Of Othrin and Olimpe also,
And ek of othre hulles mo,
Sche fond and gadreth herbes suote,'
Sche pulleth up som be the rote,
And manye with a knyf sche scherth,2
And alle into hir char sche berth.3
Thus whan sche hath the hulles sought,
The flodes ther forgat sche nought,
Eridian and Amphrisos,

Peneie and ek Spercheidos.

To hem sche wente and ther sche nom

Bothe of the water and the fom,

The sond and ek the smale stones, Whiche-as sche ches out for the nones;

And of the Rede See a part That was behovelich to hire art

Sche tok, and after that aboute

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

12

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 And dede 1 into the pettes" tuo; Warm melk sche putte also therto 1 sweet 2 cuts bears, carries rivers took chose for the purpose 'groves 11 again 12 entire purpose 13 twain, two 14 16 drew 17 put

10

pits

4000

8

4011

4020

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4040

forgot covered

15 slew

To Pluto, the god infernal,

And to the queene Proserpine.

And so sche soghte out al the line
Of hem that longen to that craft,
Behinde was no name laft,'

And preide hem alle, as sche wel couthe,

To grante Eson his ferste youthe.

This olde Eson broght forth was tho;' 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,"
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.

4050

4060

4070

4080

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hewed 7 run

now and again where 12 place

Somtime kacleth as a hen,
Somtime spekth as don the men;
And riht so as hir jargoun strangeth,1
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,
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,

8

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

Of nyne hundred wynter old,

9

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 12
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,

And wox anon al medwe

14

grene,

So that it mihte wel be sene.

4110

4120

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4150

1 becomes strange fairy that surpasses human nature began equipment boil 7 bark

Medea thanne knew and wiste
Hir medicine is forto triste,1
And goth to Eson ther he lay,
And tok a swerd was of assay 3
With which a wounde upon his side
Sche made, that therout mai slyde
The blod withinne, which was old

And sek and trouble and fieble and cold.
And tho sche tok unto his us 4

Of herbes al the beste jus,

And poured it into his wounde;

That made his veynes fulle and sounde.

And tho sche made his wounde clos,

And tok his hand, and up he ros.

5

And tho sche yaf him drinke a drauhte, Of which his youthe ayein he cauhte,

His hed, his herte and his visage

Lich unto twenty wynter age;

Hise hore heres were away,

And lich unto the freisshe Maii,

Whan passed ben the colde schoures,

Riht so recovereth he his floures.

4159

4170

remedy

27 choicely, skilfully

bill 10 intestine 11 healing 12 quickly 13 stir 1 meadow

Bicoome clerkes of acounte / the king for to serven.
Erchedekenes and denis,10/ that dignite haven
To preche the peple / and pore men to feede,
Beon lopen 11 to Londun, / bi leve of heore bis-
schopes,

To ben clerkes of the Kynges Benche / the cuntre to schende.12 95

Barouns and burgeis 13 / and bondages 14 alse 15 I saugh in that semble,16 / as ye schul heren aftur, Bakers, bochers, / and breusters 17 monye, Wollene-websteris,18/ and weveris of lynen, Taillours, tanneris, / and tokkeris 10 bothe, Masons, minours, / and mony other craftes, Dykers, and delvers, / that don heore dedes ille,20 And driveth forth the longe day / with "Deu save Dam Emme!" 21

100

And comen1 to a conseille / for here? comune profit;

For a cat of a courte / cam whan hym lyked, 149 And overlepe hem lyghtlich / and laughte3 hem at his wille,

And pleyde with hem perilouslych / and possed hem aboute.

"For doute of dyverse dredes / we dar noughte wel loke;

7

8

And yif we grucche of his gamen/he wil greve us alle,

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

That us lotheth the lyf / or " 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: 10 — "I have y-sein 17 segges,' ‚" 18 quod he, / “in the cité

of London

Both in wareine " and in waste / where hem leve lyketh;"

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

Men myghte wite where thei went, / and awei renne! 25 166 me

And right so," quod this raton, / "reson sheweth

To bugge" a belle of brasse / or of brighte sylver And knitten on a colere / for owre comune profit, And hangen it upon the cattes hals; "7/than here 28

13 rat

seized pushed fear dreads

17 seen 20 went 24 know

7 if grudge sport 10 scratch 11 clutches 12 before
14 renown 15 eloquent 16 themselves
18 people (here dogs are meant)
19 rings
21 warren
22 wherever they please 23 collar
25 run
26 buy
31 rides
32 runs
35 when he pleases to play
38 but when

27 neck 28 hear 29 may 30 whether
33 if he wishes to play
34 appear
36 he is angry
37 shun

And leten here laboure lost / and alle here longe studye.

A mous that moche good/couthe, as me thoughte,

Stroke forth sternly / and stode biforn hem alle, And to the route of ratones/reherced these wordes:

"Though we culled the catte/yut sholde ther come another

185 To cracchy us and al owre kynde, / though we croupe 7 7 under benches. For-thi I conseille alle the comune / to lat the catte worthe,

And be we never so bolde/ the belle hym to shewe;

For I herde my sire seyn,10/ is sevene yere ypassed,

There" the catte is a kitoun / the courte is ful
elyng;
That witnisseth Holi-write, /who-so wil it rede,
Ve terre ubi puer rex est,13 &c.

For may no renke "there rest have / for ratones bi nyghte.

The while he caccheth conynges 15/he coveiteth nought owre caroyne,16

But fet hym al with venesoun,18 / defame we hym nevere.

19

For better is a litel losse / than a longe sorwe, The mase amonge us alle / though we mysse a shrewe.21

20

196

Ne carpyng' of this coler/ that costed' me

nevre.

And though it had coste me catel3 / biknowen' it I nolde,

But suffre as hym-self wolde / to do as hym liketh, 205 Coupled and uncoupled / to cacche what thei

mowe.

For-thi uche a wise wighte I warne / wite wel his owne."

Til late and longe / that thei a leod 1o metten
Apparayled as a palmere / in pilgrimes wyse.20
He bar a bordun " i-bounde / with a brod lyste 22
In a weth-bondes 23 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; "7
Moni 28
cros on his cloke, / and keiyes 20 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 "/from whenne
that he coome.

12

16

"From Synay," he seide, / "and from the Sepulcre;

At Bethleem and at Babiloyne, / I have ben in

bothe;

In Armonye, in Alisaundre, / and in mony other places.

Ye mouwe seo be my signes / that sitteth on myn hat

20

That I have walked ful wyde / in weete and in druye 34

And sought 35 goode seyntes/ for my soule hele." 36

6

may

3

1 talking 2 cost property 4 confess & would not 7 each keep dream 10 means 8 11 dare not 12 These lines are given by Skeat from one MS.; they do not belong to the original. 13 seek 14 Saint Truth 15 strange 16 but 17 knew 18 their 19 man 20 fashion 21 staff 22 strip of cloth 25 sacred vials 26 sat 30 visited 31 had 35 visited 36 soul's health

23 convolvulus

27 Galicia 32 asked

28

24 twisted

many a 33 courteously

29 keys

34 dry