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seyth; _rest_ seyde. 1805. C. A. Add. he; T. tho; _rest om._ 1807. F. Tn.
Th. B. _om._ As. 1809. C. auouterye; F. avowtrye. 1811. C. T. A. Add. non
other; _rest_ not. 1815. C. at onys bothe; _rest_ bothe atones. 1816. C.
wex; B. wexe; Tn. wax; T. wexed; A. wox; F. Th. woxe. 1821. F. Tn. Th. B.
_om. 2nd_ as. C. worthi (_for_ verray). 1823. C. T. A. Add. this; _rest_
thy. 1824. C. vileyn; A. T. vileyns; Add. vilons; F. B. Tn. vilenouse; Th.
villaynous. 1825. F. Tn. Th. B. _insert_ the _after_ to. 1829. F. Tn. Th.
B. _om._ al. C. herys; A. heeres; F. heer; Tn. T. Th. B. here (heare,
heere). C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907. 1840. Add. made; T. maden; A. maid;
_rest_ make. 1846. _So all but_ F. Tn. B.; F. B. That nolde she suffre; Tn.
That wolde she suffren nat. 1847. T. opon; A. vpon; _rest_ vnto (_badly_).
1857. T. A. Add. she hede; _rest_ hede she. 1862. _So_ T. A. Add.; _rest_
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for the; _rest_ in her. 1879. _All_ him-self _or_ him-selfe. 1882. F. Add.
_om._ and. 1883. F. women; _rest_ men. C. _has lost_ ll. 1836-1907.

VI. THE LEGEND OF ARIADNE.

INCIPIT LEGENDA ADRIANE DE ATHENES.

 Iuge infernal, Minos, of Crete king,
 Now cometh thy lot, now comestow on the ring;
 Nat for thy sake only wryte I this storie,
 But for to clepe agein unto memorie
 Of Theseus the grete untrouthe of love; 1890
 For which the goddes of the heven above
 Ben wrothe, and wreche han take for thy sinne.
 Be reed for shame! now I thy lyf beginne.
 Minos, that was the mighty king of Crete,
 That hadde an hundred citees stronge and grete, 1895
 To scole hath sent his sone Androgeus, (11)
 To Athenes; of the whiche hit happed thus,
 That he was slayn, lerning philosophye,
 Right in that citee, nat but for envye.
 The grete Minos, of the whiche I speke, 1900
 His sones deeth is comen for to wreke;
 Alcathoe he bisegeth harde and longe.
 But natheles the walles be so stronge,
 And Nisus, that was king of that citee,
 So chivalrous, that litel dredeth he; 1905
 Of Minos or his ost took he no cure, (21)
 Til on a day befel an aventure,
 That Nisus doghter stood upon the wal,
 And of the sege saw the maner al.
 So happed hit, that, at a scarmishing, 1910
 She caste her herte upon Minos the king,
 For his beautee and for his chivalrye,
 So sore, that she wende for to dye.
 And, shortly of this proces for to pace,
 She made Minos winnen thilke place, 1915
 So that the citee was al at his wille, (31)
 To saven whom him list, or elles spille;
 But wikkedly he quitte her kindenesse,
 And let her drenche in sorowe and distresse,
 Nere that the goddes hadde of her pite; 1920
 But that tale were to long as now for me.
 Athenes wan this king Minos also,
 And Alcathoe and other tounes mo;
 And this theffect, that Minos hath so driven
 Hem of Athenes, that they mote him yiven 1925
 Fro yere to yere her owne children dere (41)
 For to be slayn, as ye shul after here.
 This Minos hath a monstre, a wikked beste,
 That was so cruel that, without areste,
 Whan that a man was broght in his presence, 1930
 He wolde him ete, ther helpeth no defence.
 And every thridde yeer, with-outen doute,
 They casten lot, and, as hit com aboute
 On riche, on pore, he moste his sone take,
 And of his child he moste present make 1935
 Unto Minos, to save him or to spille, (51)
 Or lete his beste devoure him at his wille.
 And this hath Minos don, right in despyt;
 To wreke his sone was set al his delyt,
 And maken hem of Athenes his thral 1940
 Fro yere to yere, whyl that he liven shal;
 And hoom he saileth whan this toun is wonne.
 This wikked custom is so longe y-ronne
 Til that of Athenes king Egeus
 Mot sende his owne sone, Theseus, 1945
 Sith that the lot is fallen him upon, (61)
 To be devoured, for grace is ther non.
 And forth is lad this woful yonge knight
 Unto the court of king Minos ful right,
 And in a prison, fetered, cast is he 1950
 Til thilke tyme he sholde y-freten be.
 Wel maystow wepe, O woful Theseus,
 That art a kinges sone, and dampned thus.
 Me thinketh this, that thou were depe y-holde
 To whom that saved thee fro cares colde! 1955
 And now, if any woman helpe thee, (71)
 Wel oughtestow her servant for to be,
 And been her trewe lover yeer by yere!
 But now to come ageyn to my matere.
 The tour, ther as this Theseus is throwe 1960
 Doun in the botom derke and wonder lowe,
 Was ioyning in the walle to a foreyne;
 And hit was longing to the doghtren tweyne
 Of king Minos, that in hir chambres grete
 Dwelten above, toward the maister-strete, 1965
 In mochel mirthe, in Ioye and in solas. (81)
 Not I nat how, hit happed ther, per cas,
 As Theseus compleyned him by nighte,
 The kinges doghter, Adrian that highte,
 And eek her suster Phedra, herden al 1970
 His compleyning, as they stode on the wal
 And lokeden upon the brighte mone;
 Hem leste nat to go to bedde sone.
 And of his wo they had compassioun;
 A kinges sone to ben in swich prisoun 1975
 And be devoured, thoughte hem gret pitee. (91)
 Than Adrian spak to her suster free,
 And seyde, 'Phedra, leve suster dere,
 This woful lordes sone may ye nat here,
 How pitously compleyneth he his kin, 1980
 And eek his pore estat that he is in,
 And gilteless? now certes, hit is routhe!
 And if ye wol assenten, by my trouthe,
 He shal be holpen, how so that we do!'
 Phedra answerde, 'y-wis, me is as wo 1985
 For him as ever I was for any man; (101)
 And, to his help, the beste reed I can
 Is that we doon the gayler prively
 To come, and speke with us hastily,
 And doon this woful man with him to come. 1990
 For if he may this monstre overcome,
 Than were he quit; ther is noon other bote.
 Lat us wel taste him at his herte-rote,
 That, if so be that he a wepen have,
 Wher that he dar, his lyf to kepe and save, 1995
 Fighten with this fend, and him defende. (111)
 For, in the prison, ther he shal descende,
 Ye wite wel, that the beste is in a place
 That nis nat derk, and hath roum eek and space
 To welde an ax or swerd or staf or knyf, 2000
 So that, me thinketh, he sholde save his lyf;
 If that he be a man, he shal do so.
 And we shul make him balles eek also
 Of wexe and towe, that, whan he gapeth faste,
 Into the bestes throte he shal hem caste 2005
 To slake his hunger and encombre his teeth; (121)
 And right anon, whan that Theseus seeth
 The beste achoked, he shal on him lepe
 To sleen him, or they comen more to-hepe.
 This wepen shal the gayler, or that tyde, 2010
 Ful privily within the prison hyde;
 And, for the hous is crinkled to and fro,
 And hath so queinte weyes for to go--
 For hit is shapen as the mase is wroght--
 Therto have I a remedie in my thoght, 2015
 That, by a clewe of twyne, as he hath goon, (131)
 The same wey he may returne anoon,
 Folwing alwey the threed, as he hath come.
 And, whan that he this beste hath overcome,
 Then may he fleen awey out of this drede, 2020
 And eek the gayler may he with him lede,
 And him avaunce at hoom in his contree,
 Sin that so greet a lordes so
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