Book VII.

2848 Caste ancres full kene with cables to grounde ;

ffestonit the flete, as hom fayre thoght; They land and go

Buskys into botys, were borne to be lond, to the temple of Venns,

To solas hom a season, as hom selfe liked; 2852 And waited vppon hor wirdes for wynnyng of

godys.
In Sythera, for sothe, was a solempne tempull,
Of Venus, I wis, þat worthy was holdyn,

ffoundet before, fele yeres past,
2856 And enabit of old þere auntres were sene.

With Riches full Rife & myche Ranke godys,
The yle well enabit & onest with in,

And lyuet after law of pe lell gentils,
2860 bat Venus the worthy worshippit for god,

And most honouret of other with onesté þere.
There auntered hom oft, onsware to haue,
When þai put hom with prayer þat prise for to

seche.
2864 Thus tyd hit þat tyme, as I telle wille,

pat the principall & prise fest of þere pure goddys festival was then being held by the Was holdyn þo high dayes with hom þat þere people.

dwelt;

And other folke vpon fer fell thedur thicke,

2868 With mykull prese of pepull of prouynce aboute, Worshippers from Soght to þat solenité sacrifis to make. all parts carre to that festival,

Worthy wemen to wale, wete ye forsothe, especially

hat prist are of pilgrymes to pas ouer lond
2872 To waite after wondres, & wilfull desyre

More Janglyng of Japes pen any Juste werkes,
And for solas & sight þen sacrifice to do.

When parys persayuit had the pepull anon,
Paris joins a 2876 He cacchis a compony clenely arayed,

And to the tempull full tyte toke he pe gate. teinple.

ffull mylde on his maner meuit within.

On a side he hym set, as semyt for a straungior, 2880 In prayers full prist the pepull beheld.

whose chief

worthy wemen."

company on their way to the

(fol, 46 a.)

HELEN LONGS TO SEE PARIS.

95

Book VII.

He offers “a gobet of gold."

woinen,

He offert onestly in honour of Venus,
A gobet of gold, þat gyngys might se;

And sylid for-sothe on the same wise,
2884 ffor solempnite of sacrifice in sight of þe pepull.

Paris was pure faire, & plesaund in sight,
A store man & a stoute, full stithe hym be semyt;

ffairest be ferre of his fre buernes, 2888 Wemen waited hym well, hade wondur of He is admired

and loved by the hym one, That of shap for to shew was shene to beholde, And clad as a kyng in clothys full fyne.

He was louyt with ladys, lappit in hert. 2892 As course is of kynd & comyn dessire, Ich on fraynet at his fere pe frekys to know, All wonder and

inquire who he Of what lond were po louely hit list hom to wete, is, &c.

And prinsipall of Parys the pepull dessiret, 2896 of þat comly to Ken, & his cause here.

And o sithen it was said, & for sothe tolde,
That Parys was Pryam son, þat prinse is of Troy,

By comaundement of his kyng comyn into Grese, 2900 With a company clene his cosyn to gete.

Exiona sothely he soght for to haue,
That Telamon hade takon & with tеne held,

And set vnder seruage þat hom sore greuyt. 2904 This speche furth sprede & sprange vppo ferre,

Ouer all into yles, so aunter befelle,
Into the Eres of Elan hit entrid belyue.

arrival, The prishede of parys was praisit so mekyll, and great beauty ; 2908 With ferly of his fairnes, & his fre buernes,

and longs to see Sho was lappit in longyng þat louely to se, And to wete of þat worthy with wilfull desyre. (fol. 46 b.)

As wemen are wount in Wantonhede yet, 2912 With a likyng full light in loue for to falle,

That hetys into hertys and hurtes sone after ;
So longid this lady with lust to the Temple, Lust impels her

to the Temple. With Sacrafice solempne to seche vnto Venus.

Helen hears of his

him.

Book VII.

2916 This ho tolde hir entent, as pe tyme asket,

And to stare o po stoute, & hir astate shewe
To the folke of the frigie with a ffrike wille:
Holdur þen holynes happont so then.

(Holardur, fornication.)

THE POIET.

The shamelesgness of women,

and what it ends in.

2920 Hit is wondur to wit of wemen dissyre,

pat shunt not for shame to shake ouer lande, To glogh vppon gomes at gedering of folke,

And prese vnto playes pepull to beholile,
2924 þat ledis vnto loue with lustes þat folowes.

Yong men & yepe, yenerus in hert,
Rauisshe hom Radly & þaire rede turnys ;

Puttes hom to purpos þat pynes hom after. 2928 Soche stirrynges ger stumble, þat stidfast wold be.

With sight at assemblis, & sythen with speche,
With flatery, & faire wordys fallyn to gedur,
Acoyntyng hom with kissyng & clippyng in

Armes,
2932 With Sossyngs, & Soteite, Settyng of cases,

The willes of wemen wightly pai chaunge,
To falle vpon foly & hor fame lose :

Now fey be be freike þat it first ordant.
2936 Soche Riot & Revell so ryuely to haunt,

Of yonge men & yenerus, þat yurnes to gaumes
To daunse amonge damsels; drawing of glovis,
With comonyng in

company, þat comes but to
harme,
2940 Gers maidnes be mart, mariage for done ;

Brynges wynes into wondur þaire worship to

lose;
And ertes ay to enyll ende & ernyst by the last.
Throgh whiche treason betydes, & tornys ym-

qwhile
2944 Bolde men to batell and biker with hond :

hat draghes vnto dethe, & deris full mony.

Fie on him, who first led such fashions!

(fol. 47 a.) Treason, war, and ruin are the fruits.

Book VII.

Therfore saintes to seche and to sere halowes,

And turne vnto Templis atyrit with pride, 2948 Hof it be laifull to ladys and oper les wemen,

Zet it ledis vnto laithnes and vnlefe werkes ;
And shotis into shame as shene has ben ofte.
But þou Elan, þat haldyn was hede of all laulys, first of all ladies;

, , 2952 And the fairest of feturs formyt in erthe,

what evil spirit

possessed thee, &c. What wrixlit þi wit & pi wille chaunget, In absens of þi souerayne, for saghes of pepull,

To pas of þi palays & þi prise chamber, 2956 To loke on any lede of a londe straunge?

þat might faire haue refraynit with þi fre wille ;
Haue sauyt thy septur & þi selfe alse.

Hade pou holdyn pe at home, hedit pin astate, 2960 And not cayret fro court þere company was gedurt,

To waite aftur wondurs for a worde light.
Hit were sittyng for sothe, & semly for wemen,

paire houses to haunt & holde hom with in; 2964 Kepe hom from company & comonyng of folke; their honour.

And, ouer all, þere onesty attell to saue,
Whethir a ship, þat is shot on þe shire wawes,

Shuld drowne in the depe, & it drye stode, 2968 Halyt into havyn, harlit with ropes.

Ne a woman, I wis, þat wisely will gouerne,
Shall not into fame but of hir fre wille.

Thou dissyret full depely, dame Elan, þi seluon But, dame Helen, 2972 To pas fro pi palis & þi priuey chamber,

Cythera, you And seche to Sytheria with solempne Avowe; sought to see In colour of þi cause pou couet to se

hat straunge, þat was stoute & stare hym vppon ; 2976 So pou light in vnlefulnes, þat lefully semyt, ,

Thurgh bi Licrus lust þat Lurkit in bi hert. (fot. 47 b.) ffor þe sight of þat semely, sotheli, was venum,

þat enfecte și faire loue to pe fairist of Grise, 2980 And mony Greke with grem vnto grounde broght

It becomes
women to abide
at home, and
strive to preserve

under pretenice
of worshipping at

Paris

what disasters followed.

Bouk VII.

All the frigies vnfaire vnder fight endit.
Now furder how it felle I will faire telle.-

Servants and

Sho assemblid hir seruandes with a sad wille, horses are mado ready for the 2984 Hade hom radly arayed for pe rode furth; pilgrimage to Cythera.

Bryng horses to grounde and hernes anon,
To seche to Sitheria for solempne avowe;

And Venus to worship, as hir wele awe,
2988 As ho heghly hade het for helping before.

This Sitheria, for sothe, from þe same yle
Of Menelay þe mighty was but a mene spas,

And he souerain hym selfe & be soile aght.
2992 Tite, with outyn tariyng, atirit were all,

Horses in haste & to hond brought ;
The lady full louely was lifte vppon on,

A palfray of prise, prudly atyrit,
2996 And glod on full gayly, pe gaynist to the bonke.

There light pai full lyfely, lept into bote,
And were set ouer soundly into the same yle

Right with a Rother, and Rayket to bonke.
At the temple she 3000 In hir atire to be tempull tomly ho yode,
offers gold and
precious stones.

bere onestly sho offert, honourt hir goddes
With giftes of golde & of gode stones;

Tariet in the tempull, tentit to goumes ;
3004 Ho segh not þat semly, ben set hir to ground

And proffert hir prayers to be prise goddes. Tidings of her

These tythandes full titely told were to Parys,

bat honerable Elan was entrid in pe tempull, 3008 Menelay mody wife þat he most louyt.

He araiet hym full riolly with a route noble, teinple,

And past thurgh be prese into be proud tempull.

He was enformyt before of þat fre lady, 3012 þat ho to Castor þe kyng accounttid was euon,

And to Pollux : pure suster pristly to bothe.

Of hir fairehede feltymes hade þe freike herd. with her beauty.

ffro he be semly hade sene he set so his egh,

arrival reach Paris :

he enters the

(fol. 48 a.)

and is entranced