Book III.

Jason proposes to depart immedi

ately. Medea

pleads for delay.

They steal away by night.

Jason and

Hercules cherish vindictive feelings towards

Laomedon, son

of Ilus, king of Troy.

(fol. 18 a.)

And he hir graunted pat gate with a good wille. 980 When it turnyt to be tyme as I told ere, He bowes to hir bed þere he ben hade, And lay þere in lustes pe long night ouer, In Solas on soche wise as hom-selfe thoght, 984 And spekyn of hor spede while pai space hade, ffor to fare on pe fome into fer londes ; But Medea mouet hym a moneth to lenge. ben leuyt þai the lond and no leue toke, 988 Stale from pe styth kyng styllé by night;

With pe maiden Medea & myche oper goodes, pai turne into Tessaile with-outen tale more, Hit vp into a havyn all the hepe samyn. 992 Pelleus not prowde hade pyne at his hert, þat Jason of his Jorney Joifully hade sped, And faynet ay faire wordes vnder felle thoghtes, Holy het hom to have pe hestes before.

996 Jason of his Jorney was ioyfull ynoghe, bat he hade fongit þe flese & pe fresshe gold; He hedit not the hestes ne the hegh othes, Ne he keppid no couenaund to pe kynd maydon. 1000 But a Sourdyng with sourgrem sanke in his hert, And a lourekand lust to Lamydon the kyng: Ercules with Enuy was enmy also.

hai comynd in the case, cast hom perfore, 1004 Comyn euyn to the kyng & pe cause tolde Of dyshoner he did and his derfe wordes,

hat the grettyst of Grise gremyt þerat;

And heghly to helpe heghtyn þai all,

1008 As I shall telle you the treuthe truly hereaftur.

Here begynneth be ffourth boke.
Of he dystrucion of þe fyrst Troy by
Ercules and Fason.

All charge of þis chaunse, chefe how it will,
Ercules vppon hond hertely has tane;

He sped hym vnto spart, sparit he noght, 1012 þat a cuntre is cald of pe coste of Rome. Tow brether full bold abidyng per-in,

Bothe kynges of pe kythe, Caster was one,
And Pollux, þe proude, pristly pat other.

1016 As poyetis han put, plainly po two

Were getyn by a gode on a grete lady,
he fairest of ffeturs pat euer on fote yode :
And a suster to be same, sothly, was Elyn,
1020 Getyn of þe same god in a goode tyme.

To these kynges he come & his cause tolde,
And to haue of hor helpe hertely dissyred,
And pai graunted hym full goodly with a glad
chere.

1024 ben he lacches his leue and pai lordes ponkit,
Suet forth to (Salame) in a sad haste,

þat gouernet was in gryse by a gome noble,-
One Telamon trewly, as pe text sayse,

1028 þat was kyng in the coste & pe coron hade,—
A bold man in batell & byg in his Rewme.
Ercules of helpe hym hertely besoght,
And he grauntid to goo with a good wille,

Hercules determines to make war with Troy, and seeks the assistance of Castor and Pollux.

(Helena, sister of Pollux.)

(MS. has
"Salerne.")
He goes to
Telamon, king
of Salamis, who
promises to aid
him.

Book IV.

(fol. 18b.)

He goes to
Peleus, king of

Thessaly, and to
Nestor, king of
Pylus, who

promise to

assist him.

The fleets of the

allies of Hercules

1032 With mony bold men in batell and biggest in

Armes.

To Pelleus pertly pen past he agayne,
Assemblid of Soudiours a full sadde pepull,
Of the tidiest of Tessaile, tore men of strenght.

1036 pen to Philon pe freike ferkit in haste,

To a Duke þat was derffe & dought of honde,
Nestor, A noble man naitest in werre,

bat hade louyt hym of long, & his lefe frynde; 1040 He hight hym full hertely þat he haue sholde ffertheryng to his fight with a fre wille.

pen leues pe lede & of lond paste

To Pelleus pristly, pat puruiaunce hade made 1044 Of twenty shippes full shene, shot on pe depe, All redy to the Roode of pe roghe ythes,

With mony barons full bold & buernes per-in. ben comyn thies kynges fro per kyth evyn,

meet at Thessaly; 1048 Saylyng full sound with seasonable wyndes;

and at the

season of the

year when the

sun enters Aries,

they set sail for Troy,

(fol. 19 a.)

At Tessaile full tyte turnyt into havyn,

ffor to fare to pere ffoos with a ffryke wille.
bus it tyd as I telle pe tyme of þe yere,

1052 pe sun in his sercle was set vppon high,

Entrid into Aries vnder a signe,

And euyn like of a lenght pe light & pe derke. he cloudes wax clere, clensit the ayre;

1056 Wynter away, watris were calme;

Stormes were still, pe sternes full clere,
3eforus softe wyndis Soberly blew ;

Bowes in bright holtes buriont full faire;
1060 Greuys wex grene and pe ground swete;
Swoghyng of swete ayre, Swalyng of briddes;
Medowes & mounteyns myngit with ffloures,
Colord by course as þaire kynd askit.

1064 At Mid Aprille, the mone when myrthes begyn, The season full softe of þe salt water,

And the bremnes abated of the brode ythes,

Thies kynges, with knightes in companies grete, 1068 Past fro port, pulled vp þere sailes,

Were borne to pe brode se & the banke leuyt; Sailed fourthe soberly with seasonable windes Till pai comen [to] the cost, as pe course felle, 1072 Of the terage of Troy & turnyt into hauyn, bat sothly was said Segeas to nome.

By thies rialles aryven were, to rest was pe

sun,

And neghed to be night, noy was þe more: 1076 Kaste ancres full kene into pe (cold) water, Cogges with cablis cachyn to londe,

And lay so on lone the long night ouer.
Wen the derke was done & the day sprange,

1080 And lightid o lofte ledis to beholde,

Book IV.

At sunset they arrive at Sigeum, and lie at anchor till morning.

(MS. has
"cole.")

The Grekys in hor geyre graithid hom to banke, The Greeks land,
Launchid vp lightly lordis and other.

pitch their tents, and set guards before Laomedon

The kyng had no knawlache, pat the kith aght, is aware of their

1084 Of the folke so furse pat hym affray wold,

ffor-þi vnkeppit were pe costes all þe kythe ouer.

pai hailit vp horses & hernes of maile,
Armur and all thinge euyn as hom liked:

1088 Tild vp þere tentis tomly and faire,

Skairen out skoute-wacche for skeltyng of harme,
Armyn hom at all peces after anon.

Er the sun vp soght with his softe beames,
1092 Pelleus full prestly the peopull did warne
To appere in his presens, princes and dukys.
With-out tarying to his tent tytly pai yode,
And were set all samyn þe souerain before.
When the peopull were pesit he proffert þes
wordes,―

1096

arrival.

Peleus summons

a council of war to meet in his tent.

Sais, "Ye noblist of nome pat neuer man The counsel of

adouted,

The worde of your werkes & your wight dedis,

And the prise of your prowes passes o fer!

Peleus.

(fol. 19b.)

1100

Hit was neuer herd, as I hope, sith heuyn was o loft, In any coste where ye come but ye were clene victorius,

And happet the herre hond to haue at þe last. Lamydon, þat is lord, has vs ledde hedur, 1104 ffor to wreke vs of wrathe, & pe wegh harme : hat is the cause of the course pat we come hidur. And syn our goddes haue vs graunt pe ground for

to haue,

Hit is spede-full to speike of our spede fur, 1108 And of gouernaunce graithe at our gret nede, ffor to fillyn our fare & our fos harme;

Hald all our hestes, harmles our-seluyn ;

The tresour to take pat to Troy longes,

1112 þat us abides in the burgh & we þe better haue.
Hit is knowen in cuntres & costis o fer,

hat the tresour of Troy is of tyme olde,
Out of nowmber to nem & nedefull to vs ;

1116 Iff vs fallus in fight þe fairer at ende,

We shall haue riches full riffe & red gold ynogh
Our ffyne shippes to fille and our fraght make:
Now fraist we before how fairest wille be,

1120 And speike for our spede while we space haue."

Hercules proposes to attack before

daybreak, in two bands:

(fol. 20 a.)

that Telamon

ERCULES.

Then Ercules the Avntrus onswarid Anon,

"Sothely, Sir kyng, ye haue said well,
Wise wordes I-wis & of wit noble;

1124 Iff it be worship & wit wisdom to shewe,
Hit [is] sothely more soueran to see it in werke.
I will say for myself, sauyng a bettur,
As me thinkes full throly with-outyn threp more.
1128 Let us dres for our dede er þe day springe,

And thrugh lemys of light pe lond vs perseyue:
Part we vs pertly pe pupull in two,
In the ton shall be Telamon, þat is a tore kyng,