may ought spede What so he be that lyueth here mortall For to assayle the forces marcyall Of both the dragon and the bulles yfeare But it so be of me that first he lere Hooly the manere howe he shall him gye Like as to you I thinke to specifye Whan so it happeth that we mete againe For none but I may helpe herin certayne As in this case whiche platly ye shall fynde And I naught aske but ye ayene be kynde SOthly quod Iason al this shal be do As ye deuyse I will that it be so And here my faith theron I you assure Oh goodliest of any creature That euer yet I sawe vnto my paye And fayrest eke in soth it is no naye And of bountie ye ben incomparable For of my death ye ben so marciable That whyle I lyue I saye you by my fayth Myne herte meneth as my tunge sayth I wyll be founde your aldertrewest man For life or death in all that euer I can So that of grace it be to you pleasaunt For to perfourme your hestes your graunt And fully worke to my saluation As ye haue sayde in full conclusyon For truely ye of all that bearen lyfe In beaute haue such prerogatife Passyng echone me list not for to glose Amonges floures as doth the rede rose Which in somer amyd the leues soote After that Vere hath made out of the roote The humidyte kyndly to ascende The barrayne soyle to clothe and to amend And them whom winters blastes haue shakē bare With sote blosmes freshly to repayre And the medowes of many sundry hewe Tapited bene with diuers floures newe Of sundry motlees lustly for to sene And holsome bawne is shad among y e grene ¶ Ryght as the rose is fayrest of echone Ryght so hath nature set you all alone When she you made first at her deuise Aboue all other for to haue a pryse As ye that bene of bounte spring welle Therto in beaute sothly ye excelle All that beare life for no comparyson Ne may be made so of discrescion Ye passen all as euery man may se And with all this I finde you vnto me The goodlyest that euer yet was borne Without whom I were as now but lorne Of helpe and succoure fully destitute Ne were that I had founde in you refute Frō whō al fredom to meward doth haboūd So passingly that I am euer bounde As ferre forth as my sely life may stretche That for your sake of death I ne reche If vnto you it might a pleasure bene That to my helpe so goodly list to sene For if that I of neclygence shuld In Any thing refusen that ye would I might of reason full well merked be And noted eke of wilfull nycetye So folylye to voyde away my grace It were a rage aman from him to chase Wilfull fortune whan she is beninge Wherfore as nowe hooly I resigne Herte body my lyfe and eke my death Into your hande while y e me lasteth breath With all the othes that I affirme may For to parseuer to mine endinge daye Your trewe spouse as I haue sayd sworne And you behested playnly here toforne And there vpon in euery thinge obeye That may you please till such time as I deye This all some what shuld I longer tarye From this behest I shall me neuer varye ¶ Thus whan Medea sawe his stedfastnes She was supprised with so hye gladnesse With so great ioye pleynly in her herte That she was voyde of euery wo and smert For he so lowly to her lust obeyd That or she went thus to him she seyde ¶ Iason quod she than shall I well ordayne A meane waye wherby we both twayne May eft agayne at leysure mete sone For to perfourme all that is to done In this matterlike to our entent Where shall be made a finall sacrament Of our desire that no man shall vnbinde Though nowe therto we may no leisure fīde And that toward eue it shall not me eskape Trust me right well a time for to shape Right secretly that we may mete yfeare For I shall sende a priuy chambre To you of mine which shall you do conuye Vnto my chaumbre by a priue wey A certayne houre withouten any fable To our entent that shal be most greable Vpon the point when Phebus w t his light Ywestred is and eke the dercke night Hath w t his dimmesse of his shadowes black Our Hemisperye fully ouertake That oft giueth by fauoure of fortune Vnto theise louers a leysour opportune For to perfourme their lustes and achieue And right anone as it shall drawe to eue I shall for you vnto my closet send Of euery thinge there for to make an ende Where we togither shall at leysur speake Euerich with other and our hertes breake And eft declare the summe of all our will And when we haue spoken all our fill By good leysur I fully you byhete We shall ordeyne whan so vs lust to mete To set a time who euer that say nay Alway by nyght whan passed is the day For myghty Ioue as wysely me succour As hence forth I wyll be hooly your Whyle that I lyue both wakyng a slepe If it so be that ye your hestes kepe TO whom Iason lowly gan enclyne And sayd as far as man may ymagine Or any wight may clearly comprehende I wyll to you vnto my liues ende As seruaunt trewe faythfully me quyte And though that I can not saye but lyte My fayth to you shal be nerthelesse And though I can not paynt nor compasse No gay processe my soueraigne hertes quene Tyll I be dead I shall but trewly meane Haue here my trouth whyle I haue lyfe and mind As in the end ye shall hereafter finde And of theyr speche an ende thus they make And Medea shope her for to take Her leue anone amonges all the prese First of her father syth of Hercules No longer bode but forthwith that anone In haste she is vnto her chambre gone Where vp and downe she made many went None of her meine wetyng what she ment Casting wayes her purpose to achieue And in her wittes gan busyly to meue As she thus rometh in her habytacle On any side if let were or obstacle Or other thinge which would her sore greue This was her study till it drewe to eue Where I her leue complaining in her wo With many a thought walking to and fro ¶ The midday hour is gone and ouerslide Tytan so fast doth in his chayre ryde The daies arke from east to west compassed His fyry stedes haue almost ouer passed Our orizonte and drowen downe ful lowe His golden waine that no man might know Where as he hidde his fyery beames bright In his discence full farre out of our syght And Hirenes with her copes myrke The euening begon for to dirke In the Twylight when the day gan faide And Hesperus with her beames glade That ben so freshe so lusty and so merye Gan recomforte all our Hemisperye ¶
For to offende or noyen any wight And wheÌ„ she had thus sayd vnto her knight In euery thynge and gyue instruction Playn doctrine and informacyon How he shall scape the daungers by and by If he take hede and worke auysely ¶ And thus agreyd they thought it for y e best For to parte or men out of theyr rest Awaked were for it drewe towardes daye As they well sawe by the morowe graye And lest men had to theym suspicioÌ„ Of hye prudence and discrecion Atwene the twelight and the rody morowe They toke theyr leue w t saint Iohn y e borow With oft kyssyng as louers wheÌ„ they twinne And so he went and she is left within Beyng in hope to mete agayn some daye And Iason than as fast as euer he maye Gan ordayne him his Iourney to achieue And thought he would anoÌ„ go take his leue And in that wyse w tin a litel whyle After the maner of my rude style My purpose is sothly and not to spare With your supporte playnly to declare VVhan that the rowes the rayes rede Estward to vs full early gonnen sprede Euen at the twelyght in the dawnynge When that the larke of custome gynneth sing For to salue in her heauenly laye The lusty goddesse of the morowe graye I meane Aurora which afore the sonne Is wonte tenchâ—se the blacke skyes donne And the derkenesse of the dymmy night And freshe Phebus with coÌ„forte of his light And with the brightnes of his beames shene Had ouergylt the hye hylles grene And floures eke agayn the morowe tyde VpoÌ„ their stalkes gaÌ„ playn theyr leues wide Whan that Iason with all his companye Toward the kynge full fast gan hym hye Whom than he fonde lyke to his estate With sceptre in haÌ„deful pompous and elate Hye in the see of his regally Sittyng full kyngly amid his cheualrye And his lordes about him enuiron ¶ At why â—he tyme this yonge champion Vnder a vowe standing of the Ram. With sterne face tofore the kyng in cam Besechyng hym of his magnificence The same day to graunt him lycence To do hys armes and make no mo delayes Concluding playnly that at all assayes He will that daye in the felde be found For to achieue lyke as he was bound Of olde behest and not a poynt declyne For life nor death till he parfourme and fine Holy the auntres that to the flese belonge The kynge requyryng no loÌ„ger him proloÌ„ge But goodly grauÌ„t the fine of his empryse And than the kynge in ful sobre wyse Consydering the summe of his demaunde To Iason spoke sayd he shall commauÌ„d That his request perfourmed were in hast Albe quod he I am ful sore agast Of wylfulnesse thou shulde destroyed be Lest men thy death arected vnto me And therupon would a blame set Of royall power that I not ne let Thy manly youth from such Ieopardy Which were in sothe a great vylany And preiudice to my estate and name That afterward men should put me iÌ„ blame Through false reporte wrong opynyon That I withstode not thy destruction ¶ Wherfore I rede that y u be yet bet auysed And my counsayle let not be dispysed For better it is with honoure in certayne Into thy country to repayre againe Than wilfully for to take on hande A mortall thyng that no man may withstaÌ„d That is my rede and fully myn aduise Take hede therto syth ye aren wyse Lest thou repent when it is to late And yf so be that thou wilt algate Thy purpose holde and not do as I rede Almyghty Mars I praye to be thy spede The for to gyde whatsoeuer shal befall And eke I praye to the goddes all Safe and sound thy body to restore This all some on me thou gettest no more ¶ And whan Iason thus had herd the kyng Not dismayed nor stoned in no thyng In knyghtly wise did him reuerence Thankyng highly his royall excellence That of his grace and beningnytye Vpon his death hym lyst to haue pytye Fully concluding touchyng his battayle That nother rede nor other counsayle In no wyse his purpose should withdrawe But lyke the statute playnly and the lawe Right so far forth as fortune wyll hym eure What so besyde of this his auenture Settyng asyde euery feare and drede He platly sayd that he wyll procede For to parfourme that he hath vndertake It were in ydle mo skylles for to make Or to allege more there againe And Iason than full openly and plaine Touching y e surplus of this dredfull thing At his departyng thus sayd to the kyng In audience tho of his lordes all What so of me hereafter now be fall Or who so euer of malys theron muse To all the worlde fyrst I you excuse And to the goddes platly you acquyte That though I deye ye be nothyng to wyte Ne no man shall arecte it you of skylle For that I worke is freely at my wyll Agayne the aduice of your hye prudence And lyfe or death here in your presence Hooly of herte and neuer for to flytte Vnto the goddes and fortune I commytte So as them lyst for me to ordayne Againe whose wyll I shall neuer plaine Nor them nor you ne shall put in no blame What so betide honour ioye or shame And of this thyng thus an ende I make And for this tyme of you my leue I take And of all tho that you about stande And one by one he toke them by the hande And in what wyse forth he gan hym dresse To you anone I thyncke it to expresse VVhan that Titan had w t his ferueÌ„t hete Drawen vp the dewe fro the leues wete Towarde myd morowe as I can diffine Vpon the houre whan the clocke is nine Iason full manly and full like a knight Armed in stele of cherefull glad and lyght Gan dresse hym forth what hap that euer fal And sayd a dieu vnto his feres all He in the boote and they vpon the stronde And all a lone whan he came to londe And in the water had his vessell lafte He fyrst of all remembryng on the crafte Of Medea with all the circumstaunces And how he shulde kepe his obseruaunces In euery thing and had it well in mynde And than anone full manly as I fynde He shope him forth and went a knyghtly pase Toward the bulles that forged wer of brase But at the point whan he his iourney gan For him Medea wexed full pale and wan So sore agast that nothing might her glade A ruthe it was to see what wo she made For so her teares on her chekes twayne Full pyteously gan to destylle and rayne That all fordewed were her wedes blake And aye this sorowe she made for his sake Lyke a woman fearefull and in doubte While he his armes ful maÌ„ly brought about To sobbe and syghe she can not be in a peace Lest he for hast were ought rekles Fro point to point to do as she him bad This was the life that she
That fyrst in Rome by sceptre imperyall Maugre theyr myght had the gouernaunce And of wysedome set the ordynaunce Of common thynges touchyng the Cytee And to procede further of Enee Hooly his lyfe and knyghthod by and by If that ye lyst to reade ceryously Ye may se all ful autentyke of style In Eneydos compyled of Vergyle Albeit so that this noble clerke Was graue afore or coÌ„plete was his werke As bokes olde maken mencion ¶ How Agamenon sent Achilles and Thelephus into the Ilande of Messa for vytayles and how they slewe the king and after ordeyned Thelephus the kynge there Ca. xx BVt nowe agayne to Agamenon Without more I wyll my style retourne The whych kyng will no more soiourne In this matter delayes for to make But in all haste he hath his counsayle take Of his lordes beyng there present And such as were not he hath after sent For one and al Earles Dukes and kinges ¶ And sayd syres amonge other thynges To our Iourney that be necessarye My counsayle is no longer that we tarye But fyrst of all to make ordynaunce By one assent with prudent purueaunce That alder fyrst we shape vs for vytayle Without whych none hoost may auayle To parfourme a iourney thryftely Wherfore I reade here but fast by If it to you be lykyng and plesaunce Into an yle ful of habundaunce Called Messa that we sende anone And at one worde assented euery chone They chosen haue worthy Achilles And Thelephus the sone of Hercules To execute this purpose fynally With many worthy in theyr company Ychosen out through the hoost anone With Achilles are to Messa gone In whych lande ryche and plenteous Reygned a kynge worthy and famous That Tentran hyght whych in tranquylyte Without werre or aduersyte Had holde his Sceptre and his royall sete In this yle so pleasaunte and so mete Albe that some saye that this lytell yle To the kyngedome longeth of Cecyle And hath his name gyuen of plente After Messane an huge great Cite Full plenteous both on se and lande The whych kyngdome as I vnderstande Is sayde Messena of Messes in latin Through habundauÌ„ce of fruyt corne wyne At the aryuayle on the playnes large Where they are wont for to stuffe charge Merchaunt shyppes of straunge fer countre That thyther sayle by the large sea To fetche vitayle aye from yeare to yeare Fro many coste of landes farre and nere Onely by eschaunge of merchaundise And eke also as bokes can deuyse And as Guido full playnly telleth vs That of a kyng called Messanus This countrey first of Messa toke the name That in his tyme was of great fame Passyng ryche and wonder plenteous But of all this Dares Frygyus In his boke maketh no mencion But shortly telleth in conclusyon How Achilles and Thelephus also To Messena be togither go With thre thousande of grekes chosen out Most manly men amonges all theyr route The whych as fast as they gan to londe And the kynge gan to vnderstonde Of theyr comyng he is descended downe With all the worthy of his regiowne On horse and foote in stele armed bryght Agaynst Grekes manfully to fyght Theim to deuoyde playnly yf they can And sodaynly thus the skermyshe gan Atwixe Grekes and other mortall fone On other parte there was many one Slayne and hurte to the death ywounded Neuer lykly therof to be sounded ¶ For other treate was theim not atwene But swerdê sharpe and speres square kene Now here now there that they go to ground For euery man his foo for to confounde His labour dyd and his busynesse And though grekê through theyr worthinesse Had on theyr foen much londe ywon Yet to retyre after they begon And meruayle none bycause that theyr fone Had alwaye thre in noumber agaynst one For the time it may none other be Till Achilles gan beholde and se The mortall slaughter vpon grekes syde Tourning y e backe w t woundes large wide Of hasty rancour chaungen gan his bloode And for yre furious and woode Whan he behelde his men lese theyr lande He w t the swerd whiche he helde in his hande Made waye kylled and bare downe And in the felde like a fierse Lyowne He fared in sothe when y t his men were slawe Makyng his foen backwarde to withdrawe And his grekes so manly recomforte That maugre theim he made them to resorte ¶ And who that euer in his waye stode Without mercy he kylleth in his mode There gayneth nought in his crueltee For doubtles ne had his manhod be His passyng renowne and his worthynesse His knighthod eke and his high prowesse The Grekes had that daye fynallye Vanquished be without remedye But through his helpe they recure all For Achilles sturdy as a wall Gan serche sheltrouns theyr raÌ„ges brake Tofore whose face his fomen go to wrake ¶ And alderlast whan he gan espye Tentran the kyng through his chyualrye Defende him selfe lyke a worthy knyght And as a Lyon bare him in his fyght Now here now there grekes so oppresse This Achilles of cruell hardynesse Ne would cease in his pursewynge Through the warde tyll he came to the king Of manly force stoute and full of pryde Makyng a waye rounde on euery syde Agayne whose might nothyng might auayle ¶ And of Tentran fyrst the auentayle He raced hath and rent the male asonder And al to hewe that it was a wonder To consydre that daye his cruelte And after that al to broke hath he His bassenet wyth many cruell wounde And by his myght smyt the kyng to grounde And in all haste he maked hath no let From of his head to rende his bassenet And merciles for to do vengeaunce His harme he gan on heyght to auaunce Fully in purpose that he shulde be dead And raunsomles gan amyn at his heade With blody swerde and despytous herte Castyng playnly he shulde not asterte In his Ire he was so furyous ¶ But of fortune it befell ryght thus Thelephus the yonge lusty knyght Casuelly therof had a syght And of Achilles the maner ful behelde The stroke anone he bare vp with his shelde And gan Achilles mekely for to preye To haue pytye so to do him deye Syth he laye wounded almost to the deathe Brought to the poynt to yelden vp y e breathe Beseching him for his beningnyte Of manly routhe and eke knightly pyte Withdrawe his hande and to do him grace And graunt him life for a lytell space Syth euery knyght should of gentilnesse His enmye spare whan he is in distresse To vttraunce brought and specyally wheÌ„ he Mercy requireth of humble voluntee ¶ To whom Achylles feruent in his yre As he that was of rancoure set a fyre Aunswered agayne what lyst the so to preye For him that nolde of pryde our wyll obeye But gyn a werre where as was no nede Of highe disdayne and indignacion Hauyng a truste of presumpcion In his manhod which myght him not auaile Agaynst grekes to holden a
battayle As it is preuyd playnly in the ende All otherwyse shortly than he wende For in the dyche iustely he is falle Which he hath made of malys for vs all ¶ Where we of wyll nor entencion Gaue vnto hym none occasyon Vpon no syde platly fer nor nere Nor ministred to hym no such matere Nor to his lande menten no damage But he hym selfe grounde of all this rage Without offence done to hym of vs. ¶ And efte agayne this yonge Thelephus Humbly required hath of hym Achylle Of knyghtly routhe his axyng to fulfyll And to haue mercy on hym in this case For with my father this kynge whylom was Quod Thelephus by bonde confederate Whiche lyeth nowe here all disconsolate Expectant only with a deadly face Vpon the houre whan his goste shall pace Through gyrte alas w t many mortal wouÌ„de ¶ And for bycause that I haue in him found Afore this tyme assured great kyndenesse For of manhode and of gentylnesse In the boundes of his regiowne He vnto me through his highe renowne Whylom as I casually gan ryde Shewed in soth vpon euery syde Full royal chere and great humanite That I am bounde as of very duytee To remembre and to haue in mynde And doubtles elles me semeth I were vnkind Which after wolde my name foule a twyte And for that I in parte wolde him acquite I you beseche of respyte of his lyfe And Achylles withouten any stryfe Delyuered hath the story telleth thus Tentran frely vnto Thelephus Whether hym lyste to sauen or to spylle And when that he had hym at his wyll He hath consydered by his woundes grene That were so mortall sothly and so kene Of very nede that he must dye There was no gayne nor no remedye Nor auayle maye no medecyne The houre wheÌ„ Phebê° westward gan decline And the battayle brought was to an ende Whyle the grekes to their shyppes wende The meane whyle Tentran for the payne Of his woundes gan more more complain Without staunche so pyteously they blede His offycers faste gan them spede In a lytter made tho full royall Toward his paleys douÌ„ge owne pryncipall To cary hym softe and easyly ¶ And at his prayer full benyngly Thelephus and also Achylles Conueyed hym among all the prese Tyll he was brought there as hym lyst to be And they receyued lyke to their degree Full royally the kyng aye languysshyng As he that drewe towarde his endynge And might not longer drawen forth a length His wofull lyfe so weke was he of strengthe That his spirite must algates wende And he in haste caused for to sende For Achylles and for Thelephus And whan they came he sayd vnto them thus ¶ Syres quod he full worthy of degree Helth and honour with longe prosperitee Be vnto you and goodly aduenture All the whyle that your lyfe may dure And specyally of the Oh Thelephus Whiche haste to me be so gracious Of gentilnesse in my paynes stronge Onely of grace my lyfe for to prolonge But death alas I may not now eschewe Nor his sworde on no parte remewe Without recure knytte in bytter bondes Vpon the brincke fall of fatys hondes And of my lyfe all fully in dispeyre Whiche of my body neuer myght haue heire After my daye by successyon As to gouerne this lyttell regyon Whiche lykely is to stande disconsolate Of gouernaunce and fully desolate Which erst I wan with full great trauayle And to this day with werre stronge bataile I haue it kept as ye well knowe echone And it defended from all maner fone Withouten losse yeres heretoforne But recurlees of yore I had it lorne Ne had I had helpe and eke socour Of Hercules the great conquerour That whylom was father to Thelephus So stronge so mighty and so chyualrous By whose manhode and whose hardinesse By his knyghthode and great worthynesse Whiche daye by day is new of memorye Of all my foen I had the vyctorye He daunted them and made them so a ferde Only by rygoure of his sharpe swerde That fynally through his manlyhede He caused me this reygne to possede Maugre their might in peace and quyete With septre and crowne and my royall seate That none of them tyll that he was dead Hardy was to lyfte vp the head Agaynst me to speake but wordes fewe Wherby I may fully declare and shewe By euydence that this little yle Is perteynent and longeth to Cecyle Where Hercules for a memoryall Sette pillers in his conquest royall When he had ryde and gon tho so ferre And of Columpna yet the name they beare After hym called Herculea Though some saye they hyght Herracula The name chaungyng by corrupcion The whiche lande was whylom mansyon To the people of wylde Barbarye The whiche kyngdome for to magnyfye Frederyke sothly the secounde Of golde and good passyngly habounde That chosen was to be Emperour Of Rome towne and mighty gouernour And whylom eke kyng was of Cecyle Whiche made reyse in that large yle A myghty toure hyghe and thycke of wall As sayth Guydo for a memoryall To put his name longe in remembraunce And for the soyle was to his pleasaunce With floures freshe of many sondry hewe In some bokes the lande was named newe And ycalled as I vnderstande For his fayrenesse the lusty newe lande But Tentran aye lyinge in his payne As he that faste gan the houre attayne Of cruell death afore his lordes all He made in haste Thelephus to call To his presence and with a mortall chere Sayde openly that all men myghten here My sonne quod he syth nedely I must pace Out of this worlde for gayne may no grace My lyfe to saue through no mannes myghte But for bycause of equytye and ryght I am compelled iustly in sentence To declare clerely my conscyence Tofore my death herynge all this prese This to saye thy father Hercules The wyse worthy and that knyghtly man Whylom this lond through his conquest wan The whiche onely of his godlyhead As he that was the stocke of manlyhead Toke vnto me by coÌ„myssyon The gouernaunce of this regyon Of his free wyll with hole the regally And nolde him selfe the countrey occupye And sothly yet his ryght was not the lasse For loue of whom syth that I shall passe With full entent of my laste wyll To the I graunt as it is ryght and skylle As very heire iustly to succede Longe in honour therin thy lyfe to lede Makyng there a protestacion That in full token and confyrmacion This is the wyll fynall of myne hearte Fro the whiche no man may me diuerte Vpon no syde nor vtterly declyne ¶ For fyrst my wyll and dissent of lyne Be together combyne now in one Fro whiche thyng no man may do me gone For this desyre laste of my langour That thou playnly be my successour And fynally thus I conclude and deme That vnto the Septer and diademe Delyuered be with euery circumstaunce But all his wyll for more assuraunce He made do write it
made him to alyght For all his pryde in a mortall traunce And of that wound he felt such greuaunce That at the death he laye an huge whyle In a swowne the space of halfe a myle Tyll Myrmydones assembled into one With great laboure and hente him vp anone Full deadly pale so he gan to blede But for all that they set him on his stede And at the last his hert he caught agayne And smet his horse of hate and hye disdayne And towarde Menon fast gan him hye But when that he his cominge gan espye Full lyke a knyght lyst not to abyde But hit his horse sharply in the syde And mette Achilles proudly on the playne And wyth theyr swordes they togither layne And gan to hurtle on horse backe tho yfere Wyth herte enuyous and despytous chere ¶ But kynge Menon was at auauntage Of Achylles for all his wood rage In poynt to abrought him to confusyowne Tyll y t the wardes of newe be comen downe On other parte both of these and yonder Whych sodaynly seuered them asonder And as the story telleth playnly than Began the slaughter of many manly man For nother party the felde ne would leue Of very pryde tyll it drewe to eue That Phebus gan aswage of his hete And gan to bathe in the wawes wete His bryght beames of the Occyan That fro the felde home goth euery man To theyr lodginge and after seuen dayes They faught yfere made no more delayes ¶ Full mortall by cruell aduenture Whyle Achylles full busy was to cure His woundes grene and his sores sounde And then he had a newe treason founde To be venged vpon kynge Menon For all his wytte he sette thervpon And so this cruell enuyous Achilles Ycharged hath his Myrmydones Worthy Menon amonge theim to enbrace If they hym founde of opportune in place With all theyr might and theyr busy thought From theyr handes that he escape nought Tyll he hym selfe auenged on hym be ¶ And so befell as they Menon se The nexte morowe lyke a manly knyght Agayne the Grekes armed for to fyght On Troye syde as he was wonte to do Of auenture that daye yt fell so That Achilles and this Menon mette And eche of theim gan on other sette On horse backe wyth full great emiye When as so longe in theyr melancolye Mine auctour wryt they togyther fyght That eche made other of force to alyght ¶ And whan Menon stode vpon y e grounde ▪ Myrmydones wente aboute him rounde As they were charged of the fyerse Achylle When he alas wythout goddes wylle Dysseuered was from his knyghtes all And at myschyefe they vpon him fall Destitute alone and helples And in suche poynt slewe him Achylles But in the story lyke as it is founde This Menon fyrst gaue him such a wounde Tofore his death in all this fell stryfe That he dyspeyred was as of his lyfe This Achylles for all his false treason Take hede Homer and demeth in thy reason The false fraude and the sleyghty gyle The treason caste afore wyth many wyle Of Achylles and iudge now a ryght If euer he slewe any worthy knyght But if yt were by preodycyon Recorde I take of the kynge Menon So that the tytle of his laude alas Entriked is wyth fraude and with fallace ¶ That thou Homer mayst with no coloure Though thou paynte with gold w t asoure In thy wrytynge his venym not enclose But as the thorne hyd vnder the rose Whose malyce aye dareth by the roote Though the floure aboue fayre and soote That men the fraude vnder may not se Of his treason ye get no more of me BVt I wyll tell how Grekes do that day How Meneste and kynge Menelay Dyomede and Thelamonyus On Troyans were passyng despytous For cruelly wyth theyr wardes all In theyr myschyefe be vpon them fall And made theim flee home vnto the towne For whylom Troylus chyefe champyowne Is deade alas and hath them nowe forsake Of whom they haue the dead body take The same daye with great difficulte And dolefully they into the Cyte Haue tho it brought crying oft alas And for his death such a wo there was That I trowe there is no man alyue Whych could aryght halfe dele descriue Theyr pyteous wo nor lamentacyowne Certeyse not Boys that hath suche renowne With drery wordes to be wepe and crye ¶ In complaynynge to Phylosophye Throughe his boke accusynge aye fortune That selde or nought can in one contune She is so full of transmutaciowne Oh stace of Thebes make no bost nor sowne Of drerynesse for to wryte at all Nother of death nor festes funerall Of makynge sorowe nor aduersyte ¶ Let be thy wepynge oh thou Nyobe ¶ Ye syster also of Ayeliager That custome haue for to flee so fer Fro yere to yere your brother to complayne And thou that weptest out thine eyen twaine Oedippus kyng of Thebes the cyte Thou wofull Myrrha and Calyxtone That so well can in rage you bemene And Dydo eke whylome of Cartage quene Lette be your dole and your contrycyon ¶ And Phyllys eke for thy Dymophon ¶ And eke Cecho that newe dost begyn To crye and wayle and also thou Corynne That whylom were in so great affray For death onely of thy Popyngay As in his boke telleth vs Ouyde Let all this wo now be layde asyde And make of it no comparisowne Vnto the wo that was in Troye towne For death onely of this worthy knyght For loue of whom euery maner wyght Hygh and lowe olde and yonge of age Are falle of newe into suche a rage That they ne coulde of their wo none ende Whose salte teares wyll their eyen shende So pyteous was the lamentaciowne In euery strete throughout all the towne Alas who coulde all their sorowes telle ¶ I trowe certeys Pluto depe in helle For all his torment and his paynes kene Nouther she Proserpyna his quene Nother the wery wood Tycius Iryon nor hungry Tantalus Ne coulde not well for all their bytter peyne So furyously wepen and complayne As do troyans Troylus for thy sake For who can nowe suche a sorowe make ¶ Or who can wepe as kyng Pryamus Who wepeth now with face full pyteous Or sorowe maketh but Hecuba the quene ¶ Who wepeth now but fayre Pollycene Who wepeth nowe but Parys and Heleyne Who can now wepe into teares reyne As Troyans do with deadly swole chere It neded them no wepers for to hyer They had ynough of their owne store Alas for nowe they be for euermore Of helpe all sole of comforte destytute For who shall nowe be to them refute ¶ Nowe that Hector and also Deyphobus And Troylus eke that was so vertuous Be dead alas who shall their succour be Or helpe sustene the werre of there Cyte There is no more in conclusyon But after death fully destruction Of theyr towres and their walles stronge In this matter what shulde I playne longe It vayleth not alway so to morne Wherfore I wyll now
feyned falsenesse out of drede Rose of the deuyll and fyrst by his engyne And of his sleyghty treynes serpentyne Onely mankynde whan he made loute To false ydoles the whiche out of doubte Are but deuylles Dauyd beareth wytnesse In the saulter where he wryt expresse And confyrmeth there as he endites Howe the goddes of Paganisme rytes One and all he excepteth none Be made of golde of syluer and of stone Forged of brasse of metall and of tree And eyen haue of and yet they may not se And all are fendes so as Dauyd sayth That who in them haueth any fayth Hope credence or in them delyte It is no drede that they wyll hym quyte With suche guerdon as the soule sleeth Perpetually so that the fyne is death Of their seruyce when men hense pace And in their lyfe vnhap and euell grace Mischyefe and wo and confusyowne As men may se example by the towne That wende well assured for to haue be And to haue stande in longe prosperitye Agayne their foen through helpe of Apollo Of Venus eke and fauour of Iuno Through Pallas might Dyane Mynerue Whom they were wonte to honour serue With cerimonyes and with sacrafyce As ye tofore haue herde me deuyse That them haue brought now to ruyne By cruell death in a bed them to fyne Here may ye se how the venym bytes At the ende of suche olde rytes By euydence of this noble towne What may auayle now Palladyowne What may now helpe their frauded fantasye Of all their olde false ydolatrye Alas alas they bought it all to sore Now farewell Troye farewell for euermore Farewell alas to cruell was thy fall Of the no more now I wryte shall For thy sake forsoth whan I take hede Of inwarde wo my herte I fele blede And when that I remembre in my thought By ruine how thou arte brought to noughte That whylom were so noble and so ryche That in this worlde I trowe none was liche Nor perygall to speake of fayrenesse To speake of knyghthode or of worthynesse As clerkes say that thy byldynge knewe That all the worlde ought for to rewe On thy piteous waste walles wilde Whylom so royall when men gan to bylde Thy towres hye and kynge Pryamus The fyrst began most ryche and gloryous And sette his see in noble Ilyon Oh who can wryte a lamentacion Conuenient Oh Troye for thy sake Thy great myschiefe to complayne and crye ¶ Certes I trowe not olde Ieremye That so be wepte the captiuitye Of thylke noble royall chyefe Cyte Ierusalem and his destruction With all the hole transmygracion ¶ Of the Iewes nor thou Ezechyell That were that tyme when the mischiefe fell Vnto the kynge ycalled Sedeclye In Babylon and for thy prophesye With stones were cruelly yslawe Nor he that was departed with a sawe Ye bothe two that colde so complaine Nor Danyell that felte so great peyne For the kynges transmutasyon In a beast tyll through the oryson Of Danyell he restored was To mynde agayne and eate no more grasse ¶ Yet veryly though ye all thre With your wepynge gan aliue be And present eke at the destructiowne Of this noble worthy royall towne To haue bewayled the mischiefe and the wo And the slaughter at the syege do On outher partye in full cruell wyse All your teares might not suffyce To haue bewepte their sorowes euerychone By treason wrought aswell as by their foen ¶ Hereof no more for it may not auayle But lyke as he that gynneth for to sayle Agayne the wynde when the maste do ryue Ryght so it were but in vayne to stryue Agayne the face bytter then galle By the vengeaunce vpon Troye falle Nor to presume their furyes sharpe whette Ceryously in this boke to sette So great a thyng I dare not vndertake But euen here a pyteous ende I make Of the syege after my symplesse And though my stile be blotted with rudenesse As of metre both rusty and vnfyled ¶ The fourthe boke that I haue compyled With humble hande of drede y t doth me quake Vnto your grace hooly I betake ¶ Of your mercy nothynge in dispryre So as I can makynge my repeyre To the grekes and no longer dwelle Their aduentures of the sea to telle In their resorte home to their countre And how that they there receyued be Onely of supporte so ye not despyse The fyfthe boke I shortely shall deuyse ¶ Thus endeth the fourth boke The fyfthe boke ¶ Here begynneth the fyfth booke Howe the Grekes retourned into Grece after the distruction and howe they were perysshed almoste all in the sea and after they that escaped dyed myscheuously Cap. xxxvi WHen Eolus whiche dothe the wyndes rore Appeased was y t he blewe no more Whiche is of stormes gouernoure and lorde And was also fully of accorde With myghty Iuno lady of the ayre To make the skye and the wether fayre That cloude none in heauen dyd appere And Neptunus blaundyshynge of chere Was of assent the story sayeth for soth To make the sea fro tempest calme and smoth Without boyling or trouble of any wawe The mighty grekê to shipward gan theÌ„ draw For to repeyre home to their countre After they had wonnen the citye And put their fomen fully at the werse But fortune aye frowarde and peruerse Hath with their mirth meynt aduersyte For when they wende full assured be And haue stande stedfaste in quyete This blynde lady falsly made to flete Into their sugred galle of discordaunce Amonge them selfe to brynge in varyaunce And their hertes of rancour and of pryde Contagyously to seueryne and deuyde When they sat hyghest in their glorye With the palme of conquest and victorye Fully reioysynge through their hye renowne The crowne of laurer in possessyowne And had also at their lust all wonne When bryghtest shone the lustye freshe sonne From East to West of their worthynesse A cloudye skye vnwarely with derkenesse Eclypsed hath a partye of their light And eke diffaced the holsome beames bryght Of their welfare and prosperitie By the enuyous false contagyosytie Of the serpent pompouse and ellate Amonge them selfe to make them at debate Indusynge in rancour and discorde For or they entre within shyppes borde Agayne Vlyxes worthy Thelamon In presence of the kynge Agamenon Purposed hath playnely his mattere Tofore grekes anone as ye shall here SIres quod he so it you not greue Me semeth iustly of reason I may meue Touchyng y e winning getting of the towne With golde richesse and possessyowne Fully delyuered and taken to our hande With all the treasour founde in the londe The whiche me thincketh in my inward sight Ne hath not ben departed halfe a ryght Amonge vs by iuste deuysyon Ne by egall dystribucion Consydered fyrst by tytle of equyte Of euery wyght the estate and dignitie Remembred eke howe in this sharpe shoure The worthyest the meryte and labour And desertes in this mortall stryfe Grauntynge to eueryche his prerogatyfe And lyke fortune as he hath deserued But
language As in the latyn and the frenshe it is That of the storye we the truthe not mys No more than doth eche other nacion This was the fine of his entencion ¶ The which emprise anon I ginne shall In his worshyp as for memoryall And of the tyme to maken mencion Whan I began on this translation It was the yeare sothly for to seyne Fourtene complete tho of his fathers reygne The time of yeare shortly to conclude Whan .xx. grees was Phebus altitude The hour whā he hath made his stedes draw His rosen chariet lowe vnder the wawe To bathe his beames in the wawy sea Gresed lyke golde as men myght playnly se Passyng the bordure of our Occion And Lucina of coloure pale and wan Her colde arisynge in Octobre dyght Tenchase the darkenes of the frosty nyght That then amiddes was of the Scorpion And Hesperus gan fast to wester down Her course to haste againe the morowe gray When Lucifer the nyght to voyd away The messenger is called of the day Our hemispher to put out of Affray With bright kalēdes of Phebus vprist shene Out from y e boundes of Proserpin y e quene Where Pluto dwelleth the darke region And there the furyes haue theyr mansion Tyll after soone Apollo lyst not tarye To take his soiourne in the Sagittarye ¶ Which time I gan the prologue to behold Of Troye boke ymade by dayes olde Where written was of Auctours vs beforne Of al the dede the very trewe corne So as it fell seuered from the chaffe For in their hande they holde as for a staffe The truth onely which they haue compyled Vnto this fyne that we were not begiled Of necligence thorough foryetfulnesse The which serpent of age by longe processe Engendred is fiersely vs to assayle And of the trouth to maken vs to fayle For nere writers all were out of minde Not storyed onely but of nature and kinde The true knowing shuld haue gon to wrake And our wittes from scyence put abacke Ne had our elders serched out and soughte The sothfast pythe to impe it in our thought Of thinges passed fordyrked of theyr hewe Which through the writing be refreshed new Of Aūceters and left to vs be hynde To make a myrrour onely to our minde To se eche thinge truly as it was As bright and cleare as it were in a glasse For nere theyr writynge nowe memoryall Death w t his swerde shuld haue slayne all And ydimmed with his sodayne showres The great prowesse of these conquerours And derked eke the brightnesse of their fame That shineth yet by reporte of her name For vnto vs their bokes represent Without fayninge the waye that they went In theyr dayes when they were alyue Agayne the trouth who so euer striue Or counterplede or make any debate The south is redde of high or lowe estate Without fauour who so lyst take hede For after death clerkes litell drede Of theyr deserte for to beare wytnes Nor of a tyraunt the truthe to expresse ¶ As men deserue without excepcion With lak or pris they graūt their guerdon Wherfore me semeth euery maner man Shulde by his lyfe in all that euer he can For vertue sake eschewe to do amys For after death playnly as it is Clerkes willlyn write and except none The playne trouth when a man is gone And by olde time for theyr writinge trewe They cheryshed were of lordes y t thē knewe And honoured greatly as in tho dayes For they enacted and gilt with theyr sayes Theyr high renowne their māhod prowes Their knighthod eke and theyr worthines Their trihumphes al and eke their victories Their famous cōquest their fonge glories ¶ Fro point to poynt rehersinge all y e trouth Without fraude neclygence or slouth They did theyr labour and theyr besinesse For elles certayne the great worthinesse Of all theyr dedes had bene in vayne For dyrked age elles would haue slayne By length of yeares the noble worthy fame Of conquerours and playnly of theyr name For dimmed eke the letters aureat And eke deffaced the palme laureat Which y t they wan by knighthod ī their dayes Whose freting ruste newe and newe assayes For to eclipse the honour and the glory Of highe prowes which clerkes in memory Haue truly set through dilygent laboure And enlumined with many curious floure Of Rethorike to make vs comprehende The trouth of all as it was tho kinde Bysied them and faithfully trauailed Agayne all that that age wold haue assayled In theyr bokes euery thinge yset And with the key of remembraunce is shet Which lasteth yet and dureth euer in one Recorde of Thebes that was so longe agone Of which the ruyne and destruction Ye may beholde by good inspection Croppe and roote right as it was in dede On Stace loke and there ye may it rede Howe Polynece and Eteocles The brethern two ne could not liue in peace Till Thebes brought was to his ruyne And all the maner howe they diden fyne That death also of worthy Tideus And howe Edipp with teares full pyteous Wept out his eyen and all his drery payne And how y e smokes departed were in twaine At the feast of fyres funerall In great Stace ye may reden al. The syre engendred by brotherly hatred Where through y e deathe was the cruel mede ¶ In very sothe of many worthy man Lyke as mine Auctour well rehearse can Of Troye also that was of latter yeares By diligence of these Cronycleres Ye may beholde in theyr writinge well The strife werre the siege and euery dell Right as it was so many yeares sin passed Whose storye yet age hath not diffaced Nor cruell deathe with his mortall strokes For maugre death ye may beholde in bokes The storye fully rehersed newe and newe As freshe as floure of coloure and of hewe From day to day quicke and nothinge feinte For clerkes haue this storye so depeynt That death nor age by any other weye The trouth may not make for to deye ¶ Al be that some haue the trouth spared In their wrytynge and playnty not declared So as it was nor tolde out faythfully But it transformed in theyr poesy Through vayne fables which of entencion They haue contriued by false transsumptiō To hide trouth falsly vnder cloude And the sothe of malyce for to shroude As Homer did the which in his writinge I feyned hath full many dyuers thynge That neuer was as Guydo lyst deuise And thinges done farre in anotherwise He hath transformed then the trouth was And feyned falsly that goddes in this case ¶ The worthy Grekes helpe to warrey Agayne Troyens how that they were sey Lyke lyfely men among theym day by day And in his dytyes that were freshe and gay With sugred wordes vnder hoony sote His galie is hyd lowe by the roote That it may not outward be aspyed And all for he with Grekes was alyed Therfore he was to theym fauorable In much thyng whych is not commendable Of theym that lust to
deuise Was false enuye and hatefull couetise Whiche frette so sore falsly for to winne As croppe and roote of euery sorowe sinne And cause hath bene sith go full yore That many a realme hath bought ful sore The dreadful venim of couetise alas Let them beware that stande in this case ¶ To thinke afore and for to haue in minde That all falshed draweth to an ende For though it bide and last a yeare or two The ende in sothe shall sorowe be and woo Of all that bene false and enuious Hereof no more but forth of Pelleus I will you tell that hath so longe sought Vpō this thing till they were to him brought Tydinges newe and that so merueylous That he astoned was and all his house Of a meruayle that tho was newly falle Beside Troy the plage orientalle Howe in Colchos as the tidinges cam Within an yle enclosed was a ram Whiche bare his flese full richly all of golde And for the richesse it was kept in holde With great aduice and great dilygence That no man might there to do offence And in this I le there was a gouernour A noble kinge a worthy warrour That Oetes hight wise discrete and sage Which was also yronne farre in age That in his time as bokes can deuise Had vnderfonged many great empryse In peace warre and much worship wonne And he was also sonne vnto the sonne That gaue him vre to honour to atteyne So as these poetes listen for to feyne Touchinge his line I leue as nowe y e greate And of this Ram my purpose is to treate That was commit I dare you well assure To the keping and the busy cure Of cruell Mars the mighty god of werre Which with the stremys of his rede sterre And influence of his deytee Ordeyned hath by full great crueltee This Ram to kepe bullis full vnmilde With brasen fete ramageous and wilde And there with all fell and dispitous And of nature wood and furious To hurte and slee euer of one desyre Out of whose mouthe leuen and wylde fyre Lyke a flawme euer blased out To brenne all theim that stode nygh aobut Eke of their eyen the lokes moste horrible To a fourneys the stremes were visyble And who that wolde tencrease his glorye This Ram of golde wynnen victorie Fyrste he must of very force and myght Vnto oultraunce with these bulles to fyght And theim vanquishe alder fyrst of all And make theim humble as any oxe in stall And sithe theim yoke and do them ere y e land Of very manhode this must he take in hand And after that he must also endure With a serpent of huge and great stature Without fauour playnely haue to do To oultraunce eke without wordes mo The whiche serpent shortly for to tell Was lyke a fende comyng out of hell ¶ Full of venym and of cruell hate And with skales harde as any plate He armed was to stande at defence And by his brethe werse then pestilence Infecten wolde enuiron all the eyre In eche place where was his repeyre He was so full of foule corruption And eke so dredefull of infection That deth in soth shortly to deuyse Was the fyne of this hygh Empryse To suche as wolde this quarell take in hond Ylyke in one both to free and bonde But if he coulde the bet him selfe defende And of his conquest this was eke the ende That when he had the myghty serpēt slawe He must anone by custome and by lawe ¶ Out of his head his tethe echeone arrace And after sowe theim in the selfe place Where as the oxen eryd had aforne Of which seede there sprange a wōder corne Knyghtes armed passynge of great myght Eueryche with other redy for to fyght Til eche his brother had ybrought to groūd By mortall fate and yeue his dethes wound This was the ende of euerychone For sowfastly of all there was non That liue myght by that fatall lawe A longer tyme then lyued his fellowe ¶ And by this way dredfull and peryllous Who so desyreth to ben victorious He passe must and manly to endure And how so fall take his auenture For of estate was no excepcion Chese who so wyll for this conclusyon He may not scape for fauour ne for mede Who so begynneth a vyse him wel I rede For by the statute of the kyng he may Who so that wyll entre and assaye But after that he ones hath begonne He may not chese tyll he haue lost or wonne Yet as some other of this Ram expresse And of his flese also bere wytnesse It was nothyng but golde great treasour That Oetes kynge with full hye laboure Made kepe it as by Incantacions By sorserye and false illusyons ¶ That was spoke of in realmes fer about For whiche many put theyr lyfe in doubte Of hye desyre that they had for to wyn The great treasoure that was shyt within Colchos londe as ye haue harde deuyse Whose pursuyte rose out of couetyse Grounde and roote of wo of myschaunce By vayne reporte theim selfe to auaunce For whiche they put theim selfe in ieopardy Without rescues lykely for to dye There was no helpe ne no sleyght of armes That vaile might againe y e cursed charmes So were they stronge and supersticious That many worthy in knighthode famous Enhasted were vnto their deth alas That ieoparde list their liues as in this case ¶ This lasteth forthe tyll afterwarde byfell That Pelleus platly hath hard tell The great mischiefes and destructions In Colchos wrought on sundry nacions That haue pursued thes auntres to cōquere Tyll Pelleus so ferforth gan enquere That he knewe hooly how the trouth was And in his herte anone he gan compasse How that he myght by any slyght make His neuewe Iason for to vndertake This hye Empryse in Colchos for to wende For by that way he myght hym best shende ¶ And gan pretende a colour freshe of hew Ygylte outwarde so lusty and so newe As though there were no treasō hyd within He sawe also it was tyme to begyn On his purpose tho fyrst he made it queint And gan forthwith with golde asure paint His gaye wordes in sownyng glorious Knowynge Iason was yonge and desyrous Vnto suche thynge lyghtly wolde enclyne Therfore he thought that he wolde not fyne Playnely to worke to his conclusyon And made anone a conuocation Of his lordes and of his baronye Aboute enuyron the lande of Thesalye For to assemble estates of eche degree Of all his realme within the chiefe citee To holde a counseyle vtterly he caste Therby to acheue his desyre as faste And so his courte continued dayes three Tyll at the laste his hyd iniquitie He out gan rake that hath be hyd so longe For he ne myght no longer forth prolonge The venym hyd that fret so at his herte In so slye wyse that no man myght auerte Vpon no syde but that he mente well So was his treason couered euerydell And curtined so
lykely for to fade And whan she came the grekes for to glade The halle in soth she walketh vp and downe Of womanhede and pure affectiowne To make chere vnto these gestes newe And thus Medea with her rosen hewe And with the freshnesse of the lyllye whyte So entermedled kyndly by delyte That nature made in her face sprede So egally the white with the rede That the medlynge in conclusyon So was ennewed by proportion That fynally excesse was there none Of one nor other for both two in one So ioyned were longe to endure By the empresse that called is nature For she her made lyke to her deuise That to beholde it was a paradyse In verye soth bothe to one and all Of olde and yonge that sytten in the hall Therto she was as by successyon Borne to be heyre of that regyon After her father by discent of lyne If she abyde and dure after his fyne Syth he ne had by ryght to succede One heyre male that I can of reade She was also the boke maketh mencion Were vnto yeres of discretion Able for age maryed for to be And not withstondynge also eke that she Was of beaute and of womanhede One of the fayrest that I can of read Yet none of bothe haue her youth let That to clergy was her desyre set So passyngly that in speciall In all the artes called lyberall She was expert and knowynge at the beste It was her vre to konne what her lyste Of suche a woman herde I neuer telle At Helicon she dranke so of the welle That in her tyme was there none semblable I founde in sothe ne none that was so hable As to conceyue by studye and doctrine And of natures to dispute and termine She coude also and the causes fynde Of althinges formed as by kynde She had in lernyng so her tyme spente That she knewe of the fyrmament The trewe course and of the sterres all And by their meuynge what that shulde fall So was she lerned in astronomye But moste she wrought by nycromancye With exorsismes and coÌ„iuracions And vsed also to make illusyons With her charmes sayde in sondrye wyse And with rytes of diuers sacrifyse Encens and ryches caste into the fyre To shewe the thynges lyke to her desire With gootes hornes and with milke blude Whan the mone equat was and stode In the fyfthe or in the syxte house And was fortuned with lokyng gracious To these an houre that were conuenient And fortunate as by enchauntement To make and worke sundry apparences So well she knewe the heauenly influences And aspectes bothe wrothe and glade For she by them all her thynges made That apperteyne to suche experimentes For whan her lyst by her enchauntementes She coude make the wyndes for to blowe To thondre lighten and to haile snowe And frese also to greue men with payne And sodeynely she coude make to rayne And shewe what wether that her list to haue And gasten men with sodeyne erth quaue And tourne the daye vnwarely vnto nyght And then anone make the sonne bryght Shewe his beames full persyng ful shene With golden hornes to voyde nyghtes tene And reise y e floodes w t many a dredful wawe And whaÌ„ her list she coude them eft w tdrawe Eke yonge trees to sere roote and rynde And afterward make them againe in kinde With lusty braunches blome budde newe Also in wynter with floures freshe of hewe Aray the yerth and tapyte hym in grene That to beholde a Ioye it was to sene With many colour shewynge full diuers As whyte and rede grene ynde and pers The deysy with her ryche perled crowne And other floures that winter made frowne Vpon their stalke freshly for tappere And sodeynely with a deadly chere She coude somer into winter tourne Causynge the daye with mystes for to mone And olde men she coude make yonge And efte agayne or any here was spronge She coude them shewe both in head berde Ful hore and graye in crafte so was she lerede And trees w t fruite she coude also make bare Of rinde and leafe to do men on them stare Eclipse the mone and the bryght sonne Or naturally they had theyr course yronne To them apropred which they mai not passe For if that Tytanes course by kindly trase Whan so he meueth vnder the clyptik lyne The clipse mott folow as auctours list diffine So that there be by their discription Of bothe twayne full coniunction And that the sonne with his beames red Haue his dwellyng in the dragones head And the mone be set eke in the tayle As by nature than it maye not fayle That there must fall eclyps of veary nede In sondry bokes like as ye may read Bycause of certayne interfecacions Of diuers circles and reuolucions That maked ben in the heauen alofte Whiche causen vs for to fayle ofte Of the freshe and comfortable stremes That be vs shad from Phebê° bryght bemes For so the mone hath made deuisyon By this sodeyne interposicion That of our syght the stremes visuall May not beholde nor yet ysene at all Nor to our luste fully comprehende How Phebus in his chaire is cheuansende As we were wonte aforehande for to see But of all this the great Ptholome Kyng of Egypt telleth the causes why Within his boke and that compendiously Bothe of Eclyps and coniunction And why they fall by naturall mocion But of Medee though this clerke Ouyde T encrease her name vpon euery syde Lyst suche thynges in his fables tell Though he of poetes was the spryng well Yet god forbede ye shulde gyue credence To suche feynyng or do so hyghe offence Sith of nature it must be denyed Al suche affirmyng and likewise be diffyed Of euery christien stedfast in beleue For certainly it wolde hyghly greue Our conscience in any wyse to wene Agaynst kynde whiche is so hye a quene That any wight or lyuynge creature Shulde haue power I do you plaine assure So cursed thynges supersticious To do or worke to kynde contrarious ¶ For god almyghtye Iudge of Iudges all Hath sette a lawe the whiche may not falle Amonge planettes eternally tendure Afore ordeyned in his eternall cure The whiche may not as clerkes lyst termine Vpon no syde bowen nor declyne But as they were from discorde or debate Eternally yformed and create Through the fynger of his sapience Alway to meue in their intelligence Lyke as they be to his lordshyp bounde For neuer yet was eclyps yfounde The mone not beinge inconiunction As I haue tolde saue in the passyon The which eclyps was tho against kinde Nature her knot that tyme lyst vnbynde Whan goddes sonne starfe vpon the roode The sonne of lyfe was derked for our good Whan heauen and erth w t hye compunction Haue sygnes shewed of lamentacion By earthquakes light tourned to derkenes And dead bodies vpwarde gan them dresse From their tombes againe from deth to liue Stone and rocke a sonder gan to
For finally I saye withouten wene At fewe wordes in all right as I meane Me list not fayne flatter nor delude For my beheste with deathe I shall conclude When Parcas shall my liues threde do rend This all and some and thus I make an ende VVell thā quod she ful wisely in your hert Ye must afore consydre and aduerte The aduenture that ye shall take on hande And prudently the perill vnderstande And warely cast and haue full well in minde The mortall harme at the tayle behinde That is well more then it is credible For leue me well it is an impossible To ginne in honour and also for to fine For thilke flese by hye power diuine Preserued is and that wyth Marcys mighte That who so therfore entreth in to fight It were full harde to him thence to eskape The fyery flawme when the bulles gape That bene of brasse trapped all in leuen Ben more to dread thē lightening of y e heauē Tofore the dint of the great thonder That seuered hath full many toure a sunder For vnto ashes they will a man consume Wherfore I rede that ye not presume The Ram to assayle lest ye your laboure lese yet to withdraw your foote sith ye may chese By good aduise and by discresiowne Your honour safe and your hye renowne Where so ye list of your worthinesse Onely of folye and of hastinesse To this emprise of head to procede Or where ye list like as I you rede Saue your selfe from woo and al mischaūce Like as ye shall if to mine ordinaunce Ye you commytte and lowely lyste obeye Without fraude there is no more to seye ANd Iason ther thā sitting at the borde Of Medea emprintynge euery worde Waxed for Ire almost vnpacient And sayd alas and is this your entent Me to counceyle to leue this my emprise Certes it were to foule a cowardyse To gyn thynge that I myght not a chyeue For euery man wolde me of shame repreue And eke reporte to my confusyon That I of pride and of presumption Toke this on me whan I was at large So hye a thynge and so great a charge That I durst not distrustyng of myschyefe Accomplyshe it whan it came to the prefe Leuer me were myne owne lady dere For to ieoparde and to put in were My selfe at ones and at wordes fewe On smale pyeces to be all to hewe Rather than I shulde cowardely forsake Thylke empryse that I haue vndertake As ye well knowe and leue it thus alas Let be your counseyle plainly in this case For what so euer happe or falle of me Trusteth ryght well it shall none other be For if that I shulde of my cowarde harte Fro this my purpose by any way diuerte Without laude my lyfe I shulde lede And shame eternall iustlye by my mede Throughout the worlde noted ouer all In euery lande spoke of in speciall That Iason hath so hyghly vndertake Wherof for feare he dare none ende make Thynketh ryght well that it shall not betide For lyfe or deth what mischiefe I abyde And thervpon my trouth I you ensure That so ferforth as this my lyfe may endure I shall parfourme that I haue nowe begon And though so be no honor may be wonne But that I muste with my deth it beye I wil not leue for bett were me to deye Than liue ashamed of cowardise slouth For as me semeth it is to hygh a routhe A man tappere or dare do shewe his head Whan he hath ones his honour vyllanede And after time whan y t his name is slayne For euery man shulde coueite rather faine To dye in honour than liue as a wretche And though this thinge to my death stretche Welcome beit I shall it well abyde This all and some what so of me betyde IAson quod she than syth it standeth so That ye algates desyre to haue a do There is no more by ought I can espye But ye had leuer shortly for to dye Rather than lyue and haue ye saye a shame And yet it is an ernest and no game With suche monsters vnwarely for to deale Lyke as in dede hereafter ye shal feale And therfore I am meued of pytee And greatly steered that ye of volunte Without aduyse or by discresion Counsayle or elles deliberation Lyst take on you this meruailous voyage For both your youth and also your courage Gouerned ben chiefely in this matere All after luste for both the two I feare Inparded ben if ye your purpose sewe For impossyble is that ye eschewe A sodeyne death for nother free nor bonde By crafte of man hath power to withstonde ¶ Wherfore I thinke of herte good entent To cast for you yea yet or ye be shent And to your tourne to shape a remedye Suche routhe I haue that ye shulden dye For to my father whom I loue most Rather then ye shulde in this wise be loste I shall offende and vtterly displease And all my friendes so it may do you ease For I shall fynde suche a meane weye That at the least I will not se you deye For in this case I thinke to be your gyde So that for you I shall do sette asyde First my discent as of the stocke royall ¶ And ouer more myne heritage withall Lykewise my honour shal I put abacke You for to helpe that there shal be no lacke Yfounde in me so ye be to me kinde And that ye lyste for to haue in mynde As I deserue goodly me to quyte Consyderyng first that it is nat alite To saue your lyue that stant in Ieopardye More peryllous than ye can ought espye But for all this I shall it so ordeyne All by my crafte only atwyxe vs twayne That or we parte I hope all shall be well Vpon this poynt if so that I may fele Faythfully for ioye woo or smarte With full accorde of body will and herte To my desire that ye condescend I vndertake to make therof an ende ¶ This sothly ladye sayde this Iason tho I am assented without wordes mo For to fulfyll with euery circumstaunce What euer thinge may be to you plesaunce THan quod she there is no more to saine But firste of all w t fayth herte plaine With all your myght and your busy cure And meanyng hole that ye do me assure Hereafter for to take me for your wyfe To holde and kepe by terme of your life So that your dede accorde may w t your hest This is the fyne and summe of my requeste Except only that ye shall ordeyne In your repayre to your fathers reigne That faithfully ye shall me with you lede And after that whan so ye shall succede As by his death into your heritage With herte aye one and with lyke corage Ye shall to me alwayes be founden true And cherishe me for chaunge of any newe Like mine estate without varyaunce And while ye lyue haue in remembraunce My gentlenesse in this your great nede For there is none aliue that
hath for hym lad ¶ And for to se how he shulde him defende She gan anone by greces to assende Of a Touret in to an hye pynacle Where as she myght haue tho none obstacle Nor lettyng nother for to haue a syghte Of hym that was her owne chosen knight And euer amonge with wordes out she brake And stoundemell thus to her selfe she spake ¶ O thou Iason my souerayne hertes heale If thou ought knew what wo for the I fele Sothly I trowe it shulde the not asterte For to be trewe with all thy hole herte And god I praye this iourney at the leste May this tyme tournen for the best And kepe y e saulfe sounde in euery membre And yefe the might fully to remembre As I the taught and in the same fourme Euery thynge fully to perfourme Only this day thine honour to anaunce Which for to se were all my hole pleasaunce For certes Iason if the fylle ought amisse Fare well my helth and all my worldly blisse And fare well than my mirthe and my solace And my welfare my fortune and my grace And all at ones my hartes suffisaunce ¶ Lo this for him was her gouernaunce First fro y e time that he the lande hath nome And first of all whan he was thether come Where as the bulles fell and dispiteous Out caste their fyre and flawme furious Fro out their mouthes wonder large huge Againe the whiche for his chiefe refuge Hym for to saue that he were not brent He was enoynted with an oyntement On his body that kept him from damage Of thilke fyre that was so full of rage And the smokes darke and full horrible Whiche to escape was almoste impossyble For any man of what estate he be Without comforte and counsayle of Medee By whose doctryne Iason can so worke That he is scaped from the mistes darke Of the syre with the blases blake That all the eyre so cloudy hath do make She had hym made so discrete and sage By vertue onely of thilke same ymage Whych that he about his necke bare Wherby he was so prudent and so ware That when y e bulles haue most feersly gaped He hath theyr malyce so auysedly scaped For the enfection of theyr troubled eyre He hath vanquished and was in no dispeire For in effect agayne the foule fume That would a man vnto the death consume The ymage was a ful preseruatyfe Him to diffend and to saue his lyfe And more surely to kepe him out of drede Ful ofte sythe the wrytte he did rede For the vertue of thilke same oryson Was vnto hym a full protection That he not fell therby in no distresse And after that for rather sykernesse Him to preserue in this his mortall case He toke the lycoure that in the vyall was And therwithall full lyke a manly man That all at ones he toke the bulles than And nought forgat so warely it to cast That therw tal theyr iawes were closed fast And by the vertue so mightely englued That he ther through hath vtterly eschewed The hole enfection of the smoky leuen And wheÌ„ the eyre gan clere and al y e heauen And that y e mystes were wasted him toforne With maÌ„ly hert he raught hath by the horne The sterne bulles and by his vyolence He drew them forth in whom was no defeÌ„ce And yoâ—keth them so as the maner was And with the plough he made them go a pase Now vp now down and so to eare the londe And at his lyst so buxom he them fonde That the soyle smothe bare and playn They redy made to bearen any grayne And on renges it tourned vp so downe For tho in theym was no rebellyowne But humble meke and redy at his will All his desyres playnly to fulfyll ¶ And Iason than lyke a champyon Gan him enhaste towardes the dragon That was a beast ryght great moÌ„struous Foule and horrible and deadly venimous And was armed in scales large and thicke Of whom the breath more perillous wicke Was then the eayre of any pestylence His venim was of such a vyolence That it full deadly was and eke mortall And at his throte there issued out with al A flawme of fyre as of a fournes mouthe Or lyke the leuen that downe by the south Out of the East is wont in tempest smite Right so this dragon sothely for to wite Out at his mouth had a flawme blased Wherof Iason a lytell first amased Was in his hert of that dreadfull thynge But whaÌ„ that he remembred on his ringe All feare and dread was layd asyde and gone For in that ringe there was set a stone Ful ryche noble and right vertuous Of whych as teacheth great Ysydorus And in mine Auctour also as I finde Most comenly cometh out of ynde And must be kept chaste and wonder cleane And of colour surmounteth euery grene Whose vertue is all venym to destroye And to withstand that it may not anoye Of dragon serpent of adder and of snake And specyally if so that it betake And be yholden in the opposyte Of any worme euen agayn the syte Without abode in sothe he may not chese Of his venym the force must he lese How stronge it be or vyolent of rage But to the stone it doth ful great damage For whan he hath his vertue do as blyue On peces smale it gynneth all to ryue And in it selfe abydeth whole no whyle For in the land that called is Cecyle There is a worme y t Bufo beareth y e name And when men of malice make him tame And his venym vtterly expresse They take a quil mine Auctour beareth witnesse WhaÌ„ they wyll worke or a large can And in the ende this stone they set than And line right agayne the wormes heade They holden it tyll that he be deade For that is sothly his vertue of nature That no venim last may nor endure In the presence of this ryche stone And as I finde this Bufo ryght anone Through myght therof brusteth eueÌ„ a twain Onely by kynde that no maÌ„ may restrayne For the goddesse that called is Nature Whych next her lorde al thyng in cure Hath vertue gyue to herbe gras and stone Whych no man knoweth but her selfe alone The causes hyd be closed in her hande That wyt of man can not vnderstande Openly the myght of her workyng And so Iason by vertue of this rynge And through his ston y t might hiÌ„ most auauÌ„ce Hath the dragon brought to vttraunce In whom he fonde no maner resystence Hym to wythstand force nor diffence Neyther by venym nor none other stryfe Wherfore he hath beraft him of his lyfe In manly wise and in the fielde outrayed And Iason then full glad and well apayed Hath w t his sword speÌ„t on him many a stroke And layde on hym as men newe on an oke His bryght skales were so hard and dure That well vnneth he ne might endure Hym to dysmembre and smite of his head And
might To preue shortly that he is a knight For of reason ye this consyder may How that no man iustly may saye nay But that Parys hath counsayled wele For by my trouth as fer as I can fele It were errour his purpose to contrary Wherfore let hym now no longer tarye But holde his waye with a stronge nauye For to auenge the shamefull velanye That grekes haue done if so ye lyst take hede In alder dayes to vs and our kynred And eke for fynall execucion Of the recure as touchyng Exion Whom they demeyne in such dishonest wyse Agaynst all ryght and title of iustyce Wherof to thinke it giueth my hert a wounde The shame of which so newly doth rebounde Vpon vs all that be of her ally Wherfore the best that I can espye Is that Parys take maye this voyage With suche as be of freshe and lusty age Manly to wende into grekes lande And by force of their myghtye hande Maunger the Grekes proude and most elate Rauishe there some lady of estate And thā ye may by knighthod of my brother If ye lyste after chaunge her for that other This is most redy and short conclusyon That I can se for restytution Of Exyon if so that Parys wende And of my counsayle shortly thus the end ▪ ¶ And than as faste full discrete and sage Helenus the fourth sonne as of age Rose from his seate with humble reuerence Praying his father graunte hym aundience That he may say in presence of them all Openly what after shal be fall As he that most of secrete thynges can And soberlye thus he his tale began With cleane entent and trewe affection ¶ My lorde quod he with supportacion Of your grace wherin is most my trust Let none offence be vnto your luste Nor you displease yf so I my conceyte As now declare syth I meane no decetie For neuer yet fayled no sentence But that it fyll efte in experyence Lyke as I tolde in partie and in all In pryuye treate and eke in generall Without meanynge of any doublenesse That it folowed as I dyd expresse Remembryng you as ye shall fynde it trewe And yf god wyll I shall not now of new Spare for to say lyke as I conceyue Nor to be dede with fraude you deceyue Declaryng fyrst of trewe entention As it shall folowe in conclusion ¶ That yf he Parys into Grece wende Trusteth me well it wyll vs all shende For the goddes so by reuelacion Haue made to me playne demonstration And eke I knowe it by astronomye For neuer yet as in my prophecye I was deceyued of that shulde after fall Nor none that lyste me to counsayle call So am I taught of thyng that shall betyde Wherfore I praye for rancour nor for pryde Nor for enuye wrought of olde hatred To take vengeaunce that ye not procede In your aduyse lyke as ye purpose I saye you playnly for me ylyst not glose Ye shall repente if so ye Parys sende Into Grece the whiche god defende Wytte this full well for the conclusyon Shall fully tourne to our destruction And fynally vnto our ruyne Lyke as to you I gan afore deuyne For this the fyne that there folowe shall Subuercyon both of towne and of wall Of house and paleys here in our Citie Al goth to nought ye get no more of me Forme semeth it ought ynough suffyse That I haue sayd syth that ye be wyse For yf that ye aduerten to my sawe I doubte not that ye wyll withdrawe Your hande be tyme or that more domage Assayleth you by constraynte of this rage For better is betymes to absteyne From this purpose whiche is yet but grene Than of hede thus hastely assente To thynge for which we shal echone repente For plenerly there shall nothynge socoure That there shal folowe both of you and your Despyteful death without excepciowne Of one and all abydynge in this towne Fyrst on your selfe playnly to endite Shall the vengeaunce of the grekes byte Through the fury of their mortall tene And your wyfe fayre Hecuba the queene Shall lede her lyfe through grekes crueltie In sorowe wo and in captiuitie And your lyeges by the sworde shall pace Of cruell death withouten any grace And innocentes merciles shall blede In your aduyse if that ye do procede Of wylfulnesse a werre for to make And folyly thus for to vndertake As to parturbe your quyete and your rest Which shal retourne nothyng for the best But to ruyne of you and of vs all I can no more but or that mischyefe fall My counsayle is afore that ye prouyde And letteth wylfulnesse be sette asyde Specially whan death as I you tolde Must be the fyne if ye your purpose holde Lo here is all without wordes mo Into Grece if so that Parys go ¶ And in this wyse whan that Helenus Had playnly sayde as Guydo telleth vs Tryste and heuy with pale and deadly face Agayne resorteth to his syttynge place Of whose sentence astoned euerychone Sat in sylence stylle as any stone Powerles their hertes efte to resume To speake a worde no man dare presume Of all the prese but kept their lyppes close That at the laste Troylous vp arose Yonge freshe and couragyous also And aye desyrous for to haue a do In armes manly as longeth to a knight And whan that he of chere ful glad and light Sawe his father and brethern euerychone So inly troubled thus he spake anone ¶ Oh noble and worthy syttyng enuiron Of hyghe prudence and great discrecion Manfull also and of hyghe courage What sodein fere hath brought you ī this rage What new trouble is cropen in your brest For the sentence of a coward priest Syth they echone as ye shall euer fynde Desyre more veryly of kynde To lyue in lust and voyde awaye trauayle And deadly hate to here as of battayle For they their wyt fynally applye To sewe their lust and lyue in glottony To fyll their stomake and restore their mawe To reste and ease euermore to drawe And to sewe their inwarde appetite This their ioye and this their delyte In eatyng drynkyng and in couetyse Is their studye fully to deuyse How they may folow their lust without more Of ryght nought elles setten they no store Alas for shame why be ye so dismayde And sytte mate astoned and afrayde For the wordes of hym this Helenus Fearefull for drede as a lyttle mouse That he quaketh to here speake of fyght And moreouer agayne all skylle and ryght In preiudice of the goddes all He taketh on hym to say what shall be fall Of thynge future for to specyfye As yf he had a spirite of prophecye Graunted to hym alone in speciall As though he were in connyng perygall To the goddes hauynge prescience To shewe afore through his sapyence What shall betyde outher euyll or good Let be let be for no wyght is so woodd That hath his wyt to gyue therto credence That any man by crafte or by scyence That mortall is
to your shyppe anone within borde Enhaste you for tyme is to remewe With all your might your quarell to pursue Agaynst them that haue to you trespassed How many dayes be of somer passed And many monthes ronne and ouerslyde And Titan oft with his chare hath ryde From East to West and in the wawes depe His streames bathed whyles that ye a slepe And spent your tyme in this place thus Whyle that the wynde called zephirus Beningly enspyred hath alofte The attempre aier with wether fayre soft The calme sea from wawes styll and playne Whyles ye waste your dayes here in vayne That when your foon therto taken hede They wil suppose that it is for drede And be more bolde to set of you but lite Truste forsothe for I wyll me quite Trewlye to you like as I am bounde And thynke how ye haue the goddes founde There toward bening and fortunate Your honour saued in high and lowe estate And so shall forthe if your ingratytude Prouoke theim not your purpose to delude Wylfully to slouthe your good fortune No wonder is though they not contune Towardes you for to shewe theyr grace Wherfore I reade hense for to pace And shapeth you no longer to lye here But whyle the wether is so fayre and clere And lusty somer abydeth in his hete Or wynter come wyth his raynes wete And while the season is so freshe and grene I speake of herte platly as I mene For your exployt and your alder ease Where it so be I angre you or please That forth in haste ye to shyppe wende I can no more my tale is at an ende ¶ Howe the Grekes nauye retourning from Athenes were distressed by tempest and how they toke a castel of y e Troians called Saranaba Ca. xviii ANd all at ones they be coÌ„desceÌ„ded To his aduyse haue it wel coÌ„meÌ„ded And in al haste Agamenon the grete The lusty time and the season swete Hastyng the grekes both the high and lowe Made souÌ„de a trumpe to shipward blowe And they echone his bidding did obey And to theyr shippes they go the right weye Without abode they will no longer dwell What shuld I more of the nomber tell Of theyr shippes syth ye haue herde afore It nedeth not reherse it any more I can not se what it might auayle But forthe they dresse theÌ„ and begaÌ„ to sayle And this is sothe playnly and no wene So great a nauye was neuer yet ysene In all this worlde nor together met The winde was good y t they were not let On theyr waye fyrst whan they begon But after soone gan the shene son The clearnesse chaunge of his bryght face And dimme cloudes gan his light enbrace And sodaynly in full ougly wise The heauen dercke the wynde gan ryse The hydous thunder and leuene clere Smote in the mast bryght as any fyere And the blacknes of the smoky reyne Blindeth the eyre that nothyng may be sene And the wawes gan to ryse alofte And in theyr shippes fell nothyng softe But plonge a downe and theyr toppes smyte That theim thought they wanted but a lyte To haue be dead in the selfe stounde Tyll Calchas hath by his craft yfounde The cause of all and with his orysons With his charmes and incantacions Made sodaynly the tempest to appease And w t his craft done theim right great ease For he founde out the cause of euerydele How Dyane lyked nothyng wele That the grekes dursten take on hande To be so bolde to parte from the stronde Into the sea in any maner wyse And do to her no maner sacrifyce Nouther offer tofore or that they gothe For which thyng the goddesse is so wroth Towarde grekes saylynge on the sea That they echone wende haue drowned be Tyll at the laste the kyng Agamenon Hath by counsayle and information Of wyse Calchas made sette vp to londe Into an yle and faste his shyppes bonde And Aulydes that little yle hyghte In whiche he fonde vnware in his syghte A lyttle temple and an oratorye Founded of olde and made in memory Of great Dyane to which anone he wente Full deuoutly his offerynge to present And quemed her with his oblacions And lay there longe in his orisons After the rytes vsed in his lawe Tell after he sawe the tempest gan adawe But some bokes maken mencion Touchyng this thyng that Agamenon As Ouyde lyst rehersen in his boke How this kyng his owne doughter toke Effygenya benynge of face and chere And endelonge there vpon the aultere This mayde he layde dispoyled of her wede Tofore Dyane to maken her blede To fyne only that he the heauenly quene With bloud that was innocent and clene Appease myght and quemen of her rage And the goddesse gracious of visage Hath mercy meynt with her magnifycence To suffer a mayde so full of innocence Gyltlesse to be in her temple slawe Hath by myracle away her body drawe And it conserued from all anoy and smerte And in her stede vnwarely caste an herte By deth of whom as bokes maken mynde Agamenon fyrst gan grace fynde In the goddes for to modefye Her cruell Ire and cleren gan the skye The sea waxe calme and the wether fayre â–ª And Phebus eke to glade with the eyre Gan shewe newe and his beames caste In to the sea and the kynge as faste Vnto shyppe repayred is agayne Thrugh helpe of her which is as clerkê saine Lady and quene is of wayes and of passage And goddesse is called of voyage After the sentence and opynyon Of them that worke by calculacion And gyn their domes by Astronomy And most of all they her magnifye In the tenth and the twelfe house For there she is they saye moste gracious Best fortuned clere or in her shade If she haue comeforte of aspectes glade Of planettes standynge tho as in good state I meane suche planettes as be fortunate To voyage or iourney for to make And such tyme Agamenon hath take His happy waye shypped for to be And in good houre he taken hath the sea With the grekes the wether agreable And Eolus hath maked acceptable Wynde and eyre hoole at their wyll Nouther to loude playnely nor to styll But in a meane so mery made it blowe That they attayne as in a lyttell throwe To certayne boundes of Troye the Citie Vnto a castell that stode vpon the sea Right wonder strong though it were but lite The name of whiche thoughe Dares liste not wryte I meane Dares called Frygius Yet other auctours reherse sothly thus Saranaba that it was ycalled Rounde aboute diched and well walled With hyghe toures rounde square and wide Where vnder went the sea and fast besyde Was an hauen able for ryuayle At whiche playnely the grekes wyl not fayle With their power myghtely to aryue Maugre all tho that there agayne stryue They might well for it was not denied Only except that they were espyed Of them alone that in the castell dwell The whiche anone as they
lande An hundred thousand almost at thyn hande Agayne whose might y u mayst y e not assure To resyst playnly nor endure Consyder well how that they be stronge As thou shalt wyt peraunter or be longe So manly men and so well arayed Expert in armes and of olde assayed That no diffence may agayne theim vayle And wyte eke well that thou mayst not fayle By death of sworde of theyr hande to deye And all thyne there is no more to seye Though it so be proudly that thou speake And with thy tunge onely to be wreake Afermest more than thou mayst acheue Better it were such bostyng wordes leue And to wyse counsayle taketh better hede BVt than in haste agayne this Diomede Surquidous and inly full of pryde There rose vp some by the kynges syde With swordes drawe on him wold haue fal And al to hewen him there among theim all Of hasty yre brenning as the glede Tyll Pryamus gan to taken hede And rose him vp seyng this disease And manfully this rage gan appease Theim diffending vpon death and lyfe That none of theim be hardy in this stryfe The embassadoures to harme or to greue For though a fole his foly will not leue To presume to speake vnconningly A wyse man must suffer pacyently And though that he happe to do offence Through folishe speche for lacke of sapyence A wyse man ne ought sothe to sayne To taken hede or to speake agayne For to a fole as it is pertynent To shewe his foly right so conuenient Is to the wyse sothly with suffraunce In all his porte to haue tolleraunce For vnto foles belongeth kindely Without aduyse to speake folyly Vndiscretly his mening to fulfyll Where as a wyse man heare can and be styll Tyll he se tyme and haue pacience And dissimule in his aduertence The rage of foles that last but a throwe For by his tunge a fole is oft knowe And leuer I had I do you wel assure In my persone domage to endure Then to suffer any messengere In my court of you that be here To haue a wronge other great or lite The swerde of rancoure may not alway bite To do vengeaunce for a thyng of nought For oft it falleth that a wronge is wrought For lytel excesse foloweth great reprefe And haste is aye medled wyth myschefe Wherfore I byd that ye sytte adowne And in no wise of presumpciowne Attempteth not in no maner wyse By sygne or worde more for to despyse Thembassadoures from the Grekes sente But let theim frely declare theyr entente And ye there whyles kepe your lippes close ANd sodaynly then Eneas rose Whych next the kinge helde then his see So inwardly with rancour fret was he That he ne myght him selfe not refrayne And sayd syr so ye not disdayne That I shall saye me semeth that it is Wel according when one hath sayd amys And rekly spoken vnaduised Of his foly that he be chastysed That other maye example by him take To be wel ware such noyse and crye to make And specially in open audience So to offende your royall excellence And sothly yet I wote well that I might So me gouerne playnly in your syght Of hastinesse without auisement That I shulde by your commaundement The death deserue for my great offence And trewly yet ne were for your presence Of this twayne that haue so yspoke Without abode I shuld anone be wroke For it were worthy and ryght well sittyng Whan that a fole in presence of a kinge Is bolde or hardy of presumpcion To take on him of indiscrescion Thinge to reherse concluding in sentence Preiudyce of his magnificence That he were taught better to gouerne His large tunge to konne bet and diserne Whan he shal speake or whan be in pease To suffer him to renne out of lese As doth he this that spoke hath so large Wherfore in haste I counsayle him charge Without abode or any worde mo Out of your syghte anone he be ago For it is best to do as I him rede TO whom anone ful proudly Diomede Not astoned but with a sterne loke To Eneas that for yre quoke Answered agayne but with wordes fewe And sayd syr thy wordes doth well shewe What so thou be that thou art ryght wise Well is that king that doth by thyne aduyse Or hath the nye of counsayle for to be For he ne maye erre in no degre That art so rightful in thy iudgement Of wylfullnesse without aduysement To cause a lorde his bondes for to pace So would god in some other place That I myght by fauoure of fortune Mete with the at leysure oportune Lyke my desyre that canst so well endite In olde fables thy labour for to quyte And the to thanke for thy gentyll chere Which so knightly thou hast vs shewed here Truste well therto and haue therof no drede ANd tho Vlixes of this Diomede Gan interrupte his wordes prudently And to him sayde full aduysely That it was best to stynt and be still And now we know fully all thy will Quod Vlyxes full manly to the kynge We will go hense without more taryinge Out of thy sight to Agamenon And make to him playne relacion Of thy aunswere in ordre by and by And to horse they wenten sodaynly And in shorte time so hast them in their way That they be come there is no more to saye Where the kinge satte in his tentorye And worde by worde as came to memorye They reherse the substaunce euery dele Wherof the grekes like nothing wele Conceyuing full there was no remedye As by reporte of the embassadrye Saue onely this vtterly procede How they theim shall gouerne in this nede Agayne Troians of necessitee For they well wote it may none other be And assented both in wyl and dede To puruey theim fast they theim spede In this storye as ye shall after fynde BVt fyrst or I therof maken mynde I must a whyle of Eneas endyte As myne Auctour lyst of hym to wryte The whych sothly as bokes saye he was This manly Troian this worthy Eneas Anchises sone of great worthinesse Whylom gete of Venus the goddesse Conqueroure of many regyon Whan Troye was brought to destruction He wente his waye by the large see Called Tyrene and saylyng forth goth he By many coste and many streyght passage Many daunger tyll into Cartage He ryued is and thense gan to sayle To the conquest of the great Ytale And so to Rome he hath the waye take Of whose spring as auctours mencion make Came Augustus Cesar the Emperour That was whilom so noble a conquerour That his renowne to this daye doth shine And of Enee the Emperour Iustyne In his bokes called Autentykes Full playnly wryt therin the rubrykes That after Cesar so as Cesares Be named yet ryght so Eneades After Enee they name shoulden beare Whych fro Troye comen was so fere Vnto ytayle and of this Eneas As I haue tolde Cesar descended was Downe lyne ryght ful manly and royall
greatest was y e prefe He preceth through amiddes of the felde And with the sworde y t in his hande he helde That grounde was to kerue and to byte Full mortally aboute him gan he smyte That these Troians might him not asterte That he ne ryueth some vnto the herte And some he woundeth sothly to the death And some he made yelden vp the breath And some also vnhorseth cruelly And whom he met that daye vtterly From his horse he made him to alyght For where he rode they fled out of his sighte And his presence as the death eschewe But styll in one he gan theim after sewe In his chase lyke as a wood lyon For thus he playeth with theim of the towne TYll Perseus of Etheopye kinge Came from the Cyte sodaynly riding With many a knyght and many lyuely man At whose coming of newe there began A freshe skarmyshe furyous and wood That many greke that daye lost his blode So fell assaute Troians on theim make Amonge theim the Ethiopes blake To manly bare thē fighting here and there That where the Troians were afore in fere Remounted be and of newe assured y t through their helpe they haue y e feld recured And made theim lese also much agayne As they tofore wonnen on the playne For they so hole and so mightely Kept theim togyther and so auysely Gouerned theim with glaue spere and shelde That grekes were compelled in the felde Maugre who grutche of necessyte To the stronde backwarde for to flee Almost dispayred mate and comfortles But in that while kinge Pallamides To theyr rescous came to aryuayle All lusty freshe entreth into battaile With his knightes and his hole maynee Taking their horse tho fast by the see And proudly thense embushed all at ones With spere swerde yground for the nones By wise gouernement in their doinge Haue so oppressed at their in coming The manly Troians that it was a wonder To se theim lye slayne here and yonder And this continueth til amonge the prese Of auenture that Pallamides Brenning aye in his furious hete Amid the felde happeth for to mete A worthy knight called Sygamon Which brother was to the kyng Menon Neuewe also as Guido doth reherse This manly man to the kinge Perce Which Grekes had that daye sore oppressed By his knighthod as it is expressed For he the grekes to his worthinesse Had oft sithes brought in great distresse The same daye to his great encrease ¶ But of Fortune alas Pallamydes As I you tolde hath in the fyelde him mette And with a spere square and sharpe whette Whan he of knighthod was most in his pride He rode at hym and smote him through y e side And with that last deadly fatall wounde From his stede he bare hym to the grounde And on the playne of his bloud all red Pallamydes lefte him pale and dead Amonges them that of Troye were And forth he rode bare downe here there All that euer in his waye stode He was on theim so furyous and wood Maugre Troians tofore him on the playne Made resorte to the walle agayne His manly knightes alway fast by On him awayting ful ententifely Redy to honde at euery great emprise But tho began the noyle to aryse The wofull clamour and the pyteous crye Of theim of Troye the which vtterly Agayne grekes mighten not sustene The mortall swerde was so sharpe and kene Of the noble worthy famous knyght Pallamydes that with his great myght The longe daye hath yborne him so Agayne his foen and so knightly do In his persone through his high renowne That chased hath almost to the towne Troians echone and manly made theim flee The noyse of whom is entred the Cite The hydous crye and the mortall shoute ¶ Wherof amened Hector yssueth oute Furyously in all the hast he can The son of Mars this knyght this māly mā Of all worthy yet the worthiest That euer was and the hardiest For as Phebus with his beames cleare Amonge the sterres right so did he appeare Excellyng all in stele armed bryght On whom it was a very heauenly syght For it was he that both nigh and terre Of worthinesse was the lode sterre The whych whan he entred into felde Like as I reade bare that daye a shelde The fyelde of which was of pure golde With thre Lions in storye as is tolde Of whose coloure is made no mencion But as I fynde by discripcion They were passant if I reporte a ryght Borne on the brest of this Troian knyght That was y e ground rote of high prowesse And floure accompted of all worthinesse The which so manly without more abode Amonge his knightes to the grekes rode So lyke a man that they in his cominge Astoned were as he gan in thringe Amonges thē which killeth downe slethe And whom he met there was not but death Afore his swerd grekes go to wrake And their wardes of knightly force he brake Maugre theyr head seuered thē a sonder And bare all downe ridyng here and yonder And casually he meteth in his waye ¶ Prothesylaus whych all the longe daye Had sore fought agaynst theim of Troye And slewe all tho that comen in his waye This hardy knyght this worthy fierse kinge Whych on Troians was euer pursewyng He had to theim so hertely great enuye The whych thinge whan Hector gan espye And of his knyghthod gan to taken hede Towardes him tho turneth he his stede And line right of hasty Ire he rode And with his swerde disteyned al with blode He cloue his head through his basenet With such a might that his stroke nas let By force of mayle nor of thicke plate But fynally as was his mortall fate the swerd of Hector thrugh nerue bone vain This worthy kynge parted hath on twayne For vtterly there gayneth none armure Agayne the stroke of Hector to endure But that this kynge so full of worthinesse Stronge mighty and of great hardinesse Receyued hath his last fatall wounde And lyeth now dead parted on the grounde And Hector forth amonge the grekes rideth And whosoeuer his stroke so abydeth Refute was none nor diffence but death And many greke thus that daye he sleyth For whych of theim tho in his waye stode His sharpe swerde he batheth in his blode That also ferre as they might him se As the death from his swerde they fle So mortal vengeaunce vpō thē he wrought And many a greke at his felowe sought And gan enquere what he might be For all their lyfe they coulde neuer se None so knightly haue him in battayle And playnly dempte as by supposayle It was Hector the noble warryour Whiche of knighthode bare away the floure Amonge all that euer yet were borne For there nas greke that him may stād aforne Of all that day he gan them so enchace To the stronde euen afore his face For they ne durste his mortall stroke abyde And when he had this on euery syde The
gouernaunce With thre thousand knightes yonge of age Flourynge in force hardy of courage Suche as he was of custome wont to lede To whom Hector of very brotherhead Full goodly spake and sayd at his partynge Brother quod he my herte is so louynge Towardes the of very kyndnesse That though I haue in party gret gladnesse Of thy manhode that so ferre is kouthe And the knyghthode of thy grene youthe Yet doubtlesse I in my fantasye Ful ofte a daye stande in iupardye Of pensyfehead and in busye drede Whan I remembre vpon thy manhead Lest thy courage be to vyolent Of thy lyfe to be neglygent Thy selfe to put to ferre in aduenture Of surquidrye so moche to assure In thy force knightly to a sterte Euery peryll in thy manfull herte Hauynge regarde in suche mortall stryfe Of wylfulnesse nouther to death nor life Nor aduertence to thy sauacyowne But as fortune turneth vp and downe Her whele meuable hye and after lowe In Martes Ire as the wynde doth blowe Whiche causeth me ful ofte syghe and thincke And to wake whan that I shulde wynke Reuoluynge aye thy hasty wylfulnesse But gentyll brother for any hardynesse Thus ylke daye vpon euery syde I praye the so wysely to prouyde For hate or yre thy foes pursuynge Not to excede more than is settynge But let prudence kepe the in a mene And wysdome eke holde agayne the reyne Of thy herte and thy fyerse courage That fyred haue thy grene tendre age Deuoyde of drede eche peryll to endure That our ennemyes of thy mysauenture Reioyce not myne owne brother dere And myghty Mars I praye of herte entere Thus euery day on the Troyans grounde From their handes the to kepe sounde Lyke as I wolde that he dyd do me ¶ To whom anone with all humilite In manly wise this yonge lusty knight This worthy Troylus in herte freshe light Answered agayn and sayd with glad cheare Mine owne lorde and my brother deare And god tofore I fully shall obeye And all fullfyll what you lyst to seye Now vnto me of your gentilnesse And not decline through none recklesnesse In any poynt from your commaundemente But with hole herte in all my best entente I shall take hede and playnly do none other Than ye haue sayd mine owne lord bother So lothe me were offende you or greue And in this wise he lowly toke his leue And forth he rode so lyke a manly knyght That to beholde it was a noble syght Amonge his men he haueth hym so wele Thre thousande knightes armed all in stele Enuyron rode with Troylus into fyelde And as that day he beareth in his shielde Passant of golde thre Lyons rychely The champe of asure wrought full craftly And by the gate he yssued out anone And with him ladde his knyghtes euerychon To the grekes holdyng the next waye ¶ And Hector hasteth all that euer he may Prudently his wardes to ordeyne And to the noble worthy bretherne twayne To kyng Hupon and Andelius Assygned he the story telleth thus The fourth warde to guye and to wysse And in the lande that called was Larysse The brethern two there had reigned longe And this Hupon was passyngly stronge And of stature lyke a chaumpyowne And saue Hector in all Troye towne Was none to hym egall as of myght More delyuer nor a better knight And on his foen passyng despytous Whiche with his brother Andelyus Foure thousande knyghtes hadde for to lede And seuen thousande sothly as I rede And to them lyke as wryte Guydo Worthy Hector assygned hath also One of his brothern called Dimarchus A noble knight in armes ryght famous And had in manhode passyng excellence And of Hector they taken haue lycence And rode their waye amonge all the prese Through the gate of Dardanides ¶ The fyfte warde to haue at his ledyng Was by Hector commytted to the kyng That of Cesoyne lorde and prynce was And to his brother called Pollidamas These Cysones were of hye stature And might in armes passyngly endure Vpon whom full many man behelde And their kyng bare nothynge in his shyelde But a fyelde of Gules as I fynde Of other sygne Guydo maketh no minde And forth he rode a full sterne pase This noble kynge and Pollydamas Whan they had of Hector lene take Whiche euer in one full busye was to make The syxth warde with all his diligence And to the kyng called Pretemense That was full worthy both in werre peace ¶ And to a duke that hyght Sterepes Whyche was also full worthy of his honde He toke the folke of Poenye lande Them to gouerne in the fyelde that day The whiche people hath in custome aye Without plate hawberion or mayle On swyfte horse their fomen for to assayle With mighty bowes arrowes sharpe groūd Through an harneys mortally to wounde And with this folke of Hector eke also Deyphobus assygned was to go In the fyelde to guyde them and to lede And on their waye they faste gan theim spede But or they passe by Dardanydes Full discretely Hector for them chese Panysers cladde in mayle and plate Them commaundyng at yssuyng of the gate And with the archers in to fyelde to gone And many worthy well armed euerychone To awayte on them that they were not lore For this folke that I of spake tofore Of Poenye hadden none armure But prudent Hector for to make them sure Out of Agrest the myghty regyowne Hath chosen out full worthy of renowne The best knightes of them euerychon ¶ And with the kynges Esdras and Phylon Assygned them for to taken hede To the fotemen when that they haue nede The whiche Phylon ordeyned full rychely Rode in a chere all of Yuery Of whyche the wheles wrought full curious Were of a tree ycalled Hebanus The whiche tree groweth ferre in Inde Blacke of hewe and also as I fynde When it is korne this tree wyll were anone Of his nature harde as any stone Whan it is graue eyther rounde or square And of pure golde roued was this chare Fret with perle and many ryche stones That suche an other I trowe now there none is In all this worlde if I shall not fayne And it was ladde of mighty knightes twaine Men of armes within eke and without Armed in stele rydyng rounde aboute These worthy kynges Esdras and Phylon And Hector hath called to hym anone One of his brethern what so that be falle To be guyde and leder of them all The name of whom was Pytagoras ¶ And to the great Troyon Eneas Of whom tofore made is mencion Hector by good deliberation The seuenth warde assygned hath to kepe And vpon stedes lusty for to lepe Of suche as were vsed moche to ryde Full manly knightes to haue by his syde Whiche with Ewpheny vnto Troye towne Come so ferre from their regyowne To succour them and that for Hectors sake And when they had of hym leue take They rode full proudely forth with Eneas Out at the gate a wonder knightly
That eueryche other to the earth smytte That to beholde was a knightly syght And after they bothe on foote fyght By lyklyhead tho in theyr wood rage Other to fall in full great domage Amonge the horse bycause that they stode Vpon the soyle all ouer spredde with blode ¶ But Phyloctetes is to Ayax come And hath him vp amonge the horse ynome That knightly fought as made is memorye For sothly elles Troians with victorye Had had the fyelde playnly for to sayne Tyll Philoctetes with his wardes twayne Euen in the face manly theim withstode And with a spere he fyrst to Hector rode And vpon him the shafte I fynde he brake But sothly he vpon his horse bake Kept him so well for all that fell stroke Remeuinge not but sturdy as an oke Sat in his sadell vpryght with his chine And wyth a spere ryght as any lyne Into the body depe through the shyelde Philoctetes he smote into the fielde That of his lyfe hys knightes were in doubt ¶ But tho came in with so great a route ¶ Kynge Humerus and Vlixes eke And with them brought many worthy greke Ten thousād knightes manly men echone That gan Troians for to assayle anone And cruelly on euery halfe certayne With multytude they haue theim so belayne That dispayred and disconsolate And of longe fyght a waped and a mate Gan withdrawe faynted in battayle And eke theyr horse sothly gan to fayle That on theyr syde all went vp so downe ¶ But Parys tho with them of Troy towne Is entred in in ful manly wyse And fyrst he mette with the kynge of Fryse That to Vlyxes nye was of allye Whom Parys smote with so great enuye That he hym slewe wherof grekes were Sore abashed and after wyth a spere ¶ Vlyxes rode to auenge him if he might And fyrst when he of Parys had a syght Into the brest he gan his spere throwe That fynally for he bare to lowe Fayling of Parys sothely as I reade Vnder him he slewe his mighty stede That maugre him he to grounde is gone And he on him would haue fall anone ¶ But Troilus tho mette him in the berde And furyously with his sharpe swerde He smote Vlyxes throughout his viser That lyke a condyte or a small ryuer Downe by his face of bloud the streames ran But Vlyxes tho lyke a manly man Of that stroke astoned not at all But on his stede stiffe as any wall With his swerde so mightely gan race Through the vmber into Troylus face That he him gaue a large mortall wounde Of which stroke passingly ioycounde The grekes were supposing in theyr thought How Troians fynally were brought Vnto outtraunce and sothly so they hadde Saue that Hector w t knightes which he lad And with him Parys and Deiphobus And al his brethern ī knighthod most famous Troylus also for all his laste wounde That was alway so noble knight yfounde All at ones be ioyned into one And vpon grekes sodaynly be gone ¶ And worthy Hector alder fyrst began Grekes to enchase that afore him ran Like as beastes that fledde fro the death And euer in one thus he killeth and sleyeth Whom he mette or durst his stroke abyde And on his foen with freshe woundes wyde The slaught he made alway to renewe And thylke daye in blody rosen hewe He hath theyr plates their harneys steined And thought it had bloud from heauē rained The soyle redder might not tho a ben And aye ylyche as a swarme of been The grekes flockmele fledde out of his way And Guydo sayth that all that ylke daye Hector had formest on the playne In the frounter of the grekes layne That behynde the knyghtes of his garde For lacke of hym were all out of warde Wherfore when he had sought full longe And grekes sawe of new wexen stronge To his knyghtes he is agayne repeyred Whych in theim selfe greatly were dispayred For his absence but tho when they him se Full inwardly recomforted they be And with glad hert haue theyr lorde receiued And theyr gladnesse when he hath perceyued ¶ Spake vnto theim full affectiously And lykewyse prayed theim full beningly To remembre knyghtly in their herte And consyder wysely and aduerte First the wronges that grekes haue them do Of yore ago and ouermore also If grekes had that daye the victorye Farewell for aye the honour and glorye Of Troyan bloud in conclusyowne For fynally we and eke our towne Shall mortally tournen to ruyne And our honour that was wont to shyne Throughout the world and our worthinesse Eclipse shall and tournen to dercknesse But ye this daye lyke as men you quyte Wherfore I praye that no man ne atwyte Your hygh renowne of any cowardise To sette vpon in full manly wise And not to spare for dread of death I praye ¶ And they echone full lowly gan obeye To his desyre withouten longer tale And entryng in by a certayne vale Vpon grekes these worthy knyghtes all Folowing Hector sodaynly be fall Full mortally or that they were ware And Hector tho no greke would spare But euery where to theyr confusyon He killed and slewe aboute him enuyron And his knyghtes riding by his side Made theyr foen maugre all their pryde To lese their lande flewe out of their sighte ¶ Tyll that the kinge which y e Thoas hight On grekes syde inwarde gan him dresse And of newe fulll knyghtly gan oppresse Them of Troye this knight this manly mā ¶ That had afore slayn Cassybellan One of the sonnes of king Pryamus But as he rode of fortune it fell thus That all the brethren on a frushe he mette Which of assent enuyron him besette And from his sadell that many greke beheld Amonge the horse smyt him into felde And of they rente first his basenet And cruelly they had his head of smet For he vnarmed all at myschief stode ¶ Saue that the Duke furyous and wood Of Athenes riding tho a great pase Reskued him in this mortall case With his knightes that about him rode And him to helpe without more abode With a spere sharpe whet and kene ¶ Fyrst of all he fell on Quintiline That busy was Thoas to haue slawe And the bretherene made also withdrawe Whan Quintiline of his horse was throwe ¶ But Parys thē drewe vp his mighty bow And to this Duke let an arowe glyde And through his plates hit him in the side Vpon a rybbe that made him sore to blede Of whych stroke he ne toke no hede Bycause onely that he so feruent was Amid his foen to helpe thus kinge Thoas Amonge the horse that was bore to grounde In poynt of death with many mortall woūd Onely for he was naked on the head But this Duke fully deuoyde of dread Of his knighthod in this perillous case Amid his foen hath holpe the king Thoas And with his lyfe made him scapen fre And Hector aye of cruell enmitee Iliche freshe for nothing would leue Vpon grekes his manhode for
you in pledge ye shall haue The meane whyle and kepe thē on your side At your choyse hostages to abyde From Troye towne of the worthiest That ye lyst chese and also of the beste So that ye shall of nothyng be in were Of all that euer that I saye you here ¶ And Achilles without wordes mo If that you lyste accorde therunto That I haue sayd thy honour to encrease To make this werre sodaynly to cease That lykly is for to laste longe Betwene Troians and the Grekes stronge Thou shalt not onely w t honour with fame Throughout the worlde winnen the a name But therwithall and that is not a lyte Thrugh thy knighthod to many man profite That fro the death shall escape alyue And to his countre hole and sounde aryue That lykly are by cruell aduenture For to be dead if the werre endure Come of therfore and let not be prolonged But let the daye atwene vs two be ioyned As I haue sayd in condiciowne If in diffence onely of this towne I haue victorye by fortune ouer the I axe not elles but anone that ye Breake vp siege and the werre lete And suffer vs to lyuen in quyete Into Grece home when ye are gone To which thinge Achilles there anone Hote in his yre and furyous also Brenning full hote for anger and for wo Assented is with a despytous cheare ¶ And gan anone to Hector dresse him nere And sayd he would delyuer him vtterly Fro poynt to poynt his axynge by and by And therin made none excepciowne But of hole herte and entencion His requeste accepted euery dell And as it semed leked it right well And for his parte he caste his gloue adowne In sygne and token of confirmaciowne For lyfe or death that he will holde this daye Agayne Hector happe what happe maye Vnto the which Hector lyfely sterte And toke it vp with as glad an herte As euer yet did any man or knyght That quarell toke with his foe to fight There can no man in sothe a ryght deuyse How glad he was of this high empryse ¶ Of whych the noyse and the great sowne Ran to the eares of kinge Agamenowne And he anone him selfe came to the tente With all the lordes of his parliament ¶ Where Achilles and Hector were yfere To wytte their will as in this mattere Where they would assenten fynally To put the quarell full in Ieopardy Of other parte atwene these knightes tweyn As ye haue herde fully to dareyne ¶ And with one voyce Grekes it denye And sayde they nolde of suche a companye Of kinges Dukes and of Lordes eke also Bothe life and death Ieoparte atwene two Nor to the course of fortune theim submitte That can all daye her face chaunge flytte And some of Troye in conclusyowne Ieoparde ne wold their liues nor their towne In the handes onely of a knight To put all in auenture of fyght ¶ Pryam except whyche sothly in this case Within him selfe fully assented was Playnly to put and sette in Ieopardye Hooly the honour of his regallye Supposynge aye as made is memorye That Hector shoulde haue had the victorye Of this empryse if he toke it on hande ¶ But for Priam might not tho withstande Agayne so many of one entencion That were contrarye to his opynion Bothe of Grekes and on Troye syde He helde his peace and let it ouer slyde And so the Grekes parted be echone ¶ And Hector is from Achilles gone Home to Troye where I him leue a whyle Whiles that I dyrecten shall my stile To tell of Troylus the lamentable wo Which that he made to parte his lady fro ALas fortune gery and vnstable And redy aye for to be chaungeable Whē folke most trust in thy stormye face Like their desyre the fully to embrace Then is thy ioye away to tourne and writhe Wpon wretches thy power for to kythe Record of Troylus y t from the whele so lowe By false enuye thou hast ouerthrowe Out of the ioye whych that he was in From his lady to make hym for to twynne When he best wende for to haue be sured And of the woe that he hath endured I muste nedely helpe hym to complayne Whych that in herte felte so great payne So inwarde wo and so great distresse More than I haue cunning to expresse When that he knewe the partynge of Creseyd Almost for wo and for payne he deyed And fully wiste that she departe shal By sentence and by iudgement fynall Of his father gyuen in parlyamente For which with wo and tourment al to rente He was in poynt to haue fallen in rage That no man might appease nor aswage The hidde paynes which in his brest gā dare For lyke a man in furye he gan fare And such sorowe daye and nyght to make In complayninge onely for her sake For when he sawe that she should aweye He leuer had playnly for to deye Than to lyue behinde in her absence For him thought without her presence He was but dead there is no more to sayne And into teares he gan to berayne With which his eyen gan for to bollen And in his brest the sighes tho vppe swollen And the sobbynge of his sorowes depe That he ne can not do but rore and wepe So sore loue his herte gan constrayne And she ne felte not a litle payne But wepte also and piteously gan crye Desyringe aye that she might do dye Rather than parte fro him out of Troye Her owne knyght her lust her lyues ioye That by her chekes the teares downe destyll And fro her eyen the teares round drops tryl That all fordewed haue her blacke wede And eke vntrussed her heyre abrode gā sprede Lyke golde wyre forrent and all to torne Yplucked of and not with sheres shorne And ouer this her freshe rosen hewe Whilom ymeynt with whyte lylyes newe With wofull wepynge pyteously disteyned And like the herbes in April all bereyned Or floures freshe with the dewes swete Right so her chekes moyste were and wete With cristall water vp ascendinge hye Out of her brest into her heauenly eye And aye amonge her lamentaciowne Full ofte sythe she fell in swowne adowne Deadly pale fordimmed in her syghte And ofte sayde alas myne owne knight Mine owne Troilus alas why shal we parte Rather let death with his spere darte Through my herte and the vaynes kerue And with his rage do me for to sterue Rather alas than fro my knight to twinne ¶ And of this wo Oh death that I am in Why nilt thou come helpe to make an ende For how shulde I out of Troye wende He abyde and I to Grekes gone There to dwell amonge my cruell fone Alas alas I wofull creature How shoulde I there in the werre endure I wretched woman but my selfe alone Amonge the men of armes euerychone Thus gan she crye all the longe daye This was her playnte with full great affray Her pyteous noyse till it drewe to night That vnto her
her owne trewe knight Full tryst and heauy came agaynes eue If he might ought comforte or releue ¶ But he in sothe hath this Creseyde founde All in a swowne liyng on the grounde And pyteously vnto her he wente With wofull cheare and her in armes hente And toke her vp and then atwene theim two Began of newe suche a deadly wo That it was routhe and pyte for to sene For she of cheare pale was and grene And he of coloure like to ashes deade And fro her face gone was all the red And in his chekes deuoyded was the bloude So wofully atwene theim two it stode For she ne might not a worde yspeake And he was redy with deathe to be wreke Vpon him selfe his naked swerde besyde And she full ofte gan to the grounde glyde Out of his armes as she fell a swowne And he him selfe gan in teares drowne She was as stille and dombe as any stone He had a mouthe but wordes had he none The wery spyryte flykered in his brest That of the death stode tho vnder a reste Without maynpryse sothly as of lyfe And thus there was as it semed a stryfe Whiche of theim two shulde fyrste ypasse For death portrayed both in herte and face With coloure such as men go to theyr graue And thus in wo they gan togyther raue Disconsolate all the longe nyght That in good fayth yf here I should aryght The processe hole of theyr bothe sorowe That they made till the next morowe From poynt to poynt do it specifye All to longe it would me occupye Of euery thynge to make mencion And tarye me in my translacion If so I shoulde in her wo procede But me semeth that it is no nede ¶ Syth my maister Chaucer here afore In this matter hath so well him bore In his boke of Troylus and Creseyde Whych he mayde longe or that he deyed Rehersyng first how Troilus was cōtrayre For to ascende vp on loues stayre And how that he for all his surquedrye After became one of the compaynye Of loues folke for all his olde game Whan Cupide had subdued him full tame And brought him lowe to his subiectiowne In a temple as he walked vp and downe When he his gynnes and his hookes leyde Amid the eyen cercled of Creseyde Whych on that daye he might not asterte For through his brest perced hath his herte He went him home pale dead and wan And in this wise Troylus first began To be a seruaunt my mayster telleth thus Till he was after holpe of Pandarus Through whose comforte and mediacion As in his boke is made relacion With great laboure fyrst he came to grace And so continueth by many yeares space Till gery fortune gan vpon him frowne That she fro him must go out of the towne All sodaynly and sythe him se Lo here the ende of false felycite Lo here the ende of worldly brotilnesse Of fleshly lust lo here thunstablenesse Lo here the double variacion Of wordly blisse and transmutacion This daye in myrthe and in wo to morowe For aye the fine alas of ioye is sorowe For now Creseyde with the kinge Thoas For Anthenor shall forth gon alas Vnto Grekes and euer with theim dwell ¶ The hole storye Chaucer can you tell If that ye lyst no man better alyue Nor the processe halfe so well discriue For he our englyshe gilt with his sayes Rude and boystous firste by olde dayes That was full fer from all parfection And but of lytell reputacion Till that he came and with his poetrye Gan our tunge first to magnifye And adourne it with his eloquence To whom honour laude and reuerence Throughout this lande giuen be and songe So that the laurer of our englishe tonge Be to him giuen for his excellence Right as whilom by ful high sentence Perpetually for a memoriall ¶ Of Columpna by the Cardinall To Petrack fraūceis was giuen in Italye That the reporte neuer after fayle Nor the honour dirked of his name To be registred in the house of fame Amonge other in the highest sete My mayster Galfride as for chiefe Poete That euer was yet in our language The name of whom shall pallen in none age But euer yliche without eclipsing shine And for my parte I will neuer fine So as I can him to magnifye In my writinge plianly till I dye And god I praye his soule bringe in ioye ¶ And where I lefte I wil agayne of troye The storye tell and first how that he Guydo Within his boke thus speaketh Troylus to Rebuking him full vncurteysly That he so sette his herte folyly Vpon Creseyde full of doubilnesse For in his boke as Guydo list expresse That her teares and her complayninge Her wordes white softe and blandishinge Were meynt with fayning with flatterye And outward farsed with many a false lye For vnderhid was all the varyaunce Cured aboue with fayned countenaunce As women can falsly teres borowe In theyr herte though there be no sorowe Lyke as they would of very trouthe deye They can thynke one and an other say As a serpent vnder floures fayre His venym hydeth where he doth repayre The sugre afore the galle hydde behinde As propered is aye vnto theyr kynde To be dyuerse and double of nature Rathest deceyuing when men most assure For vnder coloure euery thynge they werke The fayre aboue the foule in the dercke They hydde so that no man may espye And though so be that wyth a wofull eye They can outwarde wepe pyteously The tother eye can laugh couertly Whose sorowes all are tempred with alleys And theyr coloure is euer meynt with rayes For vpon chaunge and mutabylyte Stande hole theyr truste and theyr suerte So that they be sure in doubylnesse And alway double in theyr sikernesse Seminge one when they best can varye Lykest to a corde when they be contrarye And thus they be most varyaunt in accorde And hoolest seme when there is discorde And Guido sayth how there are fewe or none That in herte apayed is in one And yet they can be it to one or twayne To thre or foure in theyr speche fayne Lyke as they were to one and to no mo Hoole in theyr loue for well and eke for wo. That eneryche shall of hym selfe deme That he be next lyke as he doth seme And thus in hope stādeth eche in of theim all The trewest aye redyest forto fall Who serueth best next to be appayred And thus in chaunge all theyr loue is fayred Let no man truste but catche when he maye Farewell to morow though it be sure to daye The fayre of chaunge lasteth all the yeare But it is folye for to bye to deare Thilke treasour whyche harde is to possede But flieth away when men therof most nede And yf it happe that no chapman be As sayth Guydo yet all daye men maye se It sheweth out at large fenestralles On chaumbers high lowe downe in halles And in windowes eke in euery strete And also eke men
ne might mine auctour sayth certayne Nother be queint with tēpest winde or rayne Nor by processe wasten of no yeares Whiche in the ayre be bryght bourned wires Full craftely reysed were a lofte Of whose swetenes men reioyced ofte In theyr courage it lyked theim full well And whē this worke was complete eueridell Rounde enuyrowne ful ryche and freshe to se ¶ They made a parclose all of Eban tre That so longe laste maye and dure The which tree onely of nature When it is cutte smelleth wonder swete And maye not waste nor brenne with no hete Though it be layde amonge the coles red Midde the flawme of many fiery glede It not consumeth though men assaye ful ofte And in water it houeth not alofte But kyndely thense to the grounde it goth To swymme on heyght in soth it is to loth And lyke also as teacheth Plynyus This tree whylom was passyngly famous Of so hyghe pryse and reputacion That in the large myghty regyon And worthy lande of Ethyope and Inde Of yore agon the folkes as I fynde Had this tree in so great honour That they gaue trybute to the Emperour ¶ As is remembred of antiquite Of golde and yuor and of this ryche tree With these gyftes famous and royall To quyte theyr dette to hym in specyall ¶ And whan Pryam in full thryfty wyse Performed hath as ye haue herde deuyse This ryche worke noble and excellent Of herty loue in all his beste entent Ordayned eke as Guydo can you tell A certayne nombre of prestes for to dwell ¶ In the temple in their deuocions Contynually with deuoute orysons ¶ For the soule of Hector for to preye That the goddes his spyryte lyste conuey Eternally with them to dwell yfeare In ioye and blysse aboue the sterres clere ¶ To whiche prestes y e kyng gaue mansyons There to abyde and possessyons The whiche he hath to them mortysed Perpetually as he haue herde deuysed And whyles that they knele praye and wake I caste fully me an ende to make Fynally of this my thirde boke On my rude maner as I vndertoke And whyles they of Troye wepe and morne Vnto grekes I wyll agayne retourne And with dulle style on the story trace Onely borne vp with supporte of your grace Thus endeth the thirde boke ¶ How the grekes deposyng Agamenon ordayned Pallamydes the general of their armye Cap. xxix HEctor thus deade as ye haue herde said Achylles in his tent ylayde With his woundes mortall fresshe and grene Vpon a morning when y e son shene Enchaced had away the derke nyght ¶ Agamenon the wyse worthy knyght In his workes passyngly prudent Hath in all haste for his lordes sent And when they were assembled euerychone Within his tente to them he sayde anone ¶ Syrs quod he and lordes that be here Kynge Prynces and Dukes eke yfere If ye aduerte by clere inspection Ye ought echeone with hygh deuocyon Hooly of herte our goddes for to herye And inwardely for to be ryght merye If ye consydre and wysely do take hede ¶ How that our enemye Hector is now dead That whylom was berer vp of Troye Their full truste their honour and their ioye Their hoole deffence and their protection And vnto vs death and confusyon Vnlykely euer to haue had victorye Whyles with lyfe he floured in his glorye Againe whose sworde we mighten not auaile For slewe he not at our aryuayle If ye remembre on the fyrste day ¶ The noble kyng called Protheselay And after nexte if I shall not fayne He Patroclus parted euen on twayne In fyelde amonges vs euerychone Slewe he not eke the worthy kynge Menon Archylogus and also Prothenor And eke the kyng that hyghte Alphynor Phyllys also and kyng Epystrophus ¶ And to the ende he brought zantypus And Meryon the myghty stronge kyng In his waye as he came rydynge He slayne hath and other kynges two ¶ Cedyus and Doryus also Polyrenes and stronge Polybete Letabonis and the kynge Phylete The manly knyght the kynge Isydyus ¶ And eke the kynge called Humerus For in his Ire and his cruell tene Of worthy kynges he slayne hath eyghtene Whiche hyther came out of grekes lande By the power of his myghty hande ¶ Nowe laude and honour to the goddes all Whiche caused haue that it is be fall That he is dead to our encrease of ioye And to discrese of our foen in Troye As they shall fynde in experyence And laude also prese and reuerence Be to fortune that vs hath holpe wele With her tournyng of her double whele To hyghe comforte and consolacyowne Of vs echone syttynge enuyrowne That stonde nowe in parfyt sykernesse Through deth of him y t dyd vs so oppresse And what may they waite now in the towne But after deth and destructiowne And hastely for to ende in wo Now that their truste Hector is a go Without whom they may not longe endure Wherfore we may fully vs assure Our purpose hole that we shall acheue And fynally daunte them so and greue That vnto them it shal be importable Of one assent if we stande stable For their partye tourneth on the wrake And their hope is fully put a bake And dispeired in nonsecurytye For vtterly both they and their Citye Shall more more in weer of death depende And we in soth shall day by day amende With helpe of god both on sea and lande For now victorye is redy to our hande Deuoyde platly of ambyguyte And excluded at eye as ye may se Both of wantrust and of foreyne dread But I counsayle or that we procede Any ferther vpon our foen to ryde Prudently a whyle to abyde And kepe vs close for to passe our boundes ¶ Tyll Achylles be heled of his woundes And then echone by myghtye vyolence Shal thē oppresse when they haue no diffence As I haue sayde through helpe of Achylles And let vs nowe sende for a peace For two monthes to kyng Pryamus If it so be he lyste to graunt it vs. As it is lyke playnely that he shall And they there whyle with flawme funerall Consume may the deade bodyes pale That lye abrode on euery hyll and vale Whiche by reporte of them that haue repeyre From day to day infecten so the eyre Throughout the fielde engendryng pestilence Of stynke there is so great a vyolence ¶ And we there whyle may in ease and reste Our woundes cure me semeth for the beste ¶ And they assent therto euerychone And vnto Troye the messageres are gone And haue the trewse graunted of the kynge And be repeyred without more taryinge And thereof made full relacyon To the grekes afore Agamenon And after that when all was at an ende Home to his tent euery lorde doth wende And whyle the trewse endureth and the peace Amonge grekes kynge Pallamydes Cumplayneth sore of Agamenon That he so had the domynacyon Aboue them all hauyng there at enuye And on a day in his melancolye Of hyghe despyte and indignacyon Full inly fret
In sorowe and care in labour and in wo And with all this ye wotte well also Sith fyrst tyme that the werre began Of our grekes how many worthy man Hath loste his lyfe thrugh deathes fatal woūd That hytherto haue myght lyued be sounde At home in Grece assured well in ioye If they ne had comen vnto Troye That to remembre it is full great pyte ¶ And ouer this I saye also for me Amonge Troyans in their cruell mode I haue so moche loste of my bloude That hath full ofte made pale of hewe ¶ This other day also grene and newe I had of Hector suche a mortall wounde With a quarell sharpe what and grounde Aboue the thygh so kene was the head The same daye afore that he was dede Of very happe as it was yshape That from the death vnneth I might escape Whiche yet all freshe is vpon me sene Large and wyde and as yet but grene The smerte of whiche I yet ful sore cōplayne ¶ And in good fayth me semeth that Heleyne If ye aduerte wysely in your thought With suche a pryse shulde nat haue be bought Where through our lyfe and our good yfeare And our honour are yput in were And dreadfully hangen in ballaunce For yf that ye in your remembraunce Conceyue aryght and casten vp and downe The sodayne chaunge and reuoluciowne That fallen hath syth the werre began The slaught death of many worthy man That for her sake hath here loste his lyfe And yet the worste of this mortall stryfe Doth moste rebounde into our damage To disencrease and eke disauauntage And lykely is dayly to be more If ordenaunce be not made therfore And remedy shape on outher syde By fyne onely that Heleyne do abyde With them of Troye styll here in the towne And let vs caste by good inspectiowne For our ease some other maner waye ¶ So that the kynge called Menelay Chese hym a wyfe in some other londe Lyke his estate by suraunce or by bonde Vnder wedlocke confyrmed vp of newe That vnto hym wyll be founde trewe Syth that we without gylte or synne May him by the law from this Heleine twyn For of dyuerse causes be ynowe Thrughout y e world of euery wight yknowe Of auoutry for the foule vyce That it to lawe is no preiudice ¶ Though Menelay iustly her forsake Whan so his lyste and an other take That shall hym both better queme and please And so to vs it shall be full great ease Whan the werre is brought to an ende Whiche lykely is many man to shende If it so be that it forth contune The great labour is so importune That we ne shall no whyle mowe sustene For this is soth withouten any wene Troyans yet be flourynge in their myght And w t them haue full many worthy knighte To helpe them of hye and lowe degre And therwithall so stronge in their cite On euery parte without and eke within That we are not lykely for to wynne In our purpose though we euer abyde Wherfore by wysedome let vs voyden pryde And wylfulnesse onely of prudence To haue the eye of our aduertence To our profyt more then vaine glorye And while our honour shineth by victory A wysedome is to withdrawe our honde Sith we may not constrayne by no bonde Fortunes whele for to abyde stable Wherfore I rede or she become mutable This gery goddesse with her double chere Let vs gyue vp suche thynge as lyeth in were Whyles that we may our alder worshyp saue For of the werre the laude yet we haue Consyder well how by your manhead ¶ Our most foe Hector is now dead And whyle that we in our honour floure My counsayle is before fortune loure As I sayd ere to chaunge her bryght face Whyle that we beste stonde in her grace By one assent and one oppynyon Without any contradiction Of herte and wyll both of one and all Or our honour on any partye pall Into Grece that we home returne For if that we longer here soiourne On the quarell that we haue longe sewed Doutles it may not be eschewed Full great damage this without fayle Or we haue done shall folowe at the tayle Wherfore beste is our folye vp resygne And whyle our hap is welfull and benynge Most blandyshynge and of face fayre The tyme is beste to make our repayre Whyle that we stande in party and in all With our enmyes in honour perygall And fer aboue playnly if that we Coulde haue an eye to our felicite Whyle that it is in his ascencion ¶ But lest some man wyll make obiection That we may not so our honour saue To repayre playnely but we haue Helayne agayne that is cause of all To whiche thynge anone answere I shall ¶ If any man in his fantasye To dishonour or to vyllanye Arrecte wolde in any maner kynde We to go home and leue her behynde Shortely to saye I holde it be no shame Syth that we haue one as great of name ¶ As is Heleyne and of byrthe as good Amonges vs ycome of kynges bloud ¶ Syster to Pryam lorde of Troye towne ¶ Exiona whom that Thelamowne In kepynge hath if I shall not feyne In Troye towne as Parys hath Heleyne And syth nowe it may be none other Let the tone be set agayne the tother And the surplus of olde enmyte Betwyxe vs and Troye the cite My counsayle is for our both ease By one assent wysely to appease This all and some and that we hence wende I can no more my tale is at an ende ¶ To whom anone kyng Menelaus For very yre wood and furyous ¶ And kyng Thoas the duke eke of Athene As they that myght no longer hym sustene To suffre hym they were so reckles Spake all attones vnto Achylles Not onely they but through inpacyence The courte perturbed without prouydence With tumulte gonnen to repreue ¶ This Achilles and proudely them cōmeue Agaynst hym and his opynyon And sayde shortely in conclusyon Vnto his read they ne wolde assent Nor condescende to nothyng that he mente To be gouerned by him in this case ¶ For whiche thynge anone Achylles was So full of yre and rancour in his herte That sodaynely from his see he sterte And went his waye as he were in a rage Tryste and pale and a wood vysage And shortly sayde for him lyke not fayne That he ne wolde longer do his payne To helpe them how so that they spede Agayne Troyans for no maner nede ¶ And bad anone this hardy Achilles To his knyghtes called Myrmydones That they no more with spere nor with shelde To helpe grekes entre into fyelde But kepe thē close at home within thetr tente Thus in his yre he gaue commaundement To all his men as ye haue herde deuyse Them to withdrawe at euery hygh empryse Whan so euer they go into battayle And in this whyle scarsenesse of vyttayle Fell in the hoost of fleshe of bred and wyne That many Greke brought vnto his fyne
after that whan they were set yfeare Lyke theyr degree anone in aduenture ¶ Whyle Vlixes full of eloquence Gan his tale prudently deuyse ¶ To Achylles saying in this wise ¶ Syr Achylles moste renowned of glorye Throughout the worlde to be in memorye And of his knyghthode very shoures and wel Displease it not now that I shall tell To your noble famous excellence Nor to your eares let be none offence That I shall say but of goodlyhead Pacyently that ye wyll take hede To my wordes sayd of herte and thought I you ensure for I fayne noughte This to saye yf ye remembre wel The fyrst cause and purpose euery dell Of the grekes yf ye haue mencyon Was fully sette by one entencyon As well of you as of vs pardye Whan we come fyrst to this citye Kynges prynces I except none Of whiche in soth to recken euerychone Your selfe was to speake in speciall One of the fyrst and moste pryncypall Assented full how Troye the Cite Through our manhode destroyed shulde be Perpetually brought vnto ruyne But nowe of newe I note what doth enclyne Your worthynesse sodeynly to varye And to our purpose for to be contrarye ¶ Consyder fyrst of you that be so sage The wronges done and the great damage In grekes lande of them of the towne Conspyryng aye to our destructiowne If ye aduerte wysely in your thought That slayne haue and to an ende brought Full many worthy syth gone full yore And of treasour that no man may restore Dispoyled vs and brought in great distresse Our goodes raught our golde our rychesse â–ª Our shyppes brent through their cruelte And to all this alas ye lyste not se Now that they be whiche may not be delayed Through your manhode fynally outtrayed Sith ye haue slaine their hope their suffisauÌ„ce ¶ Hector in whom was all their affyaunce Fully their truste and diffence also ¶ And Deyphobus also is a go And lykely are more to be apeyred Fro day to day and fynally dispeyred So frowardly fortune on them loureth And now your honour your fame flouteth In his worshyp and your high renowne Atteyned hath the exaltaciowne And hyghest prycke of fortunes whele It were great wronge and ye loke wele Of wylfulnes for to be vnkynde To her that ye so frendly to you fynde Or to be frowarde whyle she is benynge By influence graciously to assygne Her spoukes meue vnto your pleasaunce And hap to tourne w t plente on your chaunce After whose helpe you nedeth not to calle ¶ Wherfore alas why wyll ye suffer palle Your noble fame of very wylfulnesse Whyle it is hyest in his worthynesse Your knyghtly prudence it shulde not asterte Of whiche thynge euery gentyll herte Shulde haue routhe and compassyon Wherfore we praye of â—iscrecyon That ye you shape this purpose to amende And that ye wolde of herte condiscende With vs to stonde knyghtly in this werre By your manhode that is spoke of so ferre That your renowne to the worlde ende Reported be where so that men wende Perpetually by freshenesse of hewe Day by day to encrease newe That the tryumphe of this hygh victorye Be put in storye and eke in memorye And so enprynted that foryetfulnesse No power haue by malys to oppresse Your fame in knyghthode derke or difface That shyneth yet so clere in many place Without Eclypsyng sothly this no lesse Whiche to conserne ye be now reckelesse Of wylfulnesse to cloude so the lyght Of your renowne y e whylom shone so bryght Your myghty hande of manhode to w tdrawe Consyder fyrst how grekes are yslawe Tofore your tent w t mortal woundes wyde Through out the fyelde vpon euery syde And haue disdayne onely for lacke of routhe Alas the whyle for a lyttle slouthe To ley to honde in their mischyefe at all That whylom were their stroÌ„ge mighty wall Their chiefe diffence and their champiowne Souerayne helpe and protectiowne For whom ye haue so ofte shedde your bloud Agayne their foen with them whan he stode Full myghtely their enmyes to assayle Without whom they lyttell may auayle In very soth ne none of vs echone But ye of knyghthode lyste with vs to gone Agayne Troyans as ye were wont to do And is our trust and fynall hope also That ye shall helpe and our socour be ¶ And hereupon we praye you that ye Saye your aduyce and your full wyll ¶ And than anone the hardy fyerse Achylle Whan Vlixes concluded had his tale Sith a face for anger dead and pale Sayde euen thus all openly and playne Sir Vlixes if so ryght as ye sayne And haue declared in conclusyon That our purpose and entensyon Was fynally to brenne and destroye This royall citie that is called Troye I holde in soth me lyketh not to lye That our entent was grounded on folye To put vs all through indiscrecion Of reckleshede and hasty mocyon Of lyfe and death in suche ieopardye And specyally in all the Chiualrye Of grekes lande for so smale a thynge So many prynce and so many worthy kyng That haue ieoparted their body their good Yloste their lyfe and yspent their bloud Which might haue be ful well at home iÌ„ peace ¶ And is not nowe the kyng Pallamydes Yslawe also as who sayth but of newe That was so wise so manly and so trewe Of whom the lyfe was of more pryce alone Than the cause for whiche that we echone Be gathered here who so loke a ryght And of grekes many a noble knyght That haue be slayne both of the worthyest The worlde to seke and the manlyest For out of euery lande and regyowne On grekes partye and with them of y e towne Of chyualry knighthod y e soueraine floure To wynne in arme worshippe and honour Assembled be and come fro so ferre Of whiche in soth by duresse of this werre Full many one in the fyelde is dead And veryly without any drede There shall well mo if the werre laste Fro euery day the numbre lasseth faste Of worthy knyghtes dede without routh That I dare saye and conclude of trouth In this rage furyous and wood Full lykely is that all the gentyl bloude Through out this worlde shall destroyed be And rural folke and that were great pyty Shall haue lordshyp and hooly gouernaunce And Churles eke with sorowe mischaunce In euery londe shall lordes be alone Whan gentyll men slayne be echone ¶ Is not Hector that was so noble a knight That was this worldes very sonne and light Of manhode floure slayne pyteously In this werte in soth and so myghty I. Parauenture whiche may not attayne To his noblesse if I shall not fayne For by what way shall we the death eschewe With all our myght if we it pursewe Fro day to daye whyle that we lye here Therfore shortely me for to requere Touchynge the werre outher for to praye Is but in veyne and herken what I saye I wyll not purpose in this werre or stryfe For to ieoparte any more my lyfe
his stede sturdy as a wall This worthy knyght this man most mercial Pleyeth his play amonge Myrmydones Hym selfe god wot alone all helples ¶ But tho alas what might his force auayle When thre thousande knightes him assayle On euery parte both in lengthe and brede And cowardly fyrst they slewe his stede With their speres sharpe so square ygrouÌ„d For whych alas he stante now on y e grounde Wythout reskuse refute or socoure That was that daye of chyualrye the floure But well awaye they haue him so beset That from his head they smote his basenet And brake his harueys as they hym assaile And seuer of stele the myghty stronge mayle He was dysarmed both necke and also heade Alas the whyle no wyght toke none hede Of all his knyghtes longynge to the towne And yet alway this Troyan champyowne In knyghtly wyse naked as he was ¶ Hym selfe defendeth tyll Achylles alas Came rydynge in furyous and wood And whaÌ„ he sawe howe that Troylus stode Of longe fyghtynge awhaped and a mate And from his folkes alone disconsolate Sole by hym at myschyefe pyteously This Achylles wonder cruelly Behynde vnwarely or that he toke hede With his swerde smyteth of his heade And cast it forthe of cruell cursed herte And thought sure it should hym not asterte To shewe his malice this wolfe vnmercyable Full vnknyghtly to be more vengeable Vpon the body that dead laye and colde Alas that euer it should of knyght be tolde Wryte or rehersed to do so foule a deede Or in a boke alas that men shall rede Of any knyght a storye so horryble Vnto the eares passyngly odyble For this Achilles of crueltye alas The dead corps toke out of the taas And vengeably bonde it as I fynde At the tayle of his horse behynde And hatefully that euery wyght behelde Drewe it him selfe endlonge the felde Through the renges and the wardes all But Oh alas that euer it should fall A knyght to be in herte so cruell Or of hatred so spytefull and so fell To drawe a man after he were deade OH thou Homer for shame be now red And y e amase y t holdest thy selfe so wyse On Achylles to set suche great a pryse In thy bokes for his chyualrye Aboue echone that dost hym magnyfye That was so sleyghty and so full of fraude Why geuest thou him so hye a prayse laude ¶ Certys Homer for all thy excellence Of Rethoryke and sugred eloquence Thy lusty songes and thy dytees swete Thy hony mouth that doth wyth sugre flete Yet in one thynge thou greatly art to blame Causeles to gyue hym suche a name With tytle suche of tryumphe and glorye So passyngely to put in memorye In thy bookes to saye and wryte so that he thrugh knighthod slain hath Hectors two First him y t was lyke vnto none other ¶ And sithê Troilus y t was his owne brother If thou arte meued of affection Whych that thou hast to Grekes nacion To preyse him so for thou caust endyte Thou shouldest aye for any fauour wryte The trouthe playnly and be indyfferent And saye the sothe clerely of entente ¶ For when he slewe Hector in the felde He was afore disarmed of his shelde And busy eke in spoylynge of a kynge For yf he had beware of his comynge He had hym quyt through his chyualrye His false deceyt and his trecherye That he ne had so lyghtly from him gone ¶ Also Troylus naked and alone Amyd thre thousand closed and yshet ¶ When Achilles hath his head of smet At his backe of full cruell herte When he nothing his treason dyd aduerte ¶ Was that a dede of a manly knyght To slee a man forweryed in the fyght Faynt of trauayle all the longe daye Amonge so many standynge at a baye A kynges sonne and so hye borne Naked the head his armure all to torne Euen at the death on the selfe poynt At great myschyefe and playnly out of ioynt Of his lyfe standynge on the wrake ¶ When Achilles came falsly at the bake Assaylynge hym when he was halfe deade And lyke a cowarde smote of then his heade That was tofore hurte and wounded sore ¶ Wherfor Homer ne praise him not therfore Let not his prease thy royall booke difface But in all haste his renowne outrace For here his name when I here it neuen Veryly vp to the thirde heauen As semeth me infecte is the eyre The sowne therof so foule is and vnfayre For if that he had vsed aduertence Other the eye of his prouydence Vnto knyghthod or his worthynesse Other to manhode or to gentyllesse Or to the renowne of his owne name Or to the reporte of his knyghtly fame In any wyse to haue taken hede He hadde neuer done so foule a dede So vengeably for to haue ydrawe A kynges sonne after he was slawe And namely hym that was so good a knight Whyche in his tyme who so loke aryght Passed Achylles I dare it well expresse Both of manhode and of gentylnesse But for all that he is nowe dead alas ¶ The death of whom when Pollydamas And Parys eke fyrst gan espye They fared in sothe as they woulden dye And specyally wyth face dead and fade ¶ Parys alas suche inly sorowe made For the constreynt of his deadly wo When he sawe well that Troylus was ago And that he shall in lyfe him neuer se Suche sorowe also the Troyan Dan Enee For hym hath made and many other mo That all at ones they togyther go The dead corps to recure if they maye ¶ But grekes were so fell on them that daye That all theyr haste was vtterly in vayne In any wyse the corps to get agayne Tyll that Menon the noble worthy kynge Whych loued Troylus ouer all thynge Caught such routhe of affection That he in haste fearser than a Lyon On his death cast him to be wreake And fyrst for Ire thus he gan to speake To Achylles for all his hye treasowne Oh thou Tratoure Oh thou Scorpyowne Oh thou Serpent full of Trecherye Whych in dishonour of all chyualrye Through false engyne hast this daye yslawe The onely best that here hadde no felowe When he was whylom in this worlde alyue Alas alas who maye aryght deseryue Thy venym hyd thy malice and vntrouthe Wythout pyte or any knyghtly routhe To drawe a knyght so gentyll and so good A kynges sonne of so worthy bloud Through out y e feld at thy horse tale behynde That euer after it shal be in mynde This cruell dede and vngentylnesse ¶ And wyth y t word Menon gan him dresse Towarde Achylles wythout more areste And wyth a spere smet him in the brest Enuyously of so great hatrede That he vnneth kepte him on his stede And Menon after pulled out a swerde And cast hym manly to mete him in the berde And rode to him fully deuoyde of dreade And suche a wound he gaue him on the head That maugre him in many mannes syght To the earthe he
durst not abyde ¶ But when Pirrhus sawe her great pryde To his knightes loud he gan to crye And sayde it was shame and villanye For the women so to lese theyr lande And to be slayne so felly of her hande Wherfore echone your hertes doth resume And of assent let vs nowe consume The pryde of them that none awaye escape For but if we some remedye do shape This ylke daye theyr force to confounde Shamefull reporte to vs shall rebounde Perpetually where we slepe or wake ¶ And as Pirrhus gan his swerde to take Furyously and wyth a knyghtly chere This hardy quene happed for to heare ¶ All that Pirrhus to his knightes spake All her lyst not ones to tourne bake Nor of his thret for to take hede For platly she had of him no dreade But right proudly gan to drawe nere And to him sayde anone as ye shall heare ¶ Oh thou Pirrhe sonne of Achilles That slewe Hector in knyghthod pereles Through his trenys and his trecherye By malice onely and by false enuye Vnware when he nothinge did aduerte The whych neuer maye out of my herte So grene it sticketh in my remembraunce Vpon his death for to do vengeaunce And it syt well as semeth vnto me That his death be venged vpon the Fyrste of all and on thy fathers bloud For loue of him so gentyll and so good The deth of whom shuld al y e world cōplayne Not onely men do theyr busy payne To quyte his death but women eke also With all theyr myght and helpe eke therto As right requyreth without excepcion There on to do full execution And I nowe stande in the same plyte And for thou hast vs wonnen in despite Of our power shortly in sentence Thou shalt in haste haue experyence And knowe our force sothly euerydele Right in shorte tyme truste me right wele Here in this felde by shedynge of thy bloud Wherfore Pirrhus weren gan as wood As any Tygre bore or wood Lyon So fret the coloure in his complexion And in his Ire fell and despytous He toke a spere pale and furyous And ran at her with al his myght and payne And agaynwarde as she that list not feyne Encountred hym all deuoyde of feare But Pirrhus fyrste brake on her his spere Albe that he myght her not remeue In her sadell nor but lyttel greue But she agayne so sore gan him hytte On his stede that he maye not sytte But descendeth endlonge the playne And vp he rose with full great disdayne And toke a swerde in his hande anone And made his stede lyne ryght to gone Vpon this quene of passynge worthinesse And inwardly of hate and of woodnesse In herte yfret smet at her many stroke But euer she sat styll as any oke And of force in her yre pale Efte agayne she made him to auale To the earthe maugre all his payne And thus the fyght lasteth of theym twayne A large whyle till Myrmydones Haue take theyr lorde by force out of y e prese And made him his horse recure agayne ¶ And in his tyme on the selfe playne With his baner he descended downe The worthy kinge great Agamenowne With kinges dukes endlonge the grene With theyr wardes that wonder was to sene So prudently in the felde battayled That hath Troians mortally assayled ¶ But tho in haste kynge Phylomene As ye haue herde reskued by the quene When he hath thanked to her worthinesse With his knightes in he gan him dresse ¶ And Pantasilla assembled both in one Vpon the Grekes gan for to gone Where men may se w t speres sharpe grounde Eueryche other beare vnto the grounde There men maye se proudly without lacke The manly knightes renne on horse backe ¶ And the women mortally oppresse The fell Grekes through theyr hardynesse Onely through force of the myghty quene That dead they laye couerynge al the grene ¶ Wherwith came in Dan Pollydamas Fro death reskued and eke Eneas ¶ Kinge Esdras eke of Troye the cyte ¶ And tho the wardes gan togyther fle On eyther partye fell and furious But most of all Neptolonius That Pirrhus hight y e grekes champiowne Irous and wood on them of Troye towne Made his swerde in theyr fleshe byte ¶ And Pantasilla proudly her to quyte Ne spareth not wyth mortall woundes wide Grekes to slee vpon euery syde Now here now there to theyr confusyon ¶ And Pirrhus then is fall on Glawcon The halfe brother to Pollydamas For Anthenor eke his father was And Pirrhus so in a cruell yre With melancolye newe set a fyre Smote Glawcon so or that he toke hede Amonge the prease that he fell downe dead ¶ And Pantasillya from her women all ¶ The same tyde is on Pirrhus fall And he of her when he had a syghte Rode eke agayne lyke a manly knyght And as they hurtle on horse backe yfere Of auenture with swerdes styffe and clere Eueryche made other to alyghte And hatefully on fote so they fyghte Longe or other myght of other wynne Tyll they were made of force for to twynne By the wardes that wente them atwene I meane Pirrhus and this hardy quene ¶ And all this tyme Dan Pollydamas So wood for yre in his herte was Amyd Grekes for his brothers deathe That whom he mette for his loue he sleth Without mercy in his hateful tene That he alone and this worthy quene Suche a slaughter on the Grekes make That they the felde vtterty forsake And gan to fle to theyr tentes downe Tyll Dyomede and Ayax Thelamowne And Pyrrhus eke made tourne agayne But they in sothe were so ouerlayne That they ne myght all that daye releue And thus they faughte tyll it drewe to eue To most domage of the Grekes syde Tyll Phebus gan his bryght chayre hyde Lowe in the west and to shroude his lyght Vnder courtayne of the blacke nyght That eyther parte thought for the best To departe and drawe to theyr reste And toke theyr ease that nyght as they may And all the moneth suynge day by daye Without any interrupcion They fought yfere albe no mencion Be made therof nor wryte in specyall Of no person but in generall Who that euer dyd euyll or well In Troye boke I fynde neuer a dele Saue the quene lyke as wryt Guydo Of her women an hundred hath forgo That slayne were thylke moneth daye The death of whom playnly if she maye Shall well be quyt if so that fortune Be fauorable frendly to contune That her face chaunge not contrarye But she that can euery daye so varye Alas the whyle and selde in one soiourne Gan fro this quene her loke awaye to tourne To enhaste through her vngoodlyhead Attropose to breake her lyues threde As the storye playnly shall you lere Beningly if ye lyst to heare THe fatall houre harde for to remewe Of cruel deth which no mā may eschewe Nor in this lyfe fynally escape Specially when Parchas haue it shape Approche gan it may none other bene Alas the
protection His myghty shelde and sauacion That haste this citie and this towne ylorne In whiche thou were fostred and yborne On the greatest of reputacion Of all the lordes dwellinge in this towne In which thou haddest whilom most plesauÌ„ce But all is now out of remembraunce ¶ Yet in thy hert yf any drape be Of gentylnesse mercy or pytye In this deadly rage full of tene Rewe on my doughter yonge Polycene From grekes sworde her youthe for to saue If thy herte may any routhe haue Of manly pytye on her maydenheade Defende her nowe and kepe her out of drede If thou canste fynde any weye In any wyse that she maye not deye ¶ That hereafter when men se and rede The false treason and the foule dede That thou haste done vnto Troye towne It maye in partye be protectiowne To thy fame the venym to allye Of this treason when men wyll assaye By iuste reporte thy name to accuse This dede may the helpe to excuse Agaynst tonges that speake of Enee Than wyll they saye thou haddest yet pytye On Polycene onely of gentilnesse Therwith to sugre all the bytternesse Of thy deserte blowe forth by fame By rehersayle of the foule blame That shal of the through the worlde be borne With sklauÌ„der infect wheÌ„ thou art al to torne That thou ne shalte the shame mowe sustene Then shall my doughter fayre Polycene Be thy defence agayne suche famous stryfe If it so be now thou saue her lyfe Of me no force though thou make as blyue The sworde of grekes through my herte ryue ¶ And so by prayer of this wofull quene This Eneas toke to hym Polycene Whose traytour herte for all his cruelte On her youthe was meued of pytye Onely of routhe that in his brest arose And secretely put her vp in close Lest that grekes founde occasyon Agaynst hym and Ayax Thelamon Toke to his warde Andromecha Hectors wyfe and wyfe Cassandra Out of the temple longing to Mynerue From grekes sworde their lyues to conserue ¶ And Menelaye toke the quene Heleyne Into his garde for whom so great a payne Bode in his herte many daye toforne By whom alas the cytye is now lorne ¶ And grekes aye were busye in their yre To slea and kylle and crullly to fyre On euery syde and to beate downe Palyce and house and wall of the towne They spare nought for all goth to the fyre So feruent hate brent in their desyre Of olde enuye auenged for to be That they ne lefte within the Cyte Nothynge vnbrent and also ylyowne Was in this rage tourned vp so downe There made were none exceptions Onely but take the possyons Of Anthenor euyll mote he fare And Eneas whom the grekes spare As thâ—y to them were bounde by their othe And thus the grekes furyous and wrothe Haue all that daye robbed and ybrent ¶ Tyll that the kynge Agamenon hath sent For his lordes to assemble yfeare In Pallas temple onely for to here There wyse aduyse vpon thynges twayne Fyrste if they wolde holde and not fayne Hooly their hope without exceptiowne To theÌ„ by whom they wonne fyrst the towne ¶ And ouer more he axed them also Touchynge the goddes what they wolde do With golde treasour and possessyowne That they haue won thrugh their hie renown ¶ And they answered without more taryinge They wolde their faith kepe in euery thynge As they were sworne and hestes holde And ouer this they sayde howe they wolde That golde treasour and good of the Cyte As ryght requietrh and also equitye Be iustly parted by deuysion To euery wyght made distribucyon Lyke his meryt of hygh and lowe degree And that the kynge eke of reason se Eche to rewarde after his labour So as it longeth to a conquerour That no man haue matter to compleyne And so they felle in speakynge of Heleyne Eueryche after his opynyon And tofore all other Ayax Thelamon Shortly sayde she hath deserued death For whom so many haue yelde vp the brethe Playnely affyrmynge there in Parlement Of ryghtwysenesse and trewe iudgement She shulde not escape with the lyfe That gynnyng was cause of all their strife Rote and grounde of all their sorowe and wo And so sayde eke many an other mo And for the noyse and the great affraye ¶ Agamenon nor kinge Menelaye Ne durst a worde for her partye meue To saue y e quene lest grekes wold them greue Agaynst them there was so great rumour Tyll Vlixes chiefely her socour Through his wyt and his eloquence His deuer dyd and his dylygence To haue her life and fully to purchace Of the grekes for to gette her grace ¶ And as Guydo also doth vs lere Agamenon grekes gan requere To graunt hym for a chiefe guerdon Of Cassandra to haue possession All her lyfe with hym to abyde Eke Eneas and Anthenor besyde Of Helenus to the grekes tolde How to the werre he neuer assente wolde And how that he prudennt and vertuous In counsaylyng was contrarious To all tho of hygh and lowe estate In Troye first that began debate Atwyxe grekes and this myghty towne Eke by his helpe and medyatiowne Achylles was buryed and ygraue The deade corps from houndes for to saue Whan he was slayne in full cruell wyse By nyght tyme as ye haue herde deuyse For sothly he and Cassandra both Of this murder in herte were full wrothe And sory eke of many an other thynge Wrought in the towne w tout their wyttynge ¶ And for they were of malyce Innocent The grekes haue fully by assent Graunted to them a prerogatyfe By Parlement for to haue theyr lyfe But Helenus first in teares drowned Tofore the kynge pyteously hath sowned And abraydynge with a deadly face In humble wyse besought hym of his grace Of knyghtly pytye to haue his aduertence To spare his sworde fro bloud of Innocence And of mercy that he not disdayne To graunt lyfe to the sonnes twayne ¶ Of worthy Hector his brother most entere And eke to rewe on their mother dere Onely of grace that she be not dead A wydowe lefte a lone and can not reade And so the kynge ameued in his herte And wote not whither that she maye diuerte Of his wordes and his wofull chere Benygnely graunted his prayer And gaue eke lyfe and fredom for to go To the mother and her chyldren two ¶ And to ladyes and gentyll women all That for mercy to his grace calle He graunted eke of compassyon A safe conduite and a fre pardon Where that them lyste in the towne abyde Or in the countre adiacent besyde He put it hole in their electiowne ¶ And thanking him they fell on knees down With many teare dewed in the face ¶ And so the kynge parteth fro the place And after that grekes ryght anone Fully purpose to shyp for to gone In haste to sayle towarde their countre But suche a tempest rose vp in the sea Of wawe and wynde also of cloudes blacke All a moneth that they dare not take The
water salte for drede of Neptunus ¶ Of very Ire and also Golus Was vnto them in euery thynge contrary That on the londe made them longe tarye The sea was aye so fell and boylynge ¶ Tyll the grekes of Calchas enquyryng By one assent what it myght be That euer in one so dyuers was the sea In his rage both eue and morowe ¶ And he answered god gyue him euyl sorow This olde shrewe with all his prophecye That can so well when hym lyste to lye How this tempest caused was at all By the goddes and furyes infernall That neuer wolde appease nor be stylle Tyll the number platly of Achylle Auenged be and shedynge of his bloud ¶ For whiche he sayde Apollo was eke wood For his temple to him consecrate Was through his death in Troye violate By bloude agayne be made satisfaction Wherfore there muste throughe redempcyon Of her that was roote in speciall Through her beautye and orygynall Cause of his death yonge Polycene And gynnynge fyrst of his mortall tene Therfore to Apollo she might vp offred be By sacrafyce to please his deyte With death agayne to make recompence Right as by death fyrst was the offence This grekes must vtterly fulfyll If they desyre for to haue at wyll The large sea to sayle in quiet ¶ And Pirrhus tho in a furious hete Gan enquire about of euery man For Policene but no wyght tell can Of her a worde nor shortely where she was Saufe some sayde howe that Eneas And Anthenor had hyd her pryuely Wherof there rose amonge them sodeynly Suche agrutchynge of grekes all aboute Of their lyfe that they were in doubte So inwardly this thinges they toke at grefe ¶ Till Anthenor god geue hym euyll prefe That may of treason as wardeyn bere y e keye To shewe out his malys euery waye So longe hath sought till in a chamber olde He hath her founde and the grekes tolde And brought her forth vnto their presence By cruell force and hatefull vyolence Without pytye or compassyon And her delyuered to Agamenon ¶ And he alas by hastye Iudgement Without respyte or auysemente Shortely hath dempte that she shall be deade That was flourynge in her maydenhead ¶ And for to do excepcyon ¶ She was assygned by Agamenon Vnto Pirrhus and he of tirannye Ladde her forth and fast gan hym hye To the place where she shulde dye ¶ Great was the prease that in the weye Gan croude and shoue to beholde and sene This yonge mayde fayre Pollycene That for her beautye and her semlynesse Her womanhede and excellent fayrenesse Of all yfere when they toke hede They had routhe that she shal be deade Without gylte or any more trespace Where men may se vpon many face The salte teares faste falle downe Of very pytye and compassyowne For man nor childe was none so harde of hert But he felte for her sake some smert Her goodly face whan they beholde and se And fayne wolde if it might haue be Delyuered her of very force anone Fro Pirrus hande but for they wende echone Without her death neuer to haue repeire Into grece nor the wether fayre As Calchas had made suggestion And brought them all in opynyon ¶ And at the laste whan this Policene Of dede and wyll a very mayde clene Was to the graue of Achylles brought She kneleth downe w t an humble thought Caste vp her eye and gan syghe ofte And to the goddes humbly and softe With dredfull herte and deuocion Made in this wyse her lamentacion OH ye myghty y t in this worlde gouerne And euery thinge consyder and diserne By whom this world so huge large rounde Both ayre and sea heauen eke y e grounde At your deuyse with a worde was wrought And sothfastly knowe euery thought Right as it is of euery maner wyght Without lettynge so persynge is your syght That nothinge is conceyled nor ywrye From the beholdynge of your eternall eye And euery thinge maye attones se Vpon my soule haue mercy and pyte And of your grace and beninge cure Vpon my wo and pyteous auenture Haue some routhe nowe that I shall deye My wofull spyryte to lede and conueye Where as you lyst now that I shall pace For vnto you in this selfe place I me confesse with all humilyte That hytherto I haue in chastyte Ladde all my lyfe and kept my maydēhead In your seruyce both in thought and dede In porte in chere and in countenaunce Or for feture of any daliaunce With one misloke I neuer yet abrayde So that in sothe I dye shall a maide As ye well knowe of synne all innocent Though I be nowe dempt by iudgement For to be dead without gilte at all Witnesse on you that be immortall Clene of entente of that I am accused And yet alas I maye not be excused But that the swerde of vengeaunce must byte Routheles which am nothinge to wite But stande cleare and pure of all offence And discharged in my conscience I dare affirme and fully giltles Touchinge the murdre of worthy Achilles Which slewe my brother and after loued me And is nowe cause of mine aduersyte And yet in will dede worde nor thought Vnto his death assentaunt was right nought But therof was right sory im my herte Albe that I maye not now asterte For to be dead onely for his sake On me alone vengeaunce shal be take Without mercy in full cruell wise With my bloud to make sacrafise To the goddes their wrathe for to queme Oh people blinde in sothe amisse ye deme Agaynst me your herte is so cruell To mercyles to yrous and to fell Without routhe to mikel indurate To sley a mayde alone desolate Out of your herte alas pitye is gone Harder in trouthe than any stocke or stone And more cruell in your opinion For lacke of pitye than Tigre or Lion Certis ye be greatly for to blame And ought therof for to haue great shame To assent to so foule a dede To sley a maide quakinge in her dread And graunte her none oportunitye For to be wepe her virginyte ¶ That of this cruell this piteous wreche My bloude your gylte hereafter shall apeche And accuse also your great enuye To the goddes that shall iustyfye Euery vnright bothe of hygh and lowe Full egally and make to be knowe The trouthe plainly spare and no degree But make open that is now secree I saye not this nor my selfe complayne To haue redres of my fatall payne For death is now more welcome vnto me Than is my lyfe and more I take at gree Sithen my brother most worthy of renowne Be slayne all and buryed in this towne My father dead in his vnweldy age And I alone leste in all this rage And haue abyde pyteousely to se Fynally ruyne now of this cytye Whiche at my herte sytteth now so sore That leuer I haue then to wepe more Dye attones in relesse of my wo. Sith all my kynne is passed and ago Longer to
To anul his tytle that he not succede Him to preserue that he were not shent Kinge Taltibus with power hath him sente Ful secretly out of that countree Vnto a kinge called Ydume That helde his sceptre and his royall sete Full mightely in the lande of Crete And Carkasis named was the quene That had a doughter called eke Climene Borne to be heyre of that regyon And as it is made eke mencyon This Horestes to reken all thynge Was with the quene and also with the kinge Cherished as well the storye can you lere As Climena theyr owne doughter deare And was eke kepte and had in cherte Fro poynt to poynt lyke to his degre With attendaunce conuenyent and dewe To his estate that euer vpon him sewe Of such as were most experte and sage To gouerne him tyll he came to age To reioyce if god gaue him might His heritage to whych he had right By clere discent if happy were his chaunce Thus leue I him vnder gouernaunce The yonge sonne of Agamenon For I must make a dygressyon Fro this matter and tell of Diomede The auentures in Guydo as I rede His wofull fate and his paynes smerte The whych alas he might not asterte As is remembred playnly in writynge That Oetes sonne of the riche kinge Called Naulus as ye haue herde toforne Such heuynesse in his herte hath borne Vnto Grekes repeyringe home fro Troye That his lust and his inwarde ioye Was them to hyndre both high and lowe And cause why to you it is vnknowe To them he was so passynge enuyous In will and thought ylyke desyrous If he might sothly this no les The death to venge of Pallamides Lyke as tofore the storye can deuyse To you that be so prudent and so wyse And how Oetes now of malice wrought And trayterously new meane sought If he might by any maner waye Diomedes vnwarely to destroye Of all this thinge I cast not to fayle Ceryously to make rehersayle IN Grece was a kingedome wide large Coniunct in one Calidonye and Arge Full habundaunt of rychesse and of rente Of which the kinge called was Pollente A worthy man and of noble fame And had a sonne Assandrus was his name And a doughter passinge fayre of syght And sothly Egra I finde that she hyght And for her father like as wryte Guydo Had no mo but these children two For them he hath of wisedome so prouided This mighty reygne for to be deuyded Atwene theim two after his decease Eche with his parte for to lyue in peace To exclude them fro indigence or nede And she was wyfe vnto Diomede Albe tofore the storye of him sayde That he whilom loued one Crysayde I can not saye where it was doubilnesse But well wote I Guydo beareth wytnesse And in his boke sothly sayth none other And how Assandrus his owne wiues brother Full lusty freshe and ful of manlyhead To Troye went with this Dyomede But in the sea fordriuen vp so downe They riued vp in the regyon Called Boece all disconsolate With tempest driue wery and full mate Them to refreshe and for none other thinge In which lande Thelephus was kinge Of whose riuayle whan he herde sayne In his herte he had high disdayne That they were bolde to do so great offence To entre his grounde hauinge no licence And yet in sothe they did no domage To high nor lowe of no maner age Nor toke nought that might disauayle Vnto that lande but it were vytayle For which they payde iustly at the fine For fleshe and fyshe and for bread and wine Yet for all that of indignaciowne Kinge Thelaphus is descended downe With great array to harme thē if he might And so they gan to bicker and to fight And Assandrus full of high prowesse Like a Lion his fomen gan oppresse And wonder knyghtly the felde vpen thē wā And slewe that daye many worthy man Of hygh courage and of manly pryde And when the kinge whiche that stode asyde Sawe his men slayne on euery parte Of hygh dysdayne hent anone a darte And caste at hym alas the mortall fate And perced hathe through mayles through plate Of Assandrus that he fel downe dead The soyle about of his bloud all redde His deadly wounde so began to blede And wood as Tygre tho came Dyomede And hym to auenge bare hym lyke a knyght Sleeth and kylleth and put them vnto flight And after that such sorowe gan to make Of knyghtly routh for his brothers sake That he ne wyst what was best to do But as I finde myd of all his wo From beast and foule the dead corps to saue Like his estate he let make a graue And buryed hym after rites olde ¶ But Oetes to his syster tolde That he was slayne by fraude of Dyomede To fyne that he myght full possede The reygne of Arge hole without stryfe Wyth the purpartye annexed to hys wyfe For by his death he myght season take And tolde her eke that she was forsake This fayre Egra for all her womanhead Of her lorde callled Dyomede All this he tolde in hell be he chayned And ouermore he forged hath and fained How of enuye Assandrus lost his lyfe And how her lorde hath take an other wyfe That was to her dyshonour and shame And passyngly great sclaunder to her name In preiudyce ydone of her estate All this he tolde to make them at debate Lyke as he wrote in conclusyon To Clemestra of Agamenon Whych her herte made sore greue For he put her fully in byleue Of all the treason ye haue herde me tolde That for yre she pale was and colde Vnkyndnesse so her herte sleeth And heuynesse of her brothers death For neuer yet Guydo doth assure No woman loued better a creature Than she loued hym in no maner age For fyrst at nought she set her herytage In comparyson of her brothers lyfe Lo how Oetes made a newe stryfe As ye haue herde in the storye rede That gyltles worthy Dyomede When he hath longe at the syege layne And to his kingdom would haue come agayn By migyhty hande of this worthy quene And her lyeges that assented bene He was exyled out of that regyon There may be made no medyacyon Thus in him selfe mate and dyspeyred Dysconsolate he is agayne repeyred To Salerne a londe of great rychesse Where that Tenter through his worthynesse Wyth crowne Sceptre had reygned longe Wyth hys lyeges and hys knyghtes stronge And brother was to Ayax Thelamon Murdred tofore as made is mencyon And Dyomede pore and destytute Maye in Salerne fynde no refute For whan Tenter first gan him espye He sewed hym by full great enuye Hauynge to hym aye suspection Touchynge the death of kynge Thelamon ¶ But Dyomede on a certayne nyghte Full secretely hath taken him to flyght And fro Salerne fast gan hym hye In hope to fynde better remedye Helpe or socour in some other place If fortune wolde graunte hym grace For of hym selfe ashamed
was full trist and liked nothinge wele But inwardly felte ful great smerte ¶ And his neuewe he had also at herte I meane Horrestes that so mercyles Like a tyraunt that were graceles His mother slewe and had no pytye Of mortall yre in his crueltye And fully caste that he would bline Of sceptre and crowne platly him depriue Full afferminge of this mortall case By all lawe that he vnworthy was His fathers reygne as heyre to possede Iustly consydred his horrible dede And all at ones furyous and wroth Without abode vnto ship he goth Melancolike in his great tene Out of Crete saylinge to Athene And toke the lande out of shippes borde Where duke Nestor was gouernour and lord Which them receyueth like a gentyll knyghte With all his power diligence and myght But Menelay of rancour and great heat Gan with the duke secretly to trete To fynde a meane in his inward syght ¶ For to depriue Horrestes of his right And therupon to haue a iudgement At Athenes was holde a Parliament Of all the lordes of that regyon To giue theron a diffinicion In whych was shewed openly ynough How Horrestes his owne mother slough And the maner of his great offence Him selfe tho beynge in presence And when this thinge he fully did espye For his partye he gan agayne replye As he that felte him frely at his large For him alledginge how he had in charge Of the goddes shortly to declare His mortall sworde that he not ne spare Vpon Clemestra roote of false treason That slewe her lorde kinge Agamenon And the murdre through her malice wrought Wherfore Horrestes humbly besought The lordes all with a manly herte Of equit consydre and aduerte For no malice rancour nor for rage Him to depriue of his heritage Sith he was sonne of Agamenon Borne to be heyre of that regyon As ye haue herde that called was Methene Albe his mother Clemestra the quene Compassed had his destruction ¶ But duke Nestor ymeued of reason In sustaynynge of Horestes ryght Rose vp anone lyke a manly knyght Offrynge hym selfe proudely for his sake This hye quarell for to vndertake With his body to the death darreyne With whom that lyst his tytle to withseyne ¶ But there was none in all that companye That durste a worde agayne hym replye So hoole he stode in his opynion And by his knyghtly mediacyon He bare hym so feynynge in nothynge That Horestes was ycrowned kyng Of Meneste all beynge of assent And whan dissolued was the parlement This Horestes of his lyeges trewe Receyued was with a crowne newe And by treate of lordes many one Kyng Menelay and he were made attone And gan their Ire and their rancour lete ¶ And Ydume the worthy kynge of Crete So prudently gouerneth this mattere That Hermyone the yonge doughter dere ¶ Of Menelay and the quene Heleyne So yonge so freshe of beaute souerayne Ywedded was without more taryinge To Horestes the yonge lusty kynge And bycause of this allyaunce Deuoyded was all rancour and distraunce Atwene the kynges Menelay the olde And Horestes of whom ryght nowe I tolde Thus leue I them as it was the beste Eche in his reygne lyue in peace and reste For all stryfe was ceased in this case ¶ But Erygona that the doughter was Of Egistus as ye haue herde me telle For sorowe and drede lyste no longer dwelle But toke a rope and lyst nothynge to spare And therwithall gan her selfe to gnare The storye sayth hye vpon a tree This was her fyne ye gette no more of me But I wyll forth ceryously entreate Of the storye to telle you the great OH Vlixes by ordre in my wrytynge Thyne auentures come on the rynge Full wonderfull both on londe and sea Entermedlyd with great aduersytye For Guydo fyrste descryuynge thy repayre Saith how thou founde wether foule fayre Nowe agreable now the thonder sowne Now styll and smoth now w t cloudes frowne And sayth also that thou dyddest ordeyne To thy passage myghty shyppes twayne Apparayled all for marchandyse That thou myghtest in most secrete wyse Euery myschyefe of the sea escape ¶ But for all that thou haddest a felle iape For as this auctour thy resorte doth wryte He sayth Vlyxes for all his wordes whyte Yrobbed was of rychesse and of good Contraryous wynde so agayne hym stode That he was dryue to his confusyon In to the myghty stronge regyon Where Thelamon reygned by his lyue And there he was hent and take blyue ¶ By myghtye hande seased by the brest And mercyles put vnder arest For they hym had suspecte in workynge Touchynge the murther of the same kynge But he so wrought by his sleyghty wyle And his tale sette in suche a style That them all he playnly hath be iaped And fro their hande frely is escaped Excepte that he for all his queynt fare Of his treasour was ymade full bare And for his passage was to hym vnkouth He fell agayne into the wolfes mouthe For veryly as it is specyfyed Kynge Naulus men haue hym efte espyed Take and bounde and chayned mercyles For the murther of kynge Pallamydes ¶ But the storye reherseth in certayne By his prudence he scaped is agayne For he was both expert wyse and olde Although the maner be not fully tolde Of his escape through his busy peyne Out of daunger of these kynges twayne Tyll through fortune he came fro mischefe fre To the presence of kyng Ydume In symple arraye and torne apparayle Wherof the kynge greatly gan meruayle To se his pouert in so lowe manere But for all that he made hym good chere Though that tyme ye were infortunate He hym receyueth lyke to his estate And when they were both twayne alone In complayninge Vlixes made his mone Vnto the kinge as he that was ful sage Ceryously the sorte of his passage With face sad and a sobre cheare Fro poynt to poynt anone as ye shall heare ¶ My lorde quod he shortly to expresse Of truste I haue in your gentylnesse I shall to you my auentures all Reherse here ryght as it is fall FIrste when that I Troye lande forsoke And the water wyth my shippes toke I was anone with winde peceably blowe To an yle which was to me vnknowe ¶ Called Mirma of great habundaunce And all thynge that was to my pleasaunce That maye for siluer or for golde be bought I redy founde and wanted ryght nought And there abode full longe while in ioye With the treasour that I gat at Troye My shyppes stuffed my men safe and sounde And for commodyte of that ylke grounde We lyked so the countre enuyron That for disporte and recreacyon Our taryinge there we thought not ful lōge For no man dyd vnto vs no wronge Tyll on a daye that the eyer was styll The winde also fully at our wyll We sayled for the in quyete and in peace Vnto a porte called Claustafages Wherwyth my meyne longe and many daye I founde all thinge accordynge to my paye The
quene ¶ To Priam spake of this Pollycene Touchinge the sonde of this Achilles And of his profre for to make a peace She tolde him all and forgate nothinge Wherof astoned Priamus the kynge Spake not a worde halfe an houres space But in him selfe gan inly to compace Full prudently what it might meane That Achilles would haue Pollycene Vnto his wife aye wonderynge more more And at the laste syghinge wonder sore He hath disclosed the conceyt of his herte And sayd alas howe sore it doth me smerte To remembre that I may haue no peace The great offence of this Achilles Towardes me playnly when that he Slewe worthy Hector through his crueltye That hooly was vpon euery side The hoole assuraunce gouernour and guyd Of me and mine platly for to sayne And therwithall of myne eyen twayne He was alone the very sothfast lyght Shelde protectour thrugh his great might And his manhode agayne the mortall rage Of Grekes werre in my croked age ¶ But nowe alas to my confusyowne He slayne is so worthy of renowne By Achilles which maye not out of minde That in my herte I can neuer fynde To be allyed with my mortall foo Roote and grounde of all my sorowe woo It were full harde my herte to appease To loue him that causeth mine vnease On euery halfe where through my cruel foen The proude Grekes harted be echone Agaynst me nowe Fortune is contrayre Tourned of newe my quarell to apayre That causeth Grekes wood and furyous On me alas to be presumptuous ¶ Onely for Hector is me berafte awaye But sythen I no other choyse maye Agaynst herte though it for anger ryue In this matter assaye I shall to stryue Though me be lothe and sytteth me full sore Yet to eschewe harmes that be more Which lykly be hereafter for to fall And for to saue myne other sonnes all I will consente that this Achilles So that he moke a trewe fynall peace Atwene Grekes and also this Cite Without more playnly howe that he Haue vnto wyfe my doughter Pollycene ¶ But leste that he any treason meane My will is firste how so that it wende Of his behest that he make an ende Wythout fraude this is mine aduise ¶ To whych counsayle assenteth eke Parys And more rather in conclusyon For there was made none excepcioon ¶ In this Trete of the quene Heleyne That Menelaye neuer shoulde atteyne Her to recure agayne vnto hys wyfe For whyche Parys without noyse or stryfe Or grutchynge other vnto this entente Within him selfe was fully of assente Therby hopynge without feare or dreade Perpetually Heleyne to possede Right at his luste and no man shall saye nay And after this vpon the thirde daye ¶ Achilles hath to wytte of this mattere To Hecuba sente his messingere And she him tolde the aunswere of the kynge Ceryously gynninge and endinge And how that he assenteth well therto ¶ And Parys eke and she her selfe also If it so were playnly she him tolde Touchinge the peace that the purpose holde And fyrste that he his heste brynge aboute That they be sure therof nede not doubte That he shall haue his purpose euerydele If that he worke prudently and we le And herevpon with informaciowne This messenger out of Troye towne Without abode in all the haste he maye To Achilles helde the ryghte waye And tolde him hole the effect of this mattere And he alwaye feruente and entiere In herte brent as hole as any glede And sawe there was none other way to spede But onely peace as ye haue herde me telle ¶ And aye his brest with sighes gan to swel For the only loue of this Pollycene And caste alwaye amonge his throes kene To his purpose a waye for to fynde And whyles he was busy in his mynde How he shoulde his purpose brynge aboute And in him selfe casteth many doubte ¶ Anone dispayre in a rage vp sterte And cruelty caught hym by the herte Whych hath him throwe into suche a were That him thoughe it was in his power All his beheste to fulfyll in dede Except he hadde well the lesse dreade Euery thinge to put in certayne Wening no Greke would his luste with fayne From his desyre to be varyable And to him selfe thus was he fauorable For to parfourme and nothynge to denye All that was lusty to his fantasye As is the maner of louers euerychone That they suppose to acheue anone What thinge it be that they lyst take on hand In what disioynt that the matter stande All though it be a very impossyble In theyr foly they be aye so credible And so Achilles trusteth fynally For to fulfyll his hestes vtterly Supposinge aye for his worthynesse For his manhode and his hygh prowesse In whych he did him selfe gloryfye Some what of pryde and of surquedrye How the Grekes shoulden be despayred Both of theyr truste theyr might appeyred Vpon Troians to wynnen any lande If it so were that he withdrewe his hande To helpe theim and therwithall also Home into Grece that they wolden go From the syege onely for his sake And their quarell vterly forsake ¶ But it so were this daye fyerse Achille With theym abode the cite for to spylle For whyche thinge the lordes by assente Assembled were to heren the entente Amonge theim all of thys Achilles By the byddinge of Pallamydes And when they were gathered all yfere Tofore theim all lyke as ye shall heare THis Achilles hath his tale begonne And sayd syres that so muche konne Both of wysedome and of high prudence So renowmed eke of sapyence Throughout the worlde of discreciowne And be so worthy also of renowne Kynges and dukes of whose royall name From East to West floureth yet the fame Both of knyghthode and of manlyhead To that I saye I pray you taken hede This to saye yf that ye consyder The playne entent of our commyng hyther By good auyse that our entencyon Had no grounde founded on reason Nor cause roted on no maner ryght If it so be that ye lyft vp your syght And aduerte clerely in your mynde Full ferre a backe wytte was set behynde Prudent lokyng and aduysenesse For fyrst whan that we of foly hastynesse Toke vpon vs to come from so ferre Agayne Troyans for to gynne a werre And to ieoparte our lyues euerychone For the loue of one man alone Ye wote all I trowe whom I meane ¶ Kyng Menelay defrauded of his quene To telle trouth me lyste not for to feyne For ye well wote onely that Heleyne Was groūde and gynnyng of all this debate For whom so many worthy of estate Recurlesse of any remedye Lyfe and good haue put in ieopardye Our landes lefte and eke our regyownes Our cyties also and our ryche townes Whiche by our absence stonden desolate Wyues and chyldren eke disconsolate In woe abyde mournynge and distresse Whyles that we here the soth to expresse From day to day beset on euery ryde Lye in the felde and our death abyde