752

756

pai solast hom samyn, as hom-seluon liket, With venus werkes, þat hom well pleasid: bat sorily dessauis, & men to sorow bringes. Whan þe day vp droghe & the dym voidet, Thus Jason full ioyfull to pat gentill said :— "Hit is best þat we buske & of bede rise, Lest þe day vs be-daghe & our dedes knowen, And we founden in fere & oure fame loste; 760 And I vnformet in faith how I fare shall, Of my dedes to do, as ye me dere heght. Iff þe any thing have amyt abill me to,

761

768

772

776

bat pe me faithfully informe, & let me fare
hethyn,

My deuer for to do & my deth voide ;

þat I might lede pe with luff into my londe home,
Wede ye with worship, and to wiffe hold."
Medea to pat mighty myldly answarit :---
"A! my lord & my loue, more lefe pan my
seluyn,

Book III.

At daybreak
Jason bids Medea
tell him how he
is to win the
fleece.

I have mynde of youre mater most of all other:
I will fully enforme yow or ye fare hethyn,
How ye dewly shall do, & no drede haue.
Ryse we now full radly, rest here no longer,
And I shall tell you full tyte, & tary no thing."
Than pai cladde hom clenly vppon clese wise:
The burd bowet from þe bede, broght hym in Medea brings to

haste

An ymage full nobill, þat he naite shulde,
bat qwaint was & qwem, all of white siluer,
Charmet with enchauntment, & chargit hym to
holde.

Hit was wroght all by wit & wiles to helpe,

780 And myghty suche mawmentry made to distroy: Sho bade hym kepe it full close on his clene

body.

(fol. 14 b.)

him a charmed image, and bids him wear it next his heart.

An oyntment þat was noble, anon she hym set, A noble ointment

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.

(fol. 15 a.)

He then takes

leave of Medea.

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,

þat no poison enpaire might, pe 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,

ffor to knele on his knes to the cold erth,

And grete all his goddes with a good chere; 800 And the rolle for to rede or he rest thry,

As with sacrifice to shew & seruice to goddes, bat hym grauntede of grace pat gifte for to haue, þat he might worthely it welde, & away beire. 804 And pan sho gafe hym a glasse with a good lycour,

And bade whan he buskyt to the bolde Exin,
To werke it with mesure, & in hor mouthe caste,
And pai clappe shall full clene, & neuer vnclose
aftur,

808 Ne neuer dere hym a dyse with no dede efte.
Thus enfourmet ho pat fre of pe fete euyn,
How he wyn shuld his worship, & his woche

pas:

And pen lacches his leue & his loue kyst,

812 Past furth priuely and pat pert leuyt,

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 Eetes.

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.
I wold boune me to batell, and take my bare

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 þi 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 be 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
Jason carpes to the kyng, conyngly he said,

"Sir I hade counsaill in pis case er I come here,

840 And ye shall boldly be blameles, pof me bale

happyn,

hat I wilne of my wit & wilfull desyre."

determined to proceed,

(fol. 15 b.)

pan the kyng to be knight carpes these wordes; he grants him

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 pi hele." He lowted the lege kyng, & his leue toke, Dressit hym for his dede, dose hym to goo.

In
n an yle þat was negh þe noble kynges sete,
848 This clene flese was inclosede all with clere water,
Euon a forlong perfro, & fully nomore.
Jason to pis Jorney ioynes hym belyffe,
Bowes euyn to pe banke & a bote fonde,

852 Entris with armur & all his other gere,
ffore to pe fer syde, noght aferd was:
Gird vp to be grounde, gripes his weppon,
Armur & all thing atlet before,

856 pat Medea pe maiden myldly hym betaght,
And past furth prudly his pray for to wyn.

Mournyng the maiden made in hir thought,
Lest pe ffyre shuld hym fere of pe fuerse bestes,
860 þat was blasound of brunston with a brem lowc.
Sho went vp wightly by a walle syde

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. Thus sykyng ho said with a sade wille :— "A! Jason my ioye & my gentill knight, 868 I am ferd lest pou faile of my fyn lore,

And for genernes for-zete pat pe 3eme shuld; Thou dawly bes dede, & I to doll broght, Neuer þe comly to kysse, ne clippe in myn armys. 872 Now full pristly I pray to my prise goddes, þat 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,

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
He forzet not, but 3epely 3arkit hym perfore,

Book III.

And anoyntide hym anon with his noble boyste, He anoints

884 Bothe the face and pe fete, & all be fore perte.

himself; sets the sacred image

and reads the

His noble ymage at his necke for neghyng of fyre, roll.
And his rolle pan he rede as he to reste toke;

ffore evyn to be fight with po felle bestes.

888 So pe fuerse by-flamede all with fyre hote,

;

spear are burnt.

bai 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.

ffayne was the freike & fore to be hornes

Of pe balefull bestes, & hom aboute ladde; 900 pai were made als meke as maistur behouet, And as bowande to pe bowes as any bestes might. 3ynerly the 3epe knight 30kit hom belyue,

He casts the liquor and the

lips of the
closed.

monsters are

He leads them by
the horns they
meekly submit to
the yoke, and
plough up a
broad field.

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.

(fol. 16 b.)

Drow euyn to the dragon, dressit hym to fight, He attacks the

And he gird him agayne with a grym noyse:

flerce dragon, as it rushes towards him with flaine

908 Mony slecynges vnslogh throughe hys slote yode. and noise.
As þe welkyn shold walt, a wonderfull noyse
Skremyt vp to the skrow with a skryke ffelle.