he set his men in aray after hee went alone before vnto his enemies as he that doubted of nothing When Achelous saw him come he began to make a great sigh and cried vnto his people vpon him saying that it was he with the clubbe that had chased him out of Calcedonie and promised great giftes vnto them that best belaboured him with strokes But when his folke knew that it was Hercules they made curtesie ech to other for to go before and trembling as the leafe on the tree they durst not abide the weight of the clubbe but without smiting of any stroke turned their backs and fled vnto the castle Achelous séeing the behauior of his folke and the dread and feare that they had of Hercules wéened that he should haue died for sorrow so he went and entred againe with them into the castle And Hercules returned with his people laughing at the poore dealing of his enemies Hercules beganne then to thinke on Deianira and Achelous beganne to imagine how hee might annoy the Calcedonians hee had there one of his captaines that sayde vnto him Sir yee know well that your strength may not compare vnto the strength of your enemies we be tenne against one but that may nothing helpe vs for alonely the clubbe of the mighty giant that is with them is enough for to bury vs all and also for to destroy your realme Consider ye then since it is so that open puissance and plaine strength may not be vsed at this time it is expedient to imagine some subtiltie for to gréeue the Calcedonians and it is mine aduice that there shall be made a great flaming light in the sea such as I shall well deuise so as by that meanes they that haue besieged vs may be deceiued lightly This flaming light must be by night and it shall be great and forcible we will make it secretly assoone as our enemies shal see it they wil leape out of their tentes and will goe vnto the sea for to see the marueile peraduenture without any armes for they dreade nor feare vs not and then wee will set on them and shall finde them vnfurnished and vnpurueyed of their armes consequently it may ensue that of them all we shall make a notable riddance c. When Achelous heard this counsell it seemed to him good and hee would that it were put in effect in such wise as he had deuised The deuiser did make an hundred torches which were finished in fifteene dayes During these fifteene dayes Hercules assailed many times the castle where Achelous was in but he might neuer do any thing thereto for the fortresse stood vpon the sea and in a strong countrey and might not bee gotten by assault and Achelous might haue no succours from no part for betwéene this castle and Achaye was a great countrey When the fifteene dayes were passed and the torches were made on a night when it was peaceable from winde storme they that carried the torches issued out of the castle foure of them vnto the hauen where was left but one little boat which was on groūd and had not in long time afore bene put to the sea And if ye demand where the shippes were become that Achelous brought to this port I say to you that Hercules had caused to take them and sent them into the sea to the intent that Achelous should not escape him nor take away the shippes by night The Achayans then came to this litle boat lying on the ground and plied them that they brought it aflote on the Sea as secretly as they could and entred therein with all that to them was necessary And the king Achelous put himselfe in ambushment with a thousande of his men in a place nigh whereas him seemed that the Calcedonians woulde goe out for to see the light that should be made Then when they that were in the sea knewe that it was time to light their torches they set them a fire and put them round about the mast wherein were made as many holes as was torches And so as they had imagined they did Anon the knights that kept the watch of the host of Hercules sawe it and sore marueiling at this light awoke Hercules and his fellowes and shewed them the light Assoone as Hercules saw the brightnesse of the torches he would knowe what it was and then he approched the bancke of the sea and his company with him and had not béene long there when the king Achelous did cause to light an hundred torches that hee had prouided and after he issued out of his ambushment with his thousand men and ranne vpon Hercules and assailed him and all his men fiercely But when Hercules sawe them discouer themselues he set his people in order in the best maner he might by the light of the starres and receiued his enemies couragiously where began a right dolorous battaile for the one smote on the other very felonously and there were many wounded and dead The skirmish was great Achelous thought to skirmish but he was skirmished with himselfe vnto the effusion of his bloud for Hercules among all other smote him on the helme that he foundred and gaue him a wound on his head that the bloud gushed out and moreouer hee tooke him and deliuered him to twelue of his men to kéepe There were great cries and great aboundance of strokes of swordes Then were the torches quenched and put out by the force of the smiting of the Achayans which desired greatly to rescue their king and so they abandoned their liues in the heat But when their torches were quenched a litle and a litle they began to coole them and withdraw them for they sawe nothing at all When they were withdrawen Hercules assembled his folke and sayd to them that he would goe assay if he might take the castle in this trouble and that they shoulde followe him hardily and fiercely and anon after when he sawe his enemies returne vnto the castle he ranne after and stayed them and put himselfe in the thickest of them and smiting with his club on the right side and on the left side he made a right large place and way And by this way he lead his people vnto the gate of the castle where he entered with them that fled and there made so great a slaughter of his enemies that with litle resistance that same night he put to death twelue hundred and the other fled into the citie of Patrace from whence they were In this battell and in the battell that had béene in Calcedonie all the men of Achaye were slaine except about a foure hundred which saued themselues by flying for Achelous had taken all his men with him his countrey and his citie Patrace was all destroyed When Hercules had taken the castle afterward he went into the countrey and into the citie of Patrace and entering into all places without any resistance he set ouer this realme into the hande of king Oeneus and he
then anon rent off In bickering he receiued many a stroke and alway he defended himselfe without displaying of his power and of his strength as he that awaited for the tidings of the assault that was nigh The affray was great in the hall and in the citie on al partes the Calidoniens ranne to the pallace for to assaile Hercules King Pricus made him ready came with other vnto this fray Then was Hercules assailed fiercely but this assault was déere to the king for to his welcome Hercules came to the tabernacle that stoode vppon foure great barres of yron whereof hee tooke the one and beat downe the tabernacle After he lifted vp his arme with the bar and smote the king Pricus so vnmeasurably vpon the â—oâ— of his helmet that notwithstanding his strong harnesse and armours he all to beat him downe to the earth and smote him so sore broken and bruised that he fell downe dead betwéene his two porters At this time the crie arose great among the Calidonians Not alonely there but also in the citie for hee that kept the watch sounded to armes forasmuch as the Greeks assailed hastily the walles Calidony was then terribly troubled and the Calidonians wist not where to turne them whether to Hercules or to the assault All was full of heades armed aswell in the pallace as vppon the walles After this that Hercules had slaine the king Pricus he beganne to smite vppon his enemies and his strokes were great at ech stroke he slew two or three so as shortly he bare himselfe there a knightly that in little while hee couered all the pauement of the pallace with dead bodies of the Calidonians lying one vpon another without that any man might dammage his armor The Calidonians were of great courage and had great shame for that they might not ouercome Hercules that alone had done vpon them so great an exploit They assailed him with great courage and cast vpon him darts sharpe iauelines His armes and his shoulders bare all and he did so great things with his barre and gaue so great strokes that none of them might resist his strength The poore Calidonians came thither with great courage and desire for to reuenge the death of their king Hercules put so many to death that hee wist not where to set his foote but it must be vpon Calidonians Before the gate of the pallace was a pitifull noise of wéepings of cries that women and children made In the end when the Calidonians knew and perceiued the vertue the strength of Hercules and that they laboured in vaine they ceassed to assaile him and fled Then Hercules issued out of the pallace with his barre all couered with bloud Assoone as the Calidonians saw him they set vpon him passing furiously and assailed him anew they cast stones and darts vpon him they shotte arrowes on him aboundantly as they that were purueyed and awaited for his passage In this assault Hercules had much to suffer yet after receiuing moe strokes then canne be numbred he passed the watch that awaited to haue staine him and rested neuer till he came vnto the gate The Calidonians ranne then after him as men without dread of death and mightily swollen with pride and ire beganne on anew to smite vppon his shoulders and vpon his backe When Hercules saw that he turned his face vppon his euill willers and smote vppon them with his barre on the right side and on the left side so lustily that he died his barre with newe bloud and maugre his enemies he beat them downe and all to bruised them before him He made them then to recule and go backe more then fourtie pases and after came to the gate And the Calidonians pursued him againe but ere they came vpon him he all to brake bruised and to frushed the lockes and the wickets and doores of the gate and the Greekes assailed him with all their power and beate downe the draw bridge After he called the assailants and they came vnto him and with little resistance they entred the citie which was at that time with great slaughter of the Calidonians that would not yéeld themselues nor put themselues to mercy vntill the time that they saw their stréets and houses full of dead bodies c. CHAP. XXVIII ¶ How Hercules was enamoured on Yo le the daughter of king Pricus and how he required her of loue and how she accorded vnto him BY this maner was king Pricus slaine and his city taken by Hercules After the slaughter when the Calidoniens had huÌ„bled themselues Hercules and Theseus went to the pallace they came thither so fitly that they found the daughters of king Pricus with their ladies and gentlewomeÌ„ séeking the king among the dead bodies There were so manie dead bodies that they could not finde nor know him that they sought Hercules at his comming beganne to behold one and other and especially among al other hee cast his eie vppon Yo le the daughter of the king forasmuch as she was excellently glistering in beautie that in all the world was none like vnto her When hee had a little beheld her by a secret commaundement of loue hee drewe him vnto her wéening for to haue comforted her Anon as the right desolate gentlewoman saw Hercules approching vnto her she trembled for dread and fled vnto her chamber the ladies and the gentlewomen followed her and among them so did Hercules What shall I say hee entered into the chamber where she was and sate downe by her She thought to haue risen for to haue gone out of the way but he held her by her clothes and said vnto her Lady ye may not flie my companie Yo le spake then and said O miserable tyraunt what séekest thou me nowe for to trouble mee more Thou hast slaine my father let that suffice thee Madame answered Hercules if the king Pricus be dead it is reason that he be not much bewailed nor wept for he thinking for to auenge the death of the tyraunt Cacus came not long since for to assaile me in Italy saying that I had vnrightfully and without cause slaine him In maintaining the contrary I fought with him vppon this quarrell the battaile was not ended nor put to vtterance at that time for he withdrew himselfe with his people and came into this citie and I haue pursued him hastily albeit I coulde not ouertake him When I saw that I laide my siege about this citie he would not come to fight the battaile during my siege wherefore I haue this day willed to haue an end Fortune hath béen on my side and hath put you in my power Certes it must néedes be that without remedie ye be my lady and my loue for in séeing your singular beauty loue hath constrained me to be yours Then I pray you as affectuously as I may or can that yee cease your sorrow and that ye receiue mee as your friend and loue The more ye weep
daughter was named Cassandra and was a right noble Virgine adorned and learned with Sciences and knew thinges that were for to come And the third was named Polixena that was the fairest daughter and the best formed that was knowne in all the worlde Yet aboue these children heretofore rehearsed king Priamus had thirtie bastard sonnes by diuers women that were valiant knightes noble and hardy When then king Priamus was in a straunge Countrey hee was occupied and verie much imploied in the sense and profession of warre the Queene and her children were there with him The tidinges and newes came to him that the king Laomedon his father was slaine his Citie was destroied and his noble men were put to death their daughters brought in seruitude and also his sister Exione At these sorrowfull tidinges hee was greatly gréeued and wept aboundantly and made 〈◊〉 lamentations And anon incontinent her left his siege and finished his warre and returned hastily 〈…〉 and when hee found it so destroied he begâ—â—â— to make the most â—â—row of the world that 〈…〉 And after he had 〈…〉 sell to make againe the 〈◊〉 Then he beganne to â—â—â—â—â—ie the citie so great and so strong that he neuer ought to doubt his enemies did close it with right high walles and with great Towers of Marble The citie was so great that the circâ—â—se was 〈…〉 iourney And at that time in all the world was none so great nor noâ—e so faire nor so excellently compassed In this Citie were sixe principall gates of which the one was named Dardane the second Timbria the thâ—â—â— Helias the fourth Chetas the 〈◊〉 Troyen and the 〈◊〉 Antenorides These gates were right great and faâ—re and of strong defence And there were in the citie rich â—â—â—ces without number the fairest that euer were and the fairest houses rich and well compassed Also there were in many partes of the citie diuers faire places and pleasant for the citizens to sport and play in In this Citie were men of all Craftes and Marchauntes that went and came from all the partes of the world In the middle of the citie ranne a great riuer named Paucus which bare shippes and did bring great profite and solace vnto the inhabitantes When the Citie was thus made the king Priamus did cause to come all the people and inhabitauntes of the countrey there aboutes and made them dwell in the citie And there came so many that there was neuer 〈◊〉 â—â—ter furnished with people and with noble men and â—â—â—â—ns then it was There were found many gaâ—â—es and 〈…〉 richest Pallaces and strongest that euer was in all the world And it was of height fiue hundred pases besides the height of the Towers whereof was great plentie and so high that it séemed to them that sawe them from farre they raught vnto the heauen And in this riche pallace the king Priamus did make the richest hall that was at that time in the worlde within which was his rich Throne and the table whereupon hee did eate and held his estate among his Lordes and Barons and all that longed thereto was of gold and of siluer of pretious stones and of Iuorie In this hall at one corner was an altar of golde and pretious stones which was consecrated in the name and worship of Iupiter their God to which altar went men vp twentie degrees or steppes And vpon the altar was the Image of Iupiter of fifteene foote of height all beset and and arraied with pretious stones For in that God Iupiter was all the hope and trust of the king Priamus for to hold his raigne long and in all prosperitie c. When he sawe that he hadde so faire a Citie so strong and so well peopled and with that so rich of goodes hee beganne to take some displeasure at the wrongs that the Greekes had done vnto him and thought long howe hée might reuenge him Then hée assembled on a certaine day all his Barons and helde a riche Court. At this Court Hector his eldest sonne was not for hee was in the parties of Pannony on the affaires and certain works of his father forasmuch as Pannonie was subiect vnto the king Priamus When king Priamus saw all his folke assembled and gathered before him hee beganne to speake saying in this manner O men and true friends that bée partners of my great iniuries to mée done by the Greekes for so little a cause or trespasse Yée knowe howe the Greeks by their pride haue come into this countrey and haue slaine cruelly your parentes and friendes and also mine And how they haue taken and ledde away and holde in seruitude Exione my sister that is so faire and noble and yet they holde her as a common woman Ye knowe wel how they haue beaten downe and destroied this Citie ouerthrowne the walles the Pallaces and houses vnto the foundations and haue borne away the great riches whereof the Citie was full And for these things I think it should be reason that by the helpe of the Gods who resist those that bée insolent and proud wee altogither by a common accord shoulde take vengeance of these iniuries Ye know what Citie wee haue and howe it is peopled with good men of arms and fighters and garnished with all maner of goodes and riches Also ye know well the alliances that wee haue with many right great Lords that with good wil wil help vs if néede hee Wherefore me séemeth that it shoulde bée good for vs to reuenge vs of this shame But yet forasmuch as the aduentures of the warres be right doubtfull and daungerous and that no man knoweth what may come thereof albeit that the iniurie be great and that they hold my sister in so great dishonour yet will I not begin the warre But first if yée thinke good I will send of the most sage and prudent men that I haue to pray and require them that they render and yéeld againe my sister Exione and I will be content to pardon all the other iniuries c. When the king hadde thus finished his wordes all allowed and praised his aduise and it séemed to them good And then the king Priamus immediately called one of his Princes named Anthenor and earnestly desired him and vsed courteous and gentle perswasions that hée woulde enterprise this ambassage forthwith into Greece And Athenor with all humilitie aunswered him that hee was alwaies readie to doe his good pleasure Then was there a ship made ready and all that belongeth and was conuenient to bring Anthenor into Greece He entered into the shippe and his men and sailed so long that they arriued at the porte of Thessaly whereas was then by aduenture the king Peleus that receiued right ioyfully enough Anthenor and demaunded of him wherefore hee was come into those partes Anthenor answered to him in this maner Sir said he I am a messenger of the king Priamus that hath sent mee to you and hath commanded me to say to you and other that he is
is so doone the best way ought to be taken we counsell thée that thou leaue this Pallace and finde manner to issue out and wee shall follow thée and go with thée and search our aduentures in other lands for it shall be great paine by possibilitie euer to content and appease this people For it is so that the Corinthians be terrible to all men that they haue inhate and in despight Dardanus hearing these wordes beganne to sigh and considering that hee must depart from his Citie by his misdéede fault and desert hee smote himselfe on the brest and saide Ha fortune vnstedfast what is mee befall My hands be foule and filthie with the bloud of my lawfull brother The insurrcetion and the rebellion of my people hanging before mine eies it is force that I flée for to saue my life and purpose to liue of rauin and theft What mischance what euill happe is this Since it is so I yéeld me fugitise and shall go my way at all aduentures be it When the friendes of Dardanus had vnderstoode that hee was concluded and purposed to saue his life they ioyned to him and appointed togither that the next morning in the first breaking of the day they would departe from the Pallace and take the aduenture to passe by their enemies saying that if they might escape they would go to the riuage of the sea and take the kings barge And all they sware to helpe and companie each other vnto the death The night passed the day appeared and then Dardanus that had not rested that night to his pleasure but had watched with his armed men and were readie to take the aduenture that the gods and fortune would giue and send them issued out of the pallace and found the most part of his enemies asleepe he thrusted among the villaines and passed forth with little resistance that notwithstanding the waking Corinthians he came to his royall ship and tooke the sea and saued himselfe whereof the Corinthians had great sorrow When Dardanus sawe that he was so quit of the fauour of the Corinthians he went sailing by the sea and landed first at the port of the Citie of Samos being in Thrace there vitailed him and went to sea againe and arriued in Asia in a quarter where the land was ioyning to the sea of Hellespont And finding this land right good and fruitful for to enhabite he made there his habitation and there set the first stone of a right great citie that he beganne and after finished This Citie was that time named Dardane after the name of Dardanus but afterward it was called Troy Dardanus peopled and filled his Citie with men and women which he gate by swéetenesse and faire promises And the other part he conquered by force theft and pillage He made himselfe king of Dardane and ditched the Cittie about with great ditches After lōg time he passed out of this world and left a sonne of his wife Candama that was second king of Dardane This king was named Erutonius and raigned seauen yeare in augmenting and encreasing his Citie and people and at last came to the ende of his yeares And there reigned after him Troos his sonne This Troos was the third king of Dardane and was a strong man fierce and hardy in armes and increased greatly his seignoury and his Crowne insomuch as the Dardanians said that there was no king but Troyes and named them Troians And thus was Troy enhaunced more then all the Realmes of Greece so highly that the king Tantalus of Frigie had great enuie and gaue his heart and courage how he might anull and put downe the name of Troy that was his neighbour And began to assay to bring it downe as heereafter shall be said CHAP. VI. ¶ Of the great warre that was moued betweene the Pelagiens and Epiriens and how king Licaon of Pelagy was destroyed by Iupiter because of a man put to him to hostage which king Licaon did rost THe wise and subtill Virgine Minerue as saint Austen rehearseth shewed her selfe in this time by the stang or riuer called Triton by the greatnesse and subtiltie of her engine for she found the manner to forge and make armes And to this purpose Ouide rehearseth that she had foughten against a Giant named Pallas and slewe him by the flood of Triton In the same time that the armes were founden and the sciences of Minerue where practised by all the world a fierce discention engendred betwéene the Epiriens and the Pelagiens that after were named Archadians And héereof maketh mention Boccace in the fourth booke of the genealogy of gods Among the Pelagians raigned that time a king named Licaon eldest sonne of Titan. The Epiriens then enterprised vppon the Pelagiens and so made that a right great noyse arose and sourded For which cause they assailed each other by feats of armes so felonious and asyre that both parties suffered many foule mortall shoures When the wise men of Epire saw this warre so dissolute and that they of their partie had iniustly and vnrightfully vndertaken and begunne this warre they knowledged their fault and went to the king Lycaon bearing branches of Oliue in signification of peace and loue and him required that he would condiscend to accord and peace of both peoples Lycaon considering that his people had as much lost as woonne by this discention and that the battailes were perillous accorded to the Epitiens the peace by condition that they should deliuer him one of their most noble men such as he would demaūd for to be his seruant a space of time in token that they had vnrightfully engendred this discention The Epiriens consented to this condition and deliuered to king Lycaon in seruitude the most noble man among them and thus ended the warre The tearme and the time drewe ouer that the Epirien serued king Lycaon his due tyme and then when the time was expired the Epiriens assembled them togither and by deliberation of councell sent an Ambassade to Lycaon for to treate the deliuerance of the Epirien These Ambassadours departed from Epire and came to Pelage and shewed to the king howe their man had serued as long as hee was bound and required him that he would render and deliuer him and ratifie the peace to the ende that euer after that they might bee the more friends togither When Lycaon that was hardie of courage fierce and euill vnto all men and also vnto his owne people vnderstoode the wordes and requestes of the Epiriens hée had great sorrow and anger in himselfe and sayde to them with his mouth thinking contrarie with his heart that on the morrow hee would feast them and haue them to dinner and then he would doo like as they had demaunded With these wordes the Epiriens departed ioyously fro the presence of King Lycaon and on the morrow they came to the feast that was richlie ordayned and made for them in great plentiousnesse which was right fayre at the beginning and in
and of the Epiriens all the worlde prayseth him and holdeth him one of the valiauntest men of the world he is my sonne I shall send to him and let him haue knowledge of the miserie that I am in by the Damosell that bare him vnto the Mountaine of Oson and shall require him of succour and I hope that he is a man of so hie courage and so fortunate that he shall succour her that hath done him that merite that is worthie to haue his succour and that saued him in his tender dayes and my heart telleth me that hee shall receyue by this tyding a right great ioy in knowledging the place of his natiuitte For more greater ioy hée may not haue come to him then to knowe that hee is the first sonne of the auncient house of Crete And this shal turne to him a soueraigne gladnesse when he shall see thal he is required to come and make the recouerance of his father and mother and of his countrey CHAP. X ¶ Howe Iupiter with the ayde of King Meliseus of Epire deliuered Saturne his father and Cibell his mother out of the prison of Titan and howe hee slue Titan in battaile WHen Saturne and Vesca had heard Cibel so speake Vesca sayd that her aduise was right good and Saturn was al astonied for he thought that Iupiter that he had séene at diuerse times with King Meiâ—seus should in no wise be his son so hardly hee could beléeue it and giue faith vnto the words of Cibell and said if Iupiter would succour him he were the man to do it and that he was content that Cibel shuld send to fetch him as she had sayde Then Cibell sent for the Damosell that knewe all the guiding of Iupiter and gaue her the charge to go vnto him and to dispatch this businesse This Damosell ioyous of this Ambassade departed secretlie and taryed not till shee came vnto the house of Meliseus and finding there Iupiter with the King after the reuerence made she addressed her spéech to Iupiter and saide to him Iupiter reioyce and bee glad I bring to thée tydings of gladnesse For among other sorrowes fortune that hath holde â—â—ee long time ignoraunt and not knowing the place of thy right noble natiuitie hath now certainly layde open the discouerture and knowledge of the same ignorance and will that thou knowe that thou art the first sonne and heyre of the King Saturne and of Dame Cibell The King Saturne thy father as euery man knoweth long since made an oath vnto his brother Titan that hee wouldâ— slea all his children males that should come of his séede for which cause the day of thy natiuitie he commaunded that thou shouldest be put to death but thy mother had pitie of thée and for to saue thy life she sent thée secretly vnto this house giuing thy father Saturne to vnderstand that she had done execution on thée And so for to eschue the furors of thy father thou hast béene here nourished all thy dayes and knowest not thy selfe what thou wert and nowe thou art certaine What ioy is this to thée certainly great And thou oughtest to go ioyously vnto thy father and mother presenting thy selfe vnto their grace if it were not that after these tydings of ioy I must néedes shewe vnto thée Iupiter other tydings and that is this Thy mother that hath saued thée thy vncle Titan holdeth her in pryson with Saturne for that that she hath nourished thée and hée hath ouercome and vanquished thy father in battaile latelie and taken from him his Realme and yet more hee will put them to death Wherefore they pray and require thée that thou haue pittie of them and that thou wilt employ thée to go and deliuer them out of the daunger that they be in at this day The King Meliseus and Iupiter hearing these tydings of the Damosell maruayled them right greatly and Iupiter was right ioyous when he had vnderstoode that he was sonne of King Saturne and on that other side he was sore vexed of the troubling of Crete and thanked the Damosell And after that he turned him vnto the king and said to him Sira yee may nowe knowe and vnderstande what I am and of what house as this Damosell witnesseth My father and my mother be in the hands of their enimies I pray you in their fauour that ye will helpe me to succor them and that we go hastily oppressing him that hath oppressed them I haue a singular hope and trust in fortune that she will helpe vs. Faire sonne aunswered Meliseus knowe that I haue more ioy in the recoueraunce of thy lynage then I can shew or make semblant of and in signe of this I promise to helpe thée asmuch as in me is possible And then Iupiter assured the Damosel and swore vnto her that he would put him in armes against Titan and had her returne vnto Saturne and Cibel and to comfort them in hope of right short succour The damosel departed from thence with the words of Iupiter and returned in to Crete and told vnto Saturne and Cibell all that she had doone Anon after the Damosell was departed Iupiter sent for Archas his sonne hastily with the Arcadiens and also sent for the Epiriens and the Parthenyens with them of the Citie of Analcre All these people loued Iupiter with great loue and came at his commaundement in great number of men of warre Iupiter welcomed them as wel as he could and told them the cause why he had sent for them and tolde them that he was Sonne vnto king Saturne After these things he did cause to be made ready all things that were necessarie vnto his Host and so they departed from the Citie of Oson with a right fayre companye of men of armes vnto the number of six thousand fighting men and so well sped that in short time he brought them within a mile nigh the Citie of Crete And there Iupiter would tary vpon the toppe of a Mountayne and called to him his sâ—â—â—e Archas that then had but thirtéene yeare of age but he was right wise and well bespoken and gaue him in charge that he should go into Crete to giue summons vnto the king Titan that he shuld go out of the Citie and deliuer to him his father Saturne with his mother Cibell The young Archas that was hardye and hadde his heart highe enhaunsed with the word of his father went vnto Crete to the King Titan to whome he gat him to be presented and sayd vnto him these wordes that folow Titan I come vnto thée in the obeysance of my father Iupiter first sonne of King Saturne that thou holdest in captiuitie He hath béene aduertised of oppression that thou hast doone in the personne of his Father and of his mother and the death of their sonnes he signifieth to thée by me that he is sonne of Saturne and that he is as much thine enemy as thou to hiâ— souiâ—â—â—art enemie Vpon which I thée â—â—â—non as
to Argos and betooke Danae in kéeping to other women and commaunded them vpon paine of death that they should tell him if she were or happened to be deliuered of childe or no. Within a certaine tyme when Danae sawe her in this case shée began to fall into wéeping The king Acrisius from this day forth came euery day to knowe how she did She wept without ceasing shée spake not but vnto her heart and shée bewayled her loue and complayned on Fortune sorrowfully But when she had laboured long in these wéepings and that her faire eyes were made great and red about fiftéene dayes before the time of her childing the beganne to remember the cause why she was put into the Tower And that the gods had prognosticated that she should haue a sonne that should bée king of Argos In this remembrance she was comforted a little and when the time came that nine months was expired she brought forth a passing faire sonne which the Ladyes and women receiued and named him Perseus And after that signified it vnto the king But at the birth of this childe she excused and put out of blame all the damosels and saide that they were all innocents of her fact Anon then as the king Acrisius knew the veritie of his Daughter and that she had a faire sonne he had in his heart more of sorrow then of ioy and condemned her to death indéede and commanded two of his mariners that they should take the mother and her childe and put them in a little Boate them both alone and that they should carrie them farre into the high sea that after should neuer man sée them nor haue knowledge of them The mariners durst not refuse the commaundement of the King but by his commandement they went vnto the Tower Dardane and tooke Danae and her sonne Perseus and said vnto the damosell al that that they had charge to do praying her humbly that shee would pardon them And this was about midnight when Danae vnderstood that shee should bée cast into the sea and her sonne with her Yet she had hope to escape this perill by the meane of the fortune of her son This notwithstanding the teares ran downe from her eyes and wéeping tenderly she tooke her leaue of the ladies and damosels that had her in kéeping and they let her be caried vpon the sea making complaint pitious bewailings When the mariners had brought hir vpon the sea they left her in a litle boat put in her lap Perseus her faire son And as hastily as they might they conducted her into the déepe sea without meate or drinke and without sterne or gouernaile and gaue her ouer to all windes Then was there many a teare wept among the mariners and Danae and Perseus the young childe The marriners bewailed with great compassion that they had to sée such a Damosell abandoned to perill of death Danae wept in considering the rigour of her father and the fault that Iupiter had done to her and also for the perill which she might not resist and Perseus wept for the blowing of the winde and for the grosse ayre of the sea that his tendernesse might not well suffer to endure In this fashion the Matrones returned to Argos and the right discomforted Damosell Danae went forth vpon the waues of the sea at the agréement and will of the windes The waues were right fearefull and lifted themselues into the ayre as Mountaynes the windes blewe by great stormes the little Boate was borne and cast vpon the waues and oftentymes Danae looked and supposed to haue perished but shée had alway hope in Fortune And so well it happened that in this aduersitie and trouble shée was cast into the Sea of Apulia or Naples And there shée was found by aduenture of a Fisher that for pitie and charitie tooke her into his Shippe and her sonne and brought her on lande forasmuch as hee sawe it was great néede At this time the noble Danae was as a deade bodie and halfe gone when the marriner had brought her a land the tooke a ring of gold that she ware on her finger and gaue it vnto the good man praying him that he would bring her into some house where shee might warme and cherish her with her childe for he was nigh dead for colde and was all in a traunce The marriner tooke the Golde Ring and brought the Damosell and the little childe into his house and made them a good fire and brought them meate and drinke As soone as Perseus felt the ayre of the fyre his heart came to him againe and he began to laugh on his mother When shee sawe that all her sorrowes turned to nought and she tooke hope of good fortune She then made ready and arayed her son and her colour came againe she did eate and drinke What shall I say the fisher behelde her and then séeing in her so much beautie that the like to her he sawe neuer none he went vnto the court of the king of Naples and tolde him his aduenture praysing so certaynly her beautie that the King sent hastely for to fetch her This King was named Pilonus and was sonne to the auncient Iupiter And when Danae was come before him sodaynlye he waxed amorous of her and demaunded her name her countrey and the cause why she was aduentured on the sea At beginning she excused her selfe of al these things vnwilling to tell all and began to wéepe When the King sawe that he comforted her and said to her that he would take her to his wife for her beautie and spake so fayre to her and so graciously that she tolde him al her life how she was daughter of the king Acrisius and how she was shutte in the tower and how Iupiter had deceyued her and how her father hadde put her in the sea What shall I say more when the King Pilonus heard all these fortunes of the damosell he had pitie on her and wedded her with great honour and did put to nurse Perseus and gat on her a sonne which was named Danaus but of this matter I will cease and turne again to the history of Iupiter c. CHAP. XXIX ¶ How Iupiter returning from Troy by sea encountred the great theefe Egeon which he fought with and ouercame and of the tidings that hee had of Danae whereof hee was passing sorrowfull WHen Iupiter was departed from Troy as afore is said he made his mariners to saile and row with all diligence for to withdraw from the port and for to approch Crete for he knew well that the time of his promise made to Danae was expired and that displeased him greatly that he might not amēd it His mariners did all that they could do by the space of a day naturall but the day being past there rose a tempest in the sea so terrible and out of measure that it bare many ships with their furniture vnder water brake their sternes and helmes and drowned all the
sayd to him that Achelous demaunded of him if he would giue him his daughter and that if he would not giue her to him at this time he would molest and gréeue his countrey and would make him warre At this message Oeneus was troubled and answered the messenger that on the morrow he would giue him an answere All that day Oeneus was pensiue and sorry and abode alone and for to passe his melancholy he came to Hercules When Hercules sawe him so pensiue he adiured him in earnest wise that he should tell him the cause of his pensiuenes who tolde it him and sayde Lord Hercules since it pleaseth you to know of mine anoiance and gréefe I will anon tell you the cause There is hereby a king my neighboure named Achelous great and fierce and proude which many times hath required to haue to his wife Deyanira my daughter I haue not béene in will to accord the mariage for asmuch as I knowe this king a man of right euill life And for this cause I haue had many menaces of him and also this day his messenger is yet come againe to me and hath sayde to mée that if I giue him not my daughter at this time he will make mée war Certes Hercules if ye ye sée me pensiue it commeth to me by this occasion for I haue not yet giuen him his aunswere but I must giue it him to morrow Neuerthelesse I haue concluded in my selfe that I will not giue vnto him my daughter And now when I sée verily that by the refuse of my daughter it must néedes be that the war be open betwéene the aforesayde king Achelous and me know well that I am displeased for warre is the eternall desolation of the countrey perdition and wast of the people and of goods Sir said Hercules it is néedefull vnto a man that he take and beare all that fortune will As ye say warre is not increasing of people but dimunition yet by that extremitie it behooueth to passe It is expedient that a man reioyce in his right Right comforteth the courage of a man and the courage of a man comforted bringeth him often times to glorious victorie A brute beast disgarnished of reasonable wit fighteth for his hole and nest with his clawes with féete with his téeth and with his bill What shall a man sensible and endowed with wit and reason do with any assault and namely in his owne land and territorie Nature willeth and instructeth that where corporall force faileth vigour and vertue of courage worketh and that they fight for their countrey Take courage then in your right and say your intent vnto your enemies ye haue receiued mée worshipfully in my receiuing these tydings that be come I wil help you if it be neede and I suppose if Achelous assaile you he shall repent him With these words the king Oeneus comforted himselfe greatly and the day drewe ouer On the morrow Oeneus called the messenger of Achelous and said to him that he should come no more to demaund his daughter and that he was not minded to giue her to his maister and furthermore if he mooued warre against him for this cause hee had intention to defende himselfe vnto the death of the last man of his people The messenger returned with these words and tolde them to Achelous and all that hée found with him Achelous was euill content with king Oeneus and as hee that was ouermuch smitten with the loue of Deyanira beganne to assemble his men of armes in intention to make warre on king Oeneus and to take from him his Daughter Hercules was then in Calcedonie and often times he was with Deyanira in gracious conferences He found her so well adressed in all honest maners that all day he was the most part with her and in the night he did nought but dreame and thinke on her howbeit he sayd nothing to her that touched his amorous desires willing first to shewe there his power in armes It happened on a day he opened a window that was by the garden of Deyanira and casting his eyes downe he sawe Deyaninira that sate vppon a gréene place accompanied with many Ladyes and Gentlewomen Then hee set all his minde to contemplate the excessiue beautie of her After he desired her and in coueting and desiring said O Deyanira thou that hast not the prerogatiue to know the hearts and the thoughts of men if I should say to thée the tenth part of the loue and desire I haue to thée thou mightest not beléeue it I haue gone many a countrey and séene mannie a Realme and many a treasure I haue desired many a thing But of all for to come to my wished blisse I was neuer in so great thought as I am for to get thy grace The same houre that Hercules spake by himselfe Deyanira was not idle shee hadde Hercules in her minde and remembrance in hir heart then being rich in the points of loue sowen betwéene variations of hope and despayre was esprysed in all her veynes with the heate of that fire that burneth amorous hearts This fire burning was strong and very hard to quench or to couer the right pearcing sparkle Shée lay downe then vpon the grasse and beganne to say in her minde Alas Hercules what shall Deyanira do she may not come to attaine vnto your loue I was wont not long since not to daigne to behold a man and then said that neither Prince nor King should haue my loue Nowe I am all of another nature and desire no other thing but that I might bee your wife I haue supposed to haue remained and continued a stable virgin and I only was disdainer of men contrary to the requests and admonitions of the ladies these be nowe farre other tydings with these words she ceased a little and beganne to thinke on many other things At this point as she thought on Hercules and Hercules on her tydings came thither that Achelous was comming for to besiege the Citie by land and by sea and that he was very neare by For these tydings arose in the pallace a great murmuring that came to the eares of Hercules and of Deyanira their spirits were trauersed in such fashion that Hercules left to behold Deyanira and the damosell left to thinke on Hercules and both two went vnto the king Oeneus Anon as Hercules came vnto the king and that the King saw him he went against him and said to him that his enemies were verye neare the Citie Hercules answered ioyously that it behooueth to go feast them and willed that he put his people in armes At this answere of Hercules the king did sounde to armes and with this sound all Calcedonie was mooued and each man made him readie Hercules and his Gréekes were ready in a little space The Calcedonians assembled by great companies in the pallace When they were assembled the king and Hercules brought them into the field and Hercules put them in order that done he did
bloud of their brethren and for to haue worshippe of the battell And they sayde that they were infortunate séeing they might not ouercome one man alone nor match him In fighting they helped and comforted ech other and had all good courage But what profited them the great number of brethren and what auailed them their couragious strokes when they were approching their death Hercules was alway Hercules he reioiced much in the plentie of his enemies hee comforted himselfe in fortune fortune helped him hee did marueiles on all sides well could he fight and well defended he himselfe all that hee did was well done all that other did and indeuoured to do was nought worth notwithstanding that they were mighty and hardy But the lucke and good hap of Hercules was not to bee broken ne his clubbe coulde not bee foyled but hee triumphed and more was his puissance to susteine the furies of his aduersaries then their might was to charge him with their strokes O marueilous strength and might of a man His puissance was not of a man but of an elephant his skin of the lion séemed that it had bene tempered with quicke and hard stéele his body séemed more constant against the cutting swordes of all his ill willers then is an anuill against the strokes of many hammers or great sledges There was no stroke of his enemie that grieued him he tooke great pleasure in the battell séeing himselfe among so many giants He stil greatly reioyced and there was nothing grieuing him but the declining of the day which began to faile At this houre when the Sun withheld her rayes and turned into the West Hercules would make an end and spéede his battell The giants began to cease for to smite for from the morning vnto the euening they had fought without any ceasing and Hercules behaued himselfe in such wise smiting vppon one and other being about him harde and sharpely that it befell so that of some hée ouerthrew and brake helmets and heads and of other he brake armes and sides maruellously and gaue so many great strokes that finally he beat downe and to bruised them all except Nestor which fled away when he saw the discomfiture And therein did he wisely for all his brethren were there slaine by the hand of Hercules c. When they of Cremona sawe their Lordes dead they had soone made an end of their weeping and sorrowe for they had béene to them hard and troublesome At the end of this battell they assembled to councell when they sawe that Hercules had woonne the battaile and concluded together that they would yéeld themselues to Hercules and put themselues to his mercy With this conclusion they issued out of the gates in a great number and came vnto Hercules which was the conquerour of his enemies first they knéeled before him downe to the ground secondly they prayed and required of him mercy and thirdly they surrendered vnto him their city and their goods and sayd to him they woulde holde him for their lord during their liues Hercules that was pitifull and gentle vnto them that were méeke and humbled themselues receiued the Cremonians into his grace and made them to rise stand vp and after sent for them of his hoste When they were come he brought them into Cremona where great ioy was made vnto them for they were glad of the death of the giants And there was no man nor woman nor childe that thanked not the gods By this maner was Hercules king of Cremona and inriched with a new title of victory The first night that he entred into the city he rested him and his people and then were they well refreshed and right well feasted and serued with vitaile On the morrow he did cause to bring into the citie the bodies of the giants that were dead and did bury them worshipfully And after he founded vpon them a very great tower and high and vpon the tower he set xi images or statues of metall after the fashion of the giants that he had slaine in remembrance of his victorie After the edification of this tower Hercules left in Cremona folke for to gouerne them and departed thence for to goe further forth into the countrey He studied alway and was neuer idle he studied so much that he could make the fire artificiall aswell as Cacus and founde the remedies against the same What by armes and by his science he gate a very great glory and praising in Italie He went into many places and ouer all where he came or went men did him honour and reuerence What shall I make long processe with great good aduenture he went so farre that he came to a citie standing nigh the mount Auentin where reigned a king named Euander which receiued him solemnly It is to be noted that when Cacus fled from Monchayo as is sayd vnto this mount hée came into Italie all displeasant to haue lost his seignorie Then hee gaue leaue to depart from him to all his seruants and all despaired alone he went to the mount Auentin in an euening where he was constrained to withdraw himselfe for he doubted much Hercules When he was come aboue on this hill he found there a great caue and there he went in without supper and then he began to be discomforted greatly bitterly said Alas now am I exiled banished out of all my seignories lordships Now haue I no succour nor comfort of person I dare not name me king where I was wont by my name to make kings to trēble alas al is turned become vpside down I haue nothing to eat nor wote not where to lodge vnlesse it be with the beasts O poore king where so any man so vnhappy as I I am so infortunate and vnhappie that I dare not be séene nor knowen With these wordes he layd him downe vpon the bare ground and layed a stone vnder his head and with great paine and griefe fell asléepe which dured not long for his veines were strongly stirred his heart was not quiet and his body was right euilly susteined Anon he awoke went out of the caue for to looke if it were nigh day for the night troubled him and was to him too long But when he was come into the ayre he saw no day appeare nor starres nor moone shine but he found it all darke cloudy and thicke and saw all the region of the aire couered with clouds whereat he was greatly vexed and grieued Then he went into the caue againe not into the déepest but at the mouth thereof and there sorrowful and pensiue abode without any more sléeping till it was day When the day appeared Cacus issued out of the caue and went vp vnto the top of the hill and beganne to beholde and sée the countrey about The countrey séemed to him good and faire for to liue there After great pensiuenes and many thoughts he concluded in himselfe that he would abide there vnto the time that his fortune ceased
the aire that was before verie cleere and faire beganne to waxe troublous and thicke and there beganne a right great tempest in the sea of winde of raine and of thunder insomuch that there was none so hardie but he had feare and we end to haue died for their shippes were cast by the sea the one here and the other there and they supposed none other for certaine but to haue béen drowned Then said Calcas to them that were with him that the cause of the tempest was forasmuch as Diana their Goddesse was wroth and angry against them because they departed from Athens and made to her no sacrifice and for to appease this wrath it behooued that the king Agamemnon sacrifice to her with his owne hand Iphiginie his daughter a young virgine and tender of age and that otherwise the tempest shoulde neuer ceasse And for to speed this sacrifice hée counselled to turne the nauy and to apply it to the I le of Andill where the temple of the Goddesse Diana was c. When the king Agamemnon vnderstoode this thing hée was all greeued and passing sorrowfull in his minde for he loued his daughter Iphigenie with great loue and on the other side hée was praied and required of all the other kinges and princes of Greece that hee woulde make no delay to this that was so great a matter or to withstand the sacrifice wherefore hee was vanquished by the saide Princes and for the loue of his countrey hee tooke his saide daughter Iphigenie and in the presence of great kinges and princes sacrificed her vnto the goddesse Diana and anon the tempest ceassed and the aire became neate and cléere and the sea well quieted and in tranquilitie and peace And then hee went againe into his ship and all the other in like maner drewe vppe their sailes and sailed before the winde so farre that they arriued at a port of the realme of Troy nigh vnto a Castell called Sarrabana Dares putteth not downe determinately what was the cause wherfore King the Agamemnon made his Sacrifice vnto Diana But Ouid in the twelfth booke of Methamorphose saith that it was Iphigenie his daughter as aboue is said And when they of the castle sawe the great Nauie at their porte they armed them and came vnto the porte weening to defend their land against the Gréekes and assailed them that then were come a land that were yet weary of the trauaile of the Sea But the Greekes issued anon out of their shippes in great plenty all armed and slew them and chased them vnto their Castle and killed them with flying and entered into the Castle with them and there put them all to death and tooke the booties and after beate downe the castle vnto the earth and then reentered into their ships againe and sailed so farre that they arriued at the port of Tenedon and there then they ancred their ships c. At this port was a passing strong Castle well peopled and full of great riches and was three mile from Troy When they of the castle saw the Greekes they ranne to armes and furnished their castle with good fighters and the other issued out and came vnto the porte where they found the Greeks that were then issued out of their ships all armed and great plentie and took all that they could finde Thus beganne the battaile betweene them right fierce and mortall and there were enough slain dead of both partes and manie mo of the Greekes then of the Troians But as soone as the great strength of the Greekes were landed the Troyans might no longer suffer nor abide but put them to flight some to the castle and the other fled vnto Troy Then the Greekes bestirred them and belaid the castle round about and assailed it on both sides and they within defended it passing well vpon the walles and slewe many by shotte and by Engines but the Greekes dressed their engines all about the castle and set their ladders vnto the walles and went vpon all sides and they within defended them valiauntly and made them fall down in their ditches some dead and some hurt But the Greekes that were so great in number sent alway new folke to the assault whereof they within were so wearie that they retired and went backe from their defence and then the Greekes entered by force into the castle and there slewe all them that they found without sparing of man or woman and tooke and pilled al that they found that was good and after beate downe the castle and the houses vnto the earth and put in the fire and burnt all vp And after they reentred into their shippes ioyous of their gaine that they had gotten in the Castle CHAP. VIII ¶ Howe the Greekes did send Diomedes and Vlisses vnto the king Priamus for to haue againe Helene and the prisoners and the aunswere that they hadde WHen the Greekes had destroied and beaten downe thus the Castle and edifices of Tenedon and of Sarrabana and that they refreshed them in the medow of Tenedon then Agamemnon that hadde the charge of all the hoste and to conduct it well as a good captaine ought to doe commaunded that al the bootie and gain of these two castles should be brought forth And so it was done anon as he had commaunded and he as a wise king distributed the gaine to each man after his desert and qualitie And after did cause to cry in all the hoste that all the noble men of the hoste should assemble them on the plaine of Tenedon before the king Agamemnon and when they were all come the king Agamemnon spake and said in this maner My friends and fellowes that be here now assembled for so iust a cause as each of you knoweth and in so great puissance that there is and shall be tidinges thereof in all the worlde yet how strong that the puissance bée that it please the Gods that it be without pride and felonie for it is so that of the sinne of pride grow all other vices and that the gods resist and withstand the insolent and proud people And therefore we ought to put away pride from our workes and in especiall in this worke here now and vse the right way of iustice to the end that no man may reprehend vs nor blame Ye know well that we be come thus farre for to take vengeance of the iniuries and the wronges that the king Priamus hath done to vs and we haue done to him now great hurt and damage Ye may well know for trueth that they haue assembled in the city of Troy great power for to defend them against vs and also the Citie is passing great and strong and ye know well that they be vpon their proper heritage that is a thing that doubleth their force and strength For ye may take example of the Crowe that otherwhile defendeth well her nest against the fawcon I say not these thinges for any doubt that I haue but that we shall
pleasure Then Saturne gaue the aunswere to the Messenger of Titan and sayde vnto him if Titan returned not within two houres that hee would come and take the battell agaynst him With this aunswere the Messenger returned to Titan and tolde him the intention of Saturne Titan swore then that hee woulde neuer turne backewarde till hee had attended and abiden the battaile Saturne was a man of great valour and hie will When the Messenger of Titan was departed hee made sownd to Armes at which sownd the young and olde armed them and made them readie What shall I make long processe in short tyme they were readie at the poynt and when Saturne sawe that his enemyes made no semblance to mooue hee went and ascended into his Chayre for in this tyme the Kings went to battaile in Chayres After hée issued out of his Cittie and raunged his people about him and anon after hee caused them to march agaynst his brother Titan c. As soone as the Titanoys saw the Saturniens come they were right glad and made themselues the greatest chéere of the world and moued themselues ioyously against them and with a great crie they had great shéelds of trée maces pollares and guisarmes of strange fashions and they were all on foote except Titan and his sons which as kings had their Curres and Chayres in which they were brought and carryed not by the force of horse but by the puissaunce of men They approched so nigh that they came to fighting and began to fall to worke then the archers of king Saturne began to draw and shoote and made the Tytanoys to stay and stand as long as their shot dured and slew and hurt many of them When the shot failed the Tytanoys that had great sorrow for to be so serued of the Saturnyens ordered themselues again and swore the one to the other that they wold be auenged and came forth and fought hand to hand in which they bestirred them so eagerly that for the noyse and dinne that their axes and guisarmes smote vppon their shieldes it séemed as it had béene thunder At the encountering then the battaile was right fell Lichaon Egeon Ceon Tiphon Encheladus were in the first front there was many a shield broken with the weight of clubs and polaxes and many heades broken Ceon and Tiphon at the beginning maintained themselues right valiantly and conducted their folke all within the battaile by the rigour of their strokes insomuch that whom they met of the Saturniens they beate them downe By their well doing they were knowen and doubted of their enemies insomuch that Saturn made his chaire to be led out of the way for the great bruit and noyse that they made about him There was great effusion of bloud for the Tytanoys did what they could to haue endured in their bruit and crie and the Saturniens with Saturne laboured for to abate it and breake it And so the comming of Saturne was cause of prowesse vpon prowesse and and of many one dead and they intended one and other so busily to their worke that the most part of the day they fought so that none might glorie for victorie nor be troubled for discomfiture But in the end when the Tytanoys sawe the sunne decline as couetous of glorie and of worshippe at one crie that Titan made vpon Saturne Lichaon and Egeon with many other enclosed about him he being from his company his chaire broken by force of polaxes and gaue him many wounds and finally they tooke him and brought many of the Saturnyens to death and ouerthrew them in discomfiture And that worse is they were so discouraged when they vnderstoode that Saturne was taken that they lost the vigors and strength of their hearts and the might of their armes turned their backs and fled all so out of order that the Titanoys entred with them into the Citie and tooke it and wanne it without any resistance beating downe the people with great murther of men women and of small children At this time men might sée the Ladies and Matrones of Crete take the dust and cast it into the ayre and runne by the stréetes nowe here and now there all without kerchiefes with theyr haire hanging about their heades casting away their attyre and their little Children crying after them The wise men of the Towne séemed out of their wittes and the Citie was so troubled that they might not be more Among all other Cibell Vesca and Ceres made great sorrow likewise without ceasing for Titan that neuer loued them came then into the pallace and put in prison Saturne and his wife and swore they should neuer depart thence till they had put to death all their sonnes that were come of them And furthermore Titan did cause himselfe to be crowned king of Crete So auailed not the infinite praiers and orisons that Dame Vesca made to Titan in the compassion of her sonne Saturne and of Cibell for theyr deliuerance nor the fayre speaking of Ceres nor the teares mooued of charitie were of no value The more praiers that they made vnto Titan the more found they him vncourteous fellon and hard hearted Hee did execute and put to death all them that helde or were appertaining to the partie of Saturne and by the space of foure dayes vexed and troubled Crete in robbing and shedding the bloud of the Citizens and he persecuted not onely the men but â—o women and children and tooke theyr goods and departes among them that helde on his partie When Vesca sawe all these things happen in the Citie and that her sonne Titan gouerned him so maliciouslie and alway woorse and woorse without any compassion on the people shée came to the prison where Saturne and Cibell were and said to them with a mouth voyding dolorous sighes Alas my children what will ye do What shall become of you How shall ye be saued The land of Crete is not only drowned by the teares and wéeping of your best friendes but with their blood and with the blood of their wiues and children And the heart of Titan is so terrible hard and indured that ye shall die here in miserable paine or ye must put your sonnes to death Since it is so it is better that they be put to death and that ye send to séeke them when for your life is none other remedie The anger of Cibell was right aspre and sharpe to heare the sorrowfull tydings insomuch that her heart fayled so as Saturne and her mother thought she would haue dyed When she was come againe to her selfe she cryed and said Ha my mother what say ye to vs Haue we so great paine for to kéepe our children and that wee should this houre abandon them to the death Shall I vse treason to my children that begin to flourish in right cleare fame That shall neuer be if it please the goddes I had leauer die Iupiter my sonne hath a great name and hath wonne the loue of the Pelagiens
fiercenesse of Licaon that had Iupiter long time in hatred forasmuch as he had taken from him his Lordship Iupiter followed so eagerly to put Titan to foyle that he brake his Chayre into péeces by the helpe â—â— the Epiriens and with the sword that he smote off his arms he departed the life from the bodie of the vnhappie Titan by a mortall stroke that he gaue vnto his heart 〈◊〉 then bent he his indeuour and prowesse to persecute Licaâ—◠〈◊〉 Egeon that had giuen to him many strokes and 〈◊〉 and he smote with his sword vpon the head of Licaon so fiercely that the sword went to his heart wherat Egeon had so great sorrow and dread that he fled and saued him from the skirmish in which skirmish the Titaâ—ois so vnmeasurably had the woorst that all were put to death and to fight in the fields some here and some there one of the sonnes of Titâ—â— named Tiphon séeing the discomfiture came vnto Iupiter and sayd Iupiter â—e here thine enemie flie not after them that flie it shall be vnto thee more honourable to fight against me that defieth thée then to run after the fugitiâ—es Neuer yet was I found fléeing before mine enemies nor yet will I. Thou hast slaine Titan my father and my brother is slain and vanquished by force and strength and so it behoueth that this Realme must be thine or mine and now let vs sée who shall do best if I may I will vanquish thée and if I ouercome thée certainly thou shalt not â—is by glaiâ—e nor sworde but by the water of the â—ood that runneth all redde and dyed by the blood of my kinne to the end that thou drinke of the blood that thou hast made runne out of their bodyes whereof I have great sorrow and griefe for by the course of nature I ought to take displeasure and annoy thereof and also to turne to great dispight the displeasure that thou hast done to me c. CHAP. XI ¶ How Iupiter vanquished in the field Tiphon and cast him in the Riuer c. THis Tiphon was great and full of presumption and pride when he had saide all that say on his heart Iupiter that had then beheld vnderstood him answered to him vassaile hast thou no knowledge what reason and right the gods fortune haue done for me Thou art strong of members and there procéed from thy heart words more outragious then wise and forasmuch as thou demandest battel thou art welcom make thée ready shortly and do the best that thou canst and hast thee for the cause requireth it With this word Tiphon smote Iupiter so rudly vpon the head of his shield that hee dare away a great â—â—arter made Iupiter to sloupe with the right leg There were by many Epiriens that séeing Iupiter so smitten râ—â— and come for to rescue him but Iupiter would not suffer them that they should helpe him in any case but bad Meliseus and Aâ—chas that they should follow the chase of them that fled And thou he began to assaâ—â— Tiphon by great vertue â—â—â—ce in such wise that he gaue him many wounds in his body and thus began the battell of Tiphon and Iupiter they were both strong and able in the craft of armes they charged one vpon that other â—olorously and eagerly It is no néed that I declare how many strokes the one gaue vnto the other but I must tel how Iupiter so fought and smote his enemie that he tooke from him his sword shéeld and when he was in that point he charged him vpoÌ„ his shoulders by forre of his arms and bare him to the riuer that was all died with the bloud of dead men and there he made him die miserably casting him into the flood with the head downeward for asmuch as he had menaced Iupiter with such a death What shal I saye more of this battaile after the death of Typhon Iupiter weÌ„t agayne to the pursuit of his enemies vntill the sunne began to decline into the west and foâ—â—owed on by great slaughter but in processe of time when he saw that Titan and the more people were so feeble and so dispersed by the fieldes that they might neuer arise againe he sownded the retrayte and assembled his folke in the best wise he might and after he tooke the right way to the Citie hauing great ioye and eâ—â—â—tation of his victorie And he had not taryed long but that foure Cytizens of Crete came vnto him and to tolde him that al they of the party of Titan were fled and that they had taken out of prison his father CHAP. XII ¶ How Iupiter and Saturne reconcyled themselues together and how Iupiter by commaundement of his father weâ—â—â—â—â— to destroy the King Apollo of Paphos and of the â—edicine of Esculapius c. IVpiter receyued these Citizens and their tydings in right great gâ—aâ—â—es and desiring with all his heart to be with his father and mother did so much spéed him that he 〈◊〉 into Crete Saturne and Cibel with Vâ—â—â—â— were at the gaâ—e which receyued him honourably and brought him vnto the Palâ—ato where he was 〈◊〉 with the king Meâ—â—â— and Aâ—â—â—â— in 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—n that it might be no better At the comming of Iupiter many teares were wept for ioy by dame Cibell and Vesca Cibell kist and beclipt often times her sonne And all they of the countrie came thither into the pallace for to feast and worship Iupiter and also they gaue him many great gifts And it is not to be forgotten how Saturne reconciled himself vnto him and gaue him a state as to his sonne During these things the body of Titan was searched among the dead bodies by the commandement of Saturne and there was made for him his obsequie solemne as it appertaineth to a king and likewise vnto his sonnes that were found dead in the battaile All the sonnes of Titan were not perished and dead in the battaile for among all other Iopetus and Briareus were left aliue and fled That is to say Briareus was fled into an I le of Greece named Nericos and Iopetus fled into a part of Libie where be inhabited And he had with him thrée sonnes that he had by his wife whreof the eldest was named Athlas the second had his name Hesperus and the third named himselfe Prometheus Athlas dwelled in Libie and Hesperus reigned in Spaigne and were both vanquished by Hercules as it shall be saide in the second booke For to hold on our purpose when Saturne and Iupiter had doone the obsequies of the Titanoys tidings came to Iupiter that Apollo king of Paphos had taken part with them that fled from the battel of the Titanoy This said Apollo had made aliances with Saturne and was sonne of Iupiter of Artique When Iupiter and Saturne heard these tidings anon Saturn required Iupiter that be would take vengeance on Apollo that was his allie and that he would destroy his enemies At the request of Saturne Iupiter enterprised the
time the most renowmed king of the world In those daies when Saturne saw him quit of Titan and of his generations and that he saw his children mount from lowe places into reignes of high Chaires all his sorrowes vanished away and then beganne the clearenesse of his reigne to bee peaceable all doubtes all dreades all suspitions were put away Hée had of the goods of Fortune as much as hee woulde None was then so hardie that durst conspire against his dominion hée founde himselfe in peace generall And it is to bee supposed and gathered by the Reignes of his time that hee was in so great peace and tranquilitie that hee might haue finished and ended his dayes in the same if he himselfe had not sought to beginne warre for hee had Iupiter his sonne vnto his helpe at that time the most valiliant in armes that was in all the worlde And when Saturne sawe him thus in peace a long time it happened on a day when it came vnto his minde that his God Apollo had prognosticated that this Iupiter shoulde put him out of his Realme sodenly there began to engendre in him a mortall hate against Iupiter that had doone vnto him so manye good déedes And séeing that euerye man helde him in loue and was busie to please him he was the more incensed and gaue credence vnto his cursed prognostication and so he suffred himselfe to bee intangled with so great a follye that he coulde neuer drawe it out after and thus he returned vnto his auncient sorrowes and fantasies in such wise that he made them appeare outward c. When they of Crete sawe Saturne so troubled the most priuie of his secrete councell endeuoured to comfort him but it helped nought nor they coulde not gette from his mouthe the cause of such melancholye vnto the tyme that hée hadde determined in his hearte that he woulde persecute vnto the death his sonne Iupiter And then he did cause to assemble his Princes and his councellours and said to them I charge and adiure you all by the names of all our glorious goddes that ye saye to mée the trouth and aduise mée what thing shall or ought a king to do with a man that he doubteth by a diuine aunswere that hath béene sayde to him that this man shall put him out of his reygne and Kingdome When they of Crete hadde vnderstoode the charge and adiuration of the King they assembled themselues at a councell and there they ordeyned and appointed one that for all the other should haue charge to giue this aunswere Syr the councell knoweth that long since ye hadde an aunswer of your God conteyning that ye had engendred a sonne that should put you out of your reygne and that dame Cibell that time was deliuered of Iupiter the counsel prayeth you that ye will consider howe what time ye were depryued of your crowne and hadde lost it hée deliuered you and made you quit of all your enemies If the cause of your charge and adiuracion touch not this matter the councell is of opinion that if the king haue puissance and might ouer him that he doubteth and that he haue cause euident a king then ought to make him sure from that man and frée from daungers Certes sayd Saturne the aduice of the counsell is reasonable enough and for asmuch as I must declare to you and say to you what I meane I am the King that I speake of and the man that I doubte is Iupiter my sonne him I feare and dread much more then the death in so much that I maye not endure nor take rest for him For sléeping I dreame that he riseth against me and assayleth me in armes with a great multitude of Arcadiens and of Epyriens and resteth conqueror and victorious ouer me and waking I haue alwaye mine eares open for to hearken and espie if he be aboute to come on me with men of armes and thus I can haue no solace pleasure nor reast and am a man lost This considered I will that he be dead and I take the culp and sinne vpon me And I wil that ye know that I am your king and that ye to me owe obeysaunce and for that I commaund you vpon payne of death that there be not one man that is so hardy to withsaye any thing contrary to my will and that each of you be to morrow found readie in armes before this Pallace for to succour and serue me in this worke which is the greatest thing that euer shall come to me CHAP. XIIII ¶ How they of Crete when they had heard the commaundement of Saturne were sore troubled and greeued and how he gathered his forces against Iupiter his sonne WHen they of Crete had hearde the resolution of Saturne they were greatly abashed for they knewe well that Saturne tooke this matter greatly to his heart and that he was a terrible man to offend And so they knew that wrongfully he willed the death of his sonne Iupiter that had restored him to his Lordship by prowesse and valiance Many there were that went into an other kingdome because they would not be with the father against the sonne nor with the sonne against the Father But there was no man that durst be so hardy to replye against Saturne nor say that he did euill for they dreaded more his ire then to offend iustice What shall I say After the commaundement of Saturne each man withdrewe him vnto his house full of gréefe and bitter sorrowe in heart And there was not one man but he had his face charged with great gréefe and heauy annoyaunce c. The daye then drewe past and on the morne Saturne armed himselfe and sounded Trumpettes vnto armes They of Crete arose this morning and manye there were of them that knewe the intention of Saturne And also there were manye that maruayled of that that the King woulde do and could finde no reason wherefore he made this armie For all Crete was in peace and all the Tytanoys were disparkled and put vnto destruction for euer Among all other Cibell wist not what to thinke Séeing that Saturne sent not for Iupiter she demaunded him oftentimes whither hée woulde go and for what reason he tooke not Iupiter with him in his company Iupiter was at that time in Parthenie with his wife Iuno When Saturne hadde heard the demaunde of his wife Cibell all his bloud beganne to chaunge and he sayd to her that all in time shée shoulde knowe the place that hée woulde go to Cibell was wise and subtill when shée heard the aunswere of the King and sawe the facion of his countenance her heart gaue her that he had some euill will and she had suspicion that he woulde do harme to Iupiter Wherefore she went into her chamber righte pensife and at all aduenture shée sent hastelye into Partheny and signified to Iupiter that he shoulde departe hastely thēce that she imagined the Saturn his father would to him displeasure for he made
to armes and came to the fight and plyed them to defend theyr walles with great courage Then was drawne and shot many an arrow and many a stone cast and manie beaten and hurt as well within as without Gunnes Bombards he great artillarie was none in this time in the Realmes Alway they of the Citie had well the craft to cast vppon theyr enemyes burning Brandes and Oiles and waters boyling with ashes And for to doo thus Iupiter had induced and taught the Archadien people men and women that when they of Crete came moste strong to the assaulte and supposing to haue entred the citie they were charged with fire Oyles and scalding waters that of force constrayned them to go back with great losse of people and to sound the retrait Saturne then taking the most sorrow of the world for that he might not obtaine his will for that by the walles laye more then foure hundred of his men dead returned into his Tente after the assault passing sorrowfull and desolate and had so great griefe at his heart that he could neither eate nor drinke But this notwithstanding he thought right well on his hurte people and went to their Tentes and did cause to minister medicines vnto them that were hurte c. CHAP. XVI ¶ How Iupiter sent his embassadours to his father Saturne for peace And how Saturne would not heare nor intende to peace c. THe Arcadiens were passing ioyous when they sawe and tooke héede how they of Crete ceased with shame theyr assaulte and after the assault and retrait of both sides alwaye Saturne applyed to heale and giue medicines vnto his hurte men The Arcadiens then assembled a councell and by great deliberation they sent seuen of their honourable councellours in ambassadge vnto Saturne of whome the one spake and sayd Saturne thou knowest and oughtest to know that euerie King ought to labour to liue in peace For the most fayre thing of the world is peace Peace norisheth profit by peace are prospered menne and children townes and Cities are vnited and knit togither by charytye and made as one by amorous communication By peace Realmes profite in beautifying and building fayre houses in labouring and earing the earth and in length of life By peace mens bodyes be whole and quyet and it is that thing that causeth a man to demaund soueraygntie O Saturne it séemeth that thou reckest not of this good vertue for reygning in peace and tranquillitie there is no king nor Prince that dare shewe him against thée Thou hast not onely troubled thy Realme but thou art abuser of warre For to haue peace a man ought to order and dispose to the warre Thou doest all otherwise and regardest not that thy son Iupiter hath deliuered thée from the bondes of thine other enimies and hath sette thy Diademe in a suerty of peace which thou might not do without him seest thou not that by making him warre thou canst not haue peace and that thou destroyest and breakest this peace seest thou not that this is thy sonne by warring against whome thou art a Monster in nature The fathers naturally do loue their children and the rude and brute beastes kéepe and holde this condition of nature Thou séekest and wouldest destroy the bloud of thy sonne And from whence commeth this vnnaturall appetyte Might it not satisfie thy cruell purpose and olde errour to thinke on the goodnes and benefit that thou hast receyued lately by his restoring thée to reigne bée thine interior rancours permanent Shall thy fantasies neuer cease Wilt thou be in age more foolish and simple then a childe The more that men growe in age the more be they wise Thou hast lesse knowledge now then thou haddest in thy wildest youth And from whence commeth this defaulte Is this by the heauenly Influence If it be thus where is reason where is equitie where is the loue of the father to the sonne knowest thou not that had not Iupiter thy sonne bin thou haddest bin yet in great darkenes languishing I signifie to thée as the aduocate of Iupiter that he loueth thée as his owne father and further more I praye thée that thou wilt be in peace And if thou will him no good yet at least will him no harme nor encombraunce I should soone yéeld to your demaund aunswered Saturne if the experience of the life of Iupiter came not to my sight Sée I not howe hée inhaunceth himselfe the most hee can Sée I not howe the people by his fayre and fawning woordes owe him more fauour then me Sée I not that he flyeth from mee If he be not culpable wherefore flyeth he He will say to the people that hee is innocent Say ye that he hath nothing done agaynst me I wote not howe the Archadiens take it but if I may once set my hande on them there was neuer so great a destruction as shall come vnto Archadie And I haue not as nowe anie purpose to depart from this place till I haue vtterly razed this Citie that is rebell agaynst mee and my commaundements Sir aunswered the Archadiens since that fayre spéech may not refraine thy passing great yre nor restrayne thy warre beware keepe thée well from vs and vs from thée for the matter shall take his ende by warre God spéede the right and fortune we will not long drawe foorth time it is concluded that the Archadiens and Iupiter will issue to morrow out of the Citie and if they finde any that assayle them they will defende theyr lyues This speech ended Saturne turned his backe to the Archadiens shaking his heade and the Archadiens returned into theyr Citie and rehearsed and tolde from the beginning to the ending all that they had done and by theyr report it was confirmed that the day following they shoulde issue out of the Citie in such wise as they had purposed among them c. Iupiter had great displeasure in himselfe for that hee sawe that his father was so grieued and would not bee content yet notwithstanding hee doubted not so much but that he tooke courage to him and sayde hee was more holden to kéepe his life then to obey the euill will of his Father that hated him at his birth This night passed ouer anon after that the sun cleared lighted the ayre about the thirde houre of the day Archas Iupiter and the men of warre of the Citie went into the field in good order and they were not so soone issued out of the gates but they were séene of the Saturniens that waited for them by the commandement of Saturne And then began each against other so great a crie and noyse that it resounded vnto the mountaines and walles And then they began to assaile the Archadiens by shot and stones so eagerly that when Iupiter sawe there was no other remedie but to fight hee put him forth foremost in the front before and so beganne to say to them that sought him crying with an high voyce to here is Iupiter each man
profit of another This is against your prosperity and utility from which ye be shut here within How may you have love unto him which is cause of two evils The lesse evil is to be chosen since that you féel your self condemned here unto the end of the daies of your Father doubt you not but his end is oft desired for your sake and his death may not be effected without great charge of conscience Mée thinketh that better it were for you to find way to issue out of this place and to take to husband some noble and puissant man that would enterprize to carry you away secretly for his wife into his Countrey By this means you shall be delivered from the pain that you be in you may eschew the death of your Father and lesse evil you shall do in breaking his foolish commandment then to abide in the point where he hath put you I have said unto you I am your servant and if it please you to depart from this plaâ—e you shâ—ll find no man readier then I am for to save you I give my self unto your noble commandments to nourish your will to my power as he that beareth alway in remembrance of you in the most déepest place of my mind in sléeping I sée you and waking I think on you I have had no rest in my self nor never shall have but if it please you My fortune my destiny comes of you If you take mée unto your mercy and that I find grace with you I shall be the most happiest of all happy And if ye do otherwise it may be said that among all unhappie none shall go before mée But if such Fortune shall come to mée by your rigour I will take it in patience for the noblenesse that I sée in you alway I require you that my heart bee not deprived nor put from your heart forasmuch as it toucheth mée nearly All the tongues of men cannot expresse the quantity of the love that I have in you no more then they can pronounce by proper name all the Stars of Heaven By this love I am alway in thoughts labours in sighs anguishes and oftentimes in great fear At this hour I know not whether I live or not because mée thinketh I am here to receive absolution or a mortal sentence These things considered alas will not yee have him in your grace that for to deserve your love and mercy hath abandoned and adventured his life as yee may sée leaving his Royal estate the better to kéep his cause secret Vnto an heart well understanding few words suffice For conclusion I pray you to give your heart to him that hath given his heart unto you and that ye consider from henceforth for the ill conceit yée now be in after the common judgement With this Jupiter held his peace and lent his ears for to hear what should be the answer of Danae The right noble Damosel When she saw that he had given her space to speak shée was resolved and changed colour and said to him Sir King â—las know ye well what would be the Renown that would abide with mée if I 〈◊〉 beléeve your counsel What would the people say Madam answered Jupiter the worst that they may say shall be that men will name you disobedient unto the foolish commandment of your Father which as all men knoweth holdeth you fondly in this Prison And if yee will thus help your self and convey your self away men would but laugh for your youth would excuse your doing and yee should bee reported to have done this déed by great wisdome Ah Sir said Danae ye go about to deceive mée by your fair words I know the speeches of the Argiens and also know that I am bound to obey my Father Furthermore I am not so ignorant but that I would well have some noble-man to my Husband so as mine honour were saved and also I confesse that I am greatly beholden to him that hath sent so liberally and so largely of his treasures and Iewels and in likewise unto you if it be truth that ye bée him that ye say that ye are But when I have considered and understood and séen visibly that the Argiens would defame mée to perpetuity and that my Father would send mée where mine honour should strongly be abased and put underfoot by your proper declaration I will in no wise deal hardly with you neither shall you have any disturbance for my cause But I pray you to think on the other side of mine honour and that ye suffer mée alone with my company and friends Dame answered Jupiter be ye in doubt of mée that I am not Jupiter King of Creet If I be any other all the Gods confound mée and the Thunder fall on mée the swallow of the Sea receive mée and that I be given to be meat unto the most venemous beasts of the world O Madam put no suspition in my doing as I have said to you I am come to you not in Royal estate but in simple array for to order my matters more secretly then accord ye this request Take yee day of advise and grant to morrow I may speak once to you and counsel you well this night The noble Maid Danae had then her blood so moved that she durst not behold Jupiter for shame smote her in the eyes This notwithstanding her heart commanded her to try what man he was and whether he had the state of a Noble-man or a King At last she took day of advise and accorded to him that she would speak again to him on the morrow After this she commanded the Tables to be covered by the Damosels and said that shée would feast the messenger of the King Jupiter The Damosels hearing that answered they were all much bound to feast him and shewed to her the riches that they had all along in the Chamber whereof the walls shone and were bright The Damosels arrayed with the Iewels of Jupiter garnished the Tables with meat Danae and Jupiter were set the one against the other the seruice was great and rich and they had enough to eat yet Jupiter nor Danae gave little force of eating Jupiter eat lesse bodily then spiritually he was in trances in doubts and fears He had an answer by which he could not gather any thing to his profit save onely that he hoped that Danae would discover it unto the Damosels as the young maidens bee of custome to discover the one to the other and as when any requireth them of love that they should shew favour to him the more for his gifts In this estate was King Jupiter for his part The Damosels beheld him enough and said that he had not the behaviour of a yeoman or servant but of a man of very noble and great estate and above all other Danae to whom Jupiter had given cause to be pensive cast her eyes upon Jupiter upon his countenance his gesture and beauty and then it séemed that he had said truth
that the King Troos made to him and he thanked him of so hie and ample offers and at the coming out of his shippe he b◠〈◊〉 him in his armes and kist his hande What shall I saye the King Troos brought him into his Pallace with all his men and feasted them as it appertayned for the loue of Saturne In likewise the people being aduertised of Saturne that it was he that found the maner of labouring of the earth of melting of metals and of sayling and rowing by Sea made so greate and plentifull feast at his comming that they coulde no more doo At that time during this feasting when Saturne felt him in the grace of the Troyans on a daye he called Troos and his two sonnes and addressed his words to them saying Lordes of Troye ye haue doone so much for me that I maye neuer deserue it but as I haue sayde to you my sonne is enhaunsed and lift vp aboue me and hath taken from me my Realme I intreate you as much as I may that ye will councell me what thing is most conuenient for me to doo And how I shall suffer and beare the iniury doon to me c. My brother aunswered the King Troos this is against nature for a sonne himselfe to rebell against his Father the sinne and crime is foule and worthy of reprehension for euery sonne is bounden by all lawes to serue worship dread and obey his Father And it is not reason that any man should approoue or hold with a sonne disobeysant Your sonne is in this condition cursed and right euill and I am of the opinion that ye shal not acquite you well vnlesse you do to your power to maister and ouercome his euill maners And to the end ye shall not excuse your euident harmes and losses when ye will I will deliuer you my sonne Ganimedes accompanied with twentie thousand Troyans that shall succour you vnto the death Or they shall sette you agayne in your royall tribunall Saturne was all recomforted when he knewe the loue that the King Troos shewed to him and after many thankes concluded that he would returne into Crete with Ganimedes and would begin againe the pitious warre of him and of his sonne And following this conclusion from thenceforth on he did cause 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—int the shipping of Troye and all things apperteyning and gathered togither men of armes with great puissance by the introduction of Ganimedes And when all the assembly had mustred and were gathered togither he tooke leaue of the king Troos and of Ilion and went to the sea and shipped all his manie and knowing the situations of the countreys by the seas he directed his hoste into the Sea Egee where as was Egeus sonne of Titan the greate pyrate which durst not haue to doo with them in no wise and from this sea of Egee he trauailed so much by diuerse iourneys that he came and arriued at the first porte and hauen of Crete CHAP. XXIIII ¶ How Saturne by the ayde of Ganimedes and of the Troyans returned into Crete to fight against Iupiter where he was ouercome and vanquished and Ganimedes taken AT that houre when Saturne arriued in Crete the sunne was turned into the west and on the heauen begaÌ„ to appeare the stars Saturne knewe the port and tooke land hoping to enter the country secretly and went a little way and there lodged his people in a place coÌ„uenieÌ„t made theÌ„ rest eate and drinke by the space of foure houres and then hée awooke the host and made the Troians arme them and enter into the Realme But they were not farre gone but anon after the sunne rysing and approaching a straight passage the espies and scowrers came vnto Saturne and Ganimedes hastily and tolde them that they had séene the King Iupiter right strongly accompanied which kept the passage Vpon this place it is to wit that when Iupiter was departed from Danae and from the Tower of Dardan and was come into Crete desiring to accomplish his promise to Danae hee did cause to assemble his men of warre concluding in himselfe that faithfully he would go fetch the fayre Danae and bring her into his Countrey by force of armes What shall I say more His armie was all readie and came the same night where on the morrow he hoped to haue departed but as hée was in his bed that night in his Citie of Parthenie tidings came to him of the arryuing of the Troyans Wherefore he was constrained by force to change his purpose of which he was right sorie and maruailous passing heauie This notwithstanding suddenly as these tydings were freshly brought vnto him he arose and tooke his men of armes that he had assembled and hastily brought them vnto the straight whereof aboue is written and there abode his enemies as wise well aduised And it is not to be forgotten that in this armie among his men was the king of Molosse which had late found the industrie and craft to tame and breake horses for to be ridden and to ride them And there was come he and his men to serue the king Iupiter for his good renowme accompanied with an hundred men that ran as the winde And for this cause they were called Centaures and these Centaures were so terrible and cruell that they doubted not the puissance of King nor of none other whatsoeuer they were For then to returne to the matter alreadie begun when Saturne knewe that the passage was kept and that Iupiter was then aduertised of his coÌ„ming he caused his host to stay and sayde vnto them My children it behooueth that this morning ye so do in Crete your deuoir not onely in mustring and shewing your courages but aboue all that ye bee redoubted and dread like the thunder Assure year selues of your quarrell Iupiter mine enemie is heere where he abydeth our comming to the battaile ordained if we will come to the ende of our enterprise it is necessarie that we draw thither Let me heare what ye will say Then thus answered Ganimedes we be come into Crete for to correct your sonne and to set you againe in your throne We will do that we may do by our power and fight fréely without doubting or feare And vnto the ende that no reproch be layde vnto vs I will sende and summon your sonne first or any swoorde be drawne or stroke smitten to the ende that he yéelde him vnto your obeysaunce and that he come and amende his misdéedes And then Ganimedes did call forth his Troians by consent of Saturne and set them in order of battaile and when he had so done he sent one of his auncient knights a noble man vnto Iupiter and gaue him charge to make the summons such as is sayde before The Troyan departed from the host at the commaundement of Ganimedes and did so much that hee was presented before Iupiter and said to him Iupiter thou oughtest to know that euery sonne oweth obeysance vnto his father thou dost
aduance himselfe by defaming another This knowing I will say the truth and if there bee any man that may worthily prooue this against me and ouercome me no blessing to my heart I will stand to the iudgement of all noble men that haue knowne my behauiour Alas ladie from whence is come this abusion for to charge me that I should haue willed to enforce you when or in what place was it doone or where be the witnesses of the crie that ye made at the affray where be the prooues that shall say that euer in my life I was with you alone It giueth me maruaile from what heart departed this dishonour that ye note in me and for what cause it is imagined against me for I will well that all the world know that I haue serued you truely and loyally and that I neuer thought dishonour vnto you nor vnto the king to whom I pray that he will take and make information vpon my liuing and to vnderstand in like wise yours And if it can be prooued and appeare that I haue trespassed that I may be punished but I pray also if I be founde innocent that I may haue spéedy absolution Syr said the Ladie that strongly was obstinate in her errour I make me partie against him If then I accuse him it is truth it ought not to demand witnesses of his follie In this case I am worth two witnesses for all the world knoweth that when an ill man will dishonour a woman he calleth no witnesses nor no prooues thereto but doth his damnable will the most secretly that in him is possible And so wéened Bellerophon to haue doone with mée wherefore I require sentence and iudgement of him With these wordes Pricus assembled his Councell and it was iudged that the ladie shoulde bee beléeued and that Bellerophon should bee culpable of death Then spake Pricus to Bellerophon and said Faire sonne thou knowest and hast found that I haue loued and nourished thée louingly thou vnderstandest the accusation of thy Ladie the case is so foule that it may not be purged by denying For if it were so the euill boyes and had fellowes would all day dishonour as many of our women as they could find In this case the Ladyes haue a prerogatiue for to be beléeued and néede not to bring forth witnesses And forasmuch as thy mistres hath vanquished thée and required iudgement of thy trespasse thou art condemned to die But forasmuch as before this time I haue had great loue vnto thée and that I knowe thée a valiant man of thy bodie I will mittigate and attemper this sentence in this wise that thou shalt go fight agaynst the Chymere of Sicill and if thou mayst ouercome and maister her I giue thée thy life and giue thée plaine absolution of all vpon condition that neuer after thou renue nor rehearse this trespasse Sir answered Bellerophon sith that fortune consents that I be attainted of any infelicitie and that the priuiledge of the Ladies take place and go aboue reason I had much leuer to be vanquished by wrong cause and euil then by iust and good cause and thanke you of the moderation of your iudgement and make vow here in your presence that in all haste I will go into Sicil to proue me against the Chimere and will sée if fortune will helpe me to get againe the life which she hath made me lose by your iudgement Then the noble knight departed and tooke leaue of the king of the ladies and damosels tooke also his armours and goods and made couenant and bargained with certaine marriners to bring him to Sicill When they were agréed he went to the sea with little companie and was euill at ease at his heart when hee sawe that Fortune was to him so contrarie yet hee comforted him selfe in his good quarrell and sayling on a daye on the Sea of Hellesponte his Marryners looked into the West and sawe come a right great floate of Shippes of warre which discomforted them so sorrowfully that it was wonder and they awooke Bellerophon that at that time slept and saide that they were but dead and cast away Bellerophon comforted his marriners the best wise hee could and told them that discomfort could not helpe them and as he was thus speaking a gallie of aduantage went out afore his fellowes and flying on the sea like vnto a bird adressed her vnto the ship wherein was Bellerophon and aborded it And who that will demaund what the name was of the gallie and what men were therin I wil say to them that this was Pegase and that Perseus was within it As soone as he might speake to the marriners that caried Bellerophon to Sicyll hee asked and demanded them what they were and into what region they would go When Bellerophon heard Perseus speake hee behelde his behauiour and countenance and iudged in himselfe that he was of a good house and said to him Certes sir I haue much great ioy for that I sée the ship and marriners be so well adressed and in so good readinesse as yours be for ye séeme well a knight of a noble house and therefore I tell you my case afterthat ye haue made your asking First then where ye enquired what we bee knowe ye that in Argos wee haue taken our birth And as to the second I answere you that we haue a purpose to go straight into Sicill to the which I am constrained by the rigour of a mortall iudgement cast vppon mee at the instance of a Ladye called Aurea that vniustly and vntruely hath complained vppon mee saying that I would haue enforced her This Ladye that I speake of is wife to king Prycus which newly and of late hath banished and exiled his Brother Acrisius out of his Realme and this King for to please and satisfie the accusations of his wife hath condemned mée to be put to death yet for the good and the acceptable seruice that I haue doone to him hée hath graunted me to liue if so it please the goddes that I may by possibilitie vanquish and ouercome a Chimere that is in Sicill vnto the which I go for to assay mee So I pray you that in our misfortune we be not let by you neither by none of your companie Valiant knight answered Perseus as it is true that the heart of a noble man taketh pitie and compassion in the distresse and passion of his equall the weighing of your case hath pearced mine heart with a charitable mercie and pitie by which yée may surely vnderstand not to haue by vs any hinderance during your infortunate life And for as much as the hearts of them that would be induced at calling to the déedes of Armes singularly delyte them in aduentures of great woorth and weight to get credite by I will accompanie you for two causes The first is to expose my selfe to the disputation and destruction of the Chimere if it happen that you ouercome her not which I suppose yée can not
BellorophoÌ„ and they held him for the most best accomplished knight that euer they sawe What shall I make long processe of this matter Perseus and Danaus searched this mountaine and went into the caues of the beastes but they found none And still sate Bellorophon vpon the rocke for he might not go for the hurt and brusing of his foote And then as the two Knightes had fetched a compasse and gon aboute the hill they returned to Bellorophon and then Perseus sayde to him My brother O how well art thou worthy to haue of me praysing and commentation thou hast this daye doone a good and holy worke by thy worthy behauiour thou hast gotten vnto thy name the crowne of glorious fame Thou hast passed the strayte way and passage of infortune from whence thou art issued cleare as the sunne And not onely thou haste laboured for thy weale and vtilitie but for the weale and proffit of this region For thou haste flayne the warders of the serpentes and the porters of the Lyons that kept this countrey inhabitable which shall from henceforward be inhabyted and occupied with people Bellorophon was all abashed when hée heard the glory that Perseus gaue vnto him by méekenes and humility that was in him And answered if there be anye worship in this worke that it shall turne as well vnto them as vnto him and they beganne to prayse each one another and they eate vpon this hil the same night after they had made sacrifice vnto their goddes And thither came all the Apulyens where they made great chéere Afterward they tooke all the skins of the Lyons and the heads of the serpentes that were dead in signe of victorie and laded them in theyr galies and they bare them with them into their galey with Bellorophon which might not go and finally they went vnto the sea and sayled and rowed toward the porte of Athames which was nigh by but when they thought to haue drawne vnto this porte sodainly there arose a tempest on the sea so great and hydeousâ— that they were constrayned to abandon them vnto the wind and passed foorth by the hauen and their fortune was such that they were brought into Sirie vpon the sea of Palestine And they came into the porte and hauen of Ioppe where reigned Amon and in Palestine reigned Cepheus and Phineus c. The same time that Perseus arriued there by meanes of this tempest the porte was full of men and women and children that it séemed that al the world had bin assembled Perseus came thither alone for his folke were dispersed vpon the sea some héere and some there in the galeis When the Siriens sawe him ariue by force of the winde they assembled in a great number about his flying horse And the king Amon séeing that it was loaden with the heads of lions he was sore abashed And for to know from whence was that galey come he enquired who was the maister At which inquisition answered Perseus and demaunded of the king curteously in what Countrey hée was arriued The King tolde him that hée was in Sirie and that the Realme appertayned to him When Perseus knewe that he spake to the king he sayde Syr I am descended vnto this porte by the disposition of fortune also my men be sore trauailed by the tempest of the sea that hath béene long troublous vnto them I require and pray thée that thou be content that I and they maye come a land héere for to refreshe vs. And if it happen in time comming that thou or any of thine haue â—éede of like courtesie in Naples which is the place of our dominion I promise thée by the promise and word of a noble man that the like merit thanke shal be reÌ„dred vnto thée The king answered noble knight there be so many spyes now adayes sayling by realmes and countreyes that a man may not well knowe to whome he maye aâ—â—y and trust This notwithstanding I see well by your behauiour that I trow that ye will not giue vs to vnderstand any other thing then truth I abandone to you all my countrey and pray you that ye will come and take pacience in my house and furthermore I councell you that ye depayte and come out of your shippe for if ye abide there long ye shall be in great perill For asmuch as we knowe certaynlye that into this porte will come anon a monster of the sea that shall deuoure a right fayre virgine and mayde which is héere by bounde vpon a stone for the cryme of her mother and by my sentence And if ye tarye héere till his coming it is to doubt that it shal be the worse for you Boccace in the genealogie of the goddes toucheth not otherwise the cause why this mayde was thus exposed to the monstre Wherefore I passe it ouer and who demaundeth the name of this mayde Boccace saythe that shée was named Andromeda When Perseus had vnderstoode that there was bounde this mayde he desired to see her for the meruailous iudgement that was giuen vpon her and arayed him with rich vestiments and cloathes and then issued out of the galey and tooke out also Bellerophon which might not yet help himself and after he went vnto Andromeda There were her parentes and cousins in great number which labored in sorow and great plentye of teares When Perseus sawe this mayde that was passing fayre in her degrée which neuer sawe her like or match he hadde pittie of her and sayde to himselfe that if hee might hée woulde delyuer her from this perill Then hée called her friendes and sayde vnto them in the presence of Amon I haue certainly great pittie and compassion of this so faire a damosel and also am amased how the goddes suffer and endure that she is so fortuned in her tender yeares If it so happened that she might haue any knight or noble man that would vnbinde her and for charitie expose his body against the monster for the loue of her should she be quite They aunswered yea Ah then said Perseus if I wold for her sake aduenture my selfe in this worke and if it so fortuned that I had the grace to ouercome and surmount the monster and for to put him to the foyle will ye be content that the mayde be my wife They aunswered yea yea And I promise you sayd Perseus and sweare that she hath found me a knight that shall put his body and life in ieopardye for her c. With this word Perseus sent to fetche his armes and after went to the Damosell and vnbound her from the stone and deliuered her to her friendes and kinsmen Saynt Augustine in the booke of the citie of God rehearseth that yet in the same porte is the stone that Andromeda was bounde vpon that they of Ioppe kept for a signe and memorye of the victorye that Perseus had of the monster All they that were there meruailed greatly at the enterprise of the knight and knowing the monster
they iudged him to be but dead alowing his hardines that to them séemed was too great One and other spake of this matter Perseus armed him ioyously When he was armed he came to Andromeda and kiss her taking leaue of her and sayd fayre mayde praye ye vnto the goddes for your champion that for your loue submitteth himselfe vnto the perill of death to the ende that by your onely meane I maye come vnto the enioying of loue and that we togither maye be ioyned in maryage which I buye at the price of my life Noble Knight aunswered the mayde I am more beholding to you then to all my kinsmen and fréendes Knowe ye that if my prayers may obtayne of the goddes ye shall returne safe from this enterpryse Then Perseus wente before the stone and Andromeda knéeled with great humilitie with both her knées vpon the earth in calling on her gods to help her champion and there were many matrones vpon the banke of the Sea that for compassion put them in contemplation and by this example of them all the Siriens beganne to pray for the prosperitie of the Knight excepting onely the king Phineus which prayed for his death And that for this cause for as much as before the iudgement giuen on Andromeda hée had fianced and betrothed him to her So had he wished that the monster had deuoured Perseus to the ende that the mariage of him and of her might haue béene ended What shall I say more When Perseus had so put himselfe foorth by the stone he looked towarde the sea and helde in his hande a good and passing strong sworde and he had not long behelde the situation and taken leasure to sée the place when there sprang out of a swalow or depth of the sea a monster so great and so horrible and so dreadfull that it séemed that he had béene made for to destroy all the worlde hee was rough and went on foure féete like a beast and his forme was so disfigured that none wist whereto he might be likened When then the Syriens sawe him put his head out of the déepe there was none so well assured but he trembled for feare And many were so afrayed that they fled into their houses and reentred into their Citie This notwithstanding Perseus as soone as he sawe him rise vp he came to him as hardie and right well assured and smote him with the poynt of his sworde so full vpon the right eye that on that side he made him blinde whereof the monster felt so great paine that he came out of the Sea with open mouth and thought to haue swallowed Perseus And Perseus went backe a little and put his sworde betwéene his iawes into his throate so farre foorth that he could not draw it out againe and so of force it abode in his throate more then foure foote At the second stroke the monster made a maruaslous crie lifting vp his head and wéening to haue cast out the péece of the sworde which abode in his throate but it would not bée Alwaye the monster assayled Perseus and wéend to haue swalowed him into his throate and Perseus alwaye stroke at him with his sword and put him at defence and smote alway at his throte and about nigh his other eye and so well intended the worke that after he had giuen him many woundes he made him blynde on the left eye like as hée did on the right eye And then as the monster went héere and there and made many walkes without séeing or knowing where he went pursuing his enemy Perseus gaue him manye woundes searching his heart and at the last he founde it And finallye he bestirred him so that he pearsed the heart with which stroke he made him to fall downe dead CHAP. XXXVI ¶ How Phineus would haue had Andromeda and how Perseus answered him that she should be his wife PAssing ioyous and astonied were the Syryens when they sawe the good fortun of Perseus and sayd one to an other that such a knight ought to be praysed aboue al other men The king Amon tooke great pleasure to sée his dealing séeing the monster labouring in his death hée went downe to him embracing him and said Sir the gods gouerne thy fortune and since they haue receyued thée in their fauour and grace there is none that may anoy thée in a good houre were thou héere arriued demaunde what thou wilt and I will cause thée to haue it Syr aunswered Perseus I haue preserued from death the Damosel I desire none other thing but her O valiant Knight sayde Phineus that was there awaighting thou doost much gloryfye thy selfe for thou hast gotten in a halfe day more honor then an other knight shal get in an hundred yeare And greatly thou oughtest to be commended But beware that the beautie of this mayd deceiue thée not know thou that I haue betrothed her and by right she ought to be my wife Many dayes bee gon and expyred since that in the presence of our bishop we promised to take each other in mariage This misfortune is after come to her thou haste reléeued her and wouldst therefore haue her The beginning is fayre but the ende is foule And if it so happe that thou do me wrong I let thée know that I will not suffer it for in this coūtrey I am a King haue great puissance al the glory that thou hast gotten shal be héere quenched Wherefore I praye thée that thou forbeare in this case and that thou suffer me to take that is mine and take thou that that belongeth to thée During these wordes Perseus looked towardes the Sea and saw from farre his galyes comming the one after the other directing them towarde this porte Whereof he hadde right great ioy and sayde vnto Phyneus King I make no doubt that thy power is great in this countrey but knowe thou right well that I knowe no man liuing that shall cause me to leaue that belongeth to me When I came hither I found this mayde condemned vnto death At that time shée was all abandoned to the death I haue saued her and I saye to thée that shée is mine and thou oughtest to haue no regard to any promise that she hath made to thée or to any other And so I haue intention that she shal be my wife And if thou wilt Combate and fight for her assemble thy power and make thée ready in thy battaile Lo héere come my galies readye for to receiue thée and although I haue not people ynough yet I haue in my cofers the most parte of the treasors of Medusa for to send for men of armes in al places where I may get them When Phineus considered this answer and knew that hée was the Knight that hadde vanquished Medusa whereof the renoume was greate and ran through out the whole worlde hée coulde none otherwise aunswere to Perseus but that hee might do his pleasure All the kinsmen of Andromeda were angrie with Phineus for his
first at the most straight and nigh marks and after at the most long marks he that shooteth most straight and nigh at short marks shall winne a gloue of gold and he that is best at long marks shall haue a bow and a sheafe of arrowes At the seauenth he will cast a stone against all men and he that doth best thereat shall haue a right good diamond At the eight day and other folowing to the fiftéenth he will exercise armes and if any will prooue himselfe one alone against him he shal be receiued fore séene that during the first six daies he shall come and present himselfe vnto the iudges he that so doth best shall haue a rich sword And if it happen that they that shall come to this feast will tourney togither in maner of a battaile in iousting with launces or speares fighting with swords or baryers the iudges shall ordaine captains such as shall séeme conuenient who that best doth in this exercise or fight shal win a garlaÌ„d of lawrel All these things before written the said esquire vnknowen promiseth to accomplish and prayeth vnto all noble men Ladies and Gentlewomen that they will vouchsafe to come and sée this méeting of Nobles which shall be performed by the pleasure of the immortall gods who wil giue to the acceptors of this worthie chalenge multipliance of honour and encreasing of good fortune c. When Hercules had written this proclamation and engrossed it he sent it to Euristeus who read it and him séemed that the inuention of the authour and maker was good and right worthy to bee put in memory and called one of his knights and gaue him the charge and office to go publish this proclamation in the courts of all the kings of Greece The knight enterprised with right good heart to doe the said office and this was the first officer of arms that euer was He went to Athens Thebes Argos Lacedemonia Archadia Perelye Magnesie Crete Ephese Pepos Tripoly and Thessaly and all about hee published the proclamation without declaring who hee was that should kéepe the exercise They that heard speake of the squire vnknowne and vnderstoode his high enterprise iudged him that this came of a noble courage and that hee might not fayle to gette honour and fame The knight for to finish this voyage hadde foure Monethes tearme for to accomplish it During this time Hercules disposed him for to furnish his prouision for the excercises and so did the kings and noble men for to come thither What shall I make long processe When the euen before the first day of the exercise was come the King Euristeus brought Hercules vppon the mount Olympus and from all parts came thither so many Noble men Ladyes and Gentlewomen that the number might not bee estéemed the Mount was full on all sides All this night there was great adoo and noyse of one and other for to make their tents and lodges of bowes leaues and to pitch their pauilions And it ought not to be forgotten when the euen was come how the knight that had published the challenge assembled in a common tent all the knights that were come thither and required them in the name and on the behalf of the Esquire vnknowne that they would choose among them such as should be iudges and giue the prise When the kings that were there heard and vnderstood the request of the noble Esquire they thanked him and they choose thrée kings to be their iudges that is to wéete the king of Thebes called Creon the king of Argos named Gorgophon and the king of Myrmidon named Eson which was father of Iason They were wise and discréete they enterprised the office with a good will And that night they passed ouer with great ioy for they assembled in a tent which was made for to daunce in and the kings with the knights yong and old went togither and thus beganne the feast which endured till midnight in daunses and songs The king Iupiter and Amphitrion were not at this assembly by the counsel of king Euristeus which let him haue knowledge secretly that Hercules was he that should holde and kéepe this sport or exercise for to eschew all words and languages that might grow or arise vp by cause of the natiuitie of Hercules for Amphitrion on the one side beléeued not that he was his sonne and Iupiter on the other side said that he appertained not to him He sent them word therefore that they could do no better then not for to come to this solemnitie which was a most speciall thing and the most strange that euer was spoken of before that time The first day of May at the houre what time the sunne cast his heate vpon the earth Hercules did cause to sownde a trumpet for to make the Ladies to go vp into the scaffolds and places appointed and anon after they being mounted and set Hercules leapt out of the tent apparelled to wrastle and came into the middes of the place or field making reuerence vnto the iudges kings and to the ladies He was then xiiii yeare old full accomplished Anon as he had done the reuerence the knight that was officer of armes made a crie and said High excellent iuâ—ges we let you haue knowledge with all kings knights and gentlemen of armes Ladies and Gentlewomen that héere is the Squire vnknowne readie present in his person vppon the mount Olympus and offereth himselfe to fulfill the contents of his challenge by order and after the maner that the particulars thereof make mention Wherefore if there be any man that will proue and assaie him at wrastling let him come and he shall be receiued Theseus of Athens at the end of this proclamation and at the commandement of king Egeus his father entred then into the field he was a passing faire child and a gentle at his comming he saluted Hercules and said to him Maister of all bodily exercises I am come hither not of presumption but for to learne those things that I haue néede of and therefore I recommend mee vnto your grace My Brother Theseus answered Hercules I may more learne of you then you of me wherefore lette vs indeuour to winne the prise it must be begunne by some bodie These words accomplished the two noble Esquires approched and seised each other Theseus employed his puissance and Hercules suffered him to doo as much as hée would or could without shewing and putting out his force and might againe to him And so they shooke and lugged each other but in the ende Hercules cast Theseus the most softly and fauourably that he could Wherat the laughter was great among the ladyes and gentlewomen Theseus then departed from the place and went among the ladyes and Gentlewomen praying them that they would take it in good part that he had done Then came vnto the place many yong squires of whom I know not the names and they indeuored and trauelled all that they might for
gentle women with a great traine of Troyans citizens and marchants all which made sorrow for her What shall I say at the instant that she was thus brought thither Hercules at aduenture arriued at the port of Troy with his muttons and hée willing to refresh him there made to cast his ancres out and going out and taking land he beheld on the one side and saw the Troians wéeping and bewailing Exiona in casting abroad their armes and wringing their hands that he had pitie to see it And he desiring to know what them ailed put himselfe into the prease and sawe there where they bound the faire Exiona in the rout attired with royall attire all discoloured and ful of teares as shée that expected nothing but the death Hercules mooued with compassion to the damosell adressed his language vnto king Laomedon for as much as it séemed that aboue all them that were in the place hee was a man of authoritie and demanded him wherefore that the damosel was there bound Laomedon cast his eies al be wept on him and was all abashed to sée his greatnesse and his beautie neuerthelesse he answered him what art thou that art so hardie to demand me of my misfortune which is to all common in Troy Sir said Hercules I am a stranger and I loue the worship and honour of Ladies and there is no thing that I might do for them but I would do it vnto my power and for as much as I sée this Gentlewoman thus intreated in the fauour of all Ladies I haue asked of you the cause and I will know it or put my selfe in aduenture for to die with her And therefore I demand yet again what trespasse or sinne hath shee done that these men thus binde her My sonne answered Laomedon I sée well that ye hée ignorant and know not the reasons and the cause wherefore my daughter is here abandoned there is no man but he may wel know it for she shall die for the safetie and health of Troy and I will tell you how we be come thereto The gods of the sea and of the sunne haue plagued and greeued Troy with a right great pestilence that tooke his beginning with a superaboundance of the sea whereby the stréetes of Troy were full in euerie place of water After this deluge and flood the time was maruailously and outragiously hote by the great heate of the sunne whereby this sea was dried vp Of this drinesse or drouth engendred a vapor infected and of this vapour insued a pestilence And for to resist this pestilence I haue béen at the oracle of the god Apollo where I haue had answer for to appease the gods and to cease the pestilence the goddes of the sunne and of the sea will that from moneth to moneth be taken in Troy one of the virgins by sorte or lottte for to be exposed and offred in this place vnto a monster of the sea The Troyans were content to fulfil the will of the goddes and I with them We haue cast our lottes vpon our virgins whereof many be swalowed and deuoured by the monster and now the sort or lotte is fallen on my daughter will she or not she must needes obey and appease the goodes After her shall come an other there is no remedy and this shal endure vpon the virgins of Troy perpetually for it is the desteny that Troye shall neuer be quite of this right hard seruitude and thraldom vntill the time that they haue found a man that alone shall vanquish and ouercome the foresaide monster by his puissance and prowesse which will be impossible for because that it is true that all the men of the greatest cittie of the world can not finde any way to vanquish him he is so great and dreadfull And these things considered demaund me no more my daughter shall dye for the common weale of the place of her natiuitie She was borne in a good houre when the goddes will that by lotte and this fortune she be to them offred Syr answered Hercules trulye I thinke vnder heauen is no citie so bond and thrall as yours is howbeit it ought to be vnderstoode that the goddes will not suffer that this malediction shal holde and endure continually Ye must liue in hope If fortune and the goddes will do me that grace that I might vanquishe and ouercome the monster and make Troye frée from this seruitude what reward would ye giue me Trulye sayde Laomedon I thinke not that it be possible that ye should vanquishe the monster Who is he that will expose him to so great a follye Hercules answered vnto a valiant hearte is nothing impossible If I tryumphe vpon the monster and saue thy daughter what reward shall I haue Laomedon answered If thou mayst do that thou sayest I haue two horses the best that be in all the world which I loue as well as halfe my realme I will giue them to thée as to the best knight of knightes and as to the most hardiest of hardye Sir sayde Hercules it is enough to me and it suffiseth mée to haue the two horses Let me alone with your daughter I haue a trust and hope that this daye I shall labour for the weale of Troy and that I shall fraunchise and make free the virgins and maidens of this citie But I pray you if there be in your citie any great barre of yron or of metal that ye wil send for to fetch it to me for to defend me with all The King Laomedon and the Troyans were all abashed when they sawe the enterprise that Hercules had made and at the wordes of Hercules the King remembred him of a great club of yron that laye at the entrie of his pallace of Ilion that was so heauie that the strongest man of Troye had enough to doo to lay it on his shoulder He sente for it and presented it to Hercules and Hercules lifted it vp as it had béene a little glayue Philotes and Theseus were present at all these things Hercules tooke leaue of them and at the prease and recommended him vnto theyr prayers and foorth with all the Sea began to rore terribly Laomedon and the Ladyes and they that were there tooke leaue of Exione and of Hercules and recommended them vnto the mercye of the goddes and went vpon the downes for to sée the ende Thus abode Exione alone and all dispayred vpon the grauell with Hercules who knéeled downe on his knées vpon the grauell turning his face vnto the East and made his prayers vnto the God that made the monsters and terrible beastes requyring him that he would giue him force strength and vertue of power for to deliuer Exione from her misfortune of the monster This oryson accomplished Hercules entred into a little boate that Exione was in and anon after the Sea roring more and more grewe and arose in such wise that the boate floted and was lifted vp and borne by diuers waues After this in great troubling of
enflamed in such wise that it was séene in Troy how the Citie burned The assault of Tenadon dured not long for asmuch as the Troyans were not aduertised of their coming When they sawe the ayre so enflamed for to sée from what place the flame came they mounted and went vppon the high towres and buildings of Ilion and looking toward Tenadon sawe that the Cittie was all on a fire whereat they that sawe it were right sorye and greatlye abashed About this they looked into the sea and espyed then there the flote of the Greekes whereof they were more abashed then they were before And then without any longer tarying they descended and went down into the hall of King Laomedon and sayd to him Alas Syr what is best to bee doone the Greekes come vpon vs with aright great flote we haue seene them and know them The strong Hercules menaceth you for to destroy your cittie Certes I beléeue it is he For now for the beginning of the feast he hath burnt Tenadon and that is it that causeth the ayre to be full of fire The King Laomedon hearing this tyding began to sighe and tast of the euill and trespasse that hée had committed and doone against Hercules This notwithstanding for to giue courage vnto his men and to his sonne Pryamus that was at that time of the age of xx yeare he did cause to sound to Armes and made him ready and with his armes shewed a right fierce and hardy semblance This doone he armed Pryamus his sonne that neuer had bin in battaile before and dubbed him knight after hée tooke him by the hande and issued out of Ilion In issuing out he mette manye Troyans that tolde him that at his port were landed many Greekes that had destroyd Tenadon and vnlesse hée halted him they woulde soone take lande Laomedon with out speaking any worde passed foorth by them that had brought him these tidings and came to a place that was there by Ilion where he found mo then twentie thousand Troyans ready armed And séeing them he began to ioy in himselfe and called the principals sayd to them Lords ye be renowned in all the world by the high prowesse of your auncestours Before that Troy was walled they defended it with the sworde agaynst their enemies the renowmed king Iupiter of Crete could not get this Citie nor the Thessalonians by their warre might neuer subdue this Citie It is nowe happened this day that a new assemblie of enemies come vpon this Citie and as men say they haue put the fire in Tenadon let vs go receiue them couragiously and let vs make of them like as our fathers haue made with other c. When the Troyans had heard these wordes of theyr King they answered all that they would liue and die with him for the weale of the Citie and that they had intention to kéepe his honour and for to make growe their auncient glorie Without holding of long processe the King Laomedon did then display all his banners After he issued out of Troy setting and trayning his men in good order And then as he began to conduct and lead them foorth sodainly hée heard at the port a passing great noyse and bruite of Trumpettes Clarions and Tabours of the Greekes Then his bloud began to chafe then his haire of his heade began to stande vppe hée knewe that they were his enemyes and as soone as they knewe the Greekes without holding of any order nor measure they dislodged them and began to runne to the port one before an other When they approched the port they espyed the Greekes that landed with great forces Then they chalenged them vnto the death and ran vpon them sharpely The Greekes were furnished with good armours and put them to defence and began to skirmish the one with the other so vnmeasurably that in the aboording and méeting there were many dead and hurt Hercules was there among the Greekes He began to fight sharpely among the Troyans and had his club Certes he welcommed them in such wise that the most strongest of his enemies durst not abide him he fought fiercely in desire of reuengement in coueting of worship and to get him a name Lifting vp his hand he shewed to the Troyans his club and made them to féel the weight therof the strength of his arme and he labored so earnestly and did so valiantly that they that saw him doubted him more then death and sayd the one vnto the other behold Hercules but come not néere him It were folly so to do all that he reacheth he sleaeth and breaketh to péeces We do euill to fight against him this is the deliuerer from the terrible seruage and thraldom of Troy how should we resist his club whē the huge dreadfull monsters be by the same put to the foile c. Such were the words of the Troyans Hercules fought agaynst them fiercely he was stout and stable he went before all the Greekes followed him and tooke a pleasure to behold him The cry was great about him What shall I say he fought vntill the night and neuer ceased vntill the going downe of the Sunne and then the Troyans sounded the retrait and they departed both parties Laomedon put his sword into his sheath which was all bloody with Greekes blood and in likewise did Priamus his son They reentred into their Citie after the skirmish they concluded that on the morrow they would furnish their enemies with battell And the Greeks furnished them in the champaine and made good cheare for they had lost but litle of their people at their comming on land This night passed ouer when the day appeared to the Troyans and the Greekes each in his maner made him ready to the battell many of the Troyans would gladly haue broken this battell and prayed vnto king Laomedon that he would render and deliuer to Hercules the horses that he ought to him Laomedon would not do it but aunswered that he doubted nothing his enemies He had then about fifty thousand of fighting men all readie of these fiftie thousand he made two battailes one of twentie thousand and that he led himselfe and the other of thirtie thousand of which hée made Priamus captaine This done he issued out of Troy with twentie thousand fighting men and came vnto the fields entring vpon the Greekes c. When the Greekes espied king Laomedon comming they were full of ioy as they that were readie for to receyue them at the point of their speares and with hewing of their swords They had made of their host foure battailes In the first was Hercules And in the second was Amphitrion and Theseus And in the third was the king Creon and in the fourth was Euristeus Hercules then that had the first battaile marched when it was time agaynst the King Laomedon and he had foure auncient knights well appoynted in the feates of Armes that set and conducted his folke in array and order They marched so nigh the one
should enter into his Citie but hée should be sacrificed to his goddes and that hee would slea all the straungers that he might get By this Edict and by this damnable custome manie straungers nobles and other were put to sacrifice and had their blood sheâ— in Egypt Among all other one noble man of Crete of the lynage of Iuno perished in this misfortune by the sworde of Busire The tydings came into Crete and there was made for him a great sorrowe As this sorrowe was in his most prime Hercules and Philotes came vnto the Quéene Iuno and they found her charged with teares of wéeping in her Citie At that tyme there were an hundred Cities in Crete and the King Iupiter helde him no more with Iuno for many causes and reasons When then Hercules was returned vnto thiâ— Ladie Iuno his stepmother he made reuerence vnto her After he shewed to her the skinnes of the Lions that he had slaine and thanked her of the high aduenture that she had admonished him of The cursed stepmother for the returne of Hercules augmenting her sorrow vpon new sorrow receiued and feasted Hercules and made to him faintly the greatest cheare that she could It was vpon the poynt to go to dinner shée made him to dine and eate with her In eating after diuerse speaches of the Lions she deuised and thought howe shée might make Hercules for to die and thought she might do no better then to send him into Egypt At that tyme she concluded in her selfe that she would send him into Egypt if she might For to do so she changed the reasoning of the lions and sayd to Hercules your coming again in safetie is to mee most ioyfull for that your name shall bée put in perpetuall renowme and praysing among the most worthie and best of the world for ye haue done many faire enterprises and déedes In your yong childhood ye made all the world to wonder and maruaile of the victorie of the serpents by you strangled After ye made your sword to brandish in the west parts in Frigie and now newly in Nemée The aduenture of these exploits haue giuen to you right much honour and worship whereof I haue right great ioy for each person ought to be glad and reioyce in the well doing of another and especially of a noble man and principally such a one as laboureth to excell in valiantnesse euerie person is holden and bound to counsell him vnto his worshippe and weale Wherefore since it is so that ye indeuour your selfe from day to day and séeke the perils of the sea and the dangers of the earth to the ende for to ouercome them I aduertise you that in Egypt is a tyrant that sacrificeth al strangers that come into his country without reseruing noble man or base So then me séemeth if fortune will helpe for to go and conquer him that ye â—â—â—uld get great honour and worshippe to you and yours and health and profit to all the nations of the world Madame answered Hercules I am not nor neuer shall bee in all my life of such recommendation as yée say and report notwithstanding for as much as I haue great desire for to doe workes that may be to the pleasure of the people and for their health and weale I promise you and sweare that to morrow without any other delay I will put me in deuoir on the way for to go into Egypt And I will neuer returne againe into my Countrey vntill the time that I haue séene the tyrant And if hee lay or put hand on me for to sacrifice me I haue intention that hee shall not doo it without strokes Iuno hearing the enterprise of Hercules had in her heart passing great ioy That day they passed in many conferences Hercules tooke the skinnes of the Lyons and deliuered aâ—â— laboureth to excel in valour every person is bound to counsel him to his honour and welfare Wherefore since it is so that ye endevour your self from day to day and séek perils of the Sea dangers of the earth to overcome them I advertise you that in Egypt is a Tyrant that sacrifizeth all strangers that come into his Country without reserving Noble or base So I think if Fortune be still favourable to you you shall gain great honor to your self and profit to all the Nations of the world Madam answered Hercules I am not nor never in all my life shall attain to such an eâ—â—ceding height of honour as ye report notwithstanding forasmuch as I have great desire to perform adventures to the benefit of all Nations that they shall concern I promise you and swear that to morrow without further delay I will make all things in readinesse to go into Aegypt And I will never return again into my Countrey untill the time that I have séen the Tyrant If he lay hand on mée to sacrifice mée I have intention he shall not without great strokes Juno hearing the enterprize of Hercules rejoyced in her heart excéedingly That day they passed in many conferâ—nces Hercules took the skins of the Lyons and deliverâ—â— them to a certain workman to make of them a garment in manner of Armour to Arm him withall On the morrow he took leave of his Step-mother and departed from Creet so journeyed on the way with Philotes without finding any adventure worthy the remembrance on a day he came to the Gate of the City Memphis in Aegypt where the Tyrant Busire held his residence When Hercules was come nigh unto the Gate he took his Club that Philotes bare and entred himself into the City Hee had not béen long there nor far gone but Busire which was advertised of his comming came against him with his complices without speaking of any word ran upon him Hercules was well appointed for he knew the Tyrant by his gesture and the sign that was told him he lifted up his Club when he saw him come and as the Tyrant would have smitten him with his Sword without any word speaking he stroke the Tyrant on the right side so vehemently that not onely he feld him to the earth but also all the ribs of his body were broken that he could neâ—â— reléeve himself after The Aegyptians séeing Busire overthrown some ran to reléeve him and the rest assailed Hercules Then was all the City in an uprore Hercules was joyful he had overthrown the Tyrant and began to make the Aegyptians to know his Club. He slew many of them and the remnant he made to flye His strokes were so forcible that the Complices of Busire that were accustomed to shed mans blood had their blood shed abroad and could not remedy their mis chance which was so great that Hercules filled all the place with dead bodies And after a long battel he found himself alone for there was no man so hardy that durst be séen before him The people and the Commonalty of the Aegyptians minded not the rescue of their King When they saw him beaten they all
Iles fortunate This king then aduertised of the coming of the Egiptians was passing angry and sware that neuer none of them should returne agayne into Egipt Assoone then as he might he did cause his men to arme them and issued out of the cittie with a great company of Libyans and had so great haste to runne vpon the Egiptians that he sette no order among his people whereof he tooke great harme for when he came to the battaile hée founde that Hercules had trayned his people and set them in two battailes of which he lead and conducted the first battaile It happend so that they of the sayde companye of Hercules by force of shot bare thēselues so valiantly and with strokes that they brought to death more then fiftéene hundred Lybiens When the shot fayled Antheon sprang into the greatest prease as the most valiant and supposed wel to haue skirmished with his enimies but anon as Hercules sawe him come hée layd hand on his club and put him foorth before and gaue him so great a stroke that he made his head to bow on the left side Antheon had his sword lifted vppe for to haue smitten Hercules when he receiued the stroke that Hercules gaue him by which his stroke was broken Neuerthelesse he said betwéene his téeth that he would auenge him so hee lifted vp his sword againe and smote Hercules so vehemently that with the stroke he brake his shield Then knew Hercules that the giant was a man of great strength This notwithstanding he smote him the second time with his club and thus Hercules and Antheon gaue each other so great strokes that there came betwéene them of the two parties Libians and Egyptians There was a great noyse of clinking of swords and sounding of the shields and helmes that were broken and halberds that were dismailed shieldes quartered and glaiues broken there was the bloud largely shed on both parties Hercules and Antheon were parted by force of the prease Antheon by great ire smote without ceasing vpon the fierce Egyptians Hercules all broke the helmes largely with his club and did with the Libians all his pleasure and brought so many to death with his club that in little time he passed throughout the whole power of king Antheon many times and in his way he couered the earth and the way that hée held all with dead Libians The first skirmish was strong and damageable to Antheon for against one Egyptian that he flew with his sword Hercules made die with his club ten Libians About Hercules was nothing but bloud Hercules made the mountaines redounde with cries the companies to tremble the Libians to flie and go backe and wan little gaine What shall I say more as long as the day endured he helde the battell in vigor and about the euening when Affer and Theseus came to the fight he bestirred himselfe in such fashion against Antheon that he made him flie all charged with horions and strokes and then in like wise fled after the Libians CHAP. XI ¶ How Hercules tooke king Athlas and how he beganne to studie the science of astronomie and the seauen liberall sciences WHen Hercules saw the Libians turne into flight he did cause to sounde the retrait for as much as it was late and with great glorie returned into the place that he had chosen for to holde his siege at His wife Echée came against him with open armes and be clipped and kissed him she holpe to vnarme him and brought him fresh water for to wash his face with and there was made right good chéere of all the Egyptians Contrary to this good chéere the Libians were in the Citie and made great sorrow for they had lost neare thirtie thousand men especially Antheon made simple cheare for he had good cause for Hercules had so beaten him with his club that hée might not helpe himselfe but went with great paine to bed and with sorrow sent for his Phisitions and Surgeons which came and visited him and founde him all bruised and saide to him that it would bee well neare a moneth ere they could heale him Antheon considering his case sent and desired of the Egyptians truce for the space of a moneth offering to them for to send them dayly a certaine number of cattell and a right great quantitie of victuals Then he made out his commaundements and sent vnto al the kings and princes that were his tributaries and also vnto his neighbours praying them that they wold come succor him with their men of arms in the most hasty wise that they might This truce so made Hercules began to remember thē that before time he had heard Philotes speak of a king that reigned thereby named Athlas and that he was the most wise man and cunningest of al the world and that he dwelt in a Castle standing on the top of a right high mountaine named Athlas after the name of the same king In this remembrance Hercules being couetous of the science of Athlas called Philotes and said to him that hee would go into the Realme of the king Athlas and that his intent was to séeke there his aduenture Philotes answered and saide that he could well leade and bring him into the Realme for he knew the countrey Then Hercules called Affer and Theseus and charged them that they shoulde alway make good watch And after tooke leaue of them and of his wife saying that he would hastily returne This done hée and thrée mariners with Philotes went vnto the sea in a gallie-finely made and light and sayled and rowed into the sea Mediterrane they had spéedie winde and readie and Fortune was good to them In little while they came vnto the straite of Gibraltar And then Philotes shewed vnto Hercules the mountaine and the castle where Athlas was at that time abyding When Hercules sawe the mountaine and the castle he went and tooke land ioyously after he tooke his clubbe and commanded Philotes and his marriners for to abide them there Then he went toward the mountaine and it happened that he met with a man that discended downe from the hil and he adressed him toward the said man for to heare some tydings and demanded him from whence hée came He said I come from the castle that ye may sée yonder on high Whither go ye said Hercules vnto the Citie of Mercelie answered the stranger the king Athlas to whom I am seruant hath sent me thither to publish his commandement vnto the Citizens that within sixe dayes they should be furnished with their armes for to accompanie him to go vnto the warre of the great king of Libie which requested instantly to haue his succours Wherefore if ye will serue him in this armie and be his souldiour go vp and ye shall finde him in his Castell studying the science of astronomie The seruaunt of King Athlas with these wordes went forth on his way and Hercules went vp into the mountaine and came to the gate of
the Castell where hée found foure knights that demaunded of him what he would haue Hercules answered that his will was for to speake to the king for certaine matters that touched him The foure knights not thinking but good brought Hercules within a great hall wherein were all the men of king Athlas assaying them with swords and axes forasmuch as they had heard say that they should go to warre and they were all armed When these knights had brought thither Hercules they gaue knowledge vnto the king that a strange giant asked after him and would not tell them the cause why Then Athlas went downe and found Hercules armed with his skinne of the lion and asked him what he was Then he answered and said hee was Hercules that hath conquered Philotes and the garden with the shéepe of thy daughters I am now come hither for to conquer thée with thy sciences Wherefore it behooueth thée that thou do to me obeysance and giue ouer to helpe the great Antheon mine enemie and that thou come to me And if thou wilt not do so arme thée hastily and defend thée with armes and that I demaund of thée and if thou wilt not consent thereto by loue I will make thée accord to it by force Athlas was excéedingly discouraged when he knew by the mouth of Hercules that it was he that had late conquered Philotes and had slaine the giant his fellow taken his shéepe and also newly had assayled by warre Antheon to whom he had promised to giue succours and also considered that he willed that he should yéeld him to him his heart then began in him to swell for anger and pride and in great rage he said to him O thou presumptuous Hercules how art thou so hardy to come alone before me thou that I may not loue Knowe thou that I haue had many a displeasure by thine outrage for Philotes was my right great friend and nowe thou art come to renue this displeasaunce and wilt that I should yéeld mée vnto thée that is not mine intention c. Athlas with these wordes went into a Chamber there fast by and commanded that euery man should arme him as they did Hercules had alway his eie vpon him to the end he should not escape him When he was armed he came against Hercules and chalenged him to the death After he gaue him a stroke with his sworde fiercely With the crie and with the stroke all they of the fortresse assayled Hercules Then Hercules put himselfe in defence and laide about mightily by the rigour of his club and with twelue strokes he slue twelue of his enemies After he hurt and wounded many other and spared long the blood of Athlas But in the end forasmuch as Athlas gaue great strokes to Hercules Hercules smote him vpon the helme without imploying of all his strength and gaue him a wound in the head that all astonied he bare him to the earth From that time forth they of the fortresse durst no more assaile Hercules nor they aduentured them not for to reskew nor to reléeue Athlas but fled thence out of the Castell and Hercules abode there alone with Athlas and the dead bodies So in the end when Hercules saw that they had giuen it ouer he tooke Athlas and made him to crie him mercie After he went into his studie and tooke all his bookes which he laded vpon a camel and after returned vnto Athlas and constrained him to follow him And when Hercules had done in the Castel all his pleasure he departed accompanied with Athlas and with his bookes and brought him downe to the sea side to the place where Philotes abode him c. When Philotes saw Hercules come with Athlas and his bookes he had great ioy and tooke acquaintance with Athlas who was so sorrowfull that hée might not speake and then they entred into theyr Galley and went vnto the go unto the warre of the great King of Lybia which requested instantly to have his succour Wherefore if ye will serve him in his Armie and be his souldier go up and yee shall find him in his Castle studying the science of Astronomie The Servant of King Atlas with these words went on his way and Hercules went up unto the Mountain and came to the Gate of the Castle where he found four Knights that demanded of him what he would have Hercules answered his will was to speak to the King for certain matters that concerned him The four Kts. thinking nothing but good brought Hercules within a great Hall wherein were all the men of King Atlas assaying them with Swords and Axes forasmuch as they had heard say that they should go to Wars and they were all armed When these Knights had brought Hercules thither they gave knowledge unto the King that a strange Gyant asked after him and would not tell them the cause why Then Atlas went down and found Hercules armed in a Lyons skin and asked him what he was then he answered he was Hercules that hath conquered Phylotes and the Gaâ—den with the Shéep of thy Daughters I am now come hither for to conquer thée with thy sciences Wherefore it behoveth thée that thou do to mée obeysance and give over to help the great Antheon mine enemie And if thou wilt not do so Arm thée hastily and defend thée with Arms and that I command thée If thou wilt not consent thereto by love I will make the accord thereto by force Atlas was excéedingly discouraged when he knew by the mouth of Hercules that it was he that had conquered Philotes and had slain the Gyant his fellow taken his shéep and also newly had assailed by Warre Antheon to whom hee had promised to give succour and also considered that he willed he should yéeld himself to him his heart then began to swell for anger and pride and in great rage he said to him O thou presumptuous Hercules how art thou so hardy as to come alone before mée thou that I may not love know thou that I have had many a displeasure by thy outrage for Philotes was my great friend and now thou art come to renew this displeasure and that I yeild mée unto thée is not my intention Atlas with these words went into a Chamber fast by and commanded that every man should arme him as they did Hercules had alwaies his eye upon him to the end that he should not escape him When he was armed he came against Hercules and challenged him After he gave him a stroke with his Sword fiercely With the cry and with the stroke all they of the Fortresse assailed Hercules Then he put himself in defence and laid about mightily by the rigour of his Club and with twelve strokes he slew twelve of his enemies After he wounded many other and spared long the blood of Atlas But in the end forasmuch as Atlas gave great strokes to Hercules Hercules smote him upon the Helme without imploying all his strength and gave
to enter into battell The battell is ready beginne at me and I at you and let vs sight together till more come With these words he lifted his club and discharged the stroke so sore vppon one of the thrée brethren that he cast his shielde before the stroke and all astonied he bare him to the earth When Gerion his other brother sawe their brother so borne downe and beaten they smote with their swords vpon Hercules with great fury and so imployed their strength that they brake part of his armes With these two strokes of their swords Hercules receiued more then an hundred dartes vppon his body howbeit the swordes nor the darts were not so hard tempered that they could pearce enter ne hurt the armes of Hercules ne Hercules left not to worke with his clubbe but he it lift vp on high at that time and strak it vpon the second brother of Gerion so lustily that downe from the top of the helme he all to crushed and bruised him smote him downe to the ground like as an hard and great rockâ— had fallen on his head c. Gerion was all afrayde for to sée so great a stroke and with a wonderfull angry and fierce heate he layde vpon Hercules and gaue him so great a stroke vpon the helme with his sword that he made the fire spring out but the helme was so hard that the sword might not enter Then was Hercules enuironed with his enemies and was smitten in many a place vpon his body The Hesperians desired sore to sée their swordes and glaiues red with the bloud of Hercules but Hercules put himselfe to defence ioyous for that he might employ his strength vpon them And when he prooued him thus vpon one and other and would suffer none come néerer then his arme and clubbe might reach and that his enemies more and more came about him Malion that was nephew to Vlisses issued out of Megidda with a thousand men of the army of Hercules And séeing so great a company of people about Hercules and was assured that he fought there hee and his people addressed themselues thitherward making so great a crie and setting on so valiantly that in bearing downe all afore them they came and founde Hercules that he had slaine more then sixe hundred of his enemies and that he feared yet nothing They that bare ladders and other engines were constrained to cast them downe to the ground and to goe to the battell The battell was there grieuous and hard and there were many knightes slaine Gerion bestirred himselfe terribly His brother that was first beaten after that he was borne out of the prease came vnto the field againe and in his comming he made a great roome among the Gréeks he was strong and puissant and bare a right heauie guisarme the edge of which was thrée great foot long he did maruailes with this guisarme and beate downe so many of the Gréekes that the noise arose greatly about him And this noyse came to the eares of Hercules Then left Hercules them that he fought with and drew to the noise that procéeded by the cause of the giant Assoone as he saw the giant that deall with the Gréekes as he would he was not well content with that guisarme and hee lifted vp his clubbe and smote the giant vpon the shoulder employing his strength in such maner that the shoulder and the side hee all to brake and bare him downe to the grounde not fully dead but in worse estate then dead for he might not relieue himselfe and must néedes die vnder the féet of the men of armes right miserably At this time Theseus and Hispâ—n with the residue of the Gréekes came vnto the battell right ioyfully and finding their enemies without ray and without conclud they skirmished among them fiercely and slewe so many that all the place was couered Hispan and Theseus cloâ— the heads of many knights vnto the téeth they 〈◊〉 right expect in the feats of armes At their comming they made their enemies to retire and wanne vpon them with so good fortune that by their meanes and well doing Gerion lost mo then thirty thousand men In shorte time the battaile was such about Hercules that his enemies wist not where to saue them And Gerion being aduertised of the death of the second brother turned his backe and fled vnto the sea blowing his horne When the Hesperiens heard the horne anon they endeuoured sodainly to commit themselues to flight and they that might saue themselues saued them without delay Hercules Theseus and Hispan with about twelue hundred Greekes followed them swiftly they entered into some of their ships and pursued Gerion but they had not marriners so ready as the other had wherefore they were a little letted Howbeit as farre as they might see Hercules pursued them onely with his twelue hundred men CHAP. XXI ¶ How Hercules pursued Gerion and howe hee went and vanquished him and put him to the death at the port of the Corogne THus hauing finished the battaile for this day to the great damage and dishonour of Gerion and all to the honour and profite of Hercules Malion abode in Megidda by the ordinaunce of Hercules for to keepe the Greekes that abode there and for to take the spoile of their enemies Hercules on the other side sailed and rowed after Gerion Gerion perceiued him and was sore afraid and fled all that euer he might The flight dured three daies Gerion had good mariners who kept them warily from bording of the ship of Hercules And they sayled by the sea Mediterrane from coast to coast from floud to floud nowe before and nowe behinde But the end was such that on the fourth day they were constrained to abide Hercules at the battaile vppon the sea or descend to land at the Corongne in Galicia For to flie alway the death whereof they were in doubt they left the sea and tooke the land at a port imagining that they should well defend them against Hercules for they were ten against one Anon as they had taken land at the port of the Corongne they tooke and tramed them about the port for to defeÌ„d the sea which was strong for to take And then Gerion warned his men saying loe nowheere is the houre or the day that wee must die or ouercome our enemies in Fortune hath done to vs the worst she can She was woont to make all strangers to tremble before our swordes Nowe shee maketh vs to tremble before a right little number of people Alas what shame is this truely the shame is great and wee ought to haue right great reproofe so to do Since we be at this point there is no way but to auenge this shame If we aueÌ„ge vs at this time we shall recouer our worship and honour In our vsage lieth right good hope for fortune hath brought vs into a very good port and me seemeth that shee wâ—ll raise vs againe and make vs conquerours of
euen as well they will take them in the Citie as in the fieldes And if there be a robber or theefe in the countrey that will take them away I suppose I shall finde him and shall make Italy quite of him With these wordes Hercules sent his beastes into the pasture and there left them without any keepers The day passed ouer the night came In this night Cacus issued out of his caue and went into the countrey for to pill and rob if hee might finde any booty Thus as he that is vnhappy seeketh euill and in the end he is paid at once for his trespasses the vnhappy aduenture brought him into the medow where as pastured the oxen and kine of Hercules it was nigh the morning he had with him his three wiues Assoon as he saw the beasts by the light of the moone that shone cleere he knew them Anon he was all abashed and his bloud chaunged in his visage and not without cause for soon after his sorrows began to grow on him and came to the quicknesse of the heart that he could not speake His wiues seeing that he spake no worde and that hee beheld the beastes as all a wondred came to him and demaunded of him what hee â—iled Alas aunswered Cacus since it is so that yee must needes know I tell you for certaintie that all the sorrow of the worlde ariseth in my stomacke and enuironeth mine heart for I heere see the oxen of the triumph of mine ennemy Hercules and in beholding them I remember the losses that I haue had by him and the honours and worships that hee hath made mee for to loose and also the realmes that he hath taken away from me and the great misery that I am now in Hee must needes be hereby in some place Cursed be his comming for I wote not what to doe but in signe of vengeance I will slea his oxen and his kine When the three sisters had heard that Cacus so sorrowed they councelled him that hee shoulde not slea the beastes Saying that if he slewe them Hercules shoulde léese nothing for he shoulde eate them It were better saide his wife that ye take and leade away as many as ye may and bring them into our caue for if ye doe so Hercules shall haue losse and displeasure and ye shall haue pleasure and profite Cacus beleeued that his wife said to him yet hee looked in the medow al aboutes if any man had bin there to keepe them but hee found no man nor woman And then he came to the beasts and tooke eight of the best that he could chuse foure oxen and foure kine after hee bound them togither with a corde by the tailes and put the corde about his necke and drewe them so in that maner vnto his caue albeit that the beastes resisted strongly to go backward in that maner Cacus brought in this maner reculing and going backward al those beastes that hee stale to the end that no man should follow him by the traches of the feete of the beastes When he had put in his caue the beastes of Hercules as said is he shut the doore so well that a man should neuer haue knowne nor perceiued that there had been anie doore Then weening that he had been sure he laid him downe and slept Anon after the sunne rising and that it was day Hercules that desired much to heare tidings of his beastes arose vp and did so vse the matter that the king Euander brought him vnto the place whereas his oxen and kine were When they were come into the medow Hercules found that he lacked foure oxen and as many kine Whereat hee was sore troubled and for to knowe if the Gods had taken them or any théeues hadde stollen them he commaunded that they should séeke all about the medowe and sée if the traches or the printes of the féete of the beastes might be séene or found At this commandement one and other began to séek Some there were that looked toward the mount Auentin and founde the stepps and footing of the oxen but they thought by that footing that the beasts were descended from the mount for to come into the medowe When al they had sought long and saw that they found nothing they made their report vnto Hercules and saide to him that they coulde not perceiue on no side where these oxen were issued out and that on no side they coulde finde any signes nor tokens of beastes going out of the pasture But right now said one I haue found the steppes and feete of certaine oxen and kine that he descended from the mountaine into the medow When Hercules heard that from the mountaine were come oxeÌ„ into the medow he called Euander demanded him what people dwelles on the mountaine Euander said to him that thereon dwelled no man nor beast and that the mountaine was not inhabited Hercules woulde go to see the footing and went thither and hee thought well that thither might haue passed eight great beastes in that night for the traces of the feete were great and new Then hee woulde wete where they were become but hee found wel that the footing of the beasts took their end there as they pastured He was then right sore a maruelled forasmuch as there were no strange beastes and beganne to muse When he had a little paused he beheld the mount and said it must needes bee that the Gods haue rauished mine oxen or els that there is a théefe in this mountaine that is come and hath stollen them and hath led them away reculing backward But forasmuch as I haue lesse suspition of the Gods then of the theefe I will neuer depart from hence vntill the time that I haue searched this mountaine from one side to another for my heart iudgeth that the beastes be here c. With this conclusion Hercules did cause to take diuers calues that were there and made them to fast till noone During this while hee sent for his harneis and armes by Phylotes and armed and made him ready to fight Anon after midday as the calues beganne to crie and bleate for hunger he caused them then to be brought about the mountaine Thus as they passed by the place where the caue was and cried it happened that the kine that were in the caue heard them and answered crying so loud that the sound passed by the holes of the caue and came to the eares of the calues and also of Hercules and of other When Hercules heard the crie of his kine hee abode there his calues beganne to cry again but his kine cried no more for Cacus by the force of their cries was awaked and as he that alway doubted for to bee discouered rose vp and cut the throates of the kine The calues then naturally knowing their dammes cried very loud and bleated as they that desired the milke for to liue by Howbeit they coulde not so loud cry that their dammes aunswered them heereof maruelled much Hercules Then
intended to please the lady more then hée had done before And shortly hee acquainted himselfe so with her and she with him that they lay togither secretly And he begat on her a sonne that was named Latine which was afterward of great gouernment During these things whiles that Hercules and Facua had this good time in Laurencia tidinges came that the king Fanus was comming Facua that then began first to ioy in the loue of Hercules was passing sorie and heauy when she heard these tidings for shee firmly fixed her heart on Hercules Sodainly the teares all blubbered her eies And so wéeping she came into a chamber where as Hercules was then shée tooke him apart and said to him Alas my loue I shall die for sorrow Lady said Hercules wherefore Forsomuch said she as my husband the king Fanus commeth home It is full foure yeare since I heard of him I had supposed he had been dead but hee is not His herbingours and fourriers bee come before and say that he will suppe héere this day Alas what euil aduenture is this we must néedes now depart and our communication shall faile With this word the lady embraced Hercules and fell downe in a sowne in his lappe Hercules tooke her vp and comforted her the best wise he could and said to her that since it is so that shee was married it was reason that shee abode still with her husband Whatsoeuer Hercules said vnto the Ladie shee coulde not kéepe her from weeping nor bewailing her loue and her bewailinges were great In the end shee went into her chamber and dried her eyes and brake off her dolorous weeping asmuch as she could arraying and apparrelling her in such wise as if shee had been ioyous and glad of the comming of her husband who came soone after and entred into his citie with great triumph Hercules and Facua went against the king Fanus When the king Fanus saw Hercules hee did to him as much honour and worship as he could doe Forasmuch as he had heard say and was aduertised of the deeds of arms that he had done against the giants of Cremona and against Cacus and thanked him forsomuch as hee was come into his citie For conclusion Hercules abode there foure daies after that Fanus was come home on the fifth day hée considered that hee might no more enioy his loue and that he did nothing there but loose his time so he tooke leaue of the king Fanus and of the queene Facua and returned vnto the house of the king Euander where he held him and abode vnto the time that his temple was made and accomplished About the consummation of this temple an Herauld of Calidonie came to Hercules and signified to him that the king Pricus came against him with a great puissance of men of armes for to reuenge the bloud of Cacus his cousen and that he charged Hercules that he hadde without a cause and cruelly put to death one so noble a king as Cacus was and said to him moreouer that if he would mainteine the contrary on the morrow early he should finde the king Pricus in the same place where the bloud of king Cacus was shed and that there by mortall battell by puissance against puissance he would prooue it true that he said When Hercules had wel heard what the king Pricus had signified to him he had his heart all full of ioy and answered to the Herauld that the death that he had made Cacus to die was a worke of iustice and that vppon the quarrell hee woulde furnish by battell the king Pricus at the houre and place that hee had said After this aunswere thus made Hercules gaue vnto the Herauld has gowne that he ware and did him to be feasted right wel saying that he had brought him tidinges of pleasaunce When the herauld had had good chéere and wel feasted as Hercules had commanded He returned vnto the king Pricus tolde him what Hercules had answered to him and that he should haue on the morrow the battaile The king Pricus that supposed to haue wonne all by aduantage of multitude for he had in his hoste mo then thirty thousand men thanked the Gods of these tidinges and came and lodged him the same night nigh vnto the mount Auentin vpon the riuer of Tyber He made him readie then for to fight this battaile And likewise Hercules eche man on his side thought on his workes The night passed ouer and on the morrow as soone as it began to dawn the king Pricus Hercules began to sound their great tabours and with that sound their men put them in armes to be ready and after trained in battaile order And so they came both parties as well the one as the other into the same place where the bloud of king Cacus had béen shed c. CHAP. XXVII ¶ How Hercules fought against the king Pricus in battaile and how he fled into the Citie where Hercules alone slew him and many mo with him ABout fiue of the clocke in the morning Hercules and Pricus assembled at the battaile from as farre as Pricus sawe Hercules hee made a maruellous cry With this cry all the Calidoniens began to runne against Hercules and made so great a noise that it séemed that there was not people enough in all the world for them But certainly like as a small raine abateth or laieth downe a great winde in likewise Hercules alone laid downe their ouer great boasting and vproare For assoone as he sawe his enemies runne against him about a quarter of a mile off hee departed from his battaile that was well set in order and after that he hadde commaunded his folke that they shoulde not haste for nothing hee beganne to runne against the Calidoniens swiftly not like an horse but like an Hart that no man might ouertake The king Euander was all abashed for to sée in Hercules so great nimblenesse and swiftnesse Pricus and the Calidoniens when they sawe him mooue from the hoste they supposed that it had béen a horse or other beast In the end when Hercules was come nigh to them within the space of a bow shot they knewe that it was Hercules whereat they were sore abashed of his comming Pricus cried to haue set his men vppon him They shot arrowes and casted dartes and speares vpon Hercules against all the partes of his body neuertheles they coulde neuer pierce nor enter into the skinne of the Lion and he neuer rested till hee hadde accomplished his course thrusting him among his enemies so mightily that ouerthrowing all before him like as it hadde béen a tempest or thunder hee went into the midst of the hoste whereas there was the chiefe banner of the king Pricus Hercules abode and staied there but beganne to smite and lay on vpon the one side and the other and to die his sword with the bloud of the Calidoniens His sworde was so heauy that no man might endure it it
Iconie then shee depriued her selfe of all worldly pleasure and held her solitarily without going to feasts or to playes Thus abiding in this solitude her gréeuous annoy grew more and more by so great vexations that she was constrained to make infinite bewaylinges and sighes The continuall comfort of her ladies might giue to her no solace The innumerable spéeches that they vsed vnto her eares for to make her passe the time might neuer take away Hercules out of her minde She passed and liued many daies this life hauing alway her eare open for to know if Hercules sent for her In the end whē she had wayted long and sawe that nothing came and that neither man nor woman was comming to bring her tidinges from the person of Hercules shee made a letter which she deliuered to Lycas for to beare vnto Hercules and charged him to deliuer it to no person but to the proper hand of him that shee sent it vnto Lycas tooke the letter and went vnto Licie and two mile frō the citie hee met Hercules in a crosse way Hercules came from Archadie where he had newly slaine a wilde bore so great that there was neuer none séen like to him When then Lycas saw Hercules hee made to him reuerence and presented his letter to him saluting him from Deianira Hercules waxed red and chaunged colour when he heard speake of Deianira He receiued the letter amiably and read it and found therein conteined as as here followeth Hercules my Lord the man of the world that I most desire I humbly beséech earnestly intreat you that you haue regard to your true seruant and vnworthy louer Deianira Alas Hercules alas Where is become the loue of the time past yee haue nowe soiourned manie daies in Licie ye haue let me haue no knowledge therof Certes that is to mée a right dolorous griefe to suffer and beare for I desire not to be deified nor to mount into the celestiall mansions with the sunne with the moone nor with the starres but without faining or breaking of a free heart I desire your solemne communication I may from henceforth no more faine It is said to me that you haue another wife besides mee Alas Hercules haue I made any fault against your worthines wherefore giue yee me ouer and abandone me Howe may ye do so men name you the man vertuous Yee abandon me and forsake me and that is against vertue Though now yee doe it I haue seene the time that yee were my husband in embracing vs togither and kissing you shewed then to me semblance of good liking of ioy Now let ye her alone that ye loued as a poore castaway Alas where be the witnesses of our mariage where be the eternal vowes othes that we made one to another Men bée deafe blinde but the Gods heare and see wherefore I pray you that ye consider that which ye ought to consider and that ye hold your good name more deerer than ye do the loue of your new acquainted gossip that maketh you to erre against vertue whereof ye haue so great a renowm I pray you hastily write to me your pleasure c. When Hercules hadde read from the beginning to the end the letter of Deianira as hee yet beheld and sawe it Yo le came vnto him with three hundred gentlewomen for to bee merrie and to make cheere with Hercules Hercules then closed the letter and returned into Licie holding Yo le by the hand howbeit when he was in his pallace he forgot not Deianira but found meanes for to go into his studie and there wrote a letter and when it was finished he tooke it to Lycas for to present it to Deianira Lycas tooke the letter and returned home againe to Deianira First he told her the tidinges and of the state of Yo le After he deliuered to her the letter conteining that he recommended him vnto her and that hée hadde none other wife but her and that hee praied her that shee woulde not giue her to thinke any euill but to liue in hope and in patience as a wise ladie and noble ought and is bound to doe for her honour and credite This letter little or nought comforted Deianira she was so vehemently attainted with ielousie Her sorrowe redoubled and grew In this redoubling she wrote yet another letter which she sent to Hercules and that conteined these wordes that follow Hercules alas and what auaileth me to be the wife of so noble a husband as ye be your noblenesse is to mee more hurtfull then profitable O fortune I was woont to reioyce for all day I heard none other things but commendations and praisinges of your prowesses and right glorious deedes and exploites wherwith the world was inlumined and shone Nowe must I be angry and take displeasure in your workes that be foule full of vices All Greece murmureth at you and the people say that ye were woont to be the vanquisher of all thinges no◠ye be vanquished by the foolish loue of Yo le Alas Hercules and how shal I be separated from you and hée holden the waiting drudge of the caitife Yo le She is your Caitife for ye haue slaine her father and haue taken her in the prise of Calidonie and yet now shee hath the place of your lawfull wife Alas haue I sayd well married for to be named the faire daughter of Iupiter king of the heauen and of the earth Now shall I no more be called so it is not alway happy to mount vnto the most high estate For from as much as I haue mounted in height and was your fellowe from so farre I feele my selfe fall into the more great perill O Hercules if for my beautie ye tooke me to your wife I may well curse that beautie for that is cause of the grieuous shame that is to me all euident for to prognosticate mine harme and ill to come And that is to come cannot your astronomers sée that I would I knew that I wote well your beautie and my beauty haue brought my heart into the strait prison of sorrow without end And I may not count them but for enemies since by them all sorrowes come vnto me The ladies haue ioy in the preheminence of their husbands but I haue ill fortune and mishappe I sée nothing but displeasure in my marriage O Hercules I thinke all day on you that ye go in great perils of armes and of fierce beasts and tempests of the sea and in the false perils of the world Mine heart trembleth and hath right great feare of that I ought to haue comfort and hope of wealth All that I remember in my minde and thinke on in the day I dreame on in the night and then me thinketh verily that I see the cutting sharpe swords enter in me and the heads of the speares and after mee thinketh that I sée issue out of the caues of the forrests and deserts lyons and wilde monsters that ease my
well remembred of the great iniuries that yee and other haue done to him that for so little cause or occasion haue slaine his father destroied his citie and his people some dead and some in seruitude And yet that is worse to holde his sister foully as a concubin and yet at least he ought to haue wedded her And forasmuch as yée be a man of great witte and discretion the king my lord wisheth you and warneth you that from henceforth yee cease the rage and the great slaunders that may come for this cause that all good men ought to eschewe to their power that his sister be safely deliuered again to him and he will pardon the residue and wil hold it as a thing that neuer had happened c. When the king Peleus had heard Anthenor so speak hee chafed with him anon in great anger and ire and beganne to blame the king Priamus and said that his wit was light And after menaced Anthenor and commaunded him that he should go anon out of his land for if hee tarried long there hée woulde flea him with great tormentes Anthenor taried not long after but entered into his shippe without taking leaue of king Peleus and sailed so farre by the sea that he arriued at Salamine where the king Thelamon soiourned Then Anthenor went vnto him and declared to him the cause of his comming in this maner Sir said hee the king Priamus requesteth effectuously your noblenesse that his sister Exione whom ye holde in your seruice so foully ye would restore vnto him For it is not fitting nor seemly vnto your glorie nor renowne to vse so the daughter and sister of a king and that is issued of a more noble ligne then yée bée And in case that ye will restore to him his sister hee will hold all thinges as not done as well the damages as the dishonours that by you and other haue beene done vnto him When the king Thelamon hadde heard Anthenor so speake hee beganne to waxe passing angry and aunswered to him right fiersly saying My friend saide hee whatsoeuer thou bee I haue much maruaile of the simplenesse of thy king to whom I beare none amitie neyther he to mee And therefore I ought not to hearken vnto his praier nor request Thy king ought to knowe that I and other haue béen there for to reuenge an iniurie that his father Laomedon did late to some of our friendes And forasmuche as I then entered first into the citie of Troy with great trauaile effusion of my bloud Exione of whom thou speakest which is right faire was giuen vnto mée for the guerdon of my victorie for to do with her my will And forsomuch as shee is so well to my pleasure as shée that is of great beautie and replenished with all Sciences it is not to me so light a thing to render and deliuer againe a thing that is so faire and delightfull which I haue conquered with so great paine and daunger But thou shalt say to thy king that hée may neuer recouer her but by the point of the sword but as for me I repute thée for a foole that euer wouldest enterprise this message wherein lieth thy great perill for thou art come among people that vehemently hate thée and thy like therefore go thy way hastily out of this countrey For if thou abide any more here I will make thée die by cruell and hateful death c. When Anthenor heard Thelamon so speake hee entered right hastily into his ship and sailed so farre that hée arriued in Thessalie where the king Castor and the king Polux his brother soiourned Hée went a shore spéedily from his shippe and declared his message like as hée had done to the other And the king answered to him in great yre and said to him thus Friend what that thou art I will that thou knowe that wée thinke not to haue iniuried the king Priamus without cause for it is so that the king Laomedon his father then beganne the folly wherefore he was slaine For he wronged first certaine of the Nobles of Greece and therefore wee desire more the euill will of thy king Priamus then his good loue or peace And certes it séemeth well that he had not thée in anie good reckoning when hée sent thee hither to doe this message in this countrey wherefore I wishe thée see well that thou abide not here long for if thou go not incontinent thou shalt die villanously Then Anthenor departed without leaue and entered into his shippe and sailed till hee came to Pilon where the duke Nestor soiourned with a great company of noble men Anthenor went vnto him and saide that hee was messenger of the king Priamus and tolde and counted to him his message in such wise as hee hadde saide to the other before And if the other were angry this Nestor chafed in himselfe more against Anthenor and said to him Ha ha vile varlet who made thee so hardie for to say such thinges before me Certes if it were not that my noblenesse refraine me I woulde anon cause thy tongue to be plucked out of thy head and in despite of thy king I would by force of horse cause to draw thy members one from an other Go thy way hastily out of my sight or by my Gods I will cause to bee done all that I haue heere said c. Then Anthenor was all abashed at the horrible words of Duke Nestor and doubting the furie of his tyrannie returned vnto the Sea and sette him on his returne to Troy ward And hee hadde not been long on the Sea when a great tempest arose and the aire began to waxe darke and to raine and to thunder right maruellously and there rose great windes contrary and waxed thicke and horrible mistie and his shippe was borne on the waues one time high and another time lowe in great perill and there was not a man in the saide shippe but supposed to die and that made not speciall promises and vowes to their Gods and in these perilles were they three dayes and on the fourth day the tempest ceased and and the aire waxed all cléere and became peaceable Then they comforted themselues and sayled so farre that they came to the port of Troy and went straite to their Temples to giue then thankes to their Gods for that they hadde escaped so manie perilles as they hadde been in And after Anthenor went with a great companie of noble men before the king Priamus and when all the Barons were assembled and all the sonnes of the king present then Anthenor tolde all by order what hee had done in Gréece like as it is contained heretofore At these tidinges was king Priamus sore troubled and greeued for the opprobrious tauntes that they had offered to his messenger in Greece And then he had no more hope nor trust to recouer his sister CHAP. II. Howe the king Priamus assembled all his barons for to know whom hee might send into Greece for
and helde his peace and spake not of a great while and so did all the other Then arose vppe on his féete Troylus the yoongest sonne of king Priamus and beganne to speake in this manner O noble men and hardy how be ye abashed for the wordes of this coward priest here Is it not the custome of Priestes for to dread the battailes by pusillanimitie and for to loue good chéere and pleasures to fill their bellies with good wines and with good meats who is he that beléeueth that any man may know the things to come vnlesse the gods do shew it him by reuelation It is but follie for to tarie vpon this or to beléeue such things If Helenus be afrayd let him go into the Temple and sing the diuine Seruice and let the other take reuenge of their iniuries by strength and force of armes O right deare father and lord wherefore art thou so troubled for these wordes send thy shippes into Gréece and thy knights wise and hardie that may make requitall to the Gréekes for their iniuries that they haue done vnto vs. All they that heard Troylus thus speake allowed him saying that hee had very well spoken And thus they finished their parlement and went to dinner After dinner the king Priamus called Paris and Deiphebus and commaunded them expresly that they should goe into the parties of Pannonie hastily to fetch and assemble knightes wise and hardie for to take with them to Gréece And then that same day Paris and Deiphebus departed from the citie of Troy for to performe and accomplish the will of their father The day following the king assembled to counsel al the citizens of the citie of Troy and sayd vnto them after this maner O my louing friendes and true citizens ye all doe know notoriously howe the Gréeks by their pride and insolencie haue done to vs great wrongs and innumerable dammages as it is very well knowen in the al whole world And ye know also how they holde Exione my sister in seruitude wherefore I liue in great sorrow and also ye be remembred howe I sent Anthenor into Gréece that hath nothing done wherefore my sorrowe is doubled And forasmuch as by yron hee cured the woundes insanable I haue purposed to sende Paris my sonne with men of armes and puissance into Gréece for to inuade and assaile our enemies by strength and for to do them great damages and for to assay if they might take any noble ladie of Gréece and to send her into the city and that by the commutation of her I might get againe my sister Exione And forsomuch as I will not begin this thing but that it may come to your knowledge first I pray you that you say to mee your aduise for without you I will not procéed further therein forasmuch as it toucheth you all as well as me When the king had thus finished his spéeches and that ech man held himselfe silent a great while then stood vp a knight named Pantheus that was the sonne of Deuphrobe the Phylosopher and sayde O right noble king as I am your true seruant and vassaile I will declare to you my aduice in this matter also truely as a vassaile and subiect is bound to counsell his lord Ye haue had wel in knowledge Deuphrobe the great Phylosopher my father that liued whole and sounde more then nine score and tenne yeres and was so wise in Phylosophy that he knew the science of things to come hereafter he sayd vnto me many times and affirmed for trueth that if Paris your sonne went into Gréece for to take any noble ladie by violence that this noble citie should be destroyed and burnt vnto ashes by the Gréeks and that ye and all yours should be slaine cruelly And therfore right sage and wise king pleaseth if your noblenesse to heare my wordes and beléeue that the wise men haue sayd and be perswaded in that thing that ye may not loose by if ye leaue it whereof great sorrowes may ensue if ye perseuere in opinion Wherefore wil ye séeke to intrap the good estates of your rest and put your tranquillitie vnder the dangerous aduentures of fortune Leaue this and disswade your selfe if it please you from this folly and finish and end your life in rest happily and suffer not Paris to goe into Gréece in Armes And if ye will algase send ye another then Paris At these wordes of Pantheus grewe and arose great murmuring of the hearers Some reprooued the prophesies of Deuphrobe the Philosopher and some helde it for mockerie and a fable and they were of the greatest number insomuch that by the consent of the more part Paris was appointed for to go into Gréece with men of armes and the parliament finished each man went home into his house and to his place When this conclusion was known of Cassandra daughter of king Priamus she began to make so great sorrow as if she had been foolish or out of her right mind began to cry on high saying Ha ha right noble Citie of Troy what Faierie hath mooued thee to bee brought to such perils for which thou shalt in short times be beaten downe and thy high Towers be ouerthrown destroied vnto the ground Ha ha queene Hecuba for what sinne hast thou deserued the death of thy children which shal be cruell and horrible wherefore with holdest not thou Paris from going into Gréece which shal be cause of this euill aduenture And when she had so cried she went vnto her father the king and with weeping drowned in teares praied him that he woulde be perswaded for to leaue off his enterprise saying that she wist by her science the great euils and harmes that were comming by this meane But neither for the disswasions of Hector neither admonition nor warning of Cassandra the king woulde not change his purpose nor for Helenus his son nor Pantheus c. CHAP. III. ¶ Howe Paris and Deyphebus Eneas Anthenor and Polidamus were sent into Greece and howe they rauished Helene out of the temple of Venus with manie prisoners and richesse and brought them to Troy where Paris espoused the said Helene AT the entry of the moneth of May when the earth is attyred and adorned with diuers sloures Paris and Deiphebus returned from Panonie and brought with them thrée thousand knightes right hardy and wise Then they made readie two and twentie great shippes and charged and laide in them all that was conuenient for them Then the king Priamus called Eneas Anthenor and Polidamas that was the sonne of Anthenor and praied them and commaunded that they shoulde go into Greece with Paris and Deyphebus and they offered themselues to go with a good will And when they were all ready and assembled for to go into their shippes the king Priamus spake to them in this maner It needeth not to vse many wordes for yee knowe well enough for what cause I send you into Greece and howe well that I haue
other slew them flying there was a great crie of the hurt men and there was Achilles al died with the bloud of the Troyans that he hadde slaine and there was great slaughter at the entry into the Citie There sawe the fathers their children slaine before their eyes and the murther and the slaughter had been more great if Troylus Paris and Deiphebus had not come with a great companie fierce and new who came and issued out of the Citie resisted the Greekes and made the slaughter to ceasse and for that the night was nigh each man withdrew him into his place The Troyans kept close their Citie and did make good watch and Achilles with the Greeks returned to their Tentes with great glory who were not yet dressed but the king Agamemnon did cause to dresse them incontinent and made each man to take place meete after his estate And they that had no tentes nor pauilions lodged then vnder the leaues the best wise that they could both themselues and their horses and after ancred their shippes as well as they might and tooke out of them all that was necessary to them Thus made the Greekes their siege this night and set it before the Citie of Troy and made maruellous great fires in the hoste that made it as light as it had bin day So were they lodged a night togither and made right good watch although they hadde none assaultes this night and they hadde all the nightes Trumpets and Minstrels great plentie that Agamemnon ordained for to comfort the hoste And they rested this night all armed the best wise they could This was the first battel of the Gréeks and of the Troyans at their comming c. CHAP. XI ¶ Of the second battaile before Troy in the which were many Kinges and great Barons slaine by the worthy Hector and how the Troyans had been victorious of of their enemies had it not been for the praier of Thelamon Aiax coosin of Hector c. ANd when the night was passed Hector that hadde the charge of all them of the Citie ordered right early his battailes in a great plaine that was in the Citie and put in the first battaile two thousand good knightes which hee betooke to leade and conduct to twaine of his kinsmen that is to wit to Glaucon the sonne of the king of Licie and to Asiamolor his bastard brother and assigned to them the king Thesus of Trace and Archilogus his brother that was wise and valiant and made them to issue out of the gate named Dardan that stood against the hoste of the Gréeks in the second battaile he put three thousand good knightes and strong whom he tooke to conduct to the king Exampitus of Frigie to the king Alcanus that were knights of great strength and recommended them to the guard of the Goddes and made them issue out after the other in good order The third battaile hee betooke to Troilus his brother for to conduct wild three thousand knightes wise and hardie and saide to them at the departing My right deere brother my heart putteth me in doubt of thy great hardinesse wherefore I pray thee that thou gouern thée wisely in the battaile in such wise that thou enterprise not such things as thou maiest not atchieue and that thou put not thy body in daunger of death by ouermuch weening whereby thou mightest giue ioy to thine enemies and ours Go thy way in the name of the gods who conduct and kéepe thee from perill encumbrance Ha ha sir brother aunswered Troylus it néedeth you not to doubt of mee for I will doe that in mee is right as you haue commanded and then he went forth with his company after the other and bare in his shield three lions of golde Hector put in the fourth battell thrée thousand knights and seuen hundred whome hee tooke to conduct the king Huppon of Larissa This king Huppon was most strong of all the Troyans next Hector and had in his company a valiant knight a bastard brother of Hector wise hardie named Diamaicus The fifth battell Hector deliuered to conduct to the king of Cisaine with all his folke that were marueilous strong and great as giants and the same king bare in his shielde all azure without any difference And Hector put in commission in this battell Polidamas his bastard brother with this king and issued after the other The sixt battell lead the king Prenestus that had his people well instructed to shoot and draw the bow and went without armes to battell mounted vpon good light horses and Hector commised Deiphebus his brother to conduct them and they issued after the other With this battell ioyned Hector all the chiualrie of the realme of Agreste vnder the conduct of king Esdras and of king Philon. This king Philon hadde a marueilous chaire all of iuorie of gold and of siluer and of precious stones This chaire was drawen by two strong knights With these two kings Hector put Epitagoren his bastard brother they issued after the other The seuenth battell lead Eneas and a noble admiral named Eufrene and they went after the other The eight battell lead the king of Perse named Perses and Paris was chiefe and captaine and Hector prayed Paris his brother that hee would not assemble vnto the Greekes vnto the time that he came himselfe and that hee woulde follow him anon The much battell and the last lead Hector himselfe and tenne of his bastard brethren after him and all the best knightes of the citie chosen were in this battell to the number of fiue thousand c. Then when Hector was richly arrayed and armed with good harnesse and sure hee mounted vpon his horse named Galathe that was one of the most great strongest horse of the world And so armed and mounted he rode vnto the king his father and sayd vnto him Right deare father reteine with you a thousand and fiue hundred knightes and all the men of foote of this citie and holde you without before the sight of the Gréeks moue you not but if I send you word to the end if we haue necessitie that ye be our refuge And I will send you alway among my messengers that shall tell to you the state of the battell and take ye good heed and kéepe good guard that our enemies take not our citie by pollicie or treason And the king answered him My sonne I will doe all as thou hast sayde vnto me for next after the ayde and helpe of the gods thou art all my hope and trust and I haue no confidence but in the vertue of thine armes and in the great discretion of thy wit And I pray to the gods right humbly that they will keepe thee whole and sound and preserue thee from incombrance After these wordes Hector went forth after the other This Hector was very couragious strong and victorious in battaile and a right wise conductor of menne of armes His shield was all of golde and
the ground twice and after slew the king Prothenor and smote him with one stroke in two partes WHen it was come to the morrow betimes the Troyans armed them for to go and assaile the Greekes but the Greeks sent betimes to king Priamus and demanded truce for two monethes and he agreed to them the saide truce And then were the dead bodies gathered as well of the one part as of the other and some were buried and some burnt Achilles was then so sorrowfull for the death of Patroclus that hée could in no wise be comforted hee made his bodie to bée buried in a faire rich Sepulture and so did they of the other as of the king Prothesilaus and other kinges and princes that were slaine and they that were hurt and wounded they did cause to bée healed during the truce Priamus the king did bury his bastard sonne Cassibelanus right honourably in the temple of Venus and shewed great sorrowe for his death and so did all the other c. When Cassandra heard the greefe and sorrow that the Troyans made for the death of their friendes shee cried and said O vngracious Troyans make sorrow for your selues for in likewise shall it happē and come to you as it is to your friendes that is the death alas why seeke yée not peace of the Gréekes before these euils come to you and ere this noble citie bee destroied alas why yeelde you not againe Helene that the king my father did cause to rauish by force wherefore yee shall all be destroied Among all these thinges Palamedes murmured greatly at the seignory of Agamemnon saying that hee was not worthy to haue so great domination aboue all the other and that he himselfe was more worthy to haue the seignory of the hoste then Agamemnon and that hee had not the good will and consent of the princes but only of three or foure and then at that time there was nothing further proceeded When the truce failed the king Agamemnon that had the charge of all the hoste ordered right early his battailes and gaue the first to Achilles and the second to Diomedes the third to Menelaus the fourth to Menesteus the duke of Athens and ouer all the other he ordained good captaines and conductors Hector ordered his battailes in like wise and set in the first Troylus and in all the other he set good captaines and hardy and made all the battailes to issue out and hee set himselfe in the front before And when Achilles sawe him hee ranne against him so that they smote each other to the earth right sore Hector remounted first and left Achilles lying on the earth and smote in among the other in the greatest prease and he raught no knight but he slew him or beate him downe and went throughout the battaile all made red with the bloud of them that he had slaine When Achilles was remounted he thrusted in among the Troyans in the great prease and slew many and hee went so farre that he encountered Hector againe and he ranne to him and Hector to him but Achilles was borne downe to the ground and Hector woulde haue taken his horse but he might not for the great succors that Achilles had When hee was remounted hée assailed Hector with his sword and gaue so great strokes to Hector that nigh hée had beaten him but Hector gaue to him so great a stroke vppon the helme that he ouerthrew him and made the bloud spring out of his head Thus was the battell mortall of the two knightes and if they had not béen parted the one from other they had béene slaine but their people put asunder them Then came Diomedes to the battaile and Troylus on the other side which smote each other to the earth But Dyomedes remounted first and assailed Troylus that was on foote and defended himself valiantly and slew the horse of Dyomedes but their men remounted them both two by force and then they began againe to skirmish And Dyomedes had taken and lead away Troylus if the Troyans had not put them in perill of death for to reskew him and many of them were slain Then came to the battaile Menelaus of the Gréeks side and Paris on the other side and thus going and comming Hector ceassed not to slea and to beate downe knightes Then there was a new knight named Brietes that assailed him fiersly but Hector by right great ire smote him vpon the Helme so great a stroke that he cleft his head vnto the nauell and hee fell downe dead but Archilogus his coosin séeing that Hector woulde haue taken his horse Archilogus defended him asmuch as hée might and then Hector ranne vpon him and smote him so hard that hee smote his body in two peeces notwithstanding his harneis The king Prothenor addressed him to Hector that then tooke no regard nor heede and smote him downe to the earth And Hector remounted anon vpon his horse and gaue to king Prothenor so great a stroke with all his might that hée cleft body in two halues Achilles that was his parent or coosin seeing that had so great sorrow that hee and the king Archelaus contended to reuenge his death But the Troyans did come vppon him with such courage and warlike strength that the Greekes fainted and must néedes flee and the Troyans followed them vnto their tentes and then the night came on that made them to depart and the Troyans returned backe into their Citie CHAP. XIII ¶ How the Greekes held parliament how they might slea the worthy Hector and how they returned to the fourth battaile in the which Paris and Menelaus encountered and the king Thoas was brought prisoner to Troy AFter this battaile when the night was come all the kings princes and barons of the Greekes assembled at the Tent of king Agamemnon and there held they their parliament howe they might slea Hector And they said that as long as hée were aliue and came to battaile against them they might neuer vanquish the Troyans but he should to them doe great damage And for to bring this thing to the end they requested Achilles that hee woulde take it vppon him as well for his strength as for his wisedome And Achilles enterprised it gladly as hee that wist that Hector desired more his death then the death of any other and also Hector was hee by whom he might soonest loose his life After this counsell they went to rest till on the morrowe betime they armed them And Hector was then issued out of the Citie with his battailes well and diligently ordered and was himselfe before all other in the first battaile And after him came Eneas and then Paris and then Deyphebus and after him Troylus and after him the other following each in his order Then ioyned all the Troyans togither and were more then an hundred thousand fighting men Then began the battaile horrible and mortall Paris with them of Perse that were good knightes slew with shot many Gréeks and hurted them
their praiers but descended from the Pallace thus armed as he was and tooke his horse and would haue gone to battell But at the request of Andromeda the king Priamus came running anon and took him by the bridle and said to him so many thinges of one and other that hee made him to returne but in no wise hee woulde vnarme him Among all these thinges the battell was mortall of the Greekes and of the Troyans Diomedes and Troylus iousted togither and at the assembly they greeued each other and without faile each of them had slaine other if Menelaus had not come and parted them Then the king Miseres of Frigie beate Menelaus and hadde taken him when Eneas came and troubled them and woulde haue slaine him but the said Troilus deliuered them and slew many Greekes Then came the king Thelamon with three thousand fighting men and iousted in his comming against Polidamas and put him to the worse and vnhorsed him But Troylus succoured him made him to remount on his horse after came Paris and Achilles on the other side that smote among the Troians by so great force with the helpe of his people that he put them to the flight vnto the citie and in this chase Achilles slewe Margareton one of the bastardes of the king Priamus When Hector knewe that Achilles had slaine Margareton he had great sorrow and did anon lace on his helm and went to the battaile that his father knew not of and in his comming hee slew two noble dukes Greekes the duke Coriphus and the duke Bastidus and he thrusted into the greatest prease of the Greekes and slew as many as he could reach and the Greekes fled afore him that there was none so hardie that durst abide his strokes and â—hus the Troyans returned and slewe the Greekes on all sides Then the Greeks tooke Polydamas and had lead him away had not Hector béene which deliuered him and flewe many Gréekes Then an admirall of Gréece named Leocides assailed Hector and Hector slewe him anon When Achilles saw that Hector slewe thus the nobles of Gréece and so many other that it was marueile to beholde he thought that if Hector were not slaine the Gréekes should neuer haue victorie And forasmuch as he had slaine many kings and princes he ran vpon him marueilously and a noble duke of Gréece with him named Polyceus that was come for the loue of Achilles the wich had promised to giue to him his sister in marriage But Hector slew the same duke anon in the sight of Achilles Then Achilles wéening to auenge the death of Policeus assailed Hector by great ire but Hector cast to him a dart fiercely made him a wound in his thigh and then Achilles issued out of the battell and did binde vp his wound and tooke a great speare in purpose to stay Hector if he might meete him Among all these things Hector had taken a very noble baron of Gréece that was queintly and richly armed and for to leade him out of the hoste at his ease had cast his shielde behinde him at his backe and had left his breast discouered and as hee was in this point and tooke none heede of Achilles he came priuily vnto him and thrust his speare within his bodie and Hector fell downe dead to the grounde When the king Menon sawe Hector dead hee assailed Achilles by great ire and beate him downe to the grounde and hurt him grieuously and his men bare him into his tent vpon their shield Then for the death of Hector were al the Troyans discomfited and reentred into their citie bearing the bodie of Hector with great sorrow and lamentation CHAP. XVIII ¶ Of the rich sepulture of Hector and of the great lamentations and weepings that the Troyans made for his death and how Palamedes was chosen duke gouernour of the hoste of the Greeks WHen Hector was dead his body borne into the citie there is no tongue that could expresse the sorrow that was made in the citie generally of men and women and there was none but he had rather to haue lost his owne sonne then him and they sayd euery one that from thencefoorth they had lost all their hope and trust of defence and thus they demeaned right long their extreame griefe and sorrow The noble kings and princes bare the bodie vnto the pallace of Ilyon Their when the king Priamus saw him he fell downe in a swowne vpon the bodie and was as dead for sorrow that vnneth they coulde take him away by force There demeaned great sorrow all his brethren What might men say of the sorrow that his mother the Queene made and afterward his sister O what sorrowe made his wife certes there can no man expresse al the lamentations that there were made And forasmuch as the body might not long endure without corruption the king Priamus tooke counsell of many wise masters how they might keepe the bodie of Hector without corruption and without sepulture and then hee did cause to be made by their aduice and counsell a rich sepulture vpon foure pillars of golde lift vp on height vpon the which was made a marueilous rich Tabernacle of golde and of precious stones and on the foure corners of the Tabernacle were foure images of golde that hadde semblance of angels and aboue the Tabernacle there was a wonderfull great image of golde that was made after the semblance of Hector and had the visage turned toward the Greeks held a naked sworde that he menaced the Greekes with and there was in the middes of the Tabernacle a place voyd where the masters sate and put the bodie of Hector flesh and bones cladde in his best garments and robes and stood right vp on his feete and might endure a long time in that wise without corruption by a certaine deuice that the maisters had set on the sommet or toppe of the head of Hector that is to witte a vessell that had an hole in the bottome which vessel was all full of very fine balme and that distilled and dropped into a place aboue on his head and so spread downe into all the members of the bodie aswell within as without and they filled often times the vessell with balme And thus the bodie might not impaire for the great vertue of this balme And all the people that would see Hector they sawe him verily in like maner as hee had béene aliue To this sepulture the same maisters made a lampe of fine golde burning continually without going out or quenching and afterward they made a closure to the end that no man should approch nor goe vnto this Tabernacle without licence or leaue And in this Temple the king Priamus ordeined and set great plentie of priests for to pray vnto the gods without ceasing for his sonne Hector and gaue to them good rents Among these things the king Agamemnon assembled all the kings and most nobles of his hoste and sayde vnto them in this maner My friends
all ye kings princes and barons wee ought to render and yeeld thanks to the gods humbly and with deuout heart that our right hard enemie Hector hath suffered to be slaine by the hand of Achilles For as long as he was aliue we had neuer any hope to haue come to the better hand of our enemies What may the Troyans from hencefoorth hope or trust for but onely for their owne ouerthrow and we may in short time hope for the victorie vpon them And for as much as Achilles is grieuously hurt and may not goe to battell if ye thinke good whiles that yee maybe healed and the other also that be hurt of whom we haue many and also for to burie the dead bodies we will send to the king Priamus for to haue truce for two moneths The counsell seemed good to them and they sent anon to the king Priamus for truce and hee accorded it to them for two moneths During this truce Palamedes murmured againe at the seignorie of Agamemnon and as they were on a day all together Palamedes spake of this matter the king Agamemnon answered to him as sage in the presence of all the other and sayd vnto him Palamedes weenest thou that I haue great ioy of the seignorie that was giuen vnto me at the beginning and haue occupied to this present time for that it was not at my request neither haue I none auaile nor profit thereby but I haue great charge and breake many sléepes therefore to the end that by my negligence our hoste goe not to decline nor disworship and certes if had well suffised me to haue beene vnder the gouernment of another and I feare no man that may accuse mee that for any euill or negligence I haue failed in any thing And if thou gauest not thy consent vnto mine election thou needest not to dismay thereof for thou werest not as yet at that time come with the other but it was two yeeres after ere thou camest And therefore if wee shoulde haue abiden thy comming wee had beene at the Port of Athens And forasmuch as thou shalt not thinke that I haue ioy or pleasure of this office and am desirous to haue this honour I am content that another be chosen and am readie to giue consent with the most voices When Agamemnon had thus spoken there was no further procéeding that day in this matter And then at euen Agamemnon did make it to bee cried in all the hoste that ech man should be on the morrow betimes before his tent at the Parlement When it came to the morning that they were all assembled Agamemnon said to them My brethren and friends I haue had vnto this time the charge of this worke with great trauaile for to conduct it well in such wise that by the sufferance of the Gods I haue brought it vnto honor vnto this time And forasmuch as it is not lawfull that an Vniuersitie be ruled alway by one maister but that euery mā employ him to the best to his power and forsomuch as I haue conducted this hoste long time I will that wee doe choose another that may conduct it discreetly When Agamemnon had finished his wordes his saying pleased to euerie man and they chose Palamedes to bée their duke and gouernour and then hee went vnto his Tent. Achilles that lay sicke of his woundes was angry at the deposing of Agamemnon and said before al them that would heare it that Palamedes was nothing like vnto Agamemnon in witte and in discretion and that they ought not to change him for Palamedes but forasmuch as the people had consented he abode thereby also c. CHAP. XIX ¶ How the king Priamus issued to battaile for to auenge vpon the Greekes the death of his sonne Hector and of the prowesses that he did and of the anniuersary of the said Hector in which Achilles was surprised with the loue of Polixena the daughter of king Priamus in such wise that he might endure no rest WHen the the two monthes of the truce were past the king Priamus desiring to auenge the death of his sonne Hector ordeined with his owne person his battailes and sette in each battaile good conductors and hee himselfe went and lead with him fiue and twentie thousand of good knightes chosen of the best And Dares saith in his booke that there issued out of Troy that day an hundred and fiftie thousand men Deyphebus was the foremost and then Parie and after him came the king Priamus and Troylus Eneas Menon and Polidamas they went vnto the Tentes of the Greekes Palamedes had ordained his battailes Then began the battel great and mortall The king Priamus smote downe Palamedes in his comming and after smote vnto the greatest prease of the Greekes and slew many of them and beat them downe and did so much in armes in that day that with great paine woulde beleeue that a man so ancient and old might doe that he did that day The king Sarpedon of Troy assailed king Neoptolemus that was a passing strong knight and king Sarpedon was borne to the earth that defended him valiantly and gaue so great a stroke vnto king Neoptolemus that made him a great wound in his thigh Then came to the battaile the king of Perse that remounted the king Sarpedon with the aide of his folke Menelaus and the duke of Athens assailed the king of Perse and inclosed him and his people among them and slew the king of Perse and made the Troyans to recule by force there did the king Sarpedon great and woonderous matters of armes The king Priamus and his bastard sonnes that then followed him ceased not to slea the Greekes and there was none that day that did so much in armes as did the king Priamus for his sorrow his ire made his strength to grow Then the Greekes aduised them to take the way by which the Troyans should returne vnto their citie and they went thither in great number And when the Troyans reculed for to go into that place they found themselues in the middle of their enemies Then began mortall battel and there came vpon them the king Priamus with a great number of fighting men by a wing and Paris came crossing them with a great plentie of good fighters and he had great store of archers that slew many of the Greekes and hurted them and they did so well that by force the Greekes were driuen to recule to their Tentes And the Troyans reentered into their Citie and the king Priamus had the losse and worst of this battaile He sent to the Greekes to demaund truce and they agreed and accorded to him but we finde not howe long this truce endured c. Among these thinges the king Priamus did cause to cary by land the body of the king of Perse for to be buried in his countrey then was the weeping and sorrow great in Troy and in especiall of Paris that loued him exceedingly During this truce the anniuersary of
Hector approched when men should mourn fifteene daies in great sorrow and after shoulde hallow the great feast of the funerall as it was that time the guise and custome for kinges and Princes And then during the truce the Greekes went and came into the Citie safely and so did the Troyans vnto the Tentes of the Greekes Then Achilles had desire to go to Troy to see the Citie and the feast of the anniuersary of Hector whoÌ„ he had slaine and so he went all vnarmed vnto the temple of Apollo where as was the sepulture of Hector and he found there great plentie of men and women that were noble and wept made great sorow before the sepulture which Hector a man might see on all sides al whole in like maner as he was first by the vertue of that balme There was the queene Hecuba and Polixena her daughter that was passing faire with a great company of noble Ladies that had all their haire dispersed and hanging about their shoulders and made right maruellous sorrow And albeit that Polixena made so great sorrowe yet she lost nothing of her bewtie but seemed shewed her selfe so faire in all her members that nature formed neuer none more fairer c When Achilles had well aduised and seen Polixena he said in himselfe that hee had neuer seen so faire a woman nor better formed nor made with that she was one of the most noble women of the world Then was Achilles shot with the dart of loue that stroke him to the heart so maruellously that he could not cease to behold her and the more he beheld her the more he desired her He was so besotted on her that he thought on no other thing but abode in the temple vnto the euening as long as the queene was there and when she went out he conueied his eye vpon Polixena as farre as he might see her and this was the cause and the beginning of his mishappe In this sorrow Achilles returned vnto his tent and when he was laid to sleepe that night there came many things in his minde in his thought and he knew then the danger that Polixena had put him in and thought in himself that the most strong men of the world could not nor hadde not power to vanquish him but the only regard and sight of a fraile maide had vanquished and ouercome him and him séemed that there is no medicine in the world might heale him saue she Then he said my praier my strength nor my riches may nothing mooue her to haue pitie on me I wot neuer what diuell hath put mee in this daunger to loue her that hateth me so sore with mortall hate and by right good cause for I am come hither for to slea her kinne and cosins and now late haue slaine her noble brother Hector Certes I see no remedie since shee is the most noble and fairest of the world And then he turned him to the wall and fell in weeping and drowned himselfe in teares and of necessitie he must thinke how he might come to the loue of Polixene and so he couered and hid his courage as well as hée might CHAP. XX. ¶ How Achilles sent his secret messenger vnto Hecuba the queene of Troy for to request her daughter Polixena and of the answere and how for the loue of her the said Achilles assembled the hoste of the Greeks and counselled them to depart and haue peace with the Troyans THe night following as Achilles was laide on his bed and might not sleepe he thought that he would send betimes his messenger vnto the quéene Hecuba for to know if hee might finde with her that fauor that she would giue to him her daughter Polixena to wife and hee would doe so much for her that he would make the Greekes to raised thâ—ir sâ—â—ge and go againe into their countrey hastily and that peace should be made betweene them Thus as hee thought in the night he put in execution and so sent his true messenger vnto the queene for to require her daughter and said to her the promises that his Lord had commaunded him When the queene had vnderstood the wordes of the messenger she answered him discreetly notwithstanding that she hated Achilles more then any man of the worlde saying friend as much as in me is I am ready for to doe that thing that thy maister requireth of mée but so say vnto him that I may not doe this thing alone by myselfe but I will speake to my Lord and to Paris my sonne and thou shalt come to mee the third day againe and I will say to thée thine answere When the messenger heard the quéene so speake he returned vnto his Lord and saide to him all that he hadde found and thus began Achilles to haue hope to come to his intent The queene Hecuba went anon vnto the king Priamus her husband whereas Paris was and tolde to them all that Achilles had sent to her and then the king hanged downe his head and was so a long while without saying of any word and after said to his wife O how is it as mee thinketh a hard thing to receiue into friendship and amitie him that hath done to me so great offence that hath taken away the light of mine eies in slaying my deere sonne Hector and hath therein giuen hope to the Greekes to haue the victorie But yet for to eschew the more great peril to the end that mine other sonnes loose not their liues and that I may haue rest in mine olde daies I consent with you that he haue that he requireth alway foreseene that hee doe first that thing that he hath promised without any deception Paris agreed to this thing readily forasmuch as in the promises of Achilles was nothing spoken of Queene Hellene c. At the third day after Achilles sent againe his messenger vnto the queene and as soone as hee came before her she said to him I haue spoken to my husband and also to my sonne Paris of the request and also of the promise of thy Lord and they be content that this his re-request be agreed to him so as that he do first that thing that hee hath promised and so thou maiest say to him that hee may come to the chiefe and end of his desire if that he conduct wisely and secretly this thing asmuch as in him is The messenger tooke leaue of the queene and came anon to his maister and counted to him al that the quéene had said to him Then beganne Achilles greatly to thinke how he might performe this that he had promised to the king Priamus and that it was a greeuous thing to doe and that it was not all in his power But it is a proper vice vnto the foolish louers to promise things that are hard to bring about and difficile for to come to the effect of their loues And likewise glorified him Achilles that for his merites or for giuing his aide to the Greekes he
thereto with thy person And if thou wouldest haue béene contrary thereto and haue let it Helene had neuer seene the walles of Troy And now after this that they haue slaine all my children and done so much dammage and hurt ye counsell mee against honour to make peace with the Gréeks that haue so cruelly destroyed me Certes your counsell finisheth my life with great sorow and dishonour c. Of these wordes was Eneas exceedingly angrie and wroth and answered to the king wordes sharpe and pricking enough and departed he Anthenor from the king euill content And when they were gone the king began to weepe as hee that dreaded that they would deliuer the citie into the hands of the Greeks which would slay him incontinent Then he thought that he would make them die first and called to him Amphimacus and sayd to him Right deare sonne I am thy father we ought to support ech other vnto the death I know certeinly that Anthenor and Eneas contend for to slay vs by the Gréekes and to deliuer them this citie and therefore it should not be ill done to make them fall into the pitte that they haue made ready before ere they doe any such euill and I will tell thee in what maner To morrow at euen they will come to take counsell then thou shalt be ambushed here within and thou shalt haue with thee good knights and when they shall bee come thou shalt runne vppon them and slay them Amphimacus made answere vnto him and sayd that hee would so doe with a verie good will and albeit there were no more assembled at this counsell but the king and his sonne yet there is nothing so secret but otherwhile it is knowne Eneas knew wel the truth of this thing and it was not knowne by whom he knew it and anon hee and Anthenor and some other of their complices spake forth of the treason of the citie and there they swore each to other and then they said if they went more to counsaile to the king that they woulde go with great company of men of armes for Eneas was of the most noble of Troy and most rich next to the king and best of linage and might well compare to the king And Anthenor was also rich and puissant of friendes in the citie and their treason was such that they would haue deliuered the city in the handes of their enemies So as they and all they of their linage shoulde haue their liues and their goods saued and thereof they tooke good suretie of the Greekes Among these thinges the king Priamus sent for Anthenor and Eneas to come to counsell for to performe that thing that he hadde purposed but they came with a great company of men of armes and therefore the king sent Amphymacus that hee shoulde leaue off this enterprise The day following the king sent for all the Troians to councel and when they were assembled before him Eneas stood vp and willed all them to make peace with the Greekes to whom all the other accorded saue the king and then said to him Eneas Sir king wherefore consentest not thou with the other for will thou or will thou not we will treate for the peace and wil make it maugre thee When the king sawe that his contradiction might nothing auaile he had leauer consent with the other then for to be the cause of his destruction and then said he to Eneas Let it be made as ye shall thinke that it may bee most expedient to the peace and I will thinke wel of it Then by the counsel of them all Anthenor was chosen for to go to the Greekes and treat for the peace and the Troyans tooke branches of Palme in signe of peace and went vppon the walles of the Citie and shewed the signe vnto the Gréeks the which shewed well that they would entend to the peace And then was Anthenor retyred from the walles and let downe and was presented to the king Agamemnon And the king Agamemnon commised all the work to the king of Crete Diomedes and Vlisses and that all those thinges that these thrée kinges should decree with Anthenor all the Gréeks promised to hold it agreeable and sware it vpon their law c. When they were all foure assembled Anthenor replenished with furie promised to them to deliuer the citie by treason for to doe with it their will and pleasure so that they woulde saue him and Eneas and all their kinsmen and parentage and all them that they woulde choose and that Eneas should haue all his possessions without any losse These three kings of Greece swore to Anthenor that thus they would do and hold then said one to the other that this thing must be secret vnto the time it be brought about and to the end to keepe this treason more secret Anthenor praied to the Greekes that they would deliuer to him the king Cassilius that was a very auncient man for to go with him to Troy to the intent that he might be the better beleued and for that he knew the will of the Troians that is to weet if they woulde haue peace with the Greekes and also for to say to them the will and desire of the Greekes and then demaunded Anthenor the body of Penthesilea which the Gréeks agreed to them gladly After these thinges Anthenor and the king Cassilius entred into the citie and did to be knowne to the king their comming On the morrow betimes the king Priamus assembled al the Troians for to heare the answer of Anthenor the which saide to the king otherwise then hée founde making a long sermon for to couer his badde doing Where he spake long of the puissance of the Gréeks and of their truth in their promises and how they had holden the truce that they made lying before the citie had béen faithfully gouerned without breaking of them and after spake he of the feeblenesse of the Troyans of the daungers that they were in and in this time concluded that forthwith it were profitable to seeke peace and that they were come thereto and said it coulde not be vnlesse they gaue a great quantity of gold and siluer vnto the Greeks for to restore to them the great damages that they had in the warre And after they aduised the king the other each in himself for to employ him in this thing without any sparing And forasmuch said Anthenor as I cannot know at this time al their will I would that yee would let Eneas go with mee vnto them for to knowe better their will and to the end that they beleeue vs the better Euerie man allowed the words of Anthenor and then went he and Eneas to the Greeks and with them the king Cassilius When the counsel was finished and all done the king Priamus entred into his chamber began to wéep right gréeuously as he that perceiued wel the treason playned sore the death of his sons and the great damage that he
the Greekes Then they tooke her by force and lead her into an I le and there they stoned her to death And thus 〈◊〉 queene Hector ended and finished her life and the Gréekes made for her a noble sepulture and put her body therein and hiâ— Sepulture appeareth yet in the same I le vnto this day c. CHAP. XXVII ¶ Of the dissention that was mooued because of the Palladium betweene Thelamon and Vlisses and howe Eneas and Anthenor were exiled out of Troy and how the Greekes returned and of their aduentures WHiles that the Greekes soiourned yet at Troy and might not depart for the great tempest after that they had destroied all the Citie and taken all that they found that was good the king Thelamon made his quarrell before the king Agamemnon for the Palladium that Vlisses had saying that hee had not so well deserued it as he had done that had so many times succoured the hoste with vittaile and also had defended it by his great prowesse whereas the Host of the Greekes had beene in daunger to haue beene lost had not he béene and saide that hee had slaine the king Polimnestor to whome the king Priamus had put Polidorus his sonne and after had slaine the same Polidorus and had brought a great treasour hee found vnto the hoste of the Greekes And also he had slaine the king of Frigie and brought his goodes into the hoste and alledged then that hee had gotten many realmes to the seignorie of Greece and other many valiances that hee had done to the honour of the Greekes and said moreouer that Vlisses had in him no prowesse nor valiance but only subtiltie and faire speaking for to deceiue men and by him haue we gotten to vs great shame that where wee might haue vanquished the Troyans by armes nowe wee haue vanquished them by deceipte and falshood To these wordes answered Vlisses and saide that by his valiance and by his wit the Troyans were vanquished and if he had not bin the Troyans had béen yet in state and in glory in the Cittie And after said to Thelamon certes the Palladium was neuer conquered by your prowesse but by my wit and the Greekes wist not what it was nor of what vertue it is vntill I did them to knowe thereof first by the diligence that I did vse thereto and when I knew that the Citie of Troy might not be taken as long as it was in the same I went secretly into the citie and did so much that it was deliuered vnto me and after we tooke the citie To this answered Thelamon iniuriously and Vlisses to him in like manner insomuch that they became mortall ennemies each to other and Thelamon menaâ—ed Vlisses to the death openly And yet after that this matter was well discussed Agamemnon and Menelaus iudged that the Palladium shoulde abide and tarry with Vlisses and some sayde that they did likewise make this iudgement forasmuch as Vlisses by his faire speaking had saued from death Helene that Thelamon and other would haue had dead And with this iudgement they might not be content for the most greatest part of the hoste said that Thelamon ought better to haue the Palladium then Vlisses and therefore Thelamon spake to Agamemnon and Menelaus in many iniurious wordes and sayd vnto them that he would be their mortall enemy from thenceforth on For this cause Agamemnon Menelaus and Vlisses helde themselues all three neere together and had alway after with them a very great number and marueilous multitude of most valiant knightes Then it came to passe that on the morrow after earely in the morning that Thelamon was founde slaine in his bedde and had wounds in many places of his body whereof rose a verie great crie in the hoste and they made great sorrowe and gaue all the blame vnto three kings before rehearsed Pirrus that loued excéedingly the king Thelamon sayde many iniurious words to Vlisses and to the other Then Vlisses doubted and the next night following he and his men entered into their shippes secretly and went to the sea for to returne homewarde and left with Diomedes his friend the Palladium Pirrus did cause to burne the body of Thelamon and put the ashes in a rich vessell of golde for to beare with him into his countrey to burie it honourably The hate was great betwéene Pirrus and the king Agamemnon and his brother but Anthenor made the peace and after on a day gaue a dinner vnto all the nobles of Gréece did serue them with many meats and gaue to them faire gifts c. Among these things the Gréekes reproched Eneas that he had falsified his othe in that that he had hid Polixene and for this cause they banished him out of Troy for euer And when Eneas saw that he might not abide there hee prayed them earnestly that they would accord and agree that hee might haue the two and twentie shippes that Paris had with him into Gréece and they graunted to him his request and gaue vnto him foure monethes space for to repaire them and furnish them of all such necessaries that they lacked Anthenor departed after from Troy with his good will and led with him a great number of Troyans but the history telleth not whither he would go Eneas greately hated Anthenor forsomuch as by him hee was banished out of Troy and was in great sorrow because Anthenor was not as well banished as he And for this cause Eneas assembled all the Troyans and saide to them my friendes and my brethren since that Fortune hath put vs in the state wherein we be we may not liue without a head and gouernour and if ye will doe by counsell ye shall choose Anthenor and make him your king for he is wise enough to gouerne you This counsell séemed good to the Troyans and they sent after Anthenor that returned anone vnto them and as soone as he was come Eneas assembled a great number of people for to runne vpon him as he that was most mighty in Troy Then the Troyans prayed him that he would cease since that the warre was finished and that he would not beginne it againe How saide Eneas shoulde wee spare one so hainous a traitour that by his great villany hath caused Polixene the faire daughter of king Priamus to die and by him I am banished out of Troy that should haue counselled and holpen you and now I must néedes leaue you Eneas saide so much to the Troyans that they bannished Anthenor for euer out of Troy and constrained him anone to goe his way out of the towne c. Anthenor entred into the sea with a great company of Troyans and sailed so farre that he fell among men of war and pirates of the sea who ranne vpon him and slew many of his men and hurt and robbed and pilled of his ships and in the end Anthenor escaped from them and sailed so farre that he arriued in a Prouince named Gerbandy wherof the king
as well then as the night before she began to féel the sparkles of Love and séeing his riches that he had given in the house she determined to give him her heart and love On this resolution to which her heart concluded she was firmly setled yet her mind was enterlaced with abundant thoughts â—any Noble-men had required her love before time that shée was shut in the Tower and could never turn her heart nor cause â—er once to sigh or think on thâ—ir requests The onely words of â—upiter were so effectual and happy that they constrained her to â—ear them and to become pensâ—ve breaking all doubts and contrary opinions CHAP. XXI How Jupiter came from his Chamber by night and lay in the Tower of Dardan with the Damosel Danae on whom he begate the noble Perseus SO long dured the feasting of Jupiter that it was time to with-draw from thence Then Danae took leave of Jupiter and did convey him into a secret Chamber by her Damosels When Jupiter was departed she entred into her Chamber aâ—â— was enterlarded with aboundant thoughtes Many noble men had required her loue before time that she was shutte in the Tower and could neuer turne her heart nor cause her once to sighe or thinke on their requestes The only words of Iupiter were so effectual and happie that they constrayned her to heare them and to become pensife breaking all doubts and contrary opinions CHAP. XXI How Iupiter came from his chamber by night and lay in the tower of Dardane with the damosell Danae on whome he engendred the noble Perseus SO long dured the feasting of Iupiter that it was houre and time to withdrawe thence Then Danae tooke leaue of Iupiter and did conuey him into a secrete chamber by her damosels When Iupiter was departed she entred into her chamber accompanyed onely with the olde woman that was her mistresse which had charge on her aboue all other and as soone as the olde woman had her priuily in her chamber as she that was suspitious sayde to her my daughter tell mée of your tidings I must néedes knowe what thing this messenger hath sayde to you Dame aunswered Danae will ye witte yea sayd the old woman Then answered Danae he must come himselfe and make the reâ—ort for he hath sayde to me so many things that the tenth parte is not in my minde My daughter sayd the olde woman I thinke well he is not come hither without cause What hath he sayd if ye haue not all in minde tell me at least that abideth and resteth in your mind Dame answered Danae ye knowe well that neuer I mistrusted you and that the secretnes of myne heart to you hath alway bin open I wil now make no new customes For to short this matter he that nameth himselfe seruant of Iupiter is Iupiter himselfe by report and hath made great oaths that hee hath made these presents and gifts for to speake to me Indéed he hath shewed to me how I loose héere my time and hath required me to be his wife To which I haue not yet consented but haue taken day for to giue an answere to morrow hoping to take your counsell and therfore I pray you that ye counsell me in that I haue to doo and what answere he shall haue of me Ye know how I haue suffered his gifts to be receiued he must be therefore satisfied by some maner either by faire spéech or otherwise The old woman had béen before time in the house of king Meliseus and there had séene Iupiter in the time of his return from his conquest of Archadie and had partly knowne him since the first day that he came thither This notwithstanding she doubted of his person for as much as men otherwhile be like one to another and she had alway her eie on him When then she had vnderstood by Danae that had told her that he was Iupiter she was sure that it was he in his person and had great ioy saying My daughter certainely I know him that we speake of and haue talked with him of long time past And for his person I assure you it is hee that he hath done you to vnderstand of But for to perswade or counsell you if yee take him vnto your husband I can say none otherwise to you but that hee is one of the most valiantest men of the world and that his enterprises bee right high And if I had a daughter the most best manered of the world there is no man liuing that I would giue her sooner vnto then to him if it pleased him to take hir Ye sée that notwithstanding his simple aray hee is a goodly man hee is noble hee is rich hee is wise hée is a king Ye feele in your selfe your courage if ye will vse and obserue the commandement of your father ye may not with him holde consistorie ne parlement If ye will absent you from this place by good meanes there is no man but Iupiter that may helpe you I counsell you neither the one nor the other choose ye and take ye the best way c. Ah my mother sayd Danae howe should I choose my selfe there is in me neither wit nor reason to take that I should choose ne for to discerne the good from the euill And as for me I shall put it all into your deliberation and will that yee knowe that out of this Tower would I faine be mine honour saued and the honour saued of my companie With this came in to them all the damoses of the house and said to her that they had made right good chéere to their guest and thus failed the secret conference of Danae of the aged woman The damosels went set their iewels newly presented to them and parted to each of theÌ„ her portion saying that to king Iupiter was none like but that he was among al other the most bountifull most honorable king of kings The maid Danae took great pleasure with al these things When the damosels had parted among them their iewels of gold with great ioy they brought Danae to bed departed from her chamber which they left open by forgetting as they that had set all their mind and thought on their riches and so went to their beds into their chambers Iupiter lying in his bedde at this houre found himselfe so surprised with couetousnes of loue that he was constrained to arise and to looke out at a window to behold if the day approched lifting his eyes againe to the stars of heauen and was rauished in his heart by the remembrance of faire Danae and saide 〈◊〉 noble Danae that hath more beautye than the starre â—ning and that shineth by soueraigne clearnesse alas wheâ— be ye this houre the paine that I indure for your cause yée know not nor the great ieopardie the perillous case that I haue put me in to attaine your loue Vnkindnesse may she haue place in you with disdaine rigor and fiercenesse which be mine
withhold my hand from smiting vppon thee and assay if thou be as subtill in armes as thou art subtill in language Poore foole said the serpent which was full of pride knowest not thou that by my part serpentine I haue infected all this countrey and I wil this day drinke thy bloud and deuour thy body wherefore make good watch and kéep thee well Without mo wordes Hercules enhaunsed his sworde for to haue smitten his aduersary but he could not so soon haste him but the serpent gaue him first two strokes one with his sword and the other with his taile wherewith he had almost smitten him down to the ground Yet Hercules abode standing with his sword that he had lifted vp he smote the monster vpon the helme with such strength that he al to frushed the helme and made him a wound in his head At this stroke that the Serpent felt he was full of furie and with his sword smote Hercules the second time vpon the helme with so great might that the sparkles and the fire flew out and the helme was broken Hercules that neuer before hadde receiued so great a stroke promised him that he would reuenge it and smote him right angerly Their strokes were great and deadly they smote eche other 〈◊〉 and they were both two of great courage But when fortune had enough cherished them both she turned against the Serpent so earnestly that after many strokes Hercules smote his sharp sword within the helme into his head and bare him downe dead vnto the earth Hercules had great ioy when he sawe the monster put to the foile he went for to fetch the king of Lerna with Deianira and his folke and brought them for to see the monster When he hadde shewed them the monster hée made a great fire and burned it and made sacrifice vnto the goddes And by the fire hee consumed the monster Hydre Wherefore there were giuen to him great and right high praises and thanks And he was brought to the Citie of Lerne with great glory of Ladies and of gentlewomen which conueied him vnto the kings pallace singing melodiously Deianira theÌ„ ioyed greatly in the triumphant victorie of her noble husband When Hercules had abidden there a while he departed and went to Athens where Theseus receiued him gloriously Then Hercules and Athlas held schoole in Athens forasmuch as they of Athens were quicke of capacitie and of wit and gaue themselues all to learn science and there they were a great while introducing and enforming them of Athens in philosophy and in astronomie And especially in astronomie Atlas profited in such wise that the students said that he sustained and bare the heauen on his shoulders O noble vertuous man When Hercules had spent some time there and studied so long that his doctrine had giuen light vnto the Athenians hee departed from thence with great bemoning and brought his wife vnto the citie of Licie And then hee was so greatly renowmed that from all the realmes of Greece there came dayly to him noble men and other for to profit in vertue in noblenesse in honour in armes in philosophy in astronomie and in all other perfection c. CHAP. XIX ¶ How Hercules went into Spaine and howe hee fought in the Sea against king Gerion and vanquished him and how he tooke the citie of Megidda and entred therein IN the time that Hercules flourished in vertue and that his name was borne from realme to realme by glorious renowme as the Chronicles of Spaine rehearse there was a king of the Citie of Megidda that standeth vppon the riuer of Gaudian which began to make his name to haue a great report by many bad misdeedes and tyrannies that no man coulde tell the third part This tyrant had to name Gerion he was king of Andalosâ—e and Destremadure and also of the mountains of Galicia and of Portingale The Poets faine of this tyrant that he had three heades forasmuch as he had two brethren great giantes the which were all of one nature and of one complexion and they were so vnited togither that al that the one would the other would and they were neuer in discord Gerion was the worst of them all Hee did cause to be made a temple in the Citie of Megidda and ordained that all they that were noble shoulde there haue their image and sepulture and that men shoulde make there the remembrances of al the men of name that he should flea to the end that there should be a memory of them in time comming What shall I say of his deedes he his brethren tyrannized not alonely vpon the strangers but also vpon his neighbours and had pittie on no man in such wise that he gat him an euil name and that the Affricanes whom they persecuted more then any other went for to complaine to Hercules by the commandement of Afer as to the soueraigne destroyer of tyrantes and of monsters and praied and required him greatly that hee woulde deliuer them out of this tribulation When Hercules vnderstoode the complaint of the Affricanes and was aduertised of the tyrannie that Gerion and his brethren vsed He enterprised for to go into Hesperie and promised to the Affricans that they shoulde haue right shortly lidings of him And after asked them of the state of king Afer And when they had tolde all that they knew they returned with great ioy into their countrey Hercules from thenceforth disposed him for to go into Hesperie wherefore his wife Deianira made great sorrow The renowne of this voiage was anonne spred in all the countrey In short time there came more men of armes into Licâ—e for to serue Hercules then he sent for he was so good bountifull and wise and also valiant and so free that he gaue a way all his spoiles wherefore euery man woulde follow him and good cause why for no man followed him nor serued him but that hee rewarded and enriched him in al wealth and worthinesse When then his army was readie hee tooke leaue of his wife Deianira and departed out of the realme of Licie Manie a teare was shed at his departing as well of Deianira as of his schollers that learned of him Theseus and Hispan Athlas and Philotes were with him During this voiage he studied oft times with Athlas and was neuer idle without doing somewhat that ought to be remembred Hee ariued in Affricke where hee found Afer which receiued him worshipfully From Affricke Hercules passed by the strait of Gybaltar and went into the Gades that now we call Galicia and peopled the countrey forasmuch as he found there good land and deliuered this people for to gouerne vnto a noble man named Phylistines This Phylistines as Bocace rehearseth in the genealogie of goddes was son of Phenis king of Phenycia And this Phenis was sonne of king Agenor son of king Belus Philistines then raigned in Galicia and was after named the Priest of Hercules forasmuch as when Hercules had vanquished
the tyrants of Hesperie he fouÌ„ded there a temple which he held after in great reuerence Alway as Hercules peopled and inhabited this land hee did cause to bee made pillers or columnes high and maruellous great and set them vpon the sea and vppon euery piller or columne hee did make an image of hard stone in the semblance and likenesse of a knight like vnto Hercules all clad with the skin of a Lion And there was one of the images that held a table wherein was written with letters of gold Passe no further for to seeke land ne go for to conquer further any realms in the West for thou shalt find no more land c. The noble Hercules went then into the countrey whereas standeth now the citie of Siuil which was not then founded and found by his science that there shoulde be builded a citie of great renowme wherefore in memorie thereof he set vp in that place a pillar of hard stones and thereupon set an image holding in his hand written that said That there should be made one of the greatest Cities in the world This land of Galicia appertained to Gerion But then when Hercules had made this pillar aboue-said and set it whereas now standeth Siuill hee had a great will for to begin to build the citie for the couÌ„tray was passing good commodious But Athlas by the science of astronomy counselled him contrary shewing him by certaine signes that it was destinie that another should make the citie And therefore nigh the piller he did make a columne of white marble vpon which stoode the image of Hercules great rich that held one hand against the East wherin was written Here hath been Hercules And with the other hand he shewed the writing that the other image held These thinges accomplished Hercules departed from thence and left to inhabite and keepe the countrey eight hundred men of his of the countrey of Scithia that were strong and expert in armes and with good wil they abode there because the countrey was plentifull Then went Hercules by the banks of the sea into the last and furthermost part of Europe and sailed so farre that he entred into the riuer of Guadiana whereas the tyrant Gerion dwelled and abode in the Citie of Megidda The same time that Hercules entered into the riuer Gerion went vp to the top of an high towre where he might see all about the countrey for to espie if any person came vppon whom he might exrecise his tyrannie He had not bin long there when he beheld the riuer and saw the army of Hercules And seeing this armie he had great ioy for him seemed well that in all haste hee shoulde subdue and ouercome them Without other delay hee assembled his complices and sownded to armes Within a little while all his men that were ready and furnished with arms came vnto him for to know what he would when Gerion was all armed and ready for to go and enter into the battaile he declared to his people his intention after he entred into his gallies as hastily as he might and went from Megidda approching toward the Gréeks Thus rowing forth it hapned him that he met a little boat And from as farre as he sawe it come hee went against it and arested it In this boat were no mo then two mariners Hispan Gerion then called Hispan and demanded of him whither hee went what he was Certes sir answered Hispan I am a Greeke haue intention to go to the king Gerion that is nowe in his city of Megidda for to dispatch a message that I am charged with Messenger sayd the king if yée séeke Gerion yee néed for to go no further forth for I am he whom ye speake vnto Sir answered Hispan since that you be he to whom my message apperteineth I let you haue knowledge in the name of the vertuous Hercules that he is an enemy to your vices and for to correct your great and abominable trespasses and sinnes hée is come into your dominion Messenger answered Gerion how is Hercules so presumptuous as for to come vpoÌ„ me to take vpon him to correct my vices he wote litle with whom he hath to do go to him and tell him that he shall not be let to find me but it shall be too soone for his health and that I will feast him in such wise ere he escape mée as I haue béene accustomed to feast strangers Hispan departed with these words and returned vnto Hercules as hastily as he might and tolde him worde for word what Gerion had sayd vnto him and moreouer hée sayd that he would méete with him right soone all prepared and ready for to begin the battell When Hispan had finished his message the gallies of king Gerion appeared and were séene from farre Hercules and the Gréekes had great ioy and began a right great shouting in sounding trumpets fifes and tabours Gerion and his folke séeing and hearing their enemies they likewise beganne to shoute and to make a marueilous great noyse The aire was then filled with a right great and ioyfull noise In this vprore and outragious noyse the two hostes approched eche other At the approching was not spared darts nor round stones nor arrowes They of Hesperie had great aboundance of daries which they vsed and cast on the Gréekes as it had béene raine The cries redoubled on the one side and on the other so that there were many dead and hurt They were all men of warre ech man bare him valiantly and among all other Hercules hauing the bowe in hand slew as many of his enâ—mies as he shot arrowes The shot dured long When it failed they fought hand to hand Then beganne the battaile to be eagre and hard Gerion shewed himselfe a man boystrous and well expert in armes and put to death many Greekes but for one that he slew Hercules slew ten of the Hesperiens c. At the encounter that the Gallies made there were many hurt and strokes giuen Hercules tooke his clubbe and in smiting one of the Galies that thought to haue grapled and borded his galley hee strooke with so great force that he made it to cleaue asunder and that the water came in so sodainly that the most part of them that were in that galley were drowned and perished without stroke smiting After this Hercules came to another galley and there did he maruailes of armes all they that he raught with his club were dead or sore hurt Some he smote the braines out of the head and of other hee brake legges and armes It seemed to thunder with him hee did so bestir him that eche man fled from him and there was no man that withstoode him or durst abide him When hee sawe this hee put himselfe forth to exploite great affaires He leapt from gally to gally and made so great slaughters that his people by his good example abounded in valour of courage and puissance and the Hesperiens diminished lessened