Book VII.

All daintes to you dight, þat are dere holdyn,
Plaintiouse in yche place, as a prise qwene;
And all your ledys deliuert and lose out of

bandys;
3316 At your comaundement clene all your choise

pepull;
And lyue in his lond with lustes at ease,
Alse syker and sure als þai set were at home.”

ben onswared Elan easely agayne,
3320 And driet the dropis of hir dregh teris :-

“I wot, sir, witterly, will I or noght,
Your wille I moste wirke, waite I non other;

Syn weikenes of wemen may not wele stryve, 3324 Ne haue no might tawardes men maistries to

Helen replies :

"Full well I know I must subinit to your will," &c.

fend :

3328

3332

And nomely in an unkythe lond nedys hom so.
And what daunger or dysese pat done is vs here,
Auther me or to myne at this myschefe,
Hit may happon you in haste haue suche another.
Thurgh giftes of our goddys, pat vs grace leuys,
We most suffer all hor senndes, & soberly take."
Than Parys with plesaunce apperit agayne —
“Dere lady full leell ! your lykyng to do,
And all your wille forto wirke, yche wegh shall."
ben he hent hir by the hond hastely there,
And a littyll agayne lust lifte hir vp swithe;
Silet furth with þat semly & hir sute leuyt,
Into a place well appareld all with prise clothes,
And moche onestly ordainit for esmint of hir:
pat po souerains by hom selfe might say what

hom liket,
Aither vnto other as onesty wolde.
pen Parys to pat pure pertly can say :-
“Hope ye now, hynde Lady, þat your hegh

goddis Haue put you to þis prouynse pyne for to thole ;

He leads her into 3336
another room that
they may be by
themselves.

3340

(fol. 53 a.) " Your gods have not sent you here as a punishment;

double of the

Achaia.

3344 And let you be led vnto this lond hydur,

Book VII. pat suche a chaunge shuld you chefe to a choise

febill;
And don fro delites depely to angur,

Noght abundonet in blis ne blithe in your hert? 3348 Trowe ye not Troy is tore of all godis,

for Troy has As plaintiouse in yche place as be prouynse of delights and

gallantries of Achaia, At is doublit of delitis & druris at all?

("druery," love,

gallantry.) Ne trawes not, tru lady, þat I take wolde 3352 Thy ladyship to losse, ne in lust holde.

Thou shalt haue riches more Rife, & Ranker of

godis,
ban any lady in bi land, leue me for sothe;

And more likandly lyf & þi lust haue,
3356 Bothe in weile & in worship, as a wee noble.
And me, þat am mete & of more power

And I, more

powerful than Hen hym þat þou hade and held for þi lorde, him you had,

Wyuly to weld ; & I the wed shall, 3360 To lede with pi lyf as a leale spouse.

This I purpos me plainly in pleasauns of goddes,
Vnder Sacramen solempne, your souerain to be ;

And so lede be with likyng to my lyues end. 3364 Suppos not þi seluyn, ne for sothe holde,

pof pou left haue a litle lond lightly at home,
pat þou ne hertely shall haue here a well larger, Au this larger

and
And þi chaunge to chefe choisly the bettur; kingdom
3368 Syn Asia is auenond of yles ynow,
hat are attendant to Troy with tresour ynogh,

shall bow to thy bat obey þe shall bainly, & bow to pi wille.

Ne for þe mysse of þi maister make pou no sorow, 3372 That neuer yet of nobley An euenyng to ine, Ne of dedis so doughti þe dayes in his lyue,

to be compared Ne so luffly to a lady with lokyng at egh. nobility and

doughty deeds. And I in longing am Laght & Lappit full soro (fol. 53 b.) 3376 With hete of þi hegh loue, þat my

shall wed thee.

will,

Sorrow not for a master who is not

with me in

Book VII.

Dry your tears, and be comforted by me."

And of hym, þat þou hopis most hertely be louys,
Wete pou full wele most worshipfull to haue.

Ses now of scrowe, sobur þi chere,
3380 Wond of þi weping, whipe vp þi teris;

Mene pe to myrthe, & mournyng for-sake,
Cast þe to comford, keuer þi wille :
This I pray be full prestly with all my pure

hert,
3384 þat þou hede me with heryng, & my hest kepe."

ELAN.

" Who could restrain their tears, &c.

Than answared þat honerable onestly agayne :-
“Who might stithly absteyne, or stable of teris,

pat prestly were pricket with paynes so fele,

3388 And with sorow ouerset sothely as I ? But since it must

But
syn

hit now bes non other nomly of me, be, I shall do so"

I shall appres me with pyne your prayer to here;
Syn me botis not barly your biddyng with

stonde,
3392 Ne of power to put of, ne of playn strenght."

ben ho sesit of sykyng, sobirt hir chere,
At the prayer of Parys and his prise wordys.

When þat semely was sesit & sorow for-yetyn, Paris leaves her. 3396 The lorde toke leue with full lowe speche,

And went fro þat worthy his weghis vntill. At supper he

When yt seyit to Sopertyme he seruyt hir well

With all daintes on dese & drynkes ynow, 3400 And cherisshed hir full choisly with chere of

hym seluyn. Next day,

When the derke was done, & the day comyn, splendidly arrayed,

Parys full pristly with preciouse araye,

Worshippit þat worthy in wedys full riche,
3404 As qwemet for a qwene & qwaintly atyret,

bat Priam hade purueit & to be place sent.
He broght furth þat bright with buernys full

serves her.

THE PROGRESS TO TROY.

111

Book VII.

mounted on a palfrey,

with a gorgeous

conducts her to the court of Priam.

a

To a palfray of prise full prudly arayet ; 3408 Set hir in a sadill serklyt with golde,

ffret ouer with fyne perle fresshist of hew,
With a bridell full bright, bothe of a sewte.

Other tulkes, þat were takyn, atiret were alse (fol. 54 a.) 3412 Hastely on horses, as hor astate askit,

and surrounded A company clene of knightes hom with ;

company, Paris And Paris full priste on a proude stede,

Deffebus dight on a dere horse, 3416 Antenor, Eneas, all other grete, Polidamas be pert, & payones ynow,

(Paeonians.) All arayet in a Rowte ryden to be qwene ;

Worshippit þat worthy & wenton all samyn. 3420 Turnet fro tenydon, taryt no lengur,

Soberly a soft pas samyn þai rode,
Euyn takand to Troy tomly o þere way.

And er þai comyn to courte bis cumpany faire, 3424 Priam full prudly with mony pert knightes,

Priam and his

knights come To welcom to pat worthy went on pere gate, forth to welcome And fonget full feire all hir fre buernes.

To be lady, þat lege kyng, with a light wille, 3428 Past full pertly all with prise wordys;

Obeit þat bright all with blithe chere;
With worship & wyn welcomyt þe grete ;

And somyn to pe Cité softly þai rode. 3432 At the burghe were abyding withoute the brode At the gates of

the city the zate

people welcome

her with music, Gret plenty of pepull,—all the place full,

minstrelsy, and

dances. So mony on molde was meruell to se;

With synging, & solas, and sitals amonge ; 3436 With myrthes of mynstralsy, musike with all ;

Daunsyng of Damsele, Dynnyng of trumpys,
With A ledy full lusti & lykyng to here.

her.

HERE HE DO TIDE !

Priam, the prise kyng, prestly down light,

Priaul alights,

Book VII.

ments.

3440 And was first vpon fote of all of his fresshe

knightes. and leads her

He raght to the reynes of þe riche qwene, palfrey into the city, and on to

And led furth þat louely long vpon fote, his palace.

Softe into þe Cité hym seluyn with honde (fol. 54 6.) 3444 On a worshipfull wyse, with mony wegh noble,

Vnto the palaies of price, pere pepull full fele;
And led hir vnlight into a large halle,

Vp into ylion with honour ynogh;
He conducts her 3448 And toke hir full tite into a triet chamber,
to her apart-

bere seruaundes full subiecte assingnet hir to : And noblay ynogh, was nothyng to laite.

In the Cité forsothe was solempnite made, Rejoicings in the 3452 With myrthes, & melody, & mony gret feste, city.

ffor ioy of þis iornay and pis gentill lady;
And þat Parys in point repairit was home

With his felowes in fere, fayne was þe pepull,

3456 And lyuys in hor lykyng þe long night ouer. On the second day The secund day suyng, sais me the lyne, after, Paris and All the grete were gedret, as hom grase

felle : in the temple of Apollo.

Paris with pride and his prise lady,
3460 At Appolynes owne tempull after were weddit.

Here made was þat mariage with myrthes ynow,
With solempnite & sacrafice pe Cite thurghe

Helen are married

out;

The citizens are feasted for eight days,

And double fest þat day derely was holdyn, 3464 With all þe reuell & riolté þat Renkes couthe

deuise, bat enduret by-dene with daintes at wille, Aght dayes ouer all after the dede. When Cassandra hade knowyng how þe case

stode,
3468 pat the mariage was made po mighty betwene,

She brast out in a birre, bale to be-holde.
With a mighty noise, noye for to here,
Playnond with pytie, no pleasurance at all,