THE DEATH OF ULYSSES. And a-boue hit ho bare, on the bright end, A Grydell full gay, gret-full of fiche, 13828 pan hit semet, for-sothe, þat þe selfe woman twene, 13832 Is care for to come, with a cold ende." When pai comyn were to court, he the case told 13840 He shuld duly be ded of his derfe sone. ban Vlixes the lege kyng, of his lyf feerd, 453 Book XXXVI. hand, and on the point of it a pan of fish. She declares the emblem and meaning of the vanishes. Ulysses awakes The Diviners declare he will perish by the hand of his son. He causes 13844 Stake hym in a stith house, & stuerne men to be shut up and kepe, Wallit full wele, with water aboute. Thus he keppit hym full cloise, & in care held, 13848 Hit tide, as I told haue in tymes before, bat Vlixes with a lady in a lond dwellit, High[t] Cerces, for-soth, as I said ere. He hade a child with pat choise was a chere sone, 13852 þat Telagonius in his tyme truly was cald; And none wist hit, I-wis, but his wale moder, hat consayuit of the kyng, & a knave bere. When the ffreike had the fulle of xytene yeres, 13856 He fraynit at the fre, who his fader was, In what lond he was lent, & if he lyue hade. closely guarded. Telegonus anxiously inquires of his mother Circe, regarding his father. Book XXXVI. After much delay she informs him Ulysses is his father. Telegonus resolves to go in search of his father. He sets sail. (fol. 212 a.) He arrives at Achaia, proceeds to the palace of Ulysses, and insists on entering. The guards drive him back harshly: he kills one of them, and scatters the others. Sho layuit hit full long, & list not to telle, ffor the sake of hir sone, lest he soght furth. 13860 This mild of his moder so mainly dessiret, bat ho said hym o sycher, all in soche wordes, bat Vlixes the lord was his leue fader; And enfourmet hym fully of þe fre rewme, 13864 pat the worthy in-wonet, as a wale kyng. Thelagonius of the tale truly was fayne, And depely dessyret the duke for to knowe. He purpost hym plainly to pas ouer sea, 13868 The souerain to seche, and he so myght. The mon at his moder mekely toke leue, fferkit to the flode in a felle hast. The lady hir leue son lyuely can pray, The buerne vnto bote busket onone, Past to the palais of the pure kyng, There were kepars full cant at the close yatis, 13880 þat no buerne was so bold pe brigge for to entre. pai denyet hym onone o no kyn wise; ffor thei kepe wold the comaundement of pere kynd lord. ffast prayet the prinse, all with pure wordis, 13884 Of ffrenship, & fauour, and in faire wise. ffull stuernly with strenght pai stourket hym þan, Bere hym bak on pe brigge, bet hym with-all. Telagonius, full tyte, tenet perwith. 13888 When he suffert the sore in his sad yre, He nolpit on with his Neue in the necke hole, hat the bon alto brast, & the buerne deghit. With the remnond full rade he rixlit unfaire, THE DEATH OF ULYSSES. 455 Book XXXVI. 13892 With gronyng & grym gert hym to stynt, Cast hom ouer clanly at the cloise brigge. The noise was noyus the noble court þurgh, Bold men to be brigge bremly pai yode, 13896 Telagonius to take and tirne vnto dethe. han he braid to the buerne on pe brig sone, Ouerraght hym full roidly, reft hym his swerd, fights till 15 are ffaght with tho fuerse men felly agayne, 13900 Tyll fyftene were fay of his fell dynttes, And he woundit full wickedly in were of his lyf. han the ruerde wax ranke of pat rught fare, The noise brings armed men from within. He wrests a sword from one; killed, and he is severely wounded. Ulysses thinks' 13904 Hopet his sone was (out) slippit, þat set was in made his escape: hold, And put downe his pepull as he past furth. To the noise oponone neghit pe kyng, Vne wode of his wit for the wale crye, 13908 With a dart vndull þat the duke bare, Segh his men to be mart with a mad childe, 13912 He drof at hym with pe dart, derit hym but litle. Telagonius full tite toke hit in hond, Cast euyn at the kyng with a cant will, Rent þurgh his ribbes at the right syde, 13916 Woundit hym wickedly to the wale dethe, hat he dusshet euen doun of his dede hurt. All ffeblit pe freike, fainted of strenght, Wex pale of his payne, in point for to end; 13920 And weike of his wordes, woinerond in speche, He spird at hom specially, as he speike might, What wegh þat hit was, woundit hym hade With a dart to the dethe, & deiret full mony: 13924 So hit meuit to his mynd in his mekill noye. Telagonius full tite at a tulke asket, (MS, has "at") ssizes a dart, (fol. 212 b.) and rushes at Telegonus. Ulysses receives a deadly wound. In great agony, (In MS. 1. 13923 follows 1. 13927.) Book XXXVI. Telegonus is his father Ulysses. He falls to the earth in a swoon. He recovers; tears his clothes and his hair; falls down at his father's feet, and declares himself. (fol. 213 a.) Ulysses tries to comfort him: sends for Tele machus, who, on seeing his father, desires to slay Telegonus. Ulysses forbids him: and exhorts them to be reconciled. Who the freike was in faith, pat fraynit his nome. He brait out with a birr of a bale chere, shuld! 13932 I haue faryn out of fere laund my fader to seche, Me to solas in sound, as a sone owe; And now I done haue to deth, in my derf hate, hat my solas & socour sothely shuld be!" 13936 With fainttyng & feblenes he fell to pe ground All dowly, for dole, in a dede swone. Whan he wackont of wo, he wan vpo fote, All-to rechit his robis & his ronke here; 13940 ffowle frusshet his face with his felle nailes. And told hym full tyte, pat Telagon he was, 13948 When Vlixes pe lord lyuely persayuit, 13952 pen for Telamoc, pe tothir son, tomly he sent, 13956 3et Vlixes on lyue, as pe led myght, With gronyng and greue gert hym to stynt; Bad pe lede schuld hym leue, as his lofe brothir, TELEGONUS RETURNS HOME. And cheris hym choisly for chaunse vpon vrthe. 13960 Thre dais, in his dole, pe dughti con lyue, 457 Book XXXVI. Within three days he is dead. And then lefte he pe lif, & pe lond bothe. In the cuntre of acaya, per he kyng was, Ys he birit in a burgh, & a bright toumbe, 13964 And Telamoce his tor son takyn for kyng, ffull sesit of pe soile, with septur in hond; And Telagon, his tru brothir, tri[e]dly honourit, at his court. With myche worchip & wele, in his wale court, 13968 Til a 3er was full yore, yarkit to end, And a halfe, er þat end happit to fare, He made hym knyght in his court, & couet to All his lyf in his lond, with lordchip to haue. 13972 pen letteris had pe lede fro his lefe modur, fforto high hym in hast, & his home laite: So lefte he be lond of his lele brothir, 13976 Miche worchip had þe whe of his wale frendis, At þe partyng was pité of po pure knyghtis, 13980 And so pe bold fro his brothir into bote 3ode: To his modir full myld þat hym mykill louyt. 13984 Myche solast hir the sight of hir sone pan, To se the lede vppon lyue, þat ho louet most: stremes, Euyn drownet in the depe, hir dole was the more, 13988 Or ellis fallyn in fight with po felle buernes, At the slaght of his Syre in the syde londes.* Telemachus is made king; and Telegonus is greatly honoured His mother, to return home. Having received many rich presents, he parts from Telemachus and returns to Eea. (fol. 213 b.) A few lines awanting. |