3988

An delited hir deply in dedis of charité.
Andromaca, auenonde abill of person,
Worthy Ector wyfe, was a we faire.
3984 Long body hade the burdde, bright of hir colour. with bright clear

stately,

eyes, ruddy
cheeks and lips,
and golden hair.

3992

And all hir dedis full duly done by a mesure.
Cassandra the clere was a Clene Maydon,
Semely of a Sise, as the silke white,
Womonly wroght, waike of hir colour,
Godely of gouernaunce, and gleyit a litle.
Of wemen werkes wilnet ho none,
Most was hir mynde hir maidonhede to kepe.
Mony cas for to cum ho be course wiste,
By artys of astronomy, & ame of hir wit,-
By staryng on the sternys thurgh hir stithe lore.
Polexena the pert was prise of all other,
Of feturs & fourme the fairest on lyue;
ffull tendur of hir tyme, triet of hewe.
Of hir fairnes fele may no freike telle,
Ne no wegh has wit ne wordys perfore,
ffor to labur so longe of hir lefe shap;
But truly I telle as pe text sais,

4008 Ho was of bewte aboue all borne in hir tyme,

3996

CASSANDRA AND POLYXENA.

4000

4004

Ho was mesurably made, as pe mylke white.
Hir ene flamyng fresshe, as any fyne stones.
Rud as pe Roose roikede in hir chekes.
Hir lippes were louely littid with rede.
Gilde hores hade pat gay, godely to se.
Most onest of other euer in hir tyme,

To wale purgh the world of wemen bydene,
Alse noble for pe nonest as natur cold deuyse,
To paint in yche place thurgh his pure study,
4012 (pat errit not in anythyng of abilté þer,

Saue he demyt hir dedly, when hir day come.)
And ay cheriste hir chastité with a choise wille,
To pat abundaunse of bewte ho was best norisshed.

129

4016 Witté to wale, wantid no thewes ;

Book VIII.

Andromache,
wife of Hector,
was tall and

(fol. 62 b.) Cassandra, daughter of Priam, was of seemly size and mould, but pale, and squinted a little.

She was well
skilled in
astronomy.

Polyxena was by
far the fairest of
Priam's
daughters.

Her beauty baffles
all description.

Book VIII.

Thus Dares represents those noted ones of

Greece and Troy:

(fol. 63 a.)

and now to our story of what befell them.

Voidet all vanities, & virtus dissyret.
pus Dares in his dyting deuyses þe shap

Of pese freikes in fere, pat I before tolde;
4020 Of kynges & knightes & oper clene ladies;

Of Dukes by-dene, þat were dere holden;
Of the gretist of Grece, & of gret Troy,

hat he hade comyng with in company, & knew
well pe persons,

4024 As the worthiest to wale & wildest in Armys. Of these nomly to neuyn, & nobill men other, How þai bere hom in batell, I buske me to say; And telle how hom tyde, whill I tyme haue.-4028 Stir fuorth to our story, & stynt here a while.

Neynt Boke. Of the Nowmber of Shippes and the Nauy of the Grekes.

Comyn

was by course pat the cold wyntur
Was wastid & went with his wete shoures.
ffrostes were faren, and the fell cold;
The slippond slete slidon of the ground;
fflodys were fallyn into furse vales,
And into caues be course cleufit the erthe.
Wyndis wastid away, warmyt the ayre;
The rede beames aboue blusshet with hete;
Ver entrid full euyn, eger with all.

The sun in his serkyll set in pe last, Passyng fro pisshes vnder playn course; 4040 ffeueryere faryn with his fuerse windes

4032

4036

At the metyng of Marche with his mayn droghte.
The grete Nauy of Grekes with a grym oste,
Entrid into Attens, euyn at hor wille;

4044 And holly in hauyn þere houyt þai to-gedur,
ffor to rest in pe Rode & hor rede take.
Now wete yche wegh, þat writyng beholdis,
Or þat stares vpon stories, & stirs in bokys,

4048 pat syn the firmament was fourmed, & folke

vpon erthe,

Syche a Nauy was neuer of nowmber to-gedur;
Ne soche a company clene of knightes & other;
Ne so fele feghtyng men in a fflete somyn.
4052 of the worthy pere were, thus pe write sais :-

Winter was now

past,

and Spring had opened,

and the great navy of the Greeks entered the harbour of Athens.

Never had such a

fleet been

collected.

(fol. 63 b.)

Book IX.

Agamemnon had 100 ships;

Menelaus from Sparta had 60 ships.

(Sparta)

(Boeotia)

Arcesilaus from

Boeotia and king Protheus had 50 ships.

(Sicyonia)

Ascalaphus and his brother Jalmenus with 30 ships.

Epistrophus,

king of Phocis, pui his brother Tedius, with

50 ships.

Telamon, king of
Salamis, with
50 ships.

Teucer,
Amphimacus,
Diores, and
Theseus.

Nestor from Pyles, with 50 ships.

(fol. 64 a) Thoas from Ætolia,

Agamynon the gret, was gide of hom all,
Leder of po lordis, fro his lond broght
A hundrith shippes full shene with sharp men
of armys,

4056 Pight full of pepull & mony prise knight.

Menelay the mighty, þat was his mete brother,
Come fro his kingdom with clene shippes Sixti,
With nobill men for pe nonest a nowmber full
hoge,

4060 And sped hym fro spart his awne spilte Rewme.
Out of boyse was pere brought with bold men

two,

Archisalus was an, auntrus in werre,

And Protheno, a prise kyng, prestly pat other. 4064 In hor company come clene shippes fyfté, With abill men of armys, auntrus in fight. per suet of Siche semly men two,—

Ascalaphus, a skathilduke & skant mon in wer, 4068 And Helminus, a hede vrle, hadyn to-gedur

Thretty shippes full shene o þe shire water,
With barons of the best & bold men within.

Ephistaphus, a pert kyng & prinse out of focce,

4072 And Tedius pat tothir, þat was his trew felowe: ffyfty shippes in fere folowet hom two,

With a company of knightes cast for the wer.
Telamon, the tore kyng, tide for to haue

4076 ffyfty shippes full faire of his fuerse Rewme;
And of the Cité of Salame, pat suyt hym after,
In his company come mony clene Dukes,
And Erles also, with mony gret lordis.

4080 The Duke of Teucor, to telle truly, was þere;
Amphimakus also, auntrus in wer;

Donori, the derfe Erle, & doughty Theseus.

Nestor, the nobill Duke, þat was an old man,

4084 ffore out of Phylon with fyfti gret shippes.

Toax fro toylé, þat was a true kyng,

AND THEIR SQUADRONS.

ffyfte shippes in fere to the fflete broght.

Aiax œlius, aunterous in werre,

Thretty shippes full thriste throng into hauyn;
And sex of a sort þat suyt hym after.

Amphimacus from

Thracia, with 50 ships.

Polibos, a proude kyng, & his pere Amphimake,- Polybetes and bai come out of Calydon with a clene pepull; And foure scoure fyne shippes to the flete broght. Out of Trasy pere turnet triet Vlexes the kyng, Ulysses from With fyfty, in a furthe, all of fuerse vesell. Duke Melios the mighty met in a hauyn, And soght fro his Cité sothely of Pygre, With Elenon od shippes abill to werre. Poterhas & Protesselon, po proude Dukes twoo, pai fecchid out of Philace, þat was pere fre londe, 4100 ffyfté shippes in fere, & fore vnto Attens. Machaon & Polidus, pris kynges bothe, Turnyt out of Trision, & triet shippes broght Two & thretty full thryuond, & prong into prise. Out of Phithes, pe faire Cité folowet Achilles, ffifté shippes full shene strode fro pe depe. Kyng Thelephus tomly toke from his hauyn,

(Rhodes)

Twelue shippes well shapon, & shalkes within, ships. 4108 of his Rewme noght Riche, Rodan was cald. Rufirus the ryche raght fro his Rewme, þat Sicham was said sothely to nome;

And fyfté shippes full shene folowet hym after. 4112 Two Dukes full derke droghen in fere,

I shall neme you pere nomes now, er I pas :Antius & Amphimake, auntirous in werre. bay were lordes of a londe pere ledis in dwelt, That were bioustious of beiryng, byg men with all, Enerdond by hor one, & Elyda hit hight. bai broght to the Brym XL bigge shippes. Polibethes, a proud kyng, pert of his dedis, 4120 He broght to the brym barges eleivan, Prothylus, a pert kyng, put on the water

4088

4092

4096

4104

4116

133

Book IX.

with 50 ships Ajax Oileus, with 80 ships, and 6 others.

Calydon, with 80 ships.

Eumelus from Phere, with 11 ships.

Podarces and
Phylace, with 50

Protesilaus from

ships.

Machaon and
Podalirius from
Trica, with 32
ships.

Achilles fron Phthiotis, with 50 ships.

Telephus, king of
Mysia, with 12

Euryalus from Sicyon, with 50 ships.

Antiphus and Amphimachus from Elis, with 40 ships.

(fol. 64 b.)

Polypotes, with 11 ships. Prothylus, or Prothous, with 50 ships.