Book III. Jason proposes to depart immediately. Medea pleads for delay. They steal away by night. Jason and Hercules cherish vindictive feelings towards Laomedon, son of Ilus, king of Troy. (fol. 18 a.) And he hir graunted pat gate with a good wille. 980 When it turnyt to pe tyme as I told ere, He bowes to hir bed pere he ben hade, And lay þere in lustes pe long night ouer, In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght, 984 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, 988 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. 992 Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert, pat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped, And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes, Holy het hom to have pe hestes before. 996 Jason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe, hat he hade fongit þe flese & pe fresshe gold; He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes, Ne he keppid no couenaund to pe kynd maydon. 1000 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, 1004 Comyn euyn to the kyng & pe cause tolde Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes, bat the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat; 1008 As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur. Here begynneth be ffourth boke. All charge of þis chaunse, chefe how it will, 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 pe kythe, Caster was one, 1016 As poyetis han put, plainly po two Were getyn by a gode on a grete lady, To these kynges he come & his cause tolde, 1024 ben he lacches his leue and pai lordes ponkit, bat gouernet was in gryse by a gome noble,- 1028 þat was kyng in the coste & pe coron hade,- Hercules determines to make war with Troy, and seeks the assistance of Castor and Pollux. (Helena, sister of Pollux.) (MS. has Book IV. (fol. 18b.) He goes to Thessaly, and to promise to assist him. The fleets of the allies of Hercules 1032 With mony bold men in batell and biggest in To Pelleus pertly pen past he agayne, To a Duke þat was derffe & doughti of honde, bat hade louyt hym of long, & his lefe frynde ; 1040 He hight hym full hertely pat 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. 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. 1052 (fol. 19 a.) 1056 At Tessaile full tyte turnyt into havyn, ffor to fare to pere ffoos with a ffryke wille. And euyn like of a lenght þe light & pe derke. Wynter away, watris were calme; Bowes in bright holtes buriont full faire; 1064 At Mid Aprille, the mone when myrthes begyn, THE ARRIVAL. Thies kynges, with knightes in companies grete, 1068 Past fro port, pulled vp pere 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, hat sothly was said Segeas to nome. By thies rialles aryven were, to rest was be 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. 1080 And lightid o lofte ledis to beholde, Book IV. 37 At sunset they arrive at Sigeum, and lie at anchor till morning. (MS. has The Grekys in hor geyre graithid hom to banke, The Greeks land, pitch their tents, and set guards before Laomedon The kyng had no knawlache, pat the kith aght, is aware of their 1084 Of the folke so furse pat hym affray wold, ffor-pi vnkeppit were pe costes all þe kythe ouer. bai 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, Er the sun vp soght with his softe beames, wordes, arrival. Peleus summons a council of war to meet in his tent. Sais, "Ye noblist of nome pat neuer man The counsel of adouted, The worde of your werkes & your wight dedis, And the prise of your prowes passes o fer! Peleus. (fol. 196.) 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. 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 : bat 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 pat to Troy longes, 1112 bat us abides in the burgh & we be better haue. hat the tresour of Troy is of tyme olde, 1116 Iff vs fallus in fight pe fairer at ende, We shall haue riches full riffe & red gold ynogh 1120 And speike for our spede while we space haue.” Hercules proposes (fol. 20 a.) that Telamon ERCULES. Then Ercules the Avntrus onswarid Anon, "Sothely, Sir kyng, ye haue said well, 1124 Iff it be worship & wit wisdom to shewe, And thrugh lemys of light pe lond vs perseyue: In the ton shall be Telamon, pat is a tore kyng, |