FATE MUST BE FULFILLED.

89

Book VI,

She runs to the

king,

purpose.

But fate is

to its own
purpose.

But had all the

Ho ros þan full radly, & ran to þe kyng.

With teris don trickelyng of hir tore ene, 2700 And a sembland full soure, sorow to be holde, She prayet hym full pitously his purpos to leue. and prays him to

give up his As ho þat wise was of wit, & wist it be-fore

Thurgh craft of hir conyng & course of þe sternys, 2704 She said hym full sadly with sorowfull wordys,

All shuld turne hym to tene, & pe towne lose.
But fortune, þat is felle, forthers his tyme;

unyielding, and Hastis to vnhappe, having no rewarde;

turns everything 2708 Ordans an yssew, euyn as hym lyst;

Turnys all entent, þat hym tary wold;
Caches furthe his cold wirdis with cumpas to

ende.
But I may sothely say, & for sure holde, -

warnings 2712 Hade the counsell ben kept of the knight Ector, (fol. 43 6.)

been heeded,
And the Ernyst speche Eftward of Elinus the

Bysshop,
Cassandras care considret with all,

With the prophesy of Protheus put into hertys, 2716 Troy with pi toures hade bene a toune noble, Troy would still And wond in his weile to the worldes ende.

city, &c. But no man tentes to tene er þe tyme come,

Ne ferd is for fortune till it falle to.
2720 And þof hit chaunses to chefe þat men charge

litill,
To
TOW into gronnd harme & greuys

full sore ;
When the tene is be tyde, & turnys to be werst,

Men demyn hit for destyny, & for due holdyn; 2724 And takon yt to þat entent: & here a tale endes.

have been a noble

Here begynnes the Seuynt Boke : how Parys went into Grese for Elan.

Spite, that is for
ever bent on
inischief, rules
uncontrolled in
passionate hearts.

("pades" =
Hyades.)

("taure," Taurus.)

In the month of May, when meadows are green, &c.

Envy, þat Euermore ertis to skathe,
Ryxles full Ryfe in her ranke hertes.

This forward was festynit with a felle wille,
2728 And all the purpos plainly with pouer to wende.

Hit betid pus in tyme, as I telle shall,
When sit was [the] Sun þese signes betwene,

Entred in yades, efter as it fell ;
2732 And the planet of pliades, with his playn course,

Into taure was turnyt as the tyme asket.
In the moneth of May, when medoes bene grene,

And all florisshet with floures pe fildes aboute;
2736 Burions of bowes brethit full swete,

fflorisshet full faire ; frutes were kuyt;
Greuys were grene, & pe ground hilde;

Hit was likyng in Laundys ledys to waike;
2740 Parys the pert knight, And his pure brother,

Comyn vnto courtte with company grete,
Of thre thowsaund þro knightes, priuand in

Armys;

The pruddist of payone, prise men of honde.
2744 Shippes were shot furth on the shyre water,

All boune on the brode see, with botys amonge.
To nem you the mowmber naytely be tale,
There were twenty and too, to twyn hom in

sonder,

(fol. 14 a.) Paris and his brother come to court with 3000 knights.

Ships are shot
forth,

to the number
of twenty-two,
well victualled
and manned,

Book VII.

commands them

Paris appear

he states the

2748 Stithe shippes & stoure stuffet with vitell,

All full vpon flote with fyne pepull in.
The kyng comaund to come, & cald hym anon,

The king calls

Antenor, Æneas, Antenor alstite, and Aunteros Eneas,

and Polydamas,

(son of Antenor): 2752 And Polidamos prist,-a full pert knight,

Antenor Aune son, aldist of yeris;
Bade hom buske & be boun & no bode make,

to make ready to To pas furthe with parys & hor prise knightes, go with Paris

immediately. 2756 Bowne on hor best wise in hor bright wedis.

And þai grauntid the grete with a glad chere,
And shope hom to ship in a sharpe haste.
All the pepull to appere Pryam comaundit, The people who

are to go with 2760 That were purpast to pas on the pale stremys,

before the king:And wightly thies wordes warpit hom to, With a Sembland full sad, er he ses wold :“ Hit nedys not now our noyes to telle,

purpose of the 2764 Ne mony wordes to warpe, for it is well knowen. expedition.

All wete ye my wille why ye wend shall,
The Grekes for to grefe, if your grace happe,

And harme with your hond, þat our hede slogh ;
2768 To venge of our velany, & our vile grem

And hardlaike we hade of hom in þis londe :
And most is my mynde, & I might haue,

"To get my sister My Sister Exiona fro seruage to brynge.

Hesione out of

bondage is your 2772 That shalbe choisly your charge: chefe & ye may chief work :With all your mightes to mene, & most to

pursew
On hom þat hir holdis, & vs harme dyd.

(fol. 44 b.)
Wetys hit all wele: with outen any cause
2776 þat þe dayens you derit, & to drede broght; (Danai, Greeks.)

And for Redur & ranke harme of vnright dedis,
We may tyre vs with truthe to tene hom agayne,

And wreke vs of wrathe & wranges before.
2780 I bid you now barly with besines at all, therefore, do all

in your power to þat ye set you most souerainly my suster to gete. accomplish it. Now is tyme most tore to tente pere aboute,

1

Book VII.

such nobles as

And to aunter on our Enmys with armes in werre, 2784 Our Knighthode to Kythe, & our clene strenght;

And mene vs with monhode maistry to wyn.

Wetis all wele : & you wont oght, All your wants shall be supplied.

Or any case to you come comford to haue, 2788 To be suppoueld by selfe & my sad helpe.

And if it falle you be fortune to forther your

wille,
My Syster to sese, or any sure lady,

Ye haue shall my helpe & my hole strenght, 2792 To pas with a power to þaire playne londys,

Hat all the dayens vs doute shall for our derfe

strokes,

And be war vs to wrathe to þe worldes end. Paris shall be

Prinse of þis pouer Parys shalbe, leader of this expedition;

2796 And leder of these ledys & the lefe pepull ; Deiphobus, next in command, with And Deffebus, my dere son, I dem hym þe next;

With counsell & comford of clene men of wit,Antenor, Æneas,

Of Antenor, & Eneas, & other full noble,

2800 bat fare shall in fere & feliship to gedur." When the king

When the Kyng hade declarit all his clene wille, had ended, the host take ship.

Than entrid the oste evyn into shippe.

Paris with pyne, & his pure brother, 2804 Toke leue at þere lege with loutyng & teris;

Shot into ship with shene men of Armys;

Lauset loupis fro the le ; lachyn in Ancres; They set sail.

Brode sailes vp braid ; bonkis þai leuyt.
2808 With Jono, the Juste god Joynet to be see,

And Venus the worthy, þat hom well plesit,
Thay sailed

furth

soundly with seasonable

wyndes, They reach the Cyclades.

Tyll þai comyn of the cost of Caucleda in spase: (fol. 45 a.)

2812 Of the regione of Rene, & rode þere in havyn. They make for

Gayn vnto Grese on þe gray water,
Greece, and pass

· By the Regions of Rene rode pai ferre,
Streit by the stremys of the stithe londys;

&c."

Book VII.

Menelaus passes the fleet on his way to Pylos.

He was brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.

2816 Ay boun to the banke, when hom best thoght,

ffor to light on pe londe, & leng on hor ese.
Now it felle hom by fortune, as þai fere so,

Monolay for to mete, the mightiest of Grese, 2820 Come sayland by syde & the see held ; Purpost vnto Pyle by prayer of Nestor,

(MS. has Pire) To solas hym a season, & soiourne with the Duke.

This Menelay, þat I mene, the mighty before, 2824 To Agamenon the graithe was a gay brother;

And had weddit, I wis, & to wif held
Elan, þat afturward angert hym sore.

Of hir feirehede & feturs is ferly to here,
2828 I shall telle you, when I tyme haue, tomly her-

aftur.
Ho was suster for sothe, as I said ere,

She was sister of

Castor and Pollux. To Pollux the pert kyng, & his pere Castor,

bat soiournet the same tyme at the Cite Emscor, 2832 As legis in hor owne londes, a louely hom with,

Ermonia, a Maydon þat þai moche louyt,--
A doghter full dere of dame Elan the quene.
When the Grekes se the grete nauy, þai girdon The Greeks keep

o rowme,
2836 And meuyt fro bere metyng at the mene tyme.

Nawther company by course hade Kennyng of

other,
But past to pere purpos & no prise made,

And sailet vpon syde vnto sere costys. 2840 Parys and his pepull past by the stremys, Hadyn wynd at hor wille, & the wedur calme, favourable winds,

reach Cythera, And sailet to Sithera, and set into hauyn;

now Cerigo.
A ground of the Grekes, as hom grase felle,
2844 And now cald is, by course, of hom þat costes
hauntyn,

(fol. 45 b.)
Sytrinos forsothe, with Sailers to nome.
There arofe all the rowte, as pai rede toke,
And halit into hauyn, & houyt full stille;

away from the fleet.

Paris and his company, with