ANDROMACIE AND HER CHILDREN SET FREE.

393

Book XXIX.

Eneas and
Antenor plead

(fol. 184 a.) for Andromache and Helenus.

Helenus and
Andromache

children: the

12044 Priams pure dughter, pertist of wit,

And all grauntid pe grete with a gode will.
As þes kynges in counsell were comynyng to-

gedur,

Eneas egerly, euyn with Antenor, 12018 Put hym in prise & profferit to say:

be dede of Andromaca duli þai told,
And how Elynus egerly ertid pe lordis

To pursu for þe pes to þe pure grekis;
12052 And how at praier of þat pure pe prise kyng

Achilles,
Was grauntid to be grauyn, & gyuyn to his

toumbe :
Jat worthi pai wilnet of wo to delyuer,
And grauntid po grete with a glad chere. Their request is

granted. 12056 Elynus egerly for Ectors childur

Praiet to po prinses, and hor pure modur : plead for Hector's
And be lordis to po litill þe lyuys han grauntid, request is at once
Namly Pirrus, þat purpost to put hom to deth, granted by all

except Pyrrhus. 12060 Assentid to þat same with a sad graunt.

ben ordant afterward þes honourable kynges,
hat all þe worchipfull wemen of þe wale toune, The noble women

of Troy at liberty hat left were on lyue, haue leue forto wend, to depart or stay. 12064 Lause at hor lykyng, no lede forto harme.

ben purpost þai playnly to pas oute of land,
ffro troy forto turne, & tary no lengur;

The departure of
But be stormys were so stith, & stiryng of delayed by

wyndis,
12068 More þen a moneth myght þai not pas.

ben come pai to Calcas þe cause forto wete,
Of þe wedur so wikkid, & þe wan stormys.

He said hom, forsothe, pe sayntis of hell 12072 Were wode in hor werkis for wreke of Achilles ; still unavenged.

bat no dere for his deth was don zet ynogh,
ffor he with treson in þe temple vntruly was

slayn.

the Greeks

storms,

because the death of Achilles is

Book XXIX.

Antenor regard

without success,

“ 3ow most sle ffor pat same, zour sayntis to Polyxena, who

plese, was the cause of his death, 12076 pat was cause of his cumbranse, & keppit is on must be slain.

lyue." Pyrrhus makes

ben Pirrus with pyne put hym to serche search for Polyxena:

Of Polexena þe pert, in priueté holdyn, (fol. 184 b.)

pat was cause of þe cumbranse of his kynd

fadur;

12080 And nothir takyn þat tyme, ne tyrnyt to deth. Agamemnon

Agaminon full graidly gos to Antenor, inquires at

ffraynyt at hym frikly of þat fre mayden : ing her: but all

He denyet hym onon, pat noqwere he knew 12084 þat commly be keppet, ne in cloese haldyn.

ben wrathid po worthi for wont of be burde, And tenyt full tite for tarying so longe.

Antenor, after his angur, persayuyt 12088 hat þe kynges ffor þat clere had caght hym in

hate, And þoght fully his faulshed folow to an end. He besit hym barly be burde forto seche,

Thurght be cité hym-selfe, and ser men of hest, After many days° 12092 ffele dayes bedene, or he pat dere fonde: search, Antenor discovers her in

Till he aspiet hir with spit, by speryng of othir, an old tower,

Doune in a dungion, don for to kepe,

A tyme for to tarie, of a toure olde.
12096 he losell to pe lady launchid full swithe,

Braid hir out bigly bi pe bryght armys,
Present pat pert to be prise kynges.

Agaminon pat gay gert forto send
Pyrrhus, who
prepares to 12100 To Pirrus þat presound, prestly onone;
slay her on his
father's tomb.

And he cast hym þat coumly to cut into pesis, ffull tite on pe toumbe of his tru fadur.

As this lady was led tell hir last end,
12104 Kingis comyn cantly þat cumly to se.

be pupull had pité, & presit full bik
To se þat louely be lost, þat no lak did.

She is sent to

TO ATONE FOR THE DEATH OF ACHILLES.

395

Book XXIX.

willing to rescue

but Calcas
declares the

not cease till

Achilles.

All þe folke were vnfayn, & of fyn will 12108 To haue reft hir the rynke, for ruth þat þai had. The people are

Hit hade doutles ben done, and hire deth voidid, her:
Had not Calcas pe cursit carpit before,
hat neuer þo lordis to hor londis lyuely shuld (fol. 185 a.)

tempest will wyn,

she be slain. 12112 Till ho duly were ded & dressit in pesis.

When þis burd was broght to þe bare toumb,
Ho askewsit hir of skath, & sklaundur of his

deth;
hat neuer ho wist of þe werke, ne in will þoght She denies

having had 12116 þat þe dughti shuld degh, till hit don was. knowledge of,

, He kyngis and be comyns had care at þaire hertes, the death of To se pat fre be fforfaryn, þat no faut did :

All þai sparit þat speciall to spill at pe tyme, 12120 To periche þat pure pité pai had ;

But ho doutid no deth in [hir] du ryght,
ffor hit laithit hir les pen on lyue be.

Syn ho bore was a burd of a blod nobill, 12124 Comyn of a kyng & a clene maydyn,

an inferior,
Hir was leuer in hir lond out of lyue pas,
ben be defoulit in filth with febill of astate;
Or be led of hire lond with a lede straunge ;

those who have 12128 Set vndur seruage and sorow for euer,

With pe fose of hir fadur, & hir fre kyn,
And hir brethir had britnet, & broght vnto end.
“Me is leuer," quod pat louely, “in my lond

degh,
12132 ben be exild for euermore, erdond in sorow;

In othir prouyns & pertis pouert to suffer;
In þronge and in praldom þrepe with þe werld.

perfore welcum, I-wis, is my wale deth ! 12136 My maydynhed I merk to myghtifull goddis :

Accepte hit as sacrifise, & my saule to!
his holly with hert here I beseke !"
When þe lady had leuyt of hir loud speche,

But she will rather die than be wedded to

or live with

slain all her
friends.

Book XXIX.

Pyrrhus sinites her with a

(fo!, 185 b.) sword; cuts her in pieces, and scatters them over his father's tomb.

Hecuba swoons, and becomes mad.

In her wildnegg she wounds many of the Greeks,

12140 Pirrus with a pale sword presit hir to;

Britnet þe burde brightest on lyue,
At þe tumbe full tit of his triet fadur;

Gyrd hir in gobettis & on his graue cast.
12144 Hire blod all aboute aboue hit was sched,

And strawet in þe strete strenklit full pik.
Honourable Ecuba, þat was hir aune modur,

Segh hir doghtur with dol be delt into peses : 12148 Scho welt into wodnes, & hir wit leuyt,

And ran furthe rauis ruthe to beholde.
Scho bete hom bitturly with hir bare teth,
And with stonys in þe strete strok hom to

ground;
12152 bis lif scho lad lelly þat day,

And myche gremyt þe grekes in hir grete angur.
hai toke hire full tit, and teghit hir hondis,

Send hir sone by soume of hire men,
12156 Into the Ile of Aulida angardly swythe;

And stithly with stonys steynyt hir to dethe.
The grekes for the grete graithet a toumbe,

Of a heght þat was hoge, all of harde marble; 12160 And broght hir to berenes, as hom best poght.

In mynd of þat mighty, to myn hit for euer,
The plase all of penaunce, the pepull hit calles,

The lede in hor langage, þat lengys þerin,
12164 Duly to this day, as demys the boke.

She is bound, and taken to Aulis, where she is stoned to death,

A splendid tomb of marble is erected for her.

The xxx Boke. Of Stryfe of Thelamon and

Flixes, & of be dethe of Thelamon.

Telamon com

Palladium :
and claims it as
a reward for his

All this tyme in þe toun, tellis þe story,
He grekis were togedur for be grete stormys
Of wyndis full wikkid, & waues of pe se :

(fol. 186 a.) 12168 No shalke went to schip on pe schir water. be tor kyng Thelamon, tidé of hondis,

plains to the Before be grete of be grekis,-Agamynon & Greek nobles

against Ulysses othir,

holding the To Vlixes, in angur, angardly speke, 12172 ffor dole to be duk of pe du goddes,

services.
hat was sesit in þe Cité at þe same tyme.
ffor paladian of prise was put to Vlixes,

He wrathit hym, I-wis, & to be wegh saide :12176 "pat gyfte is to grete of þat god nobill;

And my-seluyn for-sothe haue seruyt hit bettur,
And more worthi to weld for my wale dedis.

I haue besit me full boldly, & my blode sched, 12180 Oure folke forto filsyn qwen oure fode lakkid;

And in were with my wepyn wondurfulli don,
Ofte fellit oure foe with my fyn strenkith.
Polimnestor, pe proud kyng, I put vnto deth,

Polyinnester, 12184 þat was of riches full rif & myche red gold. Polydorus, and

be sun of þe sam kyng I slogh with my leaders of the

hondis,
Polidarius pe pert, þat Priam did kepe,

He had slain

many other

enemy :