Chapter 35

The fame, which mai noght ben hidd, Thurghout the lond is sone kidd, Here king is come hom ayein: Ther mai noman the fulle sein, Hou that thei weren alle glade, So mochel joie of him thei made. The presens every day be newed, He was with yiftes al besnewed; The poeple was of him so glad, That thogh non other man hem bad, 1500 Taillage upon hemself thei sette, And as it were of pure dette Thei yeve here goodes to the king: This was a glad hom welcomyng. Thus hath Uluxes what he wolde, His wif was such as sche be scholde, His poeple was to him sougit, Him lacketh nothing of delit.

Bot fortune is of such a sleyhte, That whan a man is most on heyhte, 1510 Sche makth him rathest forto falle: Ther wot noman what schal befalle, The happes over mannes hed Ben honged with a tendre thred. That proved was on Uluxes; For whan he was most in his pes, Fortune gan to make him werre And sette his welthe al out of herre. Upon a dai as he was merie, As thogh ther mihte him nothing derie, 1520 Whan nyht was come, he goth to bedde, With slep and bothe his yhen fedde. And while he slepte, he mette a swevene: Him thoghte he syh a stature evene, Which brihtere than the sonne schon; A man it semeth was it non, Bot yit it was as in figure Most lich to mannyssh creature, Bot as of beaute hevenelich It was most to an Angel lich: 1530 And thus betwen angel and man Beholden it this king began, And such a lust tok of the sihte, That fain he wolde, if that he mihte, The forme of that figure embrace; And goth him forth toward the place, Wher he sih that ymage tho, And takth it in his Armes tuo, And it embraceth him ayein And to the king thus gan it sein: 1540 “Uluxes, understond wel this, The tokne of oure aqueintance is Hierafterward to mochel tene: The love that is ous betuene, Of that we nou such joie make, That on of ous the deth schal take, Whan time comth of destine; It may non other wise be.” Uluxes tho began to preie That this figure wolde him seie 1550 What wyht he is that seith him so. This wyht upon a spere tho A pensel which was wel begon, Embrouded, scheweth him anon: Thre fisshes alle of o colour In manere as it were a tour Upon the pensel were wroght. Uluxes kneu this tokne noght, And preith to wite in som partie What thing it myhte signefie, 1560 “A signe it is,” the wyht ansuerde, “Of an Empire:” and forth he ferde Al sodeinly, whan he that seide.

Uluxes out of slep abreide, And that was riht ayein the day, That lengere slepen he ne may. Men sein, a man hath knowleching Save of himself of alle thing; His oghne chance noman knoweth, Bot as fortune it on him throweth: 1570 Was nevere yit so wys a clerk, Which mihte knowe al goddes werk, Ne the secret which god hath set Ayein a man mai noght be let. Uluxes, thogh that he be wys, With al his wit in his avis, The mor that he his swevene acompteth, The lasse he wot what it amonteth: For al his calculacion, He seth no demonstracion 1580 Al pleinly forto knowe an ende; Bot natheles hou so it wende, He dradde him of his oghne Sone. That makth him wel the more astone, And schop therfore anon withal, So that withinne castel wall Thelamachum his Sone he schette, And upon him strong warde he sette. The sothe furthere he ne knew, Til that fortune him overthreu; 1590 Bot natheles for sikernesse, Wher that he mihte wite and gesse A place strengest in his lond, Ther let he make of lym and sond A strengthe where he wolde duelle; Was nevere man yit herde telle Of such an other as it was. And forto strengthe him in that cas, Of al his lond the sekereste Of servantz and the worthieste, 1600 To kepen him withinne warde, He sette his bodi forto warde; And made such an ordinance, For love ne for aqueintance, That were it erly, were it late, Thei scholde lete in ate gate No maner man, what so betydde, Bot if so were himself it bidde.

Bot al that myhte him noght availe, For whom fortune wole assaile, 1610 Ther mai be non such resistence, Which mihte make a man defence; Al that schal be mot falle algate. This Circes, which I spak of late, On whom Uluxes hath begete A child, thogh he it have foryete, Whan time com, as it was wone, Sche was delivered of a Sone, Which cleped is Thelogonus. This child, whan he was bore thus, 1620 Aboute his moder to ful age, That he can reson and langage, In good astat was drawe forth: And whan he was so mochel worth To stonden in a mannes stede, Circes his moder hath him bede That he schal to his fader go, And tolde him al togedre tho What man he was that him begat. And whan Thelogonus of that 1630 Was war and hath ful knowleching Hou that his fader was a king, He preith his moder faire this, To go wher that his fader is; And sche him granteth that he schal, And made him redi forth withal. It was that time such usance, That every man the conoiscance Of his contre bar in his hond, Whan he wente into strange lond; 1640 And thus was every man therfore Wel knowe, wher that he was bore: For espiaile and mistrowinges They dede thanne suche thinges, That every man mai other knowe. So it befell that ilke throwe Thelogonus as in this cas; Of his contre the signe was Thre fisshes, whiche he scholde bere Upon the penon of a spere: 1650 And whan that he was thus arraied And hath his harneis al assaied, That he was redy everydel, His moder bad him farewel, And seide him that he scholde swithe His fader griete a thousand sithe.

Thelogonus his moder kiste And tok his leve, and wher he wiste His fader was, the weie nam, Til he unto Nachaie cam, 1660 Which of that lond the chief Cite Was cleped, and ther axeth he Wher was the king and hou he ferde. And whan that he the sothe herde, Wher that the king Uluxes was, Al one upon his hors gret pas He rod him forth, and in his hond He bar the signal of his lond With fisshes thre, as I have told; And thus he wente unto that hold, 1670 Wher that his oghne fader duelleth. The cause why he comth he telleth Unto the kepers of the gate, And wolde have comen in therate, Bot schortli thei him seide nay: And he als faire as evere he may Besoghte and tolde hem ofte this, Hou that the king his fader is; Bot they with proude wordes grete Begunne to manace and threte, 1680 Bot he go fro the gate faste, Thei wolde him take and sette faste. Fro wordes unto strokes thus Thei felle, and so Thelogonus Was sore hurt and welnyh ded; Bot with his scharpe speres hed He makth defence, hou so it falle, And wan the gate upon hem alle, And hath slain of the beste fyve; And thei ascriden als so blyve 1690 Thurghout the castell al aboute.

On every syde men come oute, Wherof the kinges herte afflihte, And he with al the haste he mihte A spere cauhte and out he goth, As he that was nyh wod for wroth. He sih the gates ful of blod, Thelogonus and wher he stod He sih also, bot he ne knew What man it was, and to him threw 1700 His Spere, and he sterte out asyde. Bot destine, which schal betide, Befell that ilke time so, Thelogonus knew nothing tho What man it was that to him caste, And while his oghne spere laste, With al the signe therupon He caste unto the king anon, And smot him with a dedly wounde. Uluxes fell anon to grounde; 1710 Tho every man, “The king! the king!” Began to crie, and of this thing Thelogonus, which sih the cas, On knes he fell and seide, “Helas! I have min oghne fader slain: Nou wolde I deie wonder fain, Nou sle me who that evere wile, For certes it is right good skile.” He crith, he wepth, he seith therfore, “Helas, that evere was I bore, 1720 That this unhappi destine So wofulli comth in be me!” This king, which yit hath lif ynouh, His herte ayein to him he drouh, And to that vois an Ere he leide And understod al that he seide, And gan to speke, and seide on hih, “Bring me this man.” And whan he sih Thelogonus, his thoght he sette Upon the swevene which he mette, 1730 And axeth that he myhte se His spere, on which the fisshes thre He sih upon a pensel wroght. Tho wiste he wel it faileth noght, And badd him that he telle scholde Fro whenne he cam and what he wolde.

Thelogonus in sorghe and wo So as he mihte tolde tho Unto Uluxes al the cas, Hou that Circes his moder was, 1740 And so forth seide him everydel, Hou that his moder gret him wel, And in what wise sche him sente. Tho wiste Uluxes what it mente, And tok him in hise Armes softe, And al bledende he kest him ofte, And seide, “Sone, whil I live, This infortune I thee foryive.” After his other Sone in haste He sende, and he began him haste 1750 And cam unto his fader tyt. Bot whan he sih him in such plit, He wolde have ronne upon that other Anon, and slain his oghne brother, Ne hadde be that Uluxes Betwen hem made acord and pes, And to his heir Thelamachus He bad that he Thelogonus With al his pouer scholde kepe, Til he were of his woundes depe 1760 Al hol, and thanne he scholde him yive Lond wher upon he mihte live. Thelamachus, whan he this herde, Unto his fader he ansuerde And seide he wolde don his wille. So duelle thei togedre stille, These brethren, and the fader sterveth.

Lo, wherof Sorcerie serveth. Thurgh Sorcerie his lust he wan, Thurgh Sorcerie his wo began, 1770 Thurgh Sorcerie his love he ches, Thurgh Sorcerie his lif he les; The child was gete in Sorcerie, The which dede al this felonie: Thing which was ayein kynde wroght Unkindeliche it was aboght; The child his oghne fader slowh, That was unkindeschipe ynowh. Forthi tak hiede hou that it is, So forto winne love amis, 1780 Which endeth al his joie in wo: For of this Art I finde also, That hath be do for loves sake, Wherof thou miht ensample take, A gret Cronique imperial, Which evere into memorial Among the men, hou so it wende, Schal duelle to the worldes ende.

The hihe creatour of thinges, Which is the king of alle kinges, 1790 Ful many a wonder worldes chance Let slyden under his suffrance; Ther wot noman the cause why, Bot he the which is almyhty. And that was proved whilom thus, Whan that the king Nectanabus, Which hadde Egipte forto lede,— Bot for he sih tofor the dede Thurgh magique of his Sorcerie, Wherof he couthe a gret partie, 1800 Hise enemys to him comende, Fro whom he mihte him noght defende, Out of his oghne lond he fledde; And in the wise as he him dredde It fell, for al his wicchecraft, So that Egipte him was beraft, And he desguised fledde aweie Be schipe, and hield the rihte weie To Macedoine, wher that he Aryveth ate chief Cite. 1810 Thre yomen of his chambre there Al only forto serve him were, The whiche he trusteth wonder wel, For thei were trewe as eny stiel; And hapneth that thei with him ladde Part of the beste good he hadde. Thei take logginge in the toun After the disposicion Wher as him thoghte best to duelle: He axeth thanne and herde telle 1820 Hou that the king was oute go. Upon a werre he hadde tho; But in that Cite thanne was The queene, which Olimpias Was hote, and with sollempnete The feste of hir nativite, As it befell, was thanne holde; And for hire list to be beholde And preised of the poeple aboute, Sche schop hir forto riden oute 1830 At after mete al openly. Anon were alle men redy, And that was in the monthe of Maii, This lusti queene in good arrai Was set upon a Mule whyt: To sen it was a gret delit The joie that the cite made; With freisshe thinges and with glade The noble toun was al behonged, And every wiht was sore alonged 1840 To se this lusti ladi ryde. Ther was gret merthe on alle syde; Wher as sche passeth be the strete, Ther was ful many a tymber bete And many a maide carolende: And thus thurghout the toun pleiende This queene unto a pleine rod, Wher that sche hoved and abod To se diverse game pleie, The lusti folk jouste and tourneie; 1850 And so forth every other man, Which pleie couthe, his pley began, To plese with this noble queene.

Nectanabus cam to the grene Amonges othre and drouh him nyh. Bot whan that he this ladi sih And of hir beaute hiede tok, He couthe noght withdrawe his lok To se noght elles in the field, Bot stod and only hire behield. 1860 Of his clothinge and of his gere He was unlich alle othre there, So that it hapneth ate laste, The queene on him hire yhe caste, And knew that he was strange anon: Bot he behield hire evere in on Withoute blenchinge of his chere. Sche tok good hiede of his manere, And wondreth why he dede so, And bad men scholde for him go. 1870 He cam and dede hire reverence, And sche him axeth in cilence For whenne he cam and what he wolde. And he with sobre wordes tolde, And seith, “Ma dame, a clerk I am, To you and in message I cam, The which I mai noght tellen hiere; Bot if it liketh you to hiere, It mot be seid al prively, Wher non schal be bot ye and I.” 1880 Thus for the time he tok his leve. The dai goth forth til it was eve, That every man mot lete his werk; And sche thoghte evere upon this clerk, What thing it is he wolde mene: And in this wise abod the queene, And passeth over thilke nyht, Til it was on the morwe liht. Sche sende for him, and he com, With him his Astellabre he nom, 1890 Which was of fin gold precious With pointz and cercles merveilous; And ek the hevenely figures Wroght in a bok ful of peintures He tok this ladi forto schewe, And tolde of ech of hem be rewe The cours and the condicion. And sche with gret affeccion Sat stille and herde what he wolde: And thus whan he sih time, he tolde, 1900 And feigneth with hise wordes wise A tale, and seith in such a wise:

“Ma dame, bot a while ago, Wher I was in Egipte tho, And radde in scole of this science, It fell into mi conscience That I unto the temple wente, And ther with al myn hole entente As I mi sacrifice dede, On of the goddes hath me bede 1910 That I you warne prively, So that ye make you redy, And that ye be nothing agast; For he such love hath to you cast, That ye schul ben his oghne diere, And he schal be your beddefiere, Til ye conceive and be with childe.” And with that word sche wax al mylde, And somdel red becam for schame, And axeth him that goddes name, 1920 Which so wol don hire compainie. And he seide, “Amos of Lubie.” And sche seith, “That mai I noght lieve, Bot if I sihe a betre prieve.” “Ma dame,” quod Nectanabus, “In tokne that it schal be thus, This nyht for enformacion Ye schul have an avision: That Amos schal to you appiere, To schewe and teche in what manere 1930 The thing schal afterward befalle. Ye oghten wel above alle To make joie of such a lord; For whan ye ben of on acord, He schal a Sone of you begete, Which with his swerd schal winne and gete The wyde world in lengthe and brede; Alle erthli kinges schull him drede, And in such wise, I you behote, The god of erthe he schal be hote.” 1940 “If this be soth,” tho quod the queene, “This nyht, thou seist, it schal be sene. And if it falle into mi grace, Of god Amos, that I pourchace To take of him so gret worschipe, I wol do thee such ladischipe, Wherof thou schalt for everemo Be riche.” And he hir thonketh tho, And tok his leve and forth he wente. Sche wiste litel what he mente, 1950 For it was guile and Sorcerie, Al that sche tok for Prophecie.

Nectanabus thurghout the day, Whan he cam hom wher as he lay, His chambre be himselve tok, And overtorneth many a bok, And thurgh the craft of Artemage Of wex he forgeth an ymage. He loketh his equacions And ek the constellacions, 1960 He loketh the conjunccions, He loketh the recepcions, His signe, his houre, his ascendent, And drawth fortune of his assent: The name of queene Olimpias In thilke ymage write was Amiddes in the front above. And thus to winne his lust of love Nectanabus this werk hath diht; And whan it cam withinne nyht, 1970 That every wyht is falle aslepe, He thoghte he wolde his time kepe, As he which hath his houre apointed. And thanne ferst he hath enoignted With sondri herbes that figure, And therupon he gan conjure, So that thurgh his enchantement This ladi, which was innocent And wiste nothing of this guile, Mette, as sche slepte thilke while, 1980 Hou fro the hevene cam a lyht, Which al hir chambre made lyht; And as sche loketh to and fro, Sche sih, hir thoghte, a dragoun tho, Whos scherdes schynen as the Sonne, And hath his softe pas begonne With al the chiere that he may Toward the bedd ther as sche lay, Til he cam to the beddes side. And sche lai stille and nothing cride, 1990 For he dede alle his thinges faire And was courteis and debonaire: And as he stod hire fasteby, His forme he changeth sodeinly, And the figure of man he nom, To hire and into bedde he com, And such thing there of love he wroghte, Wherof, so as hire thanne thoghte, Thurgh likinge of this god Amos With childe anon hire wombe aros, 2000 And sche was wonder glad withal. Nectanabus, which causeth al Of this metrede the substance, Whan he sih time, his nigromance He stinte and nothing more seide Of his carecte, and sche abreide Out of hir slep, and lieveth wel That it is soth thanne everydel Of that this clerk hire hadde told, And was the gladdere manyfold 2010 In hope of such a glad metrede, Which after schal befalle in dede.

Sche longeth sore after the dai, That sche hir swevene telle mai To this guilour in privete, Which kneu it als so wel as sche: And natheles on morwe sone Sche lefte alle other thing to done, And for him sende, and al the cas Sche tolde him pleinly as it was, 2020 And seide hou thanne wel sche wiste That sche his wordes mihte triste, For sche fond hire Avisioun Riht after the condicion Which he hire hadde told tofore; And preide him hertely therfore That he hire holde covenant So forth of al the remenant, That sche may thurgh his ordinance Toward the god do such plesance, 2030 That sche wakende myhte him kepe In such wise as sche mette aslepe. And he, that couthe of guile ynouh, Whan he this herde, of joie he louh, And seith, “Ma dame, it schal be do. Bot this I warne you therto: This nyht, whan that he comth to pleie, That ther be no lif in the weie Bot I, that schal at his likinge Ordeine so for his cominge, 2040 That ye ne schull noght of him faile. For this, ma dame, I you consaile, That ye it kepe so prive, That no wiht elles bot we thre Have knowlechinge hou that it is; For elles mihte it fare amis, If ye dede oght that scholde him grieve.” And thus he makth hire to believe, And feigneth under guile feith: Bot natheles al that he seith 2050 Sche troweth; and ayein the nyht Sche hath withinne hire chambre dyht, Wher as this guilour faste by Upon this god schal prively Awaite, as he makth hire to wene: And thus this noble gentil queene, Whan sche most trusteth, was deceived.

The nyht com, and the chambre is weyved, Nectanabus hath take his place, And whan he sih the time and space, 2060 Thurgh the deceipte of his magique He putte him out of mannes like, And of a dragoun tok the forme, As he which wolde him al conforme To that sche sih in swevene er this; And thus to chambre come he is. The queene lay abedde and sih, And hopeth evere, as he com nyh, That he god of Lubye were, So hath sche wel the lasse fere. 2070 Bot for he wolde hire more assure, Yit eft he changeth his figure, And of a wether the liknesse He tok, in signe of his noblesse With large hornes for the nones: Of fin gold and of riche stones A corone on his hed he bar, And soudeinly, er sche was war, As he which alle guile can, His forme he torneth into man, 2080 And cam to bedde, and sche lai stille, Wher as sche soffreth al his wille, As sche which wende noght misdo. Bot natheles it hapneth so, Althogh sche were in part deceived, Yit for al that sche hath conceived The worthieste of alle kiththe, Which evere was tofore or siththe Of conqueste and chivalerie; So that thurgh guile and Sorcerie 2090 Ther was that noble knyht begunne, Which al the world hath after wunne. Thus fell the thing which falle scholde, Nectanabus hath that he wolde; With guile he hath his love sped, With guile he cam into the bed, With guile he goth him out ayein: He was a schrewed chamberlein, So to beguile a worthi queene, And that on him was after seene. 2100 Bot natheles the thing is do; This false god was sone go, With his deceipte and hield him clos, Til morwe cam, that he aros.

And tho, whan time and leisir was, The queene tolde him al the cas, As sche that guile non supposeth; And of tuo pointz sche him opposeth. On was, if that this god nomore Wol come ayein, and overmore, 2110 Hou sche schal stonden in acord With king Philippe hire oghne lord, Whan he comth hom and seth hire grone. “Ma dame,” he seith, “let me alone: As for the god I undertake That whan it liketh you to take His compaignie at eny throwe, If I a day tofore it knowe, He schal be with you on the nyht; And he is wel of such a myht 2120 To kepe you from alle blame. Forthi conforte you, ma dame, Ther schal non other cause be.” Thus tok he leve and forth goth he, And tho began he forto muse Hou he the queene mihte excuse Toward the king of that is falle; And fond a craft amonges alle, Thurgh which he hath a See foul daunted, With his magique and so enchaunted, 2130 That he flyh forth, whan it was nyht, Unto the kinges tente riht, Wher that he lay amidde his host: And whanne he was aslepe most, With that the See foul to him broghte And othre charmes, whiche he wroghte At hom withinne his chambre stille, The king he torneth at his wille, And makth him forto dreme and se The dragoun and the privete 2140 Which was betuen him and the queene. And over that he made him wene In swevene, hou that the god Amos, Whan he up fro the queene aros, Tok forth a ring, wherinne a ston Was set, and grave therupon A Sonne, in which, whan he cam nyh, A leoun with a swerd he sih; And with that priente, as he tho mette, Upon the queenes wombe he sette 2150 A Seal, and goth him forth his weie. With that the swevene wente aweie, And tho began the king awake And sigheth for his wyves sake, Wher as he lay withinne his tente, And hath gret wonder what it mente.

With that he hasteth him to ryse Anon, and sende after the wise, Among the whiche ther was on, A clerc, his name is Amphion: 2160 Whan he the kinges swevene herde, What it betokneth he ansuerde, And seith, “So siker as the lif, A god hath leie be thi wif, And gete a Sone, which schal winne The world and al that is withinne. As leon is the king of bestes, So schal the world obeie his hestes, Which with his swerd schal al be wonne, Als ferr as schyneth eny Sonne.” 2170

The king was doubtif of this dom; Bot natheles, whan that he com Ayein into his oghne lond, His wif with childe gret he fond. He mihte noght himselve stiere, That he ne made hire hevy chiere; Bot he which couthe of alle sorwe, Nectanabus, upon the morwe Thurgh the deceipte and nigromance Tok of a dragoun the semblance, 2180 And wher the king sat in his halle, Com in rampende among hem alle With such a noise and such a rore, That thei agast were also sore As thogh thei scholde deie anon. And natheles he grieveth non, Bot goth toward the deyss on hih; And whan he cam the queene nyh, He stinte his noise, and in his wise To hire he profreth his servise, 2190 And leith his hed upon hire barm; And sche with goodly chiere hire arm Aboute his necke ayeinward leide, And thus the queene with him pleide In sihte of alle men aboute. And ate laste he gan to loute And obeissance unto hire make, As he that wolde his leve take; And sodeinly his lothly forme Into an Egle he gan transforme, 2200 And flyh and sette him on a raile; Wherof the king hath gret mervaile, For there he pruneth him and piketh, As doth an hauk whan him wel liketh, And after that himself he schok, Wherof that al the halle quok, As it a terremote were; Thei seiden alle, god was there: In such a res and forth he flyh.