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Book VIII.

Our kingdoms are strong; and

we have many allies.

All Greece will

rise to our aid,

(fol. 57 2.)

With a fleet we shall pass to Troy ;

Kill the people, and raze the city to the ground.

And Paris shall be hanged as a felon.

To this end let us seek the aid of

all the kings in Greece."

3616 And wreke þe on weghis þat þe wrathed hase. Yow know pat our kyngdomes are of clene

strenght,

And we haue felowes full fele pat vs faith owe, To wreike vs of wrathe & our wronge ricche. 3620 All Grece, for pis grefe, with pere grete ostis, Wilbe redy to ryse with a ranke pepull;— Euery kyng for to cum with knightes enarmyt, ffull stoutly with strenght to stir on our fos. 3624 With a nauy full nobill, naite for þe werre, We shall tyre vs to Troy tomly to gedur; And if hit tyde vs our tentis tild on þere londe, Hit shalbe hevi & harde, & happi vnlike, 3628 þat any frigies vs fere, or to flete dryue; But it happon hom harder in a hond while, And the dernyst be dede with dynte of our hondes.

paire pepull & hor power to pyne as vs liste, 3632 Troy and pe tresoure take at our wille,

Bete downe the bildynges to pe bare erthe. And paris, pat is prinsipall of our pure hate, Iff hit happe vs to hent, hongit shalbe 3636 As a felon falsest foundyn with thefte. Hit is sothely to sese of sorow in mynde, And to all the kynges by course, pat knowen are in Grece,

Dukes by dene, & other derfe Erles,

3640 Let vs send to hom salus solemli by letre,
Praiand hom prestly with all our pure hertis,
To helpe vs in hast our harmys to venge,
And dyshonour and daunger done to our
rewmes."

3644 When Agamynon the graithe hade geuen pus

to red,

Menela mightily made for to write

A LEADER IS CHOSEN.

119

Book VIII.

To all the grete of Grece, fro Agamynon & hym,
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,- Diomedes.
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 grym ost for to go & a grete nauy,

Elan fuersly to fecche, and hor fos qwell,

3660 And venge on þere velany & þere vile harme. And for explait of pere spede, pai spekyn in fere To chese hom a cheftayn to be chefe of pem all, To be prinse in pat prise and pe prese haue; 3664 All the ost for to honour & his hest kepe,

And be gouernett by this grete by grement

of hom.

ben by assent of pose souerans somyn, þai yode And walit hom a wegh by wit, as hom thoght. 3668 To Agamynon þai giffen þe gouernaunce hole, ffor worthiest of wit þat worship to haue; And ordant hym Emperour by opyn assent, With power full playn þe pepull to lede, 3672 And obey to pat bolde his biddyng to wirke.

3676

THE DROWNYNG OF POLLUX & CASTOR.

Pollux the pert kyng and his pere Castor,
When hor sister was sesit, saies me the story,
In hope for to hent hir, highit to be se

("ilka-dele,"

every part.)

(fol. 57 b.)

Agamemnon is chosen to lead the expedition.

Castor and Pollux pursue the

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 þai wend.
Sum tellyn pis tale, & for true holdyn,

3680 þat þai bode not the biddyng of pe buerne
Menelay;

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 pe 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;
(MS. 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,
Rut vp the rughe se on rokkes aboute;

Sails and ropes

are torn away.

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 þe firmament ouer.
With an ugli noise noye for to here,

Hit sundrit pere sailes & pere sad ropis;
Cut of pere cables were caget to gedur.

("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,
Dryuen furth on the depe dole to be-holde.

3708 The two brether were abidyng bothe in a shippe,
hat was stird with the storme streght out of

warde;

Rut on a Rocke, rof all to peces.

The bordes all to brast, brusshet in the water;

CASTOR AND POLLUX DROWNED.

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,
What worth of po wight in the wilde se;
The gentils aiuges hom two iuste goddis,
Lyuond in the lofte with lordships in heuyn,

3720 Tran[s]late truly into triet ioy.

And poites haue put of po prise brethir,
þat þai Rauichit were radly into pe red ayre,
And set in a seigne þat zodias is callid;
3724 That demyt is to pis day duly with clerkes,
Gemini Aiugget in pere iuste artis.

ffor the sun vnder zodias settis hym to leng
Two dayes betwene, & dryues no ferre

3728 Mo in his mouyng þen any mone other.

But, what is sothely be said of po sure brethur,
ffor pe sute of pere sister somyn were þai drounyt.
Let Poyetis go play hom, & passe to our tale.

3732 Here Darys in his dyting duly anisys

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, þaire tentes with in)

And waited hom wele; for þe wegh thoght

3740 To myn hom in makyng in maner as pai were.

121

Book VIII.

and Pollux and
all their company
perish.

Fables concerning
Castor and
Pollux.

(fol. 58 0.)

THE SHAPE AND COLOUR OF THE KYNGES OF GRECE.

Agamynon þe gay was of a gode mykull;
His colour of pat kyng all of clene qwite.

He was store man of strenght, stoutest in armes,

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,

broad-shouldered

man, with crisp

hair and project

ing eyes.

(fol. 59 a.)

With lymes full large; light of his will,
Meke as a maiden, mery with all;
Wode in his wrathe, wild as a lion,

He was witty per with, & wegh hardy,
3748 And of faciund full faire, fre of his speche.
Menelay the mighty was of meane shap,

3752

3756

3760

Noght so large of his lymes as his lefe brother;
In mesure was made of a medull size,
Betwene the large & the litill; likyng of colour
Auntrus in armys, eger of wer,

A bolde man in batell, & of breme wille.
Achilles the choise was of chere faire,
Likyng & luffly, a large man with all.
Crispe herit was the kyng, colouret as gold.
Stokyn ene out stepe with a streught loke;
His loke was full louely, when ledys were opyn.
With a brest þat was brode, byg of his shulders;
Grete armys in the gripe, growen full rounde;
A large man of lenght with limis full brode.
A stythe man in stoure, storest of wille,
Was no greke on pat grounde of so great strenght,
Ay bowne vnto batell, boldist in armys,
Godely of giftes, grettist in expense,
Ay furse on his fos, and to fight Redy.
Tantalus, a huge, 3768 Tantelus the tore kyng was a tulke hoge,

Among the

Greeks he had no

equal in strength 3764 or in battle.

burly, strong

man, was

well coloured;

and had large

gray eyes that squinted.

Ajax Elius, a very tall, largelimbed man: given to lying.

3772

Borly of brede, & of big strenght;

Wele colouret by course, clene of his face,
Rede roicond in white, as pe Roose fresshe;
With grete Ene & gray, gleyit a litill;
Meke of his maners, & manly in werre.
Aiax oelius was outrage grete,

Brode of his brest, byg in his armys;

3776 A large man of lyms, lengest of stature.
Costius clothyng ay þe kyng weiret;

Noght lowrand with laithe chere lese for to
speike.

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