IX. THE LEGEND OF HYPERMNESTRA.

Incipit Legenda Ypermistre.

IN Grece whylom weren brethren two,

Of whiche that oon was called Danao,

That many a sone hath of his body wonne,
As swiche false lovers ofte conne.
Among his sones alle ther was oon
That aldermost he lovede of everichoon.

And whan this child was born, this Danao
Shoop him a name, and called him Lino.
That other brother called was Egiste,
That was of love as fals as ever him liste,
And many a doghter gat he in his lyve;
Of which he gat upon his righte wyve
A doghter dere, and dide her for to calle
Ypermistra, yongest of hem alle;
The whiche child, of her nativitee,
To alle gode thewes born was she,
As lyked to the goddes, or she was born,
That of the shefe she sholde be the corn;
The Wirdes, that we clepen Destinee,
Hath shapen her that she mot nedes be
Pitouse, sadde, wyse, and trewe as steel;
And to this woman hit accordeth weel.

2563. C. cleped; rest called.

F. B. hyt (for her).

2571. F. B. in; rest of.

2577. C. T. thewis goode I-born.

2565

2570

(10)

2575

2580 (20)

2574.

2578.

Tn. B. goddesse (!); F. goddesses (!). 2581. C. mot; rest moste 2582. F. B. Pitouse (fem.); C. Pyetous; Tn. T.

(muste, most).

Piteous. Th. sadde (fem. ?); rest sad. C. T. and; rest om.

For, though that Venus yaf her greet beautee,
With Iupiter compouned so was she
That conscience, trouthe, and dreed of shame,
And of her wyfhood for to kepe her name,
This, thoughte her, was felicitee as here.
And rede Mars was, that tyme of the yere,
So feble, that his malice is him raft,
Repressed hath Venus his cruel craft;
What with Venus and other oppressioun
Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun,
That Ypermistra dar nat handle a knyf
In malice, thogh she sholde lese her lyf.
But natheles, as heven gan tho turne,
To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne,
That made her for to deyen in prisoun,
As I shal after make mencioun,
To Danao and Egistes also-
Al-thogh so be that they wer brethren two,
For thilke tyme nas spared no linage-
Hit lyked hem to maken mariage
Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino,

2585

2590

(30)

2595

2600

(40)

And casten swiche a day hit shal be so;

2605

And ful acorded was hit witterly;

The array is wroght, the tyme is faste by.

And thus Lino hath of his fadres brother

The doghter wedded, and eche of hem hath other.
The torches brennen and the lampes brighte,

2610

The sacrifices been ful redy dighte;

(50)

Thencens out of the fyre reketh sote,

The flour, the leef is rent up by the rote

2590. C. beraft.

2592. Th. And what; C. T. That what; F. Tn. B. And; I propose What. 2597. C. F. Tn. B. To; T. Ryght; 2598. C. for; rest om.

Th. Two.

2599. C. T. As; rest And.

2600. Th. Of (for To); without authority. 2601. C. Al thow; rest And thogh (less clearly). 2603. T. C. Th. lyked; rest lyketh.

2606. F. Tn. B. witterly; rest vttyrly.

To maken garlands and corounes hye;

Ful is the place of soun of minstralcye,
Of songes amorous of mariage,

As thilke tyme was the pleyn usage.
And this was in the paleys of Egiste,
That in his hous was lord, right as him liste;
And thus the day they dryven to an ende;
The frendes taken leve, and hoom they wende.
The night is come, the bryd shal go to bedde;
Egiste to his chambre faste him spedde,
And privily he let his doghter calle.

2615

2620

(60)

Whan that the hous was voided of hem alle,
He loked on his doghter with glad chere,
And to her spak, as ye shul after here.

2625

'My righte doghter, tresor of myn herte!
Sin first that day that shapen was my sherte,
Or by the fatal sustren had my dom,
So ny myn herte never thing me com
As thou, myn Ypermistra, doghter dere!
Tak heed what I thy fader sey thee here,
And werk after thy wyser ever-mo.
For alderfirste, doghter, I love thee so

2630 (70)

2635

That al the world to me nis half so leef;

Ne I nolde rede thee to thy mischeef

For al the gode under the colde mone;

And what I mene, hit shal be seid right sone,

With protestacioun, as in this wyse,

That, but thou do as I shal thee devyse,

2640 (80)

2615. F. Tn. B. om. of soun.

F. Tn. Th. B. that (for the).

2619. F. Tn. B. om. right. 2624. F. Tn. Th. B. om. he.

F. Tn. Th. B. voided was. F. B. om. hem.

2620.

2625.

2627. F. om. after.

2629. F. om. Ist that. 2632. C. myn; T. A. ins. my before doghter;

rest om.

T. say; A. seye; rest seyth.

F. Tn. Th. B

2633. F. Tn. Th. B. om. I. 2637. C. A., I; rest om. as seyn these.

2640. C. A. as in this; T. now on thys

Thou shalt be deed, by him that al hath wroght!
At shorte wordes, thou nescapest noght

Out of my paleys, or that thou be deed,

But thou consente and werke after my reed;

2645

Tak this to thee for ful conclusioun.'

This Ypermistra caste her eyen doun,
And quook as doth the leef of aspe grene;
Deed wex her hewe, and lyk as ash to sene,
And seyde, 'lord and fader, al your wille,
After my might, god wot, I shal fulfille,
So hit to me be no confusioun.'

'I nil,' quod he, 'have noon excepcioun';
And out he caughte a knyf, as rasour kene;
'Hyd this,' quod he, 'that hit be nat y-sene;
And, whan thyn husbond is to bedde y-go,
Whyl that he slepeth, cut his throte a-two.
For in my dremes hit is warned me
How that my nevew shal my bane be,
But whiche I noot, wherfor I wol be siker.
Yif thou sey nay, we two shul have a biker
As I have seyd, by him that I have sworn.'

This Ypermistra hath ny her wit forlorn;
And, for to passen harmles of that place,

2650 (90)

2655

2660

(100)

She graunted him; ther was noon other grace.

2665

And therwith-al a costrel taketh he,

And seyde, 'herof a draught, or two or three,

Yif him to drinke, whan he goth to reste,

And he shal slepe as longe as ever thee leste,

2643. C. nescapist; Tn. Th. B. ne scapest; B. ne schapest (!). 2652. F. Tn. Th. B. be to me.

2655. Tn. Th. y-sene; rest sene.

2656. Tn. y-goo; A. ygo; rest goo (go).

2661. F. make; rest haue.

2666. So C. T. A. (but with costret for costrel); rest And with-al a

costrel taketh he tho (badly).

(leaving the line too short).

2667. F. Tn. Th. B. om. or three 2668. A. to; rest om.

The narcotiks and opies been so stronge:
And go thy wey, lest that him thinke longe.'
Out comth the bryd, and with ful sober chere,
As is of maidens ofte the manere,

To chambre is broght with revel and with songe,
And shortly, lest this tale be to longe,
This Lyno [comth, that noght of tresoun dredde],
And every wight out at the dore him spedde.

The night is wasted, and he fel a-slepe;

Ful tenderly beginneth she to wepe.
She rist her up, and dredfully she quaketh,
As doth the braunche that Zephirus shaketh,

And husht were alle in Argon that citee.
As cold as any frost now wexeth she;
For pite by the herte her streyneth so,

And dreed of deth doth her so moche wo,
That thryes doun she fil in swiche a were.
She rist her up, and stakereth heer and there,
And on her handes faste loketh she.
'Allas! and shul my handes blody be?
I am a maid, and, as by my nature,
And by my semblant and by my vesture,
Myn handes been nat shapen for a knyf,
As for to reve no man fro his lyf.
What devil have I with the knyf to do?
And shal I have my throte corve a-two?

2670 (110)

2675

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(120)

2685

2690 (130)

2695

Than shal I blede, allas! and me beshende;
And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende;

2670. F. B. Martotikes (for narcotikes). T. A. opies; C. opijs; Th. apies; F. Tn. B. Epies (for opies). 2671. F. Tn. Th. B. ins. to before longe. 2674. F. Tn. Th. B. om. is. 2682. F. hushst (for husht); Th. hushte; C. A. hust; Tn. houste. 2684. F. Tn. B. streyneth hir; Th. strayned her; C. T. hire streynyth; A. hir stryngith. 2686. F. Th. B. swich (suche) a were; Tn. suche awere; C. this awer; A. this awere; T. that were. 2689. F. Tn. Th. B. om. and. 2696. F. Tn. Th. B. om. me. 2697. F. B. (only) Or for And.