With a swonghe and a swetnes sweppit on þe grounde, And all fowles in ffether fell pere vppon, 344 ffor to reckon by right put 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 þai past on the payment pe pepull beheld, Haden wonder of the weghes, & wilfulde desyre To know of pere comyng and the cause wete, bat 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. 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 þere 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 "Jount 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 Metes, joins the company her age, skill, &c. All the cause of his come to Calcos was pan : 380 Chethes full soberly & with sad wordes, 392 With all deintes on dese pat were dere holden; In grete goblettes of gold yche gome hade. 396 And kyndly hade conyng in the clene artis : 400 here was no filisofers so fyn found in pat lond, Might approche to put 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, 408 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. bat suche ferlies shuld fall in a frale woman; And ilke a planet hase put in a plaine course, Book II. 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." 428 Than it lost hade the light as our lord wold, 440 Wold assent to pat sytting þat hym sewet after, (fol. 9 a.) Medea richly 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 pat pu 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 þe 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. That euyn full was pat fre and no fode touchet 468 That no wegh þat hir waited wist of hir thought; 472 "I wold yonder worthy weddit me hade, 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, 480 ffor to languysshe in loue till pere lere chaunge : Shentyng for shame to shew furth pere ernd, As þai wylne to be woghit pere worship to saue. Mony burdys bene broght to paire bare dethe, 484 þat wondyn for wonderfful paire wille for to shewe. Whan þe fest and þe fare was faren to the ende, 488 Be leue of pe lordes and pe ledys all. The Knightes at the Kyng cachyn þere leue, 492 Medea the mylde, þat I ment first, Wox pale for pyne in hir priuy chamber, 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, On a day, as the Dukes were ouer des set, Book II. Medea retires to her own chamber, and in a longing of love seeks to compass her desire. (fol. 10 a.) One day, as the And comynd with the Kyng of Knighthode in King are Armys, Chethes for pat semly sent into chamber, cominuning, 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 |