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PARIS AND HELEN.

3344 And let you be led vnto this lond hydur,

þat suche a chaunge shuld you chefe to a choise

febill;

And don fro delites depely to angur,

Noght abundonet in blis ne blithe in your hert?

3348 Trowe ye not Troy is tore of all godis,

Book VII.

for Troy has double of the

As plaintiouse in yche place as pe prouynse of delights and

Achaia,

At is doublit of delitis & druris at all?

Ne trawes not, tru lady, þat I take wolde

3352 Thy ladyship to losse, ne in lust holde.

Thou shalt haue riches more Rife, & Ranker of
godis,

han any lady in þi land, leue me for sothe;

And more likandly lyf & pi lust haue,

3356 Bothe in weile & in worship, as a wee noble.
And me, pat am mete & of more power
ben hym þat þou hade and held for pi lorde,
Wyuly to weld; & I the wed shall,

3360 To lede with pi lyf as a leale spouse.

This I purpos me plainly in pleasauns of goddes, Vnder Sacramen solempne, your souerain to be; And so lede pe with likyng to my lyues end. 3364 Suppos not þi seluyn, ne for sothe holde,

hof pou left haue a litle lond lightly at home,

gallantries of Achaia.

109

("druery," love,

gallantry.)

And I, more powerful than him you had, shall wed thee.

þat þou ne hertely shall haue here a well larger, All this larger And pi chaunge to chefe choisly the bettur;

3368 Syn Asia is auenond of yles ynow,

þat are attendant to Troy with tresour ynogh,
bat obey þe shall bainly, & bow to pi wille.
Ne for pe mysse of þi maister make pou no sorow,
3372 That neuer yet of nobley An euenyng to me,

Ne of dedis so doughti þe dayes in his lyue,
Ne so luffly to a lady with lokyng at egh.
And I in longing am Laght & Lappit full sore

3376 With hete of pi hegh loue, pat my hert warmys;

and better
kingdom

shall bow to thy will.

Sorrow not for a master who is not to be compared with me in

nobility and doughty deeds.

(fol. 53 b.)

Book VII.

Dry your tears, and be comforted by ine."

"Who could restrain their tears, &c.

But since it must be, I shall do so"

And of hym, pat pou hopis most hertely be louys,
Wete pou full wele most worshipfull to haue.
Ses now of scrowe, sobur þi chere,

3380 Wond of þi weping, whipe vp pi teris;
Mene pe to myrthe, & mournyng for-sake,
Cast þe to comford, keuer þi wille :

This I pray pe full prestly with all my pure
hert,

3384 pat pou hede me with heryng, & my hest kepe."

ELAN.

Than answared pat honerable onestly agayne:— "Who might stithly absteyne, or stable of teris, bat prestly were pricket with paynes so fele, 3388 And with sorow ouerset sothely as I?

But syn hit now bes non other nomly of me,
I shall appres me with pyne your prayer to here;
Syn me botis not barly your biddyng with
stonde,

3392 Ne of power to put of, ne of playn strenght."
ben ho sesit of sykyng, sobirt hir chere,

At the prayer of Parys and his prise wordys. When pat semely was sesit & sorow for-yetyn, Paris leaves her. 3396 The lorde toke leue with full lowe speche, And went fro þat worthy his weghis vntill.

At supper he serves her.

Next day, splendidly

arrayed,

When yt seyit to Sopertyme he seruyt hir well
With all daintes on dese & drynkes ynow,

3400 And cherisshed hir full choisly with chere of
hym seluyn.

When the derke was done, & the day comyn, Parys full pristly with preciouse araye, Worshippit þat worthy in wedys full riche, 3404 As qwemet for a qwene & qwaintly atyret, þat Priam hade purueit & to pe place sent. He broght furth pat bright with buernys full

nobill,

THE PROGRESS TO TROY.

To a palfray of prise full prudly arayet; 3408 Set hir in a sadill serklyt with golde,

ffret ouer with fyne perle fresshist of hew, With a bridell full bright, bothe of a sewte. Other tulkes, þat were takyn, atiret were alse 3412 Hastely on horses, as hor astate askit,

A company clene of knightes hom with;
And Paris full priste on a proude stede,
Deffebus dight on a dere horse,

3416 Antenor, Eneas, all other grete,

Polidamas pe pert, & payones ynow,

All arayet in a Rowte ryden to be qwene; Worshippit þat worthy & wenton all samyn. 3420 Turnet fro tenydon, taryt no lengur,

Soberly a soft pas samyn þai rode,
Euyn takand to Troy tomly o pere way.

And er þai comyn to courte pis cumpany faire, 3424 Priam full prudly with mony pert knightes,

To welcom to pat worthy went on pere gate,
And fonget full feire all hir fre buernes.
To be lady, pat lege kyng, with a light wille,
3428 Past full pertly all with prise wordys;

Obeit þat bright all with blithe chere ;

With worship & wyn welcomyt þe grete;
And somyn to pe Cité softly pai rode.

111

Book VII.

mounted on a

palfrey,

(fol. 54 a.)

and surrounded with a gorgeous company, Paris conducts her to the court of Priam.

(Paeonians.)

Priam and his knights come forth to welcome her.

3432 At the burghe were abyding withoute the brode At the gates of

zate

Gret plenty of pepull, all the place full,—

So

mony on molde was meruell to se;

With synging, & solas, and sitals amonge;

3436 With myrthes of mynstralsy, musike with all ; Daunsyng of Damsele, Dynnyng of trumpys, With A ledy full lusti & lykyng to here.

HERE HE DO TIDE!

Priam, the prise kyng, prestly down light,

the city the people welcome her with music, minstrelsy, and dances.

Priau alights,

Book VII.

and leads her

palfrey into the'

city, and on to his palace.

(fol. 54 b.)

He conducts her to her apartments.

3440 And was first vpon fote of all of his fresshe

knightes.

He raght to the reynes of þe riche qwene,
And led furth pat louely long vpon fote,

Softe into pe Cité hym seluyn with honde
3444 On a worshipfull wyse, with mony wegh noble,
Vnto the palaies of price, pere pepull full fele;
And led hir vnlight into a large halle,

Vp into ylion with honour ynogh;

3448 And toke hir full tite into a triet chamber,
pere seruaundes full subiecte assingnet hir to:
And noblay ynogh, was nothyng to laite.
In the Cité forsothe was solempnite made,

Rejoicings in the 3452 With myrthes, & melody, & mony gret feste, ffor ioy of pis iornay and pis gentill lady;

city.

On the second day after, Paris and

Helen are married in the temple of Apollo.

The citizens are feasted for eight days.

And þat Parys in point repairit was home
With his felowes in fere, fayne was þe pepull,

3456 And lyuys in hor lykyng þe long night ouer,
The secund day suyng, sais me the lyne,

All the grete were gedret, as hom grase felle:
Paris with pride and his prise lady,

3460 At Appolynes owne tempull after were weddit.
pere made was pat mariage with myrthes ynow,
With solempnite & sacrafice pe Cite thurghe

out;

And double fest þat day derely was holdyn, 3464 With all pe reuell & riolté þat Renkes couthe

deuise,

hat enduret by-dene with daintes at wille,

Aght dayes ouer all after the dede.

When Cassandra hade knowyng how pe case

stode,

3468 pat the mariage was made po mighty betwene,

She brast out in a birre, bale to be-holde.

With a mighty noise, noye for to here,
Playnond with pytie, no pleasurance at all,

THE WAIL OF CASSANDRA.

3472 With sykyng & sorow said on this wise :

"A! fonnet folke, why fare thus
ye

now,

With solas full sore, and sanges of myrthe,

At the weddyng of the weghes, pat shall to wo

turne.

3476 With hardlayke & harme, pat happyn shall

after,

Ye dowtles mun degh for dedes of po two; And your fryndes full fey fallyn to ground, Your sonys be slayne in sight of your ene; 3480 Your husbandes hewen with hondys in pesis,

Book VII.

Cassandra's

113

lamentation, and forebodings.

(fol. 55 a.)

Wyues made wedowys, & wayling for euer.
A! Troy, pat is tore with toures full hegh,
Myche baret shall pou bide, & betyn to ground, Troy and its
3484 And be stithly destroyet, & pi strenght lost!

A! Modris so mylde, what myschefe is to you !
Moche care is to come to your cold hertys;
Moche baret on your birthe you bese for to se ;—
3488 Dyssmembrit as marters, & murtheret to dethe,
And the bowels out braide of hire bare sydes.
A! Ecuba, pat euermore easely hase leuyt,
What gretyng & gremy growes vnto þe?
3492 To se pi sones be slayne in sight of þin ene,
And the blode of po blithe blent with the erthe!
A balefull buernes, & full blynd pepull,

The hard dethe is you dight, þat ye doute litle ! 3496 Why wrought ye so wantonly in your wilde yre? fforto rauysshe vnrightwisely pis riche out of

Grece,

ffro a man þat neuer mys did to pis mene lond. Why haste ye not heturly to haue hir agayne, 3500 And restore hir stithly to hir strenght hom, To hir lorde pat is lell & no lede harmys? Venions and vile dethe to voide fro pis Rewme, Er ye with swerdis in swym be swongon to

ground.

matrons,

Hecuba and her children,

the people,

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