The xvjth Chapitre.
MEDEA, THE VEREY techer of the auncyent cruelty, was the doughter of the noble Oetes by Perse his wyfe, and metely fayre, but in wytche crafte moste cunynge of all women. For what maister so euer she had, suche knowledge was in hyr to knowe the vertue of herbes that neuer noone knewe theym better. She coulde by hyr arte and enchauntmente troble the skye and make the wyndes to blowe, to cause tempestes, the ryuers to stande and, to thys, mengle poysones together, and to smyte fyre and make it borne where she wolde, and many myscheuouse moo actes whiche I ouer passe. Neyther hyr vngraciouse mynde was not muche discrepant frome hyr craft, for where that faylede, she coulde well vse the swerde. Now it fortuned in those dayes that Jasone beynge a yonge gentle man, that Pelias hys vncle lyinge in wayte, vndre the pretense to sende the say de Jasone to wynne in Colcos the Golden Flees, to haue had hym destroyede, whiche Jason, aryuynge at Colchos, was ardently belouede of Medea. And she, to gett his fauour, caused a rumor to ryse emonge hyr father subiectes, in suche wyse that whyles they straue and foughte togethre, Jason, hyr loue, had space and tyme to haue hys entent. What a deede that was, lett a wyse man well considre that with oones lokynge on Jasone she was so taken in loue that it folowede to be the ruyne of hyr oune naturall father! This vngratiouse pagente playde, when therby she hade obteyned to lye in Jasones armes, takynge with hyr all hyr fathers substawnce, pryuylie with hym she went a waye. And besydes thys, not so contentyd, she myndyde more myschife. Castynge in hyr fantasye that Oetes wolde folowe theym that fledde, to stay hym, in an ile callede Tomitania, by which neades Oetes shulde passe in folowynge theim, hauynge with hyr hyr yonge brother callede Absoetes, she caused hym to be cutt in pecys and the partes therof to be throwne here and ther by the feldes, to that entent that when hyr sorowfull father shulde goo aboute to gather theym together, Jasone and she myghte the better escape away. Nor he was not deceyuyde of hyr entent, for after that sorte it chauncyde. At the laste, suffreynge muche troble, she aryuyde with Jason into Thessaly. Now Eson, beynge wonders olde, was so gladd of the cumynge home of his sonne and of hyr that it semyde he was for ioy made a yonge man agayne. Whiche when Medea perceyuyde, with all haste she coulde, she sowde debate betwyxt Eson and his children, and dyd so muche that shee armyde the children agaynst the father to make hyr husbonde Jason kynge. But at the laste, Jason, abhorrywg hyr by thiese ways, in the place of hyr toke to hys wyfe Crewsa, the doughter of Creon, Kynge of Corynthe, whereat Medea was so impacient that by hyr wytche crafte, in the syght of Jasone, with fyre she burnte not oonely Crewsa, but also the children that Jasone had had by hyr, and so fledd to Athenes, and ther was maryede to the Kynge, by whome she had a sonne, and wolde haue slayne with poysone Thesius, to th’entent to haue made hir sonne heyre, but Thesius preuentyd with goode remedy and, hyr myschyfe knowne, yet agayne she fledde. And at the laste, hauynge obteynede the fauour of Jasone, she wentt with hym agayne to Colchos and restorede hyr father to hys kyngedome. What she dyd after, or whether she wentt, or where she dyede, I do not remembre that I haue redde it. But because it shulde not seeme that I shulde forgett, I say it is not cowuenyente to let our eyes to largely go aboute to beholde womene. In lokynge on theym, what do we but drawe our herttes to all concupiscencys, that moue vs to couetouse, that maketh vs to prayse theyr beauty and often to blowe theyr deformyte vnaduysedly? And by that meanes, not beynge rightfull iudges, we condempne often goodenes and saue that which is noughte, with blottynge and infectynge our myndes with to shamefull cogitationes. Suche then as be thus taken with thys dishonest beautie, the cause of theyr takynge is noo other but wanton lookes, wanton gestures, wherby Cupyde bloweth the fyre, tyll the verey trueth, howe it is, be oppressyde. If thew men were wyse, other they wolde looke vpp with their eyes to heuen, or elks shett theim and looke downwardes to the earthe; hetwyxt bothe is noo sure way. And therefore we shulde with a sharpe bytt, as it were, to rule our eyes frome beholdynge suche folyes. And if Medea had bene soo circumspecte as so to haue doone, whew she fyrst behelde Jasone, hyr fathers kyngedome had stonde longare in honour, hyr brother had bene alyue, and hyr maydenhode vncorrupte, which all perysshede by suche regardes and vnhoneste lookes.