A world of ladies, but to tell aright Ther beauty grete lyith not in my might, Ne ther array; nevirthèless I shall Tell you a pert, tho' I speke not of all: The surcots white of velvet well fitting They werin clad, and the semis eche one, As it werin a mannir garnishing, Was set with emeraudis one and one By and by, but many a richè stone Was set on the purfilis out of dout Of collours, sleves, and trainis, round about; As of grete perlis round and orient, And diamondis fine and rubys red, And many othir stone of which I went The namis now; and everich on her hede A rich fret of gold, which withoutin drede Was full of statèly rich stonys set, And evrey lady had a chapelet, On ther hedis of braunchis fresh and grene, So wele ywrought, and so marvelously, That it was a right noble sight to sene, Some of laurir, and some full plesauntly Had chapèlets of wodebind, and sadly Some of agnus castus werin also, Chaplets fresh; but there were many of tho, That dauncid and eke song full sobirly, But all they yede in maner of compace; But one there yede in mid the company Sole by herself; but all follow'd the pace That she keept, whose hevinly figured face So pleasaunt was, and her wele shape person, That of beauty she past them everichone, And more richly beseen by manyfold She was also in every manir thing; Upon her hede full plesaunt to behold A coron of gold rich for any king, A braunch of agnus castus eke bering In her hand, and to my sight trewily She lady was of all the compagnie; And she began a roundell lustily That _Sus le foyle de vert moy_ men call _Sine & mon joly cœur est endormy_, And than the company answerid all, With voicis swete entunid and so small, That methought it the swetest melody That evir I herd in my lyf sothly. And thus they all came dauncing and singing Into the middis of the mede echone, Before the herbir where I was sitting, And God wot I thought I was well bigone, For than I might avise them one by one Who fairist was, who best could dance or sing, Or who most womanly was in all thing. They had not dauncid but a little throw When that I herd not fer of sodainly So grete a noise of thundering trumpis blow As though it should have departid the skie, And aftir that within a while I sie From the same grove where the ladies came out Of men of armis coming such a rout, As all men on erth had ben assemblid, On that place well horsid for the nonis, Stering so fast that all the erth tremblid; But for to speke of richis and stonis, And men and horse, I trow the large wonis Of Pretir John, ne all his tresory, Might not unneth have bought the tenth party. Of their array whoso list to here more, I shall reherse so as I can a lite,