CALCHAS TO THE GREEKS.

Is not the cause of your comyng with company
grete,

To turne vnto Troy, þat you tenit has,
4568 And are opunly your enmys, & euermore you

noies?

Why tary ye so tomly, & turnys not furthe
And are redy to pe rode, & restis pus lenge?

bere-as all thing is ordant, hit angris to abide, 4572 Or tary ouer a tyme, when tulkes ben redy.

4576 bis fenyond fare is forthoryng to hom,

4580 Syn ye

Ne hope ye not highly, pat here are sum fals,
And aspies your spede with spit þat þai may,
To write to pat wale kyng your werkes by-den? inform Priam of

It is foolish to
wait when all are
ready.
Besides, there
may be some
traitors among
you, who may

your deeds.
This delay allows
him to collect his
allies to withstand

To assemble on yche syde soudiours ynogh,
And fret hom with fryndes pere fos to withstond, you.
Of kynges & knightes in contres abowte;
haue tarit ouer tyme tomly at home,
And noght hastid with harme your hething to

wenge.

Ye shuld haue soght to pe Cité sone oponone!
Mony wekes are went & pis wale somur,
4584 And monythes full meuyt of þe mylde aire,
Of seasonable sailyng of pe salt water,
Syn winter was went & windes were lithe;
The course of the colde see calmyt with all,
4588 3eforus with softe wyndes soberly blew,

Planettes in the pure aire pullishet full clene,
And all softe was the see to sailers perin.
Why leng ye so long & lose all this tyme,
4592 When ye might soberly haue sailet, & set on

your fos,

And haue flayet the freikes with your felle hast?
When tythandes hade ben tolde of soche a tore

149

pepull,

Hit wold haue noyet hom anon þe nombur to here. 4596 Thoche tarying ouer tyme turnys hom to ioy, And hertis hom highly to hold you for faint.

Book XI.

Why then do ye tarry so long?

You should have gone direct to Troy. Many weeks of this summer are gone by, and months of seasonable weather for your fleet.

(fol. 72 a.) Why lose all this time?

A sudden attack would have struck

terror into your

enemies: but this

delay only

emboldens them.

The counsel of Calchas is accepted, and Agamemnon orders that the fleet be made ready to sail.

The fleet departs from Athens.

(fol. 72 b.)

Therefore take

heart; haste to

sea, and follow to 4604 Sette furthe to be se; sitte no lengur.

your foes. Rest
no longer."

Has harnes ouer hacche; highes in ancer;
ffolowe to your fos with a frike wille.

Syn your goddes haue it grauntid pe gre shalbe

The wind rises; the clouds are overcast;

darkness comes down, with

thunder and lightning, and a fierce rain.

Ne hope ye not hertely pe hest of your goddes
Wilbe faithly fulfilled, & not faile of.

But if ye tary ouer tyme þai tene hom pereat,
And in case to be contrary cast your auentur ;
Your chaunse for to chaunge & chef yow pe

worse.

perfore hefe vp your hertis; hast you to saile;

yours,

4608 Highes you in haste, houes here no lengur.
This is clerely my counsell, kithe if you list!"
When Calcas his counsell had carpit to pe end,
Iche lede hym alowet, pat listnet his wordes;
4612 And his counsell to kepe keston hom all.
Agamynon the gret his gomys did warne,

Iche buerne to be boune at the blast of a trumpe:
fforto pas into port & pull vp hor sailes,

4616 And dryue on pe depe se pe doughti comaundet.
All the company enclinet, cairyn to ship;
Cachyn in cables, knyt vp hor ancres ;
Sesit vp hor sailes in a sad hast;

4620 Richet pere rapes, rapit vnto see.

Hokit out of hauyn, all the hepe somyn
Hade bir at hor bake, blawen to be depe;
Sailyn forthe soberly, somyn but a while,
4624 Noght fyftene forlong fairly to the end.

A STORME ON THE SE.

When sodenly the softe aire vnsoberly rose;
The cloudis ouer cast, claterrit aboute;
Wyndes full wodely walt vp the ythes;
4628 Wex merke as the mydnighte mystes full thicke;
Thunret in the thestur throly with all ;

A STORM AT SEA.

With a launchant laite lightonyd the water; And a Ropand rayne raiked fro the heuyn. 4632 The storme was full stithe with mony stout The waves rise

windes,

like hills; and all are in terror of their lives.

Hit walt vp the wilde se vppon wan hilles. The ffolke was so ferd, þat on flete were, All drede for to drowne with dryft of the se; 4636 And in perell were put all the proude kynges. Then Calcas the curset, pat come out of Troy, To the worthy pere were warpit anon :"The cause of our care I know it right well : 4640 The goddes is greuyt, þat we are gon fro

At honourable Attens,-auntrus Diana :

ffor we soght notto sacrifice, hir seluyn is wrothe,
And has wroght vs þis wedur: þat wete I for
sothe.

4644 My counsell is kyndly, kythe if ye list,

hat we seche to pat same or we sew ferre,— Into the Ile of Awlida,-all men to gedur, There Diana the dere ys duly honourt, 4648 Our Emperour, hym owne selfe, offeraund to

151

Into Awlida pe yle, to honour Diana,

4656 þat was fast by the flete but a forlonge.

Agamynon in grete hast gird to the lond,
Turnyt to the Temple, taried no Lengur;
To Diana full derely did his honowre,
4660 With Sacrifice full solempne & mony sad giftes,
And worshippet þat worthy as a wale goddes.

Book XI.

Calchas declares it is the wrath of the gods;

and counsels that the fleet be steered into Aulis, in order that Agamemnon may appease Diana,

make.

Be ho plesid with prayers & other pure giftes,
This tempest will turne into tyme faire,
And we haue wedur at our wille, & our way
holde."

4652 pen keppit was the counsell of Calcas belyue.
All turnyt þaire tacle with trussyng of sailes,
And stird hom full streight withouten stad more into Aulis.

The advice of
Calchas is
followed, and the
fleet is steered

Agamemnon
sacrifices to
Diana, and
(fol. 73 a.)

Book XI.

the storm abates.

The fleet sails to

the coast of Troy,

and casts anchor under the castle of Saracbla.

The garrison attempts to drive off the Greeks: but in vain.

The Greeks swarm to the shore; defeat the Trojans;

(To kepe, to receive,-to admit.)

capture the castle; pillage and destroy it.

(fol. 73 b.)

Then the se wex sober, sesit the wyndis; Calme was the course, clensit the aire; 4664 The derke ouerdrogh, & the dym voidet; The bremnes abatid; blusshit the sun. Hade wedur at paire wille, wentton to ship, And past fro pat port the pepull in fere; 4668 Halit to the high se in a hond while;

Sailit on soundly as hom self list,

Tyll þai comyn to the cost & countre of Troy; And pere hyt into hauyn as hom happe felle, 4672 Vnder a castell of pe cuntre, pat cald was Saracbla. There pai fastnet the flete & the furse shippes, Cachit hom with cables & castyng of ancres, And logget hom to lenge in pat le hauyn. 4676 The kepars of the castell caghten pere armys, Wentten out wightly the water to kepe; Bowet to the bonke in hor bright geire. To put of pat pepull pristly pai wend, 4680 And foryn as folis; for pai but few were.

bai with stode hom a stoure but it stad litle. The folke were so fele, pat felle to the londe, Armyt at all peces, angarly mony,

4684 The troiens pai tokyn & tirnyt to dethe,

And fell to the flight in fere to the castell.
But the Grekes on pe grounde grymly pursueyt,
Swappit hom with swordes till the swalt all.
4688 Comyn to the castell, (vnclose were the yatis,
The cuntremen for to kepe as pai cum wold,)
The Grekes Ingird, gripped the warders,
And all the fonnet folke fell to the dethe;
4692 Slogh hom doune sleghly, slang hom to ground;
Robbit pere riches, raght to pere shippes.
Wonen to the walles, walt hom to ground;

;

Betyn doune the buyldynges to the bare erthe 4696 Tokyn the tresure; turnyt into hauyn.

When pis castell was caght, kylled the pepull,

TENEDOS ASSAULTED.

And all the shalkes to ship with the shene godes, bai past fro þat port with pillage þai hade, 4700 And turnyt vnto tenydon, taryt no lengur.

pere arof all the rowte with pere Ranke shippes,
Cast ancres with cables pat kene were of byt;
Let sailes doune slide; slippit into botes;

4704 ffestnet with fuerse Ropis the flete in pe hauyn;
And buskit vnto banke, the boldist ay first.
At this tenydon truly was a tried castell,

stronge;

4708 Evyn fild full of folke, fuerse men & noble,

And Riches full Rife, Ranke men with in;
Wele viteld, I-wisse, for winturs ynoghe.

(Hit was sothely but sex myle fro the Cité euyn,
4712 As I told haue tomly in a tale here before.)
The folke in pat fuerse hold were ferde of hom
selfe,

where there was a strong castle,

Wele wroght for the werre with walles full well garrisoned

and supplied.

Arait hom full radly, right to the werre. In defense of hor fos, pat on flete lay, 4716 Wenton out wightly wale men of armys,

But not so fele at þe first as of the ferre side.
The Grekes full greatly greuyt þerat,

153

The Trojans turn

out to defend

their castle
against the

And bateld hom on the banke as hom best thught. Greeks, who had
When the Grekes were gethurt & to ground

now landed.

comen,

Mony fightyng folke in a fuerse nowmbur,

4720 The pepull with hor power put hom agayne, And foght with hom felly, pof pai few were. Bold was pat biker opon bothe haluys.

Mony deid by-dene of the derfe grekes ; 4724 And Troiens with tene tynt of hor pepull,

Oppresset hom with payne & preset pereafter; 4728 ffought full felly, and fele were pere pai slayne:

Book XI.

The fleet then sails to Tenedos,

Of the Troiens pat tyme tynt were þe mo.
The fresshe was so felle of the furse grekes,

A fierce battle ensues, and many fall on both sides;

but the Greeks, enraged at their

loss, and encour

aged by the

arrival of fresh

bands, press the

Trojans,

(fol. 74 a.)