Sens love hath brought vs to this pitous end,
And right wise God, to every lover send,
That loveth trewly, more prosperite
Than ever had Piramus and Tisbe,
And let no gentill woman her assure,
To putten her in such an aventure,
But God forbid but that a woman can
Ben as true and loving as a man,

And for my part I shall anon it kithe :"

And with that word, his swerde she tooke swithe,
That warme was of her loves blood, and hote,
And to the herte she her selven smote.

And thus are Tisbe and Piramus ago,
Of true men I find but few mo
In all my bookes, save this Piramus,
And therefore have I spoken of him thus ;
For it is deintie to vs men to find
A man that can in love be true and kind.
Here may ye seene, what lover so he be,
A woman dare, and can as well as he.

THE LEGEND OF DIDO, QUEENE OF CARTAGE.

GLORY and honour, Virgile Mantuan,
Be to thy name, and I shall as I can
Follow thy lanterne, as thou goest beforne,
How Eneas to Dido was forsworne,
In thine Eneide, and Naso woll I take
The tenour and the great effects make,
Whan Troy brought was to destruction
By Grekes sleight, and namely by Sinon,
Faining the horse offred vnto Minerue,
Thrugh which that many a Troian must sterve,
And Hector had after his death apered,
And fire so wood, it might nat ben stered,
In all the noble toure of Ilion,

That of the citie was the cheefe dungeon,
And all the country was so low ybrought,
And Priamus the king fordone and nought,
And Eneas was charged by Venus
To flien away, he tooke Ascanius

That was his son, in his right hand and fled,
And on his backe he bare and with him led
His old father, cleped Anchises,
And by the way his wife Creusa he lees,
And mokell sorrow had he in his mind,
Ere that he coulde his fellawship find:
But at the last, whan he had hem found,
He made him redy in a certaine stound,
And to the sea full fast he gan him hie,
And saileth forth with all his companie
Towards Itaile, as would destinee:
But of his aventures in the see,
Nis nat to purpose for to speke of here,
For it accordeth nat to my matere,
But as I said, of him and of Dido
Shall be my tale, till that I have do.
So long he sailed in the salt see,
Till in Libie vnneth arriued he,
So was he with the tempest all to shake,
And whan that he the haven had itake,
He had a knight was called Achatees,
And him of all his fellowship he chees,
To gone with him, the country for tespie,
He tooke with him no more companie,

But forth they gon, and left his ships ride,
His feere and he, withouten any guide.

So long he walketh in this wildernesse,
Till at the last he met an hunteresse,
A bow in hond, and arrowes had she,
Her clothes cutted were vnto the knee,
But she was yet the fairest creature
That ever was iformed by nature,
And Eneas and Achates she gret,

And thus she to hem spake, whan she hem met.
"Saw ye" (quod she) " as ye han walked wide,
Any of my sustren walke you beside,
With any wild bore or other beast,
That they have hunted into this forrest,
Itucked vp with arrowes in her caas?"

"Nay sothly lady" (quod this Eneas) "But by thy beautie, as it thinketh me, Thou mightest never yearthly woman be, But Phebus suster art thou, as 1 gesse, And if so be that thou be a goddesse, Have mercy on our labour and our wo.'

"I nam no goddesse soothly" (quod she tho)
For maidens walken in this country here,
With arrows and with bow, in this manere:
This is the realme of Libie there ye been,
Of which that Dido lady is and queen,"
And shortly told all the occasion
Why Dido came into that region,
Of which as now me listeth nat to rime,
It nedeth nat, it nere but losse of time,
For this is all and some, it was Venus
His owne mother, that spake with him thus,
And to Cartage she bade he should him dight,
And vanished anon out of his sight.

I could follow word for word Vergile,
But it would lasten all to long while.

This noble queen, that cleped was Dido,
That whylom was the wife of Sicheo,
That fairer was than the bright Sunne,
This noble toun of Carthage hath begunne,
In which she reigneth in so great honour,
That she was hold of all quenes flour,
Of gentillesse, of freedome, and of beaute,
That well was him that might her ones se,
Of kings and lordes so desired,
That all the world her beautie had ifired,
She stood so well in every wights grace.

Whan Eneas was come vnto the place,
Unto the maister temple of all the toun,
There Dido was in her deuotioun,
Full prively his way than hath he nome:
Whan he was in the large temple come,

I cannot saine, if that it be possible,
But Venus had him maked invisible,
Thus sayth the booke, withouten any lees.
And whan this Eneas and Achates
Hadden in this temple ben over all,
Than found they depainted on a wall,
How Troy and all the land destroyed was,
"Alas that I was borne" (quod Eneas)
"Through the world our shame is kid so wide,
Now it is painted vpon every side:
We that weren in prosperite,

Ben now disclaundred, and in such degre,
No lenger for to liven I ne kepe,"
And with that word he brast out for to wepe,
So tenderly that routh it was to seene.

This fresh lady, of the citie queen,
Stood in the temple, in her estate roiall,
So richely, and eke so faire withall,

So yong, so lustie, with her eyen glade,
That if that God that Heaven and yearth made,
Would have a love, for beauty and goodnesse;
And womanhede, trouth, and semelinesse,
Whom should be loven but this lady swete?
There nis no woman to him halfe so mete:
Fortune, that hath the world in governaunce,
Hath sodainly brought in so new a chaunce,
That never was there yet so frened a caas,
For all the company of Eneas,

Which that we wend have lorne in the see,
Arrived is nought ferre fro that citee,
For which the greatest of his lords, some
By aventure ben to the citie come
Unto that same temple for to seke
The queene, and of hir socour her beseke,
Such renome was ther sprong of her goodnes.
And whan they had tolde all hir distresse,
And all hir tempest and all hir hard caas,
Unto the queene appeared Eneas,
And openly beknew that it was he,
Who had joy than, but his meine,
That hadden found hir lord, hir governour.
The queue saw they did him such honour,
And had heard of Eneas, ere tho,
And in her herte had routh and wo,
That ever such a noble man as he
Shall ben disherited in such degre,

And saw the man, that he was like a knight,
And suffisaunt of person and of might,
And like to ben a very gentilman,
And well his words he beset can,
And had a noble visage for the nones,
And formed well of brawne and of bones,
And after Venus had such fairenesse,
That no man might be halfe so faire I gesse,
And well a lord him semed for to be,
And for he was a straunger, somewhat she
Liked him the bet, as God doe bote,
To some, folke often new thing is sote,
Anon her herte hath pitee of his wo,
And with pitie, love came also,
And thus for pitie and for gentilnesse,
Refreshed must he ben of his distresse.

She said, certes, that she sorry was,
That he bath had such perill and such caas,
And in her friendly speech, in this manere
She to him spake, and sayd as ye may here.
"Be ye nat Venus sonne and Anchises,
In good faith, all the worship and encrees
That I may goodly done you, ye shall have,
Your ships and your meine shall I save,"
And many a gentle word she spake him to,
And commaunded her messengers to go
The same day withouten any faile
His ships for to secke and hem vitaile,
Full many a beast she to the ships sent,
And with the wine she gan hem to present,
And to her roiall paleis she her sped,
And Eneas she alway with her led.
What nedeth you the feastes to discrive,
He never better at ease was in live,
Full was the feast of deinties and richesse,
Of instruments, of song, and of gladnesse,
And many an amorous looking and devise.
This Eneas is come to Paradise
Out of the swolowe of Hell and thus in joy
Remembreth him of his estate in Troy,
To dauncing chambers full of paraments,
Of rich beds, and of pavements,

This Eneas is ledde after the meat,
And with the queene whan that he had seat,
And spices parted, and the wine agon,
Unto his chamber was he lad anon
To take his ease, and for to have his rest
With all his folke, to done what so him lest.

Ther nas courser well ibridled none,
Ne stede for the justing well to gone,
Ne large palfrey, easie for the nones,
Ne iewell fret full of rich stones
Ne sackes full of gold, of large wight,
Ne rubie none that shineth by night,
Ne gentill hauten faukon hereonere,
Ne hound for hart, wild bore, or dere,
Ne cup of gold, with floreins new ibette,
That in the lond of Libie may ben gette,
That Dido ne hath Eneas it isent,
And all is payed, what that he hath spent.
Thus can this honorable quene her gests call,
As she that can in freedome passen all.
Eneas sothly eke, without lees,
Hath sent to his shippe by Achates
After his sonne, and after rich things,
Both scepter, clothes, broches, and eke rings,
Some for to weare, and some to present
To her, that all these noble things him sent,
And bad his sonne how that he should make
The presenting, and to the quene it take.
Repaired is this Achates againė,
And Eneas full blisfull is and faine,
To seene his yong sonne Ascanius,
For to him it was reported thus,
That Cupido, that is the god of love,
At prayer of his mother high above,
Had the likenesse of the child itake,
This noble queene enamoured for to make
On Eneas: but of that scripture

Be as he may, I make of it no cure,

But soth is this, the queen hath made such chere
Unto this child, that wonder was to here,
And of the present that his father sent,

She thanked him oft in good entent.

Thus is this queen in pleasaunce and joy,
With all these new lustie folke of Troy,
And of the deeds hath she more enquired
Of Eneas, and all the story lered

Of Troy, and all the long day they tway
Entendeden for to speake and for to play,
Of which there gan to breden such a fire,
That silly Dido hath now such desire
With Eneas her new guest to deale,
That she lost her hew and eke her heale.

Now to theffect, now to the fruit of all,
Why I have told this story, and tellen shall.
Thus I begin, it fell vpon a night,
Whan that the Mone vpreised had her light,
This noble queene vnto her rest went,
She sighed sore, and gon her selfe tourment,
She walketh, waloweth, and made many brayd,
As done these lovers, as I have heard sayd,
And at the last, vnto her suster Anne

She made her mone, and right thus spake she than.
"Now dere suster mine, what may it be
That me agasteth in my dreme" (quod she)
"This ilke new Troian is so in my thought,
For that me thinketh he is so weil iwrought,
And eke so likely to ben a man,

And therwith so mikell good he can,
That all my love and life lieth in his cure,
Have ye nat heard him tell his aventure?

"Now certes Anne, if that ye rede me, I woll faine to him iwedded be,

This is the effect, what should I more seine,
In him lieth all, to do me live or deinc."

Her suster Anne, as she that coud her good,
Said as her thought, and somdele it withstood,
But hereof was so long a sermoning,
It were to long to make rehearsing:
But finally, it may not be withstonde,
Love woll love, for no wight woll it wonde.
The dawning, vp rist out of the see,
This amorous quene chargeth her meine,
The nettes dresse, and speres brode and kene,
In hunting woll this lustie fresh, quene,
So pricketh her this new jolly wo,
To horse is all her lustie folke igo,
Unto the court the houndes beu ibrought,
And vp on courser swift as any thought,
Her yong knights heven all about,
And of her women eke an huge rout,
Upon a thicke palfray, paper white,
With saddle redde, embrouded with delite,
Of gold the barres, vp enbossed high,
Sate Dido, all in gold and perrey wrigh,
And she is faire as is the bright morrow,
'That healeth sicke folkes of nights sorrow:
Upon a courser, startling as the fire,
Men might tourne him with a little wire.
But Eneas, like Phebus to devise,
So was he fresh arrayed in his wise,
The fomie bridle, with the bitte of gold,
Governeth he right as himselfe hath would,
And forth this noble queene, this lady ride
On hunting, with this Troian by her side,
The herd of hartes founden is anon,
With "Hey go bet, pricke thou, let gon let gon,
Why nill the lion comen or the beare,

That I might him ones meten with this spear," Thus saine this yong folke, and vp they kill The wild hartes, and have hem at hir will.

Emong all this, to romblen gan the Heven,
The thunder rorod with a grisly steven,
Doun come the rain, with haile and sleet so fast,
With Heavens fire, that made so sore agast
This noble queene, and also her meine,
That eche of hem was glad away to flie,
And shortly, fro the tempest her to save,
She fled her selfe into a little cave,
And with her went this Eneas also,
I not with hem if there went any mo,
The authour maketh of it no mention :
And here began the deepe affection
Betwixt hem two, this was the first morrow
Of her gladnesse, and ginning of her sorrow,
For there hath Eneas ikneled so,

And told her all his hurt and all his wo,
And sworne so deepe to her to be true,
For wele or wo, and chaunge for no new,
And as a false lover so well can plaine,
That silly Dido rewed on his paine,
And toke him for husbond, and became his wife
For evermore, while that hem last life,
And after this whan that the tempest stent
With mirth out as they came, home they went.
The wicked fame vp rose, and that anon,
How Eneas hath with the queene igon
Into the cave, and demed as hem list:
And whan the king (that Yarbas hight) it wist,
As he that had her loved ever his life,
And woed her to have her to his wife,

Such sorrow as he hath maked, and such chere,
It is a routh and pitie for to here,
But as in love, alday it happeth so,
'That one shall laughen at anothers wo,
Now laughed Eneas, and is in joy,
And more richesse than ever was in Troy.
O silly woman, full of innocence,
Full of pitie, of truth, and continence,
What maked you to men to trusten so?
Have ye such routh vpon hir fained wo,
And have such old ensamples you beforne?
See ye nat all how they ben forsworne,
Where see ye one, that he ne hath laft his lefe,
Or ben vnkind, or done her some mischefe,
Or pilled her or bosted of his dede,
Ye may as well it seene, as ye may rede.
Take hede now of this great gentilman,
This Troian, that so well her please can,
That faineth him so true and obeising,

So gentill, and so privie of his doing,
And can so well done all his obeysaunce

To her, at feasts and at daunce,

And whan she goeth to temple, and home again,
And fasten till he hath his lady sein,

And bearen in his devises for her sake,
Not I nat what, and songs would he make,
Justen, and done of armes many things,
Send her letters, tokens, brooches, and rings.

Now herkneth how he shal his lady serve:
There as he was in perill for to sterve
For hunger and for mischefe in the see,
And desolate, and fled fro his countree,
And all his folke with tempest all to driven,
She hath her body and eke her realme yeven
Into his hond, there she might have been
Of other land than of Cartage a queen,
And lived in joy inough, what would ye more.
This Eneas, that hath thus deepe iswore,
Is wearie of his craft within a throw,
The hote earnest is all overblow,
And prively he doeth his ships dight,
And shapeth him to steale away by night.

.

This Dido hath suspection of this,

And thought well that it was al amis,
For in his bed he lieth a night and siketh,
She asketh him anon, what him misliketh,

My dere herte which that I love most."
"Certes" (quod he) "this night my fathers ghost
Hath in my slepe me so sore tourmented,
And eke Mercury his message hath presented,
That needes to the conquest of Itaile

My destiue is soone for to saile,

For which me thinketh, brosten is mine herte:"
Therwith his false teares out they start,
And taketh her within his armes two.

"Is that in earnest" (quod she) "woll ye se,
Have ye nat sworne, to wife me to take,
Alas, what woman woll ye of me make?
I am a gentlewoman, and a queen,
Ye woll not fro your wife thus foule fleen,
That I was borne alas, what shall I do?"

To tellen in short, this noble queen Dido She seeketh hallowes, and doth sacrifise, She kneeleth, crieth, that routh is to devise, Coniureth him, and profereth him to be His thrall, his servaunt, in the best degre, She falleth him to foot, and sowneth there, Discheuile with her bright gilt heere, And sayth," Have mercy, let me with you ride, These lordes, which that wonnen me beside,

Woll me destroyen only for your sake:
And ye woll me now to wife take,

As ye have sworne, than woll I yeve you leve
To slaen me with your swerd now sone at eve,
For than yet shall I dien as your wife,
I am with child, and yeve my child his life,
Mercy lord, have pitie in your thought."
But all this thing availeth her right nought,
And as a traitour forthe gan to saile
Toward the large countrey of Itaile,
And thus bath he laft Dido in wo and pine,
And wedded there a ladie hight Lavine,
A cloth he laft, and eke his sword standing,
Whan he fro Dido stale in her sleeping,
Right at her beds bead, so gan he hie,
Whan that he stale away to his nauie.

Which cloth, whan sillie Dido gan awake,
She hath it kist full oft for his sake,

And said, "O sweet cloth, while Jupiter it lest,
Take my soule, vubind me of this vnrest,
I have fulfilled of fortune all the course,"
And thus alas, withouten his socourse,
Twentie time iswouned hath she than,
And whan that she vnto her suster Anne
Complained had, of which I may not write,
So great routh I have it for to endite,
And bad her norice and her sustren gone
To fetchen fire, and other things anone,
And sayd that she would sacrifie,
And whan she might her time well aspie,
Upon the fire of sacrifice she start,
And with his sword she rofe her to the herte:
But as mine authour saith, yet this she seide,
Or she was hurt, beforne or she deide,
She wrote a letter anon, and thus began.

"Right so" (quod she)" as the white swan
Ayenst his death beginneth for to sing,
Right so to you I make my complaining,
Not that I trow to getten you againe,
For well I wote it is all in vaine,

Sens that the gods ben contrarious to me,

But sin my name is lost through you" (quod she)
"I may well lese a word on you or letter,
Albeit I shall be never the better,

For thilke wind that blew your ship away,
The same wind hath blow away your fay,"
But who so woll all this letter have in mind,
Rede Ovide, and in him he shall it find.

THE

LEG END OF HIPSIPHILE AND MEDEA.

THOU root of false lovers, duke Jason,
Thou sleer, devourer, and confusion
Of gentlewomen, gentle creatures,
Thou madest thy reclaiming and thy lures
To ladies of thy scathliche apparaunce,
And of thy words farsed with pleasaunce,
And of thy fained trouth, and thy manere,
With thine obeisaunce and humble chere,
And with thine counterfeited paine and wo,
There other falsen one, thou falsed two,
O oft swore thou that thou wouldest die
For love, whan thou ne feltest maladie,
Save foule delite, which thou callest love,
If that I live, thy name shall be shove
In English, that thy deceit shall be know,
Have at thee Jason, now thine honor is blow,

But certes, it is both routh and wo,
That love with false lovers werketh so,
For they shall have well better love and chére
Than he that hath bought love full dere,
Or had in armes many a bloodie boxe,
For ever as tender a capon eateth the foxe,
Though he be fals, and hath the foule betraied,
As shall the good man that therefore paied,
Although he have to the capon skill and right,
The false foxe woll have his part at night,
On Jason this ensample is well iseene,
By Hipsiphile and Medea the queene.
In Thessalie, as Ovide telleth vs,
There was a knight, that hight Peleus,
That had a brother, which that hight Eson,
And whan for age he might vnnethes gon,
He yave to Peleus the governing

Of al his reign, and made him lord and king,
Of which Eson, this Jason getten was,
That in his time in all that land there nas
Nat such a famous knight of gentillesse,
Of freedome, of strength, and of lustinesse,
After his fathers death he bare him so,
That there nas none that list ben his fo,
But did him all honour and companie,
Of which this Peleus hath great envie,
Imagining, that Jason might be
Enhaunsed so, and put in such degre,
With love of lordes of his regioun,
That from his reigne he may be put adoun,
And in his wit a night compassed he
How Jason might best destroyed be,
Withouten slaunder of his compasment:
Aud at the last he tooke avisement,
That to send him into some ferre countre,
There as this Jason may destroyed be,
This was his wit, all made he to Jason
Great chere of looke, and of affection,
For drede least his lords it espide,
So fell it, as fame ronneth wide,
There was such tiding over all, and such loos,
That in an isle, that called was Colcos,
Beyond Troy eastward in the see,
That there was a ram, that men might see,
That had a flees of gold, that shone so bright,
That no where was there such another sight,
But it was kept alway with a dragoun,
And many other marvailes vp and doun,
And with two buls maked all of bras,
That spitten fire, and much thing there was,
But this was eke the tale nathelees,
That who so would winnen thilke flees,
He must both, or he it winnen might,
With the buls and the dragon fight.

And king Otes lord was of that isle,
This Peleus bethought vpon this while,
That he his nephew Jason would exhort,
To sailen to that lond, him to disport,
And sayd, "Nephew, if it might bee,
That such worship might fall thee,
That thou this famous treasure might win,
And bring it my region within,

It were to me great pleasaunce and honour,
Than were I hold to quite thy labour,
And all thy costes I woll my selfe make,
And chose what folke thou wolt with thee take,
Let see now, darste thou taken this voyage."

Jason was yong, and lustie of corage,
And vndertooke to done this ilke emprise,
Anon Argus his ships gan devise.

With Jason went the strong Hercules,
And many another, that he with him ches,
But who so asketh, who is with him gon,
Let him rede Argonauticon,
For he woll tell a tale long ynough.
Philoctetes anon the saile vp drough,
Whan the wind was good, and gan him hie
Out of his countrey, called Thessalie,
So long they sayled in the salt see,
Till in the isle of Lemnon arrived hee,
All be this nat rehearsed of Guido,
Yet saieth Ovide in his Epistles so,
And of this isle lady was and quene,
The faire yong Hipsiphile the shene,
That whylom Thoas doughter was the king.
Hipsiphile was gone in her playing,
And roming on the clevis by the see,
Under a banke anone espied she
Where lay the ship, that Jason gan arrive:
Of her goodnesse adoune she sendeth blive,
To weten, if that any straunge wight
With tempest thider were iblow anight,
To done him succour, as was her vsaunce,
To furtheren every wight, and done pleasaunce
Of very bountie, and of courtesie.

This messenger adoune him gan to hie,
And found Jason and Hercules also,
That in a cogge to lond were igo,
Hem to refreshen, and to take the aire.
The morning attempre was and faire,
And in hir way this messenger hem mette,
Full cunningly these lordes two he grette,
And did his message, asking hem anon

If that they were broken, or ought wo begon,
Or had need of lodesmen or vitaile,
For succour they should nothing faile,
For it was vtterly the queenes will.

Jason answerde meekely and still:
"My lady" (quod he) "thanke 1 hertely
Of her goodnesse, vs needeth truly
Nothing as now, but that we weary be,
And come for to play out of the see,
Till that the wind be better in our way."
This lady rometh by the cliffe to play
With her meine, endlong the strond,
And findeth this Jason and this other stond
In speaking of this thing, as I you told.

This Hercules and Jason gan behold
How that the queen it was, and faire her grete,
Anone right as they with this lady mete,
And she tooke heed, and knew by hir manere,
By hir array, by wordes, and. by chere,
That it were gentill men of great degree,
And to the castle with her leadeth she
These strange folk, and doth hem great honour,
And asketh hem of travaile and of labour
That they have suffred in the salt see,
So that within a day two or three
She knew by the folke that in his ships be,
That it was Jason full of renomee,
And Hercules, that had the great loos,
That soughten the aventures of Colcos,
And did hem honour more than before.
And with hem dealed ever longer the more,
For they ben worthy folke withouten lees,
And namely most she spake with Hercules,
To him her herte bare, he should be
Sadde, wise, and true, of words avisee,
Withouten any other affection
Of love, or any other imagination.

This Hercules bath this Jason praised,
That to the Sunne he hath it vp raised,
That halfe so true a man there nas of love
Under the cope of Heaven, that is above,
And he was wise, hardie, secret, and riche,
Of these iii points, there nas none him liche,
Of freedome passed he, and lustie head,
All tho that liven, or ben dead,
Thereto so great a gentill man was he,
And of Thessalie likely king to be,
There nas no lacke, but that he was agast
To love, and for to speake shamefast,
Him had lever himselfe to murder and die,
Than that men should a lover him espie,
As would God that I had iyeve

My blood and flesh, so that I might live
With the bones, that he had aught where a wife
For his estate, for such a lustie life
She shoulden lede with this lustie knight.
And all this was compassed on the night
Betwixt him Jason, and this Hercules,
Of these two here was a shreud lecs,
To come to house vpon an innocent,
For to bedote this queene was hir entent:
And Jason is as coy as is a maid,
He looketh pitously, but naught he sayd
But freely yave he to her counsailers
Yefts great, and to her officers,

As would God that I leaser had and time,
By processe, all his wrong for to rime:
But in this house, if any false lover be,
Right as himselfe now doth, right so did he,
With faining, and with every subtill dede,
Ye get no more of me, but ye woll rede
Thoriginall, that telleth all the caas,

The sooth is this, that Jason wedded was
Unto this queene, and tooke of her substaunce
What so him list, vnto his purveyaunce,
And vpon her begate children two,
And drough his saile, and saw her never mo:
A letter sent she him certaine,

Which were too long to writen and to saine,
And him reproveth of his great vntrouth,
And praieth him on her to have some routh,
And on his children two, she sayd him this,
That they be like of all thing iwis
To Jason, save they couth nat beguile,
And prayd God, or it were lang while,
That she that had his herte ireft her fro,
Must finden him vntrue also:

And that she must both her children spill,
And all tho that suffreth him his will:
And true to Jason was she all her life,
And ever kept her chast, as for his wife,
Ne never had she joy at her harte,
But died for his love of sorrowes smart.
To Colcos come is this duke Jason,
That is of love devourer and dragon,
As matire appeteth forme alway,

And from forme to forme it passen may,
Or as a well that were bottomles,
Right so can Jason have no pees,
For to desiren through his appetite,
To done with gentlewomen his delite,
This is his lust, and his felicite,
Jason is romed forth to the citie,

That whylome cleped was Jasonicos,

That was the master toune of all Colcos,
And hath itold the cause of his comming
Unto Otes, of that countrey king,