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Section 1 :: Stanzas 01 - 10 Section 2 :: Stanzas 11 - 20 Section 3 :: Stanzas 21 - 38 Section 4 :: Stanzas 39 - 49 Section 5 :: Stanzas 50 - 58 Section 6 :: Stanzas 59 - 66 Section 7 :: Stanzas 66 - 76 Section 8 :: Stanzas 77 - 86

The Testament of Cresseid

S 21

		Quhen this was said doun in ane extasie	trance
		Rauischit in spreit intill ane dreame scho fell	Ravished in spirit until into
		And be apperance hard quhair scho did ly	And thought she heard
		Cupide the king ringand ane siluer bell,	ringing
	145	Quhilk men micht heir fra heuin vnto hell.	hear
		At quhais sound befoir Cupide appeiris	which; in front of
		The seuin Planetis discending fra thair Spheiris.	(n)

S 22

		Quhilk hes power of all thing generabill	over all created things (n)
		To reull and steir be thair greit Influence,	rule; steer
	150	Wedder and wind, and coursis variabill,	variable/changeable movements
		And first of all Saturne gaue his sentence	judgement (n)
		Quhilk gaue to Cupide litill reuerence,	respect
		Bot as ane busteous Churle on his maneir	blustering
		Come crabitlie with auster luik and cheir.	ill natured; austere; bearing

S 23

	155	His face frosnit, his lyre was lyke the Leid,	wrinkled; complexion; lead
		His teith chatterit, and cheuerit with the Chin,	teeth chattered; shivered
		His Ene drowpit, how sonkin in his heid	eyes drooped; sunken
		Out of his Nois the Meldrop fast can rin,	nose; mucus/snot
		With lippis bla and cheikis leine and thin	blue lips; lean
	160	The Iceschoklis that fra his hair doun hang	icicles
		Was wonder greit, and as ane speir als lang.	wonderously large

S 24

		Atouir his belt his lyart lokkis lay	Around; straked with grey
		Felterit vnfair, ouirfret with froistis hoir,	matted/entangled; unlovely; spangled;
		His garmound and his gyis full gay of gray	garments; gown
	165	His widderit weid fra him the wind out woir,	tattered clothes; billowed out
		Ane busteous bow within his hand he boir	powerful; bore
		Vnder his girdill ane flasche of felloun flanis	belt; quiver; cruel arrows
		Fedderit with Ice, and heidit with hailstanis	Feathered; tipped (n)

S 25

		Than Iuppiter richt fair and amiabill,	good natured
	170	God of the Starnis in the firmament,	stars
		And Nureis to all thing generabill	nurse; growing
		Fra his father Saturne far different,
		With burelie face, and browis bricht and brent	handsome; bright; radiant
		Vpon his heid ane Garland wonder gay
	175	Of flouris fair as it had bene in May.	as if

S 26

		His voice was cleir, as Cristall wer his Ene	eyes
		As goldin wyre sa glitterand was his hair,	golden wire so glittering
		His garmound and his gyis full of grene	garment; attire
		With goldin listis gilt on euerie gair,	trim; edge
	180	Ane burelie brand about his middill bair	broad belt
		In his richt hand he had ane groundin speir,	sharpened
		Of his father the wraith fra vs to weir.	ward off (n)

S 27

		Nixt efter him come Mars the God of Ire,	wrath (n)
		Of strife, debait, and all dissensioun,	dispute
	185	To chide and fecht, als feirs as ony fyre	fight, as fierce; fire
		In hard harnes, hewmound and habirgeoun,	armour, helmet; mail
		And on his hanche ane roustie fell fachioun,	hip; rusty cruel falchion (n)
		And in his hand he had ane roustie sword	bloody sword (n)
		Wrything his face with mony angrie word.	Contorting

S 28

	190	Schaikand his sword, befoir Cupide he come	Shaking
		With reid visage, and grislie glowrand Ene,	red face; terrible, glowering eyes
		And at his mouth ane bullar stude of fome	bubble; foam
		Lyke to ane Bair quhetting his Tuskis kene,	boar whetting; sharp tusks
		Richt Tuilzeour lyke. but temperance in tene	aggressive; without; anger
	195	Ane horne he blew, with mony bosteous brag	rough boasts
		Quhilk all this warld with weir hes maid to wag	at war; caused to shake

S 29

		Than fair Phebus, Lanterne & Lamp of licht
		Of man and beist, baith frute and flourisching,	bloom
		Tender Nureis, and banischer of nicht,	nurse; night
	200	And of the warld causing be his mouing	by
		And Influence, lyfe in all eirdlie thing	earthly
		Without comfort of quhome, of force to nocht	of necessity
		Must all ga die that in this warld is wrocht	be dead; created

S 30

		As king Royall he raid vpon his Chair	rode; chariot
	205	The quhilk Phaeton gydit sum tyme vpricht	off course (n)
		The brichtnes of his face quhen it was bair	bare
		Nane micht behald for peirsing of his sicht.	piercing
		This goldin Cart with fyrie bemis bricht	chariot
		Four zokkit steidis full different of hew	yoked; color
	210	But bait or tyring throw the Spheiris drew.	Without pause; weariness

S 31

		The first was soyr, with Mane als reid as Rois	sorrel; red as rose
		Callit Eoye into the Orient.	east
		The secund steid to Name hecht Ethios	steed; was called
		Quhitlie and paill, and sum deill ascendent,	Whitish; somewhat
	215	The thrid Peros, richt hait and richt feruent,	hot
		The feird was blak, callit Philologie	fourth
		Quhilk rollis Phebus doun into the sey.	sea

S 32

		Venus was thair present, that Goddes	(n)
		Hir Sonnis querrell for to defend and mak	quarrel
	220	Hir awin complaint, cled in ane nyce array,	clad; lovely garment
		The ane half grene, the vther half Sabill blak
		Quhyte hair as gold kemmit and sched abak.	combed and gathered
		Bot in hir face semit greit variance,	appeared great
		Quhyles perfyte treuth, and quhyles Inconstance.	Sometimes

S 33

	225	Vnder smyling scho was dissimulait,	Under cover; false/deceitful
		Prouocatiue, with blenkis Amorous,	amarous glances
		And suddanely changit and alterait,	altered
		Angrie as ony Serpent vennemous
		Richt pungitiue, with wordis odious.	stinging; offensive
	230	Thus variant scho was, quha list tak keip	changeable; for whoever would notice
		With ane Eye lauch, and with the vther weip.	laughing; weeping (n)

S 34

		In taikning that all fleschelie Paramour	Symbolizing; bodily love
		Quhilk Venus hes in reull and gouernance,
		Is sum tyme sweit, sum tyme bitter and sour
	235	Richt vnstabill, and full of variance
		Mingit with cairfull Ioy and fals plesance,	Mingled; painful; pleasure
		Now hait, now cauld, now blyith, now full of wo	hot; happy
		Now grene as leif, now widderit and ago.	leaf; withered and past

S 35

		With buik in hand than come Mercurius	(n)
	240	Richt Eloquent, and full of Rethorie,	rhetoric
		With polite termis and delicious	polished words; delightful
		With pen and Ink to report all reddie
		Setting sangis and singand merilie:	Writing songs; singing
		His hude was reid heklit atouir his Croun	hood; red fringed above; head or laurel wreath
	245	Lyke to ane Poeit of the auld fassoun.	old fashion

S 36

		Boxis he bair with fyne Electuairis,	Boxes; carried; remedies
		And sugerit Syropis for digestioun.	sugared syrups
		Spycis belangand to the Pothecairis	belonging; apothecaries
		With mony hailsum sweit Confectioun,	wholesome
	250	Doctour in Phisick cled in ane Skarlot goun,	clad; scarlet
		And furrit weill, as sic ane aucht to be,	such a one ought
		Honest and gude, and not ane word culd lie.

S 37

		Nixt efter him come Lady Cynthia	(n)
		The last of all, and swiftest in hir Spheir,
	255	Of colour blak, buskit with hornis twa,	adorned; two
		And in the nicht scho listis best appeir	prefers to
		Haw as the Leid, of colour nathing cleir	Livid; lead
		For all hir licht scho borrowis at hir brother
		Titan, for of hir self scho hes nane vther.	no other

S 38

	260	Hir gyse was gray and full of spottis blak,	dress/clothing
		And on hir breist ane Churle paintit full euin	peasant; exactly
		Beirand ane bunche of Thornis on his bak,	Bearing
		Quhilk for his thift micht clim na nar the heuin.	theft; climb; no nearer
		Thus quhen thay gadderit war thir Goddes seuin
	265	Mercurius thay cheisit with ane assent	chose
		To be foirspeikar in the Parliament.	speaker

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The Testament of Cresseid - Britain in Print