Yit hath the streem of Sitho nat y-broght
From Athenes the ship; yit comth hit noght.
And, yif that ye the terme rekne wolde,
As I or other trewe lovers sholde,
I pleyne not, god wot, beforn my day.'-
But al her lettre wryten I ne may
By ordre, for hit were to me a charge;
Her lettre was right long and ther-to large;
But here and there in ryme I have hit laid,
Ther as me thoughte that she wel hath said.-
She seide, thy sailes comen nat again,
Ne to thy word ther nis no fey certein;
But I wot why ye come nat,' quod she ;
'For I was of my love to you so free.
And of the goddes that ye han forswore,
Yif that hir vengeance falle on yow therfore,
Ye be nat suffisaunt to bere the peyne.
To moche trusted I, wel may I pleyne,

2510

(120)

2515

2520

(130)

2525

Upon your linage and your faire tonge,

And on your teres falsly out y-wronge.

How coude ye wepe so by craft?' quod she;
'May ther swiche teres feyned be?

Now certes, yif ye wolde have in memorie,

Hit oghte be to yow but litel glorie

To have a sely mayde thus betrayed!

2530

To god,' quod she, 'preye I, and ofte have prayed, (140)
That hit be now the grettest prys of alle,

And moste honour that ever yow shal befalle !
And whan thyn olde auncestres peynted be,
In which men may hir worthinesse see,

2535

2508. C. storm (error for streem); rest streme. Th. Scython; C. B. Sytoye ; A. Cytoye; T. Sitoy; F. Tn. Sitoio (Ovid has Sithonis unda). T. y-brought; 2509. C. comyth it; T. A. cometh; F. Tn. B. 2517. C. A. wel hath; rest hath wel.

rest broght (brought).

come hit; Th. came it.

2518.

C. T. A. thyne (thy); rest the. C. come; T. comen; F. Tn. Th. B. cometh. 2519. C. T. A. thyn (thy); rest the.

Tn. Th. B. That (only); but read Yif that.

rest seyne (!).

F. Tn. Th. B. wronge.

2532. All mayde.

2523. C. T. A. Yif (only); F. 2525. C. T. A. pleyne ;

2527. C. I-wronge; A. yronne (error for ywronge); 2529. A. Quhethir ther may (but this is Scottish).

Than, preye I god, thou peynted be also,

That folk may reden, for-by as they go,
"Lo! this is he, that with his flaterye

2540

Betrayed hath and doon her vilanye

That was his trewe love in thoghte and dede!"

But sothly, of oo point yit may they rede,
That ye ben lyk your fader as in this;

(150)

For he begyled Adriane, y-wis,

With swiche an art and swiche sotelte
As thou thy-selven hast begyled me.
As in that point, al-thogh hit be nat fayr,
Thou folwest him, certein, and art his eyr.
But sin thus sinfully ye me begyle,
My body mote ye seen, within a whyle,
Right in the haven of Athenes fletinge,
With-outen sepulture and buryinge;
Thogh ye ben harder then is any stoon.'

And, whan this lettre was forth sent anoon,
And knew how brotel and how fals he was,
She for dispeyr for-dide herself, allas!

Be war, ye women, of your sotil fo,
Sin yit this day men may ensample see;

2545

2550

(160)

2555

Swich sorwe hath she, for she besette her so.

2560

(168)

And trusteth, as in love, no man but me.

Explicit Legenda Phillis.

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.

2565

2539. C. T. A. for by; rest forth by. 2546. A. C. T. subtilitee. 2549. C. T. A. him; rest om. A. has lost 11. 2551-2616. 2555. F. Tn. B. om. sent. 2561. So C. T.; so Tn. Th. (with now for as); F. B. And as in love truste no man but me. 2563. C. clepid; rest called.

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.
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.

2571. F. B. in; rest of.

2574. F. B. hyt (for her).

2570

(10)

2575

2580 (20)

2585

2590

(30)

2595

2577. C. T. 2581.

thewis goode I-born. 2578. Tn. B. goddesse (!); F. goddesses (!).

C. mot; rest moste (muste, most). 2582. F. B. Pitouse (fem.); C. Pyetous;

Tn. T. Piteous.
C. beraft.

I propose What.
C. for; rest om.

Th. sadde (fem.?); rest sad. C. T. and; rest om. 2590. 2592. Th. And what; C. T. That what; F. Tn. B. And; 2597. C. F. Tn. B. To; T. Ryght; Th. Two.

2599. C. T. As; rest And.

2598.

To Danao and Egistes also-
Al-thogh so be that they were brethren two,
For thilke tyme nas spared no linage-
Hit lyked hem to maken mariage
Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino,

2600

(40)

And casten swiche a day hit shal be so;
And ful acorded was hit witterly;

2605

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,
The sacrifices been ful redy dighte;
Thencens out of the fyre reketh sote,

2610

(50)

The flour, the leef is rent up by the rote

To maken garlands and corounes hye;

Ful is the place of soun of minstralcye,

2615

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.

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,

2630 (70)

2601. C. Al thow; rest

2606.

2619.

2624. F. Tn.

2600. Th. Of (for To); without authority. And thogh (less clearly). 2603. T. C. Th. lyked; rest lyketh. F. Tn. B. witterly; rest vttyrly. 2615. F. Tn. B. om. of soun. F. Tn. B. om. right. 2620. F. Tn. Th. B. that (for the). Th. B. om. he. 2625. F. Tn. Th. B. voided was. F. B. om. hem. 2627. 2629. F. om. 1st that. 2632. C. myn; T. A. ins. my before 2633. F. Tn. Th. B. om. I. T. say; A. seye; rest seyth.

F. om. after.

doghter; rest om.

And what I mene, hit shal be seid right sone,
With protestacioun, as in this wyse,

2640

That, but thou do as I shal thee devyse,

(80)

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;
Tak this to thee for ful conclusioun.'

2645

This Ypermistra caste her eyen doun,
And quook as dooth 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,
Why 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 forlon;
And, for to passen harmles of that place,
She graunted him; ther was non other grace.
And therwith-al a costrel taketh he,

2650 (90)

2655

2660

(100)

2665

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

2637. C. A., I; rest om. 2640. C. A. as in this; T. now on thys; F. Tn. Th. B. as seyn these. 2643. C. nescapist; Tn. Th. B. ne scapest; F. 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). 2667. F. Tn. Th. B. om. or three (leaving the line too short).