Book X.

("Isidorus,
Bishop of

Hispalis, in (his)
Etymologiarum.")

(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,
hat bemoth in Ebrew ys opunly to say,—

4428 'A Roid beste vnreasonable, pat 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 pere he sais pus,—
4436 This Dragon of Dissait, pat pou derfly hath
fourmet':

So sethe in the sauter the Salme to the end.
And loke of lyuyaton in the lyffe of saynt
Brandon,

There his warloghe, I wis, a water eddur is cald,
4440 pat pis saint pere seghe in the se occiane,
ffull large and long of a lawe depnes.

Closet pere be comaundement of his clene maker,
Vnto the day of dom dulfully to abide,
4444 Writhyn is þat warloghe with wilis ynoghe,
Mannes saule to dissaiue & in syn holde.

his lyuyatan, leder of all thies laithe fyndes,
To our fader the first fellé in Envy,

4448 And put hym to peradise pristly anon

To tempt hom with trayn, þat 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.

Thus be dissayt of the deuyll, as I declaret haue,

4460 This appollo apperit to pepull full ofte

In Delphon, or Delos, dem as ye list.

Book X.

145

Achilles and Patroclus arrive at Delos, and

proceed to the

To pis appollo, pe pure god, þat pepull honouret, temple of Apollo,

Thies kynges by course comyn anon,

4464 þat messengers were made fro pe maisters of

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
To po worthy, o this wise, as be writ sayes.

THE ANSWARE OF APPOLLO TO ACHYLLES.

"Achilles Achilles ! [attle] to pe Grekes, 4476 Sew to the same þat þou art sent fro ;

Tell hom for truth, þat hom tyde shall
In sounde for to saile somyn vnto Troy,

(fol. 70 a.)

Having made great offerings to the god, they inquire regarding the result of their undertaking.

[MS. has 'a litle'] "Achilles ! Achilles! return and tell the Greeks that they must sail to Troy There they have

And mony batels on bent with buernes to thole. many battles to

4480 And the tent yere truly, tell hom for sothe,

bere worship to wyn, & pere wille haue; 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;

baire Riches to Robbe, & pere Rife goodis;

And no lede for to lyue, but pat hom selfe

thinke."

When Achilles this chaunse choisely hade herd, 4488 He was glad of pe graunt, and the god answared ;

fight, but in the tenth year they shall conquer, and have every

thing at their

will."

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)

4496

4500

A Sad man of siens, sought to be temple,
ffrom Priam, his pure kyng, priuely sent,

To haue answare at Appollin what aunter shuld
falle

Of the tulkes of. Troy and the triet pepull.
He meuyt to the mowmentes with his mayne
giftes,

Praiond hym full prestly, as a pure god,

To warne hym full wightly what wirdis shuld happyn:

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,

4504

4508

Ne turne neuer to Troy, for tene pat may falle;
But go with the grekes into the gret nauy,-
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 pat fight vnto the ferre end;
All Troy for to take and tirne at hor wille.
And your graithnes may gretly the grekes auaile,
With counsell & comyng in cas pat will falle,

Till pai haue wonen hor will wete pou for

sothe."

Calchas then goes 4512 And when Calcas with comyng hade kyndly

to Achilles in the

temple. They

become friends, and Achilles

promises to reward him

richly.

persayuit

þat 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.
Entret into Attens, pere po oste lay,

4524 po shene out of shippe shake into botes,

Houit to pe bonke, the Bysshop hym with;
To Agamynon þai gon with other gaye kynges.
Bothe Dukes & derfe Erles droghen to gedur,
4528 That were blithe of pat bisshop, þat þai broght

hade.

Achilles to the choise men all the chaunse tolde,

The answare of Appolyn what aunter shuld

happon;

How hom grauntid was the gre by the goddes

all;

4532 And how Calcas, the contrary, cachit of hym, That fro Priam was put to haue a pure onsware; And how in batell hym bydon was abide with the grekes,

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; And for ioy of pat iornay aioynet a fest,

As a high day to holde, & halowet it all

Book X.

147

The messengers then set sail and return to Athens, where Calchas is introduced to Agamemnon.

(fol. 71 a.)

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

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 kynges,

With Riches & Rewardes raght hym ynogh,

And heghten hertely pere hestis to kepe.
ban þai solast hom somyn, as hom selfe liked,
And dryvon furth pat day with dalians to end.

and rewarded.

148

When all their rejoicings were ended, the nobles are summoned to a council in the tent of

Agamemnon.

Calchas came with
Achilles and
Patroclus.

(fol. 71 b.)

When all were

silent he spoke

thus:

"Ye nobles!

Kings, Dukes,

and Earls have

you not brought your forces

The xi Boke. How the Grekys sailet fro
Attens to Troy.

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

4560

tente.

pai hailset þat hynde & hertely hym welcommyt, And sithen to sit all somyn þai yode

Among po kynges in company, as paire course

felle.

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 pis company clene! kynges & Dukes,
Erles & other men onest of astate,

hat are aioynet to pis Journey with ioynyng
of wer!