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  • Title: Apollonius of Tyre
  • Editors: Tom Bishop, Andrew Forsberg

    • Copyright Tom Bishop and Andrew Forsberg. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: John Gower
    Editors: Tom Bishop, Andrew Forsberg
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Apollonius of Tyre

    [Qualiter Appolinus vna cum filia et eius marito nauim ingredientes a Mitelena vsque Tharsim cursum proposuerunt. Sed Appolinus in sompnis ammonitus versus Ephesim, vt ibidem in templo Diane sacrificaret, vela per mare diuertit.]
    How Appolinus, going by ship together with his daughter and her husband, planned to go from Mitelene to Tharsis. But Appolinus was warned in dreams and diverted his sailing towards Ephesus so that he might sacrifice in Daiana's temple there.
    Whan al was do riht as thei wolde,
    1820The king unto his Sone tolde
    Of Tharse thilke traiterie,
    And seide hou in his compaignie
    His doghter and himselven eke
    Schull go vengance forto seke.
    1825The Schipes were redy sone,
    And whan thei sihe it was to done,
    Withoute lette of eny wente
    With Seil updrawe forth thei wente
    Towardes Tharse upon the tyde.
    1830Bot he that wot what schal betide,
    The hihe god, which wolde him kepe,
    Whan that this king was faste aslepe,
    Be nyhtes time he hath him bede
    To seile into an other stede:
    1835To Ephesim he bad him drawe,
    And as it was that time lawe,
    He schal do there his sacrifise;
    And ek he bad in alle wise
    That in the temple amonges alle
    1840His fortune, as it is befalle,
    Touchende his doghter and his wif
    He schal beknowe upon his lif.
    The king of this Avisioun
    Hath gret ymaginacioun,
    1845What thing it signefie may;
    And natheles, whan it was day,
    He bad caste Ancher and abod;
    And whil that he on Ancher rod,
    The wynd, which was tofore strange,
    1850Upon the point began to change,
    And torneth thider as it scholde.
    Tho knew he wel that god it wolde,
    And bad the Maister make him yare,
    Tofor the wynd for he wol fare
    1855To Ephesim, and so he dede.
    And whanne he cam unto the stede
    Where as he scholde londe, he londeth
    With al the haste he may, and fondeth
    To schapen him be such a wise,
    1860That he may be the morwe arise
    And don after the mandement
    Of him which hath him thider sent.
    And in the wise that he thoghte,
    Upon the morwe so he wroghte;
    1865His doghter and his Sone he nom,
    And forth unto the temple he com
    With a gret route in compaignie,
    Hise yiftes forto sacrifie.
    The citezeins tho herden seie
    1870Of such a king that cam to preie
    Unto Diane the godesse,
    And left al other besinesse,
    Thei comen thider forto se
    The king and the solempnete.
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