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CASTOR AND POLLUX.

A Sore dynt in the syde at the same coursse.
Sedar was sory for sake of his cosyn,

1268 Carue euyn at Castor with a kene sworde,

be shilde away share vnto the shyre necke,
And all pe haspes of his helme pat pe hede 3emyt;
With a swinge of his sworde swappit hym in þe

fase,

1272 Bare hym ouer backeward to pe bare vrthe.
When pe freke was fallen & on foote light,
He laid vppon lyuely & no lede sparit,
3ald hym not 3et for zynernes of hert.
1276 pan pollux full pertly aprochet in hast
With seuyn hundrithe sad men assemblit hym
with,

ffrochit into pe frount & a fray made;

Bere backeward the batell & his brother toke,

1280 Horsit hym in haste, halpe hym olofte;
And pollux with a proude wille prickit to an-
oper,

One Eliatus, a lede, and hym o liue broght.

The kynges son of Cartage & a knight noble, 1284 Aliet vnto Lamydon by his lefe suster,

Cosyn to the kyng, & he his kyde Em,

Pité of pat pert knight persit his hert,

hat the shire water shot ouer his shene chekys.

1288 Myche woo hade pe wegh for pe wale knight, And assemblit his sad men on a soppe hole,

With a horne pat he hade, in a hond while,
(Seuyn thousand be sowme all of sure knightes,)
1292 And charget hom chefely for chaunse vppon
vrthe,

ffor to dere for the dethe of his dere cosy.
pen the Troiens full tite tariet no lengur,

Gird euyn to the Grekes with a grym fare;

1296 Slogh hom downe sleghly & slaunge hom to

grounde;

Book IV.

43

Sedar fights with Castor, and wounds him.

Pollux with seven hundred men

comes to the rescue.

(Alyattes, king of Lydia.)

(fol. 22 b.)

The Trojans are rallied, and drive the Greeks to their ships.

Book IV.

Laomedon is

informed that the

Greeks are masters of the

city.

Sad at heart, he assembles his

men and returns to the city.

He is attacked in front by the ambuscale, and in rear by the band from the ships.

(fol. 23 a.)

Hercules strikes

terror into the hearts of the

Trojans.

Wondit of pe wightist, warpide hom vnder;
Put hom fuersly to flight, folowet hom after
To the banke of the brode see pere botis were
leuit.

1300 pere Lamydon þem leuyt, for a lede come

With tithynges fro the towne told to the kyng; One Dotes, with dyntes pat dedly was wondyt, Said the Citie was sesit & sad men pere-in, 1304 Of our fos full fell, fuerse men in Armys,

A grete nowmber of Grekis, & pe goodes takyn. be kyng for pat care coldit at his hert,

gray water:

And siket full sore with sylyng of teris,
1308 Henttes his horne and hastily blawes;
Assemblit his sad men on a sop holle,
Left the Grekes on pe ground by the
Soght to pe Citie on soppes to-gedur
1312 Tho pat left were on lyue pogh pai lite were.
The kyng in his comyng kest vp his egh,
Segh a batell full breme fro pe burghe come
Prickand full prest vppon proude stedys.

1316 He blusshed ouer backeward to pe brode see,
Se the Grekys come girdand with a grym noise,
hat fled were before & pe fild leuyt.

1324

He was astonyet full stithly to be stad so,

1320 Betwene the batels on bent & so bare leuyt,
Vmfoldyng with his fos pat he ne fle might.
pen to batell on bent pai busket anon,
A felle fight & a fuerse fell hom betwene.
But vnmete was the Macche at þe mene tyme:
The Grekes were grym, of a grete nowmber,
And lite of pat other lede, pat on lyue were.
The Troiens full tyte were tyrnyt to be grounde
1328 With batell on bothe halfes, blody beronyn,
Wyde woundes & wete of hor wale dyntes.
Ercules yreful euer vponone,

Pricket furthe into prise and full playne made,

DEATH OF LAOMEDON.

1332 Gird gomes vnto grounde with vngayn strokes,
Bere the batell a-bake, mony buerne qwellid.
The freke was so fuerse, the[y] fled of his gate;
All shodurt as shepe shont of his way,

1336 Non so derffe to endure a dynt of his hond,
ffor all loste pe lyfe pat pe lede touchet.

THE DETH OF LAMYDON BY ERCULES.

Tyll he come to pe kyng in a kene yre,
Dang hym derffly don in a ded hate,

1340 Grippit hym grymly, gird of his hede,

brew it into pronge of his pro pepull;
bat moche sorowe for pe sight & sobbyng of teres,
When paire kyng was kylt, hom be course felle.

1344 Sesit was the Citie, socour non pere,

baire fomen so felle, and so few other,

The Grekes gird hom to grounde & to grym

dethe:

Of the dite & pe dyn was dole to be-holde. 1348 The Troiens with tene turnyt pe bake,

ffleddon in fere and pe filde leuyt,

Ouer hilles & hethes into holte woddes,

hat left were on lyue with mony laithe hurtes,

1352 When the Grekys hade the gre & the grounde

wonen.

THE TAKYNG OF PE TOWNE.

Thai soght into the Cité vpon sere haluys,
Streght into stretis and into stronge houses,
There were wemen to wale, A wonderfull nowm-

bur,

1356 Childer full choise and of chere febill,

Wyth olde ffolke vnfere ferly to see.

All tight to be tempull of pere tore goddes, ffor drede of the dethe, & myche dynne made. 1360 Mony wyues, for woo, of pere wit past,

Book IV.

45

He falls upon Laomedon; kills him, and throws his head into the crowd of Trojans.

The city is taken, and the Trojans flee to the woods.

As the Greeks

crowd into the city, the Trojans

(fol. 23 b.)

old and young, rush to the temple for safety,

Book IV.

and in their haste

leave all their goods behind.

The city is plundered and destroyed.

The people are killed or taken captive.

Hesione, daughter of Laomedon, is given to Telamon, who was the first to enter the city.

And pere barnes on brest bere In þere armes,
Hyd hom in houles and hyrnys aboute.

Maydons for mornyng haue þere mynde loste, 1364 (Soche payne of a pepull was pitie to be-holde) Hurlet out of houses, and no hede toke

Of golde ne of garmenttes, ne of goode stonys;
ffongit no florence, ne no fyn pesys,

1368 Gemys ne gewellis, ne no ioly vessell,
But all left in hor loges & lurkit away.
The Grekes were full gredy, grippit hom belyue,
Prayen and pyken mony priuey chambur,
1372 ffongit pere florence and oper fyn gold,

Geton girduls full gay, mony good stonys;

Wele wantid no wegh wale what hom liste. A monyth on pis maner meuyt no ferre, 1376 But soughton vp the Cité vpon sere haluys, Grippit vp the grounde, girdyn doun þe wallys, Prowde pales of prise puttyn to grounde; Brent vp the byggynges & full bare maden; 1380 The temple ouer-turnyt, tokon pe folke,

1384

1388

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Dydden all to the dethe & for ne drede lettyd;
Wemen, wale childur, & other weike pupull,
Madens full mony & of mete Age,

Sesit hom sone in seruage to holde.

EXIONA, THE KINGES DOUGHTER LAMYDON.

When the pales was put doun of þe prise kyng,
pai fonde per a fre faire to be-holde,
Euyn of his owne doughter Exiona was callid.
Bannet worthe the bale tyme pat ho borne was,
ffor the care pat pere come because of hir one.
Ercules egerly euyn vponone

Betoke hir to Telamon, for he the towne entrid,
In reward as by right for his ranke wille.

POETA.

But caitif unclene, for thy curst dede!

DEPARTURE OF THE GREEKS.

Syn the fortune felle þat faire into honde,

hat was cumly and clene and a kinges doughter, 1396 pou shuld have holdyn þat hynd, had hir þi-selfe, Weddit with worship and to wife holdyn.

Book IV.

Hercules, into

47

whose hands she

fell, should have

wedded her, and saved her from the degradation

And pou so doggetly has done in pi derfe hate, to which Telamon

prast hir vnder praldam with pi pro hert,

1400 To a kyng þat is curst, of vnclene lyfe,

ffor to lede in his lechery all his lyfe after.
Thurgh vnhappe of þat hynde, pat pou a hore

mase,

Myche greuaunce shall groo & a gronnd hate; 1404 Wer wakyn & wo for þi wickede dede,

Mony boldes for þat bright in batell be kylde. When the toune was ouertyrnyt, takyn þe godys, be Grekes to pe gray water gyrdyn belyue; 1408 Shottyn into shippes all þe shene godis,

subjected her: much war and

woe might thus

have been
prevented.

The Greeks
depart from Troy,
and rejoice over
their spoils,

Launchet furthe lightly & the lond passit, Girdon ouer the grym waghes into grece samyn. All pere lordes were light þat þai lyffe hade, 1412 ffayne of pere fortune & pere fine relikes, Didyn sacrifice solempne vnto sere goddes. All pere Rewmes wax riche, hade relikes ynowe, And long tyme with hom last & pere lefe children, their children for

1416 When the Cité was sesit, as I said ere,

And Lamydon the lege kyng out of lyfe broght,
Wemyn & wale children vnto wo put,

Set vnder seruage, sorow for euer,

1420 The kynges doughter caght & out of kythe led,
And in horedam holdyn, harme was þe more.

Se now the sorow þat þere suet after;
And yche wegh pat is wise & of wit stable,

1424 Light harmes Let ouer-passe, Lap noght in yre
ffor foly þat may falle of a felle hert.

A PROUERBE.

A word þat is wrappid, and in wrath holdyn,

which enrich their realms and

many years; but at length bring war and woe.

(fol. 24 b.)

Heed not the

angry word of a

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