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"Spotless maid, so mild and meek," Then said I to that flower bright, "Me to thy palace bring, and eke Of thy blissful bower give me sight." Sweetly God shield her! did she speak: "That tower may enter no earthly wight; But of the Lamb did I favour seek That thou from afar shouldst see its light; From without that cloister see aright Thou mayest indeed; but within, step not;

To walk in the street thou hast no might,

Unless thou wert clean, without a spot."

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The Lombe delyt non lyste to wene;
Thagh he were hurt and wounde hade,
In his sembelaunt 24 wacz never sene;
So wern his glentez 25 gloryous glade.
I loked among his meyny schene,26
How thay wyth lyf wern laste and lade,27
Then sagh I ther my lyttel quene,
That I wende 28 had standen by me in sclade.29
Lorde much of mirthe wacz that ho 30
made,

Among her ferez 3 that wacz so quyt !32
That syght me gart 33 to think to wade,
For luf-longyng in gret delyt.

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1 amend 2 said she 3 chose mate 5 wet 6 goodness 7 sweetheart 8 gave also dais garment 15 great building bower

12 spotless 13 flower 14 whom 18

16 beautiful one

17

tower

19

for thee 20 ob

Bot of that munt 12 I wacz bi-talt; 13 1161
When I schulde start in the strem
astraye,

Out of that caste 14 I wacz by-calt; 15
Hit wacz not at my pryncez paye.16
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Hit payed 17 hym not that I so flonc 18
Over mervelous merez,19 so mad arayde;
Of raas 20 thagh I were rasch and ronk,21
Yet rapely 22 ther-inne I wacz restayed;
For ryght as I sparred un-to the bonc,
That bratthe 23 out of my drem me brayde;
Then wakned I in that erber wlonk,25
My hede upon that hylle wacz layde

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Ther as my perle to grounde strayd;
I raxled 26 and fel in gret affray,"
And sykyng 28 to myself I sayd:
"Now al be to that pryncez paye." 16

Jason, which sih his fader old,
Upon Medea made him bold
Of art magique, which sche couthe,29
And preith hire that his fader 30 youthe
Sche wolde make ayeinward 31 newe.
And sche, that was toward him trewe,
Behihte 32 him that sche wolde it do
Whan that sche time sawh therto.
Bot 33 what sche dede in that matiere
It is a wonder thing to hiere,

Bot yit for the novellerie 34

I thenke tellen a partie.35

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1 eye 2 man's melted saw 5 gracious one she 'kept injure to fetch me an assault and take me lame 10 prevent " perished 12 13 shaken. 14 intention 15 recalled

Jason, who saw his father old,
Upon Medea made so bold
Of magic art she knew, in sooth -
And prays her that his father's youth
She would bring back again as new.
And she, that was to him full true,
Promised him that she would it do
When that she saw her time thereto.
But how she wrought this for his cheer
It is a wondrous thing to hear,

Yet for the novelty of it

I think to tell you just a bit.

18 should fling 19

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Thus it befell upon a nyht Whan ther was noght bot sterreliht,1 Sche was vanyssht riht as hir liste,2 That no wyht bot hirself it wiste, And that was ate 3 mydnyht tyde. The world was stille on every side; With openhed and fot al bare, Hir her tosprad, sche gan to fare; Upon hir clothes gert sche was; Al specheles and 7 on the gras Sche glod forth as an addre doth Non otherwise sche ne goth Til sche cam to the freisshe flod, And there a while sche withstod." Thries sche torned hire aboute, And thries ek sche gan doun loute 10 And in the flod sche wette hir her, And thries on the water ther

Sche seide, "Helpeth at this nede,
And as ye maden me to spede,16
Whan Jason cam the Flees 17 to seche,
So help me nou, I you beseche."

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18

With that sche loketh and was war,
Doun fro the sky ther cam a char,19
The which dragouns aboute drowe.
And tho 13 sche gan hir hed doun bowe,
And up sche styh,20 and faire and wel
Sche drof forth bothe char and whel
Above in thair 21 among the skyes.22
The lond of Crete and tho parties
Sche soughte, and faste gan hire hye,24
And there upon the hulles 25 hyhe
Of Othrin and Olimpe also,
And ek of othre hulles mo,
Sche fond and gadreth herbes suote.26
Sche pulleth up som be the rote,
And manye with a knyf sche scherth,27
And alle into hir char sche berth.28
Thus whan sche hath the hulles sought,
The flodes 29 ther forgat 30 sche nought,
Eridian and Amphrisos,

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1 starlight 2 as it pleased her at the un5 her hair unbound 6 covered Gower girded often gives and a strange position in the sentence; we should place it before al. 8 glided stood still

9

Thus it befell upon a night,

When there was nought but starry light,
She stole away right as she list,
So that none but herself it wist,
And that was at the midnight tide,
The world was still on every side.
With head uncovered, feet all bare,
Her hair unbound, she gan to fare;
High up her clothes she girded has;-
And, speechless, forth upon the grass
She glided as an adder does
And in no other wise she goes -
Till she came to the flowing flood,
And there a while full still she stood.
Three times about she turned her now,
And thrice also she low did bow,
And in the flood she wet her hair,
And thrice upon the water there
She with a troubling breath blew fast,
And then unto her speech she passed.
First she began to cry and call

Unto the stars of heaven all;

To Wind, to Air, to Sea, to Land

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She prayed there, holding up her hand, 3980 And unto Hecate did she cry,

Who goddess is of sorcery.

She said: "Oh, help me in this need,

And as ye once made me to speed,

When Jason came, the Fleece to seek,
So now your aid I do bespeak."
With that she looked and saw on high
A chariot gliding from the sky,
Which, dragons drawing, downward sped,
And then she bowed adown her head,
And up she rose, drove well and fair
Both car and wheel on through the air,
Above and through the clouds of sky.
The land of Crete and parts near by
She sought, and fast began her hie;
And there upon the mountains high
Of Othrim and Olympus too,
And other mountains eke thereto,

She found and gathers herbs of boot.
She pulleth some up by the root,

And many with a knife she shears,

And all unto her car she bears.

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Sche soughte sondri sedes oute
In feldes and in many greves,1
And ek a part sche tok of leves;
Bot thing which mihte hire most availe
Sche fond in Crete and in Thessaile.
In daies and in nyhtes nyne,
With gret travaile and with gret pyne,
Sche was pourveid of every piece,
And torneth homward into Grece.
Before the gates of Eson

Hir char sche let awai to gon,

And tok out ferst that was therinne;
For tho sche thoghte to beginne
Suche thing as semeth impossible,
And made hirselven invisible,

As sche that was with air enclosed
And mihte of noman be desclosed.
Sche tok up turves of the lond
Withoute helpe of mannes hond,
Al heled 5 with the grene gras,
Of which an alter mad ther was

Unto Echates, the goddesse

Of art magique and the maistresse,
And eft 6 an other to Juvente,

As sche which dede hir hole entente.7
Tho tok sche fieldwode and verveyne
Of herbes ben noght betre tueine; 8
Of which anon withoute let
These alters ben aboute set.
Tuo sondri puttes faste by

Sche made, and with that hastely

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5 groves

1 took 2 chose 3 for the purpose 6 again entire purpose 8 twain, two pits

ered

9

Peneie and eke Spercheidos.

To them she went and there took some
Both of the water and the foam,
The sand and eke the little stones,
Whereof she chose out special ones;
And of the Red Sea too a part
That was behooveful for her art
She took, and, after that, about
She sought there sundry seeds then out
In many a wood and many a field;
Their leaves she made the trees to yield;
But that which best her need did meet
She found in Thessaly and Crete.

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Nine days and nights had passed before,
With labour great and pain full sore,
She was purveyed with every piece,
And turneth homeward unto Greece.
At Eson's gates then did she stay,
And let her chariot go away;

But took out first what was therein,
For then her plan was to begin
Such things as seemed impossible,
And made herself invisible,

As she that was with air enclosed
And might to no man be disclosed.
She took up turfs from off the land,
Without the help of human hand,
All covered with the growing grass,
Of which an altar made she has

To Hecate, who was the goddess
Of magic art and the mistress,

With which anon, without delay,
She set these altars in array.
Two sundry pits quite near thereby
She made, and with that hastily,
A wether which was black she slew,
And out thereof the blood she drew,
And cast in the pits without ado;
And warm milk added she thereto
With honey mixed; and in such wise
Began to make her sacrifice.
And cried and prayed aloud also
To Pluto, god of all below,

And to the queen's self, Proserpine.
And so she sought out all the line
Of those that to that craft belong
Forgot she none of all the throng

10 slew 11 drew 12 put 13 mixed 14 left

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And preide hem alle, as sche wel couthe,' To grante Eson his ferste youthe.

This olde Eson broght forth was tho; 2
Awei sche bad alle othre go,
Upon peril that mihte falle;

And with that word thei wenten alle,
And leften there hem tuo al-one.
And tho sche gan to gaspe and gone,3
And made signes many-on,
And seide hir wordes therupon;
So that with spellinge of hir charmes
Sche took Eson in both hire armes,
And made him forto slepe faste,
And him upon hire herbes caste.

The blake wether tho sche tok,
And hiewh the fleissh, as doth a cok;
On either alter part sche leide,
And with the charmes that sche seide
A fyr doun fro the sky alyhte
And made it forto brenne lyhte.
Bot whan Medea sawh it brenne,
Anon sche gan to sterte and renne
The fyri aulters al aboute.

Ther was no beste which goth oute
More wylde than sche semeth ther:
Aboute hir schuldres hyng & hir her,
As thogh sche were oute of hir mynde
And torned in an other kynde.7
Tho lay ther certein wode cleft,
Of which the pieces nou and eft

Sche made hem in the pettes wete,

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hung

And prayed them all, as she well could,
To grant Eson his young manhood.
This old Eson was brought forth, lo!
Away she bade all others go,
On peril of what might befall;
And with that word then went in all,
And left out there alone those two.
Gasping and pacing, with much ado,
She made her signs full many a one,
And said her magic words thereon;
So that with spelling of her charms
She took Eson in both her arms,
And caused him to sleep full fast,
And on the herbs him sleeping cast.
The wether black then next she took,
And hewed the flesh as doth a cook;
On either altar part she laid,
And with the charms that she hath said
A fire down from the sky did light

And made the flesh to burn full bright.

But when Medea saw it burn,

Anon she leaped and ran in turn

The fiery altars all about.

There was no beast which goeth out
More wild than she herself seemed there;
About her shoulders hung her hair,
As though she were out of her mind
And turned into another kind.
There certain wood lay cleft in twain,
Of which the sticks, now and again,
She made them in the pits full wet,
And in the fiery heat them set;
And took the brand with all the blaze,
And thrice with it, as in a race,
Ran about Eson as he slept,
And then with water which she kept
She made a circle round him thrice,
And then with fire of sulphur twice.
And other things she did, I wot,
Which in this place are written not.
But, running up and down the ground,
She made full many a wondrous sound;
Sometimes like unto the cock,
Sometimes like the laverock,
Sometimes cackleth as a hen,

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