Book IX.

(Lacedæmon)

(Guneus, king of Cyphius)

Diores from

Boeotia, with 32

ships.

The allies of the
Greeks were 69
in all, and the
number of their
ships was 1232;
not including
Palamedes, who
joined them some
time after.

ffyfté shippes fyn, full of folke all,

Of Deymon duly, his owne dere londe. 4124 Kyng Sapmon for sothe soght fro pat hauyn, With alsmony abill shippes auntrid hym seluyn, hat Capidoise cald is, the cuntre so hat.

Theorius, a tryet kyng, toke fro his Rewme, 4128 And broght of his brode londe, pat Boisa is callid,

Two & thretty thried shippes prast full of pepull.
And when thies souerauns were somyn, sothely

to telle,

Of kynges full kene, & of kyde Dukes, 4132 The sowme for to set was sexty & nene.

The nowmber of the noble shippes, pat to pe note yode,

ffor to telle hom by tale, was truly a thowsaund Twa hundrethe & twenty, & twelue o pe last, 4136 Without Palomydon pe proude, pat preset hom

after

With a nauy full noble ;-Nawlus son the grete.
When thes graidly were gedret, & gird into

hauyn,

ben come pai to counsell, as I shall kythe after.

Tent Boke. How the Grekes sent vnto Delphon to have onsware of a god of thayre Journay.

4140 Lenge we a little with lykyng, to telle
How thies kynges with hor knightes carpyn to

gedur.

When all were at Attens, aunter befell,

Agamynon the gret gedrit in fere,

(fol. 65 a.)

While the fleet lay at Athens, Agamemnon assembled the

4144 Into a place pat was playne without the leaders to a

prise Cité,

There Setis for po souerans Sothely was maked,

ffor kynges pat pere come & other kyde Dukes,
Bothe Erles & almen after pere astate.

4148 When all set were in sercle pe souerayn aboute,
And silence on yche syde the serkyll within,
Agamynon the graithe, þat the gomes led,
These wordes he warpid po worthy vnto :-
"Ye princes full prest, pat present are here!
hat with pouer of pepull presit are hider,
And aioynt to pis Jorney Justly to-gedur,
Considirs to this company & the clene strenght,

4152

4156 What bolde ye haue broght into pis brode

hauyn!

What fighting folke yche freike has!

Who sothely hath sene soche a pepull ere?
Neuer wegh, as I wene, syn þe world stode,

4160 Se at a Semly soche a sight hoole

council.

Speech of Agamemnon.

"Renowned princes! who, with your hosts, have joined this expedition, look around you!

Never has there

Book X.

been such a fleet assembled; never such hosts of warriors, young and old!

Surely they are

blinded with rage

Of kynges in a company, & of kyde Dukes,
Erles and other men all of assent;

;

Ne of one purpas in a place pepull so fele 4164 So mony yong men & 3epe, 3enerus of wille; So od men in armys, & egur to fight,

To fare in a furde our fos to distroy.

bai are blyndit with baret & with bare sorow,

who have roused 4168 þat wackons vp werre, & wrathus vs in hert,

us to war.

(fol. 65 b.)

The purpose of this expedition is known to all.

It is to take vengeance on the Trojans for the

villany they have wrought.

Honour must be

upheld, and

Or stiris vs with strenght vpon stuerne wise. ffor in this semly for sothe, soche men I know A hundrith, pat with hondes our harmys might wreike,

4172 Perfourme our purpos, and put it to end,

hat we so mony and so mighty are meuyt to do. Ye weton all full wele pe worthy ben here, Of daunger & desese is don to our londis; 4176 Of shame & of shenship shapyn vs alate; Our fryndys defelet, and fonget our godys. be harmes we haue, & hethyng with all, Hit sittes vs full sore to suffer on lyue. 4180 Hit menys vs with monhede pat malis to venge, And Aunter vs in armys our Enmyes to greue; With strenght for to stryve & strokes to dele,

The Troiens to tene pat trespas haue done.

4184 All somyn by Assent, with a sad wille
To venge of our velany & our vile greme.
And pat is rightwise & reasonable to riche vs perto;
ffirst, to Refrayne the fame pat men speikes,

disgrace must be 4188 And wipe of our wranges, & wirdis vs done;

avenged;

4192

So pat Troiens fro þis tyme take not on honde
To aspye vs with spite in no spede efte.
hat all þe weghes of þe world be warnit by hom,
And pat no tale may be told in tyme for to come,
Ne witnes in writyng by weghes herafter,
hat any lord of our londe shuld lacche soche a

skorne

THE COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

Vnwrokyn with wondis: þat weghes may

knowen,

Ne we, þat are so worthy & wight men ynogh, Shall not slely let slide, ne slip out of mynde, hat our successoures may say sothely, ne holde Dyssehonour of our dedys, & dem vs for feble. 4200 Syn we now bene of noble men in nowmber

4204

so fele,

And of strenght so stern stondyng in one,

Who is now so qweme or qwaint of his wit,

Book X.

that posterity

137

may not hold us in dishonour.

Who so bold, or

so foolish, as to

That couthe mesure our might, or with mouthe defy the might of

tell

The pouer of our pepull, & our playn strenght?
Who so hardy durst hede, or on hond take
To wrathe vs be any way, or wirk vs dyssese?
Saue pes fonnet folke, pe frigies of troy,
þat vnwysely has wroght with wyttis full febill,
And offendit our frenchyp thurgh foli of hom
seluyn.

Ne mynd not þes men of pe mykyll harme,
That a sone of our folke before hom has done,

4212 When lamydon was lord & pe lond eght,

That was fader to the freike that offens mas;
Kyld all his Knightes, cumbrit his rewme,
Sesit his sit, slong it to ground,
4216 And fele of his folke fongit on lyue,
Led into our londys, pat lengis þer zet,
In seruage and sorow set for to dwelle.
perfore, sotly hyt semys not surfetus harde
4220 No vnpossibill, thys pupull perfourme in dede,
That fyuetymes fewer before home has done.
bai wetyn full wele pe wyllys of vs here,

That we purpos a pouer to put in hor lond,
4224 To noy hom with note and negh hom belyue.
Sum helpe for to haue, hast hom þay wyll,
Of ledys of other lond lyond hom gayne,

(fol. 66 a.) such an alliance ?

None but the
Trojans,

who have had already a specimen of our power and our vengeance.

They know us well, and they are certain to have all their allies collected to

oppose us.

Book X.

Ere we pass hence, let us

(fol. 66 b.)

To withstond vs with strenght & stroy of our

pupyll,

4228 And paire cuntre to kepe with cumpany grete.
perfor, sotly me semys, & yow so lyke,

Er we passe fro pis port, or pull vp our saylys,
That we make vs a message of men of astate,

inquire of Apollo 4232 Duly to Delphon deuoutly to wende,
To the yle pere Appolyn erdis with in,

at Delphos what

will be the result

of our expedition."

All assent to the proposal.

Achilles and

Patroclus are sent to Delphos.

They set sail without delay.

Not Delphos, but
Delos.

In hast forto herkyn of po hend goddes,

What shall falle vs by ffortune, er we ferre pas, 4236 Of pis mater þat vs meuys, & mo of our dedys. his is clerely my counsell; conceyuis hit all." When the souerayn hade said, he sesit anone. Of hor willes to wete, po worthy by dene, 4240 Bothe kynges, & knightes, & other kyde Dukes, All assentid hom sone, þat his saw herd.

This message to make po mighty deuyset Achilles the cheualrous, by pere choise wittes, 4244 And Patroculus the proude, his pere for to be. ffor proffet of po prinses and hor prise folke, hai were demyt vnto Delphon this dede to performe

Of pere noyus note, & an onsware to haue,

4248 With offeryng at appolyn, if aunter might falle,
Worship to wyn and wreke on hor fos.

With out tarying, full tite pai turnyt into hauyn,
Achilles full chere and his choise felow,

4252 And saylet furth soberly as hom selfe lyket;
Hade wedur at þere wille, & the water calme,
Dryuon vnto Delphyn & no deire polet.

Vmelosit with a course of the colde ythes, 4256 With a serkle of the se pat soght pere aboute, Not Delphon but Delos sum demyt hit to het, hat is the myddis & pe most of mony smalle yles, Set in a sercle þe same place vibe,

4260 As pai are fourmet with the flode : fyfté & thre,