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, 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. And spird at hym specially what his spede were. company and goes to meet Eetes. 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. berfore ffrynd, by my faith, vppon faire wise, 836 I counsell be in kyrt, kaire to pi londe, Eetes advises Jason to abandon the enterprise : And put of pis purpos, for perille pat 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.) ban the kyng to þe knight carpes these wordes;— he grants him "ffrynd þou shall fully haue fauer to wend, leave. 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." In an yle þat was negh þe noble kynges sete, 852 Entris with armur & all his other gere, 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 3enernes for-zete þat þe zeme 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. bat 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, yerne, hat abatede the breme hete, brent it no more. 896 All cold it became & the course helde, Bothe of ymur & aire, after I-wise. And as bowande to pe bowes as any bestes might. 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 908 Mony slecynges vnslogh throughe hys slote yode. and noise. Book III. Jason hastily clutches his ring; holds it aloft; and overcomes the dragon with the shining of the bright stone. 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 912 916 920 With a smorther & a smoke smult through his nase, 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, 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, And with-droghe the deire of his dere attur; his stone full of strenght, as pe 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, 928 Ne no beste so bold with no bale atter, 936 He laid on pat loodly, lettyd he noght, With dynttes full dregh, till he to dethe paste, Jason of his iorney was ioyfull ynoghe, JASON RETURNS TO EETES. 944 Delt dynttes full derffe, geuyn depe woundes. These balefull brether batell so longe, Till none left was alyue ne o lofte stode. Now thies charmys & enchauntementtes are 948 Dede ys the dragon and the derffe knightes, Wynnes to the wethir, wroght hym to dethe, Thonkes gretly his goddis put 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 pe lond, 960 þere he found all his feris fayne of his werke ; bat fayne were to fonge pat freike vppon lyue. 964 Soghten euen to the Sete of Chetes þe kyng. Book III. 333 they destroy each other. All the dangers are overcome and Jason obtains the golden fleece. Jason joins his companions, and they all return to Eetes, welcome them. And he as wee full of worship welcomed hom all who pretends to 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 pe flese was ferly to see, 972 Geter of his good and a god holdyn. Medea the mayden with a mylde chere, Ho prayet hym priuely all with pert wordes, (fol. 17 b.) Medea rejoices that Jason has returned in safety. |