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Delyt me drof in yghe1 and ere;
My manez 2 mynde to maddyng malte.3
Quen I segh my frely," I wolde be there,
By-yonde the water thagh ho were walte."
I thoght that no-thyng myght me dere,s
To fech me bur and take me halte; 9

And to start in the strem schulde non me stere, 10

To swymme the remnaunt, thagh I ther swalte; 11

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

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21

Hit payed "hym not that I so flonc 18
Over mervelous merez,19 so mad arayde;
Of raas 20 thagh I were rasch and ronk,"
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; 24
Then wakned I in that erber wlonk,25 1171
My hede upon that hylle wacz layde

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

6

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,5 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 gothTil 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 gaspeth with a drecchinge 11 onde,12 And tho 13 sche tok hir speche on honde. Ferst sche began to clepe 14 and calle Upward unto the sterres alle, To Wynd, to Air, to See, to Lond

Sche preide, and ek hield up hir hond

To Echates 15 and gan to crie,

Which is godesse of sorcerie.

19

18

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."
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 23
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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starlight 2 as it pleased her 3 at the covered her hair unbound girded 7 Gower often gives and a strange position in the sentence; we should place it before al. glided stood still

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,*
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 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
A wether which was blak sche slouh,10
And out ther-of the blod sche drouh 11
And dede 12 into the pettes' tuo;
Warm melk sche putte also therto
With hony meynd; 13 and in such wise
Sche gan to make hir sacrifice.
And cride and preide forth withal
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,14

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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,

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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-

ered

1 took 2 chose 3 for the purpose groves covagain entire purpose 8 twain, two pits

9

AK

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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.

5

And so bifel, whan comen was the tyme
Of Aperil, whan clothed is the mede
• With newe grene, of lusty Ver 6 the pryme,
And swote smellen floures whyte and rede,
In sondry wyses shewede, as I rede,
The folk of Troye hir observaunces olde,
Palladiones feste for to holde.

And to the temple, in al hir beste wyse,
In general, ther wente many a wight,
To herknen of Palladion the servyse;
And namely,10 so many a lusty knight,
So many a lady fresh and mayden bright,
Ful wel arayed, bothe moste " and leste,
Ye,12 bothe for the seson and the feste.

13

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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 175

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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.

"I have herd told, pardieux, of your livinge, Ye lovers, and your lewede 8 observaunces, And which a labour folk han 10 in winninge Of love, and in the keping which doutaunces;

11

And whan your preye is lost, wo and pen

aunces;

O verrey foles! nyce 12 and blinde be ye; 202 Ther nis 13 not oon can war 14 by other be."

1 that same 2 take away 3 blame it pleased

8

espe

12

peerless 14 crowd yea

15

5

not

16

more dearly

17

19

was space

11

6 sigh observe perplexities

cially greatest

7

8

9

feast silly what sort of 10 have 12 foolish 13 is not

14

cautious

But as she sat allone and thoughte thus, 610
Thascry1aroos at skarmish al with-oute,
And men cryde in the strete, "See, Troilus
Hath right now put to flight the Grekes
route!" 2

4

With that gan al hir meynee3 for to shoute, "A! go we see, caste up the latis wyde; 615 For thurgh this strete he moot to palays ryde;

"For other wey is fro the yate" noon

Of Dardanus, ther open is the cheyne." 8
With that come he and al his folk anoon
An esy pas rydinge, in routes tweyne, 620
Right as his happy day was, sooth to seyne,
For which men say, may nought disturbed be
That shal bityden of necessitee.