in _The Parlement of Foules_, where the description of the Temple of Love
is borrowed almost word for word from Boccaccio's _Teseide_.[12] Finally,
Chaucer used _Palamon and Arcite_ as the basis of _The Knightes Tale_. By
this time, while he retains what folk-lorists call the "story-radical," he
has reduced Boccaccio's epic to less than a quarter of its length, and
improved it in details. It stands as the first of _The Canterbury Tales_.

ANALYSTS OF CHAUCER'S _KNIGHTES TALE_

Old stories relate that once there was a Duke Theseus, lord of Athens, a
conqueror of many lands. His latest conquest was "Femenye" (once called
Scythia), whose queen Hippolyta he wedded and brought home, accompanied by
her young sister Emilia. Now as he drew near to Athens, a company of ladies
met him in the way, and laid before him their complaint, to the effect
that, their husbands having fallen at the siege of Thebes, Creon the tyrant
of Thebes would not let the bodies be buried or burned, but cast them on a
heap and suffered the dogs to eat them. Duke Theseus, having sworn to
avenge this wrong, sent Hippolyta and Emilia to Athens, and rode to Thebes,
where in full battle he fought and slew Creon, and razed the city. The due
obsequies were then performed.[13]

Amongst the slain were found, half-dead, two young knights named Palamon
and Arcite, whom the heralds recognised, from the cognisances on their
armour, as of blood-royal, and born of two sisters. Theseus sent them to
Athens to be held to ransom in prison perpetually, and himself returned
home in triumph.

So years and days passed, and Palamon and Arcite dwelt in durance in a
tower; till on a morrow of May it befel that the fair and fresh Emilia
arose to do observance to May, and walked in the garden, gathering flowers