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النشر الإلكتروني

A PROVERB.

With daunger and drede of a dede hate,
ffor a lure þat was light & of long tyme;

Book VI.

(fol. 345.)

69

"The injury was

2068 hat wold 3epely haue bene forzeton in yeres a few, light and long

2072

2076

And neuer menit with mowthe but purgh mishap.
Thow se not pat sothely said ys of olde,

And oft happes to hit qwo so hede tas :—

past."

"You have forgot the proverbs:

"He pat girdis with grete yre his grem for to Vengeance often

venge,

Ofte shapis hym to shote into shame ferre,

With hoge harmes to haue, & his hert sarre.
Hit is siker, for sothe, and a sagh comyn,—

brings greater shame.'

high should not stir too quickly.'

'He that is low

needs fear no fall.'

"He þat stalworthly stondes, stir not too swithe, He that stands Lest he faile of his fotyng and a falle haue;" ffor he pat set is full sad on a soile euyn, And pight has his place on a playn ground, 2080 Hym þar not hede to be hurt with no hegh falle, Ne be lost purgh his lip to pe low erthe. But pou put þe, priam, to so proude Aunter, ffor to heuyn on þi harme in a hegh yre; 2084 And þi fall was so fuerse with so fele other. Thy Cité and pi soile sesit of þi hond;

Thow dungen to dethe, and þi dere sonse;—
Thi lege men lost, and of lyue done.

2088 Thurgh vnwarnes of wit pat pi wirdis cast,
Thow ges matir to men mony day after,
fforto speke of pi spede, & with spell herkyn
Of pi lure and pi losse for a high wille.

2092 Now what felle pe be fortune, & pi fre pepull,
All in coursse how it come I will carpe ferre,
And turne agayne to my tale, qwill I tome haue.

Priam by purpos a perlament assignet,

2096 And gedrit all pe grete in his grym yre :
Euyn into ylion pai entrid by dene,
There pe souerain was set in a scterioll,
And all pe lordes of pe lond, with his lefe childur.

But Priam, when in a rage, you determined to exalt yourself, and you lost all."

Now to my
story-

Priam calls a parliament of his lords,

Book VI.

2100

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Then carpes the kyng and his cause tellus,
Why the metyng was made at þe mene tyme:
ffor to serche of pe sounde & to say ferre.
"Now," quod the souerain, "as your assent was,
The man þat with message meuyt fro vs all,
By assent of my selfe, & sythen of pe lordes,-
He is comyn to pis courtte, as ye know wele;
And pe Authwart answares pat Auntrid hym
pere,

Ys knowen to pis company be course of his tale.
Thai hede not the hething, ne pe harde greme,

Ne the wronges pai wroght, ne wille to amend; But with sklaunder and skorne to skather agayn, 2112 In pere pompe and pere pride & pere pure

angur.

Our goddes with grace get vs perfro!

hat neuer vs happon so hard with hom to be spit. God will noght, y wis, our wirdis enpaire,

2116 Soche dedis to redresse & our dethe voide.

Let vs purpos a power pas into grese,--
Stir furthe with strenght, stroy of pere londes,-
Get my suster agayne, or sum grete other,

2120 And wreke we full wele of weghes full nobill.
We are bigger in batell, haue a burghe stronge,
Wele wallit for þe werre, watris aboute,

ffew folke to defende fro a fuerse ost;

2124 And are knightes in our cuntre kyddist in Armys,
ffell men to fight a full fuerse nowmber;—

Wele viteld, y wis, for wintors ynow,
Stuff of al maner store pat vs strenght may :
2128 We full of defense, & no faute, haue
Help vppon yche hond highond vs to.
And now sothly it sittes vs, as semith to me,
By assent of youre selfe, & ye so wille,
2132 ffor to purvey a pepull pruddest of werre,
And gird furthe into grese with a gret batell:

THE COUNSEL ACCEPTED.

Pas into pere prouyns, pray in hor londys,
Dyng hom to deth er any dyn ryse;
2136 Er any batell be boune, hom to bale worthe,

þat vnwarnyt of our werkes or hom wo happon.
Thus, I say for my selfe, hit sittis vs all,

ffor to proffer our persons & our pure goodes, 2140 To venge of our velany and our vile harme,

And our state to restore with strokes of hond.
Let not fere you the fray, ne the felle chaunse,
That the Grekes vs greuyt, & to ground broght;
2144 ffor ofte sith hit is sene, and in sere londes,

That a victor of a victe is vilé ouercomyn :—
So I hope hit shall here with helpe of our
goddes."

Book VI.

71

We may crush them before help can be obtained.

Fear not the chance of war;

for often the conqueror is over

come by the conquered."

QWEN the kyng had his counsell declaret to The council adopt

the ende,

2148 Hit likit all the legis þat the lorde said;

And affirmet it fast with pere fre wille,

To proue with pere persons & paire pure goodes.
Than was priam full proude, preyset his lordes,

2152 ponket hom proly, prappit no lengur ;

ffull glad of the graunt with a great joye,

More feruent to fight, fuerser in hert,

Myche comforth he caght of paire kynd speche:2156 And pus pertid pe persons & presset to pere

ynnes.

OFF COUNSELL OF THE KINGES CHILDREN.

the proposal,

and Priam, glad at heart, thanks them.

When the pepull was depertid & the presse The council

voidet,

having been dismissed, the king consults with his

Saue the kyng and pe courtte with his clene court and family.

childur,

bat he wan on his wiffe, as ye wist ere,

2160 And other sonnes vpon syde all with faire

wemen.

Book VI.

His sons standing 2164 round him, Priam

with tears

addresses.

(fol. 36 a.)

"Do not the wrongs of your house sink into your soul?

It will be the shame of our life

if we do not

avenge them.

It grieves me,

kind children, that you should be

sorry for my sake.

And thou, Hector, my son, mine heir, ablest and boldest!--thou shouldest 'hede to my harmes and pursew to my purpos,'

ban Ector was one, as aunter befelle,

ffro the parties of payeme present at home,
By comaundement of pe kyng þat was his kynd
fader.

And when pe sons all somyn were the Syre
vmbe,

Euyn stondyng full still, as paire astate askyt,
Thus
carpes the kyng to his clene childur,
With weping and wo, wateryng of ene,

2168 Sobbyng and sikyng, Syling of terys.

2172

"Now synkes not in your sowle pe sorow of

your graunser,

And the dulfull dethe of your dere fryndes,
The seruage of Exina, þat is in syn holdyn,
And hade in horedam for hethyng of vs ;
And we so mighty on molde & of

strenght?

Hit is lure of our lyues, and we let sholde

mayne

ffor to wreke vs of wrathe for any wegh oute.

2176 And ye þat are 3epe knightes, & in yowthe alse, Shuld highly take hede in hert for to venge

The slaght of pe souerayne, þat was my sure

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2180 pat greuys me full gretly, & to ground bringes, Hit shuld come you by course, as of kynd childer, To be sory for my sake, & soner þen I;

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And part-taker of my payne with prickyng in

hert.

And pou my son, for sothe, sonest of other.

TO ECTOR.

Ector the eldist, and heire to my selfe,—
Antrus in armys, ablist of person,—
Boldest in batell, and best of pi hondes ;—
Thou shuld hede to my harmes, herkon my wille,

HIS ANSWER.

Pursew to my purpos, present myn astate;
To lede all my legis with likyng in werre.
Thy brether obey shall thy biddyng vnto ;-
2192 All þe Renkes of my rewme will þi red folowe,

2196

Book VI.

73

Thy brothers
shall obey thee,
and all the knights
of my realm shall
follow thy
counsel,

As storest of strenght to stightill thy foose,
And soche tyrandes to tame, pat vs tene wirkes.
With hardynes of hond, & with hole might,
Ger hom bowe as a berslet & þi blithe seche.
I Aioyne thee this iorney with ioy for to take,
And the charge of pe chaunse, chef as pou thee as chief; and

may.

This burthen pou beire shall, bigger þen I,
2200 Wightur in werre, and of wale strenght,
Lusty and likyng, and of lite yeres,
Mighty and monfull, maistris to wirke.
And I, ournand in elde with arghnes in hert,
2204 My floures bene fallen, & my frike age,-

I graunt thee pe gouernaunse of his gret mode,
And shake it on pi shulders, shape pe perfore."

THE ONSUARE AND THE COUNSELL OF ECTOR TO PRIAM
HIS FFADER.

When Priam hade his prologe preched to ende,

2208 Ector hym answarede esely and faire,

With wordys full wise vnto his wale kyng, Vnder shadow of shame shewed in his chere."Most worshipfull fader, & my fre kyng! 2212 Hit is kendly by course & custome of men,

þat any hardlaike has, or a hede shame,

ffor to wreke in hor wrathe of wranges before.
And if we, þat are worthy, & wight men in

Armys,

2216 Take harme, other hethyng, or hurtys vnzoldyn,

Of any erdyng in erthe euenyng to vs,

Hit were shortly a shame & a shire greme.
ffor pe more he is mighty, þat the mysse tholis,

I commit this undertaking to

thou shalt bear the burden of it!"

(fol. 36 b.)

"Most worshipful father! men who have any hardship, or cause for shame, seek revenge.

And if we, who

are worthy, take an insult from any

equal on earth, it

would be, indeed, a shame.

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