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

352

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. As þai 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, zynerus of wille, ffolke fraynide fast at tho fre buernes, Of what cuntre pai come & the cause why. 360 Was no wegh pat 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 Eetes grants his wish.

Dainties and wine are served in the hall, and

Medea, daughter of Aetes, joins the company her

age, skill, &c.

All the cause of his come to Calcos was pan:
376 for the flammond fles pat fele had desyrid,
He hade wille for to wyn & away lede,
By leue of the lord pat pe lond aght.
After custome to kepe as the Kyng set,
Chethes full soberly & with sad wordes,
Has grauntid godely pat he go shuld,

380

384

Soiorne pere a season, assay when hym lyke.
Be pan burdes were bred in the brade halle,
And po mighty to meite meuit belyue,
With all deintes on dese put were dere holden;
Walid wyne for to wete wantid pai none,

In grete goblettes of gold yche gome hade.
388 The Kyng was full curtais, calt on a maiden,
Bede his doughter come downe & his dere heire,
To sit by pat semely, and solas to make.
This maiden full mylde, Medea was callid,
392 Whan she sought into sale salute hom all,
With loutyng full low to hir lefe fadir.
She was eldist & heire etlit to his londes,
Hym chefet thurghe chaunse childer no mo;
And she at hond for to haue husband for age,
Byg ynoghe vnto bed with a bold knight.
She was luffly of lere & of lore wise,

396

And kyndly hade conyng in the clene artis : 400 pere was no filisofers so fyn found in pat lond, Might approche to pat precious apoint of her wit.

Through necromancy she had power over all things: thus Fame declared,

(fol. 8 b.)

THE CRAFTE OF MEDEA.

Of nygramansi ynogh to note when she liket, And all the fetes full faire in a few yeres. 404 Wyndis at hir wille to wakyn in the aire, Gret showres to shede & shynyng agayne, Haile from the heuyn in a hond while,

And the light make les as hir lefe thought; 408 Merke at the mydday & the mone chaunge,

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,

And the course agayne calle into clere youthe.
416 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,
bat 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 ;
Ne the clere Sune neuer clippit out of course yet,
But whan Criste on the crosse for our care deghit;

428 Than it lost hade the light as our lord wold,

Erthe dymmed by dene, ded men Roose,

Book II.

15

and Ovid sung; but such power is impossible in a frail woman, and belongs only to God.

The bright sun

out of course but

was never eclipsed

when Christ died "for our care."

The gret tempull top terned to ground.
This Medea the maiden, pat I mynt first,
432 bat gay was in garmentes & of good chere,
And als wemen haue wille in þere wilde youthe,
To fret hom with fyn perle, & paire face paint,
With pelur and pall & mony proude rynges,
436 Euyn set to pe sight and to seme faire :
This gentill by Jason ioinet was to sit,
As be comaundement in courtte of hir kynd fader. dressed sits
Hit is wonder of the wit of this wise kyng,
440 Wold assent to pat sytting þat hym sewet after,
And his doughter to dresse in daunger of loue,
To sit with pat semely in solas at þe meite.
Syn wemen are wilfull & pere wit chaunges,

(fol. 9 a.) Medea richly

beside Jason, as the king commands.

444 And so likrus of loue in likyng of yowthe,
his vnwarnes of wit wrixlis hys mynd.
What forthers pi fare and pi false goddes,

And Mars the mighty þat þu mykill trist?

448 Agayne pe 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 pat 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 pe 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 þat fre and no fode touchet
And pat keppit she close in hir clene hert,
468 That no wegh þat 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,
Bothe to burde & to bede blessid were I:
So comly, so cleane to clippe vpon nightes,

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.”
Dissyring full depely in her derne hert,

As maner is of maydons pat maynot for shame,
480 ffor to languysshe in loue till pere lere chaunge:
Shentyng for shame to shew furth pere ernd,
As þai wylne to be woghit þere worship to saue.
Mony burdys bene broght to paire bare dethe,
484 bat wondyn for wonderfful paire wille for to

shewe.

Whan pe fest and þe fare was faren to the ende,
And burdes borne downe, burnes on fote,
Medea myldly mevet to chaumber
488 Be leue of pe lordes and pe ledys all.

The Knightes at the Kyng cachyn þere leue,
Intill a chaumber full choise chosen pere way
Be comaundement of pe Kyng, & pe courtte
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,
With a Sykyng vnsounde, þat souet to hir hert;

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,
With weping and wo all the woke ouer,

500 Till it fell hir by fortune, as I fynd here,
On a day, as the Dukes were ouer des set,

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
Dukes and the

And comynd with the Kyng of Knighthode in King are

Armys,

Chethes for pat semly sent into chamber,

communing, Eetes bids her come and sit by

the knights to

504 Bade his doughter come doune to hir dere fader: solace them.

And sho obeit his bone, & of boure come
In clothes as be-come for a kynges doughter,
And obeit the bolde, and bowet hir fader;