THE GRIEF OF PRIAM AND HIS FAMILY. The Suche a sorow full sodenly sanke in his hert, He was ded, as to deme, pat day mony tymes, 8708 Ne hade the buerne from the body bigly ben 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 The grief of 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! 8720 Clamur & crie, crakkyng of fyngurs, Of po ledis þat hym louyt, no lettur might tell! (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, 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: 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, 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. 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, 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. 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, 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, lyffe, 8828 All the grete of the grekes gedrit were sone, 8832 8836 sent. Book XXI. :- Agamemnon proposes to his Thus he spake for his spede his specials vnto :- bat hase grauntid vs pat grace of pe gome Ector, 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; 8844 Archillagon the choise choppit to ground; 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; lust? is dead, Troy and the Trojans will be easily taken. (fol. 137 a.) |