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DESCRIPTION OF TROY.

Within the Citie, for sothe, semly to ken, 1568 Grete palis of prise, plenty of houses,

1572

Wele bild all aboute on the best wise.

The werst walle for to wale, pere any wegh
dwelt,

Was faurty cubettes by coursse, to count fro the

vrthe,

And all of marbill was made with meruellus

bestes,

Of lions & Libardes & other laithe wormes.
The Stretis were streght & of a stronge brede,
ffor ymur & aire opon in þe myddis;

1576 By the sydes for sothe of sotell deuyse,

Was archet full Abilly for aylyng of shoures,
Pight vp with pilers all of playne marbill,
Weghis into walke for wetyng of rayn.

Book V.

53

Within the city
were a rich
palace and many
houses; the walls
were of inarble
and richly
ornamented.

(fol. 27 a.)

The streets were straight, broad, and open, and had covered side walks.

1580 There were stallis by pe strete stondyng for There were stalls

peopull,

Werkmen into won, and paire wares shewe,

Bothe to selle and to se as paim selfe lyked,

Of all pe craftes to ken as pere course askit :— 1584 Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble; Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn;

Taliours, Telers, Turners of vesselles ;

Wrightes, websters, walkers of clothe;

1588 Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre ;
Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn;

Marchandes, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche;
Parnters, painters, pynners also;

1592 Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge;
fferrers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte;

Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer ;
Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe ;

1596 Cokes, condlers, coriours of ledur;
Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn;

With barburs bigget in bourders of the stretes;

too for workmen of every kind.

Book V.

The river Xanthus flowed through

the city, under the houses.

(fol. 27 b.)

In imitation of Troy, Rome was built on a riverthe Tiber.

Priam caused all

his people to

settle in Troy.

With all maister men pat on molde dwellis,
1600 Onestly enabit in entris Aboute.

Thurgh myddis þe mekill toune meuyt a water,
And disseuert þe Cite, pat Xanthus hight.

There were bild by the bankes of pe brode
stremes,

1604 Mylnes full mony, made for to grynde,
ffor solas of the Cite pat suet hom to.
The water by wisshyng went vnder houses,
Gosshet through Godardys & other grete vautes,
And clensit by course all pe clene Cite

1608

1612

1616

Of filth and of feum, throughe fletyng by nethe.
In Ensample of this Cite, sothely to telle,
Rome on a Riuer rially was set,
Enabit by Eneas after full longe,
Tild vpon Tiber after Troy like.
Priamus pertly the peopull ylkon,
hat longit to his lond & logit O fer,
Gert sue to pe Cite sothely to dwelle,
And fild it with folke fuerse was þe nowmber,
Of lordes of pe lond and oper lesse peopull.
In þat Cite for sothe, as saith vs the story,

Many games were 1620 Mony gaumes were begonnen þe grete for to solas.

invented there,

such as chess,

draughts, dice, backgainmon, magic, and May games.

The chekker was choisly pere chosen pe first,
The draghtes, the dyse, and oper dregh gaumes.
Soche soteltie pai soght to solas hom with;

1624 The tables, the top, tregetre also,

And in the moneth of may mekill þai vsit,
With floures and fresshe bowes fecchyng of

somer:

Somur qwenes, and qwaintans, & oper qwaint

gaumes,

1628 There foundyn was first, & yet ben forthe haunted.

THE MAKYNG OF YLION.

Priam by purpos a pales gert make

THE PALACE OF PRIAM.

Within the Cite full Solempne of a sete riall, Louely and large to logge in hym seluyn, 1632 ffull worthely wroght & by wit caste, And euyn at his etlyng Ylion was cald ; Closit with a clene wall crustrit with towres, Euyn round as a ryng richely wroght,— 1636 ffyue hundrith fete fully the heght:

:

Withoute, toures full tore torret aboue, þat were of heght so hoge, as I here fynde, hat the clowdes hom clede in vnclene ayre. 1640 In þe heghest to houe and beholde ouer,

All the lond for to loke when hym lefe thought. To all the prouyns þai apperit & pertis ofer, With mekyll solas to se in mony syde londis: 1644 Of crafty colours to know, all in course set,

Made all of marbyll with mason deuyse,

With ymagry full honest openly wroght.
In cornols by course clustret o lofte.

1648 The windowes, worthely wroght in a mesure,

Shapyn full shene all of shyre stones,
Caruen in Cristall by crafte of Entaile,
Pight into pilers prudly to shewe

1652 The bases & bourdurs all of bright perle.
Within this palis of prise was a proude halle,
þat large was of lenght & louely to shewe,
Painted full prudly with pure gold ouer,

1656 Drapred by dene with a dese riall.

There were bordis full bright aboute in þat sale,
Set in a sercle, of Sedur tre fyn,

Gret vp fro pe ground vppon gray marbill.

1660 With a flore þat was fret all of fyne stones, Pauyt prudly all with proude colours,

Made after musycke, men on to loke.

In the cheffe of pe choise halle, chosen for þe

kyng,

1664 Was a grounde vp graid with gresis of Marbill,

Book V.

Priam caused a splendid palace to be built for himself, and called it Ilion.

(fol. 28 a.)

55

Its towers were seen from all parts of the province.

It had beautifully wrought windows of carved crystal, set within pillars.

The palace hall was overlaid with gold, draped with a royal dais; it had tables of cedar-wood, set on marble.

The floor was of mosaic work.

Book V.

At one end of the
hall was a raised
platform for the
king; a table of
ivory, bordered
with amber, and
a throne.

(fol. 28 b.)

And a tabill atyret, all of triet yuer,
Bourdurt about all with bright Aumbur,

hat smelt is & smethe, smellis full swete,

1668 With taste for to touche the tabull aboute.

ffor the souerayn hym selfe was a sete rioll,
Pight full of perrieris & of proude gemys,

Atyret with a tabernacle of Eyntayill fyn.

At the other end 1672 At the tother hede of pe halle was, hegh vppolofte,

was an altar set

with precious

stones and pearls.

A wonderfull werke weghes to beholde;

With preciose stones of price & perlles ynogh,
An auter enournet in nome of a god,

1676 Goond vp by a grese all of goode stones,
Twenty pase vp pight all of pure cristall,
hat were shynyng full shene shalkes to deuyse.
Vne oppon pe Auter was amyt to stond
full noble in þe nome of god,—
ymage
ffyftene cubettes by course all of clene lenght,
Shynyng of shene gold & of shap nobill,
Dubbed ouer with dyamondes, þat were dere

On the altar stood an image of pure gold set with diamonds.

1680 An

When the city was completed, Priam began to think of his past misfortunes.

holdyn,

1684 pat with lemys of light as a lamp shone :-
Of Jubiter pe iust god, þat þe ioy weldis,
In qwhom Priam prinsipally put his beleue
In sauyng his Citie and hym selfe alse;

1688 With long dayes to endure & fro dethe kepe.

THE CONSELL FOR THE RESTITUCION OF DE GREKES.
Qwhen this Citie was set & full sure made,
As Priam hade purpost all with pure wit,
Then meuyt to his mynde, as yt most nede,
1692 pat his Cite was sure of hym selfe wroght;
With mekyll pepull of prise & proude men of
Armys,

Riches full ryfe & relikes ynow;

All abundaunt in blisse blent with his folke,

1696 þat wele wantid no wegh, ne worship in vrthe.

PRIAM RECOUNTS HIS MISFORTUNES.

ban a sorow full sodenly sanke in his hert, A Remorec of maters, þat hym mys lyket; How þe Grekes hym greuyt and to ground put, 1700 His fader & his fryndis ferkit out of lyue,

Book V.

(fol. 29 a.)

And his suster into seruage, þat hym sore noyet.
Then he somond all pe Cite vppon sere haluys, He called a
To a counsell to come for a cause hegh,

1704 And his wille for to wete as hom wele aght.
When the grete were gedurt & po graithe all,
With his semly sonnes, þat hym sate next,
Saue Ector, was oute, as aunter befelle,
1708 In a countre by coursse pat of pe coron helde,
Assignet by his souerayne & certen hym with,
ffor play or for purpos :-pas we perfro.
When pe souerayne was set in a sete rioll,

council of the whole city.

57

Of his sons, only
Hector was

absent.

Silence having been gained, the

1712 As become for a kyng in counsell with lordes ; All pese vmbe pe plase, pepull were stille, Be comaundement of pe kyng, as be come well; king opened his ben he menyt of pe mater all with mylde wordes,

1716 And touchet his entent, as I telle shall.—

"Now lordys of my lond & other lefe pepull,

subject.

Priam's speech to the council; he

Hit is knowen to pis court and oper kyd fryndes, recalls to mind
Of pe harmys þat we haue, & pe hoge lose;

1720 That the Grekes in horgremy vs to grefe broght,—
Bothe to me & to myne mykull vnright,
And to yow & also yours 30meryng for euer.
How our faders before falsly were slayne,

1724 And my suster Exiona in seruage is holdyn,
hat is comen of soche kyn, coldes my hert;
Your susters for sothe & oper sik fryndes,
Wyues & wale children, pai away led,

1728 þat ben set vnder seruage & sorow for ay.
And our Cite for sothe, pat sum tyme was here,
Brent & betyn downe to pe bare vrthe;

Our golde & our godys gripped in hond; 1732 Robbet our riches, our renttes distroyet;

the harm and loss that the Greeks had inflicted on the country.

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