Book XXII.

Achilles sends a

message to

Hecuba

requesting

Polyxena to wife;

(fol. 142 b.)

and promises
if his request be
granted, that he

will cause the

siege to be raised.

The Queen

answers the messenger discreetly:

"Tell your lord, that I will do what I can to

further his suit:

but, I must

consult with the king and my

sons.

HOW ACHILLES SENTTO ECUBA FOR HIR DOGHTER

9220

9224

9228

9232

POLEXENA.

Anon as the night passid, & neghid the day,
Yet lastoon the lell tru the lordes betwene,
He ordant to Ecuba, the honerable qwene,
A message for the maiden by a mene frynd,
Priuely to passe to the prise lady,

hat worthy to wilne to his wif euyn,
And mell with a mariage & matremony hole,
As a lady to liue to hir lyues end:

On suche couenaund to kepe, yf þat dere wold,
He shuld procour the prinse, & the prise grekes,
Το fro þat prouyns, payre hom nomore;
pas
And nought tary on the towne, ne no tene wirke,
Withoute condiscoun, or cause, for to come after.
The mon, pat this message meuit for to do,
Was a seruond full sure of the same kynges.
When he hade told hym pis tale, toght hym
to go,

He made hym redy full rad, ron to the toun,
Esely to Ecuba etlit he anon,

And all his charge, to pat chefe, choisly he said. 9236 The worthy, to pat wegh, þat was of wit noble,

Depe of discrecioun, in dole pof sho were,

Sho herknet hym full hyndly, & with hert gode,
And onswaret hym esely, euyn on this wise :—

9240 "ffrend, pou shall fairly fare to pi lord,

9244

And say hym vpon sewertie thy-seluyn with
mouthe,

In þat at menys to me, with my might hole
I shall filsyn þis forward, in faith, þat I can;
But, I will say the, my son, or pou sew ferre,
I most wete all the wille of my wale kyng,
And my sonnes, for sothe, or I say more,
Yf þai graunt will pis grace, with a gcode wille.

9248

ffull onsware, in faith I forme þe not here,

Book XXII.

But come the thrid day, full proly, withoutyn Three days hence

þrepe more,

Sew to my selfe, & I the say wille

Vne faithly before, as hit fare shall."

9252 When the messanger hade melit with pe myld

qwene,

Than he lut to pe lady, & his leue toke,
Meuit to his maistur, & the mater told.

ben comford he caght in his cole hert,

9256 Thus hengit in hope, & his hele mendit :
More redy to rest, ricchet his chere.

This honerable Ecuba, eft, when hir liked,
Preset vnto Priam, and Paris hir son;

9260 Caght hom in counsell, & hir cause told,—
All the maner of the message from þe main kyng.
When Priam persayuit the proffer of pe greke,
Long he stode in a stody, or he stir wold,

9264 Doun hengond his hed, herkonyng the qwene :
Mony thoghtes full pro prang hym within!
Thus onswart þat honerable euyn to his wif :—

he shall have

my answer.'

(fol. 143 a.)

Hecuba recounts the matter to Priam and Paris.

Priam is sore perplexed: but at length

answers:

"A! how hard were my hert, to hold hym as "It is a hard thing

frend,

9268 That so highly me hyndret, & my hate seruet!

All the leght has he lost fro my leue ene,
Thurgh slaght of my son, þat my sore ekys!

ffor whose dethe, vppon dayes, all the derfe

grekes

9272 Hertyn hom full hogely, my harmes to encres.

But to fle all the offence, & fortune to come,

In

sauyng of my selffe & my sons als;

þat I may lyff in my lond in my last dayes,

9276 Out of batell & baret in my bare eld, I assent to þi sagh, vpon soche wise,

bat he pis forward fulfille, & before do,

to hold him as my friend, who

has taken away the light of

mine eyes.

But to eschew further evils,

I assent to the

proposal, provided that he

" honestly fulfil

And with no gawdes me begile, ne to greue ferre." his part."

Book XXII. 9280 The prise wordes of Priam Paris alowet,

Paris assents on condition that Helen should not

be returned to her sovereign.

On the third day

the messenger returns.

(fol. 143 b.)

Hecuba states that Achilles

shall have

Polyxena when

he performs what he has promised.

Achilles rejoices that his suit has been accepted;

and plans how

he may accomplish what he has promised.

And demet to be don, as the duke said,

So pat his wiffe, o nowise,-worshipfull Elan,—
Shuld be sent to hir souerain, ne seche vnto

grece,

9284 But leng in þat lond to hir lyues end.

The prid day, full proly, priuond Achilles Sent his message, full mekely, to be myld qwene. He past to hir priuely, and the pert fond, 9288 And asket of pat onerable onsware to haue. Thus said hym þat souerain with a softe speche :

9296

"I haue wetyn the wille of my wale kyng,
And of Paris, my pure son, prestly also:

9292 Bothe assenton to pis sound, sothely, to me,
On suche couenaunt to kepe, pat the kyng shall
All po forwardes fulfill, first, of hym-seluyn.
All ys holly in hym, hold yf hym lyst,
ffor to sew hit hym-seluyn, say hyt fro me:
So hit keppit be in cource, carpit no ferre,
Tyll yssu be ordant, after his deuyse."
ben be leue of pe lady, the lede on his way
9300 Past at the port, & the pale entrid:

To his maistur of his mater menit anon,

All the truthe of the tale, tomly to end.
Achilles was choise fayne, cherit hym the bettur,

9304 And now hatnis his hert all in hote loue:
Myche myndit the mater, in the mene tyme,
And to bryng hit aboute besit hym sore.
Hit heuet his hert of his hegh proffer,

9308 pat passit his pouer, to Priam the kyng;
ffor hit longis to a louer soche a light vice,

In the hete of his hert, for his hegh lust,

To proffer soche prise thing, pat passis his

might,

9312 And festyn in forward, þat hym for-thinkes after.

Yet hopit he full hertely, for his hegh prowes,
And doghtenes of dede with his dregh strokes,

Book XXII.

He hopes to

prevail upon the

If he gright with the grekes to graunt hom his Greeks to leave

helpe,

9316 pat pai the lond shuld leue & lightly go home. ben Achilles did cherisshe the cheftan of all. Palomydon, the prise, by purpos of hym,

All the grete of the grekes gedrit hym somyn, 9320 To a counsell to come for the comyn proffet.

When prinses & prise kynges were in pale

somyn,

the land.

At his request,
Palamedes calls a

general council.

Among tho mighty with mouthe menit Achilles addresses

Achilles :

"Now, fryndes faithfull, in feliship here!

9324 Kynges, & knightes, & other kyde Dukes,

the council:

(fol. 144 a.) "Now, faithful friends! what folly and

That the charge, & the chaunse hase of pis rashness have

choise wer,

Thurgh oure might & oure monhod maintene to

gedur!

What whylenes, or wanspede, wryxles our

mynd?

9328 þat for meuyng of a man,-Menelay the kyng,—
And the wille of a woman, as ye weton all,
Oure londes haue leuyt, & oure lefe godys,
Our childur, oure choise folke, & chefen fro

hom

9332 Vnto a cuntre vnkynd, with care at oure herttes:

Oure godys, oure gold vngaynly dispendit,
And oure persons be put vnto pale dethe.
Oure kynges are kyld, & oure kyd Dukes :

9336 Oure buernes with baret britnet in feld,

bat might haue leuet in hor lond, as lordes at

hame.

And my selfe, sothely, suffert full hard,

Wickedly woundit, wasted my blode.

possessed us:

that for a woman, we have left our land and all we hold dear;

and have exposed ourselves to

death.

304

Book XXII.

Helen is not of so great price, that our kings should

die for her.

In every land

there are many
noble ladies, from
whom Menelaus
may choose a
wife.

And it is no light

matter to

overcome this people.

What we have done may suffice: we may return with honour. And

though we leave Helen, have we not Hesiona, the king's sister?"

Thoas, Menelaus,

and the chief

captains oppose such measures.

ACHILLES PROPOSES TO RAISE THE SIEGE.

9340 At the dethe of the derfe prince, soche a dynt

9344

9348

9352

9356

9360

9364

hade,

I wend neuer, witturly, walked on fote.

Hit greuys me full gretly, & to ground brynges,
Whethur Elan be so honerable, or of so hegh

prise,

ffor hir, oure Dukes to dethe, & oure derfe
kynges.

In yche lond, lelly, pat lithe vnder heuen,
Are wemen to wale, of worship full mony,
pat Menelay may mightily mell hym to haue,
And chose hym a choise, withouten charge heuy;
And not so mony be mard, ne on mold ded,
Ne all grece for to greve, with no ground harme.
Hit is not light for vs lite, pis lond to dystroy,
bat haue a Cité full sure, & Surffetus mony,
Bothe of kynges, & knightes, & kid men of

armes:

And we, the worthiest in wer, haue wastid in dethe,

Kyld of oure kynges, and other kyd Dukes.

This suffises, me semys, to ses with oure worship;
Kayre to oure cuntre, & couet no more!
pof Elan leue in pis lond, & not laght worthe,
Hit greues not full gretly, ne no ground harme,
Syn we Exiona, the suster of the sure kynges,
At hom holdyn for hir, þat is a hede lady,

And more honerable pan Elan, of auncetre
grete."

When the wegh hade thies wordis warpit to

end,

Here he seset full sone, said he no more.
pan Toax, the tore kyng, talkys agayne,
With Menelay & mo, mighty of astate,
Gright with the gret & agayne stode :