PYRRHUS AND THE SONS OF ACASTUS.

"Thus I skope fro the skathe with skyrme of
my hondes,

And with wawes of the water wagget to bonke :
Halfe lyues on londe light I myn one.
13544 The salt water sadly sanke in my wombe,

þat I voidet with vomettes by vertu of goddes,
And wayuerand, weike, wan to the lond,
Thurgh the slicche and the slyme in pis slogh
feble,

At doris vpon dayes, þat dayres me full sore: Till I come to my kyth, can I non othir. 13552 Iff ye haue ferkit any fode to pis frith now, Bes gracius, for goddes loue, ges me part !"

13548 There tynt haue I truly myche tried goode. And now me bus, as a beggar, my bred for to must now beg

that he had lost everything, and

his way home.

thigge

"ffolow vs pan furth," po fre to hym saide,
"Thou shalt haue meite for a mele to mirth the
with-all."

13556 pan se pai besyde, in the same tyme,

A grete herte in a grove, goond hym one.
Menalpes full mightely meuit hym after,

He beseeches them for food: som they bid him follow them.

443

Book XXXV.

Left Pirrus in playne with his prise brother. 13560 There the freike on his fowle folowet the hert,

Melanippus
pursues it,

leaving his
brother to
accompany

Thurgh the londes on lenght with a light wille. Pyrrhus.
His broder, þat abode with the bold Pirrus,
ffell vnto fote, & his fole esyt,

13564 And hym-selfe on the soile set hym onone.

han Pirrus full prestly puld out his swerd,
And the lede on the launde out of lyue broght.
Than tite come the tothir, and no trayn thoght:
13568 Pirrus gird hym to ground & to grym deth.

Thus britnet pat bold the brethir, his Emes,
And went on full wightly, & his way held.
pan he met with a mon of the mayn kynges,

A hart appears before them:

Pyrrhus slays him.

(fol. 207 b.)

Melanippus returning is also Blain.

Book XXXV.

arrays himself in
rich clothes, and
returns to seek
the king.
They meet.

Pyrrhus tries to slay Acastus:

Pyrrhus hastens 13576 Pirrus full prestly pen past to his shippe,

to his ship,

Araiet hym full riolly all in ryche clothis,
And come, in his course, pe kyng forto mete.
ben he fraynet at þe freke in his fresshe wede,
13580 Wat whe þat he was, wete hym to say.

Pirrus to the prise kyng pertly onswart ;—
"I am a pure son of Priam, þe prinse out of
troy,

Thetis prevents him, and intercedes for his life.

13572 And fraynet at hym fuersly where the freike

was.

"Here at hond is pat hery," the hend to hym saide:

pen he gird to pe gome with a grym swerde, And slogh hym downe sleghly by sleght of his hond.

Prisoner to Pirrus, pat pertly me toke." 13584 Aschatus fraynet pe freke on his faith pen, "Were is Pirrus, pat proude, pat prowes has

done?"

"He is wery of pe whaghis," þe whe to hym sayde,

"And here romys on pe rocis to rest hym a qwyle,"

13588 þen þai drogh to pe dike, per pe duk lay,
And comyn by course to pe caue euyn.
Pirrus swappit out his sword, swange at þe

kyng,

Wold haue britnet pe bu[e]rne in hys breme yre.
13592 pen come Tetid full tit, toke hym in armys,
His graundam full graidly grippit hym onone,
Modur to pe mon, myghti Achilles,
Wyf, as I wene, to worthé Pelleus,

13596 And doghter to pe duke, þat he dere wold.
pes wordis scho warpit þat worthy vnto:—
"Dere cosyn and derfe, withdraw now pi hond,
how has britnet my brether in pis brode wod,

ACASTUS SAVED BY PELEUS.

13600 þat were pin emys full nobill, nayt men of will; And now Aschatus with skath wold skirme to be deth,

hat is my fader so fre, and pi first graunser." þen Pirrus full pertly to pat prise saide:13604 "Has not pi fader full foule flemyt myn ayell, Pelleus, of his promys, þin awne prise husbond. desires him to Let cal vs þe kyng fro þe caue sone,

(fol. 208 a.) Pyrrhus pro mises to spare his life if Peleus

do so.

If he will spare hym to spill, I spede me perto." 13608 Pelleus come prestly, praid for þe kyng:"Hit suffis," he saide, "pe slagh of his childur, be bold, þat were britnet on pe bent syde." pen acord was þer knyt po kyngis betwene, 13612 ffull frenchip and fyn festnyt with hond.

þer þai setyn on pe soile, po souerans togedur, The two kyngis full kant, and þe clene qwene, And Pirrus, þe pert knyght, prudly besyde. 13616 Aschatus pen skepe furth with his skire wordis, hat was kyng of pe cost by conquest til þen :"I am febyll and vnfere fallyn into elde, Any rem forto rewle, or to ryde furth:

13620 My sons now are slayn, & slungyn to ground,
hat I had purpost pis prouyns playnly to haue.
Now lengis per no lede, pat by lyne aw,
be soile and pe septur sothly to weld,

13624 But Pirrus, of prowes pertist in armys.
Dernyst & derne, myn awne dere cosyn,
I releshe þe my ryght with a rank will,
And graunt þe pe gouernanse of pis grete yle."
13628 Pelleus hit plesit, & playnly he saide:-

445

be terrage of tessayle and pe tryed corone." 13632 pen ros pai full radly, raght vnto horse,

Wanen vp wightly, wentyn to towne.

Book XXXV.

Peleus pleads for Acastus.

Peace is concluded, and they become friends.

Acastus, now
that his sons are
slain, yields his

realm to
Pyrrhus.

Peleus also

resigns the
government of

"And my ryght I renonse to pat rynk sone,
ffor it was playnly my purpos pat Pirrus schuld Thessaly to

Pyrrhus.

haue,

Book XXXV.

(fol. 208 b.)

Acastus commands his subjects to

acknowledge Pyrrhus as their

king.

(MS. has "after pai were.")

Pyrrhus is crowned king of Thessaly, and

becomes the greatest king in Greece.

his sons, Merion and Laertes.

(fol. 209 a.)

Pirrus full prestly a prati mon sende,

Bade his nauy come nere, negh into hauyn.

OFF THE CORONYNG OF PYRRUS AND OF HIS DETHE.

13636 The souerayn hym-selfe, when he segh tyme, Aschatus, to all men afterward send

Thurgh the cité fro hym-selfe, & the syde lond,
bat yche lede to be lord lyuely shuld come,
13640 With honour & homage, (as pe right ayre,)
Proffer vnto Pirrus, as paire prise lorde.
ffayne were po freikes and the folke all,
And swiftly pai swere, swagit þere herttes,
13644 To be lell to pe lord all his lyf tyme.
The secund day suyng, as said is of olde,
He was coroned to kyng in þat kithe riche,
By assent of the seniours & the sure knightes,
13648 In pat souerain cité, with septur in hond.

pan be fauer & frenship, pat fell to hym after,
He enhaunset his hede heghly aboue
All the londis and the lordship, pat longed to
Gryse;

13652 And his cuntre keppit in couert & pes
To the last of his lyf, as a lord shuld.

Idomeneus, king 13656 When Idumius was ded, doghty of hond,

of Crete, dies, and

is succeeded by

þat I told of tomly in tymis before,

Two sones of hym-selfe suet hym after,

In his realme for to reigne, as his right ayres: 13660 Merion, a myld & mighty, was one,

And Laertus by lyne was his leue brother.
This Merion hade maistri but a meane qwile,
The lond to Laerte he leuyt as kyng,

Here I turne from my tale, & tary a qwile,

Till hit come me be course to carpe of hym ferre.

13664 And after course of our kynd closit his dayes. Telamecus, the tall son of tryet Vlixes,

THE ABDUCTION OF HERMIONE.

þat Nausica had, þat noble nam vnto wife, Doghter of the du kyng, doghty Antenor, 13668 He gate on þat gay vne a gode sone,

bat Dephebus duly was demyt to nome. Now I pas will to Pirrus by proses agayne, Of his dedis to deme, & his dethe after. 13672 Ascatus pe skete, for skath of his sones, Miche water he weppit of his wan chekis, Gert bryng hom to burgh, birit hom faire In a precius plase, so Pirrus comaundit.

THE POETE: OF FORTUNE.

13676 Wen a mon is at myght, & most of astate,
Clommbyn all pe Clif to pe clene top,
Has riches full ryfe, relikis ynow,

All þe world at his will, weghis to serue, 13680 pen fortune his fall felli aspies,

Vnqwemys his qwate, & pe qwele turnys;
Lurkis in lightly with lustis in hert,
Gers hym swolow a swete, pat swellis hym after.

13684 So Pirrus was prise, pruddest of kyngis,

Had welth at his will, be worthiest of grice.
A longyng vnleffull light in his hert,

Gert hym hast in a hete, harmyt hym after. 13688 Ermonia, pe myld, þat myghté dissiret, Elanes aune doghter, abill of chere,

447

Book XXXV.

Telemachus and Nausicaa and their son Ptoliporthus.

Pyrrhus becomes enamoured of Hermione, wife of Orestes.

bat Orestes pe rynke richeli had weddit,
By mariage of Menelay, as I mynt haue.

13692 So he sped hym by spies, & spense of his gode, He causes her to

elope with him to Thessaly, and there weds her.

pat pe lady fro hir lord lyuely he stale, Toke hir to tessail fro hir tru maister, Orestes pe riche, that regnyt hir with. 13696 Pirrus with that proude presit to pe temple,

Weddit þat worthi, & as wif held.

pen Orestes full ryfe had myche rank sorow,