That forto loke upon his cheke And sen his childly manere eke, 3020 He was a womman to beholde. And thanne his moder to him tolde, That sche him hadde so begon Be cause that sche thoghte gon To Lichomede at thilke tyde, Wher that sche seide he scholde abyde[113] Among hise dowhtres forto duelle. Achilles herde his moder telle, And wiste noght the cause why; And natheles ful buxomly 3030 [Sidenote: =P. ii. 229=] He was redy to that sche bad, Wherof his moder was riht glad,[114] To Lichomede and forth thei wente. And whan the king knew hire entente, And sih this yonge dowhter there, And that it cam unto his Ere Of such record, of such witnesse, He hadde riht a gret gladnesse Of that he bothe syh and herde, As he that wot noght hou it ferde 3040 Upon the conseil of the nede. Bot for al that king Lichomede Hath toward him this dowhter take, And for Thetis his moder sake He put hire into compainie[115] To duelle with Deïdamie,[116] His oghne dowhter, the eldeste, The faireste and the comelieste Of alle hise doghtres whiche he hadde. Lo, thus Thetis the cause ladde, 3050 And lefte there Achilles feigned, As he which hath himself restreigned In al that evere he mai and can Out of the manere of a man,[117] And tok his wommannysshe chiere, Wherof unto his beddefere Deïdamie he hath be nyhte. Wher kinde wole himselve rihte,[118] After the Philosophres sein, Ther mai no wiht be therayein: 3060 [Sidenote: =P. ii. 230=] And that was thilke time seene. The longe nyhtes hem betuene Nature, which mai noght forbere, Hath mad hem bothe forto stere Thei kessen ferst, and overmore The hihe weie of loves lore Thei gon, and al was don in dede, Wherof lost is the maydenhede; And that was afterward wel knowe. For it befell that ilke throwe 3070 At Troie, wher the Siege lay Upon the cause of Menelay And of his queene dame Heleine, The Gregois hadden mochel peine Alday to fihte and to assaile. Bot for thei mihten noght availe So noble a Cite forto winne, A prive conseil thei beginne, In sondri wise wher thei trete; And ate laste among the grete 3080 Thei fellen unto this acord, That Protheüs, of his record Which was an Astronomien And ek a gret Magicien, Scholde of his calculacion Seche after constellacion, Hou thei the Cite mihten gete: And he, which hadde noght foryete Of that belongeth to a clerk, His studie sette upon this werk.[119] 3090 [Sidenote: =P. ii. 231=] So longe his wit aboute he caste, Til that he fond out ate laste,