Book VIII. Antenor the Wise was a tall, active, but slender man: 3948 talkative but far seeing. Polydamas, son of Antenor, ['favour.' countenance.] was tall, agile, and slender, like his father; (fol. 62 a.) Meriones, king of Crete, was a great, massive, broad shouldered knight, with crisp yellow hair, and black eyelashes: a fierce and famous warrior. Hecuba, the honest and honourable queen, was broad and massive, almost like a man. She was learned as became a lady, meek and charitable. 3952 Was non so riche of Renttes, ne of renke godes, Long man & large, lyuely & small. Mony wordys hade the wegh, wise of his dedis, Wele louyt of his lege, delited hym in myrthe, A large man of lenght, delyuer, & small, 3964 His colour blent was in blake, with a blithe chere. A faire man of fourme, & a fre knight. Grete sydes to gripe growen full sad, A hard brest hade pe buerne, & his back sware. 3972 A felle man in fight, fuerse on his enimys, Was shewyng in shap of a shene brede, 3976 She hade a wonderfull wit a woman to bene, 3980 Alse sad in þe syens as semyt for a lady CASSANDRA AND POLYXENA. An delited hir deply in dedis of charité. 129 Book VIII. Andromache, wife of Hector, was tall and stately, 3984 Long body hade the burdde, bright of hir colour. with bright clear Ho was mesurably made, as pe mylke white. 3988 Hir lippes were louely littid with rede. And all hir dedis full duly done by a mesure. 3992 Cassandra the clere was a Clene Maydon, 3996 Most was hir mynde hir maidonhede to kepe. Mony cas for to cum ho be course wiste, By artys of astronomy, & ame of hir wit,4000 By staryng on the sternys thurgh hir stithe lore. Polexena the pert was prise of all other, Of feturs & fourme the fairest on lyue; ffull tendur of hir tyme, triet of hewe. Of hir fairnes fele may no freike telle, Ne no wegh has wit ne wordys perfore, ffor to labur so longe of hir lefe shap; But truly I telle as pe text sais, 4004 4008 Ho was of bewte aboue all borne in hir tyme, To wale purgh the world of wemen bydene, Alse noble for pe nonest as natur cold deuyse, To paint in yche place thurgh his pure study, 4012 (pat errit not in anythyng of abilté per, 4016 Saue he demyt hir dedly, when hir day come.) eyes, ruddy cheeks and lips, and golden hair. (fol. 62 b.) Cassandra, daughter of Priam, was of seemly size and mould, but pale, and squinted a little. She was well skilled in astronomy. Polyxena was by far the fairest of Priam's daughters. Her beauty baffles all description. Book VIII, Thus Dares represents those noted ones of Greece and Troy: (fol. 63 a.) and now to our story of what befell them. Voidet all vanities, & virtus dissyret. hat he hade comyng with in company, & knew 4024 As the worthiest to wale & wildest in Armys. Of these nomly to neuyn, & nobill men other, How þai bere hom in batell, I buske me to say; And telle how hom tyde, whill I tyme haue.-4028 Stir fuorth to our story, & stynt here a while. Neynt Boke. Of the Nowmber of Shippes and the Nauy of the Grekes. Comyn was by course pat the cold wyntur Was wastid & went with his wete shoures. ffrostes were faren, and the fell cold; 4032 The slippond slete slidon of the ground; fflodys were fallyn into furse vales, And into caues be course cleufit the erthe. 4036 The rede beames aboue blusshet with hete ; Ver entrid full euyn, eger with all. The sun in his serkyll set in pe last, 4040 ffeueryere faryn with his fuerse windes 4044 4048 bat syn the firmament was fourmed, & folke 4052 vpon erthe, Syche a Nauy was neuer of nowmber to-gedur; Winter was now past, and Spring had opened, and the great navy of the Greeks entered the harbour of Athens. Never had such a collected. fleet been (fol. 63 b.) Book IX. Agamemnon had 100 ships; Menelaus from Sparta had 60 ships. (Sparta) (Bootia) Arcesilaus from Boeotia and king Protheus had 50 ships. (Sicyonia) Ascalaphus and his brother Ialmenus with 30 ships. Epistrophus, king of Phocis, and his brother Tedius, with 50 ships. Telamon, king of Salamis, with 50 ships. Teucer, Nestor from Pyles, with 50 ships. (fol. 64 a) Thoas from Etolia, Agamynon the gret, was gide of hom all, A hundrith shippes full shene with sharp men 4056 Pight full of pepull & mony prise knight. Menelay the mighty, þat was his mete brother, 4060 And sped hym fro spart his awne spilte Rewme. two, Archisalus was an, auntrus in werre, And Protheno, a prise kyng, prestly pat other. With a company of knightes cast for the wer. 4076 ffyfty shippes full faire of his fuerse Rewme; And Erles also, with mony gret lordis. 4080 The Duke of Teucor, to telle truly, was pere; Amphimakus also, auntrus in wer; Donori, the derfe Erle, & doughty Theseus. Nestor, the nobill Duke, þat was an old man, 4084 ffore out of Phylon with fyfti gret shippes. Toax fro toylé, þat was a true kyng, |