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It was on a Sunday, about nine o’clock in the morning, when all the lords and knights came into Athens.

With Palamon came the great Licurgus, King of Thrace; with Arcite came the mighty King of India, Emetrius: and I must give you the exact account of how these two kings looked, which is most minute. I should not wonder if these were the likenesses of Palamon and Arcite themselves.[99]

First, then, comes—

Ligurge himself, the grete kyng of Trace;
Blak was his berd, and manly was his face.
The cercles of his eyen in his heedeyes
They gloweden bytwixe yolw and reed,between
And lik a griffoun loked he aboute,
With kempe heres[100] on his browes stowte;stout
His lymes grete, his brawnes hard and stronge,limbs, muscles
His schuldres brood, his armes rounde and longe.shoulders
And as the gyse was in his contre,guise
Ful heye upon a chare of gold stood he,high, car
With foure white boles in a trays.bulls, the traces
In stede of cote armour on his harnays,[101]
With nales yolwe, and bright as eny gold,
He had a bere skyn, cole-blak for-old.very old
His lange heer y-kempt byhynd his bak,long hair combed
As eny raven fether it schon for blak.shone
A wrethe of gold arm-gret, and huge of wighte,
Upon his heed, set ful of stoones brighte,
Of fyne rubies and of fyn dyamauntz.diamonds
Aboute his chare ther wenten white alauntz,[102]
Twenty and mo, as grete as eny stere,steer (bullock)
To hunt at the lyoun or at the bere,
And folwed him, with mosel fast i-bounde,muzzle
Colerd with golde, and torettz[103] fyled rounde.spikes, filled
Licurge himself, the mighty king of Thrace;
Black was his beard, and manly was his face,
The circles of his eyes within his head
Glow’d of a hue part yellow and part red,
And like a griffon lookëd he about,
With hair down-combed upon his brows so stout;
His limbs were great, his muscles hard and strong,
His shoulders broad, his arms were round and long.
According to the fashion of his land,
Full high upon a car of gold stood he,
And to the car four bulls were link’d, milk-white.
’Stead of coat-armour on his harness bright,
With yellow nails and bright as any gold,
A bear’s skin hung, coal-black, and very old.
His flowing hair was comb’d behind his back,
As any raven’s wing it shone for black.
A wreath of gold, arm-thick, of monstrous weight,
Crusted with gems, upon his head was set,
Full of fine rubies and clear diamonds.
About his car there leapëd huge white hounds,
Twenty and more, as big as any steer,
To chase the lion or to hunt the bear,
And follow’d him, with muzzles firmly bound,
Collar’d in gold, with golden spikes around.

The other portrait has a less barbaric splendour about it.

The gret Emetreus, the kyng of Ynde,India
Uppon a steede bay, trapped in steel,
Covered with cloth of gold dyapred wel,diapered like
Cam rydyng lyk the god of armes, Mars.
His coote armour was of a cloth of Tars,[104]
Cowched of perlys whyte, round and grete.overlaid
His sadil was of brend gold new i-bete;burnished
A mantelet[105] upon his schuldre hangyngmantle
Bret-ful of rubies reed, as fir sparclyng.cram-full, fire
His crispe her lik rynges was i-ronne,run
And that was yalwe, and gliteryng as the sonne.yellow-brown
His nose was heigh, his eyen bright cytryn,
His lippes rounde, his colour was sangwyn,
A fewe freknes in his face y-spreynd,sprinkled
Betwixe yolwe and somdel blak y-meynd,somewhat, mixed
And as a lyoun he his lokyng caste.looking
Of fyve and twenty yeer his age I caste.suppose
His berd was wel bygonne for to sprynge;
His voys was as a trumpe thunderynge.
Upon his heed he wered of laurer grenelaurel
A garlond freische and lusty for to sene.
Upon his hond he bar for his deduyt[106]hand, delight
An egle tame, as eny lylie whyt.eagle, any
The great Emetrius, the Indian King,
Upon a bay steed trapp’d in shining steel,
Covered with cloth of gold from head to heel,
Came riding like the god of armies, Mars;
His coat-armour was made of cloth of Tars,
O’erlaid with pearls all white and round and great:
His saddle was of smooth gold, newly beat.
A mantlet on his shoulder as he came,
Shone, cramm’d with rubies sparkling like red flame,
And his crisp hair in shining rings did run,
Yellow it was, and glittering as the sun.
His nose was high, his eyes were bright citrine,
His lips were round, his colour was sanguine,
With a few freckles scattered here and there,
’Twixt black and yellow mingling they were,
And lion-like his glance went to and fro.
His age was five and twenty years, I trow.
A downy beard had just begun to spring,
His voice was like a trumpet thundering.
Upon his head he wore a garland green,
Of laurel, fresh, and pleasant to be seen.
Upon his wrist he bore for his delight
An eagle, tame, and as a lily white.

There was a great festival, and the dancing, and minstrelsy, and feasting, and rich array of Theseus’ palace were most wondrous to behold. I should never have time to tell you