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 any fals lover be,
 Right as him-self now doth, right so dide he, 1555
 With feyning and with every sotil dede.
 Ye gete no more of me, but ye wil rede (190)
 Thoriginal, that telleth al the cas.
 The somme is this, that Iasoun wedded was
 Unto this quene, and took of her substaunce 1560
 What-so him liste, unto his purveyaunce;
 And upon her begat he children two,
 And drow his sail, and saw her never-mo.
 A lettre sente she to him certein,
 Which were to long to wryten and to sein, 1565
 And him repreveth of his grete untrouthe,
 And preyeth him on her to have som routhe. (200)
 And of his children two, she seide him this,
 That they be lyke, of alle thing, y-wis,
 To Iasoun, save they coude nat begyle; 1570
 And preyed god, or hit were longe whyle,
 That she, that had his herte y-raft her fro,
 Moste finden him to her untrewe al-so,
 And that she moste bothe her children spille,
 And alle tho that suffreth him his wille. 1575
 And trew to Iasoun was she al her lyf,
 And ever kepte her chast, as for his wyf; (210)
 Ne never had she Ioye at her herte,
 But dyed, for his love, of sorwes smerte.

 PART II. THE LEGEND OF MEDEA.

 To Colcos comen is this duk Iasoun, 1580
 That is of love devourer and dragoun.
 As matere appetyteth forme al-wey,
 And from forme in-to forme hit passen may,
 Or as a welle that were botomlees,
 Right so can fals Iasoun have no pees. 1585
 For, to desyren, through his appetyt,
 To doon with gentil wommen his delyt, (220)
 This is his lust and his felicitee.
 Iasoun is romed forth to the citee,
 That whylom cleped was Iaconitos, 1590
 That was the maister-toun of al Colcos,
 And hath y-told the cause of his coming
 Un-to Oëtes, of that contre king,
 Preying him that he moste doon his assay
 To gete the flees of gold, if that he may; 1595
 Of which the king assenteth to his bone,
 And doth him honour, as hit is to done, (230)
 So ferforth, that his doghter and his eyr,
 Medea, which that was so wys and fair
 That fairer saw ther never man with yë, 1600
 He made her doon to Iasoun companye
 At mete, and sitte by him in the halle.
 Now was Iasoun a semely man with-alle,
 And lyk a lord, and had a greet renoun,
 And of his loke as real as leoun, 1605
 And goodly of his speche, and famulere,
 And coude of love al craft and art plenere (240)
 With-oute boke, with everich observaunce.
 And, as fortune her oghte a foul meschaunce,
 She wex enamoured upon this man. 1610
 'Iasoun,' quod she, 'for ought I see or can,
 As of this thing the which ye been aboute,
 Ye han your-self y-put in moche doute.
 For, who-so wol this aventure acheve,
 He may nat wel asterten, as I leve, 1615
 With-outen deeth, but I his helpe be.
 But natheles, hit is my wille,' quod she, (250)
 'To forthren yow, so that ye shal nat dye,
 But turnen, sound, hoom to your Tessalye.'
 'My righte lady,' quod this Iasoun tho, 1620
 'That ye han of my dethe or of my wo
 Any reward, and doon me this honour,
 I wot wel that my might ne my labour
 May nat deserve hit in my lyves day;
 God thanke yow, ther I ne can ne may. 1625
 Your man am I, and lowly you beseche,
 To been my help, with-oute more speche; (260)
 But certes, for my deeth shal I nat spare.'
 Tho gan this Medea to him declare
 The peril of this cas, fro point to point, 1630
 And of his batail, and in what disioint
 He mote stande, of which no creature,
 Save only she, ne mighte his lyf assure.
 And shortly, to the point right for to go,
 They been accorded ful, betwix hem two, 1635
 That Iasoun shal her wedde, as trewe knight;
 And term y-set, to come sone at night (270)
 Unto her chambre, and make ther his ooth,
 Upon the goddes, that he, for leef ne looth,
 Ne sholde her never falsen, night ne day, 1640
 To been her husbond, whyl he liven may,
 As she that from his deeth him saved here.
 And her-upon, at night they mette y-fere,
 And doth his ooth, and goth with her to bedde.
 And on the morwe, upward he him spedde; 1645
 For she hath taught him how he shal nat faile
 The flees to winne, and stinten his bataile; (280)
 And saved him his lyf and his honour;
 And gat him greet name as a conquerour
 Right through the sleight of her enchantement. 1650
 Now hath Iasoun the flees, and hoom is went
 With Medea, and tresor ful gret woon.
 But unwist of her fader is she goon
 To Tessaly, with duk Iasoun her leef,
 That afterward hath broght her to mescheef. 1655
 For as a traitour he is from her go,
 And with her lafte his yonge children two, (290)
 And falsly hath betrayed her, allas!
 And ever in love a cheef traitour he was;
 And wedded yit the thridde wyf anon, 1660
 That was the doghter of the king Creon.
 This is the meed of loving and guerdon
 That Medea received of Iasoun
 Right for her trouthe and for her kindenesse,
 That loved him better than her-self, I gesse, 1665
 And lafte her fader and her heritage.
 And of Iasoun this is the vassalage, (300)
 That, in his dayes, nas ther noon y-founde
 So fals a lover going on the grounde.
 And therfor in her lettre thus she seyde 1670
 First, whan she of his falsnesse him umbreyde,
 'Why lyked me thy yelow heer to see
 More then the boundes of myn honestee,
 Why lyked me thy youthe and thy fairnesse,
 And of thy tonge the infinit graciousnesse? 1675
 O, haddest thou in thy conquest deed y-be,
 Ful mikel untrouthe had ther dyed with thee!' (310)
 Wel can Ovyde her lettre in vers endyte,
 Which were as now to long for me to wryte.

EXPLICIT LEGENDA YSIPHILE ET MEDEE, MARTIRUM.

1370. A. T. Add. tender; _rest repeat_ gentil. C. _has_ tendere wemen
gentil. 1373. A. C. farced; F. Tn. Th. farsed; B. forsed; P. filled; T.
v_er_syd. 1375. P. A. thy; _rest om._ 1377. _Here_ MS. P. _ends_. 1386. C.
T. A. Th. Add. love and; F. Tn. B. and gretter. 1387. C. A. abought; _rest_
bought. C. T. A. Add. his; _rest om._ 1389. C. et (= eteth); _rest_ eteth
(etith). 1391. C. hath; _rest om._ (_badly_). 1392. C. T. Add. Al haue he;
F. Alle thof he haue. 1396. F. Tn. B. and; _rest_ as. C. Guido; T. A.
Guydo; Add. Gwydo; F. Tn. Th. B. Ouyde. 1397. F. Tn. B. knyght; _rest_ kyng
(_see l._ 1401); _see note_. 1405. _So_ C.; _rest_ Of fredom, of strength,
and of lustynesse. 1409. C. T. Add. hadde. 1418. C. To syndyn; T. Add. To
send; Tn. Th. B. That to senden; F. That to selden (!). 1427. F. Tn. Th. B.
ther; _rest_ therin. C. may se. 1433. T. Th. moche; F. muche; C. meche
othir. 1438. C. Oetes; _rest_ Otes (Otys). 1443. C. T. A. Add. a; _rest
om._ 1444. T. A. C. mightest; _rest_ myghte. 1445. C. T. bryngyn; _rest_
brynge (bring). 1448. C. T. A. Add. cost; _rest_ costes. 1449. C. _om._
And. A. ches; F. Tn. T. B. chese; Th. chose; C. Schis (!). C. A. that;
_rest om._ 1452. C. T. Add. _om._ ilke. 1457. T. A. Add. go; _rest om._ C.
ryde; _rest_ rede; _better_ reden. 1460. C. T. Add. that; _rest om._ 1463.
_All insert_ of _after_ yle (_needlessly_). Th. Lemnon; A. Lenno_u_n; C.
lenoun (_for_ l[=e]noun = le_m_noun); F. Tn. B. leono_u_n; T. Add. lenon (=
le_m_non). 1471. F. brake (!); A. bonk; _rest_ banke. 1472. _So_
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