Geoffrey Chaucer

“ But certes, hit is bothe routhe and wo That love with false loveres werketh so; For they shul have wel better love and chere That he that hath aboght his love ful dere, Or had in armes many a blody box. For ever as tendre a capoun et the fox, 1390Thogh he be fals and hath the foul betrayed, As shal the good-man that ther-for hath payed. Al have he to the capoun skille and right, The false fox wol have his part at night. On Iasoun this ensample is wel y-sene By Isiphile and Medea the quene. ”

“ Tho gan this Medea to him declare 1630The peril of this cas, fro point to point, And of his batail, and in what disioint He mote stande, of which no creature, Save only she, ne mighte is lyf assure. And shortly, to the point right for to go, They been accorded ful, betwix hem two, That Iasoun shal her wedde, as trewe knight; And term y-set, to come sone at night Unto her chambre, and make ther his ooth, Upon the goddes, that he, for leef ne looth, 1640Ne sholde her never falsen, night ne day, To been her husband, whyl he liven may, As she that from this deeth him saved here. ”

“ Iasoun answerde, mekely and stille, "My lady," quod he, "thanke I hertely Of hir goodnesse; us nedeth, trewely, No-thing as now, but that we wery be, And come for to pleye, out of the see, Til that the wind be better in our weye." This lady rometh by the clif to pleye, With her meynee, endelong the stronde, And fynt this Iasoun and this other stonde, 1500In spekinge of this thing, as I yow tolde. This Ercules and Iasoun gan beholde How that the quene hit was, and faire her grette Anon-right as they with this lady mette ”