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 No lenger for to liven I ne kepe!'
 And, with that worde, he brast out for to wepe (110)
 So tendrely, that routhe hit was to sene.
 This fresshe lady, of the citee quene, 1035
 Stood in the temple, in her estat royal,
 So richely, and eek so fair with-al,
 So yong, so lusty, with her eyen glade,
 That, if that god, that heven and erthe made,
 Wolde han a love, for beaute and goodnesse, 1040
 And womanhod, and trouthe, and seemlinesse,
 Whom sholde he loven but this lady swete?
 There nis no womman to him half so mete. (120)
 Fortune, that hath the world in governaunce,
 Hath sodeinly broght in so newe a chaunce, 1045
 That never was ther yit so fremd a cas.
 For al the companye of Eneas,
 Which that he wende han loren in the see,
 Aryved is, nat fer fro that citee;
 For which, the grettest of his lordes some 1050
 By aventure ben to the citee come,
 Unto that same temple, for to seke
 The quene, and of her socour her beseke; (130)
 Swich renoun was ther spronge of her goodnesse.
 And, whan they hadden told al hir distresse, 1055
 And al hir tempest and hir harde cas,
 Unto the quene appered Eneas,
 And openly beknew that hit was he.
 Who hadde Ioye than but his meynee,
 That hadden founde hir lord, hir governour? 1060
 The quene saw they dide him swich honour,
 And had herd ofte of Eneas, er tho,
 And in her herte she hadde routhe and wo (140)
 That ever swich a noble man as he
 Shal been disherited in swich degree; 1065
 And saw the man, that he was lyk a knight,
 And suffisaunt of persone and of might,
 And lyk to been a veray gentil man;
 And wel his wordes he besette can,
 And had a noble visage for the nones, 1070
 And formed wel of braunes and of bones.
 For, after Venus, hadde he swich fairnesse,
 That no man might be half so fair, I gesse. (150)
 And wel a lord he semed for to be.
 And, for he was a straunger, somwhat she 1075
 Lyked him the bet, as, god do bote,
 To som folk ofte newe thing is swote.
 Anoon her herte hath pitee of his wo,
 And, with that pitee, love com in also;
 And thus, for pitee and for gentilesse, 1080
 Refresshed moste he been of his distresse.
 She seide, certes, that she sory was
 That he hath had swich peril and swich cas; (160)
 And, in her frendly speche, in this manere
 She to him spak, and seide as ye may here. 1085
 'Be ye nat Venus sone and Anchises?
 In good feith, al the worship and encrees
 That I may goodly doon yow, ye shul have.
 Your shippes and your meynee shal I save;'
 And many a gentil word she spak him to; 1090
 And comaunded her messageres go
 The same day, with-outen any faile,
 His shippes for to seke, and hem vitaile. (170)
 She many a beste to the shippes sente,
 And with the wyn she gan hem to presente; 1095
 And to her royal paleys she her spedde,
 And Eneas alwey with her she ledde.
 What nedeth yow the feste to descryve?
 He never beter at ese was his lyve.
 Ful was the feste of deyntees and richesse, 1100
 Of instruments, of song, and of gladnesse,
 And many an amorous loking and devys.
 This Eneas is come to Paradys (180)
 Out of the swolow of helle, and thus in Ioye
 Remembreth him of his estat in Troye. 1105
 To dauncing-chambres ful of parements,
 Of riche beddes, and of ornaments,
 This Eneas is lad, after the mete.
 And with the quene whan that he had sete,
 And spyces parted, and the wyn agoon, 1110
 Unto his chambres was he lad anoon
 To take his ese and for to have his reste,
 With al his folk, to doon what so hem leste. (190)
 Ther nas coursere wel y-brydled noon,
 Ne stede, for the Iusting wel to goon, 1115
 Ne large palfrey, esy for the nones,
 Ne Iuwel, fretted ful of riche stones,
 Ne sakkes ful of gold, of large wighte,
 Ne ruby noon, that shynede by nighte,
 Ne gentil hautein faucon heronere, 1120
 Ne hound, for hert or wilde boor or dere,
 Ne coupe of gold, with florins newe y-bete,
 That in the lond of Libie may be gete, (200)
 That Dido ne hath hit Eneas y-sent;
 And al is payed, what that he hath spent. 1125
 Thus can this [noble] quene her gestes calle,
 As she that can in freedom passen alle.
 Eneas sothly eek, with-outen lees,
 Hath sent un-to his shippe, by Achates,
 After his sone, and after riche thinges, 1130
 Both ceptre, clothes, broches, and eek ringes,
 Som for to were, and som for to presente
 To her, that all thise noble thinges him sente; (210)
 And bad his sone, how that he sholde make
 The presenting, and to the quene hit take. 1135
 Repaired is this Achates again,
 And Eneas ful blisful is and fain
 To seen his yonge sone Ascanius.
 But natheles, our autour telleth us,
 That Cupido, that is the god of love, 1140
 At preyere of his moder, hye above,
 Hadde the lyknes of the child y-take,
 This noble quene enamoured to make (220)
 On Eneas; but, as of that scripture,
 Be as be may, I make of hit no cure. 1145
 But sooth is this, the quene hath mad swich chere
 Un-to this child, that wonder is to here;
 And of the present that his fader sente
 She thanked him ful ofte, in good entente.
 Thus is this quene in plesaunce and in Ioye, 1150
 With al this newe lusty folk of Troye.
 And of the dedes hath she more enquered
 Of Eneas, and al the story lered (230)
 Of Troye; and al the longe day they tweye
 Entendeden to speken and to pleye; 1155
 Of which ther gan to breden swich a fyr,
 That sely Dido hath now swich desyr
 With Eneas, her newe gest, to dele,
 That she hath lost her hewe, and eek her hele.
 Now to theffect, now to the fruit of al, 1160
 Why I have told this story, and tellen shal.
 Thus I beginne; hit fil, upon a night,
 When that the mone up-reysed had her light, (240)
 This noble quene un-to her reste wente;
 She syketh sore, and gan her-self turmente. 1165
 She waketh, walweth, maketh many a brayd,
 As doon thise loveres, as I have herd sayd.
 And at the laste, unto her suster Anne
 She made her moon, and right thus spak she thanne.
 'Now, dere suster myn, what may hit be 1170
 That me agasteth in my dreme?' quod she.
 'This ilke Troyan is so in my thoght,
 For that me thinketh he is so wel y-wroght, (250)
 And eek so lykly for to be a man,
 And therwithal so mikel good he can, 1175
 That al my love and lyf lyth in his cure.
 Have ye not herd him telle his aventure?
 Now certes, Anne, if that ye rede hit me,
 I wolde fain to him y-wedded be;
 This is theffect; what sholde I more seye? 1180
 In him lyth al, to do me live or deye.'
 Her suster Anne, as she that coude her good,
 Seide as her thoughte, and somdel hit with-stood. (260)
 But her-of was so long a sermoning,
 Hit were to long to make rehersing; 1185
 But fynally, hit may not been with-stonde;
 Love wol love--for no wight wol hit wonde.
 The dawening up-rist out of the see;
 This amorous quene chargeth her meynee
 The nettes dresse, and speres brode and kene; 1190
 An hunting wol this lusty fresshe quene;
 So priketh her this newe Ioly wo.
 To hors is al her lusty folk y-go; (270)
 Un-to the court the houndes been y-broght,
 And up-on coursers, swift as any thoght, 1195
 Her yonge knightes hoven al abo
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