# The Legend of Good Women/The Legend of Hypermnestra
### The Legend of Hypermnestra

| | In Grece whylom weren brethren two, |
| | Of whiche that oon was called Danao, |
| | That many a sone hath of his body wonne, |
| | As swiche false lovers ofte conne. |
| | Among his sones alle ther was oon |
| | That aldermost he lovede of everichoon. |
| | And whan this child was born, this Danao |
| | Shoop him a name, and called him Lino. |
| 2570 | That other brother called was Egiste, |
| | That was of love as fals as ever him liste, |
| | And many a doghter gat he in his lyve; |
| | Of which he gat upon his righte wyve |
| | A doghter dere, and dide her for to calle |
| | Ypermistra, yongest of hem alle; |
| | The whiche child, of her nativitee, |
| | To alle gode thewes born was she, |
| | As lyked to the goddes, or she was born, |
| | That of the shefe she sholde be the corn; |
| 2580 | The Wirdes, that we clepen Destinee, |
| | Hath shapen her that she mot nedes be |
| | Pitouse, sadde, wyse, and trewe as steel; |
| | And to this woman hit accordeth weel. |
| | For, though that Venus yaf her greet beautee, |
| | With Iupiter compouned so was she |
| | That conscience, trouthe, and dreed of shame, |
| | And of her wyfhood for to kepe her name, |
| | This, thoughte her, was felicitee as here. |
| | And rede Mars was, that tyme of the yere, |
| 2590 | So feble, that his malice is him raft, |
| | Repressed hath Venus his cruel craft; |
| | What with Venus and other oppressioun |
| | Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun, |
| | That Ypermistra dar nat handle a knyf |
| | In malice, thogh she sholde lese her lyf. |
| | But natheles, as heven gan tho turne, |
| | To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne, |
| | That made her for to deyen in prisoun, |
| | As I shal after make mencioun. |
| 2600 | To Danao and Egistes also -- |
| | Al-thogh so be that they were brethren two, |
| | For thilke tyme nas spared no linage -- |
| | Hit lyked hem to maken mariage |
| | Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino, |
| | And casten swiche a day hit shal be so; |
| | And ful acorded was hit witterly; |
| | The array is wroght, the tyme is faste by. |
| | And thus Lino hath of his fadres brother |
| | The doghter wedded, and eche of him hath other. |
| 2610 | The torches brennen and the lampes brighte, |
| | The sacrifices been ful redy dighte; |
| | Thencena out of the fyre reketh sote, |
| | The flour, the leef is rent up by the rote |
| | To marken garlands and corounes hye; |
| | Ful is the place of soun of minstralcye, |
| | Of songes amorous of mariage, |
| | As thilke tyme was the pleyn usage. |
| | And this ws in the paleys of Egiste, |
| | That in his hous was lord, right as him liste; |
| 2620 | And thus the day they dryven to an ende; |
| | The frendes taken leve, and hoom they wende. |
| | The night is come, the bryd shal go to bedde; |
| | Egiste to his chambre faste him spedde, |
| | And privily he let his doghter calle. |
| | Whan that the hous was voided of hem alle, |
| | He loked on his doghter with glad chere, |
| | And to her spak, as ye shul after here. |
| | "My righte doghter, tresor of myn herte! |
| | Sin first that day that shapen was my sherte, |
| 2630 | Or by the fatal sustren had my dom, |
| | So ny myn herte never thing me com |
| | As thou, myn Ypermistra, doghter dere! |
| | Tak heed what I thy fader sey thee here, |
| | And werk after thy wyser ever-mo. |
| | For alderfirste, doghter, I love thee so |
| | That al the world to me nis half so leef; |
| | Ne I nolde rede thee to thy mischeef |
| | For al the gode under the colde mone; |
| | And what I mene, hit shal be seid right sone, |
| 2640 | With protesacioun, as in this wyse, |
| | That, but thou do as I shal thee devyse, |
| | Thou shalt be deed, by him that al hath wroght! |
| | At shorte wordes, thou nescapest noght |
| | Out of my paleys, or that thou be deed, |
| | But thou consente and werke after my reed; |
| | Tak this to thee for ful conclusioun." |
| | This Ypermistra caste her eyen doun, |
| | And quook as dooth the leef of aspe grene; |
| | Deed wex her hewe, and lyk as ash to sene, |
| 2650 | And seyde, "lord and fader, al your wille, |
| | After my mighte, god wot, I shal fulfille, |
| | So hit to me be no confusioun." |
| | "I nil," quod he, "have noon excepcioun;" |
| | And out he caughte a knyf, as rasour kene; |
| | "Hyd this," quod he, "that hit be nat y-sene; |
| | And, whan thyn husbond is to bedde y-go, |
| | Whyl that he slepeth, cut his throte a-two. |
| | For in my dremes hit is warned me |
| | How that my nevew shal my bane be, |
| 2660 | But whiche I noot, wherfor I wol be siker. |
| | Yif thou sey nay, we two shul have a biker |
| | As I have seyd, by him that I have sworn." |
| | This Ypermistra hath ny her wit forlon; |
| | And, for to passen harmles of that place, |
| | She graunted him; ther was non other grace. |
| | And therwith-al a costrel taketh he, |
| | And seyde, "herof a draught, or two or three, |
| | Yif him to drinke, whan he goth to reste, |
| | And he shal slepe as longe as ever thee leste, |
| 2670 | The narcotiks and opies been so stronge: |
| | And go thy wey, lest that him thinke longe." |
| | Out comth the bryd, and with ful sober chere, |
| | As is of maidens ofte the manere, |
| | To chambre is broght with revel and with songe, |
| | And shortly, lest this tale be to longe, |
| | This Lino and she ben sone broght to bedde; |
| | And every wight out at the dore him spedde. |
| | The night is wasted, and he fel a-slepe; |
| | Ful tenderly beginneth she to wepe. |
| 2680 | She rist her up, and dredfully she quaketh, |
| | As doth the braunche that Zephirus shaketh, |
| | And husht were alle in Argon that citee. |
| | As cold as any frost now wexeth she; |
| | For pite by the herte her streyneth so, |
| | And dreed of death doth her so moche wo, |
| | That thryes doun she fil in swiche a were. |
| | She rist her up, and shakereth heer and there, |
| | And on her handes faste loketh she. |
| | "Allas! and shul my handes blody be? |
| 2690 | I am a maid, and, as by my nature, |
| | And by my semblant and by my vesture, |
| | Myn handes been nat shapen for a knyf, |
| | As for to reve no man fro his lyf. |
| | What devil have I with the knyf to do? |
| | And shal I have my throte corve a-two? |
| | Than shal I blede, allas! And me beshende; |
| | And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende; |
| | Or he or I mot nedes lese our lyf. |
| | Now certes," quod she, "sin I am his wyf, |
| 2700 | And hath my feith, yit is it bet for me |
| | For to be deed in wyily honestee |
| | Than be a traitour living in my shame. |
| | Be as be may, for ernest or for game, |
| | He shal awake, and ryse and go his way |
| | Out at this goter, or that hit be day!" -- |
| | And weep ful tenderly upon his face, |
| | And in her armes gan him to embrace, |
| | And him she roggeth and awaketh softe; |
| | And at the window leep he fro the lofte |
| 2710 | Whan she hath warned him, and doon him bote. |
| | This Lino swifte was, and light of fote, |
| | And from his wyf he ran a ful good pas. |
| | This sely woman is so wayk, allas! |
| | And helples so, that, or that she fer wente, |
| | Her cruel fader dide her for to hente. |
| | Allas! Lino! why art thou so unkinde? |
| | Why ne haddest thou remembred in thy minde |
| | To taken her, and lad her forth with thee? |
| | For, what she saw that goon awey was he, |
| 2720 | And that she mighte nat so faste go, |
| | Ne folwen him, she sette her doun right tho, |
| | Til she was caught and fetered in prisoun. |
| | This tale is seid for this conclusioun.... |