Book IX.

(Lacedemon)
(Guneus, king of
Cyphius)

Diores from Bæotia, with 32 ships.

The allies of the
Greeks were 69
in all, and the
number of their
ships was 1232;
not including
Palamedes, who
joined them somo
time after.

ffyfté shippes fyn, full of folke all,

Of Deymon duly, his owne dere londe. 4124 Kyng Sapmon for sothe soght fro þat hauyn,

With alsmony abill shippes auntrid hym seluyn, hat Capidoise cald is, the cuntre so hat.

Theorius, a tryet kyng, toke fro his Rewme, 4128 And broght of his brode londe, þat Boisa is

callid, Two & thretty thried shippes þrast full of pepull. And when thies souerauns were somyn, sothely

to telle,

Of kynges full kene, & of kyde Dukes, 4132 The sowme for to set was sexty & nene.

The nowmber of the noble shippes, þat to be

note yode, ffor to telle hom by tale, was truly a thowsaund

Twa hundrethe & twenty, & twelue o þe last, 4136 Without Palomydon be proude, bat preset hom

after With a nauy full noble ;-Nawlus son the grete. When thes graidly were gedret, & gird into

hauyn, ben come pai to counsell, as I shall kythe after.

Tent Boke. How the Grekes sent ynto
Delphon to have onsware of a god of

thayre Journay.

1

(fol. 65 a.)

While the fleet lay at Athens, Agamemnon

leaders to a council.

4140 Lenge we a little with lykyng, to telle

How thies kynges with hor knightes carpyn to

gedur.
When all were at Attens, aunter befell,

Agamynon the gret gedrit in fere,
4144 Into a place þat was playne without the assembled the

prise Cité,
There Setis for po souerans Sothely was maked,
ffor kynges þat þere come & other kyde Dukes,

Bothe Erles & almen after bere astate.
4148 When all set were in sercle be souerayn aboute,

And silence on yche syde the serkyll within,
Agamynon the graithe, þat the gomes led, Speech of

Agamemnon.
These wordes he warpid po worthy vnto
4152 “Ye princes full prest, þat present are here! "Renowned

princes ! who, bat with pouer of pepull presit are hider, with your hosts,

have joined this And aioynt to his Jorney Justly to-gedur,

expedition, look Considirs to this company & the clene strenght,

around you! 4156 What bolde ye haue broght into his brode

hauyn!
What fighting folke yche freike has !
Who sothely hath sene soche a pepull ere?

Neuer wegh, as I wene, syn þe world stode,
4160 Se at a Semly soche a sight hoole

Never has there

Book X.

been such a fleet assembled; never such hosts of warriors, young and old

us to war,

Of kynges in a company, & of kyde Dukes,
Erles and other men all of assent;

Ne of one purpas in a place pepull so fele; 4164 So mony yong men & zepe, zenerus of wille ;

So od men in armys, egur to fight,

To fare in a furde our fos to distroy. Surely they are

hai are blyndit with baret & with bare sorow, blinded with rage who have roused 4168 þat wackons vp werre, & wrathus vs in hert,

Or stiris vs with strenght vpon stuerne wise.
ffor in this semly for sothe, soche men I know
A hundrith, þat with hondes our harmys might

wreike,
(fol. 65 b.) 4172 Perfourme our purpos, and put it to end,

hat we so mony and so mighty are meuyt to do. The purpose of

Ye weton all full wele pe worthy ben here, this expedition is known to all.

Of daunger & desese is don to our londis ;
4176 Of shame & of shenship shapyn vs alate;

Our fryndys defelet, and fonget our godys.
he harmes we haue, & hethyng with all,

Hit sittes vs full sore to suffer on lyue.
4180 Hit menys vs with monhede þat malis to venge,

And Aunter vs in armys our Enmyes to greue ;
With strenght for to stryve & strokes to dele,

The Troiens to tene þat trespas have done.
vengeance on the
Trojans for the 4184 All somyn by Assent, with a sad wille
villany they have
wrought.

To venge of our velany & our vile greme.
And þat is rightwise & reasonable to riche vs perto;

ffirst, to Refrayne the fame pat men speikes, upheld, and disgrace must be 4188 And wipe of our wranges, & wirdis vs done ; avenged;

So þat Troiens fro bis tyme take not on honde
To aspye vs with spite in no spede efte.

hat all þe weghes of þe world be warnit by hom, 4192 And þat no tale may be told in tyme for to come,

Ne witnes in writyng by weghes herafter,
bat any lord of our londe shuld lacche soche a

skorne

It is to take

Honour must be

THE COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

137

Vnwrokyn with wondis : þat weghes may

Book X.

knowen,

1

(fol. 66 a.) such an alliance ?

None but tho

4196 Ne we, þat are so worthy & wight men ynogh,

Shall not slely let slide, ne slip out of mynde,
bat our successoures may say sothely, ne holde that posterity

may not hold us Dyssehonour of our dedys, & dem vs for fehle.

in dishonour. 4200 Syn we now bene of noble men in nowmber

so fele, And of strenght so stern stondyng in one, Who is now so qweme or qwaint of his wit, Who so bold, or

60 foolish, as to That couthe mesure our might, or with mouthe defy the might of

tell
4201 The pouer of our pepull, & our playn strenght?

Who so hardy durst hede, or on hond take
To wrathe vs be any way, or wirk vs dyssese ?
Saue pes fonnet folke, pe frigies of troy,

Trojans,
4208 þat vnwysely has wroght with wyttis full febill,
And offendit our frenchyp thurgh foli of hom

seluyn.
Ne mynd not bes men of be mykyll harme,

already a
That a sone of our folke before hom has done, specimen of our
4212 When lamydon was lord & be lond eght,

That was fader to the freike that offens mas;
Kyld all his Knightes, cumbrit his rewme,

Sesit his sit, slong it to ground,
4216 And fele of his folke fongit on lyue,

Led into our londys, þat lengis þer zet,
In seruage and sorow set for to dwelle.

berfore, sotly hyt semys not surfetus harde
4220 No vnpossibill, thys pupull perfourme in dede,
That fyuetymes fewer before home has done. They know us

well, and they are pai wetyn full wele pe wyllys of vs here,

certain to have all
That we purpos a pouer to put in hor lond,
4224 To noy hom with note and negh hom belyue.

Sum helpe for to haue, hast hom þay wyll,
Of ledys of other lond lyond hom gayne,

who have had

power and our vengeance.

their allies
collected to
oppose us.

Book X.

Ere we pass

All assent to the

To withstond vs with strenght & stroy of our

pupyll, 4228 And þaire cuntre to kepe with cumpany grete.

Derfor, sotly me semys, & yow so lyke,

Er we passe fro bis port, or pull vp our saylys, hence, let us (fol. 66 6.)

That we make vs a message of men of astate, inquire of Apollo 4232 Duly to Delphon deuoutly to wende, at Delphos what will be the result

To the yle pere Appolyn erdis with in, of our expedition.”

In hast forto herkyn of po hend goddes,

What shall falle vs by ffortune, er we ferre pas, 4236 Of pis mater þat vs meuys, & mo of our dedys.

his is clerely my counsell ; conceyuis hit all." When the souerayn hade said, he sesit anone.

Of hor willes to wete, po worthy by dene, 4240 Bothe kynges, & knightes, & other kyde Dukes,

All assentid hom sone, þat his saw herd. proposal.

This message to make po mighty deuyset

Achilles the cheualrous, by pere choise wittes, sent to Delphos.

4244 And Patroculus the proude, his pere for to be.

ffor proffet of po prinses and hor prise folke,
pai were demyt vnto Delphon this dede to per-

forme

Of þere noyus note, & an onsware to haue, 4248 With offeryng at appolyn, if aunter might falle,

Worship to wyn and wreke on hor fos. They set sail

With out tarying, full tite pai turnyt into hauyn, without delay.

Achilles full chere and his choise felow, 4252 And saylet furth soberly as hom selfe lyket;

Hade wedur at þere wille, & the water calme,
Dryuon vnto Delphyn & no deire þolet.

Vmclosit with a course of the colde ythes,

4256 With a serkle of the se þat soght þere aboute, Not Delphos, but

Not Delphon but Delos sum demyt hit to het, hat is the myddis & þe most of mony smalle yles,

Set in a sercle þe same place vabe, 4260 As þai are fourmet with the floue : fyfté & thre,

Achilles and
Patroclus are

Delos.