JASON RETURNS TO ETES.

33

Buok III.

other,

are overcome and Jason obtains the

944 Delt dynttes full derffe, geuyn depe woundes. These balefull brether batell so longe,

they destroy each Till none left was alyue ne o lofte stode. Now thies charmys & enchauntementtes are

cheuit to noght,
948 Dede ys the dragon and the derffe knightes,

The exin left on þe lond vnneth lyfe in,
He past all his perels and no pyne tholed. . All the dangers
By the crafte so coynt þat hym kend were,

golden fleece. 952 He glydis forthe gladly to the golde flese,

Wynnes to the wethir, wroght hym to dethe,
fflypit of the fflese ffoldet it somyn ;

Thonkes gretly his goddis þut hym grace lent 956 The flese for to fonge and no fay worthe.

Jason was ioly, hade Juels ynogh,
Busket to the bank and the bote tok,

Stird ouer the streame streght to þe lond, 960 bere he found all his feris fayne of his werke ; Jason joins his

companions, and Ercules and oper þat euer were abyding,

Æetes, bat fayne were to fonge þat freike vppon lyue.

Jason with ioy and his ioly ffellowes
964 Soghten euen to the Sete of Chetes þe kyng.

And he as wee full of worship welcomed hom all who pretends to
With a faynyng fare vnder faire chere;

Hade no deynté of the dede but dere at his hert, 968 Ne of ryches so Riall þat the Renke hade :

He assignet hym a sete by hym-selfe euyen.
The flammyng of þe flese was ferly to see,

zet merueld hym more how Mars was distroyed,
972 Geter of his good and a god holdyn.
Medea the mayden with a mylde chere,

(fol. 17 b.)

Medea rejoices Was Joyfull of Jason, Aioynit hym to,

Kyst hym full curtesly, and of his come fayne, safety. 976 By þat semly he sate as hir syre bade,

Ho prayet hym priuely all with pert wordes,
To bow to hir bede boldly at euyn ;

they all return to

welcome them,

that Jason has returned in

Book III.

Jason proposes to depart immediately. Medea pleads for delay.

And he hir graunted pat gate with a good wille. 980 When it turnyt to þe tyme as I told ere,

He bowes to hir bed bere he ben hade,
And lay pere in lustes pe long night ouer,

In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght,
984 And spekyn of hor spede while þai space hade,

ffor to fare on þe fome into fer londes ;
But Medea mouet hym a moneth to lenge.

ben leuyt þai the lond and no leue toke,
988 Stale from þe styth kyng styllé by night;

With þe maiden Medea & myche oper goodes, pai turne into Tessaile with-outen tale more,

Hit vp into a havyn all the hepe samyn.
992 Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert,

bat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped,
And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes,
Holy het hom to have be hestes before.

They steal away by night.

Jason and Hercules cherish vindictive feelings towards Laomedon, son of Ilus, king of Troy.

996 Jason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe,

hat he hade fongit þe flese & pe fresshe gold; He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes,

Ne he keppid no couenaund to be kynd maydon. 1000 But a Sourdyng with sourgrem sanke in his hert,

And a lourekand lust to Lamydon the kyng :
Ercules with Enuy was enmy also.

hai comynd in the case, cast hom þerfore,
1004 Comyn euyn to the kyng & be cause tolde

Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes,

the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat;

And heghly to helpe heghtyn þai all, 1008 As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur.

(fol. 18 a.)

Hercules de
termines to make
war with Troy,
and seeks the
assistance of
Castor and
Pollux.

(Helena, sister
of Pollux.)

All charge of þis chaunse, chefe how it will,
Ercules vppon hond hertely has tane ;

He sped hym vnto spart, sparit he noght, 1012 bat a cuntre is cald of be coste of Rome.

Tow brether full bold abidyng þer-in,
Bothe kynges of þe kythe, Caster was one,

And Pollux, þe proude, pristly þat other. 1016 As poyetis han put, plainly po two

Were getyn by a gode on a grete lady,
De fairest of ffeturs þat euer on fote yode :

And a suster to be same, sothly, was Elyn, 1020 Getyn of þe same god in a goode tyme.

To these kynges he come & his cause tolde,
And to haue of hor helpe hertely dissyred,
And þai graunted hym full goodly with a glad

chere.
1024 ben he lacches his leue and þai lordes bonkit,

Suet forth to (Salame) in a sad haste,
bat gouernet was in gryse by a gome noble,-

One Telamon trewly, as pe text sayse,
1028 hat was kyng in the coste & þe coron hade,-

A bold man in batell & byg in his Rewme.
Ercules of helpe hym hertely besoght,
And he grauntid to goo with a good wille,

(MS. has
“Salerne."
He goes to
Telamon, king
of Salamis, who
promises to aid
him.

Book IV.

He goes to

assist him.

The fleets of the allies of Hercules

1032 With mony bold men in batell and biggest in

Armes.

To Pelleus pertly þen past he agayne, (fol. 186.)

Assemblid of Soudiours a full sadde pepull,

Of the tidiest of Tessaile, tore men of strenght. Peleus, king of Thessaly, and to 1036

ben to Philon pe freike ferkit in haste, Nestor, king of Pylus, who

To a Duke þat was derffe & doughti of honde, promise to

Nestor, A noble man naitest in werre,

pat hade louyt hymn of long, & his lefe frynde; 1040 He hight hym full hertely þat he haue sholde

ffertheryng to his fight with a fre wille.
Þen leues þe lede & of lond paste

To Pelleus pristly, þat puruiaunce hade made 1044 Of twenty shippes full shene, shot on pe depe,

All redy to the Roode of pe roghe ythes,
With mony barons full bold & buernes þer-in.

ben comyn thies kynges fro þer kyth evyn, meet at Thessaly; 1048

Saylyng full sound with seasonable wyndes ;

At Tessaile full tyte turnyt into havyn, year when the sun enters Aries,

ffor to fare to bere ffoos with a ffryke wille. they set sail for

pus it tyd as I telle pe tyme of pe yere, Troy.

1052 be sun in his sercle was set vppon high,

Entrid into Aries vnder a signe,
And euyn like of a lenght be light & þe derke.

&
He cloudes wax clere, clensit the

ayre ;
1056 Wynter away, watris were calme;

Stormes were still, þe sternes full clere ,
Zeforus softe wyndis Soberly blew;

Bowes in bright holtes buriont full faire ;
1060 Greuys wex grene and be ground swete;

Swoghyng of swete ayre, Swalyng of briddes;
Medowes & mounteyns myngit with Moures,

Colord by course as paire kynd askit.
1064 At Mid Aprille, the mone when myrthes begyn,

The season full softe of þe salt water,
And the bremnes abated of the brode ythes,

and at the season of the

a

(fol. 19 a.)

Book IV.

and lie at anchor

Thies kynges, with knightes in companies grete, 1068 Past fro port, pulled vp þere sailes,

Were borne to be brode se & the banke leuyt;
Sailed fourthe soberly with seasonable windes
Till þai comen [to] the cost, as þe course felle, At sunset they

arrive at Sigeuin, 1072 Of the terage of Troy & turnyt into hauyn,

till morning. pat sothly was said Segeas to nome. By thies rialles aryven were, to rest was pe

sun,

And neghed to pe night, noy was be more : 1076 Kaste ancres full kene into þe (cold) water,

(MS, has

cole.")
Cogges with cablis cachyn to londe,
And lay so on lone the long night ouer.

Wen the derke was done & the day sprange, 1080 And lightid o lofte ledis to beholde, The Grekys in hor geyre graithid hom to banke, The Greeks land,

pitch their tents, Launchid vp lightly lordis and other.

and set guards

before Laomedon The kyng had no knawlache, þat the kith aght, is aware of their 1084 Of the folke so furse þat hym affray wold,

ffor-þi vnkeppit were pe costes all þe kythe ouer.
hai hailit vp horses & hernes of maile,

Armur and all thinge euyn as hom liked : 1088 Tild vp þere tentis tomly and faire,

Skairen out skoute-wacche for skeltyng of harme,
Armyn hom at all

peces

after anon.
Er the sun vp soght with his softe beames,
1092 Pelleus full prestly the peopull did warne

To appere in his presens, princes and dukys.
With-out tarying to his tent tytly pai yode,

And were set all samyn þe souerain before.
1096 When the peopull were pesit he proffert þes

wordes,— Sais, “Ye noblist of nome þut neuer man The counsel of

adouted, The worde of your werkes & your wight dedis, And the prise of your prowes passes o fer ! (fol. 190.)

arrival.

vр

Peleus summons a council of war to meet in his tent.

Peleus.