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. And now rapis hym to ryse & rom from his bede. Jason collects his 820 He sues furth on þe soile to Chethes the kyng, 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! 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 þi frele yowth, 832 pat hit lede pe to losse and þi 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 "Sir I hade counsaill in þis 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.) han 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 þi hele." In 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. Bowes euyn to pe banke & a bote fonde, 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 lutfe, longyng in hert. 864 So ferd was þat fre, & he faile shuld, : Sho brast out bright water at hir brode een. And for zenernes for-3ete pat pe 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 þe cliffe ferre, 876 He waites vmbe hym wightly, & was ware sone Of pe orible oxin, vgsome to see, bat fyre out fnast with a fuerse lowe, 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 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 pe fight with po felle bestes. 888 So pe fuerse by-flamede all with fyre hote, pai brent vp his brode shilde & his bigge speire ; 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 þai were made als meke as maistur behouet, And as bowande to pe bowes as any bestes might. 3ynerly the 3epe knight 30kit hom belyue, 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 His shield and spear are burnt. 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 it rushes towards him with flame 908 Mony slecynges vnslogh throughe hys slote yode. and noise. Book III. Jason hastily the shining of the With a sword he deals it some dreadful wounds, then cuts off its head, and soW8 the teeth. (fol. 17 a.) They start up armed knights, who fight till With a smorther & a smoke smult through his nase, 912 He rut out roidly with a rede hete, hat all blasit the bent on a breme lowe; And as he tilt out his tung with his tethe grym, He straght fro hym stremes all of styth venym. 916 The freike was a-ferd of þat felle beste, 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, 920 And with-droghe the deire of his dere attur; All dropet the dule as he degh wold. his stone full of strenght, as þe story tellus, Is erdand in Judé, as Isoder sais : 924 Be it smethe owper smert, smaragden hit hat. here is no derffe dragon, ne no du edder, Ne no beste so bold with no bale atter, May loke on pe light, but he his lyffe tyne. 928 his stone with his stremys stroyed all the venym, And drepit the dragon to the dethe negh. Jason grippede graithly to a grym sworde, Dange on the deuyll with a derffe wille, 932 Tyll the stremys of stynke & of stythe venum Past out in the place pyne to be-holde. He laid on pat loodly, lettyd he noght, With dynttes full dregh, till he to dethe paste, 936 And he Enfecte the ffirmament with his felle noise. Jason of his iorney was ioyfull ynoghe, Gryppet a grym toole, gyrd of his hede, Vnioynis the Jamnys pat iuste were to-gedur: 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 þat 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 be lond, 960 þere he found all his feris fayne of his werke ; þat fayne were to fonge pat freike vppon lyue. 964 Soghten euen to the Sete of Chetes pe kyng. Book III. 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: The flammyng of þe flese was ferly to see,. 972 Geter of his good and a god holdyn. Medea the mayden with a mylde chere, Was Joyfull of Jason, Aioynit hym to, (fol. 17 b.) Medea rejoices that Jason has returned in 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; |