Book III. she then gives to destroy venom and fire: and a ring with a rich stone to destroy all poison or deadly power: and a large roll which he must read: and a glass containing liquor to be cast into the mouths of the monsters. Toke hit hym full tyte & tolde hym these wordes : 784 "This strongly distroy shall be strenght of pe venym, And fade all the ffyr and pe furse lowe." Than ho raught hym a ring with a riche stone, hat no poison enpaire might, þe power is soche: 788 And if it borne were in batell on his bare flesshe, He shulde slyde forth sleghly & vnslayn worthe. Achates it calde is with clene men of wit, And in Cicill forsothe sene was it first: 792 Eneas it name & in note hade, Whan he to cartage come vnknowen with sight. And pan ho broght hym a bref all of brode letres, hat was comly by crafte a clerke for to rede; 796 And enformyt him fayre how he fare shuld, When he [h]is deuer hade done & drow to pe whethir, 800 804 ffor to knele on his knes to the cold erth, And grete all his goddes with a good chere; And bade whan he buskyt to the bolde Exin, Ne neuer dere hym a dyse with no dede efte. pas: And pen lacches his leue & his loue kyst, EETES' COUNSEL. Enon lurkys to his loge, & laide hym to slepe. By the renke hade hym restid ryses the sun, Brightis all the burghe and the brode valis ; 816 Meuyt ouer the mounteyns men to beholde. Jason feynit with fare as he hade fast sleppit, Book III. company and goes to meet Æetes. 29 And now rapis hym to ryse & rom from his bede. Jason collects his With Ercules and oper mo of his aune men, 820 He sues furth on pe soile to Chethes the kyng, In company of kynges and oper clene burnes. Whan he was ware of þe wegh, welcomed hym faire, And spird at hym specially what his spede were. 824 Than Jason vnioynid to the gentill speche :"Lord, and it like you, longe am I here! He asks permission to Wold ye graunt me your grase goodly to wende, depart. aunter, 828 Yon worthy wethir to wyn, & your wille be." THE COUNSELL OF CHETES TO JASON. The Kyng pan full curtesly karpes agayne: Sais, "Jason, this Jorney is no ioye in, I am ferd, by my faith, of pi frele yowth, 832 pat hit lede pe to losse and pi lyffe tyne, And me harme for to haue of thy hegh wille, To be sclaundret of pi skathe, & pou skape noght. perfore ffrynd, by my faith, vppon faire wise, 836 I counsell þe in kyrt, kaire to pi londe, Eetes advises Jason to abandon the enterprise: And put of pis purpos, for perille þat may folowe." but finding him "Sir I hade counsaill in pis case er I come here, 840 And ye shall boldly be blameles, pof me bale happyn, þat I wilne of my wit & wilfull desyre." determined to proceed, (fol. 15 b.) leave. pan the kyng to pe knight carpes these wordes; he grants him "ffrynd þou shall fully haue fauer to wend, Book III. Jason seeks the island where the fleece is kept. Medea, in terror during his absence, bewails her love. (fol. 16 a.) Jason gets his first view of the oxen that guard the golden fleece. 844 And ouer goddes pe graunt grace of þi hele." He lowted the lege kyng, & his leue toke, Dressit hym for his dede, dose hym to goo. In an yle þat was negh þe noble kynges sete, 856 pat Medea pe maiden myldly hym betaght, Mournyng the maiden made in hir thought, To the toppe of a toure, & tot ouer the water ffor to loke on hir luffe, longyng in hert. 864 So ferd was pat fre, & he faile shuld, Sho brast out bright water at hir brode een. And for zenernes for-zete pat pe 3eme shuld; hat I may see thee come sounde to pis sale enys, And me comford of thy coursse, kepe I no more." When the knight was comyn into pe cliffe ferre, 876 He waites vmbe hym wightly, & was ware sone Of pe orible oxin, vgsome to see, pat fyre out fnast with a fuerse lowe, HOW JASON WON THE FLEECE. þat no buerne might abide but he brent were ; 880 Hit gird from the grym with so gret hete. HOW JASON WAN THE FFLESE OF GOLDE. The tokyn hym taght was of a tru maiden Book III. And anoyntide hym anon with his noble boyste, He anoints 884 Bothe the face and pe fete, & all pe fore perte. 31 himself; sets the sacred image; and reads the His noble ymage at his necke for neghyng of fyre, roll. ffore evyn to be fight with po felle bestes. 888 So pe fuerse by-flamede all with fyre hote, spear are burnt. pai brent vp his brode shilde & his bigge speire; His shield and And Jason for all po Japes hade nere his ioy lost, Hade his licour ben to laite, pat pe lede caght, 892 And caste it be course into the core hete: Hit stake vp the stith lippes as stiffe bounden, As pai chaltrede were choisly with chenys of yerne, þat abatede the breme hete, brent it no more. 896 All cold it became & the course helde, Bothe of ymur & aire, after I-wise. Of pe balefull bestes, & hom aboute ladde ; Pight hom into ploghe, pilde vp the vrthe, 904 Braid vp bygly all a brode ffeld: And all the gayre of the ground pere pe gome leuyt. He casts the liquor and the lips of the monsters are He leads them by (fol. 16 b.) Drow euyn to the dragon, dressit hym to fight, He attacks the And he gird him agayne with a grym noyse: fierce dragon, as it rushes towards him with flame 908 Mony slecynges vnslogh throughe hys slote yode. and noise. Book III. Jason hastily the shining of the With a sword he deals it some dreadful wounds, then cuts off its head, and sows the teeth. (fol. 17 a.) They start up armed knights, who fight till With a smorther & a smoke smult through his nase, 912 He rut out roidly with a rede hete, þat all blasit the bent on a breme lowe; And as he tilt out his tung with his tethe grym, He straght fro hym stremes all of styth venym. 916 The freike was a-ferd of pat felle beste, And raght to his Ryng in a rad haste, Held it high in his hond, þat he behold might. ffor chynyng of the chene stone he shont with his hede, 920 And with-droghe the deire of his dere attur; All dropet the dule as he degh wold. pis stone full of strenght, as þe story tellus, Is erdand in Jud, as Isoder sais : 924 Be it smethe owper smert, smaragden hit hat. here is no derffe dragon, ne no du edder, Ne no beste so bold with no bale atter, May loke on pe light, but he his lyffe tyne. 928 his stone with his stremys stroyed all the venym, And drepit the dragon to the dethe negh. Jason grippede graithly to a grym sworde, Dange on the deuyll with a derffe wille, 932 Tyll the stremys of stynke & of stythe venum Past out in the place pyne to be-holde. He laid on pat loodly, lettyd he noght, With dynttes full dregh, till he to dethe paste, 936 And he Enfecte the ffirmament with his felle noise. Jason of his iorney was ioyfull ynoghe, Gryppet a grym toole, gyrd of his hede, Vnioynis the Jamnys pat iuste were to-gedur: |