great estate. And in his armës he them all up hent, And them comfórted in full good intent, And swore his oath, as he was truë knight, He wouldë do so farforthly his might Upon the tyrant Creon them to wreak, That all the people of Greecë shouldë speak, How Creon was of Theseus y-served, As he that had his death full well deserved. And right anon withoutë more abode His banner he display’d, and forth he rode To Thebes-ward, and all his host beside: No ner Athenës would he go nor ride, Nor take his easë fully half a day, But onward on his way that night he lay: And sent anon Hippolyta the queen, And Emily her youngë sister sheen Unto the town of Athens for to dwell: And forth he rit; there is no more to tell.
The red statúe of Mars with spear and targe So shineth in his whitë banner large, That all the fieldës glitter up and down: And by his banner borne is his pennon Of gold full rich, in which there was y-beat The Minotaur which that he slew in Crete. Thus rit this Duke, thus rit this conquerour, And in his host of chivalry the flower, Till that he came to Thebes, and alight Fair in a field, there as he thought to fight. But shortly for to speaken of this thing, With Creon, which that was of Thebes king, He fought, and slew him manly as a knight In plain batáille, and put his folk to flight: And by assault he won the city after, And rent adown both wall, and spar, and rafter; And to the ladies he restored again The bodies of their husbands that were slain, To do obséquies, as was then the guise.
But it were all too long for to devise The greatë clamour, and the waimenting, Which that the ladies made at the brenning Of the bodiës, and the great honour That Theseus the noble conqueror Did to the ladies, when they from him went: But shortly for to tell is mine intent.
When that this worthy Duke, this Theseus, Had Creon slain, and wonnen Thebés thus, Still in the field he took all night his rest, And did with all the country as him lest. To ransack in the tas of bodies dead, Them for to strip of harness and of weed, The pillers did their business