THE WAIL OF CASSANDRA.

3472 With sykyng & sorow said on this wise :

3476

:

thus now,

With solas full sore, and sanges of myrthe,

At the weddyng of the weghes, pat shall to wo

turne.

With hardlayke & harme, pat happyn shall
after,

Ye dowtles mun degh for dedes of po two ;
And your fryndes full fey fallyn to ground,
Your sonys be slayne in sight of your ene;

Book VII.

Cassandra's

113

lamentation, and forebodings.

(fol. 55 a.)

3480 Your husbandes hewen with hondys in pesis,
Wyues made wedowys, & wayling for euer.
A! Troy, pat is tore with toures full hegh,
Myche baret shall pou bide, & betyn to ground, Troy and its
3484 And be stithly destroyet, & pi strenght lost!

A! Modris so mylde, what myschefe is to you!
Moche care is to come to your cold hertys;
Moche baret on your birthe you bese for to se ;—
3488 Dyssmembrit as marters, & murtheret to dethe,
And the bowels out braide of hire bare sydes.
A! Ecuba, pat euermore easely hase leuyt,
What gretyng & gremy growes vnto pe?
To se pi sones be slayne in sight of pin ene,
And the blode of po blithe blent with the erthe!
A balefull buernes, & full blynd pepull,

3492

The hard dethe is you dight, þat ye doute litle ! 3496 Why wrought ye so wantonly in your wilde yre? fforto rauysshe vnrightwisely pis riche out of

3500

Grece,

ffro a man pat neuer mys did to pis mene lond.
Why haste ye not heturly to haue hir agayne,
And restore hir stithly to hir strenght hom,
To hir lorde pat is lell & no lede harmys?
Venions and vile dethe to voide fro pis Rewme,
Er ye with swerdis in swym be swongon to

ground.

matrons,

Hecuba and her children,

the people,

Book VII.

Paris and Helen.

Priam casts

Cassandra into prison.

(fol. 55 b.)

But, had they

heeded her warnings Troy would have remained.

3504 Hope ye Parys, playn þefte vnponysshet wilbe,
Withouten sorow & sourgrem sewyng perafter;

And you angur for euer en[d]les to worche ?
A! Elan, vnhappy, hardist of chaunse!

3508 Soche sorow & sikyng pi seluyn vs bringes;
Myschaunse & euyll chefe pi childur shalbe !
A! Sory Sytizins, sendis you fro

The smoke & smorther, pat smytes to dethe, 3512 Qwyle ye lawfully lefe may & your lyf haue; poche dole ho dregh with mony depe terys!" With pyté & complaint, þat pyne was to here, hat Priam out of pes put ay anone,

3516 And neuer sesit of saghis & sorowfull wordys. The kyng pen comaund to cacche hir belyue, And fetur hir fast in a fre prisoune,—

A stithe house of stone,-to still hir of noise. 3520 Hit said was for sothe, ho sate pere full longe, And suffert moche sorow for hir sothe tales. bus kept the kyng vnkyndly his doughter;— ffor hir tales of truthe teghit her in yernes.

5324 But, hade pai herkont pat hynde, & in hert

keppit,

Troy hade bene truly out of tene yet;

And pere fortune full felle faire ouer-paste,

hat all the world hade warnyng of þere wo

sythen;

3528 And euer mynde wulbe made of paire myshap, Enduryng till domysday for doole pat pere was. Now, what felle of hor foly faire will I tell ;

And ye hastely shall here, and ye houe stille.

Eght Boke. Of the Counsell of the Grekys fior Recoueryng of Elayne.

3532 Sone after pis saute, sothely to telle,

bat the Troiens in the Temple tokyn þe qwene, And the riches hade Robbed with relikes ynow, Er þai tenydon hade takon & turnyt into hauyn, 3536 The speche of hom sprange & spred into Grise, And gret noise of pere noie naitly ouer all. Vnto Menelay, the mene tyme, mowthly was foray of the

told

Of the rape vnrightwis of his Riche qwene,

3540 And he stythely astonyt stroke into sorowe.
3it present at pilé with the proude Duke,
The pité of his pepull pricket hym so sore;
The murther of his men & his mylde qwene,
3544 The robbyng of his Riches & his riall temple,
Of his subiectes sesit, in seruage to dwelle
ffor tene & for torfer, of his triet lady,

bat he luffit so lelly no lesse pen hym seluyn;
3548 Thes harmes so heterly hepit in his mynde
With sorow so sodainly, pat his sight failet;
ffainted for febull, and felle to pe ground
In a swyme & a swogh, as he swelt wold.
3552 When he past of his payne & his pale hete,
And resort to hym selfe & his sight gate,
He plainted full pitiously, was pyn for to here,

Menelaus is advised of the

Trojaus.

(Pylus.)

(fol. 56 a.) He falls to the ground in a

swoon.

Book VIII.

His grief for
Helen, &c.

Nestor comes to comfort him.

With a great company of knights, &c.

he conducts himn

home and sends for Agamemnon,

Castor, and
Pollux.

Of the harmes & the hethyng hym happont to

thole.

3556 And for his worshipfull wife, that hym worst

liket,

pat faren was ouer the fome, & hir fame loste; And other freikes shuld fonge in a fer londe

With pat semly to solas, hit sate in his hert.

3560 And of delites full dere, pat dight were at

3564

3568

3572

home,

Lest hir lackit suche lustis in a londe straunge, poche mones he made & mournyng ynoghe,

With wailyng & weping, wo for to here;

hat it neght to non end pe noie pat he tholet. Vnto Nestor anon pis naytly was tolde,

Of pe mornyng & myscheffe to Menelay was

comyn;

Vnto pat worthy he went wisly anon,
With sorow for þat syre & sylyng of teris.
He comford þat kyng with his clene speche,
To sober hym somwhat & sese of his chere,
ben hyet he with haste home to his rewme.
And Nestor anon, with a nowmber grete
Of knightes & cant men, cairyt him with
Lyuely to his londe, & leuyt hym noght;
And by assent of hym sone sent for his brother,

3576 Agamynon þe graithe, in a gret haste,

3580

By a message on molde put he mekyll triste;
In his cause for to cum with counsell of wit,
As he þat was helply and highest of other.
To Pollux the proude & his pere Castor,
pat all highit in haste, houyt no lengur;
But comyn to pe kyng, þat the care tholit,
To helpe hym in haste & here of his noye.

THE COUNSELL OF AGAMYNON TO MENELAY.

3584 When agamynon the grete the greuaunce behelde,

THE COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

And the bale of his brother, pus the buerne

117

Book VIII.

"Why dreghis pou pis dole, & deris þi seluyn? "Why endure this Lefe of pis Langore, as my lefe brother, 3588 hat puttes pe to payne and peires pi sight.

If þu has cause for to care for vnkynde werkes, And with sykyng ouerset, & sorow at þi hert, Hit were wit, as I wene, to were it ffro noise, 3592 And fro knowyng of comyns & of course

opun;

ffor a sorow þat is sene on a sib frynde,

misery ?
(fol. 56 b.)
Cease this
languor:

at least conceal your grief.

Our sorrow

makes friends

Mas pe mournyng more of men pat hym luffes: sad, and foes

Mikull comfordes his care all his kene fos,

3596 And engendres paire ioy all his iuste sorow.

glad.

ffayne euer feire chere in pi felle anger.

Whan sorow is most sad, set all at litle;
Lete of it lightly, pat no lede wete,

3600 pi scrow & pi sikyng set all at noght.

And in maters þat meuys pe with might for to

stir,

There is no worship in weping, ne in wan teres ;
But desyre pi redresse all with derfe strokis:

3604 With pi swerde is to swinke & not with swym By your sword,

thoghtes.

ffor in sorow may be sene who is sad wise;
ffull propurly to preue in his pale angre,

When hym comys by course contrary thinges ;3608 He þat opressit not with payne his prinsepall

wittes,

Ne ouersettes not his saule with sorow full hoge.
perfore wackon þi wille into wight dedis,

And pere as sikyng & sorow slees the within,
3612 bat pe harme þat þou has, and hethyng with all,
Pas noght vnponisshed for pité ne other,
But pe dedes pat vs deirus be full dere boght.
perfore sobbyng & sorow ses at pis tyme,

and not by tears, this work must

be done.

Therefore rouse yourself.