OFF KING PRYAM & HIS CHILDREN.

Book IV.

When his father
Laomedon was

away in a far land

rebels,

Hecuba he had five song and three

His sons were,

Hector

This Lamydon, þat was lord, hade a lefe son,
A pert man þat was prinse, & priam he hight; slain, Priam was

A man witty & wise, wight, wildist in Armes. waging war with 1464 Hit felle hym [by] fortune at his fader dethe,

He was faryn to fight in a fer londe,
To riche hym of Rebelles þat of þe rewine held ;

To cache a castell þat was kene holdyn,
1468 And to wyn it with werre, went pere a while

With his houshold hole, & here þat he walt.
He hade a woman to wyue worthy & noble, By his wife
Onest & abill & Ecuba she hight:

daughters. 1472 By pat same hade he sonnes, semly men all;

ffyue þat were faire & fuerse men of armes,
And þree doghter by-dene þat were dere holden.

Of his sonnes to say or I sew ferre,
1476 Ector was oldist & heire to hym seluyn;

And most is in mynd for his mykyll strenght.
The secund of his sonnes sothely was parys,

Or Alisaunder ewther was his other name ; famous archer. 1480 He was fairest of þe freikes & a fyne archer,

A bowman of þe best & a buerne wise.
The þrid was a pro knight, þrivand in Armys,
Deffebus pe doughty on a derfe stede.

Delphobus, 1484 The fourth was a philosoffer, a fyne man of lore, Helenus, a

In þe Syense full sad of þe seuyn Artes.
The fyfte of the fre, þat I first nemyt,

(fol. 25 b.) Was Troylus the true, tristy in wer, 1488 That mykell worship wan, witnes ye of story.

Of his Deghter by dene, þat were dere holdyn,
One Creusa was cald kyndly by nome,

The daughters

were, Creusa, bat Eneas afterward Elit to wed,

wife of Eneas, 1492 Dat spokyn is of specially in our spede after,

And Virgill of his werkes writis also,
After takyng of þe toune how hym tid þen.
The secund of be suster for to say feire,

Paris, or
Alexander, a

,

and Troilus.

Bank IV.

beautiful.

1496 Cassandra was cald, clennest of wytte, Cassandra, a

bat Enformet was faire of þe fre artis, prophetess,

And hade knowyng by course of þe clere sternys.

The last of pos lefe children was a lysse faire, and Polyxena, the 1500 Polexena the pert, prise of all other ;

Of hir ffeturs & fairhed is ferly to telle,
Alse noble for pe nonyst as nature cold deuyse

Bothe of color & clennes, to declare all.
Besides these, 1504 This prise kyng Priam hade of pert childer,
Priain had thirty
fous and other

Thretty sonnes besydes, als other wemen, daughters, by

þat he gate in his gamen, goode men of Armys,

And felle men in fight, as we shall fynd after. 1508 Now I turne to my tale & tary here a while.

concubines.

Here beginnys the Fyfte Boke: Of the Foundyng of New Trope and of the Qwerell

of kyng Priam ffor his flader dethe.

about the

returned home.

Now as his kyng vmbe the Castell lay closit abute,
With his folke all in fere & his fyn childur,
He was enformyt of pe fare & of his fader dethe; (fol. 26 a.)

As Priam lay 1512 How his towne was takon and tirnyt to grounde; before the castlo

he was inforined His Suster sesyd and soght into syde londis;

destruction of His knightes downe kylde vnto cold vrthe. Troy, and at once

Soche sikyng and sorow sanke in his hert, 1516 With pyté and complaint pyne for to here,

He toke vp his tentes & the towne leuyt,
Teght hom vnto Troy with tеne þat he hade,
Segh the buyldynges brent & beton to ground. The ruins of the

city overwhelmed 1520 Soche wo for þat werke pan be wegh thowlit,

him with sorrow. bat all his wongys were wete for weping of teres, Thre dayes broly, with thriccing of hondys,

And drowpet of dole as he degh wold. 1524 ben he sesit of sychen & his sorow voidet, Mendit his mode & his mynd stablit,

days he resolves Toke councell in the case & his care leuyt. to build a greater

aud stronger city. The styfe towne to Restore & so strong make, 1528 ffor daunger and drede of enny

derfe

enmys, Gate masons full mony, þat mykull fete couthe; Wise wrightis to wale werkys to caste;

Qwariours qweme, qwaint men of wit ; 1532 Mynors of marbull ston & mony oper thinges,

But after three

Book V.

The new city, built in the name of Neptune,

Sone he raght vpon rowme, rid vp þe dykis,
Serchit

ур

the soile pere pe Citie was, And byld vp a bygge towne of þe bare vrthe, In the nome of Neptune þat was a noble god.

1536

The walls were

different colours

THE DISCRIPCION OF TROYE. was three days

This Cite was sothely, to serche it aboute, Journey in circumference.

pre iorneys full iointly to ioyne hom by dayes :

Was neuer sython vnder son Cite so large,

1540 Ne neuer before, as we fynd, fourmyt in vrthe, (fol. 261.)

Nonso luffly on to loke in any lond oute.
The walles vp wroght, wonder to se,

With grippes full grete was be ground takon 1544 Bothe Syker & Sad, þat selly were pik

ffro the vrthe vpward vne of a mesure. 20 cubits high,

Of the walle for to wete to pe wale top,

xx Cubettes be coursse accounttid full euyn, built of marble of 1548 hat of marbill was most fro pe myddes vp, from the middle

Of diuers colours to ken craftely wroght. upward.

hat were shene for to shew & of shap noble,

Mony toures vp tild þe toune to defende, 1552 Wroght vp with the walle as pe werke rose,

One negh to Anoper nobly deuyset.

Large on to loke, louely of shap, In the walls there In the Sercle of the Cite were sex faire zates, were six gates,

1556 ffor entre & yssue & ease of pe pepull.

The furst and the fairest fourmet was Dardan,
Tricerda, Thetas,
Trojana,

Tricerda, Thetas Troiana, þo foure ;
Anchinordes, and
Hylias, sur-

Anchinordes, Hylias, heght be two other, rounded by

1560 With grete toures vmb-tilde & torettis aboute,

Well wroght for the werre, wacches ( lofte.
Ymagry ouer all amyt þere was,

Of beste and babery breme to be holde,
1564 Bost out of þe best þe byg toures vmbe.

The wallis in werre wikked to assaile
With depe dikes and derke doubull of water.

called Dardan,

tower.

Book V.

were & rich

were of marblo

ornamented.

The streets were

had covered sido walks.

too for workmen

Within the Citie, for sothė, semly to ken, 1568 Grete palis of prise, plenty of houses,

Within the city Wele bild all aboute on the best wise.

palace and many

houses; the walls The werst walle for to wale, bere any wegh

and richly
dwelt,
Was faurty cubettes by coursse, to count fro the

vrthe,
1572 And all of marbill was made with meruellus

bestes, Of lions & Libardes & other laithe wormes. 'The Stretis were streght & of a stronge brede, (fol. 27 a.) ffor ymur & aire opon in pe myddis;

straight, broad, 1576 By the sydes for sothe of sotell deuyse,

and open, and Was archet full Abilly for aylyng of shoures, Pight vp with pilers all of playne marbill,

Weghis into walke for wetyng of rayn. 1580 There were stallis by be strete stondyng for There were stalls peopull,

of every kind. Werkmen into won, and paire wares shewe, Bothe to selle and to se as baim selfe lyked,

Of all be craftes to ken as pere course askit :1584 Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble;

Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn;
Taliours, Telers, Turners of vesselles ;

Wrightes, websters, walkers of clothe;
1588 Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre ;

Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn;
Marchandes, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche;

Parnters, painters, pynners also;
1592 Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge ;

fferrers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte;
Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer ;

Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe; 1596 Cokes, condlers, coriours of ledur;

Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn;
With barburs bigget in bourders of the stretes ;