3148 And is fuerser of folke by a felle nowmber,
And lappis in hir loue, put leue hir he nyll

But with strenght of strokys, or with store fight;
And we ledis to lyte pat lady to wyn,

3152 Or any Cité to sese by a sawte now,

pere pepull are so plaintiose, & placis of
strenght.

And, sers, syn he so is be souerans of goddis,
Vs may falle here by fortune a fulfaire gifte,

3156 pat shuld lelly be laght, as me leue thinke.
Here is a tempull atyret all with triet godys,
And the grettist of Grise gedrit perin,

As of wemen to wale, worthy & nobill,

Book VII. will not give her up,

and we are too few to compel

him.

But here is a rich temple, wherein the noblest ladies of

the land are
now at worship:

3160 And prise of pis prouynse are in yond proude one of them

yle.

The most of tho mighty is menelai wife,
Lady of pis lond, full louely to shew,

The grettist of grese and a gai qwhene. 3164 Yf we take this full tite, & tary no lengur, Bothe pepull & pilage, & put into ship,

Hit is a proffitable pray of persons me thinke,
And godis full grete of gold & of syluer;

3168 ffor the tempull is atyret all with tryet clothes,
Bassons of bright gold, & oper brode vessell,
Chaundelers full chefe, & charbokill stones,

And other Riches full Rife pat we may rad

haue :

3172 What fairer shuld vs falle and we fer soght.
Yf ye deme it to do be deuyse of you all,
Hit sittes, me semes, sone in the night
We arme vs at all peces, & aunter þere on
3176 The temple to take and all the triet ladys.

Golde and oper goodes gripe it by dene,

is the lovely wife of Menelaus.

(fol. 50 b.)

Let us seize it and the ladies, carry off all the gold and

And shote into our shippes, shake on our way: jewels, and, above

And Elan of all thing we aunter vs to take. 3180 Yf we þat luffly may lacche & lede vnto troy,

all, Helen.

Book VII.

this or pass on?"

Priam, our prise kyng, may prestly suppose

His suster to sese, sent by eschaunge,

And his couetyng to cacche because of pat
bright.

Shall we attempt 3184 Lokys now lyuely! what list you to do?
To melle in pis mater, or to meue ferre?
And assai if we suffise our seluyn of might,

All assent.

They arm and proceed to the temple, which they surround.

Yf we put vs to pillage, er we pyne pole."

3188 At pe last, when the lede hade left of his speche, ffele of pe folke febull it thughten;

But yche lede by the last aliet perto,

And assentid to his saw, & suet his rede.

3192 When counsell was kaght of knightes & oper,
And all things examynt, so aunter befell,
The neght drow negh anon vppon pis,

And the mone in the merke myghtely shone,
3196 As come it by course, & cast a gret light.
hai armyt hom at all peces abill to werre;
To the tempull full tite token pere gate,
Prayen & piken all the pure godes;

3200 Affrayet the folke fuersly by dene,
Sesit & slogh, slongen to ground;
Grippit the godys and the gay ladys,

And all the company clene closit hom within.

Paris seizes Helen 3204 Parys þen presit to be proude qwene,

and carries her to

his ship.

(fol. 51 a.)

Returning to the temple, he aids in the pillage.

(MS. has 'uppon none')

And sesit hir sone, as hir assent was;

Led hir furth lyuely, lefte hir in shippe

Vnder sight of sure men set hir to kepe:

3208 And to the tempull full tyte turnyt agayne,
To rob of pe Riches, and Renkes to helpe.
Clamour & crie was Comyns amonge,
Hoge noise for þe nonest in night for to here;
3212 Lelly of the ladies, pat leuer were degh
han be led out of lande, lowde was pe noise.
The noise vpponone neghit to pe Eris
Of Soudiours besyde in a sure castell,

3216 That the tempull was taken & tulkes perin,
And sum þat were slayne & slungen to ground.
By frekys pat fled for ferd to pe holde,
Distracte were pai stithly, & stonyt by dene,
3220 And braid to pere bright gere, buskit hom furthe:

Book VII.

The soudiours by assent soghten to be tempull. Soldiers to the
In the castell were a cumpany, kyd men of

Armys,

þat enfourmet were of fyght, & the fet couthe; 3224 þai turnyt to the troiens, tarit hom longe, ffoghten with hom felly, frusshit hom abake; Hopit with hondis to hew hom to dethe, Prisoners to pike, & the pray lyuer. 3228 ffell was pe fight po fuerse men betwene,

Mony derfe pere deghit, & dungen to ground; But the Troiens were Torer & tentymes moo, And greuit the Grekes gretly with strokys; 3232 Oppressit hom with pyne, put hom to flight, ffolowed hom fuersly, felle hom with swerdys, Till pai come to pere castell & caght hade pere strenght.

3236

Then turnyt the Troiens, tariet no lengur,
And went vnto water with pere wale godys :
Lefte noght vnlaght þat lykyng was in.
Myche Riches full Rife and relikes ynow,
pai shot into shippe: the sheltrun to-gedur,

3240 bat fild were with folke & fyne gold to wale,

Sesit vp pere sailes, set hom to wyndes.

Cairet on the colde ythes cogges & other,

Aght dayes be-dene & the derke nightes,

3244 Till pai comyn by course to the cuntre of Troy ;
Hit hom into hauyn, as hom hap shope,

At the castell, pat cald was kyndly by name,
Tenydon, and tomly tariet pere in ;

3248 pat sothely was sex myle fro the cité euyn.

rescue.

The Trojans victorious pursue them to their castle.

The Trojans

return to their ships;

(fol. 51 b.)

collect their

spoil; and set

sail.

They arrive at

Tenedos.

Book VII.

Paris sends a message to the king.

There arofe all the Rowte & restid a whyle,
And were welcom, I wis, as weghes to pere owne;
Honourt with all men, as þere astate wolde.

3252 Parys full pristly puruait a message,

And sent to his souerain in a sad haste,

Of thies tithandes to telle how hom tyde hade.
The messanger maynly meuyt to the kyng

3256 To Troy, or he turne wolde, and told hym in

haste,

hat his sons were in sound & hor sute holl

At Tenydon; and told how hom tyde hade,
As hym seluyn hade sene, pat sothely was pere.

Priam, "proud of 3260 Pryam was proude of these pert dedis,—

these pert deeds,"

calls the nobles to a feast.

(MS. has "hym")

Helen and her ladies bewail their fate.

(fol. 52 a.)

The fainest freike in faithe pat on fote yode,-
And gedrit with gamyn the grettist of Troye,
And sum of the Citizens assemblit with all;

3264 ffestid hom faire frely with hym,

And tolde hom pose tythinges tomly to end :
All maden þai mery & mekyll ioye haden.
As Parys and his pepull were in hor pride samyn,
3268 At Tenydon þat tyme talkyng to gedur,

Hit Auntrid þat Elan, with other of hir lede
þat were takon in the tempull, as I tolde first,
Were sorowfull sobbyng with syling of Teres;
3272 All tourniet with tene, tremblit in hert,
Wailyng & weping, wringyng of hondys.
Hit was pité to the pepull the pyn þat ho polet,
And said in hir sikyng with a softe speche :-
"A! my husband full hynd, & my hede brother!
My Doughter, my Derlynge, & my dere rewme!
Whethur I se you in solas or in sound euer."

3276

TO LATE.

pus bemournet full mekull & no meite toke, 3280 But with care & complaint,-comford away. Parys hade pyté hir payne for to se,

On pat lady, his loue, with langour & wo.

He kairet to pat comly with comfortable wordys, 3284 And menyt hir in maner hir mournyng to voide; Yet sesit not hir sorow for solas of hym. Ne noght glad of þat geste, but greatly anoyet, Paris greuit at pat grete & gird out in yre; 3288 Saide hir full soberly sittyng these wordes :"What lyffe is þis, lady, to lede on þis wise? Noght sesyng of sorow, & sobbyng vnfaire

:

On dayes to Endure, with drouping on nightes. 3292 Who sothely might suffer pe sorow pat pou

mase,

With care & with complaint comynly ay:

Lamentacoun & langour the long night ouer?
Thus tourment with tene, & tides non end,
3296 Ne hopis pou not it harmys, & thy hew chaunges;
And enpaires thy person, & proffettes no more?"

THE WORDES BETWENE PARYS & ELAN AT TENYDON

3300

IN THE CASTELL.

In faithe the burde fell of falling of terys.— "And pou drunkyn hade dewly as mony du sopis, As shottes of shire water has shot fro pin ene, Thou faithfully were fillid vnto pi faire swyre. Therfore, lady, & it like you, lighten your chere; Comford you kyndly, kacches sum rest; 3304 ffor in this riall Reme of my riche fader,

Book VII.

Paris tries to in vain.

comfort her; but

He then chides her for such

grief.

("swyre," the neck.)

(fol. 2 b.)

("temyn to you," that belong to your suite.)

Ne faute shall ye ffynde, ne your fre buernes.
Tho truly þat are takon and temyn to you,
Shalbe plesit with plenty at pere playne wille,
3308 And haue riches full ryfe: red ye non oper.
And ye sothely, your selfe, souerain of all,
Shalbe worshipped worthely & your wille haue, will be.
And honouret of all men as your astate shuld;
3312 To be gouernet in your grettenes, most godely

of other,

How great and honoured she