The "Gest hystoriale" of the destruction of Troy: an alliterative romance tr. from Guido de Colonna's "Hystoria troiana." Now first ed. from the unique ms. in the Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, with introduction, notes, and a glossary, by ... Geo. A. Panton, and David Donaldson, esq.

Third Boke: how Medea enformed Iason to get the Iason of Golde.

Here tellus þe tale, woso tentis after, How the wethir was wonen, & away borne The grete goldyn flese with a greke noble, Thurghe wyles of [a] woman, þat þe wegh louet. Line 668 Whan Medea the maidon, þat I mynt have, Was chosyn into chamber, & on hir charge thoght, Of hir Janglyng with Jason & hir iuste wordys, Hit neght to þe night & the none past: Line 672 Sone the day ouerdroghe & the derke entrid, And all buernes vnto bed as hom best liked. Medea full myldly movede aboute, [folio 13a] Waynet up a window, the welkyn beheld, Line 676 Persauyt pertly, with hir pure artis, When the dregh was don of þe derke night, Þat all sad were on slepe, seruond & other. ffayn was þat fre and forþer ho went, Line 680 Waknet vp a wydow, þat hir with dwellit, And sent to þat semly, as ho said first. He busket from his bede & þe burde folowid, Till he come thurghe a cloyster to a clene halle, Line 684 Þere Medea the mylde met hym hir one, And with myrthe at þere metyng mowthet to gethir; Þen suet þai with solas into a sure chamber.

The old wedo on hir way wendys belyue, Line 688 And þo louers ho leuyt lightly to-gedur. Medea the maidon meuyt to þe dore, Barret it bygly on hir best wise; Þan she brought forth þe bold to hir bedde syde Line 692 In solas full soberly he set hym þeron. She went from þat worthy into a wale chambur, A triet Image she toke all of true golde, Halowet was hertly in a highe nome Line 696 Of Joue, þat gentillis held for a iust god, And broght to the buerne on þe beddis syde, With light that was louely lemyng þer-In Of suergys semly, þat set were aboute. Line 700 Þan wightly thies wordes to þat worthy ho said:— "Here I aske you hertely þat ye may het here, With a solemne sacrement on this sure gode, All þe forward to fulfille, þat ye first made, Line 704 And þo couenaundes to kepe with a clene hert; And for your felow & fere me faithfully hold, Euer from this owre to the ende of your lyffe; [folio 13b] ffor no chaunce, þat may cheue, chaunge your wille: Line 708 And I heghly shall holde, I het you before." Jason grauntede full goodly with a glad chere, And swiftly he sware on þat (Shene) god; [MS. has "Shete."] All tho couenaundes to kepe, & for no cause let, Line 712 Whill hym lastes the lyffe: he laid on his hond.

THE POETE.

But vnfaithfull freke, with þi fals cast, Þat such a lady belirt with þi lechur dedes, Þat put hur so plainly þi power vnto, Line 716 All þi wille for to wirke, þi worship to saue: And þow hedis not the harme of þat hend lady, Ne tentes not thy trouth þat þou tynt has.

Soche a maiden to mar þat þe most louet, Line 720 Þat forsec hir fader & hir fre londe, When the soile & þe Septur was sothely hur awne, And þe tresure she toke vntruly for thee; Auntrede hir to Exile euer for þi sake; Line 724 Wan þe thy worship & wilfull desire: Keppit þe fro combraunse & fro cold deth, Storet thee to strenght & þi stythe londes, And dawly hir distitur of hir dere fader. Line 728 With shame may þou shunt fro þi shire othes, So fals to be founden, & þi faithe breike, To betraut soche a trew, þat þe trust In: And þi god has þou greuit with þi grete filth. Line 732 Wete for þi werke þat þe shall wo happyn, And myschefe full mekill, þou art mansworne: Þou failes not in faith of a fowle end. And þow Medea so mad, what myndes had þou þen? Line 736 Syn þou wist thurgh wit werdis to come, [folio 14a] What seruit it your sciense of þe seuon artes, That þou sogh not your sorow, þat thee suet after? But þou sothely may say þat your sight failed, Line 740 And þow loket not large, for lust þat þe blyndit. And oft in astronamy hit auntres to falle, Þat domes men dessauis & in doute bringes. ffor hit passis þe power of any pure mon, Line 744 All þe course for to know, þat is to cum after: Saue God, þat all gouernes with grase of his honde. Now turne to our tale, take þere we lefte.

When he swiftly hade sworne to þat swete maidon, Line 748 Þai entrid full evyn into an Inner chamber, Þat was rially arayed with a riche bede; And bothe all bare busket þere-in.

Þai solast hom samyn, as hom-seluon liket, Line 752 With venus werkes, þat hom well pleasid: Þat sorily dessauis, & men to sorow bringes. Whan þe day vp droghe & the dym voidet, Thus Jason full ioyfull to þat gentill said:— Line 756 "Hit is best þat we buske & of bede rise, Lest þe day vs be-daghe & our dedes knowen, And we founden in fere & oure fame loste; And I vnformet in faith how I fare shall, Line 760 Of my dedes to do, as ye me dere heght. Iff þe any thing have amyt abill me to, Þat þe me faithfully informe, & let me fare hethyn, My deuer for to do & my deth voide; Line 764 Þat I might lede þe with luff into my londe home, Wede ye with worship, and to wiffe hold." Medea to þat mighty myldly answarit:— "A! my lord & my loue, more lefe þan my seluyn, Line 768 I have mynde of youre mater most of all other: I will fully enforme yow or ye fare hethyn, How ye dewly shall do, & no drede haue. Ryse we now full radly, rest here no longer, Line 772 And I shall tell you full tyte, & tary no thing." [folio 14b] Than þai cladde hom clenly vppon clese wise: The burd bowet from þe bede, broght hym in haste An ymage full nobill, þat he naite shulde, Line 776 Þat qwaint was & qwem, all of white siluer, Charmet with enchauntment, & chargit hym to holde. Hit was wroght all by wit & wiles to helpe, And myghty suche mawmentry made to distroy: Line 780 Sho bade hym kepe it full close on his clene body. An oyntment þat was noble, anon she hym set,

Toke hit hym full tyte & tolde hym these wordes:— "This strongly distroy shall þe strenght of þe venym, Line 784 And fade all the ffyr and þe furse lowe." Than ho raught hym a ring with a riche stone, Þat no poison enpaire might, þe power is soche: And if it borne were in batell on his bare flesshe, Line 788 He shulde slyde forth sleghly & vnslayn worthe. Achates it calde is with clene men of wit, And in Cicill forsothe sene was it first: Eneas it name & in note hade, Line 792 Whan he to cartage come vnknowen with sight. And þan ho broght hym a bref all of brode letres, Þat was comly by crafte a clerke for to rede; And enformyt him fayre how he fare shuld, Line 796 When he [h]is deuer hade done & drow to þe whethir, ffor to knele on his knes to the cold erth, And grete all his goddes with a good chere; And the rolle for to rede or he rest thry, Line 800 As with Sacrifice to shew & seruice to goddes, Þat hym grauntede of grace þat gifte for to haue, Þat he might worthely it welde, & away beire. And þan sho gafe hym a glasse with a good lycour, Line 804 And bade whan he buskyt to the bolde Exin, To werke it with mesure, & in hor mouthe caste, And þai clappe shall full clene, & neuer vnclose aftur, Ne neuer dere hym a dyse with no dede efte. [folio 15a] Line 808 Thus enfourmet ho þat fre of þe fete euyn, How he wyn shuld his worship, & his woche pas: And þen lacches his leue & his loue kyst, Past furth priuely and þat pert leuyt, Line 812

Line 812 Enon lurkys to his loge, & laide hym to slepe. By the renke hade hym restid ryses the sun, Brightis all the burghe and the brode valis; Meuyt ouer the mounteyns men to beholde. Line 816 Jason feynit with fare as he hade fast sleppit, And now rapis hym to ryse & rom from his bede. With Ercules and oþer mo of his aune men, He sues furth on þe soile to Chethes the kyng, Line 820 In company of kynges and oþer clene burnes. Whan he was ware of þe wegh, welcomed hym faire, And spird at hym specially what his spede were. Than Jason vnioynid to the gentill speche:— Line 824 "Lord, and it like you, longe am I here! Wold ye graunt me your grase goodly to wende, I wold boune me to batell, and take my bare aunter, Yon worthy wethir to wyn, & your wille be." Line 828

THE COUNSELL OF CHETES TO JASON.

The Kyng þan full curtesly karpes agayne: Sais, "Jason, this Jorney is no ioye in, I am ferd, by my faith, of þi frele yowth, þat hit lede þe to losse and þi lyffe tyne, Line 832 And me harme for to haue of thy hegh wille, To be sclaundret of þi skathe, & þou skape noght. Þerfore ffrynd, by my faith, vppon faire wise, I counsell þe in kyrt, kaire to þi londe, Line 836 And put of þis purpos, for perille þat may folowe." Jason carpes to the kyng, conyngly he said, "Sir I hade counsaill in þis case er I come here, [folio 15b] And ye shall boldly be blameles, þof me bale happyn, Line 840 Þat I wilne of my wit & wilfull desyre." Þan the kyng to þe knight carpes these wordes;— "ffrynd þou shall fully haue fauer to wend,

And ouer goddes þe graunt grace of þi hele." Line 844 He lowted the lege kyng, & his leue toke, Dressit hym for his dede, dose hym to goo.

In an yle þat was negh þe noble kynges sete, This clene flese was inclosede all with clere water, Line 848 Euon a forlong þerfro, & fully nomore. Jason to þis Jorney ioynes hym belyffe, Bowes euyn to þe banke & a bote fonde, Entris with armur & all his other gere, Line 852 ffore to þe fer syde, noght aferd was: Gird vp to þe grounde, gripes his weppon, Armur & all thing atlet before, Þat Medea þe maiden myldly hym betaght, Line 856 And past furth prudly his pray for to wyn. Mournyng the maiden made in hir thought, Lest þe ffyre shuld hym fere of þe fuerse bestes, Þat was blasound of brunston with a brem lowe. Line 860 Sho went vp wightly by a walle syde To the toppe of a toure, & tot ouer the water ffor to loke on hir luffe, longyng in hert. So ferd was þat fre, & he faile shuld, Line 864 Sho brast out bright water at hir brode een. Thus sykyng ho said with a sade wille:— "A! Jason my ioye & my gentill knight, I am ferd lest þou faile of my fyn lore, Line 868 And for ȝenernes for-ȝete þat þe ȝeme shuld; Thou dawly bes dede, & I to doll broght, Neuer þe comly to kysse, ne clippe in myn armys. Now full pristly I pray to my prise goddes, Line 872 Þat I may see thee come sounde to þis sale enys, And me comford of thy coursse, kepe I no more." When the knight was comyn into þe cliffe ferre, [folio 16a] He waites vmbe hym wightly, & was ware sone Line 876 Of þe orible oxin, vgsome to see, Þat fyre out fnast with a fuerse lowe,

Þat no buerne might abide but he brent were; Hit gird from the grym with so gret hete. Line 880

HOW JASON WAN THE FFLESE OF GOLDE.

The tokyn hym taght was of a tru maiden He forȝet not, but ȝepely ȝarkit hym þerfore, And anoyntide hym anon with his noble boyste, Bothe the face and þe fete, & all þe fore perte. Line 884 His noble ymage at his necke for neghyng of fyre, And his rolle þan he rede as he to reste toke; ffore evyn to þe fight with þo felle bestes. So þe fuerse by-flamede all with fyre hote, Line 888 Þai brent vp his brode shilde & his bigge speire; And Jason for all þo Japes hade nere his ioy lost, Hade his licour ben to laite, þat þe lede caght, And caste it be course into the core hete: Line 892 Hit stake vp the stith lippes as stiffe bounden, As þai chaltrede were choisly with chenys of yerne, Þat abatede the breme hete, brent it no more. All cold it became & the course helde, Line 896 Bothe of ymur & aire, after I-wise. ffayne was the freike & fore to þe hornes Of þe balefull bestes, & hom aboute ladde; Þai were made als meke as maistur behouet, Line 900 And as bowande to þe bowes as any bestes might. Ȝynerly the ȝepe knight ȝokit hom belyue, Pight hom into ploghe, pilde vp the vrthe, Braid vp bygly all a brode ffeld: Line 904 And all the gayre of the ground þere þe gome leuyt. [folio 16b] Drow euyn to the dragon, dressit hym to fight, And he gird him agayne with a grym noyse: Mony slecynges vnslogh throughe hys slote yode. Line 908 As þe welkyn shold walt, a wonderfull noyse Skremyt vp to the skrow with a skryke ffelle.

With a smorther & a smoke smult through his nase, He rut out roidly with a rede hete, Line 912 Þat all blasit the bent on a breme lowe; And as he tilt out his tung with his tethe grym, He straght fro hym stremes all of styth venym. The freike was a-ferd of þat felle beste, Line 916 And raght to his Ryng in a rad haste, Held it high in his hond, þat he behold might. ffor chynyng of the chene stone he shont with his hede, And with-droghe the deire of his dere attur; Line 920 All dropet the dule as he degh wold. Þis stone full of strenght, as þe story tellus, Is erdand in Judé, as Isoder sais: Be it smethe owþer smert, smaragden hit hat. Line 924 Þere is no derffe dragon, ne no du edder, Ne no beste so bold with no bale atter, May loke on þe light, but he his lyffe tyne. Þis stone with his stremys stroyed all the venym, Line 928 And drepit the dragon to the dethe negh. Jason grippede graithly to a grym sworde, Dange on the deuyll with a derffe wille, Tyll the stremys of stynke & of stythe venum Line 932 Past out in the place pyne to be-holde. He laid on þat loodly, lettyd he noght, With dynttes full dregh, till he to dethe paste, And he Enfecte the ffirmament with his felle noise. Line 936 Jason of his iorney was ioyfull ynoghe, Gryppet a grym toole, gyrd of his hede, Vnioynis the Jamnys þat iuste were to-gedur: Gyrd out the grete tethe, grippet hom sone, [folio 17a] Line 940 Sew hom in the soile or he sesse wold. Stythe knightes and stoure stert vp agayne, Armet at all peses abill to fight,

Delt dynttes full derffe, geuyn depe woundes. Line 944 These balefull brether batell so longe, Till none left was alyue ne o lofte stode. Now thies charmys & enchauntementtes are cheuit to noght, Dede ys the dragon and the derffe knightes, Line 948 The exin left on þe lond vnneth lyfe in, He past all his perels and no pyne tholed. By the crafte so coynt þat hym kend were, He glydis forthe gladly to the golde fflese, Line 952 Wynnes to the wethir, wroght hym to dethe, fflypit of the fflese ffoldet it somyn; Thonkes gretly his goddis þat hym grace lent The flese for to fonge and no fay worthe. Line 956 Jason was ioly, hade Juels ynogh, Busket to the bank and the bote tok, Stird ouer the streame streght to þe lond, Þere he found all his feris fayne of his werke; Line 960 Ercules and oþer þat euer were abyding, Þat fayne were to fonge þat freike vppon lyue. Jason with ioy and his ioly ffellowes Soghten euen to the Sete of Chetes þe kyng. Line 964 And he as wee full of worship welcomed hom all With a faynyng fare vnder faire chere; Hade no deynté of the dede but dere at his hert, Ne of ryches so Riall þat the Renke hade: Line 968 He assignet hym a sete by hym-selfe euyen. The flammyng of þe flese was ferly to see, ȝet merueld hym more how Mars was distroyed, Geter of his good and a god holdyn. Line 972 Medea the mayden with a mylde chere, [folio 17b] Was Joyfull of Jason, Aioynit hym to, Kyst hym full curtesly, and of his come fayne. By þat semly he sate as hir syre bade, Line 976 Ho prayet hym priuely all with pert wordes, To bow to hir bede boldly at euyn;

And he hir graunted þat gate with a good wille. When it turnyt to þe tyme as I told ere, Line 980 He bowes to hir bed þere he ben hade, And lay þere in lustes þe long night ouer, In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght, And spekyn of hor spede while þai space hade, Line 984 ffor to fare on þe fome into fer londes; But Medea mouet hym a moneth to lenge. Þen leuyt þai the lond and no leue toke, Stale from þe styth kyng styllé by night; Line 988 With þe maiden Medea & myche oþer goodes, Þai turne into Tessaile with-outen tale more, Hit vp into a havyn all the hepe samyn. Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert, Line 992 Þat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped, And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes, Holy het hom to have þe hestes before.

Jason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe, Line 996 Þat he hade fongit þe flese & þe fresshe gold; He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes, Ne he keppid no couenaund to þe kynd maydon. But a Sourdyng with sourgrem sanke in his hert, Line 1000 And a lourekand lust to Lamydon the kyng: Ercules with Enuy was enmy also. Þai comynd in the case, cast hom þerfore, Comyn euyn to the kyng & þe cause tolde Line 1004 Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes, Þat the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat; [folio 18a] And heghly to helpe heghtyn þai all, As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur. Line 1008