Book XX.

copper supporuing
an image of pure
gold.
(“Gematry" =
geometry.)

Wonderfully wroght weghis to be-hold,
With gematry Justly aioynet to gedur;

Miche soteltie, for-sothe, settyng of notes, 8396 Crafte þat was coynt, knawyng of tymes,

And other faynet fare & fantasy olde!
Within the tyme of the tru, the triet kyng Priam, Priam buries

His noble sonnes naturell naitly gert bery,
8400 With hor brether, in the burgh, on his best wise :

Eure son by hym selfe, sais me the lyne,
In a precius place, & in prise toumbis !

his sons, each in 8 separate tomb.

HERE DAI FFAGHT TWELUE DAYES TO-GEDUR.

The truce is ended : fighting is resumed,

When the sex monethes were meuit of þe mene

true,
8404 Than faght þai in feld felly to gedur,

Twelue dayes, be-dene, dole to be-holde!
ffull myche was the murthe of po mayn knightes,

On bothe sydes, for-sothe, sayes me the lyne ; 8408 And myche blode on the bent of tho bold leuyt.

Than the hete was so hoge, harmyt the grekes, Because of the
With a pestylence in the pepull pynet hom sore:

Thai fore out to the fildes, fellyn to ground, 8412 And droppit to dethe on dayes full thicke.

ffor þat Agamynon, by grement, graidly did send
To the toun, for a true of a tym shorte;

Thretty dayes to endure, & no deire wirke. 30 days: 8416 Hit was grauntid þat grete, by grement with-in which is granted.

Of Priam, & [the] prinse, & the prise all
Of kynges, and Comyns, and of kyde Dukes.
Therto sworne were pai swiftly on hor swete

haloes,
8420 And affermyt hit fast: and here a ffyt endes.

great heat, a pestilence heaks out; many of tlie Greeks die in the fields.

a

Agamemnon desires a truce 101

(fol. 130 b.)

The xxj Boke. Of the viij Batell : And of

the Dreme of Ector wyffe.

During the last night of the truce,

Andromacha dreams that Hector will be slain on the next duy.

Lengye here at a litill, lystyn my wordes,
I shall tell you full tyte how hom tyde after,
When thes dayes were done, & dryven to an

ende,
8424 All þai fforen to be fight, & the fild toke !

Of Andromaca drem I dresse me to telle,
How hir noyet in the night, er þai to note yode.

As pis burde was in bed with hir blythe lorde, 8428 And slippit vpon slepe, slomeryng a while,

Sho was affrayet full foule with a fuerse dreme,
That she met of hir maister, & masit full euyll.

At hir wakonyng ho wist, as the writ sayes,
8432 Iff the bold vnto batell busket þat day,

He shuld doutles be dede, & drepit for euer !
Andromaca for drede of her dreme felle,

Miche water ho weppit, and wackont the prince. 8436 As þai bothe were in bed, pe burd to hym saide,

And told hym by tale, as her tyde hade.
Sho prayet the prinse with hir pure hert,

ffor drede of hir drem, & deire þat might fallo, 8440 On nowise in thys world the walles to passe,

ffor to bowne vnto batell, ne of burghe wend. han the worthy at his wife wrathet a litle,

And blamyt the burde for hir bold speche. 8444 Hit was vnfittyng, he said, a sad man of wit,

She prays him not to go to battle.

(fol. 131)

Hector blames
Andromacha:

Book XXI.

says, it is silly to
give heed
to dreams.

Any dremys to drede, or deme hom for trew,
Syn þai feble are & faint, & falsly dissayuyn,

And belirten yche lede, þat leuys þerapon. 8448 When the day vp droghe, & the derke voidet,

The burd bownet fro bed, & of boure past :
To his fader ho fore, & his fre moder.

All ho told hom in tale, as her tyde hade, 8452 Besechis the souerain, with sy kyng in hert,

Hir lord for to let, for lure þat might happyn:
On nowise þat he went, for wothe of his lyf !

Andromacha pleads with Priam and Hecuba to prevent Hector going to that fight.

Aeneis :

When the sun vp set with his softe beames, 8156 All the batels of the burghe bownet to feld, The Trojans take

the field, led by Ordant of Ector efter his deuyse.

Truilus, Paris,

Deiphobus, and Troiell, the triet knyght, toke the feld sone ;

Then Paris full prest put hyin next aftur. 8460 Deffebus drogh furth with a derfe pepull;

Eneas afturward auntred to feld.
Polidamas, the proud knight, past on swithe; Polydamas,

Phorcys,
Then the fuerse kyng Forcius folowet anon; Pylamenes and

the allied kings. 8464 And Philmen, the freke, with a felle batell.

Then all the kynges by course, þat comyn were

to Troy,
The citie to socour, with þere sute hoole,

Passit furth fro Priam to þe playn feld, 8468 With leue of þe lord, þat the lond aght.

Then Priam to be prinse prestly can send,
That he bownet to no batell, ne pe burgh past, within the city.

On nowise in this world, for worship or other. 8472 Therat Ector was angry, & angardly wrothe,

Repreuet the prinses with a pale face :
With his worshipful wife wrathit hym þen.

Withouten leue of the lord, þat hymn let wold, 8176 To his seruondes he saide in a sad haste,

servants to bring To bryng hym his bright geire, bownet to feld, his armour; and And arayed for the rode with a ronke wille.

Priam commands
Hector to stay

Hector is angry :

(fol. 131 b.)

orders his

Book XXI.

takes her infant in her arms, and falls at Hector's fect.

:

him to stay.

Hector refuses :

Than his wif was war of his wille sone, 8480 Myche watur ho weppit, wailyng for sorow.

Two sonnes hade þat semly, with the sure

prinse,-
On Lamydon was litle, and his leue brother

Astionac also, þat after was borne,

8484 þat were bothe at the brest of the bright norse, Andromacha

Noght put fro the pappe to no prise fode.
The ton toke ho full tyte in hir true armys,

To the fote of þat fre fell ho belyue :
8488 Hit was dole & deire, þat dere to be-hold !

With myche wepyng & woo þes wordes ho said:

“A! my lord, & it like yow at this lefe tyme, She pleads with

I be-seche

you,
for

my sake sober youre wille : 8492 Put of youre purpos, preses no fer,

ffor all the loue in our lyue, þat light vs

betwene!”
He denyet hir anon: hir noy was the more.

And sho braid with the barne to þe bare erthe, she clasps his 8496 Vmbfoldyt his fete, felle vnto swone.

And when ho wacknet of wo, thies wordes ho

said : “If ye no mercy haue on me, for mysse þat I

thole, Haue pité on youre pure sonnes, þat mone payne

thole! Again she pleads 8500 To be done to be dethe with hor dere moder,

Or be shot out with shame fro youre shene

landes ;
Exiled for euermore endles to sorow,

Pight vnder pouert and penaunce to lyue !"
His mother, his

8504 Then his moder the myld qwene, & his meke sisters, and Helen, fall at his

syster, feet,

Cassandra the clene, & clere Polexena,
And honerable Elan also, with hom:
Thies fellyn hym to fete with a foule chere,

feet and swoons.

with him to stay.

HECTOR AND ANDROMACHA.

277

Book XXI.

Hector will not

forth to battle.

Andromacha

a

to Priam.

and hair,

8508 Prayond the prinse (pitie was to se) To put of his pale wedis, & his pale entre ; pleading that he

abide in the city And abyde in the burgh to the bare night. till night. He hade no ruthe of hor remyng, ne pe rank (fol. 132 a.)

teris, 8512 Ne be prayer of po prise persit not his hert;

yield. He goes But past furth prudly his purpos to hold, And bounet toward batell, bode he no lengur.

ben Andromoca for dol drogh out of wit, 8516 Vne fore as a fole, fonnet at all ; Past vnto Priam, þe prinsis aune fadur,

in despair rushes With a rufull rore rent of hir clothis; Rafit þe red chekis roidly with hond,

Tearing her face 8520 And þe hore of hir hede heterly pullit !

So þat ffre with hir face fore at þe tyme,
bat all blod was be bright in hir ble quit:

Ho was vnkyndly to knaw of hir kyd frendis. 8524 So disfigurt of face & febill of hew,

To pe fete of þe fre kyng fel ho belyue,
Besechond þat soueran, in a sad hast

heseeching him ffor to high to þat hynd, & hold hym within,

within the city. 8528 bat he fore not to fight, ne the fild toke !

Than Priam in pure hast preset to horse,
Lept vp full lyghtly, & the lede folowet :

Ouertoke hym full tyte, taried hym þan, 8532 Raght to the reynes of his riche bridell:

Vne wrothe in his wille weppit full sore,
Comaundand þat comly, as his kynd fader,

By all hor goddes so gret, & greuyng of hym, 8536 bat he fare shuld ne ferre, ne the feld entre.

At the last, þurgh the likyng of his lege kyng, With great
And offence of his ffader, the freke agayne returns :

turnyt:

Past euyn to his palais, & the place entrid. 8540 He wold put of no plate of his prise armur,

account put off But abode in the burgh ir. his bright wedis.

she falls at his feet,

to detain Hector

Priam overtakes Hector: cominands and entreats him to desist.

reluctance he

but will, on no