SENDS FOR TELEPHUS. 5308 All in point for to pas with paynes of dethe. 5312 I say you now sothely, as my sad fryndes, Done are my dayes, I draw to an end; And non eire of myn own neuer yet I hade, 5316 pat I my londes might leue, lyuely to kepe, That I getton haue & gate with moche gret trauell, And holdyn of hard, & with my hond werit Vnto now, þat with noy is myn end comyn. 5320 The whiche lond I hade lost long tymes past, 173 Book XIII. When at the point of death he addressed them thus: "I am now drawing to my end, and there is no heir to whom I may leave my lands. (fol. 83 a.) Lands which would have been Hade not helpe ben of hym, was hardiest of lost long ago, but othir, Most doughty of dedis, dreghist in armys, And the strongest in stoure, pat euer on stede rode, 5324 Ercules, pat honerable, edist of my knightes. He was pi fader so fuerse, þat me faithe eght, hat preset at my prayer to this pure rewme, In hast me to helpe with his hede strenght, 5328 When my fos were so fell, & fuerse me agayn, þat þai occupiet ouer all, euyn as hom list, And I vncertayn, for-sothe, to sese it on lyue. But he sothely, hym-selfe, of his sad strenght, 5332 Thurgh hardynes of hond & helpe of hym one, All my fos in fight felly distroyit; Breke all pere batells, britned hom to dethe, Thus the septur & the soile sithyn haue I for the help of Hercules, the bravest of my knights. When my foes Book XIII. It was by your father and his followers that the land was thus won. Had he been alive, he should have been king now and to you I leave it, as his heir. Therefore, I now declare you to be king of all my lands; and leave you to govern them as you please. (fol. 83 b.) Bury me with such honour as becomes a king." Telephus buried him in a gorgeous tomb, with all kingly honours and sacrifices. Noght sothely burgh my selfe, ne my sad dedis, 5340 But burghe ffrendship of pi fader, & his fre helpe. Now son, I will say the, as my sad frynd, 5344 Syn pi fader in fuerse with his fre will, Rid me pis Rewme out of ronke Enmys, And wan it full worthely with worship hym seluyn, Hade he lyuyt in lede, he hade ben lorde here, And syn our goddis wold not graunt grace to 5348 This soile & the septur þi seluyn shall haue, 5356 ffor to gouerne & to get, as ye good pinke: his I take the be testament, as my trew aire. And bryng me to berenes on pi best wise, As be comys for a kyng in his kyde rewme; And honour me with obit as ogh myn astate." He wrote thus his wille, & wightly asselit, And deght pen full dawlily, as destyny wold. 5360 And Thelaphus a toumbe trietly gart make, A riche & a riall, with mony ronke stonys. On a worshipfull wise warpit hym perin, With all the princes of pe prouyns, & other 5364 5368 prowde folke, And sacrifices full solemne, soche as pai vsit. OF MESSAN. 5372 Bothe septur & soile, as souerain to haue." When pes dedis were done, & the dede leuyt, All the lordes of the londe, & the lege pepull, Thurgh the Citis dyd send, and þe soile ouer, 5376 ffor to come to the coronyng of þe kyde lord, 175 Book XIII. When all was settled, the lords and the people are ordered to be present at the coronation of Telephus, to own as their king. With honour & homage, as aght hom of right; and honour him hat before, purghe his fader right, fell to be duke, 5380 So cald in his cuntre be course of his londes,— Now coronyd is the kyng this cuntre to weld; Hade homage of all men, & honour full grete, And began for to gouerne, as gome in his owne. 5384 pan fild pai with fraght all pere fuerse shippes, And stuffe of all maner store, pat hom strenght The Greeks then fill their ships with all sorts of victual, and Achilles might; With corne, & with clene flowre, & othir kid prepares to set vitaill. Achilles, with choise men, chefe into shipp, sail. 5388 And thelaphon, the tothir, wold haue turnyt Telephus would after, Agayne to the grekes with his grete folke, In batell to byde, as a buerne noble; (fol. 84 a.) have gone with him, 5392 pen the choise kyng Achilles chaunget his wille, but was advised Spake to hym specially for sped of hom all, And puruay for the pure oste plenty of vitaill. to remain to watch over the supplies for the Greek army. 5396 Here at talaphon he toke leue, & turnyt to ship, Achilles takes And halet to the hegh se in a hond while, Wan þurgh the waghis, had wind at his ese; Sailet on soundly, & the se past; 5400 To pe gret Navy of pe Grekes graidly he comes. At tenydon, full tomly, turnyt into hauyn, leave of Telephus and sails for Book XIII. His arrival is hailed by every one. He relates how they had fared;how Telephus had been made king; 5404 In company clene of mony kyde lordes. 5408 And he tomly hom told þe tale to pe end, and that a supply 5412 And of the cariage of corne comyn by ship, of corn had arrived. (fol. 84 b.) I shall now tell of the Trojans and their allies, as I have done of the Greeks. bat no wegh suld want while the werre laste, Ne no fode for to faile, but the fulthe haue, 5416 All worshippit the wegh for his wale dedis, 5420 To the Mirmydouns his men, þat mekill ioy hade, And fayuer of pat fre, pen any folke ellis. Now here will I houe a litle hond qwhile, Of the Troiens to telle, & pere triet helpe, What kynges pere come of countres aboute; What Dukes by-dene, & other derfe Erles, 5428 pat soght to pe Citie with hor sad helpis, And the soume of the soudiours, er I sue ferre. OF THE KYNGES AT COME TO TROY FOR SOCUR OF PRIAM. 5432 of the worthy to wale, as the writ shewes, The kynges pere come out of kyde londys, bat holdyn were of hom, as pere hede lordes, THE ALLIES OF TROY. With thre thowsaund pro men, priuound in armys. 5436 Pendragon the pert, pristly was on, 177 Book XIII. The three kings- Thabor, and And Thabor, pat tother, a tor man of strenght; with 3000 men. 5440 pat faire was & full all of fre townes, ffoure kynges pere come with a cant pepull, With flyve thowsaund full, all of fyn knightes. To acounte of pe kynges,-Caras was on, 5444 And Nestor, another, to neuyn of po same; The thrid Ymasus, yrfull, egor of wille, And Amphymacus, pe fourt, a felle mon in werre. Out of Licé come lyuelé þe lege kyng Glaucon, 5448 With his son Serpidon, a sad mon of strenght, þat to Priam was pure sib, a prise mon of dedes, armys. Out of Lachan, a lond, come a light kyng, 5452 Euphymus the fuerse, fell of his hondes, And Capidus pe kene,-kynges were bothe With a thousaund pro men prifte in armys, And fyue hundrith ferre all of fyn knightes. 5456 There come of a cuntre, cald was Tebaria, From Colophon came the four kings and 5000 men. From Lycia came Glaucus and his son Serpedon with 3000 knights. From Laconia (fol. 85 a.) From Tebaria came Baunus with On Baunus, a bold kyng, and broght with hym- 3000 knights: seluyn pre thousaund pro knightes, priuound in werre : And seven Erles, sothely, in his sort were, 5460 And foure Dukes dughty, & of dede nobill, in his company were seven Earls and four Dukes,relatives of bat to Priam the prise kyng all were pure syb. Priam. All hor colouris to ken were of clene yalow, Withouten more in the mene, or mellit with other, 5464 To be knowen by course thurghe the clene ost, As bold men in batell, and of breme will. |