A PESTILENCE. Wonderfully wroght weghis to be-hold, With gematry Justly aioynet to gedur; Miche soteltie, for-sothe, settyng of notes, 8396 Crafte þat was coynt, knawyng of tymes, And other faynet fare & fantasy olde! 273 Book XX. copper supporting an image of pure gold. ("Gematry "= geometry.) Within the tyme of the tru, the triet kyng Priam, Priam buries His noble sonnes naturell naitly gert bery, 8400 With hor brether, in the burgh, on his best wise: Eure son by hym selfe, sais me the lyne, In a precius place, & in prise toumbis! his sons, each in a separate tomb. HERE AI FFAGHT TWELUE DAYES TO-GEDur. When the sex monethes were meuit of pe mene true, 8404 Than faght þai in feld felly to gedur, Twelue dayes, be-dene, dole to be-holde! 8412 And droppit to dethe on dayes full thicke. haloes, 8420 And affermyt hit fast: and here a ffyt endes. The truce is ended fighting is resumed. Because of the great heat, a pestilence heaks out; many of the Greeks die in the fields. Agamemnon desires a truce ot 30 days: which is granted. (fol. 130 b.) During the last night of the truce, Andromacha dreams that Hector will be slain on the next day, She prays him not to go to battle. (fol. 131) Hector blames The xxj Boke. Of the viij Batell: And of the Dreme of Ector wyffe. Lengye here at a litill, lystyn my wordes, 8424 All þai fforen to pe fight, & the fild toke! 8436 He shuld doutles be dede, & drepit for euer ! Andromaca for drede of her dreme felle, Miche water ho weppit, and wackont the prince. As pai bothe were in bed, pe burd to hym saide, And told hym by tale, as her tyde hade. Sho prayet the prinse with hir pure hert, ffor drede of hir drem, & deire pat might falle, 8440 On nowise in thys world the walles to passe, ffor to bowne vnto batell, ne of burghe wend. han the worthy at his wife wrathet a litle, And blamyt the burde for hir bold speche. 8444 Hit was vnfittyng, he said, a sad man of wit, ANDROMACHA'S DREAM. Any dremys to drede, or deme hom for trew, Hir lord for to let, for lure pat might happyn: When the sun vp set with his softe beames, 8156 All the batels of the burghe bownet to feld, Ordant of Ector efter his deuyse. Troiell, the triet knyght, toke the feld sone; Then Paris full prest put hym next aftur. 8460 Deffebus drogh furth with a derfe pepull; Eneas afturward auntred to feld. Polidamas, the proud knight, past on swithe; Then the fuerse kyng Forcius folowet anon; 8464 And Philmen, the freke, with a felle batell. Then all the kynges by course, pat comyn were to Troy, The citie to socour, with pere sute hoole, Passit furth fro Priam to pe playn feld, 8468 With leue of pe lord, þat the lond aght. Then Priam to be prinse prestly can send, 275 Book XXI. says, it is silly to give heed to dreams. Andromacha prevent Hector fight. The Trojans take Aeneas: Polydamas, Priam commands Hector to stay That he bownet to no batell, ne pe burgh past, within the city. On nowise in this world, for worship or other. 8472 Therat Ector was angry, & angardly wrothe, Repreuet the prinses with a pale face: 8476 To his seruondes he saide in a sad haste, Hector is angry: (fol. 131 b.) orders his servants to bring To bryng hym his bright geire, bownet to feld, his armour; and arrays himself, Book XXI. Andromacha takes her infant in her arms, and falls at Hector's feet. She pleads with him to stay. Hector refuses: she clasps his feet and swoons. Than his wif was war of his wille sone, On Lamydon was litle, and his leue brother 8484 hat were bothe at the brest of the bright norse, The ton toke ho full tyte in hir true armys, 8488 Hit was dole & deire, pat dere to be-hold! With myche wepyng & woo pes wordes ho said:--"A! my lord, & it like yow at this lefe tyme, I be-seche you, for my sake sober youre wille : 8492 Put of youre purpos, preses no fer, ffor all the loue in our lyue, pat light vs betwene!" He denyet hir anon: hir noy was the more. And sho braid with the barne to pe bare erthe, 8496 Vmbfoldyt his fete, felle vnto swone. And when ho wacknet of wo, thies wordes ho said: "If ye no mercy haue on me, for mysse þat I thole, Haue pité on youre pure sonnes, pat mone payne thole! Again she pleads 8500 To be done to pe dethe with hor dere moder, with him to stay. His mother, his sisters, and Helen, fall at his feet, landes; Exiled for euermore endles to sorow, Pight vnder pouert and penaunce to lyue!" 8504 Then his moder the myld qwene, & his meke syster, Cassandra the clene, & clere Polexena, And honerable Elan also, with hom: Thies fellyn hym to fete with a foule cherc, HECTOR AND ANDROMACHA. 8508 Prayond the prinse (pitie was to se) 8512 Ne pe prayer of po prise persit not his hert; But past furth prudly his purpos to hold, And bounet toward batell, bode he no lengur. ben Andromoca for dol drogh out of wit, 8516 Vne fore as a fole, fonnet at all; Past vnto Priam, pe prinsis aune fadur, With a rufull rore rent of hir clothis; Rafit pe red chekis roidly with hond, 8520 And pe hore of hir hede heterly pullit! So pat ffre with hir face fore at þe tyme, hat all blod was pe bright in hir ble qwit: Ho was vnkyndly to knaw of hir kyd frendis. 8524 So disfigurt of face & febill of hew, To pe fete of pe fre kyng fel ho belyue, ffor to high to pat hynd, & hold hym within, 8528 þat he fore not to fight, ne the fild toke ! Than Priam in pure hast preset to horse, Lept vp full lyghtly, & the rede folowet : Ouertoke hym full tyte, taried hym pan, 8532 Raght to the reynes of his riche bridell: turnyt: Past euyn to his palais, & the place entrid. 8540 He wold put of no plate of his prise armur, But abode in the burgh in his bright wedis. 277 Book XXI. pleading that he abide in the city till night. (fol. 132 a.) Hector will not yield. He goes forth to battle. Andromacha in despair rushes to Priam. Tearing her face and hair, she falls at his feet, beseeching him to detain Hector within the city. Priam overtakes commands and With great reluctance he but will, on no account put off his armour. |