Previous: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 337-427: Pandarus speaks with Troilus and suggests Troilus should start to love another woman

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435	But at the laste answerde and seyde, `Freend,
	This lechecraft, or heled thus to be,
	Were wel sitting, if that I were a feend,
	To traysen hir that trewe is unto me!
	I pray God, lat this conseil never ythee;
440	But do me rather sterve anon, right here
	Er I thus do as thou me woldest lere.

	`She that I serve, ywis, what so thou seye,
	To whom myn herte enhabit is by right,
	Shal han me holly hires til that I deye.
445	For, Pandarus, syn I have trouthe hir hight,
	I wol not been untrewe for no wight;
	But as hir man I wol ay live and sterve,
	And never other creature serve.

	`And ther thou seyst, thou shalt as faire finde
450	As she, lat be, make no comparisoun
	To creature yformed here by kinde.
	O leve Pandare, in conclusioun,
	I wol not be of thyn opinioun,
	Touching al this; for whiche I thee biseche,
455	So hold thy pees; thou sleest me with thy speche.

	`Thow biddest me I sholde love another
	Al freshly newe, and lat Criseyde go!
	It lyth not in my power, leve brother.
	And though I mighte, I wolde not do so.
460	But canstow pleyen raket, to and fro,
	Netle in, dokke out, now this, now that, Pandare?
	Now foule falle hir, for thy wo that care!

	`Thow farest eek by me, thou Pandarus,
	As he, that whan a wight is wo bi-goon,
465	He cometh to him a pas, and seyth right thus,
	"Thenk not on smert, and thou shalt fele noon."
	Thou most me first transmuwen in a stoon,
	And reve me my passiounes alle,
	Er thou so lightly do my wo to falle.

470	`The deeth may wel out of my brest departe
	The lyf, so longe may this sorwe myne;
	But fro my soule shal Criseydes darte
	Out never-mo; but doun with Proserpyne,
	Whan I am deed, I wol go wone in pyne;
475	And ther I wol eternaly compleyne
	My wo, and how that twinned be we tweyne.

	`Thow hast here maad an argument, for fyn,
	How that it sholde a lasse peyne be
	Criseyde to for-goon, for she was myn,
480	And live in ese and in felicitee.
	Why gabbestow, that seydest thus to me
	That "him is wors that is fro wele y-throwe,
	Than he hadde erst non of that wele y-knowe?"

	`But tel me now, syn that thee thinketh so light
485	To chaungen so in love, ay to and fro,
	Why hastow not don bisily thy might
	To chaungen hir that doth thee al thy wo?
	Why niltow lete hir fro thyn herte go?
	Why niltow love an-other lady swete,
490	That may thyn herte setten in quiete?

	`If thou hast had in love ay yet mischaunce,
	And canst it not out of thyn herte dryve,
	I, that livede in lust and in plesaunce
	With hir as muche as creature on-lyve,
495	How sholde I that foryete, and that so blyve?
	O where hastow ben hid so longe in muwe,
	That canst so wel and formely arguwe?

	`Nay, nay, God woot, nought worth is al thy reed,
	For which, for what that ever may bifalle,
500	Withouten wordes mo, I wol be deed.
	O deeth, that endere art of sorwes alle,
	Com now, syn I so ofte after thee calle,
	For sely is that deeth, soth for to seyne,
	That, ofte ycleped, cometh and endeth peyne.

505	`Wel woot I, whyl my lyf was in quiete,
	Er thou me slowe, I wolde have yeven hire;
	But now thy cominge is to me so swete,
	That in this world I nothing so desyre.
	O deeth, syn with this sorwe I am a-fyre,
510	Thou outher do me anoon yn teeris drenche,
	Or with thy colde strook myn hete quenche!

	`Syn that thou sleest so fele in sondry wyse
	Ayens hir wil, unpreyed, day and night,
	Do me, at my requeste, this servyse,
515	Delivere now the world, so dostow right,
	Of me, that am the wofulleste wight
	That ever was; for tyme is that I sterve,
	Syn in this world of right nought may I serve.'

Next: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 519-658: Pandarus insists on the exchange of Criseyde for Antenor