Alcathoe he bisegeth harde and longe.
But natheles the walles be so stronge,
And Nisus, that was king of that citee,
So chivalrous, that litel dredeth he;
Of Minos or his ost took he no cure,
Til on a day befel an aventure,
That Nisus doghter stood upon the wal,
And of the sege saw the maner al.
So happed hit, that, at a scarmishing,
She caste her herte upon Minos the king,
For his beautee and for his chivalrye,
So sore, that she wende for to dye.
And, shortly of this proces for to pace,
She made Minos winnen thilke place,
So that the citee was al at his wille,
To saven whom him list, or elles spille;
But wikkedly he quitte her kindenesse,
And let her drenche in sorowe and distresse,
Nere that the goddes hadde of her pite;
But that tale were to long as now for me.
Athenes wan this king Minos also,
And Alcathoe and other tounes mo;
And this theffect, that Minos hath so driven
Hem of Athenes, that they mote him yiven.
Fro yere to yere her owne children dere
For to be slayn, as ye shul after here.
This Minos hath a monstre, a wikked beste,
That was so cruel that, without areste,
Whan that a man was broght in his presence,
He wolde him ete, ther helpeth no defence.
And every thridde yeer, with-outen doute,
They casten lot, and, as hit com aboute
1902. Th. Alcathoe (rightly); A. Alcitoe; Tn. Alcie; T. All the cyte; F. B. And the citee. 1910. F. B. hyt happed; rest happed hit.
1911. C. caughte. 1912. C. T. A. Add. for; rest om. C. om. 1922, 1923. 1923. Th. As Alcathoe; A. As Alcitoe; F. B. And Alcites; T. With all the cyte; see 1. 1902. 1924. C. But (for And). 1925. F. B. Tn. B. om. that. 1927. C. T. righ[t] as ye shal here; A. rycht thus as ye schall here. A. Add. in; rest in-to.
rest om. C. fil (for com).
1930. C. T. 1932. C. om. yeer. 1933. C. T. A. Add. and;
On riche, on pore, he moste his sone take,
And of his child he moste present make
Unto Minos, to save him or to spille,
Or lete his beste devoure him at his wille.
And this hath Minos don, right in despyt;
To wreke his sone was set al his delyt,
And maken hem of Athenes his thral
Fro yere to yere, whyl that he liven shal;
And hoom he saileth whan this toun is wonne.
This wikked custom is so longe y-ronne
Til that of Athenes king Egeus
Mot sende his owne sone, Theseus,
Sith that the lot is fallen him upon,
To be devoured, for grace is ther non.
And forth is lad this woful yonge knight
Unto the court of king Minos ful right,
And in a prison, fetered, cast is he
Til thilke tyme he sholde y-freten be.
Wel maystow wepe, O woful Theseus,
That art a kinges sone, and dampned thus.
Me thinketh this, that thou were depe y-holde
To whom that saved thee fro cares colde!
And now, if any woman helpe thee,
Wel oughtestow her servant for to be,
And been her trewe lover yeer by yere !
But now to come ageyn to my matere.
The tour, ther as this Theseus is throwe
Doun in the botom derke and wonder lowe,
Was ioyning in the walle to a foreyne;
And hit was longing to the doghtren tweyne
1934. C. or; Th. Add. and; rest on.
Theseus (for Minos).
F. B. To; rest And.
Add. that; rest om.
1948. C. gon (for lad).
1936. T. Add. Vn-to; rest To. C. 1938. C. T. A. Th. Add. right; rest om. 1940. 1944. C. T.
1941. C. T. A. that; rest om. 1945. Tn. Mot; C. T. Th. Mote; rest Moste (Must). 1949. C. T. A. Add. court; rest contree. 1951. A. thilke; C. the ilke; rest the. depe were; Tn. depe; Th. arte depe. 1960. C. A. as; T. Add. that; 1962. C. T. A. Add. in; rest to. C. Tn. T. A. Add to;
C. T. A. Add. right; rest of might. 1954. C. T. A. Add. were depe; F. B. 1955. C. hym; T. theym; rest whom.
Of king Minos, that in hir chambres grete
Dwelten above, toward the maister-strete,
In mochel mirthe, in Ioye and in solas.
Not I nat how, hit happed ther, per cas,
As Theseus compleyned him by nighte,
The kinges doghter, Adrian that highte,
And eek her suster Phedra, herden al
His compleyning, as they stode on the wal
And lokeden upon the brighte mone;
Hem leste nat to go to bedde sone.
And of his wo they had compassioun ;
A kinges sone to ben in swich prisoun
And be devoured, thoughte hem gret pitee.
Than Adrian spak to her suster free,
And seyde, Phedra, leve suster dere,
This woful lordes sone may ye nat here,
How pitously compleyneth he his kin,
And eek his pore estat that he is in,
And gilteless? now certes, hit is routhe!
And if ye wol assenten, by my trouthe,
He shal be holpen, how so that we do!'
Phedra answerde, 'y-wis, me is as wo
For him as ever I was for any man;
And, to his help, the beste reed I can
Is that we doon the gayler prively
To come, and speke with us hastily,
And doon this woful man with him to come.
For if he may this monstre overcome,
Than were he quit; ther is noon other bote.
Lat us wel taste him at his herte-rote,
1964. A. king; rest om. C. Of Thesius that, &c. 1965. C. T. A. Add. toward; rest om. 1966. T. In mochell myrthe; Add. In moche myrth; Th. Of the towne; rest Of Athenes (!); see note. 1967. C. Tn. Th. Not; F. A. B. Wot. T. But I not how. A. happinit; rest happed. Add. ther; T. there; 1969. F. Tn. B. Add. that Adriane (badly); Th. that Ariadne. 1971. C. T. A. Add. compleynyge; rest compleynt. 1972. C. T. lokedyn; rest loked. 1973. F. B. (only) om. 1st to. C. A. sone; rest so sone. 1982. C. now certeyn; T. A. now certes; rest 1991. F. B. the;
1987. F. A. B. insert that before I.
That, if so be that he a wepen have,
Wher that he dar, his lyf to kepe and save,
Fighten with this fend, and him defende.
For, in the prison, ther he shal descende,
Ye wite wel, that the beste is in a place
That nis nat derk, and hath roum eek and space
To welde an ax or swerd or staf or knyf,
So that, me thinketh, he sholde save his lyf;
If that he be a man, he shal do so.
And we shul make him balles eek also
Of wexe and towe, that, whan he gapeth faste,
Into the bestes throte he shal hem caste
To slake his hunger and encombre his teeth;
And right anon, whan that Theseus seeth
The beste achoked, he shal on him lepe
To sleen him, or they comen more to-hepe.
This wepen shal the gayler, or that tyde,
Ful privily within the prison hyde;
And, for the hous is crinkled to and fro,
And hath so queinte weyes for to go—
For hit is shapen as the mase is wroght-
Therto have I a remedie in my thoght,
That, by a clewe of twyne, as he hath goon,
The same wey he may returne anoon,
Folwing alwey the threed, as he hath come.
And, whan that he this beste hath overcome,
Then may he fleen awey out of this drede,
1995. So C.; F. B. that hys lyf he dar kepe or; Tn. Th. that he his lif dar kepe or; T. that he dar his lyfe kepe and. 1997. F. Tn. B. Th. ther as;
C. T. A. om. as. 1998. F. Tn. B. omit this line. So C. Th. A. Wel wote 3e, &c. T. The best, ye wot well that he ys, &c. 1999. Addit. (12524) rome eke and space; C. bothe roum and space; rest roume (roum) and eke 2003. F. Tn. B. om. him.
space.
that;
Th. T. whan that; F. Tn. A. B. whan.
Th. acheked (!); F. Tn. asleked; B. aslakyd.
they). F. to helpe (!); rest to hepe.
2007. C. what (error for whan)
2008. T. A. C. achoked; 2009. F. (only) the (for
2012. Tn. crenkled; Th. crencled ;
B. cruklyd. So C. A.; so Addit. (12625), with monstre for beste; F. Tn. Th. B. And whan this best ys ouercome (!); T. And when that he thus hath ouer2020. C. T. A. drede; rest stede; (drede gives the better
And eek the gayler may he with him lede,
And him avaunce at hoom in his contree,
Sin that so greet a lordes sone is he.
This is my reed, if that he dar hit take.'
What sholde I lenger sermoun of hit make?
The gayler cometh, and with him Theseus.
And whan thise thinges been acorded thus,
Adoun sit Theseus upon his knee :-
"The righte lady of my lyf,' quod he,
'I, sorweful man, y-dampned to the deeth,
Fro yow, why that me lasteth lyf or breeth,
I wol nat twinne, after this aventure,
But in your servise thus I wol endure,
That, as a wrecche unknowe, I wol yow serve
For ever-mo, til that myn herte sterve.
Forsake I wol at hoom myn heritage,
And, as I seide, ben of your court a page,
If that ye vouche-sauf that, in this place,
Ye graunte me to han so gret a grace
That I may han nat but my mete and drinke;
And for my sustenance yit wol I swinke,
Right as yow list, that Minos ne no wight-
Sin that he saw me never with eyen sight-
Ne no man elles, shal me conne espye;
So slyly and so wel I shal me gye,
And me so wel disfigure and so lowe,
That in this world ther shal no man me knowe,
To han my lyf, and for to han presence
Of yow, that doon to me this excellence.
And to my fader shal I senden here
This worthy man, that is now your gaylere,
And, him to guerdon, that he shal wel be
Oon of the grettest men of my contree.
2027. C. And; rest om. 2031. C. T. A. whil; rest whiles.
2025. T. A. Th. sermoun; C. sarmoun; rest om. 2028. C. T. A. Adoun; rest Doun.
F. Tn. Th. B. om. lyf or. 2032. F. Tn. B. wolde; rest wil (wol). 2035.
|