To all the grete of Grece, fro Agamynon & hym, Book VIII. Vnder sailes of those souerains, samyn to wend Couriers are 3648 By currouris to yche cost, kynges to warne: And all agreit to be gate with a gode wille. The first of po freikes, pat to the fight come, despatched with the message. Was Achilles, a choise kyng & cheuallrus in Achilles. armys; 3652 And Patroculus the proude, a prise mon of werre; Patroclus. With Diomed, a doughti mon & dernist of hond, A stronge man in stoure & stuernist in fight. Sone the cause was declaret with a clene wit, 3656 Of the dede, ilke-a-dele, to po derfe kynges; And opunly, by one assent þai ordant hom all, With ost for to go & a grete nauy, grym Elan fuersly to fecche, and hor fos qwell, And be gouernett by this grete by grement ben by assent of pose souerans somyn, þai yode THE DROWNYNG OF POLLUX & CASTOR. Pollux the pert kyng and his pere Castor, Diomedes. ("ilka-dele," every part.) (fol. 57 b.) Agamemnon is chosen to lead the expedition. Castor and Pollux pursue the 3676 With a nauy full noble anon by hom seluyn ;- Trojans. The Troiens to take was pere intent euyn, Book VIII. A storm bursts over them. (fol. 58 a.) And hor sister to sese, with sailyng pai wend. 3680 þat þai bode not the biddyng of pe buerne But when tithyng was told of hor triet sister, pai fore to pe fome, as I before saide. But how it tide of pat tale this is tru sothe,— 3684 To be water pai went, po weghis to gedur, Paris to pursew with prise men of Armes. Thai sailit not sounde, sothely to telle, Two dayes by dene, as hom dere felle, 3688 When the heuyn in hast hepit with cloudis, Wex merke as þe mydnight; mengit þe ayre; No light but of Laite, pat launchet aboue; Thunret full throly; thrappit the windes; (MB. has "sailes.") 3692 Sodenly po sail[er]es were sorely bestad. With a ropand rayne rugh was the se. The wyndes full wodely wackont anon, vp the rughe se on rokkes aboute; Sails and ropes are torn away. Rut 3696 As hilles hit hepit in a hond while. So pe bre and the brethe burbelit to gedur, hat hit spirit vp spitiously fyue speire lenght With walter and wawes, pat pe wynd dryues 3700 All fore as a fyre pe firmament ouer. With an ugli noise noye for to here, Hit sundrit pere sailes & pere sad ropis ; (* tylude"=tilde, 3704 All pere takyll was tynt, tylude ouer borde; turned, cast.) The ships are shattered on the rocks; Castor The nauy wex nakit; noy was on honde. The shippis with shire wynd shodert in twyn, 3708 The two brether were abidyng bothe in a shippe, warde; Rut on a Rocke, rof all to peces. The bordes all to brast, brusshet in the water ; 3712 The Dukes were drounet, & oper dere folke. All the sort þat hom suet sunkyn to ground A brode in the breme se, barges & other. And syn the dethe was in doute of po dere kynges, 3716 Ne non certayn cold say, ne for sothe telle, 3720 Tran[s]late truly into triet ioy. And poites haue put of po prise brethir, 3724 That demyt is to pis day duly with clerkes, ffor the sun vnder zodias settis hym to leng 3728 Mo in his mouyng þen any mone other. But, what is sothely be said of po sure brethur, 3732 Here Lere Darys in his dyting duly auisys ffor to telle in his tale pe tulkes of Grece ; Of pere shap for to shew and pere shene colour, Of the worthiest pere were, to wale hom be nom. 3736 pus he breuyt in his boke of po breme kynges, ffor he segh hom in sight at sembles full ofte, (As in tymes of tru, paire tentes with in) And waited hom wele; for þe wegh thoght Book VIII. and Pollux and all their company perish. Fables concerning (fol, 58 o.) 3740 To myn hom in makyng in maner as þai were. THE SHAPE AND COLOUR OF THE KYNGES OF GRECE. Agamynon þe gay was of a gode mykull; He was store man of strenght, stoutest in armes, N Agamemnon was tall, large-limbed, noble, and free. Book VIII. 3744 Menelaus was of middle size; bold, daring, and determined. Achilles was a large, burly, With lymes full large; light of his will, Meke as a maiden, mery with all; He was witty þer with, & wegh hardy, Noght so large of his lymes as his lefe brother; 3752 Betwene the large & the litill; likyng of colour broad-shouldered 3756 man, with crisp hair and project ing eyes. (fol. 59 a.) Among the Greeks he had no 3760 equal in strength 3764 or in battle. Tantalus, a huge, 3768 burly, strong man, was well coloured; and had large gray eyes that squinted. Ajax Œlius, a very tall, largelimbed man: given to lying. A bolde man in batell, & of breme wille. Likyng & luffly, a large man with all. Wele colouret by course, clene of his face, 3776 Aiax oelius was outrage grete, Brode of his brest, byg in his armys; A large man of lyms, lengest of stature. Costius clothyng ay þe kyng weiret; Noght lowrand with laithe chere lese for to speike. Telamon truly was a tulke full faire, 3780 Blake horit, aboue breghis and other Serklyt of hom seluyn, semly with all. A Sotell man of song, with mony sere notys, And mellit hym with musike & myrthes also. 3784 He was doughty of dedys, derfe of his hond; Pompe and proude wordis ay pe prinse hated. Book VIII. Telamon the beautiful; his black hair in ringlets over his brow; a great lover of music. Ulysses, the loveliest, the He was the fairest by ferre of all the felle grekes, fairest, the falsest 3788 And falsest in his fare, and full of disseit. Vndertaker of treyne, of talkyng but litill, Neuer myrth in his mouthe meuyt with tong : Sad of his semblaundes, sober of chere. 3792 And of facound fairest with a fre speche, He hade no make of po men in meuyng of wordye. Dyamede pe doughty was a dere kyng, Stronge of his stature, stithe in his armys, 3796 Brode in his brest, byg in his shulders, With a loke þat was laithe like out of wit. ffals of his forward, felle of his hond, A derffe man in dede, dyssirus of batell. 3800 Vnsober with seruaundes, sorofull in hert, Dredfull in dole for dissait þat he vsit. Lusty to lechery, vnlell of his trouthe, And mony harmes hepit for hete of his loue. 3804 Off Duke Nestor to deme, doughty in werre, He was long & large, with lemys full grete. A ffreike þat was fre, and a feire speiker, Wise in his wordys, witté of counsaille; 3808 Tru of his trowthe, tristy to loue, Meke of his maners malise to pese; And if he walte into wrathe, wode as a lyon, 3812 ffaithfull of frendship to frekys þat he louyt, of the Greeks; none could equal him in eloquence. (fol. 59 b.) Diomedes the doughty was a strong, well-buil man, with a scowling look. He was false, cruel, quarrelsome, lecherous, and deceitful. Nestor, the brave Protesilaus, a |