ANDROMACHE AND HER CHILDREN SET FREE. 12044 Priams pure dughter, pertist of wit, And all grauntid pe grete with a gode will. As pes kynges in counsell were comynyng to- Eneas egerly, euyn with Antenor, 12018 Put hym in prise & profferit to say: Was grauntid to be grauyn, & gyuyn to his toumbe : Eat worthi pai wilnet of wo to delyuer, And grauntid po grete with a glad chere. 12056 Elynus egerly for Ectors childur Praiet to po prinses, and hor pure modur: ben ordant afterward þes honourable kynges, hat all pe worchipfull wemen of pe wale toune, hat left were on lyue, haue leue forto wend, 12064 Lause at hor lykyng, no lede forto harme. ben purpost þai playnly to pas oute of land, 393 Book XXIX. Eneas and (fol. 184 a.) for Andromache and Helenus. Their request is request is at once except Pyrrhus. The noble women of Troy at liberty to depart or stay. The departure of the Greeks But be stormys were so stith, & stiryng of delayed by wyndis, 12068 More pen a moneth myght þai not pas. ben come pai to Calcas pe cause forto wete, 12072 Were wode in hor werkis for wreke of Achilles ; slayn. storms, because the death Book XXIX. Polyxena, who was the cause of his death, must be slain. Pyrrhus makes search for Polyxena: (fol. 184 b.) Agamemnon inquires at Antenor regarding her: but all without success. "3ow most sle ffor þat same, 3our sayntis to plese, 12076 þat was cause of his cumbranse, & keppit is on lyue." ben Pirrus with pyne put hym to serche hat was cause of pe cumbranse of his kynd 12080 And nothir takyn þat tyme, ne tyrnyt to deth. Agaminon full graidly gos to Antenor, ffraynyt at hym frikly of þat fre mayden : He denyet hym onon, pat noqwere he knew 12084 bat commly be keppet, ne in cloese haldyn. ben wrathid po worthi for wont of þe burde, And tenyt full tite for tarying so longe. Antenor, after pis angur, persayuyt 12088 þat þe kynges ffor pat clere had caght hym in And poght fully his faulshed folow to an end. After many days' 12092 ffele dayes bedene, or he pat dere fonde: search, Antenor discovers her in an old tower. She is sent to Pyrrhus, who prepares to slay her on his father's tomb. Till he aspiet hir with spit, by speryng of othir, A tyme for to tarie, of a toure olde. Agaminon pat gay gert forto send 12100 To Pirrus pat presound, prestly onone; And he cast hym pat coumly to cut into pesis, ffull tite on þe toumbe of his tru fadur. As this lady was led tell hir last end, 12104 Kingis comyn cantly pat cumly to se. he pupull had pité, & presit full þik To se pat louely be lost, pat no lak did. TO ATONE FOR THE DEATH OF ACHILLES. All þe folke were vnfayn, & of fyn will 12108 To haue reft hir the rynke, for ruth þat þai had. Hit hade doutles ben done, and hire deth voidid, Had not Calcas pe cursit carpit before, hat neuer po lordis to hor londis lyuely shuld wyn, 12112 Till ho duly were ded & dressit in pesis. When pis burd was broght to pe bare toumb, Ho askewsit hir of skath, & sklaundur of his deth ; þat neuer ho wist of þe werke, ne in will poght She denies 12116 pat pe dughti shuld degh, till hit don was. having had knowledge of, or desire for, Achilles. be kyngis and pè comyns had care at paire hertes, the death of 12120 To periche pat pure pité þai had ; But ho doutid no deth in [hir] du ryght, Syn ho borne was a burd of a blod nobill, 12124 Comyn of a kyng & a clene maydyn, Hir was leuer in hir lond out of lyue pas, ben be defoulit in filth with febill of astate; Or be led of hire lond with a lede straunge; 12128 Set vndur seruage and sorow for euer, With pe fose of hir fadur, & hir fre kyn, degh, 12132 pen be exild for euermore, erdond in sorow; 12136 My maydynhed I merk to myghtifull goddis: his holly with hert here I beseke !" When pe lady had leuyt of hir loud speche, But she will rather die than be wedded to an inferior, or live with those who have slain all her friends. Book XXIX. Pyrrhus smites her with a (fol. 185 b.) sword; cuts her in pieces, and scatters them over his father's tomb. Hecuba swoons, and becomes mad. In her wildness she wounds many of the Greeks. She is bound, and taken to Aulis, where she is stoned to death. A splendid tomb of marble is erected for her. 12140 Pirrus with a pale sword presit hir to; At pe tumbe full tit of his triet fadur; 12152 bis lif scho lad lelly pat day, And myche gremyt þe grekes in hir grete angur. bai toke hire full tit, and teghit hir hondis, Send hir sone by soume of hire men, 12156 Into the Ile of Aulida angardly swythe; And stithly with stonys steynyt hir to dethe. The grekes for the grete graithet a toumbe, Of a heght þat was hoge, all of harde marble; 12160 And broght hir to berenes, as hom best poght. In mynd of pat mighty, to myn hit for euer, The plase all of penaunce, the pepull hit calles, The lede in hor langage, pat lengys perin, 12164 Duly to this day, as demys the boke. The xxx Boke. Of Stryfe of Thelamon and (fol. 186 a.) All this tyme in þe toun, tellis þe story, be grekis were togedur for pe grete stormys Of wyndis full wikkid, & waues of pe se: 12168 No shalke went to schip on þe schir water. be tor kyng Thelamon, tidé of hondis, Before be grete of pe grekis,-Agamynon & Greek nobles othir, To Vlixes, in angur, angardly speke, 12172 ffor dole to pe duk of pe du goddes, hat was sesit in þe Cité at þe same tyme. He wrathit hym, I-wis, & to be wegh saide :12176 "pat gyfte is to grete of pat god nobill; And my-seluyn for-sothe haue seruyt hit bettur, Telamon complains to the against Ulysses He had slain many other be sun of pe sam kyng I slogh with my leaders of the hondis, Polidarius pe pert, þat Priam did kepe, enemy: |