This is his lust and his felicitee.
Iasoun is romed forth to the citee,
That whylom cleped was Iaconitos,
That was the maister-toun of al Colcos,
And hath y-told the cause of his coming.
Un-to Oëtes, of that contre king,
Preying him that he moste doon his assay
To gete the flees of gold, if that he may;
Of which the king assenteth to his bone,
And doth him honour, as hit is to done,
So ferforth, that his doghter and his eyr,
Medea, which that was so wys and fair
That fairer saw ther never man with yë,
He made her doon to Iasoun companye
At mete, and sitte by him in the halle.
Now was Iasoun a semely man with-alle,
And lyk a lord, and had a greet renoun,
And of his loke as real as leoun,
And goodly of his speche, and famulere,
And coude of love al craft and art plenere
With-oute boke, with everich observaunce.
And, as fortune her oghte a foul meschaunce,
She wex enamoured upon this man.
'Iasoun,' quod she, 'for ought I see or can,
As of this thing the which ye been aboute,
Ye han your-self y-put in moche doute.
For, who-so wol this aventure acheve,
He may nat wel asterten, as I leve,
With-outen deeth, but I his helpe be.
But natheles, hit is my wille,' quod she,
To forthren yow, so that ye shal nat dye,
But turnen, sound, hoom to your Tessalye.'
'My righte lady,' quod this Iasoun tho,
'That ye han of my dethe or of my wo
Any reward, and doon me this honour,
I wot wel that my might ne my labour
1590. C. T. Iaconitos; A. Iacomitos; F. Tn. Th. B. Iasonicos; (Latin Iaconites). 1593. F. Vnto tho (!). C. Oetes; Add. Cetes; T. Cytees (!); rest Otes. 1599. F. Tn. B. Add. and so feyre. 1605. C. T. Th. B. Add. as a leoun (lyoun). 1613. C. han; T. A. Add. haue; rest and (!).
May nat deserve hit in my lyves day;
God thanke yow, ther I ne can ne may.
Your man am I, and lowly you beseche,
To been my help, with-oute more speche;
But certes, for my deeth shal I nat spare.'
Tho gan this Medea to him declare
The peril of this cas, fro point to point,
And of his batail, and in what disioint
He mote stande, of which no creature,
Save only she, ne mighte his lyf assure.
And shortly, to the point right for to go,
They been accorded ful, betwix hem two,
That Iasoun shal her wedde, as trewe knight;
And term y-set, to come sone at night
Unto her chambre, and make ther his ooth,
Upon the goddes, that he, for leef ne looth,
Ne sholde her never falsen, night ne day,
To been her husbond, whyl he liven may,
As she that from his deeth him saved here.
And her-upon, at night they mette y-fere,
And doth his ooth, and goth with her to bedde.
And on the morwe, upward he him spedde;
For she hath taught him how he shal nat faile
The flees to winne, and stinten his bataile ;
And saved him his lyf and his honour;
And gat him greet name as a conquerour
Right through the sleight of her enchantement.
Now hath Iasoun the flees, and hoom is went
With Medea, and tresor ful gret woon.
But unwist of her fader is she goon
To Tessaly, with duk Iasoun her leef,
That afterward hath broght her to mescheef.
1626. T. A. Th. lowly; F. louly; B. loulye; C. louely; Tn. lowe. C. T. A. Add. And; rest om. F. Tn. om. in. 1634. C. T. A. Add. to the point right; rest ryght to the poynt. 1642. C. T. sauyth; rest saued. F. B. there; rest here. 1643. F. Tn. B. omit; C. has And here vp a nyght, &c. 1649. C. T. gat; A. gatt; Add. Th. gate; rest gete. F. B. (only) om. him. T. gret; Add. grete; A. om.; rest a. C. ryth as; T. A. ryght as; Add. lyke as; rest as. 1652. F. Tn. Th. B. tresoures; C. tresor; T. A. Add.
For as a traitour he is from her go,
And with her lafte his yonge children two,
And falsly hath betrayed her, allas!
And ever in love a cheef traitour he was;
And wedded yit the thridde wyf anon,
That was the doghter of the king Creon.
This is the meed of loving and guerdon
That Medea received of Iasoun
Right for her trouthe and for her kindenesse,
That loved him better than her-self, I gesse,
And lafte her fader and her heritage.
And of Iasoun this is the vassalage,
That, in his dayes, nas ther noon y-founde
So fals a lover going on the grounde.
And therfor in her lettre thus she seyde
First, whan she of his falsnesse him umbreyde,
'Why lyked me thy yelow heer to see
More then the boundes of myn honestee,
Why lyked me thy youthe and thy fairnesse,
And of thy tonge the infinit graciousnesse?
O, haddest thou in thy conquest deed y-be,
Ful mikel untrouthe had ther dyed with thee!'
Wel can Ovyde her lettre in vers endyte,
Which were as now to long for me to wryte.
Explicit Legenda Ysiphile et Medee, Martirum.
V. THE LEGEND OF LUCRETIA.
Incipit Legenda Lucrecie Rome, martiris.
Now moot I seyn the exiling of kinges
Of Rome, for hir horrible doinges,
And of the laste king Tarquinius,
As saith Ovyde and Titus Livius.
1657. T. A. his; C. hire; rest om. 1659. C. thef and (for cheef). C. A. the; rest om. 1667. F. (only) om. the. 1668. C. T. A. Add. ther; rest neuer. 1671. C. Fyrst of his falsenesse whan she hym vpbreyde. 1681. F. B. dedes; rest doinges. 1682. Addit. (12524) And; rest om.
But for that cause telle I nat this storie,
But for to preise and drawen to memorie
The verray wyf, the verray trewe Lucresse,
That, for her wyfhood and her stedfastnesse,
Nat only that thise payens her comende,
But he, that cleped is in our legende
The grete Austin, hath greet compassioun
Of this Lucresse, that starf at Rome toun;
And in what wyse, I wol but shortly trete,
And of this thing I touche but the grete.
Whan Ardea beseged was aboute
With Romains, that ful sterne were and stoute,
Ful longe lay the sege, and litel wroghte,
So that they were half ydel, as hem thoghte;
And in his pley Tarquinius the yonge
Gan for to iape, for he was light of tonge,
And seyde, that 'it was an ydel lyf;
No man did ther no more than his wyf;
And lat us speke of wyves, that is best;
Praise every man his owne, as him lest,
And with our speche lat us ese our herte.'
A knight, that highte Colatyne, up sterte,
And seyde thus, 'nay, for hit is no nede.
To trowen on the word, but on the dede.
I have a wyf,' quod he, 'that, as I trowe,
Is holden good of alle that ever her knowe;
Go we to-night to Rome, and we shul see.'
Tarquinius answerde, 'that lyketh me.'
To Rome be they come, and faste hem dighte
To Colatynes hous, and doun they lighte,
Tarquinius, and eek this Colatyne.
The husbond knew the estres wel and fyne,
1686. C. trewe; rest om. 1689. omits this line; I give the spelling as 1696, 1697. C. F. Tn. Th. B. bad grammar; T. A. Add. wrought, 1705. C. highte; Tn. hat; rest 1710. So C. T. Add.; rest to Rome 1715. B. estres; C. A. estris; F. Tn. esters; T. estes (!);
1685. F. B. to for and); rest and. F. Tn. Th. B. om. he. 1693. F. in MS. T., changing thyng into thing. wroughten, thoughten; but thoughten is thought. 1701. C. no; rest om. hyght (perhaps read hatte). to nyght.
And prively into the hous they goon;
Nor at the gate porter was ther noon;
And at the chambre-dore they abyde.
This noble wyf sat by her beddes syde
Dischevele, for no malice she ne thoghte;
And softe wolle our book seith that she wroghte
To kepen her fro slouthe and ydelnesse;
And bad her servants doon hir businesse,
And axeth hem, 'what tydings heren ye?
How seith men of the sege, how shal hit be?
God wolde the walles weren falle adoun;
Myn husbond is so longe out of this toun,
For which the dreed doth me so sore smerte,
Right as a swerd hit stingeth to myn herte
Whan I think on the sege or of that place;
God save my lord, I preye him for his grace :
And ther-with-al ful tenderly she weep,
And of her werk she took no more keep,
But mekely she leet her eyen falle;
And thilke semblant sat her wel with-alle.
And eek her teres, ful of honestee,
Embelisshed her wyfly chastitee;
Her countenaunce is to her herte digne,
For they acordeden in dede and signe.
And with that word her husbond Colatyn,
Or she of him was war, com sterting in,
And seide, 'dreed thee noght, for I am here!'
And she anoon up roos, with blisful chere,
And kiste him, as of wyves is the wone.
Tarquinius, this proude kinges sone,
1718. C. they gan 1721. T. Add. oure boke
1716. All but T. Add. needlessly insert ful after And. abyde. 1720. C. Discheuele; F. Disshevely. seyth; C. seyth (om. our book); Th. saith Liui; rest seyth our boke. 1725. C. seith; F. sayne.
1727. C. Th. so; rest to.
to (badly). 1729, 1730. C. has—That with a swerd me thynkyth that to myn herte It styngith me whan I thynke on that place.
sege; F. Tn. B. these (for the sege); Th. this. 1731. F. my; rest his (before grace). 1736. F. the (for her). A. T. honestee; C. oneste; B. heuyte (!); F. hevytee (!); Tn. Th. heuynesse. 1737. C. Emblemyschid (!). Th.
chastnesse. C. puts 11. 1738-9 after 1. 1743.
1744. C. kiste; rest kissed.
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