1468

PRIAM'S FAMILY.

OFF KING PRYAM & HIS CHILDREN.

Book IV.

When his father
Laomedon was

This Lamydon, þat was lord, hade a lefe son,
A pert man þat was prinse, & priam he hight; slain, Priam was
A man witty & wise, wight, wildist in Armes.
1464 Hit felle hym [by] fortune at his fader dethe,

away in a far land waging war with rebels.

He was faryn to fight in a fer londe,

To riche hym of Rebelles pat of pe rewine held;
To cache a castell þat was kene holdyn,

And to wyn it with werre, went pere a while
With his houshold hole, & here þat he walt.
He hade a woman to wyue worthy & noble,
Onest & abill & Ecuba she hight:

1472 By pat same hade he sonnes, semly men all,
ffyue pat were faire & fuerse men of armes,
And pree doghter by-dene pat were dere holden.
Of his sonnes to say or I sew ferre,

1476 Ector was oldist & heire to hym seluyn;

1480

By his wife Hecuba he had five sons and three daughters.

And most is in mynd for his mykyll strenght.
The secund of his sonnes sothely was parys,
Or Alisaunder ewther was his other name;
He was fairest of pe freikes & a fyne archer,
A bowman of þe best & a buerne wise.

Deiphobus,

soothsayer,

The prid was a pro knight, privand in Armys,
Deffebus pe doughty on a derfe stede.
1484 The fourth was a philosoffer, a fyne man of lore, Helenus, a
In þe Syense full sad of þe seuyn Artes.
The fyfte of the fre, þat I first nemyt,
Was Troylus the true, tristy in wer,
1488 That mykell worship wan, witnes ye of story.

Of his Deghter by dene, pat were dere holdyn,
One Creusa was cald kyndly by nome,
bat Eneas afterward Elit to wed,

1492 þat spokyn is of specially in our spede after,

And Virgill of his werkes writis also,
After takyng of þe toune how hym tid pen.
The secund of pe suster for to say feire,

49

His sons were,

Hector

Paris, or Alexander, a famous archer.

(fol. 25 b.)

and Troilus.

The daughters were, Creusa, wife of Eneas,

Book IV. 1496 Cassandra was cald, clennest of wytte,
þat Enformet was faire of pe fre artis,
And hade knowyng by course of pe clere sternys.
The last of pos lefe children was a lysse faire,

and Polyxena, the 1500 Polexena the pert, prise of all other;
Of hir ffeturs & fairhed is ferly to telle,

beautiful.

Cassandra, a
prophetess,

PRIAM'S FAMILY.

Besides these,
Priam had thirty
sous and other
daughters, by
concubines.

Alse noble for pe nonyst as nature cold deuyse
Bothe of color & clennes, to declare all.

1504 This prise kyng Priam hade of pert childer,
Thretty sonnes besydes, als other wemen,

þat he gate in his gamen, goode men of Armys, And felle men in fight, as we shall fynd after. 1508 Now I turne to my tale & tary here a while.

Here beginnys the Fyfte Boke: Of the Foundyng of New Troye and of the Awerell of Kyng Priam for his flader dethe.

Now as pis kyng vmbe the Castell lay closit abute,
With his folke all in fere & his fyn childur,

(fol. 26 a.) As Priam lay

He was enformyt of pe fare & of his fader dethe; 1512 How his towne was takon and tirnyt to grounde; before the castle

he was informed about the destruction of Troy, and at once returned home.

His Suster sesyd and soght into syde londis; His knightes downe kylde vnto cold vrthe. Soche sikyng and sorow sanke in his hert, 1516 With pyté and complaint pyne for to here,

He toke vp his tentes & the towne leuyt, Teght hom vnto Troy with tene pat he hade, Segh the buyldynges brent & beton to ground. 1520 Soche wo for þat werke pan þe wegh thowlit, hat all his wongys were wete for weping of teres, Thre dayes proly, with thriccing of hondys, And drowpet of dole as he degh wold.

1524 pen he sesit of sychen & his sorow voidet, Mendit his mode & his mynd stablit,

Toke councell in the case & his care leuyt.

The styfe towne to Restore & so strong make,

1528 ffor daunger and drede of enny derfe enmys,
Gate masons full mony, pat mykull fete couthe;
Wise wrightis to wale werkys to caste;
Qwariours qweme, qwaint men of wit;
1532 Mynors of marbull ston & mony oþer thinges.

The ruins of the city overwhelmed him with sorrow.

But after three days he resolves to build a greater and stronger city.

Book V.

The new city,

built in the name
of Neptune,

was three days
journey in
circumference.

(fol. 26 h.)

The walls were
20 cubits high,

In the walls there
were six gates,

built of marble of 1548 pat of marbill was most fro pe myddes vp,

different colours
from the middle
upward.

Of diuers colours to ken craftely wroght.

called Dardan,
Tricerda, Thetas,
Trojana,

Anchinordes, and

Sone he raght vpon rowme, rid vp þe dykis,
Serchit vp the soile pere pe Citie was,
And byld vp a bygge towne of pe bare vrthe,
1536 In the nome of Neptune þat was a noble god.

Hylias, sur

rounded by

towers.

THE DISCRIPCION OF TROYE.

This Cite was sothely, to serche it aboute,

pre iorneys full iointly to ioyne hom by dayes:
Was neuer sython vnder son Cite so large,

1540 Ne neuer before, as we fynd, fourmyt in vrthe,
Nonso luffly on to loke in any lond oute.
The walles vp wroght, wonder to se,

With grippes full grete was pe ground takon
1544 Bothe Syker & Sad, pat selly were pik
ffro the vrthe vpward vne of a mesure.

Of the walle for to wete to pe wale top,

xx Cubettes be coursse accounttid full euyn,

hat were shene for to shew & of shap noble,
Mony toures vp tild þe toune to defende,

1552 Wroght vp with the walle as þe werke rose,
One negh to Anoper nobly deuyset.

Large on to loke, louely of shap,

In the Sercle of the Cite were sex faire 3ates,
1556 ffor entre & yssue & ease of pe pepull.

The furst and the fairest fourmet was Dardan,
Tricerda, Thetas, Troiana, po foure;
Anchinordes, Hylias, heght pe two other,
1560 With grete toures vmb-tilde & torettis aboute,
Well wroght for the werre, wacches O lofte.
Ymagry ouer all amyt þere was,

Of beste and babery breme to be holde,

1564 Bost out of þe best pe byg toures vibe.
The wallis in werre wikked to assaile

With depe dikes and derke doubull of water.

DESCRIPTION OF TROY.

Within the Citie, for sothe, semly to ken, 1568 Grete palis of prise, plenty of houses,

Wele bild all aboute on the best wise.
The werst walle for to wale, pere any wegh

dwelt,

Was faurty cubettes by coursse, to count fro the
vrthe,

1572 And all of marbill was made with meruellus

bestes,

Of lions & Libardes & other laithe wormes.
The Stretis were streght & of a stronge brede,
ffor ymur & aire opon in pe myddis;

1576 By the sydes for sothe of sotell deuyse,

1596

Werkmen into won, and paire wares shewe,
Bothe to selle and to se as paim selfe lyked,

Of all pe craftes to ken as pere course askit :— 1584 Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble ;

Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn;

Taliours, Telers, Turners of vesselles ;
Wrightes, websters, walkers of clothe;

1588 Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre;

Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn;

Marchandes, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche;
Parnters, painters, pynners also ;
1592 Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge;

fferrers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte;
Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer;
Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe;
Cokes, condlers, coriours of ledur;
Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn;
With barburs bigget in bourders of the stretes ;

53

Was archet full Abilly for aylyng of shoures,
Pight vp with pilers all of playne marbill,
Weghis into walke for wetyng of rayn.

1580 There were stallis by pe strete stondyng for There were stalls

too for workmen

of every kind.

peopull,

Book V.

Within the city
were a rich
palace and many
houses; the walls
were of marble
and richly
ornamented.

(fol. 27 a.)

The streets were straight, broad, and open, and had covered side walks.