And than with drie stickes cloven a-thre, And than with grene wood and spicerie, And than with cloth of gold and with perrie, And garlonds hanging with ful many a flour, The mirre, the encense also, with swete odour; Ne how Arcita lay among all this, Ne what richesse about his body is; Ne how that Emelie, as was the gise, Put in the fire of funeral service; Ne how she swouned, whan she made the fire, Ne what she spake, ne what was hire desire; Ne what jewelles men in the fire caste, Whan that the fire was gret, and brente fast; Ne how som cast hir sheld, and som hir spere, And of hir vestimentes, which they were, And cuppes full of wine, and milk, and blood, Into the fire, that brent as it were wood; Ne how the Grekes, with a huge route, Three times riden all the fire aboute Upon the left hond, with a loud shouting, And thries with hir speres clatering; And thries how the ladies gan to crie; Ne how that led was homeward Emelie; Ne how Arcite is brent to ashen cold; Ne how the liche-wake was yhold All thilke night; ne how the Grekes play; The wake-plaies ne kepe I not to say; Who wrestled best naked, with oile enoint, Ne who that bare him best in no disjoint: I woll not tellen eke how they all gon Home till Athenes, whan the play is don. But shortly to the point now wol I wende, And maken of my longe tale an ende. By processe, and by lengths of certain yeres, All stenten is the mourning and the teres Of Grekes, by on general assent: Than semeth me ther was a parlement At Athenes, upon certain points and cas; Amonges the which points yspoken was To have with certain contrees alliance, And have of Thebanes fully obeisance; For which this noble Theseus anon Let senden after gentil Palamon. Unwist of him what was the cause, and why: But in his blacke clothes sorwefully He came at his commandment on hie; Tho sente Theseus for Emelie. Whan they were set, and husht was al the place, And Theseus abiden hath a space, Or any word came from his wise brest, His eyen set he ther as was his lest, And with a sad visage he siked still, And after that right thus he sayd his will. The firste Mover of the cause above, Whan he firste made the fayre chaine of love, Gret was the effect, and high was his entent; Well wist he why, and what therof he ment: For with that fayre chaine of love he bond The fire, the air, the watre, and the lond, In certain bondes, that they may not flee: That same prince and mover eke, quod he, Hath stablisht, in this wretched world adoun, Certain of dayes and duration, To all that are engendred in this place, Over the which day they ne mow not pace, Al mow they yet the dayes well abrege. Ther nedeth non autoritee allege, For it is preved by experience,