Collected Works of Giovanni Boccaccio

by Giovanni Boccaccio

  As thus, to use termes of physic;

  In love’s termes hold of thy mattere

  The form alway, and 1do that it be like;1 1make it consistent1

  For if a painter woulde paint a pike

  With ass’s feet, and head it as an ape,

  It 1’cordeth not,1 so were it but a jape.” 1is not harmonious1

  Troilus writes the letter, and next morning Pandarus bears it to Cressida. She refuses to receive “scrip or bill that toucheth such mattere;” but he thrusts it into her bosom, challenging her to throw it away. She retains it, takes the first opportunity of escaping to her chamber to read it, finds it wholly good, and, under her uncle’s dictation, endites a reply telling her lover that she will not make herself bound in love; “but as his sister, him to please, she would aye fain [be glad] to do his heart an ease.” Pandarus, under pretext of inquiring who is the owner of the house opposite, has gone to the window; Cressida takes her letter to him there, and tells him that she never did a thing with more pain than write the words to which he had constrained her. As they sit side by side, on a stone of jasper, on a cushion of beaten gold, Troilus rides by, in all his goodliness. Cressida waxes “as red as rose,” as she sees him salute humbly, “with dreadful cheer, and oft his hues mue [change];” she likes “all y-fere, his person, his array, his look, his cheer, his goodly manner, and his gentleness;” so that, however she may have been before, “to goode hope now hath she caught a thorn, she shall not pull it out this nexte week.” Pandarus, striking the iron when it is hot, asks his niece to grant Troilus an interview; but she strenuously declines, for fear of scandal, and because it is all too soon to allow him so great a liberty — her purpose being to love him unknown of all, “and guerdon [reward] him with nothing but with sight.” Pandarus has other intentions; and, while Troilus writes daily letters with increasing love, he contrives the means of an interview. Seeking out Deiphobus, the brother of Troilus, he tells him that Cressida is in danger of violence from Polyphete, and asks protection for her. Deiphobus gladly complies, promises the protection of Hector and Helen, and goes to invite Cressida to dinner on the morrow. Meantime Pandarus instructs Troilus to go to the house of Deiphobus, plead an access of his fever for remaining all night, and keep his chamber next day. “Lo,” says the crafty promoter of love, borrowing a phrase from the hunting-field; “Lo, hold thee at thy tristre [tryst ] close, and I shall well the deer unto thy bowe drive.” Unsuspicious of stratagem, Cressida comes to dinner; and at table, Helen, Pandarus, and others, praise the absent Troilus, until “her heart laughs” for very pride that she has the love of such a knight. After dinner they speak of Cressida’s business; all confirm Deiphobus’ assurances of protection and aid; and Pandarus suggests that, since Troilus is there, Cressida shall herself tell him her case. Helen and Deiphobus alone accompany Pandarus to Troilus’ chamber; there Troilus produces some documents relating to the public weal, which Hector has sent for his opinion; Helen and Deiphobus, engrossed in perusal and discussion, roam out of the chamber, by a stair, into the garden; while Pandarus goes down to the hall, and, pretending that his brother and Helen are still with Troilus, brings Cressida to her lover. The Second Book leaves Pandarus whispering in his niece’s ear counsel to be merciful and kind to her lover, that hath for her such pain; while Troilus lies “in a kankerdort,” hearing the whispering without, and wondering what he shall say for this “was the first time that he should her pray of love; O! mighty God! what shall he say?”

  THE THIRD BOOK.

  TO THE THIRD Book is prefixed a beautiful invocation of Venus, under the character of light:

  O Blissful light, of which the beames clear

  Adornen all the thirde heaven fair!

  O Sunne’s love, O Jove’s daughter dear!

  Pleasance of love, O goodly debonair,1 1lovely and gracious1

  In gentle heart ay1 ready to repair!2 1always 2enter and abide

  O very1 cause of heal2 and of gladness, 1true 2welfare

  Y-heried1 be thy might and thy goodness! 1praised

  In heav’n and hell, in earth and salte sea.

  Is felt thy might, if that I well discern;

  As man, bird, beast, fish, herb, and greene tree,

  They feel in times, with vapour etern,

  God loveth, and to love he will not wern forbid

  And in this world no living creature

  Withoute love is worth, or may endure.

  Ye Jove first to those effectes glad,

  Through which that thinges alle live and be,

  Commended; and him amorous y-made

  Of mortal thing; and as ye list,1 ay ye 1pleased

  Gave him, in love, ease1 or adversity, 1pleasure

  And in a thousand formes down him sent

  For love in earth; and 1whom ye list he hent.1 1he seized whom you

  wished1

  Ye fierce Mars appeasen of his ire,

  And as you list ye make heartes dign1 1worthy

  Algates1 them that ye will set afire, 1at all events

  They dreade shame, and vices they resign

  Ye do1 him courteous to be, and benign; 1make, cause

  And high or low, after1 a wight intendeth, 1according as

  The joyes that he hath your might him sendeth.

  Ye holde realm and house in unity;

  Ye soothfast1 cause of friendship be also; 1true

  Ye know all thilke 1cover’d quality1 1secret power1

  Of thinges which that folk on wonder so,

  When they may not construe how it may go

  She loveth him, or why he loveth her,

  As why this fish, not that, comes to the weir.1 1fish-trap

  Knowing that Venus has set a law in the universe, that whoso strives with her shall have the worse, the poet prays to be taught to describe some of the joy that is felt in her service; and the Third Book opens with an account of the scene between Troilus and Cressida:

  Lay all this meane while Troilus

  Recording1 his lesson in this mannere; 1memorizing

  1”My fay!”1 thought he, “thus will I say, and thus; 1by my faith!1

  Thus will I plain1 unto my lady dear; 1make my plaint

  That word is good; and this shall be my cheer

  This will I not forgetten in no wise;”

  God let him worken as he can devise.

  And, Lord! so as his heart began to quap,1 1quake, pant

  Hearing her coming, and 1short for to sike;1 1make short sighs1

  And Pandarus, that led her by the lap,1 1skirt

  Came near, and gan in at the curtain pick,1 1peep

  And saide: “God do boot1 alle sick! 1afford a remedy to

  See who is here you coming to visite;

  Lo! here is she that is 1your death to wite!”1 1to blame for your death1

  Therewith it seemed as he wept almost.

  “Ah! ah! God help!” quoth Troilus ruefully;

  “Whe’er1 me be woe, O mighty God, thou know’st! 1whether

  Who is there? for I see not truely.”

  “Sir,” quoth Cresside, “it is Pandare and I;

  “Yea, sweete heart? alas, I may not rise

  To kneel and do you honour in some wise.”

  And dressed him upward, and she right tho1 1then

  Gan both her handes soft upon him lay.

  “O! for the love of God, do ye not so

  To me,” quoth she; “ey! what is this to say?

  For come I am to you for causes tway;1 1two

  First you to thank, and of your lordship eke

  Continuance1 I woulde you beseek.”2 1protection 2beseech

  This Troilus, that heard his lady pray

  Him of lordship, wax’d neither quick nor dead;

  Nor might one word for shame to it say,

  Although men shoulde smiten off his head.

  But, Lord! how he wax’d suddenly all red!

  And, Sir, his lesson, that he 1ween’d have con,1 1thought he knew

  To pray
e her, was through his wit y-run. by heart1

  Cresside all this espied well enow, —

  For she was wise, — and lov’d him ne’er the less,

  All n’ere he malapert, nor made avow,

  Nor was so bold to sing a foole’s mass;

  But, when his shame began somewhat to pass,

  His wordes, as I may my rhymes hold,

  I will you tell, as teache bookes old.

  In changed voice, right for his very dread,

  Which voice eke quak’d, and also his mannere

  Goodly1 abash’d, and now his hue is red, 1becomingly

  Now pale, unto Cresside, his lady dear,

  With look downcast, and humble 1yielden cheer,1 1submissive face1

  Lo! 1altherfirste word that him astert,1 1the first word he said1

  Was twice: “Mercy, mercy, my dear heart!”

  And stent1 a while; and when he might 1out bring,1 1stopped 1speak1

  The nexte was: “God wote, for I have,

  1As farforthly as I have conning,1 1as far as I am able1

  Been youres all, God so my soule save,

  And shall, till that I, woeful wight, 1be grave;1 1die1

  And though I dare not, cannot, to you plain,

  Y-wis, I suffer not the lesse pain.

  “This much as now, O womanlike wife!

  I may 1out bring,1 and if it you displease, 1speak out1

  That shall I wreak1 upon mine owne life, 1avenge

  Right soon, I trow, and do your heart an ease,

  If with my death your heart I may appease:

  But, since that ye have heard somewhat say,

  Now reck I never how soon that I dey.” 1die

  Therewith his manly sorrow to behold

  It might have made a heart of stone to rue;

  And Pandare wept as he to water wo’ld,

  And saide, “Woe-begone1 be heartes true,” 1in woeful plight

  And procur’d1 his niece ever new and new, 1urged

  “For love of Godde, make 1of him an end,1 1put him out of pain1

  Or slay us both at ones, ere we wend.”1 1go

  “Ey! what?” quoth she; “by God and by my truth,

  I know not what ye woulde that I say;”

  “Ey! what?” quoth he; “that ye have on him ruth,1 1pity

  For Godde’s love, and do him not to dey.” 1die

  “Now thenne thus,” quoth she, “I would him pray

  To telle me the 1fine of his intent;1 1end of his desire1

  Yet wist1 I never well what that he meant.” 1knew

  “What that I meane, sweete hearte dear?”

  Quoth Troilus, “O goodly, fresh, and free!

  That, with the streames1 of your eyne so clear, 1beams, glances

  Ye woulde sometimes 1on me rue and see,1 1take pity and look on me1

  And then agreen1 that I may be he, 1take in good part

  Withoute branch of vice, in any wise,

  In truth alway to do you my service,

  “As to my lady chief, and right resort,

  With all my wit and all my diligence;

  And for to have, right as you list, comfort;

  Under your yerd,1 equal to mine offence, 1rod, chastisement

  As death, if that 1I breake your defence;1 1do what you

  And that ye deigne me so much honour, forbid 1

  Me to commanden aught in any hour.

  “And I to be your very humble, true,

  Secret, and in my paines patient,

  And evermore desire, freshly new,

  To serven, and be alike diligent,

  And, with good heart, all wholly your talent

  Receive in gree,1 how sore that me smart; 1gladness

  Lo, this mean I, mine owen sweete heart.”

  . . . . . . . . . .

  With that she gan her eyen on him1 cast, 1Pandarus

  Full easily and full debonairly,1 1graciously

  1Advising her,1 and hied1 not too fast, 1considering1 2went

  With ne’er a word, but said him softely,

  “Mine honour safe, I will well truely,

  And in such form as ye can now devise,

  Receive him1 fully to my service; 1Troilus

  “Beseeching him, for Godde’s love, that he

  Would, in honour of truth and gentleness,

  As I well mean, eke meane well to me;

  And mine honour, with 1wit and business,1 1wisdom and zeal1

  Aye keep; and if I may do him gladness,

  From henceforth, y-wis I will not feign:

  Now be all whole, no longer do ye plain.

  “But, natheless, this warn I you,” quoth she,

  “A kinge’s son although ye be, y-wis,

  Ye shall no more have sovereignety

  Of me in love, than right in this case is;

  Nor will I forbear, if ye do amiss,

  To wrathe1 you, and, while that ye me serve, 1be angry with, chide

  To cherish you, 1right after ye deserve.1 1as you deserve1

  “And shortly, deare heart, and all my knight,

  Be glad, and drawe you to lustiness,1 1pleasure

  And I shall truely, with all my might,

  Your bitter turnen all to sweeteness;

  If I be she that may do you gladness,

  For ev’ry woe ye shall recover a bliss:”

  And him in armes took, and gan him kiss.

  Pandarus, almost beside himself for joy, falls on his knees to thank Venus and Cupid, declaring that for this miracle he hears all the bells ring; then, with a warning to be ready at his call to meet at his house, he parts the lovers, and attends Cressida while she takes leave of the household — Troilus all the time groaning at the deceit practised on his brother and Helen. When he has got rid of them by feigning weariness, Pandarus returns to the chamber, and spends the night with him in converse. The zealous friend begins to speak “in a sober wise” to Troilus, reminding him of his love-pains now all at an end.

  “So that through me thou standest now in way

  To fare well; I say it for no boast;

  And know’st thou why? For, shame it is to say,

  For thee have I begun a game to play,

  Which that I never shall do eft1 for other,2 1again 2another

  Although he were a thousand fold my brother.

  “That is to say, for thee I am become,

  Betwixte game and earnest, such a mean1 1means, instrument

  As make women unto men to come;

  Thou know’st thyselfe what that woulde mean;

  For thee have I my niece, of vices clean,1 1pure, devoid

  So fully made thy gentleness1 to trust, 1nobility of nature

  That all shall be right 1as thyselfe lust.1 1as you please1

  “But God, that 1all wot,1 take I to witness, 1knows everything1

  That never this for covetise1 I wrought, 1greed of gain

  But only to abridge1 thy distress, 1abate

  For which well nigh thou diedst, as me thought;

  But, goode brother, do now as thee ought,

  For Godde’s love, and keep her out of blame;

  Since thou art wise, so save thou her name.

  “For, well thou know’st, the name yet of her,

  Among the people, as who saith hallow’d is;

  For that man is unborn, I dare well swear,

  That ever yet wist1 that she did amiss; 1knew

  But woe is me, that I, that cause all this,

  May thinke that she is my niece dear,

  And I her eme,1 and traitor eke y-fere.2 1uncle 2as well

  “And were it wist that I, through mine engine,1 1arts, contrivance

  Had in my niece put this fantasy1 1fancy

  To do thy lust,1 and wholly to be thine, 1pleasure

  Why, all the people would upon it cry,

  And say, that I the worste treachery

  Did in this case, that ever was begun,

  And she fordone,1 and thou right naught y-won.” 1rui
ned

  Therefore, ere going a step further, Pandarus prays Troilus to give him pledges of secrecy, and impresses on his mind the mischiefs that flow from vaunting in affairs of love. “Of kind,”[by his very nature] he says, no vaunter is to be believed:

  “For a vaunter and a liar all is one;

  As thus: I pose1 a woman granteth me 1suppose, assume

  Her love, and saith that other will she none,

  And I am sworn to holden it secre,

  And, after, I go tell it two or three;

  Y-wis, I am a vaunter, at the least,

  And eke a liar, for I break my hest.1 1promise

  “Now looke then, if they be not to blame,

  Such manner folk; what shall I call them, what?

  That them avaunt of women, and by name,

  That never yet behight1 them this nor that, 1promised (much

  Nor knowe them no more than mine old hat? less granted)

  No wonder is, so God me sende heal,1 1prosperity

  Though women dreade with us men to deal!

  “I say not this for no mistrust of you,

  Nor for no wise men, but for fooles nice;1 1silly

  And for the harm that in the world is now,

  As well for folly oft as for malice;

  For well wot I, that in wise folk that vice

  No woman dreads, if she be well advised;

  For wise men be by fooles’ harm chastised.”1 1corrected, instructed

  So Pandarus begs Troilus to keep silent, promises to be true all his days, and assures him that he shall have all that he will in the love of Cressida: “thou knowest what thy lady granted thee; and day is set the charters up to make.”

  Who mighte telle half the joy and feast

  Which that the soul of Troilus then felt,

  Hearing th’effect of Pandarus’ behest?

  His olde woe, that made his hearte swelt,1 1faint, die

  Gan then for joy to wasten and to melt,

  And all the reheating of his sighes sore

  At ones fled, he felt of them no more.

  But right so as these 1holtes and these hayes,1 1woods and hedges1

  That have in winter deade been and dry,

  Reveste them in greene, when that May is,

  When ev’ry 1lusty listeth1 best to play; 1pleasant (one) wishes1

  Right in that selfe wise, sooth to say,

  Wax’d suddenly his hearte full of joy,

  That gladder was there never man in Troy.

  Troilus solemnly swears that never, “for all the good that God made under sun,” will he reveal what Pandarus asks him to keep secret; offering to die a thousand times, if need were, and to follow his friend as a slave all his life, in proof of his gratitude.