Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

And when she goth to temple and hoom ageyn,
And fasten til he hath his lady seyn,
And bere in his devyses, for her sake,
Noot I nat what; and songes wolde he make,
Iusten, and doon of armes many thinges,
Sende her lettres, tokens, broches, ringes-
Now herkneth, how he shal his lady serve!
Ther-as he was in peril for to sterve
For hunger, and for mischeef in the see,
And desolat, and fled from his contree,
And al his folk with tempest al to-driven,
She hath her body and eek her reame yiven
In-to his hond, ther-as she mighte have been
Of other lond than of Cartage a queen,
And lived in Ioye y-nogh; what wolde ye more?
This Eneas, that hath so depe y-swore,

Is wery of his craft with-in a throwe;
The hote ernest is al over-blowe.
And prively he doth his shippes dighte,
And shapeth him to stele a-wey by nighte.
This Dido hath suspecioun of this,
And thoughte wel, that hit was al a-mis;
For in his bedde he lyth a-night and syketh;
She asketh him anoon, what him mislyketh—
'My dere herte, which that I love most?'

'Certes,' quod he, 'this night my fadres gost
Hath in my sleep so sore me tormented,
And eek Mercurie his message hath presented,
That nedes to the conquest of Itaile

1270

(350)

1275

1280

(360)

1285

1390

(370)

1295

My destinee is sone for to saile;

For which, me thinketh, brosten is myn herte !'
Ther-with his false teres out they sterte;

1300

And taketh her with-in his armes two.

'Is that in ernest,' quod she; 'wil ye so?
Have ye nat sworn to wyve me to take,
Alas! what womman wil ye of me make?

1273. C. Tn. A. Th. Not; F. B. Wot. ringes.

(380)

1305

1275. All but C. ins. and before

1281. C. F. T. B. reame; Tn. P. ream; Th. realme; A. regne. 1285. C. A. P. so; rest thus. 1296. C. A. so sore me; Add. sore me; rest

[blocks in formation]

I am a gentil-woman and a queen,
Ye wil nat fro your wyf thus foule fleen?

That I was born! allas! what shal I do?'
To telle in short, this noble queen Dido,
She seketh halwes, and doth sacrifyse;

1310

She kneleth, cryeth, that routhe is to devyse;
Coniureth him, and profreth him to be
His thral, his servant in the leste gree;

(390)

She falleth him to fote, and swowneth there

Dischevele, with her brighte gilte here,

1315

And seith, have mercy! let me with yow ryde!

Thise lordes, which that wonen me besyde

Wil me destroyen only for your sake.

And, so ye wil me now to wyve take,

As ye han sworn, than wol I yive yow leve
To sleen me with your swerd now sone at eve!
For than yit shal I dyen as your wyf.

1320

(400)

1325

I am with childe, and yive my child his lyf.
Mercy, lord have pite in your thoght!'
But al this thing availeth her right noght;
For on a night, slepinge, he let her lye,
And stal a-wey un-to his companye,
And, as a traitour, forth he gan to saile
Toward the large contree of Itaile.

Thus hath he laft Dido in wo and pyne;

And wedded ther a lady hight Lavyne.

A cloth he lafte, and eek his swerd stonding,
Whan he fro Dido stal in her sleping,
Right at her beddes heed, so gan he hye
Whan that he stal a-wey to his navye;
Which cloth, whan sely Dido gan awake,
She hath hit kist ful ofte for his sake;

1314. C. to-fore (for to fote).
rest me now.

1313. C. gre; rest degree (degre). C. T. A. Add. so; rest om. F. now me; I yet; Tn. C. T. A. Th. yit shall I. yif.

1324. C. hauyth; rest haue.

editions omit these trvo lines.

F. Tn. B. vpon.
1332. C. lafte; F. lefte.
om. hit.

1330

(410)

1335

1319. 1322. F. shal 1323. C. T. yeue; F. yive; Tn. 1326, 1327. The old printed 1327. C. on to; T. A. Add. vnto; C. Tn. laft; F. lefte.

1330. C. Thus; rest And thus.
1333. F. (only) om. her.

K

1337. F. Tn. B.

And seide, 'O cloth, whyl Iupiter hit leste,
Tak now my soule, unbind me of this unreste!
I have fulfild of fortune al the cours.'
And thus, allas! with-outen his socours,
Twenty tyme y-swowned hath she thanne.
And, whan that she un-to her suster Anne
Compleyned had, of which I may nat wryte—
So greet a routhe I have hit for tendyte-
And bad her norice and her suster goon
To fecchen fyr and other thing anoon,
And seide, that she wolde sacrifye.

And, whan she mighte her tyme wel espye,
Up-on the fyr of sacrifys she sterte,

1340

(420)

1345

1350

And with his swerd she roof her to the herte.

But, as myn autour seith, right thus she seyde;
Or she was hurt, before that she deyde,
She wroot a lettre anoon, that thus began :—

(430)

'Right so,' quod she, 'as that the whyte swan

1355

[blocks in formation]

But sin my name is lost through yow,' quod she,

'I may wel lese a word on yow, or letter,
Al-be-it that I shal be never the better;
For thilke wind that blew your ship a-wey,
The same wind hath blowe a-wey your fey.'-

(440)

1365

1339. F. Tn. Th. B. P.

1338. All but T. A. Add. insert swete after O. om. now. C. and brynge it of this onreste; Tn. T. Th. P. Add. vnbynde me of this vnreste; F. B. vnbynde me of this reste (!); A. me bynd of myn vnrest; I follow Tn. T. Th. P. Add. 1345. F. Tn. Th. P. om. a. C. tendite; rest to endite (endyte). 1346. A. P. Add. suster; C. T. A. sistir; rest sustren (!). 1347. C. T. A. P. Add. thing; rest thinges. 1352. C. A. right; P. om.; rest yet (yit).

Tn. rof.

1351. C.

1353. A.

Add. before that; C. F. T. Th. B. byforn or (byforne er); P. and befor or.

1356. C. Azens; A. Azeynes; 1357. C. T. A. Add. make I; rest I make.

1355. C. A. that; T. Add. doth; rest om.
Tn. Ayeinste; rest Ayenst.
1359. C. T. A. P. that; rest om.
C. T. contrary; rest contrarious.

rest om.

1360. A. contrair; P. contrarie; 1363. C. T. A. P. Add. that;

But who wol al this letter have in minde,

Rede Ovide, and in him he shal hit finde.

Explicit Legenda Didonis martiris, Cartaginis regine.

IV. THE LEGEND OF HYPSIPYLE AND MEDEA.

Incipit Legenda Ysiphile et Medee, Martirum.

PART I. THE LEGEND OF HYPSIPYLE.

THOU rote of false lovers, duk Iasoun!
Thou sly devourer and confusioun
Of gentil-wommen, tender creatures,
Thou madest thy reclaiming and thy lures
To ladies of thy statly apparaunce,
And of thy wordes, farced with plesaunce,
And of thy feyned trouthe and thy manere,
With thyn obeisaunce and thy humble chere,
And with thy counterfeted peyne and wo.
Ther other falsen oon, thou falsest two!
O! ofte swore thou that thou woldest dye
For love, whan thou ne feltest maladye
Save foul delyt, which that thou callest love!
If that I live, thy name shal be shove
In English, that thy sleighte shal be knowe!
Have at thee, Iasoun! now thyn horn is blowe !
But certes, hit is bothe routhe and wo
That love with false loveres werketh so;
For they shul have wel better love and chere

Than he that hath aboght his love ful dere,

1370

1375

(10)

1380

1385

(20)

Or had in armes many a blody box.
For ever as tendre a capoun et the fox,

1366. Tn. P. who; rest who so, or who that. rest repeat gentil. C. has tendere wemen gentil. Tn. Th. farsed; B. forsed; P. filled; T. versyd.

1370. A. T. Add. tender; 1373. A. C. farced; F. 1375. P. A. thy; rest om.

1377. Here MS. P. ends. 1386. C. T. A. Th. Add. love and; F. Tn. B. and gretter. 1387. C. A. abought; rest bought. C. T. A. Add. his; rest om.

1389. C. et (=eteth); rest eteth (etith).

Thogh he be fals and hath the foul betrayed,
As shal the good-man that ther-for hath payed.
Al have he to the capoun skille and right,
The false fox wol have his part at night.
On Iasoun this ensample is wel y-sene
By Isiphile and Medea the quene.

In Tessalye, as Guido telleth us,
Ther was a king that highte Pelleus,

1390

1395

(30)

That had a brother, which that highte Eson;
And, whan for age he mighte unnethes gon,
He yaf to Pelleus the governing

1400

Of al his regne, and made him lord and king.
Of which Eson this Iasoun geten was,
That, in his tyme, in al that lond, ther nas
Nat swich a famous knight of gentilesse,
Of freedom, and of strengthe and lustinesse.
After his fader deeth, he bar him so
That ther nas noon that liste been his fo,
But dide him al honour and companye;
Of which this Pelleus hath greet envye,
Imagining that Iasoun mighte be
Enhaunsed so, and put in swich degree
With love of lordes of his regioun,
That from his regne he may be put adoun.
And in his wit, a-night, compassed he
How Iasoun mighte best destroyed be
Withoute slaunder of his compasment.
And at the laste he took avisement
To senden him in-to som fer contree
Ther as this Iasoun may destroyed be.
This was his wit; al made he to Iasoun
Gret chere of love and of affeccioun,
For drede lest his lordes hit espyde.
So fil hit so, as fame renneth wyde,

1405

(40)

1410

1415

(50)

1420

1391. C. hath; rest om. (badly). 1392. C. T. Add. Al haue he; F. Alle thof he haue. 1396. F. Tn. B. and; rest as. C. Guido; T. A. Guydo; Add. Gwydo; F. Tn. Th. B. Ouyde. 1397. F. Tn. B. knyght; rest kyng (see 1. 1401); see note. 1405. So C.; rest Of fredom, of strength, and of lustynesse. 1409. C. T. Add. hadde. 1418. C. To syndyn; T. Add. To send ; Tn. Th. B. That to senden; F. That to selden (!).

« AnteriorContinua »