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

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 pat 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 Jud, 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:
940 Gyrd out the grete tethe, grippet hom sone,
Sew hom in the soile or he sesse wold.
Stythe knightes and stoure stert vp agayne,
Armet at all peses abill to fight,

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
cheuit to noght,

948 Dede ys the dragon and the derffe knightes,
The exin left on pe lond vnneth lyfe in,
He past all his perels and no pyne tholed.
By the crafte so coynt þat hym kend were,
He glydis forthe gladly to the golde fflese,
Wynnes to the wethir, wroght hym to dethe,
fflypit of the fflese ffoldet it somyn;

952

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 be lond,

960 here he found all his feris fayne of his werke ;
Ercules and oper pat euer were abyding,

hat fayne were to fonge pat freike vppon lyue.
Jason with ioy and his ioly ffellowes

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
With a faynyng fare vnder faire chere;

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 þe flese was ferly to see,

3et merueld hym more how Mars was distroyed,

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 pat semly he sate as hir syre bade,

Ho prayet hym priuely all with pert wordes,

To bow to hir bede boldly at euyn;

And he hir graunted pat gate with a good wille. 980 When it turnyt to pe tyme as I told ere, He bowes to hir bed pere he ben hade, And lay here in lustes pe long night ouer, In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght, And spekyn of hor spede while pai space hade, ffor to fare on pe fome into fer londes ; But Medea mouet hym a moneth to lenge. ben leuyt pai the lond and no leue toke, 988 Stale from pe styth kyng styllé by night;

984

With pe maiden Medea & myche oþer goodes, pai turne into Tessaile with-outen tale more, Hit vp into a havyn all the hepe samyn. 992 Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert, bat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped, And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes, Holy het hom to have pe hestes before.

996 J

ason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe, hat he hade fongit pe flese & pe fresshe gold; He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes, Ne he keppid no couenaund to pe kynd maydon. 1000 But a Sourdyng with sourgrem sanke in his hert, And a lourekand lust to Lamydon the kyng: Ercules with Enuy was enmy also.

bai comynd in the case, cast hom perfore,
1004 Comyn euyn to the kyng & pe cause tolde
Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes,

hat the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat;
And heghly to helpe heghtyn þai all,

1008 As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur.

Here begynneth be fourth boke.
Of he dystrucion of be fyrst Troy by
Ercules and Fason.

All charge of pis chaunse, chefe how it will,
Ercules vppon hond hertely has tane;

He sped hym vnto spart, sparit he noght, 1012 bat a cuntre is cald of pe coste of Rome. Tow brether full bold abidyng þer-in,

Bothe kynges of pe kythe, Caster was one,
And Pollux, þe proude, pristly þat other.

1016 As poyetis han put, plainly po two

Were getyn by a gode on a grete lady,
þe fairest of ffeturs þat euer on fote yode :
And a suster to þe same, sothly, was Elyn,
1020 Getyn of þe same god in a goode tyme.

To these kynges he come & his cause tolde,
And to haue of hor helpe hertely dissyred,
And pai graunted hym full goodly with a glad

chere.

1024 pen he lacches his leue and þai lordes ponkit,
Suet forth to (Salame) in a sad haste,

þat gouernet was in gryse by a gome noble,—
One Telamon trewly, as pe text sayse,

1028 þat was kyng in the coste & pe coron hade,-
A bold man in batell & byg in his Rewme.
Ercules of helpe hym hertely besoght,
And he grauntid to goo with a good wille,

Hercules determines to make war with Troy, and seeks the assistance of Castor and Pollux.

(Helena, sister of Pollux.)

(MS. has
"Salerne.")
He goes to
Telamon, king
of Salamis, who
promises to aid
him.

Book IV.

(fol. 18 b.)

He goes to
Peleus, king of

Thessaly, and to
Nestor, king of

Pylus, who
promise to

assist him.

The fleets of the

allies of Hercules

1032 With mony bold men in batell and biggest in

Armes.

To Pelleus pertly pen past he agayne,

Assemblid of Soudiours a full sadde pepull,
Of the tidiest of Tessaile, tore men of strenght.

1036 pen to Philon þe freike ferkit in haste,

To a Duke þat was derffe & doughti of honde,
Nestor, A noble man naitest in werre,

hat hade louyt hym of long, & his lefe frynde; 1040 He hight hym full hertely þat he haue sholde ffertheryng to his fight with a fre wille.

ben leues pe lede & of lond paste

To Pelleus pristly, þat puruiaunce hade made 1044 Of twenty shippes full shene, shot on pe depe, All redy to the Roode of pe roghe ythes,

With mony barons full bold & buernes per-in. ben comyn thies kynges fro per kyth evyn,

meet at Thessaly; 1048 Saylyng full sound with seasonable wyndes;

and at the

season of the

year when the

sun enters Aries,

they set sail for Troy.

(fol. 19 a.)

At Tessaile full tyte turnyt into havyn,

ffor to fare to pere ffoos with a ffryke wille.

pus it tyd as I telle pe tyme of þe yere,

1052 he sun in his sercle was set vppon high,
Entrid into Aries vnder a signe,

And euyn like of a lenght pe light & pe derke.
be cloudes wax clere, clensit the ayre ;

1056 Wynter away, watris were calme;

Stormes were still, þe sternes full clere,
3eforus softe wyndis Soberly blew ;

Bowes in bright holtes buriont full faire;
1060 Greuys wex grene and pe ground swete;
Swoghyng of swete ayre, Swalyng of briddes ;
Medowes & mounteyns myngit with ffloures,
Colord by course as paire kynd askit.

1064 At Mid Aprille, the mone when myrthes begyn, The season full softe of pe salt water,

And the bremnes abated of the brode ythes,