"Au mois de Mars, u tant y ad nuance
Puiss resembler les douls mais que j'endure:"
“Saint Denys!” cried the Queen, “if we must endure the winds and woes of March in vérité, yet may we escape them in song. Shall not the poet defy the calendar?”
“Yea, madame, shall he,” assented Master Gower, very humble, “an his lady will. He 'll sing of May.”
“Ay, do!” said the Queen.
Calote looked on Master Chaucer and caught his eyes a-twinkle; but immediately he had bent his head to stare on the ground; and John Gower was begun anew:—
"Pour comparer ce jolif temps de Maii,
Jeo le dirrai semblable a Paradis;
Cars lors chantont et Merle et Papegai,
Les champs sont vert, les herbes sont floris,
Lors est nature dame du paiis;
Dont Venus poignt l'amant au tiel assai,
Q'encontre amour n'est qui poet dire Nai."
The King stood by the door, with finger on lip to still the chamberlain, but now he came into the hall betwixt Robert de Vere and Etienne Fitzwarine, and he hung upon Etienne's arm:—
“Mes amis, I crave pardon of my discourtesy,” he said, laughing; “but what would you? Robert Hales did threat me he 'd have this my new cote hardie in pawn to the Lombards for to pay England's debt, but if I would not give ear to this folly of the poll-tax. And if treasury 's empty, 't is Robert Hales must know, he keeps the key. Natheless, Simon Sudbury hath took pity on me, and I 'm scaped with the coat on my back.”
This cote hardie was of velvet, white, thick encrusted with jewels,—pearls and blue stones. Richard's hosen were azure, and his shoes cloth-of-silver with Paul's windows carven on them, the toes of them turned upward and clasped to golden chains that hung from his knees, for the more ease in walking. He greeted his mother and bent above her hand, then sat him down in his chair beside hers on the dais, and Robert de Vere unchained his shoes.
“Etienne,” said the King. Stretching forth one leg and the other to de Vere, he spoke behind his hand to Stephen, who presently, but with a sour visage, strode down the hall to the place where Long Will stood, and Calote sheltered behind his skirts.