And preide hem alle, as sche wel couthe,1 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 5
The fyri aulters al aboute.

6

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 2 lay ther certein wode cleft,
Of which the pieces nou and eft 3
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.10
Bot tho 2 sche ran so up and doun,
Sche made many a wonder soun,
Somtime lich " unto the cock,
Somtime unto the laverock,12

9

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Б run hung where place like

10

11

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,
Sometimes speaketh as do men.

And as she made her jargon strange,
Her form in sundry wise did change,
She seemed no woman but a fay;
For with the crafts she did assay
She was, as one might say, goddéss.

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And what hir liste, more or lesse,

Sche dede, in bokes as we finde,
That passeth over manneskinde.1
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,3
Whereon the medicine stod,
Of jus, of water, and of blod,
And let it buile 4 in such a plit,
Til that sche sawh the spume whyt;
And tho sche caste in rynde 5 and rote,
And sed and flour that was for bote,"
With many an herbe and many a ston,
Whereof 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,

Sche tok the hed with al the bile; 7
And as the medicine it wile,
Sche tok therafter the bouele 8
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 10
Sche putte; and tok thanne of clyve
A drie branche hem with to stere,11
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,
And wox anon al medwe 12 grene,
So that it mihte wel be sene.
Medea thanne knew and wiste
Hir medicine is forto triste,13
And goth to Eson ther 14 he lay,
And tok a swerd was of assay
With which a wounde upon his side
Sche made, that therout mai slyde

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And whatso pleased her, more or less,
She did, as we in books may find,
Deeds that pass skill of human kind.
But whoso will of wonders hear,
What things she wrought by magic clear
To make an end of all her spell,

Of crafts like hers heard no man tell.

Just as the moon had changed to new, When it was time her task to do,

She laid a cauldron on the fire,

In which was placed the mass entire
Wherein the magic virtues stood
Of juice, of water, and of blood,
And let it boil therein aright
Till she could see the bubbles white;
And then she cast in bark and root,
And seed and flower both to boot,
With many a herb and many a stone,
Whereof she hath there many a one.
And cke Cimpheius, the serpent,
To her hath all his scales now lent,
Chelidre, the adder, gave his skin,

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And she to the boiling cast them in; 4130
A part too of the horned owl,

The which men hear at night-time howl;
And of a raven which had told

His full nine hundred winters old
She took the head with all the bill;
And as the medicine it will,
Of sea wolf she the bowel took,
And for the healing did it cook
Of Eson; and a thousand more
Of things that she had still in store
Within that cauldron cast full quick.
Of olive then a withered stick

She took, to stir that mixture rare.
And lo, the stick did flower and bear,
And waxed again all fresh and green!
When she this virtue well had seen,
She let the smallest drop of all
Upon the barren earth down fall;

At once there sprang up flower and grass,
Just where the falling drop did pass,
And waxed at once all meadow-green,
So that it clearly might be seen.
Medea then full surely knew
Her medicine was strong and true;
And goes to Eson where he lay,
And took a sword of good assay,
With which a wound within his side
She made, that so thereout may slide

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The blood within him, which was old
And sick and troubled and feeble and cold.
And then she took unto his use
Of all the herbs the potent juice,
And poured it all into his wound,
That made his veins all full and sound;
And then she made his wound to close;
And took his hand,
and up
he rose.

A draught to drink she gave him then,
From which his youth he caught again,
His head, his heart, and his viságe,
Like unto twenty winters' age;
His hoary hairs vanished away;

And like unto the lusty May,

When passed are all the chilling showers, Right so recovereth he his flowers.

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And neigh the dore, ay under shames drede,
Simple of atyr, and debonaire of chere,
With ful assured loking and manere.

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This Troilus, as he was wont to gyde
His yonge knightes, ladde hem up and doun
In thilke large temple on every syde,
Biholding ay the ladyes of the toun,
Now here, now there, for no devocioun
Hadde he to noon, to reven2 him his reste,
But gan to preyse and lakken3 whom him
leste.1

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Among thise othere folk was Criseyda,
In widewes habite blak; but nathelees,
Right as our firste lettre is now an A,
In beautee first so stood she, makelees;
Hir goodly looking gladede al the prees.14
Nas 15
never seyn thing to ben preysed derre,16
Nor under cloude blak so bright a sterre

18

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As was Criseyde, as folk seyde everichoon 17
That hir bihelden in hir blake wede;
And yet she stood ful lowe and stille alloon,
Bihinden othere folk, in litel brede,19

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And in his walk full fast he gan to wayten
If knight or squyer of his companye
Gan for to syke," or lete his eyen bayten 7
On any woman that he coude aspye;
He wolde smyle, and holden it folye,
And seye him thus, “God wot, she slepeth softe
For love of thee, whan thou tornest ful ofte.

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"I have herd told, pardieux, of your livinge, Ye lovers, and your lewede observaunces, And which a labour folk han 10 in winninge Of love, and in the keping which doutaunces; And whan your preye is lost, wo and pen

aunces;

11

verrey foles! nyce

9

12 and blinde be ye; 202 Ther nis 13 not oon can war 14 by other be."

3 blame it pleased 5 observe sigh 7 feast 8 silly what sort of 10 have 14 13 is not foolish

1 that same

11

perplexities

12

cautious

And after thi.. the story telleth us,
That she him yaf1 the faire baye stede,
The which she ones wan of Troilus;
And eek 2 a broche (and that was litel nede)
That Troilus was, she yaf1 this Diomede.
And eek, the bet 3 from sorwe him to releve,
She made him were
5
a pencel of hir sleve.
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I finde eek in the stories elles-where,
Whan through the body hurt was Diomede
Of Troilus, tho weep 7 she many a tere,
Whan that she saugh his wyde woundes
blede;

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And that she took to kepen him good hede; And for to hele him of his sorwes smerte, Men seyn, I not, that she yaf him hir herte.

8

"Allas, of me, un-to the worldes ende,
Shal neither been y-writen nor y-songe
No good word, for thise bokes wol me shende.10
O, rolled shal I been on many a tonge;
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Through-out the world my belle shal be ronge;
And wommen most wol hate me of alle.
Allas, that swich a cas me sholde falle!

"They wol seyn, in as muche as in me is
I have hem" don dishonour, weylawey! 1066
Al be I not the firste that dide amis,
What helpeth that to do 12 my blame awey?
But sin 13 I see there is no bettre way,

And that to late is now for me to rewe,14 1070
To Diomede algate 15 I wol be trewe.

unless for

1

4

may

11 thrive

6

16

de

by then wept know not 11 them 12 put

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gone 15

13

shame since repent at any rate 19 burst 20 at once 18 lady's saw