Book VII.

Paris and Helen.

Priam casts Cassandra into prison.

(fol. 55 b.)

But, had they heeded her warnings Troy would have remained.

3504 Hope ye Parys, playn þefte vnponysshet wilbe,
Withouten sorow & sourgrem sewyng þerafter;
And you angur for euer en[d]les to worche ?
A! Elan, vnhappy, hardist of chaunse!
3508 Soche sorow & sikyng þi seluyn vs bringes;

Myschaunse & euyll chefe pi childur shalbe!
A! Sory Sytizins, sendis you fro

The smoke & smorther, pat smytes to dethe, 3512 Qwyle ye lawfully lefe may & your lyf haue;

poche dole ho dregh with mony depe terys!"
With pyté & complaint, þat pyne was to here,
hat Priam out of pes put ay anone,

And neuer sesit of saghis & sorowful wordys.
The kyng pen comaund to cacche hir belyue,
And fetur hir fast in a fre prisoune,—

A stithe house of stone,-to still hir of noise.
Hit said was for sothe, ho sate pere full longe,
And suffert moche sorow for hir sothe tales.
bus kept the kyng vnkyndly his doughter;—
ffor hir tales of truthe teghit her in yernes.
5324 But, hade pai herkont pat hynde, & in hert

keppit,

Troy hade bene truly out of tene yet;

And pere fortune full felle faire ouer-paste,

pat all the world hade warnyng of pere wo

3516

3520

3528

sythen;

And euer mynde wulbe made of paire myshap,
Enduryng till domysday for doole pat pere was.
Now, what felle of hor foly faire will I tell;
And ye hastely shall here, and ye houe stille.

Eght Boke. Of the Counsell of the Grekys fior Recoueryng of Elayne.

3532 Sone after pis saute, sothely to telle,

bat the Troiens in the Temple tokyn þe qwene,
And the riches hade Robbed with relikes ynow,

Er þai tenydon hade takon & turnyt into hauyn, 3536 The speche of hom sprange & spred into Grise, And gret noise of pere noie naitly ouer all. Vnto Menelay, the mene tyme, mowthly was foray of the told

Menelaus is advised of the

Trojaus.

Of the rape vnrightwis of his Riche qwene, 3540 And he stythely astonyt stroke into sorowe. 3it present at pilé with the proude Duke, The pité of his pepull pricket hym so sore; The murther of his men & his mylde qwene,

3544 The robbyng of his Riches & his riall temple,

Of his subiectes sesit, in seruage to dwelle
ffor tene & for torfer, of his triet lady,

bat he luffit so lelly no lesse pen hym seluyn; 3548 Thes harmes so heterly hepit in his mynde

With sorow so sodainly, pat his sight failet; ffainted for febull, and felle to pe ground. In a swyme & a swogh, as he swelt wold. 3552 When he past of his payne & his pale hete, And resort to hym selfe & his sight gate,

He plainted full pitiously, was pyn for to here,

(Pylus.)

(fol. 56 a.) He falls to the ground in a

swoon.

Book VIII.

His grief for
Helen, &c.

Nestor comes to comfort him.

With a great company of knights, &c.

he conducts him home and sends for Agamemnon,

Castor, and
Pollux.

Of the harmes & the hethyng hym happont to thole.

3556 And for his worshipfull wife, that hym worst

liket,

bat faren was ouer the fome, & hir fame loste; And other freikes shuld fonge in a fer londe With pat semly to solas, hit sate in his hert. 3560 And of delites full dere, pat dight were at

home,

Lest hir lackit suche lustis in a londe straunge, poche mones he made & mournyng ynoghe, With wailyng & weping, wo for to here; 3564 þat it neght to non end pe noie pat he tholet. Vnto Nestor anon þis naytly was tolde,

Of pe mornyng & myscheffe to Menelay was

comyn;

Vnto pat worthy he went wisly anon,

3568 With sorow for þat syre & sylyng of teris.
He comford þat kyng with his clene speche,
To sober hym somwhat & sese of his chere,
ben hyet he with haste home to his rewme.
3572 And Nestor anon, with a nowmber grete

Of knightes & cant men, cairyt him with
Lyuely to his londe, & leuyt hym noght;
And by assent of hym sone sent for his brother,
3576 Agamynon þe graithe, in a gret haste,

By a message on molde pat he mekyll triste;
In his cause for to cum with counsell of wit,
As he þat was helply and highest of other.
3580 To Pollux the proude & his pere Castor,
þat all highit in haste, houyt no lengur ;
But comyn to pe kyng, þat the care tholit,
To helpe hym in haste & here of his noye.

THE COUNSELL OF AGAMYNON TO MENELAY.

3584 When agamynon the grete the greuaunce behelde,

THE COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

And the bale of his brother, pus the buerne
saide:-

"Why dreghis pou pis dole, & deris þi seluyn? "Why endure this Lefe of pis Langore, as my lefe brother, 3588 pat puttes pe to payne and peires þi sight.

misery?
(fol. 56 b.)

If þu has cause for to care for vnkynde werkes,
And with sykyng ouerset, & sorow at þi hert,
Hit were wit, as I wene, to were it ffro noise,
3592 And fro knowyng of comyns & of course

3596 And engendres paire ioy all his iuste sorow.

ffayne euer feire chere in þi felle anger.

Whan sorow is most sad, set all at litle;
Lete of it lightly, pat no lede wete,

3600 pi sorow & pi sikyng set all at noght.

thoghtes.

ffor in sorow may be sene who is sad wise ; ffull propurly to preue in his pale angre, When hym comys by course contrary thinges ;— 3608 He pat opressit not with payne his prinsepall

117

Book VIII.

opun;

ffor a sorow þat is sene on a sib frynde,

Our sorrow
makes friends

Mas pe mournyng more of men þat hym luffes: sad, and foes
Mikull comfordes his care all his kene fos,

glad.

wittes,

Ne ouersettes not his saule with sorow full hoge.
perfore wackon pi wille into wight dedis,

And pere as sikyng & sorow slees the within, 3612 bat pe harme pat pou has, and hethyng with all,

Cease this
languor:

Pas noght vnponisshed for pité ne other,

But pe dedes pat vs deirus be full dere boght.
perfore sobbyng & sorow ses at pis tyme,

And in maters pat meuys pe with might for to

stir,

There is no worship in weping, ne in wan teres;
But desyre pi redresse all with derfe strokis:

3604 With pi swerde is to swinke & not with swym By your sword,

and not by tears, this work must

be done.

at least conceal your grief.

Therefore rouse

yourself.

Book VIII.

Our kingdoms are strong; and we have many allies.

All Greece will rise to our aid.

(fol. 57 a.) With a fleet we shall pass to Troy ;

Kill the people, and raze the city to the ground.

And Paris shall

be hanged as a felon.

To this end let us
seek the aid of
all the kings in
Greece."

3616 And wreke pe on weghis þat þe wrathed hase. Yow know pat our kyngdomes are of clene strenght,

And we haue felowes full fele pat vs faith owe, To wreike vs of wrathe & our wronge ricche. 3620 All Grece, for pis grefe, with pere grete ostis, Wilbe redy to ryse with a ranke pepull ;Euery kyng for to cum with knightes enarmyt, ffull stoutly with strenght to stir on our fos. 3624 With a nauy full nobill, naite for þe werre,

We shall tyre vs to Troy tomly to gedur;

And if hit tyde vs our tentis tild on pere londe, Hit shalbe hevi & harde, & happi vnlike, 3628 þat any frigies vs fere, or to flete dryue;

But it happon hom harder in a hond while, And the dernyst be dede with dynte of our hondes.

paire pepull & hor power to pyne as vs liste, 3632 Troy and þe tresoure take at our wille,

Bete downe the bildynges to pe bare erthe.
And paris, þat is prinsipall of our pure hate,
Iff hit happe vs to hent, hongit shalbe
3636 As a felon falsest foundyn with thefte.

Hit is sothely to sese of sorow in mynde,

And to all the kynges by course, pat knowen are in Grece,

Dukes by dene, & other derfe Erles,

3640 Let vs send to hom salus solemli by letre,

Praiand hom prestly with all our pure hertis,
To helpe vs in hast our harmys to venge,

And dyshonour and daunger done to our
rewmes."

3644 When Agamynon the graithe hade geuen þus

to red,

Menela mightily made for to write