Book 5

Summary

Perseus Fights Phineus (I)

[miniature, fol. 132r: fight scene]

{A}s the valiant hero, the son of Danaë, was telling this story in the midst of the folk of this kingdom, chaos broke out in the hall. There was a great tumult, but it was not the sound of joy or celebration: joy had turned into its opposite. There was a loud call to arms, and there you would have seen the crowd rushing for their weapons in great haste. Suddenly Phineus, the king’s brother, full of folly and rashness, stormed through the palace, ready to do battle. He brandished his ash-wood spear. Seeing Perseus, he berated him and lashed out at him in anger: “Vassal, soon you will find out what reward you will earn for stealing my beloved. There is nothing that could rescue or preserve you from death. Soon, I shall make you repent for the foolish thing that you have done – stealing my wife from me!” So saying, he drew back his arm to launch the spear, when King Cepheus shouted: [1–28]

“Brother, what madness, arrogance, or frenzy is making you want to instigate this outrage and this strife? Is this how you intend to pay back and reward him for the pains he endured to save your beloved’s life and return her safely after Jupiter had sent her to be devoured by the sea monster? For it is not he who took her away from you but Jupiter, who condemned her to the beast, and if he hadn’t been there, the beast would have already killed and eaten her. You lost her as soon as she was condemned to death. It is indeed true that you were meant to marry her: I myself promised her to you in front of my people and my friends. But the agreement was broken when Jupiter, in his anger, rendered her up to death. This man promised to free her on the understanding that if he did, she would be his wife. We assured him of this: oaths were sworn to that effect. You were there: you saw it, and you didn’t raise a single objection. Now that he’s saved her by his might, you want to be master of both the beauty and the kingdom? There is no reason, as it seems to me, why we shouldn’t hold up our end of the deal.