996 Jason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe,

1004

1008

And he hir graunted pat gate with a good wille.
When it turnyt to pe tyme as I told ere,
He bowes to hir bed þere he ben hade,
And lay þere in lustes pe long night ouer,
In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght,
And spekyn of hor spede while pai space hade,
ffor to fare on pe fome into fer londes ;

But Medea mouet hym a moneth to lenge.
ben leuyt þai the lond and no leue toke,
Stale from þe styth kyng styllé by night;
With pe maiden Medea & myche oper goodes,
pai turne into Tessaile with-outen tale more,
Hit vp into a havyn all the hepe samyn.
Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert,
hat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped,
And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes,
Holy het hom to have pe hestes before.

þat he hade fongit pe flese & pe fresshe gold;
He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes,
Ne he keppid no couenaund to pe kynd maydon.
But a Sourdyng with sourgrem sanke in his hert,
And a lourekand lust to Lamydon the kyng:
Ercules with Enuy was enmy also.

pai comynd in the case, cast hom perfore,
Comyn euyn to the kyng & pe cause tolde
Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes,
bat the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat;
And heghly to helpe heghtyn þai all,
As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur.

Here begynneth be ffourth boke.
Of he dystrucion of he fyrst Troy by
Ercules and Fason.

All charge of þis chaunse, chefe how it will,
Ercules vppon hond hertely has tane;

He sped hym vnto spart, sparit he noght, 1012 pat a cuntre is cald of pe coste of Rome. Tow brether full bold abidyng þer-in, Bothe kynges of þe kythe, Caster was one, And Pollux, pe proude, pristly pat other. 1016 As poyetis han put, plainly po two

Were getyn by a gode on a grete lady, be fairest of ffeturs pat euer on fote yode: And a suster to be same, sothly, was Elyn, 1020 Getyn of þe same god in a goode tyme.

To these kynges he come & his cause tolde,
And to haue of hor helpe hertely dissyred,
And pai graunted hym full goodly with a glad

chere.

1024 ben he lacches his leue and pai lordes ponkit, Suet forth to (Salame) in a sad haste,

bat gouernet was in gryse by a gome noble,One Telamon trewly, as þe text sayse, 1028 þat was kyng in the coste & pe coron hade,— A bold man in batell & byg in his Rewme. Ercules of helpe hym hertely besoght, And he grauntid to goo with a good wille,

Hercules determines to make war with Troy, and seeks the assistance of Castor and Pollux.

(Helena, sister of Pollux.)

(MS. has
"Salerne.")
He goes to
Telamon, king
of Salamis, who
promises to aid
him.

Book IV.

(fol. 18b.)

He goes to
Peleus, king of
Thessaly, and to
Nestor, king of
Pylus, who
promise to
assist him.

(fol. 19 a.)

1032 With mony bold men in batell and biggest in Armes.

To Pelleus pertly pen past he agayne,

Assemblid of Soudiours a full sadde pepull,
Of the tidiest of Tessaile, tore men of strenght.
1036 pen to Philon pe freike ferkit in haste,

To a Duke þat was derffe & doughti of honde,
Nestor, A noble man naitest in werre,

bat hade louyt hym of long, & his lefe frynde; 1040 He hight hym full hertely þat he haue sholde ffertheryng to his fight with a fre wille.

ben leues pe lede & of lond paste

To Pelleus pristly, pat puruiaunce hade made

1044 Of twenty shippes full shene, shot on pe depe, All redy to the Roode of pe roghe ythes,

With mony barons full bold & buernes per-in.

The fleets of the allies of Hercules

ben comyn thies kynges fro per kyth evyn,

meet at Thessaly; 1048 Saylyng full sound with seasonable wyndes;

and at the season of the year when the

sun enters Aries, they set sail for Troy.

At Tessaile full tyte turnyt into havyn,

ffor to fare to pere ffoos with a ffryke wille.
pus it tyd as I telle pe tyme of þe yere,

1052 pe sun in his sercle was set vppon high,
Entrid into Aries vnder a signe,

And euyn like of a lenght þe light & pe derke. he cloudes wax clere, clensit the ayre; 1056 Wynter away, watris were calme;

Stormes were still, pe sternes full clere,
3eforus softe wyndis Soberly blew ;

Bowes in bright holtes buriont full faire ;
1060 Greuys wex grene and be ground swete;

Swoghyng of swete ayre, Swalyng of briddes ;
Medowes & mounteyns myngit with floures,
Colord by course as paire kynd askit.

1064 At Mid Aprille, the mone when myrthes begyn,

The season full softe of þe salt water,

And the bremnes abated of the brode ythes,

THE ARRIVAL.

Thies kynges, with knightes in companies grete, 1068 Past fro port, pulled vp þere sailes,

Were borne to pe brode se & the banke leuyt; Sailed fourthe soberly with seasonable windes Till pai comen [to] the cost, as pe course felle, 1072 Of the terage of Troy & turnyt into hauyn,

þat sothly was said Segeas to nome.

By thies rialles aryven were, to rest was pe

sun,

And neghed to be night, noy was þe more: 1076 Kaste ancres full kene into pe (cold) water,

Cogges with cablis cachyn to londe,

And lay so on lone the long night ouer.

Wen the derke was done & the day sprange,

1080 And lightid o lofte ledis to beholde,

1084 Of the folke so furse pat hym affray wold,

ffor-pi vnkeppit were pe costes all þe kythe ouer.
hai hailit vp horses & hernes of maile,
Armur and all thinge euyn as hom liked:
1088 Tild vp pere tentis tomly and faire,

Skairen out skoute-wacche for skeltyng of harme,
Armyn hom at all peces after anon.

Er the sun vp soght with his softe beames, 1092 Pelleus full prestly the peopull did warne

To appere in his presens, princes and dukys.
With-out tarying to his tent tytly þai yode,
And were set all samyn þe souerain before.
1096 When the peopull were pesit he proffert þes

wordes,

Book IV.

pitch their tents,

The Grekys in hor geyre graithid hom to banke, The Greeks land,
Launchid vp lightly lordis and other.
The kyng had no knawlache, pat the kith aght, is aware of their

and set guards
before Laomedon

arrival.

The worde of your werkes & your wight dedis,
And the prise of your prowes passes o fer!

At sunset they arrive at Sigeum, and lie at anchor till morning.

(MS. has
"cole.")

37

Peleus summons

a council of war to meet in his tent.

Sais, "Ye noblist of nome pat neuer man The counsel of

Peleus.

adouted,

(fol. 19b.)

Book IV.

In times past, always victorious.

Laomedon, the

cause of their coming, and of all that may follow.

The treasures of Troy will prove an abundant

spoil.

Hercules proposes
to attack before
daybreak, in
two bands:

(fol. 20 a.)

that Telamon

1100 Hit was neuer herd, as I hope, sith heuyn was o loft,
In any coste where ye come but ye were clene
victorius,

And happet the herre hond to haue at þe last.
Lamydon, þat is lord, has vs ledde hedur,

1104 ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & pe wegh harme :

hat is the cause of the course þat we come hidur.
And syn our goddes haue vs graunt þe ground for
to haue,

Hit is spede-full to speike of our spede fur,
1108 And of gouernaunce graithe at our gret nede,
ffor to fillyn our fare & our fos harme;
Hald all our hestes, harmles our-seluyn ;
The tresour to take þat to Troy longes,

1112 þat us abides in the burgh & we þe better haue.
Hit is knowen in cuntres & costis o fer,

1116

hat the tresour of Troy is of tyme olde,

Out of nowmber to nem & nedefull to vs;

Iff vs fallus in fight þe fairer at ende,

We shall haue riches full riffe & red gold ynogh
Our ffyne shippes to fille and our fraght make:
Now fraist we before how fairest wille be,

1120 And speike for our spede while we space haue.”

ERCULES.

Then Ercules the Avntrus onswarid Anon,-
"Sothely, Sir kyng, ye haue said well,
Wise wordes I-wis & of wit noble;

1124 Iff it be worship & wit wisdom to shewe,

Hit [is] sothely more soueran to see it in werke.
I will say for myself, sauyng a bettur,

As me thinkes full throly with-outyn threp more.
1128 Let us dres for our dede er þe day springe,

And thrugh lemys of light þe lond vs perseyue:
Part we vs pertly pe pupull in two,

In the ton shall be Telamon, pat is a tore kyng,