From Robert Henryson, The Testament of Cresseid (1480), ll. 526-616

[the death of Criseyde--Troilus has just distributed alms to a community of lepers on the outskirts of Troy that Criseyde has joined, but she has not recognized him]

The lipper folk to Cresseid than can draw,

To se the equall distributioun

Of the almous, bot quhen the gold thay saw,

Ilk ane to uther prewelie can roun,

And said “Yone Lord hes mair affectioun

How ever it be, unto yone lazarous,

Than to vs all, we knaw be his almous.”

”Quhat Lord is yone,” quod scho “haue ye na feill,

Hes done to vs so greit humanitie?”

”Yes,” quod a lipper man, “I  knaw him weill.

Schir Troylus it is, gentill and fre.”

Quhen Cresseid understude that it was he,

Stiffer than steill, thair stert ane bitter stound

Throwout hir hart, and fell doun to the ground.

Quhen scho ovircome, with siching sair & sad,

With mony cairfull cry and cald ochane:

”Now is my breist with stormie stoundis stad,

Wrappit in wo, ane wretch full will of wane.”

Than swounit scho oft or scho culd refrane,

And ever in hir swouning cryit scho thus:

”O fals Cresseid and trew knicht Troylus.

”Thy lufe, thy lawtie, and thy gentilnes,
I countit small in my prosperitie.
Sa elevait I was in wantones,
And clam vpon the fickill quheill sa hie,
All faith and lufe I promissit to the
Was in the self fickill and friuolous:
O fals Cresseid, and trew knicht Troilus.

”For lufe, of me thow keipt continence.
Honest and chaist in conversatioun.
Of all wemen protectour and defence
Thou was, and helpit thair opinioun.
My mynd in fleschelie foull affectioun
Was inclynit to lustis lecherous:
Fy fals Cresseid, o trew knicht Troylus.

”Lovers be war and tak gude heid about
Quhome that ye lufe, for quhome ye suffer paine.
I lat yow wit, thair is richt few thairout
Quhome ye may traist to have trew lufe agane:
Preif quhen ye will, your labour is in vaine.
Thairfoir, I reid, ye tak thame as ye find:
For thay ar sad as widdercok in wind,

”Becaus I knaw the greit unstabilnes
Brukkil as glas, into my self I say.
Traisting in uther als greit vnfaitfulnes:
Als unconstant, and als vntrew of fay.
Thocht sum be trew, I wait richt few ar thay,
Quha findis treuth lat him his lady ruse:
Nane but my self, as now I will accuse.”

Quhen this was said, with paper scho sat doun,
And on this maneir maid hir Testament.
”Heir I beteiche my corps and carioun
With wormis and with taidis to be rent.
My cop and clapper, and myne ornament
And all my gold the lipper folk sall haue:
Quhen I am deid, to burie me in graue.

”This royall ring, set with this rubie reid,
Quhilk Troylus in drowrie to me send.
To him agane I leif it quhen I am deid,
To mak my cairfull deid unto him kend:
Thus I conclude schortlie and mak ane end,
My spreit I leif to Diane quhair scho dwellis.
To walk with hir in waist woddis and wellis.

O Diomeid thou hes baith broche and belt,
Quhilk Troylus gaue me in takning
Of his trew lufe,” and with that word scho swelt.
And sone ane lipper man tuik of the ring,
Syne buryit hir withouttin tarying,
To Troylus furthwith the ring he bair,
And of Cresseid the deith he can declair.

Quhen he had hard hir greit infirmitie,
Hir legacie and lamentatioun.
And how scho endit in sic povertie,
He swelt for wo, and fell doun in ane swoun,
For greit sorrow his hart to brist was boun:
Siching full sadlie, said “I can no moir,
Scho was untrew, and wo is me thairfoir.”

Sum said he maid ane tomb of merbell gray.
And wrait hir name and superscriptioun,
And laid it on hir grave quhair that scho lay,
In goldin letteris, conteining this ressoun:
”Lo, fair ladyis, Cresseid, of Troyis toun,
Sumtyme countit the flour of womanheid,
Under this stane, lait lipper, lyis deid.”

Now worthie wemen in this ballet schort,
Maid for your worschip and instructioun,
Of cheritie, I monische and exhort,
Ming not your lufe with fals deceptioun.
Beir in your mynd this schort conclusioun
Of fair Cresseid, as I have said befoir.
Sen scho is deid, I speik of hir no moir.