TIIE KINGS OF GREECE. 123 Book VIII. black hair in Diomedes the strong, well-buil', man, with a Telamon truly was a tulke full faire, 3780 Blake horit, aboue breghis and other Telamon the beautiful; his Serklyt of hom seluyn, semly with all. ringlets over his A Sotell man of song with mony sere notys, brow; a great lover of music. And mellit hym with musike & myrthes also. 3784 He was doughty of dedys, derfe of his hond; Pompe and proude wordis ay be prinse hated. loveliest, the of the Greeks; 3788 And falsest in his fare, and full of disseit. none could equal Vndertaker of treyne, of talkyng but litill, him in eloquence. Neuer myrth in his mouthe meuyt with tong: Sad of his semblaundes, sober of chere. (fol. 59 6.) 3792 And of facound fairest with a fre speche, He hade no make of þo men in meuyng of wordye. doughty was Stronge of his stature, stithe in his armys, 3796 Brode in his brest, byg in his shulders, scowling look. He was false, With a loke þat was laithe like out of wit. cruel, quarrelffals of his forward, felle of his hond, some, lecherous, A derffe man in dede, dyssirus of batell. 3800 Vnsober with seruaundes, sorofull in hert, Dredfull in dole for dissait þat he vsit. And mony harmes hepit for hete of his loue. 3804 Off Duke Nestor to deme, doughty in werre, Nestor, the brave and wise, was He was long & large, with lemys full grete. tall, strong, and well-built; A ffreike þat was fre, and a feire speiker, truthful, trusty, Wise in his wordys, witté of counsaille ; 3808 Tru of his trowthe, tristy to loue, Meke of his maners malise to pese ; But he lengit not long in his lothe hate ; 3812 ffaithfull of frendship to frekys þat he louyt, The hertist to helpe of all the high kynges. a and deceitful. and faithful. THE KINGS OF GREECE. Book VIII. warrior of fino Semely for sothe, & of Syse faire. 3816 Doughty of dedis, derfe of his hondes, None wighter in werre, ne of wille bettur. Neoptolemus the Neptolon nobill was non of þe lest : noble, a tall, staid man, with hard, A store man of stature, stabill of chere. black, prickly hair ; large gray 3820 His here was hard blake, on his hede stode. eyes and grim; Grete Ene and gray, with a grym loke. His shulders were shapon of a clene brede. shouldered, and beetle browed, 3824 Bytell browet was the buerne, þat aboue met; And stutid full stithly, þat stynt hym to speke; was broad а and stuttered, wise ; (fol. 60 a.) a Palamedes, son of Nauplius, King of Eubea, was of middle size, wellbuilt, bold, and daring; a noble story-teller, courteous and kind. Podalirius, huge, fat, and "plooked" as a porker; his feet had burden enough to “fer ke hym aboute." ffor to comyn in a case hade a clere wit. Naulus son pe nobill kyng, & his next childe. Large of a lenght, lyuely & small, A stythe man of his stature, stirond of wille, Nobill talker with tales, tretable alse, Polidarius was pluccid as a porke fat, So bolnet was his body, pat burthen hade ynoghe 3840 The fete of þat freke to ferke hym aboute, Or stond vppo streght for his strong charge. He wold not gladly be glad, ne glide into myrthe; 3844 But euermore ymaginand & entrond in thoghtes. Machaon the mody kyng was of a mene stature, Proude & presumptins, prouyt of wille, Neuer slept þat slegh for slouthe vppon day. Machaon, brother of Podalirius, was of mean stature, proud and presumptuous, THE KING AND PRINCES OF TROY. 125 Book VIII. Dares in his dytyny duly pus tellus, oper, 3852 Of Perse come the proude kyng with pepull full The king of Persia with a great band mony, of soldiers and a company of And a company of knightes comly to se, knights. bat tellis his Atyre & his triet strenght. He was large, & long, & of lene shap, 3856 With a face somwhat fat, fellist of colour. The here of þat hathell was huet as þe fire, leaders. active man, of fair feature and voice. Of the tulkes of Troy telle we now ferre, or the Trojan 3860 Bothe of mesure & mykyll whille I mynde haue, As breuyt is in boke and aboue set, (fol. 60 b.) Priam þe prise kyng was of pure shap, Priam the king was a tall, noble, 3864 A large man & a longe, liuely & small. A faire man in feturs & hade of furse stenyn. commanding Delited to the deuer on dayes be tyme. 3868 Noght ferfull, ne furse, faueret full wele, Louet he no lede þat lustide in wrange ; Songis of solemnite and songes of myrthe 3872 He wold herkon full hertely in his high wit. Was neuer kyng vnder cloude his knightes more Never was a king more beloved by louet, his knights, &c. Ne gretter of giftes to his goode men, Ne lellier louyt ledys of his aune, 3876 Ne with Riches so Rife rewardet his pepull. Of all his sones for sothe, þat semely were holdyn, The noblest and bravest of his sons As Ector, pe eldist, & aire to hym seluyn. was Hector. 3880 He was truly in his tyme tristiest of other THE PRINCES OF TROY. Book VIII, He stuttered a pat leuit in any londe, & a litle he stotid. come Massive and tall, Troy never bred his equal : he was so ready, so good, and so powerful. (fol. 61 a.) All Auntres in Armys, þat he euer raght : 3884 Non so stuerne þat withstode a stroke of his honde. He was massy & mekull, made for þe nonest, Neuer Troy no tyme soche a tulke bred, So graithe, ne so good, ne of so gret myght. He spake neuer dispituosly, ne spiset no man ; mowthe. Ne sagh, þat was vnsemond, slipped hym fro, 3892 But ay meke as a maydon, & mylde of his speche. Neuer hatfull to hym to hygh into batell, felle. vpon dwelt. Here huet on his hede as haspis of silke, He was bowman þe best, bolde with a speire, ffull siker at asaye, & a sad knight, Deffebus was doughty & derfe of his hond, Elenus, the eldist euyn after hym. Bothe of hyde & of hew to hede of a mykell; Paris, a pert knight with silken, glossy hair, was a famous archer and bunter. Deiphobus the third son and Helenus the fourth, were very much alike in features; Book VIII. and in form both were very like their father. The one was amorous, yet measured, The ton fro pe tother was tore for to ken 3912 In sight at þat sodan, somyn & pai were. The fourme of þo freikes was, faithfully to se, Vndifferent to deme fro þere dere fader, 3916 Saue Priam the prise was past into eld, And þai of yeris full yong, zenerus of wille. A wight man for to wale, & wise of his dedis; 3920 The tother, sotele of syense to seke in a lond, And a corius clerke with a clene wit. Troilus was tall, massive, and ffull massely made, & of mayn strenght; strong; brave, reckless, and 3924 And yet hoger of hert & of her wille, He demenyt well his maners,& be mesure wroght. mannerly and And delited hym in dole with damsels ofte ; 3928 But he mesuret his maners, þof he be myrth vsid, bat it impairyt not his person, ne his purpos lettid. In strenght ne in stryfe bere strokes were delte, in battle he was almost equal to He was Ector eftsones, or ellis soche another. 3932 In all the kyngdome & cuntre, þat to be coron longit, Eneas was euermore eger of wille, 3936 Brode in his brest, & of body litill. ättle; he was skilful, wise, Wise in his werkes, & of wordys sober, learned, and meek; A faire speiker in a spede, speciall of wit, A clene man of counsell, with a cloise hert, 3340 Of litterure & langage lurnyt ynoghe. A man full of mekenes & mery of his chere. had fine bright eyes slightly Glemyt as pe glasse and gliet a little. asquint, and was 3944 Of all the tulkes of Troy, to telle þem by name, Troy. Hector Æneas the eager, broad-chested but a the richest man in |
