Previous: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book II, lines 1044-1092: Troilus writes a letter to Criseyde

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1100	Criseyde, whan that she hir uncle herde,
	With dreedful herte, and desirous to here
	The cause of his cominge, thus answerde:
	`Now by your feyth, myn uncle,' quod she, `dere,
	What maner windes gydeth yow now here?
1105	Tel us your joly wo and your penaunce,
	How ferforth be ye put in loves daunce.'

	`By God,' quod he, `I hoppe alwey bihinde!'
	And she to-laugh, it thoughte hir herte breste.
	Quod Pandarus, `Loke alwey that ye finde
1110	Game in myn hood, but herkneth, if yow leste;
	Ther is right now come in-to toune a geste,
	A Greek espye, and telleth newe thinges,
	For which I come to telle yow tydinges.

	`Into the gardin go we, and we shal here,
1115	Al pryvely, of this a long sermoun.'
	With that they wenten arm in arm yfeere
	In-to the gardin from the chaumbre doun.
	And whan that he so fer was that the soun
	Of that he speke, no man here mighte,
1120	He seyde hir thus, and out the lettre plighte,

	`Lo, he that is al hoolly youres free
	Him recomaundeth lowly to your grace,
	And sent to you this lettre here by me;
	Avyseth you on it, whan ye han space,
1125	And of som goodly answere yow purchace;
	Or, helpe me God, so pleynly for to seyne,
	He may not longe liven for his peyne.'

	Ful dredfully tho gan she stonde stille,
	And took it nought, but al hir humble chere
1130	Gan for to chaunge, and seyde, `Scrit ne bille,
	For love of God, that toucheth swich matere,
	Ne bring me noon; and also, uncle dere,
	To myn estat have more reward, I preye,
	Than to his lust; what sholde I more seye?

1135	`And loketh now if this be resonable,
	And letteth nought, for favour ne for slouthe,
	To seyn a sooth; now were it covenable
	To myn estat, by God, and by your trouthe,
	To taken it, or to han of him routhe,
1140	In harming of my-self or in repreve?
	Ber it a-yein, for him that ye on leve!'

	This Pandarus gan on hir for to stare,
	And seyde, `Now is this the grettest wonder
	That ever I sey! Lat be this nyce fare!
1145	To deethe mote I smiten be with thonder,
	If, for the citee which that stondeth yonder,
	Wolde I a lettre un-to yow bringe or take
	To harm of yow; what list yow thus it make?

	`But thus ye faren, wel neigh alle and some,
1150	That he that most desireth yow to serve,
	Of him ye recche leest wher he bicome,
	And whether that he live or elles sterve.
	But for al that that ever I may deserve,
	Refuse it nought,' quod he, and hente hir faste,
1155	And in hir bosom the lettre doun he thraste,

	And seyde hire, `Now cast it awey anoon,
	That folk may seen and gauren on us tweye.'
	Quod she, `I can abyde til they be goon,'
	And gan to smyle, and seyde hym, `Em, I preye,
1160	Swich answere as yow list, your-self purveye,
	For trewely I nil no lettre wryte.'
	`No? than wol I,' quod he, `so ye endyte.'

	Therwith she lough, and seyde, `Go we dyne.'
	And he gan at him-self to jape faste,
1165	And seyde, `Nece, I have so greet a pyne
	For love, that every other day I faste' --
	And gan his beste japes forth to caste;
	And made hir so to laughe at his folye,
	That she for laughter wende for to dye.

1170	And whan that she was comen into halle,
	`Now, em,' quod she, `we wol go dine anoon;'
	And gan some of hir women to hir calle,
	And streyght in-to hir chaumbre gan she goon;
	But of hir besinesses, this was oon
1175	A-monges othere thinges, out of drede,
	Ful prively this lettre for to rede;

	Avysed word by word in every lyne,
	And fond no lak, she thoughte he koude good;
	And up it putte, and went hir in to dyne.
1180	But Pandarus, that in a study stood,
	Er he was war, she took him by the hood,
	And seyde, `Ye were caught er that ye wiste;'
	`I vouche sauf,' quod he. `do what yow liste.'

Next: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book II, lines 1184-1246: Criseyde writes a letter to Troilus, hands over the letter to Pandarus, but asks Pandarus not to reveal the letter to Troilus