Ho ros pan full radly, & ran to be kyng. With teris don trickelyng of hir tore ene, 2700 And a sembland full soure, sorow to be holde,

FATE MUST BE FULFILLED.

give up his
purpose.

She prayet hym full pitously his purpos to leue. and prays him to
As ho þat wise was of wit, & wist it be-fore
Thurgh craft of hir conyng & course of pe sternys,
2704 She said hym full sadly with sorowfull wordys,
All shuld turne hym to tene, & pe towne lose.
But fortune, þat is felle, forthers his tyme;
Hastis to vnhappe, having no rewarde;
2708 Ordans an yssew, euyn as hym lyst;

ende.

But I may sothely say, & for sure holde,— 2712 Hade the counsell ben kept of the knight Ector,

And the Ernyst speche Eftward of Elinus the

Bysshop,

2720

Turnys all entent, þat hym tary wold;
Caches furthe his cold wirdis with cumpas to

Cassandras care considret with all,

With the prophesy of Protheus put into hertys, 2716 Troy with pi toures hade bene a toune noble,

And wond in his weile to the worldes ende.
But no man tentes to tene er þe tyme come,
Ne ferd is for fortune till it falle to.

2724

And pof hit chaunses to chefe pat men charge

litill,

89

To grow into gronnd harme & greuys full sore;
When the tene is be tyde, & turnys to be werst,'
Men demyn hit for destyny, & for due holdyn;
And takon yt to pat entent: & here a tale endes.

Book VI.

She runs to the king,

But fate is unyielding, and turns everything to its own purpose.

But had all the warnings

(fol. 43 b.) been heeded,

Troy would still have been a noble city, &c.

Spite, that is for ever bent on

mischief, rules

uncontrolled in

passionate hearts.

("yades"= Hyades.)

("taure," Taurus.)

In the month of May, when meadows are green, &c.

(fol. 44 a.) Paris and his brother come to court with 3000 knights.

Ships are shot forth,

to the number

of twenty-two, well victualled and manned,

90

Here begynnes the Seuynt Boke : how Parys went into Grese for Elan.

2728

Envy, þat Euermore ertis to skathe,
Ryxles full Ryfe in her ranke hertes.

This forward was festynit with a felle wille,
And all the purpos plainly with pouer to wende.
Hit betid pus in tyme, as I telle shall,

When sit was [the] Sun þese signes betwene,
Entred in yades, efter as it fell;

2732 And the planet of pliades, with his playn course,

Into taure was turnyt as the tyme asket.

In the moneth of May, when medoes bene grene, And all florisshet with floures pe fildes aboute; 2736 Burions of bowes brethit full swete,

fflorisshet full faire; frutes were kuyt;
Greuys were grene, & pe ground hilde;
Hit was likyng in Laundys ledys to walke;
2740 Parys the pert knight, And his pure brother,

Comyn vnto courtte with company grete,

Of thre thowsaund pro knightes, priuand in

Armys;

The pruddist of payone, prise men of honde.
2744 Shippes were shot furth on the shyre water,
All boune on the brode see, with botys amonge.
To nem you the mowmber naytely be tale,
There were twenty and too, to twyn hom in
sonder,

PRIAM'S ADDRESS.

2748 Stithe shippes & stoure stuffet with vitell,
All full vpon flote with fyne pepull in.

The kyng comaund to come, & cald hym anon,
Antenor alstite, and Aunteros Eneas,
2752 And Polidamos prist,-a full pert knight,
Antenor Aune son, aldist of yeris;

Bade hom buske & be boun & no bode make,
To pas furthe with parys & hor prise knightes,
2756 Bowne on hor best wise in hor bright wedis.
And þai grauntid the grete with a glad chere,
And shope hom to ship in a sharpe haste.
All the pepull to appere Pryam comaundit,

2760 That were purpast to pas on the pale stremys,
And wightly thies wordes warpit hom to,

With a Sembland full sad, er he ses wold :—
"Hit nedys not now our noyes to telle,

he states the
purpose of the

2764 Ne mony wordes to warpe, for it is well knowen. expedition.
All wete ye my wille why ye wend shall,
The Grekes for to grefe, if your grace happe,

And harme with your hond, þat our hede slogh; 2768 To venge of our velany, & our vile grem

And hardlaike we hade of hom in þis londe :
And most is my mynde, & I might haue,
My Sister Exiona fro seruage to brynge.
2772 That shalbe choisly your charge: chefe & ye may

With all your mightes to mene, & most to

pursew

On hom þat hir holdis, & vs harme dyd.
Wetys hit all wele: with outen any cause
2776 þat þe dayens you derit, & to drede broght ;
And for Redur & ranke harme of vnright dedis,
We may tyre vs with truthe to tene hom agayne,
And wreke vs of wrathe & wranges before.

2780 I bid you now barly with besines at all,

Book VII.

91

The king calls
Antenor, Æneas,
and Polydamas,
(son of Antenor):

commands them to make ready to go with Paris immediately.

The people who are to go with Paris appear before the king:

"To get my sister Hesione out of bondage is your chief work:

(fol. 44 b.)

(Danai, Greeks.)

therefore, do all in your power to

hat ye set you most souerainly my suster to gete. accomplish it. Now is tyme most tore to tente pere aboute,

Book VII.

All your wants shall be supplied.

Paris shall be leader of this expedition; Deiphobus, next in command, with such nobles as Antenor, Eneas, &c."

When the king had ended, the

host take ship.

They set sail.

They reach the
Cyclades.

(fol. 45 a.)

They make for
Greece, and pass

the island of
Rhenea.

2784

And to aunter on our Enmys with armes in werre,
Our Knighthode to Kythe, & our clene strenght;
And mene vs with monhode maistry to wyn.
Wetis all wele: & you wont oght,

Or any case to you come comford to haue, 2788 To be suppoueld by selfe & my sad helpe.

And if it falle you be fortune to forther your wille,

My Syster to sese, or any sure lady,

Ye haue shall my helpe & my hole strenght, 2792 To pas with a power to paire playne londys,

hat all the dayens vs doute shall for our derfe strokes,

And be war vs to wrathe to pe worldes end.
Prinse of pis pouer Parys shalbe,

2796 And leder of these ledys & the lefe pepull;

And Deffebus, my dere son, I dem hym þe next;
With counsell & comford of clene men of wit,—
Of Antenor, & Eneas, & other full noble,
2800 þat fare shall in fere & feliship to gedur."

When the Kyng hade declarit all his clene wille,
Than entrid the oste evyn into shippe.
Paris with pyne, & his pure brother,

2804 Toke leue at þere lege with loutyng & teris;
Shot into ship with shene men of Armys;
Lauset loupis fro the le; lachyn in Ancres ;
Brode sailes vp braid; bonkis þai leuyt.

2808 With Jono, the Juste god Joynet to be see,
And Venus the worthy, pat hom well plesit,
Thay sailed furth soundly with seasonable
wyndes,

Tyll þai comyn of the cost of Caucleda in spase:2812 of the regione of Rene, & rode pere in havyn.

Gayn vnto Grese on þe gray water,

By the Regions of Rene rode pai ferre,
Streit by the stremys of the stithe londys;

2816

ARRIVAL AT CYTHERA.

;

Ay boun to the banke, when hom best thoght,
ffor to light on pe londe, & leng on hor ese.
Now it felle hom by fortune, as þai fere so,
Monolay for to mete, the mightiest of Grese,
2820 Come sayland by syde & the see held
Purpost vnto Pyle by prayer of Nestor,
To solas hym a season, & soiourne with the Duke.
This Menelay, þat I mene, the mighty before,
2824 To Agamenon the graithe was a gay brother;
And had weddit, I wis, & to wif held
Elan, þat afturward angert hym sore.
Of hir feirehede & feturs is ferly to here,

2828 I shall telle you, when I tyme haue, tomly her

aftur.

Ho was suster for sothe, as I said ere,

To Pollux the pert kyng, & his pere Castor,

þat soiournet the same tyme at the Cite Emscor,

2832 As legis in hor owne londes, a louely hom with, Ermonia, a Maydon þat þai moche louyt,

A doghter full dere of dame Elan the quene.

2844

o rowme,

2836 And meuyt fro pere metyng at the mene tyme. Nawther company by course hade Kennyng of other,

But past to þere purpos & no prise made, And sailet vpon syde vnto sere costys. 2840 Parys and his pepull past by the stremys,

Hadyn wynd at hor wille, & the wedur calme,
And sailet to Sithera, and set into hauyn;
A ground of the Grekes, as hom grase felle,
And now cald is, by course, of hom pat costes

hauntyn,

Book VII.

Sytrinos forsothe, with Sailers to nome.
There arofe all the rowte, as pai rede toke,
And halit into hauyn, & houyt full stille;

93

Menelaus passes
the fleet on his
way to Pylos.

(MS. has Pire)

When the Grekes se the grete nauy, pai girdon The Greeks keep

away from the

fleet.

He was brother
of Agamemnon,
and husband of
Helen.

She was sister of
Castor and Pollux.