PRIAM'S FAMILY.

49

OFF KING PRYAM & HIS CHILDREN.

Book IV.

When his father
Laomedon was

away in far land waging war with rebels,

By his wife Hecuba he had five sons and three

His sons were,

Hector

This Lamydon, þat was lord, hade a lefe son,
A pert man þat was prinse, & priam he hight; slain, Priam was

A man witty & wise, wight, wildist in Armes. 1464 Hit felle hym [by] fortune at his fader dethe,

He was faryn to fight in a fer londe,
To riche hym of Rebelles þat of be rewine held ;

To cache a castell þat was kene holdyn,
1468 And to wyn it with werre, went þere a while

With his houshold hole, & here þat he walt.
He hade a woman to wyue worthy & noble,
Onest & abill & Ecuba she hight :

daughters. 1472 By þat same hade he sonnes, semly men all,

ffyue þat were faire & fuerse men of armes,
And þree doghter by-dene þat were dere holden.

Of his sonnes to say or I sew ferre,
1476 Ector was oldist & heire to hym seluyn;

And most is in mynd for his mykyll strenght.
The secund of his sonnes sothely was parys,

Alexander, a Or Alisaunder ewther was his other name ; 1480 He was fairest of be freikes & a fyne archer,

A bowman of þe best & a buerne wise.
The þrid was a pro knight, þrivand in Armys,
Deffebus pe doughty on a derfe stede.

Deiphobus, 1484 The fourth was a philosoffer, a fyne man of lore, Helenus, a

In þe Syense full sad of þe seuyn Artes.
The fyfte of the fre, þat I first nemyt,

Was Troylus the true, tristy in wer,
1488 That mykell worship wan, witnes ye of story.

Of his Deghter by dene, þat were dere holdyn,
One Creusa was cald kyndly by nome,
bat Eneas afterward Elit to wed,

wife of Æneas, 1492 bat spokyn is of specially in our spede after,

And Virgill of his werkes writis also,
After takyng of be toune how hym tid þen.
The secund of þe suster for to say feire,

Paris, or

famous archer.

soothsayer,

(fol. 25 b.)

and Troi us.

The daughters were, Creusa,

Book IV.

Cassandra, a prophetess,

beautiful,

1496 Cassandra was cald, clennest of wytte,

Hat Enformet was faire of þe fre artis,
And hade knowyng by course of þe clere sternys.

The last of pos lefe children was a lysse faire, and Polyxena, the 1500 Polexena the pert, prise of all other ;

Of hir ffeturs & fairhed is ferly to telle,
Alse noble for be nonyst as nature cold deuyse

Bothe of color & clennes, to declare all.
Besides these, 1504 This prise kyng Priam hade of pert childer,
Priain had thirty
sous and other

Thretty sonnes besydes, als other wemen, daughters, by

bat he gate in his gamen, goode men of Armys,

And felle men in fight, as we shall fynd after. 1508 Now I turne to my tale & tary here a while.

concubines.

Here beginnys the Fyfte Boke: Of the Foundyng of New Troye and of the Qwerell

of kyng Priam ffor his ffader dethe.

(fol. 26 a.) As Priam lay

he was informed about the destruction of Troy, and at once

him with sorrow.

Now as pis kyng vmbe the Castell lay closit abute,
With his folke all in fere & his fyn childur,

He was enformyt of pe fare & of his fader dethe; 1512 How his towne was takon and tirnyt to grounde; before the castle

His Suster sesyd and soght into syde londis;
His knightes downe kylde vnto cold vrthe.

returned home. . Soche sikyng and sorow sanke in his hert, 1516 With pyté and complaint pyne for to here,

He toke vp his tentes & the towne leuyt,
Teght hom vnto Troy with tеne þat he hade,
Segh the buyldynges brent & beton to ground.

The ruins of the

city overwhelmed 1520 Soche wo for þat werke pan þe wegh thowlit,

hat all his wongys were wete for weping of teres,
Thre dayes proly, with thriccing of hondys,

And drowpet of dole as he degh wold. 1524 pen he sesit of sychen & his sorow voidet, Mendit his mode & his mynd stablit,

days he resolves Toke councell in the case & his care leuyt. to build a greater

aud stronger city. The styfe towne to Restore & so strong make, 1528 ffor daunger and drede of enny derfe enmys,

Gate masons full mony, þat mykull fete couthe;
Wise wrightis to wale werkys to caste;

Qwariours qweme, qwaint men of wit ;
1532 Mynors of marbull ston & mony oper thinges.

But after three

Book V.

The new city, built in the namo of Neptune,

Sone he raght vpon rowme, rid vp pe dykis,
Serchit

vр

the soile pere pe Citie was, And byld vp a bygge towne of þe bare vrthe, In the nome of Neptune þat was a noble god.

1536

THE DISCRIPCION OF TROYE.

was three days journey in circumference.

1540

This Cite was sothely, to serche it aboute,
pre iorneys full iointly to ioyne hom by dayes :
Was neuer sython vnder son Cite so large,
Ne neuer before, as we fynd, fourmyt in vrthe,
Nonso luffly on to loke in any

lond oute.
The walles vp wroght, wonder to se,
With grippes full grete was pe ground takon
Bothe Syker & Sad, þat selly were þik
ffro the vrthe vpward vne of a mesure.
Of the walle for to wete to pe wale top,
xx Cubettes be coursse accounttid full euyn,
hat of marbill was most fro pe myddes vp,
Of diuers colours to ken craftely wroght.
hat were shene for to shew & of shap noble,
Mony toures vp tild be toune to defende,
Wroght vp with the walle as þe werke rose,
One negh to Anoper nobly deuyset.
Large on to loke, louely of shap,
In the Sercle of the Cite were sex faire zates,
ffor entre & yssue & ease of pe pepull.
The furst and the fairest fourmet was Dardan,
Tricerda, Thetas, Troiana, þo foure ;
Anchinordes, Hylias, heght pe two other,
With grete toures vmb-tilde & torettis aboute,
Well wroght for the werre, wacches O lofte.
Ymagry ouer all amyt þere was,
Of beste and babery breme to be holde,
Bost out of be best þe byg toures vmbe.
The wallis in werre wikked to assaile
With depe dikes lorke doubull of water.

Book V.

Within the city were a rich palace and many

ornamented.

(fol. 27 a.)

The streets were

and open, and bad covered side walks.

too for worknien

Within the Citie, for sothe, semly to ken, 1568 Grete palis of prise, plenty of houses, Wele bild all aboute on the best wise.

houses; the walls The werst walle for to wale, þere any wegh were of marble

and richly
dwelt,
Was faurty cubettes by coursse, to count fro the

vrthe,
1572 And all of marbill was made with meruellus

bestes,
Of lions & Libardes & other laithe wormes.
The Stretis were streght & of a stronge brede,
ffor ymur & aire opon in þe myddis;

straight, broad, 1576 By the sydes for sothe of sotell deuyse,

Was archet full Abilly for aylyng of shoures,
Pight yp with pilers all of playne marbill,

Weghis into walke for wetyng of rayn. 1580 There were stallis by be strete stondyng for There were stalls peopull,

of every kind. Werkmen into won, and paire wares shewe, Bothe to selle and to se as paim selfe lyked,

Of all þe craftes to ken as þere course askit :1584 Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble;

Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn;
Taliours, Telers, Turners of vesselles ;

Wrightes, websters, walkers of clothe;
1588 Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre ;

Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn;
Marchandps, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche;

Parnters, painters, pynners also;
1592 Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge ;

fferrers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte ;
Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer ;

Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe; 1596 Cokes, condlers, coriours of ledur;

Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn;
With barburs bigget in bourders of the stretes ;