A thing of high prudence hath wrought. For thilk array, which he hath brought, To yive among the women there
He let do fetten all the
What thing of alle that she wolde
And take it as by way of yift,
For they hem self it fhulde shift
He faide after her owne wille.
Achilles thanne ftood nought ftille,
Whan he the brighte helm behelde,
The fwerd, the hauberk and the shelde,
His herte fell therto anone,
Of all that other wold he none,
The knightes gere he underfongeth
And thilke array, which that belongeth
Unto the women he forfoke.
And in this wife, as faith the boke,
They knowen thanne whiche he was,
For he goth forth the grete pas
Into the chambre, where he lay,
Anone and made no delay,
He armeth him in knightly wife,
That better can no man devise.
And as fortune shulde falle,
He came fo forth to-fore hem alle
As he, which tho was glad inough.
But Lichomede nothing lough,
Whan that he figh, how that it ferde.
For than he wifte well and herde,
His doughter hadde be forlain.
But that he was so overfein,
The wonder overgoth his wit.
For in cronique is write yit
Thing, which fhall never be foryete,
How that Achilles hath begete
Pirrus upon Deidamy,
Wherof came out the trechery
Of fals witneffe when he faide,
How that Achilles was a maide.
But that was nothing fene tho,
For he is to the fiege go
Forth with Ulixes and Diomede.
Lo, thus was proved in the dede
And fully spoke at thilke while,
If o woman an other beguile,
Where is there any fikerneffe,
Whan Thetis which was than the goddesse
Deidamy hath so bejaped,
I not how it shall bene escaped
With tho women, whofe innocence
Is now al day through such credence
Deceived ofte, as it is fene
With men, that fuch untrouthe mene.
For they ben fligh in fuche a wife,
That they by fleight and by queintise
Of fals witneffe bringen inne
That doth hem ofte for to winne,
Where they ben nought worthy therto.
Forthy, my fone, do nought fo.
My fader, as of fals witnesse
The trouth and the matere expreffe
Touchend of love, howe it hath ferde,
As ye have tolde, I have well herde.
But for ye faiden other wife,
How thilke vice of covetise
Hath yet perjurie of his accorde,
If that you lift of fome recorde
To tellen an other tale alfo
In loves cause of time ago,
What thing it is to be forswore,
I wolde preie you therfore,
Wherof I might enfample take.
My gode fone, and for thy fake 3247
Touchend of this I fhall fulfill
Thin axing at thin owne will
And the matere I fhall declare,
How the women deceived are,
Whan they so tendre hertes bere,
Of that they heren men so swere.
But whan it cometh unto thaffay,
They finde it fals another day,
As Jafon did unto Medee,
Which ftant yet of auctorite
In token and in memoriall,
Wherof the tale in speciall
Is in the boke of Troie write,
Which I fhall do the for to wite.
In Grece whilom was a king,
ponit exemplum con- Of whom the fame and knouleching
qualiter Jafon, priuf Beleveth yet, and Peleus
Colchos pro aureo He highte, but it fell him thus,
queftando tranfmea- That his fortune her whele fo lad,
conjugium Medee re- That he no childe his owne had gis Othonis filie ju. To regnen after his decess.
aftrinxit, fed fuo pof- He had a brother netheles, tea completo negocio
cum ipfam fecum na- Whose righte name was Eson,
duxiflet, ubi illa fe- And he the worthy knight Jason
fonis in floridam ju- Begat, the which in every londe
sciencia reformavit, All other paffed of his honde ipfe Jafon fidei fue In armes, fo that he the best ligamento aliifque
beneficiis poftpofitis, Was named and the worthieft.
quadam Creufa regis He foughte worship over all.
Creontis filia perju
rus dereliquit.
Now herken, and I telle fhall
An adventure that he fought,
Which afterward full dere he bought.
There was an ile, which Colchos
Was cleped, and therof aros
Great speche in every londe aboute,
That fuch merveile was none oute
In all the wide world no where,
As tho was in that ile there.
There was a shepe, as it was tolde,
The which his flees bare all of golde,
And fo the goddes had it fette,
That it ne might away be fette
By power of no worldes wight.
And yet full many a worthy knight
It had affaied, as they dorfte,
And ever it fell hem to the worste.
But he that wolde it nought forfake,
But of his knighthode undertake
To do, what thing therto belongeth,
This worthy Jason fore alongeth
To se the straunge regions
And knowe the conditions
Of other marches, where he went.
And for that cause his hole entent
He fette Colchos for to feche
And therupon he made a speche
To Peleus his eme the king.
And he wel paid was of that thing
And shope anone for his paffage
And fuch as were of his lignage
With other knightes, whiche he chees,
With him he toke, and Hercules,
Which full was of chivalerie,
With Jason went in compaignie,
And that was in the month of may,
Whan colde ftormes were away,
The wind was good, the ship was yare,
They toke her leve, and forth they fare
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