DESCRIPTION OF TROY.

53

Book V.

were a rich

houses; the walls were of inarble

ornamented.

(fol. 27 a.)

The streets were

and open, and had covered side walks.

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

Within the city Wele bild all aboute on the best wise.

palace and many The werst walle for to wale, þere any wegh

and richly
dwelt,
Was faurty cubettes by coursse, to count fro the

vrthe,
1572 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 pe myddis;

straight, broad, 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. 1580 There were stallis by be strete stondyng for There were stalls peopull,

of every kind. Werkmen into won, and paire wares shewe, Bothe to selle and to se as paim selfe lyked,

Of all be 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 ;

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.

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

Thurgh myddis pe mekill toune meuyt a water,
And disseuert þe Cite, pat Xanthus hight.
There were bild by the bankes of þe brode

stremes,
1604 Mylnes full mony, made for to grynde,

ffor solas of the Cite þat suet hom to.
The water by wisshyng went vnder houses,

Gosshet through Godardys & other grete vautes, 1608 And clensit by course all be clene Cite

Of filth and of feum, throughe fletyng by nethe.
In Ensample of this Cite, sothely to telle,

Rome on a Riuer rially was set,
1612 Enabit by Eneas after full longe,

Tila

vpon Tiber after Troy like. Priam caused all

Priamus pertly the peopull ylkon, his people to settle in Troy.

þat longit to his lond & logit O fer,
1616 Gert sue to pe Cite sothely to dwelle,

And fild it with folke fuerse was be nowmber,
Of lordes of þe lond and oper lesse peopull.

In þat Cite for sothe, as saith vs the story, Many gaines were 1620 Mony gaumes were begonnen þe grete for to solas. invented there, such as chess,

The chekker was choisly þere chosen pe first, draughts, dice,

The draghtes, the dyse, and oper dregh gaumes. backyainmou, magic, and May

Soche soteltie þai 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

games.

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.

55

a

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

(fol. 28 a.)

Its towers were seen from all parts of the province.

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,

Enyn round as a ryng richely wroght,1636 ffyue hundrith fete fully the heght:

Withoute, toures full tore torret aboue,
hat were of heght so hoge, as I here fynde,

pat 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,
bat 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 be choise halle, chosen fur þe

kyng,
1664 Was a grounde vp graid with gresis of Marbill,

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

a

The floor was of mosalc work.

Book V.

hall was a raised

a throne.

And a tabill atyret, all of triet yuer, At one end of the

Bourdurt about all with bright Aumbur, platform for the

hat smelt is & smethe, smellis full swete, king: a table of ivory, bordered 1668 With taste for to touche the tabull aboute. with amber, and

ffor the souerayn hym selfe was a sete rioll, (fol. 28 b.)

Pight full of perrieris & of proude gemys,

Atyret with a tabernacle of Eyntayill fyn. ut the other end 1672 At the tother hede of be halle was, hegh vppolofte, was an altar set with precious

A wonderfull werke weghes to beholde ; stones and pearls.

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
an image of pure
gold set with

1680 An ymage full noble in þe nome of god,

ffyftene cubettes by course all of clene lenght,
Shynyng of shene gold & of shap nobill,
Dubbed ouer with dyamondes, þat were dere

holdyn,
1684 bat with lemys of light as a lamp shone :-

Of Jubiter þe 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.

On the altar stood

diamonds,

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

THE CONSELL FOR THE RESTITUCION OF HE 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 þat 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 Dat wele wantid no wegh, ne worship in vrthe.

PRIAM RECOUNTS HIS MISFORTUNES.

57

Book V.

council of the

Hector was
absent.

Þan 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,
And his suster into seruage, þat hym sore noyet.

(fol. 29 a.) Then he somond all þe Cite vppon sere haluys, He called a To a counsell to come for a cause hegh,

whole city. 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, or his sons, only

Saue Ector,—was oute, as aunter befelle,
1708 In a countre by coursse þat of þe coron helde,

Assignet by his souerayne & certen hym with,
ffor play or for purpos pas we perfro.

When þe souerayne was set in a sete rioll, 1712 As become for a kyng in counsell with lordes; All pese vmbe pe plase, pepull were stille, Bilence having

been gained, the Be comaundement of pe kyng, as be come well ; king opened his

subject. 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,

Priam's speech to

the council; he Hit is knowen to his court and oper kyd fryndes, recalls to mind. Of pe harmys þat we haue, & þe hoge lose;

had inflicted on 1720 That the Grekes in horgremy vs to grefe broght,- the country.

Bothe to me & to myne mykull vnright,
And to yow & also yours zomeryng for euer.

How our faders before falsly were slayne, 1724 And

my

suster Exiona in seruage is holdyn, þat is comen of soche kyn, coldes my

hert Your susters for sothe & oper sik fryndes,

Wyues & wale children, pai away led, 1728 bat ben set vnder seruage & sorow for ay.

And our Cite for sothe, þat sum tyme was here,
Brent & betyn downe to be bare vrthe;

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

the harm and loss that the Greeks

زا