Book X.

(“Isidorus,
Bishop of
Hispalis, in (his)
Etymologiarum.")

(Is. xxvii. 1.)
(Ps. Ixxiv. 13, 14.)

(fol. 69 b.)

In the “Life of St Brandon ”he is called a water adder, which the saint saw in the sea,

Here sumwhat I say, er I sew ferre.
And ysidre in ethemoleger openly tellis,

bat bemoth in Ebrew ys opunly to say,—
4428 "A Roid beste vnreasonable, þat no Rule holdes.'

And for þe fende was so fals & full of dissait,
God at the begynnyng of his gret falle,

Wroght hym to a worme in wildurnes like, 4432 Writhen, as the writte sayes, like a wilde Eddur.

And for grettnes of þat Grym in his grete filthe,
He is demyt a Dragon with Dauid the prophete.

In his song of the sawter þere he sais pus,
4436 "This Dragon of Dissait, þat þou derfly hath

fourmet': So sethe in the sauter the Salme to the end. And loke of lyuyaton in the lyffe of saynt

Brandon,

There his warloghe, I wis, a water eddur is cald, 4440 þat þis saint þere seghe in the se occiane,

ffull large and long of a lawe depnes.
Closet þere be comi

maundement of his clene maker,
Vnto the day of dom dulfully to abide,
4444 Writhyn is þat warloghe with wilis ynoghe,
Mannes saule to dissaiue & in

syn

holde.
bis lyuyatan, leder of all thies laithe fyndes,

To our fader the first fellé in Envy,
4448 And put hym to peradise pristly anon

To tempt hom with trayn, þat trist of non euyll,
To forfet pat faire place & offense make.
Hade a face vne fourmet as a fre maydon,
And as a sprite in hor spake, pat spede to our

harme,
Or barly toke body of þat bold eddur,
And so with falshede & faire our faders dissayuit,

And all þere successours sorily sent vnto pyne. 4456 Of þis mater of mawmentry nomore at this tyme:

bis sufficis forsothe. Ses we now here,

(Rev. xx.)

This Leviathan
went to Paradise
to tempt our
first father,

He appeared as a maiden, and as a spirit, spake in her : or he assumed the body of an adder, and by falsehood deceived our first parents.

Book X.

And turne to our tale & take bere we lefte.
Thus be dissayt of the deuyll, as I declaret haue,

Achilles and 4460 This appollo apperit to pepull full ofte

Patroclus arrive In Delphon, or Delos, dem as ye list.

at Delos, and

proceed to the To his appollo, þe pure god, þat pepull honouret, temple of Apollo.

Thies kynges by course comyn anon,
4464 þat messengers were made fro pe maisters of

Grece,
And turnyt into tempull fro þere tore shippis.
Be counsell of the kepers, when the course felle, (fol. 70 a.)

pat serued þat Synagod to the sory fyndes,
4 168 Than entrid pai with honour, & offerond made,
Grete soumes forsothe of siluer & of golde;

Having made

great offerings to Did pere deuocioun as hom dere thought,

the god, they

inquire regarding And frayned at the fynd how þai fare shuld,

undertaking. 4472 Of þaire Journay, full Justly, a Juggement to

haue.
And þen Appollo apperith with a priue voise
To po worthy, o this wise, as pe writ sayes.

the result of their

THE ANSWARE OF APPOLLO TO ACHYLLES.

" Achilles ! Achilles ! return and tell the

shall conquer,

will."

“Achilles ! Achilles ! [attle] to be Grekes, (MS, has 'a litle') 4476 Sew to the same þat þou art sent fro; Tell hom for truth, þat hom tyde shall

Greeks that they

must sail to Troy In sounde for to saile somyn vnto Troy,

There they have And mony batels on bent with buernos to thole. many battles to

fight, but in the 4480 And the tent yere truly, tell hom for sothe,

tenth year they bere worship to wyn, & þere wille haue;

and have every

thing at their All the Cité to sese, and the syde londis ;

Kyng Priam to pyne, & his pure wife;
4484 All his sonnes to sle with sleght of your honde;

þaire Riches to Robbe, & pere Rife goodis ;
And no lede for to lyue, but þat hom selfe

thinke."

When Achilles this chaunse choisely hade herd, 4488 He was glad of þe graunt, and the god answared ;

Book X.

Before Achilles
left the temple,
Calchas the
soothsayer, son of
Thestor, arrived
on a secret
message from
Priam, to learn
the fate of Troy.

And er he turnyt fro the temple, thus hit tid

euyn.
A tulke out of Troy, testor aune sone,

þat was a bisshop of the burghe, & a buerne wise, 4492 (Calcas, by course, was his kyd nome)

A Sad man of siens, sought to be temple,
ffrom Priam, his pure kyng, priuely sent,
To haue answare at Appollin what aunter shuld

falle
4496 Of the tulkes of Troy and the triet pepull.

He meuyt to the mowmentes with his mayne

giftes, Praiond hym full prestly, as a pure god, To warne hym full wightly what wirdis shuld

happyn : 4500

And þus gatis to the gome pen the god saide.

(fol. 70 b.)

:

THE ONSWARE OF APPOLLO TO CALCAS, BYSSHOP OF TROY. * Calchas!

“ Calcas ! Calcas ! cair yow not home,
Calchas ! return
not to Troy, but

Ne turne neuer to Troy, for tene þat may falle ;
go with Achilles.
Join thyself to

But go with the grekes into the gret nauy,– the Greeks, and

4504 With Achilles the choise kyng chose on þe way. part not from them till Troy is

Part neuer fro þat pepull, ne the prise leue, taken."

ffor it is grauntid of goddis the grekes for to

haue

The fairer of þat fight vnto the ferre end ;
4508 All Troy for to take and tirne at hor wille.

And your graithnes may gretly the grekes auaile,
With counsell & comyng in cas þat will falle,
Till þai haue wonen hor will : wete pou for

sothe.”
Calchas then goos 4512 And when Calcas with comyng hade kyndly
to Achilles in the
temple. They

persayuit become friends,

hat Achilles the choise was in the chere temple, promises to reward him

He wentto þat worthy his wille for to shewe ; richly.

And euyn told hymn by tale as hym tide hade.

and Achilles

ACHILLES RETURNS TO THE GREEKS.

147

Book X.

The messengers then set sail and return to Athens, where Calchas is introduced to Agamemnon,

4516 And felle of affynite, and fryndes be-come,

Achilles with chere cherisshed hym full mekull,
And hight hym hoge thinge to haue at his wille.

bus went þay to water, þose wise men to gedur, 4520 Cacched in cables & þere kene ancres,

Sesit vp þere sailes, & in sound Rowet,
Past ouer the pale stremys & no payne tholet.

Entret into Attens, þere po oste lay,
4524 po shene out of shippe shake into botes,

Houit to be bonke, the Bysshop hym with;
To Agamynon þai gon with other gaye kynges.

Bothe Dukes & derfe Erles droghen to gedur, 4528 That were blithe of bat bisshop, þat þai broght

hade. Achilles to the choise men all the chaunse tolde, Achilles relatos The answare of Appolyn what aunter shuld Apollo to himself

and to Calchas. happon; How hom grauntid was the gre by the goddes

(fol. 71 a.)

the answer of

all ;

4532 And how Calcas, the contrary, cachit of hym,

That fro Priam was put to haue a pure onsware ;
And how in batell hym bydon was abide with

the grekes,

Till Troy all takyn were, & tirnet to ground. 4536 When thies tythinges told were tomly to end,

All the grekes were gladl, & þere god panked ;
And for ioy of þat iornay aioynet a fest,

As a high day to holde, & halowet it all
4540 With worship to wale goddis on þaire wise did. gods.

And of the Bisshop þo buernes beldid were þen;
Thai cherisshed hym choisly, all þochere Calchas is fêted

and rewarded. kynges,

With Riches & Rewardes raght hym ynogh, 4544 And heghten hertely þere hestis to kepe.

han þai solast hom somyn, as hom selfe liked,
And dryvon furth þat day with dalians to end.

The Greeks rejoice, and the day is kept as a feast and thanksgiving to their

148

The xi Boke. How the Grekys sailet fro

Attens to Troy.

When all their rejoicings were ended, the nobles are summoned to & council in the tent of Agamemnon.

Calchas came with
Achilles and
Patroclus.

EVERY wegh, þat will wete of þere werke more, 4548 Listen a litle, & leng here a while :

Let vs karpe of thies kynges or we cayre ferre.
When thies worthy hade worshipped all þere

wale goddes,

And the day with deuocioun dryuen to be end, 4552 The secund day suyng somyn were pe grete

In Agamynons gay tent; gedrit for sothe,
fforto speke of hor spede, whille þai space hade.

This Calcas in company com with Achilles
4556 And Patroclus the pure kyng into the proude

tente. hai hailset þat hynde & hertely hym welcommyt, And sithen to sit all somyn þai yode Among po kynges in company, as þaire course

felle. 4560 When all the pepull were pesit, þe presens full

still, Calcas to the kynges carpes thies wordes :“Ye noble men of nome, þat to note wendyn

In þis company clene ! kynges & Dukes, 4564 Erles & other men onest of astate,

þat are aioynet to pis Journey with ioynyng

(fol. 71 b.)

When all were
silent he spoke
thus:
“Ye nobles !
Kings, Dukes,
and Earls! have
you not brought
your forces
together to
attack Troy?