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438

(fol. 205 a.)

Pyrrhus, son of
Achilles by

Diadamia,

daughter of

Lycomedes, son of Acastus.

Acastus hates
Pyrrhus,

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:
He was of winturs, I-wis, waxen full mony,
Ournond in Elde, eger of wille.

13400 He hade hate in his hert to be hed kyn
Of Pirrus progeny, and prestly to hym.
What causet the kyng to his cleane yre,
Tellis not the trety, ne trespas of olde.
13404 This Ascatus with skathe skerrit of his rewme
Pelleus, with pouer, þat the prouyns held

Of Thessaile truly, as the treté sais;
And a-waited with wyles pe wegh at his come,
13408 Pirrus with pouer to put vnto dethe.

After the takyng of Troy and the tried godes,
Pirrus passed furth to pe pale ythes.

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 lengit he a litill his ledis to refresshe,
His cogges & his cables of crakkyng to ricche,
13420 And his tacle to a-tyre, pat he tynt had.

There hym happit to here of his harme first,
How his graunser with greme was gird fro his

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.
This Askathes, the skathill, had sket sones thre: Acastus
The first was Lycomede the lord, and his leue

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
Lycomedes,
wife of Peleus,
and mother of
Achilles.

Book XXXV.

Philomenes and

Melanippus, sons

of Acastus,

purpose to slay Pyrrhus on his

return from Troy.

(MS. has
"buerne.")

(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;
And put hom þan prestly Pirrus to sle.
13448 ffro the cite, the same tyme, sothely to tell,
Of the toune of thessaill, as the tale shewes,
Was a buyldyng on a banke, busshes with-in,
By a syde of the sea, set in a holt.

13452 Betwene the biggyng on þe (burne) & pe burgh
riche,

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,
Euyn thestur and thicke, thricchet of wode,
With an entre full n[o]yous, narow olofte,
Goand downe by a grese thurgh the gray
thornes.

13464 In pis logge, with his lady, lurkit Pelleus,
Euer in doute of his dethe durst not appere.

Oft went þat wegh to the water syde,
The Sea for to serche, if he se might
13468 Pirrus with his pepull & his prise shippes,
Come by the coste to the kyd rewme.

When Pirrus with his pray, & his prise
knightes,

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.
His beayell aboue on pe burne syde,

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,
Triet men & tru, tristy with-all :

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.
pan Pirrus full prestly presit into shippe,
13488 To turne vnto Thessaile, truly he thoght;
But a tempest hym toke o the torrit ythes,

þat myche laburt the lede er he lond caght.
þan hym happit in haste, thurgh helpe of his
goddes,

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,
Sum selkowth to se the sercle with-in.

When he come to the cave pen the kyng rose,

441

Book XXXV.

to punish
Acastus; and by

means of spies he
discovers the
plots of his
enemies.

(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
"whiche.")

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,
han he told hym full tite pe tene pat he polet,

And the skathe of Aschates, pat he skapt fro.
Pirrus heivet in hert for his hede graunser,

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,
þat hys Emes full egurly etlit to wode,

13520 fforto hunt in the holtes, & hent of pe dere :—
Menalphes the mon, & his mayn brother,
Policenes, full prest, prati men bothe,-
To Askathes the skathell pai were sket sons.
13524 pan Pirrus full prestly put of his clothes;
Toke a Roket full rent, & Ragget aboue,
Cast ouer his corse, couert hym þerwith ;
Gird hym full graidly with a grym swerd :
13528 With-outen whe to pe wod went all hym one.
As he glode thurgh the gille by a gate syde,
There met he tho men, þat I mynt first,

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.
Pirrus said hom full sone hym-selfe was of grece,
With his
carefull comyn out of troy,

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.

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