# The Legend of Good Women/The Legend of Phyllis
### The Legend of Phyllis

| | By preve as wel as by auctoritee, |
| | That wikked fruit cometh of a wikked tree, |
| | That may ye finde, if that it lyketh yow. |
| | But for this ende I speke this as now, |
| | To telle you of false Demophon. |
| | In love a falser herde I never non, |
| 2400 | But-if hit were his fader Theseus. |
| | "God, for his grace, fro swich oon kepe us!" |
| | Thus may thise women prayen that hit here. |
| | Now to theffect turne I of my matere. |
| | Destroyed is of Troye the citee; |
| | This Demophon com sailing in the see |
| | Toward Athenes, to his paleys large; |
| | With him com many a ship and many a barge |
| | Ful of his folk, of which ful many oon |
| | Is wounded sore, and seek, and wo begoon. |
| 2410 | And thay han at the sege longe y-lain. |
| | Behinde him com a wind and eek a rain |
| | That shoof so sore, his sail ne mighte stonde, |
| | Him were lever than al the world a-londe, |
| | So hunteth him the tempest to and fro. |
| | So derk hit was, he coude nowher go; |
| | And with a wawe brosten was his stere. |
| | His ship was rent so lowe, in swich manere, |
| | That carpenter ne coude hit nat amende. |
| | The see, by nighte, as any torche brende |
| 2420 | For wood, and posseth him now up now doun, |
| | Til Neptune hath of him compassioun, |
| | And Thetis, Chorus, Triton, and they alle, |
| | And maden him upon a lond to falle, |
| | Wher-of that Phillis lady was and quene, |
| | Ligurgus doghter, fairer on to sene |
| | Than is the flour again the brighte sonne. |
| | Unnethe is Demophon to londe y-wonne, |
| | Wayk and eek wery, and his folk for-pyned |
| | Of werinesse, and also enfamyned; |
| 2430 | And to the deeth he almost was y-driven. |
| | His wyse folk to conseil han him yiven |
| | To seken help and socour of the queen, |
| | And loken what his grace mighte been, |
| | And maken in that lond som chevisaunce, |
| | To kepen him fro wo and fro mischaunce. |
| | For seek was he, and almost at the deeth; |
| | Unnethe mighte he speke or drawe his breeth, |
| | And lyth in Rodopeya him for to reste. |
| | Whan he may walke, him thoughte hit was the beste |
| 2440 | Unto the court to seken for socour. |
| | Men knewe him wel, and diden him honour; |
| | For at Athenes duk and lord was he, |
| | As Theseus his fader hadde y-be, |
| | That in his tyme was of greet renoun, |
| | No man so greet in al his regioun; |
| | And lyk his fader of face and of stature, |
| | And fals of love; hit com him of nature; |
| | As doth the fox Renard, the foxes sone, |
| | Of kinde he coude his olde faders wone |
| 2450 | Withoute lore, as can a drake swimme, |
| | Whan hit is caught and caried to the brimme. |
| | This honourable Phillis doth him chere, |
| | her lyketh wel his port and his manere. |
| | But for I am agroted heer-biforn |
| | To wryte of hem that been in love forsworn, |
| | And eek to haste me in my legende, |
| | Which to performe god me grace sende, |
| | Therfor I passe shortly in this wyse; |
| | Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse |
| 2460 | In the betraising of fair Adriane, |
| | That of her pite kepte him from his bane. |
| | At shorte wordes, right so Demophon |
| | The same wey, the same path hath gon |
| | That dide his false fader Theseus. |
| | For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus, |
| | To wedden her, and her his trouthe plighte, |
| | And piked of her al the good he mighte, |
| | Whan he was hool and sound and hadde his reste; |
| | And doth with Phillis what so that him leste. |
| 2470 | And wel coude I, yif that me leste so, |
| | Tellen al his doing to and fro. |
| | He seide, unto his contree moste he saile, |
| | For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile |
| | As fil to her honour and his also. |
| | And openly he took his leve tho, |
| | And hath her sworn, he wolde nat soiorne, |
| | But in a month he wolde again retorne. |
| | And in that lond let make his ordinaunce |
| | As verray lord, and took the obeisaunce |
| 2480 | Wel and hoomly, and let his shippe dighte, |
| | And hoom he goth the nexte wey be mighte; |
| | For unto Phillis yit ne com he noght. |
| | And that hath she so harde and sore aboght, |
| | Allas! that, as the stories us recorde, |
| | She was her owne deeth right with a corde, |
| | Whan that she saw that Demophon her trayed. |
| | But to him first she wroot and faste him prayed |
| | He wolde come, and her deliver of peyne, |
| | As I reherse shal a word or tweyne. |
| 2490 | Me list nat vouche-sauf on him to swinke, |
| | Ne spende on him a penne ful of inke, |
| | For fals in love was he, right as his syre; |
| | The devil sette hir soules both a-fyre! |
| | But of the lettre of Phillis wol I wryte |
| | A word or tweyne, al-thogh hit be but lyte. |
| | "Thyn hostesse," quod she, "O Demophon, |
| | Thy Phillis, which that is so wo begon, |
| | Of Rodopeye, upon yow moot compleyne, |
| | Over the terme set betwix us tweyne, |
| 2500 | That ye ne holden forward, as ye seyde; |
| | Your anker, which ye in our haven leyde, |
| | Highte us, that ye wolde comen, out of doute, |
| | Or that the mone ones wente aboute. |
| | But tymes foure the mone hath hid her face |
| | Sin thilke day ye wente fro this place, |
| | And foure tymes light the world again. |
| | But for al that, yif I shal soothly sain, |
| | Yit hath the streem of Sitho nat y-broght |
| | From Athenes the ship; yit comth hit noght. |
| 2510 | And, yif that ye the terme rekne wolde, |
| | As I or other trewe lovers sholde, |
| | I pleyne not, god wot, beforn my day," -- |
| | But al her lettre wryten I ne may |
| | By ordre, for hit were to me a charge, |
| | Her lettre was right long and ther-to large; |
| | But here and there in ryme I have hit laid, |
| | Ther as me thoughte that she wel hath said, -- |
| | She seide, "thy sailes comen nat again, |
| | Ne to thy word ther nis no fey certein; |
| 2520 | But I wot why ye come nat," quod she; |
| | "For I was of my love to you so free. |
| | And of the goddes that ye han forswore, |
| | Yif that hir vengeance falle on yow therfore, |
| | Ye be nat suffisaunt to bere the peyne. |
| | To moche trusted I, wel may I pleyne, |
| | Upon your linage and your faire tonge, |
| | And on your teres falsly out y-wronge. |
| | How coude ye wepe so by craft?" quod she; |
| | May ther swiche teres feyned be? |
| 2530 | Now certes, yif ye wolde have in memorie, |
| | Hit oghte be to yow but litel glorie |
| | To have a sely mayde thus betrayed! |
| | To god," quod she, "preye I, and ofte have prayed, |
| | That hit be now the grettest prys of alle, |
| | And moste honour that ever yow shal befalle! |
| | And whan thyne olde auncestres peynted be, |
| | In which men may hir worthinesse see, |
| | Than, preye I god, thou peynted be also, |
| | That folk may reden, for-by as they go, |
| 2540 | "Lo! this is he, that with his flaterye |
| | Betrayed hath and doon her vilanye |
| | That was his trewe love in thoghte and dede!" |
| | But sothly, of oo point yit may they rede, |
| | That ye ben lyk your fader as in this; |
| | For he begyled Adriane, y-wis, |
| | With swiche an art and swiche sotelte |
| | As thou thy-selven hast begyled me. |
| | As in that point, al-thogh hit be nat fayr, |
| | Thou folwest him, certein, and art his eyr. |
| 2550 | But sin thus sinfully ye me begyle, |
| | My body mote ye seen, within a whyle, |
| | Right in the haven of Athenes fletinge, |
| | With-outen sepulture and buryinge; |
| | Thogh ye ben harder then is any stoon." |
| | And, whan this lettre was forth sent anoon, |
| | And knew how brotel and how fals he was, |
| | She for dispeyr for-dide herself, allas! |
| | Swich sorwe hath she, for she besette her so, |
| | Be war, ye women, of your sotil fo, |
| 2560 | Sin yit this day men may ensample see; |
| | And trusteth, as in love, no man but me. |
| | Explicit Legenda Phillis. |