THE KINGS OF GREECE. Telamon truly was a tulke full faire, 3780 Blake horit, aboue breghis and other Serklyt of hom seluyn, semly with all. A Sotell man of song with mony sere notys, And mellit hym with musike & myrthes also. 3784 He was doughty of dedys, derfe of his hond; 3792 Pompe and proude wordis ay be prinse hated. 123 Book VIII. Telamon the beautiful; his black hair in ringlets over his brow; a great lover of music. Ulysses, the loveliest, the He was the fairest by ferre of all the felle grekes, fairest, the falsest 3788 And falsest in his fare, and full of disseit. A derffe man in dede, dyssirus of batell. And mony harmes hepit for hete of his loue. 3804 Off Duke Nestor to deme, doughty in werre, He was long & large, with lemys full grete. A ffreike þat was fre, and a feire speiker, Wise in his wordys, witté of counsaille; 3808 Tru of his trowthe, tristy to loue, Meke of his maners malise to pese; And if he walte into wrathe, wode as a lyon, 3812 ffaithfull of frendship to frekys þat he louyt, of the Greeks; none could equal him in eloquence. (fol. 59 b.) Diomedes the doughty was a strong, well-buil man, with a scowling look. He was false, cruel, quarrelsome, lecherous, and deceitful. Nestor, the brave and wise, was tall, strong, and well-built; truthful, trusty, and faithful. Protesilaus, a Book VIII. warrior of fine mould and fair size. Neoptolemus the noble, a tall, staid man, with hard, black, prickly Semely for sothe, & of Syse faire. 3816 Doughty of dedis, derfe of his hondes, A store man of stature, stabill of chere. hair; large gray 3820 His here was hard blake, on his hede stode. eyes and grim; was broad shouldered, and beetle browed, and stuttered. (fol. 60 a.) Palamedes, son courteous and Podalirius, huge, fat, and "plooked" as a porker; his feet had burden enough to "fe ke hym aboute." Machaon, brother of Podalirius, was of mean stature, proud and presumptuous. Grete Ene and gray, with a grym loke. His shulders were shapon of a clene brede. ffor to comyn in a case hade a clere wit. 3828 Palomydon the pure, he was prinse faire ; Naulus son þe nobill kyng, & his next childe. 3832 Noght borely ne brode, but as hym best semyt. 3836 Curtas & kynde, curious of honde. So bolnet was his body, pat burthen hade ynoghe 3840 The fete of pat freke to ferke hym aboute, Or stond vppo streght for his strong charge. Noght to long ne to litle, lusty to se, Proude & presumptius, prouyt of wille, 3852 THE KING AND PRINCES OF TROY. Dares in his dytyng duly pus tellus, pat for the helpe of these hende, & hertely of oper, 125 Book VIII. Of Perse come the proude kyng with pepull full The king of Persia mony, And a company of knightes comly to se, bat tellis his Atyre & his triet strenght. He was large, & long, & of lene shap, 3856 With a face somwhat fat, fellist of colour. The here of þat hathell was huet as pe fire, Bothe o berde & aboue all of bright rede. Of the tulkes of Troy telle we now ferre, As breuyt is in boke and aboue set, 3864 A large man & a longe, liuely & small. A faire man in feturs & hade of furse steuyn. Delited to the deuer on dayes be tyme. 3868 Noght ferfull, ne furse, faueret full wele, 3872 He wold herkon full hertely in his high wit. with a great band of soldiers and a company of knights. Of the Trojan leaders. (fol. 60 b.) Priam the king was a tall, noble, active man, of fair feature and commanding voice. Was neuer kyng vnder cloude his knightes more Never was a king louet, Ne gretter of giftes to his goode men, Ne lellier louyt ledys of his aune, 3876 Ne with Riches so Rife rewardet his pepull. Of all his sones for sothe, pat semely were holdyn, Non was so noble, ne of nait strenght, As Ector, pe eldist, & aire to hym seluyn. 3880 He was truly in his tyme tristiest of other more beloved by his knights, &c. The noblest and bravest of his sons was Hector. Book VIII. He stuttered a was always Massive and tall, his equal: he was so ready, so good, and so powerful. (fol. 61 a.) Paris, a pert knight with silken, glossy hair, was a famous archer and bunter. Deiphobus the third son and Helenus the fourth, were very much alike in features; THE PRINCES OF TROY. bat leuit in any londe, & a litle he stotid. This prinse with his pure strenght plainly auer come All Auntres in Armys, þat he euer raght : 3884 Non so stuerne þat withstode a stroke of his He was massy & mekull, made for pe nonest, So graithe, ne so good, ne of so gret myght. He spake neuer dispituosly, ne spiset no man ; Ne warpit neuer worde of wrang with his mowthe. Ne sagh, þat was vnsemond, slipped hym fro, 3892 But ay meke as a maydon, & mylde of his speche. Neuer hatfull to hym to hygh into batell, Neuer wery of pat werke, ne of wegh fferde, He swat neuer for pat swynke, ne in swayme felle. 3896 Was neuer red in no Romanse of Renke vpon erthe So well louyt with all ledys, pat in his lond dwelt. Parys was pure faire, and a pert knighte; Here huet on his hede as haspis of silke, 3900 And in sighkyng it shone as the shyre golde. He was bowman O pe best, bolde with a speire, A wilde man to wale, wode on his fos; ffull siker at asaye, & a sad knight, 3904 Of hunters he was hede, & hauntyd it ofte. Deffebus was doughty & derfe of his hond, The prid son of pe sute, & his sure brother Elenus, the eldist euyn after hym. 3908 po freikes were fourmet of feturs [a]like, TROILUS AND ENEAS. The ton fro pe tother was tore for to ken 3912 In sight at þat sodan, somyn & pai were. 3916 3920 The fourme of po freikes was, faithfully to se, ffull massely made, & of mayn strenght; 3924 And yet hoger of hert & of her wille, 3928 3932 He demenyt well his maners, & be mesure wroght. lettid. 127 Book VIII. and in form both were very like their father. The one was a tried knight, the other, a 'sotele man of syense.' Troilus was tall, massive, and strong; brave, reckless, and amorous, yet mannerly and measured. (fol. 61 b.) almost equal to Hector. In strenght ne in stryfe pere strokes were delte, In battle he was longit, Was no yong man so 3epe, ne zenerus of dedis, Wise in his werkes, & of wordys sober, 3944 A man full of mekenes & mery of his chere. Eneas the eager, broad-chested but ättle; he was skilful, wise, learned, and meek; had fine bright eyes slightly asquint, and was the richest man in Of all the tulkes of Troy, to telle pem by name, Troy. |