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THE GRIEF OF PRIAM AND HIS FAMILY.

The
The body of pat bold was broght to his fader,
With all the kynges full clene, & pe kid Dukes.
With myche care & crie pai comyn hym with,
8700 Rent of pere riche clothes, ryuyn pere chekes,
And setton hym full sorily þat souerain before.
When Priam, the prise kyng, on the prinse
loked,

Suche a sorow full sodenly sanke in his hert,
8704 þat he fainted for feble fell on his corse
In a swone & a swogh, as he swelt wold.

He was ded, as to deme, pat day mony tymes,
ffor the dole & the deire of his dere sone.

8708 Ne hade the buerne from the body bigly ben
draghen,

He hade doutles be dede, & his day comyn.

Miche bale hade his brether, and his blithe

sister:

Hom hade leuer then the lond out of lyue be. 8712 What of Ecuba the honerable, þat was his aune

moder?

The sorow pat ho suffert were solly to here;

283

Book XXI.

The body of
Hector is borne to
the palace.
All the Trojan
leaders
accompany it,
with loud
wailing.

The grief of
Priam and his

family,

Andromacha, no tongue can tell.

& the dole of Andromaca, þat was his dere wife, and of What blod & bright watur on hir brest light! 8716 & the sobbyng & the sorow, pat sought hir

within,

Hit were tore any tunge tell hit with mouthe!
The dole for pat doghty of his dere fryndes,
Of wepyng, & wayle, & wryngyng of hondes,

8720 Clamur & crie, crakkyng of fyngurs,

Of po ledis þat hym louyt, no lettur might tell!
The body of this bold, þat barely is ded,
Most follow by fourme the freeltie of man:
8724 Hit may not long vpon loft ly vncorruppit,
Ne be keppit thurgh kynd for vnclene ayre.
Then Priam the prise kyng, prestly gert come
Maisturs full
mony, & men pat were wise.

(fol. 135 a.)

Priam consults with wise masters how they might

Book XXI.

keep the body of Hector without corruption, and

without sepulture.

They erect a rich tabernacle

on four pillars of gold,

adorned with images of angels,

and gleaming with precious

stones.

(fol. 135 b.)

Above the

tabernacle they

8728 He fraynet at po fre, with a fyn wille,

8732

How the korse might be keppit in his kynd

holl,

ffresshe, vndefacede, & in fyne hew,

As a lede vpon lyue, likyng to se;

And not orible, ne vgly of odir to fele.

Then po maisturs gert make a meruelous toumbe,
Honerable & auonand, in Apolyn temple,

At the prayer of Priam, of a prise werke, 8736 Beside Tiberian, þat in Troy was a triet yate, ffoundit full faire fele yeres past.

There set was full solenly besyde the high aulter,

A tabernacle triet & tristyly wroght,

8740 Of foure pillers vp pight all of pure gold:
Like ymages were all, abill of shap,
Lokend full lyuely as any light angels,
ffro aboue to pe base bright to be-hold,

8744 With full corius korse, & craftely grauen.

Hit was atiryt vmb the top all with triet stones, Of all kyndes to ken, þat clerkes cold deuyse. pai lemet so light, pat ledes might se 8748 Aboute midnyght merke as with mayn torches ; And on dayes to deme, as by due sight,

As beamys of bright sun, þat braunchis olofte, This tabernacle tristy was tyrit on hegh, 8752 Vpon cristall full clere, clustrit with greses, As a gate fro the ground to the gay herse: þat weghes might walke & waite perapon. Aboue on pis bright, as the boke sayes,

set a great image 8756 Thos maisturs gert make a meruelous ymage,

of gold,

representing

Hector menacing

the Greeks with

a naked sword.

All grauen of gold, a gret & a longe,

Amyt after Ector, abill of shap,

With a noble sword & a nait naked in his hond,

8760 Vp holdand on high as he þat wold stryke :

Turnyt to the tenttes of the tore grekes,

THE EMBALMING.

With a lyuely loke, ledis to be-hold:

The same fawchon full fell, þat þe freke bere, 8764 bat had greuit mony grekes, & to ground broght, Hit was burnisshed full bright & of blade kene; And in mynd of þat man for manas was holdyn. The body of pat bold, as buerne vppon lyue,

8768 Was full solemly set in a seate vnder,

8772

285

Book XXI.

They set the body of Hector under the tabernacle; and

Ymydward the mayne towmbe with maistres arrange it that

deuyse.

All the feturs of pat fre, fresshe to be-hold,
Iche lede on to loke, lemys & other

All set for to se, saue the fete one,

In soche apparell full pure, as the prince vsit. ban po maisturs gert make, amyddes his hede, A hole purgh his herne-pon hertely by craft; 8776 There-in put was a pipe, with a prise oyntment Of bavme & of balsamom, þat brethede full swete, With oper maters mynget, þat most were of strenght,

Conseruatours by craft, þat cointly were made. 8780 The bavme þurghe his brayn all on brod ran, And the forhed before fresshly within;

So hit entrid to þe Ene, & evyn to his nase, And so be craft & by course come to his chekes, 8784 Goyng to his gomys and the ground of his tethe,

bat keppit hom be crafte all in clene vertue.
So the face of pat freike was fresshe to be-hold,
With the here on his hede, pat hogely was

mekyll,

8788 And grew fro the ground, þat gomys might

know,

As a lede vpon lyue; lefe if ye will!

ffro thethen the lycour belyue launchit doun

evyn,

Thurgh the goters of his gorge, & the grete pype, 8792 To the brest of the buerne and the bare shulders;

it might seem to be still alive.

They cause a fine ointment to

drop into the

head, and flow

all over the body

to preserve it.

(fol. 136 a.)

By this means

the face and

features of the

hero are kept fresh and lifelike.

Book XXI.

So also the arms and hands,

legs and feet.

They set round the body four lamps of gold, whose fire could never be extinguished.

(fol. 186 b.)

To this temple Priam appoints many priests, and rich endowments.

And past so by proces to his prise armys,
Bret thurgh the bones and the big senowis,
Euer folowand the fell to pe fyngur endys.
8796 So hit soght to the sydes & serchit with-in,
And keppit hom full cleane in hor kynd hew,

þat as a lede vpon lyue to loke on þai ware. ben hit sewit furth soberly, & sanke fro aboue, 8800 By the lyndes of the lede, to the leell theghes, Passond by poris into pe pure legges ;

And so, be corse of the craft, com to his fete.
In whiche fete pere was formyt fresshly another,
8804 ffull of bawme þat was bright, & of brethe noble.
Thus keppit was this corse of the clene prinse,
As a lede vpon lyue a full long tyme.

8808

ben pos maisters gert make, all with mayn crafte,

ffovre lampis full light, ledis to beholde,

hat gay were & grete, all of gold fyne;

ffild vp with fyre, þat fynet not to bren; hat no watur þen wete in world might hom let, 8812 Ne the light make lesse ne the low fade. When this taburnacle atyrit was tally to end, Thai closit hit full clanly, all with clene ambur, Vmbe the borders aboue, pat no buerne entrid, 8816 With a dore þat was derne, all for dere fryndes ffor to loke on pat lede, when hom lefe pought, Or þat soght hym to se in his sete holl.

Then Priam, the prise kyng, puruait to leng 8820 Mony seruondis full solemne in the same

temple,

Of prestes to pray, and pure men of lyffe,
With worship to wale goddis, & wakyng on

nightes.

He gafe Renttes full Rife, & myche Ranke godis, 8824 All po ledis on to lyf, þat longit perto,

Bothe prestes and prise clerkes prudly to fynd.

THE COUNSEL OF AGAMEMNON.

287

THE COUNSAILL OF AGAMINON AFTER THE DETHE OF

ECTOR.

When Ector done was to dethe, & his day past,
Achilles woundit full wothely in were of his

lyffe,

8828 All the grete of the grekes gedrit were sone,
By ordinaunce of the Emperoure, þat after hom

8832

8836

sent.

Book XXI.

:- Agamemnon

proposes to his
captains that
they should thank

Thus he spake for his spede his specials vnto :-
"Now fryndes, in faith, vs is faire happont,
And proly, me thinke, we thanke shuld oure their gods for
goddes,

bat hase grauntid vs pat grace of pe gome Ector,
To be drepit to dethe thurgh dughty Achilles.
ffor, while the lede was on lyf, & his lymes holl,
We hade hertely no hope here for to spede,
Yonder toun for to take, ne tene hom within,
Ne in this lond, at our lust, lykyng to haue.

Hector's death:

ffor he hase kyld of our kynges, to count hom for he had slain

by nome,

8840 Prothesselon, Patroculus, & Policene alse;

Myrion the mighty, & the mayn Sedymon;
Prothenor the pert, & the prinse Xancipun.
Alphenor the fuerse flung he to dethe;

8844 Archillagon the choise choppit to ground;
Domen the doughty, & derf Polexenas;
Isum, also, abill of his dedys.

Polipheten, a prise mon, he put out of lyue;

8848 Letabion on the laund pere left he for ded;

8852

And mony grete of our grekes he to ground

broght.

so many of the Greeks and their

allies.

Syn he be destany is dede, what dem þar vs ellus, And now that he

But the Citie to sese, & slyng it to ground;
All the pepull to pyne put, and dethe at oure

lust?

is dead, Troy and the Trojans will be easily taken.

(fol. 137 a.)

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