438 (fol. 205 a.) Pyrrhus, son of Diadamia, daughter of Lycomedes, son of Acastus. Acastus hates but for what reason, the story tells not. Having driven Peleus from Thessaly, he lays wait for Pyrrhus on his return from Troy. The rrrv Boke: Of Pyrrus and of his passyng from Troy, 13388 Now, of Pirrus by proses I purpos to telle, When he turnyt fro Troy how hym tyd after. To Achilles the choise he was a chere sun, And Dyamada doutles his own du moder. 13392 She was a doghter full dere of the derf kynge, Lycomede, a lord þat he louyt wele. Two worthy had the wegh to his wale graunsers, Bothe, kynges in hor kythe with corone anoyntted. 13396 This Lycomede by lyne was a leue ayre To Ascatus the skir, þat skathill was in elde: 13400 He hade hate in his hert to be hed kyn Of Thessaile truly, as the treté sais; After the takyng of Troy and the tried godes, THE MISFORTUNES OF PYRRHUS. He was stithly be-stad with stormes on pe sca, 13412 And for wothe of the worse warpet ouer-burde Mikill riches & relikes reft fro the toune. 439 Book XXXV. Pyrrhus, driven by foul weather casts overboard the most of his With long labur, at the last he light in a hauyn, spoils from Troy, and with difficulty reaches the bat Melaus the men of the marche callyn, 13416 With his shippes alto-shent, sheuerit the harbour of helmys, And the takill to-torne, tynt of hor godes. There hym happit to here of his harme first, right, Pelleus, with pité þat persit his hert; 13424 And how he purpost hym plainly Pirrus to sle By his speciall espies, if he spede might. Pirrus heivet in hert for his hegh chaunse, Molosse. While refitting his fleet he is informed how Acastus exiled his grandfather Peleus, (fol. 205 b.) and had spies lying in wait to slay him (Pyrrhus). And myche dut hym for deth of his derf He determines to graunser. 13428 Pirrus hym purpost to pas in the night, þat no wegh shuld be war, ne his werk know. depart secretly. When Pelleus of his prouyns put. was by Peleus conceals strenght, And skapit fro Askathes, þat hym skathe did, 13432 ffor-ferd of the freike and his felle sones, himself in a wilderness. He went till a wildernes, & wond þere full longe. ayre, 13436 þat was graunser in degre to the gode Pirrus. And suster, for-sothe, of þe same Lycomede, Hight Tetide, as I told haue tomly before, þat Pelleus in his pride purchest to wyue, 13440 And was moder to the mon, mighty Achilles. There were sones vpposyde, semly men two, Thetis, sister of Book XXXV. Philomenes and Melanippus, sons of Acastus, purpose to slay Pyrrhus on his return from Troy. (MS. has (fol. 206 a.) Peleus conceals himself in an old ruin and anxiously waits for the coming of Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus returning from To Askathes full skete, skethill of hor hond : The ton freike of the fre, Philmen was cald ; 13444 The tothir mon of po mighty, Menalipes heght. Thies keppit hom in company with knightes full mony, Till þaire cosyn wold come fro contre of troy; 13452 Betwene the biggyng on þe (burne) & pe burgh Was a wildernes wide, & wild bestes in, Thedur kynges wold come, by custom of olde, ffor to hunt at the hert by the holt sydes: 13456 Hit was of long tyme beleft, & no lede there, Ouergrowen with greues, & to ground fallyn. There was Kaues, by course, of pe kid walles, And mony holes in the howses with hurdes aboue, 13460 Ouergrowen with greues and with gray thornes, 13464 In pis logge, with his lady, lurkit Pelleus, Oft went þat wegh to the water syde, When Pirrus with his pray, & his prise Hade mightely at Melapsa mendit his geire, Troy determines 13472 He turnyt vnto Thessaile, his tene for to venge, IS DISCOVERED BY PYRRHUS. Of the skaith & the skorne Ascatus hym did. On his modur halfe, pe myld, pat I mynt first, 13476 Wisly to wirke he his wit preuyt. Two spies full spedely he sped hym to gete, Thos he sent to Assandra, a sure mon of olde, 13480 A trew mon of Thessaile, þat he trist mekyll, A ffreike pat his fader faithfully louet, And mekyll was of might in the mayn towne. There pai wist all the werke & the wild craft, 13484 How the purpos was put Pirrus to sle. pan pai lurked to pe lord lyuely agayne, Made hym wise of the werke, þat þai wiste hade. þat myche laburt the lede er he lond caght. 13492 To hit into havyn with his hoole flete, ffro the towne of Thessaile, to telle hit full evyn, Eght furlong, I fynd, & fully no more. The hauyn, þat he hit to, was hard by the cave, 13496 There Pelleus in pouert priuely lay. Pirrus, wery of the water & the wild ythes, Launchet vp to pe laund to laike hym a qwile. Romyng on the Roces in the rough bankes, 13500 fforto sport hym a space, er he sped ferre, Hit happit hym in hast the hoole for to fynd, Of the cave & the clocher, pere the kyng lay. ban he glode purgh the greues & the gray pornes, 13504 To the hed of the hole on the hext gre, Sore longet the lede lagher to wende, When he come to the cave pen the kyng rose, 441 Book XXXV. to punish means of spies he (MS. has "of a might.") He makes for Thessaly, and lands near the ruin in which Peleus then lay. (fol. 206 b.) Roaming about the shore he discovers the entrance to the cave. Curiosity leads him within; and he comes upon Peleus, who recognizes him Book XXXV. by his likeness to Achilles. (MS. has Pyrrhus is moved by the story of 13508 Wele his cosyn he knew, & kaght hym in armys. By the chere of Achilles he chese hym onone: So lyke was the lede to his lefe fader. ffuersly the freike fongit him in hond. 13512 (With) myche wepyng & waile, wo for to here, And the skathe of Aschates, pat he skapt fro. the wrongs done 13516 And so þai past fro the pitte to pe pure bonke. to him. Having learned that the sons of Acastus were preparing to hunt in the forest, Pyrrhus disguises himself as a beggar, and goes to meet them. He comes upon them in the (fol. 207 a.) forest; and, P Pirrus full priuely persayuit onon, By a spie, pat especially sped for to wete, 13520 fforto hunt in the holtes, & hent of pe dere :— The sones of the same, pat hym sle wold. to their inquiries, 13532 Thai fraynet at hym freckly who the freike replies that he is a Greek returning from Troy: that he had been shipwrecked, and was the only one of his company that reached land: was: Whedur he welke in the wode, wete hom to say. company 13536 Wold kaire to his cuntre & his kythe hom; And pere ship was to-shent in the shyre wawes, ffast by at the banke of the bare Ile, And all drownet in the depe, saue duly hym selfe, 13540 ffyue hundreth in flete with the flode lost. |