9064 Mony birlt on the brest, & the backe pirlet. Was no freke vpon fel[d]e folowet hom after, And entrid in Easely efter þere wille : 9068 And all worshiptin the werke of pe worthy kyng Priam, 9072 9076 As for best of the batell, boldest of hond. The secund day suyng, when the sun rose, aske Book XXII. The Greeks are driven to their tents, and the Trojans return to the city. The Trojans demand a truce. The Trojans mourn for the The corse of the kyng, [that] come out of Pers, (MS. has 'to') ffor to bery in the burghe on hor best wise. ffor whom mournyng was made mekill ynogh, 9080 And prinsipall of Paris, that the prinse louit, pat of faith & afinytie were festnet to-gedur; þat ordant on all wise after his dethe, The souerain to send into his soile hom; On a bere to his burgh broght hym belyue, To be entiret trietly in a toumbe riche, As bi-come for a kyng in his kythe riche, 9084 In presens of his prise sonnes, as the prose tellus, 9088 That shuld be ayres after him auenond of lyue. THE SOLEMPNITE OF THE OBIT OF ECTOR, AND HOW Duryng the dayes of this du pes, King of Persia, (fol. 140 b.) Book XXII. Priam appoints a time of solemn sacrifices in honour of Hector: and a funeral feast. The prise kyng Priam prestly gert ordan 9096 pen ordant was on,-oddist of all, During this truce, 9100 That in tymes of the tru the Troiens might the Greeks and Trojans visit each other. Achilles goes to the temple of wend, In-to the tentis by tymes, and tary while þem list; And the grekes, agayne, go to the toune, To sporte hom with speciall, & a space lenge. 9104 Achilles hade appetite, & angardly dissiret, The Citie for to se, and the solemne fare At the entierment full triet of þe tru prinse. þan vnarmyt he entrid, euyn to pe citie; Apollo, where the 9108 To Appollo pure temple passit anon, body of Hector was set. The temple is filled with mourners: Hector is beheld as when he was alive. (fol. 141 a.) At his feet, There the body of the bold blithly was set, Of honerable Ector, as I ere said. There were plenty of pepull, prise men & noble, 9112 And worthy wemen to wale weping with teris, In sykyng & sorow syttyng aboute. The taburnacle titly vntild was aboue, On yche syde, as I say, who pat se wold, 9116 here the body was aboue of the bold prinse, In his sete, as I said, sittyng full hoole, bat arayet was full richely, as I red haue, With bame & with balsaum, pat brethid full swete. 9120 At the fete of þat fre was his faire moder, And Polexena the pert, pat was his prise suster, With mony worshipfull wemen to wale in þe towne, 9124 The here of þere heddes hynging on brede, 9128 Polexena the pert pairet of hir hew, All facid hir face with hir fell teris, hat was red as the Roses, richest of coloure, Hit was of hew to behold with hend men aboute. 9132 The teris þat trickilt on her tryet chekes, As pure watur pouret vn polishet yerne, þat blaknet with bleryng all hir ble qwite. The faire heris of þat fre flammet of gold, 9136 All abouen on hir brest & hir bright swire, þat sho halit with hond, hade it in sonder, And puld hit with pyn, pité to be-hold. When the hond of þat hend to be hede yode, 9140 Hit semyt by sight of sitters aboute, As the moron mylde meltid aboue, When ho hasted with hond pe hore for to touche. Book XXII. the noblest ladies of Troy, sit with dishevelled hair, mourning.. The beauty of Polyxena, as seen through her tears. When Achilles the choise maidon with chere Achilles gazes on can behold, 9144 He hade ferly of hir fairhede, & fell into thoght. To hym-seluyn he said in his saule þen, 9148 Ne so pleasaund of port, ne of pure nurtur. A fell arow in his frunt festnet of loue, Woundit hym wickedly by will of hym-seluyn ; 9152 And lurkid doun lagher to his low brest, All hatnet his hert, as a hote fyre, Made hym langwys in Loue & Longynges grete. Polyxena with wonder and admiration. He is love-struck: (fol. 141 b.) Ay the more on þat maidon the mighty beheld, and the longer he 9156 9160 9164 9168 The sarre woundit he was, & his wille hatter. A whe may be woundit þurgh wille of hym Thus, Achilles by chaunse is chaltrid in grym, When pe day ouerdrogh to pe due tyme, hat was cause of his combranse & his cold dethe: He was stithly astondid, stird into poght. 9172 So he passid the port, & his pale entrid, Turnyt into tent, takon full hard. The buerne into bed busket anon, Seke & vnsound, set out of hele: 9176 Mony thoghtes full pro prang hym within, He feld in his fare, & his fell hert, hat the cause of his combraunse was the clere maidon. 9180 Thies wordes, in his wo, witturly he said, haue kyld, 9184 Might non abate of my blysse, ne my ble chaunge. Noght Ector of all other, oddist of knightes, Hade no sleght me to sle, ne to slyng vnder, Ne ouercome me by course with his clene strenght. 9188 A ffrele woman me fades, & my fas chaunges, And has gird me to ground, & my gost feblit! Syn ho is cause of my care, & my cold angur, Att what leche vppon lyue might I laite hele ? There is no medcyn on mold, saue the maiden one, 9192 bat my sors might salue, ne me sound make. The whiche pof I loue, & langwisshe to dethe, With prayer, with prise, ne with pure strenght, 9196 Ne for worthines of wer, ne of wale dedis. What wildnes, or worship, waknet my hert 9200 Hir fadur & hir fryndis, fond to distroy, And hir brother haue britnet, pe best vpon erthe ? 9204 Of Rent, & of Riches, rankir þan I, And passes of pertnes pure wemen all? Book XXII. but a frail woman has. (fol. 142 a.) What hard fate Or, why should I desire her, so far above me? Hit semith me vnsertain, all serchyng of wayes; But I see no hele !" remedy!" bed and weeps. 9208 þen he turnys in his tene, & terys on his chekes He turns on his Ronen full rifely, for his ranke sorow. hen he driet vp the dropes, & dreghly can syle. On all wise in this world he his wit cast, 9212 ffor to wyn to his will, if werdis noght let. Asket water at his weghes, wesshed hym anone, 9216 And dride vp his dropes for dymyng his ene. |