Book XXXI. For four days all goes well; but on the fifth, the wind rises, the sky darkens; thunder rolls; (fol. 191 a.) and lightning flashes over the whole heavens. The storm raises billows like hills; tosses the ships from crest to crest, and scatters them. The waves dash over-board, and sweep all before them. The ships of Telamon's band are burnt by lightning; and all on board perish. The ships of Oileus Ajax, thirty-two in number, are also lost. Clere was the course of the cold flodis, 12488 And the firmament faire as fell for the wintur. Thai past on the pale se, puld vp hor sailes, Hadyn bir at pere backe, and the bonke leuyt. ffoure dayes by-dene, & hor du nyghtis, 12492 ffull soundly pai sailed with seasonable windes. The fyft day fuersly, fell at the none, Sodonly the softe winde vnsoberly blew ; A myste & a merkenes myngit to-gedur; 12496 A thoner and a thicke rayne prublet in the skewes, With an ugsom noise, noy for to here; All flasshet in a ffire the firmament ouer; Stith was the storme, stird all the shippes, The sea was vnsober, sondrit the nauy; Depertid the pepull, pyne to be-hold, Oelius Aiax, as aunter befelle, 12520 Was stad in the storme with the stith windes, With his shippes full shene and the shire godes: THE DESTRUCTION OF AJAX' FLEET. Thrifty and priuaund, thretty and two There were brent on the buerne with the breme low, 12524 And all the freikes in the flode floterand abcue. Hym-seluyn in the sea sonkyn belyue, Swalprit & swam with swyngyng of armys: 3et he launchet to londe, & his lyf hade, 12528 Bare of his body, bret full of water. In the Slober & the sluche slongyn to londe, 409 Book XXXI. Ajax himself is washed ashore, almost dead. (fol. 191 b.) Next morning 12532 And than wonen of waghes, with wo as pai he is discovered, might, þare sum of his sort, þat soght were to lond, If hit fell (hym) by fortune the flodes to passe. 12536 pan found þai the freike in the fome lye, And comford hym kyndly, as pere kyd lord: Bothe failet hym the fode and the fyne clothes. and revives. (MS. has "hom") 12540 Thus pere goddes with gremy with pe grekes Thus was fore, Mighty Myner[v]a, of malis full grete, ffor Telamon, in tene, tid for to pull Cassandra the cleane out of hir cloise temple. 12544 Thus hit fell hom by fortune of a foule ende, ffor greuyng þere goddes in hor gret yre. Minerva avenged, because Telamon dragged Cassandra from her temple. Often, for the sin of one, many are bat all a company is cumbrit for a cursed shrewe. punished. 12548 Now of kynges, & knightes, & othir kyd dukes, At this time there lived in Greece a king called Nauplius, rich and powerful. (fol. 192 a.) He had two sons with the Greeks at Troy. The elder was The xxxij Boke: Of the Lesyng þat was made to Kyng Nawle; and of dethe of his son Palomydon. 12552 Thys ylke tyme of the toile, tellis the story, There wont a kyng on the coste, in a cuntre of grece, Hight Naulus to nome, an old man of age. He hade londes full long, & of leue brede, 12560 At the full of the flode flet all aboue, By the bourdurs aboute, bret full of rokkes. and the younger, 12568 And the yonger of yeres yepely was calde Eax. Palomydon the pure, a prise mon of armys, 12572 Past with a pepull prowde of aray, And turnyt vnto Tenydon, as I told haue. THE LESING MADE TO NAUPLIUS. Ordant hym Emperour by opon assent, 12576 And Agamynon degrated of his degre pan, þat charget was for cheftan of po chere all. pan Palomydon with Paris put was to dethe With the birre of his bow, as I aboue rede, 12580 (But ay ledis with lesyng louys to noy, In baret to bring, & buernis to hyndur: So happit hit here), þat harmyt the grekes, And mony doghty with dole vnto dethe broght. 12584 To this noble kyng Naule naitly was told 411 Book XXXII. The Greeks appointed Palamedes their leader, instead of Agamemnon. He was slain by Paris, but some one told Nauplius that he þat Palomydon, his prise son, put was to dethe had been slain Vntruly by treason of his trist fryndes, treacherously by his friend Diomedes, at the And noght in batell on bent as a buerne noble. order of Ulysses. 12588 Thai said Diamede the Duke hade don hym of lyue, By ordinaunse of Vlixes, to vtterauns for euer. And forget a faint tale vnder fals colour. (fol. 192 b.) 12592 Thai said Agamynon with gawdes, & pe gay That Agamem Dyamede, Menelay with malis, & mighty Vlixes, Thies ffoure in hor falshode had forget a lie, 12596 The tenure to telle truly was þis ; 'pat Palomydon the pure had purpost an end, hat no whe shuld hit wete till hom wo happit; 12600 ffor a gobet of gold, to gripe of pe Cité, All the Grekes to be-gyle, & to ground bring. To a buerne on the bent, in batell was slayne. 12604 pan Vlixes the lord,' licherly pai saide, non, Diomedes, for gold. This letter they attached to a knight lying dead on the field. That Ulysses bribed a servant 'Preset to a pure mon of Palamydon the kyng, to place a sum And of gold he hym gaf a full grete soume, ffor to wirke o this wise, as the wegh bad: of money (the sum stated in the letter) Book XXXII. under the pillow of Palamedes. The servant did 80: and was slain by Ulysses, lest he should tell of the treason. The letter was found on the dead knight, and read to the Greeks, who at once went to (fol. 193 a.) charged him with treason. He asserted his innocence, and demanded the ordeal of combat. No one dared to accept it, and he was assoiled.' 12608 þat he wold bogh to the bed of the bold kyng, And hade at his hede, pat he haue shuld. han he fot hom of florens a full fuerse soume: The gome grippet the gold, & his gate held ; 12612 Turnyt to the tent of his tru lord; Presit to pe pelow, & put hit euyn under. pan the freike, in his fare, fore to Vlixes, And said, all duly was done as the Duke bad. 12616 pan Vlixes, with vtteraunse, vne at the tyme, Gert britten þe buerne with a bare sword, hat he no talis shuld tell of treson was cast. pen þe letters on pe laund, to pe led boundyn, 12620 Were foundyn with a freke of þe fyn grekis, And red to pe rynkis, as pe roll saide, Of pe cast by pe kyng, & knawen with all. 12624 ffull heghly in hate hadyn þe prinse. Wightly po wale kynges wan to his tent, ffund a bag full bret, all of bright gold, Happit at þe hede of his hegh bed. 12628 Vne the selfe and the same sowmet before, As the ledis, in the lettur on the lande, fond. han þai presit Palomydon with a proude fare, As a traytor vntrew, pat treason had wroght: 12632 But the freike hym defendit with a fyn chere With batell on bent, barly hym-seluon, To trye out the truthe with his trist hond, On what buerne so was bold pe batell to take. 12636 And when no freike was furse to fight with hym one, Of all the grekes so grym thurgh the gret oste, pan Vlixes the lord, with his lefe wordes, Askewset the skathe & sklandur with all: 12640 He plesit the prince, & purgit his fame, And the folke with his flatery falsly dissayuit.' |