John Gower's Confessio amantis
Lines 3301 through 3400
Toward Colchos: bot on the weie
5.3301
What hem befell is long to seie;
5.3302
Hou Lamedon the king of Troie,
5.3303
Which oghte wel have mad hem joie.
5.3304
Whan thei to reste a while him preide,
5.3305
Out of his lond he hem congeide;
5.3306
And so fell the dissencion,
5.3307
Which after was destruccion
5.3308
Of that Cite, as men mai hiere:
5.3309
Bot that is noght to mi matiere.
5.3310
Bot thus this worthi folk Gregeis
5.3311
Fro that king, which was noght curteis,
5.3312
And fro his lond with Sail updrawe
5.3313
Thei wente hem forth, and many a sawe
5.3314
Thei made and many a gret manace,
5.3315
Til ate laste into that place
5.3316
Which as thei soghte thei aryve,
5.3317
And striken Sail, and forth as blyve
5.3318
Thei sente unto the king and tolden
5.3319
Who weren ther and what thei wolden.
5.3320
Whan that he herde this tyding
5.3322
Of Jason, which was comen there,
5.3323
And of these othre, what thei were,
5.3324
He thoghte don hem gret worschipe:
5.3325
For thei anon come out of Schipe,
5.3326
And strawht unto the king thei wente,
5.3327
And be the hond Jason he hente,
5.3328
And that was ate paleis gate,
5.3329
So fer the king cam on his gate
5.3330
Toward Jason to don him chiere;
5.3331
And he, whom lacketh no manere,
5.3332
Whan he the king sih in presence,
5.3333
Yaf him ayein such reverence
5.3334
As to a kinges stat belongeth.
5.3335
And thus the king him underfongeth,
5.3336
And Jason in his arm he cawhte,
5.3337
And forth into the halle he strawhte,
5.3338
And ther they siete and spieke of thinges,
5.3339
And Jason tolde him tho tidinges,
5.3340
Why he was come, and faire him preide
5.3341
To haste his time, and the kyng seide,
5.3342
"Jason, thou art a worthi kniht,
5.3343
Bot it lith in no mannes myht
5.3344
To don that thou art come fore:
5.3345
Ther hath be many a kniht forlore
5.3346
Of that thei wolden it assaie."
5.3347
Bot Jason wolde him noght esmaie,
5.3348
And seide, "Of every worldes cure
5.3349
Fortune stant in aventure,
5.3350
Per aunter wel, per aunter wo:
5.3351
Bot hou as evere that it go,
5.3352
It schal be with myn hond assaied."
5.3353
The king tho hield him noght wel paied,
5.3354
For he the Grekes sore dredde,
5.3355
In aunter, if Jason ne spedde,
5.3356
He mihte therof bere a blame;
5.3357
For tho was al the worldes fame
5.3358
In Grece, as forto speke of Armes.
5.3359
And gan to preche him and to preie;
5.3361
Bot Jason wolde noght obeie,
5.3362
Bot seide he wolde his porpos holde
5.3363
For ought that eny man him tolde.
5.3364
The king, whan he thes wordes herde,
5.3365
And sih hou that this kniht ansuerde,
5.3366
Yit for he wolde make him glad,
5.3367
After Medea gon he bad,
5.3368
Which was his dowhter, and sche cam.
5.3369
And Jason, which good hiede nam,
5.3370
Whan he hire sih, ayein hire goth;
5.3371
And sche, which was him nothing loth,
5.3372
Welcomede him into that lond,
5.3373
And softe tok him be the hond,
5.3374
And doun thei seten bothe same.
5.3375
Sche hadde herd spoke of his name
5.3376
And of his grete worthinesse;
5.3377
Forthi sche gan hir yhe impresse
5.3378
Upon his face and his stature,
5.3379
And thoghte hou nevere creature
5.3380
Was so wel farende as was he.
5.3381
And Jason riht in such degre
5.3382
Ne mihte noght withholde his lok,
5.3383
Bot so good hiede on hire he tok,
5.3384
That him ne thoghte under the hevene
5.3385
Of beaute sawh he nevere hir evene,
5.3386
With al that fell to wommanhiede.
5.3387
Thus ech of other token hiede,
5.3388
Thogh ther no word was of record;
5.3389
Here hertes bothe of on acord
5.3390
Ben set to love, bot as tho
5.3391
Ther mihten be no wordes mo.
5.3392
The king made him gret joie and feste,
5.3393
To alle his men he yaf an heste,
5.3394
So as thei wolde his thonk deserve,
5.3395
That thei scholde alle Jason serve,
5.3396
Whil that he wolde there duelle.
5.3397
With manye merthes thei despente,
5.3399
Til nyht was come, and tho thei wente,
5.3400
