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Il ot ou chief ung chapelet
De roses; mes rossignolet 900
Qui entor son chief voletoient,
Les foilles jus en abatoient:
Car il iert tout covers d'oisiaus,
De papegaus, de rossignaus,
De calandres et de mesanges;
Il sembloit que ce fust uns anges

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That doun were comen fro hevene clere.
Love hadde with him a bachelere,
That he made alweyes with him be;
SWETE-LOKING cleped was he. 920
This bachelere stood biholding SWETE-LOKING.
The daunce, and in his honde holding
Turke bowes two hadde he.
That oon of hem was of a tree
That bereth a fruyt of savour wikke; 925
Ful croked was that foule stikke,
And knotty here and there also,
And blak as bery, or any slo.
That other bowe was of a plante
Withoute wem, I dar warante, 930
Ful even, and by proporcioun
Tretys and long, of good fasoun.
And it was peynted wel and thwiten,
And over-al diapred and writen
With ladies and with bacheleres, 935
Ful lightsom and [ful] glad of cheres.
These bowes two held Swete-Loking,
That semed lyk no gadeling.
And ten brode arowes held he there,
Of which five in his right hond were. 940

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Qui fust tantost venus du ciau.
Amors avoit ung jovenciau
Qu'il faisoit estre iluec deles;
Douz-Regard estoit apeles. 910
Ici bachelers regardoit
Les caroles, et si gardoit
Au Diex d'Amors deux ars turquois.
Li uns des ars si fu d'un bois
Dont li fruit iert mal savores;
Tous plains de nouz et boceres
Fu li ars dessous et dessore,
Et si estoit plus noirs que mores.
Li autres ars fu d'un plancon
Longuet et de gente facon; 920
Si fu bien fait et bien doles,
Et si fu moult bien pipeles.
Dames i ot de tous sens pointes,
Et vales envoisies et cointes.
Ices deux ars tint Dous-Regars
Qui ne sembloit mie estre gars,
Avec dix des floiches son mestre.
Il en tint cinq en sa main destre;

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But they were shaven wel and dight,
Nokked and fethered a-right;
And al they were with gold bigoon,
And stronge poynted everichoon,
And sharpe for to kerven weel. 945
But iren was ther noon ne steel;
For al was gold, men mighte it see,
Out-take the fetheres and the tree.
The swiftest of these arowes fyve
Out of a bowe for to dryve, 950
And best [y]-fethered for to flee,
And fairest eek, was cleped BEAUTEE. BEAUTEE.
That other arowe, that hurteth lesse,
Was cleped, as I trowe, SIMPLESSE. SIMPLESSE.
The thridde cleped was FRAUNCHYSE, 955
That fethered was, in noble wyse, FRAUNCHYSE.
With valour and with curtesye.
The fourthe was cleped COMPANYE COMPANYE.
That hevy for to sheten is;
But who-so sheteth right, y-wis, 960
May therwith doon gret harm and wo.
The fifte of these, and laste also,

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Mes moult orent ices cinq floiches
Les penons bien fais, et les coiches: 930
Si furent toutes a or pointes,
Fors et tranchans orent les pointes,
Et agues por bien percier,
Et si n'i ot fer ne acier;
Onc n'i ot riens qui d'or ne fust,
Fors que les penons et le fust:
Car el furent encarrelees
De sajetes d'or barbelees.
La meillore et la plus isnele
De ces floiches, et la plus bele, 940
Et cele ou li meillor penon
Furent entes, Biautes ot non.
Une d'eles qui le mains blece,
Ot non, ce m'est avis, Simplece.
Une autre en i ot apelee
Franchise; cele iert empenee
De Valor et de Cortoisie.
La quarte avoit non Compaignie:
En cele ot moult pesant sajete.