Cressida's Leprosy

Thus chydand with her drery desteny,
Weiping, sho woik the nicht fra end to end,
But all in vane; hir dule, hir cairfull cry
Micht nocht remeid, nor yit hir murning mend.
Ane lipper-lady rais, and till hir wend,
And said, “Quhy spurns thou aganis the wall,
To sla thyself, and mend na-thing at all?

“Sen that thy weiping dowbillis bot thy wo,
I counsall thee mak vertew of ane neid,
To leir to clap thy clapper to and fro,
And live efter the law of lipper-leid.’
Thair was na buit, bot forth with thame sho yeid
Fra place to place, quhill cauld and hounger sair
Compellit hir to be ane rank beggair.

That samin tyme, of Troy the garnisoun,
Quhilk had to chiftane worthy Troilus,
Throw jeopardy of weir had strikkin doun
Knichtis of Greece in number mervellous.
With greit triumph and laud victorious
Agane to Troy richt royally thay raid
The way quhair Cresseid with the lipper baid.

Seing that company thai come, all with ane stevin
They gaif ane cry, and shuik coppis gude speid;
Said, “Worthy lordis, for goddis lufe of hevin,
To us lipper part of your almous-deid.’
Than to thair cry nobill Troilus tuik heid;
Having pity, neir by the place can pas
Quhair Cresseid sat, not witting quhat sho was.

Than upon him sho kest up baith her ene,
And with ane blenk it com into his thocht
That he sum-tyme hir face befoir had sene;
But sho was in sic ply he knew hir nocht.
Yit than hir luik into his mind it brocht
The sweit visage and amorous blenking
Of fair Cresseid, sumtyme his awin darling.

Na wonder was, suppois in mynd that he
Tuik her figure sa sone, and lo! now, quhy;
The idole of ane thing in cace may be
Sa deip imprentit in the fantasy,
That it deludis the wittis outwardly,
And sa appeiris in forme and lyke estait
Within the mynd as it was figurait.

Ane spark of lufe than till his hart coud spring,
And kendlit all his body in ane fyre;
With hait fevir ane sweit and trimbilling
Him tuik, quhill he was redy to expyre;
To beir his sheild his breist began to tyre;
Within ane whyle he changit mony hew,
And nevertheles not ane aneuther knew.

For knichtly pity and memoriall
Of fair Cresseid, ane girdill can he tak,
Ane purs of gold, and mony gay jowall,
And in the skirt of Cresseid doun can swak
Than raid away, and not ane word he spak,
Pensive in hart, quhill he com to the toun,
And for greit cair oft-syis almaist fell doun.

The lipper-folk to Cresseid than can draw,
To see the equall distribucioun
Of the almous; but quhan the gold they saw,
Ilk ane to uther prevely can roun,
And said, “Yon lord hes mair affectioun,
However it be, unto yon lazarous
Than to us all; we knaw be his almous.’

“Quhat lord is yon?’ quod sho, “have ye na feill,
Hes don to us so greit humanitie?’
“Yes,’ quod a lipper-man, “I knaw him weill;
Shir Troilus it is, gentill and free.’
Quhen Cresseid understude that it was he,
Stiffer than steill thair stert ane bitter stound
Throwout hir hart, and fell doun to the ground.

Quhen sho ourcome with syching sair and sad,
With mony cairfull cry and cald–“Ochane!
Now is my breist with stormy stoundis stad,
Wrappit in wo, ane wretch full will of wane.
Than swounit sho oft or sho coud refrane,
And ever in hir swouning cryit sho thus:
“O fals Cresseid, and trew knicht Troilus!

“Thy luf, thy lawtee, and thy gentilnes
I countit small in my prosperitie;
Sa elevait I was in wantones,
And clam upon the fickill quheill sa hie;
All faith and lufe, I prmissit to thee,
Was in the self fickill and frivolous;
O fals Cresseid, and trew knicht Troilus!

“For lufe of me thou keipt gude continence,
Honest and chaste in conversatioun;
Of all wemen protectour and defence
Thou was, and helpit thair opinioun.
My mynd, in fleshly foull affectioun,
Was inclynit to lustis lecherous;
Fy! fals Cresseid! O, trew knicht Troilus!

“Lovers, be war, and tak gude heid about
Quhom that ye lufe, for quhom ye suffer paine;
I lat yow wit, thair is richt few thairout
Quhom ye may traist, to have trew lufe againe;
Preif quhen ye will, your labour is in vaine.
Thairfoir I reid ye tak thame as ye find;
For they ar sad as widdercock in wind.

“Becaus I knaw the greit unstabilnes
Brukkil as glas, into my-self I say,
Traisting in uther als greit unfaithfulnes,
Als unconstant, and als untrew of fay.
Thocht sum be trew, I wait richt few ar thay.
Quha findis treuth, lat him his lady ruse;
Nane but myself, as now, I will accuse.’

Quhen this was said, with paper sho sat doun,
And on this maneir maid hir TESTAMENT:–
“Heir I beteich my corps and carioun
With wormis and with taidis to be rent;
My cop and clapper, and myne ornament,
And all my gold, the lipper-folk sall have,
Quhen I am deid, to bury me in grave.

“This royall ring, set with this ruby reid,
Quhilk Troilus in drowry to me send,
To him agane I leif it quhan I am deid,
To mak my cairfull deid unto him kend.
Thus I conclude shortly, and mak ane end.
My spreit I leif to Diane, quhair sho dwellis,
To walk with hir in waist woddis and wellis.

“O Diomeid! thow hes baith broche and belt
Quhilk Troilus gave me in takinning
Of his trew lufe!’ And with that word sho swelt,
And sone ane lipper-man tuik of the ring,
Syne buryit hir withoutin tarying.
To Troilus furthwith the ring he bair,
And of Cresseid the deith he can declair.

Quhen he had hard hir greit infirmitie,
Hir legacy and lamentatioun,
And how sho endit in sic povertie,
He swelt for wo, and fell doun in ane swoun;
For greit sorrow his hart to birst was boun.
Syching full sadly, said, “I can no moir;
Sho was untrew, and wo is me thairfor!’

Sum said, he maid nae tomb of merbell gray,
And wrait hir name and superscriptioun,
And laid it on hir grave, quhair that sho lay,
In goldin letteris, conteining this ressoun:–
“Lo! Fair ladyis, Cresseid of Troyis toun,
Sumtyme countit the flour of womanheid,
Under this stane, lait lipper, lyis deid!’

Now, worthy wemen, in this ballet short,
Made for your worship and instructioun,
Of cheritie I monish and exhort,
Ming not your luf with fals deceptioun.
Beir in your mynd this short conclusioun
Of fair Cresseid, as I have said befoir;
Sen sho is deid, I speik of hir no moir.