By which men make divers apparences, Such as these subtle tregetoures play. *tricksters <14> For oft at feaste’s have I well heard say, That tregetours, within a halle large, Have made come in a water and a barge, And in the halle rowen up and down. Sometimes hath seemed come a grim lioun, And sometimes flowers spring as in a mead; Sometimes a vine, and grapes white and red; Sometimes a castle all of lime and stone; And, when them liked, voided* it anon: *vanished Thus seemed it to every manne’s sight. Now then conclude I thus; if that I might At Orleans some olde fellow find, That hath these Moone’s mansions in mind, Or other magic natural above. He should well make my brother have his love. For with an appearance a clerk* may make, *learned man To manne’s sight, that all the rockes blake Of Bretagne were voided* every one, *removed And shippes by the brinke come and gon, And in such form endure a day or two; Then were my brother warish’d* of his woe, *cured Then must she needes *holde her behest,* *keep her promise* Or elles he shall shame her at the least.” Why should I make a longer tale of this? Unto his brother’s bed he comen is, And such comfort he gave him, for to gon To Orleans, that he upstart anon, And on his way forth-ward then is he fare,* *gone In hope for to be lissed* of his care. *eased of <15> When they were come almost to that city, *But if it were* a two furlong or three, *all but* A young clerk roaming by himself they met, Which that in Latin *thriftily them gret.* *greeted them And after that he said a wondrous thing; civilly* I know,” quoth he, “the cause of your coming;” Aud ere they farther any foote went, He told them all that was in their intent. The Breton clerk him asked of fellaws The which he hadde known in olde daws,* *days And he answer’d him that they deade were, For which he wept full often many a tear. Down off his horse Aurelius light anon, And forth with this magician is be gone Home to his house, and made him well at ease; Them lacked no vitail* that might them please. *victuals, food So well-array’d a house as there was one, Aurelius in his life saw never none. He shewed him, ere they went to suppere, Forestes, parkes, full of wilde deer. There saw he hartes with their hornes high, The greatest that were ever seen with eye. He saw of them an hundred slain with hounds, And some with arrows bleed of bitter wounds. He saw, when voided* were the wilde deer, *passed away These falconers upon a fair rivere, That with their hawkes have the heron slain. Then saw he knightes jousting in a plain. And after this he did him such pleasance, That he him shew’d his lady on a dance, In which himselfe danced, as him thought.