Sche soughte sondri sedes oute
In feldes and in many greves,
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 10 with the grene gras,
Of which an alter mad ther was
Unto Echates, the goddesse

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

As sche which dede hir hole entente. 12
Tho tok sche fieldwode and verveyne,
Of herbes ben noght betre tueine; 13
Of which anon withoute let
These alters ben aboute set.

Tuo sondri puttes 14 faste by
Sche made, and with that hastely
A wether which was blak sche slouh,15
And out ther-of the blod sche drouh 16

14

And dede 17 into the pettes 1 tuo; Warm melk sche putte also therto

4000

8

4011

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2 cuts 3 bears, carries 4 rivers forgot took 7 chose 8 for the purpose groves 10 covered 13 twain, two 14 pits 15 slew

11 again 12 entire purpose

16 drew

17 put

9

And preide hem alle, as sche wel couthe,3

To grante Eson his ferste youthe.

This olde Eson broght forth was tho;1 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,5
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 7
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."

Tho lay ther certein wode cleft,

Of which the pieces nou and eft 10

Sche made hem in the pettes wete,

And put hem in the fyri hete,

And tok the brond with al the blase,
And thries sche began to rase
Aboute Eson, ther-as " he slepte;
And eft with water, which sche kepte,
Sche made a cercle aboute him thries,
And eft with fyr of sulphre twyes.
Ful many an other thing sche dede,
Which is noght writen in this stede.12
Bot tho sche ran so up and doun,
Sche made many a wonder soun,
Somtime lich 13 unto the cock,

Somtime unto the laverock,14

5

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1 mixed 2 left 3 could then walk hewed 7 run

2

Somtime kacleth as a hen,
Somtime spekth as don the men;
And riht so as hir jargoun strangeth,'
In sondri wise hir forme changeth,
Sche semeth faie and no womman;
For with the craftes that sche can
Sche was, as who seith, a goddesse.
And what hir liste, more or lesse,
Sche dede, in bokes as we finde,
That passeth over manneskinde.3

Bot who that wole of wondres hiere,
What thing sche wroghte in this matiere,
To make an ende of that sche gan,*
Such merveile herde nevere man.
Apointed in the newe mone,
Whan it was time forto done,
Sche sette a caldron on the fyr,
In which was al the hole atir,"
Wheron the medicine stod,
Of jus, of water, and of blod,
And let it buile in such a plit,

7

Til that sche sawh the spume whyt;
And tho sche caste in rynde and rote,
And sed and flour that was for bote,
With many an herbe and many a ston,
Wherof sche hath ther many on.
And ek Cimpheius the serpent
To hire hath alle his scales lent,
Chelidre hire yaf his addres skin,
And sche to builen caste hem in;

A part ek of the horned oule,

The which men hiere on nyhtes houle; And of a raven, which was told

Of nyne hundred wynter old,

9

12

Sche tok the hed with al the bile;
And as the medicine it wile,
Sche tok therafter the bouele 10
Of the seewolf, and for the hele "
Of Eson, with a thousand mo
Of thinges that sche hadde tho,
In that caldroun togedre as blyve
Sche putte; and tok thanne of olyve
A drie branche hem with to stere,13
The which anon gan floure and bere
And waxe al freissh and grene ayein.
Whan sche this vertu hadde sein,
Sche let the leste drope of alle
Upon the bare flor doun falle;
Anon ther sprong up flour and gras,
Where-as the drope falle was,

grene,

And wox anon al medwe 14 So that it mihte wel be sene.

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1 becomes strange 2 fairy 3 that surpasses human nature began equipment boil 7 bark 8 remedy bill 10 intestine healing 12 quickly 13 stir 14 meadow

Thus ye giveth oure gold/glotonis to helpen! And leveth hit to losels 34 / that lecherie haunten.35 Weore the bisschop i-blesset / and worth bothe his eres,38

75

His sel shulde not be sent / to deceyve the peple. Hit is not al bi 37 the bisschop / that the boye precheth,

Bote the parisch prest and the pardoner / parte the selver

That the pore peple of the parisch schulde have / yif that heo ne weore,

12

17

6

38

1 had 2 I have omitted two lines, which probably were not in the earliest version. 3 lubbers 4 labor 5 shaped them to, became friars 7 bellies 8 interpreting according to their own desire 10 many may money 13 since 14 been 15 trader 16 shrive, confess many wonders have 18 unless 19 she, i.e. Charity 20 better 21 earth 22 as if 23 absolve 24 broken vows 25 ignorant 26 believed 27 banged 28 blinded 29 eyes 30 reached, got 31 licence 32 your gluttons 34 rascals 36 practice ears 37 it is not all the fault of 38 if it were not for them

35

33

greve us alle,

Cracche 10 us, or clawe us and in his cloches " holde,

That us lotheth the lyf / or 12 he lete us passe. 155 Myghte we with any witte / his wille withstonde, We myghte be lordes aloft / and lyven at owre ese." A raton 13 of renon," / most renable 15 of tonge, Seide for a sovereygne / help to hymselve: 16 "I have y-sein 17 "18 segges, quod he, / "in the cité of London

Beren beighes 19 ful brighte / abouten here nekkes, And some colers of crafty werk; / uncoupled thei wenden 20

162 Both in wareine 21 and in waste / where hem leve lyketh;22

And otherwhile thei aren elleswhere / as I here telle. Were there a belle on here beighe,23 / bi Jesu, as

20

27

25

run

26 buy 31 rides 32 runs

20

20 went 24 know

30 whether

34 appear

27 neck 28 hear may 33 if he wishes to play 35 when he pleases to play 36 he is angry 37 shun

38 but when

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19

5

22

Til late and longe / that thei a leod 1o metten
Apparayled as a palmere / in pilgrimes wyse.20
He bar a bordun 21 i-bounde / with a brod lyste
In a weth-bondes wyse/i-writhen 24 aboute.
A bagge and a bolle / he bar bi his syde;
An hundred of ampolles 25 / on his hat seten,"
Signes of Synay / and schelles of Galys; 27
Moni 28 cros on his cloke, / and keiyes 29 of Rome,
And the vernicle bi-fore, / for men schulde knowe
And seo be his signes / whom he sought 30 hedde.31
This folk fraynede 32 him feire 33 / from whenne
that he coome.

12

16