2220 The more the greuaunce is grete & to gref turnys. If we desyre no redresse of dedis before,

We may boldly vs byld with bostis out of Reason. Now, dere fader, in faithe of all my fre brether, 2224 Non is holdyn so highly the harme for to venge, Of my graunsers grefe so gretly as I:

2228

ffor I am Eldest and heire after hym belyue,
And the first of vs fyue, as falles by chaunce.
So first will I found his fos for to greue,
And couet it by course, as comys in my hert,
With my body to by, and my byg strokes.

On right hond shall hom reue pe rest of pe
saule,

2232 That my graunser with greme gird vnto dethe,
And sloghe all our Sitesyns, & our sad pepull

Brittoned to bale dethe, and þere blode shed.
But faithful fader, & our fre kyng!

2236 I aske of you O thing,-but angurs you noght,

Lettis mene to your mynde at þis mene tyme,
And consider to oure cause with a clene wit;
Let oure gate be so gouernet, pat no grem folow,

2240 Ne no torfer betyde, ne no tene after.
Ouer lokes all lures to the last ende,

What wull falle of pe first furthe to pe middis;
Sue forthe to pe secund, serche it with in,
2244 And loke to pe last end, what lure may happyn.
Hit is no counsell to encline, ne to calle wise,

Ne not holsom, I hope, pat hedis to be first,
And for-sees not the fer end, what may falle

after.

2248 What proffet any prowes with a prowde entre, To begyn any goode, on a ground febill,

And fortune it faile, and haue a fowle ende? Hit is wit for to wayue soche a wilde counsell, 2252 And put of a purpos, þat enpaire might,

Or þat wayueris in wer what shall worthe of;

A WARNING.

Licker at þe last end in langore to bide,
And turne vnto torfer, pen any triet ioye.

A PROUERBE.

2256 A blisfull begynnyng may boldly be said,
bat ffolow to pe fer end and hath a faire yssue.
ffull witty to wale & worshipfull Kyng!

I Say not this, sothely, to ses of your wille,
2260 Ne put you fro purpos, ne plainly for fere ;
But to wisshe you with wit, þat worship might

folow,

And eschew soche a chaunse pat cheuys to

noght.

Ye wetyn pis full wele, worshipfull fader!
2264 þat all Auffrike & Europe are vnder pere power,-
Sittyn to hom subiecte, & mony syde londes,
þat fild are all full of fuerse men of Armys ;—
Of Knightes full kene, & cant men of wille,
2268 And of comyns to count out of course mony,

ffull wise men of wer, and war of hor dedys.
There are not in Asia, to Ame all the pepull,
So fele fightyng folke be a fuerse nowmber,

2272 As the Grekes may gedur & get when hom likes.
Hit semes more sertain, sothely, to me,

Yff we wackon vp werre with weghes so fele,
That are bigger in batell, boldest in Armys,

Book VI.

75

as more likely to turn to sorrow

than to joy.

'That only is a good beginning which hath a fair issue.'

You know full well O father! that all Africa and Europe, and many other lands, are under the power of the Greeks;

(fol. 37 b.)

therefore if we

waken up war

with them, we

may come to

joy.

2276 Hit may negh vs with noy, but neuer to our ioye. grief, but never to
Lakys to our lyving, and likyng we haue
Of pes & of prowes our prouyns aboute;
Of Riches full ryfe, of rest at our wille;

2280 ffull stithe of astate, & stondyng at ese.

Why couet we combraunse, or cachyng of harme, why covet we
In enpayryng of our persons & pyllyng our catching of harm?

goodes,

And to put vs fro pes payne for to thowle?

2284 Sothely your suster sittes vs not so harde,

cumbrance or

Book VI.

Indeed it seems unjust to put us all in peril for

one,

who was long ago taken captive.

I carp not thus through

cowardice or fear.

'To chaunge for hir choisly the cheuyst of vs here;

Or all so myght Aunter to atter for euer.

To seke pis, in certayn, hit

2288 And put vs all in perell for

semys not euyn;

pyne for hir one,

pat long sythen was laght & out of lond broght, And mey be drepit with dethe in yeres a few; And all the 30meryng for yeten in yeres A lyte. 2292 Now hoope ye not, hynde fader, ne in hert thinke, That I carpe thus for cowardys, & be course ferde, Or for the sake of my selfe in sauyng alone; But I doute it for destany, and drede at pe ende,

I dread the loss of 2296 ffor lure and for losse of the londe hole; the whole land,

and of yourself.

While we may, let us put off a purpose that can lead only to harm."

(fol. 38 a.)

Now, most faithful father!

suffer me to

speak.

Who shall be

afraid, since we are prosperous, have abundance of everything?

Bothe of soile & of Septor, soueraynly of you;—
That we falle into forfet with our fre wille,
And chese vs a chaunse pat cheuys to noght.
2300 While we may stithly absteyne, & stond at our ese,
Hit is leifull to leue syche lykynges in hele;

And put of a purpos of a proude sute,

bat harmes at pe hynder ende & heuy to beire." 2304 When Ector hade answaret & endet his tale, He enclynet the Kyng & closit his mowthe.

2308

THE COUNSELL OF PARIS ALEXAUNDER.

Than parys aprochyt And put hym to say,
And come with his counsell declaret his wit.
"Now fader ful faithfull, and our fre Kyng!
Will you suffer your son to say at this tyme,
And tent to my tale, it turnys to the best?

I shall put you to purpos and plesauns at ende. 2312 Who might faithfully be ferde, or fortune to

dred?

Syne we are put in prosperite & pepull so fele,

And Riches so Rife, and Reames beside; With a Cite full sure, and set for the werre ; 2316 With Armure, and all things abill to fight.

PARIS URGES IT.

We might say this for certen, & suppose it in
hert,

Syn we are put in prosperite, and pepull so fele,
That any care or confusion shuld come to our

rewme.

2320 Therfor, faithfull ffader, fclow your wille; Send furthe a soume All of sure knightes;

Let hom gird into Grise with a grym fare,

ffight with your foos, fonge of thaire goodes, 2324 That vs harmyt so highly, & our hede sloghe;

Our pepull to pyne, pild all our londe.

And yff it like your Aliegiaunce, pat I, your

lefe son,

Be sent from your seluon with sure men of

Armys,

2328 An aioynet to pis Jorney with iuste men & sure I am siker, for sothe, it shall vs wele like, Worship to wyn, and our wille haue.

ffor my goddis me grauntid, & of grace lent, 2332 The Grekes for to grefe, & of grem bryng; Confound of hor cuntres, kylle of hor pepull, And the lustist lady in hor lond wyn; Bryng hur to pis burghe, & no bale suffer,

;

2336 That be chaunget by chaunse for your choise

2340

Sister.

And yf ye wilne for to witte how hit worthe

shulde,

I shall telle you the trewthe how me tyde euyn;
And all the case how yt come know yf ye lyste.

THE VISYON OF PARIS.

Book VI.

77

Therefore, faith-
ful father, follow
your own will.
Send a band
of sure Kuigh's
into Greece, and
let them work
their will on your
enemies.

I shail rejoice to be sent on this journey;

for my gods have granted me gra e to vex the Greeks,

and to win the lustiest lady in their land.

"Hit is not meuyt of mynde ne mony day past, Not long ago,

Syn I was leut in a londe, þat is lefe ynde,

Your biddyng to obey, as my blithe ffader.

In the season of somer, er the sun rose,

2344 As it come into canser, and be course Entred,

while I was in a land called Inde,

(fol. 38 b.)

Book VI.

I went into the wood on a Friday

to hunt with my people.

Till midday we found nothing: but when evensong was past,

I beheld a hart feeding on a plain all alone.

Fast from my fellows I rode,

and soon left them all behind.

On through the wood I worked till I came to a dusky place and lost the deer.

dismounted.

Hit fell me on a fryday to fare vppon huntyng. With myrthe in the mornyng & mony other pepull,

All went we to wod the wilde for to cacche; 2348 And laburt full long, laytyng Aboute.

Till mydday and more myght we not fynde, ffor to wyn as for waithe in þat wode brode; Tyll hit entrid to euyn, & euynsong was past. 2352 Then it fell me by fortune, fer on a playne, As I beheld þurgh a holte, a hert for to se, pat pastured on a playn pertly hym one: And I cast me be course to cum hym before.

2356 ffast fro my felowes & fuersly I rode,

Euper lede hade I lost, & left me behynde,
And swaruyt out swiftly, might no swayne folo.
So I wilt in the wod and the wilde holtis,
2360 ffer fro my feres, and no freike herde,

Till I drogh to a derke, and the dere lost.

He prong into picke wodes, pester with in,
ffor thornes and tres I tynt hym belyue.

Then I ceased and 2364 Than I sesit of my sute, & softly doun light,
Beheld to my horse, pat hote was of Rennyng,
All swoty for swyme and his swift course,
That stremys from hym straght, & stert vppon
be erthe,

All weary I

became; and

seizing the reins,

I bound my horse

to a bough:

All

2368 And dropis as dew or a danke rayne.
wery I wex and wyll of my gate,
And raght to my reyne, richet o lenght,

Bound vp my blonke to a bogh euyn ;

then stretched me 2372 And graithed me to grounde as me gode liked,

on the ground

under the bright

trees;

and placing my

bow and quiver

In a shadow of shene tres & of shyre floures,

Ouer hild for pe hete hengyng with leues.

My bow þat was bigge, & my bright qwyuer,

as a pillow, I soon 2376 Arowes and other geire atled I anon,

fell asleep.

Pight as a pyllow, put vnder my hede;

And sleghly on slepe I slypped be lyue.