Book II.

Jason and Hercules forthwith weigh anchor; knowing that they could not cope with the Phrygians, they set sail, and soon reach their desired haven-the island of Colchos.

(fol. 7 a.)

Jason arrives at
Colchis.

The city was
well walled and
watered: great
towers all round:
well built and
populous.

Around it lay fair fields and great meadows, girt with trees and

abounding with deer.

All round the

city was a plain full of fresh flowers, and leafy (or lef-sales.) shades, "folk to refresh for fainting of heat."

Iason vero et Hercules nulla mora protracta Philotete vocato jubet anchoram a mari subtrahi et omnia colligere quæ in terram adduxerant causa quietis. Sciebant enim si voluissent in Phrigios insultare non esse eis in congressu pares vel equales in viribus nec in potentia fortiores. Ergo Argon ascendunt et elevatis velis diis ducibus Frigia deserunt littora et sulcantes maria ventis afflantibus prosperis non post multos dies in Colcos insulam salvi perveniunt et desideratum feliciter portum intrant. In insula igitur Colcos erat tunc temporis quædam civitas nomine Iaconites caput regni pro sua magnitudine constituta.

316 That was Jocund and Joly and Jacomede' hight,
Hit was pe souerayne Citie of the Soyle euer,
Of lenght & largenes louely to see,

Well wallit for werre, watrit aboute.
320 Grete toures full toure all pe toune vmbe,
Well bilde all aboute, & mony buernes In,

With proude pals of prise & palys full noble.
There was the souerayne Cytie of Shetes pe kyng,
324 With his baronage bolde & buernes full noble ;
Mony Knightes in his courtte & company grete.
Ther were fyldes full faire fast þere besyde,
With grete medoes & grene, goodly to showe,
328 With all odour of herbis pat on vrthe springes;
The bourderis about abasshet with leuys,

With shotes of shire wode shene to beholde :
Grete greues full grene, grecfull of dere,

332 Wilde bestes to wale was pere enow:
Herdes at þe hond ay by holte sydes,

Vppon laundes þai lay likyng to see.

Vmbe the sercle of the Citie was sothely A playne,

336 ffull of floures fresshe fret on pe grounde,
With lefs-ales vppon lofte lustie and faire,
ffolke to refresshe for faintyng of hete,
With voiders vnder vines for violent sonnes.
340 There was wellit to wale water full nobill,

In yche place of the playne with plentius stremes,

1 Probably for Ea, the capital of 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 þat 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, hat 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 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 be Just King (Joyuely) can say

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 Æetes, joins the company her age, skill, &c.

376

All the cause of his come to Calcos was þan:
ffor the flammond fles pat fele had desyrid,
He hade wille for to wyn & away lede,

By leue of the lord þat pe lond aght.
After custome to kepe as the Kyng set,

380 Chethes full soberly & with sad wordes,
Has grauntid godely pat he go shuld,
Soiorne pere a season, assay when hym lyke.
Be pan burdes were bred in the brade halle,
384 And po mighty to meite meuit belyue,

With all deintes on dese pat were dere holden;
Walid wyne for to wete wantid þai 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;
396 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,

400

And kyndly hade conyng in the clene artis : here 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;
Merke at the mydday & the mone chaunge,

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. 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 þat þe 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 ;

Book II.

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

God.

Ne the clere Sune neuer clippit out of course yet, The bright sun
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,
The gret tempull top terned to ground.
This Medea the maiden, pat I mynt first,
432 þat 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,

was never eclipsed out of course but when Christ died "for our care."

(fol. 9 a.) Medea richly

beside Jason, as the king commands.

436 Euyn set to þe 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 pat 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,

Book II.

444 And so likrus of loue in likyng of yowthe,
bis vnwarnes of wit wrixlis hys mynd.
What forthers pi fare and þi 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 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.
Soche likyng of loue lappit hir with in,

That euyn full was pat fre and no fode touchet
And pat keppit she close in hir clene hert,

468 That no wegh pat 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,