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HIS ANSWER.

Pursew to my purpos, present myn astate;
To lede all my legis with likyng in werre.
Thy brether obey shall thy biddyng vnto;—
2192 All þe Renkes of my rewme will pi red folowe,

As storest of strenght to stightill thy foose,

Book VI.

Thy brothers shall obey thee,

73

and all the knights
of my realm shall
follow thy
counsel.

And soche tyrandes to tame, pat vs tene wirkes. With hardynes of hond, & with hole might, 2196 Ger hom bowe as a berslet & pi blithe seche. I Aioyne thee this iorney with ioy for to take, And the charge of pe chaunse, chef as pou thee as chief; and

may.

This burthen pou beire shall, bigger pen I,
2200 Wightur in werre, and of wale strenght,
Lusty and likyng, and of lite yeres,
Mighty and monfull, maistris to wirke.
And I, ournand in elde with arghnes in hert,
2204 My floures bene fallen, & my frike age,-

I graunt thee pe gouernaunse of his gret mode,
And shake it on þi shulders, shape pe perfore."

THE ONSUARE AND THE COUNSELL OF ECTOR TO PRIAM

HIS FFADER.

When Priam hade his prologe preched to ende,

2208 Ector hym answarede esely and faire,

With wordys full wise vnto his wale kyng,
Vnder shadow of shame shewed in his chere.-
"Most worshipfull fader, & my fre kyng!

2212 Hit is kendly by course & custome of men,
bat any hardlaike has, or a hede shame,

ffor to wreke in hor wrathe of wranges before.

I commit this undertaking to

thou shalt bear the burden of it!"

(fol. 36 b.)

"Most worshipful father! men who have any hardship, or cause for shame, seek

revenge.

And if we, þat are worthy, & wight men in And if we, who

Armys,

are worthy, take an insult from any

2216 Take harme, other hethyng, or hurtys vnzoldyn, equal on earth, it

Of any erdyng in erthe euenyng to vs,
Hit were shortly a shame & a shire greme.
ffor þe more he is mighty, þat the mysse tholis,

would be, indeed, a shame.

Book VI.

Now, dear father!

I am most concerned to avenge my grandsire's calamity,

and I desire the opportunity to do

BO.

But, faithful father

and noble king, I
ask one thing,-
now be not
angry,

(fol. 37 a.)

Ponder every step

from first to last

and consider what may happen.

That is not a counsel to follow or to call wise,

which notes only the beginning.

It is wisdom to wave such a wild counsel,

2220 The more the greuaunce is grete & to gref turnys. If we desyre no redresse of dedis before,

We may boldly vs byld with bostis out of Reason. Now, dere fader, in faithe of all my fre brether, 2224 Non is holdyn so highly the harme for to venge, Of my graunsers grefe so gretly as I:

2228

ffor I am Eldest and heire after hym belyue,
And the first of vs fyue, as falles by chaunce.
So first will I found his fos for to greue,
And couet it by course, as comys in

my hert, With my body to by, and my byg strokes.

On right hond shall hom reue pe rest of pe

saule,

2232 That my graunser with greme gird vnto dethe,
And sloghe all our Sitesyns, & our sad pepull

Brittoned to bale dethe, and þere blode shed.
But faithful fader, & our fre kyng!

2236 I aske of you O thing,-but angurs you noght,-
Lettis mene to your mynde at þis mene tyme,
And consider to oure cause with a clene wit;
Let oure gate be so gouernet, pat no grem folow,

2240 Ne no torfer betyde, ne no tene after.
Ouer lokes all lures to the last ende,

What wull falle of pe first furthe to pe middis;
Sue forthe to pe secund, serche it with in,
2244 And loke to pe last end, what lure may happyn.
Hit is no counsell to encline, ne to calle wise,

Ne not holsom, I hope, pat hedis to be first,
And for-sees not the fer end, what may falle
after.

2248 What proffet any prowes with a prowde entre, To begyn any goode, on a ground febill,

And fortune it faile, and haue a fowle ende? Hit is wit for to wayue soche a wilde counsell, 2252 And put of a purpos, pat enpaire might,

Or þat wayueris in wer what shall worthe of;

A WARNING.

Licker at pe last end in langore to bide,
And turne vnto torfer, pen any triet ioye.

A PROUERBE.

2256 A blisfull begynnyng may boldly be said,
bat ffolow to pe fer end and hath a faire yssue.
ffull witty to wale & worshipfull Kyng!

I Say not this, sothely, to ses of your wille,
2260 Ne put you fro purpos, ne plainly for fere;
But to wisshe you with wit, þat worship might
folow,

And eschew soche a chaunse pat cheuys to

noght.

Ye wetyn pis full wele, worshipfull fader!

2264 pat all Auffrike & Europe are vnder pere power,— Sittyn to hom subiecte, & mony syde londes, þat fild are all full of fuerse men of Armys;

Of Knightes full kene, & cant men of wille, 2268 And of comyns to count out of course mony,

ffull wise men of wer, and war of hor dedys.
There are not in Asia, to Ame all the pepull,
So fele fightyng folke be a fuerse nowmber,

2272 As the Grekes may gedur & get when hom likes.
Hit semes more sertain, sothely, to me,

Yff we wackon vp werre with weghes so fele,
That are bigger in batell, boldest in Armys,

Book VI.

75

as more likely to turn to sorrow than to joy.

'That only is a good beginning which hath a fair issue.'

You know full well O father! that all Africa and Europe, and many other lands, are under the power of the Greeks;

(fol. 37 b.)

therefore if we

waken up war

with them, we

may come to

2276 Hit may negh vs with noy, but neuer to our ioye. grief, but never to

Lakys to our lyving, and likyng we haue

Of

pes & of prowes our prouyns aboute; Of Riches full ryfe, of rest at our wille;

2280 ffull stithe of astate, & stondyng at ese.

joy.

Why couet we combraunse, or cachyng of harme, why covet we
In enpayryng of our persons & pyllyng our catching of harm?

goodes,

And to put vs fro pes payne for to thowle?

2284 Sothely your suster sittes vs not so harde,

cumbrance or

Book VI.

Indeed it seems unjust to put us all in peril for

one,

who was long ago taken captive.

I carp not thus tarough

cowardice or fear.

To chaunge for hir choisly the cheuyst of vs

here ;

Or all so myght Aunter to atter for euer.
To seke pis, in certayn, hit semys not euyn;
2288 And put vs all in perell for pyne for hir one,
þat long sythen was laght & out of lond broght,
And mey be drepit with dethe in yeres a few;
And all the 30meryng for yeten in yeres A lyte.

2292 Now hoope ye not, hynde fader, ne in hert thinke,
That I carpe thus for cowardys, & be course ferde,
Or for the sake of my selfe in sauyng alone;
But I doute it for destany, and drede at pe ende,

I dread the loss of 2296 ffor lure and for losse of the londe hole;

the whole land,

and of yourself.

While we may, let us put off a purpose that can lead only to harm."

Bothe of soile & of Septor, soueraynly of you;—
That we falle into forfet with our fre wille,
And chese vs a chaunse pat cheuys to noght.

2300 While we may stithly absteyne, & stond at our ese,
Hit is leifull to leue syche lykynges in hele;

And put of a purpos of a proude sute,

pat harmes at þe hynder ende & heuy to beire." 2304 When Ector hade answaret & endet his tale, He enclynet the Kyng & closit his mowthe.

(fol. 38 a.)

"Now, most

faithful father!

suffer me to

speak.

Who shall be

afraid, since we are prosperous, have abundance of everything?

2308

THE COUNSELL OF PARIS ALEXAUNDER.

Than parys aprochyt And put hym to say,
And come with his counsell declaret his wit.
"Now fader ful faithfull, and our fre Kyng!
Will you suffer your son to say at this tyme,
And tent to my tale, it turnys to the best?

I shall put you to purpos and plesauns at ende. 2312 Who might faithfully be ferde, or fortune to

dred?

Syne we are put in prosperite & pepull so fele,,

And Riches so Rife, and Reames beside;

With a Cite full sure, and set for the werre;

2316 With Armure, and all things abill to fight.

PARIS URGES IT.

We might say this for certen, & suppose it in
hert,

Syn we are put in prosperite, and pepull so fele,
That any care or confusion shuld come to our

rewme.

2320 Therfor, faithfull ffader, fclow your wille;
Send furthe a soume All of sure knightes;
Let hom gird into Grise with a grym fare,
ffight with your foos, fonge of thaire goodes,
2324 That vs harmyt so highly, & our hede sloghe;
Our pepull to pyne, pild all our londe.

2328

2332

2336

And yff it like your Aliegiaunce, pat I, your

lefe son,

Be sent from your seluon with sure men of

Armys,

An aioynet to pis Jorney with iuste men & sure;
I am siker, for sothe, it shall vs wele like,
Worship to wyn, and our wille haue.
ffor my goddis me grauntid, & of grace lent,
The Grekes for to grefe, & of grem bryng;
Confound of hor cuntres, kylle of hor pepull,
And the lustist lady in hor lond wyn;
Bryng hur to pis burghe, & no bale suffer,
That be chaunget by chaunse for your choise

Sister.

And yf ye wilne for to witte how hit worthe

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shulde,

I shall telle you the trewthe how me tyde euyn;
And all the case how yt come know yf ye lyste.

2340

2344

THE VISYON OF PARIS.

"Hit is not meuyt of mynde ne mony day past, Not long ago,

Syn I was leut in a londe, þat is lefe ynde,
Your biddyng to obey, as my blithe ffader.
In the season of somer, er the sun rose,
As it come into canser, and be course Entred,

while I was in a laud called Inde,

(fol. 38 b.)

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