THE ARGONAUTS AT COLCHIS. With a swonghe and a swetnes sweppit on pe grounde, And all fowles in ffether fell pere vppon, 344 ffor to reckon by right pat to ryuer haunttes. Small briddes aboue in pe bright leuys With shrikes full shrille in the shire bowes; The noise was full noble of notes to here, 348 Thurgh myrth & melody made vppon lofte. To this souerayne Citie pat yet was olofte, Jason [a]ioynid and his iust fferis, Steppit vp to a streite streght on his gate. 352 As pai past on the payment pe pepull beheld, Haden wonder of the weghes, & wilfulde desyre To know of pere comyng and the cause wete, hat were so rially arait & a rowte gay. 356 So faire freikes vppon fote was ferly to se, So 3onge and so yepe, 3ynerus of wille, ffolke fraynide fast at tho fre buernes, Of what cuntre pai come & the cause why. 360 Was no wegh þat A word warpid hom too, But sewid furthe to the sale of Chethes the kyng: pai bowet to the brode yate or pai bide wold. The Kyng of his curtessy Kayres hom vnto, 364 Silet furthe of his Citie seriaunttes hym with, Mony stalworth in stoure as his astate wold; Than he fongid po freikes with a fine chere, With hailsyng of hed bare, haspyng in armys, 368 And led hom furthe lyuely into a large halle, Gaid vp by a grese all of gray marbill, Book II. 13* All around might be heard the murmur of streams and the songs of birds. (fol. 7 b.) As Jason and his company are on their way to the palace, the people wondering ask them whence and why they have come. King Eetes welcomes them to his palace. Into a chamber full choise (chefe) on pere way, (MS. has "chese.") hat proudly was painted with pure gold ouer, 372 And pan sylen to sitte vppon silke wedis, Hadyn wyn for to wale & wordes ynow. JASON Then Jason to pe Just King (Joyuely) can say (MS. has "Joynt Book II. Jason tells the purpose of his (fol. 8 a.) journey, and etes grants his wish. Dainties and wine are served in the hall, and Medea, daughter of Æetes, joins the company her age, skill, &c. Through necromancy she had power over all things: thus Fame declared, (fol. 8 b.) 376 All the cause of his come to Calcos was pan : With all deintes on dese put were dere holden; In grete goblettes of gold yche gome hade. She was eldist & heire etlit to his londes, And kyndly hade conyng in the clene artis : 400 here was no filisofers so fyn found in pat lond, Might approche to pat precious apoint of her wit. THE CRAFTE OF MEDEA. Of nygramansi ynogh to note when she liket, 408 THE CRAFT OF MEDEA. To clere Sune into Clippis & the cloudes dym; The Elementes ouerturne & the erthe qwake, fflodes with forse flow agayne the hilles; 412 Bowes for to beire in the bare winttur, ffor to florisshe faire & pe frute bryng; Yong men yepely yarke into Elde, 416 And the course agayne calle into clere youthe. All thies Japes ho enioynit as Gentils beleued, All thies maistres & mo she made in hir tyme, Als put is in poisé and prikkit be Ouyd, þat feynit in his fablis & other fele stories. 420 Hit ys lelly not like, ne oure belefe askys, bat suche ferlies shuld fall in a frale woman; But only gouernaunse of God pat pe ground wroght, And ilke a planet hase put in a plaine course, 424 pat turnys as pere tyme comys, trist ye non other. As he formed hom first flitton þai neuer ; Book II. 15 and Ovid sung; but such power is impossible in a frail woman, and belongs only to God. Ne the clere Sune neuer clippit out of course yet, The bright sun 428 Than it lost hade the light as our lord wold, The gret tempull top terned to ground. This Medea the maiden, pat I mynt first, 432 þat gay was in garmentes & of good chere, And als wemen haue wille in pere wilde youthe, To fret hom with fyn perle, & paire face paint, With pelur and pall & mony proude rynges, 436 Euyn set to be sight and to seme faire : was never eclipsed out of course but when Christ died "for our care." (fol. 9 a.) Medea richly This gentill by Jason ioinet was to sit, 440 Wold assent to pat sytting þat hym sewet after, beside Jason, as the king commands. Book II. When Medea is set between her father and Jason she blushes for shame. With fear and longing she glances at each, till, quite overcome with love, she can neither eat nor drink. (fol. 9 b.) But she keeps it close in her heart, and speaks thus with herself: "I would yon worthy had wed me! At board and bed I were blessed. 444 And so likrus of loue in likyng of yowthe, And Mars the mighty þat þu mykill trist? 448 Agayne þe wyles of wemen to wer is no bote. THE SODEN HOTE LOUE OF MEDEA. When this mylde in hir maner was at pe meite set Betwene hir fader and pe freke, pat I first ment, Hir shire fface all for shame shot into rede, 452 And a likyng of loue light in her hert; Hir Ene as a trendull turned full rounde, ffirst on hir fader, for feare pat she hade, And sethyn on þat semely with a sad wille; 456 Smale likyng of loue lurkit in hir mynde, And she light on pat lede with a loue egh; first on his face fresshe to beholde, And his lookes full louely lemond as gold, 460 And all ffeturs to ffynd fourmed o right. The sight of pat semely sanke in hir herte, And rauysshed hir radly þe rest of hir sawle, Sho hade no deintithe to dele with no deire meite, 464 And hir talent was taken for tastyng of wyne. Soche likyng of loue lappit hir with in, That euyn full was pat fre and no fode touchet And pat keppit she close in hir clene hert, 468 That no wegh pat hir waited wist of hir thought; But hir semblaund so sad was semond to hom. Mony thoughtes full thro thrange in hir brest, And pus sho spake in hir sprete if ho spede myght: 472 "I wold yonder worthy weddit me hade, MEDEA IN LOVE WITH JASON. So hardy, so hynd in hall for to se, 476 So luffly, so lykyng with lapping in armys; Well were that woman might weld hym for euer." As maner is of maydons pat maynot for shame, shewe. Whan pe fest and pe fare was faren to the ende, 488 Be leue of pe lordes and pe ledys all. The Knightes at the Kyng cachyn pere leue, voidet. 492 Medea the mylde, þat I ment first, Wox pale for pyne in hir priuy chamber, In a longyng of loue as the lowe hote, 496 She compast kenly in hir clene wit ffor to bring it aboute & hir bale voide. Thus sho drof forth hir dayes in hir depe thoght, 500 Till it fell hir by fortune, as I fynd here, Book II. 17 Medea retires to her own chamber, and in a longing of love seeks to compass her desire. (fol. 10 a.) One day, as the On a day, as the Dukes were ouer des set, Armys, Chethes for pat semly sent into chamber, 504 Bade his doughter come doune to hir dere fader: And sho obeit his bone, & of boure come communing, Æetes bids her come and sit by the knights to solace them. |