Sith his face was so disfigured
Of maladye the which he hadde endured,
He myghte wel, if that he bar hym lowe,
Lyve in Atthenes everemoore unknowe,
And seen his lady wel ny day by day.
And right anon he chaunged his array,
And cladde hym as a povre laborer.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite looks in the mirror and realizes he has become so gaunt and thin from his lovesickness, that he can disguise himself as a poor laborer and return to Athens and have a chance to see Emily every day.