THE LESING MADE TO NAUPLIUS. Saidon the same kyng sone after pis;— Of tresoure of the toune, for takyng with fos. All þe gold forto gripe, if hym gode likid. 12656 Dred no dyssait of his dere kynges. Vne aboue to be bordur, & bodyn þere all. enter : 12660 And Palamydon, pe prise kyng, put hym perto; Cast of his clothis cantly & wele, And his hose in hast, highit hym doun. When pe prinse was past to pe pit bothum, 12664 be buernes on pe bonk bet hym with stonys, And euyn dang hym to deth in þe derk hole, Left hym per lyond, & lurkit to paire tentis.' us told was pe tale, & full tru made, 12668 To pe nobill kyng Nawle, of his nayt sone,— Lappit with a ligher in his laith hate, hat derit mony dughti, & drepit for ay. Naule pen onon, for noy of pis tale, 12672 With Othé his othir son, ordant belyue be grekis for to greue, & to ground bryng, ffor pe sake of his sone, vppon sum wise. 413 Book XXXII. The same liars told Nauplius that Diomedes and Ulysses shortly afterwards wiled Palamedes to a pit, wherein, they said, much gold was hid. That, Palamedes, (fol. 193 b.) But as soon as dead with stones; Nauplius and Eax determine to avenge the death of Palamedes. Hit was told hym for tru, in tyme of pe wynter, They learn that 12676 pe grekis with hor grym ost were gon to be se, the Greeks are returning from Troy, Book XXXII. and must pass by their coasts. The king orders fires to be lit at night on the hills along the coast. The Greeks sailing past by night, see the fires, and make for land. Two hundred ships are dashed on the rocks; the treasures and all on board are lost. The crash and cry warn the vessels following; they (fol. 194 a.) make for the open sea, and are saved. Among those saved were Agamemnon, Diomedes, and Menelaus. Eax is chagrined by the escape of Agamemnon and Diomedes and plans another mode of revenge. In sound for to saile, & seche to paire londis, With all pe tresour of troy, & pe toune leuyt: Be any wise in pis world, wend hom behode 12680 By pe cost in pe cuntre per kyng dwellit. ben þe kyng, thurgh þe kyth, comand his men Two hundreth hede schippis in a hond qwile ;— With all pe gold & pe godes, pat þai getyn hade. 12696 be remnond, pat rode by pe rugh bonkis, Herd pe rurde & pe ryfte of pe rank schippis, be frusshe & pe fare of folke þat were drounet, And held hom on hofe in the hegh sea: 12700 All the skathes thai skepe of po skire hylles. Among whiche menye, to myn hom by nome, Menelay the mighty, & mony other kynges; 12704 Thies passet the perellis of the pale ythes, Houit on the hegh sea, held hom o ferre. This Othe, I er said, the od sun of Naule, Dissiret the dethe of the derf kynges,12708 Agamynon to grefe, & the gay Dyamede,And to hyndur hom in hast, & hit hap might, And þai past to pere prouyns & no payn pole. THE DECEIT AND REVENGE OF EAX. This Othe, with ournyng, ordant belyue 12712 Letturs, by a lede þat he leell trist, To Agamynon gay wif, gert hym to beire, þat Clunestra was callid, as the clause tellus. To hir he certifiet sothely in his sad lettur, 12716 þat Agamynon had goten to his gay spouse, Of Priam a prise doghter, prayset full mekull: Hir he broght in his barge to his burgh hom, pat faire forto feffe in his fre londes: 12720 And ho mvn douteles be dede, & done fro hir right. 415 Book XXXII. He informs Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, that her husband had wed a daughter of Priam ; and was bringing her home to be his queen instead of herself. He counsels her to provide for her own safety. Clytemnestra þan he counseld Clunestra, er þat cas fell To be war of þat wegh, & wait on hir-seluyn. The lady leuit the lettur þat the lede sent, 12724 And ponkit hym proly with ponks in hir hert: believes the story, She compast by course, in hir clene wit, How this vilany to venge, & voide of hir harme. OFF THE DETHE OF AGAMYNON AND HE EXILE OF and thanks Eax. When this worthy of wothe wan to his Clytemnestra, reame, 12728 Oute of perell and pyne of the pale ythes, owne, 12732 With a faynond fare vndur fals thoght. on Agamemnon's but she had She loved a man named Ægisthus, by whom she had a daughter. Book XXXII. He is of low degree, yet she loves him more than Agamemnon. She arranges with him to murder her husband while he sleeps. Agamemnon is murdered by Ægisthus, who afterwards becomes king of Mycense. Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, is sent by Talthybius to Idomeneus, lest Clytemnestra should murder him. (fol. 195 a.) (Eax sends a letter to Egiale, the wife of Diomedes, stating that her husband had wed a daughter of Priam. Nawther comyn was pat kyde mon of no kyng riche, Ne duke pat was doghty, ne no derfe erle; Yet ho heght hym to haue, holé at his wille, 12744 All the Rioll rewme with renttes ynow. This Clunestra vnclene cast with hir loue, By assent of hom-selfe, sone at þe night, The bold kyng in his bed britton to dethe: 12748 All Slepond to Sle with sleght of hom bothe. And so fell hit by falshode, fer in the night, When the bold in his bed was broght vppon slepe, pan entrid this Engist, euyn as hym list, 12752 And, with a thricche in the throte, throtlet the kyng. When this Duke was dede, & done unto graue, This Engest, with Jolite to hir iuste spouse: 12760 Kyng Taltill hym toke for trist of his lyue, And send hym full sone to a sure frynd, Ydimius, for doute lest the derfe qwene Mortheret hym with malice in the meane tyme. 12764 He was keppit full close, & with cleane hert, And worshippit on all wise as pere wale son, Ayre to þere herytage aftur hom-seluyn. This Othe, I ere said, od son of Naule, 12768 To Egea, afturward egurly send, The dere wife of Dyamede, dernly a lettur: DIOMEDES AND EGIALE. 12772 This Egea, the gest sais, was a iust lady, 417 Book XXXII. To Polence, the prise kyng, vne a pure doghter, (Polynices, King (Kyng of Argonen cald in cuntres aboute) And hade a brother full bold, & barly no moo. 12776 ffaire on hir fader syde, as fell hom by chaunse, All the londes full large of the lefe kyng, Polence of price, pat was hir pure fadur, Lefte to po litle, as his leue heires. of Argos.) 12780 pan partid was prestly the prise Rewme of Argos was left by Argon, Polynices to Betwene Assandrus for-sothe, & his suster Egea. brother. This Egea ajoinet to hir iust spouse, Dyomede the dughty, with hir due part. 12784 Assandrus, for-sothe, sais me the lettur, With Dyomed dernly dressit to wend To the terage of Troy with a tore ost; And er þai comyn to the company of pe clene grekes, 12788 There all semblet were sothely at þe same tyme, bai past by a perty of pe prouyns of Boys, Assandrus and conducting their forces to Troy, There þai bowet fro pe barge to pe banke syde, go into the 12792 To solas hom a season with sum of hor pepull. Thelaphus with tene toke hit to hert, 12796 With a company clene, kyde men of armys. This Assandrus, I said you, with a sad weppyn 12800 Mony dong to the dethe of his derf knightes: country of King Telephus. Provoked by this liberty, he attacks them. A fierce battle ensues, and many fall on both sides. (fol. 195b.) slain by There-at Thelaphus hade tene, & turnet belyue, Assandrus is dethe. 12804 þan Dyomede with dole drogh hym vp sone, |