Walter William Skeat

“ That in the lond of Libie may be gete, (200)
That Dido ne hath hit Eneas y-sent;
And al is payed, what that he hath spent. 1125
Thus can this [noble] quene her gestes calle,
As she that can in freedom passen alle.
⁠Eneas sothly eek, with-outen lees,
Hath sent un-to his shippe, by Achates,
After his sone, and after riche thinges, 1130
Both ceptre, clothes, broches, and eek ringes,
Som for to were, and som for to presente
To her, that all thise noble thinges him sente; (210)
And bad his sone, how that he sholde make
The presenting, and to the quene hit take. ”

“ Lyked him the bet, as, god do bote,
To som folk ofte newe thing is swote.
Anoon her herte hath pitee of his wo,
And, with that pitee, love com in also;
And thus, for pitee and for gentilesse, 1080
Refresshed moste he been of his distresse.
She seide, certes, that she sory was
That he hath had swich peril and swich cas; (160)
And, in her frendly speche, in this manere
She to him spak, and seide as ye may here. 1085
⁠'Be ye nat Venus sone and Anchises? ”

“ Men mighte turne him with a litel wyr, 1205
Sit Eneas, lyk Phebus to devyse;
So was he fresshe arayed in his wyse.
The fomy brydel with the bit of gold
Governeth he, right as him-self hath wold.
And forth this noble quene thus lat I ryde 1210
An hunting, with this Troyan by her syde.
⁠The herd of hertes founden is anoon,
With 'hey! go bet! prik thou! lat goon, lat goon! (290)
Why nil the leoun comen or the bere,
That I mighte ones mete him with this spere?' 1215
Thus seyn thise yonge folk, and up they kille
These hertes wilde, and han hem at hir wille. ”

“ And more richesse than ever he was in Troye. (330)
⁠O sely womman, ful of innocence,
Ful of pitee, of trouthe, and conscience, 1255
What maked yow to men to trusten so?
Have ye swich routhe upon hir feined wo,
And han swich olde ensamples yow beforn? ”

“ With mirth out as they comen, hoom they wente.
⁠The wikked fame up roos, and that anon,
How Eneas hath with the quene y-gon (320)
In-to the cave; and demed as hem liste;
And whan the king, that Yarbas hight, hit wiste, 1245
As he that had her loved ever his lyf,
And wowed her, to have her to his wyf,
Swich sorwe as he hath maked, and swich chere,
Hit is a routhe and pitee for to here. ”

“ To fecchen fyr and other thing anoon,
And seide, that she wolde sacrifye.
And, whan she mighte her tyme wel espye,
Up-on the fyr of sacrifys she sterte, 1350
And with his swerd she roof her to the herte. ”

“ Explicit Legenda Didonis martiris, Cartaginis regine.
N.B. From this point onward obvious corrections in the spelling of MS. F. are unnoticed. 928. C. has—In Naso and Eneydos wele [for wol] I take. 932. C. I offerede to; rest offred unto. 950. C. wol (= wel) ”

“ A. And hir (!) ; F. Th. To hir (!) . 1273. C. Tn. A. Th. Not; F. B. Wot. 1275. All but C. ins. and before ringes. 1281. C. F. T. B. reame; Tn. P. ream; Th. realme; A. regne. 1285. C. A. P. so; rest thus. 1296. C. A. so sore me; Add. sore me; rest me so sore. 1298. F. Tn. B. om. to. 1313. C. gre; rest degree (degre) . ”