University of Virginia Library

[OMITTED] Ande Dyomedes byrdes þai ware
Callit thare-eftre mony a ȝhere;
He tellis als amange þe laiff
That (þai) of kynde gud knawlege haue
Quhilk is a mane of latyne lande
Besyde a grek, ande þai hyme fande;
Tharfor þe grekes þai luf & kene,
Ande ay eschewis fra latyne mene.
Bot quhethire þis be suth or noutht,
It is doutouse to mannes thought.—

Now to our text agane we ga,
That one þis maner tellys sa:
That, while Jasone & Hercules
Ine Symonent þame restande wes
Ande dyde no-thinge bot ete & drank
Ande payit þarfor with mekle thank:
Of þar affere come tythinge
Sone to Lleamedone þe kinge:
That syk strangeres ine hys cuntre
War cummyne, for to spye ande see
The pryvateis of hys kynryk—
Till vthire thinges it was notht lyk—
So þat thay mytht with staluart hande
Repare agayne and stroye þe lande.
For Troye was notht ine-to þat tyde
Be ferre sa mekile ne sa wyde
As eftre þe syrst distructioune,
Quhene Pryame biggyt agane þe toune.
Ine Troye þis tyme, þat I of tell,
Lleamedone þis kyng cane duelle:
The quhilk tuk wpone hande
That skaithfull was — as eftre he fande:
Ande furth he sende hys legate sone —
Bot walde gode it hade bene wndone! —
To Hercules ande to Jasone. [OMITTED]
Ande quhene he come befor thame twa,
Ine the presence of mony ma
That with hyme (come) fra þe Cite,
Hys message þus pronowncyt he:

»Leamedone, þat aw þis lande
As kynde lorde all-weldande,
Of ȝoure commynge has gret ferly:
That ȝe enterit so sodanly
To sogeourne here ine hys cuntre
With-out leue of hys Ryalte.
For hys entent is ande hys will
Ine pece to kepe hys kynryk still.
Quharfor he bade me to ȝow say:
That ȝe ine hast halde hyne ȝour way,
That we may be none to-morne see
That ȝhe quytly withdrawine be.
Ande gif he fyndys þat ȝe ne will
Hys biddynge as I saide fulfill,
Hys folk he will gif mandement to
To ryse ine ȝour offence ande do
So, þat ȝoure gudys all be tane
As plane eschete, & ȝhe ilkane
Withoutene mercy done to dede,
But ony Raunsone or remede.«
Quhene Jasone of this messinger
Hade herde þe wordes quhat þai wer,
All wrath ande angry ine hys hert
Stude studeande a litill stert,
Ande, or he to þe messyngere
Maide ony wordes of answere,
Till Hercules ande hys menȝhe
He turnyt the face & þus saide he:

»Leamedone, þat hyast kinge
Ande lorde of mony ryall thinge,
Me think dois till ws grete Iniure,
That but occasioune settis hys cure
To exile ws out of hys lande,
Ande namly, sene he neuir fande
Ine worde ne werk, sene we come here,
Cause ws to move one þis manere;
Bot, hade he bene with ryaltee
Rytht lyk as syk a kynge sulde be,
He sulde haue gert ws honorabilly
Haue bene demanyt ande curtaslye;
For, hade he commyne ine Grece, as we
Ar commyne here ine hys cuntre,
I dar weill say, he sulde haf bene
Esyt ande honouryt, þat mene hade sene.
Bot sene hyme lykis erare to be
Carlyche þane curtase, ordane we
With meknes for to leue hys lande;
For it mytht happyne sone one hande
Thruth wike counsele & wilfulnes
To lede ws ine-to syk distres
As tellis ws þe messyngere.
Me lest no langare soiourne here.«
Quhane he hade endyt one þis wise
Thyre wordes as I here devise,
Thane to þe messynger ine hye
He turnyt ande saide hyme semblely:
»The affecte of thy message, frende,
We haue consauit welle to ende;
Ande þe fare gyftes, to ws sent
As gentryce walde, be our entent
We haf ressauit ine the maner
As skill walde þai ressauit were.
Bot at our goddes neuirtheles
We tak wytnesse of suthfastnes
That we come neuir ine purpos here
Ȝour kingis lande to stroye no stere,
Ne to do wrange ne wiolence,
Ne yhit to do þe peple offence,
Bot one our wayage furth to pas
Ine gude pece, as our purpos was,
Ine othyr landis, quhar þat we
With help of gode ritht sone may be;
And þoth we come ine-to þis stede,
We hade no motyf bot of nede,
Thrutht contrare wynde & wedderis wode
That draf ws hydder attour þe flode.
That mytht haf happynnit, or ȝhet may,
To some of ȝhoures ane othere day,
To come ine Grece: quhar þis may be
Rewardit ine-to lyk degre.
Bot neuir-the-lese say to thy kynge:
We sall fulfill all hys byddinge
With all the hast þat euire we may.
Bot alsua þow may to hyme say
That, gif it happynnis notht þat we
May qwyt hyme þis Iniquite,
Some othire frendes per aventure,
That eft may here of this Iniure,
May qwyt it wele ynough sume day
For ws, þoght we be hyne away.«
Thane Hercules, þat was (notht) payde
Of the wordes þat Jasone sayde,
Spak to þe kingis messyngere
Thyre wordis & saide one this manere:
»Frende, þow may say to thy kynge
That we to-morne ine þe mornynge
At the fyrst flude sall fare our way.
Bot a thing to hyme tell þow may:
That, or thre ȝere be cummyne & gane —
Of langar termes tell I nane, —
Ine-to this lande he sall ws se
One syk wyse, gif he lyffande be,
That mawgre hys wpone hys lande
We sall sett ankeres one the sande,
Quhene he sall be of na powere
To strenȝhe ws one syk manere
To leue hys lande, for all þat he
May do thar-to or done gert be.
Sene he has this debate bygonnyne,
Per awenture, or it all be ronnyne,
Als gret defoule may fall hyme till
As we haue sustenyt, but skill
Ande ek but cause, þat I may se,
Bot of þat wrangwise wenynge he
Informyt is, ande felle counselle —
That eftyrwart may litill awaile —
Has gert hyme do this willany
Till ws; — gode qwyt it hyme for-thy,
And we sall help ane vthir day
To mak rewarde, &, quhene we may,
Withine the terme — þat þow sall se —
As I haf saide, of ȝeris thre.«
Thane saide þe messingere mekly:
»It sittis ȝow notht full honestly —
So worthy me think ȝe sulde be —
To manace ine-to this degre
A kinge withine hys awne lande,
Quhare ȝe ne may for ȝour worde stande;
Ne to me als as messingere
Afferis notht ne may affere
To stryve with wordes ȝow agane.
Bot my message notht-þane all plane,
As me was biddyne, so I saide;
Ande me think, ȝe sulde halde ȝow payd
Gyf þat I gyf ȝow counsele gude:
It nedis ȝe sete ȝour schype to flude
And at ȝour larges þar ȝe be —
It ware mar ese to ȝow, think me,
Ne byde ine danger of oure kynge,
That will do bot hys awne likinge.
(Gif þat ȝe t)hink þis tretys harde,
(It) may worth fer ware eftyrwarde
Gyf þat ȝe lat ȝoure bodyis spill,
That now may sauf ȝow, gif ȝe will,
Ande out of dangere lithtly fare.«
Her-with þe messynger but mare
At þe gregeois hys leue has lautht
Ande to þe goddes heme betaught.
Thane Jasone but langar delay
Callit Phylotes ande couth hyme say
That he ger ankeres rasit be
Ande smertly set thame to þe see;
Ande Phylotes ritht wondre sone,
As Jasone bade, belyf has done.
Thare harnes all to schype þai bare
That þai for eese hade landit thare.
Thai walde fane þat þai myt haf wrot
Some skaith, or þai to see hade southt:
Bot þai war notht of syk powere,
For-quhy to few of folk þai were.
In-to þar schype sone enteryt þai;
The wynde was gude, þai went þar way,
And sone þe cost of Frygea
With craft of course þai saillit fra.
And throw mytht of þar goddes gret
Be contrare wedder thame to thret,
A likande wynde thame sett to lande
At Colkas softly one þe sande.
Quhar þai þar shype gert hastely
(Be) herbreyt at oportunyte
Right happely ine hawynnynge gude—
So fayrly Fortune with thame ȝhude.—

How Jason and Hercules enterit in the Ile of Colkas.

Thus ine Colkas, the nobile Ile,
Is enterit Jasone, the gentile,
With hys falow, schyr Hercules.
Ine-to þat Ile þat tyme þar was
A fare Cite, baith ryche & witht:
Jaconites þai callit it rytht;
It wes þe cheef of þat kynrik,
For þar was othyre nane it lyk
Of mekilnes ande of bewte,
With towris ande wallis fare to se;
Castellis ande palais mony one
þar-ine was wrought of marbile-stone;
The stretis ware strautht & wynly maide,
Ritht lufly, bath lange & brade;
The housses in the frount before
All of a hight, baith lesse & more,
With fannys ande banneres wpone hight
Aboue standande, of golde so bright:—
Baith lordis ande marchantes of renowne
Hade þar thare habitacioune,
With mony ryche rentis & feis —
As it efferis for syk Citeis.
Ine this Cite, þat I of telle,
That tyme Oethes kynge couth duelle
Rytht ryally with hys barowns:
Dukis of gret possessions,
And Erlis, þat war mekle of myt,
With othire mony nobile knytht,
That with hyme þat tyme soiournyt þare.
For nere-hande by þe Cite ware
Fare forestis ande parkis wyde;
Ande of huntynge þat ilk tyde
As I tell, was þe sessoune sette
With syk delitis to Intremett;
Ande for þai woddys warnyst were
Ine-to haboundance of wylde dere,
It wes þe cause wherfore þe kynge
llay þar as þane ine soiournynge.
Thare was alsua about þe toune
Without þe wallis enwyroune
A playne ritht fare, ewine ande braide;
Ande ine it for delyt war maide
Ȝardes for herbys ande for virgerys,
That fruyt ine grew of sere maneris;
Fresche wellis fare & suet spryngande,
Ande byrdes one þe trees syngande,
That þidderwarde maide þar repare
For suetnes of þat nobile ayre.
Fra þe wellis of wattere clere
The stryndes ine dyuerse places were
Rynnande throw gravaile quhyt & clene;
Whar-throw þe herbis quhyt & grene
Maide moistour ay ine ilk sessoune,
As hevine-gevine Inundacioune,
That is to say: quhene þe suet rane
Of out descendis o(ne) hill ande plane
And fresche ande wele flowande flude
Reconfortis all grene growande gude,
As cornys, treys, herbys ande fruyttis,
Throw course of kynde & sindry suyttis,
To mannys delitt, as gode throw grace
Has grauntyne ws ine dyuerse place.
For thar delittis, as I herde are,
Wyld fowlis feill reparit thare,
As of Ryvere ande vthyr kynde
As ine syk places mene may fynde.
Quhar-throw of halkinge ande of huntinge
Haboundanly thar hade þe kynge:
The quhilk gaue hyme occasioune
That tyme to soiourne ine-to þat toune.—
To þis Cite, as I ȝow say,
Come Jasone ine with ryche aray,
With hercules ande þar menȝhe,
Ilk mane arayit ine þar degre.
The quhilk, quhene þai come throw þe strete—
That was to see one fare & suete,
One baith þe sydys so sembly maide,
llevalyt ine lyk, with frountys braide:
Thai likinge hade þar-one to luk;
Rytht ewyne pacys þar way þai tuk.
Thar movinge was so mesurably
That þe commowns hade gret ferly
Of sa buyrly a companye
Ande ferlyit one thame gretumly:—
Thai saw sa mony kynglyk wede
And sa fayr folk ine thar ȝouthede
Ine flurysande as of ane elde.
Thay stude ande thame hertly byhelde—
So stalwart ine-to þar passynge,
Thare contynance ande þar steringe,
And so fayr thewis cane appere
Ine thame, þat þai one wonderit sere;
The commowns, as þai one thame gowyt,
Attour all thinge þar hawynge lowyt.
Quharfor þe peple ythandly
Speryt at othire besely
Amanges thame ine pryuate:
Quhene come thyr lordis, quhat may þai be,
Or quhat wes cause of þar commynge,—
As commowns carpe will of all thinge.
Bot for no thinge þat mene mytht spere
Mytht no-mane witt quhat þai were
Ne quhy þai come so strange wais;
Quhill þai come to þe kingis palais
And sende ine worde þat þai war thare.
The noble kinge, þat neuir-mare
Forȝhet walde hys Inborne gentryce:
Quhene þat he herde one quhatkyne wyse
They lordes of Grece war at hys place,
Fra kyngis siege ritht sone he race,
And with a ryall companye
Of dukis ande Erles þat war humbly
He mete thame, & with forhede blith,
With Joyous chere resauit thame swyth
And hys lange armes twa betuene
Enbrassit þame, as þai hys hade bene;
And gyf thay maide hyme fare hailsinge,
He maide thame als fare welcommynge,
And with suete wordys hambly
Reconfortit thame rytht hertly
Ande hytht thame frendschipe endurande,
The quhylis þai restyt ine hys lande.
Thus ine þe palais enteryt þai,
Ascendande wp þe greces gray,
Rith merely maide of marble-stane—
Mare crafty saw þai neuir nane.
Quhene þai war cummyne wp to þe hight,
Thane enterit þai ine chambris wight,
That with paithment & with payntry
Enlumynit war delitabily,
Of golde þat was burnyst so britht
That it semyt a hewynnis sytht;
Quhar-ine the benkis war but weyne
Oure-sprede with goldine claithis cleyne—
So ryche, þat they saw neuir swylke:
For thar was notht bot golde ande sylke,
Anournyt with sere coloures clere,
As for syk thinge nedefull were.
Ande quhene the kinge of gret nobillay
Hade gert þame sytt, as I ȝow say,
Jasone ine hys hert tuk kepe
How he was cummyne for wourschepe,
Walde notht put ine delay the thinge,
Bot with suete ande fare schawinge
Talde to þe kynge rytht opinly
With sett wordes full ritht knythtly
The cause quharfor þat he come þare
Fra ferre out oure þe fludys bare:
That was, þe goldyne flees to wynne,
That was enclosede þat Ile withine,
All þe perelles to assay
Eftre þe law as to thame lay,
With hys applesaunce he walde do,
Ande prayit the kynge of leue þar-to.
Ande he, þat herde welle hys entent,
Delyuerly gaf hys assent
Ande saide: »schyr, sene it is ȝour will,
As now we say notht nay thar-till.« —
Be this was commyne tyme of mete:
Braide burdis war wpborne ande sete
Ande coveryt syne with clathis dere,
Cowpis out brought of golde sa clere,
One towalle burdys arayit & drest,
As for syk thingis accordit best.
The kinge, ȝarnynge ine alkyne wyse
Throw grete habundance of gentryce
To plese þe strangeres all at rytht,
Sende eftre Medea, the bright,
Hys doughtre derrest ande hys ayre,
Ande bade hyr to the hall repare —
Ine entent, þat hys fest sulde be
Maide with the mare solempnyte,
To glade hys new ghesteȝ, þat ware
Ressauit with hyme with noble fare.
Thys Medea, the maydene schene,
Was þane þe wlonkast witht but wene
Of all the kynrik of Colkas,
Ande the kyngis A douthtyre was
Ande syne hys ayre eftre hys day,
Suete ande debonare & trew of fay,
Ande ek of age maryit to be.
Bot, þoth scho to maturyte
Of bede was cummyne, neuirtheles
Wp of a childe formyt scho wes
So wele ine all þe science sewene,
That nane was wisser vndre the hewene
Ne Medea ine hyr dais,
Ne mare of wertues to praise.
Bot a science our the laif
That nature gaf hyr hape to haif,
Sho hade ine daynte maist elyk:
The buk is callit Methamatyk.
Ine the science scho hade sic slytht,
That throw þe science & the myght
Of hyre exorȝiȝaciouns
Ande enchauntyt coniuraciouns
Scho couth turne ine-to myrknes light
Ande sodanly raise wyndis one hight
Ilowde ande horrible hie one loft,
Quhar-throw watteris ande wedderis soft
Walde all perwerte, ande wedderis styth
Baith ger fall rayne ande haile so swith,
That it war lyk all thinge sulde brast
Ande no-thinge byde wndre þat blast.
Scho couth gere rayne ine sic foysoune
Fall sodanly fra hevine doune
Ande fle fra oure fayre walays,
That scho fere our þe hillis walde rays
The fludys ande drowne the landis brayde
Our-all quhar þat scho hattrende hayde.
Hyr Innymyis als ine-to þe see
Quhene scho mytht witt þat þai walde be
Ine thar wayage ande ine þar fare,
Scho walde rase wedderis one thame thare
So wode with wykkede wyndis blast,
That sulde þame contrary so fast
Ande trawaile so dispituisly,
That all sulde peryse hastely —
Baith lyffys ande gudis behuffyt þaime tyne
Ande of dede wndyrly þe pyne.
Ande of hyr frendes quhene þat scho wist
That þai walde trawaile, quhene scho lyst,
Outhyre be lande or yhit be see,
Scho walde gere ine prosperyte
That thinge be spede, forout lattynge
Or Incombrance of ony thinge.
Scho couth als gere þe woddis grene
That spoilyt hade ine wynter bene
Throw wickede blastes ande fellone schoures
Baith of the lewes ande of the floures,
Notht agane standande þe sessoune
Of kindely chele — as is ressoune
Ine wyntre-tyde þat it sa be —
Flouris againe ine sic bownte
As it with-ine þe tyme hade bene
Of þe sommere, þat is soft & schene.
Ande mene þat eilde hade ourdrevyne,
That war fra delitis gevyne,
Scho couth restore agane ine deide
To the suete Joye of thar ȝouththede.
Ande quhene hyr list to gamyne & play,
Als well one nytht as one þe day
Scho walde horribile erdinge ger be,
Ande hydwisly wp raise the see
To weltyre ine wawis, without wynde,
All playne, agane the course of kynde,
That it walde seme to mannys syght
That watter & hillis war of a hight; —
Quhar-throw gret rygour oft scho wrought
To the comown̄s, þat knew it nought; —
Ande syne walde scho mak tranquillite
Ande Input scylence to þe see,
The horrible erdynge witt away.
Ande quhene hyr lyst, ane vthyr day
Scho couth rase thundre-blastis hye
Ande fyre-flauthtis our þe feldes flee
Ine syk fladda(n=)is & flambys britht,
That mene mytht see wpone þe nytht
Hillis ande waillis fere & nere
Als brytht as sonne wer schynande clere.
All thyre merwalis ande mony ma
Scho will do, ande other alsa,
That mene lest notht þe teynde to here
For yrknes of this matere,
For at þar is so lange procese.
Ȝhit will I tell ȝow neuirtheles
Somwhat mare of þat maidene fre,
Rytht as my buk Informis me.
A folk, þat quhilome callit were
Gentillis, as my buk sais here,
Opynioune helde of Medea
That scho þe mekile lythtys twa
That gode has ine-to heuene done,
That we þe sonne call & þe moone,
Walde ger Eclyps be throw hyre cure
Agane þe course of nature.
For because of Astrologye —
Ine þe quhilk science certanly
Scho was maist wise ine-to hyr dais —
The Auctore tretys herof ande sais,
Ande þat is for to wndrestande:
The sonne wndre Eclyps turnande
With course contynuale, neuir-mare
May tak eclyps, bot gif it ware
Ine the coniunctioune of þe moone:
Ande þat behuffit to be done
Owthire ine þe tayle or ine the hewide,
Ritht as þe wheill about is wryde;—
This hede ande taill ar for to say
A myddle scherynge ine þe way
Of a cercle þat turnys ine hevene
One some ane of þe planetes sevene.
For, quhene þe moone be-twene our sight
Has sett hyme ande þe sonne so brytht,
It lettis ws þane of fare sone
To se þe body, as we war wone.
Of this þe gret Protholomeus,
This wise clerk, wrait & sais þus
Of þis Eclyps as I say here:
That othyre-wayis be na manere
Mytht fall Eclyps þat he couth fynde,
Bot gif it war agaynis kynde.
Notht-þane throw þe strenth & þe myt
Of hyre enchauntement & hyr slytht,
The poete sais þat scho feill syse
Gerte fall Eclyps one wondre wyse,
Notht be coniunctioune naturale,
Bot by hyr science collaterale, —
As Ovyde ine hys poetrye
Wrait of hyr & saide opinly
That scho couth alkyne thingis do.
Bot na gude cristene mane her-to
Sulde gif credence — þat I defende —
Bot as Ovyde coude hyr commend
Ine hys fabile, so sall we trow it —
It is notht elles to be alowit.
For-quhy þe lestande gode of mytht,
That all thinge has ine-to hys sytht,
That ine hys wisdome ande hys sone
Of hevinly thingis has wroutht & done,
As of the planetes þe ladys (!),
Ande set thame be sertane asyse,
Ande stabillis thame at biddinge so
That they may neuir it our-go.
Tharfor it is to witt but wene
That Eclyps was neuir sene
Agane twa kindely coursys to fall
Bot quhene þat he, þat of mytht maide all,
Mekly for our saluacioune
lleit put hys sonne to passioune;
The quhilk quhene he apone þe Croice
The spyrit yhalde with piteous voice,
Thane tok þe sonne ine-to þat houre
Eclyps — bot all againe nature
Of hys kindely coniunctioune,
The moone notht standinge ine randoune;
Ine the temple the wall was schorne —
Bot nane couth tell how it was torne;
The erde tremblede full horribily,
Ande dede folk, þat couth gravyne lye
Before þat day gane mony ȝere,
Rase of thare graves & couth appere
To mony peple ine the Cite
Of Jerusaleme, as mene mytht se.
Quhar-throw Denys ine þai dais,
That hethyne was, þe storye sais,
Ine Athenes was duellande þane:
Þotht he was notht a cristene mane,
Quhene þat he saw one syk a wise
The sone Eclyps as I devise,
Agaynis ordre (&) course of kynde,
Thyr wordis saide, as writtine I fynde:
»Owthire ane Tholis gode of nature,
Or ellis now withine þis houre
The mekile engyne shall lowsit be
Of all þis warlde, as mene may se« —
Thyr war þe wordys of Denyse
Quhene þat he saw againe þe syse
The sonne Eclyps, as I saide ayre;
Tharfor ane alter maide he þare
Ine the honour of »gode wnkende«
That couth syk signeȝ schaw & sende
Anerly throw hys mekle myght,
Aganys course of kindely right.
Tharfor it syt no cristyne mane
Ne, gode of myght baith may & kane
All kindely thingis þat he will
Ger pas at will or halde þam̄e still,
Als wele baith erde, ayer, & wynde;
Ande all the planettes, as we fynde,
As he þame maide fyrst of hys mytht
To kepe þar kindely course at rytht,
He may thame louse & lete go by —
For he is endles almythty. —
Ande þus of Medea fynde I
Recordit ine all poetrye.
Bot quhethire it be suth or lese —
The werray storye sais scho wes
Mast perfyt ine Astronomye
Ande ek ine-to gramantye
Of all þat lyffyt ine hyr quhill;
So soueranly scho was subtill
That þar was neuir nane hyr lyk
Ne neuir sall be, pure no ryk.