| 1625 | Greet was the feeste in Atthenes that day, |
| And eek the lusty seson of that May |
| Made every wight to been in such plesaunce |
| That al that Monday justen they and daunce, |
| And spenten it in Venus heigh servyse. |
| 1630 | But by the cause that they sholde ryse |
| Eerly, for to seen the grete fight, |
| Unto hir rest wenten they at nyght. |
| And on the morwe, whan that day gan sprynge, |
| Of hors and harneys noyse and claterynge |
| 1635 | Ther was in hostelryes al aboute. |
| And to the paleys rood ther many a route |
| Of lordes upon steedes and palfreys. |
| Ther maystow seen devisynge of harneys |
| So unkouth and so riche, and wroght so weel |
| 1640 | Of goldsmythrye, of browdynge, and of steel; |
| The sheeldes brighte, testeres, and trappures, |
| Gold-hewen helmes, hauberkes, cote-armures; |
| Lordes in parementz on hir courseres, |
| Knyghtes of retenue and eek squieres, |
| 1645 | Nailynge the speres, and helmes bokelynge, |
| Giggynge of sheeldes, with layneres lacynge. |
| There as nede is, they weren nothyng ydel. |
| The fomy steedes on the golden brydel |
| Gnawynge, and faste the armurers also |
| 1650 | With fyle and hamer prikynge to and fro; |
| Yemen on foote and communes many oon, |
| With shorte staves thikke as they may goon, |
| Pypes, trompes, nakers, clariounes, |
| That in the bataille blowen blody sounes; |
| 1655 | The paleys ful of peples up and doun, |
| Heere thre, ther ten, holdynge hir questioun, |
| Dyvynynge of thise Thebane knyghtes two. |
| Somme seyden thus, somme seyde "it shal be so"; |
| Somme helden with hym with the blake berd, |
| 1660 | Somme with the balled, somme with the thikke-herd, |
| Somme seyde he looked grymme, and he wolde fighte, |
| "He hath a sparth of twenty pound of wighte." |
| Thus was the halle ful of divynynge, |
| Longe after that the sonne gan to sprynge. |
|
| 1625 |
Great was the feast in Athens on that day, |
| And also the merry season of the May |
| Gave everyone such joy and such pleasance |
| That all that Monday they'd but joust and dance, |
| Or spend the time in Venus' high service. |
| 1630 | But for the reason that they must arise |
| Betimes, to see the heralded great fight, |
| All they retired to early rest that night. |
| And on the morrow, when that day did spring, |
| Of horse and harness, noise and clattering, |
| 1635 | There was enough in hostelries about. |
| And to the palace rode full many a rout |
| Of lords, bestriding steeds and on palfreys. |
| There could you see adjusting of harness, |
| So curious and so rich, and wrought so well |
| 1640 | Of goldsmiths' work, embroidery, and of steel; |
| The shields, the helmets bright, the gay trappings, |
| The gold-hewn casques, the coats-of-arms, the rings, |
| The lords in vestments rich, on their coursers, |
| Knights with their retinues and also squires; |
| 1645 | The rivetting of spears, the helm-buckling, |
| The strapping of the shields, and thong-lacing- |
| In their great need, not one of them was idle; |
| The frothing steeds, champing the golden bridle, |
| And the quick smiths, and armourers also, |
| 1650 | With file and hammer spurring to and fro; |
| Yeoman, and peasants with short staves were out, |
| Crowding as thick as they could move about; |
| Pipes, trumpets, kettledrums, and clarions, |
| That in the battle sound such grim summons; |
| 1655 | The palace full of people, up and down, |
| Here three, there ten, debating the renown |
| And questioning about these Theban knights, |
| Some put it thus, some said, "It's so by rights." |
| Some held with him who had the great black beard, |
| 1660 | Some with the bald-heads, some with the thick haired; |
| Some said, "He looks grim, and he'll fight like hate; |
| He has an axe of twenty pound in weight." |
| And thus the hall was full of gossiping |
| Long after the bright sun began to spring. |
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