Book XXXII.

Thus was
Assandrus slain :
Diomedes carries
off the dead body;

but Ægiale is
told that
Diomedes slew
him in order to
possess the whole
kingdom.

Because of this report, and of the letter sent by Fax, Ægiale assembles her subjects, and instructs them to prevent Diomedes from landing.

Hlade hym fro horse fet with helpe of his

knightes;
And myche water, I-wis, weppit þerfore.

This was clerely the cause of þat knightes dethe, 12808 Yet his suster, þat I said, sothely was told,

bat Diamede with dethe had done hym away, ffor to wyn by his wyff all the wale rewme.

The lady for the losse of hir leue brother, 12812 Myche mournyng ho made in hir mynd þan:

Hir hade leuer haue lost all hir lond hole,
Han hir brother ho best louet of buernes olyue.

Thus heuet þat hynd to hir hede lord,
12816 ffor tithinges hor tolde were of hir tru brother,

And the lettur with the lesyng, þat the lede

send,
(Naulus the noble, by his naite sun)

Ho assemblit hir suremen in a sad oste, 12820 And warnet hom wightly the mater to kepe,

And Diamede on pe depe dryue from þe lond.
Thus the bold kyng was banisshet fro his

big yle,

All will of his wone his werdis to laite. 12824 And Sythen, vnto Salerne he soght on his way,

There Teucro, the tall kyng, tan was for lorde, hat was Brother of birthe to be bold Thelamon.

To Teucro was told of Thelamons dethe,
12828 That Dyamede, the Duke, had dernly conspiret

With Vlixes the lorde, þat hym of lyue broght,
Gert take hym full tite in his tore angur:

But he stale fro þat stithe stilly by night,
12832 Wan into watur, & away past.

Demaphus the du kyng, & dughty Athamas,
On suche wise, with þere wiues, were wernet

þere londes.
han come pai to Cartage, with care at pere

hertes,

He lands at
Salamis, where
Teucer rules,

who, knowing that Diomedes had aided in his brother Telemon's death, seeks to slay him ; but he makes his escape.

Demophoon and Acamas are exiled by their wives.

DEMOPHOON AND ACAMAS.

419

Book XXXII.

12836 There the noble Duke Nestor naitly hom toke, And welcomyt tho worthy on a wise faire,

(fol. 196 a.) With all hor company clene, as pere kyd ffrynd. Welcomed by

There purpost bo prise men, with a prowde oste, Nestor, 12840 Thaire owne londes to lacche, & the ledes qwell:

But the noble Duke Nestor onon to hom who instructs

said :

them how to recover their kingdoms.

“ Ames you of malice but a mene qwile ;

Sendis fro youre-seluyn to your syde londis ; 12844 Tretis hom truly all with tried wordes;

Hetis hom hertely to haue all hor hert wille,
Of ffredom, & ffranches ; fret with hom so,
And all your will shall ye wyn, & no wegh

harme."
12848 So hit happit po hynd in a hond qwile,

To com to hor kyngdomes & hor kyth home,
With fauour and frendship of freikes with-in,
And were welcome, I-wis, to wyues & other.

12852 Eneas, þat afterward auntred to leng In Troy for a tyme, as I told haue,

Æneas, while

preparing to His gold & his godis to gedur into ship,

depart from

Troy, is attacked And his fraght on the flode fully to make, by banditti. 12856 Ofte faght þat freike & folke of the Cité,

With Enmys enerdand in ylis aboute.
When the toun was takon & turnyt to ground,

The kyng & his knightes kild to the dethe, 12860 There come out of castels & of cloise townes

ffro the bowerdurs aboute, þat hom bale wroght,
Pilours and plodders, piked pere goodes,

Kyld of þe comyns, & myche care did. 12864 Eneas pan afturwarde egurly counseld,

He counsels the

Trojans to send Syn he was banysshed fro the burgh, & bode for Diomedes, to pere no lengur,

king.
þat þe pepull by purpos prestly shuld send
ffor Dyamed the dughty, with his du helpe,

assist them and to become their

Book XXXII.

Æneas he musters the

attacks the banditti.

12868 To fight with hor fo-men & forther pe lond.

The troiens full tite token his rede,

Sendon for the sure kyng in a sad hast, (fol, 1960.)

Where the fre might be foundyn, & fet hym to

Troy : Diomedes comes 12872 And he come to þat cuntre with a cant wille. to Troy.

All the ledys of the lond lyuely were fayn,
þat were helples & hard stad, & þere hede lost,

Hat Eneas was also euyn in the toune,

12876 Yoght faryn with his flete, ne the flode takyn. Along with

ban þai busket to batell, þo bold men in fere,

Armet at all pes, with abell to werre, Trojans and

hat were left vppon lyue, logget within. 12880 Seuyn days, sothely, sais me the lettur,

pai faght in the ffild with pere fuerse enmyes.

Dyamed full dughtilé did with his hondes,
Many are killed

And
mony

britnet on the bent of hor breme fos: in battle, and many are hanged. 12884 Mony toke he þat tyme and to toune led,

And hongit hom in hast vpon high galowes. The fyfte day of pe fight so fuersly he wroght, bat no buerne was so bold his birre to with

stond,

12888 But all fled of the feld, & fongit were many; After seven days

And ay hongit po harlottes, as þai hent were, they are all cut

Bothe on galous full grym, & on gret trees,

þat none left were on lyue in the lond sone. 12892 Owther captains of castels, or kepars of tounes,

Herd suche hardship happyn to falle
Of freikes vnfayre, that fore to be Cité,

And all the costes full clene keppit hom away, 12896 And neuer did hom no deyre, ne no dole after.

down or scattered,

Æneas departs from Troy with his father Anchises, and all his wealth,

Whan Ené hade all thing ordant at wille,
His Shippes on the shyre water shot full of

goodes,
Relikes full ryfe, & myche red gold,

DIOMEDES AND EGIALE RECONCILED.

421

Book XXXII.

moder.')

his voyages,

consult the

12900 With Anchises his choise (fader) chefe into
flete,

(MS. has
And halit furth hastely to be high see,
As hym demyt was by dome by dukes before.

He not wist, in this world, what wayes to hold, 12904 Ne, what cost, ne cuntre, come vnto laund. At the last, as our lord wold, he light into At length he

settles in Italy. hauyn, After in Itaile, as aunter be-fell, Tegh vnto Tuskan, & turnyt to londe.

(fol. 197 a.) 12908 Now what worthe of þat whe, & his wale For an account of godis,

trials, and

adventures, ffro he Tuskan had takyn, tellis hit not here.

Æneid of Virgil. Of his wondurfull werkes who wilnes to know,

Go loke at the lede, þat his lyfe wroght. 12912 Virgell, full verely, pos vertus can tell,

In a boke þat buerne of þat bold made,
pat Enyodos, with noble men, is to nome cald.

The Dere wife of Dyamede of his dethe herd, Ægiale is told 12916 How he turnyt ynto troy, & the toune keppit has succeeded at

Troy.
Of his ffrikenes in fight & his fyne strenght :
Ho dout hir full deply, for drede of þe kyng,
Lest he raght to his rewme with a roid fare,

her knights. 12920 Kyld all hir knightes & comyns by-dene,

And hir-seluyn ouerset, & sesit the londe.
pan Egea, full iointly, with hir ioly knightes

Toke counsell in the case, & comynt to-gedur. 12924 The lady by lettur þan louely send

ffor Dyamede pe derfe, þat was hir du lorde :
Þan he turnyt fro Troy to his triet Rewme.
With myche worship his wife welcomyt hym

home,
12928 And his Arguens also, all were pai fayn.
Othir kynges of pe kith, þat comyn fro troy, Other kings,

similarly exiled, bat were put fro bere prouyns, Repairet agayne, are welcomed Recounseld to þere cuntre, comyns & other,

how Diomedes

She dreads his vengeance, and consults with

Diomedes is invited to return home.

Book XXXII.

Their cities are adorned and fortified with the spoils of Troy.

12932 And were welcom, I-wis, to wyuis & all.

ban þai Byld vp hor Burghes & hor big tounes, hat were enfeblet before for faute of þaire hedes,

With the Tresors of Troy, & the tore Relikes, 12936 And other Riches full rife, and restid hom þan.