| In Tessalie, as Guido tellith us, |
| There was a kyng that highte Pelleus, |
| That hadde a brother which that highte Eson; |
| And whan for age he myghte unnethes gon, |
| 1400 | He yaf to Pelleus the governyng |
| Of al his regne and made hym lord and kyng. |
| Of which Eson this Jason geten was, |
| That in his tyme in al that land there nas |
| Nat swich a famous knyght of gentilesse, |
| 1405 | Of fredom, and of strengthe and lustynesse. |
| After his fadres deth he bar hym so |
| That there nas non that liste ben his fo, |
| But dide hym al honour and companye. |
| Of which this Pelleus hadde gret envye, |
| 1410 | Imagynynge that Jason myghte be |
| Enhaunsed so and put in swich degre |
| With love of lordes of his regioun, |
| That from his regne he may ben put adoun. |
| And in his wit a-nyght compassed he |
| 1415 | How Jason myghte best distroyed be |
| Withoute sclaunder of his compassement, |
| And at the last he tok avysement |
| To senden hym into som fer contre, |
| There as this Jason may destroyed be. |
| 1420 | This was his wit, al made he to Jasoun |
| Gret chere of love and of affeccioun, |
| For drede lest his lordes it espide. |
| So fyl it, so as fame renneth wide, |
| There was swich tydyng overal and swich loos, |
| 1425 | That in an yle that called was Colcos, |
| Beyonde Troye, estward in the se, |
| That therin was a ram that men mighte se |
| That hadde a fles of gold that shon so bryghte |
| That nowher was ther swich anothir syghte; |
| 1430 | But it was kept alwey with a dragoun, |
| And many other merveyles, up and doun, |
| And with two boles maked al of bras, |
| That spitten fyr, and moche thyng there was. |
| But this was ek the tale, natheles, |
| 1435 | That whoso wolde wynne thylke fles, |
| He moste bothe, or he it wynne myghte, |
| With the boles and the dragoun fyghte. |
| And kyng Oetes lord was of that yle. |
| This Pelleus bethoughte upon this wile, |
| 1440 | That he his neveu Jason wolde enhorte |
| To saylen to that lond, hym to disporte, |
| And seyde, "Nevew, if it myghte be |
| That swich a worshipe myghte fallen the, |
| That thow this famous tresor myghtest wynne, |
| 1445 | And bryngen it my regioun withinne, |
| It were to me gret plesaunce and honour. |
| Thanne were I holde to quyte thy labour; |
| And al the cost I wol myselven make. |
| And chees what folk that thow wilt with the take; |
| 1450 | Lat sen now, darst thow take this viage?" |
| Jason was yong, and lusty of corage, |
| And undertok to don this ilke empryse. |
| Anon Argus his shipes gan devyse; |
| With Jason wente the stronge Ercules, |
| 1455 | And many another that he with hym ches. |
| But whoso axeth who is with hym gon, |
| Lat hym go rede Argonautycon, |
| For he wole telle a tale long ynogh. |
| Philotetes anon the sayl up drogh, |
| 1460 | Whan that the wynd was good, and gan hym hye |
| Out of his contre called Thessalye. |
| So longe he seyled in the salte se, |
| Til in the yle of Lemnon aryvede he -- |
| Al be this nat rehersed of Guido, |
| 1465 | Yit seyth Ovyde in his Epistels so -- |
| And of this ile lady was and quene |
| The fayre yonge Ysiphele, the shene, |
| That whylom Thoas doughter was, the kyng. |
| Isiphile was gon in hire pleying, |
| 1470 | And, romynge on the clyves by the se, |
| Under a banke anon aspied she |
| Where that the ship of Jason gan aryve. |
| Of hire goodnesse adoun she sendeth blyve |
| To witen if that any straunge wight |
| 1475 | With tempest thider were yblowe a-nyght, |
| To don him socour, as was hire usaunce |
| To fortheren every wight, and don plesaunce |
| Of verrey bounte and of curteysye. |
| This messangeer adoun hym gan to hye, |
| 1480 | And fond Jason and Ercules also, |
| That in a cog to londe were ygo, |
| Hem to refreshen and to take the eyr. |
| The morwenynge attempre was and fayr, |
| And in his weye this messanger hem mette. |
| 1485 | Ful cunnyngly these lordes two he grette, |
| And dide his message, axinge hem anon |
| If they were broken, or ought wo begon, |
| Or hadden nede of lodman or vitayle; |
| For of socour they sholde nothyng fayle, |
| 1490 | For it was outrely the quenes wille. |
| Jason answerde mekely and stylle: |
| "My lady," quod he, "thanke I hertely |
| Of hire goodnesse; us nedeth, trewely, |
| Nothyng as now, but that we wery be, |
| 1495 | And come for to pleye out of the se |
| Tyl that the wynd be better in oure weye." |
| This lady rometh by the clyf to pleye, |
| With hire meyne, endelong the stronde, |
| And fynt this Jason and this other stonde |
| 1500 | In spekynge of this thyng, as I yow tolde. |
| This Ercules and Jason gan beholde |
| How that the queen it was, and fayre hire grette |
| Anon-ryght as they with this lady mette; |
| And she tok hed, and knew by hyre manere, |
| 1505 | By hire aray, by wordes, and by chere, |
| That it were gentil-men of gret degre, |
| And to the castel with hire ledeth she |
| These straunge folk and doth hem gret honour, |
| And axeth hem of travayle and labour |
| 1510 | That they han suffered in the salte se; |
| So that, withinne a day, or two, or thre, |
| She knew, by folk that in his shipes be, |
| That it was Jason, ful of renone, |
| And Ercules, that hadde the grete los, |
| 1515 | That soughten the aventures of Colcos; |
| And dide hem honour more than before, |
| And with hem deled evere lenger the more, |
| For they ben worthy folk, withouten les. |
| And namely, most she spak with Ercules; |
| 1520 | To hym hire herte bar, he shulde be |
| Sad, wys, and trewe, of wordes avyse, |
| Withouten any other affeccioun |
| Of love, or evyl ymagynacyoun. |
| This Ercules hath so this Jason preysed |
| 1525 | That to the sonne he hath hym up areysed, |
| That half so trewe a man there nas of love |
| Under the cope of heven that is above; |
| And he was wis, hardy, secre, and ryche. |
| Of these thre poyntes there nas non hym liche: |
| 1530 | Of fredom passede he, and lustyhede, |
| Alle tho that lyven or been dede; |
| Therto so gret a gentilman was he, |
| And of Thessalye likly kyng to be. |
| There nas no lak, but that he was agast |
| 1535 | To love, and for to speke shamefast. |
| He hadde lever hymself to morder, and dye, |
| Than that men shulde a lovere hym espye. |
| "As wolde God that I hadde yive |
| My blod and flesh, so that I myghte live, |
| 1540 | With the nones that he hadde owher a wif |
| For hys estat; for swich a lusty lyf |
| She shulde lede with this lusty knyght!" |
| And al this was compassed on the nyght |
| Bytwixe hym Jason and this Ercules. |
| 1545 | Of these two here was a shrewed lees, |
| To come to hous upon an innocent! |
| For to bedote this queen was here assent. |
| And Jason is as coy as is a mayde; |
| He loketh pitously, but nought he sayde, |
| 1550 | But frely yaf he to hire conseyleres |
| Yiftes grete, and to hire officeres. |
| As wolde God I leyser hadde and tyme |
| By proces al his wowyng for to ryme! |
| But in this hous if any fals lovere be, |
| 1555 | Ryght as hymself now doth, ryght so dide he, |
| With feynynge, and with every subtil dede. |
| Ye gete namore of me, but ye wole rede |
| Th' origynal, that telleth al the cas. |
| The somme is this: that Jason wedded was |
| 1560 | Unto this queen and tok of hir substaunce |
| What so hym leste unto his purveyaunce; |
| And upon hire begat he children two, |
| And drogh his sayl and saw hir nevere mo. |
| A letter sente she to hym, certeyn, |
| 1565 | Which were to longe to wryten and to sen, |
| And hym reprevith of his grete untrouthe, |
| And preyeth him on hire to have som routhe. |
| And of his children two she seyde hym this: |
| That they ben lyk of alle thyng, ywis, |
| 1570 | To Jason, save they coude nat begile; |
| And preyede God, or it were longe while, |
| That she that hadde his herte yraft hire fro |
| Moste fynden hym untrewe to hir also, |
| And that she moste bothe hire chyldren spylle, |
| 1575 | And alle tho that sufferede hym his wille. |
| And trewe to Jason was she al hire lyf, |
| And evere kepte hire chast, as for his wif; |
| Ne nevere hadde she joye at hire herte, |
| |
| |
| But deyede for his love, of sorwes smerte. |
| 1580 | To Colcos comen is this duc Jasoun, |
| That is of love devourer and dragoun. |
| As mater apetiteth forme alwey |
| And from forme into forme it passen may, |
| Or as a welle that were botomles, |
| 1585 | Ryght so can false Jason have no pes. |
| For to desyren thourgh his apetit |
| To don with gentil women his delyt, |
| This is his lust and his felicite. |
| Jason is romed forth to the cyte |
| 1590 | That whilom cleped was Jaconitos, |
| That was the mayster-toun of al Colcos, |
| And hath ytold the cause of his comyng |
| Unto Oetes, of that contre kyng, |
| Preyinge hym that he moste don his assay |
| 1595 | To gete the fles of gold if that he may; |
| Of which the kyng assenteth to his bone, |
| And doth hym honour, as it was to done, |
| So fer forth that his doughter and his eyr, |
| Medea, which that was so wis and fayr |
| 1600 | That fayrer say there nevere man with ye, |
| He made hire don to Jason companye |
| At mete, and sitte by hym in the halle. |
| Now was Jason a semely man withalle, |
| And lyk a lord, and hadde a gret renoun, |
| 1605 | And of his lok as real as a leoun, |
| And goodly of his speche, and familer, |
| And coude of love al craft and art pleyner |
| Withoute bok, with everych observaunce. |
| And, as Fortune hire oughte a foul myschaunce, |
| 1610 | She wex enamoured upon this man. |
| "Jason," quod she, "for ought I se or can, |
| As of this thyng the whiche ye ben aboute, |
| Ye han youreself yput in moche doute. |
| For whoso wol this aventure acheve, |
| 1615 | He may nat wel asterten, as I leve, |
| Withouten deth, but I his helpe be. |
| But natheles, it is my wylle," quod she, |
| "To fortheren yow so that ye shal nat die, |
| But turnen sound hom to youre Tessalye." |
| 1620 | "My ryghte lady," quod this Jason tho, |
| "That ye han of my deth or of my wo |
| Any reward, and don me this honour, |
| I wot wel that my myght ne my labour |
| May nat disserve it in my lyves day. |
| 1625 | God thanke yow there I ne can ne may! |
| Youre man I am, and lowely yow beseche |
| To ben my helpe, withoute more speche; |
| But, certes, for my deth shal I nat spare." |
| Tho gan this Medea to hym declare |
| 1630 | The peril of this cas from poynt to poynt, |
| And of his batayle, and in what disjoynt |
| He mote stonde, of which no creature |
| Save only she ne myghte his lyf assure. |
| And shortly to the poynt ryght for to go, |
| 1635 | They been acorded ful bytwixe hem two |
| That Jason shal hire wedde, as trewe knyght; |
| And terme set to come sone at nyght |
| Unto hire chamber and make there his oth |
| Upon the goddes, that he for lef or loth |
| 1640 | Ne sholde nevere hire false, nyght ne day, |
| To ben hire husbonde whil he lyve may, |
| As she that from his deth hym saved here. |
| And hereupon at nyght they mette in-feere, |
| And doth his oth, and goth with hire to bedde; |
| 1645 | And on the morwe upward he hym spedde, |
| For she hath taught hym how he shal nat fayle |
| The fles to wynne and stynten his batayle; |
| And saved hym his lyf and his honour; |
| And gat hym a name ryght as a conquerour, |
| 1650 | Ryght thourgh the sleyghte of hire enchauntement. |
| Now hath Jason the fles, and hom is went |
| With Medea, and tresor ful gret won; |
| But unwist of hire fader is she gon |
| To Tessaly with Duk Jason hire lef, |
| 1655 | That afterward hath brought hire to myschef. |
| For as a traytour he is from hire go, |
| And with hire lafte his yonge children two, |
| And falsly hath betraysed hire, allas, |
| As evere in love a chef traytour he was; |
| 1660 | And wedded yit the thridde wif anon, |
| That was the doughter of the kyng Creon. |
| This is the mede of lovynge and guerdoun |
| That Medea receyved of Jasoun |
| Ryght for hire trouthe and for hire kyndenesse, |
| 1665 | That lovede hym beter than hireself, I gesse, |
| And lafte hire fader and hire herytage. |
| And of Jason this is the vassellage, |
| That in his dayes nas ther non yfounde |
| So fals a lovere goinge on the grounde. |
| 1670 | And therfore in hire letter thus she seyde |
| Fyrst, whan she of his falsnesse hym upbreyde: |
| "Whi lykede me thy yelwe her to se |
| More than the boundes of myn honeste? |
| Why lykede me thy youthe and thy fayrnesse, |
| 1675 | And of thy tonge, the infynyt graciousnesse? |
| O, haddest thow in thy conquest ded ybe, |
| Ful mikel untrouthe hadde ther deyd with the!" |
| Wel can Ovyde hire letter in vers endyte, |
| Which were as now to long for me to wryte. |