第 70 节
作者:管他三七二十一      更新:2024-01-16 22:39      字数:9322
  The remembrance duelleth yit。
  King Peles his Em was ded;
  Jason bar corone on his hed;
  Medea hath fulfild his wille:
  Bot whanne he scholde of riht fulfille   4190
  The trouthe; which to hire afore
  He hadde in thyle of Colchos swore;
  Tho was Medea most deceived。
  For he an other hath received;
  Which dowhter was to king Creon;
  Creusa sche hihte; and thus Jason;
  As he that was to love untrewe;
  Medea lefte and tok a newe。
  Bot that was after sone aboght:
  Medea with hire art hath wroght    4200
  Of cloth of gold a mantel riche;
  Which semeth worth a kingesriche;
  And that was unto Creusa sent
  In name of yifte and of present;
  For Sosterhode hem was betuene;
  And whan that yonge freisshe queene
  That mantel lappeth hire aboute;
  Anon therof the fyr sprong oute
  And brente hir bothe fleissh and bon。
  Tho cam Medea to Jason    4210
  With bothe his Sones on hire hond;
  And seide; 〃O thou of every lond
  The moste untrewe creature;
  Lo; this schal be thi forfeture。〃
  With that sche bothe his Sones slouh
  Before his yhe; and he outdrouh
  His swerd and wold have slayn hir tho;
  Bot farewel; sche was ago
  Unto Pallas the Court above;
  Wher as sche pleigneth upon love;  4220
  As sche that was with that goddesse;
  And he was left in gret destresse。
  Thus miht thou se what sorwe it doth
  To swere an oth which is noght soth;
  In loves cause namely。
  Mi Sone; be wel war forthi;
  And kep that thou be noght forswore:
  For this; which I have told tofore;
  Ovide telleth everydel。
  Mi fader; I may lieve it wel;   4230
  For I have herde it ofte seie
  Hou Jason tok the flees aweie
  Fro Colchos; bot yit herde I noght
  Be whom it was ferst thider broght。
  And for it were good to hiere;
  If that you liste at mi preiere
  To telle; I wolde you beseche。
  Mi Sone; who that wole it seche;
  In bokes he mai finde it write;
  And natheles; if thou wolt wite;   4240
  In the manere as thou hast preid
  I schal the telle hou it is seid。
  The fame of thilke schepes fell;
  Which in Colchos; as it befell;
  Was al of gold; schal nevere deie;
  Wherof I thenke for to seie
  Hou it cam ferst into that yle。
  Ther was a king in thilke whyle
  Towardes Grece; and Athemas
  The Cronique of his name was;   4250
  And hadde a wif; which Philen hihte;
  Be whom; so as fortune it dihte;
  He hadde of children yonge tuo。
  Frixus the ferste was of tho;
  A knave child; riht fair withalle;
  A dowhter ek; the which men calle
  Hellen; he hadde be this wif。
  Bot for ther mai no mannes lif
  Endure upon this Erthe hiere;
  This worthi queene; as thou miht hiere;  4260
  Er that the children were of age;
  Tok of hire ende the passage;
  With gret worschipe and was begrave。
  What thing it liketh god to have
  It is gret reson to ben his;
  Forthi this king; so as it is;
  With gret suffrance it underfongeth:
  And afterward; as him belongeth;
  Whan it was time forto wedde;
  A newe wif he tok to bedde;  4270
  Which Yno hihte and was a Mayde;
  And ek the dowhter; as men saide;
  Of Cadme; which a king also
  Was holde in thilke daies tho。
  Whan Yno was the kinges make;
  Sche caste hou that sche mihte make
  These children to here fader lothe;
  And schope a wyle ayein hem bothe;
  Which to the king was al unknowe。
  A yeer or tuo sche let do sowe  4280
  The lond with sode whete aboute;
  Wherof no corn mai springen oute;
  And thus be sleyhte and be covine
  Aros the derthe and the famine
  Thurghout the lond in such a wise;
  So that the king a sacrifise
  Upon the point of this destresse
  To Ceres; which is the goddesse
  Of corn; hath schape him forto yive;
  To loke if it mai be foryive;   4290
  The meschief which was in his lond。
  Bot sche; which knew tofor the hond
  The circumstance of al this thing;
  Ayein the cominge of the king
  Into the temple; hath schape so;
  Of hire acord that alle tho
  Whiche of the temple prestes were
  Have seid and full declared there
  Unto the king; bot if so be
  That he delivere the contre  4300
  Of Frixus and of Hellen bothe;
  With whom the goddes ben so wrothe;
  That whil tho children ben therinne;
  Such tilthe schal noman beginne;
  Wherof to gete him eny corn。
  Thus was it seid; thus was it sworn
  Of all the Prestes that ther are;
  And sche which causeth al this fare
  Seid ek therto what that sche wolde;
  And every man thanne after tolde   4310
  So as the queene hem hadde preid。
  The king; which hath his Ere leid;
  And lieveth al that evere he herde;
  Unto here tale thus ansuerde;
  And seith that levere him is to chese
  Hise children bothe forto lese;
  Than him and al the remenant
  Of hem whiche are aportenant
  Unto the lond which he schal kepe:
  And bad his wif to take kepe    4320
  In what manere is best to done;
  That thei delivered weren sone
  Out of this world。 And sche anon
  Tuo men ordeigneth forto gon;
  Bot ferst sche made hem forto swere
  That thei the children scholden bere
  Unto the See; that non it knowe;
  And hem therinne bothe throwe。
  The children to the See ben lad;
  Wher in the wise as Yno bad  4330
  These men be redy forto do。
  Bot the goddesse which Juno
  Is hote; appiereth in the stede;
  And hath unto the men forbede
  That thei the children noght ne sle;
  Bot bad hem loke into the See
  And taken hiede of that thei sihen。
  Ther swam a Schep tofore here yhen;
  Whos flees of burned gold was al;
  And this goddesse forth withal  4340
  Comandeth that withoute lette
  Thei scholde anon these children sette
  Above upon this Schepes bak;
  And al was do; riht as sche spak;
  Wherof the men gon hom ayein。
  And fell so; as the bokes sein;
  Hellen the yonge Mayden tho;
  Which of the See was wo bego;
  For pure drede hire herte hath lore;
  That fro the Schep; which hath hire bore;   4350
  As sche that was swounende feint;
  Sche fell; and hath hirselve dreint;
  With Frixus and this Schep forth swam;
  Til he to thyle of Colchos cam;
  Where Juno the goddesse he fond;
  Which tok the Schep unto the lond;
  And sette it there in such a wise
  As thou tofore hast herd devise;
  Wherof cam after al the wo;
  Why Jason was forswore so    4360
  Unto Medee; as it is spoke。
  Mi fader; who that hath tobroke
  His trouthe; as ye have told above;
  He is noght worthi forto love
  Ne be beloved; as me semeth:
  Bot every newe love quemeth
  To him which newefongel is。
  And natheles nou after this;
  If that you list to taken hiede
  Upon mi Schrifte to procede;    4370
  In loves cause ayein the vice
  Of covoitise and Avarice
  What ther is more I wolde wite。
  Mi Sone; this I finde write;
  Ther is yit on of thilke brood;
  Which only for the worldes good;
  To make a Tresor of Moneie;
  Put alle conscience aweie:
  Wherof in thi confession
  The name and the condicion   4380
  I schal hierafterward declare;
  Which makth on riche; an other bare。
  Upon the bench sittende on hih
  With Avarice Usure I sih;
  Full clothed of his oghne suite;
  Which after gold makth chace and suite
  With his brocours; that renne aboute
  Lich unto racches in a route。
  Such lucre is non above grounde;
  Which is noght of tho racches founde;    4390
  For wher thei se beyete sterte;
  That schal hem in no wise asterte;
  Bot thei it dryve into the net
  Of lucre; which Usure hath set。
  Usure with the riche duelleth;
  To al that evere he beith and selleth
  He hath ordeined of his sleyhte
  Mesure double and double weyhte:
  Outward he selleth be the lasse;
  And with the more he makth his tasse;    4400
  Wherof his hous is full withinne。
  He reccheth noght; be so he winne;
  Though that ther lese ten or tuelve:
  His love is al toward himselve
  And to non other; bot he se
  That he mai winne suche thre;
  For wher he schal oght yive or lene;
  He wol ayeinward take a bene;
  Ther he hath lent the smale pese。
  And riht so ther ben manye of these   4410
  Lovers; that thogh thei love a lyte;
  That scarsly wolde it weie a myte;
  Yit wolde thei have a pound again;
  As doth Usure in his bargain。
  Bot certes such usure unliche;
  It falleth more unto the riche;
  Als wel of love as of beyete;
  Than unto hem that be noght grete;
  And; as who seith; ben simple and povere;
  For sielden is whan thei recovere;    4420
  Bot if it be thurgh gret decerte。
  And natheles men se poverte
  With porsuite and continuance
  Fulofte make a gret chevance
  And take of love his avantage;
  Forth with the help of his brocage;
  That maken seme wher is noght。
  And thus fulofte is love boght
  For litel what; and mochel take;
  With false weyhtes that thei make。    4430
  Nou; Sone; of that I seide above
  Thou wost what Usure is of love:
  Tell me forthi what so thou wilt;
  If thou therof hast eny gilt。
  Mi fader; nay; for ought I hiere。
  For of tho pointz ye tolden hiere
  I wol you be mi trouthe assure;
  Mi weyhte of love and mi mesure
  Hath be mor large and mor certein
  Than evere I tok of love ayein:    4440
  For so yit couthe I nevere of sleyhte;
  To take ayein be double weyhte
  Of love mor than I have yive。
  For als so wiss mot I be schrive
  And have remission of Sinne;
  As so yit couthe I nevere winne;
  Ne yit so mochel; soth to sein;
  That evere I mihte have half ayein
  Of so full love as I have lent:
  And if myn happ were so wel went;  4450
  That for the hole I mihte have half;
  Me thenkth I were a goddeshalf。
  For where Usure wole have double;
  Mi conscience is noght so trouble;
  I biede nevere as to my del
  Bot of the hole an halvendel;
  That is non excess; as me thenketh。
  Bot nathele