Book X. (“Isidorus, Hispalis, in (his) (Is. xxvii. 1.) (Ps. lxxiv. 13, 14.) (fol. 69 b.) In the "Life of St Brandon" he is called a water adder, which the saint saw in the sea. (Rev. xx.) This Leviathan went to Paradise to tempt our first father. He appeared as a maiden, and as a spirit, spake in her or he assumed the body of an adder, and by falsehood deceived our first parents. Here sumwhat I say, er I sew ferre. And ysidre in ethemoleger openly tellis, þat bemoth in Ebrew ys opunly to say,— 'A Roid beste vnreasonable, þat no Rule holdes.' And for pe fende was so fals & full of dissait, God at the begynnyng of his gret falle, Wroght hym to a worme in wildurnes like, 4432 Writhen, as the writte sayes, like a wilde Eddur. And for grettnes of pat Grym in his grete filthe, He is demyt a Dragon with Dauid the prophete. In his song of the sawter þere he sais þus,— 6 4436 This Dragon of Dissait, pat pou derfly hath fourmet': So sethe in the sauter the Salme to the end. 4428 There his warloghe, I wis, a water eddur is cald, Closet pere be comaundement of his clene maker, 4444 Writhyn is þat warloghe with wilis ynoghe, 4448 his lyuyatan, leder of all thies laithe fyndes, To our fader the first fellé in Envy, And put hym to peradise pristly anon To tempt hom with trayn, pat trist of non euyll, To forfet pat faire place & offense make. Hade a face vne fourmet as a fre maydon, 4452 And as a sprite in hor spake, pat spede to our harme, Or barly toke body of þat bold eddur, And so with falshede & faire our faders dissayuit, And all pere successours sorily sent vnto pyne. 4456 Of pis mater of mawmentry nomore at this tyme: pis sufficis forsothe. Ses we now here, APOLLO TO ACHILLES. And turne to our tale & take pere we lefte. 4464 þat messengers were made fro pe maisters of 4460 This appollo apperit to pepull full ofte In Delphon, or Delos, dem as ye list. Achilles and To pis appollo, pe pure god, þat pepull honouret, temple of Apollo. Grece, And turnyt into tempull fro pere tore shippis. Be counsell of the kepers, when the course felle, bat serued pat Synagod to the sory fyndes, 4468 Than entrid pai with honour, & offerond made, Grete soumes forsothe of siluer & of golde; Did pere deuocioun as hom dere thought, And frayned at the fynd how pai fare shuld, 4472 Of paire Journay, full Justly, a Juggement to haue. And pen Appollo apperith with a priue voise 4480 And the tent yere truly, tell hom for sothe, here worship to wyn, & pere wille haue; 145 All the Cité to sese, and the syde londis; Kyng Priam to pyne, & his pure wife; 4484 All his sonnes to sle with sleght of your honde; Book X. baire Riches to Robbe, & pere Rife goodis; And no lede for to lyue, but þat hom selfe When Achilles this chaunse choisely hade herd, 4488 He was glad of pe graunt, and the god answared; THE ANSWARE OF APPOLLO TO ACHYLLES. "Achilles Achilles ! [attle] to pe Grekes, 4476 Sew to the same pat pou art sent fro; Tell hom for truth, þat hom tyde shall [MS. has 'a litle'] And mony batels on bent with buernes to thole. many battles to fight, but in the tenth year they shall conquer, and have every thing at their will." (fol. 70 a.) Having made great offerings to the god, they inquire regarding the result of their undertaking. Book X. Before Achilles left the temple, Calchas the soothsayer, son of Thestor, arrived on a secret message from Priam, to learn the fate of Troy. (fol. 70 b.) "Calehas! Calchas return not to Troy, but go with Achilles. Join thyself to the Greeks, and part not from them till Troy is taken." temple. They become friends, and Achilles promises to reward him richly. And er he turnyt fro the temple, thus hit tid euyn. A tulke out of Troy, testor aune sone, hat was a bisshop of the burghe, & a buerne wise, 4492 (Calcas, by course, was his kyd nome) A Sad man of siens, sought to be temple, 4496 Of the tulkes of Troy and the triet pepull. Praiond hym full prestly, as a pure god, To warne hym full wightly what wirdis shuld happyn: 4500 And pus gatis to the gome pen the god saide. THE ONSWARE OF APPOLLO TO CALCAS, BYSSHOP OF TROY. "Calcas Calcas ! cair yow not home, go Ne turne neuer to Troy, for tene pat may falle; But with the grekes into the gret nauy,4504 With Achilles the choise kyng chose on þe way. Part neuer fro pat pepull, ne the prise leue, ffor it is grauntid of goddis the grekes for to haue The fairer of þat fight vnto the ferre end; 4508 All Troy for to take and tirne at hor wille. And your graithnes may gretly the grekes auaile, Calchas then goes 4512 And when Calcas with comyng hade kyndly to Achilles in the persayuit bat Achilles the choise was in the chere temple, He wentto þat worthy his wille for to shewe; And euyn told hym by tale as hym tide hade. ACHILLES RETURNS TO THE GREEKS. 4516 And felle of affynite, and fryndes be-come, Achilles with chere cherisshed hym full mekull, And hight hym hoge thinge to haue at his wille. bus went pay to water, pose wise men to gedur, 4520 Cacched in cables & pere kene ancres, Sesit vp pere sailes, & in sound Rowet, Past ouer the pale stremys & no payne tholet. 4524 po shene out of shippe shake into botes, 147 kynges, With Riches & Rewardes raght hym ynogh, 4544 And heghten hertely pere hestis to kepe. ban þai solast hom somyn, as hom selfe liked, Book X. The messengers then set sail and return to Athens, where Calchas is introduced to Agamemnon. (fol. 71 a.) Achilles to the choise men all the chaunse tolde, happon; How hom grauntid was the gre by the goddes 4532 And how Calcas, the contrary, cachit of hym, Till Troy all takyn were, & tirnet to ground. 4536 When thies tythinges told were tomly to end, All the grekes were glad, & pere god panked; 4540 With worship to wale goddis on paire wise did. gods. And of the Bisshop po buernes beldid were pen; Thai cherisshed hym choisly, all po chere Calchas is fèted and rewarded. Achilles relates the answer of Apollo to himself and to Calchas. The Greeks rejoice, and the day is kept as a feast and thanksgiving to their When all their rejoicings were ended, the nobles are summoned to a council in the tent of Agamemnon. Calchas came with (fol. 71 b.) When all were silent he spoke thus: "Ye nobles! Kings, Dukes, and Earls! have you not brought your forces together to attack Troy? 148 The xi Boke. How the Grekys sailet fro EVERY wegh, pat will wete of pere werke more, 4548 Listen a litle, & leng here a while : Let vs karpe of thies kynges or we cayre ferre. When thies worthy hade worshipped all pere wale goddes, And the day with deuocioun dryuen to pe end, 4552 The secund day suyng somyn were pe grete In Agamynons gay tent; gedrit for sothe, fforto speke of hor spede, whille pai space hade. This Calcas in company com with Achilles 4556 And Patroclus the pure kyng into the proude tente. bai hailset þat hynde & hertely hym welcommyt, And sithen to sit all somyn þai yode Among po kynges in company, as paire course felle. 4560 When all the pepull were pesit, pe presens full still, Calcas to the kynges carpes thies wordes: "Ye noble men of nome, pat to note wendyn In þis company clene! kynges & Dukes, 4564 Erles & other men onest of astate, : hat are aioynet to pis Journey with ioynyng of wer! |