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Book VII.

Helen replies:

"Full well I know I must

submit to your

will," &c.

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 pis lond with lustes at ease,

Alse syker and sure als pai set were at home."
þen 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
fend:

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,

3328 Hit may happon you in haste haue suche another. Thurgh giftes of our goddys, þat 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; He leads her into 3336 Silet furth with pat semly & hir sute leuyt,

another room that

they may be by

themselves.

(fol. 55 a.) "Your gods

have not sent you

here as a

punishment;

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,

3340 Aither vnto other as onesty wolde.

pen Parys to pat pure pertly can say :

"Hope ye now, hynde Lady, pat your hegh
goddis

Haue put you to pis prouynse pyne for to thole;

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PARIS AND HELEN.

3344 And let you be led vnto this lond hydur,
þat 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,

Book VII.

for Troy has double of the

As plaintiouse in yche place as pe prouynse of delights and

Achaia,

At is doublit of delitis & druris at all?

Ne trawes not, tru lady, þat I take wolde

3352 Thy ladyship to losse, ne in lust holde.

3356

Thou shalt haue riches more Rife, & Ranker of
godis,

han any lady in þi land, leue me for sothe;
And more likandly lyf & þi lust haue,
Bothe in weile & in worship, as a wee noble.
And me, pat am mete & of more power
ben hym þat pou hade and held for pi lorde,
Wyuly to weld; & I the wed shall,
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 pe with likyng to my lyues end.
3364 Suppos not þi seluyn, ne for sothe holde,

3360

pof pou left haue a litle lond lightly at home,

gallantries of Achaia.

109

("druery," love, gallantry.)

And I, more powerful than him you had, shall wed thee.

þat pou ne hertely shall haue here a well larger, All this larger And pi chaunge to chefe choisly the bettur;

3368 Syn Asia is auenond of yles ynow,

3372

3376

þat are attendant to Troy with tresour ynogh,
bat obey þe shall bainly, & bow to pi wille.
Ne for pe mysse of þi maister make pou no sorow,
That neuer yet of nobley An euenyng to me,
Ne of dedis so doughti þe dayes in his lyue,
Ne so luffly to a lady with lokyng at egh.
And I in longing am Laght & Lappit full sore
With hete of pi hegh loue, pat my hert warmys;

and better
kingdom

shall bow to thy will.

Sorrow not for a master who is not to be compared with me in nobility and doughty deeds.

(fol. 53 b.)

Book VII.

Dry your tears, and be comforted by ine."

"Who could restrain their tears, &c.

But since it must be, I shall do so "

And of hym, þat þou hopis most hertely þe louys,
Wete pou full wele most worshipfull to haue.
Ses now of scrowe, sobur þi chere,

3380 Wond of pi 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 pat pou hede me with heryng, & my hest kepe."

ELAN.

Than answared pat honerable onestly agayne :-
"Who might stithly absteyne, or stable of teris,
bat prestly were pricket with paynes so fele,
3388 And with sorow ouerset sothely as I?

But syn hit now bes non other nomly of me,
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 pat semely was sesit & sorow for-yetyn,
The lorde toke leue with full lowe speche,
And went fro þat worthy his weghis vntill.
When yt seyit to Sopertyme he seruyt hir well
With all daintes on dese & drynkes ynow,

Paris leaves her. 3396

At supper he serves her.

Next day, splendidly arrayed,

3400 And cherisshed hir full choisly with chere of hym seluyn.

When the derke was done, & the day comyn, Parys full pristly with preciouse araye, Worshippit þat worthy in wedys full riche, 3404 As qwemet for a qwene & qwaintly atyret, þat Priam hade purueit & to pe place sent. He broght furth pat bright with buernys full nobill.

THE PROGRESS TO TROY.

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

3412

3416

3420

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
Hastely on horses, as hor astate askit,
A company clene of knightes hom with;
And Paris full priste on a proude stede,
Deffebus dight on a dere horse,

Antenor, Eneas, all other grete,
Polidamas pe pert, & payones ynow,

All arayet in a Rowte ryden to be qwene;
Worshippit þat worthy & wenton all samyn.
Turnet fro tenydon, taryt no lengur,

Soberly a soft pas samyn þai rode,

Euyn takand to Troy tomly o pere way.

And er þai comyn to courte pis cumpany faire,
3424 Priam full prudly with mony pert knightes,
To welcom to þat worthy went on pere gate,
And fonget full feire all hir fre buernes.
To be lady, pat lege kyng, with a light wille,
Past full pertly all with prise wordys;
Obeit þat bright all with blithe chere ;
With worship & wyn welcomyt þe grete;

3428

3432

And somyn to pe Cité softly pai rode.

111

Book VII.

mounted on a

palfrey,

(fol. 54 a.)

and surrounded with a gorgeous company, Paris conducts her to the court of Priam.

(Paeonians.)

Priam and his knights come forth to welcome her.

At the burghe were abyding withoute the brode At the gates of zate

Gret plenty of pepull,—all the place full,—

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.

HERE HE DO TIDE!

Priam, the prise kyng, prestly down light,

the city the people welcome her with music, minstrelsy, and dances.

Priau alights,

Book VII.

and leads her

palfrey into the

city, and on to his palace.

(fol. 54 b.)

He conducts her to her apartments.

3440 And was first vpon fote of all of his fresshe
knightes.

He raght to the reynes of pe riche qwene,
And led furth pat louely long vpon fote,

Softe into pe Cité hym seluyn with honde
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;

3448 And toke hir full tite into a triet chamber,
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.

On the second day after, Paris and

Helen are married

in the temple of Apollo.

The citizens are feasted for eight

days.

ffor ioy of pis 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 be long night ouer.
The secund day suyng, sais me the lyne,

All the grete were gedret, as hom grase felle:
Paris with pride and his prise lady,

3460 At Appolynes owne tempull after were weddit.
pere made was pat mariage with myrthes ynow,
With solempnite & sacrafice pe Cite thurghe

out;

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

deuise,

hat enduret by-dene with daintes at wille,

Aght dayes ouer all after the dede.

When Cassandra hade knowyng how pe case

stode,

3468 þat 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,

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