that he syh hou that it ferde, For thanne he wiste wel and herde, His dowhter hadde be forlein; Bot that he was so oversein, 3190 The wonder overgoth his wit. For in Cronique is write yit Thing which schal nevere be foryete, Hou that Achilles hath begete Pirrus upon Deïdamie, Wherof cam out the tricherie Of Falswitnesse, whan thei saide Hou that Achilles was a Maide. Bot that was nothing sene tho, For he is to the Siege go 3200 Forth with Ulixe and Diomede. Lo, thus was proved in the dede And fulli spoke at thilke while: If o womman an other guile, Wher is ther eny sikernesse? Whan Thetis, which was the goddesse, Deïdamie hath so bejaped, I not hou it schal ben ascaped With tho wommen whos innocence Is nou alday thurgh such credence 3210 Deceived ofte, as it is seene, With men that such untrouthe meene. For thei ben slyhe in such a wise, That thei be sleihte and be queintise Of Falswitnesse bringen inne That doth hem ofte forto winne, Wher thei ben noght worthi therto. Forthi, my Sone, do noght so.