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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;
And heghly to helpe heghtyn pai all,

1008 As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur.

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

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 pe 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 pe 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.

The fleets of the

allies of Hercules

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 nan naitest in werre,

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.
pus it tyd as I telle pe tyme of þe yere,
he 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;

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 pe 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 pe 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 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.
Wen the derke was done & the day sprange,

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
"*cole.")

The Grekys in hor geyre graithid hom to banke, The Greeks land,
Launchid vp lightly lordis and other.

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,
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 pai yode,
And were set all samyn þe souerain before.
1096 When the peopull were pesit he proffert þes

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.
Hit is knowen in cuntres & costis o fer,

hat the tresour of Troy is of tyme olde,
Out of nowmber to nem & nedefull to vs;

1116 Iff vs fallus in fight pe 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.”

Hercules proposes
to attack before
daybreak, in
two bands:

(fol. 20 a.)

that Telamon

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 pe lond vs perseyue:
Part we vs pertly pe pupull in two,

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

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