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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.
Ele n'iert pas d'aler loing preste; 950
Mes qui de pres en vosist traire,
Il en peust assez mal faire.

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FAIR-SEMBLAUNT men that arowe calle, FAIR-
The leeste grevous of hem alle; SEMBLAUNT.
Yit can it make a ful gret wounde, 965
But he may hope his sores sounde,
That hurt is with that arowe, y-wis;
His wo the bet bistowed is.
For he may soner have gladnesse,
His langour oughte be the lesse. 970
Fyve arowes were of other gyse,
That been ful foule to devyse;
For shaft and ende, sooth to telle,
Were al-so blak as feend in helle.
The first of hem is called PRYDE; PRYDE. 975
That other arowe next him bisyde,
It was [y]-cleped VILANYE; VILANYE.
That arowe was as with felonye
Envenimed, and with spitous blame.
The thridde of hem was cleped SHAME. SHAME. 980
The fourthe, WANHOPE cleped is, WANHOPE.