AND THEIR COMPANIES.

179

Book XIII.

shields ornamented with

stones.

came Merion

many Dukes and

Theseus and
his son
Archilochus with

He broght to be burghe, all of bold knightes,
Two thowsand þristie & þro men of willo. He brought to

the city 2000 Iche shalke hade a shild shapyn of tre,

warriors, with 5500 Wele leddrit o lofte, lemond of gold,

gold and precious Pight full of prise stonys vmbe the

pure sydes. This Philmen, þis fre, was a fuerse man of shape,

Of largenes & lenght no lesse ben a giaund. 5504 Of More Ynde come Merion, a mighty kyng alse, From Æthiopia

With Perses, a proude kyng, and a pert knight, and Perses with
With Dukes full doughty, and derfe Erles mo, Earls, and 3000

knights.
hat subiect were sothely to be same Perses,
5508 With pre thowsaund pro knightes, prepond in

wer;
And Symagon, sothely, com with the same kyng,
hat was mighty & monfull Merions brother.
Out of Tire come Theseus, tristé of hond,

From Tyre came 5512 And Archillacus also, þat was his aune son,

With knightes in hor company, clene men a 1000 knights.

thowsaund :-
He was cosyn, by course, to the kyng Priam.

Two kynges þere come of a clene yle, 5516 þat Agestra, þe ground geuyn is to nome. two kings with

1000 men and (Of po kynges, þat I carpe, know I no nomes ;

200 knights. ffor in þis boke, of þo bold, brenyt are none)

pai broght to be burghe, buernes a thowsaund, 5520 And two hundrith by tale, all of trict knightes. There come of a kyngdome, callid is Delissur,

kingdom of Of an yle be-zonde Amysones, an abill mon of Delissur

(fol. 80 a.) wit,-

came Epistaphus A discrete man of dedis, dryuen into ago, 5524 And a sad mon of sciens in the seuyn artis,

Epistaphus, to preue, was his pure nome:
He broght to be bate of bold men a thowsaund,

And an archer an ugly, þat neuer mon hade sene.
5528
He was made as a mon fro pe myddell vp,

archer,' And fro the nauyll hy-neithe, vne an abill horse, half-horse.

From the island of Agestra came

From the

with 1000 inen;

and 'A
meruclouse

Book XIII.

His body was covered with thick hair; and his eyes 'flammet as the fire.'

And couert as a capull, all the corse ouer,

ffro pe hed to be hele, herit full thicke.
5532 His Ene flammet as the fire, or a fuerse low,

fferfull of fase, & hade a felle loke,
bat pe Grekes oft greuit & to grem broght.

Mony woundit þat wegh & warpit to dethe, 5536 ffor he was boumon of the best, & bold of his

dedis. The nowmbur of þes noble men, þat I nemmyt

haue, hat come with thcs kynges and other kyde Dukes,

Withoute Priams pouer of his prise rewme, 5540 Were thretty thowsaund pro knightes priuond

The number of Priam's allies was 32,000.

in armys

And two, for to tell, þat to þe toune soght,

ffor to comford pat kyng & his cause forþer. Never since tho

Syn þe world was wroght, & weghis perin, world began had such an army been 5544 Was neuer red in no Romans, ne in ronke bokes, brought together.

So fele fightyng folke in hor fuerse yowthe,
Of knightes & clene men comyn to-gedur,

Of tried men & trusty, þat to Troy come. While on the side 5518 And of the grekes, þat were gedrit in a grym ost, of the Greeks, there was the

Of knighthede to count þere was the clene very flower of knighthood.

floure, ffor to wale þurghe the world, as þe writ tellis.

Wo so staris on pis story, or stodis þerin, 5552 Take hede on be harmys & the hard lures !

What mighty were marrit, & martrid to dethe ;-

Of kynges, & knightes, & oper kyde Dukes, (fol. 86 6.)

That þaire lyues here lost for a light cause !
5556 Hit is heghly to haue, & of hert dryue

Soche sklaundur & skorne, þat skathis to mony;
And mene vnto mekenes for be more harme !

xiiij Bok. How the Grekys sailet from Tenydon to Besege the Cite of Troy: And of

stronge fight at be Ariuaill.

Before the fleet left Tenedos, Palamedes sailed into harbour with

him for such delay :

DRESSE will I duly to dem of my werkes, 5560 How thai wenton to werre, tho worthy to-gedur.

Er þai turnyt fro Tenydon, & token þe se,
Palomydon, the proude kyng, presit into hauyn,-

That was Naulus son þe noble, & his next aire, — 30 ships. 5564 With xxxti shippes full shene, shot full of

pepull
ffull onest & abill of his owne lond.
At wose come all the kynges kyndly were fayn,

The kings reprove þat were heuy to hym for houyng so longe 6568 With anger at Attens, þere all were assemblit;

he had been kept And he excuset the skathe, þat he skape might, at Athens through ffor sore sickenes & sad, þat hym selfe polet. his Palomydon was pert mon, & prise of his

dedis, 5572 He was grete with the Grekes, & godely honourit;

ffor he was most full of men, & mighty of

londes,
Bothe of fuersnes of fight & of fre counsell,

And of Riches full Rife, & rankist of knightes. 5576 bai prayet þat prinse, all po prise kynges,

To be close in hor cause for his clene wit,
And he grauntid full godely all with glad chere. He promises to
Al thonkid hym po thristé, þroly to-gedur.

sickness,

Book XIV.

(fol. 87 a.)

The Chiefs then
propose to attack
the city during
the night: but
all are afraid, and
the plan is
dropped.

5580 Then the grete of the Grekes gone into counsell,

How þai best might in batell þe burgh to

assaile. And þen þai purpast hom plainly, in the pure

night

ffor to dresse for pat dede, er þa day sprange. 5584 But the ffreikes were ferd of hor fre shippes,

ffor to caire by the coste, & knew not the waches; Or to remeve fro rode for rokkes in þe se,

Or to wyn to þe walles, wachid, hom thoght, 5588 ffor los of hor lyues and hor lefe knightes :

And so þai put of þat purpas, & past to another.

“ Ye worthies!

and what deed

THE COUNSELL OF DYANEDE TO STIRRE TO HE CITE.

When all counsels were kyde and carpit to end, They then

Hai didyn after Dyamede, & demyt hit þe best, adopted the plan of Diomedes, who 5592 Þat said hom full sadly all in softe wordes :said,

“Ye worthy to wale, wonder me thinke,

Of our dedis so dull why we dure here ! It is now a year since we came to

Now is zepely a yere yarket to end, this land,

5596 Syn we light in this lond & logget our seluyn,

And neuer dressid, ne drogh, to no dede ferre;
No so hardly, fro bis hauyn to hale on our fos,-

ffor to turne vnto Troy, ne on þe toun loke.

5600 What dede haue we don, or dryuen to an end; have we done, or how much

Or þe farrer in our fare fortherit our seluyn?

But ertid our Enmys, & angert hom noght; We have only

Made hom wiser of werre, ware of our dedlys, 5604 And by compas to caste to conquere vs all.

We sothely haue sene, & our selfe knowen,

Syn we come to bis coste & cairet no ferre, here, the Trojans have greatly

The Troiens haue atiret hom with myche tor strengthened

strenght,
5608 Baire Cité to saue, and hom selfe alse,

With new wallis vp wroght, water before,
And pals haue pai pight, with pittis and caves,

nearer are we to our end ?

made our enemies wiser in war.

Since we cane

themselves.

TIIE COUNSEL OP DIOMEDES.

183

Book XIV.

Had we sailed

have won it

And other wilis of werre wroght for our sake, 5612 That may hast vs to harme, & hindur our spede

(fol.87 b.) With all fare þat may forthir, & filsyn our

seluyn.
bai holdyn vs vnhardy hom for to negh,

Or with note for to noye now at þis tyme : 5616 And ay the ferrer þat we fay our fare opon The longer we.

delay the more longe,

are we procuring

our own ruin The more we procure our payne & our pure

shame.
bis I hope in my hert & holly beleue,
Hade we sailit all somyn to pe Cité euyn,

straight to the 5620 In our course as we came, & cast vs perfore, city, we might

We shuld lightlier haue laght po lond at our casily;

wille :
Or any we hade ben warre, wonen of ship
Withouten hurt other harme to haue in the

dede, 5624 Or any lede to be lost, or hor lyue tyne. Now are the war of our werkes, wetyn vs at but they are now

prepared for us. hond, Vs will gayne mykell greme er we ground haue : And

ay the ser þat we sit our sore be pe harder. 5628 Therfore, sothely me semys, yf ye so wille,

Therefore, if ye

so will, let us be þat we dresse to dede when þe day ready at day

sprynges ;
All redy to rode, aray for our shippes,

Iche wegh in his wede, as hym well likes, 5632 All boune vnto batell on his best wise. Row forthe in a rape right to the banke,

Row right to the

shore, and take Tit vnto Troy, tary no lengur;

up our position. And monly with might meve vnto londe, 5636 The ground for to get, gayuis vs non other.

If the Troiens with tеne turne for to fight, If the Trojans
We wynnyt not of water but with wight rush upon thein

our

break.