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ne is he.
 This is my reed, if that he dar hit take.'
 What sholde I lenger sermoun of hit make? 2025
 The gayler cometh, and with him Theseus. (141)
 And whan thise thinges been acorded thus,
 Adoun sit Theseus upon his knee:--
 'The righte lady of my lyf,' quod he,
 'I, sorweful man, y-dampned to the deeth, 2030
 Fro yow, whyl that me lasteth lyf or breeth,
 I wol nat twinne, after this aventure,
 But in your servise thus I wol endure,
 That, as a wrecche unknowe, I wol yow serve
 For ever-mo, til that myn herte sterve. 2035
 Forsake I wol at hoom myn heritage, (151)
 And, as I seide, ben of your court a page,
 If that ye vouche-sauf that, in this place,
 Ye graunte me to han so gret a grace
 That I may han nat but my mete and drinke; 2040
 And for my sustenance yit wol I swinke,
 Right as yow list, that Minos ne no wight--
 Sin that he saw me never with eyen sight--
 Ne no man elles, shal me conne espye;
 So slyly and so wel I shal me gye, 2045
 And me so wel disfigure and so lowe, (161)
 That in this world ther shal no man me knowe,
 To han my lyf, and for to han presence
 Of yow, that doon to me this excellence.
 And to my fader shal I senden here 2050
 This worthy man, that is now your gaylere,
 And, him to guerdon, that he shal wel be
 Oon of the grettest men of my contree.
 And yif I dorste seyn, my lady bright,
 I am a kinges sone, and eek a knight; 2055
 As wolde god, yif that hit mighte be (171)
 Ye weren in my contree, alle three,
 And I with yow, to bere yow companye,
 Than shulde ye seen yif that I ther-of lye!
 And, if I profre yow in low manere 2060
 To ben your page and serven yow right here,
 But I yow serve as lowly in that place,
 I prey to Mars to yive me swiche a grace
 That shames deeth on me ther mote falle,
 And deeth and povert to my frendes alle; 2065
 And that my spirit by nighte mote go (181)
 After my deeth, and walke to and fro;
 That I mote of a traitour have a name,
 For which my spirit go, to do me shame!
 And yif I ever claime other degree, 2070
 But-if ye vouche-sauf to yive hit me,
 As I have seid, of shames deeth I deye!
 And mercy, lady! I can nat elles seye!'
 A seemly knight was Theseus to see,
 And yong, but of a twenty yeer and three; 2075
 But who-so hadde y-seyn his countenaunce, (191)
 He wolde have wept, for routhe of his penaunce;
 For which this Adriane in this manere
 Answerde to his profre and to his chere.
 'A kinges sone, and eek a knight,' quod she, 2080
 'To been my servant in so low degree,
 God shilde hit, for the shame of women alle!
 And leve me never swich a cas befalle!
 But sende yow grace and sleighte of herte also,
 Yow to defende and knightly sleen your fo, 2085
 And leve herafter that I may yow finde (201)
 To me and to my suster here so kinde,
 That I repente nat to give yow lyf!
 Yit were hit better that I were your wyf,
 Sin that ye been as gentil born as I, 2090
 And have a rëaume, nat but faste by,
 Then that I suffred giltles yow to sterve,
 Or that I let yow as a page serve;
 Hit is not profit, as unto your kinrede;
 But what is that that man nil do for drede? 2095
 And to my suster, sin that hit is so (211)
 That she mot goon with me, if that I go,
 Or elles suffre deeth as wel as I,
 That ye unto your sone as trewely
 Doon her be wedded at your hoom-coming. 2100
 This is the fynal ende of al this thing;
 Ye swere hit heer, on al that may be sworn.'
 'Ye, lady myn,' quod he, 'or elles torn
 Mote I be with the Minotaur to-morwe!
 And haveth her-of my herte-blood to borwe, 2105
 Yif that ye wile; if I had knyf or spere, (221)
 I wolde hit leten out, and ther-on swere,
 For than at erst I wot ye wil me leve.
 By Mars, that is the cheef of my bileve,
 So that I mighte liven and nat faile 2110
 To-morwe for tacheve my bataile,
 I nolde never fro this place flee,
 Til that ye shuld the verray preve see.
 For now, if that the sooth I shal yow say,
 I have y-loved yow ful many a day, 2115
 Thogh ye ne wiste hit nat, in my contree. (231)
 And aldermost desyred yow to see
 Of any erthly living creature;
 Upon my trouthe I swere, and yow assure,
 Thise seven yeer I have your servant be; 2120
 Now have I yow, and also have ye me,
 My dere herte, of Athenes duchesse!'
 This lady smyleth at his stedfastnesse,
 And at his hertly wordes, and his chere,
 And to her suster seide in this manere, 2125
 Al softely, 'now, suster myn,' quod she, (241)
 'Now be we duchesses, bothe I and ye,
 And sikered to the regals of Athenes,
 And bothe her-after lykly to be quenes,
 And saved fro his deeth a kinges sone, 2130
 As ever of gentil women is the wone
 To save a gentil man, emforth hir might,
 In honest cause, and namely in his right.
 Me thinketh no wight oghte her-of us blame,
 Ne beren us ther-for an evel name.' 2135
 And shortly of this matere for to make, (251)
 This Theseus of her hath leve y-take,
 And every point performed was in dede
 As ye have in this covenant herd me rede.
 His wepen, his clew, his thing that I have said, 2140
 Was by the gayler in the hous y-laid
 Ther as this Minotaur hath his dwelling,
 Right faste by the dore, at his entring.
 And Theseus is lad unto his deeth,
 And forth un-to this Minotaur he geeth, 2145
 And by the teching of this Adriane (261)
 He overcom this beste, and was his bane;
 And out he cometh by the clewe again
 Ful prevely, whan he this beste hath slain;
 And by the gayler geten hath a barge, 2150
 And of his wyves tresor gan hit charge,
 And took his wyf, and eek her suster free,
 And eek the gayler, and with hem alle three
 Is stole awey out of the lond by nighte,
 And to the contre of Ennopye him dighte 2155
 Ther as he had a frend of his knowinge. (271)
 Ther festen they, ther dauncen they and singe;
 And in his armes hath this Adriane,
 That of the beste hath kept him from his bane;
 And gat him ther a newe barge anoon, 2160
 And of his contree-folk a ful gret woon,
 And taketh his leve, and hoomward saileth he.
 And in an yle, amid the wilde see,
 Ther as ther dwelte creature noon
 Save wilde bestes, and that ful many oon, 2165
 He made his ship a-londe for to sette; (281)
 And in that yle half a day he lette,
 And seide, that on the lond he moste him reste.
 His mariners han doon right as him leste;
 And, for to tellen shortly in this cas, 2170
 Whan Adriane his wyf a-slepe was,
 For that her suster fairer was than she,
 He taketh her in his hond, and forth goth he
 To shippe, and as a traitour stal his way
 Whyl that this Adriane a-slepe lay, 2175
 And to his contree-ward he saileth blyve-- (291)
 A twenty devil way the wind him dryve!--
 And fond his fader drenched in the see.
 Me list no more to speke of him, parde;
 Thise false lovers, poison be hir bane! 2180
 But I wol turne again to Adriane
 That is with slepe for werinesse atake.
 Ful sorwefully her herte may awake.
 Allas! for thee my herte hath now pite!
 Right in the dawening awaketh she, 2185
 And gropeth in the bedde, and fond right noght. (307)
 'Allas!' quod she, 'that ever I was wroght!
 I am betray
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