صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

8084

BRISEIS AND CALCAS.

"Nauther list me my luff lelly the graunt,

Ne I refuse the not fully pi frendship to voide
ffor my hert is not here holly disposit,

To onsware on otherwise, ne ordant perfore!" 8088 At hir wordes, I-wis, the worthy was glad;

Hengit in hope, held hym full gayne.

At hir fader fre tent fongit hir in armys, And set hir on pe soile softely with hond. 8092 A gloue of pat gay gate he belyue,

Drogh hit full dernly the damsell fro: None seond but hir-selfe, pat suffert full well. Hit pleaside hir priuely, playntyde ho noght, 8096 Let hit slip from hyr slyly, slymyt perat. Than Calcas, the clerke, came fro his tent, ffongit hir faire and with fyne chere, Toke hir into tent, talket with hir fast, 8100 And menit of hir maters, as þai in mynd hade.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

THE WORDYS OF BREISAID TO CALCAS HIR FADER.

When the burde in hir boure was broght with

hir fader,

Thes wordes ho warpet with wateryng of Ene :—
"How fader, in faithe, failet þi wit,

8104 That was so conyng of clergy, & knowen in Troy,

Myche louet with the lordes, & the ledis all;
And worshippit of yche we as a wale god!
All the gret of þe ground gouernit by the,

8108 And pou riches full riffe, renttes ynow?

Now art pou trewly hor traitour, & tainted for fals! Thy kyn & thy cuntre vnkyndly forsakyn, bat pou shuld faithly defend with a fre hert; 8112 And fro woches haue werit, & pi wit shewed. Hit is cheuit the a chaunse of a choise febull! Leuer forto lyf in a lond straunge,

In pouerte & penaunce with thy pale fos, 8116 Then as a lord in þi lond lengit at home.

"Why, O father, have you, who were so honoured at Troy, turned her traitor?

Why prefer to live in exile

among your enemies; when you might be as a lord in Troy."

Book XIX.

On earth, every

one despises you;

and in hell you must dwell with fiends.

(fol. 126 a.)

Thinkest thou the Greeks will trust you?

Surely, it was not the god Apollo, but some fiend of hell that advised you."

"Daughter, the gods would be

against us, if we did not obey

them.

As thy fall and þi faith is foulé loste,
And pi worship is went & wastid for euer,
Of shame & shenship shent bes pou neuer :
8120 Euery lede will pe lacke and pi lose file,

And pe fame of þi filth so fer wilbe knowen.
Ne hopis pou not hertely, for þi hegh treason,
If men laith with pi lyf, lyffyng in erthe,
8124 That the shall happon in helle hardlaikes mo,
ffor thy filthe & pi falshed with fyndes to dwelle ?
Hit were bettur the to byde with buernes of

þi kyn,

In sum wildurnes wilde, & won þere in lyf, 8128 Then the ledys vpon lyue to laithe with pi shame. Hopis pou fadur, in faith, in þi faint hert, bat pou be takon for treu with thies triet kynges, Or be holdyn in hert of þi hest stable,

8132 bat art founden so fals to pi fre londes?

Now appolyn with answare hase euyll the begiled,
And belirt þe with lesynges pi lose forto spille;
Gert the fall fro pi fryndes, & pi faire godis,

8136 And sorily to syn, and þi selfe lose!

Hit was neuer appollo the pure god, þat put the in mynd,

But sum fend with his falshed, faren out of helle, þat onsward the owkewardly, ordand þe skathe, 8140 fforto set the in sorow, and þi soule tyne !" Thus the lady at the last left of hir speche, With myche sobbyng & sorow, sylyng of teris. Than the bysshop to his barne barely onswart, 8144 And shend to þat shene all in short wordes. "Ne hopis pou noght, hend doghtur, pat our hegh goddes

Wold be wrothe at our werkes, & wisshe vs to skathe,

If we bowet not hor biddyng, & hor bone kept. 8148 And nomly in þis note, pat noyes to pe dethe,

BRISEIS FORGETS TROILUS.

Oure seluyn to saue, and oure saule kepe
Out of daunger & drede, & oure dethe voide.
This wot I full well, thurgh wisshyng of hom,
8152 That pis sorow wilnot sese, ne the saute leue,
Tyll the toun be ouerturnyt, & tumblid to ground;
All the folke, with pere fos, frusshet to dethe,
And the wallis ouerwalt into be wete dyches.
8156 Therfore bettur is a-byde in pis bare fild,
Than be murthert with malis, & to mold put."

All the grekes were glad of pat gay lady,

And comyn in companys, pat comly to se, 8160 All the souerans for sothe, into hir syre tent, And spire at hir specially of hor spede ay,Of the tulkes of Troy, and the toun selfe ;

265

Book XIX.

I know that Troy shall be

destroyed, and all her people.

Therefore we are better here."

(fol. 126 b.) The Greeks are pleased with Briseis;

she answers their questions about

Of the pepull full prest, & pe prise kynges: · 8164 And all the maner of po men the maidon hom Troy and the

tolde,

ffrely with faire chere, pat thei frayn wold.

Trojans.

daughter; promise to defend her;

and give her rich presents.

The kynges full curtesley cald hir pere doughter, They call her, And heght hir to haue all þere helpe pen; 8168 To be worshypt well with welthis ynow; And grete giftes hir gafe all po grete kynges. Er þis day was done, or droghe to pe night, All chaunget the chere of this choise maidon,

8172 And hir leuer to leng in lodge with the grekes,

Then turne vnto Troy, or to toun wend.

Now, she desires to abide among the Greeks.

Now is Troiell, hir trew luff, tynt of hir thoght, Troilus is

forgotten.

And yomeryng for-yeton, & yettyng of teres.

8176 Lo, so lightly ho left of hir loue hote,

And chaunget hir chere for cherisshyng a litle !
Tristly may Troiell tote ouer the walle,

And loke vpon lenght, er his loue come!

8180 Here leue we this lady with hir loue new, And turne to oure tale, & take pere we lefte.

(fol. 127 a).

The truce is ended:

the Trojans prepare for battle.

Hector, with a division of 15,000, goes forth first:

then Troilus with 10,000:

then Paris with

the Persian

The xx Boke. Of the vijnt Batell, and Skarmiches Lastyng xxx dayes Betwene the Towne & the tenttes.

8184

8188

After the monethis were meuyt of pe mene true,
ben waknet vp were and myche wale sorow!
The secund day suyng, says me þe lyne,
There bownet vnto batell from the burgh euyn,
Mony triet men of Troy, and tokyn þe fild,
Euyn ordant by Ector, after his deuise.
The prinse with his pouer past on first,
With xv .M. fully, all of fyn knightes,
In his batell full bold boun to pe feld:
And Troiell with x .M. turnit forth aftur.

8192 Then Paris put furth, the percians hym with,-
Abill men of archery, auntrus in wer,—

[blocks in formation]

Of the Greeks

8200

Three M. thro and thristy of hond,

Vppon horses full hoge, hardy men all.

Then Deffibus drogh furth, & to pe dede went,
With thre M. thro men, prepond in armys.
Eneas afturward with angardly mony,

And oper kynges full kant, as pere course fell.
As Dares in his dyting duly me tellus,

The sowme of the sowdiouris, that fro pe Cité

came,

ffor to tell at this tyme of triet men & noble, A C. M. all hoole, herty to stryke!

8204 ffro the tenttes come tyte of the triet grekes,

THE SEVENTH BATTLE.

Menelay full monly, with a manur pepull,

Seuyn M. be sowme assignet for hym.

Then meuit with as mony, mighty Dyomydes,

Book XX.

267

Menelaus came

first with 7000

men:

then Diomedes

8208 And Achilles with choise men chosen of the with as many

same.

Than sought furth Xantippus with sad men a

hepe,

Thre thowsaund thristy, prong to the fild. Than Agamynon the grete gird on the last, 8212 With a noyus nowmbur, nait men of strenght.

The first, pat to fight past, was Philoc the kyng,
Put hym furth prudly, presit to pe Troiens!
Ector met hym with mayn, macchit hym so

harde,

more:

then Achilles, and Xantippus, and Agamemnon.

(fol. 127 b.)

Hector slays King
Philoctetes.

8216 That he gird to the ground & the gost past.
Myche clamur & crye for the kynges sake,
And dynttes full dedly delt hom betwene.
Then girde o the greke halfe with grym fare,
8220 Xantipus, a sure Kyng, with a sad wepyn,
ffor to dere for pe dethe of his dere vncle.
He suet furth sadly to be sure prinse,
And stroke hym full stithly with a stiff sworde.
8224 Ector turnet with tene, toke hym on þe hed,
þat he slode doun sleghly, & sleppit euer after.
Then the grekes were greuit for the grym kyng; The Greeks
Oppressit hom with pyne, pressit full hard;

8228 Turnit to the Troiens, tenit hom full euill;

"The dethe of Xantipus by Ector Slayn."

revenge his death.

Mony woundit full wickedly, & warpit of horse.
Achilles mony choise men choppit to pe erthe; Achilles slays
Mony ledes with his launse out of lyfe broght.

8232 Two Dukes full derne vnto dethe kyld,
bat were comyn to be kyng with pere kyde
helpis,-

ffull bold men in batell, & myche bale did. Hit auntrit, þat Ector was angrit full euill, 8236 Woundit full wickedly, wist not of woo,

many both with sword and lance.

Hector is severely wounded in the face;

« السابقةمتابعة »