¶Of goodly Isis wife to Apys kynge of argyne slayne by his brother Dyffeus.
wE haue redde in stories here toforne
Howe that Isis to egipt toke her flyght
Oute of Crece the true doughter borne
Of Prometheus a full manly knyght
And Isis in euery mannys sight
So fresshe / so goodly weddyd by hir lyue
To worthy Apys that was kynge of argyue
The which Isis excellent of bewtye
After tyme her fader was ygraue
She was put for more suretye
With her vncle that shulde kepe and saue
This sayde mayde that no man shulde her haue
And her vncle in Ouyde ye may se
Lyke as he wrote was callyd Epymethe
And flowynge vp in her tendre age
This sayde Isis so plesaunt was and mete
Of semelynesse of look / and visage
That Iupiter the myghty kynge of Crete
Was enuyroned with her for to mete
And she excyted of femynyte
Enclynyd her hert vnto his deite
And for she was of her entent so clene
Obeynge him in moost lowly wise
Of argmois she made her to be quene
Bicause that she was smyt in couetise
Ayenst argus a werre she ganne deuyse
And for he was vnweldy of his age
Her to withstonde he founde none auauntage
But yit fortune ganne vpon her froune
And kynge argus thurgh his subtylite
With his counseyll so prudently ganne rowne
That she was take by full greate cruelte
And her soudeours were also made to flee
And by argus there gayned no raūson
She fettryd was and put in stronge prison
But her sonne good mercurius
Right fresshe / ryght lusty / and full of hardynesse
And of his erthely ioye
Ayenst argus gan his power dresse
And so entierly dyd his besinesse
And was slayne in conclusion
And Isis after deliueryd fro pryson
Of her sleightes afterwarde nat feynt
She toke a ship and to egipt went
In which ship there was a cowe depeyn••
And thoures whom Iupiter also sent
Is goon with her both of one entent
To a mariage after anone right
Betwene her and apys a prynce full of myght
She was right wise aboue other creatures
Secrete of cunynge wele experte in science
She taught first letters and figures
To egipciens by pleyn experience
Yaue theym cūnynge and intelligence
To tile the londe taught the labourerys
To sowe their greyne / and multiplie by yeres
And in egipt her fame and her renoun
Began day by day wext her worthynesse
Holde of cunnynge and of reputacion
By signes shewyd nat only in princesse
But she was holde amonge theym a goddesse
And with worshipes which were deuyne
And sacrificis to her they dyde enclyne
But to declare playnly at a worde
In myddes of all her greate prosperite
Mighty apes her husbonde and her lorde
Prince of egipt and lorde of that cuntre
Sonne of Iupiter and of Neobe
Which Niobe by longe descendynge
The doughter was of prothemeus the kynge
And phoroneus first the lawes fonde
To which all crete stōde vnder obeysaunce
And the statutes of that myghty londe
Were vnstablysshyd by his ordynaunce
But for to wryte the vnhappy chaunce
Of kynge Apys that is remembryd
He slayne was and pitously dismembryd
By his brother callyd Tyffeus
Sumwhat of hatred but more for couetyse