The Devonshire Manuscript, how frendly was medea to Iason

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 91r (Image: DMSEG, CC BY-SA 3.0) |
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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 90v 90-1r 90-1v (Image: DMSEG, CC BY-SA 3.0) |
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f. [90v]
f. [90.1r]
f. [90.1v]
f. [91r]

1    How frendly was medea to Iason
2    In conqueryng off the flece off gold
3    howe falsely quyt he her trewe affection
4    by whom vyctorye he gate ah he wold
5    how may thys man for shame be so bolde
6    to dysceve her that from{_o} hys deth and shame
7    hym kepte and gate hym so great pryce and name

Commentary

This excerpt, entered by TH2, comes from Thomas Hoccleve’s The Letter of Cupid (1402) (lines 302-308). Hoccleve adapted his work from Christine de Pizan's Epistre au Dieu d’Amours. TH2 enters two other excerpts from this Hoccleve into the manuscript: “Womans harte vnto no creweltye” (89v) and “Ys thys afayre avaunte / ys thys honor” (89v). TH2 transcribed all three excerpts, which he may have copied from Thynne’s edition of Chaucer (c. 1532). The speaker in this passage chides Jason for deceiving Medea, the woman who saved him from death and shame.

Other medieval and Chaucerian excerpts in the manuscript, possibly copied from Thynne's edition, include verses from Troilus and Criseyde (see: "O very lord / o loue / o god alas" (29v(1)), "O ye louers that hygh vpon the whele" (30r), "for thylke grownde that bearyth the wedes wycke" (59v), "Wo worthe the fayre gemme vertulesse" (91v(1)), "for loue ys yet the moste stormy lyfe" (91v(2)), "Also wyckyd tonges byn so prest") (91v(3)), "And who that sayth for to love ys vyce" (92r), and "but now helpe god to quenche all thys sorow" (93r)); the Chaucerian "Remedy of Love" first printed in Thynne's edition ("yff all the erthe were parchment scrybable" (90r), and Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite ("for thowgh I had yow to morow to agayne" (91r)).

TH2 separates the passages on the page with flourishes.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

T5068.09

Collation

1 How] Howe T5068.09 medea] Medea T5068.09
2 off] of T5068.09 off] of T5068.09 gold] golde T5068.09
3 howe] Howe T5068.09
4 by] By T5068.09 vyctorye] vyctorie T5068.09 wold] wolde T5068.09
5 how] Howe T5068.09 thys] this T5068.09
6 to dysceve] To falsen T5068.09 her that] her/that T5068.09 from] fro T5068.09 hys] his T5068.09 deth] dethe T5068.09
7 hym] Him T5068.09 kepte] kept/ T5068.09 hym] him T5068.09 pryce and] prise & T5068.09

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