| In Grece whilom weren brethren two, |
| Of whiche that oon was called Danao, |
| That many a sone hath of his body wonne, |
| 2565 | As swiche false lovers ofte conne. |
| Among his sones alle there was oon |
| That aldermost he lovede of everychoon. |
| And whan this child was born, this Danao |
| Shop hym a name and callede hym Lyno. |
| 2570 | That other brother called was Egiste, |
| That was of love as fals as evere hym liste, |
| And many a doughter gat he in his lyf; |
| Of whiche he gat upon his ryghte wyf |
| A doughter dere, and dide hire for to calle |
| 2575 | Ypermystra, yongeste of hem alle. |
| The whiche child of hire natyvyte |
| To alle thewes goode yborn was she, |
| As likede to the goddes er she was born, |
| That of the shef she sholde be the corn. |
| 2580 | The Wirdes, that we clepen Destine, |
| Hath shapen hire that she mot nedes be |
| Pyetous, sad, wis, and trewe as stel, |
| As to these wemen it acordeth wel. |
| For thogh that Venus yaf hire gret beaute, |
| 2585 | With Jupiter compouned so was she |
| That conscience, trouthe, and drede of shame, |
| And of hyre wifhod for to kepe hire name, |
| This, thoughte hire, was felycite as here. |
| The rede Mars was that tyme of the yeere |
| 2590 | So feble that his malyce is hym raft; |
| Repressed hath Venus his crewel craft, |
| That, what with Venus and other oppressioun |
| Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun, |
| That Ypermystra dar nat handle a knyf |
| 2595 | In malyce, thogh she shulde lese hire lyf. |
| But natheles, as hevene gan tho turne, |
| To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne, |
| That made hire for to deyen in prisoun, |
| As I shal after make mencioun. |
| 2600 | To Danao and Egistes also, |
| Althogh so be that they were brethren two -- |
| For thilke tyme was spared no lynage -- |
| It lykede hem to make a maryage |
| Bytwixen Ypermystre and hym Lyno, |
| 2605 | And casten swich a day it shal be so, |
| And ful acorded was it utterly; |
| The aray is wrought, the tyme is faste by. |
| And thus Lyno hath of his faders brother |
| The doughter wedded, and ech of hem hath other. |
| 2610 | The torches brennen, and the laumpes bryghte; |
| The sacryfices ben ful redy dighte; |
| Th' encens out of the fyre reketh sote; |
| The flour, the lef is rent up by the rote |
| To maken garlondes and crounes hye. |
| 2615 | Ful is the place of soun of minstralsye, |
| Of songes amorous of maryage, |
| As thylke tyme was the pleyne usage. |
| And this was in the paleys of Egiste, |
| That in his hous was lord, ryght as hym lyste. |
| 2620 | And thus the day they dryve to an ende; |
| The frendes taken leve, and hom they wende; |
| The nyght is come, the bryd shal go to bedde. |
| Egistus to his chamber faste hym spedde, |
| And prively he let his doughter calle. |
| 2625 | Whan that the hous was voyded of hem alle, |
| He loketh on his doughter with glad chere |
| And to hire spak, as ye shal after here: |
| "My ryghte doughter, tresor of myn herte, |
| Syn fyrst that day that shapen was my sherte, |
| 2630 | Or by the fatal systren had my dom, |
| So nygh myn herte nevere thyng ne com |
| As thow, myn Ypermystre, doughter dere. |
| Tak hed what I, thy fader, seye the here, |
| And werk after thy wiser evere mo. |
| 2635 | For alderfirst, doughter, I love the so |
| That al the world to me nis half so lef; |
| Ne I nolde rede the to thy myschef |
| For al the good under the colde mone. |
| And what I mene, it shal be seyd right sone, |
| 2640 | With protestacioun, as in this wyse, |
| That, but thow do as I shal the devyse, |
| Thow shalt be ded, by hym that al hath wrought! |
| At shorte wordes, thow ne scapest nought |
| Out of my paleys or that thow be ded, |
| 2645 | But thow consente and werke after my red; |
| Tak this to thee for ful conclusioun." |
| This Ypermystre caste hire eyen doun, |
| And quok as doth the lef of aspe grene. |
| Ded wex hire hew, and lyk an ash to sene, |
| 2650 | And seyde, "Lord and fader, al youre wille, |
| After my myght, God wot, I shal fulfille, |
| So it to me be no confusioun." |
| "I nele," quod he, "have non excepcioun"; |
| And out he caught a knyf, as rasour kene. |
| 2655 | "Hyd this," quod he, "that it be nat ysene; |
| And whan thyn husbonde is to bedde go, |
| Whil that he slepeth, kit his throte atwo. |
| For in my dremes it is warned me |
| How that my nevew shal my bane be, |
| 2660 | But which I noot, wherfore I wol be siker. |
| If thow sey nay, we two shul have a biker, |
| As I have seyd, by hym that I have sworn!" |
| This Ipermystre hath nygh hire wit forlorn; |
| And, for to passen harmles of that place, |
| 2665 | She graunteth hym; ther is non other grace. |
| And therwithal a costret taketh he, |
| And seyde, "Herof a draught, or two, or thre, |
| Yif hym to drynke, whan he goth to reste, |
| And he shal slepe as longe as evere thee leste, |
| 2670 | The narcotyks and opies ben so stronge. |
| And go thy wey, lest that him thynke longe." |
| Out cometh the bryd, and with ful sobre cheere, |
| As is of maydens ofte the manere, |
| To chaumbre is brought with revel and with song. |
| 2675 | And shortly, lest this tale be to long, |
| This Lyno and she ben brought to bedde, |
| And every wight out at the dore hym spedde. |
| The nyght is wasted, and he fyl aslepe. |
| Ful tenderly begynneth she to wepe; |
| 2680 | She rist hire up, and dredfully she quaketh, |
| As doth the braunche that Zepherus shaketh, |
| And hust were alle in Argon that cite. |
| As cold as any frost now waxeth she; |
| For pite by the herte hire streyneth so, |
| 2685 | And drede of deth doth hire so moche wo, |
| That thryes doun she fyl in swich a were. |
| She rist yit up, and stakereth her and there, |
| And on hire hondes faste loketh she. |
| "Allas! and shal myne hondes blody be? |
| 2690 | I am a mayde, and, as by my nature, |
| And bi my semblaunt and by my vesture, |
| Myne handes ben nat shapen for a knyf, |
| As for to reve no man fro his lyf. |
| What devel have I with the knyf to do? |
| 2695 | And shal I have my throte korve a-two? |
| Thanne shal I blede, allas, and me beshende! |
| And nedes-cost this thyng moste have an ende; |
| Or he or I mot nedes lese oure lyf. |
| Now certes," quod she, "syn I am his wif, |
| 2700 | And hath my feyth, yit is it bet for me |
| For to be ded in wifly honeste |
| Than ben a traytour lyvynge in my shame. |
| Be as be may, for ernest or for game, |
| He shal awake, and ryse, and gon his way, |
| 2705 | Out at this goter, or that it be day" -- |
| And wep ful tenderly upon his face, |
| And in hyre armes gan hym to enbrace, |
| And hym she roggeth and awaketh softe. |
| And at a wyndow lep he fro the lofte, |
| 2710 | Whan she hath warned hym, and don hym bote. |
| This Lyno swift was, and lyght of fote, |
| And from his wif he ran a ful good pas. |
| This sely woman is so weik -- Allas! -- |
| And helples, so that or that she fer wente, |
| 2715 | Hire crewel fader dide hire for to hente. |
| Allas, Lyno, whi art thow so unkynde? |
| Why ne haddest thow remembred in thy mynde |
| To taken hire, and lad hire forth with the? |
| For whan she saw that gon awey was he, |
| 2720 | And that she myghte nat so faste go, |
| Ne folwen hym, she sat hire doun ryght tho, |
| Til she was caught and fetered in prysoun. |
| This tale is seyd for this conclusioun -- |
| |
| [The work is apparently incomplete.] |