THE KINGS OF GREECE. 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. 123 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 pat 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 Nestor, the brave and wise, was tall, strong, and well-built; truthful, trusty, and faithful. Protesilaus, a Semely for sothe, & of Syse faire. 3816 Doughty of dedis, derfe of his hondes, 3820 None wighter in werre, ne of wille bettur. Neptolon nobill was non of þe lest : A store man of stature, stabill of chere. His here was hard blake, on his hede stode. wise; ffor to comyn in a case hade a clere wit. 3828 Palomydon the pure, he was prinse faire; 3832 Noght borely ne brode, but as hym best semyt. 3836 Curtas & kynde, curious of honde. ffull grete in the grippe, all of grese hoge. Or stond vppo streght for his strong charge. THE KING AND PRINCES OF TROY. Dares in his dytyng duly pus tellus, bat for the helpe of these hende, & hertely of oper, 125 Book VIII. 3852 Of Perse come the proude kyng with pepull full The king of Persia mony, And a company of knightes comly to se, 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 pe fire, Bothe o berde & aboue all of bright rede. Of the tulkes of Troy telle we now ferre, 3860 Bothe of mesure & mykyll whille I mynde haue, As breuyt is in boke and aboue set, ffull duly by Dares endited of olde. Priam þe prise kyng was of pure shap, 3864 A large man & a longe, liuely & small. A faire man in feturs & hade of furse steuyn. Delited to the deuer on dayes be tyme. 3868 Noght ferfull, ne furse, faueret full wele, He rulet hym by Reason & the right spake. 3872 He wold herkon full hertely in his high wit. with a great band of soldiers and a company of knights. Of the Trojan leaders. (fol. 60 b.) Priam the king was a tall, noble, active man, of fair feature and commanding voice. Was neuer kyng vnder cloude his knightes more Never was a king louet, 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, pat semely were Non was so noble, ne of nait strenght, As Ector, pe eldist, & aire to hym seluyn. 3880 He was truly in his tyme tristiest of other more beloved by his knights, &c. The noblest and bravest of his sons was Hector. Book VIII. He stuttered a little, was always victorious. Massive and tall, Troy never bred his equal: he was so ready, so good, and so powerful. (fol. 61 a.) 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; hat leuit in any londe, & a litle he stotid. This prinse with his pure strenght plainly auer come 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 pe nonest, So graithe, ne so good, ne of so gret myght. He spake neuer dispituosly, ne spiset no man; Ne sagh, þat was vnsemond, slipped hym fro, He swat neuer for pat swynke, ne in swayme felle. 3896 Was neuer red in no Romanse of Renke vpon erthe So well louyt with all ledys, pat in his lond dwelt. Parys was pure faire, and a pert knighte; Here huet on his hede as haspis of silke, 3900 And in sighkyng it shone as the shyre golde. 3908 po freikes were fourmet of feturs [a]like, TROILUS AND ENEAS. The ton fro pe tother was tore for to ken 3912 In sight at þat sodan, somyn & pai were. The fourme of po freikes was, faithfully to se, A wight man for to wale, & wise of his dedis; ffull massely made, & of mayn strenght; 3924 And yet hoger of hert & of her wille, And delited hym in dole with damsels ofte; 3928 But he mesuret his maners, pof he pe myrth vsid, hat it impairyt not his person, ne his purpos lettid. 127 Book VIII. and in form both were very like their father. The one was a tried knight, syense.' Troilus was tall, massive, and strong; brave, reckless, and amorous, yet mannerly and measured, (fol. 61 b.) In strenght ne in stryfe pere strokes were delte, In battle he was 3932 In all the kyngdome & cuntre, pat to be coron longit, Was no yong man so zepe, ne zenerus of dedis, Wise in his werkes, & of wordys sober, A faire speiker in a spede, speciall of wit, A man full of mekenes & mery of his chere. almost equal to Hector. Eneas the eager, broad-chested but ättle; he was skilful, wise, learned, and meek; had fine bright eyes slightly asquint, and was the richest man in 3944 Of all the tulkes of Troy, to telle þem by name, Troy. |