Nat that I trowe to geten yow again,

For wel I woot that it is al in vain,

Sin that the goddes been contraire to me.

1360

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.'-
But who wol al this letter have in mynde,
Rede Ovide, and in him he shal hit fynde.

(440)

1365

Explicit Legenda Didonis martiris, Cartaginis regine.

1359. C. T. A. P. that; rest om. 1360. A. contrair; P. contrarie; C. T. contrary; rest contrarious (too long). 1363. C. T. A. P. that; rest om. 1366. Tn. P. who; rest who so, or who that.

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;

1370

1375

(10)

1380

1385

For they shul have wel better love and chere
Than he that hath aboght his love ful dere,

(20)

1370. A. T. tender; rest repeat gentil. C. has tendere wemen gentil. 1373. A. C. farced; F. Tn. Th. farsed; B. forsed; P. filled; T. versyd. 1375. P. A. thy; rest om.

1377. Here MS. P. ends.

A. Th. love and; F. Tn. B. and gretter. bought. C. T. A. his; rest om.

1386. C. T. 1387. C. A. abought; rest

Or had in armes many a blody box.

For ever as tendre a capoun et the fox,

Thogh he be fals and hath the foul betrayed,

1390

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,

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

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 fredom, 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 degre
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

1395

(30)

1400

1405

(40)

1410

1415

(50)

1389. C. et (= eteth); rest eteth (etith). 1391. C. hath; rest om. (badly). 1392. C. T. Al haue he; F. Alle thof he haue. 1396. F. Tn. B. and; rest as. C. Guido; T. A. Guydo; F. Tn. Th. B. Ouyde. 1397. F. Tn. B. knyght; rest kyng (see l. 1401); see note. 1405. So C.; rest Of fredom, of strength, and of lustynesse. 1409. C. T. hadde.

To senden him in-to som fer contree

Ther as this Iasoun may destroyed be.
This was his wit; al made he to Iasoun

1420

Gret chere of love and of affeccioun,

For drede lest his lordes hit espyde.

So fil hit so, as fame renneth wyde,

Ther was swich tyding over-al and swich los,
That in an yle that called was Colcos,
Beyonde Troye, estward in the see,
That ther-in was a ram, that men mighte see,
That had a flees of gold, that shoon so brighte,
That no-wher was ther swich an-other sighte;
But hit was kept alway with a dragoun,
And many othere merveils, up and doun,
And with two boles, maked al of bras,

That spitten fyr, and moche thing ther was.
But this was eek the tale, nathelees,
That who-so wolde winne thilke flees,

He moste bothe, or he hit winne mighte,
With the boles and the dragoun fighte;
And king Oëtes lord was of that yle.

This Pelleus bethoghte upon this wyle;
That he his nevew Iasoun wolde enhorte
To sailen to that lond, him to disporte,
And seide, Nevew, if hit might be
That swich a worship mighte fallen thee,
That thou this famous tresor mightest winne,
And bringen hit my regioun with-inne,
Hit wer to me gret plesaunce and honour;
Than wer I holde to quyte thy labour.

1425

(60)

1430

1435

(70)

1440

1445

(80)

1418. C. To syndyn; T. To send; Tn. Th. That to senden; F. That to selden (!). 1427. F. Tn. Th. B. ther; rest therin. C. may se. 1433. T. Th. moche; F. muche; C. meche othir.

rest Otes (Otys).

mightest; rest myghte.

1438. C. Oetes;

1443. C. T. A. a; rest om.

1444. T. A. C.、

1445. C. T. bryngyn; rest brynge (bring).

And al the cost I wol my-selven make;

And chees what folk that thou wilt with thee take;

Lat see now, darstow take this viage?'

1450

Iasoun was yong, and lusty of corage,

And under-took to doon this ilke empryse.
Anoon Argus his shippes gan devyse;
With Iasoun wente the stronge Ercules,
And many an-other that he with him chees.
But who-so axeth who is with him gon,

1455

Lat him go reden Argonauticon,

(90)

For he wol telle a tale long y-now.

Philotetes anoon the sail up-drow,

Whan that the wind was good, and gan him hye

1460

Out of his contree called Tessalye.

So long he sailed in the salte see

Til in the yle Lemnoun aryved he-
Al be this nat rehersed of Guido,
Yet seith Ovyde in his Epistles so-
And of this yle lady was and quene
The faire yonge Isiphilee, the shene,
That whylom Thoas doghter was, the king.
Isiphilee was goon in her playing;
And, roming on the clyves by the see,
Under a banke anoon espyed she

Wher that the ship of Iasoun gan aryve.

Of her goodnesse adoun she sendeth blyve
To witen yif that any straunge wight
With tempest thider wer y-blowe a-night,

1465

(100)

1470

1475

1448. C. T. A. cost; rest costes. 1449. C. om. And. A. ches; F. Tn. T. B. chese; Th. chose; C. Schis (!). C. A. that; rest om. 1452. C. T. om. ilke. 1457. T. A. go; rest om. All rede; better reden. 1460. C. T. that; rest om. 1463. All insert of after yle (needlessly). Th. Lemnon; A. Lennoun; C. lenoun (for lēnoun- lemnoun); F. Tn. B. leonoun; T. lenon (=lemnon). 1471. F. brake (!); A. bonk; rest banke. 1472. So C. T. A.; F. Tn. Th. B. Wher lay the shippe, that Iasoun (giving no sense).