That Arcita me thurgh the herte bere; Than rekke I not when I have lost my lif Though that Arcita win hire to his wif. This is the effecte and ende of my praiere, Yeve me my love, thou blissful lady dere! When the orison was don of Palamon, His sacrifice he did, and that anon. Ful pitously, with alle circumstances, All tell I not as now his observances. But at the last the statue of Venus shoke, And made a signe, whereby that he toke, That his praiere accepted was that day; For though the signe shewed a delay, Yet wist he wel, that granted was his bone, And with glad herte he went him home ful sone. The thirdde hour inequal that Palamon Began to Venus temple for to gon, Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie, And to the temple of Diane gan hie. Hire maydens, that she thider with hire ladde Ful redily with hem the fire they hadde, The encense, the clothes, and the remenant all, That to the sacrifice longen shall. The hornes full of mede, as was the gise, Ther lakked nought to don hire sacrifise. Smoking the temple, full of clothes fayre, This Emelie, with herte debonaire Hire body wesshe with water of a well, But how she did hire rite I dare not tell; But it be any thing in generall, And yet it were a game to heren all; To him that meneth wel it n'ere no charge, But it is good a man to ben at large. Hire bright here kembed was, untressed all; A coroune of a grene oke ceriall Upon hire hed was set ful fayre and mete; Two fires on the auter gan she bete, And did hire thinges, as men may behold In Stace of Thebes, and these bokes old. Whan kendled was the fire, with pitous chere, Unto Diane she spake, as ye may here: O chaste goddesse of the wodes grene, To whom both heven, and erth, and see, is sene, Quene of the regne of Pluto, derke and lowe, Goddesse of maidens that myn herte hast knowe Ful many a yere, and wost what I desire, As kepe me fro thy vengeance and thin ire, That Atteon aboughte cruelly! Chast goddesse! wel wotest thou that I Desire to ben a mayden all my lif, Ne never wol I be no love ne wif: I am (thou wost) yet of thy compagnie, A mayde, and love hunting and venerie, And for to walken in the wodes wilde, And not to ben a wife, and be with childe: Nought wol I knowen compagnie of man; Now helpe me, lady, sith you may and can; For tho three formes that thou hast in thee: And Palamon, that hath swiche love to me, And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore, This grace I praie thee, withouten more, As sende love and pees betwix hem two, And fro me turne away hir hertes so, That all hir hot love and hir desire, And all hir besy torment, and hir fire Be queinte, or torned in another place. And if so be thou wolt not do me grace, Or if my destinee be shapen so,