CASSANDRA AND POLYXENA. An delited hir deply in dedis of charité. 129 Book VIII. Andromache, wife of Hector, was tall and stately, 3984 Long body hade the burdde, bright of hir colour. with bright clear 3988 3392 3996 Ho was mesurably made, as þe mylke white. And all hir dedis full duly done by a mesure. Most was hir mynde hir maidonhede to kepe. 4004 Of feturs & fourme the fairest on lyue; ffor to labur so longe of hir lefe shap; 4008 Ho was of bewte aboue all borne in hir tyme, To wale purgh the world of wemen bydene, Alse noble for pe nonest as natur cold deuyse, To paint in yche place thurgh his pure study, 4012 (bat errit not in anythyng of abilté per, eyes, ruddy cheeks and lips, and golden hair. Saue he demyt hir dedly, when hir day come.) And ay cheriste hir chastité with a choise wille, To pat abundaunse of bewte ho was best norisshed. 4016 Witté to wale, wantid no thewes ; (fol. 62 b.) Cassandra, daughter of Priam, was of seemly size and mould, but pale, and squinted a little. She was well skilled in astronomy. Polyxena was by far the fairest of Priam's daughters. Her beauty baffles all description. Book VIII. Thus Dares represents those noted ones of Greece and Troy: (fol. 63 a.) and now to our story of what befell them. 4020 Voidet all vanities, & virtus dissyret. þat he hade comyng with in company, & knew 4024 As the worthiest to wale & wildest in Armys. Of these nomly to neuyn, & nobill men other, How pai bere hom in batell, I buske me to say ; And telle how hom tyde, whill I tyme haue.--4028 Stir fuorth to our story, & stynt here a while. Neynt Boke. Of the Nowmber of Shippes and the Nauy of the Grekes. 4032 4036 Comyn was by course pat the cold wyntur And into caues be course cleufit the erthe. The sun in his serkyll set in pe last, Passyng fro pisshes vnder playn course; 4040 ffeueryere faryn with his fuerse windes At the metyng of Marche with his mayn droghte. ffor to rest in pe Rode & hor rede take. 4048 pat syn' the firmament was fourmed, & folke vpon erthe, Syche a Nauy was neuer of nowmber to-gedur; Winter was now past, and Spring had opened, and the great navy of the Greeks entered the harbour of Athens. Never had such a collected. fleet been (fol. 63 b.) Book IX. Agamemnon had 100 ships; Menelaus from Sparta had 60 ships. (Sparta) (Boeotia) Arcesilaus from Boeotia and king Protheus had 50 ships. (Sicyonia) Ascalaphus and his brother Jalmenus with 30 ships. Epistrophus, king of Phocis, pwd his brother Tedius, with 50 ships. Telamon, king of Salamis, with 50 ships. Teucer, Amphimacus, Diores, and Theseus. Nestor from Pyles, with 50 ships. (fol. 64 a) Thoas from Etolia, Agamynon the gret, was gide of hom all, A hundrith shippes full shene with sharp men 4056 Pight full of pepull & mony prise knight. Menelay the mighty, þat was his mete brother, 4060 And sped hym fro spart his awne spilte Rewme. two, Archisalus was an, auntrus in werre, And Protheno, a prise kyng, prestly pat other. 4064 In hor company come clene shippes fyfté, With abill men of armys, auntrus in fight. per suet of Siche semly men two,— Ascalaphus, a skathilduke & skant mon in wer, 4068 And Helminus, a hede vrle, hadyn to-gedur Thretty shippes full shene o pe shire water, With barons of the best & bold men within. Ephistaphus, a pert kyng & prinse out of focce, And Tedius pat tothir, þat was his trew felowe: ffyfty shippes in fere folowet hom two, With a company of knightes cast for the wer. Telamon, the tore kyng, tide for to haue 4072 4076 ffyfty shippes full faire of his fuerse Rewme; And of the Cité of Salame, pat suyt hym after, In his company come mony clene Dukes, 4080 4084 And Erles also, with mony gret lordis. Donori, the derfe Erle, & doughty Theseus. AND THEIR SQUADRONS. ffyfte shippes in fere to the flete broght. Aiax œlius, aunterous in werre, Book IX. with 50 ships 133 Ajax Oileus, with 4088 Thretty shippes full thriste throng into hauyn; 30 ships, and 6 4092 4096 4100 And sex of a sort þat suyt hym after. others. Amphimacus from Polibos, a proude kyng, & his pere Amphimake,— Polybetes and And soght fro his Cité sothely of Pygre, 4108 Thracia, with 50 ships. Eumelus from Phere, with 11 ships. Podarces and Protesilaus from ships. Machaon and Achilles froin Telephus, king of ffifté shippes full shene strode fro pe depe. Of his Rewme noght Riche, Rodan was cald. bat Sicham was said sothely to nome; And fyfté shippes full shene folowet hym after. 4112 Two Dukes full derke droghen in fere, er I pas: I shall neme you pere nomes now, bay were lordes of a londe pere ledis in dwelt, 4116 That were bioustious of beiryng, byg men with all, Enerdond by hor one, & Elyda hit hight. pai broght to the Brym XL bigge shippes. Polibethes, a proud kyng, pert of his dedis, 4120 He broght to the brym barges eleivan, Prothylus, a pert kyng, put on the water (Rhodes) Euryalus from Sicyon, with 50 ships. Antiphus and Polypotes, with 11 ships. Prothylus, or Prothous, with 50 ships. |